New Sustainable Living Resources to Get You Excited About Living Green Again

I've dreamed of living in a Tiny House since I first stumbled upon Jay's Tumbleweed Tiny House designs back in 2007. I was living alone in my first apartment with only an hour a day of direct sunlight on my balcony, but I was having a renaissance in my life. I was devouring every book, blog, and video about living green, living tiny, and living sustainably. I wanted to grow my own food, preserve it, and cook from scratch; I wanted to make anything & everything so I could be independent of the grocery store. I wanted to have a home that I didn't have to pay utilities or a monthly rent /mortgage on.

To "live for free" without the need for an active income stream, began as a young dream and has continued to be a driving force in my adult life, whether on the front or back burner.

This morning I found this in my inbox and my passion is once again stirred up.

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Pricing for Profit

I feel like I'm always circling around how to make my shop better, my items better, and blog more.  And with a new opportunity starting (which I'll be blogging about next), I've really dropped the ball on this blog due to the demands and re-strategizing of my time.  I'm hoping I'll settle into a new routine soon that will include regular blogging.

But until then, I just had to share this inspirational (and my new favorite) video seminar I just finished.  Thank you Etsy :)

etsy on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Update 4/30/15: A friend of mine shared this article by an Ebay quilt seller on her pricing strategy using PERCENTAGES of her time + materials instead of paying herself an hourly wage.  I found this to be a worthwhile read + proceeded to implement her formulas in a Google spreadsheet of my own.  
**I'm sharing my pricing formula so as to be more transparent as a seller + to educate my customers into what is included in the price asked.  Please respect this vulnerability + comment tactfully.

Update 5/2/15: Pricing Like a Pro - with a worksheet to accompany you as they work your pricing strategy through a trial + error exercise.

How do you price your items for sale?  Please share any links in the comments below.

My Pick-Me-Up Playlist

Happy Friday!  Just a quick note to share a little playlist I've slowly been building & constantly listen to when I need a little inspiration.

It's a bit of an oldie (my spin instructor just recently played it in a mix) but I love when my mind just picks it up & *needs* to hear it.  That's what happened at the end of the work day, Wednesday, and what inspired this post.  I couldn't keep it to myself.

This one's thanks to Lieslmade.  I may have stumbled upon it through her originally, but I know I came back to it because of one of her posts.  So glad it came back to me :)

This is my favorite version of this song.


These last two videos will cheer up any dull day.  I known it's worked for a few of my rougher days.

Let me know if you have any songs to add to the mix, even if its just a song you've been obsessed with.  I love learning about new songs.  Hope you enjoy the mix.

Help from Interweave & Knitting Daily

Who knew?  I love learning new knitting and crocheting techniques from video vs. books.  I think it is the second best way to learn if you can't learn one-on-one with someone in person.

Yes, I knitted my sweater too short :(  and this Thanksgiving was going to be my weekend to fix it so I can *finally* wear it this winter.  Thankfully I received this video in my inbox today and saved myself a little more trial-and-error.  Now I just have to try their technique on my sweater.


And since I found this so helpful, I figured someone else out there might find it as helpful as well.

p.s. I'm back from all the wedding craziness & honeymoon abroad.  I can't wait to start posting pictures of the new house.  I promise I have a few before and afters and many more to come as we start decorating projects.  :)