Best Thoughts During Construction

Under Construction

After ordering new business cards for our Etsy shop I got inspired to freshen up my blog (and start blogging again!). I didn't want to pay so I whipped something up myself. It's still "under construction" and I have lots to learn from other bloggers (like adding all of those cool, sparkly "pin it" buttons). You can "follow me" on Pinterest here. I have a board named "blogging and business". You'll find some awesome blog tips through this board. Hope you are inspired by my other boards as well!

Best Thoughts

While I'm in the middle of working on my blog design and coordinating it with Etsy and FB I thought I'd share some cards. We are working on a large order and I'll be sharing some of the cards for the order. If you see something you like, visit our Etsy Shop to place an order!

I used the Best Thoughts set from the new Stampin' Up! catalog. I colored the flower and added lots of sparkles of course!

I hope you were inspired to create and also to keep working toward you goals...even if you have to take a long break. If you have advice on blog design I welcome it! Especially how to design a cool signature for the end of a blog post. :) 

Lots of love,

Robin 

When I Need a Friend...

...you're there! It's such a blessing to have friends like this. After being diagnosed with Lyme I realize just how special it is to have faithful friends. And near and far God has brought friends that I didn't know/didn't spend much time with before this journey began.

A Card Challenge:

Most of the time the card challenge sites have sketches or colors that are somewhat challenging but THIS challenge from Stampin' Celebration was the hardest yet! I love a challenge though! I took a bit of artistic liberty but tried to stay true to the sketch as well.

I think the hard part for me was that the banners were on top of the half circle. And that the flowers/shapes needed to be scattered on the banners. I give props to Wendi for the sketch. It is important to be challenged to become better at anything you do! 

Paper (SU): Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Soho Subway DSP, and Park Lane DSP

Stamp Sets(SU): Choose Happiness and Petite Petals

Embellishments(SU): Twine and Pearls

Tools (SU): Pansy Punch, Petite Petal Punch, Circles Framelits, Banner Framelit from the new Gift Card Framelit as seen in SU's holiday catalog. 

This Weather:

Despite the nasty weather, I'm thankful that my rheumatological symptoms are not as pronounced today. It's a perfect day to cuddle up in a chunky sweater with a cup of coffee or tea in hand and a favorite blog or book. 

I want this sweater! ...and the ring looks cool too.

If you could please pray that I'd be able to read more. I really miss it. My cognitive skills have declined, making comprehension difficult. Good thing SAT's and ACT's are way behind me :). I'm thankful for stamping. It's such a great creative outlet that keeps my mind going with out making my head feel like it's swelling. I love it! 

*Robin 

Coffee Lovin'

Coffee Themed Card:

Like many around the world I love coffee. There's mixed reviews about if it's good for you or not. Caffeine isn't great for Lyme. The question about coffee came up early in the string of doctor's visits and I was told that one or two cups a day is OK but not ideal. I usually stick with the "OK" option ;)

I was so happy last year when Stampin' Up came out with a coffee themed stamp set, "Perfect Blend". I love the color challenge this week at The Paper Players but was having a hard time choosing a stamp set. I didn't want anything fall related even though the colors lend themselves to that. "Perfect Blend" seemed perfect for the project!

I also got my groove on at Freshly Made Sketches. I love their challenge site. And the stamp set worked with the sketch.

This bold roast may show up in our Etsy Shop or in my person stash! 

Materials: Always Artichoke paper and ink, Cajun Craze paper and ink, Whisper White paper, Baked Brown Sugar paper and twine, Blackberry Bliss paper, Color Me Autumn DSP, Bitty Heart punch, Square Framlits, Project Life corner rounder, Sweet Essentials, Gorgeous Grunge, and Perfect Blend stamp sets.

Some Pain Relief:

I started medical massage on Wednesday and was near a pain attack before the masseuse began the session. She was able to reduce my pain and the relief lasted throughout the evening! I'm thankful for a therapy that helps with pain and that's covered by insurance. Insurance coverage is a big deal when dealing with chronic Lyme. Praising Jesus for this blessing!

*Robin

First Christmas Card of the Year!

Fresh Challenge:

I've been holding out on making Christmas cards because I want to hang on to summer stamps (I didn't even get to some of them!) Flamingo Lingo is one that I really want to ink up. Who says there can't be Summer in December in place of Christmas in July? :)

I enjoy using the sketches at Freshly Made Sketches! Here's the sketch and my card!

How it's Made:

I used the White Christmas stamp set from the new holiday catalog. I've had a hard time getting the photopolymer stamps to make a complete image but this stamp set makes nice images. Any one have ideas to make the images clearer? I had fun designing a Christmas scene. Loving this stamp set!

Materials: Framelits, White Christmas Stamp Set, All is Calm DSP, Smoky Slate, Whisper White and Lost Lagoon card stock, Smoky Slate, Lost Lagoon, Pear Pizzaz, and Cherry Cobbler ink, and lots of bling to make a sparkly white Christmas look.

Health Update:
The doctor is concerned with my teeth so I'm off to the dentist tomorrow. My teeth often throb throughout the day because of clinching due to pain. Please pray I can make it through the appointment. I may even come out with a cool mouth guard-hope it's sparkles :)

*Robin

When Skies are Gray

I can hear thunder outside right now! So that fits perfectly with the card I made for the Mojo Monday challenge. I've been wanting to make some cards to have on hand for personal use, not just for the shop. But I have been feeling gray skies and haven't felt up to making anything. I just finished a parasite protocol that is used in conjunction with my Lyme treatment. Whew, it sucks the life right out of you! But last night I felt well enough to go back and craft. 

I always have a hard time choosing which stamp set to use. I knew I wanted to use the Mojo Monday sketch. 1. Because it's awesome and 2. Because I saw that my aunt and cousin had uploaded their creations. It's usually hard to pick the challenge as well but these 2 reasons made it easy :) I chose the See Ya Later stamp set by asking Ken to pick a number and a letter and this was the set that I landed. 

I wanted to paint a picture with the colors and patterns I used on this card. I used Smoky Slate, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, and Whisper White for my main colors. The new Sweet Taffy DP and large dot embossing folder came in handy. I wanted paper that gave a cloud effect. I used the Stampin' Write markers to distinguish the sun from the cloud and the HAPPY from the rest of the words on the stamp. Happy should always be in yellow, right? A strip of rainbow Sweet Taffy DP was a must because there's hope in and after the worst storms!  I finished the card off with paper piercing and bling! 

I'm not sure if this card will show up in our Etsy shop or in my personal stash. Check out our shop HERE! I really enjoyed some stampin' therapy. I encourage anyone to give stamping a whirl but especially people with chronic pain who want a creative hobby that you can do in the solitude of your own home. 

I think I might use this great sketch again in the future! 

*Robin 

Sunny Days

What, a Walk without the Cane!?

The last couple of days I've felt a bit better. Went for a walk yesterday without my cane! It was a gorgeous day. Ken and I walked side by side and admired the new neighborhood and saw kids having fun. It's going to be crazy when school is out!  Wouldn't it be nice to be care free like that again. 

Got to church this morning too. As soon as I got into the car after church tears rolled down my eyes as my body gave out on me. My gait was messed up when we got home and Ken had to carry me up the stairs. Thank goodness for Ken! Whether it's church, the mall, a doctor's visit it doesn't matter...I break down when I get home. It's still worth getting out I think. Really learned a lot at church today! 

I'm off treatment for a little bit just to catch my breath. The intense detoxing was getting to me. In addition to getting out of the house I've been doing some creating with my extra energy. I've been making some cards. Slowwwwly :) 

Pals Paper Arts:

I'm starting to love doing card challenges. 

I made this card inspired by the Pals Paper Arts sketch challenge! 

I'm not a Stampin' up demonstrator and don't describe every product I use on a card.

However, my favorite elements of this card are: International Bizarre DP, Perfectly Penned Happy Birthday Stamp, and Gorgeous Grunge Stamp Splatters to back up the sentiment.

This card will be for sale in our Etsy shop soon! 

Am I Hurting Right now?

You betcha! But here's the thing. There's hope! Take advantage of the less painful days and find a creative outlet or intellectual activity that you can handle. It really helps.

If you're interested in Stampin' up products let me know. It's super fun and I know a demonstrator-my mom! We'd love to have parties in our new craft room one day. 

Soak up the sun if you're in the south! And enjoy the few days, hours, moments of some relief. Hang on to them and use them for good!  

Blessings,

*Robin

Fab Friday Challenge

Challenges:

No, I'm not talking about Lyme in this post :) This is about what mom and I have been up to in our new craft room!

Recently I've discovered that there are a multitude of card making "challenge" sites. Love a challenge! And this also gives mom and I inspiration and an incentive to keep our blogs updated.

Here is the sketch challenge: 

http://fabfridaystampinchallenge.blogspot.com

Here is my card for Fabfri35:

Check out my mom's site for her card! http://www.lauraglin.blogspot.com

Most of the cards we post for these challenges can be found in our Etsy shop! 

Take a look and shop around: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheRoundedCorner?ref=si_shop

Keep creating and shining! 

*Robin 

Sending or Selling?

Not Strictly for Etsy: 

Most of the time mom and I make cards strictly for our Etsy shop (check out the link to our shop at the top right corner of the blog and follow us here on TRC's blog via Google Friends Connect)!

Well, recently there have been several birthdays and a few engagement, baby, and wedding cards that I've wanted to make. But I have a hard time keeping up with everyday tasks, like getting to the coffee maker in the morning.  Ahh, that's probably the most important part of the day. Making cards, decorating, playing the piano and reading the Bible and articles has been very therapeutic. I'm seeing some progress with this new treatment plan! So, I'm able to read and write a lot better. Hallelujah!

I mentioned making cards earlier and that it's a challenge sometimes. Well, here are two of the cards I made that weren't sold but sent. These cards can be replicated if you'd like. Just go to our Etsy shop and send a custom order request. Leave a comment on this post if you have questions. 

For Grandpa Roop's Birthday: 

For this card I used the Cycle Celebration stamp set. All of our cards are made with fabulous products from Stampin Up! I just love this bicycle! 

For Courtney and Corey's Wedding Shower:

This card was soooo fun to make! I just love this music paper from Stampin Up! and the dahlia embellishments AND the big bow (so girly:). The sentiments are from the One in a Million stamp set. 

Our family has been friends with the Fraziers for as long as I can remember. Kristin and I are the same age and we're pretty tight :) Courtney helped me through a really rough time with my health when we were still in Greenville. So excited to go back to the Gassaway Mansion in January to see them get married! Mom and I couldn't make it to Courtney's scheduled shower but Ken and I went over to meet Corey (Courtney's fiancé) and Saddy (Justin's wife)

Pics from our visit!

Shine bright, 

*Robin* 

Customers and Cookies

Customer Acquisition 

No, we did not open a cookie shop! But a couple weeks ago we were contacted by a bakery based out of Massachusetts  Check out their bakery and our card fronts on their cookie boxes here -----> Bellavella Cookies The lady from Bellavella Cookies has been great. We get orders from the bakery on a consistent basis, almost every week! We are thankful for this opportunity that came to us. Praise the Lord! I can't work fast anymore but I still try to work hard. That's what I'm learning, it takes hard work, patience and diligence to get results. So keep at it if you have a small business or an Etsy shop going! 

Customer Retention

Anyone who owns a business knows that customer satisfaction is a key component to obtaining repeat customers. We use Etsy's business platform and they offer tools to keep customers happy. What I've realized over the past few months is that the more items you post to your shop, the more interest you get from potential customers. At first I was happy that we had a shop and some success on Mother's Day and Father's Day this year. However, we knew most of the people who bought from our shop. We're thankful they came to our shop! If you're one of our customers, just know that you rock! Our goal has been to keep our customers interested and gain customers by figuring out what people like and stocking the store with those items. Thankfully we have people from all over the country that buy from us now. I haven't written any posts that are serious or about business but I really enjoy the topic. Please leave comments on how you keep your customers happy. If you're one of our customers or interested in our products let us know what you like! 

This post is a result of my Dad encouraging me to have the link to our shop visible. Pretty good idea I'd say. :) So here is the link to our shop, The Rounded Corner Shop. I'll also be posting the link on the homepage of the blog so it's easy to find. 

Lyme treatments are going slow. Not much progress but not much regression either. Lots of raw pain and fatigue. We go to see the doctor soon. Even though it is miserable, I hope we get back on an antibiotic regime. Thanks to all who have been praying for us. This past Thursday was the 1 year anniversary of my diagnosis. It was very emotional. Lots of flashbacks but I'm thankful to God who is my sustainer! The light is at the end of the tunnel shine bright and eat a cookie while you're Rounding the Corner to get there! 

*Robin 

Our Etsy Shop

The Rounded Corner! 

Yep, that's the name of our shop. The blog evolved from the shop and merges our passion for creating and for spreading the word about Lyme disease. If it weren't for Lyme we probably wouldn't have started an Etsy card shop.  I have a B.S. in Business with a Marketing emphasis and was ready to get my feet wet in the corporate world. But I can't hold a FT job so my mom and I decided to make lemonade!  

We started our Etsy shop in April 2013: Shop Here Mom does most of the production right now and does fabulous work! You have to check out the cards. You see the link. I know you see it! :) I make some of the cards and maintain the shop. 

Our Styles

Mom's Creation

Robin's Creation

Christmas is Coming

Currently for Sale!

Christmas gift bags coming soon! 

Christmas tags coming soon!

Our Products. Your Rewards.

Most all of our products are made with Stampin Up! materials. They offer a wide variety of tools, embellishments and papers that are just amazing! The images on paper are hand stamped, not printed. The products are labor intensive but extremely fun to make and sell!  

If you're reading this post receive 15% off your order from now until Christmas! Use coupon code TRCBLOG15 at checkout. Our site only has a button for Paypal but if you click on it you can use your credit card. No need for a Paypal account. 

Free Shipping on our Breast Cancer Hope Cards-no coupon code needed. Encourage the fighters! 

*Robin*

             

Why "The Rounded Corner"?

Pep Talks: 

Ever since my health problems started, Mom has been a constant source of encouragement and gives the best pep talks I've ever heard. Many times I don't believe what she's says. I'm scared to use the words, "when I get better" or "when I'm able to cook, work, swim, etc.". I need to have more faith. The thing is, I really don't know if I'll get 100% better. What most people don't realize about Lyme is that it's a disease. When someone says they have ALS, Parkinson's, Addison's, or Crohn's disease I think that they have it for life but they can manage it with different treatments. When Lyme isn't caught early enough, the same scenario is true. It's a disease. You have to stay on top of it or it will come back.

Anyway, back to pep talks. We came up with the name, "The Rounded Corner", for our Etsy shop and blog through an analogy that we go back to often. We're in a dark tunnel right now, we see little flickers of light that help us keep going but we haven't rounded the corner to completely see the light and the good in all of this.  Some days there isn't a flicker of light but that's when I'm reminded that we walk by faith and not by sight...literally! 

Our Etsy Shop:

The Rounded Corner offers hand made paper items, especially cards. We used to offer crocheted items but recently chose to keep it to paper. Mom makes the majority of the goodies in the shop and I post the items on Etsy then blow up everyone's newsfeed with our newest creations and sales. :) I enjoy making cards too and believe that it's really good to have a low-stress hobby when you're going through Lyme. We chose an Etsy shop because we can work at our own pace and earn some extra money. I fell flat on my face every time I tried working outside the home. I'd literally collapse in pain when I walked in the apartment after work. Had no clue at the time what was going on and how serious it was. I'm thankful that I didn't collapse today and was able to continue with my butterfly cards (which will be in the shop eventually).

Right now business is slow because of no major holidays I guess. We have lots of bright, fun cards posted and will be adding more soon. Take a peek: Our Etsy Shop!

Right now we are running a sale. Read the shop announcement at the top of our shop's page! 

Shining Brightly:

A slogan we came up with for our Etsy shop is, "The light is at the end of the tunnel. Shine brightly while you round the corner to get there." 

There are so many days I lay in bed and wonder, "how in the world can I shine when I can't even move, speak or form thoughts?" But the days (and late evenings) that I have enough strength to do things is the time to shine...well, I guess both days have shining potential with Jesus in the mix. It's very easy to get self focused with this disease because you're constantly thinking of what you have to do next, which antibiotic, what pills, how to get to the restroom, how to sit up, and on and on the list goes. I'm so thankful for my family and friends who have come and seen the seizures and still love and shine their light.  They choose to walk through the tunnel with us. Try walking through a tunnel with someone-you may never know how much it means to them. 

What does shining brightly mean to you? Some days I'm interested in answering that question and acting on it and other days I honestly could care less. Praying for strength to shine. Don't waste your Lyme Disease. Don't waste your life. 

*Robin