And the Season Begins...

Well for me it begins after finals are over. I have one last final to take tonight at 6:30 - the last final on the last day of finals. Man I got lucky this semester, especially with all the crap surrounding my transfer. Hopefully by the time the Spring semester starts though, I'll have it all sorted out. All in all, I think I did really well this semester. I won't have my grades until the 19th but I think I'll end up close to a 4.0 this semester. It does make me feel better when I hear kids around me complaining on how hard the class is and I'm acing all the exams. Today I'll be selling back my last textbook, taking my final and the Fall term will officially be over!

On another note, I will be going away the 17th until the 27th but I'll still keep my shop open. I just won't be able to ship anything until I get back, but because of that I'll probably put up a small sale for those who don't mind waiting on getting their orders after Christmas. I also have plans for New Years, but that won't mean anything as far as my store in concerned.

Now that practically school is over this semester, it's snowing right now (and has snowed many times this past month already), I can just sip on coffee while listening to Christmas music. I don't like listening to the same songs for 2 months, but once in a while, when the timing is right, it just puts me in the holiday spirit that I'm ever hardly in. So what is everyone doing during this holiday season???

MixTape Zine

I found out a wonderful zine a few months back and am so happy I did. They are from Australia and mostly focus on crafting and going green - which is just my thing. After ordering five issues, I decided that I wanted to write some articles for the zine and see if I could contribute in some way to the crafty world out there. I had two articles published so far, one in issue #6 and one in #7.

I wrote another article and hopefully it'll be published in issue #8 which comes out in February I believe.

Check out their blog and their shop where you can purchase the current issue as well as back issues.

This zine is definitely worth checking out, one of the very few zines/magazines out there for modern crafters and eco-friendly people.

Vote!

It doesn't matter who you vote for, just go out and fulfill your civic duty!I was out at the polls at 7am before class. If I can do it, you can too!

A Showcase of Exclusive Handmade Goods!

Yes, I'm finally having a show since the craft fair season is coming to a halt and holiday shopping season is about to start! I met Beth from Pepper Pod Designs and we instantly clicked. After convoing for a bit via Etsy, we decided to meet. Upon that first meeting we already had the idea of a home show floating around in our heads! And this was only one month ago!

We already planned everything, handed out invitations, and are doing last minute crafting in time for our show on November 1st. We are both a bit apprehensive about this because it is a first for the both of us, but this will be an easier way (I think) to prepare for future shows at large craft fairs. We have raffles planned, food, drinks and of course jewelry from Beth and all the sewn good from me.

I still feel like what I have won't be enough for the show, but with less than a week and counting (not to mention school!) I don't have much time to get many more things done! Hopefully I'm just stressing over nothing, and the show turns out wonderful with lots of sales...

Mineral Makeup

I have to say that I love the *idea* of makeup but I hate wearing it. I never wore foundation or coverup, I'm just talking eyeshadow, mascara and lip gloss. The lip gloss I do, but the mascara and eye shadow I've always had a problem with. They make my eyes itch and burn like crazy. At first everything seems ok, and then all of a sudden I feel like I'm going blind. And that's when I stopped wearing that stuff.

Fast forward a few years and I will be going into the *real* workforce and have to look presentable for other things as well. So I broke down and bought some mineral makeup from Etsy. I got a variety of colors in sample sizes, just in case I didn't like them I wouldn't feel so bad about buying a regular sized container. I actually went and bought from two sellers: MineralMagic and PinkQuartzMinerals.

I asked a few questions about Mineral Magic and decided to start with a color scheme for brown eyes. She had 4 chosen shadows for that and they all appealed to me so I got that to start out with. They shipped to me within the week, everything was professionally wrapped and labled and of course I had to test it right away. I have to say that I had it on from morning to night (with the addition of the veil she sells) and it stayed on just as well or better than regular makeup. And as a bonus there was no itching or burning! Yay! This shop will be getting more of my business soon!

I just got the package from Pink Quartz Minerals, and although it did take a while to get to me, I do like the colors. I still have not tested them on my eyes, but my first impression is that I do like them. She included a small booklet for those who have never used mineral makeup, which was nice.

I would reccommend mineral makeup for those who are sensitive to the things they've tried from a drugstore or department store. I believe this stuff, by far, surpasses that and it's much more affordable. So go ahead and treat your self to some great makeup!

Playing Hookey

No, not me, but this etsy seller is! Her shop is Playing Hookey and she makes awesome jewelry holders, jewelry racks, key racks, message boards and more. What I just adore about her stuff is that it isn't painted - it is all wrapped in fabric! Erica not only uses top quality fabrics and hardware, but all her stuff is meticulously put together.

I got the Pink Parlor Jewelry Holder. It has cotton needlepoint canvas to hang your earrings, antique bronze cup hooks to hang watches, bracelets and necklaces. The front is accented with a blue satin ribbon and a fabric flower with a vintage button and lace. The whole thing is finished in the back with ecospun felt.

I absoultely love this jewelry holder and immediately put it up and adorned it with my jewelry. Because of this holder, I put on jewelry everyday. Now that it's all out in front of me it's so much easier to pick out than when it was all thrown into a box.

Before I even got the jewelry holder though, just from Erica's shop, I was inspired to make my own custom jewelry rack just for necklaces (I have way too many from Etsy!) It came out pretty nice for my first one and did take a bit of time and muscle to make. My mom saw it and asked me to make one for my little sister as well. I definitely improved a lot on the second one, but Erica's quality is just supurb - that's why she's selling them and not me!

When I got the jewelry holder though, I showed it to my parents and they thought I bought it from one of those expensive high end trendy furniture stores. I told them Etsy :) My mom just adores it and plans on buying some in the future as gifts. I also think they would make fabulous gifts for not only yourself but for that person who has everything!

Pikaland: The Illustrated Life

I found this great website and store. Pikaland is about everything illustrated. It features different artists and welcomes artists to submit their work to be sent out in the PikaPackage. I have already gotten two Pika Packages and am looking forward to my next one. In both packages, I was so pleased with the artwork - I want to put everything up on my walls, but I literally don't have any more room!

On the site you can see all the profiles of all the artists that send in their work, as well as the work(s) that were sent in. So many artists contribute their work, that you really are surprised on what pieces you get because the PikaPackage comes in either a 4 or 8 item package.

Amy, who started this whole concept is so sweet! She responds to all comments on her blog and lets you know when your PikaPackage is shipped out. It comes all the way from Maylasia which seems to make the package a little bit more special. I just love this and hope to continue getting a package every time one comes out!