"aha!"

About a week ago, I went to Dayton to record my Aha Moment for Mutual of Omaha. A lady from Mutual of Omaha had seen my blog and invited me to participate. I blogged about it here.

An Aha moment is kind of like an epiphany. It's a moment of inspiration that changes your life. For me, my life changed when I heard the quote, "dress for the job you want, not the job you have." it made me realize that there's more out there than the little mediocre life I was living; I could be anything I want, but something would have to change.

click here or the photo to watch my video on Mutual of Omaha's site. and please forgive the fact that my face was still a little swollen at the time, from having my wisdom teeth taken out..

selling myself

I opened my little etsy shop way back in February. I made a little logo and a shop banner and some business cards, and I was a happy girl. At the time, I had ideas of the direction I wanted to go with this. Five months later, I'm starting to see that the plans I have are changing. Not in a bad way, at all, just different. When I opened my etsy shop, I was a little concerned that the items and branding were only featuring one aspect of my personality, which was a problem, since my personal style chances from one day to the next. (one day i wear ruffles and lace, and the next day i wear a t-shirt with dinosaurs on it) Anyway, right now I'm in the process of re-branding by shop and maybe even the blog. I want my whole personality to show through- the fun, the classy, the dorky, and bad-ass sides of me. :D *maybe the bad-ass side and the dorky side go together*

Here is the first step in this process. I made new business cards! *yaaay*

here are the OLD ones:

 i was going for modern with the old logo, but I'm not sure if that really fit the merchandise.

here are the NEW ones!

I really think this design works better with the items in my shop. I use a doily as a prop in a lot of my photos, and I stamp it on my gift bags when I put an order out in the mail. So I used a doily punch to stick with the theme. (as well as make my cards stand out) and I used a hand-written font to stress that my items are handmade by me personally. The pink makes this design more feminine, and I kept the tan and brown colors because I want to keep it natural. What do you think?? Comments? Suggestions?

i'm like a crafting machine!

last night i stayed up until 5am beading. i made three bracelets, a necklace, and a pair of earrings. it took so long because i kept changing my mind and taking things apart. i feel like it's my job as an artist to only sell things that i think are great. not just ok. so if i dont love it, i start over.

one of the things i made last night was this mood bracelet. the beads change color like a mood ring. and i used faux suede cord (i prefer to be animal friendly when i can) and a silver feather charm. I'm going to keep this one for my self, but i intend to make more for the shop.

this morning i made these little flowers out of scraps of fabric. this is my first attempt at this, and i cant wait to make more! i also made a little headband out of the white muslin.

again, this one is mine, but i plan on listing some of these soon. as soon as the sun comes out again so i can take some good photos.

my cat and i goofed off in front of the tripod a little before i made a craft run to the Hob Lob.

my new gray dress came from melissa of oh my darling for the color me happy project. to see what i got her, click here!

to let you in on a little secret, there's gunna be a whole lot of giveaways coming up! as well as one here on my own blog, a few others will be giving away my items also. a necklace, a lavender eye mask, and a shop credit will be given out on others' blogs. mine will remain a mystery for now. ;) i'll keep you posted!

new little owls

some new itty bitty owls have decided to stop by my etsy shop. they're pretty darling. :D

 Toby

 Mathew

 Charlene

 Melanie

 

Sherman

also, i just signed up to give away a piece of jewelry on Elsie's blog, A Beautiful Mess. so stay tuned over there for the giveaway and details.

i made something new today

let me tell you, it is SOO good to have my macbook back. like omg you dont even know. i gave it a little kiss when i got it back home. <3 *hehe*

anyway, i made some jewelry today. from the beads that Melissa sent me for the Color Me Happy project.  by the way, these are mine. not for sale. <3

and i made a little bracelet out of silver beads from hobby lobby. and i used an Om charm. the symbol Om represents God and the energy of the universe.

what do you think?? :D

new and beautiful things

i just love getting new things! yesterday after work i got my package from the color me happy project. i was paired with melissa of oh my darling. i was so excited to dig into the package and see all my fun gifts, that i totally forgot to let the let the dog out. *oops* anyway, grey is my favorite color, so let me share with you all the pretty grey things that melissa sent.

this beautiful light grey chiffon flower clip/ brooch. its so sweet and delicate. <3 and these light grey beads that i think are handmade. cant wait to make something beautiful with them.

this gorgeous mix of beads from the Beadery  Beadazzled. they're so pretty. i absolutely love how they look together. they make me think "a night out on the town."

and this adorable grey dress! so cute and perfect for summer. i can't wait to wear it! i love how the belt cord has little silver beads at the end. sweet little details. <3 

even the wrapping paper was beautiful and grey. with cute little bunnies!! *sqeals*

THANK YOU, MELISSA! :)

<3

yesterday before work, i went to meijer and got a bike basket. i live just around the corner from where i work, so when the weather is nice, i ride my bike. i needed a place to put my purse while i ride because it falls off my shoulder sometimes and really freaks me out. and this basket comes on and off so i can carry it around too. pretty cute, right?

im looking forward to getting my macbook back from the shop this weekend!! everyone have a good friday!

this is my Aha Moment

i finished my owl painting! isn't it cute?? :) i'm gunna list it on etsy as soon as i get my mac back from the shop so i can edit the photos. i made it as a prop to take to the interview for mutual of omaha's "aha moments" campaign. honestly, i think i did a poor job at the interview. a lot of blanking out and not being sure if i answered the question that was asked. oh well. not gunna dwell on it. here is what i would have LIKED to have said:

My name is Angie and this is my Aha Moment:
A few months ago, I was feeling really down on myself. The clothes I was wearing didn't make me fell pretty. My free time was spent doing nothing but watching TV. I felt like I was in a rut. One day I was sitting in english class, listening to another student read her essay out loud. She used the quote, "dress for the job you want, not the job you have," and hearing that really inspired me, not only in my wardrobe, but in my life. I've taken that quote, and stretched it. Why not, "live the life you want, not the life you have?" In doing so, the life you want becomes the life you have! 
I used to sit around and say things like, "Oh, I wish I knew how to sew, or crochet, or cook. Someday, I'll learn." One of the things I had always wanted to do was to open an online business, where I would sell my handmade goods and art. I had wanted to do pursue this goal for years, but I always had the "someday" mentalily. Why not make someday today? After hearing that quote, I decided to go for it. Making jewelry and art and crafts really gave me a sence of accomplishment. I had a feeling of pride when I would finish something new. It was such a good feeling. And checking the site to find that I've sold something?? SUCH a great feeling.
The possitive feedback I've gotten from my customers totally brightens my day. I'm a detail oriented person, and they notice that. I put care into making my jewelry and crafts, right down to the packaging, and I've gotten comments from people saying, "Not only did I love the necklace you made, but opening it felt like I was unwrapping a present." And that makes me feel really good.
From opening my online shop, I've learned that I really can do anything I want. I've learned that when you get stuck in a rut, the only thing keeping you there is yourself. You just need a little push; it could be an inspiring song, a movie, or in my case, a quote that I made into my own. That little push is your Aha Moment, and it will change your life.

My friend Amber gave me a ride down to Dayton, since i'm a terrible driver. i have a phobia of driving places i'm not familiar with. seriously, i freak out. so it meant a lot to me that she spared me that terror. (although learning to drive to new places is something on my "the life you want" to-do list) and she gave me this adorable little book called "good friends are hard to find." it's filled with pictures of cute baby animals and friendship qoutes. i love it. :]

"I can only think of one thing greater than being happy and that is to help another to be happy too."  

- Jim Thomson

After the interview, we went to Panera, where I got a GREAT bowl or broccoli and cheese soup. then we decided to make a girl's day of it, went shopping at marshall's where i got a pair of jeans and the world's best sweatshirt. <3 and here is a photo of my cat, just for kicks. and she normally has both her ears; one of them is just under her face at the moment.