Chnaged the title to my blog!

My Blog was titled:  KAB-beading, Babies and Hubby.

The title did not fit.  I am more than KABbeading.  My babies are now active little boys.  I never once blogged about my hubby.  I need a title that encompasses all the messy that is me!  And a theme that I can blog about anything and everything important to me.  So..... Here it is the new and improved KABbeading Blog Title:

My 100 Things to Do.

The basis of the blog will be on my 100 goals for 2016.  These goals cover every aspect of my discombobulated life!  I have a goal planner from 2014 that I never completed.  I am going back to the planner and completing it.  The planner asks for 100 goals for the year.

Here is my list of 100 Things to Do 2016!  I will BOLD when I complete a goal.
1.  Blog at least 1X/month
2.  Create a cleaning schedule (Boring....)
3.  Complete at least 1 round of the 21 Day Fix
4.  Give 10% to charity/church/good deeds
5.  Spend $10/month on advertising for my two businesses.   (Considering I spend $0, it is a start.)
6.  Purge clothes that no longer fit
7.  Donate said clothes
8.  Make it to the gym 1X/week in January  Big Fail
9.  Make it to the gym 2X/week in February
10.  Make it to the gym 3X/week in March
11.  Make it to the gym 4X/week in April
12.  Tip 100% at least once
13.  Make bed everyday (Yeah, right!)
14.  Shower 1 hour within waking (Yep... it's noon, still in PJ's!!!)
15.  Send out 1 general greeting card a week
16.  Get my Etsy shop back to 100 items.
17.  Spend 20 minutes a day on Etsy
18.  Try the Ben Franklin schedule
19.  Look up Random Acts of Kindness
20.  Pay off Hubby's car
21.  Get office studio cleaned and organised
22.  Keep office clean
23.  Cook a meal at least once a week  (Hubby does all the cooking)
24.  Wash and change all sheets on Sunday
25.  Plant flowers in the Spring
26.  Get my FB engagements up to 50/week
27.  Take the boys bowling
28.  Take the boys roller skating
29.  Purge all the boys old clothes
30.  Purge toys
31.  Eat breakfast everyday
32.  Make a budget
33.  Keep budget
34.  $1200 yearly sales for Bella Vintaj
35.  Drink alcoholic beverages only on days off/ weekends
36.  Lose 10 pounds by April
37.  Lose 20 pounds by August
38.  Eat more veggies
39.  Eat more fruits (my diet is pretty much all processed carbs....)
40.  No fast food (Funeral Director stand-by food source)
41.  Less soda, more water
42.  Drink 16 oz water/ day.  (I can go days with out drinking plain water.)
43.  Bring lunch to work
44.  Pray everyday
45.  Dust bedroom weekly
46.  Clean bathroom weekly
47.  Be better.
48.  Try not to eat after 10 PM
49.  Get Christmas cards out in 2016
50.  Call Dad once a week
51.  Write a thank you card to my HS Biology teacher
52.  Write a thank you card to my HS art teacher
53.  Have a dinner party
54.  knit a scarf and give it away
55.  Write more thank you notes
56.  Send monthly cards to Mom & Tom
57.  Send monthly cards to Dad & Linda
58.  Be positive
59.  Read to the boys everyday
60.  Bring work a treat a month
61.  Work on my listening skills
62.  Try not criticize
63.  Reply to emails and messages
64.  Take flowers to GG's grave in the spring/summer
65.  Donate blood regularly
66.  5 minute showers
67.  Have afternoon tea/ coffee dates
68.  Get a physical
69.  Get a passport
70.  Take the boys to a museum we have never been to
71.  Spend 24 hours secluded in nature
72.  Sing karaoke
73.  Try 12 new restaurants
74.  Go to a concert with the boys
75.  Take the boys apple picking
76.  Celebrate my half birthday!
77.  Create a jewelry piece that is based upon a goal
78.  Go see a play or musical with hubby
79.  Snuggle more
80.  Go to church every Sunday
81.  (private goal)
82.  Write a poem for hubby
83.  Do 5 things for my business a day
84.  Write a memoir for the boys
85.  Twitter more for business
86.  Learn about Google+
87.  Walk the Naperville Riverwalk with the boys
88.  Go tent camping with the boys
89.  Make something from a Craftsy Tutorial
90.  Buy a piano or full sized keyboard
91.  Bring Etsy Shop back to 125 views a month
92.  Get 25 Etsy Sales this year
93.  Participate in 2 craft/vendor fairs
94.  Take more walks
95.  Get Bikes for the boys  (I swear they are the only boys I know that have no interest in bike riding.)
96.  Get bike helmets for the boys
97.  Have a better Etsy year than 2012
98.  Give away all my Kindness Coins
99.  Go on a family vacation
100.  Give $1 to charity for any tasks not completed in 2016

I am reusing my planner from 2014 because I never finished it and I am trying to be frugal this year.

I am not as new-agey as Leonie Dawson, but I love her style.  She has a business planner and a life planner for 2016.  Check her out!

I was not compensated for this recommendation.  I just think she's fun, funky and someone to learn from!

January Story Starter

I read a blog (sorry, I can't find it again...) about tips to help write Facebook posts that encourage interaction.  The post suggested a monthly story starter.  You start a story and have your "Likee's" add sentences to keep the story going!  I am going to do it every month in 2014 to try to keep people seeing my FB posts!  I also decided to give a 30% off coupon to one of my contributors!  Here is my follow up with the winner of the coupon and the whole story!

 A special "Thank You" to everyone who participated in my January Story Starter! Here is the story in a continual format! And Random.org picked Sandy  B. as the winner of the 30% off coupon!

As soon as I opened my eyes, I knew it would be difficult to keep my New Year's Resolution.... Cookies, candy and cakes leftover from Christmas littered my counter tops. So I made myself a cup of coffee, and said, "Maybe just one will be okay." But none of those would do the trick. So I headed over to the fridge. After seeing one too many leftovers, I decided I needed to do something different. I picked up my car keys and out the door I headed. I actually drove to the gym, but wasn't sure if I actually wanted to go in. After weighing the pros and cons, I decided that it was time to do it. So I drove down the street to see if I could get 1/2 price chocolate Santa’s at Walgreens. All of the left over candy had already been marked down to 90%. The choices were slim. I took this as a chance to rethink what I was doing. Time to take a deep breath and move on. Just as I was moving on, I caught a mysterious looking fellow peering at me from the end of the aisle. Why is he looking at me like that? Is he a customer? Is he a security Officer? Do I know this person? Ha, ha! I noticed he was my chocoteer, Steve, my "fix" for dove chocolate. Well, if I am going to be bad, I might as well make a better choice and purchase just a bit from Steve. As I am paying for my purchase, a woman hands me a note as she leaves the store. The note says "your chocolate drop is on camera.” I exclaim, "It's just chocolate! That's not illegal!" It was my personal trainer, laughing at me. "Just try. BE BETTER." - the end

My "Likee's" of Facebook wrote this story a few sentences at a time!  I came up with my 2014 Mantra:  Be better!

Being better just encompasses everything!  I even designed a necklace to illustrate my mantra and use some of my new supplies and techniques!

available on Etsy!!!!

I have selected the first sentence of my February Story Starter!  I can't wait to see how that story goes!
Bee (pun intended) sure to like my KABbeading Facebook Page to bee able to participate and get entered to win a 30% off coupon!

(The above necklace, I utilized Vintaj

P290 - 22mm Altered Blank - Small Rectangle, DP120 - 17x13mm Busy Bee Charm, JR40R - 7.25mm Jump Rings and JR20R - 4.75mm Jump Rings,  a stamping set from Hobby Lobby, and Martha Stewart Jewelry Glaze in Sea Green.)  I did not receive any money or product for free.  

Been out of the "Loop"

I feel so bad!  I let life fly by and stopped writing new posts!  I just looked today and saw some awesome feedback!  If I would have checked in, those comments would have helped keep me on track and in "the loop"!

Some of my feedback:

Very informative and interesting post.It is really a big help. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Custom Beading Bead andTrim on Weekly Challenge 3: Use Tila Beads

Fantastic blog, Thanks for sharing. Keep posting like this.  Weekly Challenge 3: Use Tila Beads

I can not believe I have not wrote a new post in over 6 months!  I have learned a few new things and branched out a bit.  I now have a little more direction in my jewelry!

A little re-cap:  After Mother's Day, I went on a little creative hiatus.  I just felt spent.  I didn't make anything new until September.  I was getting ready for a craft show at my son's school.  I was bestowed a huge amount of handmade glass beads by Sarah Jane Fisher. 

 Anytime I make anything with one of Sarah's beads, the piece sells!!!  I utilized her beads, my new found love of messy wrap wire work, some Christmas themed odds and ends I have complied and had a very successful show  I even had another person selling jewelry ask me if I though my pieces were too "edgy" for the show!?!  I loved that question!  Me, edgy....?!?  I am a conservative funeral director!  And the show was at my son's Catholic School.  The funniest thing, after her asking me about my "edgy creations", our Priest's wife came over and bought 3 necklaces from me for Christmas presents!  ***Yes, our priest is married.***  I just wish I would have taken photographs of the necklaces.  I did not think all three would sell and I would have to photograph them for Etsy.  After the show, I took more time off of beading and jewelry design.

  

(My messy wrap ends and handmade necklace closure)

I am now ready to get back into it!  I have recently obtained my wholesale account with Vintaj Natural Brass and received my first order.  This weekend I actually created my first piece (but more on that in my next post!)  I also bought a Vintaj Big Big Kick Machine, Vintaj Patina Kit by Ranger and a whole bunch of Martha Stewart Jewelry Enamels and Jewelry Glaze (on clearance at Michaels).  The photo is of my first group of Vintaj Blanks that were run through the Big Kick with the Nouveau Roses Die and treated with the Vintaj Patina in Weathered Copper.

So many new items and techniques!  More to come!