Thursday, August 19, 2010

A/C Resolution

So as you all know, last night I got to sleep with no air conditioning.  In North Carolina - in the middle of August.  Luckily, the weather played nice yesterday evening and it started raining about the time I went to bed and kept raining the whole night.  It was perfect - I could sleep with the windows down and the wind wasn't blowing the rain in my house.  Those are the nights with the best sleep.

But I digress...I woke up this morning and the air conditioner still wasn't responding.  I had to go to work, so my dad came over and called the repair person.  He didn't make it to my house until about 3pm.  He stayed for about 15 minutes and said that my thermostat wasn't programmed correctly.  So, he programmed it for me, checked my freon, charged me $170 (yeah, you read that correctly) and left.  My dad called to tell me he was done and that it was working around 3:15.  Dad left my house and I decided to come home from work (teacher workday today) and I got there around 3:30.

Much to my dismay, I walked in the house thinking, "Hooray!  My air conditioner works now!" - only to be brutally disappointed.  No cool air was blowing out.  Outside, unit is once again a snow cone.  Tears of frustration start pouring down my face as I call my dad to tell him once more that it's not working. 

By 5:30pm, repair guy is back at my house.  He goes under the house and discovers that one of the relays/delays (whatever) that switches the fan on and off in the air handler (which blows the cool air in the house) is completely and totally broken.  So he has to replace them.  Add another $105 for my parts and now my air conditioner works like a dream come true. 

I am now exhausted, but relieved.  I have been worrying all day about the worst of the worst with my air conditioner.  Thankfully, it wasn't that major.  Just wish I didn't have to part with $275...but it could have been much worse, I know :)

Another blog featured me!

Thanks to The Merriweather Council for featuring me in their latest blog.  You can see me featured here:
http://themerriweathercouncil.blogspot.com/2010/08/etsy-newbie-spotlight.html

I am so honored to be in this blog!  It's my first blog feature.  Please visit their store on Etsy, too:  http://www.merriweathercouncil.etsy.com/

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

I have no A/C, but I do have new earrings!

Last weekend, my grandparents' air conditioning went kaput.  And now mine is acting up!  In the hottest month of the year.  Here in NC, we are on the 60-something day of over 90 degree highs.  I know my A/C has worked overtime, but I came home today to find the unit covered in ice!  The pipes looked like a snow cone. 

Anyway, it's the evening and it's a little stuffy in my house, but I've got people coming tomorrow to take a look at it.  I changed the air filter - I haven't changed it in 4 months - and it looked like dryer lint screen!  Yeah, it was pretty bad.  Now, I'm not dumb, but I have rented for years and this is the first time I've ever had to think about changing the air filter.  I don't know if changing the air filter worked because the unit is STILL defrosting...three hours later.  *sigh*

Despite my hardships, I have endured and even made some new jewelry.  The fans are definitely on the highest level possible here at JMEBeads. 

The first set of earrings I would like to show you I am calling my Blue Disco Earrings because they remind me of those spinning disco balls!  If you are in to retro glamor, these are totally it!

The next set of earrings are geared towards fall.  They are another set of leaf earrings, like my yellow wooden earrings.  But this time, they are peach colored and shiny!  Take a look...


Finally, I've made a third set of earrings that are just gorgeous!  They are purple and bronze/copper glass beads with a copper/bronze charm.  They are lovely for fall with the rich purple and bronze tones.  I will be posting these on Etsy soon, but you saw them here first!

Let me know what you think about these new works of art!  There are more on the way!  I am experimenting with some brand new designs that break away from what I've been doing.  More to come! 

Monday, August 16, 2010

Hair Pin Obsession

I've been on this planet for 25 years.   I have been blessed with lovely strawberry blonde hair.  Unfortunately for me, it's too thick for any kind of style except for a ponytail.  I'm afraid to do any dramatic cut to my hair - after I got scarred for life in 6th grade when some "stylist" butchered my hair.  I still haven't recovered from that.  So, the point is...I've struggled for years to find any kind of hair ornament so I can do something with this hair of mine.

This past spring, I stumbled upon the solution.  One of my students came to class each day with her hair neatly pulled back with hair pins (bobby pins).  It looked so easy and effortless that I asked her about it.  She explained that it took her 5 minutes or less (bonus for me) and that her hair was very thick, so it was the easiest thing she could do to pull her hair back without wearing a ponytail or clip.

Fast forward a couple of months now.  I've joined Etsy and I've been browsing around the stores and I've noticed that people are selling handmade hair pins!  I was ecstatic!  I went searching for things that I could make my own with and maybe even some to sell. 

By the first of this month, I had lots of hair pins ready for sale (and plenty of my own for me to wear) - and I opened up a new section of my store on Etsy.

Check out some of my wonderful hair pins - www.jmebeads.etsy.com

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The Beginning of JMEBeads

First of all, my name is Jamie Marie Eads. My initials are JME and I work with beads...hence, JMEBeads. And it amuses me that Eads is my last name and Beads rhymes with my last name. I have the corniest sense of humor, but that is how this endeavor got its name!

My store on Etsy got started about a month ago now because I was out of school for the summer. Without my typical part-time job during the summer (which I resolved I would not have!), I was left with a void in my day. I didn't know what to do without teaching. All I have ever done for the past three years was plan lessons and then plan even more lessons.

Now that I have overcome the learning curve that comes with the first years of teaching, I actually have time for a life and even a hobby! In reflection, I do not think I've ever had an actual hobby. Watching TV, movies, and reading books never qualified. When people asked me, "Jamie, what do you do in your spare time?", I was at a loss for a response. All I could do was come up with some lame answer like "Reading." And that's just not exciting at all.

So one day in the middle of July, my boyfriend was showing me a website that shows you how to make all kinds of things (http://www.instructables.com/) and I saw a link for how to make safety pin bracelets. It seemed simple and I tried it out. I made my first one...then I made a lot more. Shortly thereafter, my Etsy store was created.

Since July, I have expanded my store to include hair pins, earrings, and necklaces. This is a hobby that keeps me busy and is actually de-stressing after a long school day. It gives me an outlet to be creative in a different way - because I can only be so creative in teaching/lesson planning until I'm burnt out.

Also, I really want my Etsy store to be successful! This is a hobby for me, true, but I do like making people happy. When my mother and friends receive a unique piece of jewelry, their faces always light up! For me, that is the best feeling in the world.

And so my adventure begins into the world of jewelry-making...