Hello 2009!

All the way back in October, I read this post at Bead Nerd about setting your intentions for the upcoming year.

In part, she said:

"Recently I read a blog post about choosing a word for the year. No resolutions. No goals. Just one word."

The idea has stuck with me.

An intention.

A single word to carry with you.

A theme for the year, if you will.

In thinking about it I have many goals for the upcoming year, both personal and professional, and the professional is very personal for me.

Professionally, I want to write more. I want to make something happen with non-blog writing the way I have with Oh2122. I want to make the most of this bloggy-bloggy world. I want my writing to live up to its potential. I want my crafting and Etsy shop to live up to their potential. I want to live up to my potential.

2009 will be about potential here at Oh2122. Seeing and seizing opportunities to learn new skills and improve my craft - er - crafts? Um... craftiness?

So readers, how will you be living up to your potential this year?

Comment Love

This has been a watershed year for me. 2008 brought me blogging, Etsy, and all of the fascinating people I have met out here among the pixels.

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading, and commenting, and your encouragement. And thank you for all of your own blogs too!

What an amazing thing this blogging is!

***Comment Love***
*a teeny tiny sampling of the fab comments here at Oh2122*

On the picture of Monkey from 2007:

Charity Childs-Gevero: That's your little monkey? Aaaawwww.... can I have little monkey?

Jenners, who's here too: I am so glad that someone else can't show photos of their kid on their blog too! My husband told me no photos of our son (unless he is absolutely unidentifiable) on the blog (he is really paranoid about creepy people) and I felt like the only one not able to post photos of my kid but I see you have the same restrictions! Love the photo!

Amy: So cute :)

Thank you all. I am seriously considering renting him out. He's grown in to quite a personality. The Blarney Stone runs in his veins, I tell you!

I decided to only post non-identifying pictures of him for my own piece of mind. Safety is paramount, but it's about his privacy too.

I'm more than willing to tell embarrassing stories about him, but I wouldn't want the kids in his kindergarten class to know before he even meets them about the time Mommy changed his diaper in the back of the car and locked the two of us in.

I have to save SOMETHING for the bus stop, right?

Pratibha, of MANY blogs: do u ship to countries other than US and Canada ??

Not yet, but I'm working on it. I'm so new to Etsy, I'm still learning. Shipping outside of the US and Canada is on my "Bloggy-To-Do" list for 2009!

On the smoke detector ornament:

Brenda: I love the pics - and the smoke detector for the tree? I HAVE to get hubby one, he would sleep better at night! The plaid throughout the house is a nice touch.

Liz: I'm guessing you are related to a firefighter - I am going to ask a friend with a firefighter father if she had a smoke detector inside her tree, will report back soon!

The parents got it for us, but I have no earthly clue where. Google failed me too. It's just one of the many perks of growing up as the daughter of a fire fighter.

Also included are hip-high fire boots for shovelling snow and your father in the fire truck driving by you and the approximately 100 other kids walking home from school and telling you over the PA to go home and do your homework.

Lorrwill: Oh and feel free to post those cookie recipes...YUM!

Ask and ye shall receive. Truly, they're all variations on recipes from The Joy of Cooking, Pampered Chef, and Alton Brown. The gingerbread is from a box. I'll gather them up and post them Friday.

It will do me good to write it out so I'm not sniffing the anise cookie dough AGAIN next year and wondering if I put enough in!

Jori-O: BTW, I can't help but share...the word verification right now is "upbut". HA! =)

HA! I love when word verification looks like it's trying to communicate with us! Then again sometimes it just looks like an eye exam. I once got rrurunni. Seriously? I had to the count letters!

Kat: First...your comment today on my blog truly made me laugh out loud. And I'll be sure to do some financial planning with your dad when we win the mega millions :-)

*Part of what I said on this post about what I'd do if I won the lottery was: "Anyone in financial need gets a loan. Dad, who thinks about this a lot too came up with that. You have to pay taxes on a gift, but not on a loan with a $1 payment schedule and next to nothing interest!"

Dad's brain just works like that. Brilliant. Go check out the comments. They're sweet and funny, and hey, if you know where to get a llama...

Very Mary: Shoes are SO crafty. Because someone had to craft those cute shoes. right? RIGHT?

Yes. Yes they are. Now if I could just figure out how to write them off on my taxes... or maybe get them for free?

Hello, shoe companies? Will blog for shoes!

Size 7 1/2, thank you.

Crafty Loot

Bloggy peeps, there are some DEALS to be had out there!

I am positively stocked with crafty bits post-Christmas!

Thank you Hubby! How did you know EXACTLY what I wanted?

*snort*

Not pictured is the sterling wire I ordered on Etsy, the wire rounder from Art Beads, and the cookie cutters from Michael's that were insanely discounted.

And thanks to some generous relatives who are familiar with my B&N addiction, I scored 200 Crochet Tips, Techniques & Trade Secrets, and a very cool calligraphy starter kit. Bonus, I still have room on my gift cards! I've requested a few crafty books from the library so I can test drive them before buying. Love that inter-library lending!

Yes, I did get things that were not craft-related. I am nothing if balanced when it comes to shopping. So among other things there may or may not be two new pairs of shoes in my closet. And if there are, they were most certainly on sale. Possibly even clearanced down to 1/3 their original price. And left there by elves under the cover of night.

Ahem.

I'm going back to Michael's and Joann's this week to check out their fab end of the year clearance deals. If you're crafty or know someone who is, it is VERY worth it to sign up for their email notices. I am getting % off coupons from both places at least once a week.

Before I drag Monkey back to the store with the "Beads!" I should share a story.

A teeny tiny little old lady* stopped me in Michael's this weekend to ask if I wanted one of her coupons. She wasn't getting anything that wasn't already on sale, so she couldn't use them. Sadly, neither was I, but how sweet was that of her to offer?

*If I, at 5'6" AFTER YOGA, thought she was teeny tiny, how tall could she have been?

Best Posts Of The Year

Hubby and I gave each other the perfect gift this Christmas.

Not having to shop for one another.

Between ice storms, blizzards, and 104 fevers, it was easier to wait and get what we really wanted after Christmas.

So I'm off to peruse the post-holiday, OMG we're no where near our projected numbers quick make everything 70% off sales. I have my eye on quite a few crafty things, too.

In the meantime, Best Posts of the Week has a great post up today:

Best Posts of the Year!

Check it out, and have a relaxing weekend all!

Merry Christmas!

***Note: No photos of Monkey rule only bent, not broken. This is from Christmas 2007, his first. There's no way anyone could ID him now. He's probably at least 1 1/2 feet taller. No I am not kidding.***

Happy To You

I've pretty much been in motion non-stop lately. I may or may not have been wrapping in my sleep... If I wake up tomorrow with curling ribbon smooshed on my cheek, I'll let you know.

So I thought while I'm slacking in the bloggy world, I'd share what's going on in the real world this week.

I did a little baking.

Frosted gingerbread cookies

Followed by shortbread, anise spritz, chocolate chip, and lemon sugar cookies.These are the picture frames in our bathroom. I take ZERO credit for this idea.I've seen it so many places, I can't even credit one of them.And the tree is finally done.
Minus the topper, which I have located, but is out of stock.

Again.

I'm sure I'll have it by August.

How about some ornament highlights?

We got this on our honeymoon at the Waterford Factory in Ireland.Why, yes. That IS plaid ribbon on the tree.

It simply has to match this:And these. There's plaid in pretty much every room of the house.

These were the favors at our December wedding in 2002.

And last but not least, the highlight of our tour:

Meh? Ok...

What if I told you it was a smoke detector?

Yes. Yes it is.

Growing up I was the only kid I knew who had a smoke detector inside their tree. Other than my sibs and 'rents, I am still the only person I know with a smoke detector inside my tree.

I'm off for the next few days for Christmas parts 1 and 1a. (Part 2 is in January with Hubby's family.)

Whatever you're celebrating this week, in the words of the Monkey himself:

HAPPY TO YOU!

Oh2122's Family Christmas Swap

In case I haven't mentioned it (at least 50 times) I have a huge family. So big, we have to draw names for Christmas or we'd all go broke.

My little family unit of 3 actually got 3/4ths of another family unit. Weirdness like this happens all the time. One cousin has now gotten my youngest sis 3 years in a row.

When I asked this cousin what she wanted, she told me, "My birthstone is pearl, my favorite colors are red and black, and I have NO BRACELETS."

Done and done, cuz.

This is made with white and grey freshwater pearls and finished with silver plate findings.

Loving these grey pearls!

This one is red jade and onyx with permanently colored copper wire.
The clasp is hand made to match and connects to the last loop on the last link.

I've auto posted this for after the party's start time, so as not to ruin the surprise.

Off to eat way too many cookies!

Holiday Catch-Up: Christmas Card Display

It's getting busy around here. Even though we're going to have an extended holiday season this year, as Hubby's family will be gathering in January, we're still really behind on the holiday front. And the insult to our injury will arrive today in the form of 6-12 inches of snow.

Yay.

Tucked in the massive pile of mail waiting for us were a ton of Christmas cards!

Last year we displayed them on ribbons strung on one wall in our hallway. This year, Monkey and his curious hands can reach the light switches in our house, so we needed a new solution.

Apologies for the odd circles on the photo cards. I don't post Monkey's picture, and would never post those of anyone else's kiddos. Trust me when I say they're all BEAUTIFUL!

I used a rectangle of foam core and covered it with the same fabric as our stockings. The fabric is stapled to the foam core so it can be reused in the future.To hold the cards in place, I used nylon cord and upholstery tacks left over from my office renovation.The cords were wrapped behind and stapled as well.
More cord was used on the back so we can hang it from nails already in place in our kitchen.

To finish it, I ran packing tape along the edges to give it all a little more support.

All in all it only took about 30 minutes!

WIP Wednesday

I had another order this week, and this time it was from an awesome blogger I've been reading since I was just a wee blogger -scarcely knee high to a Sitemeter.

As timing would have it, her package shipped on Day One of Ice-mare 08. By some miracle the post office actually had power. So I photographed a new process I'm test running and intended to post it on the day of shipping.

Partly to warn the buyer that an experimental envelope of paper bits was on the way, and opening it over carpeting may be inadvisable.

Ha. Silly me.

Ice, Monkey, fever, coolers of chicken and milk... but I digress.

We've been greenifying our lives for a while now. Reusable bags for shopping. CLF light bulbs. There is even a bottle filled with water displacing the tank water in or bathroom. (It makes your fixture a lower flow fixture at a fraction of the cost of a new one.)

So in an effort to make shipping a greener affair at Oh2122, I've been doing a little research and tinkering. Bubble mailers, though reusable, are not easily recyclable. Plastic linings will do that.

This is what I'm working with right now, but it needs tweaking.

I gathered some of the catalogues destined for the recycling bin and ran them through the cross cut shredder.

I lined the bottom of a manila envelope with some of the filler. Advanced move may involve paper grocery bags, as suggested by my neighborhood barista. I've had so many Peppermint Mocha Twists in the last 4 days, he may be my new BFF.

Here's where the picture of the wrapped items should be.

Should've could've would've.

Again that dang ice, Monkey, fever, coolers of chicken and milk...

Then again the "dressing" of the items is it's own WIP, so maybe it's for the best.

Items in and the envelope was stuffed with more filler.

I am contemplating a shipping label with the Oh2122 logo on it, self printed of course, but that will be a WIP for another day.

The filler is recycled and recyclable with your other paper products, and the envelope is both reusable and recyclable. Quad score!

So, readers, do you have any green shipping ideas? Have you received anything lately that came fabulous AND green packaging?

Home Again

We're home!

And I am fighting the urge to turn on every light in the house.

Just. Because. I. Can.

We passed many a dark house on the way home, and I hope they are keeping safe and warm, and that they will also have their power restored ASAP.

Though we are eternally grateful to my parents for housing us, and to their dogs for putting up with the love Monkey heaps upon them, it is good to be home.

As soon as we unload the coolers of frozen food*, we're going to BED! Here's to a good night's sleep for all involved, and a return to relative normalcy.

I'll wade through my reader in the morning. 298 at last count. Yipes. Apologies to all the bloggy peeps who will be seeing three-day old posts getting comment hits and scratching their heads.

Sleep now. Yes please and thank you.



*I had just gone grocery shopping in the morning of the day the storm hit. Timing. I have it. But I'll be a frosted cupcake if I'm going to lose 4 gallons of milk, chicken, ground beef, and half a freezer full of veggies to an ice storm!

Wordless Monday

Ok, to be fair there are words, but seeing as how we're now at 72 hours and counting, have been told multiple power restorations times (all different), Monkey is sick, and while our house is blessedly intact we have had to retreat to the real 02122 so we won't freeze to death...

Let's just say those words are all bad words.

Really bad words.

Shout outs to all the New England bloggy peeps. Stay safe and stay warm.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like

Cold season.

I'm down for the count, and seriously need to recover so I can meet the new baby in my life, so I'm reaching back to Christmas past for today's post. Comment Love returns Friday. Saturday if I run out of DayQuil.

When Monkey was 8 months old, I decided we needed to have "family" stockings.

I had previously only ever used my sewing machine for straight lines and hems.

Mostly hems.

Hubby and I both being Scotch-Irish, I set out to find a nice plaid, giving no thought whatsoever to the fact that I couldn't read patterns and had never used one.

EVER.

One cardboard template, a couple of yards each of plaid fabric, black cotton jersey for the lining, and white polar fleece for the cuffs, and an unholy number of straight pins later:

In my defense, the fireplace grate is curved.

They do really match up better than they appear in this photo.

It's a good thing Monkey was only 8 months old at the time... Have I mentioned that I work blue when crafts go awry? Like during the blue frosting issue?I will not be showing you all the lining.

Suffice it to say, Monkey will always be able to tell that his mom made his stocking.

By hand.

With no pattern.

And VERY little experience.

I've Got MORE Mail!

My package from the Pampering Beki ornament swap has arrived!

Seriously, how cool is this?

It's from Tameka at Tea and Honey Bread and The Buzz.

As if two blogs were not enough, she's on Etsy too!

My swap buddy's package has been delivered, according to the USPS, but I haven't heard from her yet.

I love my post office, but you never know, so swap buddy, if you haven't received your package, please let me know so I can fix that!

In the mean time, check out her blog: Monhegan Moment. Her work is beautiful!

Custom Order For Etsy

The custom order I received on Etsy was to replicate the Binney Bracelet in gray.

The original is made with glass beads and pink freshwater pearls.

Lining them up.

Making sure the length matches.

Very important as freshwater pearls vary by nature.
The finished project. It hit the post office this morning!

First custom order - CHECK!

Loving these pearls too.

Must resist urge to go back to bead store.

Must.

Resist.

Resolve.

Failing...

Smile And Wave

Having made my first (and second... and first custom..) Etsy sales, it's time to out myself. I've been blogging on the DL for quite a while now, so this will be a bit of a shock.

Everyone smile and say, "Hi Alicia's entire family!"

My mother's birthday was this weekend, and I made a little something for the occasion.

They're made with silver plate findings, crystals, and freshwater pearls.


Christmas is a very big holiday in our family, so this one's from Monkey.

Copper and glass seed beads.

Monkey does nice work, huh?

I wish. That 16 gauge copper is great in a finished project, but murder on my hands!

Outing myself has a two-fold purpose.

The first is that I can actually say things like, "I have to go to the post office to ship an order." Or, "I was at this blogging conference..." Or, "I forgot to RVSP because I was knee deep in email and thought I had already."

The second is that I come from a big family. A big CRAFTY family.

They knit. They crochet. They sew. They quilt.

They should also ETSY!

So if you're here for the first time, and know me outside of the bloggiverse, there are a few ground rules on Oh2122, for your safety and mine.

I say my name, but only my first name. No last names, please. Hubby and the Monkey are only ever Hubby and Monkey. You can use your name, but omitting your last name is probably best.

Monkey's picture is never posted here.

Ever.

Yes, I'm in MA, and most of you are too, but there's no need to say where in MA.

You'll meet a lot of nice people among the pixels, but it's always a good idea to be cautious.

Have fun, be careful, and welcome to bloggy land.

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz

Busy little bee.

I have not been buried in a craftalache.

I've just been upgraded from headless chicken to hair on fire.

I got my first Etsy custom order request last night.

I'm finishing a birthday gift.

My wedding anniversary is this weekend.

My friend is in LABOR!

And I'll have some new bloggy visitors very soon.

More on that on Sunday...

Off to finish that custom order!

Meme Along With Me

So the ab-fab Laughing Purple Goldfish has tagged me for a meme this week, and I am just now posting it! Between my SECOND Etsy sale, sniffles all around, and a birthday project for my mother, I've been running around like the proverbial headless chicken.

Side note - how much does that blog name rock? I can't help but think of a purple goldfish rolling around on a counter laughing and holding it's sides. She is an amazing crafter who can recycle just about anything into something wonderful. Got unusable burnt out Christmas lights hanging around? She can help!

The Rules, Yo:

1) Link to your tagger and list all these rules in 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 including links to their blogs.

4) Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Just The Facts:

1) I like scrambled eggs on toast with Nutella. No I am not kidding, and yes all of my taste buds still work. Try it.

2) My Dad and I have scars in the exact same place on the exact same eyebrow from the exact same thing. Chicken pox.

3) I would live in Barnes and Noble if they let me. Hubby and I have a date this weekend and the only thing we have decided on is that we will be going to B&N.

4) Hubby and I were both named, first and middle names, for our grandparents.

5) I love the show What Not To Wear and if I were ever on it, I would certainly go home naked but wearing the coolest shoes EVER.

6) I have a gaggle of first cousins on one side ranging in age from 40 to 6. And yes, we all blood relatives and have the same two people as grandparents.

7) My Google Reader currently contains 111 blogs. Which makes choosing 7 people REALLY hard, so I'm digging into my comments!

The Tagged:

Elizabeth @ Thoughts From An Evil Overlord

Cairo Typ0 @ Wandering The World

Susie @ Susie's Homemade

Jori-O @ Jeff & Me + Three

Liz @ Inventing My Life

Erin @ Every Heart Crafts

Kat @ Sunshine And Lemonade

'Cause I Needed More Beads

Yes I did.

I actually managed to enter the store and only leave with what I came for.

Yay me!

I found some great Tiger's Eye, which I think will be used in remaking yesterday's bracelet.

And if memory serves, this is Carnelian.
But I forgot to write it down.

Boo me.

I'll be back there very soon, though. They have a frequent flyer card and I hit the spend $ get $ mark.

Of course I did.

Back To Work

The turkey is now officially "leftovers" and the pie is almost gone.

I managed to eek out one more project for myself just before the first of our TWO Thanksgivings.It's made from 20 gauge copper wire and glass beads that look remarkably like amber.Not wanting to add a dissonant note at the end, I handmade the clasp to continue the natural flow of the piece.
I like this one so much, I'm going to make another.

(Voice coming in clearer, I think...)

I'm off to the bead store today to see if I can find just the right bead. I know where I got the originals, but I'm going to try my local shop first.

I have a few things floating around in my head that will hopefully make it into the shop. I'm leaving the holiday pricing and shipping up for now. Why mess with a good thing?