Featured!

BabyLyons, a fellow Etsian and member of the EtsyBloggers Street Team, has me as her featured EtsyBlogger today on both her blogs. There's an Etsy Mini featuring six of my items on BabyLyons' Treasuries and How Do You Do . . . Scroll down on the right to see my stuff on the first one and on the left for the latter.

BabyLyons makes iron-ons and Onesies, as well as a few other things. She takes photos of everything on an adorable little baby, so even if you're not in the market for baby items, her shop is worth gooing at. :)

Thank you, BabyLyons!

Product Review

I made a recent purchase from Naturally Natalie's. Because I'm sure you don't want to read about my experience with cloth menstrual pads, I wanted to review her Vegan Lip Balm.

This is definitely one of the best lip balms I've ever used. It goes on light and smooth with a slight tingling sensation, thanks to the presence of peppermint and tea tree oils. It also delivers long-lasting moisturizing, which is very important to me. I'm a chapstick fiend! The ingredients are all natural, as the shop name implies. For those of you who hate the icky taste some balms deliver or the waxiness they leave on your lips, this product doesn't have either of those unfortunate qualities. Plus, it was a great deal! Natalie currently has a notice in her shop announcing that only the lip balms currently in stock -- one last time I checked! -- will be sent out during the summer as she lives in hot, hot Tucson. However, she has several other natural body products that I hope to try as well. If you're looking for a place to buy chemical-free, wonderful body items, check out her store.

Anniversary!

This couldn't be less related to my jewelry making, but today is the two-year anniversary of the day I first met my wonderful boyfriend. Friday we'll celebrate our "real" milestone, but I can't help but be a little swoony today. We'd never have made the anniversary if we hadn't met in the first place, right?

How I Spent My Memorial Day

There's little I love more than walking around outside in the spring and summer. I'm one of those sick, crazy folks who likes the heat -- the humidity I can do without, though that isn't really an option here in roasty-toasty Oklahoma. All the same, I relish any opportunity to roll up my jeans, kick off my shoes, and walk through a patch of clover. OK, so honestly, my favorite thing to do outside is cartwheels. Boy, I do love cartwheels. I'm able to do very little from my brief stint in acrobatics almost 15 years ago, but I am a cartwheel and round-off queen. My boobahs got too big for me to still be an ace walk-over champ or execute a perfect standing back bend, but I can turn a cartwheel -- two- or one-handed -- with the best of them. There is photographic proof of this, but I shan't be sharing it this time round.

Instead, I wanted to share some lovely shots I took yesterday at Woodward Park, a big, beautiful green space in midtown Tulsa. My boyfriend and I decided to take a walk around the place in celebration of No Working Day -- I mean, Memorial Day. It was extra fresh and verdant after recent storms, and the sun darted in and out of cloud coverage, which made the light interesting and varied. I won't bombard you with all the shots, but here's a few of my favorites:

At left, a rose blooms in the Tulsa Municipal Rose Garden. Ahh, such a beautiful place.

At right, a waterlily emerges from a pond in the rose garden. I love this shot because it almost appears to be in motion.

At left is a shot of a tiny branch with leaves of some unknown plant. I just liked the perspective, with the fluffy flowers serving as background to the little guy.

On the right is the walkway up to the part of the Linnaeus Teaching Gardens that was open yesterday.

Yes, that's my beautiful boyfriend contemplating life on the cute little bridge. Such a cutie pie!

That's ittle bittle me on the top of some rock steps on the right. See how nice the light was when we were there?

And here are our new friends from the park, Gladys the turtle and Sylvester the squirrel. Both of these shots emerged from pure luck. I was shooting pictures of some tadpoles in the pond when I spotted the little one on the left. As soon as I clicked, away s/he swam. The little fuzzy guy happened to stop and turn at the moment I poised my camera. I love his little pose. He reminds me of dramatic chipmunk.

I hope to spend a lot more time outside this summer and will certainly share more snaps (that's what my mom used to call 'em) with you again. Without green grass and blossoms a-bloomin', it just isn't summertime.

The Leaves Are Always Greener

I posted a beautiful new necklace today called the Leaves Are Always Greener Necklace. Go check it out here!

Later this afternoon, I'll have a few more pictures for you, just for fun. Be on the look-out!

Citrus Fantasy Bracelet

My Citrus Fantasy Bracelet is now available in my store. Bask in its glory!

If it isn't purchased before the listing expires, I'm keeping it for myself! So act fast before my greedy little paws rip it from my Web site.


I will wait until after the long weekend to post more new items. If I think of it once my better half wakes up, I may post my awesome vintage finds from yesterday!

I hope you all have exciting plans for the holiday. I will be enjoying a mostly quiet, easy-going weekend. My mom's birthday is Tuesday, but we're celebrating it tomorrow with haircuts, fancy brunch, and mani/pedis. What more could I ask for in a weekend? So Happy Memorial Day Weekend, one and all!

Corny Earrings

I just added a new item to my store. Check it out:

The Me So Corny Earrings -- definitely the corniest pair you'll ever own, and I mean that in the best way possible. The little ears of corn must be seen to be believed. Get 'em quickly, though, as only one pair is available!


I have a stack of new items to add in the coming week or two, so check back often for other offerings. Because I love my blog readers oh-so-much, here's a preview of some of my favorite items that will be posted soon:

Here is pictured the Citrus Fantasy Bracelet, In Bloom Earrings, and The Leaves Are Always Greener Necklace. I'll let you know when each is available in my store!

Booth photos

No, not from a photobooth, though I do have some of those lying around. I promised I'd share a few pictures from my booth at the Blue Dome Arts Festival this past weekend. (By the way, I am definitely still recovering from it. It was exhausting!) These are all from Day 1 (May 16), so they are totally different from my booth configuration the rest of the weekend. They also lack the lovely JD Star, who shared with me Saturday and Sunday. If she gets any pictures up on her Flickr, I'll see if she doesn't mind sharing. So on with the show.

(Here's the booth head on. Notice it's in the middle of the street!)

(Here's me and my tummy showing off my banner)

(The left side of my booth. I love the chest and table coverings.)

(The right side. A little less flashy, but it got lookers.)

That's pretty much it. You'll notice the left side of my booth was made famous (ha!) by Ben Sumner. If you like my banner and want one of your own, check out the Branded Butterfly for lots of cool, personalized stuff. And yes, I am wearing red sparkly shoes. Why wouldn't I?

Catch you all again soon!

And breathe!

Blue Dome is done, so I can relax again. I'm sure what I had qualifies as an actual weekend, and I'm unconvinced I should have been forced to work today. Alas, my opinion matters little, for I am in my meat locker of an office, toiling away. Well, not so much toilnig as counting the minutes 'til I head out the door. It will likely be another early night for me again this evening.

So, a recap. The festival was fun, despite the devilish sun, my shoddy canopy, and the long days. I'll post pictures of the booth and such this week. I met and ran into lots of cool, fun people, and I am satisfied with the knowledge that several people around town are now sporting Grey Eye Designs originals. Woo hoo! Plus, now I have incentive to make and list new pieces. I didn't get rich or nothin', but I did make more than double my booth fee. I also got to spend time with a group of truly awesome, inspiring artists. In fact, I'm brainstorming a list of art and craft projects I want to start because of them. These fairs are always interesting. I learned a ton from a marketing perspective, from what I make that people like to the best way to attract traffic to my booth. Fascinating, I say.

And I got interviewed for this past weekend's edition of Up Late with Ben Sumner. If you missed it (and me in my pre-tan whiteness), you can check it out here. I'm in the first segment on Blue Dome. In addition to my little face, there are several product shots throughout. Kind of exciting. I am babbling, but at least I look fine!

Thanks to everyone who came out to see me. The best part of all was chatting with the people I knew, including some of the new faces I encountered. And as I've promised before, look for new items in my shop this week!

Blue Dome!

The Blue Dome Arts Festival starts tomorrow at noon!

Squeal! Cue excitement!

This is only my third show and my first multi-day show. I'm hoping all goes well! Today I purchased a second table, lacy curtains to use as table decor (that I hope will go nicely with my strip of red "velvet"), a collapsible chair in which to sit (which hopefully will not collapse with me in it!), and a set of shelves. I don't really know why I would need shelves, but if I do, I'll have them available. Still to purchase are paper bags for purchases, another receipt book, and concrete blocks. Ah yes, everyone's favorite. I unfortunately cannot lift them alone, especially not four, so my beloved will have to accompany me this evening to get them and then carry them from my car to my booth in the morning. There will be pictures -- fear not!

If you're from anywhere in the area, come on down! Blue Dome is a wonderful celebration of local artists. It's near Mayfest, which happens simultaneously, so you can get your music and funnel-cake fix and then stroll through our neck of downtown to support local art (and the Tulsa economy). My booth is near Dirty's Tavern, just off 2nd Street. I'll be sharing space with the lovely and talented JD Star on Saturday and Sunday, so come say hello to us both. If you work downtown and don't spend Friday's lunch break visiting me, I won't be your friend any more.

Blue Dome Arts Festival
Friday -- 12 to 9 p.m.
Saturday -- 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday -- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Stormy Designs!

I'm very late to do this feature, but I'm doing it. That counts, right? Anyway, as a member of EtsyBloggers, we're supposed to write a monthly feature on the selected Blogger of the Month. I was a bad, bad team member until recently, so I'm just now doing a write-up of the lovely and talented Stormy Designs, a very helpful team member and talented Etsian, who won for the month of April. Look for May's winner soon.

Stormy Designs creates lovely jewelry and other accessories largely using polymer clay. Her store features an array of handmade items, as well as a few vintage pieces. The items of hers that really catch my eye are cuff bracelets made using polymer clay, with some attached to a metal backing. Her designs are intricate, unique, and not something I expected to be made of clay. Check out her Faux Glitter Stone Textured Cuff Bracelet.

Stormy Designs is also a dedicated blogger and participant of the team. She keeps things rolling and us crazy team members on task for the weekly Blog Carnival. She showed grace and resilience in the wake of this past weekend's Blog-Carnival-submission-page downtime. Check out her blog to read about her life and creative process, and visit her Web site for more information.

Thanks for everything you do!

Give yo mama a kiss!

Moms are a wonderful thing, and none is greater than mine. (Sorry, it's true!) Mother's Day must be one of the greatest holidays around because not only does it honor the most important woman in most of our lives, but it's the perfect excuse to give homemade gifts, something all us crafty folks just love.

When I was a child (I can't say "little" because I'm still pretty small, and I can't say "young" because my decade-older boyfriend always reminds me that 23 is still young), I always made things for my mom for Mother's Day. My favorite medium was paper, mostly because that was the only crafty thing I knew about. I would create all kinds of things using paper: drawings, cards, signs, and once even a purse. Yes, a construction-paper purse held together with staples. I was probably 7 and convinced it was the most beautiful purse there ever was. I remember lots of pink. I was so proud to give it to my mother but so perplexed as to why she didn't carry it. She assured me to use it for a "special occasion," something I heard a lot as I created jewelry covered in glitter and paper clothes for her.

Mother's Day is May 11 this year, just 16 days before my mom's birthday. I try to stay on top of both these holidays (birthdays are definitely holidays) to make sure I get something good for both, but it can be difficult. So instead of making everthing for birthday and Mother's Day, I'll also be purchasing handmade. I don't think Mom reads this, but you can never be too careful, so I'll not reveal what I've purchased for her. Instead, here are a few great gift ideas from some wonderful Etsy sellers in no particular order.

1. Does your mom love to cook? Then check out Snappy Shop! She creates awesome, ironic, and adorable aprons, as well as a few other sewn items. My personal favorite is the Bacon and Eggs Pocket apron (though I'd probably be more likely to pick up the vegetarian version).
2. Is there a new mom in your life? Head over to Rainbow Swirlz! Designer Mendy creates hilarious onesies perfect for young, hip moms. My favorite one reads: My entire lifeis being blogged. Her store also features a line of really cool, screenprinted tote bags perfect for hauling books, baby items, or anything.
3. Does your mom love jewelry? There are so many great jewelry artists on Etsy I can recommend! From JD Star's woven bracelets and The Storybeader's haiku-inspired necklaces, to Gems by Emily M.'s classic designs and Bargain Basement's whimsical pendants, you'll have no trouble catering to her taste on Etsy. (There's always my shop, too, but I didn't want to be inappropriate by including myself in the list. Wait, did I just do that?)
4. What's a jewelry fiend to do with all her treasures? Go buy a jewelry scroll from Chaos Into Art! I've seen these in person, and they are both handy and dandy. Shop owner Jessie is a really great, innovative artist, and your mom will love the scroll.
5. Is your mom a plant lover with a brown thumb? Then head over to Orion Eclipsed Photography for a print of artist Holly's beautiful photographs! She has prints available of sunflowers, Crape-myrtles and more.
6. Does your mom love sewn items with old-fashioned flair? Raggedy Pageant makes beautiful collage quilts that are perfect for any mom. From fun and whimsical to boldly ironic, Robin makes it all. Her unique dolls would also make the perfect addition to any collector's treasury.
7. Is Mom a hat lady or even a member of the Red Hat Society? Boring Sidney has an array of beautiful headpieces for sale, including this Adorable Cloche of Red that I've been coveting since, oh, forever. The shop also features pieces ranging from classic '40s styles to fascinators and gothic fashions.
8. Encourage your mom to keep in touch with a set of stationery from Enfin, La Voila! Her pieces range from whimsical to kitschy, perfect for a variety of moms. More classicly minded moms might enjoy the butterfly generator set, while those with a sillier sense of humor might fall for the "I'm too sexy for this card" set.
9. Make the mom in your life queen for the day with a crown from Up from the Ashes. Her fascinating designs range from regal to delicate to just plain amazing.
10. What dignified lady doesn't need a beautiful bag? Ophelia Miller makes a variety of bags featuring beautiful fabrics in useful designs. From clutches to totes, her shop will suit all your purse needs.

Don't forget the card! A Scrappy Design has you covered with this one.

So to all the moms out there, Happy Mother's Day! To all the shoppers, get cracking! And to all the crafters, good luck, and don't make a purse out of paper if you have delicate feelings. :)

Craft tip

When doing a craft project at your day job's desk, the cap to a bottle of water or soda makes a great place to dip your brush. It won't arouse much suspicion (especially since I always have one on my desk that doesn't belong to any of the bottles), and it's the perfect size for doing a small project.

Not that I would ever do a craft project at work . . . :)

In other news, I gave myself a second-degree burn Saturday morning at my second lampwork class. I made a stupid, novice mistake: NEVER pick up a piece of glass you took away from the torch only about five minutes before. Ouch! My right index finger got the worst of it, but the thumb and middle finger were a bit sore, too. I had to spend all of Saturday with my hand in glass of ice. The finger again became usable Tuesday, which was good because I spent all day doing a bulk mailing for my day job. It doesn't hurt at all now, though the fingertip is thick and numb. At least I don't look too much like a mutant. And you can't see the shape of the piece of glass too well any more. Needless to say, the injury did impede my jewelry making, but I hope to get back on it tonight. I can't wait to show off what I've been up to!