This was supposed to be a simple Christmas, and I supposed compared to a lot of other people, it was. The budget and recession solved many of our buying issues, yet with a tightened budget comes acceptance and the welcome knowledge that Christmas really isn't about material things. There was family, food, love, laughter and as evening settles in, the kids "chillin" with their friends, my hubby practicing and me....well I'm settling into a mindless decorating magazine before beginning a short story by Anton Chekov. But is any holiday perfect? NO.....and with that said, I'll give you the highlights of the frustrating moments of our Christmas which when looked back upon, cause laughter.
Well being as forgetful as I am I forgot to get the dinner rolls. Not that anyone missed them, it's our holiday tradition that I burn them! Not one person mentioned that there weren't dinner rolls on the table.
This year, the kids got new phones. My 14 year old son tends to be a little rough with electronics and so I opted for the cheaper phone which is definitely NOT what he was expecting. However, the funny part is that due to the high volume of people activating at the same time, we were unable to activate the phone. He was panicking and it wasn't pretty. But the customer service rep said to keep trying the code he'd given us....we did...and shortly after, the phone activated....but the really funny part is that my son accidentally switched the language to Spanish! AHHHH!!!! So I got back on the phone and got THAT straightened out.
And what would Christmas be without the dog pooping under the tree? I suppose they get in the spirit of the season too and want to leave a present. Soooo THIS is one of the reasons why artificial trees are so great. Yes, there are no traditional tree skirts in our home. It changes yearly due to the fact that whichever animal either feline or of the doggy breed, there is some sort of confusion and belief that this is their personal toilet. Sigh.... I think next year I'll suspend the tree from the ceiling.
I guess the most embarrassing part is that they do it in front of guests! AHHH!! It's a bit difficult to offer dessert after they've seen you on your hands and knees disinfecting the floor.
Oh well....it all cleans up...our embarrassment turns into funny memories of Christmas past and we settle into enjoying company with people we love.
And so here are some pics I find beautiful. I hope you like them.
Namaste, God Bless and Merry Christmas.
Well well well......as the year comes to an end, what started out so hopeful has turned out to be such a learning experience. Yes the shop looked great. The compliments were plenty......however....and I really do hate to say it like that but here it is....there was no traffic. Well almost none. While the rest of the country was on fire for shabby chic items....the little shop I chose turned out to not only be a traffic dud, but people who have lived in this town all their lives didn't know where the place was...and I was on Main Street! Argh! Okay so I pulled out just in time to avoid having to pay out of pocket for the rent! Sheesh...Sooooo there's all my inventory....covered on the porch...until I can figure out what to do with it. Yeah sure I've had suggestions to take my items to Pine...and even SMALLER community but with several consignment shops...and yeah yeah...the familiar story about how THEY did soooo much better once moved to Pine...but I guess I'm just more cautious now...do I dare say scared? The items are beautiful...the items are reasonably priced even for this market...but how to market? The website needs to be revamped....and that is on my list for 2010. Woo hoo! Just doing the website.
Aaaaand on a much worse note....I've lost my eBay business. After researching, and researching and more researching, I got scammed by two different "suppliers" in China. The adage of two birds in the bush is very true! My business was really taking off and doing well....and I decided to "expand" by offering electronics...namely GPS systems...I researched a company on a well established business to business website. They had the upstanding reputation. They had the "trust points". They were a "gold" member. I contacted their references who praised them. I contacted the owner directly and he assured me his products were genuine and that he offered dropshipping. So I gave it a shot. I listed the products and they sold like hotcakes. I promptly sent in my order to my supplier and anxiously waited the arrival. I had them sent to me so I could be sure just one more time that these were indeed what I ordered. (again) HOWEVER....what I got were two fake Louis Vuitton wallets...that's it....I panicked! I emailed and he assured me this was some mistake and would immediately resend the goods...meanwhile my customers are wanting their products...and being still on the cautious side, I found another "recommended" supplier to make up for the first one. I went through all the same researching criteria as I did the first supplier...and he promised delivery of products...but he sent iphone clones! So the first supplier sent GPS systems, but the wrong model. He sent an old out of date model. And he only sent a fraction of what I had ordered. But by this time, it was too late...the negative scores were piling in, my accounts were drained, and both the suppliers stopped answering my emails. I contacted the websites and reported them, but because I was dealing with a foreign country, there was no hope....and absolutely no way of getting my customer's money back. As a result, eBay shut me down...as did PayPal. The lesson?....stick with what you have and master that....in other words, "do one thing and do it well"......sigh....
Now for the good news....this very trying experience has inspired me to follow another dream of mine...writing. I've always love writing....and have written for myself for decades...but I figured this was the perfect time to start writing. Why not? And the more I write, the more I love writing. Now LadyBugCreek is still in the works, but even the business greats know when it's time to regroup, revamp and restructure. And for LadyBugCreek, this is the time. So for now...this is a personal blog and also a place to find out the latest on LadyBugCreek the website/store. No projected "reopening" date has been decided yet. But it most assuredly WILL be posted, both here, on my other blog (which will be dedicated purely to "Angelica Mordant", the writings, articles and the darker side of things), and my facebook.
So, this blog is for LadyBugCreek, everything shabby chic, feminine, basic life stuff and whatever.
The other blog is definitely darker and macabre. A darker side of me? Perhaps...but being a somewhat multi faceted creature, it didn't seem right to include the darker thoughts amid pink and purple flowers. At the same time, I didn't want to hide the darker side from my LadyBugCreek readers just in case there were some who like me, have a somewhat darker side and may enjoy the macabre.
And just to wrap this up in the style of LadyBugCreek, I'm including some more of my favorite pics. A little shabby, a little romantic, a little glamorous......kinda like how I'm feeling right now!
Namaste and God Bless....
Angelica
So yeah, 3 months no blog. No exuses, just pure laziness. But let's catch up shall we? We're all settled in the new place and loving it. The neighbor's kind of a jerk...okay he's an absolute crochity old geezer with entirely too much time on his hands. Sometimes you just gotta laugh. You ever see that movie Grumpy Old Men? That's him. Which character? All of them. LOL.
Josh graduated last month. Geez I miss him! And I'm sooo proud of him! I wish I could take all the credit, but it really is the grace of God that he's turning out so wonderfully. I need to stop before I get all puffed up and start bragging. And when you see his eyes light up when his girlfriend walks in the room. Ahhh young love! They've been together about a year now. Or close to it.
The shop is filling up nicely and I couldn't be happier. I'm working with a couple of wholesalers to start carrying some more products. But I'd rather wait for approval before announcing availability. I am excited about the small but important growth. In addition, I've finished most of my projects. No small feat I assure you! But with only 5 smaller projects left, my storage area is now void of my projects and it seems more shopping is needed. Oh darn! I have to go shopping for more projects. *snickers*. Also, some of my newest pieces are little metal signs, all romantic cottage and delightful. I'm very pleased with the results. I hope you like them as much as I enjoyed making them. I've also tried putting labels on candles in glass holders. These too were a pleasant surprise. Like always, I thought about keeping them for myself, but decided against it, telling myself I can always make more. Oh but they ARE pretty!
With most of my smaller projects completed, that leaves room to start on the larger pieces....furniture. I've begun on a drop leaf table. After that, there are only 7 more pieces to do, then I'm out of projects. More shopping! =)
During these few months, my entire system crashed. I had the discs to put Ubuntu back on it, but without my dear computer geek friend readily available to walk me through, the process was a bit of a challenge. Now the sense of accomplishment when I finally DID get it all running smoothly was like, wow! I did it all by myself!.I'm still replacing all the songs on my rhythmbox, but that always was a project. This time, everything will be backed up!
Also, in the last few months, I've been watching several tv series on Netflix. The first and most addicting is Deadliest Catch. A reality documentary about crab fishing. Okay, definitely NOT the girliest show, but it is fascinating to say the least. Now Steven wants to be a crab fisherman. That's just great. But I think he WOULD be good at it. Only because he's always up for a good challenge, and he's not afraid of super hard work when there's a good incentive.
Other shows I've been watching, A Haunting, Lost, Heroes, Survivorman which is funny as heck! I don't think it's supposed to be though. The funny parts are watching his ideas fail. Okay that just sounds mean but c'mon! He hardly catches anything in his goofy traps, and sometimes his sarcasm is hilarious. Say for instance, he hasn't eaten for days and finds a berry. Eats it, then says he's full. Ahahahaa! Just goofy stuff like that. Also, I don't think he's as alone as he's claiming. For instance, he was making this igloo. Says the snow he's supposed to use is supposed to feel like styrofoam or something. Then it shows the snow bricks falling over and over. That alone was funny, but the funniest was when he says, "okay I just found out I'm using the wrong snow"...WTH? He's supposed to be alone! And his little radio is supposed to be for emergencies. Is there some guy waiting with burgers when they're not filming? Was there a guy in the background saying, "Dude, I think you're using the wrong snow?" I guess it really doesn't matter cause it's all entertaining.
Also, I had to let you know that Auctiva, the service that USED to be free is now going to start charging for their services. I stumbled on a seller on eBay with a beautiful template. I saw that it was through SellerSourceBook. I contacted her and asked if she was happy with the service. She got back to me and told me how happy she was with them. She too switched over from Auctiva a couple of years ago, as did her friend. So I took the plunge. Their templates are beautiful! And their scrolling gallery is adorable! They charge a flat fee AND I get 300mb of image hosing (approximately 6000 pictures!) where Auctiva was going to give me 1 measly mb (about 20 pictures) and charge me for the rest. With my volume, wth? Their calculator figured I was going to end up paying 35-48 dollars per month and that's without the additional image storage. So yeah, I switched. SSB's listing generator is faster to use once I got used to it. This saves me so much time! So far I'm happy with their service, but it's only been a few weeks. SSB charges 8 dollars for their cheapest package and to me, that's well worth it. They're working on an importing tool to import all my Auctiva lisings. No news as of yet to when it'll be released. Apparantly though, they DO have an image importing tool so at least I won't lose my images on Auctiva. I need to transfer all those images over until the items sell and everything cycles through until the only listings will be through SSB.
So that's the latest. I'm leaving you with some beautiful images. I hope you like them too. And what's my blog without a shameless plug. LadyBugCreek is in a "consignment" store called Green Mountain Emporium on Main Street in Payson Arizona. Inside my shop, you'll find beautiful gifts and home decor items. Shabby, cottage, romantic chic home decor, quality women's clothing and hopefully some natural bath products (if I get approval) Stop by and say hi to JoAnn. I'm also on eBay (ladybugcreek of course!). The website's on the back burner for now. I'm thinking about restructuring the whole thing in light of the economy. Anyway, thanks for stopping by, and be sure to bookmark my blog!
Namaste
As much as I love pink, there comes a time when one must be open to other possibilities. Oh pink will be my fist love, but lately I've seen some rather beautiful possibilities with teals and aquas. So this entry is dedicated to everything aqua and teal. There's a wonderful blog/site called The Chocolate Blues which is everything you can think of using the combination of brown and blue. Any shade of blue. A feast for the eyes for sure.
The items on the baker's rack are from LadyBugCreek. An ever growing collection of aqua and teal colored items I happen upon. And shabby chic no longer HAS to be white and pink. Nor do those hues have to be for shabby chic at all. I hope the photos bring you as much enjoyment as they do me.
On the home front, it's getting closer to moving day and I'm looking forward to it much like a castaway anticipates the ship SLOWLY approaching to rescue him. We've been counting down the day for two weeks now, and sometimes just drive by the house to remind ourselves that this really is just temporary. Considering the big picture, things will be settled within two months and we'll be looking back and just shaking our heads. Someday, I hope to be laughing at these times of chaos and appreciating the zen moments that I'm hoping will become more and more frequent. I'm also hoping to make my new house a truly welcoming and peaceful home where everyone would feel loved, safe and welcome. And where visitors would feel like part of the family. The world can be such an ugly, fast paced place. And so many beautiful things can be missed while everyone's so busy just surviving. I hope to make my home tranquil and serene.......now with 5 kids in various stages of young adulthood...is this possible?...he he I'd sure like to try.....
And what's LadyBugCreek's blog without a shameless plug? Everything you see from LadyBugCreek is for sale. If it's not on my Ebay (username ladybugcreek) then feel free to contact me through Ebay or deanna@ladybugcreek.com to request availability and pricing. Many times, I may be able to make a similar item for you. And if you happen to be up in the Payson Arizona area, be sure to stop by and see LadyBugCreek for yourself! We're tucked in the back room of Green Mountain Emporium on Main Street. Say hi to Joann! She's a sweetie!
Till next time...................
namaste
=)
You know, there has to be some point where someone who is in the fledgling stage of self employment asks themselves "What the hell am I doing?!"
Oh I've heard the stories about the daily diet of ramen noodles and cheap hot dogs. And those stories are being told by people in $3000 dollar suits, or by wives who receive a BMW for Christmas....
So I KNOW it can and has been done.
So I push on. Listing clothing in the wee hours of the morning, pouring myself into my artwork/crafts (which IS very satisfying), and of course now.....getting the website ladybugcreek.com up, be it ever so slowly. Having been taken advantage of by a website "designer" and losing 650 dollars of my hard earned money, I've managed to get the first page up. And that's with the "wizard". Okay, now all you computer gods are thinking I'm a complete idiot for not knowing all the terms and I have one particular very good friend who I'm sure is just snickering at the thought of me talking to my computer, cussing and supressing urges of bitch slapping the screen. Buuuut I did it. One whole page....sigh...and I just HAVE to laugh.
And I cannot wait to do the rest! ......I was like a kid at Christmas! When I typed in that url, and saw it come up, I was like OMG! THAT'S ME! I've been wanting this for years and there it is. My face beaming with pride in my accomplishment. And my ever bubble popping boyfriend says...."um, Honey, there's only one page"....and I'm like, "yeah, but it's MY page"....so in his smarty pants humor he says, "Oh! I think I'll go to the home page!"....hardy har har....oh aren't we a funny funny man....
Anyway, please humor me and visit "the site" er um..."the page" LOL.....ladybugcreek.com
I've also put up some pics I thought were pretty cool. Hope you like them too....
Namaste....
LadyBugCreek is officially open! It's a dream of mine I've been trying to get off the ground for 6 years now, but life happens and so do distractions....
Anyway, LadyBugCreek is in the back of a little consignment store (Green Mountain Emporium) on Main Street in the quiet little town of Payson, Arizona. Just in case you happen to be in the area.
It's a collection of my artwork, vintage items and some lovely newer items. I just had to share. There's a LOT of pink and I just love it! But I'll be adding robin's egg blue items within the month. Keep checking back!
And something that's been on my life's list of things to do is finally achieved....ahhhh....
Pics will be up tomorrow!
Many of the items are soon to be on Ebay....username ladybugcreek (of course), within the next few days...keep checking in...I know my shabby chic, over estrogened decorating itch is being scratched, perhaps yours will be too? =)
And in other news, my oldest daughter has come to live in the area....another longing finally satisfied. Her boyfriend, who is just as wonderful as she, has also decided to live in this little town of Payson. Seeing them learning about each other as new love does...ahhhh such a breath of fresh air....and I can't help but smile to see her/them deciding on things a lot of us take for granted, such as grocery shopping, furniture placement and the like. I could watch them all day long...but then they'd get kind of creeped out. I guess they WOULD feel like the animals at the zoo huh?
Life's ambushed me again. Just as I was all settled in the thought of my settling here, believing all my prayers just went in file 13, surprise! You see, I'm days of beginning the process of purchasing a home in AZ. Now being in Virginia for 8 1/2 years with the exception of the last year and a half, I consider myself a southern lady. I can't think of anywhere else I'd want to just live......Okay I'm not a native, but there isn't anything about the South that I don't like....all right, except for those giant Japanese wasps...(ugh) I can deal with the humidity, the "culture" and everything that goes with Southern living....and before I get distracted which I tend to do sooo easily, I get back to my point.....yeah there's a point.
So being in love with VA, I regularly cruise the real estate ads there, you know, just to see what's going on ......and lo and behold, I there it is....my dream home......
Old, vacant, and deliciously haunted looking....there it was, beckoning to me....like dangling a carrot....once glorious....built in a time when things were simpler....1920....*bites lip*....and waiting for my ever developing interior design skills (I'm an older student, another blog later)...and my mind flashes to what kind of lifestyle the original owners must have had....this 6-8 bedroom house....is it destined to be mine? I research others who have taken on the enormous task of restoring a huge house currently in shambles, barely livable at that....and they say it's a labor of love....that the decade or so invested are well worth it....
So as I am now in the beginning stages of seeing if I can get this house....going back and forth with the banks, the real estate agent who is less than enthusiastic about this house. "I can tell you there is town water TO the house, but I can't tell you if there's a faucet to get it out of"....I'm thinking PERFECT!!!....all I need is a functioning toilet some sort of bathing apparatus and enough electricity for a hot plate...I do not fear ghosts....(yes I believe in them...many blogs to come on that subject as well as other aspects of "dark" things) nor do I fear the challenges that come with taking this on.
Ohhhh but the dreaded "what if"....I don't get it?....Someone else buys it before I can get the loan?.....simple....accept that it was not meant to be mine *pout* and make more effort in finding the one that IS meant for me....and in the meantime, take this house in AZ....*sigh*....
Back to listing....I sell on EBay for a living.....feel free to stop by....LadyBugCreek...(of course!)
