Where the Day Will Lead...

I went into work yesterday and was having a hard time focusing on anything. It was one of those days where I really didn't have much to do and wanted to be elsewhere were it not for the paycheck. I was quite unsuspecting of how the day would turn out.

First, I found out that they are changing around our health plan at work and are also taking away half of our sick time for this coming year. We only have five sick days now which, even though I very rarely take any sick time, I still think is wrong. My boss's boss continues to gun for our department. Without going into details: I don't know what her problem is, but it feels like she has a vendetta against us. Lastly, I found out that I have to work a very long day on Thursday and come in on Saturday. It's a good thing I don't really have a life. Anyhoo, all of those extra hours meant that I got to leave work yesterday at lunchtime and not have to go in at all today. That's good at least.

So, I go home to find an Etsy Convo from my Fantasy Artists of Etsy Street Team friend Becky of Up From The Ashes (you must check out her amazing shop full of fairy wings, tiaras, and leather masks!!) telling me that she spotted my work on the Etsy Front Page!
My Titanium Stretch Chain Maille Choker was included in an amazing treasury curated by Green Post.

I haven't gotten any sales from the exposure, but have gotten tons of views and a few more hearts. By the way, I had hearted Green Post just recently and wonder if I made it into her treasury by that simple act. She's got an amazing shop full of eco paper, seed tags, and cards.

After that bit of excitement, I decided to head down to St. Pete to check out a store called Puckett's Store Fixtures that I had heard about from other area crafters. The place is a warehouse treasure trove of all manner of things for your business. It seems like it's mainly geared for people with a storefront, but I managed to pick up a new femaille model for $35 which I thought was a good deal. She's in really great shape and I needed a model for necklaces & such. I had to put a shirt on her, the poor thing looked so naked. I'm thinking about possibly painting her black, but we'll see.

Next stop, was a local nursery. We really haven't done anything with the outside of our house since we moved in. Admittedly, at first I really just didn't know what to do with it, but we also have had so many other big projects that we've had to deal with that it's been on the back burner. I've gotten really bored with how plain it is though, and have been thinking about doing some planting. Being stuck in a drought, however, is making me put that idea on hold a bit longer. It was fun walking around the sanctuary of the nursery and getting some ideas, though. My potted herb garden is certainly making things a little cheerier (I finally found some peppermint yesterday!) and I don't know if any birds have found the feeder yet, but it makes me happy anyway. I'm also thinking about making a garland out of seashells & twine to hang around the lanai to decorate it a bit out there.

Grocery shopping, a stop at Costco,Borders for magazines, and finally a quick browse at Target and I was finally home. I had been thinking about getting a terrarium for our sun room, but scored this adorable little succulent garden at Target for $5. I love it. It feels so Zen, which of course makes me content and happy. I might still add a terrarium later. All of this green is making me so happy lately.

Finally at around 9:00, I sat down on the couch with the cat, my Sage Woman magazine, a glass of iced green tea, and a lovely Aveda scented candle and relaxed until Scott got home half an hour later. What started as a day of scattered frustration at work turned into quite busy and delightful. You just never know where your day will lead sometimes...