NaNoWriMo is Slowly Beating Me to Death

I’m almost ashamed to show my face here (metaphorically, of course). I’ve been very lazy about tending to any of my social media and am now turning to it only as a means of procrastination. I must say, NaNo is kicking my butt this year.

I’m no newb to National Novel Writing Month. I’m even the Municipal Liaison for my region! And I don’t know what it is, but I’m just not getting in gear the way I have in past NaNos. I set out to write a fairy tale a day and became quickly bored with that. I decided to work instead on a novel I had planned out several years ago, that has a strong skeleton, but very little meat. I even more quickly realized I couldn’t think of anything to write for it. So I decided to try my hand at a historical fiction set in my hometown that I had done a TON of research on a few summers ago, but that flopped just as quickly. So now I’m on to writing new scenes for my novel which I finished for NaNoWriMo last year and have been working on the second draft for. Hopefully that will carry me the rest of the way to 50k words.

I know that I am no longer even close to writing a novel for National NOVEL Writing Month, but at least I’m writing at all. I’m using the deadline to force myself to write, no matter what I write about.

I’ve been consistently a day or so behind my word count, but I’ve never fallen excessively behind. So that’s something. I just need to get the motivation to crank out a ton of words so that I don’t have to kill myself in the final days of the month.

As of now, I’m officially halfway through the 50k and only a day behind in my word count. I’d say that deserves some hot chocolate with rum, yes? Anyway, the whole reason I’m posting this in the first place is to make myself feel less guilty for not working on my NaNo. Thanks  for listening to my rant!

I guess that’s all I really have to say. To make myself feel even less guilty for procrastinating, I’ll throw in a plug for my Seeds of Inspiration! If you, like me, are struggling with your word count this NaNo, a Seed of Inspiration is just what you need to get the creative juices flowing again! Check them out at Tiny Octopus Designs.

P.S. I got over 400 words out of this post. Wish those could count for my NaNo!

Wehland Bros. Coming Soon!

Phew! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything here! I’ve been caught up with school and the imminent approach of NaNoWriMo. Anyway, I’d like to take a step away from the Seeds of Inspiration, which have been my topic of choice recently, and tell you all about something I’m very very very excited about.

My husband and I have been working with his family for a while to start up a little business to which we can all contribute, and things are finally coming together! While Tiny Octopus Designs is my personal brand, my darling Thomas wanted a shop which could incorporate goods made by him, me, his brothers, his sister, and maybe even his parents. This way, the shop will have a wonderful variety of items which will hopefully all tailor to a general theme of “old elegance” whether they be authentically antique or handcrafted to reflect the perfection that is vintage.

We’re still building our stock, but I’ll be dropping teasers every so often as we prepare to launch so you’ll know what to look forward to.

The Seeds Have Hit Etsy!

I stayed up all last night prepping listings for their midnight release, published them at midnight, and then treated myself to cereal before going to bed. Today I gave a terrifying presentation, treated myself to a hazelnut and lime Italian soda, and then went home and finished putting the listings up. Needless to say, I’m pretty pumped about having my Etsy shop more packed than it’s ever been and I want to share the good news!

Rather than writing a lengthy post, because I’m honestly feeling like tucking in early, I’d like to showcase a few of the new shop additions. Hope you see something you like!

 

 

 

 

All of these pictures link back to the associated Etsy listings if you’re interested in exploring further.

Make sure to check out all the other Seeds of Inspiration now up for sale and pick yours out so that you’ll be prepared once NaNoWriMo comes around!

New Necklace Display!

I went to Michael’s today. Always dangerous. Normally I go overboard and buy everything I see that I think might even be a little bit useful to me, so I tried to restrain myself this time. I am proud to tell you that I spent under $20 this trip! I bought two new bottles of paint which I’m psyched to try out because I’m actually really horrible at mixing my own colors. The true treasure of this particular trip, however, is the most wonderful necklace display I have ever seen.

About a year ago, I bought myself a traditional black velvet necklace display only to find that my camera panicked when photographing a piece on a totally black background and left it devoid of any color other than blinding white. Needless to say, I retired that display to holding a nice necklace of mine on a bookshelf. So you must understand how thrilled I was to see a necklace display covered not in black velvet, but rustic, rough, elegant, perfect, loose weave cotton. I’m over the moon and I’m so excited to start taking photographs of my products on this baby! I deem her Victoria the Grand. And I love her.

Also, I can hook earrings in to take pictures of the whole set!

 

 

That beautiful beast you see in the background is Rupert the guardian of the printer. My Granny gave him to me for Christmas. 😀

More Seeds of Inspiration Before the SALE Runs Out!

I did it! I finally got my behind outside today while the sun was bright and the temperature was a scorching 62 degrees and took pictures of the newest round of Seeds! I can’t believe they finally go up for sale this Wednesday. I’ve had plenty of pre-orders which is really exciting for me, but I want to make sure that everyone who wants 20% off during my Pre-Release Sale can still get it!

There are pictures of all the Seeds of Inspiration over at the Tiny Octopus Designs Facebook page which is also where you can message me if you’d like to place a pre-order.

And in case you’re coming to this blog post for the first time, the Seeds of Inspiration are handmade in polymer clay to serve as muses during National Novel Writing Month and beyond! Really, they can be a muse for whatever your creative needs may be. A friend of mine bought two for her mom who had been suffering from a creativity block and another woman keeps hers on her desk at work to keep her cheerful throughout the day. They’re just lovely little totems to turn to when you need a smile, a boost, or a surge of inspiration.

Note: Normally I put each image into the post individually, but I’m a little short on time and a little overloaded with images because I’m indecisive, so they’re in “gallery” format. If you click on them they’ll enlarge and you can just flip through the pictures. Hope it’s not annoying! 🙂

Only three days to go until they’re up in my Etsy shop and the 20% off sale has expired, so call dibs now!

Photobucket and the Seeds of Inspiration

Sooooooooooo…. I’ve started using photobucket.com for all of my image storage/usage needs and I think I’m hooked. I hadn’t used the website since I was in high school and I was more than pleased to discover some of its fun new features! I use a Google Chromebook as my primary laptop and it is an entirely web-based system. That means NO programs whatsoever aside from Google Chrome and very little storage. However, it weighs nothing, runs crazy fast, and never bugs out because there are no programs to crash! It’s just been an adventure learning how to do everything I need to do through free online applications.

The only holdout was my inability to do simple edits to my photos before uploading them to places like here and facebook. But now it turns out that photobucket has quite a lovely array of photo editing options! Needless to say, I’m going overboard like a teenager who has just discovered the “posterize” filter in photoshop and thinks it’s exactly the makeover their myspace pictures need.

Please enjoy the fruits of my fun!

In case you’re coming to this blog for the first time, the items pictured below are Seeds of Inspiration: little muses handmade out of polymer clay to keep you inspired during National Novel Writing Month and beyond!

If you’re interested in pre-ordering a Seed of Inspiration before their release on the 26th, you can receive 20% off of your order! Just contact me with a dibs request.

And they’ll be up in my Etsy shop in less than a week!

Pinterest: Fall Craft DIYs

As usual, I’ve been hopelessly addicted to Pinterest and finding all kinds of fun things. Most recently my interest has turned to Fall themed craft and decorating ideas and I wanted to share a few with you!

1. An Elegant Leafy Wreath

I love the style of this wreath from the way it drapes at the bottom to the lovely Autumn colors in the leaves. It’s a nice prelude to the evergreen wreaths that are just around the corner.

 

2. Beautiful Blue Felted Acorns

I am completely in love with these. I’ve been meaning to get into felting for a while now, but I think this pin might just be the persuasion I need to finally start. They’d make great earrings, necklaces, and simply stand alone decorations! Might be a sweet idea to make a handful and gift them to a friend in a little mason jar or something.

 

3. Colorful Felt Leaves

These look simple to make, yet very cute and colorful and perfect for seasonal decorations! I believe these were originally intended to be used as coasters, but they’d also look great on headbands or on a necklace if they were smaller.

 

You can check out my Pinterest for more fun Fall craft ideas and keep an eye out for the next Pinterest blog post!

SALE on Seeds of Inspiration!

I’m having a sale! I’m having a sale! While the Seeds may not be hitting the metaphorical shelf until September 26th, you can still claim one ahead of time! Is there a favorite Seed you’ve had your eye on? Even if there isn’t, do you already know you’ll be buying one once they’re up for sale? Then just call dibs!

From now until September 26th, you can pre-order your Seed of Inspiration and save 20%! Just contact me with the name of the Seed you’d like and if it hasn’t already been claimed I’ll send you a code which you can use during checkout to receive your special discount.

NaNoWriMo won’t be complete without your own personal muse to cheer you on and smile encouragingly up at you through November and beyond!

And as always, don’t forget to check out the Tiny Octopus Designs facebook page for updates, pictures, and more!

Very Special Seeds of Inspiration

If you’ve been following my posts recently, you’ll know that I’m in full swing production of the Seeds of Inspiration which I hope will be used as desktop/carry-along muses during National Novel Writing Month. They’ll be up for sale in my Etsy shop on September 26th, but I’ve made a few as gifts for friends which don’t necessarily fit the general design of the Seeds.

Firstly, I made a Dragon Seed for a friend just to see if I could pull it off. While it may look like a bizarre tadpole, it is in fact a fearsome dragon which I’m pretty sure could carry off a small cat by the time it’s fully grown.

The next was a gift for a friend’s birthday. She said she wanted something fairy taley and maybe princessy, so I made her a fairy tale princess! Meet Camilla and her little metal wings.

And finally there’s the little chicken! She looks kinda funny because I didn’t want to give her a beak, but gave her a little comb so she’d more obviously be a chicken. Not sure about the result. My friend seemed to like her though so I call that success!

There they are! Some very special Seeds. So if you have a favorite animal, plant, character, or pretty much anything else just let me know! I love experimenting and I love commissions. Hit me up!

 

Keep an eye on the Tiny Octopus Designs facebook page for more updates and more pictures of the Seeds of Inspiration!

Seeds of Inspiration in Prep for NaNoWriMo

I had a lovely afternoon of bright sunlight and no work or school yesterday so I took the opportunity to photograph the Seeds of Inspiration! Since I’ve already announced that they’ll be up for sale on September 26th, I’d now like to tempt you with some hopefully tempting pictures.

In case you can’t tell, these two sets are matching earrings and necklace pendants! That way you can take your muses everywhere you go!

Whether you’re planning to participate in National Novel Writing Month or fighting a bout of artist’s block, these little muses are sure to be just the kick in the pants your creativity needs! Keep an eye on the Tiny Octopus Designs Facebook page for more pictures and updates on the Seeds and swing by my Etsy shop whenever you get the chance.

Lots of love,

Heather