Are We Better Off?

Fashions in the 1920s and 30s are some of my all time favorites. Close seconds are 1940s and 50s. I think I was born in the wrong time period.

This article, posted on Etsy, gives a brief history of women's fashions and the pricing changes over the last hundred years or so. I found it fascinating.

I adore the green and blue dress on the right hand side of this picture. Womens' fashions were spectacular prior to the 1960s and 70s and have gone downhill ever since.  

Especially the fact that the average woman in 1930 had nine outfits and today the average woman buys 60 pieces a YEAR. I can totally relate to that. Although I doubt I bought that many pieces last year, this year I could be in the running.

And as the article says, I shop for "...value with an impulse-buy standard of quality..." when buying clothes. It's why I opened a Kohl's charge card - great discounts and sales.


On the other hand I can absolutely appreciate the value of a high quality, high price, staple piece. I just can't always afford a $200 pair of pants. So I go with a $15 pair I find on the clearance rack and use my coupons. I am pretty good at making those clearance pants last a while though. I have a pair that have been with me now for over 5 years. They're looking a little worn, but they're still in my closet.


I think the same observation she's made about clothing can also be said about jewelry. Instead of a few more expensive, classic, staple pieces of jewelry women are encouraged to buy a different piece for every outfit. To do that, the pieces have to be cheap. Even "costume" jewelry from the "old" days was made really well. My great-grandma had some pieces that were handed down to me that aren't expensive or made with any sort of "real" stone, pearl, or metal, but they were made well and have lasted all this time.


My target market for jewelry is probably not going to be the people shopping the sale rack at Walmart or Target, or even Macy's where you can get a cheap pearl necklace for $20 on sale.


Maybe I'll have to think a little harder before hitting the Kohls 80% off racks. If a shirt is $3, do I really need it and is it even going to last me through the year? 


While I'm not a freak about mass produced stuff (I do buy it after all), I do think it is important to support local and artisan created items - even clothing - whenever possible.

Sticker Shock

While I knew on some level the price of silver and gold had been rising over the last two years I was not quite ready for how truly high the price had gotten.

I've designed several new pieces in the past few days and I'm super excited about them. Unfortunately, after pricing them out I'm a lot less sure that they are "good enough" for the price they have to be due to current silver prices.

Of course, I'm pricing based on the current cost of materials...in other words, what it would cost me today to replace the materials I used in each piece. Even though I did not pay $40+ an ounce for silver two years ago I realize I have to be able to replace my supplies. It's a painful process.

The same piece I may have priced at $50 two years ago may need to be up toward the $75 or $80 mark now, if not higher.

I can understand why there are so many people no longer using silver as a foundation of their jewelry. They can't afford to buy the metal and people can't afford to pay a fair price for their work. If I put $40 worth of silver into one piece I have to charge at least $120 ... and realistically $150 or more to account for wholesale pricing. That $40 in silver does not include my time and I've decided I deserve to get paid more than minimum wage at this point. And it does not include any other extra things like accent beads. And yes, I have used a full ounce of silver in a couple of pieces. It's not hard to do when using thicker gauges and PMC.

My hope is that I'll be able to combine a combination of hand forged metals, PMC, and beads to have affordable price points for everyone. I have a feeling though with my own expensive taste in materials that my jewelry may reach a price that even my mom will find too steep.

Happy Memorial Day

Sunday's church service focused on honoring those who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice. This isn't just a three day weekend. This is when the country should remember that our freedom was bought with the blood of our fighting men and women.

Thank you to all who have served.

Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard

And all those families affected by those who serve.

God Bless.

Finally - New Jewelry

I made new jewelry this week. Three pieces actually.

Of course, I haven't had time to photograph any of it yet, but that's okay because two pieces are gifts. One has already been gifted so no pictures there. The other will be gifted soon. And the last one will probably be photographed eventually.

It feels SO wonderful to get back into gear making jewelry. My mind is spinning with new ideas and designs that I want to try. It really has been almost two years since I stopped...whether I was not inspired because of being too tired from taking care of Marshal, a new job, hubby, the house...or ...  yeah, that's probably what it was.

For some reason, I feel like I'm getting a better handle on things. Not sure why that would be because my life is absolutely as crazy as ever, but I don't feel as overwhelmed.

Maybe it's the working out...or the prioritizing of my work load.

All I know is I am excited to finish getting the garage organized so I'll have my clean creative space in the kitchen and a work bench in the garage to play and take photographs.

Everyone have a super fabulous Memorial day weekend. Stay safe!

Cord Blood Registry (CBR) Participates in New Study

I'm sure somewhere on this blog, way back when, I wrote about having Marshal's cord blood stored when he was born. Since my family history with cancer and just knowing all the horrible things that can happen I wanted to be on the safe side.

We picked Cord Blood Registry as the company to guard our son's stems cells. They keep up regular communication with us and recently sent an e-mail out about a new study they are participating in.

"...the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston...launched an FDA-regulated trial looking at cord blood stem cells in the treatment of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). ...

Ten children, ages 18 months to 17 years, who have access to their own cord blood stem cells at CBR and who have suffered a recent TBI (within the last 6-18 months) will be enrolled in the study."

This is very exciting. It amazes me how technology and medicine advances and makes me feel a little less worried about the future. Marshal has access to his stem cells now and into his adult years in case he needs them.

If you know someone who is having a baby, I highly recommend looking into cord blood storage.

A Lot of Stuff

Our kitchen remodel is very nearly done. The granite was installed last Friday so now I am beginning the process of putting things back in the kitchen...including my jewelry making supplies.

Hubby isn't thrilled, but I cannot create in the garage. Sorry. Just ain't gonna happen.

I have my own little desk tucked away in the kitchen and my goal is to keep everything put away and organized. We have plenty of drawers and cabinets now so I should have no real excuses...except I have a LOT of stuff.

Starting Saturday I began going through things...first wire and chain. I have a lot of wire. Thankfully I bought it all way back when silver was under $20 an ounce. I shudder to think about buying silver or gold now. I'll have to sell a lot more jewelry to even be able to afford new stuff.

I may be able to send in a shipment to Midwest Refineries* though...that may pay for a couple ounces of new silver. My scrap pile has gotten pretty large. Mostly because all those little tiny scraps that have been lying around for years were swept up into one pile together when we moved everything into the garage. Now that I can go through things I can let go of the little pieces that I know I'll never actually use for anything.

Oh, and screw up pieces. *sigh* I hate giving those up, but there's really no way to save any of them. Might as well get some cash for them.

Anyhoo...it's going to be a multi-day, possibly multi-week, process to go through all of my supplies. It's good to get a feel for what I have, but I really want to be able to start creating again. One step at a time I suppose.

* I've used Midwest Refineries several times...long before all these crazy "buy your gold" companies popped up. They have been fair and honest in every encounter I've had. If you want to sell some gold or silver I highly recommend them. And I was not reimbursed for this opinion. :)

Perceptions

My boss recently brought to my attention his perception of some of my jewelry. We do not generally share similar tastes but I was truly surprised by his comments.

The biggest surprise to me was his comment that some of the chain I used looked "cheap". I always thought the thin chain I used looked delicate and pretty.

He is a big guy and did buy his wife one of the larger linked Tiffany's necklaces. But still, I was genuinely surprised that he thought the chain looked cheap.

Can't things that are dainty and small be high in value? Do things have to be large to be viewed as "expensive" looking? The chain I used for the pendant above is not inexpensive and it's deceptively strong.

Now I'm looking at my selection in materials slightly differently...perhaps what I perceived as delicate others see as cheap.

Thoughts?

Capturing Laughter

Marshal has the cutest, most infectious laugh I've ever heard. Of course, I could be completely biased...seeing as he is my son.

Kids and dogs make for great entertainment, and mine did not disappoint. Timber has always loved water. When we'd put out a sprinkler we'd have to keep him inside or he'd "play" with it so much he'd destroy it. He loves to try to 'eat' the water coming directly from the hose. It's hilarious.

But add Marshal into the mix - now it's even better. Daddy was washing the truck so he had the hose out front with Timber tied up (he'd run away...being tied out is a must if Timber goes in the front yard) and for some reason Marshal and daddy ended up spraying the water for Timber. It was hard to video and not crack up laughing.




Is there anything more precious than a child's laugh? I wish I could bottle it for times when I'm feeling sad. It's impossible not to smile while listening to a truly carefree laugh.

Getting in Shape

I joined the gym. Again.

When I was pregnant with Marshal I went there for the Water Aerobics class but now that I can move outside of water I decided it was time to lose some weight and get in shape. I was getting winded doing the simplest things. The first two weeks were the hardest but I'm really getting back into cardio. 

I've taken Zumba classes too...those are intense workouts. And my trainer is my own little slice of hell. I've decided to start calling those sessions my 30 minutes of hell. But in a good way.

My goal is to be able to keep up with Marshal without needing oxygen. And it's actually nice to be able to go to the gym, put my ear phones in, and read while doing cardio. It's "me" time. 

Maybe this whole kitchen remodel thing has inspired me to redo more than just our house. 

Marshal and me after my exhausting workout this afternoon. He's chillin'. I can barely hold the book up.

What's My Style?

In going through my jewelry photos from the last few years, it's clear to me that I have no style. And by "no style" I just mean that there's no one defining theme among the different pieces I've designed over the years. There are so many types of pieces I like to create that I've never settled on one ... well, style.

Some people focus on creating with lampwork beads. Which I use.

Others focus only on Swarovski crystals. Which I also use.

Some love pearls...which I definitely do.

Others only work in metal. Again...I love to work with metals.

So where is my niche?

I think the next few months will be seeing if I actually have one. :) Maybe it's the Bipolar Disorder talking, but I really think that being eclectic is something I need to embrace. If I work with Lucite one day and freshwater pearls the next, maybe that's okay. And who says Lucite and Freshwater pearls can't go together?

One thing I know...making jewelry is obviously in my blood. Because if it were just a passing phase (like my card making and scrap booking) I wouldn't be so drawn to it after such a long time away.

Back in Gear

Wow...It has been a long time, hasn't it? My last post obviously was an emotional and difficult one. And I took a lot of time "off" from things. Including blogging.

I'd like to start back up again soon. I'm having my business cards re-designed by a fabulous company called Site Impressions, family owned and operated by Sheryl and Joe. Sheryl has designed some amazing drafts and now I just have to pick out the ones I like best.

We've been remodeling our kitchen. What a nightmare that is. But the great news about the remodel is that I'll have my own little built in desk to work on jewelry. YAY! I'll even get to work on a granite surface...so spoiled, right? :)

Of course, the whole kitchen remodel is in honor of my mother in law, Pat. We told her, before she passed, that we were going to redo the kitchen with our "inheritance". She always laughed and said "Good, maybe then you'll start cooking." :) And that is my hope too.

I have a list of things to do and there's still never enough time. My work is still amazing and I love my job so much. But I miss making jewelry and blogging. This blog needs to be cleaned up and revamped but that will be a lower priority than just getting back into the swing of things.

So...here's to new starts. New blog posts. And new jewelry.

Thankful

It's been an emotionally exhausting Thanksgiving holiday. My mother in law passed away Thanksgiving morning. She'd been sick for quite some time (I posted several times about it but don't feel like looking for them right now) with Leukemia and had finally said no more treatments. It doesn't even seem real that she had gone. And it certainly doesn't seem fair. Her parents lived into their 90s. She was 69. She should have made it to see Marshal graduate high school. We're lucky she lived to see his first birthday.

Marshal just born - she'd just finished chemotherapy and a horrendous hospital stay. It was a miracle to have her home.

Four months old - Her hair was starting to grow back - CURLY! =)

Month 11 - Still going through treatment but loving her grandson time.

One of the last really good photos - with her daughter at Marshal's first birthday party.

We moved everything out yesterday into storage and today I did the final walk through her apartment. Hubby couldn't do it.

I'm not the most emotional person. It takes quite a bit normally to make me cry. But the last four days have just been brutal. The smallest thing starts my eyes watering. Like getting Marshal's pictures taken for Christmas and thinking about who gets photos - I immediately thought of her.

I hate crying.

It's all very exhausting. I just want to curl up under the blankets and sleep for a few days.

I'm extremely grateful for all the amazing and wonderful people I've met - online on Facebook as well as through networking and my new job. The support and prayers are very much appreciated and needed.

An Actual Jewelry Post

It's been awhile. But the last couple of weeks I've had the desire to create...mostly jewelry but also cards and scrapbooking. I don't know what's brought the urge back but it's great.

And so far I've created three necklace and earring sets...only one of which I've managed to even halfway photograph. All three sets involve pearls. :)

These pearls are so beautiful in person...they don't all "match" - some are a little more yellow in tint and some are more pink but they all have great luster and it's just for me to wear so I wasn't too concerned. I was mostly using up pearls from older incomplete strands...left overs. And the coral just POPS out ... I love red.

Another set for my jewelry box. One of these days I'll make something to put in my Etsy shop. :) But not today.

The Sky is Falling

It's been a wacky 24 hours. The storm started building yesterday and by late evening many people in the area were out of power. Our lights flickered but thankfully we kept our power. Which is weird for us - we generally lose power quickly.

Then this morning we had an earthquake! Sheesh. One thing after another around here.

Carmex Lotions?

This post brought to you by Carmex®. All opinions are 100% mine.

Who says Carmex is just for your lips? I was given an opportunity to try out Carmex® Healing Lotion and Carmex® Healing Cream recently and this is the perfect time of year to get a decent hand cream. While the packaging won't leave any lasting impressions, the product itself is pretty good.

I'm really bad about using lotions regularly; my hubby uses his lotions on a regular basis. Wearing a gun belt and bullet proof vest don't do wonders for the skin.

And you know the smell that Carmex lip balms have? It is incredibly hard to describe and the lotion has an almost lip balm smell but it is more pleasant. It reminds me of winter and snow. :) Which is great because I love winter and snow.

One thing I generally hate about lotions is if they are too sticky or 'wet' feeling. Luckily, Carmex is neither of those. It goes on very smooth and dries very quickly so your hands (or feet, or legs, or whatever) are quickly left feeling soft. I think with regular use the long term condition of my skin will improve.

So far I haven't heard any complaints from hubby either so that is also a good sign. All in all I definitely recommend trying this product if you have dry skin and especially with this cold winter we're predicted to have.

Carmex lotion is available at Walgreens, Walgreens.com, and Drugstore.com for $5.99.

We Just Got a WinCo!

I had a fun adventure tonight. We finally got a WinCo Foods close to our house. I'd never been to one but I've always heard really great things so when I found out they were building one I was pretty jazzed (yes, my life is that pathetic).

Today was the grand opening. They had a few coupons that got sent out in Saturday's paper including a huge thing of apple juice for $0.98, toilet paper for $2.99 (the good stuff), Kraft Mac & Cheese for $0.38, bananas for $0.18 a pound! and several other things that I couldn't resist. Their prices on regular items were decent too although a couple of my regular weekly items weren't that much different than Fred Meyer.

Their bulk food section is incredible. And cheap.

It was absolutely insane there though - I waited in a line for a cart. Then of course the entire store was packed with people...which was actually kind of fun. At least for most of us. Some people seemed grumpy - but if you go to a store's grand opening you should really expect that kind of atmosphere.

Then I had to wait in line just to get in line to check out. Then I waited in the check out line.

Their check out system is really cool. They can actually check out two people at once. They had an issue with one of my coupons so while the checker waited for a supervisor she was actually able to switch to start checking out the people behind me. The little belts to bag the food are separated into two lanes. Talk about efficient.

And I LIKED bagging my own groceries. It was kind of fun. I wouldn't want to do it for a living, but at least I have no one to blame but myself if the bag breaks from being too full. :)

All in all I will definitely be going back to WinCo if I need bulk food items or when they have sales. I think that going there may reduce our grocery bill which is also something we are working on.

I have a feeling that all the other grocery stores were dismally slow today...but competition is good for everyone.

Hot Baby

Marshal had a fever from Saturday morning until Tuesday late evening. It was not a pleasant experience as it was his very first fever ever in his 13 months of life. He stopped eating and getting him to drink enough was a struggle as well. Saturday and Sunday he was pretty catatonic … he only wanted to be held and would just stare blankly most of the time.


His nose has been stuffy but now it's full on stuffed so breathing was difficult for him – and that is our current issue. Since he can't breath he can't drink from his bottle (yes, that's another issue...I realize he should be off his bottle since he's over a year but whatever). He won't drink anything other than milk and pushes all other forms of liquid transport away. He also still won't eat very much.
Which brings us to last night. I truly think he was so hungry that his little tummy kept him up all night. In the middle of the night I even made him an English Muffin with butter – something that has never been done in our household. He had one little bite and was done with that. He would get a few sips in before falling asleep, exhausted, in my arms. Putting him back in his crib worked for 45 minutes to an hour before he was awake and crying again.
Needless to say, mommy is exhausted. Which is not good because today is a big day for me. When I first started with Aflac I called a local business and actually got a meeting. That was in May. It is now November and we've finally moved forward and I'm doing enrollments. It's very exciting and it's a company that I absolutely love – and would have loved even if they hadn't moved forward. But being so tired is not conducive to effective consultation. :(
Hopefully we can get his nose unstuffed somehow. It just sounds horrible but he doesn't know yet how to blow his nose or clear his throat so the stuff just sits there building up. I think we need to try to get him to sneeze or something.

My Husband Rejoices - I Can't Talk

I lost my voice. If you find it will you please direct it back to me? I miss it very much.

It's very annoying to not be able to communicate with people. Even whispering hurts.

My job kind of requires being able to talk. Especially for making phone calls or presentations. A voice sort of helps. Whispering sounds kind of creepy.

I visited my doctor's office and was told it could be two to three WEEKS!!! What the heck!?!?!? I've never lost my voice for that long.

So I'll be staying home for a day or two to try to avoid conversations and whispering. Thankfully there are some things I can get done with out speaking.

I'm quite frustrated right now.

Get Up and Move!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you need some inspiration to get moving? I sure do. I feel like I'm constantly moving, but not in the exercise kind of way.

Wii now has some competition. PlayStation has come out with PlayStation Move - designed to get you up and moving and having fun. Move is for all levels - casual to intense gamer. Their games range from sports, activity, party, family, shooter, and more.

If a little Genie popped over to our house and granted us a PlayStation Move I think our family would really have a good time with it. My son will be getting to an age where he can actually play with coordination.  The Move controller looks pretty easy to use and I think we'd have fun playing together as a family.

I think hubby would enjoy the Resident Evil game. He's a big fan of those movies. Marshal would definitely like EyePet, and I think I would too, although Start The Party looks fun too.

The best part is that if you already have a PlayStation you can bring motion gaming exclusively to your existing PlayStation®3 for only $99 with the MOVE bundle package!

Yes, I have a One Year Old

Hubby, Marshal, and I went to the grocery store yesterday late afternoon. I actually enjoy shopping with Marshal because he can generally be entertained by the surroundings. Hubby...not so much. Our bill is almost always $20 to $50 higher when he comes along. But even so, it is fun to do as a family once in awhile.

We were in the ethnic ailse and hubby picked up the potato pancake mix. It wasn't super expensive so I said okay (I've almost got him trained) and some random lady in the same ailse got all high and mighty and said to her (mom?) "They just got a potato pancake MIX" as if it's some sort of cooking sin to get a mix.

I wasn't in the best of moods anyway so it made me a little mad. I snapped back at her "Yes, a mix. We have a one year old and we don't get a lot of sleep" and walked away.

It didn't offend me necessarily but it was a little obnoxious. I rarely say out loud what I think of some people's grocery choices...generally only when I like something they've picked and we're making idle chit chat in the checkout line. I would not say something in a negative manner to someone standing right next to me about their grocery choices.

Why can't people keep their thoughts to themselves? She wasn't young so I'm sure she's a fabulous cook who thinks making potato pancakes is just a quick thing to whip up as a snack. Me? Not so much. I don't cook and if hubby wants to eat them he's going to have to make them himself.

Yes, I have a one year old and am constantly tired or busy. Not to mention that I don't enjoy cooking. It's not my idea of fun.

Eating on the other hand. Bring it on!