In Awe of the Jello-y Goodness

I found this blog via design*sponge (LOVE design*sponge, by the way!) and I have decided, husband and guests of any upcoming party willing, I must try this out ASAP.

Husband & Wife

Preview of the wedding pictures is up!

Ruby Red ... Gets Wed!

Hello, friends. You know who you are. All loyal four of you.

Saturday, I am marrying my best friend, the man of my dreams, my confidante, my rock, my encourager, my love.

Not that I've been writing much as I've been living out this dream, but I will be off the radar for a week or so while we enjoy vacationing on an island paradise.

And when I return ... I will blog once more!

Andre Rieu = Mel Gibson with long hair and a violin?

Is it just me ... or does ....

Andre Rieu

... look like ...


... but with a violin?

Artic Blast!

Phantom Limbs

I just called my Dad to see what was going on with my grandfather's funeral in Pennsylvania next week. Daniel and I will be flying up Sunday morning. Dad did not answer. I called my youngest brother. He did not answer. I placed the phone back on my cubicle desk and thought, without so many words as just a vague impression, I should call Mom.

It took a second to register that was not an option.

In Progress

Creative Deadlines

For the first time ever, I'm setting forth to complete a crafty task, on time, for business, and for people who could potentially hate what I do. It is terrifying and completely exhilarating, all at once.

November 3, 2010 I will tote my crafty goodness over to work and set up a booth at a craft fair hosted by my company. I am taking my only vacation day to do it. I am hoping to sell enough to make it worth my while and help pay for my wedding reception decor! (Or Christmas gifts. Good grief, I need to think about Christmas gifts!)

In Praise of Bright Shiny Objects

I am content as I write this. Life is busy (hence the lag in blog time), but life is good. I'm learning more about growing as an individual, a crafter, a business owner, a Christian, and a future wife. Yes, I said future wife.

I once posted about having a life changing event on the horizon and joked with friends that no, it did not involve anything shiny. Well, now I do have something shiny, and life has gotten crazy busy as a result, but I am determined to get back into the blogosphere.

For those of you who have followed my progress through singleness, entrepreneurial pursuits, and following Christ ...

God is good. ALL the time.

Two Days and Counting

In two days, I start my new job. This is very exciting! I took the drug test, signed the acceptance letter, and today I tried out the bus route, which I discovered not only stops to pick up commuters at my local grocery store (5 minutes from my house ... within walking distance, if need be), but also goes right past my new place of employment, should I need to take the bus on any day. What a relief! I've also gotten a couple of leads on carpooling, which would be the ideal situation, saving me almost 75% of my commuting costs.

I thank God for providing, and look forward to seeing what the future holds. I just pray I am a diligent and effective worker. I hope that I will grow to truly enjoy my work, and to nurture friendships with my new coworkers.

Currently, I am waiting for 12:15 to roll around, so that I may take the bus home again. I'm sitting on the second floor of the downtown Nashville public library, in its beautiful courtyard outside. A fountain is splashing merrily. Children are playing. Quiet people, like me, are sitting at umbrella-covered metal tables and reading or working on laptops. We are surrounded by marble and green shrubbery and flowers and trees and sunshine and serenity. This is my favorite spot in Nashville. I hope I will be able to come here often, as it is an easy walk from my new building.

Etsy!

I am now officially open for business on Etsy.com.

What an exciting time! I have been working toward the goal of owning my own crafty business for years. At last, I have a business banking account and checks, I'm registered with all the proper officials, and I have a an operational storefront. I'm so happy!

Right now, I have listed "Unique" and some buttons. I will be posting even more over the coming days. Soon, I hope to have not just buttons and a few collage pieces I've done, but also kits for paper collage, vintage ephemera, trims, and vintage tools.

As always, my focus is on re-using and upcycling. I can't wait to flesh out my little shop and start marketing to get the word out.

Which reminds me ... spread the word!

Frock

Unique

He Thinks, He Ponders ... He is Caffeinated!

So, I'm working on perfecting my collage art, and I made this for Daniel. It all came together in a very exciting way, and when it was done (very quickly!) it just felt right. I framed it in black-painted wood once it was complete.

This is mixed media on canvas. The paper on the left is from a folder that held somebody's photographs after development in 1933. The night picture on the right is from 1929 sheet music "The Shooting Star." The collage overlay is a Charles Dana Gibson pen and ink drawing from the early 1900s. And the gold leaf pain on top of the shooting star image ...

I asked Daniel if he knew what it was, and of course he did. Without hesitation he said, "it's the chemical formula for caffeine!"

Sweet and Sour

Sweet
- Early rising
- Art, art, art
- Several paintings in progress
- Colored buttons sorted
- Lovely bike ride
- Seeing my roommates--both!--at the same time when none of us were going in or out

Sour
- Healthcare insurance rejection letter--DECLINED!
- Frustrations
- Money worries
- Being a grown-up and having to handle this junk on my own

Was I Too Late?

What happened to Nashville's craft scene? Three years ago, I went to the first (and, it appears ONLY) Nashville craft show The Revolution of Craft. I recently uncovered my lovely S.W.A.G. bag and re-discovered several crafters and their wee wares (miniature buttons, bits of soap, tiny art-covered army men) and remembered the event fondly. I went to go hunt down the Nashville Craft Mafia to see about joining ... they seem to be on hiatus. I then went to CRAFT: A Creative Community. Also on hiatus. I hunted down Myspace pages ... links were either dead or struggling for breath with just a few craft items for sale on their Etsy shop pages (The NashVegas Etsy Street Team's last log in was last year!). This is very discouraging. I had followed the indie craft movement from nearly its beginning, as an avid fan and wistful, some-day participant. Well, I'm now participating, but I came to the party and the mob, mafia, uprising, apocalypse, bazaar, whatever-you-want-to-call-them has gone. It looks like I am two years too late.

What gives?

Book Binding Bizarre

I've been intrigued by other small business art/craft/creative people with the guts to do things nobody else had thought of doing ... or, at the very least, who could put their own spin on the things that already had been thought of.

Take bookbinding, for instance. Pretty standard stuff, right?

Uhh. Wrong.

Fabric Musings

Fabric. I am knee-deep (it feels like) in fabric. I inherited my stash from a multitude of sources. Some scraps were in the family for years. Others were from the ad agency I used to work at, and came home with me after a deep-cleaning of the prop room during renovations. Still others I picked up on my own, during adventures at thrift stores, flea markets, or antique shops. Most of the fabric is probably vintage, although I cannot claim that for all pieces, since I have no real timestamp on any pieces.


This gem is a favorite. Bright, cheerful green with white floral pattern! It came to me as part of a shirt-to-be. It was still in pieces, cut into sleeves and a bodice, and is probably vintage. Gorgeous. I used it about a year ago in a collage project ... it was the leaves to my trees and bushes. I hate to part with the remainder, but it will be up for sale soon in my Etsy shop.

Buttons! Whee!

I've been fast at work prepping for the launch of my new venture: Creative Salvage.

A Whole New World (Or: Unemployment, Day 3)

I'm sitting here typing this in my pajamas at noon. My dog is sitting at my feet, blissfully content to be inside the house at this time of day. I am updating my LinkedIn account, searching for jobs, chatting with friends, and looking for people to follow on Twitter.

I'm working on a new business that I started a day before I was laid off. Suddenly, I have a lot of time to do so.

And I'm thinking surviving on beans and rice and leftovers will be good for my weight loss goals!