I’m over on Less Cake {more frosting} today as part of Lara’s One Word series.  Go here, if you want to see what my word is and why I chose it.

And, I appreciate all the comments and emails and texts and phone calls re: my post yesterday.  You guys really are the best.

One thing I did not anticipate?

15 or 20 emails asking me how to get into the business of blogging.

I’m not going to answer them all individually (on account of that kind of making me do the exact thing I’m trying to get away from…spending hours on emails).  I do, however, want to direct you to a couple of posts that might answer those questions for those who want to know.

Mandi from Vintage Revivals talks about how to make money blogging here.

The Crafterminds girls talk about it here.  (I also love this article about why readers hate it when you make money.)

And, if anyone else has any great resources, feel free to leave them in the comments…I’ve gotta get back to my chalkboard paint.

XOXOXO

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This post has been rolling around in my head for several days now, and I hope it comes out in the way I intend.  Please understand this all applies to ME and ME ONLY.

Not being able to get off the couch for most of a week gives you a lot of time for reflecting…you know, once you’re all caught up on Toddler’s & Tiaras and stuff.   

I thought about how much TIME blogging takes.

Reality:  I spend 1-2 hours/day dealing with emails, sponsors, giveaways (many of which never go anywhere)…that doesn’t include projects, pictures, writing posts, etc.

Then I had the thought:

What if I spent 1-2 hours/day strengthening my marriage?  What if I spent that time helping someone?  What if I spent that time playing trains with my 3 year old?  What if I spent that time on a walk?  What if I spent that time doing service?

And then I knew.

I play a lot of different roles:
Wife
Mother
Daughter
Sister
Friend
Neighbor
Blogger

#7 on the role list can’t be #1 on the time list.

I used to find so much joy in blogging and creating, but over the last year, something’s changed.  I listened to too many people who were not myself.  I worried about numbers.  I worried about pitches.  I got caught up in pushing/promoting projects.  I did projects I didn’t love for the money/freebies.  I cried when my Google AdSense ads got cancelled (WHAT THE CRAP???).  I listened too much to what a blogger “should” do instead of what my heart wants to do.  My heart doesn’t want to be a professional blogger.  My heart wants to be a mom…a mom who is present.

I’m not quitting my blog, I’m quitting the BUSINESS of blogging.

If I don’t want to post for a month, I won’t.  If I want to post every day, I will.  I’m not creating stuff just to have content.  I’m going back to what I love and who I am.  If we’ve already talked, don’t worry.  I’ll continue to fulfill my obligations.  I will no longer be taking sidebar sponsors.  The string of emails/invoicing/calendaring/giveaways/post writing/etc. is a time suck.  I want you and your Etsy shops to be successful, truly I do…just not more than I want my family to be successful.  You can respect that, right?

I’ve met people through blogging that I NEEDED to know.  I’m forever grateful for and changed by the experiences I’ve had.  I’ve learned SO MUCH.

And really…I’ll still be here.  I’ve got a bunch of printable Valentines on tap over the next week or so.  Plus, an organizing project and a $100 gift card giveaway from Lowe’s.  Nice, right?

XOXOXO

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So, I’ve been sick.  SICK SICK SICK.  As in, I don’t remember most of Thursday afternoon through Monday midday.  I had strep.  I saw a doctor twice during that time of fever and delirium, but I guess I didn’t get enough drugs the first time.  BC called my mom and dad to come save me, because he’s out of town.  I seriously don’t ever remember being this sick in my entire life.  I don’t have a project for you just yet (unless you count what happened to my white slipcover courtesy of some root beer) but I DO have a seriously great deal available over on Plum District NOW (as of midnight PST and I scheduled this post for 15 minutes after that, so you should be good).

$30 for $50 to Silhouette.  Click HERE to head on over to Plum District to take advantage of the deal.

There are a couple of limitations (i.e. you can’t use it to buy a Cameo or gift/download cards).  The details on that are all spelled out over at Plum District.  You CAN, however, buy 2 for yourself and up to 5 as gifts.  Nice way to try whatever product you’ve been eyeing for 40% off, ey?

$30 for $50 at Silhouette deal HERE, if you missed it the first time.

So, in conclusion, it looks like I’m not going to die.  Sorry to those of you who had dibs on my personal possessions. 

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As part of my assignment last week in my quest to get my crap together, I asked you all for some help with my address book situation. (Go here, if you’re interested.)  After reading through your comments (THANK YOU!!!), I settled on the following:

I went to my nearest office supply store and picked up a binder and some business card pages.  The business card pages were $3.59 for a pack of 10.  Each page has 10 card slots, so if you put 2 cards per slot (one visible from the front, one visible from the back), you could get 20 addresses per page.

I grabbed some white cardstock and gave Macy the assignment of cutting it into business card sized pieces (2” X 3.5”).  I assume you can buy blank business cards somewhere, but I already had the cardstock, so we went with that.

And then I transferred addresses…until kid stuff happened (not unlike this situation, which I posted about on the Crap I’ve Made Facebook page) and I had to stop.  I stashed the rest of the addresses I’d clipped from Christmas cards in an envelope in the back pocket of the binder.  I know exactly where they are when I’m ready to finish the job.

I’ll keep the binder in the cabinet above the computer desk in my kitchen, next to our Family Binder.  (Duuuuuuuuuude…my pictures were BAD 2 years ago!)

I like that I can easily replace a card when someone’s info changes, or even slip the new address in with the card if I’m pressed for time.  I also love that I can store business cards in there, like for the pediatrician’s office or my kids’ teachers.

How’d you do with getting your paper clutter under control?  Any lessons learned/tips you want to share with the rest of us?

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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PartyLite Simple Pleasures Holiday Sweepstakes for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you’re a regular ‘round these parts, you probably remember me talking about PartyLite a few weeks back.  You can find that post here, if you need a refresher.

So, last Wednesday night I had a bunch of friends (who protested loudly about having their pictures taken) over to experience a PartyLite party first hand.

The chocolate fountain was flowing,

 
(Mmmmm…strawberries!)

Yvonne, my PartyLite consultant, was all set up,

the kids and BC were off on an adventure, and I was ready to sniff.

The first thing I noticed were the cute little logos on each scent.  They separated the scents into categories, so you didn’t waste time smelling stuff you were totally going to hate.  I don’t like flowery smells and they were easy to avoid with the logo system.  I could spend all my time sniffing stuff like Vanilla Citron (possibly my favorite), Apple Orchard, and Honeydew.

Friends started to arrive, some I haven’t seen in years, and we chatted and ate.

After a bit, Yvonne introduced us to the PartyLite products.  I liked that the candles are pure/free from fillers and that they burn away completely.  However, I don’t generally burn candles in my home on account of the little boys that live here and their potential to do very bad things with lighters/open flames.  (PartyLite also carries melts and warmers, if you have similar issues.  )

Many of the PartyLite holders allow for customization.  You can use them on table tops or with a floor stand.  The catalogs show them used as vases in addition to candle holders.  Some of the clear glass holders can be filled with flowers, confetti, garland, stones…the sky’s the limit.  (See the one all decked out for Valentine’s Day in the bottom right hand corner of the pictures above.)  After the initial investment in the piece, you could change the look seasonally very affordably.

So, would I do it again?  I honestly don’t know.  I love having people over and I love eating (ha!), but I get weird about them feeling like they need to buy stuff.  I’m also not sure this was really my style/their style.  I was impressed by PartyLite as a company and found the quality of their products to be to notch, I just like stuff a little more funky and unique, I think.  If you like hosting home parties, PartyLite would be a great one to check out.

To stay on top of the latest and greatest from PartyLite, be sure to check out the PartyLite Facebook  page or the Winter/Spring 2012 catalog (which came out December 15th).

PartyLite Simple Pleasures Holiday Sweepstakes

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I’m working on a few things today, including my new address book system (thanks to suggestions from some of you), which I will share soon.  I wanted to pop in for a second and mention that my Valentine’s Day mantel is featured over on BHG.com and it pretty much made my life.  The entire Valentine’s Day mantel slideshow is here.

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It’s 2012.

I need to get my crap together…and I need to be accountable.

(This is where you come in.)

As a semi-regular series here on Crap I’ve Made, I’ll be blogging my challenge for the day.  I’d love for you to join me in tackling the same project and report back in the comments or with a post of your own.  Or, if you’re already totally on top of things, I’d love for you to harass me.

Today’s challenge?

Papers.

I had some people over last night.  And, in an attempt to not lose my mind, I dumped all of my miscellaneous papers/mail/crap into a basket to deal with later.

Later = today.  I’m not letting this sit.

Do you have a pile of papers that needs your attention?  Let’s do something about it today and get our crap together.

Thing I could use help with:

How do you store addresses of friends and family?  Some of the mess in that basket is Christmas card envelopes I saved to update addresses.  I have an address book, but crossing stuff out makes it messy and annoying.  Saving them on my computer or phone scares me, because of the “losing everything potential”.  What works for you?

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Is it too early to decorate for Valentine’s Day?

Too bad, because I did.

My Valentine’s Day bunting and LOVE canvas from last year are back…

along with some festive Pyrex.

(So what if my Valentine’s palette is a little non-traditional?)

And then I decided I needed a pillow.

I could have sewed one, I suppose, BUT I discovered that Dollar Tree has 17” zippered pillow covers (HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?) and so I used one of those instead.  I also cut out a cupid shape using my Silhouette and some Silhouette stencil vinyl.  You could easily do this with an Exacto knife as well.

I applied my stencil to the pillow cover and stuck something inside to prevent bleeding.

Then, I busted out my collection of Silhouette fabric ink

and mixed the pink and magenta to get the perfect shade.

Hint:  Mix way more than you think you’ll need.  The brush sucks up a ton and you DO NOT want to run out mid-project.  The chances of you recreating that shade exactly are slim.  Trust me.

I applied the fabric ink with a foam brush and then I peeled off the stencil vinyl and hung it outside to dry.

I stuffed it with an 18” pillow form, for maximum plumpness and voila!

Don’t worry…I bought SIX pillow covers at Dollar Tree.  You’ll be seeing plenty more of them ‘round these parts.

All Silhouette fabric ink supplies are 20% off through tomorrow (January 5th) using code “CRAP”.  If you don’t have a machine, you can purchase the machine and the fabric ink starter kit for $299 with that same code.

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Karen!

If your name is Karen, check your email.  You have 48 hours to respond or we’ll pick a new winner!

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First thing first:  YOU HAVE UNDER 2.5 HOURS LEFT TO ENTER TO WIN A SILHOUETTE CAMEO.  GO HERE (before noon MST).

Second thing second:  This month’s Silhouette promo (Cameo + fabric ink starter kit and/or 20% off all fabric ink supplies) runs through Wednesday the 5th.  Use code “CRAP” to take advantage of the deals.

Third thing third:  PartyLite party tomorrow night at my place.  If you’re in the West Jordan, UT area and would like to come, shoot me an email.  There will be a chocolate fountain.

If you follow along on Facebook, you know that I spent the day yesterday doing a major purge.  Am I the only one that gets this way every January?

I’d found the floor in my master bedroom closet before 10 am.

Macy might have said…”Wow…your closet is big!”  (It’s not that big, it was just *really* full of crap.)

And then I braved the playroom and found the floor there, too.

(My name is Char Coester and I love green walls.)

When I say “braved”, I mean BRAVED.  Check out the donation pile just from the playroom:

(Yes, I buy boxes from Lowe’s when I’m purging.  They’re just over $1 a piece and the sturdy-ness and stack-ability make them worth 10 times that to me.)

Next up?  The garage.  I need to move the fridge and freezer and relocate some shelving to make room for my Christmas present.

Do you get the urge to purge this time of year?  What organizing project needs tackling at your place?

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