Alive! Ultra-Shake Review

While I want to eat a healthy diet and know that I really should take vitamin supplements every day, I finally came to the conclusion that I am not disciplined enough to swallow a big multivitamin horse pill each morning. First of all, the aftertaste is disgusting and I always seem to feel slightly sick to my stomach for a couple of hours. So, I decided to look into adding a vitamin supplement in my morning smoothie. I came upon the Alive! Ultra-Shake Vanilla powder. I'm so happy I found this product and can't recommend it highly enough.

My morning smoothie consists of 1 1/2 cups water, 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, one banana, and approximately 2/3 scoop of Alive! powder. I don't use the full scoop. As a woman of small stature, I don't feel I need the full dose. I then blend these 4 ingredients together and I have my breakfast.

The flavor of the powder itself is not that great. I would never think to drink it by itself. But mixing it with the blueberries and banana makes it very tasty and I actually look forward to this smoothie each morning. I have tasted other powders that are much more flavorful, but the reason for that is they contain a lot of added sugars, which I really wanted to avoid.

Nutritional information (includes powder, blueberries and banana):
Calories: approximately 250
Protein: 12 grams
Dietary Fiber: A whopping 10 grams!

The vitamin content of this powder is very complete, which is the main reason I selected it. Other powders I looked at had the basic vitamins, but were missing many of the lesser known minerals. I wanted a big bang for my buck.

Another reason I selected this powder was due to the natural ingredients. The protein is non-GMO pea protein. This is much more easily digestible than proteins from soy or whey sources. Just look at all the other ingredients in this shake! I won't pretend to know what it all is, but it seems to have many added nutrients:

I purchased my first can at Sprouts for $36.99. It says that it has 26 servings, but with my 2/3 scoop, I can stretch that out to about 35 servings. However, my next order will be through Amazon - they offer this same size for $26.09 AND free shipping. If you subscribe for a regular delivery (say every one or two months), the price drops to $24.79. The problem with that option is you no longer receive the free shipping since the cost isn't a minimum of $25.00.

Here's my smoothie ready to drink! (I had to include a plug for my alma mater - SDSU - haha!) I pour it into my tervis tumbler and sip it while working. At 250 calories, this is a great breakfast and a wonderful way to start my day. I seem to have a lot of energy, although I'm not sure if I attribute it to the smoothie.

 I'm not going to pretend that I know a lot about nutrition, so if anyone has any additional information (good or bad) about this product, I'd love to see your comments. Also, if you have tried this shake, please comment and let us know what you think. If you have tried it with other ingredients (my daughter adds peanut butter and banana to hers), please give us your recipe.

February Giveaway Contest Results

Thanks to everyone who participated in my first giveaway contest of 2013!

We had a 3-way tie with the exact date given. The date I had in mind was the date I joined Etsy - November 26, 2007.

Since there was a 3-way tie, I let my trusty assistant, Keena, help with the random selection for the winner. I placed all three names on separate pieces of paper and threw them in the air. Keena then selected the winner. As you can see from the first photo, she wasn't quite up to the task. But with a little lovin and a milk bone treat, I soon had her ready to help out.

Congratulations to Kristin! You will receive an e-mail with the details of your gift certificate.

Why It's Important to Have Your Own Website

I've been selling on Etsy for over 4 years and have been very happy with the traffic and sales I receive on their site. People are always asking me if I have my own website and until recently, I never gave it much thought. I did sign up for my domain name - TheresaRoseDesigns a few years ago, just in case. I tried to create my own website but was overwhelmed with the task, so it went years wasted.

I have finally gotten my act together and launched my website and it only took me 1 week from start to finish! I'm so glad I finally completed this task and wonder why I didn't tackle this sooner. The reasons are so numerous why it's so important and I spell out the main ones here. Hopefully, this will get you motivated to do the same.

Here are the main reasons to have your own site, even if you are selling successfully on Etsy:

1. You own your brand name. TheresaRoseDesigns is my name, forever. As long as I pay my $10 or so every year, no one can take that name.
2. Your entire online presence can be accessed from one location. From my main site, you can link to:
• Etsy Shop
• Blog
• Facebook Fan Page
• Twitter
• Pinterest  
3. Increase your web exposure.  The more places you have your name, the more you will be found.
4. Complete control over content. While I love the way Etsy looks, I do not control the picture sizes, color, or logo. I want the first look a customer has of Theresa Rose Designs to be the image that I want to project.
5. SEO, SEO, SEO! I can drive customers to my site via SEO (which I'm still learning). I can't really do that on Etsy. 
6. Credibility. Having my own site shows that I'm serious about my business. If I'm invested in my business, then that builds trust with potential customers. It shows professionalism and legitimacy.
7. What is the future of Etsy? I'm pretty sure that Etsy will be around for a long time, but if anything happens, I'm positioned to link to a new store. If Etsy disappears and that's my only on-line presence, I disappear.

Your website doesn't have to be a massive undertaking. I have a couple of pages. I use it mostly to link to my other sites at this time. Once I realized that this was the way to start, the task didn't seem so daunting and I was able to get to work on it. In a later blog post, I'll explain how I was able to design and complete my website in only one week - for free (that was the best part).

Theresa Rose Designs

February Birthstone - Amethyst

February's birthstone is Amethyst. It is an interesting stone that has a history I'm sure most people don't realize:

Amethyst Gemstone Meaning
Crystalline quartz in shades of purple, lilac or mauve is called amethyst, a stone traditionally worn to guard against drunkeness and to instill a sober mind. The word amethyst comes from the Greek meaning "without drunkenness" and amethyst is believed to protect one from poison.

Power Stone
It is used as a dream stone and to help insomnia. Put an amethyst under your pillow to bring about pleasant dreams, or rub it across your forehead to offer relief from a headache.

Protection Stone
Ancient Egyptians used the amethyst guard against guilty and fearful feelings. It has been worn as protection from self-deception, as well as a protection against witchcraft. The amethyst has long been used to open the spiritual and psychic centers, making it one of the power stones. It is also used as a meditation aid when worn as a necklace.

Whether you are wearing it for protection or power, its beauty is always fashionable!

Amethyst Cubic Zirconia and Gold Earrings

Pantone Spring Color Trends for 2013

It may only be the beginning of February and winter still has its grip on the northern hemisphere, but our friendly groundhog has predicted an early spring and I'm already looking forward to warmer weather. Granted, I do live here in San Diego and snow isn't on the ground, but 50 degree weather is a bit tough for us softies here in the Southwest.

I'm really excited about the new spring colors for 2013. They are soft, yet vibrant. One of my favorite stones is amazonite. The pale green colors with specks of browns, cream, and black are a perfect accompaniment to any outfit. They are definitely one of my best sellers and just so happen to be the same color as one of this spring's trends - Greyed Jade.

Looking through one of my favorite online shops (J.Crew), I see ALOT of this color - they call it mint, and I think I like that color name better. It's absolutely beautiful and feminine.

This color goes with silver or gold, as seen in these two pairs of earrings I offer in my Etsy shop - perfect for spring!

To see these earrings in my Etsy store for $12.00 each:
Amazonite and Hammered Drop Silver Earrings
Amazonite and Hammered Drop Gold Earrings

J.Crew top is on sale right now for only $19.50!
Perfect-Fit Long Sleeve Tee

Letting Go.... Moving Forward....

It's been a long time since I've looked at my blog. Over 2 years in fact. In those two years, our family has endured cancer, our daughter going off to college, and a whole lot of other changes. But, the biggest change came last week - we sent our 20 year old daughter to Florence, Italy for a semester in a study abroad program. While she is dining on pizza, pasta, tiramasu, and having the time of her life, I sit here and am simultaneously proud, jealous, and very weepy. This is so different from sending her off to college. SDSU is only 20 minutes away. I could hop in a car or pick up a phone and be instantly connected to her. Now she is half way around the world and a 9 hour time zone difference. She's also, for the first time, completely on her own. During her first two years at school she lived in the dorms and then her sorority house. There was an adult on the premises at all times - a comforting thought for any parent. Now she lives in an apartment in the 'city center' (to quote House Hunters International) with 5 other college students. They are completely responsible for the cooking (iffy), cleaning (yeah, right), and locking the door (praying). She is now a grown-up. Gulp!

However, this change has also brought another surprising emotion - excitement. I, for the first time in 20 years, am on my own to pursue my passions. Yes, I'm still married to a wonderful man and still have to clean the house, cook dinner, pay bills, etc. But, I have a new sense of freedom in how I spend my days to pursue my jewelry business. I have to admit that it feels very liberating. I literally jump out of bed in the morning, my mind filled with new ideas and inspiration! It feels great!

Hence, this is what brought me back to my blog. I expect to post at least 2-3 times a week. It will give me the opportunity to reconnect with my customers, let people get to know me a bit better, and give me another avenue for communication. I'm somewhat limited in how I post photos and information on my Etsy site, so I hope this also allows me to showcase my jewelry, answer questions, and post tutorials on the creative process that I go through.

I leave this first post with a favorite photo of mine. This is a picture of my daughter and I on the morning she left for Italy. While I'm so excited for her and look forward to hearing about her adventures in Europe, I do still get teary from time to time. But, it's time to let go and move forward to a new, and equally, exciting chapter in our lives.