A non-fail failure...

So, I don't want to call it a "failure"... but I've kind of failed. And I'm okay with it, it will help me in the future somehow I'm sure... build character or something. Right?? I went to do one last promo on my sock monkeys before the listings all expired... and low and behold - they all expired on March 15th.

For about three minutes I sat here wondering if I should renew my listings and do one more promo or call it a day... I called it a day. To be honest (both with you and myself) I just don't have the time in my day to research how to make a go of this and do all of these online workshops on Etsy nor do I have the attention span... also I would never really make any money with this anyway.

 

I had them listed at $40 each - and they were taking me roughly 4 hours each... minus from that the cost of products to make them... that's not even minimum wage... so it's not like I could have ever made a living with this.

 

Then take into consideration that I had message after message about shipping costs. The amount of sales I COULD have had, if Canada Post wasn't so damn expensive makes me sad. So, I changed the cost of the monkeys to $50 and dropped the cost of shipping... you know, the old bury the cost of shipping within the cost of the product thing... well, then I was over priced compared to the other sellers - of which there are 12,450 items actively for sale as of right now.

 

I'm no idiot. This isn't going to work for me. So, I have ten or so monkeys at home that I will sell or keep or set on fire... but they aren't going back on Etsy. I'll just put a bandage or two on my ego and move on.

 

I'm keeping my Etsy store though. Just because I can. So I will.

 

Also, I am keeping my Twitter as bigredsthreads... but it will end up being for personal use...

 

I will probably continue with this blog occasionally... or maybe I will delete it and start another... or maybe it will fall by the waste side like my Etsy store.

 

I don't really know right now, but I'm fresh out of steam. So, whatever... "blah blah blah..."

 

Onto fun, happy, sunshiny things!! In list form, because I LOOOOOOOVE lists.

 

1. I am STILL working on the stupid pillow case from January. Haha. I will finish it eventually. And in light of the fact that this blog post is about me closing the door on something that I did not complete I feel that I should clarify here, during this rant about the pillow case, that I do not usually leave things unfinished. Seriously. This will get done.

 

2. I bought two new pairs of heels this weekend. Not much makes me happier than this. Come on, TWO pairs!!

 

3. R and I went to Sun Peaks for four days a couple weeks ago, I love the snow more than heels. And naps. And R too, I guess...

 

 

4. On said trip to Sun Peaks we came home on the Coquihalla Hwy in full on white out conditions. They closed the hwy behind us and didn't re-open for something like 24 hours... it was a little dicey at times but we made it home in one piece.

 

5. My birthday is in a couple weeks and I am getting my very first dslr camera! I love taking photos and I've grown bored of my point and shoot so it's time to move on up! I've been very excited about this for two months now and think I've even written about it here already... and within the next few weeks it'll be in my hands! Good thing that I have two adorable nephews that I can use as my models :-)

 

 

 

 

Anyway, that's all... no more monkeys, but I'm happy about my decision... and of course if anyone out there ever wants one I would be more than happy to make them one, so I'm not completely closing the door.

 

 

 

Friday Confessional

It's Friday! Yay! Friday. Friday. Friday. Friday. Friday. Friday. Friday.
I'm leaving work in 45 minutes and going home to immediately jump into my one piece "bear bottom" red pajamas, my fuzzy blue and white striped socks and putting my untamable crazy hair up. I am going to make comfort food for dinner (pasta) watch the only show in my PVR that I am embarrassed to admit I enjoy (Sweet Home Alabama on CMT) and snuggle in with my book (I just started Before I go to sleep by S.J. Watson and am already hooked).
I have had a shite week. Mostly because I feel like poop. And not in a 'sick' way... a grumpy miserable way. Actually, I don't think the purpose of a confessional is to lie, so... It hasn't been just this week, I've actually been gradually becoming more and more grumpy over the past two weeks. R has been working stupid hours, which does NOT mean "when the cats away, the mice will play" it means the mouse is exhausted and has no time to play. Also mouse misses Cat a lot. A LOT. Mouse is grumpy and wants a date night with Cat... but Cat works around the clock. Stupid Cat. Have I ever mentioned I'm a dog person??
So, people that know me well will already know this, when I feel like arse I.... *gulp* spend money. A lot of money. So much money that I start to be mad at myself. And then I spend money like it's a dirty secret and if I can type my Visa number into my computer quick enough, it'll be like it never happened. That is how it works, isn't it?? If no one saw you spend it, it didn't get spent??
This month so far, and I do realize that it is just a little over half over, I have purchased:

A shirt

A necklace

A jacket

Socks

An iPhone

An iPhone case

Baby gifts

A purse

Valentines cards and gifts

A vase

An elk (?) Antler

A cork board with decorative frame

A book

New nails polish, three different colors

Copious amounts of tea, from Davids Tea

 

And most likely some other stuff that I have managed to block for my memory... for now. 

No more spending this month! I am officially taking my credit card and paypal account away from myself.... well, not really but I need to get my act together before I become that shopaholic that used to spend all her money at Off The Wall (this was about ten years ago, when I worked there) that we hated because she was in a program that allowed her to buy everything still, but then made her return it all... gah. She was an asshole.  I don't wanna be an asshole too, so no more spending. None. NO MORE ETSY.

 

Tomorrow I will get my fix by spending my Mom's money... and while it doesn't get me anything at least I will have the satisfaction of burning hundred dollar bills.

 

My three thoughts for this Monday Morning...

It's Monday morning, so you can't expect a lot of nutrients from this blog - just some crappy fillers... My weekend was not long enough and I am feeling emotionally under the weather today, I really wish I was at home with my Roxie snuggling on the couch with a movie and a cup of tea (Glitter & Gold from David's Tea, if you're wondering).
Anyway, here are my thoughts for today:

1. Having nephews (and nieces too, I'm sure) is such a miracle... the genuine laughter, the silly things they say, their boundless energy, the sincerity - all of it... seriously.
Le sigh.

2. Pinterest. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you need to check it out. If you do know what I'm talking about, then you already understand. I want to quit my job and make pretty things all day...

http://pinterest.com/

http://pinterest.com/bigredsthreads/

3. This picture below. That's all.

The weekend of suffering in silence...

The weekend of suffering in silence...

Those of you out there that actually know me well will be able to appreciate the sentiment (Read: Drama) in that statement... much like you can appreciate (don't you roll your eyes at me!) when I tell you that I am starving to DEATH, or my feet hurt so bad I want to just CUT THEM OFF... but I swear you guys, I really was suffering in silence!!!

 

So, I had the house to myself this weekend as R was working night shift at the Hydro substation in the valley that exploded (how does that happen anyway??) and when things like this happen I like to 'take over' the house by doing all of my artsy, crafty, whatever stuff that I would otherwise be nagged about doing. "You got paint on the floor" " why is their glitter everywhere" that one was one I hear at Christmas time... and of course "how did you get THAT messy?"

I live with one of the most anal and obsessive cleaners I've ever met. Voluntarily. Why? When we moved in together five years ago, our medicine cabinet was organized biggest to smallest with all labels pointing forward...

Anyway, back to my mess... I decided this would be a perfect time to start on a little project that I have had sitting in "queue" for a while, making fancy shmancy pillows for the couch. I was going to do the whole deal from scratch but found linen pillows at Ikea for $6 each, so I grabbed a bunch, brought them home and took them apart. See, if R were home I would have been asked why there was ten pounds of polyfil all over the living room and why can't I put it in a bag... but he wasn't, so it was everywhere :-)

 

I've been saving little quotes I find for a while now, just in case something came up (like this) where I needed something... so I wrote out a quote I saw on a print at an art shop and scratched out a few lines, added a few lines and amended a few... and then got down to business. First I stenciled all the letters on the empty pillow case (this was about 5:30pm) and then mixed my paints with the fabric medium and started painting...

 

 

1am comes, I've already had about a dozen cups of coffee and tea, sort-of watched a movie and sort-of watched a few episodes of 'Four Weddings Canada' (side note: women in competition are SO judgy. Of course bride #2 doesn't have the exact taste that you do - she ISN'T YOU!! Gah.)

 

Right, my story... So, my back is KILLING me and I can no longer find a comfortable position to paint in, I've tried sitting, kneeling, laying down on my side, everything and now I'm super tired and I tell myself that once I finish I can sleep...I've got two letters left and BAM. I dropped my friggen paint brush right on top of the bloody pillow case. WHITE PILLOW CASE. WHITE PILLOW CASE THAT I HAD JUST SPENT SIX FRIGGEN HOURS ON. I ran to grab the stain remover hoping that I could get the accidental paint out... but that just made it spread. Now instead of looking like a few paint splatters it looked like I had a massive hemorrhage all over the bottom of it. Ugh. And to add salt to the wound... no one was home for me to cry to, there was no one to feel bad for me, there was no one to give me a hug. So I took a muscle relaxer and went to bed.

 

Morning came and the optimist in me immediately went over the table to look at the pillow case. Maybe it was a dream? Maybe it did happen, but isn't that bad?

No such luck. Still horrible. Still a mess. Still un-fixable. I want to put my head IN the pillow case and throw it away.

 

So, I plan to begin again... later... after I've done all of my 'Sunday chores'... and this time I'll take breaks and if my back hurts, I'll get up for a while and do something else... Also, I have a movie I wanted to watch, which I'll watch that BEFORE I start the pillow case because the last thing I need is to be distracted... and seeing as how it's a scary movie, I don't need to jump and drop another paint brush (snicker). So I put on Paranormal Activity 3 and watch only 30 minutes of it. I've gotten old. And soft. I cannot watch these movies alone anymore... and knowing that I have to go to bed alone tonight solidifies my decision to turn this off. I will thank myself for this later.

 

I move onto other things that have priority, like making Panini's for our 2:30pm dinner before R leaves for work again. While I was at the grocery store I looked for a good spread/sauce/whatever to put on our sammies and came up empty handed, so I grabbed a can of chipotle peppers to mix in with some mayo. I can't think of a time when I've ever had chipotle peppers on their own, so I grabbed a fork and decided to "try it out" so I knew how much to mix in with mayo. Bad idea. Also, the amount I put in my mouth was enough to put a firehall up in flames. The silently suffering part?? R is SLEEPING, and is only getting about 6 a day so he NEEDS to get every second that he can - which means that I have to run around my house SILENTLY with my mouth on fire. Seriously, if my Mom had of tried THIS on me instead of soap when I was a kid I still wouldn't be swearing to this day!!!!

 

Blah, blah, blah, I go about my day, get the pillow case all stenciled up and ready for painting - which is NOT being started today - and decide to wind down by having a shower. That 30 minutes of Paranormal Activity 3 that I did watch... yeah, that was 30 minutes too much for my MUCH too active imagination. I will not go into details but I will say that in hindsight investigating mysterious noises in your house whilst alone, wearing a towel, having shampoo all through your hair and dripping wet probably is NOT the safe thing to do! 

 

Sleeping with a 90 lb Rotti x Pitt cross, now that is the safe thing to do!!

 

 

 

Onto a small side note un-related to my stupidly ridiculous weekend, I have completely s**t the bed with this blog. Completely. So, my intentions from here on out are to write more.

And less.

More often.

Less content.

Like eating more smaller meals throughout the day. I'm going on a blog diet. Actually YOU are going on a blog diet... I will stop feeding you so much of my bantering at once and start feeding you smaller, healthier meals. Okay, not healthier. Just smaller. I promise. Hold me to it!!

 

 

Pass the celery would ya?

Just like that it's all over... family has gone back home, the decorations and tree are packed back up and all of the new gifts have permanent homes... The New Years Eve festivities have come and gone, the fireworks and glittery dresses have been put away and all of the junk food has all been replaced with rabbit food. To all of this I say GOOD FREAKING RIDDANCE STUPID 2011!!!

 

Last year was not a great year, and after reading countless 'status updates' on Facebook I see that I'm not the only one that felt that way, so many people commented on the crap year that was 2011 I have begun to think no one had a good year! It's a good thing that we have just started a whole new year because we all have the opportunity to have a fresh start at things... We can sweep the old bad left overs out the door and make an effort to have a better year, a year with better friends, better jobs, better health, a better home... whatever your "better" is. Aside from a few personal goals and "things I am looking forward to" I have set myself some artistic goals like creating and making things that inspire me, upcycling old finds and learning a whole lot more about photography. I had already made my birthday list before the Christmas holidays were over, I would like a fancy shmancy camera with tons of manual options and lenses. I have always loved photography and I love taking photos, especially when we go away and have even framed a few of my own photographs in my home (I've posted two below) but for some reason until a month or so ago it had never dawned on me to buy a nice camera. Currently I am using a Sony Cybershot, and sure it's a great camera... if you don't need to change your settings. Want to crank up the ISO? Looking to slow the shutter speed? Not going to happen with this little guy. So, my first project of 2012 is to decide what camera is my top pick... I've been doing comparisons of the Nikon D5100 and the Canon Rebel T3i, but I think I need to go into a store and actually talk to someone before I make any final decisions. 

 

 

 

Come to think about it, the camera project will be my second project... I am already underway with project one: Changing our dog's diet over to 100% raw food. No more processed, slaughterhouse floor mess combined with disgusting fillers for my girl. We started her on her new diet Friday December 30th, and let me tell you - if she doesn't take to this (health wise) I don't know how I will ever get her off it! It is like I have opened Pandora's box... Roxie is underfoot before the food even hits her bowl, if you could feed a dog heaven, this is it. I researched this raw food diet until I was blue in the face and I couldn't find a single thing wrong with any of it... it helps with just about every aspect of a dog's health and is exactly what they would be eating in the wild, so why not? I was pretty ecstatic to find out that our local butcher (Meridian Meats) carries it and they buy it from a local reputable company (Bramblehills in Chilliwack http://www.bramblehills.com/) So, hopefully it turns out she just had a chicken allergy and this will not only fix that (she's on the beef diet) but also make her healthier all around - because who doesn't want their four legged companions to live as long as possible?

 

 

On my last post I noted that I had made another custom monkey but that I couldn't post a picture until after Christmas because it was to be a gift... well, it's no secret anymore - I made a dia de los muertos (Day of the Dead) monkey for my sister!

Again, as I've said before I can do all sorts of custom monkeys so if you have an idea throw it my way, I'm sure that I can figure something out!! It could be something complex like this guy or the zombie monkey or something simple that will remind you of someone or something special everytime you see it, like I did for the "M" family. Momma "M" wanted her kids to think of each other and of her when they saw the monkeys, so I left the tops of their hearts open so that she could leave them a note, a picture or a coin that meant something to them as a family so no matter how many miles are between them they are right there with you...  

 

 

 

 

 

Phhhewf, I feel like this was an uber long post, but I guess it's been a while... and I had a lot to say (I know, I know I can hear my friends and family rumbling "No surprise there" lol) so I will shut up and let you get on with your amazing new year, I wish for all of you a better year than last and hope that you all have a great 2012... I know that I'm really excited about what it has in store and think that it is going to be one hell of a year!!!

Merry Ho Ho, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Festivus...!

One more sleep until the Christmas festivities begin for us... then two days of Family "fun" (Read: Soul Crushing Insanity).

 

I have finished all of my monkey orders, all of our xmas shopping, and almost all of the wrapping - just one more present to go! I even found time to buy myself a little Christmas present yesterday... two hardcover books. Emma Forrest's 'Your voice in my head' and Ransom Riggs' 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'. I know I shouldn't have... but, I cannot resist a new book especially when it's a hardcover... ugh... I have such an obsession with books. Even as a kid I would ask my Mom to buy me books all the time - regardless of whether or not I would ever read them, I needed them. I will definitely be reading these books, no question about it... and seeing as how I have a little extra time off next week I will be taking advantage of that and scheduling lots of much needed "Tanya Time". Today though, I will be grinding through the day getting everything ready for the holidays because my office will be closed until next Thursday... So with that I leave you with this, the best Christmas picture I have ever seen... someone should really make this into a card:

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

xoxo

My nephews are better than yours!!

My nephews are better than yours.

Sure, my opinion is bias... but if there were a contest I still think mine would win.

I got to spend the day with my nephews and their Momma, who is one of my favorite people, on Saturday. We shopped and finally made our Christmas ornaments that we were supposed to make a couple weeks back - but I had to go and get the flu. I was down for the count for eight days... first the flu hit me like a freight train and then I ended the week with Laryngitis. Fun times. So, my already full to the brim month has officially gone over the edge... and I am pretty sure I'm right behind it.

So - my adorable nephews... I am not even joking when I say that no matter how mad/sad/whatever I am - my eldest nephew, Jake, can make all of that melt away with one smile. I am pretty sure that half the women at the mall on Saturday could also attest to that. I have NEVER been approached by so many strangers in my life, Jake just sucks them in with his adorableness. Who can resist a two and a half year old saying "Aunty Tanya, where did you go" when you go into the change room... or "Mommy, you make me so happy" when Mommy comes back from making a purchase - seriously, women everywhere were melting around him.

After our shopping adventure we went back to my house to make Christmas ornaments and Jake was so happy to see his Uncle Ron TWICE in one week!! I'm not going to lie, getting a painted hand print from a 6 week old baby - NOT EASY. Getting a painted foot print from a 6 week old baby - IMPOSSIBLE. It was hilariously awkward. Of the dozen we did, only three turned out descent... but that's okay because it allows for a "re-do" when Brett is a bit older. Jake on the other hand couldn't have been easier... in fact I ended up painting his other hand a different color so that he could hand paint some paper after our decorations were made. I love being the fun Aunty that lets you get paint all over the kitchen counter and uses the dinner plates as a paint tray... this I know will become a joke in their later years... because they come from an OCD clean home and the thought of even painting at their Grandparents would bring a laugh or two. I can see it now - "If you're going to make a mess go to your Aunts"!! 

Thirteen days until Christmas... I have six more people to buy for (one of which I don't even know where to start), a custom order of three monkeys to fill, all of my wrapping and I am spending the day decorating my parent's tree with my Mom which has become tradition over the years. Phewf. Even writing that down has got my heart racing a bit because I know that is just "MY" stuff... I am the person in my family that everyone goes to for things (Read: DEPENDS on when they are stuck) so that list will no doubt get larger as the days go by and Christmas gets closer... But at least I put up my tree yesterday and I got to spend one day doing fun things with the two boys who have stolen my heart.

Oh yeah - and I finished up another badass custom monkey this weekend... I'll have to post pictures AFTER Christmas, so that the person receiving this monkey doesn't see him beforehand... Keep your eyes out for him!!