Being Productive

I had have a migraine or pre-migraine headache for 5 days or so. I have been moving SLOWWWWWW. Today I am FINALLY headache free!!! so I'm trying to be super productive and catch up on all the stuff I didn't get done already this week.

First-I wanted to announce that the general class registration is now open for the ZNE ConvenZione. I'll be teaching the Charm School resin casting class and Histories: Real or Imagined jewelry class. If you are interested in coming out for this wonderful art & fun filled weekend please visit the website for more info. There are a ton of amazing classes to choose from. This is one of the class samples I'll have on hand for viewing/sale.
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I applied to the American Craft Council show in Aug. I know there will be hundreds of applicants, so my fingers and toes are crossed and wish all the applicants the best of luck.

My 37 yr old sister went in for a hysterectomy this morning. So if any of you pray, please include her in your prayers tonight for a speedy recovery. She is doing fine except for being in pain. We have always had a really rocky relationship and we are now trying to be friends. We've had some intense/honest emails about our roles in the family and how we felt about the past and whatever. Its odd how people can live together and view things differently. I always felt she was my mothers favorite, and she always felt second best to me. We have similar feelings regarding how we got treated growing up, but didn't see it applying to the other person then.

I finished my big bug order-yay!!! well finished casting them, this weekend will be finishing and putting on the pins and wrapping them up to mail next week. I cast some extras to sell at Renegade.

I need to figure out some interesting jewelry displays. I wish I could afford 6 of those mannequin torsos and just pile necklaces up on them. But i have no where to store them if I could buy them all, so if anyone has any clever, interesting, and space saving displays-please share some pics!

I am almost ready to send out a newsletter. I transferred all the emails over to Vertical Response ONE BY ONE the other day. They didn't have a way to do a batch transfer, but its done now and I will send out a newsletter this weekend. I am thinking about doing a giveaway too and will mull over that.

I am in a couple of treasuries on etsy, here and here. so go click and look at all the lovelies up.

Also on todays to-do list is photo taking for ebay, etsy and the website . As well as making jewelry and trying to get a yarn spun in at some point. So I best get at it!

Talking about Scrappy Cats

Since I posted my One World One Heart post, I've gotten a number of questions and emails about the Scrappy Cats yarns, so I figured I'd try to answer them all in one post rather than 15 different posts.

A couple of people asked if I "got hair from animal shelters that you can spin into yarn or if the yarn is made from dog hair?". While I will admit that there will probably be a few cat hairs in them since I have a number of kitties, the fiber I use in these yarns are all from Sheep or Alpacas that live on a rescue farms. There are a number of rescue farms that sell small amounts of wool from their own animals to help bring in some income. These animals have come from many different bad situations, to live their lives out in comfort and peace on these farms. I encourage everyone to visit a local rescue farm (google to find one near you!) and to buy produce, soap or products to help them fed, raise and save more animals. The farm I buy the majority of my wool is called Frene Creek Farm. Laurie is a WONDERFUL person, and has yarn, wool, scarves and even antiques on their website, so check them out! (I'd love someone to buy me a couple of her Egyptian Arches!) Another place I just came across while looking for some handmade soap is Coda's Haven and they sell goat milk soap they make from 20 rescue goats. So please check them out, the soap is embarressingly inexpensive at $2.85 per bar and it helps save animals lives.

another question I had was: Where do you get repurposed yarn? All the yarn I use is leftovers from peoples knitting/crocheting projects that they would probably have thrown away because the yardage wasn't enough for them to do anything with-this is mostly commercial yarn but I also get handspun too. People also give me UFO's (un finished objects) that I tear apart and reuse the yarn from them. And I also have been known to rip apart sweaters if they are hideously made or perhaps theres a hole or stain that can't be fixed.

Another was: "why would you spin yarn from old yarn?" Good question!

I am freeing up some landfill space by re using bits of yarn that would normally have been thrown away. I support animal rescues by buying their product which helps them keep going and saving more lives. I give back by donating my profits of the yarns to A Place to Bark which helps Bernie keep going and save more animals. And finally the customer who buys them also gets eco points for buying the yarn and helps support animal rescue. Its a win-win situation all the way around.

On my website I have a link to my press release about these yarns and about Bernie and A Place to Bark if you are interested in reading it. Also, please feel free to tell others about the yarns too or if you are a press outlet, I'm free for interviews about it too. I need to restock the website because I think I am down to 9 yarns in there and will do some this week-if the flu cooties die soon.

so I hope that answers everyones general questions-if not, feel free to ask me more. :-)

Thursday is my busiest day of the week. I am taking pics of the yarn and stuff, resizing, writing descriptions and updating the website. I should be doing that now.

Last night, our power went out because of the 40+mile an hour winds whipping thru San Francisco. Rob wanted to take me out to dinner but I had planned on sitting on my butt, reading magazines all day and ordering in. Since we had no power-we had no phone or internet and no way to order food. We decided to go up to Amici's for dinner, since the fancy restaurants on our street-Coco 500 and Fringale had no power either! Amici's has good Italian food, nothing super fancy but good.

I want to give a HUGE congrats and a hug to my friend Tara Finlay for her jewelry article in Belle Armoire Jewelry #3 magazine!! WOO HOO!! they look lovely!

long time no post!

Ate a delicious salad last Saturday adn got sicker than sick. Only today have I been able to eat solid food without repurcussions. I'll leave it at that LOL

I have much to post. First I got a Rocking Girl award from my girl Chel!! Thank you, honey and you look FABULOUS!!!!


I get to now pass it along to 5 bloggers I think ROCK so I pick : Chel, Jessica, Jennifer, Judy, and of course Tracie!

I got an email Wed, that a magazine will probably publish both jewelry pieces I sent in for recycled jewelry! YIPPEEE!!! Originally, I found out about the submission a week after the deadline but emailed anyway-following my personal motto "if you don't take a chance you don't stand a chance" asking politely if they could use more submissions to review. I'm a happy happy girl! I just need to do MORE of them LOL

I have been spending a ton of time on our SF craft mafia trunk show. Its gonna be GREAT, if I do say so myself!!!! Getting some wonderful stuff for the goodiebags and some great vendors!

I'm working on sending some stuff to Wholly Craft, and thought I'd send it out this week but that didn't happen with my lack of energy. I have it done and will pack it up this weekend and ship it out on Monday. I finally opened my shop on Smashing Darling but only added one resin necklace-again for the same reason of no energy/gallbladder/intestines hating me. I'll be doing double time next week, to make up for not doing anything this week! and I FINALLY called a wool supplier about opening a wholesale account with them since my local connections have dried up. I've been meaning to call them for a couple of months, but finally made myself sit and do it today.

I got Quickbooks Premiere to use for the business, but I have yet to sit down and do it. I installed it on the desktop,but I'm thinking I should have put it on the laptop instead... I haven't even started to look at it yet! Bad me!

and my art for the Charity auction at the Shooting Gallery sold to a very happy customer! I'll post a pic tomorrow.

[resin jewelry, consignment, fiber, whollycraft, smashing darling]

so busy....

I'm neglecting my poor journal!!! Once I get this book submission stuff out of the way, and do the table layout for our venue=I'll be ALOT better!

So to keep this blog fresh and readable-here are some pics of resin jewelry I've made, photographed but still need to put on the website.

I put a couple of things up on my etsy shop, so go have a lookie there too!

I forgot to blog about the website update yesterday!


3 yarns on the website and 2 fiber batts on Etsy.





My fave yarn this week is "Lipstick on your Collar" 123 yards of 'you're busted!' yarn fun!

Lookee at me on the Craftzine blog about Maker Faire ! I'm the first pic too LOL



I wondered when I'd see some pics from this session, cause the camera bee was buzzing around us alot during the demo. I don't know who this sweet lady was that I am assisting in this picture- but she was SOOOOO excited to learn to spin. Look at the smile on her face, that AAAGGGHHHH!!! feeling is coming thru loud and strong. It reminded me of of how I felt when I first learned how to spin. I fell in love with it. I was spinning on spindle in the car on the way home from my first class and look at me now! Seeing the excitement in others, refuels my own creative fire.



I know she bought a spin kit from Jamie, and I'm sure shes at home right now spinning away!!

I love talking to people about creative things, and seeing them find such joy in them.

I updated 3 yarns and a few resin jewelry pieces on the website. I have alot of resin stuff to list, but I don't want to spend my days on the computer-I want to create, create, create!!! I have a Gocco machine that I'm itching to use, I have a dress sewn but needs 15 buttons and button holes put on it, I have shrines calling to me to be birthed, I have fiber to dye- I have so many things I'm all fired up to do right now, and listing stuff on the website isnt' high on the list. But-it pays the bills so it must be done. Also my room is a total diaster....and needs cleaned/organized and redone...do I hear any volunteers????? LOL

Tomorrow is the big Capsule Fair over in Hayes Valley. I HOPE it will be nice weather. Today started over super chilly, but the sun has peeked out now. I think its still chilly out but at least with sun it doesn't seem so cold. If you're in the Bay area tomorrow-head over to Hayes Valley and check out the fair. Some of my SFCM sisters will be there- Wendy and the ladies of Stitch Lounge, as well as 138 other super talented artists.






Off to the grindstone with me!

where did the day go?

I've been busy today! Got a COLD, from someone...I don't know WHAT is going on with my Wei Qi (protective qi so you don't get SICK), guess I should be doing Qi Kung again....Also, I stopped taking the herbs and go in public and get the cooties... SF is cootie city...

Today, I woke up at 10:30, couldn't sleep cause my nose was stuffed and the sound of my own snoring kept waking me up LOL. So then the hubby called from the airport. He had an 8:30 flight that got bumped, so he got a free ticket and a 1:20pm flight. Got up, took Bettie out for her 'morning' walk, then made her breakfast, my bacon, and started gathering stuff to send out to friends. Then I decided to list a bunch of stuff-so thats where the last 4 hours of my day have gone-to Etsy, Ebay and one lone jewelry update to my website.

I put up 13 things today...mostly jewelry & mostly on Etsy. I've marked stuff on Sale too, because I would really like it to go!

Heres a pic of it all! The Scarab necklace is on EBAY, and the Broken Silence Earrings are on the website.

My Holiday coupon!

My Holiday Gift to you!

15% off Coupon good until Jan 3, 2007. www.barbesaintjohn.com

Also applies to my etsy site too www.barbesaintjohn.etsy.com

Coupon Code: HOLIDAYSALE

Feel free to pass the coupon code around to everyone. I'll be listing some fiber batts tomorrow, so be sure to check those out too!

On the health front:

I'm running at about 65% normalcy....which is better than yesterday, and hopefully I'll be completely well by the weekend. I have too many things to do, and no energy to do them. Today is my good friends birthday and I got sick last week while shopping for her=so she didn't get a gift today. I feel terrible about it, I know its not my fault but still-BAD time for this flu. I HOPE I can get the energy to leave the house tomorrow and get her something nice.

Heres a pic of a gift I made while in my death bed (sprayed with lysol so the cooties don't come with it!) I hope they like it

And also an ornament for a friend, I hope she likes it too!

It lives........

Well....sorta lives anyway!

I thought I had a bad cold, but it quickly turned into a horrible flu...I thought I was getting better yesterday and woke up, stuck in bed again today...ugh! Its all down in my lungs now and I can hardly breath, lots of coughing, lots of noseblowing, lots of aches...ick!


I did manage to update my site...just took me ALLLLLLL DAAAYYYYYY to do...but I did do it, and thats all that matters!!! In bed again, on the laptop trying not to cough up a lung or 2.

I put some pretty holiday yarns,& some pretty feathered yarns like this one titled "Feather your Nest" And I do offer gift certificates...so tell your family what you REALLY want for the holidays is gift certificates to your fave sites!

Yup, another friday, another yarn update!!! I somehow managed to get 4 yarns done and up today! go me!!!

I don't know where my time is going, but it doesn't seem to be towards spinning........I do spend alot of time trying to figure out how to SELL said yarns though, so I'm not just messing around online.

Heres a preview for you-the latest in the Burlesque Series "Raven La Rose-The black Widow"

And "Lets get CRAZY!!! spun up from all kinds of things!