Tug of War.

Original oil painting, Yes Versus No, by Secret Seed Art.

Well, I learned an important lesson this past week…for the fourth or fifth time. It’s a tough lesson to learn, which is probably why I’ve needed a few do-overs before fully trusting it as a reliable guiding principle, but this time, I think it finally stuck. Continue reading »

Take Two.

A couple of weeks ago, I took a good, long look in the mirror and an overwhelming urge came on. It’s time for an overhaul. My entire look, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, has slowly gathered cobwebs, and I can’t take it anymore. I’m staging my very own intervention, and the below discoveries are helping to inspire my much-needed makeover. Wish me luck!

It’s Never Too Late for a Fresh Start Bangle by ValleGirlDesigns. Continue reading »

Hip Parade

So, I’m gearing up to work the Fremont Fair & Solstice Parade this weekend. With so many naked cyclists around, I’m sure t-shirts will be in high demand. It’s actually been ages since my last parade. I tend to shy away from large public gatherings, and would easily pass up festivals and fireworks for a hot bath and a glossy magazine, preferable one with lots of gossip and pictures. Lame, I know. Well, maybe the Fremont Fair is just the thing to break me out of my shell.

To help set the mood for all this socializing and prepare me for the weekend ahead, I have collected a small handful of parade themed items that tickle my fancy.

Parade, a lovely original illustration by Multiple Personality. Continue reading »

Handmade with a Twist.

This past weekend, I was finally inspired to tear open a bag of lemons that has been sitting patiently in our refrigerator for over a month. And although they were looking a bit sad, I decided to make a fresh dressing from the juice and flavored pasta with the zest. Even this tiny bit of citrus was such a delightful change of pace for me, I felt compelled to pull together the below collection of lemony goodness as a reflection of my new found affection for the fruit.

Adorable Gussy lemon pouch by Maggie Whitley. Continue reading »

Boot Camp

I have decided to openly admit that I’m frightfully bad at maintaining a blog of any real substance anymore. This is what a 60 hour work week does to a girl’s writing skills I suppose. So, screw it. I have decided to overhaul the format of my Heavens to Etsy section. I will be adding daily findings and delightful things centered around a specific topic or subject. Today, it’s boots. Yay boots!

Original print by Volume 25 Continue reading »

Your Shell is Showing.

                                                                                                                                      Ode to Lloyd Dobler by Elloh

“Just take this pen and write me.”                                                                                                                                                         -Diane Court, Say Anything

For a 32 year old, I’d say I’m pretty hip to technology. Give me a stylesheet, I can decode it. Insert some html on a webpage? I’m your girl. Process graphics, create vectors? Yeah, I’m pickin’ up what you’re puttin’ down. That said, I have an increasingly overwhelming sense that I can’t keep up. I have refused to join twitter, or engage in any manner of tweeting. Until two weeks ago, that is. And I’m starting to suspect it’s the last straw.

A tortoise by nature, I have crammed my hard, round shell into a ridiculous bunny suit. Joining Myspace, then Facebook, getting Skype, tending to photo albums on Flickr and Picasa, 4 different e-mail accounts, 4 online shops, a blog, succumbing to the Twitter tidal wave, and so on, and so on. I am drowning in status updates, text messages, links that continuously drag me here, there and everywhere. Well, my shell is busting through the seams, and I’m afraid safety pins aren’t gonna do the trick this time. Continue reading »

Muscle Memory

Thought This Would Be Easier by Michele Maule

Aside from a small handful of moments when I’ve been able to (miraculously) enjoy exercise, physical activity, by and large, remains a task to check off of my to-do list six times a week. I’ve grown to think of it the same way I think of brushing my teeth or washing my hair. It’s not up for debate. In order to be a healthy member of society and blend in, I have to do it.

And so, three mornings and three evenings each week, I strap on my well-worn, beloved sneakers and get down to business.  At times, physical goals such as weight loss, or fitting into a smaller size have motivated my rigorous schedule, but they never ultimately get me through a workout. In my opinion, a truly good workout will push you to a place where weight, size, or any other materialistic motivations cease to matter. It’s just you, a bunch of sweat, and a crucial decision. Keep going or throw in the towel? Continue reading »

Shove it, Zodiac.

Emerging from Troubled Days, by Christian Breitkreutz

Good gracious. Just shrugging my shoulders and saying “some weeks are worse than others” isn’t really cutting it for me at the moment. Why don’t we go with “some weeks blow a lot more than others?” I’m a Libra, so if you buy into the whole astrology thing, I should feel right at home with balance. Like dipping my toes into a nice, warm bath, right? Well, for the time being, balance is not my friend. Nay, dare I say it, balance is my enemy. I want the scales tipped in my favor, not level. Damn you, astrology (you can’t see it, but right now, I’m waving my fists at the sky)!

How did I get so bitter about my birth sign? Well, allow me to recap just the latest example of this unfortunate balance I speak of.  In an economy as crappy as the current one, I managed to pull the strongest month of online sales for Blackbird Tees out of who knows where. It was a glorious benchmark moment for me, especially after hemorrhaging money at the close of 2008 on renovations and startup expenses for my new boutique. Continue reading »

Et Tu, Douche Bag?

I suppose this type of question sort of answers itself.  Assuming someone is a douche bag, would you really ever expect much out of them?  Probably not.  Well, and you probably wouldn’t be terribly surprised when they inevitable turn on you.  At least, a reasonable person would draw these conclusions–reasonable being the operative word here.  But for the sake of argument, what if these were not the inevitable conclusions…or even the most popular? In my late teens/early twenties, reasonable was a word you associated with old losers and people that never got laid.  And I certainly wasn’t trying to befriend anyone in either of those demographics.  So, I proudly opted for stupidity instead. Continue reading »

Heavens to Etsy

I’ve mentioned in several of my blog entries that the process of building a business can be a lonely one.  And while that may be true, I’m also increasingly aware that you’re never going through the motions entirely alone.  Sometimes, if you can just manage to look up from your own narrow dirt path, you realize that there’s literally hundreds of people off in the distance attempting the very same climb.  For whatever reason, this fleeting sense of camaraderie can provide a little dose of encouragement to keep trekking.

Well, for me, this much needed jolt came in the form of Etsy.  For those of you that don’t know, Etsy is basically like Ebay, but for kick-ass craftspeople, and it is sooo much more fun to browse.   At this point, I can easily lose 2-3 hours a day just poking around the different shops and discovering all kinds of magical creations.  It has completely renewed my faith in people and their ability to be original. Continue reading »