Still Unemployed- with a Messed up Camera

I'm still unemployed but I gave up trying to post everyday - in case you hadn't noticed.  I've kept myself busy making lots of new pieces for my Esty shop and craft shows and cleaning a little in my spare time.  Unfortunately, my camera seems to be messed up and I can't take good pictures of my jewelry to list them on Etsy or show them off here. 

 

Until I figure out the problem with my camera I will just have to post some older pics.  I entered 2 items in the York Fair at the beginning of September and I won a red ribbon for both.  The necklace was a piece I made for the Etsy Beadweavers February challenge- Nest.  It is beaded Ogalala (or Oglala) lace that I made using a wasp nest as my inspiration for the colors and wavy pattern.  I decided to wear it to a wedding this ummer so I made matching earrings.  The rug is twined which is braiding fabric scraps over a denim warp.

Unemployed- Crafting and Cleaning Day 9 & 10

I did some cleaning today!  I scrubbed everything ( knife block, spice rack, wooden spoon holder, etc) along one side of the kitchen counter.  Maybe tomorrow I'll get motivated and clean the other side.

I listed another skirt on Etsy.  Unfortunately, this is the last skirt I have pics of.  We do not have a big blank wall at home that I can hang the skirts on so I was taking the pics at work on the lunchroom wall.  Since I'm not working I need to come up with another way to take pics.

Unemployed- Crafting and Cleaning Day 8

Two of my guys went off to work today but I had to play chauffeur in the morning since my younger son needed to have his car checked out.  Is that a good enough excuse for not getting much done around the house?  OK- I did wash a load of assorted rags and towels that were collecting themselves by the washer.

And... I cleaned my nightstand!!  I read a blog a long time ago (sorry- I don't remember which one) on cleaning your house.  It said to start small and to start with drawers and closets.  Everyone starts cleaning up the clutter and things sitting around but they find they have no place to put everything since the hiding places are all jammed up.  The trick is to start with the hiding places.  I'm not posting pics of my house but I did clean out all 3 drawers and the top of my nightstand.  We have house gremlins that constantly move things around and I have discovered that my nightstand is one of the few places the gremlins haven't found.  Things stay put on my nightstand- but unfortunately that also means things pile up.

And I tried get a few pics of my lacey bridal necklace.  I don't have enough to list it on Etsy but here's a sneak preview. This isn't the best pic but it has pearl colored beads on one side, matte crystal beads on the other and some silver beads off-center in the middle.

Unemployed- Crafting and Cleaning Day 4-7

I have discovered that having 3 grown males in the house- all with different work, play, eat, and sleep schedules- does not make the cleaning part of my plan easy.  I've basically given up on that until Monday when 2 of them go back to work. I washed the bathroom rugs just so I could say I cleaned something :-)

I did manage to get some beading done.  I made a lacey bridal necklace and matching earrings.  My plan is to take pics of them tomorrow so I can list them in my Etsy shop but lately most of my plans seem to have failed...

I have LOTS of ribbon skirts to list on Etsy but the pics are always the hard part.  I listed this skirt.

Unemployed- Crafting & Cleaning Day 2 & 3

My daily blog posting plan has been messed up from the beginning because I needed to be away from home for 1 1/2 days to pick up my son.  But I did manage to get some beading done in the car.  Here's my trusty travel beading tray that goes everywhere with me.

I have a spot in a craft show next month at the local Navy depot so I decided to make some red, white and blue pieces.  I felt very patriotic since I snapped that pic just as we crossed the Potomac River in Washington, DC.  Here's the pieces I finished while we were away- a wrap bracelet and a pair of earrings.  I didn't get any cleaning done.

Unemployed- Crafting & Cleaning Day 1

Today is my first day of unemployment- so time to dust off my blog and start posting things.  Everyone expects me to spend all my free time crafting but I also need to do other things- like clean my house and look for a job.  I hate to clean.  I saw a quote once that went something like this- a clean house is a sign of a wasted life.  I love that!

I plan on keeping all my friends up-to-date on my crafting and cleaning by posting what I do each day :-)   Day 1 and 2 are off to a bad start since we are leaving this afternoon to pick up my son and we won't get back until late tomorrow night.  But I did need to clean up the craft/guest room for his 3 week stay. He no longer has "his" room so he shares a room with my craft supplies.  This is what the room looked like before I attacked it- ribbon everywhere.

I Love It- I Hate It

It's been ages since I listed anything new in my Etsy shop. But I just listed Turquoise and Copper Striped Cuff.


I actually started making this piece for myself last fall. More important projects kept popping up and I kept putting it aside. When I finally decided to finish it all my troubles started.

I had never made a beaded toggle before but I had been told by several people that they were easy to make. My first toggle had major problems and was extremely crooked. I took it apart and tried again- ending up with with a better looking toggle that would not sit right. I decided to use a button instead. This meant ripping out about 2 inches since I wanted the button shank to sit down in the cuff and not sit on top. After finishing the cuff, with the button attached, I realized I had a 1/2 inch long piece of Fireline that was exposed right under the button. So... I ripped the 2 inches out again. While doing this ripping I had a flash of inspiration and realized what I had been doing wrong with the beaded toggle. I decided to use a toggle but I was so frustrated by then that I couldn't picture myself wearing the cuff. I purposely made it too big for my wrist and I hope it sells fast so I don't have to look at it anymore. I love the colors and maybe if I get some free time I'll try again to make something for myself.