zenblitz

How I Keep Things Organized With My Business Notebook…

While I love my Bullet Journal (which I’ll have a post for in the future!), I knew I’d need a three ring binder for my business adventure. This way, I can keep things organized by tab, and I can move & remove pages with no problem!

Here I’ll share which tabs I’ve found most useful, & what for…

The first few pages are uncategorized. I keep a daily to do list, which I also use for random notes; I like being able to recycle the page when I’m done with it. Also uncategorized is my monthly business plan (which turns into my analysis page at the end of the month), and breakdowns of my business processes (production, sales, marketing, & bookkeeping).

Current projects : Whatever I’m working on in any of my business processes. Currently that means : info page for the product I’m listing next, notes for this very blog post, instructions & notes for crochet lanyards, and a brainstorm for my next series of products!
Blog / Social media : Mostly brainstorms for things to post on social media, including topics to blog about. Also an index of my posted blogs.
Financial : Cash flow reports, notes on overhead charges, my pricing formula, and a list of the sales & discounts in my store. (Here, have 10% off by using code SPREADLOVE)
Time & Activity Logs
Ideas : Brainstorms, & notes about trends. Also, instructions for ATCs, ideas for my steampunk / renaissance festival outfit, & a list of the creative endeavors my boyfriend & I are working on together.
Accomplished : Finished projects, so they can be rearranged before they’re listed in the store. Also houses my past monthly analyses, which should have their own tab soon.
Listings : The project sheets for each of the listings in my Etsy store, in order.

A paper & pen notebook works best for me in most situations…

…though I do use Evernote quite a bit too (another post for another time.) I actually think my binder is more versatile than even the cloud!

Do you have any notebooks? What for? Let’s chat in the comments below!

And don’t forget to check out all the new stuff in store at zen BLITZ!

Festival Season Is On the Horizon…

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… & I’m pretty excited! 😄 It’s been a long, cold winter here in western New York, & for many other areas too. So I absolutely can’t wait to get out & have some fun!

So much so, in fact, that we recently did a tour of a local brewery (& it was pretty cool!) We’ve just started exploring the Niagara Wine Trail, & might be going to a local radio stations wine & concert in the botanical gardens. Read on to check out the awesome festival accessories I’ve been working on!

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A couple weeks ago, we did a tour of a local brewery, the New York Beer Project. It was pretty interesting, & we tasted four brews. Their current batches brewing are Seinfeld themed (which is funny cuz we’ve been binge watching it on Hulu!) After the tour, we had some appetizers, & I got a cute shirt. I really wish I had somewhere to put my tasting glass when it was empty during the tour..

With festival season popping up, I’m sure I’ll be visiting at least a couple wine tastings. My boyfriend is really into dressing up for festivals (he’s doing Disco Batman for a disco we’re going to, & it looks fucking awesome!😄) He’s gotten me interested in wine glass lanyards, which he’s seen at festivals.

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So, I’ve just started experimenting with different patterns, & I think I’ve gotten them figured out. I’ve made a successful wine glass lanyard, and a semi-successful water bottle one. Keep an eye out for them in my Etsy shop!!

~*~ Free to be ~*~

Now is definitely the time to start picking out this summer’s activities, & fun things you’ll need for them! I just got those wigs, & I absolutely can’t wait to wear them!! 😄 I can’t wait to make use of my lanyards too, lol!

What about you?? What are your summer plans? Any other cool costumes or gadgets for the summer season? Let’s chat in the comments below!! 😁

And be sure to check out all the awesome stuff available in my shop right now! Zen Blitz Use code SPREADLOVE for 10% off anything & everything!! 💗

The only thing that helps me focus…

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We live in a time when seemingly everyone has trouble focusing on any one thing. Multi-tasking has become a skill most people aim to perfect because we live in a fast paced world. But if we don’t slow ourselves down regularly, we will inevitably “burn out”, so we need to make a point to take care of ourselves regularly.

I love me some Zen Habits – One of the things Leo mentions often is making a habit of taking regular mindfulness breaks throughout the day. So, in this article, I’m going to discuss this, as well as ideas on how to practice. (And remember, it’s practice! 😉)

The habit of regular mindfulness breaks

It’s easy for life to pass us by when we’re running from one thing to another, be it work to dinner to school, or whatever. We’re always on the go. Life is a precious & fleeting thing that we’re blessed to be conscious for, so it’s understandable to want to live it to its fullest. At the same time, are we really living, savoring each experience, as we go?? That’s why I think it’s such a good idea to schedule regular mindfulness breaks, whenever they can fit. Of course, it depends on how much time you can spare, whether you schedule a whole day or evening of pampering yourself, or if you can only sit for a minute or two. Depending on what I’m doing, most days I spend a few minutes every couple hours doing some exercise or meditation. If I’ve been particularly busy & need to recharge, I’ll carve out a few hours. But of course, mindfulness can be practiced anytime, anywhere, whenever you just focus on the present moment. 🕉

Acts of mindfulness

Anytime you immerse yourself in the present moment, you are practicing mindfulness. You could do this for a few seconds, or a few hours; it’s quality over quantity. You could immerse yourself in a walk in a park, or for a few seconds at work. Practice focusing on one thing. I do a lot of yoga, especially prior to meditation, because it helps calm my body; I meditate because it helps calm my mind. Really, anything you focus on is a type of meditation, including yoga, tai chi, & other exercises; I listen to a lot of trance music & usually use one of my many meditation beads , but I sometimes do visualizations or mantras.

Self care is a matter of necessity, not luxury

As a caregiver for my elderly father, I learned the importance of mindfulness the hard way. It’s a tough situation to be in, but it is what it is, and I try to grow where I’m planted by way of appreciating what I have each moment & trying to plan for the future. Burn out snuck up on me a few years ago, and regular mindfulness breaks are the only thing that has helped me get my head straight.

What do you do to take care of yourself? Let’s chat in the comments below!! 😉

Ghost Island Inspiration

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I thought I’d snagged my first sale, until I got to thinking about it…

A couple weeks ago, I got a message on Etsy requesting a custom order, even though I’m not offering them yet. I was initially excited for the challenge and came up with some cool ideas, but ultimately the project just wasn’t feasible. However, I still tried to put the inspiration to good use.

So, the conversation began in reference to one of my current listings, this unique macrame piece. The gentleman said that he was part of a crew who were doing a something special for the season finale of Survivor : Ghost Island, & he was trying to find a bunch of custom made macrame necklaces for about 25 people. He said they had a really cool pendant being made, which features the skull in the logo, & he wanted two-toned macrame necklaces with purple & orange beads, embedded pebbles, and/or a “nature” theme. He said he had a budget of up to $8 per necklace, but said he was willing to pay extra for any special beads. And he said he liked the simplicity of this necklace, which makes sense since the pendant is obviously the focus of the piece. He seemed to be getting irritated with my ambition (I just wanted to make sure I could help him! LOL), so I figured I’d continue the conversation after a good brainstorm & scavenger hunt…

After looking at the logo & contemplating what he requested, my boyfriend & I came up with some great ideas. White then black hemp, with wood tiki beads, an orange & a purple bead on either side, white pebbles netted in beside the pendant hanger, & an adjustable chain & lobster clasp closure. That would’ve been perfect! So, I went to four different stores, and couldn’t find anything suitable!! Especially not for such a low budget, which was a concern my boyfriend was very adamant about. Figuring I was one of several people contacted with this request, I let it fizzle.

Ghost Island

But the ideas were just too cool to not try as one of my next series of listings (which I’ll start listing in my shop soon!) Voila : a reject!! Rather, a lesson in techniques. I didn’t even bother adding closures because it’s just going to have to be scrapped, even though it’s still kind of cool. I don’t like how I switched the colors; none of that turned out right. The beads are kind of lame, but kinda cool in how they go along with the logo colors. And I can’t net pebbles in hemp. Just not gonna work. Otherwise, I almost like it LOL, but it’s still definitely a reject!

“Success is a series of mistakes” ~ Billie Joe Armstrong

Even though this project didn’t pan out, it was a fun & educating process. At least I know I’ll be better prepared for future challenges.

What do you think?

Was $8.00 each for 25 necklaces reasonable?
Do you like what I came up with?

I’d love to hear your opinion in the comments below, or shoot me an email at ZenBlitz@yahoo.com

Have a great week! (And don’t forget to visit my Etsy shop!) ❤

What Are “Mala Beads”?

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As I list more items in my shop, you’ll surely see a few “Malas”. In case you don’t know what these are, let me share this wonderful concept with you.

Many cultures utilize this concept, especially within spiritual and/or religious context. Malas, specifically, originate in Buddhism as meditation & prayer beads. Typically, a mala is made of 108 beads, with an additional “guru bead” & a tassel. The beads are used as an abacus, to keep count of breaths or mantras. In other cultures, similar concepts are used such as with the Christian Rosary, & Pagan Prayer Beads.

20171117_184134 — One of my personal malas

I made one & began using them in my meditation practice as soon as I came across the idea. Personally, I usually use them to count my breaths, or to focus on a particular “vibe”. I’ve made different sizes, for different uses – My longer sets are stored on my meditation altar at home, while I wear smaller sets as bracelets for quick meditation sessions throughout the day, or just as a “reminder to be mindful”. Some are made of special beads for special purposes.

Mala beads can be a useful tool during mindfulness practice & meditation

If you practice meditation at all, I insist that it’s certainly worth having a set of Mala beads, if not several. I always welcome something new & refreshing to aid my focus, and my mala beads have been improving my practice for several years now. Make your own, or check out the ones available at my Etsy shop : Zen Blitz ❤

Slight Gushing About My Muse

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As I mentioned in my last post, I’d spent over a decade in my last relationship. I suppose the romance was hardly ever there, & finances put a bit of stress on us, so things fizzled pretty naturally. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t see it coming & I was devastated, but we were young when we got together. The silver lining was that his leaving opened me up to meet “Mr Wonderful” – someone I didn’t believe existed until I met him.

Love sneaks up on you

20170806_184705 In the midst of my devastation, I turned to some family members, who inadvertently introduced me to a friend of theirs. He & I fell for each other instantly, despite my hesitation considering my recent heartbreak. We’d actually met a few years back, at a store I’d worked at for a long time; he stood out to me a lot for some reason, like our souls were meant to know each other (as corny as that sounds!), yet I’d never seen him before & hadn’t seen him again for years. He says I’m like an angel dropped out of the sky into his life; and he’s turned out to be my sweet angel too hehe *gushes* We’ve been together 8 months now!

We never fight, & our personalities mesh beautifully. We’re both pretty laid back. He’s been very supportive of the situations I deal with (as a caregiver for my father, etc), and also supportive of whatever I want to do with my life (including my Etsy shop!!) He’s wonderfully adventurous, & we’ve had a lot of fun together on his motorcycle, hiking, & doing all sorts of random things. He’s also very creative – he works on antique cars, he took a class in cake decorating at some point lol, we even did a “handmade christmas” this past season & we made all kinds of stuff! So, I gotta try to get him to make some stuff for the shoppe ;D

(Never would’ve guessed that was Maroon 5, lol)

My real-life muse was just what I needed. Hopefully, this relationship lasts a good long time & we create much awesomeness together – I’ll surely share pics of anything I can, so keep an eye on my social media (links toward the top of this page)!! And be sure to keep an eye on my shop as new items appear (some of them may be made by my one & only hehe!) – Zen Blitz on Etsy

Hope everyone has a lovely Valentine’s Day!! 😀 ❤

My Adventure Starting a Craft Shoppe

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I’ve been crafting since I can remember. My mother studied art in advertising, & was really quite talented. We had very different tastes, but I respect her creativity. She could do lots of things I’m not so great with such as ceramics, drawing, painting, knitting, & sewing. I lean more toward jewelry making techniques, crochet, and random things. She taught me yarn crafts when I was a kid – loop rugs, knitting & crochet. I taught myself how to sew at about 15. A problem I have is that I’m a bit of a “Jill of many trades, master of none”, but I’m learning to use that to my benefit, while still trying to “master” everything hahaha.

Where am I now? Well, my mother passed away from ALS when I was 15; we don’t have much of a family, so I live with my aging father to keep him out of a nursing home. My ex fiance & I were together for almost 11 years when he dumped me last year, & told me to “find someone who deserves me”. So, I did. I met Mr Wonderful through my cousins on my mother’s side, & it’s as though we were made for each other. But I’ll gush another time, lol. Point is, he encouraged me to open shop after watching me “throw together” bracelets & necklaces for my young cousins. I figured I’ve been tinkering with jewelry making for over 10 years, may as well see if I can make some money with it! The business end of things shouldn’t be too much for me. I wasn’t raised to be very organized, so I started reading up on how to be when I was a little kid. Now, I’m hyper-organized. Sometimes to a fault, but I can always figure something out. I’ve managed at a couple of the stores I’ve worked at in the past, one which had literally just opened & was being run by folks who had no clue about the business. My co-manager & I saved their asses to the point where they offered to pay for me to get a Bachelor’s in business. So, I’m sure I’ll have impressive Etsy skills with time.

I’m currently taking some mini business courses online, which have been helping a little bit. I was thinking about getting a certification in Business Management through my local community college, but I don’t want to affect any potential financial aid I can get when I go for nursing. My boyfriend wants to start a business together, so I figure I should learn as much as I can while he contemplates what we should do. Really, I’m trying to lean him toward crafting things for my shop, because he’s incredibly creative & meticulous. Time will tell.

Starting a business takes months of preparation…

…and you’ll still never be ready for everything. But I think I’m doing pretty good so far. I’ve been working on “building my brand” on social media, though I know it has room to evolve. I have 15 items to sell, & I’ve just about figured out a “beta” packaging & shipping plan. The only thing holding me up is acquiring the packaging, which is no big deal. I intend to launch soon, & the wheels can start turning freely. Wish me luck, & keep an eye on my shop as it evolves!!

possible rejects

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Life is just a learning process…

…so nothing we do is a failure. But sometimes, I just don’t know (hahaha). In today’s post I’ll share some items I’ve made for my (soon to be) shop, which I’m not too sure about. I’m open to advice, so please share!

Not a great picture of a neat looking Steampunk inspired necklace featuring a length of leather, stone skull beads, a centerpiece made of gears, all backed by gold chain, & a dangling handmade key charm. It looks way better in person, but I wasn’t too worried about it because of its flaws. I was having a little trouble with the beaded section at first, and so the wire on one side is a bit kinked. Also, the 3 gears didn’t turn out quite as I’d hoped, and it’s a bit longer than I intended. Again, this first series was all experimental, so I know I shouldn’t be hard on myself. I’m not sure if I should scrap it & create a new one, or if I’m just exaggerating.

I do like this piece as well, & I’ll likely put it up for sale, but I just don’t know. It’s quite long, overwrapped in macrame, & the closure isn’t quite ideal. The rock should be showcased more, as it’s hand pulled from the family creek & glossed; but I do think it all goes together well. It turned out quite well considering my lack of appropriate clasps, & having been my first attempt at macrame wrapping an item. Perhaps this will be a redo, or a discounted item.

I’ve made these wire rings in the past, & worn them regularly. To my surprise, they’re actually pretty durable & never stained my fingers, so I guess I did a good job! LOL! The one on the left is a bit wonky. And I just wouldn’t know how much to sell these for… Although I see something similar on Etsy selling for $21; same material, slightly thicker wire, slightly more complicated design. And people have bought them. So I guess I have some thinking & practice to do! I tried to make a similar bracelet, but it turned out a bit wonky too. Not bad for a first try I suppose, but not good enough to sell. I know that much, lol!

Although I’d like to keep all of my neat earrings, this ring is the only item I’m keeping for myself from my first series. I’m wearing it right now, actually! I’m not 100% pleased with the quality, but I still love how it looks & wear it often. Again, not bad for a first attempt, but not ideal for sale.

Stay tuned for the debut of my Etsy shop to see the items I’m actually pretty darn proud of!

I’m quite the perfectionist, so creating this first series & trying to set up a business has been quite the challenge. It’s all a learning process, & I’ll get through it. I hope you’ll join me on my adventure!!

Twas a Handmade XMas… (lots of pics)

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Even the tree was handmade! (Kind of.)

The tree was actually once 8 feet tall and came with lights attached to it, but had been dismantled for a few uses. One was for our mini XMas tree, which my boyfriend made for me because our cats are too crazy for a normal tree. So, he grabbed a basket bucket out of the garage, stuck in some floral foam, & made a mini tree for us…

…after he made a gift for my teenage cousin. I was having a lot of trouble coming up with an idea for her; I know she likes peace signs, so he suggested he make a copy of the giant peace sign wreath he has hanging way up out front of the barn. So, he stripped all the lights off of several branches & wove the branches together to make a decoration I hope she enjoys for years to come. Maybe even throughout the year! Watching him make it was quite incredible; this man truly has the patience of a saint!

And he really loves to create. He browses the internet for all kinds of fun things to try. At work, he cut a few slices of wood to make a wall hanging, & blackboard notepad.

He got an old lightbulb from work, wrapped some copper wire around it, & made me a steampunk like earring display!

He made steampunk like stockings for his daughter & son in law. The pants used were from the local Salvation Army, we used bells from the Dollar Tree, & embellished one with a clock button & some chain, and the other with a handmade zipper butterfly & the decor from the bells.

I made some candles, which…I’m learning, lol. I think the wicks I have burn too quick for my soy wax. I also crocheted a really cute Batman plushie, but I don’t have a pic of it right now. I do, however, have lots of pictures of all the bracelets I made for my cousins…

These were made for my young cousins, a sister & brother (thus the similar styles, so they don’t argue haha)

Another sister & brother combo, both made with leather, for somewhat older kids. I really like how these came out!

And last but not least, my first men’s bracelet, made with leather & moonstone. I also really like how this one turned out.

Handmade items take thought, energy, and time.

And there were more that went around, including this cute fake tealight holder. (When the lights are off, it casts forest-like shadows on the walls!) I’d always wanted to make gifts, because I think it’s the right way to celebrate the holiday. Plus, I’m poor & trying to start a craft shop 😉 I’m really happy with everything, & I hope you enjoyed all these random ideas. Stay tuned, I’ll hopefully be opening up shop soon…!

“Zen” gift set

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I’d made my ex a mala bracelet a while back, which he promptly broke. So, I promised to make him a new one. Since I was also considering starting to try to make jewelry to sell one day, I decided to make an entire gift set to go along with the mala.

It took me a little while, but…

The mala itself is made out of beads he picked, including a stone skull, & mood beads. I added a seashell charm because he likes the water, & made it out of macrame hemp so that it would be more durable. While it could easily be worn as a bracelet, it’s meant to be more of a pocket charm. I included a painted rock from the creek in the mountains, & an ATC that lists types of meditation.

I doubt he’s been meditating…

Especially lately, with working full time, even though that’s when he should probably be doing it most. But he liked the gift. I was pretty pleased with it too!