Coming together!

Things finally feel like they're coming together in Kansas City for us.  

Danny and I both scored our jobs on Friday.  We had some FAB sales on his vintage shop this week.  We're starting to look for the perfect place to make our new home.  I'm on a whole new creative kick with my Chrystalyn line.  And, it's getting chilly in the mornings and its just SO refreshing! 

I adore this time of year.  Sure, its a new academic year and I've been out of school for awhile.  But when leaves are dying and changing colors, I feel the new beginnings that God is creating.  I feel a fresh breeze of hope blowing my way. 

 May you feel the hope of the future as well today!

Lovers Gemstone Wine Charms - $23 (just listed & ooak!)

Such excitement!

Wow, today feels like such a whirlwind. 

I found out this morning that I got the job I had my heart set on at H&R Block!  Its in downtown KC and its much like the job I did at Citi before I moved to Redding.  The best part is that I got hired even though they knew I was preggo.  This particular job is a temp position that goes through January/February.  Thankfully, that was how long I was looking to work before baby came our way.  I start Monday.

Last night Danny sold a typewriter that we've had on his shop for awhile.  Its a good thing because we could really use the money now.  Turns out I actually HAVE to go shopping now since I have 2 tops and 2 bottoms I can fit into that would be appropriate for the new gig.  I love waking up to Etsy sales... doesn't matter if they are from his shop or mine.  It makes my day!

On a more random but hugely satisfying note, I cleaned out my email inbox.  My Outlook now has a grand total of 8 items in it... and 2 of those just happened that I'm about to file because I've already got them tasked.  I LOVE being able to see what's inside my inbox.  The computer screen is a little slice of heaven right now because of it...

May good & pleasant things come your way too today!

Doors

Doors open and doors close. I have a magnet that says "Good clothes open all doors." When one door opens, another closes... I feel like I'm playing in the corridor of a big building with lots of revolving doors. Some days it's overwhelming, but today is inspiring.

Since late fall, I've been working full time on and off. Since late fall, I've also been dreaming up all sorts of creative endeavors that have stirring inside of me for years. I would set aside about an hour a day to do some sort of task that will lay a foundation for these ideas. I started a business journal in this gorgeous, gold, faux crocodile book that I got for Christmas from my husband. In real life, I have not had time to implement these grand ideas except in small doses. But, perfectly timed, that problem is no longer.

I found out today that the company I've been temping with no longer requires my services. They might at a later date, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. In the meantime and beginning tomorrow, I will have my days scheduled out like that of a true entrepreneur. Have coffee while I'm checking my email in pjs. Shoot new products when the light of the sun is just right. Brainstorm how to make money from little more than good ideas and the time I have.

My husband told me to go along with these ideas so that I could embrace them when the time came. And, that time is tomorrow!

two months later... and counting!

hey all,

i know it's been FOREVER (again) since i've updated and i'm moderately ashamed of myself b/c of it. only moderately, though. (-; this summer has been quite an unusual one.

i worked @ a job for awhile that i believed i would keep for awhile. i was wrong. i am now a regular temp agency worker and it's really not that bad. i very much appreciate the flexibility of working or not working depending on the schedule of my life. i'm also working early in the mornings doing catering & marketing @ a yummy little bagel shop that has honey almond cream cheese. enough said. (-;

i went to visit my momma in washington and got to meet all sorts of cool people. we did a dream seminar and they actually gave me the microphone, if you can believe that! (-; we hit up little towns and did a marathon drive of the state in a hot little convertible. i've got the tan to prove it. i sold a week's salary worth of jewelry and i very much appreciate everyone that purchased. one day, we went to a small town farmer's market and i was super surprised when i realized that the man in the booth serving "texas style" bbq sauce was indeed my uncle chucky. go figure! of course, the bottle is signed by charlie but i know the truth...

i found out that i wasn't accepted to 2nd year and i'm very thankful for that. it took some time to process the whys of my lack of acceptance, but i sort of think i knew ahead of time. i felt obligated, in a sense, to apply since i knew i was staying in redding. i think god knew what he was doing by not giving me the option later to say "what if i had gone to 2nd year." now, realizing it wasn't my next step b/c i very much know that god is sovereign, i can just look forward and enjoy the healthy suspense of what is to come this year for me. i was sort of excited about 2nd year, but i was really excited about the thought of building this year. traveling and building is what my heart longs for right now...

on that note, i've decided very much to focus wholeheartedly on creating right now. i'm working on redoing my 2nd piece of furniture right now. as soon as it's done, you'll be able to view it @ www.chrystalyn.etsy.com under the listing of vintage. i've also expanded into doing some other things w/ my jewelry. it's all still under the chrystalyn name, but i'm moving beyond strictly authentic gemstones and into some fun vintage found objects as well. these pieces, though still under chrystalyn, are catagorized in my shop as parallel. this section will be more expansive in materials, but no less quality work. you'll also notice that i've got an entire section devoted to vintage reworked, which is exclusively vintage in origin and maybe just done up in a more "now" way. overall, i'm just focusing on expansion as a whole. i'm pursuing the idea of elevating my creativity into a new level past hobby status. i'll also be booking holiday shopping shows for anyone who is in the area and would like to be a hostess. and just for the record, there are rewards for hosting...

in the last few months, things did not play out as i would have thought. i wanted to have my job as soon as school was out and being able to put back money for either 2nd year or for a new creative project. that did not happen, but i am very thankful for the way things have played out. if you had asked me a few months ago how my 1st year experience was, i might has given a slightly jaded expression and it probably would have taken me awhile to knit together a few breakthrough laced strings of events. i'm happy to say now, though, that i have received the vision for this past year... only backwards and in hindsight. i had vision coming out, but i must say it was exceptionally colored by the ideal world that my brain loves to reside in. ironically, god doesn't ever seem to manifest that world through my circumstances. in fact, and on the contrary, i think he very much enjoys simultaniously showing me what a incapable thing i am and how amazing i am all @ once through high pressure incidents, and often one after another. i'll admit that used to bother me. it bothered me until i realized that i wasn't really able to successfully foil the unthinkable plans of the creator of heaven and earth. this revelation both humbles and comforts me. and if i'd not learned anything else in the last year but only that, i'd enthusiastically agree that this was a good thing to do...

all of this is to say that i am in a good place and i think it's beginning to show in amidst my countenance as it's not shown before. if that's not proof of progress, i don't know what is!

love and miss,
chrystal lynn