Friday, November 28, 2014



I know it looks like I just did a Zazzlove post, but it was from before the blog's "remodel" and it's end of the month so I wanted to give out some more love.  Also because it's the day after Thanksgiving, I am now in Christmas mode and 'tis the season to be jolly so I will be giving some love to more than one Zazzle artist on this post.
Posted by N-E-Things On 11/28/2014 07:01:00 PM 1 comment READ FULL POST

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

I hate to admit it but, although I haven't gone since I gave birth, I enjoy Black Friday.  I never went as early as some people go, but I've found it to be fun.  There's joking around and pleneras and just having a good time while you're in line.
Posted by N-E-Things On 11/25/2014 03:31:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST
A while ago I mentioned a workshop I took on Creative Live.  It really got me going.  Well it didn't get me going quickly, but it got me to redo a lot of things.  I LOVED the workshop (it was given by Kari Chapin, btw and if you're interested in reading some of her books you can find those here ) and it took me a while to remodel and rethink, but I'm pretty happy with the results.
 
Posted by N-E-Things On 11/25/2014 03:08:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Friday, May 30, 2014



I'm going to do something new on the blog and I'm calling it "Zazzlove". (Yes, I know...I'm not very creative when it comes to names.)  It’s where I’ll do a search on Zazzle for something I think is cute and shown it some “Zazzlove” here.  Remember that post where I shared what I came up with for a Christmas gift?  Well, I did a search on Zazzle for more robots and came up with some gifts that were kind of cute.  Then I did a search for "cupcakes" (another thing I enjoy making) and got more cute gifts.  But, then I thought of combining searches and ran across this:
Posted by N-E-Things On 5/30/2014 11:00:00 AM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Just a quick post on what's going on so far. 

Have you heard of CreativeLive? It's a site where you can watch live workshops online with the ability to interact with the instructors.  They have workshops in audio, business, design, photography, and more.  They had one recently that I wanted to take, but I completely forgot about it.  I still had my settings in the wrong time zone and I didn't check my email. I was kind of bummed but then I saw another workshop which I found interesting so I signed for it.  The workshop I signed up for is Start a Handmade Business.  Kind of made for me, isn't it?
Posted by N-E-Things On 5/27/2014 10:32:00 AM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, May 24, 2014


Things have slowed down a bit at NE-Things.  I'm reorganizing some rooms at home, revamping an old dresser, and making curtains.  Plus I have a curtain rod with ends I don't really like (doesn’t go with the room) so I have to come up with a way to change them.  But, I have tried to be a little more active on Twitter. (Following me there yet?  LOL)
Posted by N-E-Things On 5/24/2014 02:48:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, May 17, 2014

http://ne_things.storenvy.com/products/7290600-gifts


So, today is a special day...VERY special.  A very special person was born today many, many, many years ago.  (All of a sudden the Star Wars opening came to mind.  LOL)  Anyways, I'm not sure if you read my previous post but I had mentioned doing a deal-of-the-day soon and this is it.  Did you notice I let you know in that message it would be today?  Look through it again, if you didn't catch it the first time.  I'm not sure if it's too hidden.  Sorry about that, but now you know.  ;oP
Posted by N-E-Things On 5/17/2014 12:00:00 AM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, May 15, 2014

The NE-Things Facebook page has been growing slowly but surely.  I've decided to set up a giveaway once we hit the 50 follower mark.  I'm not quite sure what to give away.  I still have a little time to figure it out, though.  I decided on doing the giveaway because truth is I like all that stuff.  I like giveaways, contests, sweepstakes, scavenger hunts...ooooohhh...scavenger hunt!  Some years back my partner was participating in an online scavenger hunt and although not as fun as the one we did when we went on a cruise, I enjoyed helping him find the X's when he was stuck.  Ideas, ideas, ideas.
Posted by N-E-Things On 5/15/2014 04:58:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Tomorrow is Mother's Day.  It'll be my second officially, but my first one didn't really go as I thought, so tomorrow's kind of like a make up for the first.

I don't have anything out of the ordinary planned, but I want to hang out with Little Man.  I'm thinking breakfast picnic, lunch, and a movie (Moms Night Out seems hilarious).  Do you remember that I'm into bow ties?  Just a few hours ago I decided I wanted to make matching bow ties for tomorrow.  I wanted to use polymer clay, but everything has been put away (finally) and there was no way I was going to take everything out because nothing was going to be put away after I was done and I want to have a clean house on Mother's Day.  I want to do NO CHORES tomorrow.  So...I settled for newspaper.  I like recycling/reusing and it's fun way to decrease that newspaper pile. ;o)

Posted by N-E-Things On 5/10/2014 07:58:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, May 8, 2014



I don't know what it is about gift-giving that people go crazy over.  It's one thing if it's one of those secret type of gifts that people do in the workplace or a gift for someone you don't know that well (I remember one Christmas I wanted to give my partner's mom a gift but I had no idea what and he was basically useless).  But if it's someone you know, it shouldn't be that hard.  It's even easier when it comes to Mother's Day.  There is one almost fail-proof way you can find out what she wants.  Ready?  

Posted by N-E-Things On 5/08/2014 01:51:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

N-E-Things finally hit a milestone (get over 25 followers).   LOL. Small steps, right?  I'm okay with that considering I can't honestly say I've been on it as much as I should l be.  I was thinking of maybe setting up a contest for the 50 followers milestone but I have to think about what I would do exactly.  Also, I finally opened an Instagram account, but I've only uploaded my avatar so far.  =o/  It's really quite a bit to do.  It's not just create and post.  At least not for me.  I guess I just have to find my "swing" though.  Once I get in my groove everything will run fine.

Posted by N-E-Things On 5/06/2014 08:36:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, May 3, 2014



I finally opened up my e-store, my second one actually (can't forget about my digital illustrations).  AND I put most of my crafting stuff away.  I'm just going to take a couple of days to woosah for a bit, but just a bit.  There's still goals to work on.  There's still the technique goals and of course Jack & Justine.  Plus, other ones out of NE-Things (getting fit, anyone?)  But, as I thought about this Weekend Update I realized I hadn't really shared the e-store with you.  If you visited you may have seen a couple of "weird" words (btw, I prefer "different"  LOL) and that the NE-Things fairy has a new outfit.  (Hmmm...I just realized she's nameless.  Maybe make a naming contest? My favorite name gets a gift certificate?  Something to thiunk about.)  I'll take today's post to introduce you to the new e-store and to the Ínarú collection.

Posted by N-E-Things On 5/03/2014 03:36:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, May 1, 2014



Sometimes you start doing something and you're just rocking at it.  Be it crafting, writing, exercising, whatever.  But then, something happens:  you find out you're out of glue and it's gonna be days before you can get to the store, you get writer's block, or you just feel burnout.  It's a little harder to get started again.  I think re-motivation is harder to find than the initial motivation.
Posted by N-E-Things On 5/01/2014 07:22:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, April 29, 2014



I can't believe it's done.  After how long?  I was supposed to have opened this by April according to my vision board.  Oopsie.  But, it's ok.  I did it.  I DID IT!  Now, all I need to do is maintenance and seriously clean up and put everything away again.  It'd be nice to have the dining table back.  Not everythimg's like I'd like it to be, but...I'm used to that already.
Posted by N-E-Things On 4/29/2014 01:35:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, April 24, 2014



Have you seen the Wake Up Call for Artists post? In it, there are a lot of excuses to not beginning to create.  Procrastination.  What a killer.  I used to be a victim of it.  Then I realized, procrastinate as much as I wanted, time was going to keep passing and there was nothing I could do to stop it or hit rewind. (I've found myself honestly wishing for that remote control from Click).  I know I'm not the only one.
Posted by N-E-Things On 4/24/2014 04:34:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

I needed to post, but it had to be a quick one.  So, I have a couple of more motivational quotes (having to do with creativity) and at the end I share a link for a quiz you should take if you feel you're lacking motivation.


(source)
Posted by N-E-Things On 4/22/2014 05:35:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Today's post will be just of a two videos I found, just because one can never have too much motivation.




Of the two, THIS one is my favorite:
Posted by N-E-Things On 4/17/2014 03:34:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, April 15, 2014



There are people that will spend hundreds of dollars on something just because it's X-brand, yet think twice about spending any money on a "trinket" they can "make themselves at home."  What people don't understand is that sometimes those X-brand items are made by people (that after a while, possibly resemble robots) in a factory (hello machines, chemicals, labor, waste?)  Handmade items aren't.  They're usually made by someone in their home or studio.  Yes some artisans use machines, but all of them take time and care creating each piece.  I hate to sound corny, but there's love in creating.  There's passion.  And there's this special care when you're creating something that just doesn't really exist in anything mass-produced in a factory.  
Posted by N-E-Things On 4/15/2014 12:33:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, April 12, 2014


(source)


My father passed away 20 years ago.  Today would've been his 67th birthday.  There were a lot of things we used to do as a family when he was alive, but when he passed away things changed a little.  Things were being done I guess out of habit or because it "had" to be done a certain way.  The fun was no longer in it.  My dad was a quiet man, but he liked having fun.  He was a prankster.  One day he came in with blood all over saying he was in an accident.  I was worried and my mother started freaking out.  He kept it up for quite a bit.  On a Halloween I remember there were these girls that came to out door trick or treating.  He stood against the open door shirtless with fake blood smeared on his chest.  He just looked off into the distance.  The girls were my age.  They kept their bags open while I threw in candy, but there eyes didn't leave him except for the quick second where they thanked me and step aside for the next girl.  All of a sudden, my dad pounces forward while yelling boo.  Those poor girls.  A couple of them took off leaving their bags behind.  The brave ones jumped back and then laughed.  First at the prank, then at the girls who ran away.  He was awesome.
Posted by N-E-Things On 4/12/2014 07:33:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, April 8, 2014




Finding motivation can be hard, but harder still?  Finding something your passionate about.  I once asked someone what he was passionate about?  He shrugged.  I thought he thought I was just asking expecting no answer.  So I asked, "No, seriously.  What ARE you passionate about?"  To which he answered "Nothing".  It kind of shocked me.  I thought everyone was passionate about something.  ANYTHING.  But here he was, saying he had nothing to be passionate about.  I thought maybe it wasn't that he didn't have a passion, but that he didn't know what it was.  I gave him a few questions to see if "nothing" was an accurate answer.
Posted by N-E-Things On 4/08/2014 02:32:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, April 3, 2014



I've shared motivational quotes before but what about when you don't really have something actually motivating you?  I honestly don't think that can be.  How can someone have one or more goals yet not have any motivation?  I think there is but you just don't know it.  We all have a reason to do the things we do and to WANT to do the things we'd like to do.  
Posted by N-E-Things On 4/03/2014 09:32:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, April 1, 2014



I was browsing YouTube again (don't worry it was during my non-work time) and I saw this.  The audio is a little low, but I liked it anyways.  Enough to share with you because I've said some of those things and when I sat to work, I forgot almost everything and entered my own world where  was no longer tired.  =o)
Posted by N-E-Things On 4/01/2014 03:31:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, March 29, 2014



I have postponed work on Jack & Justine and added the two pieces in Ínarú that I originally sketched but never made.  They have similar colors, green being the one they all share.  I've also figured out the "ideal" baby nap/mommy work time.  If it doesn't happen, it's counted as half an hour chill time and we continue the day until about 2 hours later when baby nap/mommy work time is a must (mostly to avoid a cranky baby).  If I can't get work in because of some other reason, I work for a little bit after he's gone to sleep for the night and I try to wake up a little earlier the following day.

Besides the update I wanted to share this motivational video I came across.  It can really get to a person, so you've been warned.  ;o)

Posted by N-E-Things On 3/29/2014 07:22:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, March 27, 2014

(source)


One of the things I most struggle with is the one a lot of people struggle with also: time.  "I don't have time for that" is something I'm sure has been said once or twice before.  This whole "launch" has postponed over and over because of that.  I have my schedule which I really try to follow, and most of the time I do, but sometimes something happens and I abandon it.  I just got tired/frustrated/aggravated/upset that I wasn't doing what I wanted to do.  And not only what I wanted to do but what inside I felt I NEEDED to do. Maybe it's a stay-at-home-mom thing, I dont know. I was just...like I said, tired/frustrated/aggravated/upset.
Posted by N-E-Things On 3/27/2014 08:20:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, March 25, 2014



Since I've had to add to the list of things I have to do, I haven't been able to work on NE-Things as much as I want to.  I've done work mentally of course.  You know: what do I need to do, how I can fix it, no that won't work, how about this, where did I put that?  But to sit and do physical work?  Nope.  Not on Ínarú. Not on Jack & Justine.  And according to my vision board, I am slightly behind.  Considering April is a week away, I am actually VERY far behind.  That's why I had to make a decision.

Posted by N-E-Things On 3/25/2014 09:17:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, March 22, 2014



This week has been a slow one for NE-Things, but that's nothing new I guess.  I did some work on Jack & Justine and posted a word count desktop wallpaper for sale on Sellfy.  I've been able to reorganize Ínarú and make the collection a little more cohesive for me than it was before.  When I did the original sketching for Ínarú I had two pieces that I sketched but never did because I wasn't sure how I was going to make them.  
Posted by N-E-Things On 3/22/2014 03:01:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Do you know about NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo?  I've been wanting to do it for a long time, but as you can tell by my other posts, I have time problems.  LOL  Anyways, last year, I wanted to participate in the April session of Camp, but though I sat down to write on a couple of days, I couldn't finish the month.  I even made a desktop wallpaper calendar for the month.  Every time the laptop went on I would see it and I would try to carve out some time to sit and write.  When the next day came and I turned on the laptop, I saw how many words I missed the day before and it kind of sucked.  I made the calendar like if it was one of those wooden message boards one would see at a summer camp. It DID motivate me, but it's just the whole time issue.  I admire so much those writers who take care of a family and a home and still have time to write.  I must admit...I'm kind of jealous.  Anywayyys...
Posted by N-E-Things On 3/20/2014 08:59:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Another quick post.  The laptop still isn't working right but I was able to work a little on Jack & Justine from the desktop (which is very slow).  I played around with the shading.  When I was halfway through I realized I wasn't sure if the light came from that angle since I haven't finished the background.  But, like always, I'll work around it.



Posted by N-E-Things On 3/18/2014 12:19:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, March 15, 2014

I'm not just a crafter, I'm a craft hoarder.  If you see that as a problem or a "situation" then it only means one thing.  You're not a crafter, are you?  Once my baby started eating solids I just couldn't find myself throwing away any of the jars.  Especially because some of them had the lids with illustrations on them.  I always tried choosing jars with lids of illustrations he didn't have, but sometimes I would have to get ones he already had. It really wasn't a problem because, once opened, I put two of the same kind lids away so we can play memory when he's older. 

I saved the empty jars and reused some to store beads, broken CD/DVD pieces, to hold glue/water mixture, my color pencils while I'm drawing, regrow green onions, of course I found this and had to try it:



Posted by N-E-Things On 3/15/2014 02:59:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, March 13, 2014

I'm not exactly where I'd like to be as far as my WIPs, so this is going to be a very quick post.  I caught up with some things relating to NE-Things, which is great, but I am still behind on some other stuff.  The personal matter I will be tending to for some months is not going awful or anything, but it is not going as smoothly as I thought it would either.  I have also been so preoccupied that it's almost mid-March and I just realized it's National Craft Month.  I am going to play that I knew all along and the Ínarú fixes have all been National Craft Month mini-projects.  LOL
Posted by N-E-Things On 3/13/2014 11:10:00 AM No comments READ FULL POST

Monday, March 10, 2014

This will be a short post because I don't have much news to give.  It was an "interesting" week.  I have something new I have to do on a daily basis which affects my schedule a little.  I had to update it again, but I feel it flows better.  At one point it divides itself into two separate schedules because it all depends on whether the king of the house takes his nap or not.  I've tested it towards the end of last week and it works.  Today was one of those days so we didn't follow it at all.

Posted by N-E-Things On 3/10/2014 04:30:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, March 6, 2014

More quotes I've found on the web:


(source)
Posted by N-E-Things On 3/06/2014 06:14:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

In an previous post I mentioned having created a vision board and within it I had my goals for NE-Things.  When I created goals before I wasn't exactly reaching them, but I wasn't exactly organized either.  This time around, I created SMART goals:


S - specific  (not "I want to be happy." but "I want to become a successful suspense/mystery/thriller writer.")
M - measurable  ("For me, successful means I would have sold 500 copies.")
A - attainable  ("How can I reach this goal?  What are the steps I need to take?")
R - realistic  ("Am I able to work towards this goal?  Can I actually dedicate time for this?")
T - time based  (not "Someday I'll reach this goal." but "I want to reach this goal in two years.")
Posted by N-E-Things On 3/04/2014 08:54:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, March 1, 2014

My editing program is still down, so I have had to abandon Jack & Justine for the time being. :(   I tried using one of those online programs but they leave a watermark and it's just a hassle to deal with.  Hopefully by next week my partner will be able to fix it for me.  Correction: by the week after next.  I will be out during this next week because of some personal matters I must attend to.  Because of that I won't be posting my "usual" posts.
Posted by N-E-Things On 3/01/2014 07:30:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, February 27, 2014

I wanted to write a little something about what I shared with an acquaintance.  I'll call her Sally.  Well, Sally and I are not exactly acquaintances that just met, but we're also not exactly friends.  We worked together many, many years ago and kept in contact through Facebook.  There's nothing more than the usual interaction within the posts and photos.  Sometimes, we communicate through the chat.  Usually just to touch up on something we may have read in the news feed.

Well recently she wrote me just to ask how I keep going.  Writes that she knows I have my child and that should be reason enough, but how do I keep going?  At first I had no idea what she was talking about.  I even want back through my profile page to see if I can figure out what she was talking about.  But I had to ask her to clarify.  Sally reads my posts, reads about the projects I want to do, how I start and something happens so I have to stop.  She says she reads about obstacles that I come across, "missions" I have to go through sometimes.  That she knows other people have "real challenges like healthwise" they face so they have a reason to keep going because if not they won't be "ok", but if I don't keep going I'll be fine.
Posted by N-E-Things On 2/27/2014 09:15:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Computer program is still down so no work on Jack & Justine.  I have the feeling my goal of finishing them before the end of the month is simply not going to be met.  BUT, that does not mean I am without "work".  LOL. For New Year's Eve we dressed up my king in a polo (my partner's choice of attire).  For me, it needed a little "something" and I simply could not just let it go.  I decided to whip up a bow tie.  It was just a last minute thing.  I didn't think I could do it because I still had to get myself ready to go, but I was determined.  I think it came out so cute!
Posted by N-E-Things On 2/25/2014 08:37:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, February 22, 2014



A quick catch-up on the schedule: my partner had been on vacation so we steered away from the schedule a little bit. But, so far our scheduled mornings are working out great.  It’s the afternoons and early evenings that we’re still “as it goes” with.   I don’t mind, but I need to cut out a block of time to get my own work done.  Right now, I’m just trying to squeeze work in when I can.
Posted by N-E-Things On 2/22/2014 02:42:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

My partner's on vacation this week so it's going to be a busier than usual one, working at home and running errands.  Luckily, I was able to sit and get some background elements together just to see what they would look like.  I'm somewhat satisfied with how it's coming along.  I like having Jack the same height as the flower in the picture.  I have to see how Justine looks in it because she will be taller than him and I don't know if she'll look too tall next to the flowers.  If that happens I may have to shrink Jack just a little.
Posted by N-E-Things On 2/18/2014 09:04:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Sadly, this weekend update is a very short one.  I got a little caught up working on some home projects and I didn't get to do more coloring on Jack & Justine.  Although I started working on their shading and other details, I didn't work much on their backgrounds.  But, just because I didn't sit to work in a way that I have something to show for it, it doesn't mean my mind wasn't working on them.


Posted by N-E-Things On 2/15/2014 02:03:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, February 13, 2014

After hours of trying out different body parts on Jack & Justine, I ended up using the same ones I shared with you before.  At the moment, I am not too worried about the arms because the project consists of different images in which the arms will be in different positions.  I settled on some colors, but I'm not sure if I'll be keeping them.  I have to add shading and details to the images so once I do that, I can decide if I'm going to keep the colors I chose after all.


Posted by N-E-Things On 2/13/2014 09:02:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

On my Weekend Update post I mentioned a new graphic design project I wanted to work on.  I was finally able to put my characters together.  It gave me a little bit of work trying to find clothing I liked for the male character, but so far this is what I have. I'm not really quite sure if this is going to be the end result.  I'm also not quite sure about the colors I'll be using.  But I really like the way they came out. These are Jack and Justine:


Posted by N-E-Things On 2/11/2014 02:47:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, February 8, 2014


So I've been working with the schedule and it's actually been working out pretty well.  Of course, there are days when I have to go out to run an errand or go to an appointment so I can't really stick to the schedule.  When that happens what I do is simply switch that day I went out with that week's Saturday.

Posted by N-E-Things On 2/08/2014 03:30:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Thursday, February 6, 2014

I created a vision board this year.  A vision board is basically a collage of images that represents the kind of life you want.  The collage is used as a tool to help you clarify the goals you feel you need to achieve this life.  The main thing on my vision board, the thing that I feel I would achieve if I work on the other smaller ones, is Inner Harmony.  There are a couple of material things on my board, like a car (tell me what professional pedestrian doesn't want one), but there are things I want to do like make exercise a habit, make Family Outings a monthly thing, send care package, among other things.
Posted by N-E-Things On 2/06/2014 07:27:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Tuesday, February 4, 2014


I wanted to share with you the last graphic design that I made.  It was originally supposed to be a Christmas gift.  I wanted something with robots because the recipient just LOVES robots.  At first I wanted to go with a retro classic looking robot like this one:


But, I wanted the design to be a simple design because I wasn't sure what the final product was going to be.  It had to be large enough that I could put in onto a pillow, but simple enough that if it went on a keychain, you could still make out the design.


Posted by N-E-Things On 2/04/2014 01:36:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Ok.  This is it.  One more go at this.  I did try, but there are so many things that get in the way.  I think mostly it was time.  Like I just had a hard time fitting it in.  I am not the busiest person in the world, mind you.  I just always found others things to do.  Be it for the house or for my family.  I'm not complaining, I just...I wished I had more for ME. 
Posted by N-E-Things On 2/01/2014 12:25:00 PM No comments READ FULL POST
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