Makes More Sense - Hopefully...

Are you a visual person?

I am...

Do you get overwhelmed when looking at something and move onto the next thing fast?

I do…

Do you really enjoy making handmade jewelry as gifts or giving handmade as gifts?

I really do…

And what about getting things on sale and getting chances to win more just for buying things on sale?

Oh yeah! Sign me up!!!

Ok - today is the last day to go to my Etsy shop and use coupon code EARLYBIRD20 to get 20% off items in my shop - until midnight EST tonight (9 hours and counting down). 

For every listing you purchase in my Etsy shop (as of right now as I write this post only 11 listings are qualifying), you get a chance to win a $50 gift certificate.

I've got more giveaways listed HERE on my other blog post. 

Melinda Orr has a HUGE giveaway on her blog & links to other artists participating in sales & giveaways.

All ends Midnight tonight!

So what have I done to make things more simple for shoppers?

I've organized my Etsy shop and grouped the items in "temporary order".

Page 1 Beads & Butterflies

Page 2 Hearts & Shards

Page 3 More Shards - Yay!!!

Page 4 Twirl Shards 

(I can make any of these shards into earrings btw)…

Page 5 Toggle Shards - Rustic glazes!

Page 6 & 7 Pendants…

Page 8 - Pendants & Cutout Flower Pieces

(I am making more cutout flower pieces - order one today with the sale & get it in 1-2 weeks)

Page 9 & 10 - Donut pieces & misc pendants

Pages 11 & 12 - Silk Knot Bundles - OOAK palettes

Page 13 - Custom "you pick the color" silk listings for easier shopping to get what you want without having to convo back and forth. Although I'm happy to create any custom listing for you…

I always try to keep these listings to the back of my shop so it is easiest to find them all together.

And with that - this girl is off to get an Elephant and Rapunzel to a costume parade…

Have fun shopping - and as always - THANK YOU!!!

~Marsha

Way In The Back, Buried Underneath...

Way in the back of my basement, buried underneath all the piles of crap lies great potential…

Do you have areas piled up similar to this?

The "catch all" area?

I could line up the excuses for why this area looks like this…

Life happens and we are all probably way too familiar with hearing the excuses...

Motivation.

I want in on all the fun jewelry making things I keep reading about online…

I am SICK of seeing this & not being able to get to what I need...

Finding then making the time.

Get through it all...

Starting with overall sorting while putting the smaller detailed "to be sorted" to the side:

In an organized way of course…

Determination. 

I will get through this area "this time"…

Nothing will distract me!

And here is one of the final pictures of this one area...

Beads on the left - organized by color and type - easy to get to & see.

Silks to the right - in bags in bins (as they are always kept).

Just in better lighting now...

Things were really rolling along this time, but right in the middle of it:

Bam - Tuesday night a fever…

After 48 hours of low grade fevers (no school of course) it was time to call the Dr.

We ended up at our first ever visit to the ER at the Children's Hospital on Thursday night with his fever all of a sudden getting up to 105 and not dropping below 104 - even on Ibuprofen.

Diagnosis: Middle Ear Infection. 

On antibiotics and Ibuprofen…

Poor little dude!

Here are some other pictures of that back room jewelry area as I've been working in spurts over the years down there.

The photos are from various "studio clean-up" moments from:

2009, 2010 fall, 2011 winter, 2011 summer:

Look - No more crawl space hole!!!

Moving stuff from shelving areas to tables and back again...

Making room to clear things up, then put things back where they are usable...

Dave asked: will we ever be able to get into that crawl space?

Well, yes - those tables are just folding tables and are easily moved!

This girl is thinking ahead to that once every 10 year event...

And finally...

I'm nearing the finish line…

For now anyway!

It feels great to finally go through all that stuff in boxes & bins…

To know what you have…

All that potential there - waiting to be re-discovered!

More to be done, but for now, this girl has a place to make jewelry!

And even lay out beads before they are glazed…

To see what I have to use with those pieces…

Imagine That!

Organization…

Who knew!

Giveaway and Studio Motivation

Do you want a chance at winning a $30 $50 Gift Certificate to my Etsy shop or Website?

With the added bonus: Coupon Code: FreeShip and I'll make sure your order ships for free.

For each item you purchase today June 23 through Sunday, June 26, 2011 through:

Marsha Neal Studio Etsy shop

or

Marsha Neal Studio Website

You will automatically be entered to win a $50 Gift Certificate to either of my shops.

The more items you buy, the better your chances at winning are.

I'll contact the winner on Monday via email.

Why the sudden sale you might be asking?

Well - there are a number of reasons for this motivation...

Health: Need to get that elliptical unburied for Dave and myself. 

Done! Yay!

Olfactory Health: I can only take working by litter boxes for so long. 

Almost Done...

Creative Flow: no organization means frustration means no flow. 

Not Done...

Safety: I have two little ones running around the main part of the house & this stuff - even though it is in the basement, needs to be in a lockable studio area down there - out of their reach.
Accidents do happen. 

Almost Done...

Socialization: I want my friends to come over and have a place to hang out & work with me. 

Almost Done…

The above picture is what I have to look forward to going to to work in (not very inspirational).

So this sale will hopefully bring in some monies so I can go out and get new chair and something to use to cover up that horrible hole in the wall (the crawlspace).

It is the back room-studio area where I have all kinds of shelves with boxes and storage for my jewelry making supplies (and all kinds of other craft supplies).

But it is all "stored". 

That's just not going to do anymore.

So I've kept some words from my friend Jenny Davies-Reazor in my head this afternoon:

"Work with What you Have…"

I have stopped my head from thinking about moving this and that, and sorting this first, then making a plan. 

Forget it - that is just a level of procrastination for me.

Jump both feet in and bring the iPhone just incase one gets stuck, needs music, or wants to take photos of progressions being made for ones blog - that has been neglected for a while...

Oh man - this looks like crap!

I need a good dose of pretty down there…

Please help me out! 

Yes - that was an extremely tired, frustrated, yet could be potentially turned around to giddy excitement way of asking for help. 

I think I'll be adding an extra surprise in each shipment too for this special clean-up and re-organizational event…

Many beautiful things will be coming out of this space…

I can feel it!

Rear In Gear...

I really hoped that the Blogpress App update fixed this issue with blurry pictures - Grumble, grumble…

I wanted to share a series of photos with you that I snapped of Peeves with a choice to make about new catnip toys she received from my friend Vicki (I got a great wheel thrown vase for myself and a necklace to add to the My Mom Pattie Etsy shop)…

I can relate to her having to make a decision. I had one too yesterday morning...










































As you can see, she went back and forth a bit, rolled around on them, played with each one a bit, then decided to run around like a freak and play with them both seriously… It was great fun to watch!




So every stinking day I go into the basement studio and see this - piles. PILES of filing (my organized mess - where if I needed to grab something, I could begin in an area where I had placed it - or did I move it to a "better place"?).



I despise this. I really do.




So the entire morning was spent pulling bins and going piece by piece, business card, receipt, catalogs, magazines, notes, old pictures, all of it - PIECE BY PIECE… and into the recycle bin or shred piles (very little had to be "thrown away") if it is not something that I need to keep.

I feel like a hoarder at times. But then again - here is the excuse of all times, I'm a busy person. At least I have been. And I need to have a good plan in place to get myself re-organized to be able to keep up with it. There is a LOT of self searching going on as these piles are gone through. And after I am done with the filing - I get to the fun part - going through all my arts and crafts "piles" and bins that are stored on shelves. Going to introduce myself to them… "Hi Stuff! I'm Marsha… Wanna play?"

More pics will be posted later today or tomorrow of my progress… Stop back for more!
This big ol' rear is getting in gear...

December Second Saturday State of Your Studio (Beads of Clay)...

Welcome to the December Second Saturday State of Your Studio blog post,

Hosted through the Beads-of-Clay Blog...

My dining room table has served as my jewelry making area…

I have been super busy making jewelry for December Home Shows (Today is the last day 11am-7pm, In Wilmington, DE - email me for address: Marsha {at} MarshaNealStudio.com).

Here is one of my display bins with some pendants made up as necklaces on cards, in baggies...

And I finally broke out some of the paper I have been collecting, thinking it would be great for backgrounds for photos… 

The office area is a complete mess…

Things have been cleared from the dining room and put down here.

I did not have time to put things aways where they should…

Maybe this next week.

The clay and glazing area - unused for the most part except for a few orders here that needed to be glazed here and there...

And my 4 cup little coffee pot died…

Dave had gotten it for me years ago when he wanted me to cut back a bit on my caffeine intake.

My friend Joan once told me that I reminded her of her Jack Russell Terrier (one of my favorite dog breeds by the way - I think I could handle the energy…).

The 12 cup pot was just too much coffee for one person to drink and the other (non-coffee drinker) to deal with.

So now, being Christmas time, I wonder what it's replacement will be…

Make sure to share your creative area (your "studio") through the Beads of Clay Blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

October 2nd Saturday State of Your Studio for BOC

Here is a look into my clay studio as part of the Beads-of-Clay Blog Second Saturday State Of Your Studio blog posting...


I have been cutting out some cabochons for some orders...


And have these nature texture test tiles drying for my October BOC glaze post next Friday (on crawl glazes).

Then there is the ongoing studio reorganization...

My office/business area has been somewhat cleared of boxes & new shelving is in place. I will be moving packaging area up here very soon.


All the holiday decorations have a new shelf too - and bins with lids to be sorted into as we decorate and put away this season... No longer spewing out into the path for walking.


This oil tank takes up too much space - but is necessary.


And I needed a place for a white board to do list (organization = knowing what needs to be done = better time management = less stress = more free time for being creative). This is my goal! I will get there :)


So this decal whiteboard from Target is perfect! And already being put to use so I could take my few day break to visit family and not stress about all the stuff I need to remember to do when I get home and back to it...


See, already less stressed...


Well, until I look at this bead and jewelry area. But that will be last because I can spread it out once I move the packaging area up front.


All this space will be opened up and free for the taking by a much needed creative nook!

It is a little of everything right now. And that's ok with me. I am excited to rediscover all the things hidden in "one day I will get to that project" areas. Because those days are getting close. I can feel the excitement...

Thanks for stopping by!

-- Pictures Taken With & Posted From My iPhone