Coming Soon!

http://armedandinspired.etsy.com/ is up and running, but I haven't changed my business cards, etc yet. http://xarata.etsy.com/ is still open at the moment and I DID sell one of my copper quill pens for someone's copper anniversary. I made theirs with a copper tubing sheath which means the pen cartridge can be replaced! ::Genius:: Lots of favorites on my geekery (xbox controllers, zombie glasses, etc) and that's exciting.

So what else is new? I quit my second job (I finished out my notice a week ago) after 3 months with Francesca's Collections. Working 9 shifts a week was sucking the fun out of life, usurping my free time, and leaving me plum tuckered out! I also really wasn't making any money- I made $300/month working 2-3 days per week there. I spent ~$60-$80/month on gas, ~$60/month on Starbucks when I took my breaks, and ~$100/month on merchandise from the store netting me ~$60/month, with a 25minute commute each way and no days off each week- quitting really was the smart thing to do. I enjoyed parts of it, but I don't know that it was my calling :) This past week was my first regular 40 hour week since May, and I went hiking, played video games, and went house hunting.

House hunting?!?!? Remember I wanted a house? My goal was originally October and that really didn't happen. We had agreed to wait til Spring and then our realtor pointed out a house right up our alley. We haven't fully committed yet, but it's a very cute house with a very big yard in the area we already live in(near work) and we got approved for the loan, qualified for a first time homebuyer's grant, and got the seller to agree to pay the closing costs. This could be it ;)

I have free time again, AND almost all of my xmas shopping is done, so there are some very specific projects on the near horizon and I'm going to fill you in:

• A Purple Plaid Jacket that matches my Purple Plaid Poncho. I have 5 yards of that purple plaid suiting to play with. I love it!
• A series of hooded scarves based off of my purple plaid poncho, because I love hooded scarves ;p
• Some antique sterling silver spoon butterflies for my grandma
• Some simple silver rings for my neices for xmas
• A beer glass for my brother-in-law (my secret santa)
• Anything that strikes my fancy after that!



my best pen yet!

I also made confetti eggs at the end of October. We threw them at a friend for his going away party and they were tons of fun!



I took this picture after I cut the tops off, washed and dyed them orange, but before i filled them with confetti and mod-podge them shut with black tissue paper