tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4389516903792143362024-03-07T22:13:54.071-08:00Emily's EscapeEmilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-821235609366891382014-07-28T15:48:00.001-07:002014-07-28T15:55:59.452-07:00Adventures with MomMy mom came out to visit for a few days in mid-July. It was so good to see her. Before I went to the airport to pick her up, I went to Trader Joe's to get some flowers to welcome her. Buried in the daisies and roses, I found some really pretty snapdragons. On our last visit to Missouri Botanical Gardens, I had pointed some out to my mom and photographed them, so I thought they'd be perfect.<br><br>
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As I was leaving, a guy sitting outside on a bench stopped me to ask me if there was an occasion for the flowers. I explained that my mom was visiting from out of town. This started a very long conversation full of his life experiences and advice for my future. Oh, people at Trader Joe's ;)<br><br>
Everything went smoothly at the airport. Austin was waiting for us when we got back, and we all went out to dinner. We had a good time taking Mom to all of our favorite places. I also went shopping with her in San Jose, and of course we had to hit the rose garden. I found some purple roses there. I hadn't ever seen one this color before:<br><br>
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We went to the Google campus to meet Austin at work and have lunch with him. It was nice to see where he works, and the food was pretty good. Then, we walked around for all of 20 minutes, and I got a sunburn (like I do).<br><br>
I took Mom to an amazing local nursery that's on the way home from Google. I'm lucky to have a mom that likes flowers as much as I do, and puts up with me constantly taking photos of them. Dahlias are my favorite.<br><br>
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We went up to the city one day and went to Pier 39. We did the little boat ride up to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was kind of drizzly and very foggy, but we were still able to see. Austin took some nice photos on the boat, but I think they were on Mom's camera, so I don't have them to show :(<br><br>
We also went to the aquarium. It was fun, and I took EVEN MORE photos.<br><br>
<center><a href="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/jellyfish.jpg"><img src="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/jellyfish.jpg" width=300></a><a href="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/1940011_10100281744898122_5007177246433844401_n.jpg"><img src="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/1940011_10100281744898122_5007177246433844401_n.jpg" height=300></a></center><br>
It was a very nice visit, and I'm so glad my mom got to see where I live.<br><br>
Things are still going well in general. Austin and I are starting to make some new friends in the apartment building. I'm still working on jewelry. Riley is still very happy prowling on the balcony. I might break down and start looking for a job soon, but I'm enjoying my break from the corporate world.Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-21073004896420042192014-07-15T16:16:00.000-07:002014-07-15T16:16:00.271-07:00Swimming and Making ThingsThings are still going great out in California.<br><br>
The weather has been consistently awesome, except for one day that was overcast. That was a bummer. ;)<br><br>
Austin got a couple of days off for 4th of July. We took the train up to AT&T park since the Giants were playing the Cardinals. It was a lot of fun. I wore my Cardinals gear (including <b><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/42098991/black-and-white-fuzzy-squirrel-photo">this "rally squirrel" pendant</a></b> that I made) and got boo'd by a few people. It was ok, because we stomped them. Quite a fun day.<br><br>
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I'm getting back into swimming again. There's a small pool at our apartment complex. I've never lived anywhere with a pool. I've been going out there when it opens at 9 and swimming laps until the sun starts hitting it at around 9:45. It feels so good. Swimming is so much easier on me than running or using gym equipment.<br><br>
I'm staying pretty busy with jewelry orders. I recently got a custom request from a friend for a ring-holder necklace for when she can't wear her wedding ring on her finger. I'd seen them on Pinterest, and already had most of the supplies I'd need. I added some crystals and pearls in her wedding colors to make it unique. I'm very happy with how it turned out, and I hope she is too:<br><br>
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I also got a custom order from my mother-in-law, Susan. My sister-in-law is getting married at the end of August and she was nice enough to ask me about jewelry for the event. She liked <b><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/111250031/gold-topaz-luster-chandelier-earrings">these earrings</a></b> and wanted a necklace to match. I came up with the design below, and now she's testing it out to make sure it's perfect for a formal occasion:<br><br>
<center><a href="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/susancustomfuz.jpg"><img src="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/susancustomfuz.jpg" width=300></a></center><br>
I love making things for my friends and family. I'm always so thankful that they're willing to help support my creative ventures. You guys are awesome.<br><br>
The hummingbirds are becoming very comfortable with my feeder. They're coming up to it even when we're sitting out there now. It's pretty cool. Here's one chilling out on my railing:<br><br>
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My mom is flying out to visit tomorrow and staying until Sunday. I can't wait to show her around and hang out with her. I love living here, but I'm used to spending a lot of time with my family. It'll be so great to see her.Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-47474426062260414742014-06-27T14:47:00.000-07:002014-06-27T14:47:26.391-07:00Flowers and HummingbirdsThings have been going pretty well. I like my new home. The weather is incredible, I can sit outside without being eaten alive by bugs, and I'm able to walk to lots of different kinds of stores.<br><br>
We've been spending the past few days decorating. My favorite place by far is the patio. I like to sit out there and drink my coffee in the morning. I noticed that one of our neighbors across the courtyard had a hummingbird feeder that was getting lots of activity. I decided lure them over to my side and bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E5X9GK/"><b>this feeder</b></a>.<br><br>
Also in the spirit of attracting hummingbirds, I bought some huge red dahlias to put out there.<br><br>
<center><a href="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/dahlia.jpg"><img src="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/dahlia.jpg" width=300></a></center><br>
Riley is turning into quite the wild patio cat. There are lots of birds out there for her to stalk. She is well-loved by little kids in the hot tub. Every once in awhile I'll see one of them pointing and squealing at her.<br><br>
It took a couple of days, but I eventually started seeing hummingbirds. I'm still not getting very many, but hopefully more of them start finding it.<br><br>
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Austin started his job this week. The drive isn't bad at all... it usually takes about 10 minutes and there's never much traffic on his route. We're very relieved about that because this area is known for its ridiculous traffic. I dropped him off at work on Wednesday so I could go to the DMV and get a California license. It was pretty much a nightmare. I was there for five hours. My name change plagued me ONCE AGAIN and cost me an extra two hours. They repeatedly thought I hadn't registered my name change with social security even though I had (about 4 years ago). I have the worst trouble with name change issues. I told Austin he'd better hang onto me and never die because I won't change it again under any circumstances. Haha.<br><br>
My Etsy shop has been doing well. I've been taking lots of new photos and putting things up for sale online. It takes longer to photograph, edit, and list things than it takes to make them. I'm really backed up with a ton of items I've made for shows, but have never photographed. Getting caught up on that has really made a difference. <br><br>
<center><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/194441683/purple-blue-and-gold-metallic-paisley"><img src="https://img0.etsystatic.com/040/0/5577964/il_fullxfull.619870630_3ca3.jpg" width=300></a></center><br>
The post office is only about a mile away, and it's along Austin's route to work. Makes it easy for me to drop of my little jewelry orders. I also found THE BEST nursery right by the post office. My flower and plant addiction shall be well-fueled.Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-41291886568055780372014-06-19T17:24:00.000-07:002014-06-19T17:25:39.618-07:00The Big MoveOn Monday, June 16, I moved from St. Louis, MO to Mountain View, CA. My husband got a job at Google and will be starting next week. He moved into our new apartment at the end of May, but I decided to stay behind so I could make some extra money, sell the car, and clean our old apartment.<br><br>
I stayed with my mom in St. Charles for a few weeks. My brother and sister were also staying with her. It was nice to have some togetherness time with my family before I had to leave. I also got to spend some time with this lovely little dog.<br><br>
<center><a href="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_3651.jpg"><img src="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_3651.jpg" width=300></a></center><br>
My birthday was on the 12th. It was a pretty good one. I always seem to be traveling or working a night shift or something on my birthday. It was nice to have a free day. I went to Cheesecake Factory with my grandparents, mom, and sister for lunch, did a little shopping, and relaxed.<br><br>
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I booked a one-way, nonstop flight to San Francisco with Frontier Airlines. They recently added a very affordable nonstop flight, and they also allowed pets in the cabin. I needed to bring Riley (my huge cat) along with me. I ordered <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002YHWAU/"><b>this carrier</b></a> online since it was designed to go on airlines and had good reviews.<br><br>
My mom and sister took me to the airport. It was such a help because I was really freaked out about flying with the cat. We said our goodbyes and they watched me go through security. This was the part I'd been dreading the most. I knew I'd have to take the cat out of the carrier, put the carrier through the X-ray machine, and carry the cat in my arms through the metal detector. It went fine, though. I had a little leash and harness for Riley, so I was able to put her on the ground while I put my bags on the conveyor. She was very well-behaved. She practically cuddled against me when I carried her through the metal detector.<br><br>
The next step was getting the carrier under the seat on the plane. I took it slow and eventually maneuvered the carrier into place. Luckily, the other two people sitting in my row hadn't gotten there yet. It gave me a little more room and time to work with. Here's a photo I took of her carrier (with my hoodie draped over it) safely under the seat.<br><br>
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The flight went very smoothly. Riley was incredibly quiet throughout the four hour flight. I'm not sure if the people sitting around me even knew I had a pet with me.<br><br>
<center><a href="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_3828.jpg"><img src="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_3828.jpg" width=300></a><a href="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_3830.jpg"><img src="https://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/img_3830.jpg" width=300></a></center><br>
We landed in San Francisco, and my handsome husband was waiting for me with beautiful flowers.<br><br>
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We traveled to our new apartment in Mountain View. I'm now on my 3rd full day living here. We've been spending lots of time decorating the new apartment, and getting new things to put in the new space. The weather has been phenomenal, so I've been spending a lot more time outside. We have a balcony that's juuuust big enough for two chairs and a small table. It's my favorite part of the place. Riley likes it too. Here she is begging to go outside:<br><br>
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I don't have a job here yet, and quite frankly I'm in no hurry to find one. I worked pretty hard in the few years before this move. I'm looking forward to spending more time working on my little jewelry business and art ventures. I'm sure I'll get stir crazy and start looking for something eventually, though.Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-48325936099843231052014-03-21T07:52:00.002-07:002014-03-21T08:27:00.829-07:00Square Market UpdateLooks like I have to eat my words a little bit.<br><br>
In February, Square rolled out some site improvements. They sent me an e-mail about it, and I putzed around a bit, but I couldn't see a huge amount of difference.<br><br>
Then I made a sale. Suddenly, I became much more interested in listing things in the Square Market. I started putting all of my items there. Why not? It's free.<br><br>
While I was working, I discovered something amazing. It seems that you can now add as many photos as you'd like to any listing. Before, they only allowed you to post one photo per item. This was originally my number one problem with Square Market; a problem that (in my opinion) rendered it practically useless. I quickly went through all of my items and added 4 to 5 photos apiece. This change alone makes Square a much more viable option for selling online.<br><br>
They still have a way to go. They still insist on cropping your photos into a perfect square (get it... SQUARE? HAHAHAHA. But seriously, let me crop my own damn photos). They still order your items and categories alphabetically by title. They still have a quantity option of "one" or "infinity" with nothing in between. I'm still not convinced that modifiers actually work for customers. They still set a default price of $0.00. They still have zero analytics. BUT, it's free until you make a sale, they addressed my most important issue, so I officially like where this is going.<br><br>
Check out my square shop here: <a href="https://squareup.com/market/emilys-escape-jewelry">https://squareup.com/market/emilys-escape-jewelry</a>Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-65675388004139786592013-12-11T11:39:00.000-08:002013-12-11T12:03:17.720-08:00Pros and Cons of Square Market<center><a href="https://squareup.com/market/emilys-escape-jewelry"><img src="http://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/squaregraphic.jpg" width=300></a></center><br><br>Ahhhh Square. Every crafter's reasonably-priced credit card processing friend. This lovely company recently started an online marketplace so customers could purchase items from local businesses without leaving home. I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it turned out to be my least favorite option as a free Etsy alternative. Click on the image above to take a look at my Square shop.<br><br><u>Pros</u><ul><li>Operates under your existing Square account if you have one. When you add an item, it also becomes available in your Square app that you use to process credit cards.</li><li>New look. My Square shop looks vastly different from my Etsy shop, which I like. I think Square's look is sleek and pretty.</li><li>Unlimited free listings! Buyers use their credit card to purchase items and Square takes a small percentage of the purchase price. The rest is deposited into the seller's bank account. I love the fact that Square only makes money when its sellers make money.</li><li>Items are only available to buyers who live in the USA. Others might see this as a "con," but it makes shipping profiles a lot easier to handle. With the skyrocketing price of international shipping and those pesky customs forms, I can't say I miss it here.</li></ul><br><u>Cons</u><ul><li>Difficult to set up. When you first start, your items are "online" but not "for sale." You have to check a box in your shop profile to sell publicly. For the longest time, I tried checking the box, and it would uncheck itself. It finally "stuck" after about 20 minutes.</li><li>It takes FOREVER for your items to show up in a search on Square's main page. We're talking weeks.</li><li>Only one photo per item. Come on, Square! ONE photo? REALLY? I feel like I have to link to an entirely different web site with alternate views of my products. Or create one photo that's a montage of many photos. Ain't nobody got time for that.</li><li>There's a semblance of a "quantity" feature there, but it's so limited I can't use it. The options for availability are "one" or "many." What if I have 10, list my quantity as "many" and someone orders 15?</li><li>Square has a variation feature (so you can add options for size etc.) but your customers only see it if they're using an iPad. Wait... what?</li><li>Items and sections are listed alphabetically. I wish it was arranged by date or relevancy. I named my sections "section 1 - rings," "section 2 - necklaces," etc. to get them in the order I wanted. I'm tempted to do the same thing with my items. "Amazing necklace," "beautiful necklace," "cute necklace," "delicate necklace"...</li><li>Listing items is pretty easy, but it's also sort of easy to skip over the "price" section while you're filling in other things. The default price is $0, and they don't stop you from posting items for free. Every time I put something up, I have to check to make sure I'm not giving things away ;)</li><li>No shop stats at all. Nothing. I have no idea how many times my shop or items have been viewed. It makes it very difficult to gauge the potential of this site.</li></ul>Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-54127947100541494002013-12-10T08:35:00.001-08:002013-12-10T09:06:57.572-08:00Pros and Cons of Zibbet<center><a href="http://www.zibbet.com/emilysescape"><img src="http://emilysescape.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/zibbetgraphic1.jpg" width=300></a></center>As promised, here are my thoughts on my free Zibbet shop. I decided to start with this one first since it's my favorite of the three free alternatives to Etsy that I've tried. I started listing items in mid-November and now have 42 items up for sale. Click on the image above if you'd like to see my shop.<br><br><u>Pros</u><br><ul><li>Easy integration of existing Etsy shop. I was able to download a file from Etsy and upload it to Zibbet. Not everything translated exactly correctly, but with a little editing I was able to get most of my items up without completely re-writing everything.</li><li>Nice community. I've had a few of my items pinned on pinterest by fellow Zibbet sellers. I was also featured in a blog within a day of setting up my Zibbet shop.</li><li>Shop performance stats. I've been able to check up on my items. When I'm updating and listing items, I get a decent amount of views. The shop stats aren't as detailed and extensive as they are on Etsy, but at least they're there.</li><li>No fees for selling with a free account, even if something sells. Zibbet makes all their profits from paid, premium accounts.</li><li>I've heard lots of rumors that Zibbet will be unrolling an update in early 2014. I'm asked at every turn what I think of my experience on Zibbet and how it can be improved. It will be interesting to see how they evolve.</li></ul><br><u>Cons</u><br><ul><li>Lack of (free) features that Etsy has. You can't list multiple quantities of an item without paying extra.</li><li>Limit of 50 items unless you pay for a premium account.</li><li>No item variations. From what I can tell, there's no way to let a buyer select a variation on an item (size, etc.) even if you pay extra.</li><li>It appears that buyers have to use paypal. There is no "direct checkout" like on Etsy.</li><li>Almost TOO similar to Etsy. It would have been nice to get a fresh look from this new site, but it just feels like a copycat web site.</li></ul>Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-22463967690785335012013-11-14T12:49:00.002-08:002013-11-14T12:49:46.736-08:00*Sigh*So, I just posted that I was moving over to wordpress. I think I lied. They're so pushy with trying to sell you stuff (OOO! I can pay $5 for a different background color!). Blogger is so much more customizable without having to pay extra. I think I might just deal with the glitches I'm experiencing on blogger.<br><br>I’m hoping to start blogging again. I know I’ve said that several times, but for real this time. I’ve been neglecting my little Etsy shop since I started working full time, but now I have a job with better hours. Might be time to start getting back in gear.<br><br>One thing I’ve been wanting to talk about is free alternatives to Etsy. There has been a lot of Etsy drama going on lately, and I know a lot of people that are looking for other options. I set up shops on Zibbet, Square Market, and ShopHandmade and haven’t spent a dime so far. Looking forward to seeing if I have any success with them.<br><br>Here are links to my free shops if you’re looking for comparison. I’ve tried to put approximately 20 items in each shop.<br><br><a href="http://www.zibbet.com/emilysescape">My Zibbet Shop</a><br><a href="https://squareup.com/market/emilys-escape-jewelry">My Square Market Shop</a><br><a href="http://www.shophandmade.com/store/emilysescape/">My ShopHandmade Shop</a><br><br>I’m planning to leave them up for a few days, maybe add some new items, and see how they do. I’ll make posts to discuss any pros and cons I see with them. But like I said, I haven’t spent a cent on any of this. I figure it can’t hurt, and maybe people are looking for some opinions.Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-11281548764240377912010-12-09T14:57:00.001-08:002010-12-09T14:57:05.970-08:00I went on a major shopping spree this weekend. I got lots of craft supplies so I could re-make everything I've sold in shows lately. I also got a little bit of Christmas shopping done. That's awesome for me... I never know what to get for anyone.<br /><br />I'm thinking about totally overhauling my photo pendant-making process. I used to make the little circles out of clay by hand, but I hate the process. It takes forever and the circles are never perfectly round. While I was shopping for jewelry supplies, I found some packs of round wooden circles. I bought them and decided to try them out. I'm super excited about them. No more forming my own circles out of clay! The only thing I'm worried about is how to attach them to a chain. I can drill a hole through the circle, or I could drill a hole in the top and glue a loop of wire in there. I shall experiment.Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-59466359103874185142010-12-04T19:29:00.000-08:002010-12-09T14:53:32.086-08:00Things have been busy. I haven't posted in awhile.<br /><br />The last couple of days have been great. On Thursday I sold my jewelry at Artropy in Lafayette Square, and today I was at the Green Living Expo at the Missouri History Museum. Artropy went extremely well. It was my best show ever. The history museum show started out very slow and I was worried, but things picked up and I managed to do pretty well. The location was great (a few blocks from my apartment), and the shoppers were very polite and pleasant. I'll definitely do it again.<br /><br />My card swiper and ProPay account ended up being good investments. I got a lot of credit card sales, and no hitches so far.<br /><br />My Etsy shop feels so emptyyyy... but it's all good I guess. I'm feeling very proud of myself. Can't wait for next year's shows!Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-21097264090955137832010-11-08T16:02:00.001-08:002010-11-08T16:02:19.569-08:00Man... I don't have another craft show until December. I don't know what to do with myself. My last craft show was pretty slow (but still a lot of fun), so I don't have to replenish my stock the way I had anticipated. Sales in general have been good, though. I made a goal of reaching 4 pages in my Etsy shop, but I'm having trouble because things keep selling. It's a very good problem to have.<br /><br />Daylight savings is already driving me nuts. I hate it when it gets dark so early. I wonder if we're going to have to suffer through this useless tradition forever.<br /><br />Austin and I watched "Aliens" last night. I was truly surprised at how awesome it was. Better than the first, I think. It had me nail-biting and screaming at the TV. It's also a perfect example of how CGI has ruined movies. A movie from 1986 managed to be more visually compelling, realistic, and engaging than any new, live-action movie I've seen in the last 15 years (perhaps with the exception of "Pan's Labyrinth"). There's no "wow... how did they do that?" effect in movies anymore. I'd be more convinced by a guy in a bad bear suit than I would by a perfectly rendered CG bear, to be honest. I really want the movie industry to bring back animatronics and make-up, and stop with the over-the-top simulations that aren't fooling anyone.Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-41353546682325119392010-10-26T14:09:00.000-07:002010-10-26T14:10:20.285-07:00Propay and TravelMy ProPay account was approved today. I shall be able to accept credit cards at my next show.<br /><br />I was planning on accepting cards at my last one, but I had to mail in an exceptions form because ProPay couldn't validate my information. I've never heard of that happening to anyone. Most people can set it up on 10 minutes. Mine took a week. Lucky me.<br /><br />I ordered a card imprinter with carbon copy slips and a business plate. I know I said I could just write down the information, but my mom talked me into it because it will make me look more professional. And I had an e-bay gift card. Best birthday present ever. I hope it gets here in time for the show... otherwise I'll be handwriting on sales receipts.<br /><br />Austin's at a computer science conference in Florence, Italy. His mom went with him since Austin will be reimbursed for their hotel room. I'm staying with the cat my mom's while he's gone (I get lonely).<br /><br />We also got some good news a couple of weeks ago. His paper was accepted into a conference in freaking HAWAII. In freaking JANUARY. We decided to spring for my plane ticket, so I'm coming along. Can't wait!Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-5061336688482745882010-10-20T15:15:00.001-07:002010-10-20T15:15:43.257-07:00Upcoming Show in TroyI haven't updated in awhile. I've been pretty busy the last couple of weeks, but I guess that's a good thing.<br /><br />Austin ran 18 miles in the Chicago marathon. I was very proud of him. It was nice to visit with his family too.<br /><br />I got accepted into a craft show (at the last minute) in Troy, IL. I'll be there Saturday and Sunday of this weekend. It looks like it's going to be HUGE. I'm debating getting a ProPay account so I can accept credit cards. I realized that if I sign up for the account, I'll have to write down credit card information to put into ProPay later. I can't imagine allowing someone to do that with <i>my</i> card. Everyone in the Etsy forums suggests getting a knucklebuster or a Propay card reader, but that just means paying more $ to record the exact same sensitive information. To me, those things almost seem like fooling people into thinking you're being more secure. ProPay says they can process and authorize orders over the phone. Maybe I'll give that a shot if people are willing to wait.<br /><br />I improved the design for the earring display I posted awhile ago. I put a couple of pieces of wire along the edges and used mod podge to glue another piece of card stock on top. They're really sturdy now! Can't wait to try them out at the show.Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-64708212422474638722010-10-07T14:31:00.001-07:002010-10-07T14:31:45.918-07:00Going to Chicago this weekend. My strong, handsome husband is running in the Chicago marathon on Sunday. We'll be staying with his sister, and his mom's coming too. I am very excited.<br /><br />Yesterday I applied to a couple of craft shows I found at the last minute. As a result, I felt the need to make a bunch of stuff today. I made some really pretty earrings. If they weren't such a pain to make, I might make some for myself. I shall post pictures later.<br /><br />A (poorly lit) video of me playing with my cat:<br /><br /><center><lj-embed id="6"><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oaIwfIsthN8?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oaIwfIsthN8?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></lj-embed></center>Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-51514928398492332042010-10-05T15:01:00.000-07:002010-10-05T15:02:39.864-07:00Earring Display TutorialA couple of months ago, I decided to start making my own jewelry displays out of card stock. I was getting ready for my first show, and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on displays since I didn't know if it would be successful or not.<br /><br />I couldn't find a design for an earring display that I liked, so I decided to design my own:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40035146@N04/4787015955/in/set-72157624478183130/"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4787015955_719e6c2505_m.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />I posted pictures and vowed to post a tutorial if it held up. Unfortunately, it didn't do so hot at the show. The humidity caused it to droop down. However, I really love these for photography, and they'd probably be good for indoor shows. Hence, I am keeping my vow.<br /><br />First of all, I've put up a template image that you can resize to fit your needs, or you can just look at it to design your own version. <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/download/181652479/earring_display_template_by_lulabug-d305fy7.jpg">Click here</a> for the full-size image.<br /><br />The first step is to print out the template on card stock and cut it out. I just used a standard 8.5 x 11 piece of card stock in my printer.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay.jpg?t=1286314800"><img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay.jpg?t=1286314800" width=200 border=0></a></center><br /><br />Next, stick a needle through all four of the dots near the top. This is where the earrings will attach.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay2.jpg?t=1286314857"><img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay2.jpg?t=1286314857" width=200 border="0"></a></center><br /><br />Fold both of the "wings" in half. Fold them in toward the printed side so that the edge is parallel to the edge of the longest rectangle. Unfold.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay3.jpg?t=1286315041"><img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay3.jpg?t=1286315041" width=200 border=0></a></center><br /><br />Fold the "wings" completely inward so they're parallel to the square at the bottom. Unfold.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay4.jpg?t=1286315250"><img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay4.jpg?t=1286315250" width=200 border=0></a></center><br /><br />Fold the square at the bottom up along the solid line.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay5.jpg?t=1286315328"><img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay5.jpg?t=1286315328" width=200 border=0></a></center><br /><br />Unfold the square by about 45 degrees and wrap the wings over and around it. Put a piece of tape in the center (where my thumb is) to hold everything together.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay6.jpg?t=1286315356"><img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay6.jpg?t=1286315356" width=200 border=0></a></center><br /><br />Wrap the top around a pen to get the curved shape. You should be able to manipulate the curled part so that it will stay nice and round and allow the earrings to hang nicely from the little holes. I sometimes take a very thin dowel and wrap the very tip around it so that it curls more tightly where the earrings go.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay7.jpg?t=1286315463"><img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/earringdisplay7.jpg?t=1286315463" width=200 border=0></a></center><br /><br />Take pretty pictures!<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40035146@N04/5040192200/"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5040192200_29a86938f0_m.jpg" border=0 width=200></a></center><br /><br />Hope that's helpful to someone. If anyone tries this out, I'd love to see what you've done!Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-41747385753862817342010-09-28T15:41:00.001-07:002010-09-28T15:41:17.389-07:00Things have been going well for me. I've been a lot more optimistic lately.<br /><br />I poured a lot of time into my Etsy shop last week, and it seems to be paying off. It was nice to dedicate my time to what I like, instead of constantly worrying about what I "should" be doing to "prove my worth" to myself.<br /><br />I also got a cute hair cut. I loooove having short hair, but I hadn't cut it since summer '09. It sounds dumb, but I sort of think my hair was one of those things that was dragging me down and contributing to my negative thinking. It's crazy how much little thing like a hair cut can make me so much happier.<br /><br />Emo photo of my new hair:<br /><center><a href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/window.jpg?t=1285712813"><img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/window.jpg?t=1285712813" width=200></a></center>Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-27908900970044360562010-09-20T16:07:00.001-07:002010-09-20T16:07:41.025-07:00It was another slow week last week. Sometimes it's hard to get myself motivated. I want to make new jewelry, but I have SOOO much existing stuff that I need to photograph. On top of that, I could stand to re-make things that have sold... but I just want to keep going with new ideas. I guess if I want to make this work, I'll have to be a little more disciplined. I did manage to list a couple of things today. Hope to keep that momentum going.<br /><br />I did expand my crafting repertoire in the last week or so. My husband usually comes along when I go to craft stores, and he's become more and more interested in developing a crafty hobby. He was doing wooden puzzles for awhile. He had a lot of fun, but it wasn't especially creative to put together a puzzle. I'm really happy he did it, though. The Eiffel Tower he built attracted a lot of attention when I put it on my table at my last craft show. :)<br /><br />Austin decided to try his hand at knitting last weekend. I used an old Barnes and Noble gift card to buy an instruction book for him. Then we got the essential yarns and knitting needles. As he was learning I became intrigued and tried it myself. I just finished my first project. It's a cranberry-red scarf. Goes great with my University of Minnesota Gopher gear.<br /><br />I also made a little stuffed hamster out of felt. My cat freaking loved it. Since she liked it so much, I made another one for my cousin's cat. I brought it to a family get-together and everyone thought it was very cute.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40035146@N04/4999315725/"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/4999315725_70bb9ec485_m.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />My dad commissioned me to make a gerbil for him. He has two pet gerbils that he loves. A gerbil will be a little more complex, but I'm up for the challenge. I might try to use some material from old, worn-out clothing that my husband wants to throw away. Hurray recycling!Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-81246181726441457072010-09-09T15:58:00.000-07:002010-09-09T15:59:01.655-07:00My WeekI had a fantastic week. Definitely made some strides in my goal of becoming less timid and more involved.<br /><br />Austin and I went to his mom's for Labor Day weekend. I had such a good time. I don't think I could have fared much better with my husband and in-laws. His brother, brother's girlfriend, and mom's friend came over for dinner one night. Usually, I'm embarrassingly quiet and anxious in situations like that, but I was very comfortable and really enjoyed talking with all of them.<br /><br />The day after we got back, I gave my blogging presentation for the <a href="http://showmeetsy.blogspot.com">ShowMe Etsy</a> craft team. I was surprised at how nervous I was. In college I cranked out speaking assignments like they were nothing. I suppose I was intimidated because I really look up to this group of people, and I was scared of their judgment. Talk about an irrational fear... they're all super nice. I probably talked way too fast and I caught my voice quivering a couple of times, but I have since received thanks and compliments. It makes me feel really good. Being able to join this group was an amazing opportunity for me.<br /><br />Yesterday I was feeling empowered, so I went on a major cleaning spree. Riley got a little upset that I folded up her blanket. She liked to hide under it when it was spread out on the floor. She gave it one more shot, but it didn't last long:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/riley21.jpg?t=1284072257"><img src="http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b247/Emilu005/Random%20Photos/riley21.jpg?t=1284072257" width=300></a></center><br /><br />Today has been a rather lazy day for me. I'm going to have to get back in the swing of doing all kinds of crafty stuff. I feel a little crazy for neglecting a job hunt and focusing on my teeny tiny jewelry business. But I can get away with it at the moment, and it makes me happy.Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-8364993445459723302010-09-03T15:36:00.001-07:002010-09-03T15:36:19.367-07:00Football and Blogging TipsGAH the weather is nice. We got stormed on last night, but now it's GORGEOUS.<br /><br />I went to my mom's house to watch the University of Minnesota football game last night. My sister's boyfriend is on the team. He was on the sidelines last year, and it was so exciting to see the occasional shot of him on TV. I suppose you can only imagine how much more exciting it was to see him actually play! So awesome. They won by 7, and it was a very exciting game.<br /><br />I'm working on a blogging presentation for my Etsy craft team. Full of all the stuff I've learned (but not necessarily applied) about blogging. Here's a link to a page full of my ideas. Not sure how it'll be formatted... this is my first attempt at using google docs. Feel free to make suggestions: <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1K_fWugPRDQCEBi0pGNbIEXoiJRcbtf_xFNXLqJqCIeU&hl=en#">Blogging Stuff</a><br /><br />I've been putting TONS of stuff in my shop. Here's a little sampling.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54945680/tourmaline-inspired-y-shaped-crystal"><img src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_75x75.169860505.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54948466/black-and-gray-glass-bracelet"><img src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_75x75.169869645.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/55192786/red-flower-v-hook-earrings"><img src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_75x75.170684451.jpg"></a></center>Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-22457511004851991662010-08-27T13:25:00.000-07:002010-08-27T13:26:22.496-07:00I had trouble sleeping again last night. I was exhausted, but I just couldn't go to sleep. At least I've found a new way to keep myself occupied when I'm awake. I've been doing research surveys at <a href="http://www.mturk.com">mechanical turk</a> by amazon. They pay you (practically nothing) to waste your life taking surveys and performing stupid tasks that computers wouldn't do as well as a person. Most of the stuff I did is still waiting approval, but I made almost $2. yippee.<br /><br />My little husband is working from home today. We've been sitting next to each other on the couch with our laptops like dweebs all day.<br /><br />Put some more pendants in my shop:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/42012316/yellow-gerbera-daisy-pendant-kindness"><img src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_75x75.169620020.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/37622715/bright-pink-and-green-chrysanthemum"><img src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_75x75.169626730.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/38127731/red-rose-pendant-courage"><img src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_75x75.169617662.jpg"></a></center>Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-639409332944940852010-08-26T14:34:00.001-07:002010-08-26T14:34:40.125-07:00Still ChugginWOW I had an awful night. I've been having some trouble sleeping lately. About once a week I just won't be able to fall asleep before 4 or 5 in the morning. Last night I drifted off between 4:30 and 5, and then woke up at 8 to jack hammering in the street. They didn't stop until 11. ugh. So I'm running on 3 or 4 hours of sleep.<br /><br />I've been so sleepy that I didn't think I'd manage to meet my goal of adding 3 things to my Etsy shop. But I did it! Yay! Here's the "new" stuff... but only the first one is brand new. The other two have just been absent because I updated them.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54801202/pink-and-purple-chrysanthemum-pendant"><img src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_75x75.169373827.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54797646/dark-dahlia-pendant-patience"><img src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_75x75.169362660.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/45853244/cherry-blossom-pendant-peace"><img src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_75x75.169368269.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />Feels good to fill up the shop. I've still got so much more stuff to list.Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-4972152080355448472010-08-25T17:52:00.001-07:002010-08-25T17:52:51.720-07:00Had lunch with my husband today. It was nice to get out of the house.<br /><br />But I've been keeping myself very busy with my Etsy shop. For the past couple of months I was focusing on making enough stuff for my table at the craft show. Now I have to worry about photographing all of it and putting it on Etsy. I've got a goal of photographing/listing 3 things a day. I've done it the past two days in a row.<br /><br />Some little thumbnails of new stuff in my shop:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54532666/air-earrings-purple-blue-and-yellow"><img src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_75x75.168479800.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54536683/two-little-birds-pendant-friendship"><img src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_75x75.168493616.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54623015/pink-chysanthemum-pendant-joy"><img src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_75x75.168779850.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54626140/pale-pink-and-antique-bronze-bell-flower"><img src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_75x75.168790251.jpg"></a><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54640693/purple-flower-v-hook-earrings-in-bronze"><img src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_75x75.168839293.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54704583/kitty-pendant-hand-drawn"><img src="http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_75x75.169051518.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54707256/air-necklace-purple-blue-and-yellow"><img src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_75x75.169060596.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/54711655/ruby-red-and-silver-bell-flower-earrings"><img src="http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_75x75.169075300.jpg"></a></center>Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-39678015504470550192010-08-23T10:19:00.000-07:002010-08-23T10:30:06.037-07:00Awesome WeekendI had such a great weekend!<br /><br />I've been spending the last few months getting ready for my first show with a full table. I recently sent most of my stuff over to a shop, so I had to pretty much start from scratch. I made a lot of my own displays, and I worked really hard to get a good amount of stock.<br /><br />I set up on Saturday morning at the Tower Grove Farmers' Market. It was supposed to storm all day. It was a little cloudy in the early morning, but the rain never came. The humidity kind of messed up a few of my handmade <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40035146@N04/4787015955/">earring diplays</a>, but everything else held up pretty well.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40035146@N04/4917844711/"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4917844711_9ff03da872.jpg"></a></center><br /><br />The show itself was super fun. There were lots of cute kids and friendly dogs. My husband got us the best potato chips ever. I might have to go back for those sometime. A bunch of my family members came to visit, and my husband convinced some of his research team members to drop by. I also sold more stuff than I had anticipated. Definitely a success.<br /><br />Later that day we went to the Cardinals game. They broke their losing streak. I've only been to 3 games in my life... but I've still never seen them lose. Took a cute picture of a bug:<br /><br /><center><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs371.snc4/45446_604119173532_36104864_34568331_4958244_n.jpg" width="500"></center>Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-51256080078159732172010-08-11T18:19:00.000-07:002010-08-11T18:24:47.627-07:00Glaze, Artbeads, SpanishI got some "Diamond Glaze" in the mail today. I bought it on eBay. An eBay gift card was pretty much the best thing ever to put on my wish list... it makes me feel like I can buy all kinds of new craft stuff without the guilt of spending "real" money.<br /><br />Anyway, Diamond Glaze. They should probably just call it MOST-AWESOME-STUFF-EVER. I took all of my photo pendants out of my store because they got sticky after they sat around for awhile. I needed some kind of coating for them, but everything I tried was either sticky or murky. Things that other artists pointed me to were either too expensive, or too complicated/messy for me to want to try. Diamond Glaze was relatively cheap and has a little applicator. All I did was squeeze the stuff out on my pendants and pop the little bubbles with a safety pin. No waste, no toxic fumes, virtually no mess. I can spread it around with my fingertips if I need to, and it comes right off of my hands. My little pendants aren't sticking to anything anymore. LOVE IT. Kind of want to buy the ridiculously large refill bottle now... but we'll see how long the little bottle lasts me.<br /><br />If anyone bought one of my old "sticky" pendants and wants a new glazed one, I'll replace it for you. Sorry I didn't detect the problem sooner!<br /><br />Artbeads.com was nice to me today. I ordered a Swarovski pendant for a necklace I want to put in my craft display. It had a huge crack down the side of it. :( Their web site says you have to return items before they'll send a replacement, so I e-mailed them and asked if I could put it in bubble wrap and mail it in a letter-sized envelope (since it was already damaged anyway). They replied and said that they were just going to send me a new one. Couldn't believe it! Usually when I deal with big jewelry supply sites, they act like huge jerks when I have a problem. Go Artbeads!<br /><br />I've been practicing my Spanish. I listen to language-learning podcasts when I'm making jewelry, and I've been spending some time at www.lang-8.com. It's pretty cool. It connects you with native speakers of the language you're trying to learn, and the idea is that you help each other learn the other's language. It's nice to feel like I'm doing something intellectually stimulating... haha.Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-438951690379214336.post-46614851709985060282010-08-05T14:47:00.000-07:002010-08-05T15:22:40.134-07:00I'm excited. I just got accepted to a craft show at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. It will be so cool to be able to do a show so close to my apartment (I live like 6 blocks away from there). It's also nice that it will be in a place everyone can find. The show will happen on December 4th... so I'm hoping everyone will be looking for Christmas gifts for their favorite ladies.<br /><br />My next show is in a little over two weeks, and I've only got about half of my table done. Eek! Only reason I'm currently allowing myself a break to blog is because I need to let some sealant dry on my batch of clay photo pendants.<br /><br />I've put a couple new things in my shop.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/52825045/black-flower-wire-wrapped-ring-custom"><img src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_75x75.162760811.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/52884490/pale-pink-and-antique-bronze-bell-flower"><img src="http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_75x75.162964459.jpg"></a></center>Emilys Escapehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01467662874037795925noreply@blogger.com0