Red Christmas Bells, been forever

The Red Christmas Bells Drawing diamond painting.  Finally finished.  Sorry, it was not a sunny day, and we aren't going to have a nice day for about a week.  This is a full square, 35x35cm from one of the 3 kits set I got last year.  I do still have the other two for now, details were in my FB and they are up online(ships from the US).  Now that I have finished this one, if the others aren't purchased, I will dig in and make those, as well, to be offered as finished art like this one.  I added the forest green washi tape, looks very light once on the canvas. Sprayed with some gloss sealant. I have put it on ebay and etsy  already. This does come in different sizes, you can still go to my shop and order it yourself in bigger or smaller sizes.  Remember that it will take about a month to get, from the shop orders. (I have noted that most all XMAS gift type things should be ordered by Nov 25, to ensure delivery in time, not much later will work.)

So, uh, blah.  I did get really sick over the entire summer.  I was fighting a nagging infection, ended up that I got a secondary infection--from the medicine.  I eventually went to the hospital and spent a little time there.  It's been a long road to recover, and I'm still feeling a little fragile, not sure if that will go away.  I've been taking it a bit at a time, all the important stuff for shipping and packing orders, as a priority.  I think I otherwise slept the entire summer, no joke.  I am tentatively getting back into my routine, including from having turned most communication off beforehand.  I am not sure what it is, younger crafters etc, but emails were outright bullying.  Writing an intro email to someone you are looking to help you, that sounds nearly like a death threat, isn't the way to go about it, sorry, and my stress levels cannot deal with that, and a lot of the toxicity of social media. 

I hope to have things back on an even keel, including contact for people that have actual problems with the orders.  There is tracking assistance all over the web, I cannot respond to everyone asking again for the status, when it's all been sent, or I'd never get anything done. If I get through the emails, it will only be on the TurquoiseRoads one, most all the rest, I never even see, as it is, those filter to junk email accounts from the payment processors and hosting, etc.

Next?  Good question.  I've now had a couple years to assess what is working and what's not.  Dealt with a few family issues that have seemed to resolved finally.  My health seems good, except for energy level, and I have to take that into account for what I can get done.  And for the first time in a long time, a relationship that may be blossoming into something worth setting aside some time and effort for. Still in a wait and see mode, at my age, I am not keen on rushing anything, and it's been buzzing around for a few years already, only recently becoming more apparent.

All of which means I need to be working smarter.  I will be trimming things that seem to be wasteful. I plan to downsize the ebay store when it is due, Feb 1? Most of the beads are not a productive item at this point.  If you want beads, this is the time to get them.  I will start lumping them into clearance bulk sets as the winter goes along, and moving them into auctions. I do have them on Bonanza as well, but I will try to push as many through on ebay as I can, before going into a smaller storefront.  A lot of the US dropship on ebay will also have to come down. Craft kits, threads, etc, will have to come off, probably not even enough space to auction.  Those are all on the TR Bonanza, again, you can still find it, but not if ebay is your preferred go-to, at that time.

I will be adding more China produced items in the bead space, ordering direct to have on hand. It's all stuff that populates US marketplaces already. However, I start to hit some issues on where to host items, conflicts on which platforms to use, and I cannot be spending hours every day in doing this.  The TR website is set to international shipping, which I cannot flip back and forth on items. I do not want to shut off international customers, that is about half my base.  But ALL of the items I have on hand, I will only ship in the US, it's much easier.  

So whether that is regular beads, China beads on hand, US sourced dropship, or the crafted items, I don't have a nice place to put all the overflow.  I am working on ideas to open another shop, for that.  It will only be available to US addresses---and quite possibly, no APO, PO Boxes, or even AK/HI, as many of the dropship will not accept those address formats.  Many are shipped by ground methods only.  Some of this is exciting for me, as I can add food items, perfume, etc, which I have not been able to offer before.  I do not have a firm date to start this, but possibly not until Jan 1.

In the meantime, it's time for a lot of site cleanup, and quiet nights of more crafting, as I hopefully recover a little more strength. (This includes the diamond paintings, as the super hot interest in those has waned a little; I will be cutting several of those slow movers out completely.)  I am quite disappointed in not being able to finish projects this year, especially since some are leftovers from last year. I am still working on the birds and maple pixel, ready to pick another type of diamond painting, and a few small cross stitch in the works. Not feeling like I have a lot of time to rest, needing to push so many things forward. 

My next update shouldn't be nearly so far, only a few weeks, if that.

Butterfly and Roses Pixel Mosaic, illness

A finish I thought I would have ready a while ago.  Butterfly and Roses pixel mosaic(non XMAS!) 10x8". 4 plates, 64 colors.  I somehow got stuck at the very end, just for the finish. While that happens sometimes, mostly it was because I wasn't feeling well, and just couldn't get that last oomph to get it done.  It's up on Ebay and Etsy already.


I sold the pink tiger head diamond painting.  I'd like to make another of those, but I really don't want it to be pink, so I am not sure I will order another one.  It was fun, so maybe sometime later, pink or not.

In the works?  I have a huge pixel of fall birds I would really like to get cracking on. I have a few small Christmas things that keep hanging around in my face, that I will probably shuffle around and work on.  I'd like to be fitting in one more non holiday type item soon, perhaps an oriental theme cross stitch.

But, in the meantime, I've been dealing with some serious illness. Not sure if it's really been noted much before, or it was way back, that I am not totally healthy. Chronic illness things that will never go away.  Hence, my foray into totally online craft and women things with the auction and website formats.  It's how I need to make money--- and how I can work and still take some downtime, as needed.  That bears repeating, the flexibility of crafting and working from home, lets me work around many types of scheduling issues.  Sorry if it's not always on the customer's timeline. Lately, it's been worse, and I've been more delayed than even I would like, but it couldn't be helped.  I've developed a severe secondary issue with my stamina, after being so sick with colds all winter.  It's not under control right now, but a bit better.


So---right now, most all of my energy is only on the most critical items. Usually listings and processing orders.  And I must, that is my income.  Other things will be processed as I can find the energy and strength.  (usually resolving itself before I get to it.)  

Add to that, shipping times have been extended.  I am not sure what happened to the Chinese New Year Festival, but it didn't seem to go that well, on their end.  Multiple issues with stock, delays, processing, message responses, etc.  Standard regular shipping has now been pushed to 25 days delivery.  Ouch.  It used to be 12-20.  Nothing I can do about that.  PLEASE start planning ahead, especially for holiday ordering, this could create quite a backup in October and beyond.

Anyhow, we seem to be at the edge of summer already.  I am busy still re-sorting from the Festival, and getting links updated, and adding items in several more categories.  I do not expect to do much crafting right now, but with several projects that were almost finished, I hope to have some more updates soon.

Be sure to check out the beads on ebay, I am clearancing a bunch of those out, permanently.  Older items that I have decided to drop, probably won't replace.  I will have some new items in the fall, to add, but it will be different beads, as well as more diamond supplies and dropship craft items, etc.

Candy Cane Pixel Mosaic, slow going

I have been working on other things!  Another finish, from a couple weeks ago, so the listings are already active for both Ebay and Etsy.  Candy Cane pixel mosaic.  This is only one plate, 4x5", but it also came with a plastic frame to set it off, so it's ready.  Pretty sure I will source another one, in pieces, cute idea, just not yet.

LTNS.  I have spent the entire winter going from one cold to the next, including right now. For me, that requires serious rest, in between what I can get done.  So I am still behind.  You will continue to see several Christmas projects coming out, as I did not get to get them done before Christmas.  And well, I think this year will mostly be a continuous Christmas, as those are my best sellers, etc, and it will be upon me before I know it, for this next year.  And, I really need to make things work.  On the more personal side, I continue to have a few things boomerang and chip away at my energies, that I thought were mostly done.

And, it's been the Chinese New Year.  That's been my time to dig in for some serious rework on website items, other listings, research, etc.  As the suppliers do not work or respond at all.  A few are just now coming back to work, but not that many, and they are swamped.  I am still processing orders, including some as custom(the regular listing was gone from them), so please please please be patient.  I haven't even had my email up this week, as I have no answers or updates, and no suppliers are answering until now, so, sorry, I will work on that as well.  Many listings will change, so please use the search function if you were looking for a specific diamond painting kit, or ring, etc. I will keep the names the same, but many have changed to alternate suppliers.

On that note, all emails etc should only be coming to the website.  I do not read or have direct access on a lot of other email accounts(including the payment processors), social media, or even mail etc.  It's yahoo  as TurquoiseRoads .  That's the only one to get you a (mostly) prompt reply and address your issue.  Orders, missing drills, tracking, artist removal requests, (at least from my site, I cannot control what China is producing), additions, etc, EVERY THING. Anything else unfortunately may be not seen, appear to be ignored, misrouted, or blocked. I streamline everything to that account only, online, for my health and sanity. Please use it.

In the meantime, omg, I am looking for warmer weather.  I hope that will ease a few of my cold issues and my work and productivity.  I do have another pixel mosaic in the works, and it's a spring/summer theme!  But then I will be right back to XMAS as I ponder a few other quick projects, or not so quick, that are more general in nature.

Jolly Santa Pixel Mosaic finished

This is a cute one.  Jolly Santa, a 10x8in pixel mosaic. 4 baseplates attached to make the picture with the plastic pegs. It should have gone a whole lot faster, but I was surprised with some family arriving in town--for a long stay. I have it posted on Ebay, next week to Etsy if needed.

I will have to take a pause on the pixels, as my diamond painting of the Red Christmas Bells has arrived.  It's later than I expected, so I will have to rush to get it done.  This is the one that I bought 2 extra, so they are here now, if you haven't checked out the FB page for TurquoiseRoads for the details on how to purchase the ones that are available to ship in the US right now, $23.99.  And of course, you can purchase any of the sizes for yourself, on the website here. This is a 35x35cm full square drill, hopefully a smaller, quicker project.  I am always open to work on these kits on a commission basis, as well, these in stock, or any that are listed, just like any of my other crafted items.

I had to stop on the Merry Christmas crossstitch text, just not enough time to get it done and make it available. I'd like to give people plenty of time to frame, and it is an odd size, so professional framing might be the norm.  I haven't wanted to put it too far away, but, never know.

I did start a new re-do on the Four Seasons cross stitch birds I had up.  The Fall and Winter birds had sold.  I have made the Fall bird available again, on ebay and etsy, the Winter one will be a few weeks. (I will also be making the Spring and Summer ones again, but they hadn't sold yet.) I won't keep reposting links to previously seen items, though, it kind of clutters this. I also have the Yellow Rose cross stitch up, again, if I didn't mention that previously.

Excited to get some new projects going though, with a couple finishes soon! --It's too cold out already, to be out goofing off.

Winter Stars pixel mosaic finish

A big finish!  Winter Stars pixel mosaic.  This came out really nice, I was afraid it would still look rather too pixelated, but just needed to be put together!  This is 15x12" and 9 plates of work. 38 colors. It's on Ebay, and I will add to Etsy in short order. Warning, yes these are very expensive, even if I were to source my own supply parts, it's just not a cheap craft.

I have a Santa pixel to start next, and I am working on a complex Merry Christmas cross stitch piece that I will have to be hustling to get done in the next week or so. Busy, busy, sales are bustling, so it's a rush for the next few weeks.

Halloween Pumpkin Finish, China Holiday

Another older finish, to some extent.  Halloween Pumpkin, from Artiste. 5x7" on 16ct white aida, full coverage 2x1 cross stitch. Some partial stitches, and I left off the backstitch, kinda looked cheesy. And wow, did this take a long time. Not just how long I've had it, but the actual stitching, as it's 16ct not 14. And it's all full coverage, and very few of these tiny charts ever are.  But I love it, rather stunning for only 3 colors. It's up on eBay  and I will give it a little bit before posting to Etsy.

Nothing much on the other pumpkin, the diamond painting. I am still waiting for missing drills to arrive, and have set it aside for now.  I may not pick it up again until the spring, to be worked on in advance of next holiday season.  I'm going to pick out a Christmas one this week, which will be one with extra kits, to also sell direct once they arrive.  This is just on the FB page, as I am not ready to add to the Ebay site until after the main holiday season for me is done.

I also have square diamond drills #310 and #318 already shipping to me.  Those will be available in a week, or so. Also, preferably through FB, although I have added to a stationary Bonanza site for those, as it is much slower, and some other perks that eBay doesn't have.

I'd suggest if you've been waiting to place some orders, that you do that soon, for diamond paintings or other items on my shop site.  The October Festival in China is Oct 1-7 and they are closed all that time.  And from what I remember last year, seriously closed. Nothing happens.  Which means you need to order a few days before then, so the order can be processed, sent to the shipping containers, and out to sea, before Oct 1.  Some of my suppliers are MUCH faster than others, but of course, you don't know which ones, beforehand..... So, considering that also falls into a weekend, before that, I'd suggest you place orders by Sept 24 or before. If not, it could be 6 weeks before you get your items, as they will be backlogged as well.

In the meantime, the weather has been giving me some fits, but it is storm season and the change into cooler weather. I do hope to have some other finishes posted soon, but with a few of those issues, and it being well into my selling season, there are only so many hours in a day!  Be safe out there.

Poinsettia pixel mosaic, holiday things

So this was my next finish. This is a pixel mosaic, really enjoying these, just wish they weren't so expensive. Possibly I can get materials to make more, a little cheaper. This is Poinsettia, 4 baseplates that come out to 8x10". It's on Ebay  as well as Etsy already.  I am working on another one already, a winter but not necessarily Christmas one, lots of blue. And I ordered another Christmas one, best chances of selling some of these, for now. I'll branch out into other types as I get into next year.

Holidays.  Somehow, this is creeping up really fast.  It's been a somewhat quiet, yet furious year of work. And somehow, not ever catching up!  So there won't be a lot of holiday crafts from me this year, not much more. Everything I currently have slated in front of me, is about it. And from a selling prospective, for crafts, but even general living, it's time to start thinking about that. As a crafter or seller of them, it's time to be ordering those supplies, if you haven't already.  My China items take nearly a month to arrive, so if you are looking at diamond paintings for Halloween and into Christmas, it's time.  The winter chill will be arriving in some parts, soon, so I am starting to stock other items, as well, warmer and some party dresses, jewelry, etc. A month to arrive, on average--.

I'm also starting to see about trying to get some beads direct, from China, on hand, and misc related stuff. Not a lot, but trying to see if there is more than a small desire for them. I tend to stay for the higher professional market, but I am getting requests for cheaper beads and smaller packages, so I may see if I can accommodate at least a few things. Only so many things I can expand at a time, until I see more growth, and right now, that is in the spring. In a few weeks, I will only be busy filling orders and trying to get a couple crafted things out the door.

Right now, I have two pumpkin things in the works, I'll show some pics on the next postings, as one is a diamond painting kit that I have 2 of, that are on hand for immediate shipping. (Can check my FB for that info.)