#WorkInProgressTuesday

Greetings dear friend!

It's that time again to share what you're working on for #WorkInProgressTuesday! This month will bring many new projects for me and I'm excited to share them all with you here and on Instagram. I'm in a total growing period, full of research, change, and creative projects! I like this idea of sharing current projects for the simple reason that everyone generally likes showing off what they're working on. Plus, it's a great way to get feedback and some love on ideas that you are making come to life!

For the past couple of weeks, I've been working on this royal blue infinity scarf (pictures above & below) and I'm really super in love with it! I must say that I'm glad it's done though. A labor of love we'll call it. I seem to have two types of projects that I work on. Ones that I'm just trying to get through and others that I can take time on, detail, and really make special. Is it like that for you too? I was able to take my time on this blue scarf and I poured all my love into it.

Now I'm on to a new project and this one is for myself! It's not often that I get to make a scarf for myself, but I needed a prototype and so I figured what better way to test it out than to make it for yours truly. :)  I made this chunky white scarf a while back and I really wanted to play with that type of yarn again. The thing is, I don't have anymore chunky yarn in stock. What I do have however, is plenty of worsted weight (or normal size) yarn in lots of beautiful colors! So I decided to use two together and this is what I came up with...

If you follow me on Facebook then you will have seen this picture of the beginning of my new project. At first I was going to do a simple double crochet stitch, but I frogged the whole thing and started over mixing the double crochet & a criss-cross double crochet stitch! I love the texture that it brings to the whole look of the scarf.

I wasn't sure how I felt about pink & yellow together after I started working with them, but I started to warm up to it and now I think it looks quite nice actually. It will certainly garner looks and conversation if nothing else. Ha ha. Being at home sick for the last couple of days has allowed me to work on it while watching listening to the tv in-between naps. I'll probably be done with this scarf by the time next Tuesday rolls around and of course I'll show the end results!

So what do you think of the pink & yellow together? What colors would you pair up? What have you been working on lately? Show it off on Instagram with #WorkInProgressTuesday!!

Ciao!

March Monthly Goals

 Greetings Friends!

Its that time again for weekly wishes/monthly goals! Did you set any goals for last week/month? If so, how did they go? Are you just joining me? Let me explain what happens for Weekly Wishes..

The Happenings: You share your weekly, monthly, or yearly goals/wishes/achievements and you get to be a part of this big group of people that are doing the same thing. Yay! Wanna join in? Check out The Nectar Collective and add a link to your blog!

Hello loveies! I hope you had a great February and got many things accomplished. I'm currently at home nursing a mega head cold! Lots of meds, tea, and blanket cuddles are my current status. I'm sure I'll get over this soon enough, because I have big plans to attend to for this month! Spring is right around the corner and it always makes me feel renewed to get things done. Just this past weekend I rearranged my closet and got rid of a lot of clothes I just didn't need or want anymore. I'll be making a trip to Goodwill sometime soon! What have you been up to lately?

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Last Months Goals

Try New Foods ~ Ok, I kinda got this one done... There were epic cooking fails though in the progress though! I really really wanted to try spaghetti squash and I got this really huge one from the Farmers Market. I had bought meatballs and sauce to go with it and when I tried to cut the squash in half the knife said, "NOPE!!". I mean, I really tried with all of my might to cut that thing and it just refused to be cut! I even had The Boo try and slice it, but it was a no go. It was a good thing that I bought backup spaghetti... I also (successfully) cut some brussel sprouts in half, drizzled them with some olive oil and S & P and popped them puppies in the oven to roast. 35 mins later they were burnt to a very fine crisp!! I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was upset. Not so much at the fact that I burnt them, but that I didn't get to try them and I was very hungry. I ended up just buying dinner out that night. Ha Ha.



Designing New Site ~ Welp, I'm still in the process of getting this one done. I'm liking the direction I've got going, it's just getting around that damn learning curve when getting to know a new website and how it all works. You know where this goal is headed, right? ;o)


Hello Paleo ~ I can say wholeheartedly that I've enjoyed reading about and experimenting with the Paleo lifestyle. You can read about my experience thus far with it here! I totally plan to immerse myself more within this eating style. My body felt so much better when I wasn't eating so much bread and pasta.





March Goals


Roll Out the Site ~ I've been working hard on getting my new home on Squarespace just right and I really want to get it done this month. More like within the next couple of weeks really, because I wanted it done before now. Just some tweaking to do and then all will be well!


Change the Name ~ I've made the big decision to change the name of my business on Etsy. I'd been chewing on changing up the look, feel, & name of my business for a while now and I've finally made the choice to do it. Now that I've made that choice I need to order all new labels, stickers, post cards, etc with the new name and logo. The 1st thing on the to-do list is get business cards. By the by, did you know you could design and get 10 free sample cards from Moo.com?? You're welcome! :o)


Learn a New Stitch ~ You can't have a new business name and look without learning some new techniques on your craft now can you? I want to learn at least two new crochet stitches and practice them until I'm comfortable with them. I'm really looking forward to this task!


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So tell me dear friend, what are you excited about working on for this month. I'm ready to get started on mine and kick-butt on the new and wonderful projects I have planned!


P.S. Come back tomorrow for #WorkInProgressTuesday where you can share what projects you've been working on! Check out last weeks post here!


Ciao!

Vision Board 2014

Welcome to 2014!

I love the start of the New Year! It’s almost as if everything from the past year just gets cleaned away and you get to start anew. I know it’s all in people’s mind, but it does provide some comfort and hope knowing that the new year can bring new joyous beginnings. Speaking of new beginnings, why is it that making resolutions seem to get a bad rap nowadays? I wasn’t really into the whole making New Year’s resolutions for most of my life, because let’s be honest.. most people (including myself) have just broken them. I do like the idea of setting goals that you’d like to achieve though. It’s the same thing as making a vision board, which I’ve been told by my friend that I must join in on this year.

I’ve decided to create one on Polyvore. If you’re addicted to or even remotely like fashion…. you need to be on Polyvore. You get to make a collage of outfits, themes, and your personal style. For me it’s like going on a carte blanche shopping spree and everything fits perfectly! Warning: It can be very addictive.

Vision Board 2014 by ptyfashvic featuring Kate Spade

Strapless dress
sincerelysweetboutique.com

Tom Dixon black light
$695 - madeindesign.co.uk

Vintage Marquee Lights wall lamp
purehome.com

Kate Spade home decor
amazon.com

RoomMates Decor vinyl wall decal
target.com

My Official Goal this Year: Discipline!

It encompasses everything that I want to accomplish or work on, (i.e. living a healthier lifestyle, keeping up with chores, really setting up a schedule for my Etsy business and taking inventory, learning how to let my light shine, writing and blogging more consistently, etc, etc, etc.) So what are your goals or resolutions? Let me know!

Ciao!

A. Sparkle

Just the Best Gift Ever.. No Biggie..

Greeting Peeps!

How's everyone doing on this fine Friday? All I know is that I'm glad that tomorrow is the weekend! Can I just do my happy dance for a minute?

No for real, it's been quite a week. I'm just getting over the flu from last week with traces of a cold still lingering. Apparently the extreme tiredness you feel from the flu lasts for weeks upon weeks after you're all better?? Not kool. Not kool at all... 

Right before my body turned into my enemy and I was on my death bed, I finally finish what I like to call The Legacy Blanket. Many moons ago, my friend told me that him and his girl where expecting the next little bundle of joy, and so me being me, I told him I would make him a baby blanket. At the time, I was experimenting with granny squares and was digging on them pretty hard. I figured why not do the same design with a blanket. I mean.... it is a classic look! He said he wanted red, turquoise, silver, and the main color to be white. This is what I came up with.

Did I mention that this process took FOREVER!!! I'm ashamed to say that I had quite a bit of animosity towards the blanket, because it was taking longer than expected. My mother told me I was gonna have to pray over the thing before I gave it away! (lol) 

 That little pile of yarn are some of the tails I had to sew in and cut off. That's what happens when you have a lot of color changes.

At some point I had to lay them out to get the big picture and to see what everything would look like.

Then after many months and three rows of borders later, a Sparkle Baby Blanket was born!!

Bwahahahahaha!

I'm really very pleased with it! It's the first blanket I've sewn together and I thought I did damn good. The best part of it all was giving it to my friend and hearing how much he appreciated all the work and love (ha ha) I had put into the blanket. It's all about the warm fuzzies people!

So now I've decided to sell custom made blankets in assorted colors! You can order one for yourself or others by clicking here! It really is a great gift and one that can be passed down through the generations. Best part about this is that I offer FREE SHIPPING! Yay for you!

So here it is Friday night and I'm ready to get the weekend started. I'm excited to be attending an Ugly Christmas sweater party on the morrow. Maybe I'll take pictures and share. What will you be getting into this weekend?

A. Sparkle

Cyber Monday and Sales!

Greetings peoples!

You know what day it is! It’s Cyber Monday! That means all of us entrepreneurs are peddling our wares for the entire week and having crazy sales! Yay, for you! November 30^th was Small Business Saturday, where you go out and support your local small shops and businesses. If you missed out you can still support your community and I recommend buying handmade as well.

Buying handmade means that you are supporting someone’s dream, helping the hard working (wo)man, and because the owner is passionate about what they do, each piece is made with love. A good place to start is on Etsy.com! If you’ve been following me then you know that I’m on Etsy as well. You can visit my shop Eclectic Oasis at www.eclecticoasis.etsy.com!

Right now I’m running a special on bracelets! Any bracelet, set of bracelets, or cuff bracelet you see if buy one, get one FREE! You know what that means right?? You get one for yourself and then give on as a gift! I would give mine to my best friend, so that she knows that she’s special and that I appreciate her friendship. You can also use coupon code HOLIDAY20 when you are purchasing $25 or more in my Etsy shop! You can use the coupon code through Dec 8^th and the special on bracelets through Dec 14^th.

I have beautiful and comfy scarves to choose from that are perfect for this colorful Winter season, starting at $20. There is an assortment of cuffs, bracelets, & bangles, as well as great statement necklaces.

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I hope everyone in the U.S. had a great Thanksgiving! I most certainly did. I had my Boo, and the El parentes with me, so I was on cloud 9. What more can you ask for but good food and good company? Feel free to tell me all about your Thanksgiving!

*Ciao*

 A.Sparkle