Dead on my feet...

I really hope my job decides to keep me after the Holidays because I put in my all to this job. I agreed to stay until midnight again because I could use the money and also because I really want to do all I can do to please them so I can stay. I love this job and really want to keep it. The day seemed to just crawl. I'm so exhausted. Tomorrow is another long day, but only until 8 pm. Thank God. I have so much to do!!

We attempted to get the kids to sit for a Christmas picture this morning. It started out semi successful... Then the kids got punchy and rowdy... Then they wanted to kill each other... Then they wanted to get at the camera. LOL But we did get one good picture and I love the picture we did get. It gives the illusion that they love each other. :D



Before I go to bed (or before I pass out right at the computer) I wanted to post about this amazing giveaway I found. MckGiveaways is giving away a HP Touchsmart PC!! Now, I know I could use one of these. Since my business is picking up, I really want to be able to use a good desktop PC. Not the piece O' crap I have in my room right now. The giveaway ends Christmas Eve and it would make my entire Christmas to win. :) Visit her giveaway here.

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I worked until 12 am yesterday and I am working until 12 am today. It's exhausting, let me tell you!! I want to end up falling asleep on the counter by 11 pm. lol Though I know it's necessary because of Christmas. It's been very busy. I mean like a non stop flow of customers. :) I never realized, before this, that Sephora is so busy! The only negative thing about yesterday was that we didn't have the mirrored compacts for the gift cards. A lot of people were unhappy about that because that's mainly why they come in... However a lot of them were fine with just coming back in today (hopefully) for the mirrors. :)

That was pretty much my day yesterday and will probably be my entire week. I'm working on Christmas Eve as well, which didn't make my mom happy. She wanted to go to Church, but now we can't. We can probably go Christmas Day, however.

I'm writing this in a rush because I have to get to the mall to finish Christmas Shopping before I work at 3:30...And I need to find a parking spot. Oh the joy of that!! I really need to work more on my blog too... Add more fun stuff like on my old blog.

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Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow! (Or not..)

The kids had a good time in the snow, but we didn't really... Especially because of the stupid car that hit me on Saturday. That got me so mad! Progressive is still looking into it. Hopefully they'll be able to fix it for me, but I don't know. At least I didn't have to drive to work yesterday in the slick weather. I just drove to CVS and then came home.

Today is Olivia's 2nd birthday! I'm so excited and happy! I can't believe she's 2 already. It seems like just yesterday she was born. She got a Dora the Explorer bike and a Barbie piano! She's so excited and is jetting around the house on the bike. Those things are HELL to put together, that's for sure! (Though it was fun!) Unfortunately, I have to work today until Midnight, so we have to have her birthday party (with family) on Christmas, and we're going to have to go out to lunch for her birthday on Sunday when I'm off. I'm also going to take her to Toys R Us on Sunday so she can get the Little Mommy Walk and Giggle doll that she wants so badly.

I love working at Sephora, and I especially love the fact that I'm around knowledgeable people that really know about different products. There is one product that I have been using that I absolutely LOVE and really want to share. I've been dying my hair since 2004. (And I mean a lot) My hair is very damaged and so I needed something to tame it and have it shine. I tried a lot of things including expensive shine glazes from Sally Beauty Supply, but it didn't work. My boss told me to try the Fekkai Salon Shine Glaze. (Ranges in price from $90-$28 depending on size bottle.) It really does work well! You put it in distributing it evenly throughout your whole hair after you shampoo and condition and towel dry your hair. (Still damp) Leave it in for 3-5 minutes and wash it out. It works amazingly. Doesn't fade your color but actually boosts the color and the shine. After using it 4 times a week for 2 weeks, I can say that it actually works perfectly and has really made my hair shinier and silkier. :) That makes me happy! It's definitely worth trying if you have dull & dry hair.

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What a day...

It didn't start snowing until about 1 yesterday, but by last night it was terrible. I had to run to the store quickly, so I did. I parked not too far away and ran into Payless to see if they had boots for my kids. They didn't, but when I got back out, I saw that someone had hit into my car, broke my front signal light and dented my hood. Thank God a nice lady who was parked across the street had called the cops and gotten the license plate number of the person who drove away. I may be able to get it fixed, now. (At least!) We'll see what happens, but for now it's just not a pretty sight on the right side of my car. :(

I also thought I was going to be going to the emergency room last night. I didn't feel good at all. I couldn't get up, if I laid the wrong way I had the worst pains in my stomach I really thought something bad was wrong. I feel a lot better this morning, except for an aching pain in my side, but I don't think it's anything to be alarmed about. I just know I'm going to be stuck in the house all day because of the snow. Fun Fun. At least our satellite started working again. For a while, it wasn't working at all. Probably because of the snow on it. It's actually getting warmer and melting the snow. We had about 10 inches. Maybe a foot. I'm not sure.

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Old Navy!!!

I found out, this morning, that Old Navy had socks for $1 and sweatshirts for $3. I got there early this morning when they first opened because I wanted to get there #1. before the snow and #2. before all the other people got there. I ended up getting 10 pairs of socks ($10), 4 adult sweatshirts (+12), 2 kid sweatshirts (+6), a make up bag for $2.00, 4 rolls of wrapping paper for a total of $3.50, one pair of "jingle jammy" pants for $7.. I did pretty good. :)

Afterwards I went to Toys R Us and I got a disney princesses playset for $5, Disney Clickables for $2.00 each (70% off!) and another zhu zhu pets playset for Olivia. I had a great "shopping" day even though I didn't plan it. :D Makes me happy!

The supermarket was very packed today. I couldn't even believe it! I got what I had to get and got out of there in the self check out lane. I really wasn't happy with waiting in line. lol Especially still feeling a little sick.

News channels have terrible conflicting reports on what's going on with the snow. Our family in South Jersey only got 2 inches and now it has stopped. The news is saying it is stalled in Central Jersey and may go either way and miss us. We really have no idea what's going on with the so called "blizzard" that they say is coming. I don't know what I'm doing with my day...staying home or not. It's really frustrating, if you ask me. I want to know what's going on and when it's going to snow, how bad, etc... If it snows overnight, I may not be able to go into work tomorrow...which is ANOTHER day of pay I'll be losing. *smacks head against wall* I guess I'll see in time!!

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Chuck E Cheese!!

This day was one hectic day. This morning I went out to find the Zhu Zhu pets and I was so lucky. The second I walked into Toys R Us there were two left on the table where they had just put the day's shipment. I grabbed those up and thanked God I had found them without much effort. lol I don't even know how much I paid for them! I just knew that I needed them since I got the other set. I also picked up a Play Doh set and some party favors, since that's what I needed. I'm not sure if I got anything else or not. lol My things are still in my car.

I ran over to Michaels after that to get some things for shipping my orders and also found some really cute ornaments as gifts for my mom, grandma and other family members. I'm going to personalize them myself when I get the chance. :) I also got some nice little meatloaf pans for my mom, grandma and my best friend. They're so cute, porcelain and has cute little snowflakes, reindeer and gingerbread men on them.

My mom said no balloons for Olivia's party, but I got just two "2" balloons and one Abbycadabby balloon. I needed something to tie on the front porch for when she walked out to go to her party! She loves balloons and I had to go against my mom's rules. LOL She didn't mind too much, and Olivia loved them!

We had everything done quickly and the party was great! Livvy was a little afraid of Chuck E Cheese, but she loved playing the games and won 400 tickets on her own! Alayna won about 200 since she was mostly just playing on the motorized things with her friends who were at the party. :D

They're saying terrible snow tomorrow. I had plans with one of my friends so we could exchange Christmas gifts tomorrow. I don't mind driving in snow...just not a blizzard. So I'm going to have to take it as it comes and see what happens in the morning. If it's snowing terribly by the morning when I'm supposed to be leaving at 11, I probably won't go. Though, if the snow isn't bad, I will go and see what happens.

Praying for not too much snow....!!

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I have made a decision...YAY!

Since I really miss blogging as I used to do, I am going to start again using this blog. I figure that maybe people really do want to know more about my life! At least I hope they would! I'm going to blog more about everything in my life including my kids, what happens in my day, sharing pictures, etc... I will still add things about my business since this IS a business blog, but it will be more.

I read through the Toys R Us ad today and saw that some things my kids wanted were on sale! So I picked up some great things such as the Leap Frog Violet learning dog, Zhu Zhu pets car, and I forgot what else. lol The presents are still in my car because I don't want to bring them inside if the kids are awake and going to see them. I grabbed the last Zhu Zhu Pets car when I was at Toys R Us, but can't find the damn hamster. I think they have one at the mall...there is a As Seen on TV cart there that had TONS of them the other day but I didn't think to get one because I didn't think anywhere would have the car my daughter wanted. The mall is my first stop tomorrow morning. If they don't have it, I think Target is getting more Monday or Tuesday and I will get there as early as possible to try. If not, I will just have to return the car set and get something else for the girls. I really hope I can find the hamster.

Monday is Olivia's birthday and tomorrow is her party. I had to run around today, with a stomach virus, to find party favors and cake mix and stuff. It was insane. I am so exhausted and still have a damn stomach virus. Hopefully I will feel better by tomorrow because I hate feeling like shit. I still have so much to do before tomorrow and before Saturday when my daughter's father is coming to pick her up. I've been so busy with work that I haven't had time to do absolutely anything.

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I misssss...

Blogging. I mean blogging on my own domain. :( I really didn't have the money to renew my surnaturalle hosting account, so until I actually financially can, I really can't renew it. Though I know I have this blog and everyone who follows it rocks...

I could just make do with this for now. I can blog like a normal blog, but I don't want to bore you with the non business parts of my life. LOL Anyway, back to business....

I added a new item today. After a hiatus of not adding anything! (Been to crazy busy!) I added this gorgeous vintage brooch that my grandmother gave to me.

SOLD!! SOLD!! SOLD!! It is just gorgeous. The sparkle of the beautiful rhinestones and the pearls, the goldtone and spiky decorative features are just gorgeous. This sits beautifully on a scarf, shirt or jacket. It's beautiful. Visit this beautiful brooch here! ALL ORDERS HAVE BEEN SENT OUT and ORDER BY MONDAY IN ORDER TO GET YOUR ORDER BY CHRISTMAS!! All orders ordered today and this weekend will be sent by MONDAY!!

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I'm exhausted. I'm working a hell of a lot and it is really making me tired. For a part time cashier, I have almost 40 hours this week. My daughter's second birthday is Monday and I hope I am off to celebrate it with her. :) Right now I'm a walking zombie. lol I want to work on some new pieces tomorrow when I get home from work. I feel like I haven't done anything to my shops lately. I have tons of soaps to add that I took pictures of last week. lol I'm probably going to try to keep my eyes open to work on more stuff. :)

Christmas is coming fast...wow. I can't believe how fast time is flying. (And how expensive it is!) I have only the shopping for my kids done, but my family will understand if I don't get too many presents for them. I have some stocking stuffers for my mom too... I feel bad getting her anything because I know she feels terribly that she can't get me anything, but that's fine. She has done for me all my life and I just want to get her something she'll enjoy. :) She hardly does anything for herself.

Since I'm falling asleep...goodnight! :D

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Neglecting this blog!

I've really been neglecting this blog! (sorry!) It is just that my part time job seems more like full time now that it's closer to Christmas, and I am really still fulfilling orders. (And getting new orders!) It's crazy around here, but I love them! I most recently worked on a few orders of cookies for a customer and finishing up some other projects. It's hectic, but I love it. Keeps me busy! I'm also going to be getting started (again) on my couponing. I really miss it and right now just go to the store and grab what I need for that day. I miss the couponing and how rewarding and great it felt!! I'm going to start on it again this week. :)

I'm actually off to make some more cookies since I am bringing some to work tomorrow, and then I'm sleeping. I have to work from 9 - 5:30. Will update & add more items soon! Have a great night!

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What a long weekend.

Thursday was the viewing for our family friend and Friday was the funeral. Those two days were complete losses since my mom was in pieces and I had to really give my attention to her. My mom had given her everything for me all of my life, and I had to give her the attention. Saturday and Sunday I worked all day. I sent some orders out Thursday morning, and I am sending others out tomorrow and Wednesday. Since I was off today and I am off tomorrow and Wednesday, I am really putting my entire day into orders that I haven't sent out yet. So if you're waiting for an order, tomorrow and Wednesday they will be sent out. :) Life is so much better and I'm really enjoying the calm. lol I love just concentrating on my business and getting all my orders filled and sent out. That all makes me happy.

I will be back on track making things and listing things by Thursday. :) It's just been such a hectic few weeks. Thanks all for understanding!

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So busy!

I have been really busy lately! A lot of custom orders as well as bath and body orders have been coming in. I most recently finished an order of 50 baby shower favors. I loved how they came out, though they were done very last minute and had to be shipped express to get there on time! They were actually very fun to make. My mom helped with packaging them with cellophane and a bow and I really enjoyed bonding with her -- something we hardly do these days! I had a great time. :) [Even though I stayed up all night, slept 30 minutes and had to work 8.5 hours the next day!]

Working at Sephora is proving to be a great choice on my part. I love it there. Everyone is very nice to me and they treat each other like a family! I actually like going to work, and I never thought I would say that!

Still catching up on some orders, but loving the business. I wish there was a bit more because I could use it, however I don't mind the rate it is going one bit!!

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Cyber Monday has arrived!!

Cyber Monday is here and our sale is still in full force!!
:) So check us out at Designs by Krissy and Oh My Cupcake and get your Christmas shopping done!
We added two new items today. Our Pure Gemstone necklace made with beautiful gemstones and vintage findings, cones, and pendant. We also added our Calme Bleu necklace that is a gold plated resin pendant and antique copper chain. Two GORGEOUS pieces!

I hope that everyone's weekend went well! Ours was very busy. I had to keep up with orders from Oh My Cupcake, which is so great! I love keeping up with all of the orders! It makes me feel like my business is going somewhere. I also did some shopping. I was one of the crazy shoppers out at Toys R Us, Old Navy, Target, Kohls and so on starting at 11pm on Thanksgiving night! I got home at 8 am on Friday. I had a great time shopping through the night into the wee hours of the morning. It was calming, even though the shopping scene was nuts. :) Tomorrow, I get to start my PT job at Sephora and I am very excited for that. I can't wait to get out, socialize with adults and work work work! I have always loved work, and this is no exception. Plus...Sephora...a dream come true!!

Have a great night, and don't forget about our GIVEAWAY! (Read down!)

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Things have been pretty hard with family, my mom's best friend being very sick and just life and my kids. I haven't gotten a chance to write as much as I wanted to and I wanted to keep everyone updated. I'm going to re-start listing today. I also start my seasonal job tomorrow at Sephora, so I will be posting and relisting between all of that. I'm still determined. :) This is my one primary love.

Remember, our Black Friday weekend sale is still going on until tomorrow at midnight. :)

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We're having a Thanksgiving sale at OhMyCupcake. By One Get One FREE on our bars of soap. INCLUDING our "Where is my teeth?" denture soaps! (They are very popular and also featured in a GIFT GUIDE!!)

We also are still having our BOGO sale at ThreeSeventeen too!! Our sale is on our Holiday earrings as well as our pierced post earrings.

BLACK FRIDAY SALE DETAILS

We finally have our Black Friday sale details all ready to be revealed!

• FREE $5 GIFT CARD WITH MINIMUM $15 PURCHASE
• FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING
• BUY ONE GET ONE FREE on our pierced post earrings
• BUY ONE GET ONE FREE on our Christmas earrings
• BUY ONE GET ONE HALF OFF of our other items
• 15% OFF EVERYTHING IN OUR SHOP
• $5 OFF OF A $25 PURCHASE // $10 OFF A $45 PURCHASE // $20 OFF OF A $85 PURCHASE

I know that is a lot to handle, but it's Black Friday! I think our sale is one of the best and it runs through Cyber Monday at MIDNIGHT. It's really a BLACK WEEKEND sale! :D This offer is good for THREEseventeen as well as OhMyCupcake!

Stop by during Thanksgiving weekend and shop! Get all of your Christmas presents in one place!

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NEW GIVEAWAY: PICK YOUR FAVORITE

NEW GIVEAWAY!

We have a growing variety of new earrings that are so very cute & adorable!! We are having a giveaway for YOUR CHOICE of earring. You can choose ANY of our pierced post or Christmas dangle earrings priced $4.99-$9.99. :) Check out our EARRING section for some of the great varieties! (We will be posting more within the next few days.)

You will also receive:

• Your choice of either pierced post earring or Christmas dangle earrings
• $5 gift certificate to either of our 3 shops
• Choice of one 4-5oz soap from our bath and body shop

We may be adding to the list of what the winner receives in the next few days, but we hope you enjoy this giveaway! The rules for this are much simpler than the other.

• Become a follower of our blog - 1 Entry
• Become a fan of our facebook - 1 Entry
• Tweet one of our items (tagging us in some way that we see) - 2 Entry
• Comment on this post and let us know what you have done. - 1 Entry

Winners will be drawn on Saturday December 5, 2009

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First of all, I'd like to thank EVERYONE who is a new follower to my blog, Facebook, Twitter and who signed up for our mailing list. You guys are awesome. I would also like to thank everyone who has made a purchase from our shops. This Holiday season is going great for us and we really hope that every one of you who purchased (or won a giveaway!) enjoys our items & products. We work very hard to get these great quality jewelry pieces, bath and body products and yummy baked goods to you. We're a little backlogged right now, so shipping can take up to 7 business days from time of purchase. I have gotten some help and we're working quickly to ensure that your packages arrive in a timely manner! We were NOT expecting this much during the Holidays, but we were prepared just in case. Thanks to all of you!!

We are going to be posting a brand new Giveaway tomorrow and we're excited about that. In addition, we are also thinking about our Black Friday sale that we will be having the day after Thanksgiving. We're weighing different options, seeing which will be the best for our shops.

We also still have our Pre-Thanksgiving sale going on. You can visit THREESEVENTEEN to learn more about that!

Keep checking back for our new giveaways (weekly) as well as more details on our Black Friday sale. We will have those details all hammered out by Tuesday and will be posting them then as well!

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WINNER OF GIVEAWAY!!

EchoChickHandKnits

Congratulations!! We will be contacting you (or you can contact us at designsbykrissy@msn.com) with your preferences for the prize. :)

We will be posting another giveaway on MONDAY MORNING!!!

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I definitely have to say that the Imagination Movers put on the BEST concert for kids. Anyone that can hold a 2, 3, 4 or 5 year old's attention for an hour and a half STRAIGHT is just amazing and deserves all of the credit that they get. I took my oldest last year to the concert as well and this afternoon, I took my 2 year old as well. (My mom joined us too!)

If you have a daughter or son who LOVES Imagination Movers, I would definitely suggest taking them to a show. It is a great afternoon for you and your children, I had the BEST time and so did they. The guys really interact with the audience. We had front row seats and Rich and Dave constantly came into the audience. My 4 year old was just beaming when Rich (her favorite) came over to her and shook her hand and when Dave asked her what her favorite fruit was. :) My 2 year old was just star struck, smiling and staring when they shook her hand. They really kept the kids going, dancing, singing, etc... Great show.

I posted some great new items tonight, but after the day I had, I am too exhausted to write too much more. *snore* :p Tomorrow I have to finish up getting my orders out and finishing up some new items that I want to add to the shop.

REMEMBER TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR PRE THANKSGIVING BOGO SALE -- ONLY THIS WEEKEND!! http://threeseventeen.etsy.com for more information!

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PRE THANKSGIVING SALE!! BOGO!!

★★★★ PRE THANKSGIVING SALE ★★★★

To kick off the Thanksgiving week, we're having a PRE THANKSGIVING SALE!!!

BUY ONE GET ONE FREE on ALL of our pierced post earrings (Christmas and regular) as well as our Autumn Day and Stormy Day rings!!

Spend over $30 and get $5 off!!

(REFUNDS MADE THROUGH PAYPAL WITHIN 6 HOURS OF PURCHASE)

http://threeseventeen.etsy.com

SALE ENDS 11/23/09

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*CLOSED* GIVEAWAY FOR WEEK OF 11/16 - Your choice of color

GIVEAWAY FOR WEEK OF 11/16

This giveaway is currently closed. Winner will be announced Saturday November 21st!

I have decided that each week I am going to do a givaway. It will run from Monday - Friday and the winners will be picked on Saturday. Mondays, there will be a new giveaway posted!

GIVEAWAY FOR WEEK OF 11/16 -

• You will receive one of our rings from our Weather & Emotion collection! Our rings come in slate gray, amber, purple, red, blue, green and pink. You can pick the color that YOU prefer! The ring will either come on a silver, gunmetal silver, gold or copper ring shank which is also your choice!

• You will also receive a $5 gift certificate to our shop that you can either use in Oh My Cupcake or Three Seventeen. The $5 gift certificate can be used towards partial purchase or the entire purchase. (Or if you're from Artfire, it will be to my Artfire shop.)
  

• In addition, you will also receive a bar of soap from Oh My Cupcake of YOUR choosing! Any scent you would like! (If you're from Artfire, the same scents are in my Artfire shop.)
  

WINNERS WITH AN ETSY OR ARTFIRE SHOP WILL ALSO GET THEIR SHOP NOTED FEATURED HERE. THE FEATURE WILL INCLUDE YOUR FAVORITE ITEM FROM YOUR SHOP AND A LITTLE WRITE UP ABOUT YOUR SHOP AS WELL!

PRIZE IS WORTH: $27

Of course, we will throw some freebie goodies inside as well! The giveaway ends Friday, November 20th and the winner will be announced on Saturday, November 21st. The winner will be picked randomly from Randomizer.com.

What do I have to do?

There are different things that will get you one entry or multiple entries into our giveaway. Here is what you can do. You can do one or all:

1 Entry - Follow our blog by clicking the "Follow" link under the "Followers" category on the left side of our blog.

1 Entry - Under the "Join our mailing list" category on the left side, join our mailing list. We do not spam your mailbox, however we do send one newsletter every month about new items we have. In that e-mail, you also get special offers, special giveaways, offers for special sample packs of our soaps/bath products and so much more. Around Holidays you will get an e-mail with a special offer as well.

2 Entry - Look at our shop(s) and let us know what your favorite item is. Comment on our blog (at the bottom of this entry) with your favorite item. You can use Oh My Cupcake, ThreeSeventeen or Sugardust Confections. (If you are coming from Artfire, here is our Artfire link.)

1 Entry - Follow us on twitter (here is our link) and comment here with your Twitter user name.

1 Entry - Fan us on Facebook (here is our link) and comment on our "Giveaway" post on Facebook to let us know you fanned us.

2 Entries - Tweet your favorite item from our shop. You can leave a comment here with the link to your tweet or @threeseventeen in your tweet so we can see that you did tweet it!

15 Entries - (Your best chance to win) If you make a purchase from any of our shops you automatically have 15 entries to our giveaway. If you mention this giveaway in the "Notes to seller" section on Etsy or on Artfire enter the code GIVE1, you will receive 10% off! You can purchase from either of our shops on Etsy (Oh My Cupcake, ThreeSeventeen or Sugardust Confections) or Artfire.

If you do all of these steps, you can have 21 entries and that would give you a great chance to win!!

Good luck!

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I guess sometimes dieting for as long as I have kicks your metabolism back into action. My eating habits, for the past week, have been somewhat here and there and I have had food like cheeseburger or pizza... I dreaded weighing myself to see the damage I had done, but I actually was the same weight. That makes me very happy because I thought my stress eating would have really gotten me into trouble. :) Of course, I won't get back into that terrible habit. Tonight was my last night of eating terribly and tomorrow I'm back on the straight and narrow. I have a lot of weight to lose and I really have to get to that weight within a decent amount of time.

I got some new items listed today. :) First of all, I have the amazingly tasty Mexican Wedding Cakes/Snowball Cookies that I listed on Sugardust. Absolutely DELICIOUS!! They're freshly made to order and coated in a hand made vanilla powdered sugar. The inside of these cookies are mouth watering and melts right in your mouth. They're great for company. Right now, we only have our samplers listed, but we will be adding larger quantities. For now, if you need larger quantities please convo us and ask. We can work something out! You really have to try these delicious cookies! I also got the Magenta Rhinestone Flower earrings and Sparkle Apple earrings posted. They're both so adorable and will definitely turn heads. Sometimes I love simple post earrings because they're just so simple and beautiful. They are very versatile and I love jewelry that I can easily dress up or dress down. :) Check them out!

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Crankin' out new items like a factory! lol

I'm still doing good getting new items posted! I posted two new soaps tonight Shea Butter Decorative 3 Oz Angel Soaps (You get 4 in this pack) and the Vanilla Frosted Cranberry soap! (4oz). I love those two!! The angel soaps are GREAT when you're having company for the Holidays! Just display them in your bathroom on a beautiful soap plate or basket ready for your company! The Vanilla Frosted Cranberry is a great fragrance. It is a very overlooked scent at the Holidays. The Frosted Cranberry is a warm but slightly fruity scent. It's not overpowering but not a lame scent either. The Vanilla mixed with the Frosted Cranberry gives it a slight spice. Its a yummy scent that is so different from the ordinary pine and pine scents of the Holidays.

I also added some great jewelry items such as the Words of Wisdom Silver Plate & Crystal Earrings, Crystal, Moss Agate and Amber Carved Stone earrings, and Tea Party Tea Biscuit Earrings. They're all gorgeous and come in beautiful gift boxes with decorative bows. Our shops also gift wrap for the Holidays so feel free to ask if you are interested in that along with one of your items! :) I feel that my pierced post earrings really are great priced in that they can be stocking stuffers. They are priced from $5.99 - $8.99 and are packaged in small gift boxes with thin ribbon. They would be great as little stocking stuffers. ANY OF MY PIERCED POST EARRINGS CAN BE MADE INTO CLIP EARRINGS FREE OF CHARGE!! They are also child safe. :)

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Very productive!

Surprisingly, my day has been very productive. I got two listings done this morning of my "Tea Party" collection. I actually have four products in all of that collection, but I only got two posted. I also got quite a few rings and earrings made tonight. As well as some hair pins! However, I'm conflicted whether or not I should put these items in DesignsByKrissy/ThreeSeventeen or OhMyCupcake...

I would think that OhMyCupcake would fit these better since they're "cutesy" items, but maybe I'll just put them in Designs By Krissy and see how the views do. If they don't do too well, I'll try to x-fer them to OMC.

These are some of the new items...

I really am proud of the progress I have made tonight and hopefully can continue to make that progress tomorrow! I have plans to make a few necklaces tomorrow. I need to keep going with this before the Holidays. I want my customers to make sure they have enough to choose from!

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So much for blogging daily. LOL I have been very busy this week. One of our neighbors, who is good friends with my mom, went in for routine surgery and ended up in the ICU due to many more serious problems. My family and I have been doing what we can to bring her daughter some things to help out and babysitting her grandson while her daughter is at the hospital. It has been pretty hectic, but I need to get back into productive mode.

I finished 10 pairs of earrings tonight! They are more "cute" earrings than anything else as well as finishing a custom order that is way overdue! (Not that much overdue, but I hate anything being too late.) I have another custom order to work on tonight, plus one custom order that is coming in. (A fine art order. Oy!) I also had an order on Artfire today! Good God I've been busy! :D (Busy is good in this business!)

Right now my kids are coloring pictures while I work on my pictures of my items and stuff. At least I'm being productive now!

Though I have to make dinner....at 8pm....

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New New New, but not an item!

I changed the look of my blog because firstly, it's past Halloween and secondly, I wanted something new until mid November when I'll put up Thanksgiving designs. :) I love having new looks to my blog! I always have! I think this really fits my personality as being fun, eclectic, elegant.

This afternoon at 2 was my Sephora interview. It seemed to go very well, I hope I actually get the job! She seemed to really like the fact that I am an artist & jewelry designer and seemed to really be interested. I could use the two seasonal jobs. Hopefully, afterwards one of the stores would want to keep me permanently. At least until my dreams actually come true and I am able to fully support my family off of my jewelry/soaps/art. [Which WILL happen!]

Verizon is really driving me insane. I have a Blackberry Storm and I was excited to upgrade to the new verzion 5.0 operating system. It worked for a while and then everything started to go crazy. My Facebook application disappeared and then my Blackberry started freezing. I ended up reloading everything when I got home, just overwriting everything, and when I turned the phone back on, EVERYTHING was wiped off the phone. I spent most of last night restoring my phone back so I could actually have my contacts back on. I went to the Verizon store today and after a tech told me he had never seen someone's Blackberry screwed up because of the new operating system, he then told me I have to completely wipe the phone and restore from my PC not Mac. He said my Mac could be why my phone got screwed up. Apparently, the Blackberry Desktop software for Mac is very new and has a lot of glitches. Well, they could have said that in the first place.

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Rhinestone Cluster Acrylic Rosette Necklace

Length: 22.5 inches long

Check out our Rhinestone Cluster Acrylic Rosette Necklace! This necklace is stunningly beautiful! The focal point is this gorgeous ornate filigree base with 6 beautiful black and clear rhinestones set upon the filigree. It is bordered in tiny little hearts. (measures 1 inch) The pendant is hypoallergenic and will not irritate skin. Nickel free! Along the silver chain, that is also nickel free and hypoallergenic, you find 10 acrylic rosettes. (Measure less than an inch.) You have to check this beauty out!!

Makes a great gift and comes in a beautiful gift box. We gift wrap for the holidays FREE OF CHARGE!

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MAJOR HALLOWEEN SALES!!

We are having Halloween sales in ALL of our shops!! Read below for details for our sales!!

★★★★★★ Designs by Krissy @ Art Fire ★★★★★★

$5 off an order of $15 or more! Use coupon code HALLO5 at check out! Also check out our Halloween Clearance section for lower prices on all of our Halloween merchandise & Halloween colored merchandise.

★★★★★★ THREE SEVENTEEN @ Etsy ★★★★★★

BUY ONE ITEM GET ONE 50% OFF AND ALSO, GET A FREE PAIR OF EARRINGS!! Note "Weekend deal" in note to seller and it will be refunded IMMEDIATELY via PayPal!

★★★★★★ OH MY CUPCAKE @ Etsy ★★★★★★

WEEKEND DEAL FOR HALLOWEEN WEEKEND!! 10/30/09-11/02/09

Our weekend deal is running until TUESDAY! :) Buy one get one free on our soaps & bath and body products! Refund will be given VIA PayPal. "WEEKEND DEALS" in the note to seller.

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Happy Hallowen! (Weee hours!)

I cannot sleep at all! I'm sitting up watching Forensic Files on Tru TV. lol Trust me, it really is fun, I promise! I'm just having one of those nights where memories come back flooding your mind with every possible memory you want to wipe out of your mind.

Those started when I was watching TV and saw something about Philadelphia and Halloween. Memories came back from Halloween 2004 when I had lived in Philadelphia and gone to college at Moore College of Art. I also was engaged to my ex fiance. I just started remembering that Halloween and the fun my room mate and I had with my brother and ex fiance and other friends from college. Every memory came back to me. After that, I decided to search for my old room mate on Facebook and I ended up finding her MySpace and e-mail address. I sent her an e-mail, hopefully it still is her e-mail address! I haven't spoken to her since 2005 and I would love to catch up with her. We were very close and when we were in college, she was the one person I could tell anything to. I do miss her a lot!

After that, I don't know why, but I decided to look up an ex friend of mine and it just brought back all of these memories and floods of feelings of everything. I guess maybe everything is just coming back to me at this point. I don't know. I don't want any of it to come back to me. In fact, I want to forget it all. I want to erase every memory from 2005-2008 and just start over. I don't know why the painful memories come back when you don't want them to.

So, I grew a pair and decided to subscribe to Art Fire. *hides* I figure, any publicity is good publicity and during the Holiday season, I would rather have two shops than just one. Maybe it will increase my chance for sales. Honestly, I like Art Fire a lot with their features. My views are still VERY low and I still haven't had a sale, we'll see! If I still have no sales after the Holidays, I wil definitely cancel my account. Otherwise, I will keep it and Etsy as well.

I am having a BOGO sale on OH MY CUPCAKE -- Buy one get 1 free!! Visit the shop announcement for details.

THREE SEVENTEEN is having a buy one get a free pair of earrings sale! The earrings are not earrings that are listed, but you have a choice of pearl or crystal earrings. They are made to order and I try to make matching earrings to any piece that is purchased!

ARTFIRE @ Designs By Krissy - 20% off an order $10 and over! USE COUPON CODE: HALLOWEEN09

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JUST OPENED AN ART FIRE SHOP AS WELL!!

SALE!! SALE!!

Visit designsbykrissy's Studio

SAVE 20.00 % On Order Total (orders above $10.00)

Use Coupon Code:

HALLOWEEN09

during checkout.

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NaBloPoMo

When I started blogging back in 1998, I used to write ALL the time. Every day. Back in 1999/2000 when blogging was VERY popular, I would blog more than once a day and I would really keep it up. I was also stuck in that "CamGirl" scene. (While it was still clean and innocent. Not the perverted scene that it is today!) I was a good loyal blogger with a domain and clean looking layout until 2004 when I went to college. At that point, I got so stuck with school and having a life and then my daughter, that I just didn't have the time or desire to continue.

Now that i have my own business, blogging is essential. You never know who may come across your blog or what business may come from your blog. I have learned -- any publicity is good publicity. I need to start blogging more often and I think now I will. :) I have tried the NaBloPoMo a few other times with no avail. I failed completely at blogging daily, but maybe I need this kick in the butt. :) I'm going to participate! I actually e-mailed them to ask if I can donate one of my necklaces to the prizes as well. As I said, any publicity is good publicity and even if I donate and include business cards, it's still a potential sale. Anything that helps my business along is good with me!

I have been completely lazy all day and I am not even out of my PJs yet. (At least my kids are all bathed and dressed!) I definitely do have to get to the grocery store and out to get Olivia diapers... I guess I have to get dressed. LOL Only in comfortable clothing!

.....What a day!! Hopefully I can list some items when I get back. Or at least one! I still have a giveaway that I have to post!

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FINALLY got my Macbook working again.

I love my Macbook. *hugs Macbook*

This past summer I had been using it a lot due to the fact that I had been doing a lot of graphic design things for friends and just for amusement. I don't know how, but my stupid power cord overheated, blew out, whatnot... It got me very angry because my power cord wasn't working on this Macbook or my older Macbook. Since I had gotten my Netbook (Which I love, but it has Windows..blech!!) and really didn't feel like standing in line at the Apple store to figure out why it isn't working, so I used that and put this to the side for now.

Since I finally found the power cord and got an appointment today at the Apple store, I was able to go there and get a new power cord for free because of my Applecare. *hugs apple care too* Now it works and I am very happy. I don't have to stare at a small Netbook screen and try to work with that. Thankfully I have my large screen of my Macbook again. The only downside is that I have to go through my stuff and to find my card reader and wireless mouse for this. lol I'm still going to have to work with two computers, but at least I can use this...my LOVE, my Macbook. lol

*hugs Macbook and never lets go...!*

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Floral Elegance Cream Pearl and Rosette Simplicity Necklace

Floral Elegance Cream Pearl and Rosette Simplicity Necklace

I love this necklace and I had to show it off. It is a different style than I am used to and I think that is why I love it so much! It's elegant enough for a bride and simple enough to work with any outfit; even casual. The larger pearls are carefully wrapped with sterling silver hypoallergenic wire around the front of the necklace. The acrylic cream colored rosette is dotted in the middle with a shiny and sparkly rhinestone. It's just gorgeous and fit for anyone who wants to feel like a princess! This necklace has to be seen, it's a beauty! Click the link above to purchase OR to read more about this beautiful necklace.

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Getting ready for Halloween!

Yesterday I was so into my relaxation and Cinnamon Tea I completely forgot about the fun we had yesterday when the kids were actually calm. LOL We carved pumpkins. We carved one traditional one, that I think looks like a cat without whiskers, and then I carved a Cinderella one. Keep in mind, I did this without a template, completely on my own. I know it looks only somewhat like Cinderella, but my kids think it does and that's all that matters to me! I think I did a pretty damn good job. Now if I could only paint it blue and flesh colored with the yellow hair, I would make a great pumpkin! I just have absolutely no time for painting a pumpkin now. I'm lucky I had the time to carve it in the first place. I am happy about my pumpkin. :) It's my prized artistic possession now. LOL Two years ago I tried to carve a special pumpkin like this and it got so very messed up. My pumpkin would break or just completely crumble. Yay for craft pumpkins!

The one real pumpkin we did carve, I kept the seeds on the side and made fresh toasted pumpkin seeds. They were great and my kids ate most of them before I even got to the bowl! :) We had a pretty good day yesterday before they were maniacs. Today they're maniacs too. They're beating each other up and wanting to watch two different things on TV. Maybe I'll get a calm day somtime before they're both married. lol I gotta run out for a few hours. At least I'll get some time alone then. lol

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Relaxing with cinnamon. :)

I love ANYTHING that has to do with cinnamon or vanilla. Seriously. I am in love with the scents and tastes. Hell, my favorite coffee at Starbucks is Cinnamon Dulce. :D Anyhow, today was such a stressful day. I was on the Etsy forums all day trying to promote, and in addition to that I was with the kids who were MANIACS. I mean eating everything in site, messing up the entire house so much so that I probably cleaned their room and the living room about 20 times. They were cranky and whiny and it was just so stressful.

They're not asleep quite yet, but laying down in their room watching TV and being quiet. (For the time being! The rebels will get up soon and start another rousing round of the rowdy game!) I took some time to sit in the kitchen with my laptop and a cup of hot cinnamon tea to relax until I have to chase after them again. :) I love cinnamon tea. Here is a great recipe for yummy cinnamon tea.

Yummy Cinnamon Tea

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 1 regular or decaffeinated black teabag
• sugar or splenda
  

Make it!

1. Place the cinnamon stick in a cup.

2. Add the boiling water and steep covered for 10 minutes.

3. Add the teabag. Steep for one to three minutes.

4. Sugar time! :)

If you don't have time for all of that and you just want instant gratification, you can get Cinnamon flavored teas at the supermarket. :) I think Lipton has Cinnamon flavored tea as well as Bigelow Teas. :) They're all just as yummy!!

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Great new vintage find.

This is so beautiful and is the perfect gift for that special someone who loves vintage and who loves brooches. I do believe I may turn this into a necklace if someone isn't interested in it within a reasonable period of time, because I'm in LOVE with this. (If you're really interested in my turning this into a necklace for you, please let me know. Convo me on Etsy or e-mail me at designsbykrissy@msn.com. I would be more than happy to make this into a beautiful necklace for you.)

Dating back to the 1950's, this brooch was made by an elite costume jewelry company called Original by Robert. Doing a lot of research on this piece, I have found that it was very rare. Only very few of them were made and even fewer are in circulation today! The price of this piece back in 1950's to purchase was.... *drumroll please* $40!!! Back in 1950, $40 must have been a thousand dollars to them! (Imagine that!) This piece today is worth over $100. You can purchase this brooch from Designs By Krissy for just $100 including FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING! It's really gorgeous and the picture does not do it justice.

This comes in a beautiful gift box with Designs by Krissy branding on it. Aside from that, I do definitely gift wrap for the holidays. If you would like to purchase this brooch as a gift, please include that in the *MESSAGE TO SELLER* section on the order.

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WE WERE ON THE FRONT PAGE!!!

http://www.craftcult.com/vault_list.php?list=6149

YES!! IT IS TRUE!! We WERE on Etsy's FRONT PAGE! I am so excited and in disbelief. I never ever thought that we would make it to the front page. Truth be told, we were actually an alternate for the FP. Though at 10:30 PM my items was FINALLY on! I missed it, unfortunately, and I wish there was a photo that showed my item on the FP so I could see how amazing it looked to be on there. LOL :)

I am so excited that we were on the FP. Just so excited!

I did add some new items yesterday. I was so sick and so tired yesterday that after I added them I just got off Etsy and promptly fell asleep. I was exhausted and felt like crap. I'll post those new items now. :)

Vintage Faux Wood Organizer
Onyx Desire Black Stretch Bracelet
Fresh Cinnamon Bun Wax Melts

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TODAY'S DAILY DEAL 10/17/09

DAILY DEAL TIME!!

Today's Daily Deal is this BEAUTIFUL

Past, Present, Future Swarovski Crystal Wire Wrapped Ring. The price for this was originally $19.99 BUT just for today until midnight, it will be priced at $12.99!! You CAN use this deal in combination with the WEEKEND DEAL as well! :) (Read the shop announcement for more information about our weekend deals!!)

REMEMBER -- FIRST FOUR PEOPLE TO PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM OUR SHOP THIS WEEKEND, RECEIVES A FREE PAIR OF EARRINGS WITH YOUR ORDER! :)

This weekend, the deals are great!!

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Such a sad sad camera day. :(

My best friend, my Canon S5 is about to bite the dust. It has survived so much and put up a good fight! lol It's survived my dropping it on the sidewalks of NYC about 40 times, my kids dropping it when accidentally getting a hold of it, it has survived SO much. The view screen is cracked and was working for a while, but the other day walking in the rain probably screwed that up. The view screen no longer works. The video function works but is very spotty when you take videos, the audio is messed up. BUT!!! When you hold the camera up to your eye the traditional way, it does work. Not the best, but still it works. I'm still going to keep my beloved Canon, but I do need another camera that works well with photographing my pieces. I do have a Canon Rebel XTi, but my mom misplaced that camera charger. So I am unable to use that until I get a charger. I still love to carry a camera on me if I am going out, so I need something smaller. I am not exactly sure what to get. I was looking on Home Shopping Network (that's where I got my Canon S5 from on flexpay!) and I found this Samsung DualView that looks pretty cool! I can do 4 payments of $74.98 for that. I am considering that. :) Ther is also a Kodak Z195 that's $59 for 3 payments. I used to have that camera before I upgraded to my Canon and I loved it! There are some others including a Fujifilm DSLR "Style" Camera that is not a DSLR, but takes DSLR quality photos. Maybe I'll go with something like that, though I am not sure yet.

I stayed up until 4 am getting a few new pieces done. Three are halloween-oriented and the other isn't. The last bracelet took 5 painstaking hours. It was the wire wrapping and making sure everything was the right measurements. I also had to adjust the clasp because It was a 4 strand clasp and I only made a 2 strand necklace. :) I'm excited to list my halloween items and the GORGEOUS bracelet I made. I'm inspired so I probably can crank out 4 more today. :)

Here's to hoping for another sale! (I got one yesterday too! Weeeee!)

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Feeling so very positive,

I don't know why, but today I was feeling very positive that my shop will succeed. I wish I knew why I felt this way, but I don't. lol It's probably a very fleeting feeling that won't last too long, but at least it has arrived. LOL :)

Tomorrow I probably won't be able to work on my shop AT ALL. I'm heading to New York City to go to a concert with my friend. We are leaving at 8 am because we want to be in a decent spot. #1. It's general admission and #2. It is going to rain tomorrow. We don't want it to pour and us be in the middle of times square. We want to be situated comfortably (but coldly) under the awning of the theater. lol I'm planning on having a lot of fun, since I go to concerts VERY rarely. I had been thinking of bringing my computer so that I can actually get things done, but #1. I am not exactly sure if I want to carry my netbook with me all day and #2. I would probably hate to be running back and forth to my car at the parking garage to put my computer back in there and then take it out again. lol I don't even know if I would trust my computer being in the parking garage without me. My Netbook is my baby. *pets*

I did add two new items today. The first would be an original painting and the second would be vintage but a very great gift. :) You can check those out:

Vintage Mom's Kitchen Wall Hanging & Hot Plate - GREAT GIFT!!!
Lazy Afternoon Original Acrylic Painting

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Butterfly Glam Necklace

I made this necklace last night and I absolutely love it. I actually think it is a stretch from what I have made before because it is larger in size, but it is just gorgeous and looks gorgeous when worn! I am incredibly happy with it. You can read more about this necklace from the link above. :)

I have had such a terrible migraine for the past two days. It subsides a little, but then comes back full force. I don't know why and I wish I did. Tylenol does nothing for it and I keep forgetting to buy Motrin. Maybe it's just the heat on in the house...too much heat can give me a headache, but the heat isn't on for long when we put it on. My mom said that it is probably my contacts. I may need new contacts or maybe a new prescription. I can believe that. They have been bothering me.

Tomorrow is a full day. I have to do things around here pertaining to our big move coming up (whenever we find a place) and I also have to work on the shop. I got a lot of great Halloween things to add, they just need to be fixed! :)

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DAILY DEAL 10/13/09

★★★ SPECIAL DEAL!! 10% OFF YOUR TOTAL ORDER TOTALING $5-$19 FROM $20-$40...25% OFF YOUR ORDER!! FIRST 4 PEOPLE TO MAKE A PURCHASE BETWEEN TUESDAY OCTOBER 13TH AND WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 14TH GET A FREE PAIR OF EARRINGS WITH PURCHASE!! Refund will be sent VIA PayPal within 3 hours. ★★★

DAILY DEAL FOR 10/13/09

Our PINKTOBER necklace is today's DAILY DEAL! We reduced the price to $10.40. That is $4.60 less than the original price. This price will be good until 11:59 PM today. At 12 AM the price will go back up! ALSO...FREE SHIPPING on this daily deal! You can't lose! :) 50% of the sale of this necklace goes to Susan G. Komen breast cancer foundation.

View or Buy Pinktober!

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Dreams...

I came upon the, "Quit Your Day Job" series on Etsy earlier today. Reading that made me realize that maybe I CAN actually get along and support a family with what I make and find. Vintage and handmade are two of my loves and if I can quit my day job as well and honestly feel comfortable with just creating and selling, it would be amazing. My ultimate dream is to open a brick and mortar shop. I actually already have picked the location it will be. It is this small little "island" in the middle of our city's most busy street. The shop is so small and petite and though everyone says it is cursed because nothing that opens there stays more than 2 months, I feel it is the right place for my shop. Though, that move will have to come if I ever win the lottery. LOL I could never get a B&M place without that! It's nice to dream.

Tomorrow I have to try to find the charger for my amazing Canon DSLR. My mom had it and misplaced it somewhere. It frustrates me that she lost it, because a new charger for that damn camera costs about $30. I guess I could find a generic battery charger at Staples, but I wish I had the one I had gotten with the camera. I don't need to spend the extra money if I don't have to. (BUT I DIGRESS) I really feel that I need to fix my pictures in my shop. My Canon S5 does it's best, but I believe maybe I should try my DSLR. It may give me better macro settings. I'm going to try, from now on, to completely revamp my shop and make things PERFECT.

I am exhausted and been sleeping most of the day. I had and still have a TERRIBLE migraine. :( Though I did get one necklace done. I love it and will tell the story of it and photograph it tomorrow.

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Sick and sales!

My daughter's birthday party went PERFECT! I think all of that planning was worth it. Even though it was just at Chuck E Cheese, I tried to make it perfect. I can't believe my little girl is already 4! It feels like just yesterday I was pregnant with her. She is growing into such a perfect little girl.

I really have wanted to get working on some new items for the shop, but I was so busy the past two weeks. Now that things have calmed down with the party and I'm free, I'm going to start again. We're actually cleaning out my studio so I can actually use it for a studio and not clutter my room with the mess of jewelry and soap supplies. :)

I did list some vintage items yesterday and sold some as well! I've been looking through some of my grandmother's vintage items that I had and found some that were perfect to list. It seems as if vintage goes like crazy on Etsy because so many people are interested in my vintage items! I'll probably list a lot more of that along with some of my own handmade things very soon. :) While you're waiting for me to list some new items, why dont' you check out some of the great things I've added. :) CHECK OUT THREESEVENTEEN!

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Learning a new technique.

A few months ago when I was in New York my friend and I went to a street fair near Times Square. I purchased a few pairs of gorgeous earrings that looked like the old string art I used to do as a kid. I have been in love with them since I got them and have been looking for some tutorials online to find out how to make my own. I finally, after a few months of searching, found the BEST tutorial for it and am heading out to get some of the supplies right now. I want to learn how to do it because I think they are absolutely gorgeous and I think they're so delicate and elegant. :) I will definitely be posting them to my shop when I get some of them done...providing they come out good! We actually learned in a 5th grade art class how to do the string art. It had some math theory behind it, I remember that... Knowing how bad I am at math, it may take a while to figure that one out!

Alayna's birthday is today so our sale is still going on... To celebrate my daughter's 4th Birthday we are having a SALE!!! BUY ONE GET ONE 50% OFF ANYTHING IN OUR SHOPS!!! ALSO...FOR OUR BLOG FOLLOWERS...GET AN EXTRA 10% OFF!!! This is a blow out sale to help us celebrate Alayna's 4th birthday!! Put "Weekend Deals" in the "Notes to Seller". :) Take advantage of our sale to help us! :D

Will be posting more items today!

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More time to work!

My daughter's party was this past Friday. She turns 4 on Monday. I can't believe 4 years have flown by already! It's so unbelievable. I never really believed that time flew, but it really does. I worked an outside job since my daughter was 2 weeks old and I never stopped and took time to really realize that she isn't going to be a baby forever. It's only a matter of months until my youngest will be 2. (December) Crazy.

Her party went great. All of the time I took planning things, it really turned out excellent. It was at Chuck E. Cheese and she and her friends had a great time. :) It has been so stressful, wanting to make this party perfect, and it was.

I will now have more time to spend on Etsy since I have downtime now. I am going to apply for a seasonal job at Bath and Body Works, but that is only because we need money. Until I can add more things to my shop and actually make things move quicker, I really have to get something outside the house where I can make money for my family. Though, I will primarily concentrate on Etsy. :) I'm going to be adding some new things tomorrow. I have a lot to add.

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Oye...and that is all I have to say.

My kids are nuts. lol I had to share a picture of my two little nut balls wearing colorful Dracula teeth! Since Alayna's birthday is (semi) close to Halloween, I decided to get some Halloween stuff for the goody bags. (At least for the boys & some of the girls.) Since we had 20 Dracula teeth and...not that many kids, I gave the girls some too and they went nuts. LOL.

I have to share a cute story... I had to work on Etsy a little tonight, so my mom was watching TV with the girls in the living room. My mom fell asleep and I hear the girls being very quiet. (Which is always a problem!) However, I was finishing something on here and I figured whatever they were doing to get in trouble, I'd fix it later. A few minutes later, I see my 2 year old walking in my room with a ghost parashite toy. (Which I had gotten for goody bags.) So, of course I freak out and storm into the living room to yell at my 4 year old. Where upon I see her on the floor with all of the goody bags lined up putting (neatly) the goody bag toys in the bags. She said "Surprise mommy!" And had finished all of the goody bags herself. Honestly, she did an amazing job. I am so proud of her and told her how proud I was. :) She told me that since I was working hard, she was going to help me and make me "less stressed". I was so proud of her. :)

Right now, I am continuing to be a "soccer mom" (as my mom says) and baking Hannah Montana cupcakes. I just had to run out to the grocery store (at 1 am) to get more canola oil because I hadn't realized we didn't have enough for 36 cupcakes. I doubt we will need all of those cupcakes, but better to be safe than sorry. That's also why I made more goody bags than I needed! I'm sure someone will bring their siblings to the party or maybe people who had not RSVP'd will come... Oy Vey! What a day! lol

I had another sale today...so I cannot complain at all! Though, they don't have feedback yet and haven't paid. So I am wary. I did convo them and tell them that they have until Monday at 10 pm to pay. If they don't pay by Monday at 10 pm, I will have to relist the item. I have never had a non paying buyer yet, so I do hope they pay. They seem legit, they have a paid ISP e-mail address and hopefully are going to pay. I can use the money, so I am happy. lol :)

Gotta go get the cupcakes out of the oven! I'm going to have more time after tomorrow to work on Etsy.

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Modern Elegance!

I added a beautiful & modern necklace and earring set to my shop tonight. This set is just eye catching and very gorgeous. It's modern but yet elegant at the same exact time. This set is definitely something that, I think, would be a great asset to your jewelry collection!! It's made with an artistic and modern pendant for the necklace and focal bead for the earrings. The pendant/focal beads are frosted, but they have that black and white look that is so popular! (I know I love black and white!) The purple that is splashed here and there in small glass beads and round beads (in the earrings) really make the set POP! It really is the thing that catches someone's attention and draws them to your earrings or necklace. The necklace can be adjusted before shipment to fit your size/length needs and if you would like to swap out the faux crystals for swarovski crystals, that is also available. (Free of charge!!)

I can't believe I had the chance to list something tonight. LOL My day was so busy. We finally got Alayna's party booked at Chuck E. Cheese for Friday. I am excited and I can't wait for the party! I believe this is going to really be something Alayna remembers. Especially since she actually understands the concept of a party this year! LOL Hopefully, her cousins will be able to come. I got in contact with my sister today and e-mailed my brother about this, so I hope they do come.

I really gotta get to bed since I have ANOTHER full day tomorrow. :D

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This week is a loss!

This week is pretty much a loss for anything Etsy related. I was trying to get something done a day plus advertising, but I don't see how I can do that this week. Yesterday and today we are in Staten Island looking at houses and after that, we have to look for a new place for Alayna's birthday party. Alayna wanted to have her party (so badly) at Roller Jam USA. And I agree, that would be the perfect place. It's just I cannot afford her party there. It's $299 and right now, I'm fighting with my former boss for my money and my child support is being held up because the lovely NJ Child Support agency has a new rule that I cannot get more than $300 per month in total. (Which is fucking bullshit if you ask me.)

So, now I'm stuck with $100 to: Get Alayna at least 1 birthday present, Figure something else out for her party -- Even having it here will cost me for things, Balloons for the front of the house (at least one), and a cake. I guess because the child support agency wants to have their own stupid rules, I have to tell my daughter... "Ok Alayna...I have to hold your birthday party up two weeks and you can't eat either because THEYRE holding the money." Bullshit bullshit bullshit. I'm so sick and tired of it. So I'm screwed. I'm having to borrow money from my grandmother again and I don't want to. I just started crying hysterically because I can't do that. I just want to have one fucking present for my daughter and give her a good birthday party. I try to do everything for her, being a single mom, and I feel like I fail terribly. :(

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I met Anthony Rapp today. :) That is the greatest way, in my opinion, to start off a blog post. The first time I saw Rent I was 13 years old. I fell in love with the show AND with Anthony Rapp. He was such a great actor. I saw Rent many many times after that and had always tried to meet him outside the theater. Never did. Flash forward now, to when I'm 24... Even though my friends and I were going to another show today, I convinced them to go over to the Broadway Cares Flea Market so I could get a picture with him. We did and I got one! My friends were paranoid we'd miss our show. I wasn't budging! I told them to go to the theater and I'd meet them there if I had to! lol He was one of the first people that ever struck my attention so much and turned me onto Broadway shows all together. :) Now I'm a Broadway addict! He was so sweet and just a great guy. I got a hug before I left and let me tell you...it was the best $20 charity donation I had ever made!! :) Then we went on to Next to Normal. (Which is such an amazing show. If you're in the area...GO SEE IT. There is nothing better than a powerhouse Broadway show that makes you laugh, cry -- rather bawl your eyes out, and then laugh some more.) All in all, I had an amazing day.

Tomorrow starts the real work. #1. Promoting my shops. Since I am now going to be a full time artist until I can get a new job, promotion will be key. I am going to have to really promote with all I have. I was trying to see if I had the $96 to advertise in the Etsy section in Bust magazine, but I'm not going to have nearly $100 to throw around. :( I will save up for the next time with that. However, I am going to advertise wherever I can. I'm really averaging about 130 visitors per day to ThreeSeventeen and 85 per day to OhMyCupcake. I'm going to have to improve those views if I want my shop to succeed. I will start promoting, posting new items and renewing items daily now. I also am going to be getting some more Showcase spots. My ring sale the other day, I found out, came from the customer seeing my ring on the showcase! :) Best $7 to spend. It pretty much paid for itself.

#2. We're going house hunting tomorrow. There are a few houses in Saten Island that my mom and I want to look at. It's bittersweet because we're going to be leaving the only house I have ever known in a few weeks (or a month) and move somewehre new. But i'm excited and looking forward to a new start in a town that I have always loved and a town that has ALWAYS felt like home to me.

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