01.27.09
Achy Breaky Shimmy?
I slipped in the snow last weekend, felt fine so I went ahead and did recital practice at the studio. No problems during class, nada. Until after class when I sat down and my knee started aching, it felt like I slammed into something. So no practice during the week, only practiced in my head…which apparently still counts as practice. And now both knees are feeling stiff and I feel like I have shin splints.
What have I changed recently while belly dancing? Shoes. My ballet slippers were becoming a bit of a hazzard, they were worn out and were causing me to slip all over the place. So I abandoned them and starting dancing barefoot. I’m hoping once I replace my foot wear that the achy breaky legs will go away.
I am positively drooling over these dance shoes. Aren’t they pretty! But they are expensive…ah well, I can dream. Look at the COLOURS!!!!!! /faint Yum, yum, yum
And then I could match it to pretty costume from here. Maybe this one in orange?
Soon, I’ll be getting together with a couple of friends from class to sew and “easy” *cough cough* chiffon skirt. Can’t wait to do that! I’ll be heading to the fabric store for 11 yards of chiffon…wowza!
01.22.09
I’ve Got a Plan!
Well, I know what I like to make and I can combine with what I like to do. So step one is complete, I’ve decided on a product…or product line I should say! My new venture will be fabric gift bags and fabric gift card holders to start with. Honestly this was the easy part.
Now what do I do? I’ve been looking at Etsy, there are a lot of very talented people there. There is a little nagging voice in the back of my head that keeps telling me I can’t do this, so I keep shushing her but it’s still bouncing around in my head. I’m also freaking out about the whole transaction, billing, shipping, and taxes…obviously I’m getting way ahead of myself. To remedy that I’m going to take step two.
Make some product and give it to some family and friends. In order to do that I need fabric. My local fabric store is okay, not great and I find it really disheartening to see a fabric I love only to discover the price is near $20 per meter. Scary stuff. I have had a fabric store or two bookmarked for awhile and I’m thinking my best bet for getting some fabric at reasonable prices would be from those shops. Ordering from the US is not an option as paying duty is usually a very, very painful experience.
Have a look at these two Canadian on-line fabric retailers. Wazoodle has some awesome, awesome prices. They look like they have a particular interest in cloth diapering, so I automatically love them. I haven’t ordered from them yet, but I will be soon.
Next is a place I love, Tonic Living. Their retro fabrics are to die for, I love going to the site to just drool over them. I have ordered from them and they were really quick to get my order in the mail. Loved that they packed both of my fabrics in separate plastic bags. Great value too.
Organizing Help??
Remember all of that decluttering I did awhile back? I was following along with Maria the Organizing Queen and she has an awesome offer on her site!
She says she can get your entire house organized in twelve weeks…TWELVE WEEKS. That’s not it, she is giving away an e-course to do just that!
Besides the home organizing she does a lot of other things, which you can find here. While the home organizing one is the one I would like the most, she also offers organizing services for those with businesses to keep track of. As well as some help trying to reach your own personal goals, be that weight, launching a business or any new venture you have in your pretty little head.
Head on over to the Organizing Queen and get your comment in for this opportunity!
01.19.09
So Many Things to Think About
I want to start my own little crafty business. Sewing, I’m thinking right now of things like bags, totes, and gift card pockets. The idea is planted and now I’m trying to figure out how to make it happen. Obviously it’s just a loose plan now, and I’m not really sure what direction I should be heading in first. I’ll be heading to the fabric store soon and I think my first step will be to make some bags, see how much fabric it requires and send them off to people to get some feedback from.
Why do I want to do this? A little extra money would be nice, I know it won’t be much but at least it would be something.
The other thing we’ve been doing is looking at houses, perhaps the reason that I want to make some extra cash. We are cramped in our little townhouse and we need more space. Of course attempting to sell a house and find a new one creates as many problems as it would solve. The animals in the house would be an issue….it would cost a small fortune to kennel the cats and dogs and isn’t really a great solution. The house would need to be spruced up and some small DIY jobs need to be done. Then we need to decide if we want to buy new or resale…new home would mean no fence for the dogs…resale means we have a lot less time to sell our house. And then financing…blah.
I’ve also signed up for the student recital at bellydancing. We have rehearsal every Saturday until March, that’s in addition to our once per week class. It’s been pretty good so far, but my knee is sore after slipping in the snow on Saturday so I’ll be skipping class tonight.
Okay…that’s where I’m at. Hopefully I can figure some of this out. And of course update more frequently…I’ve got to get back in the daily blogging habit.
