Monday Goals for the Week

I had a really productive week last week and finished most of the items on that list at some point. This week, I'm hoping to finish organizing for the holidays and more.

Household
--mop all floors
--put away S too small clothes, summer clothes, etc.
--order Christmas cards from Shutterfly (which I'll be blogging about this week, too)

Professional
--ship all orders
--get ready for Saturday's craft show
--take photos of new party supply themes and items
--start planning shop restructuring for new year

Personal
--finish reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
--walk on treadmill

Monday Goals for the Week!

Last week was a no blog week for me due to a few minor health issues, but we're back to feeling better around our house. I did have a great birthday last week. :)

This week is going to be crazy w/ the holidays, travel, and my Etsy shop sales. Here are my goals for the week:

Household
--get oil change and tires rotated on car
--grocery shopping
--get most of the holiday shopping done (Friday)
--finish and order holiday cards from Shutterfly
--general cleaning, laundry, recycling, etc.

Professional
--get ready for the upcoming Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday sales in my Etsy and Artfire shops!! More details coming soon.

Personal
--dentist to get tooth fixed (again)
--organize holiday gift-giving lists for Friday and map out shopping plan

Thursday Tutorials--DIY Dishwasher Soap

I found this tutorial at DIY Natural earlier this week, and I made it on Monday. So far, every load of dishes that I've cleaned in the dishwasher this week has been clean and spotless. I'm so impressed! Check it out for yourself here:
http://www.diynatural.com/simple-effective-jabs-homemade-dishwasher-detergent-rinse-agent/

Wordless Wednesdays--Makeup from last week

Inspiration Tuesday--DIY Living

I've read so many blog posts lately on ways to make your own cleaning products, do it yourself (DIY) crafts/ gifts, etc., and I truly am inspired to do more at home this year. I even made my own dishwasher soap today, and it worked fabulously! I'll share that tutorial on Thursday of this week, but it came from this blog:
http://www.diynatural.com/

They include easy to follow DIY tutorials on everything from making your own deodorant, laundry soap, dishwasher soap, and even your own hairspray! I personally am inspired to try the homemade natural mouthwash soon.

Monday Goals for the Week

After my first craft show of the season last week/ helping at preschool/ etc., I'm actually feeling better this week. Things are starting to come together again, and I hope to have a really productive week before this weekend's craft show. Here are my weekly goals for now, but I'm sure I'll keep adding to them this week:

Professional:
--finish Etsy orders (again)
--list new cards and other items
--prepare for craft show #2 on Saturday

Household:
--clean my scrapbooking room/ office and organize (it's in bad shape after the last month!)
--mop all floors
--make my own dishwasher soap this week!

Personal:
--Library to get books for all 3 of us

Monday Goals for the Week

So much to get done this week! I'm a bit behind as we're dealing with allergy and possible asthma issues in my household. That meant lots of extra cleaning last week that included stuffed animals, pillows, etc.

Professional
--Etsy orders
--get things together for my craft show on Saturday
--renew and list new items in shop this week

Personal
--not sure I'll have time for me this week, but I hope to spend lots of time each day w/ my girl

Household
--keep up with cleaning and try to figure out what is triggering asthma in the little one
--schedule final deck inspections
--get November birthday cards and gifts

Thursday Tutorials--Paper Trees!

I found this online and can't wait to try it out for holiday decor and craft shows. Looks like you can make this from thicker cardstock/ paper or fabric using nesting scallops. Enjoy!

Tutorial and photo from:

http://lifestylecrafts.com/blog/nestingscallopstree/

Wordless Wednesday--Soccer

Inspiration Tuesday--Pinterest!

I'm beginning to really love Pinterest lately and find that I'm searching there more and more for just about everything. It's my inspiration for new crafts, household projects, and more. This week, I found some new ideas for a few of my organizational pieces from my last Willow House party, and I can't wait to use them around the house.

Monday--Goals for the Week

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders now that my orders are caught up. Whew! Here are my goals for this week:

Professional:
--work on items for November craft shows (coaster sets, card sets, post it note holders, etc.)
--relist and list new items in Etsy shop

Household:
--finish planting bushes/ new landscaping outside
--clean closets (downstairs coat closet, linen closet, S's closet, etc.)
--keep up with our meal plan and eating at home more
--take the little one trick-or-treating

Personal:
--find a new book to read
--find a place to volunteer before the holidays
--make time to walk this week
--work on personal scrapbooks

Almost Back to Normal!

After a whirlwind month and a half, I'm wrapping up the Heartsy deal. All vouchers must be used by Nov. 1st, so I'm finishing up current orders and getting the last of those Heartsy orders coming in. I finally feel like I'm seeing the light and able to get caught up. I have 2 craft shows in November to prepare for, as well as getting the online shops ready for holiday orders.

Back to normal blogging this week!

Monday Weekly Goals

I didn't quite finish everything up from last week, but here are my goals for this week. We're back on our daily schedule, and I'm restructuring my day a bit to spend more quality time w/ the little one.

Professional
--finish Etsy orders still
--list new items

Household
--stick to our new schedule w/ scheduled playtime, learning time, etc.
--keep house picked up all week
--more quality time with the little one

Personal
--finish K-2 Reading and Math swap and ship
--walking exercise

Monday Weekly Goals!

It's been forever since I've updated with this Heartsy deal and then our Disney vacation, but I want to get back to blogging. Here are my goals for this week:

Professional--
--Get caught up on Etsy and Artfire orders from Heartsy deal
--list new items for Halloween

Household
--clean house for Willow House party Tuesday night
--decorate for fall

Personal
--work on personal scrapbooks
--walk at least 3x/ week for exercise

Wordless Wednesday--First Day of School

I apologize for the week long absence from blogging, but I had to finish those 2 graduate classes. Here is the little one's first day of preschool on Monday.

Goals for the Week!

I'm a little late on this blogpost because I was finishing up some of my goals from last week. The good news is that my two graduate courses are officially completed and mailed in, as well as my teaching license renewal application. Here are my goals for this week:

Household
--start packing for vacation!
--organize travel binder

Professional
--finish current Etsy orders
--list new items like crazy!
--get ready for upcoming Heartsy deal this weekend!

Personal
--create a Disney Princess autograph book for the little one
--make time to work out at least 3 days this week

Inspiration Tuesday--New Valances!

I'm currently working on valances for our kitchen and eating area. For those who know me well, I'm pretty crafty and love DIY projects. However, fabric is typically my enemy, so this is a big task for me. Here is the inspiration link:

http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/2010/04/tutorial-how-to-hang-window-valance.html

Monday's Goals for the Week

I've decided to make my Monday posts a more functional post for me, so I'm turning it into a goals for the week post. This is my last full week with the little one before she starts preschool again next Monday. Here are my goals for this week:

Household
--go through all of little one's clothes, sort out school clothes, box up small ones, etc.
--make 2 cornice valances for the downstairs
--general cleaning, laundry, etc.

Professional
--Finish graduate class #1 and mail by Wed.
--Start graduate class #2
--Photograph new items for Etsy shop, get ready for big Sept. deal!

Personal
--Exercise at least 3 days this week

What are your goals this week? Lets motive and conquer!

Wordless Wednesday--New Party Items!

Inspiration Tuesday--Stay at Home Mommy

I'm working on some new invitation designs and children's party supplies, and my little designer is right beside me helping pick which monster to use on the monster invitations. She truly is my inspiration, and I'm so thankful that I get to stay home to raise her. The last 4 1/2 years have gone by so quickly.

While home w/ my daughter, my philosophy has changed a bit from the beginning but is basically the same. I want to raise my daughter to respect others and her environment. I want her to know that she's loved and grow up being happy and healthy. We may have switched from baby wearing and attachment parenting, but we still have the same principles now that she's a little older.

We're currently working on learning to read and using www.starfall.com for most of our learning games and stories to read. Learning is and should be fun, and I've been able to find tons of online games and activities that are appropriate for preschool age. She loves them! Here's our latest fun game, courtesy of The Activity Mom blog:
http://activitymom.blogspot.com/2010/09/sight-word-game.html

We use the words from the starfall books (Zac the Rat, etc.) as well as Disney princess names and words. Hope others can find inspiration here, too!

Monday Meetings--Still Setting Up a Few of These

I'm still working on setting up some "meetings" to introduce you to a few of my favorite shops, blogs, etc. I hope to get these set up soon. In the meantime, have you been to my shops and sites?

www.tscrapper.etsy.com
www.tscrapper.artfire.com
and T and Little S Designs on Facebook. Thanks!

Friday Favorites--Summertime Edition

Instead of pulling websites and photos from the web, I decided to focus on my favorite summer activities this week. It's been so hot and humid in Ohio this summer that I've sometimes focused on how miserable it is outside instead of taking the time to get out and enjoy summer. Here are some of our favorites:
--Visiting the farmer's markets with lots of local fresh produce
--Outdoor concerts at our local college and museum
--Swimming with the family
--Reading with my little girl on the front porch
--Lemonade and Sweet Tea
--Our laid back schedule with more real learning built in throughout each day
--Lots of art time

I could definitely keep going, but I'll stop for now. What are your summertime favorites?

Creative Thursday--Cupcake Wrapper Tutorial

Another Thursday for techniques, and I have a great one to try this week. I've seen adorable cupcake wrappers throughout the web, and I've really wanted to take a chance and make my own to go with my party supplies and cupcake toppers. It just seems like a natural fit, right? Here's a great tutorial with printable template that I found this week:
http://www.utterlyengaged.com/diy-cupcake-wrapper-tutorial-by-snow-graham/

Enjoy! If you give this a try, post your results in the comments so we can take a look.

Wordless Wednesday--Party Hat Time!

Thinking about adding these to my shop in a variety of designs. Thoughts?

Inspiration Tuesday--What I Want My Home to Look and Feel Like

I love warm, bold colors and a cozy, yet contemporary style. It's sometimes really hard to mix that with family life and a busy 4 year old running around, so this week's Etsy Decor article was perfect for me. It has the look and feel that I want throughout my home--organized, lots of color, warm cozy feel, and family friendly. All photos shown below are from this Etsy article: http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/get-the-look-decor-modern-family/?ref=fp_blog_title and all photos are by MeringueDesigns.

Monday Ramblings Blog Post--August 1!!

I can't believe that today is August 1st, and my little one starts back to preschool in 4 weeks from today. She attends a local cooperative preschool for 3 afternoons each week in the 4/5 year old class, and she absolutely loves it there. Until then, we have a few things planned to keep us busy.

This week, we're starting swimming lessons Mon-Thurs for 1/2 hour each day. We also have her last Sat. class this week and a playdate worked in there. We're really hoping that the weather will be a little cooler so we can play at the park, but I'm not sure that's going to happen.

I desperately need to work on my graduate classes as today means that I have exactly one month to finish and submit these 2 classes. Yikes! I'm also hoping to work on our vacation scrapbooks this month and list new Etsy items in my shop. Can we say "busy?"

I've found that I work better with smaller goals each day, so my weekly items have been broken down into managable tasks each day. Wish me luck! What's on your agenda this week?

Friday Favorites--PicnicBasketCrafts on Etsy!

If you have dry skin or are just looking for all-natural skin care and other products, let me tell you about Tiffany from Picnic Basket Crafts. She's a science teacher who really knows the science behind the ingredients she uses plus she's just an extremely helpful Etsy seller who can answer all of your questions. She truly knows her stuff and can even customize her products just for you.

http://www.picnicbasketcrafts.etsy.com/

I recently tried her Apricot and Avocado hand and body lotion for my dry skin, and she was also able to add Zinc Oxide to it for an everyday SPF in my moisturizer. I love how my skin feels and knowing that I'm not using anything harmful. At this point, I've switched my entire skin care products to using only items from her shop, and I love it.

I've also tried many of her cleaning products with great results, too. I highly recommend her shop, and you have nothing to lose. Seriously, you can try samples for only 20cents!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63301544/try-me-1st-you-pick-a-sample-selection

Thursday Techniques--Rain Gutter Bookshelves

Little S has so many books in book baskets all over the house and really loves to read. If she's not drawing or creating art, she tends to be reading, and we really need better book storage ideas. While I'm still hoping to get a bookcase for her bedroom, I absolutely love this idea for her playroom, and it's a project I'm planning soon.

Image taken from the original blogpost here:

http://www.mustlovebabies.net/2011/07/rain-gutter-bookshelves.html

Wordless Wednesday--Perfectly Cute and Content

Picture is a month old, but better late than never, right? She thought she was being so cute here.

Inspiration Tuesday--Master Bedroom Ideas

We bought our current home (aka the one for the next 30 years) almost 2 years ago, and while it had great bones and lots of upgrades, we are slowly working to make it look and feel more like us. The family that built the home and lived here before us were in their mid-fifties were 3 older kids and definitely did not have our sense of style, color, etc. I typically like clean, contemporary design w/ lots of colors--not shabby chic or whatever her style.

While my hubby is working hard on our new deck and patio, I'm still trying to come up w/ some master bedroom ideas. I'm planning the room around our mission style bedroom set, which we love, and our new black and white comforter set. I'd love to do a gray/ black/ white/ red scheme.

I've included a few designs that I love sprinkled throughout this post. Let me know your ideas! It takes me forever to pick out a design I love. In our last home, the master bedroom was a deep red, and I loved it. Hope to love this one soon, too.

Monday Meet and Greet--Introducing Me!

I know that some of you have been a follower of this blog for awhile, but I'd like to reintroduce myself. My name is Traci, and I am a former elementary school teacher turned stay-at-home Mommy to an energetic little 4 1/2 year old girl. My life revolves around raising our daughter, working on my online shops at Etsy and Artfire, and keeping our household running smoothly. After staying at home for the last 4 years, I've learned a tremendous amount about myself, including running a part-time business while parenting and how I want to raise our daughter. All of this has evolved over the last few years and continues to grow and change. Welcome to my the inside look at my journey as a wife, mom, creative business owner, part-time homeschooling family, and more.

Here's where I'm at currently--
Personal--trying to keep our house organized, finding daily routines that work for my family (the little one and myself during the day), finishing teaching recertification classes before Sept. 1st
Business--updating my shops, developing new party items and a more cohesive line
Mom--teaching my daughter to read, looking for reading/ math/ and science homeschooling activities for preschoolers. My daughter attends a cooperative preschool during the school year and will attend 3 half days this fall. My homeschooling is in addition to her learning there.

Questions? I'm sure I forgot to mention several things, but I hope you enjoyed getting to know me. More to come in the future...

New Blog Schedule This Week!

Here's my upcoming schedule that I'm really going to try and stick with this week. I'll try it, review it, and then modify whatever needs changed to work more with my life.

Monday--Meet and Greets (brief introductions of me, some of my crafty friends and teammates, etc.)
Tuesday--Inspiration Tuesday (typically something Mommy or home related)
Wednesday--Wordless Wednesday (a picture or two of how our week is going, something we've tried, etc.)
Thursday--Creative Thursday (things I want to try, new techniques and tutorials, etc.)
Friday--Friday Finds (some of my favorite links, items, blogposts, etc. from around the web)

I'm so excited to finally get this figured out in a way that makes sense and fits in my life right now. There will still be lots of T and Little S Designs items mixed in with the Mommy, home life, homeschooling, etc. Stay tuned!

I Finally Figured It Out!

I finally have my new blog ideas figured out. In my quest to be a crafter, Etsy business, stay-at-home Mom, and learn more about homeschooling ideas, I've decided that this blog can be a mix of those parts of my life. I'm going to keep the same blog here w/ the same name, but the content will be much more varied and focus on whatever I'm working on in my life. Right now, that could be homeschooling some during the summer and working on beginning to read activities with my 4 1/2 year old.

Next week will be my first week back to blogging and my new blogging schedule. I promise to share lots of information, links to other blogs, tutorials, and of course, new Etsy items from time to time. Thanks for sticking with me!

Back to Blogging?

It's been almost 6 months since I've blogged, and I'm finally getting to the point where I miss it. I'm working through a few new ideas, so that I have more ideas to blog about besides just T and Little S Designs. I would like to talk about my life as a Mom to a busy preschooler, balancing Mama time w/ creative time, and featuring other artists. Stay tuned for a new schedule and more blogging!