Filling the Shop, Custom Orders, a Bible Study and a Room Redo

Hello cooler temps, pumpkins galore and football!  Pinch me, I must be dreaming, because when all those events begin to happen, that means we are in my favorite season of all…Autumn!

This also means, I get to wear my jeans and sweaters, make big pots of chili with a side of chips and queso and open my windows.  It also means going for long walks will actually be fun again.

It also means it’s time to get my Etsy shop stocked for the holidays, which leads to organizing my work space because it becomes a dumping ground in the summer months.  Custom orders begin to fill my inbox and since I like to make things really fun, we also have some renovating going on.

Why not do everything at once?  Makes life a real challenge and it also makes keeping a clean house next to impossible.  But ya know what I’ve learned?  A messy house is not so bad.  I’m either mellowing in my old age or I’ve just learned to be comfortable in the mess.   Probably a little of both.

Life at Rustique Art became a bit overwhelming about a year ago and had to take a step back.  Just a little back story, last year we had a daughter move out on her own, a son graduate high school and head out for college.  By this time last year, we were officially empty nesters.   We loved every single minute of it too.  You would assume that I would’ve jumped into my business with both feet, but this momma was tired.

Ever have those days where you just want to sit and stare at the walls, and listen to the silence?  That was me and still is.  But I’m slowly coming back to earth.  I can’t really say what it was, maybe I was a little blue, but I think I just needed a break.  So I pulled away from RustiqueArt…creating, marketing, blogging and even junking!

But a few weekends ago, I sat down at my work table and began to create again after a year off.  It was just as if I’d never left.  Hours flew by and I realized I was still in my pj’s and probably hadn’t eaten.  But oh what a time I had. My first beaded cross of the season was done.  Just a small one, but it felt great to play with all the wire and beads again.

A few days later I received the sweetest email from a client requesting a custom design for a gift.  She had done her homework too, armed with a photo of another cross I had made a few years ago.  She knew I could not recreate that exact design but she wanted to know if I could get close.

I accepted the request and began to pull beads for her cross, it didn’t take long to realize I had to go shopping.  So off I go and three hours later I return with beads for the cross I was working on and more.   Can I just confess that self control around beads is not an easy thing for me.  But I was so good…I set a budget and stuck to it.

You have to see what I found…they are the cutest little owl beads, and I knew immediately what I wanted to make with them.

I added a bead chip at the bottom to make it look like he’s sitting on a branch, then added a little copper bead cap  and strung it on some leather.  He’s so cute!  and perfect to wear with jeans and a cozy sweater.

I put both in my Etsy shop last week, the cross sold pretty quick, which just made me want to make more, and the little Rustic Owl necklace will be a limited item for the fall.

The custom order was completed and shipped last week and I received an email from my client this afternoon;

Good Afternoon Cindi,

I just received my sister’s cross and I love it and am sure she will as well.  I especially love the beads with the roses on them and the little cross at the bottom.  Just little touches that make it so very special!

Thanks again so very much.  I can’t wait to see mine.  ~M 

Here is the cross she received…

I’ll keep her name a secret since it is a gift.  And did you see that last line?  I get to make a cross for her too.  I love it, two orders in one day.

So I guess you could say that this fall season is off to a great start.  I’m knee deep in beads, wire and of course yarn.  I’m working on an afghan for Riley now.  She picked out some awesome colors and I found a great pattern, can’t wait to share it with you.

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Fall is usually when some really great Bible studies are offered. A friend of mine wanted to know if I would join her in a women’s Bible study.  It’s over the book of Joshua, we are going into our third week and so far I’m keeping up with my reading and studies.  But I could use prayers for keeping on track.  Sometimes I get into a study and get lazy.  I really want to stay on task and finish strong this time.  Joshua is such a wonderful story and full of God’s promises coming to fruition.

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And lastly the room redo…our laundry room is getting a makeover.  But I have to say, just cleaning it out made a HUGE difference.  Want to see how bad it was?  I’ll give you a sneak peek.

Oh my golly!  and this is the less cluttered area.  Our laundry room is a wonderful 9’x 9′ room, but for some reason I found it necessary to cram as much junk in that space as I could possibly fit.  When hubby and I were moving things out so we could paint, he kept asking me how I got so much stuff in there.  It’s just a gift, I replied =)

It’s really nice now, all painted and empty, can’t wait to show it off…..but I’ll save that for the next post.

peace. love. rust.