the Sampler

I finished 25 pens for the Sampler!! I used a variety of designs including the ladybug, peace sign, heart, stripes, and the original swirl design. I packaged them up with a regular business card and a magnetic one : ) I also sent tons of promos:

I'm really excited because I've worked so hard on everything, and I can't wait to see the results. I'm going to try to post a new pen everyday this week. I've made three mini pens and I need to photograph them, so I just need to make 2 more before Thursday. I'm really happy to have time to blog today, too. We are open today, Memorial Day, but since its slow I don't have to be in until 12! I have to say thanks to every single veteran out there for your service to our country. I am especially thankful for the vets over at VoteVets.org for holding true to themselves and taking a stand for what they know in their hearts is right. What you are saying makes a lot of sense, and I hope people will open their hearts to what you are saying...Thanks again.

The Staredown

I was beading away for the Sampler when my movie ended, and after awhile the DVD screen saver came on. The little logo bounces around and changes color. Ruby was fascinated and followed it for 5 minutes before finally barking at it. Hilarious!

I'm mad a USPS right now. They have lost another package of mine! Maybe I just need to add delivery confirmation or something. I realize these things happen, but it was like 3 orders ago, and a very short amount of time. If I ship another method, but then the shipping would cost as much as my product! Catch 22

Gotta Have Friends

Alison Gordon does a lot for our crafty community as co-organizer of Bazaar Bizarre and Sampler Contributor Relations superhero. She has recently faced a medical emergency, and like many independent artists and crafters, she is without health insurance. She is getting some help from her friends who have set up an etsy shop called Wonderland Retreat, a play on the name of Alison’s site, WonderlandQ. The proceeds will all go to Alison to help ease the financial burden. It’s awesome that there are over 5 pages of donated items, and 160 items have already been sold! I’m so proud to be part of such a wonderful crafty community, and I am donating a pen (pictured) from my shop, Scribble Scrabble Beaded Pens. If you have an item to donate, contact Renee Garner at wonderlandretreat [at] gmail [dot] com. I’m off to the shop to set what cute goodies I can buy to help out :)

Busy Week

It's the weekend so I finally have time to sit down and think. The picture is of the scribble pads I've been making to go out with my orders and for promos for fellow etsyians to pass out in their goodie bags. When you flip open the cover, there are 10 little pages to take notes on, or scribble on :)

I received two orders this week, even after raising my prices! My customers are happy, and I feel like I'm getting what my work is worth. I love my new job, too. We're not too busy in the morning and the time goes by slow, but from 4-7 it just flies on by! There are a million other things I need to learn though. I went and looked at some Mini Coopers with my fiance yesterday. I will be needing to get a new vehicle before too long as I don't think my Jeep can hack it. Even though I absolutely LOVE my Jeep, it gets terrible gas mileage and its not convenient unless the weather's nice. I wasn't too impressed with the Coopers though...way overpriced in my mind. I've you have any suggestions for cars, lay 'em on me :)

Blue Waves Pen

I finally got around to posting this pen in my shop today. My table was filled my crayons, paper scraps, and Modge Podge, so I didn't have room for my lightbox until I cleaned up a few things! I also changed the prices for my pens today. I want to go back to the $15/7 combo instead of $12/6. It's not that big of a difference really, and I feel I'm getting what they're worth now.

The job search has ended! Monday I start working for Sewell Automotive. It's a great company and the people are great, too. I can buy more beads, but I'll have less beading time. Oh well I'll just sleep on Sundays!

I'm also a member of a new group on etsy called etsypink. We are raising awareness about breast cancer. Our site is still being worked on but should be up soon. I'm working on an awareness ribbon pen, and I should finish it today. My aunt is my hero and a breast cancer survivor, so this cause is really important to me.

My Art Journal

I love art journaling! It’s my new addiction right after beads, and it all started with a book recommended by Robin Atkins of Bead Lust. A few pages I have done were intense emotional experiences (dealing with the past sort of thing), and others were just fun releases of creative juice.

The first one I’m sharing today is about my puppy Ruby. When I first moved to Dallas (December 2006), I had depression issues. I couldn’t find a job, I didn’t know anyone, and I was questioning my life as if it were a big sham. Sometimes I’d just cry for no apparent reason. I got Ruby in February 2007, and its amazing how much of a difference she has made in my life. I think the quote I used on the page sums it up well: “There no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.” To start off the page, I found a photo I had taken of her when she was about 10 weeks, and brought it into Photoshop. I used a “charcoal filter” on the photo, and hit print. Then I just went crazy with pastels and pencils. I added a leaf because chasing blowing leaves is her favorite past time.

This Buddha page just happened as I went along. I drew some Nepalese eyes on the page, and decoupaged little scraps of paper (left over from another project) all around it. Then I added the Four Nobel Truths of Buddhism: Dukkha, Samudaya, Nirodha, and Magga. I used paints, stickers, watercolor pencils, a popsicle stick, magazines, ribbon and tag, and tons of Modge Podge. I start my new job Monday, and I have art journaling to keep me sane. I’m really glad because when you are face to face with customers all day, there are things you have to hold back and release later!

Life goes on

I listed 2 new pens this week. The Spring Jagged Motion Pen (pictured), the Camo-Metallic Jagged Motion Pen, and the AGGIES Pen. I sold a ton of the AGGIES pens at the Winter in Aggieland Craft Show this past December, and I'm debating making an Aggies section in my shop. I'm really proud to be an Aggie and I'm hoping to get some more Aggie customers. Okay, I just talked myself into that one : )

I had a second interview with an advertising company yesterday. It really wasn't an interview at all. I spent 6 hours in the rain watching a trainer try to sell tickets to businesses on the assigned street. I wish they would have told me they were a canvass only to begin with. I thought they had the actual advertising account for the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars, but they really just hire people to go out and sell tickets door to door. I'd do that for the environment like I did for my last job, but I won't do it for tickets, no matter how great the deal is. I thought it was part of their advertising strategy, but not the only strategy. So, the job search continues...

Spring has Sprung

I'm so glad spring is here! The warm weather, flowers, and ladybugs. I saw a cute lil ladybug when I was putting down the top on my jeep, and she inspired this mini pen. You can view the listing here.

I've been listening to a lot of reggae lately on internet radio. I just might have to do a reggae inspired pen as well! Other ideas on my list for the week are: clouds, rainbow fade, camo, and music notes. I also want to play more with the design I named "jagged motion." I've already posted the Aqua Jagged Motion Pen. I signed up for another swap, too. It's called "no more naked envelopes," and I'll post my creations before I mail them out : )

1st Swap on Swap-bot

Here are the two packages I'm about to send out to Carole and Cheryl, my first swap-bot buddies! The swap was to pick from a list of things to send to your partners, and I chose memo pad and gel pen. Those square magnets came with the notepads, and I think they're pretty cute. Since the gel pens I'm sending aren't full-sized, I'm also sending some loom bracelets that I made. =) I painted the envelopes with watercolors, too. Presentation is everything right?

I'm not working at Texas Campaign for the Environment anymore. I'm sad because I loved that job, but I decided I needed to find something better for me and my family (the hours were 2-10pm). I had an interview with Sewell Automotive yesterday, and there are a few more steps in that hiring process. So being proactive, I went ahead and applied for 10 other positions today. Most were administrative positions, and one was for studio photographer! I don't care how long it takes, I just want to find somewhere I like working at. Wish me luck!

New Style

Here are the new pens I made this weekend, and I will be listing them on etsy today and tomorrow. I have to get all the photos taken first. It's a variation on the swirl design really. Instead of going around and around with the colors, I move them up and down as well. The mini pen is straight up and down evenly. The regular size one was an experiment with both techniques that turned out sweeter than I imagined! I'll be experimenting more in the future :)

I went to a peace rally yesterday! We marched from Mockingbird Station (Dallas) to a park near the site at SMU for the Bush Library. My sign said "Make Art, Not War" I posted a picture on my myspace page. The reggae band that played was awesome, and there were some excellent speeches. Three SMU students had signs across the street from us, and the one I remember the most said "Yay Bush". I was glad to see them exercising their first amendment rights, too. More people need to stand up for what they believe in. I draw the line at kid who cussed out a priest that was with us and told the priest he was going to hell. Violence is never the answer.

Purple Butterfly Pen

Well I made another version of the purple butterfly pen, and it looks fabulous! This is a complicated pattern, so I finished it over 2 days. It was about 8 hours all together, and I watched some CSPAN because they had some Senate Iraq debates on. They're working on passing a resolution that basically follows the suggestions of the Iraq Study Group. I followed that up with the movie Patton. I'm a pacifist, but I have a thing for war movies. Maybe, in a past life, I was a soldier fighting a "war for empire" or something, and thus died for someone's greed instead of something worthwhile like freedom. Hmm...I didn't think this post would take me down this path, but it did!

Wear Your Heart on Your Pen

This is the new mini pen that I have listed today. It featues a seafoam green heart on a midnight purple background, and is trimmed up in white. I love the name: Wear Your Heart on Your Pen. I have a bunch of mini pens up now, so I need to get busy making some regular size ones too.

If you have been reading the blog, you probably know that I love the environment, and I'm trying to make Scribble Scrabble Beaded Pens a green business. Well today I will be trying out the awesome transit system in Dallas, and hopefully I can use it to get to and from work without driving my jeep everyday. It doesn't get great gas mileage, and it's going to take me awhile to save up for a hybrid. Plus with summer rolling around, gas prices will go up, and it will still be $40 for a month-long rail pass. You can't beat that!

PEACE Beading Bag

Today I had to share my peace-themed tote made by Nancy Angellotti of stitchz.etsy.com! It was another gift in my peace swap box. It has become my new beading bag that I can take to the coffee shop when I want to work on things there, or beading classes, or beading parties! It's really well made and the fabric is purple, my favorite color. Thanks Nancy, I love it!

I have listed two new pens this week. The first one is the Purple Punk Mini Pen and it is a swirled design with black, silver, and purple. Of course, it writes in purple : ) The second is the Green Peace Mini Pen, and features a green peace sign on a cream background; writes in green, too. I plan to list something new everyday this week, including another of the famous purple butterfly pen pictured on my business cards!

Pink Punk Mini Pen

I made this one yesterday, and it's the first new pen I've listed in awhile. I call it the pink punk pen because the colors give it a punk rock feel: black, pink, and silver. It also writes in hot pink! I think I'm going to make another of these in purple.

I think I'm going to try to design one with a tree on it. I want to give all the proceeds to TCE. I'm just not sure if I should make it a mini one or the regular size one. Maybe a black regular and a green mini and they can be a set! I'll have to think on it : )

Organization Needed

Well now that I have Wednesdays off, it will be easier for me to stay organized. My desk is a disaster area! I finally got some beading time in today, too. I mailed off a custom order today as well. It was a pen for Ilysa of ilysaart.etsy.com, and you can view it here. It's blue with her name done in silver letters. She works with polymer clay, and her work is AMAZING! Okay time to get busy organizing so I can make some new pens. I only have 3 in my shop right now!

Cradle to Cradle

Wow, it's been a whole month since my last post! Now that I am in the rhythm of my new job and having a puppy, it will be a lot easier to set aside time to blog and read others' blogs : ) I just finished the first chapter of this book Cradle to Cradle, and I just love it. Instead of figuring out what to do with the waste after we consume something, we should remake the way we make things in the first place. This book was not made out of paper, or even recycled paper; it's made from "plastic resins and inorganic fillers." It's a "technical nutrient" that can be made into many other things! I used my new book thong from my peace swap box to mark my place. It has a peace charm on one end and a "believe" charm on the other end. It was made by Debbie Clark of littlesomethings.etsy.com: cute creations to give and to keep. Thanks, Debbie! I'll be posting more of the things I received in the peace swap this week, too.

Green Power!

I have been so busy! I started working at Texas Campaign for the Environment last Tuesday and I love my job...I'm just not too fond of the hours for family reasons. I work 2-10pm M-F and we go out in the neighborhood and give people a voice on local issues regarding clean air and water. We are working on electronic waste right now. E-waste (computers and tvs etc) is being thrown away in landfills and contaminating the drinking water with mercury, lead, and cadmium. Our solution is producer take back, and we want the producers of these products to take them back and recycle them for free...responsibly. We've already got Dell on board, and they are actually profiting from their take-back program! Now we are looking to pass a state-wide resolution by collecting contributions and generating letters to Texas lawmakers. It's very nobel and important work because some people don't know it's going on or don't know how to help. When a representative has 50,000 letters from their constituents sitting on their desk, it makes a pretty strong statement! The hours aren't great like I said but I love it because I'm saving the world...one door at a time :)

Here are some ways that Scribble Scrabble Beaded Pens is becoming more green:

1. Packaging- I have introduced green mailers! I made them from this boating magazine that keeps showing up in our mailbox. The boat/lake pics are great for the mailers so they're pretty on the outside, and the type is great to wrap the pens to protect them.
   
2. Photography- I use all digital phtography, so there are no prints or contact sheets. A recycled cardboard box made a great home-made light studio. The lights I chose are energy saving and burn at a cooler temperature.
   
3. Transportation- I have to drive to the post-office because it's a very high-traffic area, and it would be dangerous to walk or bike. So I'm choosing to limit my trips to Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday only. I'm also saving up for a hybrid car!

I've added some earth-friendly links to my sidebar as well! If you have other green business suggestions, please leave a comment. I'm open to other ideas I haven't thought of. Also to track your own carbon footprint, visit www.carbonfootprint.com. Have a fantastic Monday everyone!

3 New Pens

Here are three new mini pens I've done. The peace sign pen will end up in my etsy shop. The other 2 will be future items of the Sampler. I'm going to make 25 total to give for my first contribution, and I'm really excited! It's going to take a lot of time to make all these pens, so I'm shooting for the March or April deadline. Go subscribe, and one of my pens just might end up in your mailbox!

I've had a thing for the color green lately after listening to a new podcast I found. It's an earth-friendly podcast called More Hip Than Hippie. The hosts Val and Dori read articles and discuss them and every episode they rate a different beer and chocolate. Have a listen to find out if your dryer needs balls ;)

Sweetness!

I am in love with my cupcake pin cushion from Pukashell Creative Designs! My beading needles got totally bored with my ordinary tomato pin cushion, and this red velvet cupcake was too delicious to pass up! It's normally filled with beading needles and extra nymo, but I just finished a whole batch of pens. I will be sharing the new designs tomorrow.

Snow Day & Peace

It snowed yesterday...in TEXAS! Ruby and I had a great time playing in it. It was the first time for both of us to see snow, and it was awesome. The previous few days were icy and windy, the kind of cold that rips your skin off. The cold we had yesterday was different. You still had to bundle up, but it was just plain cold. I didn't feel like I wanted to run back inside ;)

Today I finished up my peace pens for our Etsy Peace Swap. I also made one extra for the basket of Peace items we plan to sell for charity. We haven't chosen a charity yet, but my suggestion is Peace Action. I think we will end up picking one that is international so everyone will feel included. I added a quote about peace to go with my pen:

"Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man."
-Muhatma Gandhi