Visiting The Cozy Loft

New Move!!

2008-06-29T10:32:00.001-05:00

Find my new blog at http://thecozyloft.wordpress.com/

Visit my shop at: http://thecozyloft.etsy.com

Changing My Blog!! I'm Moving!!

2008-06-25T10:14:00.004-05:00

I'm changing my blog address.

Yesterday afternoon and evening found me over at wordpress looking into all the things they had to offer....and I'm really excited!! It may not look tremendously different, but there's so many wonderful behind the scenes features...

What do you think? Yays? Nays?

Here's the new one:

http://thecozyloft.wordpress.com/

I'll leave this one open for now, but please let me know your opinions! THANKS!!

A Steal of a Deal on a Beautiful Pillow

2008-06-24T16:57:00.005-05:00

Once in a great while I come across a deal that I can't pass up!! I thought I'd share this with you...you may want to get one of these also!

It's this beautiful pillow from the Montgomery Ward website:

Can you believe this pillow is $4.99??? And, free shipping??? That's right and if you click here, it will take you directly to the page. They also have some other great deals with free shipping, but this one was the one I personally just HAD to have!! It's an 18 inch square pillow, so it's not skimpy on size either.

If you love it like I do, I really hope you can grab one!!

It's Time to Announce the Winners....

2008-06-22T18:45:00.005-05:00

Today's been a busy day for me - mostly in front of the computer!! I managed to snag a couple of treasuries and have those going right now. How lucky is that?

However, I'm betting you are here to see who won my contest? Wow - I had lots of entries!! Overall, there were 47 entries in this one when I count each comment there has been anywhere on my blog since the contest was announced - WOW!! Don't worry - I get each comment emailed to me, so it's easy to count. :)

So, now I will use the random.org website to choose two winners from all those comments. Good luck!!

And the winners are:

~~~~~

2nd prize (runner-up)

post #37 - daisydesignsfloral

1st prize - GRAND PRIZE WINNER!!

post #43 - lrsoriginals

~~~~~

CONGRATS daisydesignsfloral and lrsoriginals!! I'll be in contact with each of you very shortly!

Pink + Aqua = A Giddy Me

2008-06-20T15:14:00.004-05:00

The colors pink and aqua separately are so lovely, but together? They delight me! Sparks of creativity and excitment abound when these colors are in front of me!

Remember several days ago when I posted the pics of the owl necklace (for anyone who missed it, it's right here)? Those owls also delight me!

What did I do? A mix of pink....and aqua....and owls in one!! Lay your eyes on these sweetie pies!

The more studious and intellectual: And the more fun loving and mischievious:

Are they not adorable? I am just giddy over these two little owlies!! I have more to come with them and I'll share that with you very soon!!

Soothing Music from Paolo

2008-06-17T16:43:00.007-05:00

Do you know Paolo Nutini? The first song I heard from him had my interest...but this one has me spellbound! This singer/songwriter is a shocking 19 year old (at the time of the album recording) with a voice reminiscent of an old soul. When looking for a good link for you to listen to, I came across the video...which I wasn't fond of at all. To me, videos totally take me in a different direction from my own interpretation of a song which often, to me, is much better than the visions of videographers.

At any rate, to maintain the purity of this song, please don't watch the video...or at least wait until you've listened to the song several times in its entirety. Click here to go to the album link for the amazon sample and go down the page to song number 2 - "Last Request" and listen to this excerpt. I daresay it will leave you wanting more! I highly recommend spending the 99 cents for that song! There are some other great songs on this album, but also #6 on that list is a bright and happy song for you - spend the 99 cents on this one too. If you don't want to buy the entire album, at least get these two songs...I don't think you will regret it one penny!!

Let me know what you think...until then I'll be listening to this super young and super talented artist and marveling in the tone and almost young-Rod Stewart-like similarities...

Surprise Packages - Want to Win??

2008-06-15T17:14:00.002-05:00

Yesterday's blog post reflected my surprise to have already reached (and surpassed!!) 160 sales!! Guess What? I thought since I was surprised, it would be fun to surprise a winner, too!! I have a nice little goody package put together with several cutie pie things. Some that I've made and some that some of my wonderful Etsy friends have made - HOORAY!

What is it? I'm not tellin'!! At least not until the winner has received it! This will be fun! I don't know about you but I've always loved surprises - it's like being a kid again...and I try to live like a kid as much as I possibly can!!

Any person who purchases from my shop between now and Saturday, June 21st will automatically be entered. I will come here and post those names as well as what was purchased. Each item purchase will be an entry.

Also, there's no purchase necessary to win...so all you have to do is post a comment on any blog entry!! Your comments count beginning with today's date, so have fun - each comment is an entry for you and since all comments go to my email, I can keep up the count on there. Then, I'll use a random number generator to choose the winner....and let's do two prizes this time...a grand prize and a runner up prize. Winners will be chosen on Sunday, June 22nd! Sound like fun?

Commence to posting comments!! Have fun!

Taken By Surprise

2008-06-14T18:27:00.003-05:00

Wow! I am completed flattered!! My sales are already at 160 and I said I was doing another giveaway at 160 sales, didn't I? I can admit this to you...I am not prepared!! I'll work on getting something wonderful together - something different - and will keep you posted.

In the meantime, I stitched up this adorable little sachet and put it up today:

But this little gorgeous sachet has already sold - talk about lightning fast. It was maybe up 30 minutes, I think....

I'll be back tomorrow with something cool to have up for grabs! Until then, Happy Saturday!

Going a Little Retro and Vintage

2008-06-13T16:54:00.002-05:00

I love retro fabrics, especially ones that look like this next offering...my retro sachet pillow! It's up in the shop right now and I'm in love with the fabric. The green, blue and white on that brown? Soooo mod:

You saw a few of these already, but this one is a new one. (Would this not be GORGEOUS on a Cottage Christmas tree??) Lots of pink, some vintage eyelet and even a little calla lily. It's up in the shop now:

More new things to come! Also, I think it's about time for another giveaway....how about when I get to 160 sales in my shop (it's at 156 now), another treasure will be up here for the asking? Stay tuned!!

Glass Jars and Bottles

2008-06-09T18:48:00.006-05:00

Here's a couple new things you'll see in the shop in just a few minutes! A pretty glass bottle with lots of hand painted pink roses all over it! Here's a quick picture of it:

And, a triangular shaped glass bottle with a cool cork top - I can just picture some lovely bath salts in here:

Now, I'm off to put them in the shop. Enjoy!

Pretty Strawberry Sachets

2008-06-08T01:04:00.006-05:00

I have been wanting to create some pretty strawberry sachets and I finally just decided to do it. With my creativity at a high, I sat down with some pretty fabrics and notions and delightfully commenced to creating!! I don't know if the smile left my face the entire time I was working on them. I really don't! Here's a couple of pictures of my new creations...

Blue Toile Lavender Scented Sachet with Hand Sewn Beads, Roses and Lace:

Pink and White Ticking Lavender Scented Sachet with Handsewn Beads, Roses and Lace: Both of these are available in my shop right now, but if you want a different color or scent, just contact me and I'll be happy to do a custom listing just for you! Stay tuned for more of these pretties, too, as I have an entire line of them in my head that I can't wait to see come to life!

Something Else That Makes Me Happy....

2008-06-04T12:20:00.004-05:00

I purchased this on etsy and wore it for the first time today and let me just tell you that I'm absolutely adoring it:

Here's a close-up pic of this super cute little necklace:

This came all the way from Singapore and a lovely little shop called natureautumn. Click here to see her fun shop. Thank you NatureAutumn!! I am in love with this necklace!!!

Pretty Things

2008-06-03T21:01:00.004-05:00

I do so love pretty pink things. They just make me happy....giddy even! I've worked on a few more things I'm listing in mere moments! Here's a couple of them in a super quick sneak peak:

Now, I'm off to list! These little moments are so delicate and they are so sweet to me!

These Are Sooooo Comfy!!

2008-05-31T13:47:00.003-05:00

I never got on the "Crocs" bandwagon because I just didn't really like the style of them at first. Then, about a month ago, I ran across a sale on an off brand pair and when I tried them on, I must say I was pretty impressed! So, I purchased them and I really have been enjoying them. Imagine my surprise when my hubby was surfing and found some Crocs (the original brand!!) at a great sale price. Needless to say, they arrived this week and I am thrilled!! I bought basic black and they are mainly going to be worn around to kick around in. They are super comfortable and really lightweight! If you haven't bought yourself a pair, I highly recommend them. Here they are:

I really do enjoy wearing them for small things - going to the mailbox, sweeping our walkway, running errands, etc. You ought to try them...I think you'll be hooked, too!

100 Sales!!! YAY!!

2008-05-23T10:03:00.006-05:00

What a crazy wonderful time it's been! I just reached 100 sales in my etsy shop and I couldn't be more excited! My 100th sale occurred late last night from a lovely lady who has a lovely shop. Her name is southamptoncreations and you can click here to see her fabulous items.

Here's one of her gorgeous creations, a handmade decorative pillow cover:

I hope you have time to visit her shop, and she is a lovely lady!

I am so incredibly excited about having 100+ sales...and guess what? I have more things up my sleeve!!

Almost 100!!

2008-05-19T21:01:00.003-05:00

I cannot believe it!! I've almost reached 100 sales since I opened my etsy shop! On April 5, 2008, I started selling my wares and poof! Here I am facing a milestone already!

Thankful doesn't begin to describe how I feel! I am thankful, grateful and ever so humbled. Each and every customer is so very important to me and I hope they know that.

My 100th sale is going to get a prize package of several free gifts!! So, keep an eye on it and remember, each particular item counts as a sale, so if you buy two items and I'm at 98 sales, that puts you at 100!!!

I can't wait to honor my 100th sale with lots of wonderful things!! Good Luck!!

My shop:
www.thecozyloft.etsy.com

Happy Shopping!

And the Winner is....

2008-05-17T12:10:00.002-05:00

When I asked my hubby to pick a number between 1 and 20, he picked number 17!

CONGRATULATIONS to uniquegarden - the winner of the beautiful beach sea glass pendant!!

I'll be contacting her shortly and getting her address so her beautiful prize can be shipped to her.

YAY! Congrats again uniquegarden!

Beach Sea Glass Pendant Give-A-Way - Customer Appreciation!!

2008-05-14T20:24:00.004-05:00

I'm thinking it's time for another fun promotion...I purchased some promotional items to give away for the opening of my new etsy shop and I had one purchase that I made to have another future promotion. I think it's time to give another one away. :) (The first one was given away on April 23rd and maceykate was the lucky winner!!)

I purchased this from a super lovely etsy shop called blackwillowlab - click here to see this fabulous ladies' goodies. She has breathtaking beach sea glass - you have to see it all!

All you have to do is make a comment here or make a purchase from my shop between now and Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST and you will be entered to win!! Any purchases from my shop will result in me coming here to manually enter those names in the comments.

Best of Luck!!

Update Tonight

2008-05-12T21:00:00.003-05:00

I have more things to list tonight and will be working on those shortly. Be sure to check out my shop to see my new listings - several new glass jars and several different sachet sets including a brand new fabric that I think is just adorable!! Here's a sneak peak of one of them:

I'm loving the fun fabric on the top and the matching purple on the bottom. Too cute! Be sure to stop in after a little while and see all the new goodies!

Into the Groove

2008-05-10T01:25:00.005-05:00

Opening The Cozy Loft on etsy has been a true joy! I am certainly loving the people over there and the new friends I have made! I have a new listing to show you! A small cottage picture frame that will hold a 2 1/2 x 3 inch photo:

Inside the frame is a sweet piece of cottage rose fabric which sadly, I am almost out of! But, I can also visualize such a sweet look with a special black and white photo inside the sweetness of this frame...

I've also started offering a few note cards and I've expanded my glass storage jars to include some larger ones and some different shaped ones for anyone who has different needs for them...or some who just want several - a collection - of them.

I can't seem to keep up and have to find some extra time to devote to creating. I love it when I have the opportunity to try new things and perfect it. Ooooooh! The fun!! I sold all of the magnets I had and I have plans to do more of those soon in different styles and I can't wait for my new glass gems to arrive in the mail. Hooray!!

A Beautiful Mud Hutt

2008-05-07T21:23:00.005-05:00

Luckily, I found a super sweet shop on etsy and purchased a sweet little dish:

Let me tell you, when I opened up the package, I squealed with delight! This is the cutest thing and I have it specially placed for my most important piece of jewelry - my wedding rings!! :) What a precious place to keep my precious rings! You have to check out Jen's "Mud Hutt" shop and see what she has going on. She has the most adorable things and I'm certain you'll find something you just have to own, too!!

Thank you Jen!! I love it!!

My First Custom Orders

2008-05-05T17:00:00.005-05:00

I've been missing entering blogs here for a few days because of some AWESOME custom orders! Things have really been hopping here at The Cozy Loft! I had a fun order for 10 wooden cut out cars that measured about 5 1/2 inches by 6 1/2 inches each. Here's a picture of those:

Then, I had a rush order for 35 sachet sets for a Mother's Day event. With only a few days to do all these, The Cozy Loft was grand central station!! Those sachets were bright orange with bright pink ribbon and were made to match some gerbera daisies which will be tied onto each pillow set. How cute is that?

In the end, both custom orders went out today and all is right with the world. But, in the meantime, my shop was almost emptied! So, now I have got to get busy, busy, busy. I have had over 50 sales since my grand opening on April 5th! Thank you all for your business - you are so very much appreciated!

As a thank you, I'll be hosting a super nice give-a-way very soon....hopefully this week...stay tuned!! :)

Newest Addition to My Shop

2008-04-29T20:02:00.004-05:00

Things have been really hopping at The Cozy Loft since I opened my little cottage shop! I am so excited about all the new friends I've made and the things I have learned from all these wonderful people! I plan to do another give-a-way soon, so be sure to check back and see what I'm up to!

My newest listing that I'll have up in the shop today is this little pretty:

I'm currently working on some new larger pillows for the shop and some more tags. Plus a few surprises in the future as well. I'll be back with more things to show you soon! :)

And the Winner is....

2008-04-25T14:13:00.003-05:00

The lucky winner in the beach glass pendant giveaway was post #5 - maceykate

Congratulations maceykate - I hope you love it! It's so very pretty and made by a very talented etsyian.

Don't forget to check back often, I have more surprises up my sleeve...

Time for A Blog Give-A-Way

2008-04-23T18:46:00.004-05:00

I'm thinking it's time for a fun promotion...I purchased some promotional items to give away for the opening of my new etsy shop and I had one purchase that I made to have another future promotion. I think it's time to give one away. :)

I purchased this from a super lovely etsy shop called blackwillowlab - click here to see this fabulous ladies' goodies. She has breathtaking beach sea glass - you have to see it all!

Here's the exact piece you will receive, complete with leather cord:

Bet you are wondering what you have to do to win this lovely green sea glass pendant, right? Just leave a comment on here - only comments left on this particular entry will have a chance to win! All comments must be received by Friday, April 25th at 2:00 p.m. Central Time. Names will be thrown into a hat and the winner will be contacted. That lucky person has 24 hours to claim their prize before another name is drawn.

I'm so excited to be able to do this and I hope it's fun for you, too!

Don't forget to bookmark me....I will be doing more fun things in the near future, too!

A Beautiful Necklace

2008-04-18T09:49:00.005-05:00

This past weekend, I found a necklace that I just had to have. You know...one of those that has character and has an artistic vibe....one of those that you just know you are going to get compliments on when you wear it...

It came in a couple of days ago and I have to tell you - it's better than I ever imagined! I have heard so many compliments on this lovely seller's shop and I knew her work was gorgeous, but until I opened that package and looked at the necklace in person, I had no idea how gorgeous!!

Here's a picture of what I'm so in love with:

Click here to see the gorgeous shop called voleurdebijoux and browse through her lovely and unique pieces of jewelry.

Until you have one of these in your hands, you have no idea how very special it is!

**picture used by permission from voleurdebijoux (her photography style is soo nice)

More New Things

2008-04-15T22:28:00.006-05:00

I did this set of tags and listed them, but they sold within a day:

I just listed this set a few hours ago:

And, I just listed this pillow a few minutes ago:

I have a few other things in the works and will have pictures posted here soon. I'll try to post the pics here before I put them in my shop, if I can.

Be sure to keep an eye on this blog, as there will be giveaway very soon!

Vacation Suggestions

2008-04-13T17:39:00.003-05:00

We have thought about going to Gatlinburg, TN this year for vacation. It's where we went last year and it was so relaxing and beautiful. Our room overlooked a creek, so when we sat outside on the private balcony, we constantly heard the beautiful sounds of the water. However, we are not sold on the idea! I would love to hear your favorite vacation spots. We will be going in October which is our wedding anniversary month. Here's a photo we took on our last vacation:

We have been to Birmingham, AL; Franklin, TN; and West Palm Beach, FL in the past couple of years, so we are really looking for different places. It'll be hard to get us to stray from the Great Smoky Mountains, though! Thanks for your ideas, in advance!

New Pretties

2008-04-12T23:25:00.003-05:00

My very latest listing is this hand painted glass storage jar with sweet little pink roses on each side and a tiny rosebud on top:

A Sweet Cottage Pillow that I listed yesterday and has already sold:

I'm working on a few new things, but haven't finished them yet. I'll post those and some more things I've been into soon. I am featured on a blog of such a sweet lady - click here to see Wonderfully Sew Knit's blog. She is so lovely and delightful. Thank you so much for the kind words! What a doll!

Appreciation to My First Customers

2008-04-10T19:49:00.005-05:00

I thought it would be a nice thing to show appreciation to my customers and show you their shops on my blog, so you could see their talents, too!

My first sale went to a lovely shop owner of Handmade by Annabelle - click here to see her sweet shop. She has some lovely items (and she's a sweetie, too!) and I'm personally fond of her handmade baskets! Be sure to visit her! Here's one of them:

My second customer has such an adorable shop! Bearly Time to Scrap (click here to see her shop) has a nice mix of things from buttons to beads to tags and these little tear bears that are to die for:

I am giddy over those little fellas and their sweet little faces - too cute!

My 3rd sale went to a lovely shop called Wonderfully Sew Knit who has lovely goodies like bags and aprons. Click here to see her shop. Look at this sweetie:

My fourth & fifth customers don't have shops, but I'd like to thank:

alyanna - such a sweet, lovely lady and left some joyful feedback that really touched me! THANK YOU!!

sunsign - she left me my very first feedback for an item I sold - THANK YOU sweet lady! You have no idea how excited I was when I read my first one!

I wanted to make sure that I documented these first five customers - you are so special and so appreciated!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

A Busy Day

2008-04-09T23:01:00.006-05:00

For the past couple of days, I've been dealing with a toothache thanks to my love of popcorn. Why oh why does popcorn have to feature the wonderful husks? Long story and alot of pain later, I have to have a root canal in early May. I've never had one before, so I'm concerned. Please don't tell me anything about it - I've scared myself enough already and won't let myself google it. Please don't tell me!! I'm terrified of this!

On to more fun things, I've just listed this:

and I'll be listing this one tomorrow:

I have so much more I need to be working on and some things I have started today that are curing as we speak! So many things, so little time!

Another Shop Addition

2008-04-08T22:31:00.003-05:00

The purple glass lidded bowl is already gone that I listed yesterday and on its way to Hawaii. I'm so jealous of that little bowl! So all that's left from yesterday's listings is the pink rose tags. WOW! I just listed these tags:

Let me tell you, I loved doing those! They were the most fun and made me realize how very much I love what I do! Talk to you soon!

The Latest Shop Additions

2008-04-07T18:57:00.006-05:00

I had three new things to show you and one of them sold a little bit after I put it up this afternoon! That's great! I may paint more of these - set of 4 all occasion gift tags:

I put this up today (set of two handpainted tags):

Also, I have this glass, hand painted covered bowl available:

What kinds of things do you like?

A Quick Update

2008-04-06T12:17:00.004-05:00

My opening day of my new shop was a success! So far, I've already sold 6 items to 4 different customers and I couldn't be happier!! More things are in the works and I'll tell more about that soon.

With all the shop things going on yesterday, I didn't get a chance to show you the newest of the free gifts that I received in yesterday's mail from whimsypics...some adorable "Bird on a Branch" yellow gift tags. I tell you...this picture does not do them justice!

In person, they have such a sweet presence! When you get a chance, check out whimsypics shop by clicking here and see all of her altered art, paper bag albums, and other goodies! Everything is so very nice and so is she!

There are only four of these tags, so they will only go to the first four customers. The fifth customer will get something else instead... :) Don't worry 5th customer, you won't do without!

I'll be back later today ~ see you then!

Just an update....it's 12:37 a.m. on 4/7/08 and it looks as though it will be later today (Monday) before I get more things done and up for grabs. One thing I painted still has to cure a little while longer before it's ready to be handled and photographed. Lots of packing for packages going out and I've gotten behind. I'll catch up tomorrow...I hope!

Opening Day Is Finally Here

2008-04-05T10:42:00.003-05:00

We have the shop up and going! WOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOO! Please stop by the shop and see all the goodies and don't forget that the first five customers will get some GREAT free gifts!

We'll be listing more throughout the day!

Enjoy!

Big Sneak Peek

2008-04-04T23:40:00.003-05:00

I promised you some sneak peeks this evening and I almost didn't make it, as it's about a quarter until midnight now! Where does the time go? Charles and I have been buzzing around here taking pictures, working on the new banner and avatar (we didn't like the ones we previously made), and having fun!

Here's a sneak peak of some of the items you'll be seeing in the new shop tomorrow (Saturday). We're hoping to start posting things at 10:00 a.m. Central Standard Time. If we can just come down from the adrenaline rush, we just might make it! I will post an update tomorrow if we are running behind.

I hope you like some of the goodies, though you might not be able to see them very well from this far away photo. All of the items aren't in the picture, but all of these will go up in the shop first.

See you on the big day!

More Goodies Arrived Today!

2008-04-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

More great things arrived in the mail today that will be free gifts to my first 5 customers in my new shop! Hooray!! You have got to see these. First, there were treats from kishcrafts and look at these:

A sweet chocolate glazed donut
A sparkly sugary donut (the pic doesn't do this one justice - it's sparkly and pink)
A key lime pie slice (look at the teeny lime slice on top - tooooo cute!)
Two chocolate chip cookies
A slice of carrot cake

Oh my - aren't those just the cutest? And, they are teeny, tiny little works of art. To see more like these, click here to go to her shop "kishcrafts". You will be seeing things that are so great that they are OFF the CUTENESS charts!!

She also asked me to tell any of my blog readers to mention they found her from my blog (thecozyloft) and she would give them a 10% discount! WOW - how sweet is she?? I am so excited to be able to tell all of you that!! Just make sure you send her a conversation through etsy so she can send you a corrected invoice reflecting the 10% discount. YAY!

Today, I also received some of the sweetest soaps from YappsCottageDecor - click here to see her shop. She already has so many wonderful things in there and has some more goodies coming soon to her shop. Look at her shop announcement for details! The soap smells so good and such lovely packaging. Look at this:

There's pink sugar, lavender, lemongrass, and two white soaps that seem to be unscented. I'll find out for sure on those. She has really great prices, but the big thing is they are sooooooo cute!

Be sure to check back later today when I have some photos up of things you'll find in my shop available tomorrow!

More Sneaking Peeking & My Mama

2008-04-03T17:01:00.000-05:00

The goodies just keep on coming in...you know...the ones my first five customers are going to get for FREE with their purchases??

I received some today that did not come by mail or carrier, but transported by automobile to my door...by my most talented and crafty Mama. She is the person I talk to about every artsy and craftsy thing I'm doing in my life, and she sells things online now too!

For the longest time, my Mother worked at a hospital as a nurse and would craft things like Sock Monkeys, crocheted baby shoes and all kinds of sweet little goodies. Her co-workers would see these things and place orders. Eventually, she would leave the medical world and she owned her own bakery. Her bakery would bring customers in from everywhere and the smells that came from that wonderful place - sooooo delicious! Because of two heart attacks, she did have to leave her bakery dream behind.

Now, she sells a few things online and has just opened her own very new etsy shop. Please see her sweet shop by clicking here - her things are sooooo very sweet!

She sent 5 different things:

A cute Grocery Bag Magnet with so many miniature items inside like drawer liner, cereal, a newspaper, fruit and more!!

An adorable bag of potatoes magnet. I have had one of these for YEARS that she made for me and I love it so much. They are so very adorable!

A precious red and white lollipop that has the clear protective wrap on it.

A sweet tiny sundae in a clear sundae cup. Look at the tiny straw (for when the ice cream "melts")!
And, my personal favorite, a teeny-tiny miniature pink and white lollipop. It's so very cute and sweet and adorable and lovely! Just like my Mama!!

Here's a picture of them:

There's more to come and those will be in soon, I'll keep you posted on that. Also, don't forget to look here tomorrow evening for things that I'll have for sale in the shop on Saturday!

Gift Items Starting to Arrive & Sneak Peek

2008-04-02T19:11:00.000-05:00

I mentioned a few days ago that I decided to order a few items from fellow etsy sellers to give as free gifts to my first 5 customers on opening day this Saturday (that is sooooo close!). I received the first package today of the sweetest tiny gift boxes from creationsbylaura. You can see her sweet shop by clicking here and finding her scrapbooking goodies. These teeny adorable boxes would be perfect with a little gift or candy and left on a co-worker's desk...or hubby's/wife's pillow...or...well pretty much anyone! Thank you sooooo much Laura!!

Here's a pic of Laura's little precious boxes and she sent several different colors:

The clock is ticking fast as I'm getting everything ready to be opened by Saturday morning. I hope not to disappoint anyone!

Be sure to check back to see more sneak peeks of what will be available on Saturday!! ;)

Crispy Chops & Banana Nut Bread

2008-03-31T18:19:00.000-05:00

The past few weeks have been busy ones, but I've found some time to cook a few things. Friday night I made some Crispy Pork Chops of which the recipe derived from Nigella Lawson (one of my favorites) that I found on a fellow blogger's - "Anne's Food" - entry (click here to see the recipe). I omitted the egg as one comment had suggested. They turned out to be quite tasty. I took a couple of pictures, but they turned out quite fuzzy, so I won't post that. (My really cool camera's batteries are down and I just picked more up today.

Then, last night I made some Banana Nut Bread from a cookbook that my hubby & I received as a wedding gift. It's one of those small town cookbooks put together by a community or in this case, First Baptist Church in Dyer, Tennessee. The recipe was submitted by Ms. Christine Ramsey who was a lunch lady at Charles' school when he was young. Here's a photo of it:

Here's the super simple recipe:

3 medium bananas

1/2 c. margarine

1 c. sugar

3 eggs

2 c. self-rising flour

1/2 c. chopped nuts

Mash bananas. Blend margerine, sugar and eggs in separate bowl. Add to banana mixture. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time. Fold nuts into batter. Pour into sprayed 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 325 for 1 1/4 hours. (I used a glass loaf pan which was baked at 300 degrees for the same amount of time - 1 1/4 hours.)

This recipe turned out to be good, but not quite sweet enough. Next time, I'll add a little more sugar.

Now, what to make tonight? Hmmm...maybe we'll have burritos. But, that'd be the frozen kind - El Monterey Beef & Bean - we love those and top each with 1/2 slice of sharp cheddar. Yummy!

A Wonderful Promotion

2008-03-29T14:57:00.000-05:00

This morning, I was working on some of my new goodies that I'll be listing in my new shop next Saturday. I started thinking of the first 5 customers and how I wanted to do something special for each of them for the jumpstart to my business. Then, I came up with an idea to purchase things - samples - from fellow etsy sellers. This would allow those special sellers to get their name and business out there to others, too. So, I posted an alchemy with this information. I have been amazed at the response. Now, I just have to sort through everything and figure out what will be a great fit with items I will be selling. There's so many - 24 at the time of this posting - and I'll have to turn so many of those away though I want to purchase from all of them!!

When things start arriving, I'll give you a sneak peak at the free gifts for those first 5 customers as well as talk about the seller of those items. This is so much fun that I'm neglecting getting busy on my things, but it's worth it.

There are so many special, sweet, cute things on etsy that I could spend all my waking hours just shopping happily!! This has definitely lifted my spirits and I'm adoring etsy all the more.

Please be sure to bookmark this blog to see all the upcoming goodies, as well as get in on other promotions I'll be doing. I plan on being very active here and I'd love any input you may have. If you are like me and mostly a lurker...you may wish to make comments here. There's an exciting promotion I'm thinking of for that......

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Edit: The total number of bids on the Alchemy was 45 before I closed the bidding! WOW! There were so many lovely things - I wish I could have bought them all to give as free gifts with purchase for my first few customers. Again, WOW!

Update On My New Shop

2008-03-27T15:57:00.001-05:00

You know...there is SOOOOOOOO much to do to get a shop opened. My goal is to not allow my new etsy shop to look like it is just some things thrown into an online shop, I want it to look great. I've put so much into it and I have such high hopes for my little cozy loft!!

I've completed several more projects and checked those off my list. My avatar is now completed and I'm feeling good about it. Now, I just have to get some more actual PRODUCTS finished! Honestly, it looks like a force of nature blew through my home right now. Should anyone knock on my door, I couldn't invite them in! Talk about embarrassing!!! Slowly but surely I'm getting things knocked off my "to-do" list, but I'm not anywhere near where I thought I'd be by today!!

My plan is to open the etsy shop "thecozyloft" on Saturday, April 5th and have wonderful things inside. For opening day, I plan on having some exciting promotions going on and I'm hoping that also helps with getting folks to visit.

So far, so good, though. Since the loss of our kitty, I've been pouring all of my heart into my work and I do hope it shows when I start listing things on the 5th. I do plan on giving anyone who's reading my blog a sneak peek before then. ;)

Sad Update On Our Kitty

2008-03-25T17:51:00.000-05:00

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Any of you who know me knows that I’m never up early in the morning. I woke up about 4:00 a.m. Monday morning to check on our kitty cat and she had passed away. For this, I am so very thankful to God. She went peacefully, at home, and with us.

I’ve never, ever understood how someone could put an animal - a member of the family - to sleep. Although I’ve read so many things about folks doing this, it was always something I felt I would never consider. I read that pet owners say "you just know" when you have to do it. Now, I truly understand how someone could come to that conclusion.

My heart doesn’t feel heavy about her now. Although I’m sad and broken in spirit, I feel mended somewhat to know that she’s not suffering. We knew that she was hanging on for us and we knew she suffered for it.

It’ll be hard to deal with her not being around after so many years and I already miss her.
Anyway, for any of you who might have read my entry on Sunday and helped us pray for her, I thank you for listening to my thoughts and for caring.

Thought you might like to see a picture of her. This was taken a few months ago when she was feeling great and high on catnip! She's lying on our floor exhausted staring at her catnip ball. We had soooooo much fun with catnip and that little kitty cat!

My Heavy Heart Therapy

2008-03-23T21:17:00.001-05:00

This is going to be a sad entry, but I read somewhere it was a good idea to write things out when things are bad in your life. Somehow it's a form of therapy...so here goes.

Tonight I write this wish such a heavy heart. It seems as though my husband and I are about to lose our sweet little angel kitty cat. She's been with us as long as he and I have been together and she was with him long before that. She's 19 years old, which is a LONG life for a cat, I know. Back around Thanksgiving, she showed the first sign of trouble with some neurological problems and walking in circles. A visit to the vet took care of that and she was better until January. January found her retinas becoming detached and she became completely blind. Then, she started experiencing cycles of rapid breathing. Another visit to the vet and some near death spells, we thought she was getting better. Until yesterday afternoon. Since that time she has been in a cycle of walking into things and she has now, done the worst...quit eating and drinking. Our little girl isn't herself and is just lying down kicking her feet now. So, from everything we've read, we have to have her put to sleep because without eating and drinking, she will be in tremendous pain. Supposedly, it is the kindest thing we can do for her. Tears fill my eyes as I try to type this all out. My head feels like it weighs a ton. We were up almost all night last night with her. So, basically, we have had little sleep and we've cried off and on (mostly on). Though we know it's the end of her life here with us, we hurt for her and for our loss.

I'll tell you a little bit about her....

Her name is China and she's part Blue Himalayan and part Siamese. She is a BEAUTIFUL GORGEOUS long haired cat with the sweetest disposition you have ever seen in a cat. Anytime since I've known her, she's always been there for me. When I've been sick with the flu or some other illness, she sensed it and would get on the bed with me and snuggle up close to me. That little girl always made me feel better because she cared so much. Anytime I have been sad, she comforts me. When I come home, she's at the door waiting. If I'm sitting somewhere, she wants to be what we call our "lap kitty".

Now, I write this with her lying on her side consistently moving her little paws back and forth in a repetitive motion like she's walking or swimming. I cannot stand to think that this time tomorrow night, she won't be here. It's absolutely breaking my heart.

Maybe it's worse because we don't have children. It's just always been the three of us. Anyway, I can't tell you how many times I've broken down during this post and I really don't know whether or not it helped me to write about it. At any rate, thanks for listening and I'm sorry to write such a depressing and painful post.

The New Shop Preparations

2008-03-22T10:16:00.000-05:00

The excitement is filling the air around here as I'm getting everything ready to launch the shop. I finally have a date set for the shop launch - April 5th!! YAY! I've been such a busy bee getting things made and tested. Nothing will be sold in my shop unless it has been tried and tested by myself and my hubby first. So, if we don't think it's up to par, you won't find it in the shop.

So, this week, this is what I've done:

Started this blog
Opened my etsy shop
Reserved the same name on ebay to avoid any confusion
Went to the bank and opened a business checking account
Purchased a few items to gather some feedback on my new etsy account
Opened a PayPal account
Reserved a website
Completed the banner for this blog & etsy (with my hubby's help - he's brilliant!)
Have decided what to do for the avatar, but I have to make part of it first
Made a test potholder with heat resistant fabric inside
Written down pages and pages of things I'll have in the shop, along with so many ideas of things to come
Finalized my packaging ideas for mailing my goods
Ordered my custom labels which will be sewn into my wares

WHEW! It's been a busy week and there's still so much more to do. I'm so very excited about this and I have high hopes for my new little corner of the world. My hope is that you will be excited about the end result, too!

My Cozy New Shop

2008-03-19T17:53:00.000-05:00

For a while, I've been trying to come up with a great name for my home-based business. I made so many lists mainly of things I loved and I continued creating this list until I had the perfect name...

The Cozy Loft.

Doesn't that just sound heavenly? I feel all warm and fuzzy every time I think about it.

In the weeks and months to come, I will be building this shop through Etsy - my favorite place on the web.

Although anyone could purchase my things, they are targeted to couples and single guys & gals. Or really those of us who live in cottages, apartments (a la Paris-style), lofts, smaller homes - all those cozy places.

For items I'll be making:

I am going to be using only the B-E-S-T quality materials. I am a firm believer in quality and I only want the best.
Items will be unique and individualized with character and charm.
My things will be affordable. Nice enough to give as a gift to the most persnickety of friends, but cost-effective too.

I realize that it's difficult to find quality in a world built on quantity - or at least most of it seems that way. My plan is to give back the quality and remind others that handmade items really are not only better, but they are extremely special...as they all come from the heart.