Inside Her Mind

Moving to Wordpress

2008-10-25T20:18:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to move to Wordpress for a while but I kept putting it off. When you work and freelance, your personal projects become low priority. But there's no better time like the present right? I'm hoping to have my website up and running on the wordpress platform within the next week. I promise to come back and notify everyone of the official move when it's complete. =)

Heroes is Back!

2008-09-07T13:27:00.001-04:00

29 Around The Corner

2008-08-26T22:37:00.003-04:00

The other day AJ was watching TV. Although it was a cartoon I recognized, it didn't look quite the same.

"Are you watching the Transformers?" I asked.
"Yeah!" he replied.
"Hmm.... I think I like the old Transformers better." I told him.
"What do you mean?" I could tell he needed a minute to process that. Kind of like when my 16 year old cousin asked how I knew the CareBears. Pffff....
"They used to have a Transformers cartoon when I was little." He got excited at that.
"You mean in black and white?" he asked with child like innocence.

:sigh: Even though I clearly remember watching cartoons in color, I still feel old. My approaching birthday doesn't help. I remember going into a panic on my 27th birthday. I went shopping and bought tons of anti aging anti wrinkle cream.

What do you guys do to stay and feel young? Please, I'd love to hear it.

"You Don't See Me!"

2008-07-27T09:14:00.006-04:00

While still living in NYC my apartment was home to 4 cute and cuddly cats. For the most part Charlie, Azreal, Lokki and Bloopy are all very friendly. They rarely hide when company comes over and are usually eager to greet our guests. During my last week there, I had a handful of people over helping me pack, clean and move all my belongings. This activity turned out too be a little much for my kitties. Each one found his own secret place to hide.

All was well until we picked up the moving truck and began moving all the furniture. Piece by piece the hiding spots slowly disappeared. I clearly remember John lifting my mattress and watching as 3 frantic cats dispersed.

We only had 2 travel crates (though one was large enough to house two cats thankfully!), so we needed to make more than one trip to get all the cat's to Jeff house. Bloopy was the first one to be unhappily put in a box. Charlie and Azreal soon followed. This was mainly because Lokki couldn't be found. He's got to be somewhere we thought and shrugged it off. We didn't have crate room for him then anyway.

After confirming the three of us were hungry, John, Jeff and I headed to Bay Ridge for food, and later to drop off the crates at Jeff's house.

When we returned from dinner the guys loaded up the last bits of furniture. Shortly afterwards, Jeff worriedly approached me to say Lokki hadn't been found. "I've checked everywhere! There's no place left for him to hide. Where the hell could he be?" he asked.

It was probably an hour later that I walked into the kitchen (to make sure we weren't leaving anything behind) and saw him. I had to laugh. "I found Lokki!" I shouted wondering if he had been there the whole time. "What?!?! Where?!! I looked everywhere!" he yelled back. I don't know how Jeff could have missed him. Remind me never to put him on the search committee should AJ ever turn up missing. lol

There Lokki was, in my kitchen, in complete and total plain site, trying to hide behind pipes no thicker than my first three fingers. lol He looked so pathetic. I still don't know who's worse; Him for thinking he was fooling us, or us for taking an hour to find him!!!

This just goes to show; Always check the most obvious places first.

My Cotton Candy Obession

2008-07-11T11:03:00.005-04:00

I've always loved cotton candy. If you don't believe me just ask my first boyfriend, we used to fight about it all the time. "You're such a little kid!" he'd say while waiting impatiently for me to stand in line and pay for it.

With the invention of the internet and netflix my love for cotton candy dwindled. I bet you're wondering 'where's the correlation?' Well, you see... there are only a handful of places you can get cotton candy. The most popular place is an amusement park or circus. Occasionally in NY you may randomly see a cotton candy guy selling bags for a dollar on the subway. But what good is that really? Chances are he won't be there selling when you actually want him to. So that leaves only one place I could get cotton candy when I wanted it; Blockbuster. Since I don't rent movies at Blockbuster anymore cotton candy has been pretty much 'Out of sight. Out of mind' for me, that is until John started working at G-force Amusement.

G-Force is a ride located at Fun Spot in Kissimee. Being as he works in an amusement park, John is exposed to cotton candy all day. He brings some home pretty regularly. Sounds perfect doesn't it? Well there was only one problem. He was living in FL while I was still living in NY. Just to show you how sweet of a guy John really is I'll tell you how he solved this problem. He'd collect 3 to 4 bags, put it in a box and ship it to me. You can say it. 'Awwwww...'

One time in particular, John bought a jumbo bag to send me. Not wanting to carry it around with him all day, he decided it would be safest in the back seat of the car.

Hmm... This was, how do you say 'a really stupid idea'? (please see Exhibit A below)

The bag melted to about 1/16 of it's original size and went from cotton candy to rock candy.

John saved the bag to show me and probably never thought in a million years I'd actually eat the thing. Talk about totally underestimating my love for cotton candy!

It felt a little like chewing on a pumice stone, but boy was it tasty! I bet you think I'm kidding. I'm not. I ate through almost all of the red part before stopping to take a picture of it. lol

Orlando Again!

2008-07-10T19:07:00.002-04:00

Here I am! Finally in Orlando again. Things are going better than planned. There are still tons of boxes to unpack, but I have an office once more which makes me very excited.

I believe I may also have a job lined up. I should know more by next Monday.

The fourth of July was pretty fun. I took pictures and even have some video footage of the fireworks. I'll post that as soon as I find the software for my camera.

Anyway... Just wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive and kicking. There are very interesting things in motion and I will tell you all about them soon. =)

Hugs!
Desirai

I Hate The Heat

2008-06-10T01:01:00.005-04:00

Who turned on the furnace in here? The weather has been absolutely disgusting. I've been taking a second shower at 2 a.m. for the last few nights in a row. I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't. Shower time is approaching. I can't stand feeling as though I have a film of oil and sweat all over my body. Bleh!

"Aren't you moving to FL soon?" I am indeed. But at least down there I have central air. I don't recall ever feeling this icky while living down south.

As if the heat weren't bad enough, I had to deal with someone blaring their stereo this afternoon at unreasonable decibels. It wasn't even music! It was talk radio! .... on for 10... straight... hours!

Around 9:30 pm I could hear someone in the next building yelling "TURN IT DOWN ALREADY!" to no avail. She also spent ten minutes loudly and angrily banging her pots and pans. Needless to say this did not help the noise pollution.

By 10 pm I had had enough and decided I was going to call the police; a sure sign of getting old. One could argue that closing the windows might have blocked out some of the sound and I would agree. However please refer to paragraph 1. I needed all the air I could get, closing the windows wasn't an option.

I asked Jeff to grab the phone from the bedroom and before I got a chance to dial the local precinct's number the noise miraculously stopped. Perhaps I should have tried calling the cops a few hours earlier.

Finally Listed!

2008-06-06T18:52:00.004-04:00

I finally listed my first couple of items in my new shop. They are both vintage items and there are more to come soon!

You can check them out here:
http://desirai.etsy.com

A New Shop

2008-05-25T12:25:00.004-04:00

I decided the other day that I wanted to try selling some of my songs on Etsy. I didn't really want to do in my Lucid Dream Designs shop so I made a shop for Desirai instead. Any profit made from my songs will go towards having them professionally recorded. You can listen to few of my songs at http://myspace.com/DesiraiLabrada

I will also be selling items around the house I've been trying to get rid. This includes all sorts of supplies for mixed media projects in addition to vintage items and collectibles. Please take a moment to stop by my new shop and heart me. It's much appreciated. Thanks!

Sincerely,
Desirai
http://Desirai.etsy.com
http://LucidDreamDesigns.etsy.com

E.T The Extra Terrestrial

2008-05-17T15:04:00.004-04:00

Last night E.T. was on Nickelodeon. It was already 30 minutes into the movie and about that much time left before AJ's bedtime. I was supposed to be reading him a few chapters from the Spiderwick Chronicles: A Field Guide before bed, but needless to say he was glued to TV the screen.

"This was my FAVORITE movie when I was little. I watched it a hundred times." I told him. My comment just made him more interested. I think this upset Jeff since he was waiting for AJ's bed time to start playing GTA IV again.

We told him we'd DVR the rest of the movie so he could watch it in the morning. This seemed to work well for him. Jeff brought up the movie guide and I was excited to see the movie was playing again the next day.

By the time we woke up today AJ was already watching it. We sat down and watched the ending with him. I can't believe that after 26 years and watching it so many times as a child the ending STILL makes me cry. I mean, E.T. was my best friend too! I used to have a posable figurine with a thumb grip in the back that allowed you to extend his neck. God, I wonder if I still have that somewhere.

I just searched around ebay for it. I can't remember where I got it. It might actually be this Free Macaroni and Cheese Toy. I swear if I wasn't so broke I'd buy this Glow in The Dark Wall Clock right now!

***I've included the following youtube clip for those that might enjoy revisiting the ending as much as I have. Keep in mind it's only the last ten minutes of the movie, so if you haven't seen the movie yet (Adam) it will spoil the ending.

Logo Design and Branding

2008-04-15T04:07:00.001-04:00

Are you new to Etsy and have been considering purchasing a logo? Before you buy one for $10 you might want to ask yourself the following questions.

Do I take my company and work seriously?
Do I want my company to stand out?
Do I want my company to be easily identified?
Do I want my company to be trusted and look professional?

If you've answered yes to any of these questions then you might want to carefully consider who you chose as a designer and how much you're willing to spend on your logo.

Although it's not impossible to buy a logo for $10-25 it is highly unlikely that any truly skilled designer will charge that little. The reason for this is simply because developing and designing a great logo takes time.

A good designer will do hours of research to find the right images, symbols, etc. to properly represent your company. They'll ask tons of questions like:

Do you want an iconic, type, or combination mark logo?
What is your mission statement?
What does your company stand for?
What makes your company different?
What industry are you in?
What adjectives describe your company?
What is your target audience?
How do you feel about and perceive your company?
How do you want your company to be perceived by your target audience?

In addition a good designer will know about or do research on the psychology of color.

A logo is something that establishes recognition over time. How will customers be able to recognize or remember your company's qualities or values if your logo is constantly changing? Quite simply, they can not.

Larger companies pay thousands and thousands of dollars for their logo/branding. Although thousands of dollars may be well out of the budget for the typical "hand made" artist, smaller/home based companies should still make an effort to purchase the best logo/branding they can afford.

I'm including a few logo related links you may want to read before choosing a graphic designer and deciding on your logo budget.

http://top7business.com/?id=1285

http://www.jrlenterprises.com/articles/logo-branding-101.htm

http://www.grantasticdesigns.com/logos1.html

http://www.positivespaceblog.com/archives/logo-design-the-five-type-of-marks/

Lets All Get Naked!

2008-04-08T02:35:00.002-04:00

On April 9th, 2008 web designers all over the globe will be disabling the CSS on their websites in an effort to promote web standards and accessibility, proper use of (x)html, semantic markup, a good hierarchy structure. Although I'm anxious and willing to participate I must say I'm a little nervous about getting naked. I do however believe in the cause; web standards is a beautiful thing.

If you happen to see a lot of undesigned websites on Wednesday, you'll now know why. To participate or to find out more visit: CSS Naked Day. Be a part of Dustin Diaz's third annual web event.

A New Perspective on Food

2008-03-17T09:07:00.005-04:00

I've been on the Cookie Diet for quite some time now. I'm ecstatic to report that I'm finally out of the 200's and am more motivated to reach my goal than I have been. As of late I've noticed a huge difference in my eating patterns. I no longer overeat the way I used to. That long lost signal informing me that I'm satiated has finally been found. I think for me this is a really big milestone considering I grew up believing I had to eat everything on my plate -- 'There are children starving in Africa!' I've also noticed I'm not interested in eating any of my once coveted favorite foods.

The only sad thing is I'm completely bored with all the fast food I used to eat (not to mention my stomach can no longer handle it.) That means figuring out what I'm going to have for my next meal is way more complicated than it used to be. However this has expanded on my usual cooking menu. While visiting John in FL I made pork chops (with carmelized pears and onions) with mashed potatoes, paprika parmesan chicken and coucous and lastly lemon pecan pork chops. It was all deliceaux, if I do say so myself.

All that being said, here are a couple of great recipe websites for those looking to spice up their dinner options.

An Art Collaboration Project

2008-02-23T12:19:00.008-05:00

A friend of mine, Mat Giordano, recently updated his blog to include information on an art collaboration project he was working on. The final piece will be seen worldwide; and the physical piece will be auctioned off for the children's orphanage art auction charity event in Houston, Texas.

I was really glad I got the chance to read about this in time to participate. Mat has linked to many collaborative art sites which will help get the names of participating artists out there. To see Mat's original piece, my submission and the submission of others, please visit This Blog Right Here.

Looks Like I've Been Tagged

2008-02-20T13:35:00.004-05:00

So I got tagged recently by two different people; Chelsea and Theresa.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 facts about me:
1. Most video games give me motion sickness.
2. I can eat lasagna till I puke.
3. I'm a lucid dreamer and I've had prophetic dreams.
4. Sometimes I keep arguing even when I know I'm wrong.
5. I like scary movies but often watch them with my hand covering my face and through the cracks in my fingers.
6. I hate it when people try to make me laugh.
7. It's important to me to be remembered.

7 People I've tagged:
1. Matt Giordano
2. Christine Baker
3. Tizz
4. Helen
5. Cubist Literature
6. Cicada Studio
7. Racheal Anilyse

Maybe New York's Not So Bad

2008-02-15T13:18:00.005-05:00

So I was on my way to work the other day when none other than Steve Buscemi gets on the train. I recognized him right away. He looked straight at me and so I smiled. It was obvious he didn't want to be bothered. He stood quietly on the train reading his paper with a cup of coffee in hand.

I often heard about Steve Buscemi sightings, years ago, when I used to work at The Pavilion movie theater in Park Slope. "He lives in the area." they'd say. Ha! to tell you the truth I remember thinking he looked familiar the first time I saw him on TV. I had probably seen him in real life and not even realized it.

I have no idea where he was going that day. It was raining and had snowed the night before. Needless to say, the weather was terrible. It's rather impressive that even despite that he still took the subway to his destination.

The experience was kind of cool and made me remember why I used to love NYC. It's the place everyone wants to be...even celebrities. Maybe that gray cloud of doom isn't as gray as it used to be.

Running on Empty

2008-02-12T09:01:00.000-05:00

It's 9 am and I still have not slept. John is leaving today and the thought truly saddens me. He's in my bed peacefully sleeping as I write this. I think today we'll be making a trip to the city. I need to make a stop at Smart For Life to weigh in and pick up this week's batch of cookies.

Since we're already making a trip to the city, I thought perhaps it might be a good time to stop by Stack's Coins. Although I have no intention on selling them, friends have suggested I find out the value of my Godfather's coins. I'm rather excited about it. I'll be sure to post about it again if they tell me anything interesting.

Also, I wanted to give a quick thank you to everyone that voted for me. I've got 30 votes so far which puts me at #60. I was #140 when I first signed up, so I definitely consider that progress. I also found out that you can vote daily, so please be sure to come back and vote for me again. http://www.gotcast.com/SickNdehed =) The contest ends Feb 29th. Thanks everyone!

Vote For Me And Help Me Win

2008-02-11T13:05:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!
I recently entered a contest to be G4 Tech TVs 'Gamer Girl' on gotcast.com and was really hoping you could show your support by voting for me. I'd be eternally greatful. It would also be super if you could send the link to your friends and have them do the same. Thanks for the help! and be sure to leave some comments, I love to read them. =)

http://www.gotcast.com/SickNdehed

Sincerely,
Desirai

Some Exciting Stuff!

2008-02-07T13:48:00.000-05:00

Yes! Exciting stuff like the fact that I got to meet the guys from 12 Stones yesterday. If you haven't heard of them, do yourself the favor, like now. I'm sure you've most likely heard the Evanescence song "Bring Me to Life" right? Well the male vocalist in that song is none other than Paul McCoy, lead singer of 12 Stones.

12 Stones is currently featured on the World Strongest Man Soundtrack. Their album Anthem for the Underdog is awesome. As a matter of fact I'm listening to it right now. =)

You can watch the video to their single "Lie To Me" by clicking on the banner (designed by yours truly) below.

Additionally People in Planes is currently promoting "Pretty Buildings" off their new album. They are offering a free download to current e-news subscribers and for new subscribers as well. This song has been stuck in my head for the last week. I love it! (The following banner was also designed by me.)

Lastly, on the personal home front, John is flying in tomorrow from FL. God, I can't wait to see him. It's only been a little over a month since he was last here but it feels more like forever. I got him a cool little geeky gift for Valentine's Day. I hope he likes it. Lol I'll tell you guys what it is after I give it to him so I don't accidentally spoil the surprise. I love you babe! =)

Plans for John's visit are of the 'not so fun' kind. He's once again helping me clean out my apartment. This time the 'quartico', the kitchen, and the dining room are getting done. Please note I said "cleaning out", as in packing and storing and giving away to the salvation army. I am not flying my boyfriend in all the way from FL just to "clean", lol. My godfather collected an insane amount of junk in his old age. It would take me forever to go through it alone. I truly appreciate John's help.

Anyway... back to work I must go. Let me know what you guys think of the bands!

A Day of Love

2008-01-28T14:02:00.000-05:00

That's right. That day is getting closer. You know, the day all women in relationships look forward to. I'm talking about Valentine's day of course! The New New Etsy Street Team is currently have a promotion to support their artists and help you find the perfect gift for your loved one.

Want to shop local this Valentine's day and give your boo boo something handmade and unique?

Look no further than the combined shops of The {NewNew} Etsy Street Team - a group of local New York Tri-State Etsy Sellers who have banded together to promote and support each other.

Their blog posts leading up to Valentine's Day offer up a selection of original artwork, cards, candles, jewelry and apparel. And not only do they give great gift suggestions for that special someone - they even give suggestions for the perfect outfit to wear on that big date night!

Not in New York or want to get a head start on your shopping?
You can always check out the designers here http://thenewnew.blogspot.com/

To further check out their shops see:
Artbyiris.Etsy.com
BeadScarf.Etsy.com
BrooklynButterfly.Etsy.com
BrooklynBee.Etsy.com
CakeHouse.Etsy.com
DewOnAPetal.Etsy.com
DewOnAPetalHome.Etsy.com
FineArtist.Etsy.com
JTStitches.Etsy.com
KimmChi.Etsy.com
LucidDreamDesigns.Etsy.com
NinaDinoff.Etsy.com
MsKittyFantastico.Etsy.com
Stereoette.Etsy.com

Finger Eleven Rocks The Casba

2008-01-16T13:15:00.001-05:00

So I had the total pleasure of showing up to work the other day and finding out that Finger Eleven was in the office. I must admit this info made it really hard to concentrate that day. You could tell everyone was hustling and bustling about.

Though I did get a chance to see all of them I was really only formally introduced to James Black. He was a super cool dude and the pleasure was all mine. I really wish I could have gotten a snap shot with him but I guess I had to keep my excitement down to a much lower decibel.

Anyway, if you have no idea who they are you should definitely check them out.

The Last Day Of The Year

2007-12-31T21:32:00.001-05:00

Holy crap! It's been forever I know, I'm sorry. Life went haywire this December. At the beginning of the month my aunt passed away. As if that weren't bad enough, my stubborn uncle mistakenly left his house early to attend her funeral. On the way there he slipped on ice, hit his head, and landed himself in the hospital with internal bleeding. Needless to say, he never made to his wife's funeral. Weeks later he is still in the hospital suffering with memory loss. He does not remember my aunt passing away nor does he remember the death of his best friend, my godfather, which was earlier this year. We're hoping he will recover but with a fall that bad at 82 years old no one can really tell us what "recovery" means. All we can do is pray for the best.

Today was one of the most unproductive days I've had in a while. John left this morning. He's back in FL now where he'll have to make up missed hours at work. He flew in on Christmas day and spent the remainder of his time helping me straighten up the apartment. There is still much to do but we accomplished more in the 5 days he was here than I have in the last five months, and for that I am greatly appreciative.

Jeff and AJ are in California celebrating his parent's 50th wedding anniversary. That leaves me here, alone, on New Years Eve.

I guess I'll take this time to reflect on the past year, create my new New Year Resolutions, and watch Finger Eleven perfom at Times Square on TV. That's if I haven't missed it already.

Happy New Year Everyone! Please feel free to comment with your new resolutions.

11 Days of Holiday Cheer

2007-12-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

I recently worked on a contest page for Finger Eleven. They are giving away 11 different prizes for 11 days straight. All you need to do is register and log into the community site once a day to enter. There are also chances for bonus entries. Check out the contest page to find out more.

http://fingereleven.com/11days

$10 Bonus!

2007-12-01T23:24:00.000-05:00

I've written about ebates before and with the holidays approaching I just had to let you guys know about their new promotion. Ebates is a website you shop through which gives you cash back rebates on purchases from stores like Dell, Target, Walmart, Barnes and Noble, Old Navy, Bloomingdales, JCPenney, Banana Republic, The Body Shop and much much more. Their list is over 800 stores long!

At the moment Ebates is offering $10 cash back (instead of their usual and immediate $5 cash back) when you sign up and make your first purchase. I wish I could still get the $10 rebate but unfortunately for me I'm already a member.

I've received $232.84 in cash rebates to date! They've also recently added a paypal feature so you can receive your rebates electronically instead of by check. Rebates are distributed quarterly. Start getting money back from the purchases you make. Sign-up by using the link below.

Rock My Holidays

2007-11-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

So how was everyone's Thanksgiving? Mine went well. I spent it at my cousin Cary's house in Long Island. She made Carrot Suffle again this year which I was totally excited about. Did any of you have anything new for your Thanksgiving dinner?

I finally returned to work today after missing a week. I had strep throat. It was terrible. I think I lost some weight. Eating was a chore as it was often too painful to swallow. But I'm doing much better now.

Anyway, I wanted to leave you guys with a pretty cool Wish List link. It's something I recently worked on. Give/get the gift of music this holiday season! http://winduprecords.com/holidays

Grow. Cut. Share. Shine.

2007-11-20T19:04:00.000-05:00

Pantene Pro V has recently launched their Beautiful Lengths campaign to encourage men and women of all ages to donate 8 inches of hair. The donated hair will be used to create free wigs for cancer patients. One wig takes approximately three to four months to make and uses about six ponytails worth of hair.

Their current goal is to reach a million inches of hair and from the response they've been getting, I don't think they'll have a problem. Hilary Swank has made an example of herself by donating her own 8 inches. My friend Crystal is currently in the process of doing the same. I would have loved to participate but unfortunately I have permanently dyed hair. =(

You can donate your hair individually or even participate in/host a cutting event. For more information on how you can make a difference, visit:

Sick Puppies and Free Hugs

2007-11-18T23:04:00.000-05:00

This evening I decided I would change my myspace profile music which was playing 'A Girl Named Tex' by Trocadero from the Red Vs. Blue Soundtrack. Working at Wind-up has made me rather obsessed with Evanescence, so I went their myspace; I was going to use Lithium as my new song. However, while on their myspace I saw mention of Sick Puppies, a band I recognized and liked from listening to itunes radio. I used the song "My World" from them instead.

I started reading the Sick Puppies bio which talked about their "All the Same" video and the Free Hugs campaign. The following comes directly from the Sick Puppies myspace bio:

"Even if you don’t know Sydney, Australia modern rock trio Sick Puppies, you’ve probably seen their groundbreaking “Free Hugs,” video, which has garnered more than 11 million views on YouTube.com since it started streaming on the site last year. The heartwarming clip chronicles the true life adventures of a man who walks around holding a billboard that reads “Free Hugs," the police who ban his humanitarian crusade, and the petition that earned him back the right to provide hugs to citizens in need.

The “Free Hugs” video, which accompanied the band’s song “All The Same,” earned Sick Puppies exposure on Oprah, Jay Leno, “60 Minutes” and CNN, and inspired people around the world to begin their own free hugs campaigns. It also propelled “All the Same” into a top-requested single at commercial radio stations across North America. But while the “Free Hugs” video helped spread the music and message of Sick Puppies, the band is anything but an overnight success."

Please leave your comments I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks about this video.

The Buttered Roll of Death

2007-11-14T21:17:00.000-05:00

What could be more exciting than cutting your thumb open with a plastic knife? That's right. I said plastic knife. Can I get any clumsier?

=( It still hurts actually. Stupid plastic knife. I blame the bread roll. Maybe I should refrain from getting a roll with my salad next time.

The Panhandling Profession

2007-11-13T14:38:00.000-05:00

I was severely irritated on the train this morning. Being a New Yorker I thought I had grown accostumed to the panhandling on the trains. I now wonder if my perspective has changed or if panhandling is on the rise.

I would like to point out that I feel there is a great difference between being a performing street artist and a panhandler. Yes the artists ask for Money too, but they don't beg for it. Additionally, they are trying to work for their money using their talents and not some lame story that may or may not tug on my heart strings.

I often give money to the singers, rappers, drum players and dancers which grace the NY city streets and trains with their talents. Normally I escape the panhandlers by keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact. Sometimes you see the same people. It's usually within a span of months so it's not that big a deal.

Today however I saw the same guy that was begging on the train on Friday. He made me so angry I almost spoke up and said something. His voice irritated me but not nearly as much as his rehearsed plea. The plea that began with "Ladies and Gentlemen, I don't normally do this..." What he said was verbatim to the same song and dance he gave on Friday. The inflection and emphasis on certain words was identical. I was nauseated.

There was nothing about this man that said "I can't work". He was not handicapped. He was not dressed in rags. He was well groomed and yet for some reason felt that us MTA riders should pay for his survival. I think what angers me the most is that he couldn't even respect our intelligence enough to change his story up a little. I felt as though he was silently mocking all of us. I came so close to standing up and shouting "Don't give this man any money! He's probably been telling the same lame story for years!" I wanted to call him out and ridicule him. :deep breath: I can go on... but I think I just need to rant a little to feel better.

lol, In all honesty the only reason I didn't speak up against him was because he mentions 'I just got out of jail' in his little tale. He never reveals what he was in jail for. It would my luck for him to get violently mad and take hostages. I didn't want to be responsible for the lives of all the commuters on the train.

I hope he picks a new train.

Cool Contests

2007-11-02T18:20:00.001-04:00

I admit it. The real reason I'm posting these is cause I actually designed the banners and the Evanescence contest page. But either way these are some cool contests so you might as well enter them. =)

The Elite

2007-10-29T17:59:00.000-04:00

I'm a person of few addictions. Unfortunately some of those addictions include electronics and shopping, and/or shopping for electronics. This weekend we spontaneously decided to buy another Xbox 360. My other one is still in FL. I left it with John, and since he bought Halo 3 I felt evil taking it away from him.

I was really excited about the release of Guitar Hero III and so I talked Jeff into getting another Xbox. Apparently the original 360 wasn't good enough for Jeff. He wanted the Elite. For those of you unfamiliar with gaming consoles, the Elite is a black Xbox 360. It's kind of sexy if I do say so myself. In addition to being black it also comes with a 120 GB hard drive, HDMI cable, black wireless controller, and a black headset.

We also got Halo 3, Gears of War, and Spiderman 3. I reserved Rock Band and Guitar Hero III. Jeff is actually on his way to pick it up as I type this. God I can't wait to play. Guitar Hero III has online multi player capabilities, need I say more?

Ok, I must get back to my freelance work so that I can leave a little time open to play tonight.

Much Love,
Desirai

All Apologies

2007-10-25T17:56:00.000-04:00

I'm so sorry guys. I haven't done an Etsy Monday's feature in a few weeks, but do not fret. I will still continue to do them in the future. I've just had a lot of things going on lately.

Firstly, I spent a ton of time looking for a job. I'm happy to report that I'm currently working as a paid intern at a record company in NYC. I do Graphic Design and Web related tasks (for the label's artists), which includes but is not limited to:

Designing Google banners

Maintaining artist's myspaces

Developing and designing contest pages and e-cards

The people there are great and have made me feel incredibly welcome. My internship is supposed to end shortly before the new year. Really I'm hoping they'll adopt me as a new member of their family. I love it there! I guess we'll see what happens. Everyone cross your fingers for me!

Aside from that I've been using my days off to finish up all my freelance projects. I still have a few more to go but should have some free time beginning in November. Please stay tuned!

2008 Calendars

2007-10-23T22:22:00.000-04:00

The 2008 Calendars are finally done. You can purchase one at Hey Pretty Cupcake on Etsy. My photograph was used for the month of September. =) I think I'm going to head over and pick one up. You should do the same!

Seriously... go buy it.

Seether "Fake It" Video Premiere

2007-10-19T21:49:00.000-04:00

Come see the new Seether video, Fake It, here at Desirai.com on October 23.

A Lesson in Savings

2007-10-17T08:32:00.000-04:00

Tia Pucha called me yesterday, rushed me to get dressed and told me to meet her by the movie theater. I had mentioned the day before that I needed to go food shopping and apparently she, George and Rosaura were going to Pathmark. She knew I didn't have much to spend and so she began going through coupons as soon as we got there.

She let me use her Pathmark card at check out, which allowed me to save $14. In return my purchase earned her an additional 100 something points towards winning a free Thanksgiving turkey.

Seeing how much money I actually saved made me want to save more. Perhaps it's worth investing the time in clipping coupons and such. I then remembered ebates (I imagine the name is combination of electronic and rebates). Ebates is a website that you shop through and earn a percentage back from each store. The list of stores is insane and they are stores I'm SURE you've heard of. Old navy is one of them; I happen to do all my son's clothes shopping there. They always have great items in their clearance section. Seriously, what's better than getting clothes on clearance and then getting 3% back on what you just bought? I used to shop on ebates a lot but completely forgot about it since I've been totally broke lately.

The percentage you get back actually varies depending on which store you buy from. For instance you get 4% back at Target, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble but only 2% at Kmart and KB Toys. By the way if you're a person that shops at the actual Barnes and Noble store, you might want to consider purchasing from them online. They're ALWAYS cheaper especially when you include their member discount and the fact that you get free shipping on purchases over $25. I just made the mistake of buying a book in the store which cost me $36 (it was a Web Design book) and it was online for $28!

But I digress... The ebate checks are issued quarterly. You can have your check mailed to you or get your money via Paypal. The Paypal thing is new and I'm totally psyched about it. I know it sounds too good to be true but I swear I'm not making this up. I've actually received $212.84 back to date and have convinced my computer literate family members to sign up too. It was a while ago that I signed up, but I'm pretty sure they even give you $5 just for signing up. If you're an online shopper and shop at even 1 of the stores I mentioned it's definitely worth looking into, and I can assure you, the list of participating stores is nuts.

And I leave you with that, my fellow readers... Save on!

Much love,
Desirai

What's Your Secret?

2007-10-13T21:19:00.001-04:00

I don't normally read the blogger blog; yesterday I did. It mentioned a site called PostSecret. I had heard of it and even visited the site once before, however reading about it again made me all the more interested.

PostSecret is an art project. It was started by Frank Warren after an interesting lucid dream he had during his first trip to Paris. The rules were simple; submit a true secret on a decorated post card; one you've never told anyone.

Since the project began in 2004 more than 180,000 secrets have been submitted and the fourth PostSecret book, A Lifetime of Secrets, was recently released.

I didn't expect to be so interested but after revisiting the site, I had to get the book. I picked it up at Barnes and Noble today and began reading it while eating lunch at Sotto Vocce. I was only able to get through a handful of pages before my eyes began to water. Reading the deepest, darkest secrets of strangers was really emotional for me. It was obvious I couldn't continue reading it while at the restaurant.

As soon as I got home I took the book out of the bag and reveled in it's unique, colorful pages. I sat there until I read every single secret. I don't have any money right now, but when I do, I'll be buying the other three books.

The PostSecret Art Project has helped so many people deal with and release the skeletons in their own closet. New secrets are posted every Sunday on postsecrets.blogspot.com. You can submit your own secret by sending a 4x6 decorated postcard to:

PostSecret
13345 Cooper Ridge Rd
Germantown, Maryland 20874

For more information about the PostSecret Art Project, or if you'd like to read some secrets, visit:

The Post Secret Blog
The Post Secret Community

What Will YOU Be Getting Him This Year?

2007-10-08T18:25:00.001-04:00

With the holidays approaching, us women are faced once more with the question "What should I get him?". That 'him' could be referring to your dad, your brother, your husband, perhaps even your boss. The guys in my life have always been hard to shop for. Especially one in particular; my Godfather.

Eduardo was old-fashioned, never spent money on himself, and saved his good clothes for special occasions. What do you get a man that has closets (yes more than one) full of unopened gifts which contained clothing, aftershave gift sets and isotoner slippers?

It's a shame that only now with him gone, great gift ideas are revealing themselves. Eduardo enjoyed fixing things he found in the garbage and around the house. He had plenty of tools, but you'd never know it since they were all stored in shoe boxes. Nails, screws, and washers? Well, there was only one place for those; inside old prescription medicine bottles. I recently came across carguygarage.com and thought something like this: http://carguygarage.com/31tipbinstun.html would have been perfect. He definitely deserved it.

Their cars and tools, that's what most men like isn't it? lol then carguygarage.com is a great place to start in search of gifts for him . Take my advice, don't be like me. Don't wait till it's too late to get that great guy in your life a gift you know he'll love.

Desirai.com v2.0

2007-10-05T18:53:00.000-04:00

My website is finally up. For the next few days I'll be doing minor tweaking, probably nothing anyone will notice. Anyway if you haven't been to the new website yet please do so now >> Desirai.com

Almost Done!

2007-10-04T14:43:00.000-04:00

Oh.. there will be an unveiling soon. Yes. I am almost done. I realize it's taken me forever, but in another day or two my website will be complete! I thought I could get away without having one. However I quickly realized how difficult it is to get a job as a web designer when you don't have a website up yourself! So hopefully it will bring me lots of view, lots of luck and lots of job opportunities... I need them!

Ok, back to developing my website I go but I'll return shortly to tell you guys my Halo 3 Vs. Dramamine story. You know you want to hear it.

Much Love,
Desirai

Shulamite on Etsy Mondays

2007-10-01T10:52:00.000-04:00

When I was in my mid teens I had the pleasure of working at a lingerie store called Trouseau. The store was owned by my two females cousins Cary and Michelle. Sometimes they were a few hands short and would ask me to come in on the weekends to answer phones and work the register.

I loved it! It was easy work, good pay and every now and again I got to go home with some new lingerie. I'm ashamed to say I still have a few of the pieces hiding out in my underwear draw on reserve for -- well you know.

All of the stuff I got to go home with was pretty cool, and unique for its time. There was this one bra and underwear set that was a print of all vegetables. It sounds strange I know, but it was colorful and very comfortable.

There was one style of underwear I absolutely loved. They were all silk with different patterns and ruffles on each hip. I thought they were magical. Being Hispanic meant I had big hips, something I was ashamed of. These underwear transformed my body and made my hips disappear. Hips who needed them? I had ruffles instead. :Sigh: I have not been able to find underwear even similar to those... well, until recently...

Being older, I'm no longer ashamed of my hips. Now, hiding them is not the goal. Accentuating them is! How better to do that then these cute little knickers by Shulamite? Instead of ruffles I can have a bow on each side!

Shulamite is run by Mandi Apple Collingridge and her mother Pauline Tweedy. Together they are a two-woman SAHM operation. In their shop they carry knickers, nighties, sleepwear/underwear sets, camisoles, shorts and more. Shulamite carries a wide range of accessories as well as lingerie, so there are items for all ages in their shop.

"We just create what we would want to wear ourselves - it's hard for me to be strict with myself and not to pinch half our stock even before it gets into the shop! Because I have a long-term passion for Asian culture (me and my husband Alex own a fairly well-known Asian cult movie review website, Snowblood Apple, and I also wear gothic lolita clothing on an everyday basis), much of what we produce is made with authentic and traditional Asian fabrics such as chirimen, vintage kimono silks and hand-embroidered sashiko, but we also love rich and decadent fabrics of all kinds - embroidered tulles, fine lace, silks, damask, brocade. My feeling in particular is that everyone nowadays (including us) wears a lot of 'utility clothing' and so we want to re-introduce a bit of elegance and finery into our wardrobes.

Pauline has been a talented seamstress since she was a teenager - she has made so many of my clothes throughout my life and they have always been beautifully crafted. I do all of the hand-sewing, textiles and embroidery, that's my forte, and I've come to that fairly recently, only in the last year - my mother-in-law is a retired textiles teacher and has taught me her craft."

And what a craft it is! Shulamite's choice of fabrics are absolutely lovely! I can't wait till I go lingerie shopping again. :Whispers to hips: I know I've neglected you, but you'll be wearing something gorgeous really soon.

Like always these sellers left us with some advice: "Just make what you love! Don't focus on anything but creating what you would want to have yourself, it's so satisfying to make something which you truly believe in!"

From what I understand, you can't find their items anywhere else so be sure to visit them on Etsy. You can find their lovely knickers and more by visiting the following link:

Shulamite on Etsy

Blog Contest Winner Announced!

2007-09-26T18:29:00.000-04:00

Hey guys I'm out of town at the moment and am sorry to report there was no Etsy Mondays feature this week. What would have been this week's feature has been bumped up to next Monday.

On another more pleasant note, today I have picked a winner for the blog contest. For those of you who missed your chance, last week I announced I would share the love and give away a few of the items that came in my Sampler package for the month of August.

Now, without further delay, I'd like to announce the winner. Drum roll please....
:Fishes into hat to pull out a name and unfolds paper:

The winner is ElegantScarf!

ElegantScarf I will be contacting you shortly regarding your prize. If you don't hear from me within the next few days please contact me so that I may get your information.

For those that entered and did not win don't be sad. I will be having more blog contest in the future along with lots of great new Etsy shop features. As always I look forward to everyone's comments.

Much love.
Desirai

Desirai Meets Desirai

2007-09-22T08:09:00.001-04:00

So last night John is playing on the Xbox 360 and for no apparent reason he decides he's going to use the xbox to sign on to MSN messenger. I'm pretty sure it's something he's never done before which makes what happened even crazier.

As he began going down the list of contacts (which was a combination of Xbox live friends and 3 MSN contacts) he noticed my name. There as bright as day was Desirai. At first we thought I had forgotten to sign off somewhere. However, upon further inspection we realize the email linked to the screen name was not an email I had ever registered. Additionally there was a status message rejoicing about how someone named Melissa was coming. That was when John and I really got concerned. It did not surprise us that our mutual friend Melissa would register an email using my name; She's done similar things before.

"Send a message and say 'who is this'" I told John. When the name responded my heart began to race. Who was this? Who was using my name? Why are they on John's contact list? We asked more and more questions and got vague answers. "Melissa's not here", "This is Dez."

I told John not to reveal too much information. I wanted to get to the bottom of things without our answers affecting theirs. Was it really Melissa? Would she confess/deny using my name?

After a while the person stopped responding. They put their away message up. Was this to remain a maddening mystery? I still wanted answers so I signed on to my email account which contains my name in the address. I wrote them an email explaining that my name is Desirai too, that I wanted to know who they were and why they were on John's friends list.

Finally I got an returned IM. "Who is this? What do you want? This is Desirai." they wrote. I asked if she had received my email. She admitted she did not open it in fear that I might have sent her a virus. When I began to explain that I was Desirai too she was completely skeptical. "Ok. But do you spell it Desirai?" she asked. "Yes!" I told her. "Google my name, I'm all over the internet, you'll see I'm not making this up. I own Desirai.com!"

Neither of us could explain how she ended up on John's list or John on hers. It seemed that the universe was at work, but why?

When she finally accepted that I was indeed Desirai she began asking a multitude of questions. I answered all of them and asked the same ones in return. How old are you? When is your birthday? What do you do? Where do you live? Do you have a picture? It turned out she lives in British Columbia, is a mother of 3, and today is her birthday! lol Happy Birthday Desirai.

I can't be sure why any of this happened but we both agreed it was really strange. That being the case we decided to keep in touch. Perhaps we'll find answers in the future. Till then....

Sharing The Love Contest

2007-09-19T09:15:00.000-04:00

Hello happy readers! It may surprise you to hear that I finally got to open my package from The Sampler today. I participated for the month of August and had my package shipped to FL; I'm only now getting to it.

It occurred to me that not everyone has heard of The Sampler and I thought having a little contest would be a great way to spread the knowledge and the love. So... here's how it works. From now until September 26th, everyone that leaves a comment on this particular post will be entered into a drawing to win a small package of goodies. Said goodies will be items from my personal August Sampler package. Keep in mind it won't be the entire Sampler package as I am sharing the love not giving it all way.

Comments can be about how much you want to win, how much you like my blog, or about what you did last Friday night behind the 7-11 on Washington Street. They can be about anything really. Just make sure you include your email or a way for me to contact you should you win.

I'll be writing another entry about the winner after the drawing. Good Luck everyone!

Monsoon Artisans On Etsy Mondays

2007-09-17T10:49:00.000-04:00

Finding new shops on Etsy is always so exciting for me, especially when I know it's a shop I'll definitely be buying from. Just recently I discovered the beautiful silver jewelry of Monsoon Artisans.

Monsoon Artisans is run by Daniel and Beth Sobel. They are currently selling their jewelry on Etsy and through their website: MonsoonArtisans.com.

"This is a part time job for us, but a full time passion. We love what we do! We’ve been making our leaf message necklaces for about 2 and a half years now, but we just started another line of one of a kind jewelry at the end of July."

The leaf message necklace (featured on left) is individually handcrafted from fine silver. Each pendant is sculpted, burnished an inscribed with the message of your choice, which can be up to eight words long! No two pendants are ever alike and make the perfect gift for that special someone. How romantic! I would love to receive this pendant as a gift. I'm a big fan of silver jewelry so the Monsoon Artisans shop is much appreciated! I can't wait to do a little shopping.

Interestingly, while perusing their store I noticed each piece was named after a different woman. I'm very curious about why. Maybe if we're lucky Daniel or Beth will comment and fill us in.

Aside from producing beautiful jewelry they also left us with some wonderful insight:

"Make sure you have a really solid product, and then get your products out there! Our marketing strategy is permission based, so we always give away as many necklaces as we can. Find local causes and contests and offer your work as prizes, run contests of your own, and approach organizations or websites with compatible content with the possibility of a jointly sponsored contest. All of these things help get your work seen, and make potential customers seek you out, instead of the other way around. "

To find out more about Monsoon Artisans or to purchase one of their lovely pieces, please visit:

Monsoon Artisans on Etsy
Monsoon Artisans Website

Lindsey Porter On Etsy Mondays

2007-09-10T06:44:00.000-04:00

I was seriously tempted to start this feature off with a list of "You know you grew up in the 80's if..." but then I realized everyone's probably read it and that it makes no mention of cassette tapes and therefore is a pretty crappy segue. Ahem... Let's try this again shall we?

Last week I was cleaning the house and my 6 year old son was very eager to help. We looked through books, packed them in boxes, and as we were straightening up we happened to stumble upon a cassette tape.

"What's that mom? It looks like a little VCR Tape" he pointed out. I wasn't sure whether to be shocked he had never seen a cassette tape or be happy that he at least knew what a VCR was. God, I feel so old. My upcoming birthday is no help either.

But ah... Cassette tapes. Are those things even sold anymore? I remember I had a cassette of Michael Jackson's Thriller. I played it so many times the quality degraded so much it sounded like someone was repeatedly speeding it up and slowing it down.

These days cassettes are no competition for CDs. So how do we preserve the memory of cassettes and what they meant to us children of the 80's? Well, we can probably start by buying one of these ridiculously cool pouches by Lindsey Porter, that's how!

"I started when I graduated from community college, with an AA in Apparel Design and Merchandising (Fashion Design). I had made my first Nintendo controller pouch for myself to carry around my pencils, pens, thread and other sewing supplies while I was still in school. I didn't use a pattern to make it so it looked like abstract art. But after I graduated I decided to join etsy to make a little extra money and just listed a Nintendo pouch not knowing whether or not anyone would buy it. I didn't realize that I would end up making and selling so many of them, along with my other pouches, too."

Lindsey's work can also be found on adorkablecrafts.com, maustudio.com,Wholly Craft, a store in Ohio, White Rabbit Gallery, a store in Iowa, Site, a store in New York, and Popcorn Heart, in Paris, France.

That Nintendo controller pouch is so mine, and I bet I know someone else who might be interested in it (that's right Diana I'm talking about you, lol)

Lindey left me with some advice, it was:

"work hard, don't sell yourself short, and try to come up with ways to keep your ideas fresh, because if you have a short attention span like me, you'll get bored if you don't!"

You can take a look at more of Lindsey's Pouches at:
Lindsey Porter on Etsy

Giving In To Parental Controls

2007-09-07T19:34:00.000-04:00

Growing up I had never heard of such things like electrical socket plugs, safety gates or anything else that prevented small children from going where they ought not to go, like under the kitchen sink. We were taught at an early age that items under the sink were for cleaning purposes and not for playing. We knew we weren't allowed to touch them despite our access never being prohibited.

It was for this reason that I never bought any "child proof" or "safety" items while pregnant. They seemed like a waste of money and I was certain that if I did my job as a parent I would never have a need for them. I'm sure many parents may disagree with me on this. There must be millions of people who utilize those little plastic things on the inside of draws which prevent them from opening. I've even seem toilet lid and oven locks. Are these really necessary?? Why are kids even playing with these things?

Never have I had issues with my son throwing things in the toilet, opening or turning on the stove/oven, or sticking things in the electrical outlets. AJ is now 6 years old. His dad and I are electronic freaks and so we taught him to use a lot of appliances/electronics at an early age. Right now he can warm up his own food in the microwave, record, fast forward, rewind, stop, pause and play all his own shows on the DVR, he can play games on the wii, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, V-smile, GameCube, DS, and even knows how to hook them up to the TV and switch out the wires when necessary.

Like the average kid, AJ likes to watch movies... Normally he'll watch his new favorite movie over and over and over again. Last week it was the Bridge To Terabithia. The fact that he watched it incessantly was ok since we had recorded it to the DVR. Shortly afterward Firehouse Dog started showing on the movies in demand channel. Twenty four hour movie tickets can be purchased to watch movies. AJ had been bugging me to buy Firehouse Dog for him.

His dad had mentioned there being a special way to DVR pay per view movies. Since he was the one that ordered Firehouse dog I assumed he has also recorded it. My son must have watched it 7 times this week. The truth is I didn't think much of it, until last night when Jeff asked how many times I had purchased Firehouse Dog.

"huh? You mean you didn't record it?" I asked, to which Jeff shook his head no.

He then called AJ over and asked him to explain the steps he went through to watch the movie. "First you go to channel 1000, and then you find Firehouse Dog, and then you press select, and B, and then B again." lol We were both in shock. AJ had just given us a tutorial of exactly how to order a movie in demand.

Jeff was in disbelief but thought it was too funny to yell at him. He accepted it as being his own fault for forgetting to teaching AJ NOT to order movies (which of course he went over with him last night.) We hadn't planned on taking any extra precautions since AJ seemed to understand that the "B" button was for "Buy" and we'd have to pay for every time he watched it. Things were ok again....or so we thought.

The Firehouse Dog movie ordering fiasco came up in conversation today. We were curious to know how many times it was really ordered. When Jeff signed on to view the bill we were struck with another surprise. Someone ordered the Playboy Channel in demand at 3 O'clock on a Monday afternoon. What, what, whaaaaaaaaaaaat? We confirmed it wasn't either of us and realized it could have only been one other person.

That being said, I think it's only fair to give it a little time to see if AJ truely learned NOT to order movies. However if any other mystery Playboy charges show up you better believe I'm setting those parental controls with the quickness. Maybe it's not such a waste after all.

Charlie And Sarah On Etsy Mondays

2007-09-03T06:24:00.000-04:00

Living in NY again has come with several perks. The first; being able to visit Etsy Labs and the wonderful people that work and hang out there. The second; joining the New New York (Etsy) Street Team. It was at our first street team meeting that I had the pleasure of meeting Charlie, Sarah and their adorable son, Chester.

Charlie and Sarah are a husband and wife team that specialize in block printing on apparel, dish towels and note cards. Their style is old English meets American Prep. Charlie is from Brighton, England and Sarah is from Lake Waconia in Minnesota, though They are currently living in New York City.

Their slogan, "Learn British fast. Dress Smart" accurately describes their British Flashcard T line. The husband wife team had originally believed their target audience was parents and babies but later came to realize even teens and tweens were going crazy over their merchandise. Charlie created the British Flashcard T line to teach their half English newborn proper British.

"Our linoleum block prints are from our wedding two years ago. A friend from my mommy group was looking for someone to share a booth at the Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair. Once we got in, we met up every other week for a few months to share our progress. It was in June 2007 when our vision became clear. It took months of designing, learning screen printing and bouncing ideas off of someone else to create our product line."

I was recently able to share a kiosk with Sarah at the Brooklyn Indie Market. She was great company and offered excellent advice for craft show/fair beginners like me:

"Find a product line that has a consistent theme. It will identify you as a designer and artists. Don't put your eggs in one basket. Sell online. Send press releases. Send linesheets to stores. Do craft fairs. Blog. Don't do it alone. Make your husband help you. Or collaborate with other artists. Split booths at craft fairs. Build street teams. Leave your house and meet people."

Charlie and Sarah can be found selling their work at craft fairs/shows/markets around the U.S. A list of dates and locations can be found on their website.

To learn some proper British, find out more about Charlie and Sarah, or to purchase one of their lovely items, please visit:

Charlie and Sarah Website
Charlie and Sarah on Etsy

El Chupacabra: Mystery, Myth Or Just A Deformed Dog?

2007-09-02T03:41:00.000-04:00

Being Hispanic has exposed me to a lot of information and mention of El Chupacabra. I remember when this creature began receiving news and documentary exposure. I was obsessed and fascinated by what I read and saw.

It was actually a surprise to see how much El Chupacabra had become part of pop culture in Puerto Rico. I visited my Grandfather there one year and returned with several El Chupacabra shirts. It is now part of pop culture in the U.S. and several other countries as well.

I'm still completely intrigued by the "Goat Sucker" and I'm often amused by it's various visual representations. Sometimes it was drawn as a lizard and sometimes as an alien. Does El Chupacabra really exist? Is there really some vampiric animal out there that sucks the blood out of the neck of it's prey? Till now there was no proof of the elusive creature.

Phylis Canion from Cuero, Texas claims to have found interesting roadkill which she believes is actually El Chupacabra. I'd retell the story but it's 4 O'clock in the morning and much easier to just post a link for your reading pleasure. So... Has a Mythical Beast Turned Up in Texas?

The following video is just more proof of El Chupacabra in pop-culture.. it's also a pretty funny clip so be sure to watch the whole thing.

Showing Press

2007-08-30T03:11:00.000-04:00

A few days before the Brooklyn Indie Market I had ask Sarah if she had any advice for me as a first time seller. Here is the list she sent me:

-Water
-Chair
-Business Cards
-Mark Prices by Sign or Tags
-Create Order Forms for Special Orders
-Accept Credit Cards through Propay (Seems like the last thing you would do, but I make hundreds off credit cards per day)
-Get a knucklebuster from Mr. Imprinter on Ebay
-Have a great display
-Have proper signage to attract people and let them know who you are.
-Show press
-Make a catalog

At first I wasn't sure what she meant by show press but then I quickly realized I could include print outs of all the blogs I had been featured in. I have a pretty decent list at this point with one more to add. Vanessa from Heyprettycupcake.com emailed me to let me know she saw me mentioned in Indie Galore. Here is the direct link.

A Couple Of New Items

2007-08-29T02:41:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've listed anything. I left all my stuff in Florida, you know, the important stuff like my digital camera, desktop, printer and all the paper I craft with. Luckily I've had John printing, cutting, scoring, and doing all my business shopping. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be able to keep up with any orders, so Thanks John!

Since I'm showing appreciation, I might as well thank the internet as well. I've been able to send John my new designs so that he can print, cut and photograph them. So thank you internet. All this thanks seems to be a cheezy yet perfect segue for introducing the cards I just listed. These Pink Bubbly Thank Yous come in a set of 4 but can be ordered in larger amounts.

In addition, I've been trying to get my Announcement and Invitation section going. It was for this reason I ordered myself a Gocco printing set. Unfortunately I had it shipped to Florida, and so it's sitting quietly in a box waiting to see me on my birthday. I have no idea how to use it, but you better believe I'm dying to learn. I plan on making lots of invitations with it but my immediate goals include designing some Christmas card sets.

Today I also listed some Save The Date Cards. I'm selling them in packs of 25, but of course larger orders are always welcome. The writing on the cards can be changed to say anything you want. I've got a couple of other ideas floating around in my head for Save The Date cards and will begin jotting them down as soon as I find my sketchbook.

db designs on Etsy Mondays

2007-08-27T05:48:00.000-04:00

I was in the Etsy chat room not too long ago with a chat member who seemed to be overwhelmingly excited about a purchase she had just made. "I received my Monster Box today!" she exclaimed. Monster Box? What in the world...? No one in the room seemed to be familiar with what a Monster Box was, this of course prompted the showing of several pictures and a brief explanation.

The Monster Box in question was actually custom created by db designs. db designs is a husband and wife duo company. From what I have read on their website, there is almost nothing (art related) that Daren and Deanna Baker can't do. The Monster Box, which is exactly what it sounds like, a monster, that is also a box, can be used for storing things. The monster's head is hinged in the back allowing it to be flipped open.

"Ever since we were kids we have both loved and done art. Daren has been working with wood for over 20 years and I have been working with glass for about 15 years."

In addition to working with both wood and glass, this team also has quite the Graphic Design portfolio. db designs has even had their hands involved in a large number of video game related projects (I'm so jealous!!!), industrial design projects, and their artwork has been commissioned as well.

Their Etsy shop, which includes something for anyone who loves art, is still in it's infancy. However, with so much experience and such great products I doubt it will take long for the sales to begin pouring in.

"We make art that is intended to be playful and functional. Whimsy, color, fun and craftsmanship are what we pride our work on. We encourage you to wear, pick-up and play with as well display our work."

Boxes and Jewelry seem to be this team's specialty but they happily accept custom orders. The craftsmanship involved in their products is much too wonderful to pass up. That being said, I think I'd like a Monster Box for my birthday. :wink, wink: It's September 14th for those of you that didn't know (and for those of you that forgot.)

Some of the Baker's work can be found at a few local galleries and the Edmonds Saturday Market.

When asked if they had any advice for other sellers they said "We don’t have many answers…we are still trying to figure it out ourselves but one thing that has always worked for us is having faith in what we are doing…always do what you love and love what you are doing!"

To read more about db designs or to buy yourself a coveted Monster Box (their wish boxes are amazing too!!) please visit:

db designs on Etsy
db designs website

Bombing The Market

2007-08-26T05:20:00.000-04:00

AJ's flight was delayed by an hour. The fog was amazingly thick this morning and his plane was unable to land. His delay left me running extremely late for the Brooklyn Indie Market. I should have been there by 10 am but did not get there till 12:30 pm.

The oppressive heat left Sarah, Crystal and I seeking refuge within the shade of the kiosk, chugging water and trying to stay within the cool air of the fan I brought. It was so hard for me not to feel ill. I've still been so sick, suffering from a constant shortness of breath, and the heat only made me feel that much worse.

When 3 O'clock hit and I realized I still hadn't sold anything, I decided to pick up my stuff and head home. The hope of a sale or two just wasn't enough for me to endure the heat and how shitty I felt. I was just looking forward to return home and take a nap in the air conditioning, which is exactly what I did.

The Brooklyn Indie Market was my first time at any market, or show. I'm a little discouraged that I didn't even have anyone take my business card. Anyway, it would be nice to hear about other people's show experience and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

The Mistakes That Made Me Who I Am

2007-08-23T06:05:00.000-04:00

I have a friend who insists I'm the best person he knows. It always makes me feel weird. I believe I am a good person. However, that is not to say that I'm perfect. I read a quote the other day. It actually inspired this entry.

Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success, you know.

-William Saroyan

I have stolen, cheated, and lied. I have hurt people. Sometimes by accident, and sometimes on purpose. But these same experiences are why I'm so honest, trust worthy and loyal today. It seems unbelievable sometimes that such terrible mistakes would make me a good person. Perhaps that is simply how we learn.

"We have all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the power we choose to act on. That's who we really are."

-Sirius Black

Sandy Photo Art (Lani Blue Cards) on Etsy Mondays

2007-08-20T18:24:00.000-04:00

As a Graphic Designer I spend a lot of time looking at the work of other designers. I've also been trying to expand my shop to include invitations and announcements which is why I've been visiting a lot of stationery stores lately. While searching the internet and Etsy for examples I came across Sandy Photo Art AKA Lani Blue Cards.

Sandy Aichner is a photographer that went from selling her photos on Etsy to later selling designed invitations. "I've been involved with photography since high school but really began a serious business about 6 years ago. I made my first card at age 6 but my first paid job was 4 years ago. I worked with my local hospital as a freelance newborn baby photographer and offered custom birth announcements as part of the photo package. This was so fun! There is something about creating a keepsake that will be part of a familys history that makes me all warm and fuzzy." Sandy mentions.

"I am a part-time professional photographer and image-editing specialist. I specialize in family, nature, sports, and commercial photography and editing. I also work with my husband, who is a staff photographer for Surfer Magazine, shooting on location and image editing for him. My stationery design business, Lani (la-knee) Blue, lani is Hawaiian for sky or heaven, started in this past February. My photography clients had been requesting quality announcements and invitations for years and I realized that I just love to do it!! I taught myself Photoshop about 5 years ago to help my husband and I transition from film photography to digital photography easier. Long, story shorter, I'm now a registered Photoshop addict...For now, my stationery business is part-time but I hope to build it into a full time lucrative business by next year."

Sandy's Designs are gorgeous and it truly surprised me to see that her sales were so few. I almost wished I was getting married in the near future so that I could order some.

In addition to selling on Etsy Sandy's photography can be found in Hawaii at the Nohea Galleries of Hawaii.

When asked what kind of advice she had for others Sandy said "do your thing well, take the time do learn your craft. Quality is so important. Also, learn the business side of being an artist. Everything from setting your prices to make a profit to quality shipping practices to cut down on shipping damage costs. The little things are what you should pay attention to because they will get you in the end."

You can view and purchase Sandy's photos and invitations at:

Sandy Photo Art on Etsy
SandyAichner.com
1ike.com

Vote For Me!!!

2007-08-18T06:04:00.000-04:00

Those that know me, know how much I love music video games. That's right, like: Frequency, Amplitude, Dance Dance Revolution, Bust-A-Groove, and Guitar Hero. An old favorite of mine is PaRappa The Rapper. I liked it so much I downloaded all the songs and made my room mate crazy listening to them (you can download my favorite, the final stage song here.)That being said I had to enter the PaRappa the Rapper loves Threadless competition.

The theme was of course "I gotta BELIEVE!" thus my submission was born. Titled "Focus", my illustration features a PaRappa relative concentrating intently. He is holding a spoon in hopes of bending it.

Please please please help me out by voting for my submission. My entry will be up for voting for a week. The Grand Prize winner receives:
* A brand spankin new Sony PSP
* PaRappa The Rapper for PSP
* An assortment of Sony PSP games
* Exclusive PaRappa The Rapper memorabilia!
* $500 Threadless Gift Certificate (can be redeemed for $200 cash)
* $2,000 in cash

You can vote by clicking on the thumbnail below.

"You gotta do what?"
"I gotta believe!"

I Could Get Used To This!

2007-08-17T22:50:00.000-04:00

Being sick sucks. Especially when you're asthmatic and every cold you get leaves you unable to breathe and feeling as though you've just coughed up a lung. Despite being completely out of commission for the last week I've finally been able to smile again. Why you ask? Well I just got another email from The Sampler letting me know I was included on CraftyPod.

Check me out in this entry: http://www.craftypod.com/?p=222

Mindy's Embroidery on Etsy Mondays

2007-08-13T17:30:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you guys, but I'm addicted to chapstick. So much so that I have a tube in my pants pocket, in my sweater, in my purse, in my make-up bag, and lastly, living in Florida has taught me NOT to leave one in the car. But despite the fact I've put one everywhere, I still seem to lose them all the time, never finding it when I need it most.

You can imagine how elated I was when I spotted this custom lip balm (or USB) holder keychain at Mindy's Embroidery on Etsy. The black one with the lips featured in the picture is actually the one I custom ordered. It was perfect for me and for my chapstick obsessed friend Diana. She saw mine and later bought one for herself.

After receiving my lip balm holder in the mail I began further familiarizing myself with Mindy Holmes and her store. In addition to lipbalm holders, she also sells embroidered towels, baby items, pillow cases and more. When asked about her shop Mindy said "I actually try to target both the young and old. I do make a lot of baby items though mostly because right after I got my machine I found out I was pregnant with my youngest so I spent a lot of time making items for him and making keepsakes for others."

The lip balm holder wasn't the only thing I bought from Mindy's Embroidery. My boyfriend had a towel he used to complain about (though I can't remember why). After every complaint he would mention that he was only holding on to it cause his initial was embroidered into it. I thought as a gift I would get him a new towel. I was so excited when Mindy confirmed she could embroider his Xbox Live gamertag and Halo icon into it. Needless to say he loved it and ditched his old towel shortly after.

Embroidery is Mindy's full time job and long time hobby which started in September of 2002 after she purchased her first embroidery machine. Her items can also be found on ecrater.com, blujay.com, lov.li and she and her husband are in the process of opening up their own website at www.beads-embroidery-beyond.com. Its still under construction though, but they're hoping to get it up and going in the next month or two.

Mindy Holmes's advice for new sellers is "Don't get discouraged at your lack of sales to begin with. It takes a lot of promotion to get your shop up and running, but with hard work and good products it can be done."

To order premade and custom embroidered items from Mindy please visit:
Mindy's Embroidery on Etsy

Painting The Mona Lisa With MS Paint

2007-08-12T16:48:00.000-04:00

Holy Crap! I can't believe this. It's amazing!

Ms Paint: Painting Mona Lisa - video powered by Metacafe

Another Mentioning

2007-08-10T14:14:00.000-04:00

It seems that consignment with Hey Pretty Cupcake and being a contributor in The Sampler this month has led to several mentions in other blogs. I just recieved a convo on Etsy from my good friend Kittycrossbones which said my "Tee-hee!" card was mentioned on Rare Bird Finds. The mention was made after blog owner received her August Sampler package. Here is the direct link to the entry.

I'm quickly starting to see what a great idea it was contributing my samples to The Sampler. I may have to do that again some time in the near future. I've also considered advertising in Bust magazine but I think I'll wait till I've got all my new Lucid Dream Designs branding done.

Did I mention I'll be selling some of my stationery at the Brooklyn Indie Market in a couple of weeks? August 25th, fellow New New Street Team member Sarah of CharlieAndSarah.etsy.com and I will be sharing a kiosk there. The Brooklyn Indie Market is currently located on Smith St. and Union St. in Brooklyn and is open from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm on the weekends. If you're in the area come stop by and say hello!

A Day Of Smiles And Laughs

2007-08-09T19:50:00.000-04:00

It's August 9th and the sampler has begin distributing their packages for this month. I was quite surprised (yet ridiculously happy) to receive an email from them today. It read:

Hey there, lovely Sampler contributors!

Just a quick note to let you know when that Jen of Indie Fixx blogged
about The Sampler yesterday, she liked your items so much, she mentioned
them by name!

Check it out: http://indiefixx.com/2007/08/08/summer-sampler-goodness/

So congrats on your awesome work, ladies, and thanks for your contributions!

Go Sampler!

xo, Jennicakes

Aside from that, today finally marked the day I saw 200 lbs on the scale. I've lost 33 lbs so far though I have another 50 lbs to go before reaching my goal. I've only seen 200 once in the last 5 years so I feel it's something worth celebrating. I'm excited and motivated at the thought of losing more and can't wait till the numbers no longer begin with 2.

Right now I owe my continued weight loss to The Cookie Diet. It's unfortunately not quite as tasty as it sounds, though not quite as torturous as one may think. For months now I've been eating 6 specially formulated fiber cookies a day with 1 real meal for dinner. Dinner normally consists of turkey or chicken with 2 servings of vegetables. Fruits, Bread, Pasta, Beef, Pork and certain vegetables are off limits. If you've had trouble losing weight over the years, and you feel you've tried everything, The Cookie Diet is definitely worth looking in to.

Lastly, (I swear AOL news is only around to make me laugh) I must comment about the parents who tried to name their baby "4Real". Apparently their request for a name was denied; Numerals are not accepted in names. In protest they have instead named their son Superman though they say they will still call him 4Real. WTF? lol You can read the full article here.

For those who are reading this and have not yet commented, now is your chance. I'd like to hear what other people have to say about this.

Tornadoes in NYC

2007-08-08T22:54:00.000-04:00

My cousin George came to pick me up this afternoon. He wanted to drive along Coney Island Ave in search of a Chevy dealership; Apparently he was tired of having to go to the one out in Bay Ridge. As we walked towards his house (to pick up his car) he began telling me about how tornadoes had hit Bay Ridge this morning. "Yeah!" he said in response to the shocked look on my face "It was on the news. Tore the roofs off some houses over there." he finished.

I was in disbelief, so I did what I always do when I'm in disbelief; I called Jeff. Jeff couldn't tell me whether or not a tornado had really hit Brooklyn, but he did say that he was three hours late to work. He explained that a heavy rainstorm produced over three inches of rain and flooded the subway system. "I got to the platform and it was packed. Then I waited forever for a train and it was packed too. Every train I got on was jam packed." Jeff said.

By the time I got home I completely forgot about it. Jeff must have too, since he made no mention of it when he got home either. It was while checking my email just now that I came across an article about it. The pictures in this entry have been borrowed from that article.

A Tornado Grows In Brooklyn

Muttsy Wonder (Harrilu) on Etsy Mondays

2007-08-06T15:47:00.000-04:00

I recently realized that the majority of my purchases on Etsy have consisted of cards, pendants, and soap. It seemed strange that my shopping habits would be so limited considering the limitless variety that exists on Etsy. Thankfully, my little visit to the Trashion Trunk Show has changed that.

While there were many varied and interesting art pieces, I found myself most attracted to the clothing; So much so that I actually bought myself a shirt. Embarrassingly, I removed the tag not too long ago and have forgotten the name of the artist. (I will do my best to find her so that I can edit this post to include her name.)

When I got home that night I found myself searching Etsy for clothing. I favorited a rather long list of screen printing artists; One that surely deserves mention is Muttsy Wonder. It didn't take long for these original hand silkscreened designs to catch my eye. My current favorite being her Blue Blossoms T-shirt (shown on the right~>).

Megan Mucci, shop owner of Muttsy Wonder and Harrilu is a full time professional that sells her items online, wholesale and at shows as well. A list of boutiques her items are currently available in, can be found at the Harrilu website.

Megan's items seem to appeal most to those who like modern design and comfortable clothes (Ding, Ding, Ding! Me! I refuse to wear stuff that isn't comfortable, I don't care how good it looks). She also carries items for pets, babies, toddlers, women and men. "I strive to create things with upscale quality that have unique modern designs that are flattering and fashion-forward. I do my best to respect the customer, (while) being as friendly as I can along the way. And, have fun while I'm doing all of it." Megan says.

"This sounds crazy -- but I didn't start screenprinting until May of 2006, right when I started Etsy. I have done graphic design and product design previously though -- mostly on children's products, so that part came naturally. The screenprinting itself I taught myself from a few books and Macguyver'ed the rest." She confesses.

Wow! Can you believe in just a little over a year Muttsy Wonder has sold 979 items on Etsy! This doesn't include her wholesale business or sales at shows. It's obvious Megan's work is a huge success and if you've had the pleasure of visiting her shop you know why. Mark my words, I'll be making future purchases at Muttsy Wonder; That Blue Blossoms shirt is destined to be mine.

You can purchase some of Megan Mucci's lovely designs at:
Muttsy Wonder on Etsy
Harrilu

Everyone Loves Cute!

2007-08-01T22:13:00.000-04:00

In an earlier post I mentioned that I had consigned some of my items with Hey Pretty Cupcake; She just emailed me to let me know my Kawaii Cuddlies were featured on two different blogs this week! Cuteable and Indiefixx How cool is that? Be sure to bookmark both of these sites as they include plenty of neat indie shops and links.

Please go check them out!
http://indiefixx.com/2007/07/31/more-cute/
http://cuteable.com/clinks-27/588

Shine Your Hiney Soap Co. on Etsy Mondays

2007-07-30T19:23:00.000-04:00

When I first joined Etsy back in Dec of 2006 I was so nervous. Excited, but nervous. I wasn't sure I'd get any sales. Aside from that I was nervous about how well I'd be accepted within the Etsy community. I was really interested in meeting other crafters since none of my friends are crafters. The first thing I did to begin socializing was go into the Red chat room. It was days before I ever actually said anything. I knew that I was perceived as an outsider and didn't want to accidentally tick anyone off.

Chat room frequenters slowly got used to seeing my user name. I clearly remember one discussion in particular about CP and MP soaps. Chat room members were talking about the differences between the two types and which one was better. Since I had no idea what CP or MP soap was it seemed like a perfect time to finally say something.

I had never really considered buying handmade soap, on Etsy none the less, but after hearing the difference between cold process and melt and pour processed soap I became curious. I started looking at the shops of the soap makers presently in the room. Who would I buy from? What scent? Fragrance posed the biggest problem. How could I possibly pick the right scent without smelling it first? I knew I was way too picky about perfume to blindly choose a fragrance.

A few sellers asked me what scents I was interested in and offered to send scent samples. There was one seller however who offered to send me an actual soap sample. When most of the scents arrived in the mail it was difficult to decide. Being in the same bag caused a melting of fragrances with an entirely new identity. Perhaps buying soap online just wasn't for me. That's how I felt, until I received my MP Bubble Gum soap sample from Shine Your Hiney Soap Co.

The soap was well packaged in a plastic baggie with ribbon to include a tag and tie the bag closed. It was hard not to set this shop apart from the rest. Shine Your Hiney Soap Co. was the only shop willing to send me a sample instead of just a scent soaked Q-tip. I felt valued as a customer before ever making a purchase and it's for this reason I have not bought soap anywhere else.

Shine Your Hiney shop owner Diann Morris definitely strives to sell great products while providing excellent customer service. Full time mom and Etsy seller, she confesses that making soap is a new endeavor for her, something you'd never guess judging by the high quality of her products. "I love to make soap. It's very therapeutic to me." Diann shares.

In addition to maintaining two shops on Etsy, Diann also frequently sells at craft shows in the fall.

If I had to choose I'd say my current Shine Your Hiney favorites include the Bubblegum and Mulberry Pear scented soap. They smell so good my shower time has been extended by approximately 20 minutes; Extra time spent just smelling the soap. The majority of her soaps are also vegan friendly for those with allergies or sensitive skin.

When asked what kind of advice she would give other sellers she said "I'm still learning about the selling and business stuff myself (never stop learning!), but I find that since it's something I absolutely LOVE doing, it's FUN. I would have to say make sure it's something you love, or it will soon become "work", and you may lose interest. Take every opportunity handed to you, and you will soon be looking back saying 'I can't believe I've come this far!'"

To purchase some of Diann's fantastic fanny tickling soap or scented candles, please visit:

Shine Your Hiney Soap Co. on Etsy
Auntie Di's Delites on Etsy
Auntie Di's Delites

Last Fridays Trashion Trunk Show

2007-07-30T01:42:00.000-04:00

This past Friday I got the privilege of attending an Etsy Labs event. Finally!! Living in FL for the opening of Etsy Labs was so frustrating. It's such an amazing place for crafters to network and learn. I was so jealous and hated that I was too far to be a part of it, graduating from school however has changed this. and being back in NY has allowed me to be a part of something I was much looking forward to.

A few months ago Etsy Labs started holding Last Fridays Trunk Show, which are :ta-da!: held on the last Friday of each month. Trunk Shows provide a great promotional outlet for both Etsy and the Street Team being showcased. The Street Team members set up little stations where they are able to sell their stuff. In addition, there are snacks, drinks, and relaxing music. All this provides for a great social, networking and shopping experience.

Invited to particpate in 7/27/07 Trunk Show was the Trashion Street Team. The Trashion Team describe themselves as 'a group of over 80 artists from around the world who specialize in turning trash into treasure. The Etsy Trashion Street Team is about visualizing beauty in unconventional objects and materials. We fabricate art, jewelry, fashion and objects for the home from used, thrown-out & found elements. For us, trashion is a philosophy and an ethic. It encompasses environmentalism and innovation, and respects the human creative and healing potential.'

Trashion Team members unable to attend sent in some of their designs and creations. This gave everyone an equal opportunity to participate and promote their work. To help facilitate the acceptance of payment, Etsy set up a Paypal terminal. Not only was it great that guests could pay for items with either cash, credit, or Paypal, but team members who sent in their work could receive immediate payment after each item sold.

SIDE NOTE: Since my digital camera is unfortunately still in FL, I've had to take pictures using my Canon Rebel 2000 SLR. Yes, that means I've been using film. If you don't know what that is I'm not telling you. I've already been made fun of enough with people refering to it as 'archaic'. lol anyway, I hope you guys appreciate the fact that I've not only been buying film to shoot these pictures, but then having to pay to develop and get them on CD to share them with you.

In addition to being seen by all the participating guests, the Trunk Show was also web casted in an Etsy chat room. The chat room action was projected onto a wall at the labs allowing for interaction between guests and online Etsy members. I got to shove my face in front of the web cam a few times so that my etsy friends were finally able to see what I look like.

I took so many pictures one person actually asked if I was the official Etsy Photographer. :ponders the thought: Man that would be cool! However, I don't think Etsy is interested in my lack of Photography skills. lol

I also had the pleasure of meeting several Etsy Admin while I was there, including by not limited to: Rob, Anda, Danielle, Michelle, Matt, and Sarah. Such a lively, social bunch! It was nice finally meeting them all in person.

The Trashion Trunk Show was a great success and I look forward to attending many more Trunk Shows in the future.

For more information on Etsy Lab events, the Trashion Street Team, and pictures of the event please visit:

Etsy Lab Events
Etsy Labs Blog
Trashion on Etsy
Trashion Blog
Trashion Trunk Show Pics

Where You Can Find Me

2007-07-29T22:21:00.000-04:00

With school now finally out of the way, I have been able to focus a lot more on my business. It's been exactly seven months since I opened up a shop on Etsy and in those seven months I have sold 89 items. I often find myself comparing that number to the amount of sales other Etsy vender's have made. Where do I rank? Am I doing well for someone who has only been selling items for seven months? or is 89 a poor excuse of a number when calculating seven months worth of sales? I'm still having difficulty answering these questions which is why I've been making a far greater effort to get information about Lucid Dream Designs out there.

For the month of August I have decided to contribute a count of 200+ items to The Sampler. The package I sent out included a few different types of cards and Bend-N-Sends. In addition to distributing over 200 of my samples, they will also be including an ad for my shop on their website. The ad will remain on the site for 30 days. I'm thoroughly looking forward to this and hope that it brings a lot of visitors to my Etsy shop.

During the last few months, I've been presently surprised at the amount of people which have contacted me in reference to consigning with them. At the moment, you can find a few of my items on HeyPrettyCupcake.com and in the future I have hopes of working with MAU Studio.

While out and about I've been taking note of the various card shops in the area. I thought perhaps it might be a good idea to put together some kind of catalog to see if any of the stores would be willing to buy from me at wholesale price.

Lastly, I attended the New New meeting at Etsy Labs this afternoon. Jeff was sweet enough to accompany me. We got there 2 hours early. It seemed silly to go back home from President St and 7th ave (that's where I got my pictures developed). I felt bad as he patiently waited for the meeting to be over. I think this street team in addition to the other avenues I've already described should really help boost visits and sales. I'll let you know how it goes.

On a super happy end note, I sold my first Poultry shirt today. w00t!!!

I Wasn't The Only Curious One

2007-07-29T04:19:00.000-04:00

I clearly remember taking the train into the city one day to meet a friend at a predesignated Starbucks. At the time I was completely surprised at the fact that I passed literally 5 Starbucks on the way to meet him. It was as if there was one on every other block. Why would there be a need for that many Starbucks stores so close together? It was this thought that made me wonder how many Starbucks there were in Manhattan and apparently I wasn't the only one.

The following video is of Mark Malkoff, a guy who took that very question a few steps further. Mark organized a team of people to find out how many Starbucks franchises there really are in Manhattan and if it would be possible to visit them all in a day.
Like any crazy person would, he documented the whole thing.

Poultry and Poetry; Cause It Rhymes

2007-07-25T17:33:00.000-04:00

So I finally got the shirt I ordered from Cafepress. There was actually a delivery attempt yesterday morning but I never heard the doorbell. The shirt is a white tee ringer and the illustration on the front is of my own design. Poultry (a simple drawing in black ink) is a private joke between life and I.

My Poultry illustration was born during my first few months at Full Sail. It was originally drawn in a Design and Art Theory class where I was asked to present an example of illustrative text. I spent days trying to come up with something really meaningful and failed. I had friends offering great suggestions but I rejected them. I needed the idea to be my own.

I was disappointed in myself and envied everyone else's work. All I could come up with was 'Poultry'. I thought it was so dumb. However, I was later told by our instructor that my illustration was one of the top three in the class. But the joke continues...

I decided I wanted to submit an entry to threadless.com. I gave it so much thought. I was obsessed with butterflies at the time (who am I kidding? I still am.) and so I designed the shirt with a wave of butterflies going up the side. It included the word change because I had done so much of it and it meant something to me. I was so positive I'd get a lot of votes, cause I mean, who doesn't like butterflies?

Alas, my submission was declined. I was outraged! How dare they decline my butterflies while lame poorly drawn unicorns, stars, rainbows and clouds ran rampant amongst other accepted submissions. I was so angry, my pride was hurt and as if to somehow get back at them I said "Oh yeah? Well take THAT!" and I submitted my Poultry design. Deep down I knew it would get accepted and I hated knowing that cause I hated my illustration. And accepted it was. I didn't win the grand prize cause I didn't get enough votes. People left comments like "What does it say?" or "I thought it said Poodle." Apparently the chickens didn't give it away.

Months later when I had opened up my shop on etsy, I began getting discouraged at the lack of sales. I had only a few items at the time, but surely people liked cute cards and stationery. I couldn't understand why it had been weeks since I opened shop and still not one sale. What was I doing wrong? What did I forget? and then I realized. I had not included Poultry. It flew to my rescue like a wonderful edible bird should. I made a greeting card with the illustration on the front and added text to make it funnier. 'There's no hiding it' the front said, with 'I love chicken' on in the inside. Jeff was skeptical. He didn't understand. "What occasion could anyone possibly use that for?" - oh but I knew better.

Almost instantly, I got my first sale. The buyer purchased not one, but four! of my Poultry cards. I had to laugh. I then understood that it was simply life's way of telling me; not to take things so seriously, that sometimes things just are without having to be all deep and philosophical, and that I'm probably not going to fall in love with everything I create but that doesn't mean that other's won't.

Every time I get frustrated with my work, or I feel that my other designs aren't good enough, I always refer back to 'Poultry'. At the very least it makes me laugh, and from what I've experienced it's brought me luck too. Perhaps it might do the same for you.

Poultry cards & shirts are available at:
http://LucidDreamDesigns.etsy.com
http://Cafepress.com/LucidDreamDesi

On a completely separate note, reading that old poem the other day gave me an idea. Synchronistically, I found an entire book of poems I wrote shortly there after. This chance finding pretty much confirms (for me) I should follow through with my idea to publish my poetry. Right now the goal is simply to publish a small paperback full of my work which can be made available for purchase amongst my family and friends.

I want to include illustrations in the book as well and have already asked my friend Scott if he'd be willing to help me out. He's happily agreed. I also plan on including acknowledgements, a bio, and information about why I chose the title (which I won't reveal just yet.)

For the time being I've been contacting all those mentioned in my poems to ask if they mind having their name published. I've obviously got a lot more research to do before this all comes to fruition, but everything begins with an idea right? I will keep everyone updated as things progress. Be sure to come back or you might just miss when the book becomes available for purchase. =P

Mulberry Muse on Etsy Mondays

2007-07-23T17:48:00.000-04:00

Monday! Hurray! Everyone loves Mondays right? No? Well you will now. Beginning today is the first edition of Etsy Mondays. Each Monday I will feature a different Etsy seller. Featured shops will be chosen by me randomly. Features are highly dependent on the quality of work and customer service provided by the seller. I will contact via convo or email anyone I might be interested in featuring. The sooner you respond to the email the sooner you may be featured.

Now... on to our first Etsy Monday feature: Mulberry Muse

While hanging out in the forums last week I stumbled upon a new, yet no less amazing, card and gift wrap shop. Mulberry Muse opened early June of this year and is owned and run by Wendy Patterson. Wendy, who was born in England, now currently resides in Sydney Australia with her husband and two children.

In addition to running Mulberry Muse on Etsy, she currently works as a freelance Illustrator & Designer specializing in the Greeting Card Industry. Her work can be seen in Department stores, Gift shops and Newsagents.

"I try to appeal to young and old with a different variety of designs and styles." Wendy mentions about her artwork. Although the majority of her work is feminine, gentleman looking for cards and gift wrap for their significant other will have no problem finding just the right thing.

Wendy has been working as a Designer and Illustrator for 25 years and has always wanted to produce and sell her own work. Now that her children are a little older, she is able to run Mulberry Muse from her studio at home.

Mulberry Muse has hit the ground running with the help from Wendy's son (who is also an IT Manager) and daughter (she also sells on Etsy) who helped set up shop. "Etsy has given me a wonderful opportunity to start out and show my work to the rest of the world. It has been a huge learning experience starting out and I have needed lots of help and advice along the way...I have also been given a lot of support, advice and encouragement from fellow Etsians." Wendy shares.

With such a lovely shop I asked Wendy if she had any advice for other Etsians or people trying to sell there own work. "My advice to others would be to go ahead, leap in and follow your dreams, and have fun while doing it! Get help from other more experienced sellers. Promotion is not easy but necessary. Something else I have learned is not to let my age and the fear of technology stand in the way!"

In order for Wendy's work to truly be appreciated, it must first be seen, which is I wanted to feature her shop. There is no denying her talent or the beauty in her work.

To see more of Wendy's designs visit her blog at: WendiDesign.blogspot.com

Cards and gift wrap can be purchased at: Mulberrymuse.etsy.com

Her website, Mulberry-muse.com is still under construction, but I'm sure you'll agree this is one artist definitely worth bookmarking.

Pieces of Me

2007-07-23T16:38:00.001-04:00

Being back home, reading old letters, seeing old friends, it's all leading back to old pieces of me. Some pieces are unrecognizable while others are vague memories. Who did I used to be? Who am I now? A changed person that's for sure. I wanted inner peace and I'm so much closer to it now than I was three years ago. I was a worrier, sometimes (a lot of times) to the point I gave myself anxiety. I meet people like that rather often now. I wish I could give them a piece of advice they'd believe. It took a while to believe it myself, but all these changes I've made, they were conscious decisions. Decisions to stop worrying, to stop thinking and vocalizing my insecurities, to stop freaking about all the little things that kept happening to me that were beyond my control, and lastly the decision to believe that everything in my life is the product of a conscious decision.

It's so strange to look back at things I've said, written and experienced. So weak and so helpless, who was that person?

I just found an old poem I posted on an a message board in 2003. Although deep down I knew it was my creation I still couldn't help but think; Did I really write this? Who was it about? What was thinking or feeling at the time? Hey this is pretty good...

That last thought is must amusing to me considering I vaguely remember not liking the poem when I first wrote it. Now however, as a different person, I'd like to share.

A Collection of "If Only"-ies by Desirai Labrada

If I could burn
Memories like leaves
I'd stack them real high
And set them ablaze

Watching the smoke as it rises
The ashes as they fall
Hoping and praying
The wind would just carry them away

But memories of you
Are like snowflakes
I catch with my mouth
That melt on my tongue

I'm so thirsty
Still wanting to drink of you
Though these limited snowflakes
Just aren't enough

If I could break
Memories like glass
I'd be sure to recycle
And make something new

I'd make something useful
So that the original is forgotten
And I'd pretend
It's what I've always wanted

But memories of you
Are like fine china
That waits behind protective glass
For those special occasions

Painted with perfection
It's beauty unmatched
Collecting in dust
Yet rising in value

If I could throw away
Memories like garbage
I'd tie up a bag full
and leave it out on the street

It would wait there alone
In the cold, in the rain
To be picked up by someone
And I'd be absolved of my pain

But memories of you
Are like diamonds
Which cut straight through glass
Unintentionally sparkling, they get my attention

If only I could afford you
I'd make you my own
I wouldn't get rid of these memories
That make me feel so alone

If only I could pay
With my talent, intelligence and wit
But I still can't afford you
As for this bag full of memories, well - I'm just not done with it.

Harry Potter Midnight Madness

2007-07-22T18:08:00.000-04:00

After waiting over 40 minutes for car service, I met Jeff at an awesome little Italian restaurant on 7th avenue called Sotto Vocce. The food was amazing. I had veal rolled in prosciutto with wild mushrooms in a brandy sauce and garlic mashed potatoes. Delicious!

We ordered a bottle of White Zinfandel wine and enjoyed our meal while watching witch costume dressed passersby heading towards various bookstores in the area. There was even a table full of girls in Hogwarts uniforms diagonally from us. During dinner Jeff mentioned how long the line outside of Barnes and Noble had gotten (it was only 9:00 pm at this point) and we both agreed we were glad about getting our wrist bands in advance.

After eating dinner we tipsily walked over to Barnes and Noble at around 10:45 pm. The line started in front of the store on the corner of 6th street and 7th ave and went all the way around the opposite corner (5th st) heading towards 8th Ave. It was then that Jeff and I laughed, realizing that if we hadn't already put on our bracelets they might have actually been worth some money.

First in line was a group of four girls. They were sitting in a large paper mache replica of Ron's flying car complete with protruding tree branches (from the whomping willow I suspect.)

Once inside the store I was able to take a picture with a huge painted Hagred which I believe was painted to be life size. Needless to say, it was huge. Downstairs we were required to stand in line to enter the children's section where they were having potion demonstrations, arts and craft activities, Polaroids being taken with a Harry Potter cut out, and lastly a palm reader. By the time the potions demonstration was done, I had regretted standing in line to even get in. At this point it was nearing 11:30 pm and I figured we might as well take our place in line to get our books.

The A line started in the first section of shelves right outside of the children's area. I was standing until I started to feel hot and nauseous. Sitting on the floor was necessary though I was afraid I'd get trampled once the line started moving. It was from that angle that I took the bookshelf shot which you'll find in my Harry Potter Midnight Madness Party set on Flickr.

When the line finally started moving it went incredibly fast. Every cashier was open and ready with prepackaged book filled bags. As I paid for my book I could hear shouts of "Keep the line moving!" and "Please exit as soon as you've gotten your book!" Outside the corner was overcrowded by people with cameras taking snapshots of those walking out with their books. If I had known they were outside waiting I would have held up my book and posed. Alas, I missed a good photo opportunity though it's quite alright since I took a few shots of me and Harry the next day.

I guess it's good this is the release of the last book. I'm pretty sure I would not go to another one. It seemed that there was more exciting things going on at the Barnes and Noble in Union Square including interviews with Hagred, stilt walkers and balloons falling from the sky. I'm now questioning as to why I didn't go to that Barnes and Noble instead.

All in all I didn't feel it was worth the time to get the bracelet, stand in line at midnight, or witness any of the activities being held in the children's section. Perhaps if I had let the palm reader read my palm she might have told me that I was wasting my time and that I was better off at home sleeping. I'm not sure why I felt I needed to have the book at midnight since I didn't really start reading it till the next day anyway. I wonder how many emails I'll get in reference to my blasphemous words (lol).

So you see... I'm not a fanatic after all.
Anyway, here are a few links for those that are:

Union Square Midnight Madness Party
Barnes and Noble Harry Potter Store
Harry Potter Book Clubs
J.K. Rowling's Official Site

Budweiser Commercial

2007-07-21T13:23:00.001-04:00

I just came across this while reading Manny's blog. I have to share. Did this commercial actually air? I don't watch enough TV to know, so leave a comment if you've actually seen this. It's even better than "my BFF Jill?".

There will be more on the Midnight Madness party later. I took some pictures and will be developing them today. Stay tuned!

Is It Really The Last One?

2007-07-20T17:20:00.000-04:00

Jeff and I were two of about twenty-five people to get to Barnes and Noble at 8:00am this morning to receive a bracelet. The bracelet is blue with an owl, tomorrow's date and marked with the section we'll need to line up in. We're in section A, first in the alphabet and first in line to purchase the last Harry Potter book tonight at midnight.

This will be the first Harry Potter midnight madness party for me. It's slightly amusing really. I can clearly remember how stupid I thought these midnight parties were just 3 years prior, until... until I read the first Harry Potter book. It was shortly after the fifth book had come out. Harry Potter was all over the news, the paper and definitely the Internet. I had grown so sick of hearing about it. I couldn't understand the obsession of so many adults over a children's book. At the time I was pretty active in a book club and it was a friend and group member that nominated the first Harry Potter as our next read. I was completely surprised. She's three years older than me. She couldn't possibly serious but she was insistent. She said she really wanted to reread all four books before she moved onto the fifth and swore I would like it.

I think part of me was willing to read it just to criticize it when I was done. At the time I couldn't believe other members in the club had agreed to read it, but it was decided. We'd be reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

I finished book one in a day and all five by the end of the week. I found myself buying companion books like Quidditch Through The Ages, and the Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter. I got caught up and sucked in to the Harry Potter madness and I was loving every minute of it.

Am I now a Harry Potter fan? Absolutely. Would I call myself an HP fanatic? Absolutely NOT. The difference seemed almost crystal clear as I silently stood in line this morning waiting for a bracelet.

I know. I know. I was enough of a dork to be standing in line at all, but I wasn't disappointed or angry like the majority of the people at the front of the line. I wasn't disappointed at the fact that a copy of the seventh book had been posted to the internet (I'm actually guilty of searching for it. However by the time I had decided I was ok with my decision, I couldn't find a copy). I think mainly because I understand that there will always be someone out there that wants to ruin something for someone else. I wasn't angry about the fact that Barnes and Noble did not broadcast the information about bracelets. I knew if they had, chances were I would not have gotten one. It seemed like one complaint after the other. But what were they really so angry about? They were at the front of the line. They were getting bracelets anyway.

When they weren't complaining they were frighteningly giddy. Peering through the windows, trying to figure out what could possibly be in the Harry Potter labeled boxes stacked on the table (turned out they were t-shirts). I felt so out of place. At one point Jeff turned to me and said "I feel like I don't deserve my place in line. I'm not giddy enough." I laughed but mostly cause I understand exactly how he felt.

I think maybe that's why there are so many HP haters out there. Perhaps we're all a little afraid of the fanatics. Maybe it's just really easy to judge something you have no idea about. Maybe we're all just afraid that if we try it, we'll like it, at which point we are just doomed to be hated by the haters.

Whether you have the potential to be a fan or fanatic I think the point here is that you shouldn't let nonconformity be the deciding factor. It was just yesterday I was having a conversation with Crystal about it. She was going on about Oprah and how great the show is. "When did you become all about Oprah?" I asked. "For months now. I love it. It's great." she replied. "Yeah but it's so cliché. 'Today on Oprah...'" I responded. "Yeah I know. But I started thinking about how many things I avoid cause I think they're cliché, and then I was like; there must be some reason why everyone likes it."

It's pretty clear to me at this point that the reason so many children, young adults, and adults like Harry Potter is cause the story and the characters are great. No matter what age a good story is a good story and the potential for appreciation is there, but only if you allow it to be.

For Those Touched By Diabetes - Tudiabetes.com

2007-07-19T02:33:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine, Manny Hernandez, has put forth much time and effort to develop a social networking site for those touched by diabetes. The site is called tudiabetes.com. In addition, Tu Diabetes groups can be found on both Myspace and Facebook. The Tu Diabetes site recently reached 450 members and continues to grow each day.

For more information about diabetes and the Tu Diabetes networking site, please visit:

http://tudiabetes.com
http://myspace.com/tudiabetes
Tu Diabetes on Facebook

She's Crafty! - Hot Women That Sell Their Goods

2007-07-18T01:13:00.001-04:00

I just found out that I will be featured in a calendar called "She's Crafty! - Hot Women That Sell Their Goods". I asked to be the model for the month of September and it looks as though my wish has been granted. I'm really excited about this. The calendar will feature 12 female Etsy sellers and will also list our shop URLs. This will obviously be great exposure for all of us.

Incidentally, I'm also involved in another calendar project. This one however is a little different. I'll actually be designing a page in a diary. Each page will be designed to include a specific day of the year. I chose to do September 14th, my birthday. We were asked to include our logos and shop URLs as well, serving as another great advertising opportunity.

Today was actually a pretty good day. I wore my "Fortune Cookies & Glory" Shirt for the first time. I imagine this doesn't sound very exciting to you, but the truth is I could hardly get the shirt on when I first bought it. It felt really good to be able to comfortably wear it today. It served not only as a reminder of my steady weight loss but was also a nice boost of confidence.

I met up with Scott in the city today. I asked him to meet me at the Barnes and Noble in Union Square. At this point I'd like to note how hard it is trying to get a seat at Barnes and Noble. One might even be able to say that it's more difficult than getting a seat on the train during rush hour.

That being said we decided to sit on the floor at the end of an aisle in the children's section. We actually sat there talking for a while before we realized our conversation was inappropriate for the surrounding little virgin ears. But really, at the moment I feel no guilt. It would not have been a problem had we been able to grab some seats in the table section. "That's cool. Let's just never pay for a book again, we can stay here and read all day long." Scott joked. "You think people actually do that? Just come here everyday after work and pick up the same book till they finish it?" lol -- I'm not sure why I found that so funny. Probably cause I believed some people really did that. I honestly felt that for a bookstore with 4 floors they definitely not only had a shortage of tables in the eatery, but a lack of the comfy arm chairs which I've come so used to seeing at B&N. Scott and I speculated it was to prevent people from showing up everyday after work to read the same book until they finished it.

Jeff was able to meet up with us at the bookstore. After seeing Ratatouille we had talked a bit about going some where for French food. Jeff's co-worker recommended a quaint little café in the lower east village called Le Gamin. Jeff ordered a Crepe with chicken and ratatouille, while I had a very un-French sandwich. Well, unless you count the baguette. I will say though, it was excellent. So good even I had to take one to go! It was definitely a pleasant dining experience and I expect that Jeff and I will be returning in the near future. Perhaps next time I'll be a bit more adventurous and choose something much more française.

On what seemed like the never ending walk back to the train, we passed by a tattoo/piercing place called Venus. I decided to stop in and take a peek at their lip rings. I have been wanting a much simpler one with a less obnoxious ball on it. It seemed like a miss at first since a lot of the body jewelry I was being shown was made of 14K gold. She started off by showing me a cute little seamless gold ring which I just wasn't ready to pay $110 for. They did however carry some in stainless steel and so I came home with one for about $30. It still has a ball on it but the bead is hardly noticeable. The ring itself is also significantly smaller in circumference, and gage.

:Deep Breath: Well, I think that's all I got for now. Thanks for reading. I'm off to bed.

You Gotta Push "UP" To Get "Down" Thanks Etsy

2007-07-16T11:25:00.000-04:00

Literally one of the first things I did when I got here was visit Etsy Labs. I just recently got the photographs which is why I am here writing about it 3 weeks later.

For those of you who have no idea what Etsy or Etsy Labs is here is a brief video introduction: Etsy On CBS.

Hey! How cool! I just watched that video for the second time and realized Julie was in it, a little towards the end. You'll see a picture of us together in a minute.

It was actually a Sunday afternoon when I showed up. From what I was told Sundays are much slower days. I was a little disappointed since I was looking forward to meeting lots of Etsy admin, and Etsy Sellers. I guess I shouldn't complain since Julie was able to give me a tour of the Labs and her undivided attention.

Upon walking in there is a cool little lounge area and kitchen. Julie walked me around and showed me the silk screening area, sewing area, jewelry making, and button machine area. I was actually most excited to see where the their 2nd birthday party took place as I was a virtual participant and got to see a web cast of the event. Approximately 60 other sellers, Psychovandal and I were in a chat room observing at the time. The interactivity was more than you would expect considering everything typed in chat was being projected on a wall at the Labs.We often noticed party guests looking up then laughing at what we said. Sometimes they even danced at our request. I also got to take a quick peek at the office space of Brie from Make magazine. I actually searched for the magazine shortly afterwards and was unable to find an issue. Does anyone know the best place to find it? I only checked Barnes and Noble.

The walls at Etsy Labs are cute and inviting as they all seem to be painted with cartoon-ish little personified characters. Not surprisingly, It turns out that the art covered walls were painted by the very talented Anda Lewis. They bare an overwhelming resemblance to the little cartoon creatures (bears?) that were used for this past year's Valentine Showcase banner. I imagine Anda may be responsible for those as well.

Etsy Labs was not only created as headquarters but also as place for crafters to socialize and learn from each other. The labs are open from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm everyday of the week. For more information about Etsy, Etsy Garden, Etsy Labs, or workshops and events please visit the following links:

Etsy
Ety Garden
Etsy Labs
Etsy Lab Workshops

For more pictures please visit:
My Visit To Etsy Labs

Mouse In The House

2007-07-07T23:39:00.000-04:00

Sorry guys. It seems I'm always waiting for the perfect moment to write about previous events. Either I'm waiting to get pictures back or just want to take some time to organize my thoughts. Unfortunately what ends up happening is the obvious. I do no writing at all.

I'll do some catching up and promise not to make excuses in the future for delays. I dropped 5 rolls of film off to be developed and will be picking them up tomorrow. So stayed tuned...

Did I mention I've been going stir crazy? Right now I have no phone service (landline), the cable has been out for almost two and half weeks (they say it will be fixed on Friday), and have no internet service. Jeff and I have been frequenting Starbucks where we've been paying $10 a day to use their TMobile wireless hotspot.

In addition I've been to bookstore 3 times and have purchased the following books (with no internet or TV I thought catching up on some reading would be a really good idea):

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Magic or Madness

Winkie

City of Bones

Tipping Point

The Children of Now (not to be confused with...)

The Children of Men

I am Legend (Now a major motion picture with Will Smith which I believe is scheduled to come out Dec. of this year)

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Way of the Peaceful Warrior

And now for the much awaited information on the topic in the subject line...

I had some packages of cookies left over from my trip to Canada and decided to put them on the dining room table. I pulled them out of my suitcase, walked down the hall towards the dining room. When I got close enough I tossed the package on to the table. I almost had a heart attack when I saw a f!@#-ing mouse run in the opposite direction and in between the cookies I had just tossed and a candle stick holder. WTF?? On the table??!?! There was a freaking mouse on my table! Oh my god. I'm still freaking. But this leads me to ask, how on earth did a mouse get on a table that's 4 feet high?? yuuuuuuuuuck. There will be no more debate. I'm definitely bringing the cats over to my place. Unfortunately only Charlie still has claws. Bloopy however is still young and very active. I plan on bringing them both over. I imagine Bloopy, the little trouble maker he is, can lure the mouse out while Charlie tears him up.

Oh my god... I hate mice!!! and spiders, and roaches, and well... I'm sure you understand. And with that I'll conclude my post for the day. ewwwwwwww... :shudders while walking away:

Sweetness!

2007-06-22T16:31:00.000-04:00

Obviously this is a work still in progress. But I'm happy to report I got a header, my picture and some links up! =) All this has been a much needed refresher in HTML and CSS. It's been so long since I've done any web work I was starting to feel like I had forgotten everything.

Short term plans currently include building the rest of Desirai.com, participating in payperpost, and possibly doing Etsy Monday's (where I feature an etsy artist in my blog), and then Street Team Saturdays (where I feature an Etsy Street Team). I'll send out a mass email and post the link to the etsy forum when I've finally got the site where it needs to be. Can't wait!

Making Changes

2007-06-21T18:55:00.000-04:00

Ok. It looks like I was able to get the blog on my server. I'm currently in the process of customizing it so that it looks like the rest of the website. I'm also email submitting this entry to see how it works.

Did it work??

2007-06-21T14:56:00.000-04:00

I have absolutely NO clue if I set this up correctly! But I'm crossing my fingers. Stayed tuned people!