Friday, January 30, 2009

Contemplating...

Sorry for the long post drought this week. I have been busy working on a large jewelry order for consignment. In addition to that, I have been holding off on listing jewelry on Etsy, after they finally admitted this week that listing or renewing items no longer comes with a good chance that it will be seen in the recently listed items on the front page, Time Machine, other places on Etsy, or even get you near the front of your category again. Many people on Etsy have noticed a significant decrease in item views and sales since Sept, and it has gotten worse over the past few weeks. Some people have gone from having 10-20 sales a day to having 1-2. Some have gone from having a few sales a week to having 1-2 sales a week. Some have been especially unlucky and can't seem to get any views on their items now, and have had no sales. I have been really down about all this, as it has really affected me, and I am quite upset by the fact that they waited this long to tell anyone. A lot of money was lost by many, and we can't get that back. It doesn't sound like they have any solutions either. All of this has had me pondering whether or not Etsy is even worth my time anymore. I have been there since 2005, and sadly, it may be time to leave and start anew elsewhere. I have joined ARTFIRE and will be adding items to my store there in the next week. The fees are a lot more reasonable. There are things I like about both selling venues, but Etsy has really lost my trust. So, I need to do some more thinking, get out of my funk, and press forward. Have a great weekend. I will check in on Monday. We are headed to Orlando again. Take care, Lori

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Our day at the South Florida Fair...





Yesterday, we went to West Palm Beach for the South Florida Fair. We actually had a good time. The fairs we have attended down here have been pretty lame compared to the Minnesota State Fair, but this was the closest we could get. There were lots of cool animal exhibits, good food, and some funny shows. We saw a pig race, a monkey show, and a dog show. We fed huge, fluffy rabbits and smoozed with a camel. After the fair, we went to the Cheesecake Factory and ate till we were sick. Rob's dessert was so big! I thought he was going to lose it on the way home. He didn't even finish it, and if you know Rob, he usually does. Here are some pics of our day...A pic of my Elephant Ear Bites (deep fried heaven covered in sugar and cinnamon), Rob eating a gynormous turkey leg (doing his best cave man imitation), and the camel that tried to kiss me. Okay, so maybe it was the other way around.....

Friday, January 23, 2009

Happy Birthday Rob!

Today is Rob's (my husband) birthday. It is always easy to remember because all you have to do is count. 1..2..3.. 1/23. That is helpful to me because over the past two years I have become horrible at remembering dates, names, and numbers. If I don't write it down, you can pretty much plan on me forgetting. Unless I have known you for a long time. Your chances are a bit better then. ( :

The cold spell has pretty much passed here. We are going to spend the day tomorrow celebrating his birthday since he has to work all day today.

Well, have a nice weekend and check back soon for some new jewelry pics, including some Twilight themed pieces!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Just a drive by posting...

Hey everyone...just a quick post. I am off to get all new tires on one of our cars this morning. It is super cold here...for Florida, that is. It dipped into the 20's last night and it is about 31 degrees right now. Unfortunately, the heat doesn't work in the car I have today, and I have no window scraper. It was accidentally left parked in the driveway last night. Does anyone have an extra huge credit card I could borrow to scrape the windows? Gosh, I don't think they even sell window scrapers down here. Well, I gotta run. I do have some new jewelry ready, but am waiting for my new photography background to arrive so I can use it. Take care, and stay warm!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Not enough sleep + bad depth perception + hot chocolate =



ONE GIANT CHOCOLATE-Y MESS!
Kinda looks like I let a two year old loose in my kitchen, eh? This is how my morning began. I was tired, can never really see depth well when wearing my glasses (I put in my contacts after my morning shower), and somehow managed to knock over the huge cup of hot chocolate I had just made. It was the last of my Dulce De Leche flavored Stephens too. It was such a mess, I didn't even know where to start. It is hard to tell from the pic, but the puddle on the counter was nearly 2 ft across, the one on the floor had spattered all the way to the edge of the kitchen and hallway, my cupboards were dripping with it, as were my stove and dishwasher. My pajamas are ruined, and my feet were caked in sticky chocolate. I ended up having to deal with the floor first. That entailed several moppings, and several bleachings. Getting cocoa powder stains out of white tile grout is not fun. I think all this ended up taking about an hour to deal with. After a little while had passed, it was finally laughable. So, here is a pic of my lovely mess. This is why I was a hostess at Perkins in high school, not a waitress. LOL!

Monday, January 19, 2009

New Giveaway Contest Starting Jan. 20th




Today, head on over to Steals and Deals blog to enter the new contest for one of my hand stamped quote bracelets. You will be able to choose which quote, phrase, or word/s you would like, and what size. It will be made of sterling silver and custom made just for you. This would make a great Valentine's gift! I am posting a pic of a bracelet like you could win! Click on the Steals and Deals picture button to head over to their blog, read the rules, post and enter to win! Good luck!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Attack of the Gynormous Cupcakes!





If you are looking for something fun to bake...and a way to ruin your New Year's resolution, I present to you the Wilton king size cupcake / muffin pan!
You can buy it along with the liners that fit at amazon.com
Click HERE to go there.
Here's what my finished cupcakes looks like. I had to eat one right away, and I am pretty sure I just ruined my supper. Sorry mom! LOL! You can get 6 cupcakes out of one box of cake mix.
I baked them at 350 for about 37 minutes. You still fill them about 2/3 of the way full, like regular cupcakes. Be sure to check them with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean and dry when you insert it down the center. No one wants to eat a runny cupcake. Yuck.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

The fog has cleared...

Love....true love

I had a lovely cold at the beginning of the week, but am feeling much better now. Most of the computer stuff is straightened out, but now our printer is acting up. It keeps saying our black ink is low, even though we just put a new cartridge in last week. It did that the week before, and we thought it was a faulty ink cartridge, but I think we just have a faulty printer.

I have been dreaming about food all week. Two nights ago, I dreamed I was in a bakery with all kinds of cupcakes. Last night, I dreamt of the Black Tie Mousse pie from Olive Garden. I had some for the first time last Sat., and I am in love. I may just have to bake something to satisfy my sweet tooth. It's pretty bad when I start dreaming about desserts. Funny thing is, I slept the best last night than I have in a LONG time. I have an undiagnosed sleeping disorder, and usually wake up at least 5 times or more a night and feel completely wiped out in the morning. I guess I will just try to think about pie before I fall asleep.

I just listed a few budget friendly jewelry items in my Etsy store, and hope to have some more pieces ready next week. Hope everyone has a nice weekend....and if by chance you are going to Olive Garden, have a slice of that pie for me!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Technical Difficulties...

Sorry I have been non-existent the past few days. I have been busy repairing my computer after some nasty virus disabled all my McAfee program and other virus removal programs. It then took over my desktop and it got to the point I couldn't even go on the internet. So, we did a clean install to get rid of it. Dealing with that took about 6 hours yesterday, and now today I am busy reinstalling my software, printer, camera, etc. It is all better now thank goodness, but what a waste of my time.
So, if I don't respond right away to emails, I am lost in computer translation and awaiting several very long installations.
I have been super stressed lately, and it almost led to me buying a kickin' pair of candy red pumps today. They called to me from the shelf of the shoe store I stopped in at on the way home. They were GORGEOUS, and shiny, and sexy....everything a red shoe should be. And they were Anne Klein. Need I say more? I have absolutely nothing to go with them. Nothing. I admired them on my feet and carefully placed them back on the shelf. It was a nice break to admire some sweet shoes and get my mind off this stupid computer mess. Oh well, back to work...and laundry...and cleaning....the cat box. I suppose I could have worn the shoes while I cleaned the cat box. Maybe it would have seemed more glamorous then. I bet the celebrities in Hollywood clean their cat boxes in sexy shoes. Oh wait....they pay someone else to clean their cat boxes. (Sigh.)

Friday, January 9, 2009

Somebody's been sleeping in MY bed!





After a long day of chasing each other around the house, I went to see what these two were up to last night. This is what I found.

On another note, I just listed some new jewelry in my Etsy store, mainly some earrings and a new necklace that I really love.

Still haven't had time to paint this week. It will happen....hopefully soon. Hope everyone has a nice weekend. Ours is going to be another busy one. I need to plan my Sunday School lesson for my class, we are cleaning the church early tomorrow morning, then I have another meeting before church on Sunday. Take care, and see ya later!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

New Winner for the Cupcake Earrings!

Since the first pick hasn't contacted me, and didn't leave a way for me to contact them, I have chosen a new winner for the earrings. That winner is:
"mrs.mommyy said...

what goes around comes around is sweet"

So, blogger mrs.mommyy is the new winner. I have sent you an email requesting your address for shipping. Congrats!

If you need to smile today, watch this...

I think I shall create today....

Yup, today's the day. I have most of the day to work on some stuff FINALLY. I want to paint and start some jewelry. I got some really cool round canvases in and I want to do a set of 6 circles. I just don't know what to do with them yet.
Today is the last day for blogger DJGROZ to respond with their info so I can mail their cupcake earrings. If I haven't heard from this person by 9 pm tonight, I will be picking someone else.
I am still doing well with my diet. It has been two weeks since I ate a candy bar. I probably used to polish off at least 4 a week. I also cut juice out of my diet. I have been eating salads for lunch instead of lunch meat. For snacks I have been eating apples, yogurt and whole grain cereals.
I went to the doctor the day before yesterday regarding my thyroid, and had my blood work done yesterday. He said more than likely they will be raising my medication amount. I have a strong feeling that my levels are off and that is what is causing the weight gain and hair loss, among other things.
I hope everyone has a happy, healthy, safe day and the energy they need to accomplish what is set before them. See ya soon ~Lori

Monday, January 5, 2009

AND THE WINNER IS...

Blogger " djgroz said...

Dream a Little Dream aqua quartz prehnite sterling bracelet"

My husband picked the number tonight, and blogger "djgroz" is the winner!
So, since you don't have a blog, please contact me at theroyalbead at gmail dot com!
Or, post here again with a way to contact you. As soon as I hear from you, I will mail out your earrings! Congrats!

Monday Morning Wake Up Call!

Good morning! Are you awake yet? I am getting there. Just wanted to remind anyone stopping in that the contest for the earrings ends at noon today. I will be announcing the winner late tonight. I will post the winner's blog post. I will try to contact you, but if you have your blogger ID set to private, you will need to contact me...so please check back to see if you won! If I don't hear from the person after 2 days, I will pick another winner instead.

We had a busy weekend, and it is overflowing into this week. I am off to run errands and head to an appt. this afternoon. Have a wonderful day, and good luck!