Thing-a-day.com

I’ve been more productive today then other days. There was a lot of cleaning and then a stitch marker set and some envelopes. It seems my envelopes run out faster then I assume they will. I made around ten thinking no one will buy anything and they do! I’m trying to use the scraps of paper from the other envelopes that I have made to make more. This set of stitch markers I have made similar ones before and they have sold fairly fast. Like always I hope these sell well also.

This month is coming to an end and I’m feeling drained of creativity. I normally make something pretty much everyday because of my store Pedras and my blog New Sprout or just because. I’ve been having the urge to take photos of things lately. I don’t know the city I live in very well and don’t really feel comfortable walking around it. Normally I wander everywhere I live and find interesting things to take photos of. Now I just don’t know where to wander.

Here is a picture of the only Godetia that has sprouted from seed for me. Not sure if the seed batch I got was bad but nothing ever happened from the many I planted.

Yesterday I forgot to post. Really I just needed to take a break. I feel drained from creating everyday and trying to create before the sun goes down so I can take decent photos. Yesterday I did do some creating really. I took my camera onto my balcony and took photos of my plants. That is rather normal for me since I keep a garden blog called New Sprout. It’s difficult to post gardening related things when I only have a balcony to garden on. My plants are few but that makes me notice changes better then if I had many plants.

This is my Lemon Balm plant. It smells like mosquito repellent and can be used for just that. You can make tea from the leaves and cook with it but the smell doesn’t make me really want to do that. I’m sure it probably doesn’t taste like it smells. I just need to get brave one day.

I have landscape design projects to do today so my crafting time is zilch. I’m a procrastinator and save my homework to the last day. Shame on me.

This is a set made with beautiful faceted glass beads and swarovski crystals. These were the last of my faceted amethyst drop beads. Seems like everything runs out when you don’t have any money. It took me a while to make these since I hurt my wrist sometime yesterday. Not sure what I did to it but it’s been difficult doing what I normally do without any pain.

Another beadwoven bracelet. I started this actually about 2 days ago. The previous bracelet that I was working in is practically done. The only thing left for my previous bracelet is to buy the tube bar clasp to finish it off and get the correct size. So there wasn’t anything else I could do with that once and started this one. I had actually started a bracelet with these beads a few weeks ago but the tension was nice right and it looked horrible. Now I’ll be done with this one in a few days and all will be left is the clasp again. I have to wait to get money before I can buy the clasps for these bracelets.

When I bought these beads I thought they were a whole different color. I’m slowly getting used to the dark bronze purple iris colored beads. I really wanted a warm reddish golden bronze color.

Been trying to keep up with making stitch markers. I’m getting in that stage that I’m wanting to do everything but. It’s okay though I’m just having a hard time thinking up combos of beads I like. I made the ever famous Fireworks set but this time for knitter. Then I made caramel which I’m not sure how I feel about yet.

Today is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month garden bloggers from all over the world show their blooms. Carol from May Dreams Gardens put this together. Check out her blog comments for GBBD to see others who posted for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

This was my first time posting. I normally don’t have any blooms since most of my plants are young and I like to start them from seed. Here is my post for todays blooms that I have. I don’t have many only a few. I count the photos I took today as my thing-a-day.

Snapdragon

Cocktail Vodka Begonia

Knotweed

Quickly whipped these stitch markers up. These were the last of my snowflake beads. Sad to see them go. I won’t be able to purchase any stone beads for a while because of money issue. Until then I will be using my glass beads that I seem to have an abundance in. I do still have stone beads but I would like to replenish the ones that have been used all up.

I have tons of homework to do today before I go to class. Maybe I should do this homework before the day it is do. But really I keep it to the last day thinking I’ll get motivated to do it before then. Instead when the day comes I’m stressed and really don’t want to do it but don’t want to fail my class.

I made this set of stitch markers last night since I knew my time would be very limited today. Previously I made sets like this several times. People seem to like those light blue glass pearl beads with the crackle glass. Now I jinxed it and no one will buy it ha.

Another busy day for me. School and homework and searching for jobs etc. I managed to sneak in these stitch markers though. I’m trying something new with my Etsy store Pedras. Instead of photographing everything with the clasps I will try the jumprings. I have a strange feeling that I’m losing tons of customers because of those clasps being shown. I wanted to make it so that both crocheters and knitters could use my stitch markers but knitters seem to be set in their ways of jumprings. That is fine with me. So I will be photographing with the jumprings and showing the clasps as an option. I do hope I don’t lose my crochet customers though. Oh the woes.

Here is the mother load of stitch markers. My normal number that I make is 5 but these were the last of the beads so I used them all and made 8 stitch markers. These will be great for those that are big spenders and want more than 5. I love these beads and it’s sad to see them go.

Made some stitch markers using some new beads and old beads. I finally got my bead order from February that I have been awaiting for. When I opened the package I was amazed at the tear drop bead’s size. They were tiny tiny beads and it just never occurred to me they would be that small. These beads were bought on sale half off and I just didn’t bother to look at the size. I like them but they are harder to work with. I’m sure I’ll find some really great way to make them into stitch markers. I used some today as an experiment to see if they will be successful. I’ll be selling them as stitch markers for knitting socks with and for those that don’t want large stitch markers. The end result is a tiny stitch marker the dangle is .50 inches tall and the bead is .25 inches tall. Itty bitty. Then I used my gold stone that I love so much.

Made some blue stitch markers. These are a popular set that I have made around 6 times already. They are my personal favorite too because I like blue and love these metallic blue beads with the glass pearl combination.

Made even more envelopes to package my stitch markers in. I really do need to make more stitch markers but can’t get myself motivated.

With all the orders I got the past days I ran out of supplies. Today I’ve had to stock on my box envelopes. I make these with some scrapbook paper with a template I made. Love these little things they are so easy to make quick and fun. Plus they are perfect to put my stitch markers wrapped in some bubble wrap in. They make a cute presentation for my customers.

Okay I really have no time today from what I can foresee to make anything at all. I have a landscape design project due today at 6:30pm. I have no idea what I am doing and I haven’t started. So I need to be working on that right after this until I am done. So I will cheat and show some pictures I took a few days back of some of my balcony plants. I have no idea what this vine is called. An older women who had an unkept garden gave me some plants and this vine was one of them. She had no idea what it was called.

I like the little flowers or seed heads it’s been putting out. The leaves have an interesting design on them too. It has grown like crazy in it’s container since I got it back around october.

No time today to make anything new. The only thing that I was able to work on was my bead woven bracelet. I started this a few days ago. It’s what I work on for quite a while each day to relax.

Today my etsy shop is having a sale. I’m part of the Etsy Texas Crafters and they have a first mondays sale every first monday. Today I had a BOGO sale (buy one get one free). Lets just say it went very well. I have been busy all day today. I was going to do my landscape design homework but seriously had not time. I spent all day making the freebies and making things I ran out of like thank you notes, and box envelopes. Ugh, I’m tired but I have to go to class soon. At least I just get to sit and class and stare.
Anyways, I thought I would just share what the freebies were that I made. I had not time to make anything else so these count in my book!

Freebie stitch markers

I decided to start early today. Busy day planned ahead with cleaning, seed, planting, crafting, and watching super bowl commercials. Taking pictures of my dog is my favorite thing to do. She interesting to me and getting a good shot is hard because she is always moving and always really close to me.

The photo session started out okay. It was rather difficult to get her a nice distance from me so I could take a photo. I tried to get her to sit and stay far away but this made her get upset. Instead of sitting she was jumping up at my hand. She started to show her little teeth ha. She gets like this when she is annoyed.

In the end she gave up and let me have a nice picture.

For todays thing-a-day I decided to go take some photos. I have been slacking with my garden blog New Sprout. This was the perfect opportunity to go and take photos of the plants on my balcony (my only garden). For once I tried to just take things at weird angles and make something more artsy. I really loved how the photos of my wanna-be bonsai tree came out. Most are my Peruvian Myrtle and one is my Dwarf Crape Myrtle Sacramento. I’m hoping these will grow once spring hits and that I haven’t killed them during transplant. Both of these two lost all their leave and haven’t shown sign of any new growth. My Jacqueline Hillier Elm didn’t lose it’s leaves and it got some new ones during around November. I played around with photoshop to get some funky colors. I always wanted to do that but on my garden blog I like to keep my photos more true to what I really see.