Ahhhh . . . I feel relaxed already.

We're taking a four-day jaunt to Santa Fe, New Mexico at the end of April/beginning of May. I'll have the morning and afternoon of one day mostly to myself, so I've decided to partake in something totally indulgent and possibly sinful: a Spa Fusion treatment from Ten Thousand Waves. Oh man, just thinking about it makes me breathe slower and more easily. In a former life, I would never have dropped $150 plus tax and tip on something like this, but dagnabbit, I can afford it, and I want it! Plus, on the practical side, a good chunk of the treatment will involve work on my thoracic outlet, which will likely be beneficial to my TOS. Most of all, though, it will feel really, really good.

On an unrelated note, I want to encourage everyone to guess the songs and artists from my previous entry to win a piece of my jewelry!

Musical mini

I've been in the mood to listen to my favorite artists lately, which has been difficult given the death of my iPod. I've lost many CDs to various moves, and my laptop containing most of my library is nearly dead. I've been seeking things out on Pandora, MySpace and YouTube, but I miss my albums. It left me feeling strangely inspired, so I created an EtsyMini featuring song titles by artists I love. The song title is either in the item title or is just the item itself. Here's the mini below:



Just for fun, if anyone wants to try to guess the title and artists of the featured songs, go for it. If anyone gets all 12, I'll send them a piece of my handmade jewelry. As a hint, each row has a theme. From top to bottom, they are female singer-songwriters, male singer-songwriters, indie rock bands, and male piano players. I'll happily chime in to let you know if your guesses are right or wrong. I'd love to have a winner. So get to clicking, Googling, and guessing!

Featured EtsyBlogger: DesignByNora

The Blogger of the Month for the EtsyBloggers Team is DesignByNora! She is a wonderful team member who is unendingly supportive of the team and each member. Nora took it upon herself to do tons of updates on the team message board, and she's always an active participant.



In addition, she sells some lovely items in her Etsy shop! She makes adorable polymer clay stud earrings. This pair is probably my favorite:

Aren't they sweet? She also sells lovely leather purses and belts made by her uncle.

Now go support Nora by reading her blog and looking through her store!

Cake in a mug?

I've had a lingering migraine for the past week. I've been able to control it for the most part with prescription and OTC drugs, but it was particularly vicious last night. I decided that I needed a treat. After seeing Funkybella's post from yesterday, I decided to try out a chocolate cake in a mug. I followed her recipe, and the result was surprisingly not weird. I think I'd add some cinnamon next time, but overall I'm now a fan of the three-minute cake. On a rainy, icky day like it is here in Tulsa, it would be a great treat.

Since I didn't bring the ingredients to work with me, I plan to venture out in the rain for a giant baked potato that will (hopefully) be swimming in a sea of cheese, butter and sour cream. My aching head always demands something along these lines, and I so hate to disappoint it.

My other creative side

Crafting is one of my passions these days, but one I've had much longer is the theatre. I love to see and read plays, but even more, I love to be in them. I go to a few auditions throughout the year, but there really aren't that many shows done locally that have interesting characters my age. That's why I'm excited to be doing two Summer Stage shows with Theatre Pops again this year.

In 2008, I appeared in Hate Mail, a comical take on A.R. Gurney's classic Love Letters. Shortly after, I did two pieces in Tinkerbell Is Dead, which is a couple of hours of local actors performing monologues.

This year, I'll be playing Deborah in David Mamet's Sexual Perversity in Chicago, a really funny, mature one-act. Mamet is an actor's dream playwright. He writes dialogue that is clever, realistic, biting, and still open to interpretation. I'm really looking forward to the show. It will open at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center on June 11. Then on July 18, I'll be doing Tinkerbell again. I won't pick my monologues for a while yet, but I look forward to doing so. I'll give more information soon, including some of the pictures from the promo shoot I did last night.

Eco-friendly goodies

I don't know what it is exactly -- maybe the economy, my increasingly guilty conscience, Swap-O-Rama-Rama, or something else entirely. All I know is that I've been eager to live a more environmentally conscious life lately. I'm a pretty moral shopper. I avoid sweatshop-reliant companies and buy local and handmade when possible. However, I don't recycle, compost, or use too many reusable products. I have (and love!) a Klean Kanteen, clean with baking soda and cider vinegar when possible, and keep a bowl and silverware at work. Otherwise, though, I have Ziplocs, chemical-laden cleaners, and rolls of paper towels in my pantry, and I'm ready to make a change.

As soon as I again have money in my checking account (where does it go?), I want to purchase one of these great lunch kits from Glue and Glitter, an awesome seller out of Atlanta.

It comes with a handmade lunchbag, an aluminum kit, reusable utensils, and cloth napkins.

I also want to switch to reusable snack bags and banish the zipper-top plastic ones forever. Etsy has tons of them. I think this one by BRAIESHA BAGS is too much fun.

Evelyn Fields also makes some adorable ones. Check out the Paris-themed cuties.

My toiletries, well, are still a work in progress. I recently switched to Deva Care Low-Poo Cleanser and Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash, but I know I can do better. On Green Upgrader, Becky of Glue and Glitter did a post on making your own dry shampoo. I have pretty oily hair, so this is something I've been a little scared to try. However, I think I'll give it a go this weekend. We'll see how I do!

My other big project forthcoming is container gardening. I've done herbs once before, but I'm branching out this year into veggies as well. The plan for the moment is a few pots with combinations of basil, thyme, parsley, two kinds of tomatoes (cherries and something larger), carrots, radishes, leaf lettuce, and possibly squash, strawberries and/or green beans. It will partly depend on what's available (and affordable) at Herb Day on Brookside. I can't wait to get started!

Swaptastic weekend

Swap-O-Rama-Rama couldn't have been more fun! (Well, maybe if my migraine had gone away . . .) We had an amazing turn-out, much talent was on display, and we're all looking forward to doing it again next year. Here are some photographic highlights:

First, there were large piles of great clothing, fabrics, and notions to peruse. By the end, there was so much to choose from that the floor was stacked high, too!

Then they got to work cutting, pinning, and envisioning their amazing creations.

People sewed up a storm! The six machines were constantly full.

Tara decided that Holly and I would be her Barbie dolls. Here I am modeling a houndstooth dress embellished with tulle.

Ahh! Wonderful, wonderful tulle.


Doesn't gorgeous Miss Holly look terrific in the button-up-shirt-turned-vest?

By the end, we were all ready for a nap. :)

I didn't make anything during the swap, but I did score two button-up shirts to transform, I think, into little dress-tunic things. I'm excited to try that out. I also grabbed a skirt in a fun print and a big blue crinoline. Woo hoo! I did throw together a skirt using an old pair of jeans and a pillowcase for my media appearances. I will share it with you now.

Thar's the front. Since I'm not a great seamstress and I have no patience for cutting anything straight, I embraced the theme of "deconstruction." :) I added a ribbon to wear around my waist the day of SORR.

This is the back. The weird bunching on the left is a place where the denim tore (*cough*Icutit*cough*), so I had to pin it. You actually can't tell when it's on me. The little ball of fluff on the bottom left of the photo is my dog's paw. Aww!

The craftiness continued yesterday when I tried out yet another shade of red -- this one Feria's Copper Shimmer -- of my hair. As long as it fades pretty, I think this one's a winner.

And proof that I can, indeed, touch my nose with my tongue:

I hope you all had half as great a weekend as I did!

Swap-O-Rama-Rama is TODAY!

Don't forget to come to Swap-O-Rama-Rama today between 1 and 6 p.m. at The Collective, 3148 E. 11th St. in Tulsa. Bring a bag of unwanted clothes (or a $5 donation) and get in on the fun! It's going to be a blast. If you wanna read more, check out yesterday's Tulsa World article.

Be there or be square!

Media frenzy

Yesterday's Good Day Tulsa interview went just fine. Kristin Dickerson did a great job of hitting all the high points, so I hope lots of people saw it.

Today at 11:50, I'm going to interview for OklaTravelNews. It's online, so if you can steal a few moments, check it out. If you can't watch it live, you'll be able to check it out online for the rest of the day and before noon tomorrow, too. I almost feel important going on all these shows! :)

Edit: The interview is up on the site now. I start babbling at about 7 minutes in. :)

Good Day Tulsa

Hey, guys and gals! I will be appearing on Good Day Tulsa tomorrow morning sometime between 9 and 10 a.m. to promote Swap-O-Rama-Rama. Woo hoo! If you're in the area and will have access to a TV at that time, check me out.

Also, don't forget to attend the amazing event that will be Swap-O-Rama-Rama this Saturday at The Collective. It'll be a ball and a half. :)

Month 3

The current EtsyBloggers blog carnival is either the subject or spring or a check-in March is already the third month of the year, so what have I accomplished on my goals for 2009? Hmm . . . let us investigate.

My main goal for 2009 was to introduce a new line of products, mainly my bath and body stuff. That's the shorthand for my body scrubs and washcloths. I hadn't intended to do this before the spring craft shows, so I'm still technically on schedule there. I did list my first potholder, and though it's not a bath item, it's still along the same lines. I consider that an accomplishment.

Another major goal was to make a consignment inquiry by the end of March. Well, that's fast approaching. I better get to work!

I also decided I must buy a new computer, and we did: success!

And a final, very important goal was completing my taxes by myself. Right now, my amended forms (don't ask!) are signed but not quite sealed or delivered. I just need to write a couple of checks and put in copies of my W-2s, then I'll be done with that as well. I will definitely have them sent off before the end of the month.

So, that's my progress. I think I'm doing pretty well, though I could use some new jewelry inventory. I foresee a busy April!

Swap-O-Rama-Rama in eight days!

A week from tomorrow, I'm volunteering to help out at Tulsa's first-ever Swap-O-Rama-Rama. It's going to be a great community event centered on recycling, crafting, and giving back to the community. Everyone who attends must bring a bag of clothes or $5 for admission. Then you can swap away for whatever you want! There will be sewing machine, embellisments and instructors on hand to help you transform your finds into funky, one-of-a-kind, wearable art. It's open to all ages, and any clothes not used will be donated to Youth Services of Tulsa.



Hosted by: Indie Emporium
When: 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 21, 2009; Fashion show follows at 8 p.m.
Where: The Collective, 3148 E. 11th St., Tulsa
Description: Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a clothing swap and series of do-it-yourself workshops in which a community explores creative reuse through the recycling of used clothing.
For more info: Contact Christine at christine@indieemporium.com

Hold that pot!

Great news, guys and gals: I just listed my first crocheted item! You can check out (and possibly purchase) the Green and Teal Potholder right here. Look at all those great colors:

Ooooooooo!

Ahhhhh! It folds in half so easily. :)

I plan to list more crocheted items soon, so keep your eyes open.

!!!

I'm writing this from my new iMac!!!!

That is all. :)

Baby Shower Bonanza!

The baby shower was a big success! We ate, played games, decorated onesies, and gossiped for several hours. That's the way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I'll have to post pictures of the onesies another time since my friend hasn't shared them yet, but check out these other goodies.

First is the delicious cake I made. I used icing dye to color some of the frosting darker brown.

Mmm . . . delicious cake innards. The top layer is basic white cake (Blitzkuchen) and the bottom layer is the same but with cocoa powder subbed in for some of the flower. The whole thing iced with peanut butter frosting.

Here's momma-to-be delighting in the ridiculousness of my beastly set.

I woke up early yesterday morning, so I decided to whip out another pair of booties to give to the impending arrival. Here they are:
Little crocheted Mary Janes! They make me smile.

I hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend!

Beastly booties!

It's not what you think! I just wanted to report I finished a set of booties to go with the beast hat I made. I chose a pattern that ended up looking very much like tiny Christmas stockings by the time I was done. Here's the end result:

And here's the completed beastly set:

I hope soon-to-be mommy and daddy like their little homemade gift! The shower is tomorrow afternoon. I'm in charge of the onesies-decorating activity. Since this group of friends isn't particularly crafty, I bought iron-on letters and fabric markers to do our thing. I hope to have pictures of the end results up early next week.

Enjoy the weekend, lords and ladies!

Computing and organizing

Sometime next week, we will be the proud new owners of this:




Yep, it's one of the just-redesigned, 24" iMacs! Our current desktop is 10 years old and would very much like to be put out of its misery. Grey purchased the sad old dude in a former life, one well before he met me. When he bought the beast, I was 14 years old! Clearly, it's time for an update. We decided to go for it and buy something we'd really love. Neither of us have owned a Mac before, so this will be an interesting learning experience for us. The thing that excites me the most is iWeb -- yep, I'll finally get to launch my Web site, a year after I bought the domain. We're both so excited for this fancy pants machine to arrive. How will we ever wait until next week? :)


I also decided recently that I'm nowhere near organized enough in my personal or professional life. My solution: to buy a day planner. Some boring old thing from Staples wouldn't do, so I turned to Etsy, of course. Meet my new companion from Oh Pangaea Books:

She's beautiful! Check out the gorgeous cover. ::insert objectifying whistle::

And there she is in action, covered in my scribbles. If you look closely, you'll note the month is written in four different languages, and Italian comes first! It was meant to be. In case you're curious, the other languages are English, French and German, respectively. I carry the little dear in my purse and writer things in her when they arise. The only problem is that I'm now convinced I should only use my blue pen (that has black ink) because they match so well. See?

However, I'm too worried about losing the pen, so I keep it at work. Every time I mark down an appointment or to-do list using the green one in my purse or the orange one on my desk, I feel so improper. How darned silly is that?

Crochet crazy!

I'm back to crocheting up a storm lately. It's fun! It's relaxing! It makes me feel like less of a toad when I sit around and watch TV all night!

At the end of the month, one of my dearest friends will likely give birth to her first child, a little girl named Rylyn Diana. We're throwing her a baby shower this weekend, for which I am in charge of making the cake. I think I'm going to do a yellow cake with peanut butter frosting. Sounds tasty! Grey, my mom, and I went in together on this adorable high chair, which was on her registry. I also made her this precious hat, featuring a beast!









Tonight, I plan to work on matching booties, though they will sadly be beastless. I will likely also do a second hat in the same colors but with a different decorative element. The pattern I used was supposed to create a sock monkey face, but I liked mine a big more monstrous. I hope the parents-to-be appreciate him, too.

Next up are a bunch of washcloths. You knew I couldn't resist!










The one on the left is very scrubby and has a fun edge. The stack on the right are some custom ones for my awesome friend Holly of Hollyrocks!











Both of these are pretty standard washcloths in neat color schemes.











On the left here is a more gentle one, best for sensitive skin or even babies. The one on the right has a really good surface for scrubbing counters and such.

Both of these have a nice exfoliating surface. They were actually made from the same yarn, too. I love the variety created by the variegated stuff.

I hope you enjoyed!

I want you

I had a traumatic day (i.e. got my blood drawn for a medical test), so I'm consoling myself by searching Etsy. Here are 12 of my favorite items at the moment:




I hope you enjoyed!