New & better beginnings

A new year. A new beginning.

I have to admit, this is probably the first time I’ve made New Year’s resolutions in a long time. Usually I just thought they’re for people wanting to make a change, only to set themselves up for failure a few short weeks into January.

But the more I thought about it, the more I figured – why not? At least I’ll be trying to better my life, myself, my year.

The things on my list are nothing new. They have been floating around in my head for a long time, looking to find their home on a To Do list. So on January 1^st I sat down, pen and paper in hand and came up with this list:

1. Spend more time out of the house with Zach. Whether it’s going for a walk with Skya, grabbing a cup of coffee in the East Village, playing tennis, camping in the Spring, or going out for a glass of wine at Snus Hill Winery, I want to spend more time actually “doing things” instead of staying in. So I jumped at this opportunity and bought my very first Living Social deal: wine tasting at Summerset Winery! See?? I'm already great at this "resolutions" thing! :)
2. Get organized. I’d love to finally get all our random piles of paper under control. Also, a recipe binder is a must to keep those yummy foods we’ve made before and love all in one easy to find spot. Tackling cleaning and chores around the house is also in this category. I definitely need a system to get this done and I already have some ideas…
3. Live a more balanced life. Meaning, stay on the right track with working out and eating a balanced diet (everything in moderation).
4. Talk less. Listen more. No gossip. Pretty self-explanatory I think. Often times we do it without even realizing it.

I also have a few more resolutions or goals that are more just personal for me and my business.

1. Take more pictures. Organize them. Put together year books. How great would be to look back and have a collection of family year books? 
2. Do more craft / jewelry shows. Market Day this year was so fun and I learned a ton! I’m excited to step out of my comfort zone again and take part in more shows this year.
3. Read more = less TV. 

So there it is. We’re already making plans to make sure we follow through on the changes we want to make. I’ll keep you posted as projects come up that coincide with my resolutions.

Source

And now it’s your turn. What are some of your resolutions for 2013??

What's New?

Holy buckets!

It’s been ages since my last post but LOADS has been going on.

Between making jewelry and getting ready for Market Day (more on that below), vacation, and (oh yeah!) my “real” job - The last few months have been crazy hectic and it doesn’t look like the summer is slowing down.

Let’s jump right in!

June’s Market Day (my second) was great and I (again) met so many great people – shoppers and fellow vendors.

Here’s a (blurry) picture of my setup.

**What did I sell the most of?**

 These. 

(leather wrap bracelets)

 These.

(silk ribbon wrap bracelets)

 These.

(rings)

 And some of these too!

(metal bracelets)

I even picked up a few things for myself while I was there.

How pretty are these long stem fabric roses from The Purple Pincushion??

I have 5 placed on either side of our fireplace in tall white vases.

Just perfect.

And I love this hairpin from Dani Awesome.

So elegant and so simple.

Kind of has that 1950’s charm to it. 

No? Just me? Okay then :)

(I love it!)

So there you have it.

More posts coming up soon – I promise.

In the meantime, click here to like IF Only Pretty on Facebook!

All for now.

Oh yeah - next Market Day is Saturday, July 7th. :)

*~ Ina

Hello Monday

hello custom bracelet (it turned out great!).

 hello favorite new cookies.

hello new glasses.

hello quiet time at the driving range.

hello delicious dinner and dessert.

hello mailman.

hello yummy new summer smells.

goodbye cold weather.

so glad you're gone.

hello sunshine.

*~ Ina

A Market Day Success Story

One down, three more to go. :)

This last Saturday I got to take part in Market Day and it was one of the coolest things I've ever done!

That's me - dorky grin and all :) - with my display. Everything turned out so great!
 

After two months of no sleep, no social life and no time for watching mindless reality TV, May 5th finally came and it was all worth it. *well, everything but the "no sleep" part*

I was lucky enough to have my amazing husband help me set up my display in the morning and soon after the doors opened the shoppers flooded in. Since Market Day takes part in conjunction with the Des Moines Farmer's Market and the weather was great, it attracted over 2,000 shoppers!

Once my booth was set up and ready to go, all the nerves faded and it was time for the fun to start!

I got to meet some wonderful people (shoppers and vendors),  received great compliments on my jewelry and had my first sale before the event officially started at 9 a.m.!

The most popular items? The colorful rings above, leather wrap bracelets below and single fabric rosette necklaces.

My family, along with many friends and co-workers, stopped by - which made the day so much more special. I couldn't have asked for a better first Market Day experience.

So, now that I have that under my belt, what's next?

Well, the next Market Day is June 2nd and I am so excited! If you can make it out, I highly recommend it. There are so many amazing artists and vendors at the event, and it's a great way to support small local businesses. 

In the meantime, I have some more work to do - making more necklaces, bracelets, listing items on my Etsy shop (coming very soon!) and enjoying the ride. :)

All for now,

*~ Ina

Market Day here I come!

Those who know me, know that I love to create things.
Jewelry.
Cards.
Accessories.
Anything pretty goes.

I started this blogging adventure so that I could share this passion with others and soon I will get the chance to share it on yet another level.

I am going to be a vendor at Market Day this summer!

Ha! - I still can hardly believe it!

What is Market Day? Well, click here and check out their website, and in the meantime I'll fill in the gaps on how this whole wonderfully awesome thing came to be. :)


Market Day is a monthly market in Des Moines that features local art, crafts and vintage finds. It takes place on the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. and coincides with the Farmer's Market downtown

I will be there on May 5, June 2, August 4 and September 1 to debut IF Only Pretty - my very own line of pretties!


Sometime last year a friend at work told me about Market Day and she raved about all the wonderful vendors and encouraged me to check it out. Well, last summer came and went (filled with wedding planning of course), and I didn't get to experience it for myself.


About two months ago, she brought it up in conversation again, and I ventured to their website to see what it's all about. I was intrigued to find out that to participate vendors apply and are either accepted, rejected or wait-listed for the event. 


What are the chances that applications were due the following week?! And what are the chances that I was also working on setting up my Etsy shop at the same time?? 


So I did it!
I applied and waited patiently.
I figured, they would either laugh at the pictures of my pieces I submitted with my application and reject me, or at the very least I'd get wait-listed. 

Deep down (very, very deep down) I kind of had an inkling I had a good shot at it.

Then finally, I received this email:

Woohoo!! 
Even better than I imagined. 
I was accepted and got first dibs (along with a few other lucky vendors who were invited to join) on what days I wanted to participate.


So here we are.
Only a few weeks away, I have been working non-stop and loving every second of it! How could I not?!

I finally get to do do what I love! :)

So come check me out at the Kirkwood Building (300 Southwest 5th Street in Des Moines) on May 5th.


I'll be there with bells on!


*~ Ina