New blog!
I have a new blog and won’t be posting in this one anymore.
New blog: shelleyreneee
❤ Shell xx
Happy Friday!
How has everyone’s week been? Mine’s been fairly low-key, but full of lots of little happy things! I feel like I’ve been smiling non-stop!
* Seeing this little pixie face again, I love her SO MUCH!
* Steve Carlson and Christian Kane’s online concert they did together last weekend, it was very cool 🙂
* Every time someone donates to my Hope to Haiti fundraiser I get the biggest grin on my face and I feel all warm and toasty inside ❤
* Speaking of the Haiti, 50% of all my Impossible Alice necklace proceeds are going into the fundraiser!
* Also, I hit 200 sales in Impossible Alice this week!
* Clean sheet day!
* Finally receiving the GISHWHES stuff Misha sent in the mail! (It is seriously cool getting a package in the mail from Misha Collins.) I ordered the coffee table book, and with it Misha sent a copy of the Guinness World Record certificate and his last missive 😀
* Making myself a pretty necklace! I hardly ever keep anything I make, but I loved this necklace so much that I had to make another for myself!
* Learning to crochet! Grandma taught me when I was about 10, but I wasn’t interested enough to keep it up. But lately I’ve really been wanting to try it again – I desperately want to learn how to make those adorable amigurumi crochet animals! But first I need to learn the basics. So yesterday I found a crochet hook my mum had given me and some left over wool I had lying around, spent a couple of hours trying to find good online instructions that I actually understood, and I made my first granny squares! I’m going to keep making these until I have enough to sew together into a throw rug or blanket 😀
* Getting new ideas for a new beaded range of chainmaille jewellery for Lace Metal! I’ve made a couple of things already which I’m really happy with, now I just have to wait (rather impatiently!) for some more supplies to arrive so I can make more!
I hope everyone has an awesome weekend – I know those of you who are in LA for BurCon will be having the best time ever and I so wish I could be there too! You’ll all just to party it up a bit extra for me 😀
❤ Shell xo
To Inspire…
Source: vi.sualize.us via Shelley on Pinterest
Sometimes we all need a little inspiration. Not just us crafty types, either. Everyone needs a little life inspiration, something to look forward to, something to work for. Something to shake us up.
Some of these ideas are fairly cliche, but I think they are worth mentioning. It’s easy to overlook them because we hear them so often that we don’t really hear them at all.
* Get out of your comfort zone! (I did warn you that some were cliche!) Try something new, something you’ve always wanted to do but are afraid to do. I’m not even talking about anything huge here, like jumping out of a plane. If you’ve always wanted to paint, but think there’s no point because you’re no good at it, go pick up a paint brush! Who cares if the end result is less than desirable? No-one has to see it but you.
Go spend a weekend camping in the bush if you’re a city oriented person. Or vice versa. Audition for a play. Learn to ride a motorbike. Just do something new!
* Take a break from whatever you’re doing, especially if you’re feeling frustrated. Go for a walk, read a novel, phone a friend, look through old photo albums.
* Write lists! Anyone who knows me knows I’m a compulsive list writer. I make lists of lists I want to make. List making can be a wonderful brainstorming activity. Grab a pen and paper and write a list of everything you want to do in life – don’t give yourself any limitations! Don’t think about money or logistics, just write whatever comes to mind. What would you do if money weren’t an issue? What would you be doing right now if you could?
Source: tumblr.com via Shelley on Pinterest
* Practice Random Acts of Kindness. Step out of your own world for a moment and think what you could do to make someone else’s day better, or how you could make someone else smile. It doesn’t matter how big or small. Sometimes the littlest things can have to biggest impact. Bake cookies for your best friend; phone your Grandmother just to say hello; give flowers to random people you pass in the street; smile at everyone!
* Do a photo-a-day project. Grab your camera, or phone, and take a photo of something every day for a week, or a month, or a year. You can choose for all your photos to have a common theme, or you can make them a random as you like!
* Do what makes you happy! I can not stress this point enough! What is the point in doing something if it makes you miserable? I understand that we don’t all love our jobs – but it really doesn’t have to be that way! If you hate where you are, start looking for something else! This doesn’t just apply to what we do for a living – how would you like to spend your weekends? Curled up with ice cream and a few movies? Rock climbing? At the beach? In a cooking class?
* Daydream. Let your mind wander. Think about what you want to be doing, not how unhappy you are feeling stuck where you are. Imagine. And believe it could all be true 🙂
* When all else fails, look at Pinterest!! Endless inspiration there 🙂
Source: google.com.au via Shelley on Pinterest
Happy Thursday!
* Reading The Hunger Games – 3 books in 3 days! This trilogy goes straight into my favourite books list.
* Michael Jackson. This is a constant love, but I’m going through one of my MJ phases right now where I listen to nothing but him and watch his concerts and videos more than most people would think is healthy.
* Learning new chain maille weaves! And learning how to weave beads into chain maille 🙂 Lace Metal
* Seeing people I love who I haven’t seen since before Christmas ❤
* My new blog background/layout/colour 🙂 I like this blue much better than the old one!
* Fundraising for Hope to Haiti 2! People are always so much more generous than you expect them to be. I wish I could hug every single person who’s donated so far – I’m nearly at the $400 mark! And Misha’s video for this years trip is just as beautiful and moving as last year’s. If you want to see exactly where your donations are going, take a couple of minutes to watch this:
❤ Shell XOXO
Hope to Haiti
Click this to donate to my Hope to Haiti fundraiser 🙂
For more info on Random Acts and the good works they do in the world, check out their website.
For more info on the Hope to Haiti project, click here
For those who don’t want to watch me talk, here’s all the words to read…. 😉
Hi guys!
I’m raising money for Random Acts’ Hope to Haiti project – this is incredibly important to me and any help you are able to provide will be much appreciated.
I’m hoping to join the Random Acts team in Haiti later this year to do some hands on work, but to do that, I need to be one of the first 25 people to raise $5000. I know that figure seems daunting, but I know it’s possible and I have to try! Any amount you are able to donate will go a long way – even $10 would be amazing!
The money I raise will be going directly to the people of Haiti and the city of Jacmel – it does not pay for me to travel over there, I will be paying my own way. Your donations will be going to the continuation of re-building the orphanage and community center which will house and feed some of Haiti’s homeless children.
I completely understand if you can’t afford to donate, but even if you could share my Crowdrise link on your FB profile, or twitter, or Live Journal or blog etc and help me spread the word, I would appreciate it so much.
HERE’S A BIT OF INFO ON THE HOPE TO HAITI PROJECT, TAKEN FROM THE RANDOM ACTS WEBSITE…
“Two years ago, after a destructive and devastating earthquake ravaged Haiti, Random Acts provided major funding for a journey to Jacmel to assist in rebuilding homes, communities and lives. During our initial visit, a dental clinic was reconstructed, an orphanage was refurbished and a carpentry school with 1600 donated tools was founded.
While there, the volunteers and staff opened their hearts and arms to demonstrate the true power of kindness. They worked in the fierce heat of the Haitian sun to aid in the construction of a multi-purpose community center; a facility that will provide shelter, as well as educate and feed homeless and orphaned children. Plus, our team members participated in creative and recreational activities with the children, such as arts, crafts and games.
But, our work isn’t done.
Flash forward to 2012, we’re happy to announce that we’ll return to Jacmel.”
Misha’s video for last year’s Haiti fundraiser… 🙂
If you are able to help out in any way, please donate through my Crowdrise profile – and please, if you have any questions, just ask!
http://www.crowdrise.com/HopetoHaiti2012/fundraiser/shelleysmall
If you are interested in finding out more about Random Acts and the work they do, check out their website:http://therandomact.org/
Thanks everyone!
Much love,
Shell ❤ xx
Necklace / Pendant Sale!
Just a quick post to let you all know that I’m having a sale on all Impossible Alice Necklaces! This sale will be going for the next couple of weeks – I have a lot of new ideas for items and I need to clear out some room in my storage boxes!
Hope everyone is having a fantastic week! I’ll be sending out the next Impossible Alice newsletter later tonight, as well – if you’d like to receive it, please sign up here: http://eepurl.com/fPDe5
Much love!
Shell xx
Happy Tuesday!
I have been rather slack on my Happy Friday lists the last couple of weeks! I may have to resign myself to the fact that I’m not the best at doing things on a schedule! Luckily, it really doesn’t matter what day of the week happy lists are written 😀
* Random Acts have announced this years Hope to Haiti trip! I want to go so badly! I’ll be posting more on this later.
* Last Friday’s markets at The Bleeding Heart gallery and cafe were lots of fun! I always love markets days, mostly for the sitting around drinking coffee and chatting with all the other lovely, crafty ladies from Epheriell Designs and Hearsay and Your Organ Grinder – I took Impossible Alice stock with me and my stall looked like this…
And I looked like this!
* Receiving a bunch of new supplies in the mail for Lace Metal items!
* Finishing my re-watch of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. I’d almost forgotten just how much I love that show. Now I’ve started a series re-watch of Angel 😀
* Keeping up with my regular pilates and elliptical workouts! Go me!
What’s on your happy list this week?
❤ Shell xx
I love books.
I love books. Always have. Escaping into another world and getting lost in someone else’s life has always been one of my favourite things to do. There is no point trying to have a conversation with me if I have a book in my hands. There is no point even saying hello to me if I have a book in my hands. I’m not being rude and ignoring you, it’s just that I simply don’t hear you if I’m reading. I find it near impossible to put down a book before I’m finished it – I’ve been known to stay up until 4 in the morning because I need to read ‘just one more chapter’! I also very rarely am reading just one book at a time. I usually have about 3 or 4 on the go at any given time.
The books in the photo above are what I’m reading at the moment:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K.Rowling
Shantaram – Gregory David Roberts
A collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
Source: theliterarygiftcompany.com via Shelley on Pinterest
If you asked me what me favourite book is, I don’t think I could tell you. I have too many. I’d like to try and do a post one day of my five favourites, though, if I can figure them out!
What are your favourites? What can you read over and over again?
❤ Shell xx
Alice and Lace 
