A L F Creations

What's for supper?

2010-01-20T16:17:00.000-08:00

So, with hubby away at the Law Enforcement Training Academy right now, suppers in this house are all about two things. Easy and "What can't I cook when he's home?". I'm taking full advantage. He's just kind of a meat, potato and pasta guy.

What could be easier than French Bread Pizza?! Well, a lot of things, I suppose. But, hey, this is cheap, easy, and oh so yummy. And much easier than making a regular pizza.

What's on tonight's pizza? Well, I start by cutting the loaf of french bread in half, both directions, so I end up with four pieces. Then drizzle with olive oil and spoon pizza sauce on top of that. How ever much or little you like. I, personally, don't like when the sauce gushes when you take a bite.

Tonight I'm putting some chopped up turkey lunch meat, roasted red peppers and pineapple on it.

Yes, pineapple. I love pineapple on my pizza.

Then, I covered it in mozzarella cheese and stuck it in the oven. 350 degrees.

Let bake. I honestly don't know how long this was in the oven. 10-15 minutes? I use my nose as an oven timer. It almost never fails me. Almost.

Mmmmm, looks yummy doesn't it? The only thing that could have made it better?
Lining the pan with foil first...

These kinds of things are always an afterthought for me. :/

Better go now. Jackson and his baby are waiting not so patiently to try the pizza.

Later!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-01T08:24:00.001-08:00

Hope everyone had a fabulous New Year's Eve.

I'm a loser. I fell asleep at 11:45. My 11 year old stayed up longer than I did.

Sad. I know.

New year, new beginnings

2009-12-31T09:45:00.001-08:00

A great big thank you goes out to all of you who are still following my blog. I knew it had been a long time since my last post, but didn't realize it was August the last time I was here.

We are all alive and well in the Fleagle household. Life has been crazy, and I have taken the last few months to prioritize all of the things I have going on in my life. The jewelry, unfortunately, has been put on the back burner. I'm afraid I just don't have the time, or resources, to put the kind of work that is necessar into it to produce satisfactory items.

Sand Shooters is doing excellent!!! I'm so proud of this, and love working on it. If you haven't stopped by our website lately, please do. You can see all of the very cool custom items we have had the pleasure of designing in our
sold items.

I've also started up with crochet and knitting again. I love to do it, but got away from it for a while. I've been having a blast, making hats for the boys!
Dawson was a pumpkin for halloween...

OK, I have a 2 year old fighting with an 1 year old.....and right now the 2 year old is winning. Better go break it up.

Oh, and my New Year's Resolution? To blog at least once a week. Wish me luck!

Random thinking

2009-08-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

So I've just returned from an event supporting our local domestic violence center. An awesome event featuring wine tasting, scrap booking and wine glass decorating workshops. A fashion show, some wine drinking, and karaoke. One of the models is another jewelry artist in town. I know I've heard of her before, but it sounded like she is getting serious about it and starting to sell it. The event organizer, who I love, was raving about how awesome her jewelry was and how she knew a couple of people that would love to have it in their boutiques, and on and on and on. I won't lie. It hurt. It hurt because she knows that I do jewelry and am trying to make it a successful business and has never talked that way about my work. I know she knows these things, because we've talked about it. It just made me wonder...do I have it? Do I really have the design ideas and skills to make it happen. I look at some of my photos of my first pieces and think, wow, that could use some work. I think I have it, somewhere. I just don't have the time to find it, I'm afraid. Especially not if I'm going to really make a go of it with Sand Shooters. And, let's face it, that has been much more successful in two months than ALF Creations has been in a year.
Maybe it's time to think about just doing the jewelry for myself and really getting serious about the Medical Transcription course I started some time ago. It's been so long since I studied, I may have to start over. :P
OK, I'm done with my pity kick. Funny what a couple glasses of wine will do to a girl, isn't it?

'Night all!

Just awesome

2009-08-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

OK, I know this may not be the most interesting video to watch, but I LOVE this song. Foreigner is performing at the South Dakota State Fair this year and I would love to go and take our ten year old son. He really digs listening to the 80s music with his dad and I know he would have a blast. They have so many great hits!

The catch, money's pretty tight in the house right now. So, I'm listing some new items in the hopes that some of them will find their new home. And if any of you have been eyeing anything in th ALF Creations shop, now is the time!!

For now, enjoy the video!

Busy little bees

2009-08-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

It's funny how the brain works sometimes, isn't it? I tell 'ya, I don't mind writing, but I HATE coming up with blog titles. And I feel like I have to, it just isn't finished without a title.
So, I was sitting here thinking about how incredibly tired I am this morning and the thoughts just started trailing. Sand Shooters is taking off on Etsy. Can I quit my day job? Not even close. :) But it's doing so much so fast. Much faster than I dreamed it would. Of course, we spend a lot of time trolling Alchemy. But, hey!, you have to get your name out there some how. Anyway, I had six, yes six, orders to get packaged up last night so they could go out today. Awesome, I know! But I didn't even get started until 10:30. Have you ever had a two year old try to help you package? I don't recommend it. Way easier to wait until they go to bed.

Remembering how busy I was last night made me think of being "busy as a bee", which led me to my next thought. The Magic School Bus. We went camping over the weekend, and the campground played a movie Saturday night of The Magic School Bus-In a Bee Hive. My ten year old groaned when I told him what the movie was, but was pretty happy he watched it. We all learned something! For example, bees "dance" to communicate with each other. And, I can honestly say, I really didn't know exactly how honey was made.

OK, I've rambled long enough, and if you've made it this far, congratulations.

Now, don't forget to take my poll.

And don't forget to enter the Sand Shooters giveaway at Giveaways to Check Out. I'll be honest, you have a pretty good shot at winning this thing. Not too many contestants right now. . .

There's another giveaway coming soon for ALF Creations featuring jewelry. I haven't decided what to giveaway, yet. Any opinions? You can view my stores by clicking on the links to the right of this post. But check back often, because I don't have everything listed just yet. And many thanks to my friend Megan, for letting me get all of my eggs into one basket, rather than 25, before starting that giveaway!

OK, time to get to work.
Toodles!

Sand Shooters has been featured!!

2009-07-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

Just a quick shout out to Love Clay Crafts for featuring Sand Shooters in her blog. We did a custom stamp and she is putting it to great use with a wonderful, and unique idea. Go check out her blog post and her store!

I love this necklace.

Enjoy!

Just a quick post to say. . .

2009-07-25T11:53:00.001-07:00

I did it!!!

It's a bit heavy on the wrapping around the bead from trying to cover my other mistakes, but, all in all, not too shabby. I'll list it on ArtFire, and if it sells it sells, if not, I guess I'll wear it!
Its a 6 1/2 if anyones interested. ;)

New jewelry! Yay!

2009-07-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

I've really strayed away from the jewelry lately, focusing all of my energy on Sand Shooters. I decided my idea book is getting a little thick, so finally made a couple of new pendants a couple of weekends ago. Last night and this morning, I finally finished up the necklace. I'm so excited! It's the little things for me, I'm tellin' ya'!

Here's a peek. . .

You can find more pictures of it on Etsy.

Now, I just need to find a class for naming and describing my items. I'm pretty convinced I could move more jewelry through my shop with better descriptions. It's funny, really, I have the creativity to come up with the concepts, but am absolutely no good with my words. As those of you who have suffered through my blog this far have figured out. lol

OK, I'm off to try a wrapped ring, now. I've tried them in the past and it hasn't gone well. Wish me luck!

Who doesn't love free stuff??

2009-07-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

So, I promised more information on the changes to come. Here they are. In April, my Dad invited my sister and I to join him in the engraving business that he and my mom run. It is call Sand Shooters. A laser engraver was ordered, delivered, and so began a new chapter. It has been so much fun!! I'm lovin' it!

Sand Shooters started off with sand blasting. Rocks, tiles of all kinds, glass. . . My parents are very talented folks, people. If you want to see some of the work they've done with the sand blasting, visit their website. Awesome stuff, I'm tellin' ya.

Now, on to the laser engraving. I could go on and on about the capabilities of this machine. It does so much. But, I'm not going to ramble. Very, very early this morning, my friend, Megan, launched her very first giveaway on her blog, Giveaways to Check out.
Unlike most giveaways, I am offering the winner a choice of two items. So get yer followin' boots on and get ready to enter!
You can get to the blog post by clicking here !

African thunderstorm

2009-07-23T08:55:00.001-07:00

I love music-always have. And while I'm not too picky, there are certainly a few things I can't listen, too. But I LOVE listening to a choir, no matter what type of music they are singing. There is just something about all of the beautiful voices coming together, it can give me goosebumps.

I received this link in an email from my sister (thanks, sis!) and am sure that if I had listened to it at home, rather than the office, where I could have turned up my speaker volume, I would have goosebumps!

Enjoy!!!

African thunderstorm

Shared via AddThis

Summer = Camping = SMORES!!!!

2009-07-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of summer camping and smores-these look super yummy. I will definitely have to try them this weekend. And if anybody else gets to them before I do, let me know how they turn out. Take pictures!

Make Smore Cupcakes - wikiHow

2009-07-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

There will be some changes coming soon to the ALF Creations blog. A new look and a new name. It will no longer be just ALF Creations. I am now part of a business called Sand Shooters. More on that later. Anyway, stay tuned, and check out www.mnmspecial.com , because some exciting things will be taking place this week!

Just another day. . .

2009-07-18T07:34:00.000-07:00

Except I've had two cups of coffee this morning! In case you're wondering, drinking coffee, at home, is nearly impossible for me. By the time I get to it, it's cold. So I warm it in the microwave, and so the pattern begins. I can take a whole day to drink one cup on the weekends.
The boys have been helping me this morning. Here's Dawson,helping Mom type with his toes. . .
I don't look too bad for just getting out of bed.
And then there were three. . .

Not much to post today, but I figure, what better way to form a habit than to do something every day, right? Eventually I will have something that interests someone. . .

Some small news on the business front, I will be featured in two giveaways. One for the laser engraving business and one for my jewelry business, so stay tuned for details on that.
And don't forget about the poll on packaging!

Now, I'm off to attempt a shower. No help with the chitlins since hubby worked 'til 4 this morning. zzzzzzzzzzzz

Later!

Pretty Packaging

2009-07-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

So I'm starting to sound like a broken record. I know I haven't been keeping up with the blog and I promise to do better. Well, I quit promising that! What I do promise, is that I'll get to it when I get to it, and hopefully, someday, that will be on a regular basis.

I've been shipping out a few orders in the last couple of days (hooray!!!), and started thinking about my packaging. Nothing special to it. Most items will come in a plastic bag within a padded envelope. Jewelry will come in a plain white box, in the padded envelope. The bonus? FREE shipping!

So, what's the problem, you might ask? Well, the last couple of items I have received have had the prettiest little boxes and ribbons. But you have to pay for those pretty packages.

That got me to thinking, what do people really prefer? So, here's where you come in. Please take this poll and let me know what you think. But I don't just want to hear from my followers. Let your friends and blog readers know about it and ask them to take it as well. While I appreciate every follower I have, there's only 32 of you. lol I think I may need more opinion than that. So, spread it around for me!

How long will this be open? I have no idea. But my guess is that it will be open at least until the end of July.

Thanks everyone! And keep on creating!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Beads!! Beads!! Beads!!

2009-06-11T19:18:00.001-07:00

What better reason to get back in touch with your blog than a bead giveaway!? So, while catching up on my blog reading tonight, I read about the giveaway in a post by Silver River Jewelry. Silver Parrot Designs is putting it on, and you can read all about the giveaway here. It's gonna' be awesome!! Stop by and read about it and be sure to become a follower while you're there. It looks to be a great blog, and while I haven't had time to check out her shop, she has some great looking items posted in her blog posts.

Meanwhile, I'm in the process of, again, getting back to basics. I'm almost finished with a huge order that the local vineyard, ChrisaMari Vineyards, placed. And, while it was great to get, it must be finished. I have so many new ideas I want to pursue, but have promised myself not until I finish this one. I'll be posting pictures and a story about the background, hopefully this weekend.

Until next time. . .keep creating

Babysteals!!!

2009-04-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Two posts in one day. Mark it everyone, it will probably never happen again! I was clued in to the Babysteals.com blog by a friend of mine and found out about a contest they are having to celebrate their birthday.
I was turned on to Babysteals.com last fall by said friend, and have logged on to their website every day since. I actually sit and watch my clock on my computer every morning, waiting for 10:00 to roll around so I can check out the new item for the day. And I finally snagged my first steal just a few days ago. Another pair of Robeez for my beautiful baby boys. Sad, really, they have as many shoes as I do, and only one of them is walking. Oh well, they are just too cute!
You can check out the new steal every day, too, by clicking here and bookmarking it. I did.

New items!

2009-04-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that my show a couple of weekends ago was excellent, despite the blizzard going on outside. We still managed to draw a fairly large crowd. It gave me a great boost of confidence, and I am ready to get busy with business, again.

I have many new items that I have created and will be getting them listed in my shops. Here is a picture of the bracelet I just listed.

I refer to it as my "occasion" bracelet because, honestly, it's a bit large to wear for everyday. It is just screaming to be worn on a tropical vacation! You can find it at my Etsy shop here.

Until next time. . .

Change. . .

2009-03-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

So much has changed for ALF Creations since the last post. I am now a member of a family of 5, not 4. Our new baby was born on February 6. He put us through the ringer a couple of weeks ago with pneumonia, a collapsed lung and MRSA (save that for it's own post), but he is all healed up now and is thriving. I couldn't ask for a better little miracle baby.

Amongst all of that craziness, my business is actually starting to go somewhere. It's still along ways away from paying the bills, but hey, baby steps, right? I had the opportunity to design a jewelry set for the annual fundraiser for the South Dakota Country Music Hall of Fame. I must say, I had no idea that there was such a thing, but it was great working with them and I look forward to doing it again this fall for the induction event. I have also managed to get myself in with a local vineyard with my wine glass charms. They are very unique and I love them! Here's a picture of one set that I have done.

I am hopeful that they will do well out there. That meeting opened up another opportunity for me as well. They are producing a wine to specifically benefit breast cancer research and want me to do some custom charms to be sold with the bottles. I am super excited about this.

Now, for the final bit of HUGE news. I bit the bullet and am doing my first show this coming weekend. At first I was nervous that I would in no way be prepared. Now, I know I won't be as prepared as I want as far as number of pieces, but I am excited anyway. I have come up with a piece that is similar to a typical wine glass charm with a pink ribbon on it. I am marketing it more as a decoration than identifier. I hung mine on my coffee cup. For each one that sells I will be donating $1 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. I can't wait to see how it does. I wish I had pictures to post here, but I have been so busy creating, that I haven't taken a photography day, yet. I will be sure to take a picture of the table, though, and put it in my next post.

It feels like things are going in the right direction, and there should be another blog post soon.

Thanks everyone for all of your kind comments. It's great to know that people aren't reading my blog to cure insomnia!

'Til next time. . .

2009-01-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

OK-so, I know, I've been seriously neglecting this blog since about, I don't know, Thanksgiving? Don't give up on me everyone. Stay tuned as I get myself reorganized and back into the groove of sellin' and bloggin'!

It's Here!!!!

2008-11-26T20:30:00.000-08:00

As I type this post, Thanksgiving day looms ahead and will be here in just a few hours. I am spending the weekend with family and hoping to balance between enjoying my time with them and still running my Etsy shop. I am hoping it will be busy with all of the shops on Etsy that are participating in the Holiday Etsyfest.
So, in one last effort to prepare myself for the next few days, I have added a couple of new items to the shop. Not too many, though, as I also have a craft show to participate in on Sunday afternoon. I must leave some of my product for that!
I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend, and I hope to see you on Etsy!

Greener grass?

2008-11-20T06:52:00.000-08:00

So, I've decided to branch out a bit with my products. I've decided if I'm going to really make something of this, I have to get my name out there as much as possible. I signed up on a new site called Art Fire over the weekend. They are a beta site right now, so still working some kinks out, but I think it will work out well. I have only listed a few things there so far, trying to "test the waters" . You can visit this store here. I have also signed up with a program locally. It is a joint venture put on with the State of South Dakota. The website is called Made in South Dakota, and it features items from artists located, guess where, in South Dakota! You can visit that store here. Come check everything out!
I will probably be moving a majority of my items over to Etsy for the big Thanksgiving weekend Holiday Etsyfest, but will still have some items available at the other sites. Etsy is the only site that I will be promoting my sale of 15% off an order of $25 or more, but if any of my readers see something on one of the other stores they want, and mention this blog at checkout, I will honor that same deal.
I have also decided to begin offering free shipping now instead of waiting and will continue to offer free shipping up until Christmas day.

Are you ready for Etsyfest?!?!

2008-11-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

Well, the organization is complete and it's time to get the word out. A big shout out to heatherknitz.etsy.com, softpencil.etsy.com and mynewhomestead.etsy.com for all the hard work they put into organizing and creating graphics! They are much appreciated by those of us who are incapable of such computer graphic feats. Here is a link to a blog post put together by heatherknitz. This gives an overview of what Holiday Etsyfest is, along with a list of all of the participating vendors.
My sale terms will be free shipping on every order PLUS 15% off all orders $25 or more. Come visit me! Check back frequently as more things will be added between now and Thanksgiving weekend!

It's Holiday Time

2008-11-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

OK everyone, time to start thinking about the holidays! How's your shopping coming along? Mine? Not so great. I have a whole list of ideas, just haven't actually purchased anything, yet. Oh well, we haven't missed a Christmas so far, I 'm not worried.
Over at Etsy, many artists are preparing for the holidays as well. A Thanksgiving weekend sale is being organized as we speak. There will be many shops participating-including your's truly- each with their own specials going. Stay tuned for more details of the sale to come!

Hello!!!

2008-10-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been over a week since I tended to my poor blog. And, unfortunately, it's been nearly that long since I had time to tend to anything else. It's amazing how crazy one little holiday (Halloween, of course) can make life. Especially when you have two boys wearing the cutest costumes ever, and the town you live in makes Halloween a two week event. Last week we had trick or treat at the mall. This week we have trick or treat on main street on Thursday, and then, finally, the big T & T! I actually can't wait!

In the meantime, I just wanted to tell everyone hello, and let you all know I haven't abandoned the blog. I'll be back. What does everyone else have going on right now? I would love to hear what you have for halloween plans!

Makeover!!

2008-10-17T06:47:00.001-07:00

So I decided that a computer graphic artist I am not-I needed to enlist the help of someone who knows what they are doing. I purchased an Etsy shop makeover last night, and am so excited to see what comes out of it. As soon as I have the results, I will be sure to post the shop's name! Nothing helps the soul better than a little makeover, right?

2008-10-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am so excited this morning! My hairdresser sells handbags and jewelry in her salon. I decided to ask her if she was loyal to any one particular supplier, or if she would be open to seeing some of my pieces. She told me to bring some on down! She knows a lot of people and has a very busy shop with plenty of traffic. This could turn out to be a great thing!

2008-10-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

I had really hoped that I would be able to post more on my blog, but no such luck. Oddly, I find that I have the least amount of time to spend on my new venture when, theoretically, I should have the most time. Weekends seem to be crazy for us. Catching up from everything that didn't get done during the week. Add to that my husband's crazy work schedule, and you never know what you're going to get. Though I didn't get any pieces finished over the weekend, I did get some ideas for new ones. Had to write it down right away so my pregnancy brain didn't do away with them! LOL I wasn't able to get any pictures done, either. It was rainy and cloudy and just downright gloomy here all weekend! The sun is shining this morning, so maybe it will hold out for me to get some pictures taken after work. I really just need to dedicate myself to spending more time on this all if I am going to make it work!

'Till next time. . .

New Stuff!!

2008-10-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Wow! I have had time the last two nights to sit down in the evening and make some new pieces. I am super excited about that. Now I just have to find time during the daylight hours so I can get photos of them. The way this week looks, it will probably have to be Saturday. Oh well, if I can keep up with this pace, I will have lots of things to photograph on Saturday! I will post them here first for everyone to see - so stay tuned!

Until next time. . .

I think I fell off

2008-09-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a crazy weekend. I totally feel like I fell of the work from home wagon! With the news that we will have a new baby upon us before we know it, we decided that perhaps we should get our car traded now, while we can. Friday was spent driving 6 hours one way to get the new car-that I absolutely love! Man, what a day! After that day, I was so exhausted, I didn't get anything done for the rest of the weekend.

I did receive a new shipment of rosary twine last week, so am very anxious to buckle down and get a bunch of those made. I got a couple of really pretty bright colors. Stay tuned to the Etsy shop to see them!

I was very happy to see, upon logging into Etsy this morning, that I did manage to pull off some views over the weekend. Then I sit here and think what could have happened had I actually paid some attention to it.

I've got some beautiful new beads waiting for me, too. So many things I want to do, so little time!

Time to crawl back on and get busy!

Network, network, network!!!

2008-09-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a busy weekend! I didn't get much accomplished work wise, but still never really found time to sit down. I hate it when that much time goes by and you have no idea what you did! I had a new shipment of supplies show up late in the week last week, so I will hopefully get some time this week to sit down with it. I am also waiting for an order of twine for my rosaries, and I am not so patient! They are fun and bright colors, and I really want to get going with them and get some new rosaries listed.
I have discovered over the last few days, that I have absolutely no life! I don't know any people. I have been working really hard to get the word out about what I'm doing the last few days. The good news is, the few people that I do know, know a lot of people. Works out well for me. As near as I can tell, networking is going to be my best option right now. I tell everyone (well, almost) that I see about what I am trying to accomplish. My hair stylist sells jewelry in her shop. I was in there last week and mentioned it to her. Gave her my shop name and we'll see how it goes. There are a lot of connections to be made there. I have decided that I can't just wait for current Etsians to find my shop and buy something, I have to promote the whole thing myself. And I do mean the whole thing, not just my shop. I still can't get over the concept. I just love it!!
The cool fall weather returned to us today, and it totally put me in the baking spirit. I love to cook and bake, but I hate to have the baking in my house. What better way to feed my habit then to sell it to others who love to eat it?! So far, I only have one Baked Goody listed, but my husband will only let me send so much to work with him! There are definitely more items to come. In the mean time, I am having a somewhat difiicult time with pricing. So, check it out and let me know what you think. Would you pay that price for the item listed?
As always, I welcome and appreciate your comments. They keep me going as I try to get this business off the ground! To the readers that commented on my very first post, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Can I make it?

2008-09-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

So I opened my Etsy shop (http://alfcreations.etsy.com) a little over a week ago. My dream? To really make this work and be able to stay home with my babies. Considering the fact that I haven't even sold anything, it could be a while. Oh well, I am hopeful. Etsy is such a wonderful place. It is so encouraging to go to the forums and see all of the people encouraging all of us people who haven't had a sale, yet. I had hoped to get a lot of work done this morning. I am trying to focus on jewelry and cards, and I really need to get some cards made. I have been thinking about what my blog should be. So many others are doing "how-to's". I am reading the "how-to's"! I am hardly qualified to write one! So, I am thinking it will be more of a "Diary of a Mom who wants to quit her job and sell her crafts".

With that, I have a 1 year old who really wants to help me and a 9 year old who really doesn't. So, may have to post again later.

Please, check out my shop and give me some comments. Both on the shop and the blog. What do you want to see or hear about? I am all about service!