Kitschy is Kool

Share your comments as to why kitschy is kool...

Kitschy is just unique. It says.."I'm interested in the eclectic, the unusual and I have a sense of humor"

(This recipe box is made by Hallmark. And can be found in my etsy shop. )

Introducing....Grandma's Drawers!!!

My new etsy shop. Featuring jewelry supplies and 80s jewelry. A huge destash of my mother-in-laws crafty collections. (see earlier post). So far I've only listed a few things. Shown here!

Don't you love big eighties earrings???

http://www.grandmasdrawers.etsy.com/

Games People Play

I love the fact that people are creating new things out of the old. Call it recycling, repurposing, upcycling or what you will, it's just a darn good idea. There is too much STUFF already in the world. Go to any thrift store and you'll see what i mean. Most of it is junk. But anyone who can repurpose something that others would just throw away is to be commended.

On etsy, I've seen some great ideas and future blogs will feature some of these. I love the fact that old game pieces can be reused. A game missing some pieces would normally be thrown out. But not those Scrabble tile pendant makers! Those Monopoly die-cast pieces jewelry makers!

Ok, now I'm babbling...time to go to bed.

Owls, Owls, Everywhere!

Until I started seriously browsing Etsy, I really hadn't realized how popular owls had become. (again).

What is it about owls? Maybe we're all in the need of some wisdom in these perilous times!

I remember a pair of chalkware ones my mom had forever on her living room shelves. Probably still does.

Here are some of mine that I've collected and can be seen at http://www.vyeshi.etsy.com/

Some Favorites!!

Over on the right I've created an etsy mini of some favorites from other etsy sellers, some experienced, some new. Enjoy and give them a click!

The featured stores are:
Bianca Venice Photography
Signs of my Life
The Unlikely Nest
Deer Path Vintage
Creative with Clay
Sara Grein Photography
Times Gone By
Kaw said the Krow
Vital Industries
Urban Heirlooms

The Power of 10!

Ok, so today I tried an experiment. I'm still in the middle, so I'll have to let you know how it goes. I am a big procrastinator!! (see earlier post)

I have some chores to do that I don't like to do...involving putting clothes away, unpacking, etc....

So I have put them off..but then my poor husband, who works hard enough as it is, ends up doing it in the evening and I feel awful!! Guilty.

So in the spirit of making changes...I decided to try a new system. It's called the power of 10. It's along the lines of using a timer.

Last night I sat down and made a list of things to do. I said I would hang up 10 pieces of clothing. I would take pictures of 10 things to sell on etsy. I said I would find 10 things to donate to Goodwill. Then I'd do dishes for 10 minutes and dust for 10 minutes.

So far it's going well. The managable goals thing seems to work. And I worked a lot longer and did more than 10 on some things...once I got the ball rolling.

Still have to clean and finish pictures...but baby's napping and I'm almost done with my 10 minutes of blogging!!!

I'm in a Treasury on Etsy!

This is my first time posting a screen shot...so bear with me!

I'll need to work on that!

TheUnlikelyNest (a great store on http://www.etsy.com/) put me in her treasury.

Check her and us other newbies out!

Holy Supplies Batman!

Well, our trip to Montana is coming to an end. We were visiting my mother in law, a die-hard crafter, collector. I was supposed to set her up with her own Etsy store so she could destash and sell her creations. She's not ready.

So I am coming home on the train with the first lot of destash. Jewelry and leatherwork supplies. Here's a sampling.

She has a basement and several storage containers FULL of supplies and thrift store finds.

She wants to CLEAN OUT. I will be her agent. Look in my etsy store for some new items in the next weeks...and I'll have to set up a new supplies store soon too.

I'll be posting here so keep watching!!

Tag, I'm It!

I was tagged recently by aksarbenlove I'm new to the blogging world, so I hope I do this correctly.
Here's how tagging works:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

My seven random facts:

1. I get chills and freak out if I hear or even think about someone rubbing a paper towel on their teeth.
2. I graduated a year early and had the third highest grade point average.
3. I love dipping french fries into the ketchup packet.
4. Peanut butter and pickle sandwiches are the BEST.
5. My son's middle name, Carter, was my maiden name.
6. I once won a poetry contest and was published in some silly anthology..."Poetic Voices of America"
7. My pet peeve is bad spelling in public places.

Tag, You're It!

1. zebralilly
2. walker street vintage
3. must love etsy
4. fifty acorns
5. one world organic clothing
6. Michelle Brunner
7. earrings, anyone?

Flowers for my Followers!

Hello Everyone!

Thanks for following my blog! I'll try to keep up with keepin' it interesting!

We're off to Montana by Amtrak in a few hours and here I am procrastinating. Should be packing. Need to re-read my article below!

Here's some thank you flowers!

To Catch a Thief

"Procrastination is the thief of time."~Edward Young c. 1742

For many of us, procrastination is exactly that. We find ways, excuses and other more important things to do instead of what we SHOULD be doing. For me, I spend a lot of time in forums or playing with photos or browsing ebay instead of listing, listing, listing like I should be doing. Either on ebay or etsy.

So here are some solutions. Writing this was a great reminder for me too!

First, understand why you procrastinate.

• Is it to create a sense of urgency, thus more motivation?


• To get that 'rush'...a feeling of excitement?


• Being overextended?


• Only do things when you feel like doing them?


• Lack of self-discipline?


• Fear of criticism or failure?


• Overwhelmed?


• Disorganized?

It's important to always think of the consequences. Pressure, anxiety, quality suffers or the inability to relax during free time. There's that nagging feeling that something isn't done.

But what can we do? How do we catch the thief?

Here are some suggestions from other people and some ideas of my own:

• Make a list. The night before, write down specific items you want or need to accomplish. You'll feel progress as you check things off. Prioritize the items and even mark what time of day is best to accomplish them.


• Figure out how to tell time. Be realistic on how long things take. Use a timer...(my favorite suggestion) Anyone can fold clothes for 15 minutes! When the timer goes off, you're done. Or you're on a roll and can keep going.


• Delegate. If you're truly overextended, try to share the load.


• Break down large projects into smaller. Instead of saying " I need to list items tomorrow" say.."I need to take pictures of 5 items tomorrow"


• Reward yourself. Plan on an uninterrupted stretch of productive work. Then when you've accomplished it, reward yourself...take a break, read a book, take a walk..check out the forums!!!

Anyway, just a few ideas that I hope will help! Now finish reading this and get back to work!

why vyeshi?

You may be wondering...why Vyeshi? Well my husband and I have been studying Russian for the past 7 years. When i opened my etsy store...i was looking for a way to express the eclectic-ness of the items in the store as well as be unique.

"Vyeshi" is a loose english transliteration of a russian word that means "things" or "items". It probably should really be spelled..."vyeshchee" since the "sh" sound isn't really accurate for the Russian letter it represents. But I think my spelling is more user friendly.

Here's a picture of some nesting doll or matroyshka magnets I saw for sale in Prague. Incidentally, this image is available on a greeting card in my other store: http://www.fishboneimages.etsy.com/

Montana

Meant to post some pictures on that last one. Here's some I took in Montana awhile back.

Heading to Montana

This Saturday we're taking the train to Montana to visit my husband's family. His mom and stepdad to be exact. We haven't been out there in a year so they're anxious to see our little one. He's about 17 months and has changed quite a bit in a year!!

We'll get to rest a bit while we're there. Lots of shopping and my husband should get to fish. Mom loves thrift stores so we get along great! She's looking into setting up a store on etsy as well and so I'll probably help her with that. She's an amazing artist.

The train will be fun. We go at night so we won't see the scenery but at least we don't waste a day driving. And it's cheaper than gas!!
I'll post any cool finds when I get back!

my first post!

Well, here I am! After planning on doing this for awhile, I've finally set some time aside. There's been a lot of advice from the Etsy forums to get out there and start blogging!

I have had a blog before, but I think I abandoned it after 2 or 3 posts. But I think this could actually be kind of fun now.

I'm now a SAHM (not that that gives me more time to blog...) but I am trying to build a SAHB (stay at home business) selling things on etsy and ebay.

Having had some success on ebay, some months better than others, I decided to carve a niche for myself on etsy. I like their community and I love checking out everyone's artwork. People's talent is amazing.

I have two etsy stores...one selling my original photo art greeting cards...and the other selling vintage items and ephemera and assemblage art supplies.
http://www.fishboneimages.etsy.com and http://vyeshi.etsy.com

Anyway, i think I'll end this now and save some other topics for another day!!