Oooh, 'lookit' what I got!

Thursday afternoon I happened along a tweet from Libby Hampel of ljlh designs saying that she just posted photo's on flickr of some of her items that she currently didn't have listed in her Etsy shop.

Okay, so you know that extra time you find when you're waiting around for just the right moment to start your household chores? I had a lot of that kind of time to kill, apparently.

I decided to take a look at her photo's when, low and behold, the moment my ears have been waiting weeks for had arrived. The moment my lonely lobes met their BFFL (best friend for life).

There was something about these cheery little things, aside from the fact that they're made with beads and hand-rolled quilling paper, that I couldn't resist. I immediately sent a tweet out to show them off, and told Libby to let me know when she was ready to sell them.

Oh Libby, sweet, sneaky Libby.

You guessed it, she posted them for sale the very next day, I made my purchase, and she promptly mailed them out. I had them in my ears by Saturday afternoon and was showing them off to my friends on Sunday!

"the birth of a wallet" - Part One

I was recently asked about one of our upcycled billfold wallets in our Etsy shop. Since I don't have any wallets currently in stock, I emailed eight fabric (neckties) samples to the [hopefully] soon-to-be customer and asked her to select three styles for her custom wallet. Stay tuned! In the meantime, let's play "Which three would you choose?":

the "i hate bunnies" kind of insane

I went to an estate sale a few days ago where Milo's boyish charm and generous slobbery kisses to strangers aided him in acquiring this :ahem: lovely :ahem: padlock toy for free. I know what you're thinking, "Yeah, I hate toys that have all those annoying loud noises too!", but this is not that kind of toy. It actually has a nice, gentle little "Ding!" to it when the lock opens. It's what came out of my mouth while helping Milo play with it that drove me insane. I'm talking about the "I hate bunnies" kind of insane. You see, the lock only opens when the three animals match. And since Milo is too little to turn the dials, I'm the only one left to satisfy his undying curiousity about what happens when the bunnies match. Perhaps he thinks there will be a different outcome each time? Regardless, it was somewhere near the millionteenth time of saying "Bunny, bunny bunny!" while helping him push the button that I decided it was time retire the padlock and find a new bunny toy to rejuvenate my bunny love bucket. Finding a handmade bunny wasn't difficult, really. Turns out, you can find them in just about any category you can think of: paper, vintage, houseware, jewelry, etc. What was difficult in my quest was finding one made from repurposed materials like this love bunny from DesignLab443. It's made from 50% upcycled materials which made me smile, and it comes with it's own little balloon. Ding!

My Day: Uncrafted

I've got some goals that I'd like to meet this year, and blogging about them may be just the commitment I need for them happen. 


To stay accountable. 


To have to answer to someone :ahem: myself. 


But I'm not quite ready for that yet, primarily because it scares the crap out of me, so I'll start small. Small, as in what my typical day is like now. My typical, recently unemployed, trying to figure out a new routine after working full time for the last 20 years, day.

I'm the girl that programs the coffee machine to automatically brew at 6:30 a.m. to coerce me out of bed.

This gives me a few minutes to see my husband before he leaves for work, as well as a good deal of alone time before my son wakes up. 

This is the time I use wash up any dirty dishes (I'm a "clean as you go" kinda gal), tune in to Google Reader to catch up on my daily blog subscriptions, email, other social media, and Etsy sales (BAH haha!). One day [soon] I'll be managing my Etsy sales again during this early morning quiet time, but I'm still replenishing my stock and getting my shop back in order since taking time off for my son Milo (my first and only, born September 2008). 

Coffee time has become my favorite part of the day, only to be outdone by the constant amazements of the little guy. The first half of my day is spent with Milo. We eat, play, dance, snack, then sleep. Well, he sleeps, not me. During his morning nap I usually shower, do household chores, then recheck my email, Etsy, and Twitter while I'm eating my lunch. 

Yes, busy! 

If you ever popped over for a visit during this time, you may catch a glimpse of my invisible jet. After Milo wakes up again, we repeat our earlier routine unless there are errands to run. During Milo's afternoon nap, I usually work on a project. This doesn't mean just "part" of a project. 

I'm in for the long haul. 

The big shabang. 

The project from beginning to end. 

Prep, sew, finish, photograph, and post. The anxiety of hoping for a long nap time spurs on burts of creative energy that leaves me feeling both satisfied and drained.

I dread cooking, or anything else having to do with the kitchen. But alas, dinnertime always comes. 

It's a god-given necessity. 

An inevitability. 

A hated, terrible, make me whine like a baby about it chore that I...okay, I'm done...sorry. 

Let me just reiterate that I said "dread", just so you and I are on the same page here. 

I usually don't think about dinner until late afternoon when it's absolutely imperative to make a decision of what needs the least amount of time to thaw and what will take the least amount of dishes. Unless there's something I'm craving, then I'm all over it like a hobo on a ham sandwich. 

Ordinarily though, you'll eat a lot of spaghetti, taco's, chicken with rice, and frozen pizza's at my place. Unless Seth cooks, then you'll have a big yummy, interesting dinner. After Seth comes home, dinner has been eaten, Milo has been played with and put to bed, I sometimes decombust with a dose of Wheel of Fortune and a good list. 

Did I mention that I'm a list maker. Lists in my head, on paper, on post-it's, on the computer, and lists on top of other lists. Lists everywhere. I'm pretty good at sticking to a daily task list, but if I plan too far out I get overwhelmed and don't do any of it...which is why I have so many lists. 

This disorganized method keeps me pretty organized. Or at least as organized as I can be. After that final list is out of my head, I'm ready for bed.

End transmission, press Play to repeat.

Who AM I?! My first ever blog post...

I have been waiting for the perfect thought, topic, passion, or idea to use for my very first ever blog post. Perhaps it will be about the charming, one-of-a-kind, vintage valentine scarf that I accidentally ruined while attempting to upcycle it into a just-as-charming valentine tote bag? Or will it be a write up of dinner at Taiwanese restaurant, Ba Doy Ow, through the eyes of my one and a half year old in between bites of Miso? Nope. Apparently the passion I was anticipating wasn't anything I would have ever expected. It came to me as I, lacking motivation to walk a few steps to the remote control to turn the channel on the TV, found myself watching The Grammy awards. Now mind you, I am not an awards show of any kind watcher. This was purely by the force of some magical, invisible magnet holding me to the couch that Sunday night. Some may call it fate. …or karma? What on earth does a “not an awards show watcher of any kind” have to say about, well, an awards show? I’ve decided to do a review of what I admired, or should I say, “remembered” most about this event. This is the stuff that tickled my fancy. The stuff that made me giggle out loud an hour later as I laid in bed trying to fall asleep. Let’s start with Taylor Swift. I tuned in as they were announcing that she was a three-time Grammy award winner already, and that she was the only one who could put her amazing life into words. So, needless to say, I was expecting really great things. Yeah, greaaaaat. Another cute-as-a-button teeny bopper singing about her life? …“in a way that only she could express”? Am I the only one that doesn’t get it? :shrugs: maybe it’s an award show watcher thing. On to the Michael Jackson tribute. I was preparing myself for the inevitable tears to break through, to feel all somber and stuff. But wait, what’s this? Why is Celine Dion all digitized and funny looking? “Man, she’s gonna be pissed when she see’s this!”, I thought. Then, they flashed a shot of the crowd….who were ALL WEARING 3D GLASSES!! What?! I thought this was supposed to be a serious dedication to Michael Jackson? These five or six musical greats (sorry, I’ve forgotten who they all were now) were going to touch our hearts with their words and over-exaggerated stage presence. Maybe they were going with the “make them laugh” approach instead. I scoured the internet trying to find a photo of the crowd in their 3D glasses with no luck. Before moving on to more reviews, let me add a side note. Can we all just agree that it’s time to retire the microphone if any ONE of these applies: 1. You don’t know what to do with a microphone (Roberta Flack) 2. When you unbutton your shirt collar you see ¼ inch thick line of makeup that was used as cover up for the parts that can’t have plastic surgery. 3. You have to pay your stylist for an extra shot (or two) of hairspray for that rock n roll hair do. 4. The glitter has slid under your eyes (this applies to any age). 5. You and your band get that “wtf?” look when you go to Wal-Mart. Last, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…my review of the Hip Hop segment. Or is it Rap? [Hmm, I’ll have to look into that. I hope the library has the Hip Hop vs. Rap guidebook in. I’m sure they will, I think I’m the only one that doesn’t get it.] Okay, so let’s talk about the guy with the black coat. I know, he came out after Eminem and Lil’ Wayne, but there’s not much to say about him so we’ll get him out of the way first. I don’t remember his name, but I think he must have been a stand in for someone else anyway since he didn’t really do anything. I think he was that guy we saw at the mall last weekend. Remember the one walking through JC Penney singing out loud to himself, but looking around to make sure we heard how good he is at one-man hip hop karaoke? Now, time to talk about some good hip hop…um wait, rap…no, hip hop. Okay, whatever it is, let’s just move on to Lil’ Wayne! First impression: good…he has a different sort of voice. This could be promising. Maybe he’s not the cousin of, or kid of, or friend of someone who knows someone in the music business and actually has a memorable thing going on! And, he was wearing skinny jeans. This is definitely going to put me back on the award show watching train! “Wait, what happened? The first verse is all you had in you? Where'd you go? Come back!”. Well, I guess that moves us on to Eminem. he, not surprisingly so, sounded exactly like he always does. I think I've seen that technique referred to as "personal style", and it may be safe to even add "unique". But it wouldn't be fair for me to put him into a separate category without first consulting the Hip Hop vs. Rap guidebook. So, don't quote me on that. And that's it! A review of the 2010 Grammy awards from an avid, and confidently dedicated, non awards show of any kind watcher! Thanks for sticking it out to the end (of my review that is...I didn't even watch the end of the awards show!), and remember to leave a comment to say what you think of my first ever blog post!