Archive for January, 2011
Incredibly, 45% of people who set goals for the new year fail before the end of January! And guess what? Today is the last day of January.
I’ve been talking about goals and goal tracking a lot lately. In fact, I just wrote a post about this very topic (in length) today on Scoutie Girl. Read that post here. And welcome to SG readers visiting for the first time.
So, I wanted to pose this question to you:
Are you (and your business goals) still on track in 2011? Be honest.
And if you’ve fallen off the wagon, what are you going to do to get back on track?
P.S. Don’t forget to pick up your free Track This! worksheet now by entering your email address in the box below. You’ll get the download right away. Straight to your inbox.
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image c/o Jerry Wong
Shout out to Marie Khediguian of MarKhed Design for her recent featured seller interview on Etsy. Marie has been an exhibitor on papernstitch for quite a while now, and I am so excited to finally put a face to the name. And yippee- she’s a dog person too! How cute are they?
Read Marie’s entire interview & check out her (very) unique jewelry collection now.
I recently came across this idea for a bookshelf, and fell in love with the simple construction. Thought you all might enjoy it as well. That’s going to wrap things up for me this week. But before I go, I wanted to give a shout out to Rosa Navas of El Jardin Rojo for giving me a stylish blogger award. Very sweet. Please check out Rosa’s blog. It’s really cool.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Here are some links from internet-land that you might enjoy…
DIY Links:
-Learn how to make your own scratch off lottery tickets. Such a cool project (from Artmind). Great promo idea for craft fairs.
-Make your own zippered toiletry bag over on Purl Bee.
-Steal this idea for easy yarn storage on the cheap from Re-Nest.
-And make your own Anthropologie bunting necklace knock-off with this quirky necklace tutorials from Mandipidy.
Links for your Crafty Business:
-The most thought-provoking article I’ve read in weeks from Sister Diane. It’s about the benefits and consequences of free.
-Feeling distracted lately? Here are 18 tools to keep you on track from Red lemon Club.
-Learn how to build an empire in your spare time on Lateral Action.
If you are ready to grab life by the gems and show off your style, then Live + Conquer can point you in the right direction. Live + Conquer houses an inspired collection of handmade jewelry and accessories alongside select vintage pieces, all from the prairies of Illinois. The signature Live + Conquer compass ring may not always point North, but it can lead you on the right path to becoming a Conquer-ess. You’ll be full time in no time.
Special Offer: Save 15% on your entire order at Live & Conquer when you enter the code 4UPAPER at checkout.
Visit Live + Conquer on etsy to view more of the collection.
Grab a paper bag, a marker, and about a foot and a half of chain, and you can recreate this look in ten minutes or less. I bet it would look good with a smaller lunch-size brown bag too. *The project is from Design Shimmer. And I’d take this diy bag over a real Chanel bag any day. But then again, I am not much of a designer gal myself.
What do you think? Would you rock one of these “designer” bags?
Sometimes you just need to get away. When the everyday begins to get you down, you start to look for a little vacation. Art has the ability to transport you to far off lands or into your dreams. Jessica Stewert, the artist behind Mizaru, takes you on an adventurous stroll with street art photos and original illustrations of dreamers waiting to break free, like this print. The view from where you are just got a whole lot nicer.
Check out Mizaru on etsy and step into a new scene.
Last week on Interior Obsessions with FormFire Glassworks, we took a brief look at a necessity of the house that is often given short shrift in terms of home decor, the lavatory. Today we shift over to another necessity , the staircase. Many of us have them, either inside or outside our homes. Some are quaint, some are merely practical, but some staircases are truly stunning pieces of sculpture. They range from bare-bones minimal to those that do double duty as drawer or book storage. A wide opening can allow room for a stair to shift from steps to platforms to display podia, while the addition of an adjacent slide can hasten a measured descent. You can choose to make either the treads and risers or the railing system the focal point, either way can produce a beautiful interior.
Although removing your current stairs to insert a sculptural metal and wood structure may be a bit outside your budget, you can certainly spruce up an existing set of stairs by simple material changes – swapping out an existing traditional bullnose tread for a new walnut flush tread and riser might be a more complex direction, while simply adding a graphic wallpaper to the riser of each step might be a more economical route. If you’re thinking of reworking your stairs, and you are perusing magazines and the web for exciting images, it’s important to remember that the majority of the stunning staircase images you see are not allowed by building codes. Stairs more than 2 steps high without guardrails are forbidden in the US, and those gorgeous thin minimalist treads can’t be used according to California codes, which allow only a 4″ distance between each tread. Check with your local building authority to verify local requirements before installing that lovely sculptural centerpiece!
Simple Stair with Ornate Screen + Minimalist Decorative Treads
Stair Becomes Display Platforms
Wallpapered Risers + Staggered Bookshelves
