Gearing Up for VACATION!

I know some families take mini-vacations all year, others might only take a vacation every few years...well, we (usually) take one big vacation a year.

Last year we went to Disney in Florida and visited with friends and family...in previous years we have gone to Canada (Niagara and Toronto) and Atlanta for my little sister's wedding....but this year we are doing something a little different.

As one can expect, we are staying a little closer to home. Rising gas prices are a bit burdensome and if we stay relatively close to home, we'll have more time to do activities rather than being on the road.

So, Michigan HERE WE COME! We'll start our adventures on the west coast, stop in Grand Rapids and visit an old friend. Then on to Traverse City! We plan on visiting the Dunes, doing some hiking and various water activities too. A few days later we'll make the journey to the Detroit area to visit more friends and family. While there we'll do one of our favorite activities...visit museums! The Detroit Science Center and Greenfield Village is on our short list.

Alas, I must finish up a project I've been working on and start packing...so I hope to share some adventures with you upon my return!

WIST Upcycled Swap

First...a little background:
WIST is "...a group of organized Etsy members who network, share skills, and promote their shops and Etsy together. A Team forms around a shared location, crafting medium, or another interest." Team WIST is comprised of Etsy members who live in Wisconsin and craft in a number of mediums.

In mid-June an Upcycled Swap was planned for our members. Each participating member was paired with a partner and was tasked with making a 'gift' for his/her partner out of recycled or repurposed materials.

My Swap partner was Stefanie of ArtsyMomma. She created for me the most wonderful tote! It was created from an old tablecloth, a pair of corduroy pants and bed sheets! Too cool. I L-O-V-E the soft butter yellow and the pop flowers!

Just a quick shout-out to MineFull for coordinating the Swap....thank you! It was a wonderful event and I can't wait to do another one soon. :)

Working on a FRESH start

Where have I been hiding? Well, I wouldn't say I've been hiding! Just elbow deep in creativity.

This past month or so I've been working on an Elements by Dawn make over. I'm doing a ton of research and reading on web design, ecommerce, blogging (well, how to integrate a blog onto my website, anyway!), graphic design, newsletters and so much more. It's all a bit overwhelming for someone who knows so very little about programing and computers.

Luckily my husband is much more tech savvy than I am! We actually make a pretty good team. He does the coding, I do the creative part.

So, this week I've been drawing (yes, on paper with a pencil!!) what I want my website redesign to look like. I've decided to stick with the same color scheme (burgundy, blush, and pink with touches of grey and white) but will be adding some new graphics (because before I didn't have ANY graphics) and a new header.

Of course, I maybe using the wrong terminology here....header, banner, graphic, illustration, wallpaper, background, sidebar, footer, button, etc. It's mostly Greek to me. I just draw it, DH gives it a proper name :)

My goal is to have my redesign completed by Fall. It's going to be tough, but I think with a little (OK...a LOT) of work, we can finish in time.

Off to go do some reading on GIMP and Inkscape.

Belated

The "Summer Bug" has really bitten! I'm finding it harder and harder each day to stay focused on jewelry and blogging and back office upkeep. Yikes!

Oh well. I should enjoy the sun and nice weather while I can...fall will be knocking before I know it!

I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing 4th of July. The three day weekend was greatly appreciated.