Wednesday, December 31, 2008

goodbye 2008!




i had a great time at home for the holidays- and hope everyone had a good holiday too. i am really very happy 2008 is over. it felt brief, but got old sooo quickly. i am wishing for good health for me and my loved ones and am going to try to make as many good decisions as i can in 2009. :)

Friday, December 12, 2008

merry


xmas 2007 b
Originally uploaded by juliepeach
this picture from last year cracks me up... lilly's face. one only a cat mother could love. right now she's sleeping across my notebook, keeping me from studying...

i miss that apartment, every day. it was SO, just, me. small, but perfect. soooo clean. everything where it needed to be. and i decorated the heck out of it.

if all goes as planned, nyc christmas light/window display extravagaza this weekend! then home a week from tomorrow! tis the season, but how did it get here so fast??

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

the christmas kitten story

soooo, over the weekend i was watching the MST ADORABLE bull terrier named buster. i actually was really scared of this breed for a long time, until him. he looooved me! his owner had never been away from him before, and had me coming 3x a day for walks. eventually he learned to hop up and hug me when i said "up! hug!". i totally spoiled him.

ANYWAY, last sunday was probably one of the coldest, windiest days i have ever experienced. it was just-- bitter. the streets were empty, as everyone was trying to stay in as much as possible. after my very last walk, in the pitch dark of 830pm, i was heading toward broad street (big busy main street in philadelphia) when i turned to my right to see a tiny kitten huddled in a recessed store front stoop. he(?) looked sooo cold, as i think the wind chill had it feeling 20 degrees colder (something like 8? it was just miserable). and i just exclaimed, "oh! kitty!" because it upset me so much. and he IMMEDIATELY hopped out and started rubbing on my legs, purring, trying to stand up to get me to pet him. i initially didn't touch him because
1. i have gotten attacked by a few strays here that SEEM really nice and purr-y and then just flip
2. i didn't want to take anything home to lilly & scuz
but he was relentless. i mean, nicest happiest cat ever. and i said, kitty, no no i can't take you home. but i knew he was freezing so i took off my scarf and tried to wrap him/make a bed in the recessed store front... to no avail. he just kept rubbing on me and trying to get me to pet him. i tried to walk in circles to see if he would go anywhere, or if he had a notion of home... and he followed me. i mean, right behind me. purring, meowing, and marching behind me like we were a team. i had nooo idea what to do, because scuz is INCREDIBLY violent and would probably flip out and hurt us/the kitten if i brought him home. plus, again, i wasn't sure if this cat potentially had illness or anything. i was near my friend carolyn's, so i gave her a call to see if she had any food or anything i could bring back. kitty, of course, followed right behind me the block and a half there. i wasn't talking to it or encouraging it, and was in fact getting more and more stressed about the situation.
i knew i COULD NOT leave the cat in weather like that, but that i couldn't take him home.

so i got to carolyn's, who didn't have anything but some water, and the cat just rubbed all over her & her roommate. he was so happy, and so nice. when a big gust of wind came, he would sit and wrap his tail around himself and shiver. i mean, it was just so sad. i said goodnight to carolyn and tried to figure out what to do.

my plan was literally to walk around until someone showed interest, or the cat would run off to wherever he had been living (most cats stake out a territory and get fed by the same people)... but no. he followed me for almost half an hour. i was so desperate i was thinking about knocking on doors and asking people if they wanted to adopt a cat.

well. i decided to at least feed him, and walked over to walgreens. he sat and waited, watching me, as i crossed the busy busy street. when i came back out, he was trotting after a woman i had just seen come out of a pizza place. i yelled after her, is that your cat? and she laughed and said no, that he just started following her, too! so i stopped and opened the can... he was totally famished. and i started talking to the woman, and she said she also had two cats and seemed just as torn about the whole thing. she eventually said, i can't leave him, i just can't. my boss has been looking for a cat for his store (lots of places around here keep store cats, often fat and spoiled and happy, to catch mice)... and she decided to take him home and temporarily keep him downstairs, then give him to her boss! i said, well, great! do you want any help? and she laughed and said, no, i think he'll probably just follow me. she picked up the can of food, and sure enough, he trotted after her all the way home.

sorry that was so long! it was seriously soooo heartwarming. poor ryan had cooked us dinner and was waiting for me to get back, but i couldn't just leave that cat. some strays are obviously just happy being strays. but this cat wanted a home, and was so so full of love. did i mention he was a little tortie like lilly, and had one half ear? like typical cartoon stray cat. he seemed totally healthy otherwise, and was just so so cute. i came home and hugged lilly SO TIGHT. every animal is a treasure, and i am glad there is one less on the street.

whew! i love this season. it was just magical. :)

now, a break from words, some of the finished notebooks from my digital patterns. !




alright, back to studying for finals. i cannot believe the semester is over, and that i will be in GA in a week and a half.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

taking a break

ahhh!! my last full week of classes! next week we have 3 regular days, then two days off as "study days" before a week of finals. i cannot believe the end of the semester is here. i don't think i realized how little would be left after thanksgiving... it's such a blur!

i am taking a break from a night of intense cleaning (hour 2, still about 2-3 hours until i'll be satisfied) to watch the lighting of the tree (can't wait to see miley cyrus perform!!) on NBC. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! i really do! i have just about finished my christmas shopping-- most of which was on etsy. i got some really, really amazing gifts for my family. i did do a little regular store shopping, and it just reminded me how much i love gift giving. i sort of pride myself on being super good at listening to what people like/want and being a good gift giver, so it's REALLY fun for me. i especially have fun shopping for ryan, since he is a challenge with him having his birthday 5 days after xmas. last year i prepared stockings for us along his gifts, and i have great ideas for super sweet stocking stuffers this year. ack, i am going to be the best aunt/mom/godmother ever some day!!

okay, so it's been a while since i've posted. and a while since i've had time to make anything new, since any craft time lately has been devoted to orders. BUT i have lots of new ideas, and am going to start focusing a little on printing on card stock to make notebooks as well as all of the traditional printmaking techniques i use. here's one of the first ones that will be made! i can't wait to see how it turns out as a notebook:



you can also use it as a tiled background for your desktop!
oh my goodness i cannot wait to watch tony bennett & miley cyrus perform christmas music!!! i am going to try to get to NYC the weekend after this to see the tree, as one last hurrah before i head to atlanta the weekend after. this weekend, i have a crafty fatty sleepover planned with melissa and jamie... a reunion long, long overdue. i am a happy girl. i stopped taking my prednisone and suddenly i'm back to my old self! i'm going bald faster (ack! ha) but at least i feel physically well again for the first time in months. hope everyone is well!!

Monday, November 17, 2008

winter shop update!

ahh! i can't believe i totally forgot to update this with the new winter/holiday stuff in my etsy shop ! i didn't even do anything this weekend-- in fact, besides some homework and papers it was the laziest weekend i've had in many many months! but yeah, i got this stuff in the shop last week but who cares because it was just so nice to take time to myself to create winter-y fun stuff. i do think that i will include some of 'em in gifts to family this year.

i cannot believe that thanksgiving is ten days away-- and going home to visit is only one month & three days away!! i can't wait. i only wish i wasn't going to be TOTALLY BALDY the first time seeing friends/family in over a year and a half :( ! i am sooo excited, and have already started the bulk of my xmas shopping through etsy. i can't post links for obvious reasons, but i have found some GREAT stuff ! and only on etsy could you get someone to ship to "JULIE CHRISTMAS DO NOT OPEN" at your mom's house in georgia. :)

anywho! here are some of the things i got to make last week...

two block, four color hand-pulled linocut merry cards! these were lots of fun to doodle, but a real pain to carve out !



block printed winter wonderland cloth dinner napkins!



winter wonderland notebooks (few other colors available)


hope everyone is well, and adjusting to our SUPER EARLY SUNDOWNs (it's dark at 5pm here! sad)

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

being a creeper

i have been CARVING CARVING CARVING all night long (it feels greeeat! i'll show new stuff tomorrow) but wanted to brag about knowing someone so talented... i know a handful of people that i'm really, really proud to even be in their life- one of them is allie w. and she makes the craziest most amazing stuff i've seen. i really wish i got to talk to her more when we were in class together, and i wish our schedules were a little less wacky so i could get to know her now. i don't take many people seriously (esp myself, HELLO i make ugly animal block prints) but all of her work just. makes me stop what i'm doing and wonder where she gets it all from. i wish i could articulate it better, but honestly her work speaks for itself much better than i can. just check out a few:





her blog is http://fishwithoutbicycles.blogspot.com/ -- for much much more. on another note, i hope she and i get to hang out very soon. and that she doesn't mind i just snagged her photobucket images :)

Monday, November 10, 2008

i just ordered 240 cans of cat food.

finally working on some new stuff... putting aside a little homework to allow myself creative pleasures. christmas-y creative pleasures-- i think i've earned it! i'll show you later this week, when i finally finally have a little time to finish up and take pictures.

otherwise. just health stuff, work, lots of class, trying to find something to cover up my head. here are some other pictures from boston.







how is your mid-november shaping up? i cannot believe how close the holidays are. i am quite ready for another vacation, sigh.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

just saying.

i cant wait to tell my grandbabies how their twenty year old grandma sat in her unmade bed, alone, bald, bawling tears of joy because barack obama was elected 44th president.

Monday, November 3, 2008

ready for a long nap!

i've been MIA, haven't i? it's been kinda crazy lately. on top of the usual (school, walkin doggies, filling art orders), lots has been going on. of course, i haven't had the time to make anything new-- :( my favorite season is coming up and i have lots of ideas for it !

i had a short (but sweet)! getaway with ryan on the weekend of the 24th. we spent a day in salem, MA and a day (and a half?) in boston. our hotel was in lexington (i am partial to that area, plus it's a little cheaper and closeish to both salem AND boston)... more specifically, it was a totally hip new sheraton resort that was built over the classic sheraton i stayed at 4 years ago! anywho, it was super dreamy and wonderful. warmer than we hoped, but the leaves were changing so it was gorgeous.


last weekend was phillies insanity from them winning the world series (as was all of last week, now that i think of it) and halloween and stuff. i actually missed a lot of everything due to classes and poor timing... oh! and saturday morning i participated in my first craft fair thing, though it was SUPER small and SUPER last minute. it was outside of the whole foods at art museum-- the girl organizing it found/contacted me like 36 hours before, so i was running around getting packaging and pricing ready for that. it was like me and 10 other people, and i don't think anyone did terribly amazing- but i got to meet some people from etsy which was really fun! the weather was also super dreamy.

soooo that's been that. my weeks have also included the usual doctor's appts for this stupid alopecia areata... i had 45 more shots in the head, came off of my oral steroids, and am continuing my topical steroids. it's all falling out again just as bad when it first started, though. i made ryan run his hand through my hair tonight to see how easy it was, and he got a small handful. it's surreal. i have too little hair to hide my bald spots anymore. i think i am going to literally be 100% bald before it's finished, because i can't get to my doctor in time for a new prescription (work/class/voting tomorrow, i can't miss any more wednesdays for doctor's appts, so hopefully thurs! but it takes a few days)... even if i do get more oral steroids (which made me super nutty) they are only suppressants! there is no cure. so weird. i would say about 35-40% of my head is bald spots, and including the areas that have thinned i have lost 60% of my original hair mass. i went hat shopping but all of the hats for this season are that saggy beanie style for hipster girls with great big hair :( i am at a total loss at this point! i'm too scared to shave it off because i can't predict where will grow back, and it might be really gross to have a buzzed patchy head. yick. i guess it's really petty since my health itself is intact, but it's just been tough on top of some other things.

good news is, it's november. christmas is permeating the malls! the radios! tv ads! and i loooove it! i listen to christmas music year-round so this is my prime :)
okay well. hope everyone has nice weather for the long lines at voting tomorrow... please don't let a little rain change the course of history! i'm crossing my fingers (not to mention, shaking in my boots) for obama, and a group of us are going to get together to watch the count tomorrow night. i don't want to get political because i know everyone is tired of hearing about it, but i honestly don't know what will happen to this country without him. or more seriously, what will happen to the world and the animals in it.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

chilly tuesday

weather's been sooo cool! i mean, i shouldn't be surprised since it is three weeks into october (wow!)- but i am loving wearing my trusty gray boots that ryan hates, lots of layers, and scarves... so happy :)



i think the best purchase i have made recently has to be that huge bag of birdseed. i guess the south philly birds finally all got the memo, and at any given time there are about ten little birdies and 1-2 pigeons on my roof! lilly loves it. it makes me so happy that she has birds to look at again, since it used to be like her favorite thing ever in my old apt. right now she is sitting on a pair of folded jeans on my radiator, peeking her head over the windowsill... i think she realized that all the noise she makes getting up and sitting in the windowsill scares most of the birds off! ha she is so fat and cute! it's just amazing considering i saw NO birds whatsoever in this neighborhood when i moved in, and now there are bunches!



i had a really fun (hallo)weekend-- i actually went to another haunted house, something i swore never to do again, and it wasn't terrible! i was a big baby and almost backed out, even after paying, but it was a few house walk-throughs, a forest walk through, and a haunted hayride. plus, it was a little trip to delaware so that was fun, too! i also got to help ryan make a pumpkin cheesecake from scratch, pick pumpkins with ryan (and bridget & dan) at linvilla orchards again, then got together with a huuuuuge group to carve them (and eat pumpkin seeds and drink pumpkin beer)! mine is the second picture, and it was from a template in a CVS carving kit. ha! it was messy and cute fun with everyone. and i actually got to bring my copies of hocus pocus & earnest scared stupid along! nobody but me likes the latter, though, eep- we turned it off 15 minutes in.


also! lastly! i finally scanned in all of my polaroids (that i could find) since i bought my camera, back when i was like 13... and i decided on a new way to display some of them, rather than hanging them on my art-clothesline. i am starting a new blog at http://polaroidsandnotes.blogspot.com that i'll start updating a little bit when i find time this week-- lots of homework, studying, work, and finally some orders trickling in. whew! busybusy.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

i can't believe i'm a phillies fan.

let's see... quick update... midterms this week, one year anniversary with ryan this evening (although, he and i cannot agree whether it's today or tomorrow), trying to find time to start over on my loom, being very very broke ever since etsy sales went completely stagnant for the first time in months (sigh!)

i am very much hoping to get to boston/salem/lexington the weekend after this one, and have kept my eye out for super cheap last minute hotel deals... ryan and i went last year, and sort of want to make it a special tradition (and hello! salem at halloweentime is totally magical!), though i can't afford to pay for one of the night's right now... so if you've been thinking of buying from me, now is the time :) ha!

hope everyone is well. i am loving this warm, warm, light-sweater weather. lilly is faaaaast asleep next to me while i am finishing up some homework and trying to schedule time to craft this week... buh. here are some of the cute things i added to my shop last week-- lots of mailing labels/gift stickers & stuffed autumn ornaments (block printed on cloth with my original linocuts!)



Monday, October 6, 2008

warm monday!

i am in the best mood-- again! i love the transition into autumn. not to mention my room is sooo much brighter since ryan took out my huge clunky AC unit from my only little window in my bedroom, and i love having a real breeze slowly drift through. my old apartment had more windows than walls, and i really miss it! it also had a berry tree right outside of one of the windows, and lilly loved to sit all day and watch the birds feed. here in my new place (new? i've been here four months!) there really aren't too many birds that come around. so as a treat for lilly and me, i went and bought a huge 6 lb bag of bird seed and sprinkled it on the roof and windowsill! i have seen one or two, and i hope they tell their friends so that i can start listening to bird songs while i work, rather than distant city buzz. she has already perked up a bunch and has become even more snuggly than usual (as if that's possible!)

here are some finished gocco prints/handmade notebooks that i did last week. i am increasingly nervous about making new gocco screens since, apparently, the production has shut down for real this time. so now that i have a little scheduled craft time, i'm scared to use it! ack.





i am finally about to go use this great loom my aunt sent me-- it has some really wild and traditional plaid scarf patterns in it, and i cannooooot wait, i have been thinking about it all day! i loved using the small loom we made when i was a fibers student, and this one is 100x nicer! so i am going to pop in season one of big love and start watching that while i work- yayay! and then ryan is heading over after work/before going to NJ so that we can fry up these last two green tomatoes my new school friend brought to me! what a good monday! hope you are also in great spirits-- and don't forget to check out my etsy shop so i can afford a little weekend getaway to boston (hope hope!) for me and ryan's 1 year. :)

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

hellooooo october!!

i am in the best mood right now! i have had a strange week so far, but i honestly can not find the feelings to complain oneeee bit. i budgeted my time away from school & work to not only make a really fun custom napkin order this week, but make TWO new gocco screens!! here is a sneak peek of one pattern i made up-- i am going to make lots of notebooks and cards from the prints tonight. :)



i think now that i have a good routine with school (and completing thu-mon's homework by every wednesday night! i am such a dork, but i LOVE not having hw on weekends-) that i can start crafting some more. i think that the lack of art time (as well as my awful steroids, ugh!) were contributing to me being a real negative grumpy butt for a good two weeks there. but! i have cut back on my medicine and i have loooots of new hair growth, so i am a happy healthy girl. not to mention these 60-something temperatures on the ten day weather forecast. yay!

aaaaand! announcing the winner of the blog giveaway: congrats to toria munoz! i've given you a heads up, girl, so once you get your contact info to me i'll get either the pendant or print right out to ya! thank you EVERYONE for participating! i found some greeeat new blogs as a result :)

i hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of the new month, considering all of the craaaazy things that are going on in the world/US right now. just remember to keep looking forward and that you will always have those who love you as that one stable force in your life. !

Friday, September 26, 2008

almost october!

i am spending this friday in, by myself, in my PJs. i am soooo happy! i haven't had a night without homework, custom orders, or plans in a long, long time! i wanted to go craft crazy, but i got a little distracted with the debates. it is still early, so i might try to do a little embroidery on some napkins that i dyed brown before ryan heads back over.

did anyone watch the office premier last night? it was so funny. i didn't realize how hilarious i thought it was until i kept thinking of quotes today. my favorite in particular was the reference to the girl in the art school dorms crying to the RA because "her roommate drank her soy milk". i am actually really excited about all of the art school references that may come this season. one of the writers MUST have gone, because it was dead on.

a few of us got together to watch it, and between homework/cleaning yesterday i FINALLY finally took the time to make up some cute autumn treats! i made three batches (eep! dishes-a-rama!) of rice krispie treats: plain, peanutbutter, and chocolate. i guessed on the recipe as far as adding additional ingredients, and i think they came out all right... they got eaten! i only had a few spots in my new halloween mold/silicone pan (candy corn and ghosts!), so the rest i flattened out, cut into squares and tossed with whole marshmallows, chocolate chips, and halloween sprinkles. not very healthy, but reallyyyy tasty!




don't forget about my giveaway! just comment on the previous post and you could win goodies! have a great weekend, everyone. :)

Monday, September 22, 2008

i miss crafting! giveaway

i miss blogging, i miss making new stuff, and i miss my old routine! i'm busybusy with school and trying to keep friendly ties together (considering my best friend here is moving away, it is becoming very very important to make socializing a priority!)-- any creative time i have had has been working on lots of custom orders. all of a sudden! it's been really fun, and to see what color combination/more "masculine" variations people come up with is super exciting. i took a few pictures but they didn't come out so great, so this will be another wordy post.

so my health! i had to get steroids injected (yes! via needle!) into my scalp about thirty times. i am also putting a steroid solution on my head, and taking an excessive amount of oral steroids (that makes me clench my jaw and totally nutty!!) two times a day to help the problem. so what IS the problem?? my body thinks my hair is a virus, and is rejecting it and pushing it out!! eep! so i am missing lots of hair, still losing some (think like 70-80 per AM shower/brushing) and have big bald patches... but knowing what the issue was has made it SO much better for me to move on. just a random case of alopecia areata? i don't know why/how/how much longer/what will/when it grow back... pooh! the doctor's don't know a whole lot about it in general, so i don't either!

okay SO because i have been terribly dull & MIA lately, i want to offer a little giveaway as a thank you for keeping up with me! leave a funny story, or something interesting, and i'll pick a random comment # (probably will have it generated by some RNG online) and announce the winner next Wednesday, the 1st of October!
the winner will get to choose between this great pendant, printed on plastic and sealed for protection. it's from a picture i took a few years ago, and the yummy colors just make the best accessory! OR an original of my chatty mountain gocco print! (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13648605)
so:

OR


yay! hope we have a very happy winner. i PROMISE i will make a real update soon... i am just aching to find time to create!

Monday, September 15, 2008

brief mid-sept update

sooo. i am very busy with school, repetitive homework, seven hour jury duty this AM, trying to remember the few names of classmates that i've learned, doing some philapets work and making art/craft stuff WHENEVER i can! which hasn't been very much lately, except for a big boutique napkin order and a few little sales here and there. nothing new, which is making my skin crawl. i need a little time off to breathe and make make make!

soo! my health: the hair loss wasn't a chemical burn, after all. it has been almost two weeks, and i have lost about 1/3 of my hair count by now. saturday, it got so bad (huge huge chunks) that i had my handsome boyfriend take me to the ER (i felt like such a jerk there) to try to handle the situation. they took me seriously, thank goodness, and ran a few blood tests to figure out what is going on. i got the results back this afternoon with no answers, so i made an urgent dermatologist appt for tomorrow (i'll have to miss a class for it, which means i have to go in early to make up stuff for three different classes between health/jury duty). we know it's alopecia, but not what type, how permanent, why it's happening, etc. everyone's best guess is that it might be stress related from my big adult decision-making back in may, that left me crying for weeks.
at the first hospital trip, i was prescribed steroids and told to not brush/wash my hair as much as possible. i did wash it today, of course, and sooo much hair came out in the brush (a thick handful!) that i am following orders and keeping my hair in a loooose ponytail now. i think all i can stand is to wash it every other day, though... i'm hoping the steroids will start working soon, because i can move on past this hair loss... as long as it stops before it gets impossible to hide! i have very little left, including yucky bald patches on the underside of my hair line. and tonight i found one on the back top of my head, that is so very visible. my aunt (who has been amazing through this, as well as the other females in my family that have come rooting for old baldy here) ordered me some treatment that has only had insanely amazing reviews-- i am excited to start using it ASAP, though the turnaround time may be a little slow.

okay, well, i just wanted to let everyone know that's why i haven't been art/crafting/blogging very much. i had to buy goggles for my chem lab, and i think i may bejewel them tonight haha. i feel so ridiculous lately that it may be just the extra sparkle i need in my life for that 8:30AM lab class.

hope everyone is doing well!! my RSS feed is constantly overflowing, it's soo hard to catch up but i am reading everyone's blogs and am so happy with the great stuff everyone is making! love love.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

sorry, more words!

well, my first week of school is finished. it's going to be hard to go back next week-- not that it was terrible, it just kept feeling like some fleeting phase. like a summer camp. it will be really hard to get into the routine.

i talked a lot about how it was going to be lonely and awkward, as a transfer with few legitimate core credits toward my major (outside of english and humanities, the other 50-something are just electives)-- but i don't think i totally believed it. most of my classes are lots of freshman who just graduated from the same schools, or are dorm'ing together and becoming very close. there are the few transfers like myself, a little lost (not to mention resentful of the huge age gap) and glum. i am so friendly and try to talk to a lot of people, but so far it has just been very quiet!
my classes themselves are OK. they are actually easy, which i am hoping is just because it was the first week. i really missed real academic classes.

sooo i'm not exactly pulling my hair out over everything-- or am i!

it seems that, even though i have been bleaching and dying my hair for about eight years now, my scalp is finally giving up on me. i have had many reactions to cheap, expensive, and even a $200 "100% organic salon" visit last summer-- i have sensitive skin so it's not strange at all, and i usually bounce back pretty quick. well, this week in class i was absent-mindedly toying with my hair and experienced 5-7 hairs coming out at a time! i was really panicked and after some investigation, it seems that my last dye resulted in a chemical burn at the back hair line (my neck) that has... made my hair fall out. there is a sad little bald patch! and to add insult to injury, i had just gone to the closest shade to my natural color so i'd never have to die again. sigh!

i took a shower tonight, and more hair fell out. like a lot more. i can't figure out from where, so i think it was just the surrounding area of the last bit. i am so sad and worried that it won't stop, or that hair won't grow back.


i posted about it in the etsy forums, hoping a bath & body shop would offer some advice... and after a couple general replies, i got the best convo ever. her name is tamara and her shop is tamarasherbes.etsy.com-- she talked me through all the appropriate measures and didn't pressure me to buy anything at all! she told me many, many times that she is NOT a doctor but she is so informed and sweet! she carries a serum(?) that she suggested to help repair my hair and scalp, and i bought it right away. (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14363323) i cannot wait for it! even after, she spent the evening sending long replies of advice, even giving me a recipe for a herb & apple cider vinegar rinse that will help shade my hair if my roots do grow in darker than the rest of my hair. i cannot express my gratitude and excitement of finding her shop! she has lots of other natural goodies that i am oogling & will remember to pick up when i have a better flow of cash (thank you $500 in text books)

basically, i guess, it was a bad first week of school and my hair is falling out which is just so worrisome... but i am not unhappy and i am trying to stay very positive. i had a good day/weekend so far, and my darling ry got his very, very good job (i knew he would) so! ack- i'll get back to crafting and things soon, and will stop writing so dang much and post pictures. until then, hope everyone is doing just great!

Monday, September 1, 2008

NO WAY IT'S SEPTEMBER

there's no way!! i cannot believe it is september 1st. where the heck is 2008 going?? what a crazy year already, and it's still got 1/4th to go!

i start my new school tomorrow... i am SO nervous. i think that it is even scarier than moving to a place you've never even seen PICTURES of (let alone stepped foot in) the day after you turn 18... at least it is for me! in that situation i was going to a very small school as a freshman with a bunch of other freshmen to keep me company. this time around, with like 35 thou students and coming in as a transfer- i really feel like the odd girl out. i had nightmare after nightmare last night about being lost and late to all of my classes!!

i am kind of excited to see how i toggle my two "jobs" and school. i use quotes because making crafts and playing with animals just, i can't believe they are my work! i am also excited for making new friends and even a little excited for homework... but still very scared. i think that if the weather were cooler and i had great new sweaters to start the year right, that i might be a little more gung ho. but it's going to be 91 on my first day, and i'll have just ridden the stinky subway from one nice neighborhood in the ghetto to another nice neighborhood in the ghetto. ha!

okay so! i don't have any new crafts, arty stuff, or photos to share but i DON'T want to leave you with just words. so here are some links to crazy wonderful sellers on etsy that i've gotten stuff from.


http://earcmra.etsy.com
I got this three flavor sampler for a birthday treat to myself... me and Ryan really tore through them! I would order more but I was literally addicted to their buttery sweet goodness and I think I would binge if I had them this soon again ha!


leafty.etsy
My sister got me this great ring from leafty on etsy!! I love love love it... it's too cute! Her shop is really amazing and it leaves me wondering why she doesn't have 180000000 sales. :)


humade.etsy.com
My sister ALSO got me this on etsy from my favorite's. I LOVE it. It makes me feel so classy whenever I pull it out to get to my... Septa tokens. haha! I also wish more people saw her shop, because the quality is INSANELY beautiful!

So! Hope everyone had a good first of the month! I'm off to make a few more napkins to mail out tomorrow!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

ohh.

quick post. sorry my last one was soooo wordy!
summer's almost up. i start school next tuesday-- so scary. but i'm ready for autumn like you wouldn't believe!!
happy with my schedule i think, got my dorky ID, love my "job". cannot believe i am twenty.


new key rack for the keys i have to keep for work-- frame & hooks from ikea, assembled in about ten minutes by ryan, and a REALLY old test print on fabric in the frame.


new autumn block prints, illustrated by me & hand carved. two blocks per print! (so six new carved stamp linocuts total) soooo these are the new napkins :)

sooo! what's new with YOU?

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

little milestones

oh my goodness, i almost titled this "my last day as a teenager" without thinking... but it REALLY is my last day as a teenager! i feel like i should be doing something really stupid & really wild, but here's been my day so far: i just met a new client (a dog named butter! i love her!) and went to cvs to fill a perscrip... on the way home i FINALLY stopped at the little open air market on passyunk & got a HUGE basil plant for $3!! pretty exciting, right? these are not the great adventures of a 19 year old... anywho, tomorrow is my big #20! no plans, and i'll probably just take it easy and let myself NOT work on anything productive whatsoever. i haven't had big big hullaballoo on my birthday since my 17th, what with moving 700 miles away and all, so please don't call me all day asking why i'm not out living the dream. that was sooo depressing last year. all i did was go to cvs then, too! haha

it's also coming up on my 2nd anniversary of being in philly. i moved the day after my 18th birthday, on the 22nd. and it's kind of sad to think that i've only been to visit GA twice since then-- once at christmas 2006, and once last summer 07. i am homesick a lot, so i don't know how i haven't gone home more than that (other than the hefty cost of a plane ticket.) i've had many, many ups & downs here-- i don't know if i've grown or matured all that much but i've experienced a pretty wide, & new, range of emotions. eep! oh and the 22nd is one year ry & my first date. if it was even a date. i think i only remember it sooo specifically because it was the day after my birthday. but it's cute, right?

hmm what else? ry & i went peach picking this weekend!! and i saw my first pear tree!! last week we also got to see radiohead & the eagles (team, not the band sadly-) play for free. played my first game of poker last night!! and a couple of days ago i realized that "purple nurples" is a play on words of "purple nipples" and can't stop laughing every time i think of it. i love my job, and my pets i take care of soooo much! and i love that i woke up to a big order this morning. i'm not CRAZY about my school schedule (which i keep trying to tweak to perfection) but i am happy about the thought of being in class again... weird.

the weather is getting cooler & i'm smiling more. summer isn't my favorite season, at all, so i won't be sad to shoo this one out. i'm already in the fall spirit, walking in the shade and trying to justify wearing jeans instead of shorts. here's a little of what i've been up to, in pictures.






Monday, August 11, 2008

whew!

okay, hi! i have been a little off the radar... just trying to get my school stuff sorted out (all at once! it has been SUCH a nightmare), doctor's appointments, placement testing, and exciting pre-job stuff. not to mention squeeeezing a little summer out!

i FINALLY start my job tomorrow-- i am a dog walker & cat sitter! i know it sounds dorky that i'm soo excited about it, but there are real paychecks, totally customizable schedule, insured company, and better pay than i've made in any other job i've ever had. i cannot waaaaait to get started after training tomorrow. i will have a double-income, PLAYING WITH ANIMALS and MAKING BAD ART! i like the direction things are heading.

hello!! is anyone else having amazing weather? it has been hovering under 80 degrees here... it makes me feel soooo dreamy for autumn weather. we also had another great, stormy sunday-- and there's no better excuse to lay in bed at watch TLC with your other half & fat cat than a thunderstorm.

i haven't made anything tooooo exciting lately-- i had a few custom orders that i really, really wish i had photographed! like a really interesting color combo set of napkins, and a huuuuge custom stamp. i just packaged them up before i remembered to take pictures.
but! i did find a use for all of the thin scraps of paper i had been hoarding (I KNEW they would be good for something)! i made tons of little notebooks with perforated pages-- perfect for whenever someone asks for a scrap (and you don't want to destroy your planners!) for notes or gum or whatever. i'm already loving using my own, which comes in use since i have a gum-fanatic boyfriend.


detail of the cute perforated pages

sunset at national park in NJ

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

i got hired for my dream job

i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired i got hired for my dream job dream job dream job dream job dream job dream job dream job dream job dream job dream job dream job :)

also had to take the subway by myself for the first time ever, last minute, in the rain, at 7AM, after waking up at 530, to temple, for 6 hours of placement testing. and it wasn't that bad :)

Thursday, July 31, 2008

last post in july

eep. just a few more hours left before it's august! if my birthday wasn't in august, i think it would be my least favorite month... in august, the summer really, really tries to get its hottest, most humid days in before the fall. no major holidays. it's just hot and blah and awful and you know that september (omg, i cannot wait) is around the corner.

i can't believe i just said that. september is around the corner. but it is!

here's a little gocco goodness... my newest print. in order to use one screen and two VERY CLOSE colors, i did some intense ink blocking (see first pic). which still allowed a little seepage and mixing, unfortunately, but still achieved the main idea.





i also had a very promising interview today... for my dream job... so hopefully if i mention it again it means i got it! if i don't say anything, that means i didn't get it and my life is basically over because i want it sooo bad.
ho hum, getting the last of school stuff together too. which feels very weird. transferring has been the biggest hassle of my whole life.
i hope everyone had a great july! i have no idea where it went. it was very sleepy and art-ful and hot. but good!

-- ohh! almost forgot. if you want to get to know me (as an artist) a little better, diffraction did a GREAT interview that you can check out at dif-fraction.blogspot.com/. the blog itself is really neat, with tips & tricks for etsy'ers as well as other great interviews. i can't get it to load on firefox on mac and have to use safari, but that just might be me-- you have been warned, though!