The Life Journey of a Crafting Freak

Amazing week-end !

2010-03-22T12:31:00.008-05:00

I must admit, this week-end was super amazing. In fact, it was the msot amazing week-end I've had for a while.

First, I slept in on Saturday. I don't like sleeping too much, because I feel like I lose a part of my day if I do... But not this time. The rest was very much needed, and I felt much better after a big 12 (yes, 12) hours of sleep. I had an appointment with a client in the afternoon, and didn't quite feel like going. But I went anyway. It was weird... But weird appointments happen, sometimes. You just got to learn how to laugh at the whole situation.

So as soon as I got out of there, I went straight home to pick Phil up and we went to a friend's house. (It was Stephen's birthday, and we all got together at his sister's place.) I didn't quite want to go at first, but we had a BLAST ! We went to eat to a Korean restaurant named Seoul BBQ on Cavendish. Everything was sooo good ! I forgot to take pictures, everybody was just so hungry the plates' contents disapeared within minutes. Andrea ordered that spicy calamari plate that we SOOOO good. But SOOOOO spicy. I had sweat dropping from my forehead. I seriously thought I was going to die.

The funny part was when Phil realised they only gave him chopsticks (Phil can't bend his fingers, so chopsticks are not even an option.) and he set himself on a very special mission: Find another use for the dreaded chopsticks. See for yourself.

When we were done with the WALRUS impressions, we went back to Andrea's place for some birthday doughnuts and card games. We went home late, but it was a fun evening, full of laughter and interesting stories. Will definitely do that again. (See the birthday doughnuts ? They're so cute...)

As for Sunday, well, I enjoy Sundays. I had a late morning appointment, then I went home to tidy up the place and cook for my usual candlelit dinner with my hubby. Why did cleaning make my day ? Well, who doesn't feel great after cleaning their place ? It looks so nice...:)

New Beginnings

2010-01-26T08:46:00.007-05:00

I should be so much more consistant with my updating. I have thought about updating this blog since Mid-December, and here I am, at the end of January ! I'm a procrastinator par excellence.

I just set up another blog, that I called The Cherry Cake. It'll be about food, recipes, fitness, tips and tricks to healthy living, etc. I decided to set it up because I wanted a distinct blog where you could find all the food related stuff and not have to browse through multiple pages of personal posts.

I will publish some of my personal recipes, update you on my weightloss (yes, I am still doing this !), and review recipes I tried recently. I will also feature food or fitness related blogs, and have question and answers posts, eventually. I am VERY excited about that blog, and I really want you to check it out ! Please feel free to follow me on The Cherry Cake blog.

I am also looking forward to next month, as I will start my career car qualifications with Mary Kay. I have been selling Mary Kay for the past 9 months, and I decided, recently, that I could give myself a promotion ! I'll update you on how it goes, as soon as I start working towards my car goal.

So that's about it for now. I'll come and update more regularly, now that I have more time on my hands.

Congratulations and Updates

2009-09-14T11:49:00.004-05:00

First of all, I want to say Congratulations to Sarah from Super-Duper-Cali-Fragi-Listic-Expeali-Docious for her Weight Loss efforts ! It really shows, and she looks gorgeous !!! Keep on going Sarah, you're doing very well :)

So, mouse update, Her Majesty is being a pain. The bars at the top of the cage are a bit larger than the one on the sides, and she realised she could fit between the bars... I let you guess the rest. She escaped TWICE ! She climbs on the sides, then reaches for the top, where she is upside down, and then forces her tiny mouse body through the bars and HER SHE GOES ! Free like a bird (err... A mouse) ! A true escape artist. Phil had to watch her the whole night. (He stays up until stupid O'clock, so it,s not an issue for him) We finally decided to put a plexiglass sheet on top of the cage so she stops escaping. Little bugger.

I am going to Quebec City next week-end and will probably spend a night there, but I want to make sure I'm back for the Sunday evening service at church. I now go to Evangel Pentecostal Church, our old church's "mother church". Since we have a new pastor, things have changed for the better. I usually go with Phil and friends of ours that used to go to Connexion Church with us. We really had a nice time yesterday, and we really like Pastor Jonathan, he's young and a bit like the other pastor we used to have !

It is funny, as I never thought I'd end up going to Evangel. But I felt like the Lord wanted me there, and I think I know why. That's to be continued, as I don't want to spread the news of something that hasn't happened yet. But I have my own little idea about it. It involves that little group of friends from Connexion, I can't say any more about it... I just need to stay in prayer and get the answers to my questions that way. God keeps on giving me clues, and I still got to put all the puzzle pieces together.

Apple Picking - Yum !

2009-09-11T12:33:00.002-05:00

Apple Picking - Yum !, originally uploaded by brindegazon.

So last week, I went apple picking with my parents. It was a very nice day and I got to get out of the house. That felt great ! We picked two different variety of apples, Lobo and PaulaRed. I still don't know what I'm going to do with my 20 apples, but one thing is certain, tonight, I'm having a baked apple with (fake) brown sugar and cinnamon. That's going to be my treat for today. I will also make applesauce with the PaulaRed apples and ass Splenda and cinnamon to it to have a nice low point snack to bring to work.

I woke up this morning to a very tired and lethargic mouse. She has been a pain all night and has trouble staying up in the morning. I thought that something was wrong, because when I grabbed her, she didn't try to hide or escape, she just let me grab her as if she was too weak to do anything. I showed Phil, and all he said is that she was fine, just tired. After a while, she got back to normal. I still checked everything, no broken bones, normal feces and normal urine, she eats, she drinks, she has no trouble breathing. My mouse is healthy. PHEW ! I've had it for a week, and I still would be sad if she had something, I like her loads ! She's funny to watch.

I am looking into cooking some curry, but most recipes I find are loaded with fat... I should look on WW's website, in order to find something that could be a nice equivalent without the fat, of course. My husband has been asking for curry for the past month, I need to cook something he likes once in a while.

I have been thinking about taking Zumba classes, but I'm not sure. It's not something that I can financially afford, so I would have to ask my mother if she could help me pay it. I would like to move more, be more active, because it gives me more energy to go through my days ! Also, I found I sleep well when I exercise every day.

Today is Weigh-In day, and I am down 2 lbs ! I got my 5% (Again... ahah !) and I'm doing very well. I find it is easier this time, I don't really know why. Maybe because I've done it already ? The first time I did Weight Watchers, I had so much trouble eating only 22-21 points per day it was almost torture. This time, I have no trouble not going over my daily points. Somes days I am done eating and I realise I have like 3-4 points left. I don't know why, probably because my job doesn't stress me as my old job did... But my eating patterns are a lot more normal and life is less of a nightmare. Great.

Oh and I want to thank Sarah for the Lovely Blog Award :) Thanks for thinking of me !!!

I think that's all for today. I'm off to work and will plan next week's meals as well. I'll come back to you on that. I'll post my menu for the week.

Welcoming Two New Family Members ♥

2009-09-06T11:25:00.006-05:00

I finally convinced my husband to get two mice. After weeks of hard work, he finally said yes ! (To one condition. If I have one, he's gotta have one too...) So after I went out with my parents, I stopped at the Safari Pet Center at the shopping center where my sister works, and got a cage bargain. So I said to myself, I could buy the cage and wait ! WRONG ! I went to see their fancy mice, and to my surprise, they looked healthy and they had a good variety of markings and colors.

I decided I'd take a black one for my husband, and a degu one for myself. They are both females and get along pretty well ! They don't make as much noise as I thought during the night either, but what surprised me, is that as opposed to hamsters, mice squeek. A LOT ! This made me have a cuteness overdose last night, I swear !

So here are pictures of my two little babies ! They're super tiny for now, but they will grow bigger that's for sure...

I can hold both of them in my hand, and I was also surpised of how soft their tail really is... I think I now prefer mice to hamsters ! I've had hamsters for years when I was young, I liked them a lot, but mice are funnier to watch. They're tiny and quick on their toes.

Now here's another picture, and this is Her Majesty herself, exploring the palm of my hand.

I like her color a lot. Makes her look like a wild mouse, a bit. I don't like albino mice, they look creepy with their red eyes... Ugh a bit like lab mice or something.

Anyway, apart from getting mice yesterday, I had a pretty good food day as well. Horrible choices, but full of NSVs !!! Not feeling guilty about food choices is one... The other is enjoying fast food in moderated quantities. Instead of eating a whole smoked meat sandwich, I had half of it with maybe 10 chips, and I had enough. I realised that it was a right quantity for me, and I didn't enjoy it less because of the portion size. That's pretty good :)

Today's program will be :

- Laundry
- Picking up
- Cooking
- Making a YouTube Video

I'll post later !

I had to try it too.

2009-09-04T09:58:00.005-05:00

So, after reading tons of stuff about people making weird smoothies composed of spinach and fruits called Green Monsters, I decided to try it. I am very skeptical, ans I must admit, the idea of a spinach smoothie was almost making me sick...

After looking up a couple recipes, I finally ended up making my own, which looks like the following :

1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze

2 cups of Baby Spinach

1 cup of Blueberries (frozen)

1 large Banana

This ended up being the best smoothie I've ever had, with just the right amount of sweetness. You can add sugar/Splenda/Agave syrup if you want, but I liked mine this way. I even fooled my husband. I made him taste the thing, asked him his advice. He said it was pretty good (he normally doesn't really like smoothies) and that it was just sweet enough. His face turned to GREEN when I told him there was 2 cups of spinach in this glass I was drinking. (He hates veggies, really...)

The Green Monster ended up not being a monster after all. I loved it and had another this morning for breakfast with my Nutella toast. (It's Friday, I deserved the treat.)

Oh and WI number 2 : 148.8 lbs ! I'm definitely back on track, 10 more pounds and I'll be where I left, and I'll be 8.8 lbs from my goal. I'm doing good, this is excellent.

I'll start posting videos again, I need to make one this week-end !

Ok ok ok, I'm starting again. For real.

2009-08-27T10:05:00.004-05:00

I took a major decision yesterday, and I don't think i'll regret it. I decided to sign up with Weight Watchers online. I never have time for meetings, plus the lack of money from the last 3 months made me stop going. So that's why I'm trying online this time. It is cheaper and I weight in at home.

I am having a great WW day so far, I'm not as hungry as I would have expected, that's a good sign. I also have been looking at Jess's menus, and I think I'm going to start something similar, just because i'm very visual and sometimes, going through pictures of previous meals gives me ideas.

I just wanted to update you on my status, I will probably make a video very soon :)

Have a great day, all !

I'm a Procrastinator.

2009-08-24T08:28:00.003-05:00

I think that the word that would be the most accurate to describe me is procrastination. Not that I do it all the time for everything, but I sure procrastinate when it's time to exercise or eat well (get back on track).

I have been telling myself that I should get back on track since my return from the UK. That was 2 months ago. I have, since then, put back almost all my weight on, I have stopped exercising and I have gone back to all my bad eating habits.

Not having money to pay for Weight Watchers is not helping at all. I used to be very motivated, but since I can't pay for it anymore, I don't have my weight in every week, I don't have access to the tips and tricks from my WW leader, and I don't have access to the support from the other members. I am seriously thinking about trying WW online, as it is less expensive than the meetings, but I don't know if i'm ready yet... Which I think is weird. I am more than ready to fit in my clothes again, I'm more than ready to look fit again. But I just don't have the will.

I keep on saying I'll do it tomorrow, next week, next month. Days change to weeks, than change to months...

I feel horrible.

Time Out Now...

2009-08-21T15:30:00.003-05:00

I was supposed to write about my second and third day in the UK today, but none of that. You'll see why.

The gerbil running in my head will die of an asthma attack if I don't stop, that's why I want to write it down here. You'll probably think I'm crazy, I don't care.

Today, there was nothing to do at work, so I spent my free time cultivating my personnal knowledge. When that happens, be prepared to hear the weirdest/stupidest questions ever, most of the time regarding very abstract subjects. Why abstract and untangible subjects ? Because I have trouble with that concept. Everything that doesn't have a graphic interface (I'll come back on that after) or cannot be touched or seen is hard for me to get. I was awful at school in math. I was ok with sciences, as long as we could demonstrate the concept with an experiment.

So I started researching the first computers, and looked up the history of Internet. INTERNET ! The most used tool in the world, but yet, what is it ? What is it made of ? And that lead me to look up the older computers. ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) was the first fully electronic (digital) computer ever made. It was announced for the first time in the press in 1946 and was referred to as a "Giant Brain". This really got me thinking. How did people think of that. What was their need ? Why couldn't that need be met with something else ?

And then the further I got into my research, the more my brain was hurting. DATA ? What in the world is data. How was it created, what combination of materials and knowledge would lead people to create a data storage device ? And mostly, how did they make it work ? What major factor made the EUREKA! possible ? How did they create data, basically.

But let's go back to Internet. Why did some guy think about a way to create a link between computers ? How did he manage that ? Computers didn't have screens at the time. How did it look ? How did they transfer data ? And mostly, WHY did they think about that. WHY WHY WHY all the time. So many questions without an answer because the only people who could tell are the ones who invented it.

I actually did get some answers from my mum this afternoon. (Regarding things that people who worked with those computers could tell, not the things happening in the inventors' heads) Internet started being used by universities and colleges around 1972-1975, right when my mum was still studying. I first asked her how it was. What did they do in her computer science classes ? She wasn't studying computer science, but studying to be a laboratory technician implied that students had to at least know how a computer would work. So I decided I'd ask. First, did they have a screen ? Keyboard ? Mouse ? Keyboard yes, screen, no. Don't even think about a mouse. They would punch in the commands to get it on the other side, out of a printer. That would have been way too abstract for me, but it is so interesting to know !

And then the 100K $ question : Mum, was there any link between the computers ?

Yes, there was.

My mum actually knew what the first version of internet was. How it worked and so on. NO SCREEN !!! No websites, no nothing ! Just a command entered into a computer machine, transmitted to another computer machine that would print it out.

Ok enough, the gerbil is hyper ventilating. But please do think about that next time you load your favorite webpage or you Facebook profile. We went from a big computer taking the space equivalent to 680 square feet made with "17,468 vacuum tubes, 7,200 crystal diodes, 1,500 relays, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors and around 5 million hand-soldered joints." (Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC) to tiny machines but oh so much powerful ! You can now even carry your computer on your back or in your pocket. (Think about your Blackberry or Palm Treo, that's one mini computer !)

And by the way, check that WIKI link about ENIAC. It's really interesting, but generated too many more questions for me !

Want Details ? Here they are !

2009-08-19T09:38:00.009-05:00

I know, I said I would post to give you more details about my trip to the UK. I haven't done so, and I'm sorry, so here it is.

DAY 1, LONDON

It was the first time i traveled with my sister. The plane ride was much more enjoyable than if I went on my own, that's for sure. We had a good laugh and honestly, I didn't think my sister and I had a good time like that in years. Here's a picture (on the left) taken at the airport just before we boarded our flight. We flew with Air Canada, as usual. The Montreal-London crew is exceptionnal, they give excellent customer service. High five to them ! I will rebook with them any day, even if I don't work for Air Canada Vacations anymore.

We arrived in London on June 13th around 7:30AM. It's Sunday in London, the sky is gray, nothing wrong with that. We get to our transfer, and we realise that a BMW is waiting for us instead of a shuttle bus. NEAT ! We get to our hotel, to see fi they have a room ready or not. Regular check-in times are around 2:00-3:00PM, but if they have space for you, they normally give you a room right away. So, like I said, we get to our hotel, eager to take a shower. We both stink, and we both can't stand our clothes anymore. Well, we're so lucky that no room was ready for us yet, so forget about the shower.

We then decided to head to Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square and see what we could do from there. We grabbed some stuff for breakfast near Gloucester Road tube station, then got on our way.

We arrived to Westminster station (picture on the right) and spotted the London Eye right away. We decided to head there and make it our first attraction of the day. On our way, we took CLASSIC Big Ben pictures, walked past Westminster Abbey, saw a couple double decker buses and almost got hit by a couple of cars. (Remember, people there drive on the left side of the road...) We finally got to the London Eye ticket office just to see that there was no queue and that we could get in almost right away.

Overall, the London Eye is a good attraction, but the price is a bit high. It costs about 28 CAD to get aboard a regular capsule, for a 30-ish minutes ride. The views are good, if you want to take pictures of London's skyline. I can say that I recommend the attraction, but be prepared to pay. (When we think about it, it's not worse than NYC's Empire State building... Costs a bit more, but still, same price range.)

We then walkekd to Buckingham Palace just to notice that something unusual was happening : It was the Queen's Birthday. (Not her real birthday, but a set day on the calendar where they hold a ceremony for her) We happening to be there for the Trooping of the Colors, which was a nice complement to our trip. See the picture on the left, one of the marching bands that were part of the parade. This was so much better than the regular changing of the guards !

It lasted at least an hour, and as soon as it was over, we headed back to our hotel, and thanks goodness, they had our room ready and we could (FINALLY !!!) take a shower. I've never been so happy to see a bathroom in my whole life, even though it wasn't any bigger than my closet at home.

After a much needed shower, we went to St-James Park and had a nice picnic there. (Yeah, jsut grab sandwiches, veggies and fruits at Tesco's and head for a park ! Cheap picnic and awesome time outside.) We stayed there until 3:00 or 4:00PM then went back to our hotel. Roxanne and I were really tired, jet lag really had a big effect on us both. We went to bed at 5:00PM then woke up the next morning at 7:00 for another big day...

WOW !!!!!!!!

2009-08-04T10:38:00.005-05:00

So many things happen in a month ! I have been very busy with my new job and with planning lately. Phil is arriving tomorrow, and is going to be here to stay, so a lot of things had to be taken care of.

Also, one of my best friends (April) gave birth to her fourth little boy, and I had the immense joy to be there that day ! Seeing the little one arrive into this world made me very emotional, it was a very intense moment. I could hold him in my arms not even an hour after he was born. Talk about a fresh baby :P

I have also started training for my 5K again, with my friends' help. April and her partner Alex will be training with me and next year, we might even attend ottawa's race week-end and run a 5K there as well. I'm really motivated and I have started the Couch to 5K program along with some core training for the days I won't be running.

So I'll finish with a picture of me in London. Yes, I've been there :)

Probably won't be returning to the UK for 2 to 3 years from now, when Phil will have his permanent residency status. I think I will miss that place, and most of all, will miss the family. But I really enjoyed the time I spend there this summer, this was one of my most favorite trips I have done so far...

Back from the Dead, Live from the UK

2009-06-20T12:34:00.003-05:00

Ahoy people !

I know I haven't posted in a longtime, but I'm just like that. I can blog every day during 4 months, then not show up on your blog roll for 2 other months. I should be more disciplined, I apologise.

A lot of new things happened recently. I took about 2 months off Weight Watchers, just because it was driving me crazy. I need to start again, but I really feel like it's poisoning my life. I can't eat whatever I want in whatever quantity I want, I know it's just common sense, but still. I just felt like a prisoner. I am concentrating on eating healthy foods in reasonable quantities, because that's just common sense. And I know WW is common sense too, but I don't want to feel bound by it. I was 137 pounds when I stopped, I'm now 146, but have been maintaining for 3-4 weeks now. I need to make that last weight loss effort to get to 130, then start that maintenance.

Also, I quit my job at Air Canada Vacations. I was tired of being the "yelled at" person, was tired of not being able to go up the ladder. So I applied to be a project manager at a translation company, where one of my friends works, and yes, I got hired. I am starting on July 2nd, 3 days after I come back to Canada from the UK. (Because yes, I'm in the UK right now.)

So yeah, that's the news. Want to know more about what I have done so far since I'm the other side of the Atlantic ocean ? There will be another post about it shortly =) Got to go now, we're having a BBQ tonight !!!

James Bond is not that Bad.

2009-05-17T10:03:00.001-05:00

I used to think that my dad’s tastes for movies were odd. James Bond ? Pfft. It’s only gunshots, stunts and women, actually, that’s what I thought until I watched Quantum of Solace. There was a story under the action, and a very good one on top of that !

Quantum raised the question of water availability in third world countries, in that movie, it was Bolivia as an example, but it could be any other country. Cost to get to water, people unable to afford it, monopoly of the water market…

Quantum also talks about government, dictatorships and money in exchange of power over a nation. Revenge, murder, love, name them. They’re all a part of the movie.

It was deeper than only gunshots, even though there was loads of them. I liked it !!!

The Pink Thing !!!

2009-05-01T16:09:00.004-05:00

The Pink Thing !!!, originally uploaded by brindegazon.

Ok, so let me introduce you to... THE PINK THING ! I received it this morning...

I unwrapped it as soon as the delivery guy was gone. I was soooo excited ! So this is m gift to myself, for being able to loose like 25 pounds and being able to keep on going even though I'm struggling.

I also got my Wii and Wii Fit. Spent an hour having fun with my balance board in m living room. I probably looked like a retard, but I really did enjoy myself =)

EUREKA!

2009-04-30T17:58:00.003-05:00

Ok, illumination.

I found out why I binge. Just like that, ouT of the blue, while talking to my husband.

It is frustration. Frustration related to food, to life, to work, but yeah. I'm a very frustrated person, if I look at how often and how much I binged during the last two weeks. Wheeee !

Now I have to find a way to canalize that frustration. A way that does not involve food, auto destruction and destruction of other people's goods.

I mostly binge during work days. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. I often have Monday off, and I practically never binge on Fridays. (Interesting...) I don't eat like a pig on week-ends either, even when I'm working. But I know the three middle days are the most stressful (and frustratiiiing !!!) days of the week in my department.

Now, let's look at when I DON'T eat.

-When I work as an independant beauty consultant for Mary Kay. Can't eat during presentations, can I ? =P
-When I work from home
-When I bead (Try stringing a necklace with sticky fingers...)
-When I am in my bed
-When I read
-...When I sleep =P

The bed. The bed is what made me click. I eat at the computer desk, on the sofa, on the coffee table, in front of the TV... Literally EVERYWHERE except at the table or in bed. Another thing that's going wrong here, but finding the problems often leads to finding a solution. Let's keep on going.

So I eat everywhere huh ? Even at work. I eat at my desk. So from now on, I will only eat at the table. Period. I need to break the habit, so computer desk of coffee table won't be associated with food anymore. So if I can break the circle of the food associated with every single place in the house/office, I might be halfway there.

So let's try the table rule when it comes to food.

And the Winner is.....

2009-04-25T16:26:00.004-05:00

MISSSARAHLOU !!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations, you just won the earrings for this giveaway !!! Please get in touch with me by email, I need your address information so I can ship these out as soon as I can !

Thanks to everyone who participated and gave ideas. I forwarded the suggestions to my team leader, who was very pleased with them. Thank you, thank you, thank you !

There will be another giveaway in May, keep on reading, you might want to participate.

I'm Weird, I know.

2009-04-25T08:50:00.002-05:00

Gosh, do I love working week-ends. Mostly spring or summer week-ends, because the office is soooo quiet ! I can drink my morning coffee and eat my breakfast without being bothered, plus, I'm sure to finish early, since we're not open in the evening, as opposed to weekdays, on which we're open from 8AM to 9PM. (I despise finishing at 9PM. It's way too late for me.)

So yeah. I'm drinking my second cup of coffee since I arrived, around 7:45. I'm going to wait until 9:30 or 10:00 before eating my breakfast, to give myself the fake impression that I woke up late. All is good. I'm relaxed (Relatively relaxed, if you take in account the three cups of coffee I had this morning.)

Wow, I just realised something. I'm often struggling to stay within my daily points during the week, on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I ALWAYS binge on these two days only. Monday is fine, Tuesday is fine, but for some odd reason, it's always the middle of the week. I will have to catch the pattern/cause and put an end to it. But finding out that it happens ONLY on those two particular days surprised me a lot ! I mean sometimes people will eat more on week-ends, or people will tend to be less on plan on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but the week-end appears to be easier for me food-wise. I don't know why, but it's fine by me, Weight In is on Monday, so I still have time to "catch up" if I do happen to have an over-eating episode. I don't like saying catching up, but that's how I see it. Some weeks are fine, I won't go over my 35 weekly points, but some are not. Like some people I know from the Weight Watchers forums, I will post my menu for today, to help me stay accountable.

Breakfast (4 pts)
Weetabix
Blueberries
Milk
Coffee X3 !

Lunch (8 pts)
Meatballs in tomato juice (Veal and brown rice)
Campbell's tomato soup (This one is a treat, I don't have it often !)
Cucumber with salt and pepper
Non fat yogourt

Snack (1 pt)
Cucumber with salt and pepper
Mini Babybel light

Dinner (7 pts)
Steak
Beets
Sweet potato
Fresh grapes

I'm also experimenting something. I'm "starving" myself on purpose to learn to feel hunger. (Starving is a big word here !) I eat all I have to eat, but I wait until I am really hungry or start feeling hungry before eating. I am not familiar with the hunger sensation, so that's why I want to get familiar with it. Sometimes I think I'm hungry when I'm not, so I just start eating without thinking, and that's how I get past my 20 daily points before dinner. So this is my hunger experiment. And it's working right now, as my belly is growling so loud my boss can hear it. Ten minutes before 10:00, I can wait =)

Tonight, I will get home, and will have a draw with all the people who commented on the giveaway thread giving suggestions for fund raising events or simply commented and followed my blog. I can't wait to see who the winner is ! Wrapping and packaging the earrings will keep me busy enough so I don't eat everything in sight !

April 18th, National Women's Show

2009-04-22T10:32:00.002-05:00

April 18th, National Women's Show, originally uploaded by brindegazon.

Hi people, here's some updates on what I've been doing this past week-end...

So, on April 18th, I went to the National Women's Shows with my friends Karin, Tina and her sister. I had a BLAST ! Plenty of nice things to see, taste and do ! I couldn't stay for the whole day, since I was supposed to pick my friend April up at her place.

We found some Moût de Pomme bottles for like 3 bucks, they're normally 6$ in grocery stores ! So I got myself two. There's not alcohol, and it's very refreshing ! That's one drink I like in the summer by the pool =P

Also took pictures with Harley motorcycles, RAWR ! There were professionnal photographers taking pictures with a background, but mine ended up being blurry, because I moved my face =( So here's one (Picture at the top of this post) that Karin took of me with another Harley. That'll do the job.

Then after that show, I went to pick April up and we could get prepared for my Mary Kay class, in the afternoon. I had 3 friends coming, and we had loads of fun.

I already have 3 other skincare classes booked for the beginning of May. I will be a very busy person, and will need to stay on plan more than ever.

I'm getting back on the wagon today. Hope it works.

Oh, and bad start : Sour milk in my cereals this morning. Time for some groceries =/

Boarding the Pink Train !

2009-04-19T22:12:00.003-05:00

Well, that's it. I'm now an independant beauty consultant for Mary Kay. I signed my consultant agreement and had my very first class yesterday. I must say I was nervous, but Nathalie, my recruiter, was there and could answer all my questions.

We had a nice afternoon with friends, we could talk and pamper ourselves at the same time, and honestly, I think everybody had a great time.

I now need to reach my 30 days 30 faces objective, and I am pretty sure I will succeed.

Yay !

One Week Left !

2009-04-18T06:40:00.004-05:00

Yes, only one week left before we draw the winner for my giveaway. I want to thank everyone for their participation, making this little event a success. I am already planning another giveaway for the month of May, but I'm still looking for the perfect item to list here.

In the meantime, I'm reposting the giveaway details, if anybody who didn't participate yet wants to get a chance to win a cute pair of PINK earrings.

My first giveaway !!! - Extended until April 25th !!!

So to thank you all for your support, I offer the chance to all my readers to win this nice pair of pink earrings made by yours truly.

To qualify, you must :

-Either post a comment on the original giveaway post with a new fund raising idea my walking/running team could use !

-Or follow this blog and comment on the original giveaway post so I know who you are !

Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner ! Giveaway starts on March 28th at 5PM EST and ends on Easter Sunday, April 25th, at 5PM EST. Names will be put in a hat and my lovely sister Roxanne will pick a winner !

Good luck everyone =)

-V

Understanding Each Other's Role

2009-04-17T07:34:00.003-05:00

It is funny how a misunderstanding can become a huge storm. My husband and I had that big argument about the Bible's view of the woman's role in a marriage. I kept on stumbling on the word submission, and got mad. I didn't quite understand what that meant. Did it mean that men have authority over women ? Does it mean submission as in "supporting your husband's decisions" ?

Then comes the misunderstandings. My husband was trying his best to explain, but I guess the words didn't come out the way they should have, and to be honest, at that very point, I wasn't even willing to listen to more "insanity" from him. (Poor little hubby !) But I went to get help, and I got help from my fellow TeamCAC members. They helped me to see that submission doesn't mean that your husband has authority over you. It does not mean that you can't take decisions either, as your husband has to respect you and value your opinions. Your husband should love you enough and trust you enough to let you take decisions. The most clear and simple explanation came from Sharon (From http://javachip.etsy.com/ ) and here's what it says :

"Immediately following the verse where wives are to submit to their husbands, Paul instructs ALL believers in Christ to submit to each other. And the word "submit" has a unique meaning as well. Submission does not mean mindless obedience without a choice. The same word for "submit" is used when Christ "submitted" to God and CHOSE to die on the cross. The Greek word, hupotassō, is often translated as “submitting to” or “being subject” to. It had two uses: military and non-military. The military use implies obedience of a command, but the non-military use implies an attitude of cooperating, helping carry a burden, voluntarily giving in. It means to "support". So as women we are to support our husbands in their decisions and support their leadership, helping them to carry their burden. Wives are told to submit to their husbands as to the Lord, and Christ told us to submit to him as the Church, and if he meant for it to be a military submission, then he would have not gone to all the trouble to die for us out of a loving sacrifice and give us the CHOICE to submit. "

I also understand now, the role of the husband in the unity of marriage. But giving him the title of head of a household, God is qualifying that man to become a protector for his family. He does not make him a dictator over his family, he's just giving that important role to the man so he can protect and support his family as God protects and love His children unconditionally. But the husband also owes respect to his wife ! A marriage is a unity, where both parts have their own roles. Let's look at the woman's role now.

The woman is here to support her husband as a protector (Referred to as "head of the household" here) but also needs to take her place. It doesn't mean that she's there to sweep floors and make babies, it also means budgetting, take decisions and let her opinion be heard. In no way the man should be the only one taking important decisions for the family, and in no way the woman whould be the only one doing so either. A marriage is a unity composed of two beings, and it is natural that these said beings agree together and discuss things together. None of them is more important than the other, and any decision taken that regards the family and the marriage unity should be discussed and the two parts should come to an agreement regarding that decision. Everything has to be done in love and respect, and both opinions should be valued.

So here. We're not doormats. Each person has their place and role to play in this life, and has to understand it. I can play my role, now that everything is clear in my head.

Thank you, TeamCAC. You ladies are a considerable source of wisdom I know I can always turn to. Hugs to Angela, Anastasia, the Krispybanana (don't know your first name sorry =/) Char, Halohatz (No first name again =/) Busybee, Sharon and Amy. If I forget someone, I'm sorry. But I love you too !

Scary.

2009-04-16T09:08:00.004-05:00

A tour operator that was in business for 37 years here in Canada closed down yesterday. For somebody like me, working in the travel industry, that's nothing reassuring, but I feel like the company I work for will get out of this bad financial climate strong and alive.

What scares me the most is the comments I have seen on news websites, such as CBC.ca. People are bashing the company, of course, blaming them for everything, but have they thought of the people working for them ? Hundreds of employees were laid off as a result. Hundreds of people no longer have a job. That's what is the saddest.Yes, passengers are out of pocket, but at least, the credit card companies and the trust funds created for those situations will help them get their money back... The ones at destination will be brought back on their original flight, airlines already confirmed that information yesterday.

But those who lost their jobs can't get any money back. They will go on unemployment and maybe find a job, somewhere, sometime. In this situation, nobody really wins. The company recorded huge losses which lead to them closing, the passengers are not stuck, but are facing an extremely frustration situation, and the employees had to go home yesterday without a job or the confirmation they would even find one later on.

Please, people, be human. Take the passenger's side if you want, but also think of the other people implied in this. This is nothing funny, and there is always two sides to a medal.

Some Before and After Pics !

2009-04-14T19:42:00.012-05:00

(LEFT) So here's myself, at my heaviest weight, 163.6 lbs. The picture is cut because there was someone else on the picture with me.

Anyway, I signed up for Weight Watchers shortly after. I mean, even my face looks fat on this picture !!! I was really determined to do something about my weight then. I told myself that I wouldn't start Weight Watchers, then drop out, then start again... No, I vowed to keep on doing this until the end, even if I knew this would be hard. I also vowed to maintain my weight after I was done with the loss part.

I know that maintaining your weight is an everyday fight, my mom had to go through this. She lost 35 pounds with Weight Watchers years ago, when my sister was born, and she has been maintaining ever since. Now I understand when she says "no thanks" to some kinds of foods, I understand why she doesn't buy chips often. Those things I didn't quite understand when I was younger with no weight issues. But now, believe me, I do. I now understand why she would insist that we eat our steamed veggies without butter. Now I understand why she would not allow extra-butter (extra fat !) popcorn in the house.

(RIGHT) At approximately 155 pounds. We must admit, I look MUUUCH better. Goodbye fat face already, lost a lot of belly fat just there.

That's really when I started to see a difference. I started to feel lighter, I was then able to run. My knees wouldn't make me suffer when I walked or climbed stairs. I would walk faster, and I would not feel my legs rubbing each other anymore.

I started to like myself then. Because I saw results, and I didn't feel like giving up. Even now, when I struggle, the first thoughts that go through my head are not those of giving up. The throughts that go through my head tell me that I am strong and that I should keep on going.

I want results ? Gotta fight for those, and that's what I'm doing. Liking yourself and seeing results is a BIG plus for the motivation. It is the fuel that keeps you going, it is the drive you need. I just started loosing weight, and the most important part for me was to see the little transformations my body was going through. It felt great, and encouraged me to persevere.

(LEFT) Me at 145 lbs. People that hadn't seen me for a long time were there when this picture was taken, and some of them said they almost didn't recognize me.

Clothes were all starting to be too loose, this was the last time I wore that top.

This is when I had to find money to go shopping. I loved that part. I went to get some trousers that were on sale, knowing that they wouldn't fit anymore 10 lbs later... But the best part was when I was in the fitting room. My grand mother was waiting outside and could hear me yell "OH GOSH I FIT IN A SIZE 9 !!! THIS MEDIUM TOP FITS !!!" That was an awesome day. And I got some neat bargains on everything I bought.

So that's it for the before pictures. Now, we'll look at some pictures of myself I took in the fitting room at SmartSet's today. I went shopping, and decided that I neede to spend on things that I would be able to wear even at my goal weight. For example, I will NEVER be able to wear smaller than a small for dresses. Why ? I have breasts. And I really can't hide them.

So here's what I bought : 1 black t-shirt, 1 white t-shirt, 1 coral top, 1 grey top, 1 black and white scarf, 2 skirts (one black, one grey with a belt) as well as a deep purpleish-blue dress. So here's a picture of me wearing the grey skirt (a size 3 !!!) with the black t-shirt. On this pic, I am 137.8 lbs.

My legs are starting to look much better. But I wish my arms were smaller, but alas, there's not magic trick, you can't always loose where you want to ! I think I'm going to have to accept that my arms look ginormous for my weight ! (Or maybe I should just keep on doing the 30 Day Shred and have nice toned arms.) So now, here's my favorite, the blue dress !!! I really liked it, and I never thought that kind of dress would actually look nice on me.

So hmm. That's it for today. I hope these before and after pics are a bit encouraging for those wondering if they'll ever see results or even get to goal altogether.

I have 10 pounds left to loose. I'm confident, I will get there.

I am SOOOOOO excited !!!

2009-04-13T21:46:00.004-05:00

Ok, I said I gained weight, and I was upset. That night, I gave myself a kick in the butt, and I have been strictly following my plan since then, because I had no flexpoints left.

Well, Easter went smoother than any other day of the week. I ate a lot of rabbit food (veggies LOL) and Jell-O, but it went fine and had the roast I was waiting all week for, the oil-coated potatoes (makes them become golden and crispy yum !) and even the gravy ! I ended up having strawberries dipped in chocolate for dessert. I had only 20 points, and only used 20 points.

Anyway, here's my weight-in video =D Because I am pleased to announce that... No, wait, just watch it !

So yeah, today was a very good day. I got all my jewelry stuff out again, and started building up inventory for May 2nd, for our cocktail party. So far, I have a complete set of wineglass markers done, half an anklet, and earrings waiting to be assembled to their hooks.

I also listed new items on Artfire.com, and put a new listing up on Etsy. I haven't done that in a while, but now that I have time, it's easier for me to take time and upload photos photos and add descriptions.

Oh, and I took a big decision regarding enidjewelry.com... I will take the website down and let go of the domain. Why ? First, because I need to put my money somewhere else, and second, I update more on my blog than on the website itself. Every new product is mentionned here, and it felt repetitive to add the same thing to the website's frontpage. So there. You want to know everything about my new jewelry lines ? Keep on reading this blog, I'll keep you all updated !

Enough rambling now, going to bed. Will take pictures outside tomorrow. It's supposed to be sunny and warm. And we're starting to see bulb leaves. Soon, we'll blink an eye and see tulips and May will be on our doorstep.

I can't wait. Spring is always full of fresh surprises. Smile, life is beautiful.

Quick Vid !

2009-04-13T09:36:00.004-05:00

Good morning everyone !

Here's a quick video I did yesterday regarding the past two weeks, so here :

Also, we moved the cocktail night at my friend's place to May 2nd, because I was working all week-end at my day job, and I need the whole afternoon to set the table up, and prepare some snacks and drinks. I think it's going to be a success, out cocktail parties ALWAYS have been a success !!! I want to start incorporating more "presentation" type of things, I want people to interact, I got to work on that too.

Off to make some anklets, be back later with pictures, maybe =)

-V

Giveaway Extension !

2009-04-12T13:02:00.001-05:00

My first giveaway !!! - Extended until April 25th !!!

So to thank you all for your support, I offer the chance to all my readers to win this nice pair of pink earrings made by yours truly.

To qualify, you must :

-Either post a comment on the original giveaway post with a new fund raising idea my walking/running team could use !

-Or follow this blog and comment on the original giveaway post so I know who you are !

Good luck everyone =)

-V

My new haircut !

2009-04-12T12:50:00.003-05:00

My new haircut !, originally uploaded by brindegazon.

Wow, it's been forever since I didn't cut my hair or had a proper hair-dye. Well here I am, new color, new haircut, new style ! I love it, really. I can style it any way I want, from curly-girly (like on the picture !) or straight, or messy/bedhead style, really, I can do anything with it !

Well, I think I was in need of a change. I have new clothes, I'm thinner, I wear make-up everyday, but I didn't have a proper haircut. In the morning, I was just stuffing my hair into a ponytail and that was it. My hair was looking dull, and honestly, not that great. Even my sister told me I didn't look very nice one day, and she said I should get a haircut. Well, I did.

Anyway, I know I wasn't feeling so great this week, but things picked up. I gave myself a kick in the butt, and had a great day (food-wise) yesterday. I felt like I was weening from drugs, but still, I didn,t give in and didn't go get that last piece of cake in the freezer. Good for me, because I don't have any Flex left. Which brings me to the Easter dinner issue.

I have to be strict for the whole day today too. I requested roast-beef for dinner, and my mom made it. Great, because I know I won't eat something too salty like ham. WI is tomorrow, and roast beef will be fine. Dessert, well. The dessert... Strawberries dipped in one once of chocolate is what I will have. I can't afford to have anything else. How dull is that ? Well, next time, I'll learn to keep some Flex for these occasions. One more good motivator to not binge during the week.

I will post a new video this afternoon, so I might come and post again !!!

NOT ok.

2009-04-09T21:25:00.003-05:00

Oh I thought I wouldn't come and write this here, because I just feel like a big fat fraud right now. But still, I'll write it here.

I've been saying the weight loss is a success, that it's doing good, but that's absolutely false for the last 4-5 days. Seriously, I lost control of myself, and then the binge started. I'm not going to tell you about the 50 points over my flex and Activity points that I ingested, and I'm not going to talk about the 5 points I have over my APs and Flex right now, 3 days in my new week. No. I'm going to talk about how it happens.

It happens in the brain, my MY brain. Actually, it's way more complex than just happening in my brain, let me explain by giving you an example. I'm bored, I'm stressed, or I'm just going back to my old habits. I get up, open the cupboard. At this point, I am telling myself not to eat, as I'm not hungry. But that's when it happens. It's like the connections between my brain and my body disapears and that I have no control over my actions. Then I take the box of cereals/biscuits/crackers/whatever, open it, and while telling myself I should put it back there and not eat, as I'm not hungry, I keep on pouring the contents in a bowl. And then I eat it. Without even trying to throw it/put it back in the cup board/keep it as left overs.

Why in the world is it like that ? People who say that I should just exercise self-control are right, but it's easier said than done ! And right now, like I said, I am feeling like a big fat fraud. Sometimes I just stuff my face in something and still end up loosing weight. Sometimes I'm lucky and get a good weight in, but now that I'm getting closer to goal, the weight doesn't come off if I stuff my face like I do all the time. I need to do something about it. I just don't know what. I plan my meals, write them down in advance, nothing works, I NEVER STICK TO MY PLANS ! Well when I do it's a victory in itself, but it's what, once a month ?

Tomorrow I'm heading to the gym. I just hope to be earning enough APs to catch up.

I'm hopeless. And PMSing. I'm bloated, I'm feeling fat and ugly. And I stuffed my face in popcorn. Not the low-fat thing. Yes you guessed, extra-butter. Blergh.

I should talk about him sometimes !

2009-04-08T18:32:00.004-05:00

The Little Hubby and I - Llanfairpwll...etc., originally uploaded by brindegazon.

About who ? About my little hubby ! Yes, the tiny guy by my side on that picture is my husband. (OMGOSH WAS I THIN BACK THEN !!!!!!! But guess what, I'm thinner now than when that picture was taken WOOHOO !) And I know we're both extra tiny on the picture, but we had to see the whole town sign, which is comprised of 58 letters. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgoger.... whatever.

No, I didn't marry a 6 foot tall football player, I noticed... But still, we always say he shrunk in the wash ! So maybe he is a 6 foot tall footbal player, he's just hiding it. That doesn't prevent him from living a normal life, although he might encounter some obstacles and ask for help when this happens. I mean, he can wash the dishes and start a wash when he's home, and I know he's able to mow the lawn with the electric land mower, but I won't let him do that, he's too dangerous >.> Runs over the wire and so on, he once said to me.

Anyway, We've been living appart for a while, visiting 3 to 4 times a year, but this year will be different. He's moving to Canada on August 5th ! We'll be starting immigration procedures, and then he will be able to work here. I can't wait, to be honest, because when he comes here, he's never quite at home, and when he goes back to Wales, he's not quite at home either. He always lives in suitcases, and I don't blame him for hating it. Having to say good bye everytime doesn't rock that hard either.

I don't know how we will survive on his savings for about a year and a half (And maybe two years if the government hates on us) But I am confident that the Lord will provide, because he always does. I witnessed his presence in my life, I know he can provide, even when we think we'll never get out of the mud.

So here. You know me a bit better !

-V

Giveaway - Recap

2009-04-06T22:36:00.002-05:00

My first giveaway !!!

So to thank you all for your support, I offer the chance to all my readers to win this nice pair of pink earrings made by yours truly.

To qualify, you must :

-Either post a comment on the original giveaway post with a new fund raising idea my walking/running team could use !

-Or follow this blog and comment on the original giveaway post so I know who you are !

Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner ! Giveaway starts on March 28th at 5PM EST and ends on Easter Sunday, April 12th, at 5PM EST. Names will be put in a hat and my lovely sister Roxanne will pick a winner !

Good luck everyone =)

-V

Artfire ? Oh yeah !

2009-04-03T06:29:00.004-05:00

I came accross Artfire on Twitter, when Redpanda mentionned that for a flat fee per month, you could list an indefinite number of items, with up to 10 photos, and that, on top of this, there are absulotely no fees when you make a sale !

I thought to myself, might as well try, you never know. Etsy charges me 20 cents per listing, and 3.5% of my sale's amount, on top of the fees Paypal charges me.

So I started listing a couple days ago, I joined a Christian guild (The equivalent of street teams on Etsy I guess !) and will see how I do, but I think this is going to be a very venue ! You can make an Artfire shop window, which looks a lot like an Etsy mini, to post on your website or blog.

For those interested, the current special on the monthly fees is 12$ US per month instead of 20$, so hurry to grab an account ! I mean, when your Etsy bill is more than 12 $ a month, I can see how Artfire can be interesting ! Register on ArtFire.com and start selling =)

New Videos !

2009-03-30T21:56:00.004-05:00

Ok so first, I shall remind you of my first blog giveaway !

To qualify, you must click this link and :

-Either post a comment with a new fund raising idea my walking/running team could gladly use

-Or follow this blog and comment so I know who you are !

Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner ! Giveaway started on March 28th at 5PM EST and ends on Easter Sunday, April 12th, at 5PM EST. Names will be put in a hat and my lovely sister Roxanne will pick a winner !

Also, I posted new videos about my weight loss journey, for those interested. Here's my Pre-Weight In video made this afternoon. I was in a good mood, because I had an excellent week !

Then I came back from my Weight In, and posted another. With the new weight information (!!!) and something about next Saturday's outing : The Sugar Shack ! I'm explaining what I'm planning to do. Let's see if I can stick to it.

So for now, I'll finish my cup of camomille-honey-vanilla herbal tea and head to bed to a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, I'll write about Artfire and my new creations...

We speak the same language, but...

2009-03-30T10:42:00.004-05:00

Bodnant Gardens - Pavillion, originally uploaded by brindegazon.

...But some differences can lead to very embarrassing moments.

I have been to the UK twice to date, and will go one more time in June. I loved it of course, but there are language differences I wasn't aware of during my first visit. This post is kind of a response to Misssarahlou's "What are you talking about?" post. She was showing the UK's side of things, as a new Canadian resident.

Well I'll talk about the point of view of a Canadian visitor to the UK.

So we'll start with PANTS. I was going to go shopping with my boyfriend at the time (Now husband) because he needed some clothes for his upcoming 6 months trip to Canada. We get to Wrexham, enter some shops, buy some stuff, then I ask my mother in law if Phil got some pants yet. She doesn't seem to take notice, she probably knew what I meants, but didn't correct me on that one. So we keep shopping, he finds some pairs of pants, then we go back home. In the evening, we went and had a cup of tea with cheese on toast at his grand parents' place, and we start telling them about our shopping trip. Then I say : Oh and he got some nice pairs of pants and 2 or 3 nice shirts.
...
SILENCE
...
WEIRD LOOKS
...
"Valerie, do you mean trousers?" hmmmm trousers ? Is there something I don't know ???? Well, apparently, PANTS are UNDERPANTS.

I wanted to hide under the sofa BIG TIME. So embarrassing...

Oh and imagine my face when I first heard "Toad in a hole". I really was wondering what it was. Well it's a meal. Comprised of sausage and a yorkie. With peas and gravy. Yum !

So that was my story, accompanied by a nice photo taken in Bodnant Gardens two years ago ! I loved that place, and will be going back this summer with my sister. (Along with a lot of other places. Like Cadbury's world... But this time, I won't indulge on chocolate too much =P Just a couple of Flakes will do.)

No, I don't eat weird stuff.

2009-03-29T10:57:00.006-05:00

Information on the blog giveaway can be found here.

I have heard a lot of people say that to loose weight on Weight Watchers you needed to buy their product, or that people following WW ate weird stuff and so on. But these are false assumptions that I am trying to kill with this video. See for yourself, here's a tour of my pantry and freezer.

I have been a good girl for the last days. I used to be struggling to stay within my daily point allowance and seemed to always go over, so much that I didn't even have enough of 35 weekly points ! But I found the problem : I ate unecessary big breakfasts. I sometimes used 7 to 8 points for a breakfast, while I can be full and satisfied with only 4 to 5 points. I worked on reducing my breakfasts' points values and ended up using only my daily points for the past 3 days ! GO ME !

I still have a bit of grocery shopping to do today, as well as some cleaning before my parents get here for dinner ! Tonight is going to be very smooth, we're eating chicken cacciatore with a salad and a piece of homemade carrot cake. We might watch a movie after or take a walk if the weather permits it.

Have a great day everyone ! Smile even if it's rainy !

Ooooh I think you're going to like this one...

2009-03-28T15:24:00.006-05:00

I'll start with the usual rambling, then go on with an exciting announcement !!!

So, lately, I've been doing great. I've not been able to say that for a while, but I'm getting used to less food, and I find more tricks. Yay !! So that's about the weight loss part.

Now, my breast cancer walk team and I are organizing a cocktail night at one of my friends' place, on April 25th. It's going to be my first cocktail party in 2009, and I'm really excited ! I'm working on a new line of anklets, that will be introduce on that very day. I'm currently supply-shopping, to see if I can find exactly what I want. I may let you take a peek before the actual day, but they won't be up for sale until April 25th.

Another activity we're organising is a garage sale on May 30th and 31rst, postponed to the next week-end if raining. We're trying to get as much stuff as we can from everyone around us to make a couple hundred dollars out of this event, along with the chocolates we're selling right now as a lower-scale fund-raising activity.

I'm also preparing a bowling night. It will take place on August 21rst, more details to come.

Sooooooooooooooooo Here's what you all have been waiting for since the beginning ;

My first giveaway !!!

So to thank you all for your support, I offer the chance to all my readers to win this nice pair of pink earrings made by yours truly.

To qualify, you must :

-Either post a comment with a new fund raising idea my walking/running team would gladly use

-Or follow this blog and comment so I know who you are !

Please leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner ! Giveaway starts today, March 28th at 5PM EST and ends on Easter Sunday, April 12th, at 5PM EST. Names will be put in a hat and my lovely sister Roxanne will pick a winner !

Good luck everyone =)

-V

Wow...

2009-03-20T18:26:00.005-05:00

I almost never post. What's happening with moi ? Actually, plenty of things xD

I'm going to the UK in June, that's for sure. Trip is booked and paid for, this is for real ! Even though it's going to be my 3rd time over there, I bet there are tons of things I haven't seen yet that I have to discover this time. We'll see =)

Also, news and updates regarding the breast cancer run, I am able to run the full 5km now. I am so glad ! I just need to reduce my time to 30 minutes and my goal will be reached. I feel like I went beyond myself with all my heart and strenght to help breast cancer victims, and each time I run, I push myself ahrder and harder, because running is so much easier than leading the battle for your own life. There's a meaning to each and every step, and that's what makes it so wonderful.

Change of subject, I'm starting to like action movies even more, I think I'm turning into my husband. That is SO weird ! I changed A LOT in the past few months. Physically (lost 21 pounds up to date, 17 of them left to lose. GO MOI !) and psychologically as well. I think this is for the better. I take care of myself a lot more, buy nicer clothes, I'm totally rebuilding my self-confidence. I love it. Thanks to everyone cheering me up after each weight-in, without you guys, I would probably have given up already. Special thanks to my co-worker Eve. She's going through the same thing as me right now and she's my biggest inspiration right now. We support each other, and that how we make our journey a success.

I'm leaving you on a second Vlog entry posted 2-3 weeks ago on my YouTube. See the change in mood. I love myself now. Finally.

So Here's a little bit less of me now...

2009-01-30T20:06:00.003-05:00

Week 8 on Weight Watchers ! Since I don't really feel like writing something, here's a video I posted on my Vlog regarding my progress. Here we go !

Wedding Photos

2009-01-10T09:00:00.004-05:00

My Wedding - My father and I, originally uploaded by brindegazon.

This picture is one of the many amateur photos that were taken at my wedding... But until now, I didn't have my real professional photos in hand. Well still don't have them, but I finished choosing them last week, and we should have them delivered in the next 6 to 8 weeks.

I can't wait. I've been waiting for that for months, and finally, Phil was in Canada with me so we could choose the rest of the pictures and make a final payment.

And also, I've been very busy with fund raisings for the CIBC Run for the Cure, so I am very sorry if I don't update more often ! We have a spaghetti dinner and a jewelry workshop coming up soon, and our team is overwhelmed with work...

That's all for now, folks ! Might update later on with pictures of my hubby with his new haircut ! He looks sooo emo =P

I Lost Weight !!!!!

2008-12-28T14:32:00.003-05:00

I'm just finishing my third week on Weight Watchers, and I already feel better. My pants are a lot less tight than they were, people are starting to notice the weight loss as well !

"Hey Val, your pants are starting to be too big for you, get a belt ! =P" Was a comment I received from a workmate who knows I'm following WW ! It was said with humour, and said she wanted to tell me that I'm not doing these efforts for nothing, because it actually shows !

I think I have done well with all the parties and dinners I have been to. I overate. Yes. But it's done, and I just have to do some exercise to help speding all those calories. I have been drinking a lot of water, and slacked on the soft drinks. I discovered that I liked dattes, pitted prunes and hummus. I got used to whole wheat bread, and am now eating healthier. I even take multivitamins =P I took vitamins as a kid, but that was all. I have a lot more energy, and it motivates me to continue.

Anyway. Off I go to continue my weight loss quest. It's doing great so far !

- 5.6 pounds.

-V

Another Treasury !

2008-12-14T10:35:00.004-05:00

Team CAC Wonders #3, originally uploaded by brindegazon.

I know, it's been a very long time since I wrote last, but I have been extremely busy with Christmas planning !

I want to start with this treasury I was featured in, by MFcardworks. She included one of my favorite creations, my minty green earrings ! I was really excited to see them in the spotlight, for once.

I also hosted a cocktail night for my Breast Cancer walking team, and I sold for more than 100 $ worth of jewelry, on which 85 $ went for the cause. For more information, visit http://www.savetheboobies.info/ ! Thanks to everybody that attended, this was a whole lot of fun, and I will gladly repeat the experience later this year.

I also want to mention that I started Weight Watchers on Monday December 8th, and we are now December 14th, and I still hold on the the program. (This is a miracle, I usually don't last more than 2-3 days because I usually starve when I'm carefully about what I eat) I'm never hungry, I eat whole foods and most of the recipes they provide are tasty and low in fat/sugar ! I enjoy cooking, and I enjoy good food, so I am happy, and my belly is happy, too =) I wish I can continue for a long time, since I need to lose 38 pounds to be back to my original weight. (Hmm that was like... 4 years ago !) I'll keep you guys updated on how the weight loss is going, I'm so looking forward to my first 10 pounds loss ! My mom is paying a part of the program for me, so I don't get broke while trying to loose weight, and when I loose my first 10 pounds, she said she'd buy me a pair of pants or something. Yay !

Anyway, I shall go back to work on my new healthy recipe book ! I'm converting my own recipes values in points, and I'm also gathering Weight Watchers recipes. The best way to eat healthy is to make it accessible. A recipe book will be accessible enough !

In the meantime, be careful on the roads, it's icy ! And since it's Christmas time soon, my advice is don't drink and drive,children =P

Be safe !

-V

Be part of the club !

2008-11-11T12:31:00.003-05:00

This is something I started recently. The "Earrings of the Month" Club, a bit like a "Soap of the Month" thing =) I have a listing up for 6 months in my shop, and will add one for three months very soon. My hubby told me it was a "grand idea", but you know, he's my husband therefore his advice is not very objective =P Anybody willing to give me some feedback on that ?

-V

And Again !

2008-11-09T17:15:00.003-05:00

Dichroic Pendant Necklace, originally uploaded by brindegazon.

This necklace has been featured in this treasury by Catherine. It is a treasury list that features CASTTeam members, and I am honored to be part of it.

I have to get listing more tomorrow, so I just hope we have some sun to take neat pictures and be able to list some items. I don't really know what I am going to do in the winter, since natural sunlight happens to be the best for my pictures. If I take pictures indoors, photos end up orange-ish and ugly =/ Anybody knows a good (not too expensive) lamp to avoid this ? I already have a light tent so I know this helps a bit.

Also, reminder to all, my walking team for breast cancer has a Silent Auction going, and we will feature items donated by fellow artists and crafters. If you want to bid on unique items and support a great cause, click here and browse !

Might be back later tonight with more interesting stuff to say =)

-V

Sometimes...

2008-11-08T11:18:00.001-05:00

Black and White Treasury, originally uploaded by brindegazon.

Sometimes you think you'll never make it into a treasury, and there's always somebody to remind you that you are absolutely wrong. I had a beautiful surprise yesterday, when I was back from work, I was part of Anastasia's black and white treasury. (You might want to check her shop by the way, she sells some neat stuff ! http://mattscraftywife.etsy.com )

The necklace featured is very special to me, as it is the first piece I made that was part of my Christian collection. It was the necklace that started it all, and since then, it has never stopped.

Of course, it takes me more time to put the pieces together and form a full collection, because this is a higher end product, and I really take my time to create pieces that have a meaning.

I think the treasury is still live, I don't know if it's Treasury West or regular Treasury, because I'm featured in treasuries in both, but go take a look, some great sellers are featured there with me !

-V

When Inspiration Strikes !

2008-11-05T16:34:00.006-05:00

I haven't done anything in a long time. No, it's not true. I made a lot of stuff recently, for my cocktail night coming up on November the 29th, but I haven't done anything to list on Etsy or on my own website.

Sooooo, after picking up my brownies from A Sugar Affair at the Post Office, I started looking at my stash to see what I could create. I was in the mood for grey. I don't know why, because I mostly like bright colors, but grey was my inspiration today. And I must admit that I am quite happy with the results.

I bought these borosilicate beads a long time ago and never found what to do with them. I have other colors as well, but I couldn't figure what to match this particular pair with.

This was the only thing I did today. I'm now waiting for my sister to arrive, because she's coming to spend the night with me ! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY ! I can't wait, I miss her very much since I moved out. Here's a picture of my tiny little sister with a friend. I spent a part of the afternoon browsing through her trip pictures, and I must admit, I am jealous.

...So jealous, that I am planning a trip to Hawaii with her for the next year. She will also come with me to the UK during next summer. I plan on catching up on the traveling. (Although I won't find any kangaroos where we'll be going...)

Anyway, I have rice on the stove, and I don't want that stuck at the bottom of the saucepan...

Bad Start...

2008-10-29T11:02:00.007-05:00

I woke up to an inch of snow. YES ! SNOW ! If you look at today's date, you'll see that something is seriously wrong. We are not even in November, yet. But it's snowing. For those who don't believe me, here are two pictures I took this morning when I woke up.

This is my balcony. Looks like it's going to be Christmas too. I just wish one thing though. That we have a white Christmas just like last year. The year before, we had a mud Christmas. Not so cool.

This is the street. Snow started to melt already. Thanks goodness. I think I was going to have a panic attack or something. I woke up, then went straight to the window, to see if it was raining. BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ! It's solid rain. Not fair.

Ok, I'll try being positive. I'll talk about Christmas, because i'm in the mood. (Wonder why.) This year, I'm at my own place. I cannot rely on mom and dad to cook for me or decorate for me. I will get to choose my own decorations !!! I already have one party planned, and I'm soooooo looking forward to it. I'm on a budget for the tree, but I might just get a gingerbread theme and make some cinnamon applesauce ornaments, and get a natural tree. I can only imagine what kind of smell my house will ahve during the holiday season ! Only thing is that I have no idea where I'm going to put that tree. I don't have room =P Here's my living room/bedroom. Where should I put the darn thing ?!

This is the bedroom's side, with my hubby playing on the PC. He plays so much, that he's now an object. He's part of this corner's furniture =P I can't see where I can put a tree.

And this is the other side of the living room. I would like to put the tree in the left corner near the bookshelf, but there's an electric heater on the wall, so I'm scared, don't want a fire ! I won't get a ginormous tree, but I want something decent, and I want to decorate my windows with lights ! I'd like to put lights on the balcony ramps, but there's no outside plug. I have absolutely no idea.

Anyway... I need advice =P

A Huge Difference...

2008-10-19T09:25:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, as usual, I went to my Saturday night Bible study. We started about one of our fellows' spiritual birthday. Last week, Yi accepted Jesus Christ as her savior. (What a shame I wasn't there !) Then I started talking about how I didn't have a spiritual birthday, and that I always believed. Lisa then said that believing and giving yourself to the Lord is very different... She asked me if I ever remembered a moment when I realised that my faith made a huge step forward.

Then I knew when that spiritual birthday was.

The first time I went to the UK, my mother in law NEVER convinced me to go to church with them. My excuse was : Oh I'm a catholic, I can't go to your church. Catholic church was my comfort zone. I could say I "belonged" to a church and sleep like a baby at night because I thought I was saved. But still didn't go to church every Sunday, as it was "boring". And to be honest, I was avoiding the unknown by staying in the comfort of that denomination I didn't even associate with. (Not that I don't like them. I just didn't feel at ease with that church. That's different.) I was brought up catholic, but it started to feel artificial and meaningless to me.

The second time I went to the UK, I decided that I would go to church with the family. I mean, they couldn't be weird people. I knew half of the people attending already, it couldn't be that bad. When the worship started, I didn't get up at first. Then I did. And I sang. And felt the Spirit filling me with joy and peace. Then I knew I belonged there, and that I would keep on singing for the Lord.

And since then, it never stopped.

I can say I definitely started my walk with the Lord on that day. July 5th 2007.

Music for Money - Awesome Band !

2008-10-13T12:08:00.003-05:00

I went to their show at the St-Ciboire pub in Montreal on Saturday. The only reason why I went was because it was my friend's best friend's band. I knew it was instrumental. But that's all.

Well, I was surprised and delighted by what I heard. I listen to a lot of soundtracks, most of them instrumental, to get my inspiration while crafting, and their music fit right in my tastes ! Here's how they describe themselves ;

"Music For Money, a pretentious and romantic music band. Arrogant and lover. Music For Money is the sensible reaction to a plastical system of production and creation.
From voice-corrected singer without talent to their mega-productions pushing them with empty marketing campaign based on tweaked image, wines pot and pushing. The music for money industry is a noise pollution, a machine to produce empty artist, empty music, a beautiful hypocrisy.
In all is pretension, Music For Money proclaim himself as true, imperfect, without implants or whatever…
Music For Money dare, create without compromise universe without lyrics, smalls sound movies where blend beauty and violence. They experiment, look for new path.
Music For Money like himself authentic, exagerated, passionate and independent."

I recommend them to anyone looking for something different ! I really enjoyed the show (Even if I had to elave early) and probably go to their next one =) For their calendar and updates, you can browse their Myspace, http://www.myspace.com/musicformoney ! Plus, you can listen to a bit of what they can do. They are also on Facebook, if ever you want to become a fan.

This really my crush of the year music-wise =)

Oh ! The Tag. Wait, I've been tagged !

2008-10-10T17:43:00.002-05:00

I have been tagged by Laurie from Blooming Lily !

The rules:
Link to your tagger and list the rules
List 7 random facts about yourself
Tag 7 people (and make sure you check back and see what they say!)
If you're tagged, play along and pass it on!

Random Facts:
1. I'm actually a good cook ! (Everybody was expecting the opposite. I'm not a culinary disaster, sorry !)

2. I still paint.
3. I'm a cleaning freak. (That one is probably unexpected. I never cleaned my room at my parents' place and now it's total opposite.)
4. My first language is French

5. I'm a Christian.

6. I speak a bit of Welsh.
7.I almost never wear makeup (Although that's about to CHANGE !)

Ok, so here are the people I'm tagging. Muahahah !

1. Andrew
2. Karen
3. Gina
4. Melody
5. Amanda
6. Helen
7. Beki

LET'S GO !

I Walked 5 KM !

2008-10-06T17:34:00.008-05:00

And my legs aren't even aching. But my shoulders are killing me. I don't get it. But this year's Run for the Cure is done with. But next year's fund raising is just starting, and I have another cocktail night coming soon ! I will be so amazingly busy for the next months =)

Here's a couple pictures from yesterday...

This is the walking team, Celyne, Patrick, Laurie and I. (Notice the TERRIFIC pink wig ?)

This year, our walk was dedicated to Jackie, a fellow Etsy seller, who is a 4 years survivor !

Viviane and Roxanne RAN 5km. I sincerely hope that they are aching today =P

Thanks for everybody's participation ! I really had a blast, and I already pre-registered for next year. This will keep me really busy, I can feel it already =P

The Run

2008-10-03T10:44:00.002-05:00

I just reached my goal of 150 $ for this year's CIBC Run for the Cure. The event will take place on Sunday October 5th.

I will be participating next year, so we're already planning some more events. For next year's fund raising's progress and list of events, you can browse our team's blog. We are planning another cocktail night on November 20th (That will be a good occasion to shop for the perfect Christmas gift !) and we're also planning an silent auction on our blog. Stay tuned !

Next year's goal will probably be around 1000$ and we will need all the support you can give us.

God bless everyone that helped this year =)

-V

MEXIIIIIICO !

2008-09-21T12:01:00.001-05:00

On May 30th, 2009, I plan on going to Mexico with my husband and my parents. I need to save REAL bad. And I think I'll just get a ticker and monitor my savings here. So you can see how bad I am at saving.

Will put it at the bottom of this blog. Yeah.

-V

Stalling cars and cereal bowls ! What will be next ?!

2008-09-17T11:47:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a day full of adventures, I tell you. I left work with a friend, since her boyfriend came to pick us up. We all noticed there was something weird with the car... I KNEW it was a transmission issue, just the way the car changed gears. But I didn't worry that much, as my parents used to have a car with that sort of problem and it was just a gears problem... I mean nothing that would make you car STALL.

Anyway, was get near Mont-Royal street in Montreal (A busy one, of course, that couldn't happen in the middle of nowhere !) and then the car just... Stops moving. Anthony pressed on the accelerator, and the car wouldn't move. Wow. So then I recommend starting up the car over again. It didn't work. (Yay !) So I call my dad. I was short on ideas =P

Dad asks me the most basic questions and finally, I end up checking on transmission fluid... Well. Lack of transmission fluid. THING WAS LEAKING ! There was a LAKE of fluid on the ground. We had a bottle of it in the trunk, so we used it and could make it to a nearby garage, where we bought more. But it was leaking more and mroe and moooooore ! So we ended up parking on a boulevard and my friend had somebody pick them up at my place.

I was sooo tired that I ended up eating a bowl a cereals for dinner. How fantastic. I'm the greatest of cooks. Rice krispies with milk !

Save the Boobies !

2008-09-15T16:39:00.004-05:00

Our team for the CIBC Run for the Cure is named Save the Boobies ! and now has its own website and domain. We have a blog (In both French and English) where we're going to document our progress, talk about upcoming events and give information about breast cancer. The hosting is a gift from my own business, Enid's jewelry. The domain name is my personal contribution.

We are situated at http://www.savetheboobies.info and do not hesitate to pay us a visit =)

Home Party Pictures !

2008-09-14T12:43:00.008-05:00

I have pictures of my table and the munchies. That's not much, but I am waiting on the other pictures from another friend.

Here's my table ! Not a lot of stuff, considering there was only 7 people coming. We made the invitations a bit too last minute, and since this is back-to-school for a lot of people, it was harder to get them to come. I sold a lot of bigger sets, and I am very happy. Bigger sets, bigger prices, bigger donations.

The red tablecloth had an amazing effect ! At first, I wanted black, but red did such a nice effect, I didn't bother getting a black one. Next time, I will be bringing more displays, I also plan on buying a real revolving earrings display, because there were so many earrings it became complicated to put them all on those frosted glasses. I would also need 2 more busts and 4 more bracelet displays ! It was not bad for a first time, and I am very proud of how my table looks =)

Since this was a cocktail night, we had munchies, cocktails and punches ! See the carved glass punch bowl ? That's mine. I never thought I would use it =P I will keep it for other cocktail nights to come... The Hawaiian punch was excellent and the peach/white cranberry sangria was awesome as well. I will soon post the recipes here =)

We had mini pizzas, stuffed phyllo dough bites and mini pastries to offer. The atmosphere was friendly and people enjoyed the fact that there was first, no pressure to buy, and second, that they could sip a drink while browsing beautiful jewelry. This is a winning formula, that can work for summer and winter alike. Just change the cocktails served and the bites. Melon and prosciutto would be awesome for summer, along with a cup of rose wine or hawaiian punch !

I absolutely loved the experience ! I am already preparing for November.

Home Party Outcome...

2008-09-14T08:10:00.003-05:00

Quick summary, since I plan on writing another post with pictures later today.

I didn't have a lot of items, since we only had 7 people coming. (Seems like jewelry home parties don't have much success in this part of the country. I know it is very popular in other parts of *english* Canada, but not in the *french* parts.)

It was really cool, thought ! We will hold another cocktail/jewelry night nearer to Christmas and make more items that can be given as gifts. We had very good suggestions from my friend's mom, who really wants to get some wine cup markers, or even beer bottle markers. This is to remember.

We sold for 150$, which is good for the small amount of people there. To my surprise, more bigger pieces sold than 5$ and 8$ earrings. Lampwork bracelets, crystal rings and necklace sets sold very well.

I can pat myself on the shoulder and tell myself I did well.

-V

First Home Party !

2008-08-28T11:56:00.005-05:00

Yes, you read correctly ! I'm setting up my first home party ever on September 13th. I am soooo excited, I don't know where to start. I'm setting it up for our fund raising for the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation, so pink will be the theme color. Of course, I'll have other colors on display, because not all girls will wear pink =P

Lollipop party invitations package, from piggytailsstationary shown in the picture above. Perfect for the little girl in you !

I have to be really creative and find some great ways to display the inventory. I also wonder how much inventory should I bring... I don't want to bring so much stuff (so people don't know where to look !) or not bring enough stuff (And sell out too quick).

I also found how it would be presented, and I'm pretty proud of myself ! It will start at 7h30PM, as a cocktail-themed night. I will wear a dress and heels, so will my mom sister and friend (host). Sangria and punch will be available, as well as little canapés for snack. I plan on ending it aounrd 10PM, and I asked that people confirm their presence 2 days before, just as an indicator on how much alcohol and food we need to buy.

I really hope this will be a success ! In the meantime, I'll work on my displays and post pictures of them. If anybody has advice to give for a first home show, go ahead ! I'd appreciate =)

-V

FOOD ! Yes, again.

2008-08-27T10:53:00.006-05:00

I know, I only talk about food recently. But I've been experimenting a lot, and found some neat stuff to share with all of you, my readers. I can't make jewelry yet, we're not done classifying the supplies, but it should be done soon. Patience is a virtue they say.

Schwartz's Montreal Steak Spices

While this is done, I can still talk to you about my favourite steak spices EVER ! We'll start with the ultimate version of the Montreal Steak Spices, the Schwartz version. Schwartz is a delicatessen located on St-Laurent Boulevard, and it is known for the incredible smoked meat sandwiches and pickles offered there. They also sell spices. Awesome steak spices, that my mum and dad bought last year. The taste is incredible, but the price is too. I don't remember the exact price, but it was more expensive than the average spice container found in groceries. But well worth it. Yum !

Club House La Grille's Montreal Steak Spice

There's a cheaper but still good version made by Club House that is called Montreal Steak Spice as well. It is very good, and that's the one I'm using, since I'm too broke to buy Schwartz stuff. Price goes around 4$ canadian in regular groceries. Those spices are awesome on those little medallion steaks... Sprinkle spices on both sides, and cook until meat is rare. It's awesome, I tell you.

I used to hate spices on steak, but now I can't do without. Brings so much more flavor !

Nom nom nom. Take 2

2008-08-24T09:32:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was a really busy day for me. In fact, I decided that I was going to be done with boxes, and that I would find a spot for every craft supplie that lies on the floor. This was the mission I gave to myself, and I must say that I was quite successful completing it ! Photos coming soon.

I also cooked with the milk I had left in the fridge. My biggest challenge, now, is to get used to buy stuff for two. I had to throw so much stuff because we couldn't eat it before it went bad... Just this morning, I had to throw a container full of cooked ham because we couldn't eat it all. I really should have put it in the freezer. I guess I'll get used to it gradually. Now I know when to buy milk, and which quantity is needed. I had to freeze 2 bags of milk so it doesn't go bad. I cooked some pudding with the rest. (Well, Blanc-manger pudding is awesome anyway.)

Old Fashionned "Blanc-manger"

3 tablespoons of Corn Starch

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 1/4 cups of milk

1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Mix the corn starch with sugar and salt. Gradually add milk.

Keep on stirring the milk mix on low heat until it boils (or becomes thick like a bechamelle) and be careful not to scrape the bottom of the pan. (At least if it sticks at the bottom, you'll be able to avoid the burnt milk taste.)

Let boil for 1 minute (Mine never gets to boil, because I keep on stirring like mad, but you'll notice a change in texture. It will become a lot thicker than it was.) Then, remove from heat and add the vanilla.

Put in the fridge, and serve cold with strawberry or blueberry jam on top. Or no jam. Your choice =)

This is a good recipe when you have a lot of milk and don't know what to do with it. I will come up with new recipes soon ! Since I moved, I cook a lot more and try a lot more things too.

Finally, take a peek at our new place !

2008-08-22T08:50:00.009-05:00

My husband and I moved recently to Montreal, in the Rosemont - Petite Patrie area. We love our new place. It's very quiet (In a cul-de-sac, so not many cars passing by.) and we just feel really good living there. It's our home !

We're getting installed slowly, we've been there since August 1rst. We were able to get rid of a lot of boxes, but couldn't empty them all, since we were waiting for my dad to fix some little things and put some shelves on the wall. I went to IKEA last week, on shopping spree, too ! I bought the Expedit shelf units as well as the Kasset boxes made to fit on those shelf units. I also bought a living room table (Lack series, in birch tint) and wall shelves. This looks really nice, and I used the Expedit units to store my jewelry supplies as well as my paint and other fine art supplies. Clears off some space =)

My husband took some pictures of our place a week ago, they're blurry and dark, but I thought I'd put them up here before we get better pictures. The rooms are still a bit messy due to the boxes, but once everything is in place, I will take better photos and post them here.

So, here's our kitchen. Brand new appliances, Frigidaire brand ! You can't see the washer dryer set, but they're the front load type, and they're stacked. These are Inglis brand, working wonderfully, making washing and drying easy enough for my hubs to do. (That's a good thing. Will he do it though ?)

That's the left side of our living room. Notice the boxes on the ground near the bookshelf. That's gone now. I'll put all my scrapbooking stash in the little rubbermaid rolling cart placed between the TV and the computer desk. That's 2 or 3 boxes gone by the beginning of next week. I jsut can't wait, since we don't know where to walk without knocking our knees on something.

Now that's the right side of our living room, with the nice IKEA standing lamp that we got for reaaaaaaaaaaally cheap ! (19.99CAD) and our gorgeous sofa. Aaaaaaaaah the sofa. My favorite sitting thing in the whole house. It is comfy enough so I can fall asleep on it while watching TV !

Oh, and have you noticed the bamboo curtains ? They look soooo nice ! The only negative point about them is that we see-through a bit at night, so we can't really get changed in the middle of the room, if you get what I mean. But it's ok, we have a separation between our room and the living room that we set up so it's no longer a problem. (It's a double living room. They used to build houses that way a lot in the 20s and 30s here.)

I would gladly include photos of the bathroom, but it's not painted yet. It's going to be aqua blue and white, to match the shower curtains I got at Home Outfitters. (Photos coming soon, you'll see what I'm talking about !)

Wow, I wrote a novel. Almost.

Montreal Metro Transit Map cuff, 10$, from Betty Death shown above.

I made things to nom !

2008-08-21T14:37:00.006-05:00

more animals

Yes ! I cooked ! My friend and I decided to split big batches of food, to stop wasting what we don't eat, and to save money on groceries. We ended up with loads of food, and a freezer full of goodies for when the paycheck is not as big as expected.

It costs a lot less to divide the food as well. I bought 40$ of fresh fruits and veggies at the market, and she bought 40$ of meat and pasta. we ended up with enough food for almost 2 weeks, and the only thing we have to do is pop it in the microwave when I get back from work, and enjoy a hot meal without the long cooking prior. It really helps on the finances as well as on the stress level and rest I can get when I get home from work.

Here's what we made :

Beef and veggie stew

Veggie soup (2 kinds)

Soy sauce macaroni

Chicken and pasta salad

Potato salad

Sea Food shells with bechamelle

Banana Bread

and finally, spaghetti sauce (2 kinds)

And seriously, we're set for the next two weeks, as I ate what couldn't be frozen this weeks, and will eat what's in the freezer next week.

If you can find a group of friends you'd enjoy cooking with, try it. It is worth it. Go cook for a day, as a group, and bring plenty of nice stuff home !

Have fun =P

I soooo knew it...

2008-08-07T16:48:00.002-05:00

From the time I woke up this morning, to like right now, I knew it's be a horrible day. Let's name what happened.

I swear I have the worst luck in the world or something... Here we go :

I went outside, it was raining. Not that raining is bad in itself. Just that I recently moved and forgot my umbrella to my parents' house.

I saw the dreaded red and white piece of paper stuck on my windshield. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's a parking ticket.

My computer is so slow I can't work properly. No idea what's happening, it'd worse than usual.

I just learned that one of our best product buyers is leaving the company. I seriously almost cried about this one. (So did my collegues... Everyone is sad about it)

This is a very sad day today ! I think I'll go get a bucket of ice cream or something. Or not. I could just unpack my jewelry supplies, and sort them ! I'll put allll my frustrations into that task. And then will start making jewelry again, even if there's a serious lack of space at my new place. (I'll be posting pictures and videos soon !)

That is it. For today.

Tata !

TICKET SALE !

2008-08-07T09:15:00.003-05:00

Ahah yes, you read properly. I am running a ticket sale, because I woke up to a 42$ parking ticket this morning, on a street with no signs in sight to prohibit parking. Anyway. I can't afford to loose a day of work to go to court (As it is going to cost me me than 42 $ in the end) so I am running a ticket sale. Life gives you lemons, make lemonade ! So my lemonade is giving YOU the opportunity to get 20% off all my items (Except the breast cancer items) because I got a nice red and white paper on my windshield !

Happy shopping =)

Oh wow ! I'm still alive !

2008-07-30T08:53:00.002-05:00

I know, I haven't posted in a big while, but for a reason : I'm in the middle of a big move. Yes, I'm moving away from mum and dad's, with my hubby. This is going to be awesome.

There are little things I don't like about the apartment we rented, but that can always be fixed. The mirror in the bathroom and the silicon sealing are a few of these things. The mirror is really old, and doesn't really look like a mirror anymore, so what we'll do is buy a new one and put the old one back when we move out, and for the silicon sealing, we're going to redo it completly, as it is a matter of personal taste and not a necessary thing.

I will be able to post photos soon, when the paint is going to be dry and when our furniture is going to be moved. I think we'll make something nice out of it...

Jewelry related : Even though we're moving, my items are still available for sale, as I have access to internet, and access to my boxes (Yes, they are clearly identified ! I'm so organised, I can't believe it.) Also, you can visit my website for information on new collections that are going to be for sale soon !

I'll be posting pictures soon...

-V

Breast Cancer Awereness

2008-06-19T16:04:00.008-05:00

I am not the only one to sell pink ribbon items ! Let's see what other Etsy sellers have...

The House of Mouse has a cute little Charity mouse ! This little mouse loves to support worthy causes, and she is really concerned with the growing number of men and women affected with breast cancer each year. She proudly wears her pink ribbon, and goes around telling people how important it is to encourage breast cancer research so one day, we find a cure.

Anna, the owner of The House of Mouse will give 5$ of the price of this mouse to the International Breast Cancer Research Foundation (www.ibcrf.org) for more details, http://thehouseofmouse.etsy.com

There is also The Pig and the Peacock who sells special pink ribbon items. In this case, we are not looking at adorable mice, but at awesome pink ribbon soaps ! For each set of three soaps sold, 1.50$ will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Since 10 million women will die from breast cancer in the next 25 years, the foundation works very hard to save those lives. These numbers need to go down so we, one day, can eradicate breast cancer for good.

These soaps are made with goat milk, and smells like gardenia and tuberose. It is guaranteed to leave your skin super soft =) For more details, visit http://thepigandthepeacock.etsy.com

My own items are still for sale, if you're up for some jewelry ! 75% of my profits will go to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, for my participation at the Run for the Cure.

Thanks for helping us fight breast cancer.

New Tutorial

2008-06-17T07:35:00.001-05:00

I added a second tutorial to my website http://www.enidjewelry.com for this month. It is showing how to make a simple necklace in 7 easy steps, in link with what is shown in the previous video. Here it is.

Have fun =)

Jewelry for a good cause

2008-06-10T07:19:00.003-05:00

This year, approximately 22 400 canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. 5300 of them will not survive.

This is the reason why some friends and I decided to enroll for the CIBC Run for the Cure, for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. On October 5th 2008, we will walk 5 km for all the men and women affected by breast cancer. (Not only women can have breast cancer, let's not forget it !) We are very motivated, and have a team objective of 3200$. We are planning diverse activities during the summer, such as bowling nights, movies nights and even a beach party BBQ.

As a part of the fund raising, I will be donating 75% or my profits on the pink items listed in my shops. Some of them have been created specially for this event, some of them were already listed for sale. If, however, you do not wish to purchase pink items but still make a donation, there is a possibility to sponsor me. Donations can be made online, on the Run for the Cure website. It is fast and secure, and can be anonymous or not. For more information, see the link below.

Help us create a future without breast cancer.

To buy the pink items : http://enidjewelry.etsy.com/ or http://www.icraft.ca/enidjewelry

To sponsor me (To make a donation) : Click here

To know more about breast cancer : The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

On Vacation !

2008-05-11T10:24:00.002-05:00

Yes yes, I'll be on vacation until May 30th ! I closed both my Etsy and my Icraft.ca shop temporarily, but I will be back with new items very soon.

I will have access to my emails and Etsy convos, so if need be, contact me and I will answer =)

See you soon !

-V

Etsy Discoveries

2008-05-09T18:29:00.003-05:00

I made a lot of Etsy discoveries while shopping for wedding accessories. One of the best shops I found is http://elleabelle.etsy.com/ and this is where I got my wedding jewelry. Laurie, the owner, makes awesome higher end pieces that will last you a lifetime. Everything she makes is well handcrafted and looks gorgeous. I like the color mixes she can come up with ! She plays with gemstones and color matches like I've never seen someone do so...

Her prices range from approx. 40$ to 200$ and even 300$, depending on what you're looking for.

Here's a bit of what she can do. If you like the style but can't find what you're looking for exactly, be assured that she will be more than happy to work on something custom with you. She's a lovely person to deal with, and you will enjoy working with her on your order ! I even caught myself making another purchase from her shop just today, from her Urban Luxe collection.

Happy shopping =)

-V

11 days !

2008-05-06T07:22:00.003-05:00

It's 11 days until the wedding, and I am now getting excited !

"WHAT ?! YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED ?!" you say ? Yes I am !

I already got all my stuff, all I need is to go pick the dress sometime this week, and pay for the limo when my boyfriend arrives from the UK. I'm not stressed at all, and the planning is going good so far.

There are a lot of articles on Etsy regarding handmade weddings, and I never read them. It's was obvious that I'd try to buy as much as possible from Etsy sellers for this occasion. I even set up gift baskets to win at the reception, for people who participate in different contests during the reception. (Yes, I'm not telling what kind of contest, but that's going to be hilarious) These baskets are filled with sample-sized and sometimes full sized items made by fellow Etsyians, along with their credit card (EDIT : I meant business CARD !) and shop information, in case the winner gets addicted to what's in the basket !

Anyway, that's about what I've got to say today =) I'll come back with more updates later !

-V

Slowly getting done with this order.

2008-04-24T18:19:00.009-05:00

I have 36 items done on a total of 50 items, for the consignment order. I am slowly getting there, and I'm getting really excited over all this. I'm still waiting for stuff to come over the mail, but I have more than half of the articles ready.

I have 9 sterling silver wire wrapped rings. I tag them separately and then put them in little ziploc bags to avoid tarnishing. I really like all these bright colors on the picture ! Makes me think of candy or something...

I'm still wondering how much I will sell these for. I have to consider the commission and the shipping as well. I do not have to use my own display, since the boutique's owner provides them free of charge. (Which is great !)

I also took a few pictures of the new design I came up with yesterday. I also made new earring cards. At the back, I have printed where it is made, and for whom it is made. The front simply a signature. I signed Enid on EVERY single card, and I like the look so far =)

I like this new design, I never really worked with shell and the mix with foiled glass is awesome. I also got bright fushia shyell beads that are similar to the ones on the picture. I matched them with bright blue foiled glass and it looks very nice too.

When I get more time, and when I buy some more, I will make the same design 2-3 times and list it in my Etsy and my Icraft.ca stores, to see what the demand is. It probably will be a success this summer, because the colors are awesome, and I could see myself wearing these at the beach =)

I also made a couple of dichroic glass earrings. I have 4 pairs so far, and need to have 6 more pairs, to send out with the first order. Here's how they look with the earring cards...
Sorry if the light is reflecting on the bag a little, but they were already wrapped for shipping, and I didn't really want to take them out of the bags and put them back in after.

Finally, I made 6 pairs of sterling silver earrings... These are made with stones, shell and pearls. They're on the same earring cards as the previous shell earrings, and it looks great ! I want to have more professional-looking earrings cards, but for now, I like the plain look of these.

Today was a great day, I think it was at lest 25°C outside today. I even got my first sunburn of the season ! (That's bad =/) Flowers are starting to bloom, I even took pictures.
Isn't it gorgeous ? We're starting to see some color ! I used to be scared that we still have snow for the wedding or something... No, really, I was scared.

Hmmm. I shall get back to work now... And my sunburn itches.

I should keep my hands busy so I don't start scratching my red shoulders.

-V

Sooo lazy.

2008-04-23T15:52:00.002-05:00

I have been such a slacker lately ! I haven't even touched a single website yesterday. Since the weather was so nice, I decided to work on my consignment order again, and go out for some shopping !

So here's what I did yesterday ; First, I woke up around 9AM, because birds were singing and my room wasn't even dark anymore... So there. I got up and moved all my stuff to the kitchen table, so I could enjoy the sun and the spring breeze filtering through our sliding door. I crafted there almost all day, and the only time I went out was to buy new supplies.

I got some nice shell beads, as well as som cool new silver foiled beads. Form these supplies, I came up with totally new designs the I will probably photograph tomorrow. They're already mounted on earring cards, so I will take the pictures when everything is done, to show you what my consignment order will consist of !

By the way, we got an awesome response to my "Christianity meets Handmade" chronicles on http://www.philz-corner.com I can't wait to write more articles to make people discover those great Christian crafters =)

That's all for today, I'll post some colorful pics tomorrow, that'll bring some joy to my blog !

-V

Rad !

2008-04-21T21:24:00.003-05:00

I discovered a lot of Christian artist on Etsy, and joined the CAST team ! (Christian Artists Street Team) I really think that it is the team for me, and that I will love it =)

I started contribution to my boyfriend's blog. (Christianity themed blog) I will introduce, from week to week, a seller who is part of CAST or not. My articles are under a section called "Christianity Meets Handmade" Take a peek !

Phil'z Corner is where you can find my weekly articles !

I have also been very busy for the past days, as I just signed a consignment agreement with Boutique Mixi, in Quebec City. I've been making more of these dichroic glass earrings. Look how these are gorgeous ! Absolutely love the new color mix.

Doesn't it look rich and sophisticated ? I really like the bright ones, but these look chic chic chic !

I have to deliver 50 items of all sorts before May 1rst. I had to order materials yesterday, and I`ll keep my fingers crossed to have them fast... I already have 4 pairs of earrings made for this order, as well as 3 sterling silver wirewrapped rings. I just need... 43 other items =/

I should stop blogging and get to work. Yes ?

Yes.

-V

Happy Birthday Papa =)

2008-04-19T12:19:00.002-05:00

Yesterday's was my dad's birthday. My hard-working papa is now 56 years old ! So I guess today's is going to be "Papa's Post"...

Papa works a lot. He's got 4 days per week day job, and works the other 3 days as a sideline. He does silly things when working, and ends up hurting himself most of the time. (Bad, Papa.)

Here he is, when we had that major snow storm in Montreal...

isn't he adorable ? =D

Happy Birthday to my papa !

-V

Spring... Finally.

2008-04-17T16:51:00.003-05:00

***ANNOUNCEMENT***

My website Enidjewelry.com is now online ! Check it out !

***Back to normal post***

Things are starting to grow ! I see some green leave making their way out of the soil, and these will be tulips very soon =) See by yourself !

This smells like spring to me ! I went outside this afternoon, and the sun was very warm... That made a change from the long winter we had. I really enjoyed breathing fresh air. I even went past someone mowing his lawn. Fresh cut grass scent = Goodness.

Here's what I did yesterday, since I couldn't really type due to some killing pain in my arm... I went shopping with my sister, and got two pairs of skinny jeans. Yes, I thought I'd never be able to fit in those, and I was so surprised by how they looked on me ! I had a 40$ gift card for that shop, so I ended up buying two pairs for 5$ =P
I also got those nice leopard shoes...

They look TERRIFIC with my skinny pants ! I look like I'm right out of the eighties <3 I also got dog tags. Anyone remember Aldo's campaign for AIDS awareness with different artists ? I got the one that says "Speak" !

Well, that was my blog lovin's for today =)

Enjoy the nice weather everyone !
-V

Still Alive...

2008-04-16T23:16:00.001-05:00

I'm just taking the time to say that I got my shot this morning, and everything went well. Only thing is that my arm is aching, and I'm on pain killers and ice, so typing is kinda hard for me at the moment. I'll be abck with more updates tomorrow, because for now, I've got little viruses being fought in my deltoids, and they HURT ME.

-V

Excitement !

2008-04-15T07:21:00.002-05:00

We are *finally* able to go out without a winter coat. That's just awesome ! That mean I'll be able to take my light tent outside more often. (Yippee !) That also means that the snow is melting, which is even nicer, since I was a bit scared for my wedding. It is on May 17th, but we never know with more than 4 ft of snow to melt hehe. I don't really want to walk in the mud with my white dress and my satin shoes either, so let's cross our fingers for some very warm and dry weather for the next weeks.

I'm getting my hepatitis A shot tomorrow morning, that's going to cost =/ But I have to go get it, since I need it to travel to Mexico. They also recommended the tetanus shot, but I'm due in 2 years only. (Glad I don't have to get both shots, my arms will be DEAD) What I'm not looking forward to is not the shot itself, but the arm ache that I'll have for the next 3-4 days. I also tend to have a lot of fever when I'm sick, and I'm kinda scared to have some with the vaccine.

Anyway, off to work I am =)
-V

Lovely Earrings and Gorgeous Pendant

2008-04-14T18:45:00.005-05:00

I'm happy I had some inspiration today ! I could finally use the nice fused glass beads I got from TheCraftyKind a couple of months ago. I really like how the earrings I made out of them turned out. The first pair I made was with deep chartreuse glass beads with a cranberry/orange dichroic band on top. I had trouble taking shots of this one, since the chartreuse tint is so deep that it appears to be almost black on the picture. But I do love how the dichroic band looks, as it really does justice to the real colors. I also noticed that pictures are so much nicer when I bring my light tent outside !

I had fun taking pictures too, since it was warm and sunny. Was about time spring would show up, honestly, because we still have snow, and I don't think I can live with it for a big while =P

The second pair of earring I made with the fused glass beads are lime green and royal blue. They are gorgeous and I love them ! I also love how the colors cam out on the picture, as both the green glass base and the dichroic band are showing the real colors. I also took this picture outside, and the only thing I had to edit was the auto-contrast feature, since when you import pictures to your computer, they always appear darker and obviously need editing.

I listed both pairs on two different shops, the chartreuse pair on Etsy, and the lime green pair on Icraft.ca. I'll see how it goes ! I'm now making another pair from the third bead set I bought. I'll list the one I'm making right now On Winkelf or Icraft.ca, since I already got a lot of stuff on Etsy.

Also, I finished to upload my website's content tonight ! (Hooray !) I only need to buy that domain name tomorrow, and we'll be all set =) The only thing I'll need is to look for affiliates, to get more visibility, and I'll also keep on updating, so people see what's going on with the little crafty freak that I am !

Oh, and Look what I bought today =D One of Karen's Tree of Life pendant ! It is gorgeous =) I won't do anything with it, since I want to keep it for myself. I know she's been sick for a couple days now, with the whole hospital thing, and I don't mind waiting to get it ! I just didn't want anyone else to buy it... hihihi.

I don't know if it's the last one, but I know there was a limited amount of these pendants made, and I didn't really want to miss on it. My next purchase will be a vintage silver spoon bracelet for sure, they look to nice not to buy them... For nice glass pendants, visit http://FireChickTick.etsy.com !

Oh and Karen, I wish you get better as soon as possible, big hugs to you and your family !

I think that's all for today =)

-V

April's updates

2008-04-13T18:06:00.003-05:00

I recently sent an email to the manager of a sanctuary's souvenir boutique, asking if they were accepting consignment at the moment, and asking what I needed to do in order to be able to consign there. (That would be for my rosaries and rosary bracelets...) I got a response, and they are interested in supporting local artists, so I will take an appointment as soon as I have more stuff to show !

I'm very excited, but scared at the same time. I do not have any money to buy supplies, my credit cards are loaded to the top because of the wedding. I'm scared to miss out on opportunities, if I don't buy those supplies right now.

Also, my boyfriend is working on my wordpress website/blog, we are building a photo gallery and linking the pictures to my Etsy listings. That will look awesome. I took a premade theme, gave appropriate credit to the maker, and edited it to fit my colors. Up to now, it looks gorgeous. When I'm done with that, I will probably post a link here, so you guys can take a peek =)

Anyway ! I need to get back to work, the layout part is done, I just need to add more content.

La Giraffe

2008-04-12T15:51:00.003-05:00

La Giraffe is a shop that my sister and I opened on Etsy, to be able to sell our cards. We are sharing the ownership, and dividing profits according to our sales. I am looking forward to make more cards in the following months !

Take a peek =)

I also updated my Etsy store ! I don't really like the vintage listings interfering with the jewelry, but I'm not going to open another shop just for the sake of selling 3-4 vinyl records, that wouldn't be worth it.

I will be back alter, to update some more.

Intensive Job Search : Part 2

2007-08-10T07:32:00.000-05:00

Never Mind what I typed yesterday. I got a phone call from Air Canada Vacations, and I'm starting a new job with them on Monday ! That was a short and sweet job search.

I sent my CV on Friday, got a call on Tuesday, got the interview on Wednesday, and finally, I got the job on thursday =P

I am soooooo proud =O

Intensive Job Search

2007-08-09T12:59:00.000-05:00

I finished my course in tourism a month ago, and I'm currently looking for a job. Out of 7 CVs sent, 4 of them got a response. I went to 3 job interviews up to now, and I have a fourth coming tomorrow !

Of course, this is a bit in the way of my jewelry projects. I have to start planning the Christmas inventory while I'm looking for a job, or even starting a new one ! This is gonna be awefully hard...

Anyway. Wish me luck with the job thing !

Featured Seller - Soaps for Hope

2007-06-22T19:27:00.000-05:00

In the SOAP category, I named Showertreatsoap !

About a month ago, I found out about her shop, and about the charity Women for Women International. In fact, she gives 5% of her monthly profits, and 1$ on every soap in her "Soaps for Hope" store section to help women facing different challenges in other parts of the world. She first heard about this program while watching an Oprah show about 3 years ago. The women she's helping right now with our support are in Rwanda and Bosnia, and are living a quite harder life than we do here.

At first, I just wanted a soap, and then, I wanted to help. I decided to buy one "Soap for Hope", to make a donation, and to see if I liked the product before ordering more. I received my package really fast, even with USPS current problems. I could smell the zesty fragrance through the enveloppe before opening it ! The soap was very nice looking, ivory colored with pink swirls, nicely cut.

I tried it the next morning, and let me tell you, these soaps rock ! Rich lather, wonderful smell (I took the "Energy" fragrance, a zesty and fresh citrus blend) and it's all natural. After 3 weeks of use, I noticed a change in my skin. My legs are no longer dry and itchy, and my skin is softer than ever ! I would recommend this soap for everyone, this is truly a blessing for your skin.

I'll be buying more of this stuff, at least once a month. I want to contribute regularly to her Women for Women International fund raising, and I want more nice soap to try !

Showertreatsoap also makes natural shampoo and laundry soap, for all the people that hate using commercial products that are bad for the septic systems and the environment.

Featured Seller - Skin lotions and butters

2007-06-22T13:10:00.000-05:00

This week's featured seller is Bradli , who sells awesome beauty products. I bought some of her "Winter Skin Be Gone" butter bars and "Kiss 'em Kans" lip balms last Christmas, as stocking stuffers or little treats for myself.

I was really happy with what I received, and was very surprised of the quality of the product. Everything was very well presented, and well wrapped. A thank you note was included, and mostly, the scent that came out of the enveloppe was... mouthwatering ! I kept some of these goodies for myself, but of course, gave the rest as gifts.

My appreciation of the products, after trying them :

"Kiss 'em Kans" Vegan Lip balm - Very good smell and taste =P Made with cocoa, shea and mango butters, as well as almond oil and vitamin E. A bit hard to pick in the can at first, but melts rapidly with the warmth of your fingers. The texture is silky, a bit oily (not too much !) and spreads well on the lips. I usually have very dry lips during winter, and sometimes have trouble opening my mouth without screaming "ouch!", and the lip balm totally solved my problem.

"Winter Skin Be Gone" vegan Butter Bar - Made with cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter with fragrance, this rich butter bar is ready to soften any rough skin. Cocoa butter has been used to soften and moisturize the skin for centuries and is also used by women to treat and prevent strech marks. Shea butter revitalizes the skin without clogging pores, and mango butter has natural emollient properties, high oxidative ability, wound healing, and regenerative activity due to its high unsaponiable. It has a protective effect against UV radiation. These ingredients make this product a high efficiency skin softener and moisturizer, with a very yummy smell. I personnally recommend the "Chocolate truffle" scent, which is truly the best one in my mind.

I really recommend this seller for her awesome customer service and high quality products. She seems to put a lot of heart in what she's doing, and I strongly value that.

I wish you a lot of sales, Bradli !

Pricing matters...

2007-06-22T09:32:00.000-05:00

I just discovered the formula I should use for my work, thanks to my sales courses. I also realized the yes, I was underpricing myself, but not just a bit ! I was WAY underpricing myself. Something I used to sell for 50 $ should be sold at 90 $ !!!

I now have to make a price adjustment on all my listings on Etsy. The problem is that whoever looks in my sold items will see that I used to charge a lot less for the same item in the past. This is a bit odd, no ? As a buyer, I'd suspect something to be seriously wrong with these items for them to be priced 40 $ higher than 2 months before.

Oh, and from now, I'll try featuring some fellow sellers on my blog, make sure to check em out =)

I changed my Etsy Icon

2007-06-01T11:13:00.000-05:00

I was bored of my really dark photo, so I chose one with my boyfriend (l337Designz) and I. I don't know it I should put a picture of one of my pieces instead of this one :

I'll probably make a test in the following weeks, to see if the sales are affected or not. I'll keep this photo for my blog profile as well. What is your opinion about avatars ? Product or person ?

He got addicted too xD

2007-05-31T11:26:00.000-05:00

My boyfriend, a web designer, was looking for a way to offer his services on the web other than on a normal website. (He has a regular job that pays well, in an office, but he was looking for a bit more) I told him that he could do that sort of thing on Etsy and that he should take a look at this option.

My surprise was that before, he was the first to complain about my addiction to Etsy, and now, he's the first to complain when I want the computer chair ! He spends days making layouts and setting up promotion strategies. I hope everything goes well and that he starts selling soon. We have a wedding coming, and that would be great to have a bit more money.

If anyone needs a custom 7pages website (for more pages, please alow more budget) or a premade layout with 7pages to add, click on the following link ! http://l337designz.etsy.com

How could this happen...

2007-05-30T08:41:00.000-05:00

My boyfriend took his flight back home yesterday, from Montreal's airport. He was supposed to arrive in London around 9AM GMT and depart at 10:55AM to go to Manchester.. They forgot him in London. Since he's in a wheelchair, he could only look at the screen and see his flight depart without being able to do anything.

This isn't British Airways' fault, but the airport's staff's, and BA strongly suggested to make a complaint.

Don't worry, they'll hear about it.

Ripped off package...

2007-05-25T14:02:00.000-05:00

This didn't arrive to destination. The package got ripped off, and the item was missing. It's the first time this happens to me, and I must admit that I'm quite mad. Even if the package was insured, if it happened on the american side, it wouldn't be covered. (Insurance is only good on your side of the border, so in my case, only within Canada)

I have no idea how to prevent this, because I see that a lot of packages got missing recently. I lost my receipt, so I don't know if I can still fill a complaint... And if I can, I don't even know if I need a proof that the package really arrived in bad condition. It totally pisses me off.

I'll do another bracelet for that person. She was really sad not to receive it, and I really want her to have it. It's a personal thing for me... Paying for something and not getting it. It's frustrating. (Well what's worse is paying for something and the person not sending the package... At least I sent it in time.)

I guess it's going to be a double custom order.

Another course to do...

2007-05-22T13:09:00.000-05:00

This has nothing to do with jewelry, but I have to write about it. We had a class about sun destinations like Madagascar and the Seychelles, but randomly the teacher started talking about tour accompanying and tour guiding. I just learned that we had a special training for that, during the month of August. The cost is 350 $CA for students at the College, lasts 2 week ends, and includes a day in Ottawa, as part as a pratical training.

I'm seriously thinking about signing up for that course. I need money, and this is something I could do right now, while I'm still young. you're free to take job offers or leave them, since it works like journalism or graphic design jobs. You get picked, busy or not, you choose to go or not. This is kind of nice. I need to save money for next year, and this is going to be now or never.

I just got to convince my mum. Owww...

Starting to Upload New Pictures.

2007-05-18T13:07:00.000-05:00

I started using my homemade light tent, and had a little trouble using it at the beginning. My photos are starting to become better, and even if I have to edit my photos, that looks a lot better than what I used to have in my shop.

Here are a couple of examples ;

These Kid's bracelets used to look horrible on a wooden surface, under a halogen lamp. I tried the white background, but I couldn't balance the whites correctly with my camera, and it was even worse when it came to editing. I had some scrapbooking paper left, so I decided to use it, to have less whites to deal with... AND I LIKE IT ! Doesn't look too heavy, since I used a neutral gray here.

I sold two of them, the blue one is still for sale. I might list some more, since I have another blue bracelet, and other colors would be available.

I also had trouble photographing necklaces, since my light tent is too small to contain my leather busts on which I usually show my necklaces. I finally decided not to use the bust, and be able to show better quality pictures. It is still a bit gray-ish but I'm still satisfied of the result. (See picture on the left)

I might buy a smaller white leather bust, to be able to show how the necklace looks on "someone", or just buy a normal light tent that looks less shaky than the one I have and in which I can photograph necklaces on the bust I already have... That's an option ! (Or an advanced Christmas Prezzie !)

I also changed the way I photograph my lampwork bracelets on a wooden surface, with no bracelet support. They looked flat and boring. The colors would not stand out and they would appear really washed. I tried putting them on a bracelet display, in a light tent. I kept the white background, but put the light source farther from the box. (Yeah, a friend of mine, who's a professionnal photographer, told me that the farther your light gets from your subject, the less you're going to end up with big gray shadows on the edge of your picture. Try it it works =P Makes editing much more easier !) And WOW ! Look at the result O_O I also photographed it on a flat white surface, and my listing got 3 pictures in it.

I'm not done replacing pictures in my shop, since it is very time-consuming. My objective is to finish this task before I finish school (July 6th) so I can have a break during my vacation in the UK.

If anyone has great tips about photographying jewelry, please let me know ! I'm dieing to learn.

I guess I'm not the only one =P

2007-05-18T06:58:00.000-05:00

I was reading News of McCall, when I noticed that she was also following a diet. The whole exercising and eating well deal, eh ? I started that 2 weeks ago, and I can't say that I'm successful xD She made me laugh when she said (and I quote ) "Prior to this, my diet was all about carbohydrates and sugar. The rule was- not any vegetable can pass my lips unless it is wrapped in cheese sauce. The other rule was- no fruit unless it is smothered in lots of sugar and/or chocolate. Plain strawberries...ughh..... Strawberries dipped in chocolate, YUMMM!" Because, well, that's totally me ! No sugar, no sauce, no chocolate ? Not eating it. Now, I do. Trying not to eat grapefruit with sugar, trying not to add sugar to my cereals, trying to eat less sauce... And I'm also always hungry ;_;

Good luck to you Sandra, I hope we can hold as long as we can with this diet xD

That's very serious.

2007-05-17T12:16:00.000-05:00

I've been reading a lot about scam on Etsy, and heard a lot about it from my friends, who got fake Paypal and Bank emails... I think there's more and more of it, these days, and I'm kinda scared people get caught... My dad is not really aware of that kind of thing (Phishing emails) and I don't think my sister is either...
Enthral, another Etsy seller, had an interesting entry about it in her blog and I'd like everybody to look at it.

As she said, we have already seen that kind of emails, but not everyone is like us. (Anyone received a fake wholesale request these days ? I did.)We should not expect people to detect it as a scam right away, some of them are not even aware of that kind of fraud ! Be careful, and don't hesitate to report any fake bank, Paypal, Ebay, Etsy, etc. emails. Don't respond to any request to handle large amounts of money, and mostly, be carfeul on dating sites. You never know who's behind the computer screen !

C-RPG

2007-04-26T08:54:00.000-05:00

I've just started working on my boyfriend's website. I'm now in charge of the online store, and I've been looking for some ideas. We made a couple surveys in the site's forums, and we concluded that keychains, t-shirts, wristbands and pens would sell. We also thought about original art and jewelry. I've been working on that since a week, and it keeps me pretty busy !

I like it, though...

Hard, hard life

2007-03-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

I don't even have time to craft... I have loads of stuff on my desk, but it only waits there until I get 10 little minutes. I find it very hard, since I don't have a hobby anymore. I mean, I have one, but I got no time, since homework, work and school are now the biggest part of my life. I even wonder if my boyfriend thinks I neglect him...

People said I have to quit something, but honestly, I doubt I could. School ? Not a good idea. Same for homework. How can I succeed in school without doing my homework ? Impossible. Work ? Maybe, but then I couldn't pay my bus pass (103$ a month) or my books. Boyfriend ? Err... No. We're getting married next year... Only thing remaining is jewelry. I can't see myself quitting jewelry making.

I decided to stop listing on Etsy for a while, and to sell everything before listing anything else. I will relist expired items, but I won't add anything new until I'm done with school. I'll have to advertise a lot, because I'll get a lot less visibility by not listing, but I don't mind doing that.

Makes me kinda sad...

Stuff is going away !

2007-03-04T10:27:00.000-05:00

Wow, I sold this, and I can even hope to have more sales soon =) I'll have to post them tomorrow, since I couldn't make it to the post office on Friday. (We had 12 inches of snow, we couldn't drive at all...)

Even is I sell for low prices, I still get a bit of money for my savings account ! That's great, since I'll have to pay my student loan in July, and I don't want to have too much interest added to it. This is the problem with studying... You're in debt as soon as you get out of school. Bah, I'll probably be able to refund this really quick !

Yesterday was the workshop I was supposed to hold with one of my workmates. Everything went pretty well, and even if I was scared to mess up, I could explain things clearly enough for people to understand =) I made like 5 pairs of earrings during the day... PRODUCTIVITY xD

Hey it's already time to head to work. I can't say I'm happy to leave, though. Working on Sundays sucks >.>

Busy weekend...

2007-03-01T11:59:00.000-05:00

It's going to be the firt time, this weekend, that I lead a beading workshop. I'll be doing it with one of my workmates so I don't feel nervous or anything. I'm just scared of not being able to explain things correctly to people, and that they start complaining that I'm not good enough !

I'm definetly not meant to be a teacher ! Just trying to help people in class gets confusing ; for them and for me.

Oh wow... Hope I don't have nightmares because of that xD

While waiting for the class to begin...

2007-02-22T13:27:00.000-05:00

To be honest, I had nothing to do a couple of minutes ago, after lunch. Then I started browsing my Etsy shop, to make a list of the things I'm dieing to get rid of. I selected the little earrings... I have many "Two pairs for the price of one" deals in my shop, because these earrings, apart from being very cute, take a LOT of space. I have loads of them, and I can't find a place where to put these xD So let's start by my favorite "Two for the $ of one" deal, the royal blue earrings.

Aren't they pretty ? This set could be yours for only 5.00$ (More details please see http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=564812 )

My other favorite is a set of two pairs of earrings made with Blue Mother Of Pearl chips and green malachite chips. Both are super pretty, and I'm sure this would really be a must have for this spring or summer !

This set is yours for 4.00$ (For more details, please see http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=564643 )

And last but not least, ONE pair of black earrings, made with square millefiori beads, for a night out or just for the black lover in you =)

They are now 3.50$ which is a very cheap price for such a pretty piece of jewelry ! (For more details, please see http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=564850 )

Don't forget that you get an additionnal 20 % off everything in my shop including the earrings mentionned above ! Free shipping everywhere for orders above 20 $ after reduction ! Don't miss this occasion, stuff your jewelry box while I still have stuff listed =P

Class is starting soon, I better close everything before I get noticed xD

Really Getting in the Beat

2007-02-20T19:00:00.000-05:00

I started school last week, and since then, I haven't had time to make much jewelry. I have so much homework, I think I'll die under geographic maps before I see my graduation day ;_; So since I won't have much time to run my Etsy shop, I'll try getting rid of what's in it, and list a lot less often.

I'm currently running a "Back-to-School Sale", and give a 20% reduction on everything, including what's in the CLEARANCE section, and for 20 $ or more after reduction, I ship for free to everywhere.

Don't hesitate to check, you might find very good deals like this one, on a 20 $ charm bracelet (Picture) which is now 16 $ after reduction.

I am very sad not to be able to run my Etsy shop like I'd wish to, but school is now my full time job, and I got to deal with it ! (And you guys get the nice stuff for pretty cheap, don't miss the occasion !)

You can access my Etsy shop by clicking on the link in the "Where you can buy my jewelry" section =)

I also added other Etsyian blogs and shops, make sure to check them out ! You can see a little bit of my work at the bottom of this page, don't be shy, it's eye candy =)

-Valerie

Here I am, finally.

2007-02-20T07:34:00.000-05:00

Yes, I created a crafter's blog. I'll showcase some of my work, and probably annoy you with my random thoughts of the day... I don't have much time to write, since I'm already late for school, but I'll come back tonight, I promise !

-Val