Hola lovelies!

I thought about what I would say in this post—my first post after years of not blogging. Life was life-ing the heck out of me. 😂 It has been one seemingly endless roller coaster ride, one that has tested my endurance, faith, and peace.

In 2020, during COVID, I lost George, the love of my life, whom I frequently blogged about here. It was the most traumatic experience of my entire life, but through my strong faith in God and the support of my family and friends, I am happy to report that I survived it.

I wish that was all—that it is the end of the story—but it is not.

Two years ago, I shut down everything to take care of my dad, who had dementia and other health challenges. It was a most grueling experience, but a rewarding one as well. I got to spend quality time with my dad before he passed at the beginning of this year.

That almost broke me.

Almost.

But here I am—thriving again, grateful to God for His blessings and for another chance to live this beautiful life.

Why do I say that despite all of the sadness, loss, and pain?

Well, I realize that without darkness it is impossibe to even perceive light. It is the weight of the sadness that made me appreciate and CHOOSE joy.

Oh yes.

I choose joy.

And I want to share that joy with all of you.

There are so many stories and experiences I can't wait to share with you, so stay tuned!

The best is yet to come.

Cheerio! ❤️

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One Side Hustle That Pays!

Hello lovelies! Today I want to introduce a side hustle that I have been using successfully for more than 4 years.  My only regret is that I did not do it sooner. :)  The side hustle that I am talking about is Fiverr. 

When I first heard on Fiverr in 2010 I was instantly put off by the $5 jobs I saw offered on the platform. As an experienced designer I felt that a $5 job was not an option for me. Years passed and then one day after I relocated to the Bahamas and essentially had to start all over, I decided to give it a try. I really needed extra money. Imagine my surprise when after just one week jobs started coming in and not only that, I was able to send custom orders to my clients which were all whatever price I decided was fair. Turns out, $5 is the very base price for an item on Fiverr and you can set your own price. Needless to say, I was encouraged to keep going and now I can truly say as a "Fiver Select" seller with a 5 star rating that it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

 

 

 MY STORE 

 

How Fiverr Works 

You do not have to be a designer to work on Fiverr and you do not have to do labor intensive work to earn money. Just find something you like to do that you do well, set your price and open your shop. Don't overthink it. My simple jobs start at $15 but Fiverr has 3 tiers of prices/packages you can set, my highest is $50. My Median package is $30. Many times people request custom packages though and they can be hundreds or even more than a thousand. It depends on what your customer needs.

To better understand how Fiverr works, there are two parties involved: 

• Sellers: A seller is anyone looking to sell a service to earn money. Simply put, sellers are freelancers showcasing their skills and services to prospective buyers. A seller lists their services on Fiverr alongside the amount they charge.
• Buyers: A buyer is anyone looking to purchase a service on the platform. Buyers can use the search tool to browse seller profiles and find the ones who meet their requirements before placing an order. The bottom line is that buyers hire sellers to accomplish specific tasks.

One of the things I like best about Fiverr is that you can get help creating anything on their platform. From interior design to ghost writing, web design, architectural drawings and video creation to some pretty unusual gigs...like yodeling for instance. Trust me, you can find whatever you can imagine and then some. :)  Fiverr also has multiple ways to make money on their platform.  Sign up and invest in some of the talented people there. Many businesses use the design services to grow their businesses and most times it is at the fraction of the cost they pay elsewhere. This allows for business opportunities and networking and most of all, PROFIT! Start using Fiverr to grow your business, trust me it is one of the best strategies I have ever used!

  3 WAYS TO START EARNING TODAY! 

 BECOME AN AFFILIATE

1. You can sign up here for Fiverr's affiliate program if you would rather earn money that way. The sign up is pretty simple and you will have all the information and tools you need at your disposal to succeed.

 

 

2.  Have videos for tictoc and youtube created for your customer base through Fiverr

 

3.  Get your own design ideas created for prints,  tees and mugs. Sell on Etsy, Redbubble or shopify 

   

Well, I do hope this helps you to try Fiverr, it is worth the effort of signing up. Your pocketbook and business will thank you for it!

 Cherio!

 

You Are My Sunshine!!!

 

 Well, my dear blog, it's been a looooooooong time since I showed you any love but I promise to make it up to you.

There are so many things that happened to me in the last 5 years. I moved from the US back to the Bahamas and then the love of my life passed away 2 years ago in my arms, in the middle of Covid. Needless to say, life in the last few years has been really challenging at times. Forever the optimist though, I look for the bright spot in everything. Today I was browsing and came across these little beauties. They really made me smile. If my husband was here I could see him purchasing one for me and hiding it under my pillow. :) Today is the anniversary of his passing and I miss him terribly but I realize his spirit is still here with me, always showing up in little ways so I know he is here. 

 

Like it? Get it here.

 

CHERIO! 

Happy Easter!

Jesus Is Risen

May you and your family be blessed as you celebrate the true meaning of Easter, from the reflection of Good Friday to the joy of Easter Sunday and the promise of eternal life.

Best wishes to you this Easter.

 

CHERIO!

Art Crush Of The Week

Hello lovelies!  Hope you are enjoying the Easter holidays. :)

Today, I am so excited to share with you an artist that I stumbled upon last week.  This gal is baaaaaaaaaaaad to the bone talented.  Her Art keeps pushing all my happy buttons and I find myself smiling as I drool over her pieces.  And trust me, I am super picky so this is not the "norm" for me.  

Well, without further babbling, let me let you know a little about my new obsession.   

Emilia Elfe a Moscow-based collage artist creating decadent, vintage-inspired graphics. Using old fashion campaign images from the 40s and 50s, Elfe brings back retro glam with jewelry cut-outs that create alternative fashion covers. In her art, she makes references to the masters of fashion photography – from Horst P. Horst to Richard Avedon.


So fab! It was so hard for me to choose from her work.  I loved them all, so, please forgive me for the excessive pics.  All are different and so stunning in their own way!  Enjoy. :)

Cherio!

A Little Bit A FarmHouse In My Lifeeeeeee!!!

 

I made this from twigs and shells.  These blooms will never wither!!! :)

I really don't understand what is happening with me but man, am I making things these days!!!! My crafting energy is through the roof.  In the last two weeks I have tiled a table, a vanity, made bracelets, necklaces, a floral arrangement, A farmhouse graphic sign, a large abstract Art, designed numerous prints and now I am working on hand painted coasters.  The artistic force has been strong with this one lately!!!

So without much ado here are some of the goodies these hands lovingly forged....And by the way, I have been really feeling modern farmhouse design so these for the most part inspired by that style.

             

My first attempt at a Farmhouse hand painted wall hanging......I really like how it turned out. :) I just grabbed a piece of left over wood from my husband's stash and stained it with black liquid shoe polish/stain. Say what?? Yes, I did. It worked like a charm, plus it has an applicator for easy application.  Why did I use shoe polish instead? Well, it allowed some of the wood to show through, it dried very fast, is a permanent stain and did I say how easy it was to do? lol. It was.

                 

Aren't these gorg???!!! My brother-in-law gifted these lovely sea fans to me and the blue tiled table is the one I mentioned above. I tiled it but have not grouted it yet.  I had so much fun going mad Max on those tiles with a hammer.  Who knew!!!

 The Abstract painting shown here only took me about 30 minutes to paint but it is so light and airy in the space. Perfect for the area where it now resides.  Can't wait to paint another.  I like the challenge of painting without thinking of a specific image.  So freeing!!

Finally the jewelry.  I like to recycle beads and pendants and I also love incorporating nature into my pieces...hence the lovely tamarind seeds in the bracelets and the reclaimed wooden beads.  I also used recycled glass beads.  That seafoam green color gets me every time.  It's  hands down my fav.

Well, that is all for now but rest assured, lots more to come.  I hope this inspires you to go a little  craft crazy yourself.  You never know what you can create.

Cherio!

One DIY Blog Crush and Some Pretty Epic Tee Makeovers

If you've been on my blog for more than 3 seconds, you already know that I am a DIY fanatic.  Like I need DIY Anonymous fanatic.  It is a condition however, that I hope to never, ever find a cure for. :)

So, as all crafters like to do, we are always scouting our next project.  Mine just happened to be a small heap of cast-a-way t.shirts that my hubby no longer wants.  Ahem, well, I did help him a little to reach that conclusion but hey, tomayto, tomahto...:)

Anyway, there I was on the web enjoying all the dIY inspiration for my new project when, boom!  I landed on a blog that made me do a double take. I mean this lady is like my DIY twin.  We have similar taste, style and creativity.  How do I know this, well I was still there 2 hours later on a busy day like today.  I heart her blog to the 10th...   Her site, Trash to Couture, was created in 2010 to inspire a less wasteful approach to the mass-produced fashion mainstream through DIY sewing tutorials and repurposed fashions. So smart, so fab! 

                                        This tee was made with a doily.....can't wait to try this!

One of the things I like most about her projects are the fact that the finished product always look so polished, tasteful and chic. Like they were meant to become what they are. I love that! "I want to make everything on her site.

 I.  Am.  So.  Not.  Kidding. :)

 But, before I skip on down the bunny trail, let us start with that heap of shirts I mentioned.  These are the inspiration for my tee makeovers, and they are all from Trash to Couture.  What do you think?

Cherio!

A Lesson From Shakespeare on being a "Malm"

 

If there is one thing I learned in life, it is that nothing stays the same. From the sand on the seashore to our waistlines and and relationships, we all change and grow. Every day.  Sometimes for our betterment, sometimes not.

Recently, I had a major change in my life. It was as if I woke up and suddenly I had become a, gulp, "malm."   When did this happen? But more importantly, how?

I searched my face for wrinkles, sags, and bags. You know, the stuff that old age is made of.  I saw nothing in particular that wasn't there before.  Hmmm.  Is it something am giving off subconsciously? Is it my manner, my tone, a look?  Or, is this some nebulous phenomenon that happens to all women at an exact predestined moment in their lives? C'mon! THIS GIRL WANTS TO KNOW.

Don't get me wrong. I know that malm is a term of respect and endearment.  I could be called much worse and I have.  Just not to my face....... On most Days.


The question is, what is it about the "malm" word that gives me the hebbeee geebees. On the surface malm is not a bad word, not really.  But seriously I hate it.

After giving it some thought, this is what I figured out.

Why The Word Malm Is A Soul Crushing Blow To Some Women

A "malm" is officially recognized as grown.  A grown woman is supposed to act grown...do grown things. All the time.  

"Malm" is telling me that at a glance you think  I am old or older than you....

"Malm" suggest that I am no longer "cool", or current

"Malm" informs me that I becoming more invisible or less attractive. Every day.

"Malm" makes me think of depends and my teeth soaking in a glass next to my bed

"Malm" says that my boobs are in a race to reach my waist or will be soon

So in a nutshell, "malm" is the signal that I have reached the end of my youth and all the glory that goes with it. 


And so, do you see why I hate this word?  Sigh.  As Shakespeare wrote, "rage against the dying of the light".  He probably wrote that the day he became a "sir", so  Shakespeare I feel you.  Thank you. I am not going down without a fight.  I will NOT stop until I am un-malmed. I promise. :)

Cherio!