I discovered Treasuries!

I've never created Treasuries before, and I love it!! Here are the two I've created so far...

Roses Aren't Always Red:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bfc21da77b16d9177163a6b/roses-arent-always-red

and Shops Without Sales:

(though their products are beautiful!)

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bfeb6895c9a6d91883f2eac/shops-without-sales

Ice Cream Week!

Ice cream week is something that I've been looking forward to, as well as DREADING!

My foreign exchange student (sister) is leaving on the 26th :(( 4 DAYS! Back in January we planned the last week before she leaves for Brazil will be ICE CREAM WEEK! And now that's it is here, it is really, really sad (except for the Ice cream part...)

Honestly, last year when I knew that we were going to have a foreign exchange student this year...I wasn't that excited. It was mostly for my older sister, Amanda who (was) living at home while going to college. When I started e-mailing her during the summer, I realized that even though she lived in a separate hemisphere, we were SO MUCH ALIKE! --crazy!

This past year has been one that I will honest-to-goodness NEVER forget. I can't even list all the memories that we've shared this past year together. It seems as though I've known her my entire life! Last night I had even mistaken her presence at a wedding that happened two years ago!

A lot of the other families who hosted foreign exchange students haven't come half as close as me and Ana have...I think that when a family signs up to have someone else living in their house for a year that's all they sign up for. What I mean by that is they don't realize the experience they could have. You need to put forth a little effort! Risk a couple of late nights and time to listen and trust someone else with your stories, problems, faith, feelings...etc.

I can't express the relationship that Ana and I have. I KNOW that it will last, we will be an essential part of one another's lives up until we leave this earth. I thank God everyday that He put her in my life...

First attempt at experimenting for a niche...

As you may know, I have a shop on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Ashewelry) and all I hear about on the forums is how you need a niche to be sucessful. I realize that there are hundreds of others selling jewelry on Etsy, and so, I started to plan experiments for realizing a niche.

My first experiment: Preserving Fresh flowers in Polyresin as jewelry components. I have seen only two shops- Tropicalia Couture and Royal Princess on Etsy sucessfully do this, so I figured, why not give it a try? After researching the process, buying the supplies, and picking my flowers I began this process. About at this point is when it started going...downhill :(

I broke only two while removing them from silicia gel, broke off petals while appling several coats of polyresin...and when I finally was hopeful to be finished, I used 3 sucessful daffodils to make a necklace for mother's day (for a test-run). To my dismay, within five minutes, a jumpring tore a connected petal :( Turns out six layers of polyresin is NOT enough.

I hate to give up so soon, but with two batches of beautiful flowers gone to waste, (except for the grand total of 4 flowers shown at the top of the post) and many hours along with it. This would be different if I enjoyed smelling like resin and paint thinner, but this is not the case! So, I move on to my next experiment, have any ideas? :)

Averagitis - aka The disease of settling for "Average"

I decided to post this after one of my random thought tangents...

Yesterday was that Graduation I posted about earlier, and the closing speech sounded a tad bit depressing...to some. Our Stuco President, Perry is quite the speaker. So, automatically he had every one's attention, and now I bet most of them wish they didn't listen.

Perry spoke about how almost everyone sitting in front of him (Graduates of 2010) had dreams of their future, and how only a hand full will actually attain it. He then addressed the crowd- parents who once had like dreams, and settled to live in a small town called Towanda, earning an unimpressive wage at a 5-9 job. That they had accepted it as their dream, compromising with reality and everything that comes with it.

He then went on to define our society's view of "Success" which of course is being wealthy, healthy, and powerful. I wish that I had actually followed through with the thought "Oh! I should ask him for a copy of that speech!" Because at this point is where I would insert a heart wrenching, yet all to true fact of his.

As he continued with his speech, I began to reflect on my business- Ashewelry. I have dreams to be successful at marketing, selling online, quitting my "day job" and owning my own Brick-and-Mortar shop after completing High School and College. (Yes...I'm still in High School)

I worry about actually making it, giving up...and his speech reminded me- I CANNOT SETTLE! I can't degrade my efforts and dreams for anyone! This is essential- for all people, especially Entrepreneurs! We're Entrepreneurs for goodness sake! It's what we DO! :)


I don't know if anyone will ever read this post, but I have still gained something in writing it. Something to look back on, so I cannot settle. For. Any. Reason. If you have been somehow encouraged by this post, please let me know. We can overcome averagitis together ;)

~AshleyCaylene

Graduation, Summer and upcoming projects!

The (school) year is ending, and that means graduation- of course. It usually doesn't truly effect me that much, but it does this year...I've had SO many good relationships with this year's seniors and it will be EXTREMELY tough to see them go. But when I really think about it, I'm bound to see them again, they'll probably come back in the next year to watch a game, see a play...etc. And I know that I'll be so busy next year that I might not even notice their gone...

To tell you the truth, I think I will only notice the absence of two people. One being my sister (our families exchange student from Brazil), Ana. Even thinking about her leaving makes me teary eyed... The other is someone who seems to make every day survivable, pretty much my motivation to get up out of bed every day is to be encouraged by him. But (Lord willing) I'm convinced that I will see him frequently during the summer, before he leaves to go to K-State. And that we'll keep in close contact throughout the next several years. Honestly, he's one of those guys that seem to good to be true...and I know that God put him in my life for a good reason. But I might save that for another blog :)

Summer brings a bunch of things! Busyness out the wazoo! :) Many, many activities crowd my summer, but I hope to make some quality time to do some experimenting with my jewelry...like mixed media- flowers, resin, feathers, clay (I'm SO EXCITED!)--stay posted to see the new additions!

~AshleyCaylene