Settling In

I haven’t been on here much.  Life has been quite crazy recently but for the most part in good ways.  Brews & Jewels has been working away with anticipation of Big Love Fest that was supposed to happen on the 5th but ended up postponed due to the weather.  It was scheduled as a rain or shine event but the weather ended up being a little bit more than that with heavy rain and high winds called for so last-minute it was postponed with a date TBD.  Still waiting on that.  Sigh.  Also this Saturday is Appalachian Shakedown happening at Highland Brewing!  It is mostly a music and beer oriented festival with some local artists and I’m very excited to be one of them! The weather should be mid 70s and sunny.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Also keeping me busy is my feet becoming firmer in the small city I have grown to adore.  I’m in the process of buying a house and if everything goes well I should be a homeowner in a month or so.  It is very exciting and yes, if you know me, anxiety producing.  I’m doing this all on my own and I couldn’t be happier but yet I can’t help but worry if I am doing everything I should and at the right time.  According to my realtor I’m ahead of the game so I guess my worrying is paying off.

If you have been keeping up with me you know that I have been feeling unsettled in life and wanting to nest.  Having that desire to have a house, family, and I guess overall feel like what we grow up thinking where we should be in our late 30s.  (Ack!  How did I get to be 38?)

I don’t want to have children.  I had my child in high school and proudly put her up for adoption.  My genes are out there and I don’t feel a need to help the overpopulation of the world.  Plus I have limited patience with children.  They can be adorable but I am too selfish for my own.  I do enjoy my four legged kids, a dog and to cats.  I would like to add a significant other at some point but that needs to be the right person.  So right now I am happy to be forming a more permanent home for the furry ones and me.  A house that is all ours.

So I finally am feeling like I am putting my nest together and although it takes time and energy it is so exciting and worth it!  So keep your fingers crossed for me that the next month plays out like it should and I become a homeowner.  Oh and if you are in Asheville come to Highland Brewing on Saturday, drink a beer or two, listen to some awesome music and say hi!

Life’s Surprises

I haven’t blogged in a few weeks.  Life has been a bit busy and crazy but in the best of ways.  Life has been treating me quite well recently and much of it seems to come suddenly and surprise me.  Right now I am so thankful to the universe for what is has given me.

It is all little things but yet all together it brings me inner joy and a sense of feeling like I am in the right place in my life.  I truly feel fortunate and know that life changes and I need to appreciate what I have now.

Tonight I am crafting and organizing for this Sunday’s festival, Big Love Fest.  The biggest event I will have been at so far vending with Brews & Jewels.  I also have another festival in two weeks at Highland Brewing Company, Appalachian Shakedown. Which they approached me and asked if I wanted to vend!  Considering I have several pieces featuring them the answer is of course a yes!

Besides my exciting crafting life I am now in the position to be able to get my own place, not just rent but own.  Of course I will have a mortgage but I can realistically afford my own place for myself and my four-legged family.

I feel like I have choices in my life right now and that I actually know what I want to choose.  I want to be here, in the city I love, with my furry family, spending time with my crafts and friends and enjoying the little things that add up and make life perfect.

I had a friend try hard to convince me to go out tonight but I chose to stay home.  I needed to work on my crafts and I wanted my gratefully eventful week to sink in.

Life is good.  Thank you universe.

Two Hearts

Still getting over this stupid cold and have been relaxing for the most part this weekend.  I did get a little bit of exercise and work on some new pendants.  Right now I have these two hearts in progress.

 

Look for them on Esty soon.  :)

 

Crafty

After my travels last week and spending a few days catching up on life I finally have some time and energy to spend on my crafts.  Today I spent working on a display for Brews & Jewels that will be up soon at Pro Bikes here in Asheville.   I’m also hoping to be at my first festival next month in Spartanburg, SC for their first annual Biketoberfest.  Bikes and beer, should be fun whether or not I sell anything.

I hope to spend some time actually working on a few more pieces and taking a few photos of what I have already made to put up on Etsy.

Probably to no surprise this song pops in my head often when I craft

 

Craft Addiction and Other Randomness

So I think I must have become addicted to my beercrafting as I like to call it.  I came home and worked on a few pieces I am working on before looking at my email, facebook, eating dinner, etc.  Hopefully tomorrow I will have a new piece or two for my Etsy page. In case you haven’t checked it out here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BrewsAndJewels

I think it’s a good addiction and I’m definitely having fun with it.  Plus I personally think I’m producing some pretty awesome things.  :)

Otherwise life has been pretty good the last few days including achieving the longest single day ride to date of 45 miles on Sunday.  I hope to beat that soon.  I’m working on a goal of riding from my house to Mt. Pisgah and back.  Just under 60 miles round trip.  I’m getting a little closer each time and feeling pretty awesome about it!

I also was randomly thinking how I used to commonly post Beck videos and I feel like I’m overdue.  So here you go.  Enjoy your night, Monday is almost over!

 

Belt Fetishes

So having a blog on WordPress there is a “site stats” page that tells you how many people looked at your page and what got them to your page and other things.  I have to say I was most delighted when I saw that the somebody searched ” I have a belt fetish” and that led them to my blog.  I am not alone.

Ah yes, I do have a belt fetish.  I love them and own about 20-25 belts.  They are my accessory of choice. I made a new one for myself this week and hope to add belts as a regular item to my Brews & Jewels collection but am in the learning process.

A close up of my newest belt:

Belts and beer.  Two of the things that helped keep my sanity this crazy week along with some wonderful friends and a good night out with them on Wednesday.

It’s been a long stressful week but it is Friday and hey I have a new belt, beer in the fridge and awesome friends.  It will be just fine.

So looking up “belt fetishes” as you can imagine brought on some videos I didn’t want to click on for fear of the computer viruses linked to it.  I did find this quite interesting one.  So ummmm…..it’s weird, just like this week.  Oh and graphic in the way those drivers’ ed movies were graphic (not graphic as in sexual content graphic).

Beer, Bikes and Jewels

Dang weekends go way to fast!  I had a pretty busy one and with two meetings after work coming up the next two days it is going to be a long week.  I did have a good weekend and am looking forward to one of my best friends coming into town later this week!

Saturday I was so over the heat and did a short gym workout and stayed inside working on my crafts. A lot.  I took a ton of photos and played with figuring out props to show off my crafts to put online.  Did a little bit of actual crafting too.  Sunday I was motivated to head out on a bike and decided a long overdue visit to Flat Laurel Creek trail off the parkway would be a good place to be.  3000 feet higher in elevation always helps with the heat!

It was a beautiful ride in decent temps with a few challenging sections and a whole lot of fun.  I had not been on my mountain bike in about a month and made the mistake of heading out on a somewhat technical trail on a brand new set of pedals.  Not quite worn in enough to make clipping out well a little stiffer which can catch you on the rocks and want to put your foot down.  Oops…..I should have known better.  Anyway there may have been some crashing that gave me a nice knot on my left shin.  I guess I was overdue on that too.

Got back from our ride and after shower number 2 of the day went back to the crafts.  Took more pictures and delved into the making of my new Etsy shop.  I still need to play with the site some more and add a couple more items but I have a site started!  I felt like I accomplished something and had some good fun!

Oh yeah, Go check out my shop  http://www.etsy.com/shop/BrewsAndJewels