With The Good Comes The Bad

The past couple weeks have been pretty amazing. Orders are keeping me busy and I'm overflowing with ideas! In one of my last posts I talked about splurging on some items, I was able to get everything I wanted for pretty good prices now I just have to wait for them to come in the mail (it's killing me!!!!). I am super excited about everything! I even plan to switch the type of resin I use, this will allow me to polish the finished product and the quality is much better. I should have everything switched by the end of January (that's my goal!). That reminds me I need to make a goal list!!! I do it the beginning of every year but sometimes forget about it :/ this year will be different.

But of course with the good comes the bad. This leads me to tell you about a few struggles I've had the past couple weeks. Of course (as always around this time) I'm sick and that isn't helping with anything. Yesterday I went to the bank to get approved for a home loan (I've been looking at houses again!!! Even found one I really like) but since I'm self employed things are a little trickier....needless to say since my taxes weren't descriptive enough and I'm not doing all the same work I use to I will not be able to get a loan until after my taxes are done. This lead me to cry in the parking lot of the bank but thinking about it more and more it's actually probably for the best since I still have 6 months left on my lease and I can look around at more houses. One of the main things I was worried about was not making as much as the past two years so I went home and started adding up what I've done for the year and it turns out this year is the best yet!!! It also made me realize I really really need to keep things organized!!! So for the next couple of days I will be getting things ready for taxes and all that fun stuff!

In the end the bad ended up being not so bad and it's all how you look at it right?

Psssstttttt

Just put up some sale items in the shop! New listings are also being put up as I type! Go check it out!!

Splurge!

At least 7 new designs coming out very soon! I am very excited about these ones!
Since I have to make some pairs to photograph before selling I will be selling the sample pair for 1/2 off! They will range in size so all is fair. I will probably put the notice up on my facebook fan page or tumblr so keep an eye out!

Since things are going well and I'm keeping busy with my shop I am going to splurge and invest in some much needed equipment! First off a digital caliper, I have one that isn't digital and basically sucks. Second off is a vacuum pump! I've been eying these for awhile and really need to get one, it will help out with quality and save me time I just need to find the right materials to build it. Hopefully I'll be able to get both before the end of the year or improvise and use something similar.

New New New!!!

There are going to be a couple new designs coming up in the next couple months! I am very excited about them and can't wait to share!

Another new and exciting thing is I made a light box last night for photographing! I'm always trying to improve on everything especially photos. This project was soooo simple and cheap and it improves my photos drastically. I really should have done it a long time ago. Before doing it I thought my pictures were pretty decent (they weren't horrible) but it was such a pain to take them! My previous solution was a piece of paper on the windowsill with direct sunlight, now I don't even need the sunlight!!! I think that is the best part especially since it gets dark around 5 now :( here are some before and after pics
Windowsill

Light Box


This makes me beyond happy. Now if I could just make one that I could fit in hmmmm....
The only thing that sucks about it is I'm going to have to redo a lot of photographs :/ but it will be worth it in the end.

On a Lighter Note!

Things are going great! I have been super busy (crazy busy!) and even though it can be frustrating and hard I love it. I was able to figure out some new/better improvements with my plugs and making them. I even cut out one step so I am able to make them faster! My ideas and designs are always improving and I won't stop until they're perfect. I have had one of my friends (who's pretty rough on plugs) beat a couple pairs up but ALWAYS REMEMBER I stand behind my product 100% if you bough something and need a fix tell me! I love to hear all feedback good and bad, it helps me improve my techniques.

One last thing! Coming in 2011 I will be setting up my own website (no worries I'll still be on etsy!) where I will be selling all types of plugs in all types of materials! I will stay that I may stay away from selling acrylic jewelry. Yes it is cheap but it's not the safest thing, there are many other better options out there and I want to be able to offer you those at an affordable price. Hopefully I'll be able to set that up once etsy calms down.

PS TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY TO GET (made to order) ORDERS IN IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR ITEM BY THE 24TH!!!

Mini Rant

Okay okay okay I said I was going to try not to rant and what not but I need to get a little something off my chest and it's 4am so there's no one awake to talk to.

There is another plugs company that has recently shown up, not a problem at all I love to support small companies especially plugs! I am friends with other people that sell them and I try to help others out when starting up.

Anyway they started following me awhile ago on a couple websites (I'm going to be very vague here as to not give out what websites or specific info because I really don't want to give them a bad name) so I followed back. Recently I was looking at their products and come to find out they started doing one of my ideas, I won't lie I was a little bummed when I saw it. But not a big deal, kind of flattering if you think about it. I was looking on their website again today and saw another one of my ideas :( For some reason it just really bums me out, I understand no idea is really original but really??? And it didn't take them to long to do it after I did, coincidence? I think not.

Okay end of rant, thanks for listening! I understand I'm probably being petty and whatnot but I'm allowed that every now and then. And this is my blog dammit!!! Hahahaha jk.

So I've been gone for awhile to say the least but I have decided to return (maybe) to the land of blogging. I'm not promising a post every other day or anything like that (baby steps!) but I would like to start at least making an effort to blog once a week. That brings me to my dilemma, what do I blog about!?!? I think half the time my life is so uninteresting but then again isn't the whole point of blogging supposed to be for myself? Maybe not, but that is what I'm going to be using it for. I apologize in advance if I have some that will be little rants or sad posts but that's what comes with life and I'm not always the happiest person. I will try to focus on happy things though :)

Lets see where did I leave you guys hanging last time??? RENEGADE! Yes, that was an amazing experience, very time consuming and exhausting but AMAZING! The first day we got down there and it was raining but that didn't stop the customers and what a delightful bunch they were. It took me awhile but on the second day I finally left my tent to go out and look at all the other amazing items. I was blown away by some of the thing I saw and I met some people who's blogs I follow and they are just as delightful in person as they are on the internet. It really boosted my confidence on what I am doing and what I want to do in life.

On a totally different subject I am looking for a house to buy (again, first time it didn't go so well and I eventually gave up) I'm hoping to find something within the next few months but time will tell. I love my apartment (and the skylights of course!) but I need a change and it would be nice to have a place of my own where I can paint the walls whatever color I want and not worry about putting shelves up because of the holes they'll leave behind.

Well I think that's a good mini update. I'm sure I'll have more to write about in the very near future. See ya soon!!!

Take a break, if only for a minute

It's been a very busy past couple of weeks! I am more than exhausted but in a great way. The reason for this post is to unleash some of my thoughts about things.

We all need to stop and enjoy the little things every now and then, even if it's just for a minute or two, it always feels great and lets you appreciate all you have.

The past couple of days I have been very busy finishing and shipping orders along with purchasing items to get ready for Renegade in Chicago and it has been way more than exhausting/frustrating/overwhelming. It's getting better, for now, next week I'll probably be crazy again but time will tell. Since I've been on a go go go mindset I decided to make some cheesecake yesterday and now am enjoying it..sitting on the computer between blogging and catching up on etsy feedback.

So take some time, even just a minute out of your day and look around at what you have.


Ear update! I'm well past 1 1/16" after the whole ordeal I had. I bought some beautiful organic plugs and although they don't fit now I can't wait until they do! I will also be making some for myself but am not sure what yet...

Have a great week! Hopefully I can get on here and update again soon.

I'm very happy to say that these past few weeks have been amazing! Except for ear issues of course (thankfully they are all gone now and I'm babying my ears massively).
I have had a couple requests for smaller flower plugs and found the cutest little flowers the other day so here they are!

They come in beautiful colors too!

Update on the mango tree, it's doing amazing! Awhile ago the leaves were very droopy and I was afraid they were going to hit the dirt (they were 1/2" away!) but they perked up! I can't believe how fast it's growing, I'm sure the skylights help quite a bit though. The second one is growing some mini sprouts out of it so I'm optimistic for that one. I also started a couple more seeds. Sheesh what am I going to do with all these mango trees!?!?!


I am doing a giveaway with The Dainty Squid starting today!!! Check it out!

Idiot

So yeah. After my last post I decided to take the ear skins out for the night. I did end up taping up some plugs but decided to take those out also and sleep with nothing in (like I usually do). I realized I'd probably go back down to 1" but I'd rather have happy ears than messed up ones. Sure enough this morning they were down to somewhere between 3/4" and 1" so I put 3/4" in, waited awhile and then got my 1" back in. I am very sad but also happy that they are doing a lot better already, I will wait to go back up when they are 100% good and I have the proper jewelry. Again thinking about getting scalpelled but they have thickened up a bit from routines I've been doing so that is still on hold. I just feel like an idiot right now, I should have known better but was to eager.

Cranky Ears!!!!

Ugh! I hate hate hate when my ears act up. It doesn't happen to often but when it does, it sucks big time. Last week I went back up to 1 1/16. I'm not sure if I blogged about it when I went up before but I had problems and ended up downsizing again.
Let me tell you something, my ears are not happy, I taped up to this size last time and then wore some ear skins and after a week or two they started acting up. Again this time I put in the ear skins and they're at it again, the only conclusion I have been able to come up with is my ears hate ear skins. I don't know if it is the material or just that they dry them out (even though I do oil them). I am determined to stay and not go down again since I would like to stretch up more. Only problem is I have no other jewelry and I can't find my tape to tape up some smaller plugs I have. I have been waiting on a jewelry order since the 27th, something happened and the company has been very neglectful in contacting me back. The other day I received an email saying my order had been shipped but no tracking number :/ If I have to wait any longer I am going to flip out.
Sorry for the little vent.

Craft Nights and Mangos

Every Wednesday night you can find me attending (mostly hosting) Craft Night. In the beginning there were only two of us but it quickly grew when more alcohol became involved. A couple of weeks ago there ended up being over 20 people in my apartment, and mostly everyone was doing some sort of art/craft.
I've seen a couple of articles about craft nights, what to do, how to host and all that jazz. NOTHING like my craft nights. It got me to thinking if it's even worth calling a craft night. Trust me it is! One week we may be making clown costumes, another week will be all food, but there is always some sort of crafting going on..even if it's just beer drinking (still a craft!). I love it and wouldn't change it for the world.
Just a little insight of what goes on at craft night:
jewelry making, drawing, painting, resin work (fixing bicycles), knitting, sewing, crocheting, and probably some I forgot about. All in all I believe we do a fantastic job.
Just remember there is no "right" way to do something, just do it to have fun and fit your needs!
I thought I'd share a picture from this past weeks, it was taken as the night was winding down and most of the people had left, a good night indeed.


Onto the mango trees! They are doing very well, one has little leaves and is getting taller ever day! The other does not have leaves at the moment but hopefully will start up soon :) I also bought a new pot for them today for when they grow up a little.

Have a fantastic weekend!!!

Clutter Bug

So it's that time again! I've realized I'm hording to much and need to get rid of a few things so more items are up in the shop today! Including some vintage hair dryers and mass amounts of suitcases.

The girly hair dryer would look perfect in a vintage bathroom, I always imagined one with teal walls and pink bathroom things all over! That was the plan for this hair dryer but it is not happening at this moment so I've decided to put it up for grabs so someone who could actually use it and appreciate it more could have it :)

I am working on some more plugs, some that have actually been in work for quite some time. Also a plug giveaway by The Dainty Squid hopefully! If you haven't heard of her go check out her shop and blog! Soooo cute!

My mangoes are growing! Finally poking up out of the dirt and getting some tiny leaves! Pictures of that soon, once I figure out the changes Flickr made!

Vintage goodies for the shop!

While I was doing my first post I forgot all about the items I'm putting in the shop today! I recently reached my 200th sale!! I was very excited about that and am plan a giveaway soon so keep your eyes open! I love love love making plugs for you guys and right now my favorites are the pearl ones (they have been a big hit too! I just love hearing stories about how you lovely ladys are going to wear them for your wedding or how excited you are to finally have found some nice "girly" plugs.

I have been buying way way to many things latley and realized it a few weeks ago when I started tearing my apartment apart to organize things better (it's still a little out of sorts but it's getting there). I made over 10 reversible skirts in different sizes so expect to see them in the shop soon! It was a great way to bust down a bit of my fabric stash and I'm very happy I was able to get them all done. I will also be making some bags in the near future out of a sailboat boom cover with some awesome closures that I plan to keep on as part of the bag. But I still keep buying things!!!!! So I have decided to put a few clothing items on etsy instead of putting them in a pile to resize for myself. I only have a few to put up today but trust me, there will be more in the near future!

I really wish I could've kept this skirt! It fits, just not to comfortably :(


This skirt is to big but has some awesome fun buttons up the side!


Awesome shirt! I actually may make a pattern up based on this shirt because I love the look of it so much! It's super big on me so my loss is your gain :) Don't mind the flop ear! I forgot to put my plugs in before taking this pic hahaha


Thankfully I can usually find vintage clothes in my size so I don't mind giving up a few things here and there. I hope you guys enjoy them!

Mangos and Ears

So the idea of scape ling has not left my mind but I am putting it on hold at the moment and trying other methods first. I will say that in the beginning I did not take care of my ears as well as I could've (basically not at all). I've been reading up on different methods to fatten up my lobes, like daily massaging and taking my plugs out at night (did that before but no I take them out earlier and longer than I used to). It seems to be working! I have noticed a little more plump than I had before :D I have also heard of downsizing and stretching back up but would rather not have to go that route if it's not necessary. I will begin stretching back up tonight, hopefully it goes smoothly.
In other news a month or so ago I started growing some mango trees! I just put the seeds in a baggie with some paper towel and water to get them started. Here they are now!
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One has great roots and the other has a pretty good start so I'm very optimistic about them. Last time I had a mango plant I left it outside and the frost got at it
:(
Happy hump day!!! Bahahahahaha enjoy the rest of your week!

Vintage Goodness

I've been pretty decent about hitting up rummage and estate sales the past couple of weeks. It's always a challange when you have a three year old hanging on you and wanting to be carried everywhere (it also doesn't help that he's already over half my size!). I will say that I love estate sales quite a bit more than rummage. I love the fact that they usually have 1/2 off everything on the last day and what I pick up no one else is looking for. I am regaining my love for rummage sales after buying some beautiful clothes last week (oh and it's good for the kids clothes when you can find the right size). Anyway here are a few vintage goodies I picked up the past couple of weeks that are in the shop now!

I'm going through an ugly on the outside beautiful on the inside/less than perfect kind of phase with some of my suitcases. They all need love and a good home and when I open them up the inside just makes me smile.






And now on to some fans!!! I love this style and these are by far some of the best fans I have had so far. I love photographing them!!! I do have one more that is not pictured that I will be refurbishing, but I haven't decided on colors yet so keep an eye out for that!




This has been a great start to my week and things have been going very well for me latley I just hope it keeps up! Have a great week!

Mood Plugs!

I love love love how these turned out! They are amazing and bring me back to my childhood when I would go to skate town and buy 2 or 3 mood rings at a time because I would always misplace them! Here are some pics!



The best part is sometimes depending on the temperature they will make a neat stripe pattern :D I'll try to get a picture of that up soon.

I've been thinking of getting my ears scapeled, not much but just a little so I can stretch more, I don't want the bottom of my lobes to get any thinner. I've realized if I would like to take my plugs out I'll probably have to get them sew up to look normal again. I don't see it happening in the near future at all, my ears mean to much to me for downsizing. It's a personal journey and I'm not done yet. I will probably be finding out details in the next week or two.

Hope you guys are having a wonderful week!

Still busy! Agh! I think the hot weather makes me want to get out more...I'm kind of wishing it were colder so I could get more done at home but I won't complain :D
I have a lot of good news for you! Well things that I'm super excited about anyway.

First up is the big one! I WILL BE IN RENEGADE (CHICAGO) THIS YEAR!!! I actually didn't think I would get in but thought what the heck I'll apply and if I don't get in I don't...there's always next year. I'm in and I'm very excited about it but should be doing more to get ready :/ I know it's going to sneak up on me very soon. I'll have to start planning out layouts and how I'll organize all my stuff, this will def be a nice challange. I've only really been to little craft fairs here and there that didn't have many people attending so I hope this doesn't overwhelm me to much! And I will have more experiance if I'm accepted into Art vs. Craft in Milwaukee.

Second up is new plugs!
These ones are in the shop now!
Crystal Plugs

Flower Plugs

Dictonary Plugs

Recycled Earring Plugs

I should have another pair up tomorrow...this is the most exciting I've done so far MOOD PLUGS! Just like the mood rings I used to love!!! I'm so happy I was able to put this idea to work and get it done. Look for an update about those! Hopefully I will be doing a giveaway soon :D

I will also be putting up a couple of suitcases in the shop today...and hopefully getting to work on some clothing in the very very near future. I may just need a sitter for a whole day and whip out a ton of clothes, that would be nice.

Have a happy week!

Sooooo I've been super busy with orders and new plugs latley but I'm here today! I'm going to give you a little sneak peek of a new project I have in mind.

That is a picture of a few newspaper printing blocks. I have a huge box of them that I got from 7 Mile fair about a month ago. I'm not sure how well they are going to print for me but I know some will work and others will not at all. My idea is to make some newspaper print fabric (dresses skirts shirts all that jazz too). No two will look alike! If it turns out the way I hope then it is going to be amazing so wish me luck :)

The place where I live is also having a gallery this July and a open house that should bring a lot of people in. I am hoping to be able to submit a dress or two, one with a painting on it (fabric dye painted on) and another with mass amounts of roses/flowers. It's a little hard to explain and I'm not the best at drawing clothes so you guys will have to wait a bit. I'm planning to start the pattern tonight so it shouldn't be terribly long for in progress photos. I would also like to do the open house and open up my apartment....but I've been slacking on things like painting my furniture for the living room and looking for new couches :/ but it should be done in time...fingers crossed!

Tie Dye Fun and Pink Suitcases

Sooooo I wanted to share our tie dye fun with you guys! We did it last week and it was a blast! Milo loved it and I'm sure we will do it again in the near future. Although I would like to find a more natural alternative to the dye, it hurt my fingers really bad (stung like a mother trucker!) it also dried them out a lot too. If any of you guys have more natural alternatives we could use (even if they're not super bright colors) I would love to hear them. Along with the shirts we did I also did a test chunk of fabric, a very large test chunk and I love how it turned out.

And now shirts with goofy faces and thumbs up!!


Awesome pink suitcase that I found at an estate sale!!! Amazing condition. I'd keep it but I think I'll stick to my lime green one so this one will be up for grabs in my shop later today!

New shirt that will also be available...actually it's not new at all, I started this thing quite some time ago and it was sitting in my wip box for weeks :/

One last thing!! New plugs!








Happy Thursday!!!

New New New!!!

Good news! Last week a customer requested 2G plugs. Now if you don't know I do not carry anything lower than 0G. I was very excited to take this challenge up, especially because it was a pair of flower plugs! They turned out fantastic! Better than I could have hoped. So my first announcement of the day is I will now be carrying 2G for specific styles of plugs :)


Here is another new pair of plugs I have been working on. Rock plugs! Made from smashed rocks with a little sparkle in them :) Other colors are available but not pictured yet.


I also have some of my items (mostly jewelry) at Project M in Milwaukee, check it out if you're in the area, it's an amazing store.

Tie Dye pics tomorrow!!! I made some sweet fabric using tie dye to show off to you guys :)

Happy Crappy Tuesday!!! hahaha I only say that because it's an icky day here in WI.

Annoyed

So this is my place to come and vent every now and then so I'm going to do it here today. Thankfully for you I have the wrist of a 90 year old lady today so it hurts to type and this blog may be short.

I hate hate hate dishonest people! I won't say exactly what is bothering me because I don't feel like I should call any specific person out. It's just super frustrating when people who are honest and follow the rules don't do as well as the others who lie and cheat..but I guess that's how it goes. I just hope karma comes around and kicks them in the pants...well not really but I hope they realize what they are doing is wrong and stop.

Okay I suppose that wasn't to much venting, thankfully I wrote this a little after I got all heated up on this subject.

Anywho good news! I have some new plug designs coming to the shop soon! All different sorts so keep your eyes peeled :) I also find out this week about Renegade in Chicago, I really really hope I get in! Then again I'm a little nervous that if I get in I'll be very scattered and unorganized :/ Wish me luck!

Week Wrapup

This has been a very very frustrating week. It started out okay, halfway through was rediculus but the end was pretty great, so I suppose it was all okay except for the middle. I went to a wedding yesterday and it was a blast! I was able to see sooo many old friends and I really miss some of them. We also were able to go catch some frogs and tadpoles this weekend and the little man had a blast :)
Here's a couple pics from before the wedding

My little man is growing up soooo fast :(

I was also able to finish up some new plugs!!!

I love love love how they turned out! Especially the imperfections.

We were able to sneak out to seven mile fair this morning and I have some nice goodies to show you guys soon :)

Sooo I thought I would share a little something with you. Every week I have craft night. Usually it involves some great company, a couple of beers, and crafting of course! This is something we worked on the last time, my friend needed a clown costume by the end of the week so we stopped at Value Village picked up some sheets and got to work as soon as he came to craft night, finished project


Here is the tv stand I've been working on. There will eventually be fish in it once I make a tank to fit the inside and finish the paint job(probably going to be done on another craft night). I'm not sure what to do with the lower part (speaker part), maybe I'll do some red behind the bars or something, it just looks a little out of place.


Onto the plants!!! I'm horrible with them, I have a black thumb but I did get some sunflowers growing!! They need to be replanted, there's also a mini grapefruit tree growing in there that I'm very excited about. The plants next to them are dying, I've tried everything and now there's only one left :( But on an upside I bought a vine plant that's doing fantastic! I planted it in a bed pan so that's pretty funny, I'll have to take a pic of that for next time.


New Plugs in the shop later today!!!
Music notes, these have been on my todo list for a very very very long time (since I began doing plugs actually). I'm happy they are finally here.


Wiggly eye plugs!


I have an awesome pair to show you tomorrow also! They include pressed flowers and turned out amazing!!!