i heart etsy

I love making handcrafted wares of all types and this summer decided to open Creative Stash Etsy shop. I have loved Etsy for quite some time. It's pretty exciting knowing I'll have a place to sell all the little handmade creations I make from jewelry to paper goods to painted decor and prints and possibly basic graphic services.

Etsy News ...

I had my first Etsy sale this week! WooHoo! Big thank you to Nancy who purchased my Beach Antique Brass Art Necklace

I created 6 new black cord art necklaces that are online for sale

I joined a local Etsy team called the East Valley Artisans

The East Valley Artisans are a talented group of local artisans who offer a wealth of knowledge, support and friendship while encouraging the handmade movement. I met them last night for some coffee at a great Downtown Mesa coffee shop called Inside the Bungalow. The East Valley Artisans are excited to present Craft-oberfest! A Halloween event that will feature hand-made jewelry, glass beads, bath and body items, accessories, paper crafts, food, fun ... and more. Everyday and Halloween items will be available for purchase. Put Saturday October 24 on your calendar and come see what we they are all about!


I hope to expand my shop regularly and sell items based on what I want to create and share with the world at that particular moment. Maybe someday I'll have a specific niche but, right now I think it'll be nice to leave my options open and see where this journey takes me.

gone batty!

Our family has been a bit under the weather for last 2 days. With the kids in the house all day we got a little batty! We don't have many Halloween decorations so, to make it feel a little more festive we strung up a garland with some paper and black string we had in the house. I found a half bat template online and a ghost rubber stamp that I outlined and printed them both out. I had the kids cut some shapes and I cut a bunch for the garland.

Ethan made some bats but he had his own plan for them; he colored it black and made a card instead. Hudson had a great time cutting but, not into any actual bat or ghost shapes. While I was stringing the garland the boys decided they wanted bat kites so, Bert helped them cut out the shapes and tied with some black string.

They happily ran back and forth in the living room as there kites flew! The best part was, this craft project kept everyone engaged and whining / arguing free for quiet a while. :)

monthly goal meetup

(image: Modish Biz Tips)

Whoa there - mid October already?! Where oh where has the time gone. It is finally feeling a bit cooler here in sunny Phoenix although rumor has it we may hit 100 degrees on Sat! I just keep reminding myself that by the time Halloween arrives the 100 degree days should be history.

I have been following the modish biz tips blog for quiet some time. When the monthly goal meetup started I remember thinking that it would be a nice way to stay on track with my Creative Stash biz goals. I stuck the idea on the back burner for awhile and in September I decided it was time I join in the fun. Here goes ...

October Biz Goals:

1. create weekly schedule for marketing/business/creative time so, I'm not so overwhelmed
2. take jewelry pictures for etsy shop
3. gift packaging idea & photo for etsy shop
   
4. website splash page
   
5. new business cards

Best of luck to all those participating in the Monthly Goal Meetup for October! Read more about how it all started on Modish Biz Tips Setting goals & keeping goal - Let's do it together.

font capture

Today in my daily candy email they spoke of this clever site, fontcapture.com where you can create a font from your very own handwriting! All you need is a printer and a scanner. So cool. Here is my handwriting:

Ethan is learning how to write all his letters in kindergarten. At the end of the year how fun would it be to make a font of his own letters?! Okay maybe my idea of "fun" is a little skewed but, still it will be cool. You can create your own font online at fontcapture.com.

acorn squash with apple

Yay! We're back on track with Meatless Monday. Tonight we tried an acorn squash recipe I found on allrecipes.com. It was warm and sweet and felt more like a dessert then a meal. I must confess, I added ice cream to mine because it tasted a lot like apple pie! Probably a little too sweet to make again for dinner but, I would keep this recipe around for a healthier alternative to apple pie.

See Acorn Squash with Apple Recipe

If you missed it, the Meatless Mondays Campaign website featured my simple Spinach Berry Salad recipe a couple of weeks ago. Pretty cool!

homemade cleaners

I switched to homemade cleaners a few weeks ago. All the recipes I have tried include vinegar so, my home smells of vinegar for a bit while cleaning but, the smell dissipates once it dries. You could probably add some essential oils to your cleaner to help with the smell if it bothers you.

Benefits of Cleaning with Vinegar

• inexpensive
• no harsh chemicals
  
• effective sanitizer (kills viruses, germs, bacteria and mold)
• effective stain remover
• safe for most surfaces

Here are the recipes I've started using:

All Purpose Cleaner
Use to clean countertops, oven range and bathroom surfaces

Mix in a spray bottle:
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
a few drops of mild dishwashing soap

Glass Cleaner
Using rubbing alcohol and white vinegar together makes a quickly evaporating spray glass and mirror cleaner that competes with store brands.

Mix in a spray bottle:
1 cup water
1 cup rubbing alcohol (not non-toxic)
1 tbsp white vinegar

Alternatively mix equal parts:
water
white vinegar
1/2 tbsp mild dishwashing liquid

Furniture Polish
Dab a rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store.

Mix in a glass jar:
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Laminate Floor Cleaner

Mix in a spray bottle equal parts:
water
white vinegar
rubbing alcohol (optional-not non-toxic)
a few drops of mild dishwashing soap

Note: Use the same precautions as with store-bought cleaners - keep them out of reach of children and pets. Make sure to label your cleaners. Rubbing alcohol is toxic in large quantities when inhaled or ingested.

Do you have any homemade cleaner recipes you love?

art party invitation

For Hudson's birthday we were originally thinking of having an art party theme. We didn't end up going that route but, I did create a fun painting party invitation and wanted to share.

You may download this invitation for free and use this design for personal use. Invitation size is 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" and will fit in a standard A2 (4 3/8" x 5 3/4") envelope. Please give credit to me, Kristen Fagan (Creative Stash) or link to my blog wherever possible. Enjoy!

In creating this invitation I used the Adobe Photoshop brush plug-in Room122 Brushes created by Nathan Brown www.room122.com. Thank you Nathan!

celebrating autumn

Fallen Leaves 2007
acrylic painting on wood

Autumn is my all time favorite season. Today, September 22nd marks the first day of Autumn. Living in the desert I get a wee bit sad that we miss out on the vibrant and mass amount of color changing going on in other parts of the country this time of year. We have the rich golds, reds and browns all year long but, they are more subtle. The massive amounts of foliage is hard to match up to. However, it is only a short drive away if we want to enjoy a fall day outing amidst the trees, so really we can have our cactus and changing leaves too...just have to go out and get it!

Autumn Song
Katherine Mansfield

Now's the time when children's noses
All become as red as roses
And the color of their faces
Makes me think of orchard places
Where the juicy apples grow,
And tomatoes in a row.

Come then, find your ball and racket,
Pop into your winter jacket,
With the lovely bear-skin lining.
While the sun is brightly shining,
Let us run and play together
And just love the autumn weather.

I sure do welcome the passing of our hot summer months and the cooler air can already be felt in the mornings. We desert dwellers are lucky to be able to enjoy nice weather for much of the year.


Today at Soft Flex Company we are celebrating the first day of Autumn with a ONE DAY SALE. If you are a jewelry designer, you may use coupon code AUTUMN at checkout and you will receive a 25% off discount on our single strands clasps. Make sure that you are signed up to receive our email newsletter for future sale coupons, project ideas and beading tips! You only have 24 hours to purchase, Tuesday 9/22.

This offer is not valid with any other discounts. If your purchase qualifies for two or more discounts, you will receive the best discount, but not a combination.

kids behavior plan ... keepin' it positive

This weekend I embarked on a quest to slow down, re-evaluate my parenting style and reflect on what is best for my children. I read this inspiring post by Serene Journey that was timed just perfectly: Show Your Kids You Love Them. Serene Journey is one of my favorite blogs to read and she has a sixth sense of posting inspiring blogs exactly when I need them!

Since school begun about month ago Ethan has began testing our limits at home. In kindergarten he is learning about rewards and consequences based on his behavior. So, I decided to look into behavior charts. Charts make sense to kids and they take pride in a page full of stars or stickers showing their good behavior.

After some research, here are the charts we put in place ...

Behavior Chart

Behavior Chart Reward Cards

Strike 3 Chart

Chore Chart

Here are blank charts I created for you to download and use for your personal use if you'd like:

• Behavior Chart
  
• Behavior Chart Reward Cards - These reward cards show activities they can choose based on the number of happy faces they receive for the week.
• Strike 3 Chart - I felt it was important to also have a chart for behaviors that are just not letting up so, I created a Strike 3 Chart. After the 3rd strike a negative consequence will occur. the goal here is to help them recognize and change their bad behavior before it gets to 3 strikes.
• Daily Chores Chart

I found this article on About.com very helpful when working on my charts: Charts & Chips - Using A Behavior Modification System With Your Child.

I know a big part of our kids behaviors are directly related to us as parents and how we behave and react. Being consistent with our discipline, keeping our cool, accentuating the positives and showing our kids we love them are important things to remember to do each and every day. It's so easy to fall back into a "No, No, No" routine and forget about giving positive re-enforcement, encouragement and the ability to make their own choices. I know this all to well.

Our action plan: Throughout the day we give stars as chores are completed and every night before bed we review the behavior chart together and we reward happy faces for the day. I have already seen that the boys find these new behavior charts empowering and they help keep me and Bert on track with consistent, positive discipline.

Do you have any tips that help keep you on track and your kids eager to behave?

holiday weekend fun

Although the holiday weekend started a little rocky with the boys behavior and my own parenting struggles, we ended up having a pretty busy family fun filled weekend when all was said and done. I got my act together with some behavior and chore charts and I'll go into that more in the next post. For now, I wanted to share some fun family time photo highlights:

Saturday morning rain storm

Sunday trip to the Natural History Museum

Labor day picnic at the park and afternoon dance party