Another Day Closer to Saturday

Hello Friends.

This is moving week. Saturday is the big day. My house is a total mess and no longer warm and comfortable. I have a million things to spin/dye/soak/photograph/weigh/measure and I need to work at the restaurant all week. Needless to say, I'm overwhelmed.

But, we've all moved. We all know this feeling. So instead, here are some pictures to look at.


Yesterday I had to make more thank you cards to send with all my sold sale yarns.


This is my Cotton/Angora blend yarn that I'm using for my Corona Camisole.


Since spending time in our crazy house isn't that great right now, we decided to spend our pre-dinner family time at the beach looking for treasures and enjoying the beautiful weather!

So that's what I've been up to.

be well, be positive!

rAchel

Mission Accomplished!

Every few months, I sit down with my Lova, Evan and come up with goals for OTR. I've been setting goals for myself as long as I can remember- a habit that was forced upon me by my mother.

I used to hate having to come up with goals. Now that I'm an adult I find myself loving this practice- especially when I accomplish them.

One of my goals for this quarter was to reach 800 sales.



Well, by day 4 into my Moving Sale I hit my goal! 800 sales have come and gone and I'm still smiling about it. Obviously I'm really happy about hitting 800 sales, but more than that, I just LOVE accomplishing a goal. It gives me great satisfaction and keeps me endlessly motivated.

For me, the trick with goals is making sure that you will have to put a significant effort into achieving them, while still making them attainable. You don't want to set yourself up for failure- you want to succeed! And when you do, nothing can match that feeling! It builds confidence and makes you feel in control.

Today I encourage you to set a goal for yourself. Personal, professional, financial- whatever you like. Push yourself to achieve something that you want to accomplish. Write it down. Post it on the fridge or your bathroom mirror. And more importantly, accomplish it. Trust me, you'll love the feeling.

Be well, be positive- set goals.

rAchel

Through My Eyes

I was told something yesterday that made me sad.

Today I remind myself that I am so lucky to get to do what I do- no matter what anyone thinks about it.

I work hard every day, I make beautiful things, and I get to spend almost every waking minute with my beautiful, rambunctious, spirited, and smart baby girl.

Not everyone can look at my life and see how wonderful it is and sometimes that hurts me.

Those people are looking at my life through their eyes, but through my eyes, I have it all.

Night Life

I'm really excited to see that Etsy is now featuring sellers who have jobs in addition to selling on Etsy. I've always really enjoyed the Quit Your Day Job series- it's SO inspiring to see these sellers who have achieved such success, but that's just not me. However, stories like Working Overtime: Christy Rose of KBShimmer
-I can relate to...well, sort of.


As I have mentioned before, I have a job outside of OnTheRound. By day I am a stay at home fiberiesta...and by night I stir up martini's and pour beer. My two jobs give me the balance that I need to keep my life running smoothly. Allow me to explain...

I started waitressing the summer after my first year of college, and that was possibly the best decision I made in my early adult life. Not only was I able to support myself through college but having the job itself greatly improved my college experience. Working 5 or 6 nights a week kept me out of trouble, gave me the discipline I needed to stay on top of my school work, and allowed me to meet tons of amazing people.

Eventually I moved on to bartending and continued to do that while starting my career as a fiber artist. I even continued to bartend throughout my pregnancy, but had to stop at about 7 months- for obvious reasons.

Once my daughter was about 16 monthes old I started bartending again and have been waitressing or bartending ever since.

Several times I've had customer's say to me, "You have a college degree, and you bartend?" My response, "I sure do! On top of staying at home with my 2 year old and owning/operating a small business." BAM!

For all the reason's waitressing was good for me in college, bartending is good for me now, plus the two jobs really work well together! I live in a community that relies on summer tourism; when the restaurant is busy, OTR is slower, and when the restaurant is slow, OTR is BUSY! Also, I'm able to maximize my profit in the least amount of time, allowing me to spin spin spin up a storm!

The best part about bartending for me is that I don't have to stress about money! I find it's far easier to be creative and stay focused on improving and growing my business when my livelihood is not depending on the financial support.

Will I bartend forever? Heaven's no! But for now it's the best thing for OTR, my family, and most importantly, ME!

Martini anyone?

Be well, be positive.
rAchel

How To Prep A Batt for Spinning

Love the look of batts but don't have the slightest idea how to work with them? Allow me to show you how to prep a fibery fun batt for spinning!

This is how your batt will arrive.



First you want to open up your batt and lay it out flat.



Then you want to gently pull your batt into strip's. Leave the end of the strip connected to the whole and alternate ends so that you end up with a zig-zag.



Next you are going to draft out your batt into one long piece- like roving. When you are drafting out the wool you are going to want keep your hands about 6 inches apart. It will require some strength- but be sure to keep control so you don't just rip the wool apart.



It's best to draft out the wool several times to get it the thickness you want rather than try and draft it out very thin all at once. When your batt is drafted to your desired thickness, roll it up into a ball.



Now you are ready to spin!