Contest time!

CONTEST TIME! Here's how it works: 1. Head over to facebook.com/royaboya and "like" that page, if you haven't already 2. Answer the survey posted on royaboya's wall about what your favorite item for sale is! 3. Sit back and cross your fingers! The winner will be contacted via facebook! The winner will get a free pair of earrings or bird decoration - depending on what they voted for! YAY!

And if you win, you will smile thiiiiiissss biiiiggg!

rosie my earring model

My awesome little sister came over yesterday with her brand new haircut and let me use her as an earring model! Thank you Rosie!!! I love these pictures... you'll find a bunch of new postings at royaboya.etsy.com and more still to come!

earring backdrops

So about 5 years ago, when I was still living at home with my family, our garage caught on fire. It took over a year to get most of the stuff back - they delivered all of it in boxes and we put it in the garage. There are SO many boxes. So many. My dad is still in the process of going through them. So every once in a while, he sends me home with another box from my old room that he has uncovered. It's very time-capsule-y, since I haven't seen most of the items for at least 5 years! There are a lot of things I didn't remember I'd forgotten about. So this week my dad sends me home with a box that includes old mix tapes (score), a CSULB trash can (how fitting, since I am back there for my Master's), my rotary cutter and matt (YES!), about 15 jars of acrylics that had gone very very bad (tossed those, sigh), and a bunch of small boards that I had painted and collaged on. I vaguely remember making them, but I do not remember if there was a purpose to them then. I hate throwing that kind of thing away, but really - what would I do with these random painted boards? Then - brilliance! I will use them for my earrings!!! Setting up a booth to sell items is an art in and of itself. I'm not good at it, I have to say. I always have so much stuff and not enough space, and I also have to keep my set-up small enough that I can pack it into my little Yaris. So... here's hoping that using these painted boards as backdrops for some of my earrings will add some much needed pop and attention-getting to my booth!

Patchwork Indie info + new products from yours truly!

I have been making some new earrings/rings this week...can't stay away from the hearts! They are so fun to make. I've been playing around with a lot of different yarns - my favorite hearts are being made out of cotton (like the picture of me wearing giant heart earrings) - they are large, but still really, really light. I love cotton.

I've also been using some handspun silk - which are pretty, but definitely more delicate and can pill up a little bit. I've used hemp - leftover from a scarf I made my cousin yeeears ago. The hemp ones are awesome - especially combined with the chain that makes them dangle. I also splurged on new yarn (gasp) (nobody's really shocked) that's acrylic but feels like a silk/wool blend - and is awesomely jewel-toned and gives an almost tie-dyed effect. Those are great too - sturdy and purty. I'm putting them on chain, and am loving the effect.

I hope folks at Patchwork do too!

Speaking of Patchwork Indie Arts and Crafts Festival... I will be at ALL THREE events this November!

LONG BEACH: nov 6th 2011 * 11-5pm the physical address for the marine stadium where the show is: 5255 paoli way * long beach * ca * 90803 BUT the actual loaction is on the corner of bayshore & appian @ the lot with launch ramps for boats (just follow the signs)

directions from the 405 south: exit at studebaker, turn right on 2nd st, take 2nd st to bayshore ave, bayshore takes you right to the lot

directions from 405 north: 405 to 710 south, exit on broadway, take broadway to bayshore ave and turn left, again bayshore will take you right to the lot

CULVER CITY: ov 13th 2011 * 11-5pm at the helms bakery between washington blvd & venice blvd @ national

From Downtown or 110 Frwy

Take the 10 Frwy (West)

Exit Venice Blvd and turn left, continue past La Cienega Blvd. heading west.

Off the 405 interchange

Take the 10 Frwy (East) Exit Robertson Blvd. Stay in second lane to the left, merge on to Venice Blvd. and veer left onto Venice heading east, cross National Blvd. and proceed to Helms Ave.

SANTA ANA: nov 27th 11-5pm 11-5pm 2202 north main street * santa ana * ca * 92706 this event takes place on buffalo street @ main street & in the harvey’s parking lot in the middle of the street

I can't wait!!!

good vibrations

Hi there folks,

I am sitting in my school library, about 2 hours early from class due to weird scheduling, wishing I had brought more crocheting to do. I thought I'd take this chance to update you on my crafty endeavors over the last week!

Last weekend I headed down to San Diego for the Good Vibrations Unschooling Conference. There is oh so much to be said about the wonderfulenss that is GV. I love the philosophy, the location, the people especially... but I was NOT prepared for how much love they had for ME! I showed up pretty late on Saturday, and decided not to set out my wares. I was saying hi to folks I haven't seen in a long time, and I was just plain tired. I enjoyed the evening, especially singing loud and boisterous girl scout songs all night.

The next day I set up my table - I had carted with me all sorts of random hand made odds and ends: earrings of course,
and magnets,
ceramics,
some beanies, bags, coin purses, bird decorations and my new rings! (and probably more, I just can't think of what). I had a pretty full table inside - and was amazed by how I hadn't even finished setting stuff up yet when I had my first customers!

Unschoolers are definitly my best customers, by the way. My favorite thing of all time is having kids come over with a few dollars and buy them and their friends semi-matching things. I was selling my rings for $1.00, so that was very popular with the younger crowd (although the older folks liked them too!) I ran out of rings and was making them on demand right there!

Amy Steinberg, an amazing and inspiring musician was playing a concert for us at the hotel. I decided to set up my stuff in an outdoor table so I could watch the show AND keep selling! I am so, so, so glad I did. Amy is fantastic, beautiful voice, and every song has a wonderful message. There were people dancing and hula-hooping like crazy, and it was some of the most fun ever. I was supposed to leave that night, and people kept buying so I kept selling...probably til 11pm or so.

The unschoolers wiped me out! I came home and had to buy a bunch of ring making stuff, and am working on more birds and earrings!

Patchwork Indie is coming up in November, and there are a few smaller boutiques in October that I am going to - so I need to get cracking.

I'll leave you with this fun photo:


Look closely, one of my birds is in there somewhere!!!

contest time!!!

I am feeling the urge to give away a free pair of earrings! Today I want to really thank the folks who have already bought some of my handmade items, so this contest is specifically for you.

Here's what you have to do to win....


1. If you haven't already, go to facebook.com/royaboya and "like" the page

2. Submit a photograph of you or someone you know wearing or using one of royaboya's items. Put the photo on royaboya's facebook wall, with a comment about who is wearing it, why they like it, or some other little bit of info.

3. Do this by September 27th.

4. I will take all the folks who have posted photos, and randomly draw one to win a pair of earrings!

Let me know if you have any questions!!!

start of a new semester

Hi there world, so it's the start of a new semester...and time to wrap up some projects and start others. School technically starts on Monday, although my 1st class is Tuesday. I start seeing clients at my practicum site the same day, and I just got the dates for the Indie Patchwork shows in November! I don't FEEL like summer is over yet, but the world sure wants me to be thinking about the fall.

So here's my project rundown:


1. Thesis
Since I last wrote, I put aside the thesis plan to finish the IRB packet. This is an intense thing - the IRB is the review board that decides whether or not I am allowed to conduct my research at all. I was intensely nervous for the anti-climatic turning-in-of-the-packet last week. It included a letter from my thesis advisor, their packet (title, topic, ethics review, hypothesis, purpose, benefits, how I will protect the subjects, etc. etc.), ALL of my measurement scales, a copy of my survey instrument, the letters of approval from the groups that I will be sending my survey to, informed consent, and my intro email to the groups. Big giant packet, emailed and hand delivered to their office. I did that last week, and now I wait for the board to review and approve! Hopefully there won't be too many edits...

2. Craft Shows - I just got the dates for the Patchwork Indie shows in November! I instantly made a list of goals - new earrings, birds, and washcloths by then. I love Patchwork and I think before-christmas is going to be a great time. I want to make sure I look ahead to that so I don't get surprised by it and waste that opportunity.

3. Classes at CSULB
I am taking 17 units:
A. Trauma and Grief
B. Group Counseling
C. Meds
D. Clinic
E. EDP520 (research)
F. Thesis

I'll be able to write more about my goals in each one when I actually attend a class. Right now my goal is to SURVIVE this semester. I bought a calendar, and all I need is to stay organized, focused, and keep from procrastinating.

4. Practicum - I have been doing trainings at my site for over a month now. On Tuesday I officially put in my "slips" - which are requests for clients in certain time spots. I am officially allowed to start on August 31st. I am nervous, excited, ready, scared.... honestly until today my biggest concern was time management. Then I read a news story about therapy gone awry, and now I am scared of ruining people for life. I don't want to make them worse!! So my head is all over the place where my practicum is concerned.


5. Work - I put in my two weeks notice almost 2 weeks ago. Monday is my last day. I am sad to leave my clients - they are truly the best part of this job, but I also feel bad for not...feeling bad. I have a hard time with transitions - the minute I decided to resign, I was done. I also don't like the awkwardness of these goodbyes...so I have been sort of avoiding telling people I've been leaving. Probably not the greatest thing, but... that's me.

6. Exercise - I am on a three day streak of 10 minutes a day. Monday: water aerobics for 1 hour, Tuesday: cycling for 51 minutes, Wednesday: walking for hours, today: water aerobics for 1 hour. I am trying to look ahead in my schedule and do the thing that sounds the most fun!


7. Sprint Triathlon training - I haven't done anything organized with this training - but I am going to start incorporating biking into my week. I feel a little stuck without a good (real) bike, which might just be an excuse. I don't know. I just don't know that much about this. But I figure - biking, running, swimming - I'll just do *something* related to those three things until I have the wherewithall to push it further.

8. Healthy living - Honestly, this has been rough for me lately. I had a really rough time about two weeks ago, and all I could do was watch tv and eat. I've never eaten emotionally like that before. It was awful. The thing that picked me up out of it was going to Big Bear and going camping and fishing with my husband and cousins. I came home happier and more resolved. I don't even want to give myself crazy goals here...I just want to make the BEST choice of the options I have, MOST of the time.

9. Therapy - Still attending, but need to figure out a better schedule. Still love it, still a strong proponent for it. Also it got me to start journaling again, which for someone who preaches the benefits of journaling all the time, has done it way less than she should lately. I even got my water colors out last week and painted a few pages.

10. Husband - In the process of revising certain roles and figuring out how we do this wonderful marriage thing - yes, it's been a year and 2 weeks, but being an overachieving student and MFT trainee and wife require awareness, prioritizing, and conscious decision making. I have a hard time being multiple roles, and I feel frequently like my DH suffers. There are my wants: to nurture, to make the house beautiful, to feed and cook and take care of, to garden and be self-sustaining, to create a house with light and music and creativity, to spend time with him and be able to do the extra little things that make his life better and easier. There are my other wants: to watch 4 seasons of Madmen in a row, to crochet for hours, to read and re-read YA books. There are pressing requirements: to write that paper, to study for that test, to attend that training and buy dogfood. It is so hard for me to prioritize my values, my goals, my wants, and my schedule. I keep thinking it HAS to be easier once I am done with school - but I want to "bloom where I'm planted" and not stave off the life I want for "later" because that feels like a death trap. I also am not great at little bits of everything - maybe something I should work on. Maybe I should physically set a timer and do 15 minutes of EVERYTHING I want to do every day. I don't know. But it's something I think about a lot.

11. Cousins - K and Y are going back to Spain tomorrow morning. I am really, really sad to have them leave. Their presence this summer has made it exciting - they're both really funny and sweet and I enjoyed having them here so much.

12. Making things for other people - I have 5 shawls I am making for a friend's wedding, and curtains for my cousin. I have a little over 1 month for the shawls, and the curtains should have been done 6 months AGO. I am a huge slacker. I will get out the sewing machine this weekend and work on the curtains. I will.

So that's me right now. Full of so many directions. Maybe that timer thing isn't a bad idea - then at least I'll get to it all.