1st From the Beach

Living across the street from the beach for the first time in my life, I am now completely surrounded by nature's inspiration. Not to mention an endless supply of seashells! I just can't let this go to waste, and so I'm starting a new collection called From the Beach..

It will be beach inspired goodies that will span both my candle shop and my curio shop. I took the first round of goodies out for a photo op the other day, but it was so damn windy I could only do the heavy glass candle holders. The picture frames and switch plates started to blow away!

So here are some photos of the candle holders.. let me know what you think! The sand has been sealed so that it will not chip or peel off the glass. I test burned one I made for myself and it is so charming.

FLUTED VOTIVE/TEALIGHT HOLDERS:

I just listed these on Etsy and I think they are adorable. I'm not sure what to think of the photos though.. I'm on the fence and think perhaps I should reshoot them. What do you think?

VOTIVE HOLDERS WITH BLUE SHIMMER DUST:
The shimmer got a little splotchy in some areas but I think they are ok. I know better for next time!

SINGLE LAYER VOTIVE HOLDER:

I also made a double layer of sand, but I think the single layer lets much more light through.

As soon as I can photograph the other items I've made I'll post them and let you know. Feedback welcome!

xoxo, h

A little paint makes a big difference

Well, its been a rediculously productive morning so far. I fell asleep on the couch last night, and just decided to stay there, since it was the first night this week I'd been able to sleep before midnight. (And I feel like a jerk because my falling asleep early led to me not calling my sister for her birthday. So sorry, Tiff, you don't know how bad I really feel about that!)

Since I was on the couch, I woke when the hubbs got up to leave for work (at about .. before-the-sun-a.m.) So I peeled myself off the couch as the sun rose and took the dog for a potty. I ran upstairs and have been crafting ever since. I'm covered in paint, and it feels good.

Yesterday, I was staring at one of the new magnet gift tins I've been working on, and decided it just 'needed something' .. so I painted it. Then I sealed it. And it's cute as can be!

Before:
After:

Inside, it has a set of five glass magnets with a geometric/stripe pattern in green/black/white/blue and it looks really great together. I'll be listing these in just a few minutes into my Etsy curio shop = CurioBoudoir.Etsy.Com !

So, needless to say, I've gone back to the other tins I'd made and painted them too :)




I have a few more that are still drying - and then I'm out... I'm resisting the urge to run out and buy more!!!

consistantly inconsistant

i'm feeling like the weather today: odd and inconsistant. it is april. it is spring. yet each day grows increasingly cold and gloomy. the ocean is almost black and the wind comes and goes. after living in phoenix for so many years i thought i'd be happy to get rid of the sun, but today i am craving it.

school has been good this week. i'm caught up on everything except english, because its time consuming and i can't get myself to sit down long enough to read what i need to read and write what i need to write. i'm antsy and anxious about crafting and have been spending every day organizing my craft space and then tearing it up again. systematically creating a ton of work for the next day.

the girl that sits behind me in economics class asked me to help her study for our test tomorrow. i really had no objection to that and agreed to do it prematurely, only to find out that she works till five today and cannot study until six pm. which means i wont get dinner with the hubbs and probably won't get to see him today as he'll likely be in bed before i get home, and i wont see him tomorrow because he has duty... without thinking all of that through i agreed to it anyway, i think she caught me at a weak moment. so i'm waiting for her to call... [update: she never called]

i came home and cleaned out my car. i figure if i'm going to sell it i need to clean it. so i did. sort of. i vacuumed the inside and armor-all'd the hell out of it. but i havn't washed it in ages so it seems silly. i started to clean the windows but found that 409's super streakless formula is the streakiest i've ever seen. it was like rubbing olive oil on the windsheild. and so now that the inside is clean i have to make a pitstop on the way to said girl's house to clean the windows all over again.

the dog is asleep. the cats are asleep. i want to be asleep. if i nap now i'll not sleep tonight.

at dinner last night we discussed my unemployment position. even without the car, i'd have to sell at least $100 per week in crafts to cover myself, and i've not even made that in a month yet... it seems i have this wonderful opporunity that i don't want to pass up, and will regret if i do, however i do not have the means to seize it. there is too much financial obligation in the way. so we're back to this: i have to find a job.

i have limited time with my husband, which i do not want to waste if he is not out to sea. more than half the year next year will be lived without him so i don't want to squander a moment this year... but my school schedule does not allow me to work a full day, and i dont want to work passed 6pm or on weekends... and in this economy i'll be hard pressed to find an employer flexible to those hours. i just don't know what to do. another retail job will be easy to find, but i will run the risk of working until 10pm (and going days on end without seeing the hubbs) and working weekends, which leaves me without a day off...

so i wobble on the fine line i have landed on and i don't know which way to lean.

and so now i think i'll go to the couch, watch some cable tv, enjoy our last day together, because i have to cancel that tomorrow.

accidental mail porn

i just got porn in the mail, and omg it was good. so good, in fact, that i even went to the website afterward for more. apparently, the woman that lived here before us had the same fetish as i do: organization.

She put our address on the mailing list at The Container Store, and they just sent a lovely little 47 page catalog FULL of elfa storage solutions that are on sale. closet organizers. shoe bins. clear bins, zipper bins, stackable bins, bins with labels...



but oh, when i turned to page 4 i just couldn't help myself. There before me in all of its airbrushed near-centerfold fantasy stood the most beautiful, well stacked, perfectly organized closet with avocado green walls and clear plastic shelves for each pair of shoes, handbag or hat.. i've never been so lustful.


my hopes for owning my own home are ever so heightened that i just can't stand it. i'm to call family services today to see where i can go for info on VA loans. the home we're looking at is just blocks away and definitely in our price range. i've not been able to see the inside of it yet (only via a few pictures online), so i hope that its closets will live up to my expectations.

i'm going to flip through the pages a couple more times, because i know that inevitably these images will be made into magnets for me etsy shop :) i've been redoing my craft space and trying to make it manageable. as it stands now i am feeling quite overwhelmed by the sheer amount of 'craft stuff' i have lying around. with my new magnets, i will not toss out even junk mail anymore! it is piling up. If only my 'office' looked like this!


however, after a long thoughtful conversation with the hubbs this past sunday, i have decided to forego job hunting and take this opportunity to make something of my crafts. i really will push to get a business going. i've decided to sell my car to cut monthly expenses and get a little spare change, and really try to make this a full time life. school + craft + beach + hubbs = happiest girl on earth.

we had dinner with the hubb's cousin and some of his friends on sunday night and that generated an interest and possible business opportunity to fill their hotel will my candles.. or at least a few. So we'll see how that plays out.

In addition, he gave me the idea to check out local swap meets as a means to sell some goods, and i think that is exactly what i'm going to do. there is a drive-in movie theater up the street that holds swap meets on Wednesdays and weekends, so i'm going to check it out tomorrow and see what its all about. There's a huge swap meet held at the sports arena in San Diego each weekend, and its relatively inexpensive, I just need to have a second person around. I can rent a canopy but need two people to set it up. and it never hurts to have an extra salesman around to keep you company :)

i really miss doing craft shows, getting out there and talking with people (very anti-hermit like, i know). but i enjoy meeting other artists and i really really need to learn to network a little better.

so today i have the goal to revamp my candle shop, and get together some ideas and samples for the merchandising guy at the hotel so i can make some fresh smellies this week.

gotta spread the word!

xo, h