"Is she pretty?.......prettier than me?......"

Between using Etsy as a source for Christmas presents and this new Activity Feed feature they've rolled out on the site - which basically shoves irresistible items in my face everyday -  I have a ton of new favorites.  Here are some of the highlights to tempt you all too...
I'll start with a treasury I made for New Year's Eve - I want it ALL!

I plan on collecting a lot more art this year than I ever have before and Etsy will certainly be one source.  Here are a few new favorites...

This one is called Red Parachutes.  Check out the whole Alyoisus shop because there is so much more to love.
Another print I would love to own from a shop called Mossmottle is 'Newfangle' pictured below.  Again, this is a shop you should explore!

Happened upon this shop recently too and adore the jewelry made from Buffalo horn (taken after the Buffalo has lived a long life..)  Many other beauties in Quecraft's shop too. 

I would also like very much to make a beer can chicken using this gorgeous piece of stoneware!

Take a look at the Clay Coyote Pottery shop for more beautiful pieces.

Lastly (for now anyway) is a magnet I purchased as a gift and both myself and the receiver were very pleased.  The entire Frantic Meerkat shop is great, so take a peek...

Well I've apparently taken a summer break, but am back, and wanted to share some great and not so great art I saw this weekend. First up was Pipilotti Rist at the Luhring Augustine Gallery.

Pipilotti is a video artist whom I've never known all that much about, but definitely remember enjoying in the past, and when I read that she had a current installation in Chelsea I had to check it out. The main gallery space was filled with floor to ceiling scrims - many of them - and the video was projected onto and, of course, through them. I loved this effect as it made the images very 3-D. Add to that the ability to walk in between the scrims and it's as if you were right there in the scene...a scene of sheep in a field - quite nice. The back room had, among other things, Rist designed wallpaper which I would absolutely love to cover my walls with. Photo below is of a video triptych which is also part of this show.I also stopped in to see some Dale Chihuly (who doesn't love him?) at the Marlborough Gallery, but was under impressed. Too many flowers for my taste. The best part was that the entire front of the gallery was open to outside and the sun was shining in illuminating the pieces. Of course this exhibition will not alter my views of Chihuly. He is and will always be a genius. Photo below is one I took of said flowers.
Next up I happened upon this:That thing is bigger than me. It was awesome!!!! You can see it and many more metal sculptures of oversized accessories by Liao Yibai at the Mike Weiss Gallery.

I checked out the Gerhard Richter show at the Drawing Center and eh, I liked the watercolors, but I'm not a fan of pencil drawings to begin with, so sad little simple pencil drawings like the ones that made up the majority of this show, didn't do it for me.

Last, but not least, I hit the weekend only gallery RE:FORM SCHOOL "which took over four-stories of the Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral School in SoHo. This high profile art exhibition, event series, and public awareness campaign is designed to bring together and engage the creative community in the drive to reform the American public education system."
It was tons o' fun. They took the ex-oldest Catholic school in New York City (which just closed) and filled it with contemporary art.
I've attached a video of the installation by artist Michael Murphy.



Finally, just because I found it recently, is a John Waters interview. I could listen to him talk all day long. It's worth taking the 20 minutes and watching the whole thing. He's so entertaining.

Big Think Interview with John Waters | John Waters | Big Think

...waving goodbye to me, with my own hand...

I'm a fan of everything Christopher Walken, so I went to see a current play he's in on Broadway, 'A Behanding in Spokane'. The play was so-so, but must be mentioned because it's the first time I've ever been allowed to have a drink at my seat. I know there were cocktails at Evil Dead The Musical, but thought that was a special case (and also a themed drink) as I've never heard of such a thing and have been to a lot of Broadway theaters in the last 15+ years. You can imagine my dropped jaw when the bartender asked "would you like that for the bar or for your seat?". She poured my vodka soda into a plastic cup with a lid. Absurd and amazing. I kept the cup.


Nevertheless, I can still only give it 2 stars. Walken was a genius, of course, and it was fantastic to watch said genius live in the flesh, but I wasn't too impressed with anyone else in the show. The story was completely bizarre i.e. exactly what I look for, but not enough to make up for lackluster performances by 3/4 of the cast and writing that was awkward at times. Anyway, I'm really only talking about this because of the "to go" cup, so let's move on.
An orchid moved in with me and I wanted to photograph it before I killed it. It's been a few weeks now and is still looking good, so maybe I'm giving it the proper care? I thought the photos might look good as a series, so here's what I played around with.


Which combination or single is your favorite? I haven't blogged in a long while, let alone had a giveaway, so I'll have one now! Leaving a comment here will enter you to win an 8x10 of your choice (from the orchid series or any photo from my shop). I will draw and announce a random winner on May 17th at 12am. If you're new to my blog and leaving a comment, you can sign up to follow and will get an extra entry. All followers are entered once automatically and get an additional when leaving a comment. Thanks!

Two for Tuesday

I haven't mentioned any of my Etsy favorites lately and mostly did so before I was buying things for myself. So, today I'd like to spotlight two items - one I own and one I simply admire.
Hostess cupcakes used to be my favorite, but I have to say their taste has changed over the years and when I try one now, it's just not the same. Thank goodness for my Hostess cupcake jewelry box to remind me of simpler times. I absolutely love this little (about lifesize) plastic cupcake box. I use it for small earrings and it's perfect!


I think I saw these earrings somewhere major on Etsy, but can't remember where. I adore them. Love the shell, love the color combination - I want these for Spring!

The Power of the Pyramid Compels You!

I've had this pendant since I was little, but only rediscovered it recently and decided to put it on a chain and start wearing it. It came from a store my grandmother and uncle used to run back in the 70s that was all pyramids all the time! This pendant is supposed to carry "the power of the pyramid" and you will receive positive energy wearing it. I just love the pendant either way. I took these photos of it for fun with a possibility of listing it on Etsy at a ridiculous price so that I'd be sure no one would actually buy it. I remember hearing/reading in some Etsy tips that you should have at least one significantly higher priced item in your shop, but for myself that would still only mean under $100. Have any of you tried this technique and seen a result? It's probably not the best idea for my pendant since I'd really want to price it at like $1000, but I wanted to bring up the topic. I'm working on a couple of necklaces now that will eventually be priced a bit higher than the rest of my shop. Anyway, as usual, I'd love to hear what you think!

P.S.

I just visited Print Society for the first time last week and am intrigued. They allow you to upload prints you already have for sale on other sites. You can create a profile, follow other artists, favor prints, etc. I'm still figuring out how it works - I just uploaded my second print today, but it seems like an interesting idea and I'm curious to see if it helps my sales. Let me know what you all think!

I love donuts

It's been quite a while, but I have new jewelry to show you! I found a lot of great mother of pearl recently and am having fun trying different things with it. The long pair in the middle are a take on my 'Kate' earrings - I had been asked to do a purple version for a customer and decided to use amethyst. I hope you like them!

Ma Ma Se Ma Ma Sa Deja Vu

This past weekend Spike Lee threw a block party in honor of what would have been Michael Jackson's 51st Birthday. How could I NOT be there? I had a serious episode of deja vu during the celebration. Picture 1 - Prospect Park August 29th. Picture 2 - Pyramid Club August 6th. Maybe Spike showed up to Grind My Gears last month? If you missed the Birthday/Blackout GMG show here are some highlights!


I also wanted to share a brilliant treasury I was in this weekend. Thank you Elsie!!!

I Should Be In Bed

I recently bought on to a BNR on Etsy and it has been awesome. I highly recommend you fellow Etsy sellers come join us! Since my beginning with this lovely group I have made 20 sales, had some wonderful people to ask for opinions and advice on my projects and shop, and have gained a lot of motivation. Search the forums for the Most Meaningful Gifts BNR and come say hello.

I didn't know Christmas in July was a thing

I've been having some of my photos printed onto greeting cards recently, so I was looking through some Christmas pictures that I thought might work. Can you help me decide? Which one would you want to use as a greeting card? Would you want any writing on the outside? Thanks in advance!

I just took part in an ACEO X-change over at Ulixis' Crafts blog! I don't know which one will be mine yet, but I thoroughly enjoyed making mine! Take a look!

I usually have nervous breakdowns when I sew

But may have FINALLY turned a corner. I made a tote bag! Without anyone standing over me helping! Without breaking my sewing machine! Without punching a wall! I'm serious when I say sewing makes me crazy. My projects normally end with a half finished whatever and a lot of frustration. Yet I keep going back. So, I figured I'd do a practice version tote to hopefully ease some of the pressure. And here it is. For the most part it's exactly what I wanted! I read a ton of tutorials and watched some videos, but the two lessons that I used the most were these - Colorful Creates and Super Eggplant. Thank you so much!!! Oh and also Deslynn from the BNR group I participate in. We shared some "learning to sew without our mommies" stories this weekend. More like how we both were trying REALLY hard not to call said mommies for help with our sewing projects. The motivation worked!
The measurements of the bag are 14" long and 12" wide with a 10" drop on the handles. The only real screw up is that the handles aren't quite equidistant from the sides. Other than that I'm just oh so proud of myself.

Art Cards 1

I tried making ACEOs for the first time this past week and loved it! I took an old print and cut it up to make some collage type designs on the card. I need to find something better to glue them with however. Any suggestions? What do all you collage makers like? But, here they are. Let me know what you think! I have lots of different things I want to try with this, so I'm hoping to have more up soon.

Give me that stuff, that funk, that sweet, that funky stuff

The winner is Tiny Bird Arts!!!! She will be receiving these double chocolate cookies as I've tried out the almond turtles twice now and am close, but not to perfection yet. They actually tasted delicious on this last try, but I still can't seem to temper the chocolate correctly. AND I put them on wax paper which apparently was a bad idea because they stuck. So, I've ingested some wax paper. It was worth it. Of course, now that I'm close to getting them right, I'll need to make them again. It's a lot of work! I have great respect for all you candy makers!!! Speaking of, this package will also include a sampling from Lollipop Labs ...another candy I really want to attempt one of these days... Anyway, congratulations to Tiny Bird Arts. She's hosting a great giveaway of her own right now, so check it out!
Also, Nicole Tattersall (check out her art - it's fabulous) is hosting her own giveaway for free money to use in my Etsy shop! Enter now!
Oh and that picture above has nothing to do with anything except that I'm having sea urchin later.

Candy, candy, candy I can't let you go...

It's been a while since I've had a giveaway (or written anything on this blog at all) and I've been inspired by several things to have a one now. First, I've just learned about a wonderful new handmade lollipop company that a friend of mine has started up and I wanted to share with you all how great it is! They're called Lollipop Labs and they do some VERY interesting things with lollipops. I really wasn't sure what to expect when I saw the flavors. I simply didn't know what a lavender rose lollipop would taste like! I like it. A lot. Check out the site and let me know what you think! They are also on Etsy.
My other inspiration for the giveaway is a new vendor I discovered on Etsy through a BNR I joined in on last week. Nicole's Handmade Treats has a lot of delicious options. I tried the almond turtle with dark chocolate and am in love. I've always wanted to try my hand at turtles and figured this would be the best way to do it. I'll make a batch this week, see what happens, and if they're up to par I'll make some for the winner of this giveaway! If I fail at the art of turtle making, I'll bake the winner these which I already know are absolutely fantastic. In this winning package there will be a sampling of some pops from Lollipop Labs. As usual, all of my followers are automatically entered, so sign up to follow if you aren't already. An extra entry will be given to anyone that comments on this post or any other post on my blog. Oh and please let me know what your nut of choice would be for the turtles. I'm going to start with almonds, but pecans would be great too I'm sure, so I'd love to hear people's preferences. This giveaway will end on 5/9/09 at midnight.

Joe Six Pack

I recently came across the best thing ever offered by Fresh Direct. If you don't know it, Fresh Direct is a grocery delivery service in New York that I think it pretty great. Great for all those things you don't want to carry up 6 flights of stairs or 3 avenues across. Great for the fact that their prices are better than the stores! And exceptional for what I just found. They call it Joe Six Pack and it's their choice of six mix and match bottles of beer out of their inventory. It's only $4.99! And they gave me good beer! I can't get a six pack of Old English in this city for $4.99! The only unfortunate part is that there's a limit of four.
One more great thing I found is this Zoya nail polish exchange. First of all their nail polish doesn't contain toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. I've been trying hard lately to find health/beauty product with less chemicals in them, so this is right up my alley. Of course, I'm always skeptical on how well they'll work. Sometimes you just need a chemical to do the job correctly. However, in the case of Zoya's nail polish, you really don't! Went on like a dream and I've gone 4 days so far without a chip. The best part is that they're having a nail polish exchange right now through the end of April. You send them at least 6 bottles of old/used nail polish you don't want and they'll send you the equal amount of Zoya polish back. You pick the colors and send in the form along with $3/bottle that you're ordering/exchanging. $3 bottles of nail polish sans the usual slew of chemicals?! I love it!