Moving Around

We got order recently. We are moving! So now I am delicately packing away my fabric, machines, and designs book for the next few months while me move. It is an exciting time however a little nerve racking. I decided to put everything on 50% off until we move. That would be a great way to cut down on stock.

I am off to pack some more boxes!

Progress Continues

On a crafty note - I have been really excited about this design I am creating. Wouldn't you believe it...my camera took a vacation and isn't working on me so I can't post the awesome new purse I made. Well, not right now anyway.

On a health note - I am down to 222.2lbs now. Still being as active as possible while eating clean.

Update

One week down and I did okay. I worked out consistently and bumped my swimming up to 1 mile straight every other day. On the off days I just swim for 45 minutes. I am going to enter the Oxygen Makeover Challenge!! I decided that this week. I am going to do this.

On a crafty note. I designed and made a new purse this week. One to fit my Kindle in it's leather case. It worked out great!! I will post pictures tomorrow. As for now I am off to bed.

Something has got to change!

Has anyone ever seen a picture of themselves that made them realize something has to change and that your mental picture of what you look like is FAR different than what the camera or picture says? Well, the above picture was that picture for me. I was injured around Feb 2009 and since then my activity has become dramatically more restricted (explains the cane in the photo). That being said, my appetite hasn't changed and I still eat like I am running 3mi/day and lifting weights. My weight has stayed pretty steady while my body composition has gone from muscular with some chub to all kinds of chub! I figured I would put this on my blog because I know I am not the only one out there dealing with something like this and there is something to be said for accountability.

Here is the plan. I will continue to swim 5 days out of the week but ramped up my intensity. Lift weights, carefully, 4 days a week, and recommit myself to eating clean. I was on this way of life eating until I lost focus. My acne even cleared up while I was doing it!! (For more information on eating clean check out http://www.eatcleandiet.com/ ) I will swear off daily weigh-ins and weigh in every two weeks. I will also take measurements every month to track my actual size and not rely on the EVIL SCALE to show my changes!!

Every week I will post on the challenges I faced and any slip ups. If you would like to join in on the effort to get healthy by all means email me or post to my blog. We will encourage each other. I will also design and make 2 gyms bags to send to the top two people who drop the most inches and one for the most pounds by Dec 1. I will notify you so that you can choose your color scheme and add embroidery of your choice. Let's get to work! We can do this.

Here comes the hard part....My stats. No one is required to release this publically. You can email me your numbers and I will keep them private.

Height - 5'10"

Weight - 226.0 GULP!!

Neck - 15.5

Arms - 15

Chest - 43.25

Waist - 39.5

Hips - 48

Thigh - 28

Calf - 15.75

New Find!

I found this great website and YouTube video collection on make-up. I love making things beautiful, including myself, so I was googling make-up tips and found this site http://makeupbytiffanyd.blogspot.com/ . She has tons of great tips and walks you through looks that I would never be able to figure out without hours in front of a mirror. I love it!

A glass of Reisling wine sounds great right now!

These last two weeks have been interesting for me. My thyroid is acting up again. I must say I love having all this energy but the constant thudding of my heart beat in my ears isn't a good thing. Ahhh behold the lovely genetic gift from my mothers side, the Irish side. :  )  Right now, I am faced with the decision to either use radioactive iodine or surgery to remove my thyroid since this is the second relapse I have had in 3 years. My doc doesn't want to me take PTU anymore because of the risk it carries resulting in damage to the liver. I am not too keen on removing or damaging something I need to live. I am a firm believer that the more natural the body the better it can take care of itself. On the plus side, I am losing weight. Yes, it is shallow but I do try to find the positive side to everything.

Since I am kind of down about the whole Thyroid issue I think I am going to do a give away. That always makes me feel great! Look out for the announcement. I will post it this week.

The Fourth of July - Come and Gone

We enjoyed celebrating the 4th of July. The anniversary of our country's freedom. Something I hold dear as one who has fought to preserve that freedom as has my husband. I read somewhere that people who join the military have written Uncle Sam a check for up to and including their lives. So I want to take this moment of reflection on the weekend to thank all of those out there who help defend this country and the freedoms she enjoys.

Thank You!!!

Our Poor Kitty

Our Kitty - Polley

We lost our Kitty Sunday. She was my sewing partner. I always had to pull up a chair so she could sit next to my while I would sew. She also liked to sit on my foot pedal so I couldn't sew when she was wanting some affection. Here is a picture of my two girls! Our wonderful daughter and kitty snoozing on the couch.

Giveaway Winner

The winner of the fabulous wristlet is...drum roll please.... MySerenityWay! Congratulations MySerenityWay! Thank you all for entering. Thanks to my daughter for being my "pull the name out of the hat" girl.

Become a follower and keep tabs as every month there will be at least one giveaway!

Giveaway!!

The giveaway for today is the Lavender Design Wristlet which can be found in detail at http://www.etsy.com/listing/44980898/lavender-design-wristlet


All you have to do is reply in the comments and I will randomly choose one person to send this too. I will contact you through your icon. If your icon is set to private you can email me at galwaygirldesigns@googlemail.com and I will include you in the random drawing. I WILL NOT release anyones information outside of the winners first name or blog name. The winner may choose which one they prefer. Your information will not be given to anyone else nor will you be spammed by me. I respect your privacy.

I will post the winner on Monday - June 21st. The giveaway closes at midnight June 20th.

Best of luck!!!

My Birthday Gift to You

This week I turn, well, ladies never tell now do we! But this week I am offering 15% off all items at my shop www.GalwayGirlDesigns.com and free shipping in the month of June. Additionally, throughout this week I will be offering giveaways in the Etsy chat rooms and on my blog. I look forward to bringing a smile to your face as I enjoy my birthday week. Yes, in my house we get a birthday week!

Graduation Weekend in Beautiful Heidelberg, Germany

This weekend was one I have looked forward to for the last few years. I finally completed my Bachelors Degree (Bachelors of Science in Business/Finance). As if living abroad weren't enough of a treat my graduation ceremony was at the Kongresshalle (Congress Hall) in Heidelberg, Germany which is a gorgeous and historic city. The ceremony was so much more than I ever allowed myself to hope for. There were a number of speakers that addressed us graduates prior to our walk onstage to receive our scrolls. Afterwards we enjoyed a lovely reception with drinks and a nice buffet of fabulous European food. My family and I were thoroughly impressed with the event. In addition to all that the school provided a professional photographer!! Unfortunately, the photo I have posted is one we captured from the video we took and the angle is terrible. Can anyone say upward angle equals double chin?!?!

The ladies who coordinated the whole event were absolute gems. I am amidst writing them each "thank you" notes. The college couldn't have asked for a better set of ladies!

I decided to start the Masters degree this fall. Yes, I do believe I am a glutton for punishment. I think education provides a great foundation which helps us creative spirits balance business with creativity. That being said some people naturally have that ability. Some of us need to refine our skills through education and I am definitely one of them.

Fashion Purse Adventure

This is the latest purse I have been working on. The Fashion Bag. Once I get the purse down to a solid pattern I will publish the pattern for sale on my Etsy site. I have wanted to create a fun purse with some pockets for a cell phone, note pad, pens, keys, and other do dads that we women like to carry while not getting lost in the purse abyss. I think this purse fits the bill. This is the prototype bag but I still have some tweeks I would like to work out. I may add a magnetic flap over the top to secure the inside contents. This would mean going down to one strap and moving it to the side. Perhaps adding small inside zipper pocket for feminine items. What about an outside cellphone pocket? I would appreciate some input for fellow blog readers. What would you like to see in a purse?

New to Blogging, Not New to Crafting

My passion has always been creating beauty. Whether it is doodling on the outlines of the pages of notebook paper, turning old jam jars into works of art to hold pens and pencils, or sewing great purses and totes. I love making things beautiful! Nothing is more rewarding then when you making something. You design it, cut it out, sew it, package it, and sell it. Then it calls to someone who absolutely falls for it. They buy it because the beauty you created now fills their life and they walk away with something that has made their day. Whether they keep it for themselves or gift it to someone else. That small piece has changed someones day...just a little bit. What a great joy to be able to be a part of that.

Creating has been my outlet lately. My husband encouraged me to open an online store and sell some of my creations. With him supporting me I figured why not. So I opened a store on Etsy (www.GalwayGirlDesigns.com) and HyenaCart (www.hyenacart.com/GalwayGirlDesigns). The most challenging part of selling online is getting across your love for the products you make and how you put that into your creations. So following the advice of some talented ladies I started this blog. I hope you enjoy getting to know me, my products, and being a part of my inspiration.