The "Weight Loss" Wednesday Before Valentine's Day

Think of Valentine's Day and you might thing of a big heart filled with decadent chocolates! In honor of that delightful thought, here are a few no-cal goodies for you to feast your eyes on (all courtesy of my One a Day Challenge friends... do an Etsy search for "dailychallenge" to see all they have to offer).

P.S. Click on the picture and go directly to the item. Click on the shop name, and browse the whole shop!

A Fine Distraction

Cricket's Creations

Ophelia's Apothecary


Down the Street Creations

Nora Karen

Yarn To Spin

Rainy Day Arts

Bittersweeets

iWunder

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Just a week and a day until Thanksgiving, and the start of abandoned diet season. How can you possibly stay on track when there are so many goodies around? There's a little bit of help... be thankful:

T hink First
H ave a plan
A cknowledge special foods
N otice how often you eat
K eep portions in check
F ocus more on people
U se smaller plates and utensils
L et yourself enjoy the day

It's not too early to get in the right frame of mind for all the holidays. And remember for Thanksgiving, "It's a holiDAY, not a holiWEEK!"

And while you're at it, why not get this great necklace to remind you of the really important things in life (from my friend, Joanne, now on sale in her etsy shop, Jjewelry1).

Eat the Frog List

Kylie, of Early Bird Creations, has been giving the Challengette group some marketing and business tips recently, and one that has really struck home with me is something she's been calling "Eat the Frog". Maybe you've heard of this, but the best definition is from Nike... Just Do It. You know, if you have something unpleasant to do, or something you've been putting off, it's time to just get on with it and... well, eat that frog! The cute frog in the picture is from Carapace's shop.

And, well, I am a classic procrastinator, especially with things that seem difficult or unpleasant. So I've taken this advice to heart. In running my business, I find marketing to be the hardest part, so generally speaking, I don't do it. This week, however, I renewed my Project Wonderful ads, and even added PW ad boxes to my blog. There they are... over in the right column. I emailed cuteable to try to get my coasters featured. And, I joined twitter, and added the widget over there on the right column, just under the ads. I've been trying to keep my blog updated more often, and comment more on other blogs, as well.

So, I'm feeling pretty pleased with those frogs. I do have a couple of other frogs still hopping around my house that I hope to get eaten by the end of November (don't want to be too ambitious, lol). The first is getting a fabric inventory spreadsheet up and running. The second is not business related, but I'm putting it out there for all to see... my Cooking Light magazine collection needs to be cleaned out with favorite recipes pulled out and put in a binder. That looks pretty bad, and I've deliberately made the photo blurry (ok, it was just a bad photo).

Do you have any frogs that you need to eat?

Sad News for the One a Day Challengers

This evening we all learned that one of the original Challengettes, Corinne (Cori) Portalatin, ccdesigns, passed away Monday morning, October 27, from a brain aneurysm. This is such sad and shocking news, and she will be dearly missed. Cori always had a positive word for us all, and offered her expertise in many areas. She made beautiful jewelry, and freely gave tips to us, both in our team thread on etsy and on her blog.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this sad time.

A Blog Giveaway

What? A blog giveaway? Well, not here, though I've been thinking about doing one. Maybe later this month. But over at my friend and fellow One a Day Challenger, Cori's blog. Cori has her shop, ccdesigns, filled with gorgeous jewelry, and she is giving away a pair of earrings. Head over to her blog, Designs by Cori, and post a comment. She wants you to take a look in her shop, too, and give her a little critique. Not too much to ask for some free earrings.

Here are a couple pieces that I love that are in her shop right now:

Happy Belated Birthday, Bittersweeets!

All About Knitting?

It's blog carnival time again, and our choice was grilling or reading. I like to fire up the grill as much as the next girl... no heat in the kitchen, maybe the man doing the cooking, etc., but I'm more a slap a steak (or chicken) on the grill without regard to marinades and fuss. But I love to read, and while I don't read as many books as I would like to (or as quickly), I am constantly reading something.

Right before we left for vacation, I picked up a book that I thought would be easy reading and kind of fun. You know, a "beach" read. And, I'm usually late to jump on the bandwagon, preferring to wait until a book comes out in paperback. So, many of you crafty ladies (and men?) may have already read the book, The Friday Night Knitting Club, by Kate Jacobs, published last year. It really touched me though, and felt it deserved a review.

The Knitting Club is about Georgia Walker, a single mom with a preteen daughter, living in Manhattan, and the owner of a yarn shop. A knitting "club" has evolved in the shop on Friday nights, yet the book is about so much more than the shop and the club. It is about friends and relationships, and interactions both past and present. It is about how we see ourselves and others, and what we want, need and expect from these relationships. And, above all, it is about a need to connect in a time when a lot in our lives seems unconnected and lonely.

The book touched a nerve in me, because, as I've made friends on etsy, especially with the Challengettes, but also with the Etsy Bloggers, and others, I have found a connection that started with our crafting and our art, but ultimately has lead to caring so much more about each other. Many of us would seem to be as different as night and day, as well, but we have connected and have found a kinship of sorts, a common spirit.

So was The Friday Night Knitting Club the light, "beach" read I was expecting. On the surface, yes, but it is not hard to move into the deeper meanings in the book. And Kate Jacobs is a beautiful writer, I'm looking forward to reading more from her. She has a website, so check her out for yourself.

Get to Know an Etsy Artist, Meagan's Designs

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned the "One a Day Challenge". Well, it's taken on a life of its own, and we have really enjoyed getting to know each other. One of the group, Meagan, is featuring different members of the group on her blog, ......., so I wanted to feature her! Meagan actually has two shops, meagansdesigns and kaedankrafts.

Her first shop was Meagan's Designs, which she opened last October. This New Jersey girl and mom of 3 has an eclectic shop filled with her crocheted and knitted gifts, and some of her photography. Check out this crocheted market bag... eco friendly, and functional as well as adorable.

She opened her second shop, Kaedan Krafts, for her Baby Diaper Cakes. Since this shop is all about the babies, she named it as a combination of her own 3 babies' names, Kaeleigh, Aidan and Danyella. And what exactly is a diaper cake? Popular at baby showers, these are centerpieces or baby gifts made from useful baby items such as diapers, receiving blankets, pacifiers, and onesies. Meagan can customize the diaper cake to your specification, and makes them in different sizes, so you can find one in your price range. Her creativity really shines in her diaper cake creations!

And after you check out her shop, go read her blog, too and learn about some of the other One A Day Challengers. It's listed under Kaedan's Krafts in my blog list, or you can just go right there from here.

One a Day Challenge

The best thing that has happened to my shop is a challenge that was started in the forums by Bittersweets. The premise... make an item every day and list it in your shop. So far so good. I was off to a bad start (though the reason is explained in the post about buying new supplies). I posted 2 items the next day, and have managed to do one every day.

So why is it the best thing? Well, first of all the exposure has been great. I think at one point yesterday I was in at least 3 treasuries. (I made one of my own today... they are such fun). But even more important than that, has been the discipline. It's made me plan, and have some small things. Little bags that are quick to make have been the backbone of my challenge, and I'll make more to fill in. My smocking is coming along though, and I plan to list my first smocked dress tomorrow!

But even better than all that... the friendships that are developing among the other challenge participants (I think we need a name!). Everyone is so talented, and I have lots on my wish list now!

Here's a treat from the woman who started it all...