Oh girl, ain't nobody got time for dat...

Hi again!

It's been over a week since my last blog and holy moly - life just keeps changing and getting better!

I'm finally starting to feel like I'm in a routine. This morning, I woke up to the sun shining, to an amazing workout, to an amazing lunch out at a park with friends...and I felt alive.  Awake. Unhurried and unstressed.  These feelings had been missing for some time as my body got acclimated with regular work and sleep hours and a lot less physical activity. So today I feel like I finally hit a stride.

But I've been pretty busy.  Finally, we launched the Etsy shop!  So far, we have a bunch of shoe/glove deodorizers up...and we have more tricks up our sleeves!

Can I just say how freakin' pumped I am to have an Etsy shop? I LOVE to create and I can't express how amazing it feels to be doing more of that.

So, the name?  USUpcycled - it's a play on the name of this blog, in a way.  It stands for Unapologetically Stacey - Upcycled.  Because "unapologetically" is a semi-complicated word, I went with the initials instead.  And, of course "upcycled" because I love giving new life to items; giving them new use and purpose.  Not everything on the site will be from recycled materials, but it is my general goal.

The other thought behind the name is that since it's a collaborative effort between my friend and I (the "Us"), and, I can't lie - this is a big year of change for us both.  So, think of "us" as being a bit "upcycled", too. Renewed, being remade into something beautiful.

I've also been ordering things to make my office at work seem more "me". This is going on my desk tomorrow, along with new organizational paraphernalia that is hiding in the blue canvas baskets.

And I've been trying to ignore and avoid the negativity that seems to be going around! It's hard sometimes because I do take things to heart. But I have to remind myself that not everyone feels the way that I do ~ and in a hundred years, we'll all know the truth.  (Right, Dad?)  

There's a reason why I have that quote tattooed on my arm; it is a great reminder to me not to get too wrapped up in the drama because, in the end, none of it really matters.

So that's the update on my life, in a nutshell. Creating, finding my rhythm, being as present as possible and avoiding things that subtract from my life instead of add to it.

Making Moves!

If we've met, you probably have gathered that I don't let dust settle too often.

As I begin a new/old life adventure career-wise, I'm also planning another adventure...an Etsy shop!  Because crafts.  All the crafts. All the time. 

I had an Etsy shop years ago that was not successful at all. But now I'm older, wiser (maybe? lol), and am about to have a lot more free time to plan and create. I also have help in all of these things, which I didn't have before.

This isn't going to be an immediate thing; I've got to work hard to improve my talents and create an inventory. The first time around was half-assed; this time around will be professional. It is my goal to someday just have a business where I produce items and food stuffs for people that make people feel good.  That's where I see myself in the future.

Creating challenges me. I love learning how to make new things; it keeps my brain moving. When I make something that's useful and unique and someone buys it and loves it...the feeling is like no other. I feel proud and fulfilled.

And that's how I want to live my life. Doing what I want to do, living authentically, and creating naturally.  I want to continue to live my life in such a way that I can sleep easily at night. 

So, right now I am working hard on creating more boxing glove/shoe deodorizers in fun, new patterns because of their practicality and popularity, but I will be upping my natural soap making, candle making, and over-all skin product game. I also want to work on hand-knitting, metal hammering, and overall upcycling products into something fresh and useful.  Quilting will be in the works for my partner but I have zero interest in that, personally, at this time.  I'd also like to learn how to basket weave!  #AllTheThings

Oh boy, I have my work cut out for me.

Crafting...Teaching Me Life Lessons

A very happy backyard

It's Wednesday and while most of the people I know are at work today...I have an unexpected day off and I'm enjoying this very moment that I'm in.

I have a warm pug in my lap, a cooling cup of coffee in front of me and a brain full of ideas for projects I'd like to work on today. 

Pandora is playing in the background because I take full advantage of listening to the stations I want to when I am by myself!  My husband and I share very different taste in music.

This week I tackled a new craft - watercolored mugs!  I took plain white mugs and followed a very simple Pinterest tutorial.

Baked (to seal in the color) and washed!

They're unique.  They're fun.  They're artsy...all things that I love!  But I'm not entirely happy because although everything indicates that they are safe to use for food purposes I can't help but feel weird that it's baked on nail polish.  I'd rather not take a risk that someone could be putting poison in their bodies. 

With that being said, I am going to have another go at this project but I will just be adding color on to the bottom of the mugs and spoons...where mouths will not be touching.

But, what's to be done with the mugs in the picture, if they aren't going to be used actually as drinking mugs?  I'm considering peppermint-scented candles to keep them a festive holiday gift! I think they will be perfect for a yankee-swap gift exchange I have coming up.

One of the things that I love about crafting is that there are no real mistakes.  What could be seen as a blooper can be easily made into something else quite useful; there's a lot of fun in the learning of new things!  It's a great exercise in not focusing on the disappointment of something not turning out as planned, but simply going with the flow.