Thursday, March 31, 2016

Exciting Upcoming Sale Schedule!

I've been waiting to hear (by the end of the month - nothing like last minute!) about a bigger sale I had applied to.  It's a juried sale, which means they pick & choose, verses you pay & your table is reserved.  I heard this afternoon, and I am going to be in Bazzart!  It's the annual sale put on by the Mackenzie Art Gallery, and it is full of great artisans and their wonderful creations.  I'm pretty stoked to be a part of it.

Just a few years ago, we were walking down 13th at the Cathedral Village Arts Festival, and I thought to myself that this was a sale I wanted to be a part of.  Last year I was in it and loved it, and this year I'll be back, AND in Bazzart... what will next year bring??

Here's what I have coming up this year so far:

Sat May 7, 11-4 & Sun May 8, 11-4  Spring into Summer

Saturday, May 28, 10-5  Cathedral Village Arts Festival

Saturday, June 18, 10-5  Bazzart

Saturday, November 26  Holiday Bazzart


You can shop online anytime at Alice&Victor on Etsy!!

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Planner // Journal // Brain on Paper

I am a paper and pen girl. Love pens. And fresh notebooks? I may have a small collection. So when it comes to keeping my life organized and all the info I need on a regular basis in one place, of course I do it on paper rather than in some app.  I've had this system going for about two and a half years now, and have always meant to share it with you - not because it's so revolutionary, but because I love seeing how other people do planners and thought you might, too.  And I'm finally sharing now... because I might be switching it up.


This is my planner.  My home binder.  The sections I have are:
  • To Do - this is a sheet of paper I re-do each week, and add to as things come up. Usually gets pretty messy by the end of the week, but that's ok.
  • Blog - notes on things I mean to write about, a blog calendar I used for about two months...
  • Scrapbook - mostly just a chart of months and each camera's file that I have to check for photos.
  • Shop - plans for Alice & Victor.
  • Workouts - see the photo below.  I am not that consistent at working out, but seeing the frequency is a helpful motivator to get out there and move.
  • Goals - If you write them down, you are more likely to achieve them.  It helps to actually look at them, too.
  • Inspiration - Just one verse I made into a printable in here.  Could get rid of this section.
  • Christmas - I keep a running list of gift ideas in my phone and brainstorm in here when the holidays come, and keep a list of what I've got for whom, so I don't forget.
  • Passwords - I have a password keeper on my phone now, which seems safer.  I just have to transfer the rest over and can get rid of this section, too.
  • Books - I keep my main list on my phone, so it's handy to add to and to have when I'm at the library, but this is handy for lists of books by specific authors that I'm working through, and a printout of the challenge I'm doing.
  • Cousins - I've got 17 nieces and nephews; this holds just a list by age with birth dates to help me stay on top of who's how old now.


But now... have you heard of bullet journals?  It's a notebook style system of planner that you adapt to how you want to use it - daily, weekly, or a combination of those.  The beauty is that you add pages for tracking your habits or future planning or goals for your shop, and then put the page number of that list in the index on the front page.

After trying the daily 'jot things down as you think of them' method, I decided that I would stick to a weekly page like I was using in my binder planner.  With moving things to the weekly to do list and crossing them off as I was done, things got pretty messy at first, and I wasn't too interested in a book full of scribbled out pages.  But with the weekly page, I decided to make an effort to actually keep it tidy and use checkboxes instead of crossing things out, and I like it a lot.  I use sticky notes for stuff I need to get done that day, like dishes or laundry; stuff that would get done multiple times per week, just so I have a visual of my priorities, but before I would star or circle things, leading to a mess... which is fine when you just toss your page at the end of the week.

One of the first weeks.  Not liking so much!
My weekly page.
Now with my weekly page I draw a little calendar up top so I can see appointments at a glance, and then do a to do list down the left side.  On the right side, working up from the bottom, are my shop items for the week.  I do it this way to leave room for the sticky note if I'm using it.

I do have a colour code that I use, but it mostly turns up in my habit tracker so far.  I like colour too much to keep it all in black!  :)  My usual rule of thumb is to grab a different colour pen every time I do something new.

The other pages I use are a future log, with a square to jot down things that will come up in other months, a master shop to do list for Alice&Victor, and blog post ideas and goals for my blog (4x a month!)  Here are a couple examples of other pages in my book.  This one is shop goals - I broke down how many items per month I need to make if I am going to sell as much as I did last year plus 25%.  I really hope to spread it out instead of starting a sewing marathon in September that lasts to December.  This is helping me keep track - very motivating to see the numbers.  So far March is only half as productive as I'd like.  I guess I need a sewing blitz in the next 5 days!


And this is my habit tracker, an idea I found checking out bullet journals on Instagram.  It, too, is quite motivating.  And this book, a skinny little 8.5 x 5" thing follows me around the house way more than the binder planner, so I update it daily.  And I drink that extra glass of water so I can check off that box. I am looking forward to starting a new tracker for April and tweaking it a bit.


So that's my latest obsession.  I still will keep the binder planner in the office to hold the other things, so I don't need to transfer them every time I change notebooks, but I am looking forward to this new system and how it helps me keep an eye on my goals while satisfying my paper and pen obsession.

I'm curious: What kind of planner (brain on paper) do you use??

Monday, March 21, 2016

A New-To-Me Bible Study Method

S and I recently went through the 101 course at our church, which was held conveniently while N was at Awana.  It was a 'this is what our church believes' course, and most of the things we covered were basic gospel truths, with a touch of denominational distinctives.  While none of it was really new to us, we both enjoyed being in the class; S enjoyed the small group feel and getting to know people, and I really enjoyed the time to slowly go through the gospel.  It never gets old.

One thing I did learn is the SOAP method of studying Scripture.  SOAP stands for
  • Scripture
  • Observation
  • Application
  • Prayer
I am a fast reader, and I love my Bible, so I have found it relatively easy to read through the whole Bible.  Sometimes in order, sometimes jumping all over, but then when I finish, I go back and start all over.  So my reading, while important to me, has had the quality of reading as much as I can.  I start at the chapter that's first on the page, then I read to the chapter that starts on the next page.  Then I can just throw a bookmark in and know where to start again.  With this new method in mind, I read until something strikes me, then I stop and journal about it.

Here's a sample from this past week:
S - John 13:1-10
O - Jesus washing his disciples' feet.  Peter says no (because he understood his position before Jesus, but he did not fully understand Jesus' position he was choosing to take before us), then when Jesus says 'Unless I do you have no part with me,' he swings full stop and says 'Wash all!"  It was Jesus' response that made me stop:  "Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean."
A -  We are clean. Cleansed by our repentance and faith in him.  But what makes the difference this time is seeing that image of being clean with dirty feet.  Even though I continue to sin and fall, I am clean.  I jsut have to routinely clean off the 'dust on my feet.'  I like this image better than the white heart with black marks image.  But it also conveys that we have a regular time / routine to dusting off or washing our feet.  A regular confession and repentance.  Not to be forgotten in regular devotion time, but to begin with it.  Enter the house, wash your feet!
P - ... well, you don't need to see that part. :)

It's a more interactive way to read the Word, and I am enjoying it.  Sometimes I read and don't write, but I will often stop and do this.  *And one tip - I just use a little arrow sticky note, and just point it to where I left off.  Problem solved!*  I wanted to share in case any of you might like to give it a try.  Happy Studying!

Feel free to share if you have a different method that you like to use - I am always open to learning and trying new things!

Friday, March 18, 2016

Sunday Shopping!

It feels like a long time since Sunday Shopping was a big issue.  There have actually been a few times that I've been glad that Safeway is open till 10 on Sunday! 

But that's not what today's post is about... I wanted to let you know that I will be participating in a sale this Sunday at the Hungarian Club from 11-4 - the March Madness Craft & Trade Show & Sale.  The admission is free, but you are encouraged to bring a food item that, along with our table fees, will go to helping local families in need this Easter.  So it's a worthwhile cause. 


(If you are in Regina, you should go to church at the Ap first at 11 and watch the 4 year olds sing in the service.  Mine will be the one not singing.)

I had a good visit with an old friend yesterday in her shop about which of my goods and special-for-them items she would like to carry this fall.  I am hoping to get into four different retail shops this year, and that is the second one so far.  Thankful to be able to work with her!  I'll give you more details once things are a little closer and finalized.


I am still very pleased to be an Etsy seller, but am realizing more that that is just one of many opportunities for my business.  Alice&Victor wouldn't be where it is without the Etsy platform.  It is a great foundation to be able to point people to; a visual warehouse where they can see all my items, by my shop is ME and all the things I can dream up for it. 


Thanks for being my supporters - I appreciate you all!