It's been a while...

Hello friends. It's been a while since I've blogged. I must say I'm not the best at keeping up with this thing...but I try. I would just like to proclaim my love for eBay.com. First, I must say that I am the queen of eBay. Let me just explain my past experiences...
I have been selling things on eBay forever. Since I was about 13. Pink sweats resell very well.
So I bought this pair of yoga crop pants a few years ago at Victoria's Secret when they first came out. When they first came out, they were only $24.00. Amazing right? Now you can't even get their yoga shorts for that much, and those are about a quarter of the fabric. Anyway...I had two $10 off coupon, but I couldn't use them at the same time. So I ended up getting one pair for about $14. And then got another pair a few days later for the same price. Fast forward to the present...well...a few months ago. Those pants were getting a little old. I hardly wore them anymore. So...eBay it is. :) I auctioned both of them off. One for $29 and the other for $27. I don't know who wanted to pay that much for used pants...but more power to them. So, I made $28 and got very good use out of those pants.
Next example...
About a year ago, Dillards was having a massive clearance sale, with an additional 25% off of all clearance items. I found a beautiful Coach purse that was marked down to $100. Normally $198. Plus the 25% off equals $75. So I purchased it, used it up until 2 days ago. Then decided to list it on eBay. I was in a search of a new bag for class, and realized that Coach items have a great reselling price. So I listed my own that I purchased a while back (planning to use the money to buy a new bag), starting the auction at $25. Wow, that is really low, you may be saying. Yes, yes it is. I start all of my auctions out low because then people say "Whoa! That is a super low price." And bid. And then more people bid. And then more. And then it isn't about buying the product anymore. It's about competing with all of the other bidders to win! It's about winning. That is the secret to eBay. I will share that with you. :) So, minutes after I listed this purse (literally minutes, less than 5 minutes) I received a message, asking if I would do a Buy It Now option, and if so, how much? So I decided I would take $100 for this purse if they wanted to buy it right away. I don't really like doing buy it now options because it limits the amount that an auction can go for (another secret). When people form their own idea about how much an item is worth, it will surprise you how much an item will go for. So do not put Buy It Now options on your listings. Well...you can. But I don't recommend it. This was a different case because it was a private message. And they were obviously interested in this item. So I offered $100. And immediately I received a message saying they would take it. So I revised my listing, put it the buy it now option, and they paid for it immediately. I got paid $25 to use that purse. :) So, that my friends, is why I love eBay.

I stole this logo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EBay_Logo.svg

The Best Drink EVER.

If you are reading this, you must finish reading, and then make this drink. It is seriously delicious. Who needs hot chocolate when you have this? I found this recipe on Pinterest, so I'll post the link at the bottom. However I did make a couple adjustments. It's called a butterbeer latte, but there is no beer or coffee in it. So don't be fooled :) obviously the butterbeer references the famous Harry Potter drink. So here it is
2 tbsp butter
2 heaping tbsp brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
Put the butter in a pan and brown it. Watch very carefully because brown butter can turn to black butter very quickly. Once you have brown butter turn down the heat to medium low, add the brown sugar and whisk until evenly combined. Let that heat up for a minute and add the milk. Heat until it reaches your desirable drinking temperature, add the vanilla and cinnamon, and pour into a mug. You'll thank me ;)

http://haydenrodgers.tumblr.com/post/8261727464/master-haydens-butterbeer-latte-recipe-so-its

I Have Successfully Finished My First Week....

...of Real Estate school :) Only 4 more to go and I will officially be licensed. :) Well, after I take the test that's scheduled after the course is finished. But you know. :) I might as well tell you why I decided to be a bit ambitious and take these classes.

1. My mom is a real estate agent. She loves her work.
2. She could always use a little extra help. Bwahaha in a good way.
3. I am off-track at college. Basically, there are three "tracks". Each one goes for about 4 months. As a student you are assigned two of the three. I have fall/spring. Which means I don't have to go to school from January to April :)
4. I am still taking online classes. (That really has nothing to do with real estate school.)
5. Real estate can make you good money if you can do it well and do it correctly.
6. I would be able to work around my own school schedule, unlike a part time job with strict scheduling.
7. Great back-up plan for a job since a Bachelor's in Psych doesn't get you much these days.

I can't think of any other reasons...but I'd say that is a pretty good list. :) Needless to say, having class Monday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. poops me out.

Yes my hair is still long and luscious. It's just pulled into a bun. Don't freak. :)

Business is Booming. Almost.

 I finally got my Etsy shop up and running! :D It's buttonsbowsandbling.etsy.com! Check it out! Don't forget that if you don't have an iPhone, I am still totally willing to make you a case if possible! So don't be discouraged when you only see iPhones. Just message me with which phone you have and I will see what I can do! :D Here's a couple that I made today :)

I have a new hobby, and a new best friend...

Hello my fellow bloggers. I must say that I have had a fabulous weekend. It started when I finished all of my homework for my online classes on Friday (usually everything is due on Saturday), so I conquered procrastination, but not without motives. My family planned a trip to Salt Lake City for the weekend, and I certainly didn't want to do homework while I could be shopping. Who would? Then Saturday morning we woke up early and drove the 3 hours to Salt Lake. I've always been a bargain shopper, and I love great deals and sales, so first we went to Nordstrom Rack. I love that store, because I absolutely love Nordstrom. And Nordstrom Rack is all of Nordstrom's end of season stuff that has been discounted a supreme amount. Sometimes they also have stuff that only the Rack sells, but I'm not usually interested. Anyway, I found...my new best friend...in that store...His name is...

NEW LEATHER JACKET! :D

Isn't he beautiful?! I found him...and I had to have him. He also has an asymmetrical zipper, which is something I've wanted forever. And who knew a cow could smell so wonderful?! With that said, I also got a plain white shirt and a summery citrus colored tank top (both obviously not wonderful enough for a picture, but I will thank myself some day for buying them). I know he will pair wonderfully with my spiky shoes that I purchased a few months ago...they are also quite beautiful and one of my favorite pairs of shoes so they go together like peanut butter and ladies. (Talladega Nights. If you didn't catch that last quote.) Here is a picture of those beauties.

Yes. They will be perfect together. 

In other news....

I have...a new hobby. 

Called.

Making these phone covers. They fit iPhone 4 and 4S. I can probably do other phone covers if asked. Just request it if you're interested. I am probably going to sell them on Etsy. I will post a link later when I complete more. Some of them have already sold. I'll explain below in the captions. If you are interested in any of these, or have a request and want one specially made, contact me. :) I'll put the estimated prices for each below. While some may look similar in color or style, each is one-of-a-kind, and I plan on keeping it that way, so no one will have your exact phone cover. :) I plan on having them posted for sale within the next week or two. For now, this will just be my gallery. :) 

These five. The close ups are down below.

This one has turquoise paper overlaid with
white lace, coral colored buttons of different
sizes and shades, a tulle flower with a button
center, and a rhinestone surrounded camera hole.
Estimated cost: $20.

This one has pink and black patterned paper wrapped
with tulle, flat backed white "pearls", rhinestones, both in between
the pearls and surrounding the camera hole, a tulle bow, tied around
a "Love" trinket.
Estimated cost: $20.

Pink paper wrapped with tulle, rhinestones, swarovski crystals,
 and a tulle flower with a button/rhinestone center, with
swarovski crystals glued to different parts of the tulle.
Estimated cost: $20.

This one had turquoise paper, lace overlay, flat
backed pearls, rose tinted swarovski crystals, and two
plastic flowers.
Estimated cost: $30. 

Pink paper, lace overlay, swarovski crystals, some not
tinted and some rose tinted, rhinestones around the camera
hole, two flowers.
Not for sale, already sold.

Black and white paper, wrapped with tulle, two silk flowers,
rhinestones, and flat backed pearls.
Not for sale, already sold.

Large off white fabric flower, vintage paper, lace overlay,
pink flat backed pearls, acrylic rhinestones, and a lace skirt.
Not for sale, defected.

 I would love feedback on these. Please, if you have the time, give me your opinions. :) 

The Greatest Thing I've Ever Accomplished...Well...Maybe.

I'm super excited. I've just completed my newest crafting project, and it is AMAZING!!! :D The background of this project came from inspiration from eBay, you know, my very favorite website. I used to buy these super bedazzled blingy iPhone covers off of there. They were fine and dandy for a couple weeks, but after a while they got dingy and rhinestones kept falling off and so I finally ended up taking them off. Then the other day I was perusing on eBay, looking for a new cover. I found a few, but nothing that I absolutely loved. Well, let me rephrase. Nothing that I absolutely loved that was a decent price. A lot of them are handmade, but honestly, the labor costs are NOT worth $75. That's ridiculous. So.......................I MADE MY OWN! And it's so beautiful. (If you can't tell I'm super proud of this.) Now for the unveiling....
Drum roll please....
Now stop because drum rolls are annoying.

Overview. The Swarovski crystals surround the flat-back pearls and are
dispersed evenly in the triangle of other embellishments. 

This is a view angled toward the bottom. 

This view is angled at the top of the cover, almost upside down.

How cute is that?! And these pictures don't even do it justice. It looks even better in person. To me, the pictures make the cover look a little darker than the actual cover. This cover has a lace background, with flat back pearls, large acrylic rhinestones, Swarovski  crystals, plastic roses, and a large fabric flower. I am definitely willing to make and sell more of these for those that are interested. Contact me if you are interested and we can talk about it! :)

Let Us Catch Up

Hey everyone! It'd been quite a whole since I posted so I figured I would catch up on everything! Yesterday I had the wonderful pleasure of getting my wisdom teeth pulled. To be completely honest, I was terrified. However, once I got in there, they hooked me up to the IV to sedate me. Now from what I've read, sedation puts you into an altered state of consciousness and most people don't even remember the procedure. I, however, was still quite aware of my surroundings and just felt a little sleepy. So it was an interesting experience. All went well though, since I was blessed with only two wisdom teeth, both on the same side. It is a little unpleasant when the pain killers wear off, but with them I can hardly feel a thing! I guess I just got lucky :) I haven't swollen up yet either and I hope it stays that way. My beautiful friend Holly also brought me a delicious Jamba Juice and daffodils, which was so sweet! You can see the daffodils at the bottom of this post. So that's all for the wisdom teeth. I hope to continue recovering quickly. A few days ago, my grandpa asked me what I would like for my birthday since it is coming up on the 27th. I suggested some books for my Nook so he, being the kindest grandpa there is, sent me an E-gift card for Barnes and Noble. How awesome is that?! So I've spent my days recovering reading "Divergent" and I must say I am really loving it! It is part of a series of three books I believe. So, I would recommend it from what I have read so far. Anyway, I best be off for now. Hopefully I get better at blogging. Hahaha goodnight my lovely viewers!