Celts, Pirates, and Polka Dots, OH MY!

It's been my intent over the past week to work on painting some more wood signs for my shop. I like to make jewelry, but Etsy is pretty inundated with jewelry as it is, and I'm not sure I have what it takes to really be competitive in that market. I am pretty good at painting, and I like to make fun signs, so it is my hope that one day, lots of homes will have an Ashley's Crescent Moon original. Some projects I have finished this week definitely run the gamut when it comes to subject matter.

CELTS

I listed two signs this week with a Celtic motif. They both have the same design, but one is black while the other is green. They feature a Celtic knot and the Gaelic words, "Cead Maile Failte," which means "A thousand welcomes." The custom order I did earlier this week was for this same design in a neutral brown tone. Anyway, I got the idea from a sign I saw on The Pyramid Collection's website, which featured the same Gaelic phrase on a slate plaque.

Pyramid Collection's sign can also be personalized. Pretty cool, no? My signs are quite a bit different. You can see in the two photos below:

I like how they turned out, especially the black one (I favor black quite a bit in both decor and dress). However, until the green one sells, it is being displayed in my living room because it matches my curtains :). Both my husband and I have Irish in our blood, so it works out nicely for the time being.

PIRATES

A long time ago I saw a sign that made me laugh out loud. It read, "The beatings will continue until morale improves." Now, I don't know where this phrase originated, though it does sound kind of piratey. Morale is very important on a ship, and I can see some hard-nosed pirate captain threatening to beat his crew into happiness. This is what my sign will be all about. It will be black, sanded for an aged effect, and will feature the Calico Jack flag (pictured above) at the top with the words, "The floggings will continue until morale improves." I chose "floggings" because the word is funny to me, plus it seems to fit the pirate vernacular. I don't have the sign done right now, but I'm hoping to have it finished and listed by early next week.

POLKA DOTS

I am not, and have never been, a girly girl. That said, I do have my moments, and I had one of those moments this week. I was reading on the Etsy forums that aqua and hot pink is going to be the hot new color combination this spring/summer. This strikes me as funny, because I've been seeing this color combo for a while now, especially in quirky decor and gifts that are intended for fun-loving, cocktail drinking, fashion following glamor girls. At any rate, I decided to jump on this band wagon by painting a totally cute sign featuring the famous quote by the duchess of Winsor, "You can never be too rich or too thin." I even made a sparkly fun beaded wire hanger to go with it.

I haven't listed this sign yet, mainly because I need to determine an appropriate listing price, but I also hope to have this one up for sale by the end of the coming week.

Anyway, that's what's been going on behind the scenes at the Crescent Moon Shop! Check back in to see what else I've got in store!

Nap Time Blog

Before I get up to do housework, I thought I'd sit down and type out a short update. I made the sale on my custom order, and my buyer said she loved her sign. ::breathes sigh of relief:: She even said that she might order one for her neighbor, too! Maybe this really will be the start of success in my shop. Someone I don't know likes my stuff. And if there's one out there, maybe there's two, or three, or several hundred. I sure hope so!

In other news, I'm really getting psyched about the Village Yard Sale that's going to be happening May 1st and 2nd here in my little town. Every year during the first full weekend in May, everyone pulls out their tables and tarps and sells their no longer wanted goodies. However, it's more than just a big rummage sale. Lots of people also put up vendor tents and sell baked goods, crafts, you name it. One lady in town does custom photography, and she counts the Village Yard Sale as one of her art exhibitions, that's how big it is. I'm excited because this may give me a little more exposure, which may lead to more sales online. If nothing else, it'll help me clean out my inventory so I won't have as much stuff to pack up and move once my husband is done with his time in the Navy.

At any rate, I said this was going to be a brief update, so it's time to hit the housework while I still have time. TTFN!

Late Night Blogging Session

It's been a few days since my last blog, so I thought I'd post an update about what's going on in my shop and in my life. I got my first custom order in the shop just the other day, and I'm in the process of working out all the details with my potential buyer. I'm pretty thrilled and pretty nervous all at once because this will be my first "real" sale (my first two were to family), so I really want to get this right! You would think it would be easy, since all my buyer wants is one of my signs, just in another color, but I know that one person's interpretation of beige isn't the same as another person's, so I'm sending my buyer color samples and such to make sure everything's up to snuff. My hope is this order will be the start of success in my shop. I don't want to make a killing, or even a living, but making enough sales to not have to dip into the savings for Christmas or a vacation would be nice.

I'm also excited to know that when I stop by the post office on Monday, my button necklace that I purchased from The Paper Button on Etsy will be there for pickup. I could have gotten it today had I gotten the gumption to go to the post office before it closed. I have no one to blame but myself  for that. Still, I'm anxiously awaiting Monday, because I love the necklace and can't wait to try it on!

Now, as far as my personal life goes, my goal recently has been to wean my almost 14-month old off the bottle. She's been without it for about a week and a half now, and during the day she hasn't missed it one bit. However,she is just getting to the point where she will sleep through the night again; apparently that little glitch in her routine messed up her sleep schedule. Anyway, my concern now is making sure she gets calcium and vitamin D, because for some strange reason she absolutely refuses to drink milk from a sippy cup. I have tried all the different models of sippy cups that we own (we have 4 different kinds), I've tried watering down the milk, adding sugar, you name it. She has a doctor's appointment this week, and I will mention it, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter that she's not drinking milk as long as she's getting proper nutrients from other foods. My next goal is the pacifier, but I won't attempt that for a while yet.

Anyway, that's what's up with me. I have a few new items for the shop that I'm hoping to list next week, so be sure to stop by and see them. Ciao!

Look what I found...

Procrastinator that I am, I just got around to cleaning out my birdhouses yesterday. Lo and behold, one of them had a nest inside - with three tiny speckled eggs! I believe the nest was abandoned during the summer, after a big windstorm caused a branch to fall and knock the birdhouse off the fence. Each of the eggs had a tiny hole in them, as if they were attacked by another bird.

When I saw the nest with the eggs inside, I was pretty delighted. I've been wanting to take a more natural approach to decorating, and having the nest in my home will be a step in the right direction. Besides, I think it will be a neat item for my little one to take to show-and-tell when she gets old enough for school. Right now the nest is in an airtight bag to kill any bugs that may have been living there. Once it's ready, I'm going to include it in a nature vignette with moss and pebbles. I'll post pictures of the finished project when I get around to it.

Nifty!

Have you seen this before? It's called liquid cardboard. It looks like a gathering of corrugated cardboard that forms a vase, but you should see what this puppy can do. It can change into several differently shaped vases, platters, and bowls. And get this - it's environmentally friendly! It's made from recycled materials and contains no harsh chemicals. Isn't that a daisy? Read more about it here: http://www.save-on-crafts.com/lica.html

Just had to share!

My First Treasury

I'm so excited. Yesterday, I was able to create my first treasury on Etsy. I've been in a beachy mood, so I did a search for nautical items, and I came up with a great list of things to show off. Check out the link here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=83445

I'm totally in love with the Flirty Sailor Button Necklace, and I'm seriously thinking of telling my husband it's what I want for Valentine's Day. Maybe I won't wait that long ;).

Anyway, I have to go get my day started. I'll be back later for more posting fun. Enjoy the treasury!

Collecting Rocks

As a child, I collected rocks: big rocks, little rocks, shiny rocks, rough rocks, rocks in all colors. I especially liked the granite chips in the gravel paths all around my elementary school. I remember how interesting I found the gray and white speckles, how much I liked the rough texture, and how I especially prized the ones with shiny metallic flecks. I would come home, my pockets loaded down with my treasured finds, and then dump them all on the floor to pick out which ones I would display on my dresser. Mom would eventually convince me to purge most of my collection, lest my room begin to look like a quarry.

When I got older, I learned to be a little more selective in my rock collecting ventures. When I traveled somewhere new, I would look for a special rock to remind me of my trip. Back home, I would only pick up a rock if it had unique features, such as a neat shape, an interesting texture, or unusual coloring. Today, I still pick up a rock if it looks cool, but my tastes lean toward crystal rock formations.

Recently my eye for rocks has led me to create a few necklaces that I just think are the bee's knees. The first is a large, rough amethyst on a rope chain.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38197143

I love the natural feel of the rough stone, and just look at how the light plays off it. Beautiful! My second creation I really love. I actually had to convince myself to list it instead of keeping it!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38598594

This one is just right up my alley. The stone I used for the pendant has some really cool markings and coloration. Combine that with the chocolate brown, braided leather cord, and it is a totally earthy, natural, and just plain beautiful piece of jewelry.

On an unrelated note, I've been trying to improve the quality of my pictures. I took these photos outside yesterday, and I think they look much better than my previous listings' pictures. It's kind of nice to have a naturally white background with the snow on the ground, and the fallen branch in my backyard provided some additional interest.

I've got a few more rock necklaces that I'd like to list in the near future, so keep checking back to see what I've dug up from the rock pile!

New Look

Well, I spent a few hours working on it, and now the blog has a new look! I like the two left and right sidebars better than just the single, right sidebar. The background, header, and font colors now match my Twitter layout, my Etsy shop banner, and avatars. I was hoping to achieve a cohesive look between venues, and I think I have.

I am also now following some new blogs here on Blogger. I ran into a few of my fellow Etsians blogs today and yesterday and decided to add them to my list. There are so many talented people on Etsy, and for me this is a way to get to know them better.

Over time, I will probably add more widgets to my blog and increase the list of bloggers I follow, but for now, I'm off to bed.

I'm back!

Well, thank heavens, I arrived at my house safe and sound at about 5:20 PM yesterday. After two weeks down South visiting my relatives, I sure am glad to be home! My little one and I had a pleasant drive up I-81. It's very scenic, I'd recommend it any day!

Now that I am back home, I am ready to hit the shop again! Two weeks off has given me some time to think about items I'd like to add, and my goals for 2010. All will be revealed in future posts, but for now I will say that things must start with some general cleaning and organization of my work area. I didn't remember leaving it so messy, but suffice to say, upon returning home, I thought a train had come through there! On top of that, I brought home some new materials to work with, so I have to find a home for those as well. I will be taking the next couple of days to unwind from my trip and get my materials in order so I can start creating once again. I can't wait!

P.S. I have marked down my Kringle's Tree Farm sign by 20%! If you've been thinking about it, now is the time to order for next Christmas!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AshleysCrescentMoon