Friday Reveal and An Important Announcement

Sorry, no alliteration this Friday.  I know, I miss it too.  You'll survive.

Two things today, in case you couldn't tell by reading the title.  No wait, three things.

Thing One: The big reveal!  This is what was in the Indie Gift Box this month.  I'm revealing this just in time for you to buy an Indie Gift Box next month.  They come out at the beginning of each month and there is only a limited number available.  They are a great way to discover lots of new (to you) indie businesses and also get great products for a seriously discounted price.  The Indie Gift Box cost me $20 and it contained all of this.

These two were my favorites and the only ones I kept: a cute little itty
bitty deer necklace and a cranberry candle that smells exactly like Christmas!

I sent the giveaway winner the Matryoshka ornament, Christmas card, and snowman gift tag, as well as the business cards with discount coupons.

Announcement time!  I am doing away with ad swaps.  All of the current ad swaps will still exist, but they are moved to a tab at the top called "Cool People".  Each month I will pick a new Blog of the Month and a new Shop of the Month.  They will go where the Ad Swaps currently are, underneath the search bar.  I will write a post each month telling you who the Blog of the Month and Shop of the Month are, along with a little bit about each.  If you would still like to be in my sidebar, you can purchase ad space here starting at just $3.

Doctor

I went to the doctor yesterday to find out what was wrong with my stomach and also why I had a rash.  They drew blood to check me for a bacteria called H. pylori. They'll call back and let me know if that's it or not. They put me on a medicine to decrease stomach acid. If it is H Pylori, then I have to take antibiotics until all the bacteria gets killed. If not they'll have to do an endoscopy and look at my stomach from the inside to see if I have an ulcer or something worse. I called my boss and told her what's going on and she said that it's the same symptoms she had when she had gall bladder problems. They would do an ultrasound to check for that.

The rash is most likely something called pityriasis rosea. Experts don't know what causes it. It should go away in 6 to 8 weeks. They prescribed me a stronger hydrocortisone cream to reduce itching.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to go back to work.  I'll have to wait until my stomach gets better.  Also I lost 5.5 pounds last week from not being able to keep food down.  It is never healthy to lose that much in one week.  Thankfully I have found some foods that I can eat now without getting an upset stomach.  I can eat bland foods like hard-boiled eggs, plain noodles, and plain white rice.  I can also eat foods that help with stomach issues.  I found on the internet that bananas reduce stomach acid and ginger snaps help nausea, so I tried them and it works.

At this point the most important thing is to try not to lose more weight by eating bland foods and to stay hydrated.

Etsy Love: Seattle Edition

As you read this, I am at the doctor, hopefully figuring out why my stomach hates me and also what is causing this itchy new mystery rash on my stomach, chest, and back.  I'll report any findings tomorrow.

In the meantime, you should chack out this Etsy treasury that I made.  It's chock full of lovely Seattle-made goods that would make wonderful Christmas gifts.  There is something for pretty much any budget.  There are 16 items in total, and here are three.

I'm Thankful for Pinterest

I really am thankful for Pinterest and also I'm trying to write a post before the big game comes on in a couple of minutes.  Pinterest has taught me stuff I didn't know about myself, like I love striped clothing and shabby chic design.  If you like what you see go follow me on Pinterest.  I have lots of other boards too.

Why Does My Stomach Hate Me?!

For a few months now, every time I eat something, my stomach has been in a lot of pain, and quite often makes me puke.  This is not fun by any means and it has progressively been getting worse.  It doesn't even matter what I eat anymore, because everything does it.  Spicy foods, coffee, and fruits and veggies cause the worst pain.  This morning I woke up with the stomach pain and hadn't even eaten anything.  What's worse is that I had planned to go give my resumes to lots of different shops but now I can't do so because I'll either be grimacing in pain or burping a ridiculous and embarrassing amount.  Luckily for me, G is wonderful and very compassionate.  He holds my hand and even eats in the kitchen when my stomach hurts to the point where I can't eat so I don't have to smell or see the yummy food.  I think that I probably have acid reflux but I don't know for sure because doctors don't see people who can't pay them, and right now I am a person who can't pay both a doctor and my rent, so I choose rent.  To make matters worse my Grandpa was diagnosed with acid reflux before and then they learned that it was actually stomach cancer by the time that it was stage 4 cancer.  This is always at the back of my mind and I try not to think about it.  I know that I probably don't have cancer but I have also always been extremely prone to worry.  G would say that I'm catastrophizing.  I'm also very tired of the people in my building asking if I'm pregnant when I'm sick to my stomach.  No I'm not pregnant; stop asking.  I would just like to be better for Thanksgiving, because I am spending it with G's family again and don't want to have to hide in the bathroom and hope they can't hear me burping, or just suffer in pain.

Update: I have thankfully been put back on full-time at work for now, so I set up a doctor's appointment at the neighborhood clinic for poor people for next Wednesday.

Friday Fashion: Is it Winter Yet?

I wore this outfit today to go sell books and look fashionable while giving my resume to fashion places.  The bookstore only bought one book : (  Brave and unedited pictures once again.

hat: Wish (it has a pom pom on top but you can't see it in the picture, yellow shirt: Walmart (I got it in high school), dress: yard sale for just $6, tights: eBay (they're really good tights, not just really good for $5), boots: Goodwill

Stuff I Learned...

...from having a full-time job and then having it turn into only working 16 hours a week

1.  It is always a good idea to try to make yourself as irreplacable as possible by appearing eager and positive about everything you do at work even if you hate it.  (I only hated a few tasks at work, mainly scrubbing the finishes off of coins to put other finishes on them.)

2.  No matter how valuable you are to the team at work, if the boss can't afford to pay you, you'll probably get laid off.

3.  Know what you're good at and be sure to do those things when you've finished your assigned tasks.  Make your boss like you by not constantly bugging her (or him).  This is what made my boss decide to keep me on, even though it's just a tiny bit, rather than some of the other employees who have been working there for five years.

4.  Sometimes you have to spend money on things and sometimes you can still wear your old socks that all have holes in them and jeans that don't fit well at all.  You shouldn't feel bad about buying stuff that you didn't absolutely need, especially when you get the best deal possible. (although I have definitely been wishing I didn't buy that stuff but it's not like I could know this would happen, or that I'd have a crazy hospital bill for that matter)

5.  There's pretty much always more stuff you can sell (or try to sell because I tried to sell some of my clothes yesterday and they only bought one item).  I also plan to sell my netbook and books.

6.  Connections are super important.  Always be friendly to people who work at places where you shop because at some point you might be applying for a job there.

That's pretty much it.  I'm going to go try to sell some books now and then update my resume with my most recent information and then go apply for jobs.

Fall Favorites and Some News

favorite fall beverage: chai tea latte (I like to get the Oregon Chai stuff from the store and make them myself at home because it is so much cheaper than buying them.)

favorite fall accessory: hats

favorite color of changing leaves: dark red

favorite pie: pumpkin


And now for the news.  Everyone at my work got laid off because we only got three new orders last week instead of the usual fifty or so.  My boss can't afford to pay us when she isn't getting paid herself.  However I am being kept on two days (16 hours) a week to do inventory.  I do still need to find a new job though.  In order to make the bare minimum I need each month (which would just pay rent) I need $100 a month more than I'll be earning.  I do have enough money saved for two more month's rent.  This couldn't have come at a worse time though since I did miss over a week off my last paycheck because of wisdom teeth surgery complications.  I'm kind of wishing I didn't buy everyone's Christmas presents already so I would have more money.  Hopefully I'll be able to find a job quickly this time, unlike before.  So today I am super duper busy trying to sell books, clothes, photograph and list jewelry for my Etsy shop, make new new jewelry, speed up my laptop, and way too many other things.  I also need to update my resume and references and then tomorrow the job hunt begins once again.  I'm working Wednesday and Thursday each week now.

Second thing (well third, I guess): I created the code CHRISTMAS2012 for my Etsy shop.  Use it on purchases now through Christmas to receive 10% off your order.  There will be quite a few more things for sale there in the next few days too, so watch for those.  Also as of today my Etsy shop, Honeybee Alley, ships to the UK.  I have no idea how much things cost to ship there so the shipping prices may change in the future.

Friday Fashion: A Fall Outfit

Here are some unedited pictures of a Fall outfit that I wore last week.  I'm either really brave or really lazy.  (I'm actually both.)

Bonus pic for adorableness

hat: Christmas gift from my Grandma two years ago, velvety tanktop with lace trim: Christmas gift from Mom last year, gray and white striped long sleeve shirt: Walmart years and years ago, orange shorts: Forever 21 on sale online for $8 with a great lace belt included, tights: eBay (I love them because they're inexpensive and warm), boots: Goodwill, earrings: made by me, necklace: also made by me and soon to be for sale in my Etsy shop (meaning whenever I get around to photographing and writing descriptions and all that jazz)

Giveaway: I Love Indie Gift Box!

I discovered Indie Gift Box a little over a month ago.  I was so excited to buy one but they had already sold out for the month.  I waited until the beginning of this month and then I purchased my first Indie Gift Box.  I anxiously awaited its arrival, and I got it today!  For those of you who have unfortunately not known the joys of Indie Gift Box, it's a box full of handmade goodies from artists.  You buy one for just $25 and you get to know the theme, but what's in it is a surprise until it arrives.  It's full of lovely handcrafted items.  It also has lots of great discount codes for shop purchases.  It's definitely worth way more than $25.  I won't tell exactly what was in it until they reveal the contents on their blog, because not everyone has received theirs yet and I don't want to spoil the surprise.  I do however want to share some of the loveliness with one of you wonderful readers.  So here's a tiny glimpse of the contents.  The winner will receive three surprise items as well as all of the business cards with coupon codes.  The codes do expire at the end of December so this giveaway will only last for one week.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post and Giveaway

Hey everyone, I'm over at Lulu and Sweet Pea today giving away some of my handmade jewelry.  Go enter to win a bracelet and a ring and a month of free ad space on her blog, and read my guest post about how I started making jewelry.

You could win a ring like this.

I Made These Patterns for You

I just learned how to make tileable patterns in Photoshop from Pugly Pixel.  If you aren't familiar with Pugly Pixel and you are at all interested in design, you should definitely check them out.  The website has lots of helpful tutorials as well as tons of freebies.  I made a whole bunch of patterns yesterday, so I thought that I would share them with everyone.  The fleur de lis and leaf are custom shapes in Photoshop.  The envelope and washi tape are from Pugly Pixel.  To download all six patterns for free, go here.  If you don't want to download all of them, click here.  Click on whichever pattern you want to download and then you can download it.  You don't need to credit me for anything you use these patterns for.  If you would like to donate money to me for the patterns, you can, but please don't unless you really want to.

Here are little strips of each pattern.  They're super cute and I want you to enjoy them.

We All Scream for Egg Nog

I meant to post a fashion post today, but I accidentally left my camera at home with all of the pictures on it and I'm staying at G's until I can eat all solid foods again.  (I will post the fashion post next Friday.)  I can eat pasta now which is fantastic, because I love pasta.  Anyway, I had to eat a lot of soft foods while I was recovering, including a lot of ice cream. 

Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk and Dublin Mudslide are both delicious.  Oatmeal Cookie Chunk is pretty self-explanatory.  Dublin Mudslide is a mix of chocolatey coffee-y goodness. It has Irish cream liquer flavored ice cream, chocolate chocolate chip cookie pieces, and fudge swirls.  It is also my new favorite.

The one that I am super duper excited to tell people about is Safeway brand Egg Nog ice cream.  It's a limited edition flavor and it tastes just like egg nog.  It's a softer ice cream which adds to the egg nogginess of it.  And it's under $4 for a gallon, so that's really awesome.

So if you're crazy like me and like to eat ice cream when the weather is cold, you just had mouth surgery and have to eat soft food, or you're a lucky duck who lives someplace warm, give these flavors a try next time you want some ice cream.