Tuesday, February 26, 2008

first five stamps

+this is what happened to my macbook power adapter in about 36 hours, from tiny tear to total meltdown. looking at the reviews of the adapter on apple.com's shop, apparently this has happened to hundreds of people. most of which are not lucky enough to have theirs replaced for free- i think i only did because i told the applecare rep that i was burned, and he switched me over to a supervisor in a panic. anyway, called them yesterday at noon and had a new one by this morning. my faith in apple has been restored.


+sometime last week, i remembered sitting in a friend's art class in high school and messing around with rubber and carving tools... and how fucking much i loved it. except, i carved freehand and actually wasted a lot of good, expensive linoleum and rubber without realizing it. so i took a trip to pearl over this weekend and spent money (that i don't have) on supplies! i was DYING to craft all weekend, but just couldn't find the down time. so yesterday i sat down and made my first five stamps, and here they are! i still haven't quite gotten the hang of using the tacky (as in sticky) speedball ink with the roller, so some of these aren't quite as crisp as they should be.




i started off with these super simple flower shapes- based on vintage wallpaper i found. they look really dinky alone, but when used as a pattern they are kind of cute.


this stamp is going to be used heavily to (ideally) produce that sort of ornate wallpaper pattern that is so hot right now.


an acorn! sooo super cute. adapted from some clip art i found.


my own dinky mountains, and the only freehand stamp i've done so far.

i'll post the cards/stationary/clothes??/whatever i end up using these for when that ship sails.

Friday, February 22, 2008

all things cold!




+this is my little roof deck. woke up about 830 to beautiful, three inches of snow! very exciting. but now, i am stuck in my apartment waiting for ryan to get back from school stuff. i was going to make plans for today, but the gorgeous snow turned to a really disgusting mist that is melting everything. i went to the grocery store a few blocks away, and the sidewalks are gray slush that are soaking my feet, gorgeous boots included.



+i just want to show my boots. maybe the most important fashion lesson i learned this year (the hard way, btw) is to freaking tuck your pants into your socks before trying to wiggle into slouch boots. i'm hoping to pass on this knowledge, because it really knocked five minutes off my routine. FIVE MINUTES OF PUTTING ON SHOES.



+the sundaes i made ry and i for dessert night last night. we've skipped the past few weeks, so this was a real treat. HOW CUTE IS THAT.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

on cats, cameras, knitting, and zooey.

+this friday, ryan and i went to buy cameras together. i finally used my best buy credit (from returning all of my christmas presents) and got a sony cybershot. i was really holding out for a DSLR (which ryan ended up getting, and it is so gorgeous) but i realized i should start by having a camera i am likely to pull out and use. one of the things i've regretted most about the time i've spent here is the total lack of pictures i have to account for it. right now it's just allowed me to take more pictures of my cat, but soon it'll be worth it. i bet. hopefully.


+i am trying to use my out-of-school and (unwillingly) unemployed time for creative efforts, but it's been so hard to get myself in shape. i have been dying to make the ridiculously cute knitted bangles from see mi knit, but have somehow still not found the right bracelets to start with. check out the link if you're even remotely interested in knitting. it's nuts how easy it is.


+before i go, i have to do a terrible thing and suggest you all run out and download the new zooey deschenel project, she & him. it's twangy and motowny and zooey's vocals are every bit as dreamy as you'd expect from her. just download the early release now and then go buy the real thing when it comes out.

hello, first post

well. here's where i am at this second, rather than trying to be retrospective and catch up with nineteen years:

i live in philadelphia, pa. a city that i hate very much, with the exception of my tiny overpriced apartment, two fond friends, my fugly cat, and my boyfriend. it's hard for me to admit that i really only have three people here that i am even moderately close to, since i moved away from countless close, wonderful, brilliant, selfless friends to come here.

i quit the art school i was attending (university of the arts) because a week before my sophomore year classes started, i realized i was on the wrong path. i finished out the semester and have now applied to transfer to five different cities. wherever i end up (a huge debate!), i will be studying to be a wildlife technician.

wrote this in my other functioning blog about ten minutes ago:
quite a while ago, mitt romney dropped out. thank god, those nightmares have stopped
however, i am still dreaming about mike rowe and one magical giant birthday cake. really.
today castro stepped down and i'm mostly just worried about cuba's environmental policies. sorry, but i call it like i see it and he was one heckuva conservationist. ugh weird.

finished every single college transfer app, paid collegeboard.com so much for AP and SAT scores, done with uarts forev. those things. i think i mentioned that already.
actually, i stopped by and visited the fibers girls and got much-needed long, long hugs. i'm going to try to keep in touch with a few of them better. i still kick myself all the time for not taking pictures even once of the studio/girls.

i finally saw joe today, on purpose, for the first time since about the summer. we have fortunately run into each other a few times but somehow our wires kept getting too crossed to have any real time to reconnect. weekly lunches with jamie. seeing mistie here and there. in ryan's arms, eating his delicious pasta and helping him with homework most thu-sun. not to mention drunk dials and care packages from some people too far away to run into. it's nice right now. the times i don't sit and evaluate and re-evaluate my options, they are good times.

besides answering my big questions, trying to budget is so hard, especially when nobody gets that i really have been trying to snag a job. i have waned in my efforts somewhat because i got discouraged. also, because i got an odd job that provided a little income boost. need more of them, if anyone knows of any.

also, help! my inspiration/drive has run totally freaking dry and i don't know how to stand up, walk over to my work space, and get cracking. suggestions there, too.
hope you're all well, whoever still reads this at all.