Valentines Carnival

February 14th is Valentine's Day. What is your best childhood memory of Valentine's Day?

Honestly the school parties, they were always a blast! Dressing in pinks and reds. Sweets and treats. Making lil bags/boxes to hold valentines from classmates. The super cool cards and candies everyone gave!

This is my first single Valentines in six years. I honestly can say I want this holiday to be over with, just this year.... As I am a hopeless/hopeful romantic I am hoping to have some love by 2011.

The face behind the art

September Blog Carnival for Etsy Bloggers team!
Activities: Painting, writing, reading, sleeping, arting, collecting things
Interests: Tattoos and getting them, fabric and paper, home decorating, writing a novel, Staying up as late as possible to see if I function with little to no sleep, kitschy things
Favorite Music: Hellogoodbye, Maroon 5, Matt Nathanson, The Killers, Snow Patrol, Colbie Calliat, Queen,Ac / dc, staind, Disturbed, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, Greg Laswell, Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Bareilles, Jack Johnson, Kate Nash, Lily Allen
Favorite Books: Wicked, Shadow of the Wind, Memoirs Of A Geisha, The Bear went over the Mountain, The Time Traveler's Wife, The Secret Life Of Bees, Bitter Is The New Black, Dead until dark(the whole series), Walking in circles before lying down, The Chronicles Of Narnia

About Me: I wish had qualities like
Sympathy
Fidelity
Sobriety
Sincerity
Humility
Instead I got lunacy
I wish I could fit myself in my pocket
And tie myself to a rocket
And send myself to outer space
I wish I had a different face

Summer

Only the best BEST best season of the entire year!
And the best thing about summer, is that there is time to create new art for my shop.
I am soon to upload new mini journals, rings, and cards. Hopefully going to be able to paint some things too, but not sure any of them will be for sale.
Besides creating I hope to be moving into my own house shortly that has a lot of room, and an upstairs bedroom. I will have an upstairs art room! So cool and so much freedom and room to create all the messes I can handle!

Green is super COOL

What is green in your shop? Etsybloggers Carnival for this month!
April 22nd is earth day, so why not get somethings on etsy that are green or eco friendly?!!!

This is a friend journal, green and made from upcycled thick chipboard!
Two green rings made from Vintage buttons! Very unique and one of a kind!
Upcycled file folder journal, very eco friendly, reuses nice office file folders, and vintage ribbon and lots of green embellishments!
And a lovely magnetic frame to spice up your fridge. The beads are actually from a designer bracelet that my boyfriend broke (I got it in NYC no less) and I couldn't let the beautiful beads go to waste!I have a lot of things in my store that used to be one thing and now are another, I make a lot of journals with thick study chipboard that comes in packaging, I use vintage buttons and beads that have been donated to me by people. I try to be as green as possible, and you can support that!

Spring has sprung

Can you feel it? In the air in the air? Yes that is right March 21st (my birthday conceitedly) is the first day of spring! I have already tasted the wet earthiness that accompanies the winter thaw. I have smelled the fresh wet earth and heard the birds chirp.
I also have some rings in my store that are springalicious! Plus I am having free shipping for spring! What are some of the best things about spring?

• My birthday DUH
• Warm weather
• No more socks, winter coats, gloves etc....
• Wearing cute clothes
• Light at night

What are some of your favorite things about spring?

Valentines

I am a hopeless romantic. So I have high expectations for Valentines Day. Granted my expectations never are met, it is still nice to think about it....

Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is an occasion celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

I think that Valentines has become somewhat commercialized. In my opinion I want your time not your gifts.

2009 store goals

2009 brings year two of my etsy shop. I have some big goals for this year!
I want to be over 100 sales by my one year anniversary in February and I am three away from that goal.
I want to be more on making and listing and having better pictures.
I am also going to advertise for the first time on majaba.org, I got a really sweet ad from an etsy graphic designer and I hope to get a lot of sales!

Main Goals

• Better pictures
• More advertising
• New art and ideas
• Bring in sales

Christmas Traditions

As I sit here at work during the biggest blizzard of the year I decided to blog my carnival for December.
Traditions, every family has them, some are better than others!
TRADITIONS

.	1. the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, esp. by word of mouth or by practice: a story that has come down to us by popular tradition.

2.	something that is handed down: the traditions of the Eskimos.

3.	a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting: The rebellious students wanted to break with tradition.

4.	a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices.

5.	a customary or characteristic method or manner: The winner took a victory lap in the usual track tradition.

Well we have a lot of traditions, see if you share any:

• Mom and I bake cookies, puppychow, fudge, and many other things of the food nature. Usually I end up eatting a lot of sugar cookie dough and making a dough ball.
• Put up the tree with all the ornaments we have collected over the years, and all our knick knacks, mom's barbie ornaments
  
• Candy Canes everywhere, on the tree in hot chocolate, YUM
• James and I Christmas Eve Anniversary (five years this year) trying to find a restaurant that is open later than 6pm!
• Kurt and I always making small snow hills and sledding down them
• Princess having to have a path shoveled in the yard for her because she was teeny tiny
• Playing moms old Christmas records

Traditions, some last and some fade, some change and some stay the same forever.

Painting in Progress

November EtsyBlogger Team Carnival is work in progress. Well my current work in progress is a large oil painting on thick stretched canvas that will be going up in my shop after it is done and dried and exactly how I am seeing it in my mind. Right now it looks very orange but in fact it is going to be very hazed with gray. It is actually going to be a bright/dark painting and a sad but hopeful theme. I have also written a nice poem to go with.
I am having trouble with a title, I am thinking the descent of depression..... time will tell!

Relax... what is that?

LOL
Well this month I am doing the relax Carnival for EtsyBloggsers!
Things I do to relax:
1) My boyfriend and I are recently very into drinking tea, I happened to find a super cool tea store called Teavana, and it is online too, so we ordered a bunch of yummy sounding teas to use with our easy teamaker! We love drinking the tea at night and it is relaxing!2) If I am having a particularly BAD day a nice hot bubble bath always works for me. Take a good book in and I can soak up the hours of the night

3) Etsy, chatting and creating stuff. Working with my hands is very relaxing especially painting!
I wish I could have time to relax every day! That won't be happening this weekend for sure!

When I was a small artist

I will always remember my childhood
So here you can read it... list style

8 of my current childhood memories, which have no relevance to anything particular at this very moment or anytime in the upcoming future.

1. Taking painting lessons with oil pastels
2. Going camping and eating fudge and pasties
3. Campfires and smores
   
4. Riding my bike everywhere
5. Walking barefoot all summer long
6. Eating the baseball glove ice creams with the bubble gum in the middle
7. Walking to the coney stand
8. Watching Darkwing Duck, Bonkers, Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers, DuckTales, Gargoyles, & Tale Spin

Tools of my trade

As of recently I have been very much into art journals, and keeping mine up, and selling kits in my store, which if you are an artist/writer art journaling is amazing and awesome.

First what is an art journal??

Art journals generally combine visual journaling and writing. Every imaginable style, media and technique is used by art journalists. There are no rules!
An art journal is a visual diary, a place to play, experiment, imagine, remember, try new techniques, and to document your daily life, your ambitions, and your dreams. It is also a place to scream cry to lament to fantasize and to get in touch with your innermost self.

It is like journaling scrapbooking painting and college combined into one fantastic playful messy experience!

OK
Now my tool that I use every time I journal?
Paint and paint brushes! I love love love paint, I love the messy feeling and the paint on my hands. Sometimes I find paint splotches in random places after I am done, I always laugh.
So my favorite tool right now, is my brushes, foam, small, big, wet, dry, new, old, BRUSHES.

This is just a tool that as an artist, I cannot do without. I buy them whenever they are on sale i just love having new brushes to use with all my paints.

My favorite creation

My favorite creation isn't something I created. It is something God created for me.

My precious Dog is the best creation by far on this planet. Everyday I love her and she loves me back and that is the best thing in the whole world. So she is my favorite creation, not made by me but I believe made FOR me.

All the art in the world I could make and nothing would be as beautiful or wonderous as that beautiful little ball of fur that lights up my life every morning noon and night.

Summer Catch up

Every summer for as long as I can remember I have used the free time I have to catch up on my fun reading. As in reading as much I can for my own pleasure. Ever since high school all I read is for work (school required) so I cram in as much fluff fiction I can during the summer.
My goal this summer is to read twenty books. So far I have read seven, not bad considering I have been really busy doing everything else.
But since I will be having Fridays off from work soon, I plan on spending them in my pool with a book. The essence of summer indeed!
Here is some I have read thus far:

June 23rd Carnival: Lovin the craft

So my etsy shop is full of cards and Journals, and what do I make for myself???
I love to scrapbook. I like to take pictures and put them with pretty things and make fun scrapbooks big and small. Plus I make cards to give out to people I know. Birthday at work? Beth makes the card!!!
Yes my home is full of my creations....
I love making altered art. I love these scrapbooks pages and my altered frame!

My Studio by CREATEaTHOUGHT

I feel so depressed being so close to my dream art room and having it taken away just when I was almost there.
It just isn't fair!
But as you can see from my little sketch it was going to be pretty funky indeed. It would have been nice to have the computer and a window and be upstairs with the dog and sinks.
But I am destined to stay in my cluttered arted up basement...
at least for now

My MIMO

Blog Carnival theme this week is Mothers Day/Mothers in General.
Since I am only 22 and not yet a mother I will post about mine.
That is actually A SUPER OLD scrapbook page I did, my family, my dad holding me and I was a day old. That was when my mom became a mom for the second and final time. I was her miracle baby she always tells me. She also likes to tell me that I had a barbie doll body and a big ol head, and that I made her miss Dallas because I was born at 8:55 pm! LOL MOM!!!
My mom really is a great mom. A lot of times we didn't get along, we fought a lot screamed yelled. Now that she lives 800 miles away from me, we get along famously. We actually miss each other. Being apart made me realize all the things I did with her, that were thing WE did together. Garage sale shopping, craft fairs, expos, shipshawana, casino trips, swimming in the pool, hanging with the dog.
I really miss my parents a lot, and I am lucky enough to be able to be leaving tuesday to see them, and I will be with my mom for Mothers Day.
Now if only she wasn't so hard to shop for.

etsybloggers - April 28, 2008

Welcome to the April 28, 2008 edition of etsybloggers.
This is the biggest edition yet! 38 posts GO BLOGGERS!

Jessi/Glitterstar Designs presents Blog carnival: Poetry posted at Glitterstar Designs.

HomeMadeOriginals presents Poetry Reading Day posted at Home Made Originals.

Bonny Jewelry presents Blogger Carnival - Poetry posted at Blogger Carnival - Poetry.

Ashley presents Let Creativity Flow posted at Wax Dribbles & Melt Pools.

Kathy Johnston (Cozy) presents My Favorite Poet posted at A Cozy Life.

Kelly presents Song lyrics = poetry posted at Kellybot.

JerseyGirlDesign presents Blog Carnival for April posted at .:JerseyGirlDesign:..

Stormy Designs presents Ode to Clay posted at Stormy Designs.

Brigid presents Pretentious poetry chatter posted at Grey Eye Designs studio.

Sue presents Invictus ~ Etsybloggers Blog Carnival posted at SignatureSterling.

Jen (bfbeads) of Baby Friendly Beads presents Etsyblogger Carnival -- Poetry! posted at Mama's Magic.

BabyLyons presents Coy posted at BabyLyons' Treasuries.

Yazmin presents Etsy Bloggers Carnival: Poetry Reading Day posted at A Pretty Rock Jewelry - blog.

Andrea presents Poetry and Photoshop posted at Rock-a-Baby Clothing Co.

Moon Mystic presents Ophelia's Revenge posted at Smell This. . .

Maureen Blakeley Impawsible To Resist presents I saw a birdy up a tree... Etsy Bloggers Team Blog Carnival for
April
28, 2008 posted at Impawsible To Resist

mizuhiki presents Blog Carnival posted at The Sweet-ness of Life

Sydnei Moore presents EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival..... ~Poetry~ posted at SimplySentimental

Lily Wrey presents *EtsyBloggers Street Team End of April Blog Carnival Theme -
Poetry posted at TuLips Talking

Jo Hoffacker presents Ode to a Bulldog posted at Dogmaw Glass

wearewedges presents Public Notice RE; Novelty Haiku posted at WE ARE WEDGES

Two Zany Zebras presents Before I was a mom... posted at Two Zany Zebras

Nora Demirjian presents My Heart Leaps Up... posted at Nora's Blog

Ashleigh presents Rain by Shel Silverstein posted at M i l l i p e d e B e a d

Deb Baroff presents Haiku and wearable art posted at Stroll Through Storyland

LoopsDesigns - Sarah Dible presents My Sister the Poet posted at LoopsDesigns.

Alicia Mae presents The art of writing posted at AliciaMae's Xanga.

CREATEaTHOUGHT presents Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn. posted at CREATEaTHOUGHT

joeyandaleethea presents revolving dork's 10 second dance break posted at J o e y & A l e e t h e a

Shannon Saylor presents Poetry is life in itself posted at ShannonSaylor.Etsy.com

Shelley Jones presents Poetry Reading Day posted at Defining Desire.

Edi presents Journaling-Using Poems and Quotes posted at Memories for Life Scrapbooks.

waterrose presents Waterrose Handcrafted Obsessions: The Patchwork Quilt, Carrie A
Hall posted at Waterrose Handcrafted Obsessions.

Jackie presents Twitku posted at A Keeper's Jackpot.

mommyandmeboutique presents THE ROAD NOT TAKEN by Robert Lee Frost posted at THE MOMMY AND ME BOUTIQUE.

Rebecca presents Chants as poetry as inspiration posted at FaerieRebecca's Workbench

Carmen Flores Tanis presents Hop, Jump and Skip posted at Bzzy Little Bee.

jewelofthei presents ~April 28th is Poetry reading day~ posted at Jewel of the I

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
etsybloggers
using our
carnival submission form.
Past posts and future hosts can be found on our

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etsybloggers, blog carnival.

Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn.

Monday the 28th is Poetry Reading day, and that is the theme for my host of blog carnival.
I have so much to say about poetry it isn't even funny.... well maybe a teensie bit.
I wrote my first poem in 7th grade, and it was kind of dark, and everyone took it wrong and thought I was going to kill myself.... um no.
Poetry is actually why I am a big journaler, journal maker, etc. I started filling up so many journals I started making them too! Gotta have something inspiring to write your goodies in!
I have been writing poetry for many years obviously, along with fiction, creative journal entries, short stories... etc. Poetry is my first creative writing love and I love reading and learning about new formats and all that good stuff.
I do not understand how people don't like poetry, reading it is just such a beautiful thing, but writing it is freeing.
My teacher this semester said it best; Poetry is an experience. And it truly is.
So I am saying, if you feel like you cannot write poetry or don't like to, try again, without worrying about grammer structure wording or meanings get yourself into a habit you like and that you are comfortable. I try and make myself write every night, and a lot of nights I produce absolute crappy nothingness, and some nights I don't want to write, so I don't. But then there are the times where you just lose yourself in what you have to say and the words flow from your mind to the pen and onto the page and it is a beautiful thing and you have just produced something great, and that makes everything else worth it. My advice is Just write!
Make it your own experience.
Also get out there and read read read, you get better and inspired by reading other poets work, even songs you like, those are poems too!
Two of my favs: Pablo Neruda & Sharon Olds

Here is a very recent poem of mine:
Your Innocence

Taste of rain
warm on your lips
summer on your skin.

Smell of morning
sun on dew-filled grass
yawn of night
fresh and untainted.

Sounds of familiarity
train whistles midnight
frogs in an unknown pool
crinkling of the wind
hum of highway cars.

Feels like sleep
healing refreshing deep
smooth coldness against warm skin
silk between fingertips
heaviness pressing down.

Looks like life
cloud spotted dusk
floating pollen spring snow
sun rising over waters edge.

Pieces of April

This is the theme this week for the Etsy Bloggers Carnival
Well April is turning out to be such a busy month for me. School is winding down to an end for this semester, and I am in much need of the summer break. I have so many things planned for summer I just can't wait for may 1st.
Also I am getting a lot of crafting down for me and my store. Since opening my store in January I have kind of moved away from scrapbooking for me. So I sat down with a friend last sunday and finished my mini album from a girls night out. Reminded me I need to keep scrapping and not push it aside totally.
With the beginning of spring is also bringing some hard decisions for me. My dog Princess is not doing so well. She has good days and bad days. Twice recently she has peed in the house. It is a concern because my parents said that was a sign that it was time to put her down. I am struggling with this because I have been letting her out more and giving her less water when I am not there and she isn't peeing on the floor. How can I just let go of a dog I have had for 13 years? Since I was in third grade and now in college? She is all I have most days, since I live alone in my house. She is my reason to get up some days, and my night time snuggler.
A good thing about this, hard to believe there can be a silver lining to this situation, but it has forced me to finally take in some pictures of her to get drawn up for my tattoo portrait. So in the next few weeks I am going to get a black and grey portrait done on my left shoulder, where my heart is.
I have one tattoo right now. I plan on having my whole back covered by the time I die. Each piece will symbolize or represent a piece/time/event in my life that is very important to me. I will get ones for my close family members when they pass, I have song verses and bible verses I will get done eventually. But right now I have the rose that symbolizes the five year relationship I am in, and I will have my dog, my heart and soul since I was nine. Who can say they have had a dog that long, 13 years, from age nine to twenty-two, so it is understandable why she is so much a part of my heart and will be so hard to let go.
For now we will take it one day at a time. That is all I can ask for one more day.....