Favorites

Hope this will be a regular thing here on the blog. Really trying to work on that mini goal for September. First thing though Way to go Mizzou Tigers on your win today! Not really the game I was thinking it would be, but then again it was 123 degrees on the field, so I'm guessing the guys were a little warm!

Favorite quote I found this week: "Please take Responsibility for the energy you bring into this space."

Favorite memory from the week: Audrey writing "I love Justin Bieber" on her water bottle and her brother begging her to love the Jonas Brothers instead. He even told her he would watch the Jonas Brothers movie with her if she would pick them of Justin Bieber. To say he is not a Bieber lover is a HUGE understatement.

Favorite thing I made this week:

Favorite Etsy find:

Found in this shop: DillonDesigns It's already sold, but I'm hoping it will be relisted!



Favorite Pin on Pinterest:
Fall

Source: bowribbonsandpearls.tumblr.com via Meg on Pinterest

September Mini-Goals

I got an email today saying Etsy Holiday Boot Camp would be starting soon. I only half way participated in this last year and I really want to go full force this year. I decided I needed something to help push me along so I've come up with a few mini-goals. Some are business related and some are personal. Some will help me towards goals on my 34 before 35 list and others are things I just want to do better this month.

1. Blog 5 times a week. Lets face it, I haven't been so great about blogging and would love to blog daily, but I'm thinking that's really pushing it. Hopefully 5 times a week is a little more attainable.
2. Get enough items in my shop to hold a Fall into Fall sale. I'm wanting 50-60 items in my shop by the first day of fall so I can hold this sale.
3. Read Craft, Inc and start Handmade Marketplace.
4. Run at least 4 times a week.
5.Work on decluttering our home. We have so much stuff we are never going to use and so much that is just taking up space for no real reason other than we haven't taken the time to get rid of it. I'd love to get rid of 5 bags of stuff. Whether it go to goodwill, trash or giveaway, I want stuff gone!!

I made this banner for a cancer fundraiser silent auction. My brother is friends with the young girl who started the foundation, I-Rok. Her name is Kori and she is currently going through her 3rd bout with cancer since Dec of 2011. Her foundation is hosting a 5K, breakfast and silent auction this weekend to raise money for Children's Mercy Hospital and to kick of Children's Cancer Awareness month. If you could send good thoughts or prayers to Kori I know she and her family would appreciate them. She is a junior this year and an amazing soccer player and was really hoping for one year of just normal life.

34 before 35 update

 I meant to get this up earlier and am just now getting around to it. I never did update in August, so some of this is for July as well.

2. Learn calligraphy. I also want to do more with my handwriting this year. I was always the girl experimenting with my handwriting. Always doodling and changing. Nothing in July, but I have 4 books checked out and am slowly teaching myself.
4. Have 100 sales in my Etsy shop. I've got 2 so far! 8 orders in July, 5 in August. Total so far 31!
6. Maintain 50 items in my Etsy shop. I have so many things I want to make and hopefully it will be hard to have 50 items in my shop all the time because hopefully things will be selling! I don't remember what I had at the end of July, but right now I have 20. I have 1 thing ready to go in as soon as I get the pictures edited and 4 more that will be ready soon.
9. Create digital cards. Think the cards you get at Christmas. Great for birth announcements, birthday invitations, Graduation open houses, wedding save the dates and more. No cards, but several other prints, that will be going in the shop soon.
11. Be proud of me. I have always had a hard time when someone tells me I create beautiful things and I'm talented. Need to learn to accept it. In July I got a major boost to my self esteem thanks to a fairly busy month business wise. In August I made the decision one evening to begin couch to 5K. I haven't got to run the last 2 days and I'm itching to get out there. It's been 100 degrees here and I just am not ready to run in that. 
12. Do more reading of creative/business books. I have a massive list of them to read. Didn't do any in July that I really remember. Now ready Craft, Inc. I've checked it out several times and am really diving in this time.
14. Drink 3 bottles of water daily. Mostly to drink less pop each day. I am a huge pop drinker and need to cut back. I didn't really do good in July, however in August especially after I started couch to 5K I have had very few pops. I did drink a bunch last weekend and I felt down for several days. Not down on myself, just blah.
16. Have 10 custom orders. I would love to have more, but I really want to make more custom items for people. Be it banners, cards or scrapbooks, bring it on. I met this goal sometime ago, but am still adding to it. 8 custom orders in July, 5 in August!!
18. Procrastinate less. I have been working hard on this. I am horrible at procrastinating and then doing everything at the last minute. Made some big strides in this during July. Still doing good through August, unless I have too much pop. Not sure what it is, but as I was typing this I got to thinking that I did have a few bad days, and realized on those days I had several pops.
27. Read 1 fun book a month. I love to read, just have a hard time making time for it. Hopefully this will force me to read more. Not sure how many I read in July, but I know I did read several. Same for August. Dart spent tons of time this summer reading and so trying to be a good influence on both kids I spent lots of time reading too. 
34. Do more to encourage Handmade Items!! I don't care if it's jewelry or cards or what, I just really want to do more to encourage buying handmade. Always working on this one whenever I get the chance. Sent several people ideas on Etsy for various things. I love supporting handmade. 

Hope everyone had a great week! For most people in the USA it will be a long weekend. We don't have much going on this weekend so I'm looking forward to it! 

Coming soon

to a Pink Owl Crafts etsy shop...

Working on lots of stuff for school, baseball, Pink Owl and more. Last night was Dart's first baseball game. I will be back later with pictures from that and other stuff going on around here.

Right Now

• My legs feel like jello. 2 days of Couch to 5K done and my legs are letting me know. But honestly, I thought I would be a lot more sore than I am. Hope I'm not jinxing myself!!
• Working hard on lots of Halloween Banner/Wall Hanging designs. 
• Gearing up for another season of baseball. We will be playing 10 games from the end of August to the end of Sept. Well I won't be playing, Dart will!
• Anyone else watching Project Runway this season? I have a couple of favorites, but the judges just seem a bit out there. I would love love love to see them design for a "real" person. 
• I don't know what I did before Hulu. Seriously love Hulu. Love being able to watch shows that I might not normally be able to watch since we don't have cable. Shows like Melissa and Joey from ABC Family. Such a cute show.
• Speaking of Project Runway, every time I watch that show I get the itch to sew. Have a stack of stuff behind me to get sewing on. Audrey is not so patiently waiting on a Monkey Pillowcase Dress. 

 Just listed in my Etsy shop...Boo Banner  I love the little guys at the end of the banner.

I think these guys are so adorable and just the right amount of spooky!!

Hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Coming Soon

Just a few pictures of things to come in the Etsy Shop!!

Back later today with more!

First Day!!!

The first day of school finally arrived!!! I'm not gonna lie, I was ready for the kids to go back. I love my kids to pieces, but the fighting the last couple of weeks was sending me over the edge. I will say part of me is kicking and screaming when I think about how fast time is flying. I can't believe Audrey is in 1st grade. When I woke her up this morning she said "Mom, don't be sad, I'm in a real grade now. You know 1st grade, it's not like Kindergarten, it's a REAL grade." Dart was up at 6:50, lunch made by 7:15 and ready to go by 8:00. He is very much my driven child. Not that Audrey isn't, but Dart is so driven by the challenge of school and by wanting to learn as much as he possibly can and push himself as much as he can. Audrey is such a free spirit, some days she loves learning and other days she just wants to be with her friends. I really thought she would be happy to hit the pillow tonight, but we had a huge struggle with that. When she gets to the point of exhaustion she really fights everything. I just don't know what to do. It's hard to punish her and make sure I'm not crushing who she is. Any tips?????

My sweeties outside school! Within seconds of taking this Dart was off to his class, so he could be one of the first ones in to get started. I walked Audrey to class and stayed with her for a few minutes and then she was ready for me to go as well!

While he might look annoyed with me for taking his picture, this is his 1st day of school face, so he says. I think the watch makes him look so much more grown up!

I have about 15 of this one in different poses. She would be in heaven if she could spend her day modeling! She was upset at first that today was PE. It totally ruined her first day of school outfit.

Friday after school we are heading to my moms for my sisters wedding shower. It will be strange to be there without my brother being there at all. Even times when he's worked a good portion of the weekend, he's still been around some. Wonder how many texts I will get from him saying "Where is such and such place?" or "This traffic is HORRIBLE!" "I hate all the stoplights." Traffic is not something that happens much in the town he grew up in. When the campus he is now living on has 3 times as many people as the town he grew up in and then you add all the normal residents traffic can be a bit crazy!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I'm hoping to get some sneak peaks up of some things that will become Halloween items for the etsy shop before I leave.