garden is getting there!

I wish I had taken "before" photos of the garden-area, because it looks so dramatically different now! It WAS a corner in the back that was a mess of grape vines, rose bushes, and weeds - and is now a beautiful, weeded, TILLED lot, all ready for planting. I got home last night and Adam had spent his whole day cleaning the yard - including prepping the garden for me. I couldn't believe it. He also finished the fence!!! Now we just have to put it up! I'm SO CLOSE to being able to plant!!!

I am still debating the square foot gardening thing, or using the soil how it is. I can't decide. I'd have to build more boxes since I only have one, and the instant gratification of being able to PLANT NOW is a pretty strong force, buttt... will I be happier in the long run with the boxes? Not sure.

I want to do some "landscaping" while I plant - I want to make it pretty, in addition to fruitful. Not sure how - but maybe making some mosaic stepping stones or something. We shall see!

In any case, I have the best fiance in the whole world.


I am also about 1/3 of the way done with a granny square bag that I am making for my friend Dani. She makes beautiful jewelry, and so we are exchanging the bag for a turquoise/silver ring. This is how the world SHOULD work my friends! Bartering! Yay! I'm having fun on her bag - she took a photo of a bag she liked, and I am re-creating it. I really, really, really enjoy doing that - I did it for my mom with a beanie she saw in a store window. Cell phone cameras are a huge bonus to my work. ;)

As soon as that is done, I will be working on a dog sweater for a coworker. She gave me the dog's current favorite sweater to use as a pattern, so this should be interesting. I've never done any pet stuff before.

Tomorrow my family's coming over to celebrate some birthdays, so tonight involves housework, grocery shopping, and Juno training. Tomorrow is family party, Sunday is exercise, Juno, gardening, knitting, and prepping for the week. YAY!

I'm so glad that summer is here. Yes I said summer. It feels like it. It's warm, sunny...in fact, not even warm - but HOT. It's fantastic. I didn't realize how much the cold and dark weather was getting to me until it turned to heat and sunshine. I feel like a totally different person. Things that bothered me a week ago no longer matter. People are fantastic, interesting, beautiful creatures. I have energy! I want to do things! It's still LIGHT OUTSIDE when I get home from work!!!! I love this time of year! I am DONE with the cold, the chilly, the frigid. Bring on the tank tops, the tanning, the flip flops!

tired morning, yummy grapes

Made some progress with my goals yesterday! Daniel came over and set up my computer again, which is wonderful - now I have a place that is MINE that I can upload etsy photos, etc. I also started crocheting the bases for two coin purses - I crochet them with wool, then felt them, needle felt on top of them, then sew in a liner and zipper and voila! I also crocheted 1 bowl to felt, and made the front and back squares for 1 and a half new bags.

Yesterday I also made pesto from the basil in the garden - I blended basil, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper - then I realized I'd kind of over salted it, so my solution? cucumbers! I put about half a cucumber in the pesto and it not only mellows it out, but tastes good too. I also made some cornmeal chicken, noodles, and chicken with olive oil - the idea of that was I was going to put it into the pesto, but as it is frequently with me, once I smelled it cooking it grossed me out and I wanted nothing to do with it.

This morning was annoying with barking dogs, a car blocking me in, and missing my alarm - but I am trying to remember the good part: going out to the backyard and picking grapes for breakfast. Yum yum yum.

Anyhow, that's my current update. I have a weight watchers meeting this afternoon - and I think I am going to take a NAP when I get home!

photos from this week

Hi kids, it's time for a photo update.
In no apparent order, we have...yours truly, going camera-happy and taking self portraits. There's plenty m0re where that came from...

Then there is my little sister and our friend Nadine (who will now forever be known as Nadizzle). They were enjoying a photo shoot for my bags a little too much.

Following that photos it's my little sister with her boyfriend at the karate studio car wash. I am sure they had been busy earlier washing cars...but note that they were not busy at the moment.

Then we have what I thought was a kinda cool photo of some of the larger bags that I have made. The middle one (the bright yellow/orange one) has been on reserve for someone at work for a while, and I finally wrapped it up and delivered it today.

I spent the last two saturdays doing ceramics at the Irvine Fine Arts Center with my friend Amber, so she took a photo of me throwing, and I took some of my works in progress.

The last photo is totally random - I was closing the screen door and realized there was a lizard on it. I decided that was a perfect chance to mess around with the close-up settings on my new camera, so mess around I did. I also used the chance to get a sneaky photo of Adam while he was unsuspecting. Mwhahaha.

Time to unload

Phew. I have that feeling right now like life is starting to get just sllliiightly out of my control - and it would be very simple to solve that feeling, I just have to stop, breathe, and take the time to organize.

This feeling tends to be induced by a messy car. I don't know what it is with me and a messy car - but as soon as there starts to be more *stuff* than carseat, I start feeling a little anxious. It starts to feel like water is rising while I'm sitting at the drivers wheel, and it's stressful trying to keep my head above it. Like I said - ten minutes of cleaning out my car would do the trick, it's mostly just a bunch of jackets and water bottles and my karate clothes spread out in the backseat. But it's one of those things I procrastinate which then makes the rest of my life feel tense.

The other thing that is looming is a presentation I am doing tonight at Whittier College for work. It's turning into being a bigger deal than I thought (students are getting extra credit to come listen to me speak). I am wholly confident in my ability to get up and speak, but I am not wholly confident in my factual information regarding specific developmental disabilities, nor am I wholly confident in my power point. What would fix that? Spending a solid hour today updating the powerpoint to include the information I want it to include.

I have been doing okay with my sleep schedule - the last two nights I ended up sleeping around 11-11:20, which is getting to be a little too late again. I would really like to be in bed by 10 tonight. However, there is a Young Alumni Mixer that a few of my friends are going to, who I haven't seen for a long time, and it would be nice to see them. I don't get done with the presentation til about 7:30, then I want to go to karate, then am I meeting them for dinner AFTER that? I won't get to bed til midnight-ish if that's the case. I don' t know when I got to be such an old lady, but it's very apparent to me that I just WORK BETTER with more/earlier sleep.

I am also trying to get the newsletter for work DONE - I am trying to send the giant file to the printers. As soon as they say they have it, that will be a load off my shoulders.

Last night I attached handles to a few new bags, and started crocheting another one. The canvas straps that I bought at the fabric store seem to work well! I am excited by this prospect. My goal is to have enough stuff to sell at a craft fair in December. Amber and I talked to the lady who runs the Long Beach Sunday Craft Fair, and she said all she needs is a few days notice, so we are going to split a booth in December. I am SO excited about this! I am going to try to have a bunch of bags done, and some ceramics. It's time to crank up the production line.

Oh - one more little stressor is my psychology class. I need to spend all of my spare time reading my textbook - I have a quiz tomorrow, and I have one more chapter to read.

Last night Adam and I went to the gym and I did day 2 of Week 5 again. It's two 8 minute runs. This run was the easiest of any of them so far. I was really, really pleased with myself. I listened to Les Miserables and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and sang along in my head and actually enjoyed running. Could this turn into something I like to do after all?

I am still tracking my weight watchers points, I am into week 5 of doing that now also. I have no idea how much I weigh, but I feel really, really good, so that's all that matters. I'd like to start doing more crunches and ab things too - when I go to the gym I do things I could do at home..I just don't do them at home.

Okay. You know how I love my lists. Here is the list I am going to stick to today!

1. Call Commonwealth Printing, make sure they got the newsletter. Ask about timeline.
2. Tell Rudy what day Day Program should come help out.
3. Print labels (compare them to Bernard's, make sure I don't overlap)
4. Print Movie Night labels ready for Nancy when she gets here
5. Update powerpoint, print notes pages. Go through and decide who will say what.
6. Print directions to Whittier.
7. Bring extra paper/pens for activity.
8. Lunch, pick up Nancy, do other work.
9. Presentation
10. Karate
11. Stuart and Sal?
12. Wrap pencil holder.
13. Read at least a few pages.
14. Throw away trash in car

Tomorrow (friday)
1. Work
2. Read other chapter
3. Take quiz
4. Do activity/discussion board
5. Mail pencil holder
6. Go running
7. Sew linings for bags.

Okay. That's all for now. Enough updating, time to go do the things that will make it all better.

it feels like fall!

Oh my gosh, this morning it feels like fall. I need to knit myself some fingerless gloves so I can sit in my freezing office at work and actually type. I love mornings like this morning - I woke up so warm and in blanket-nest, and there was pastel sunshine like only fall can have, and I knew as soon as I got out of bed it'd be chilly, but I got to snooze for ten minutes and just scrunch down in the warm and sunshine.

Last night (this morning, technically) around 1:00am Adam and I went running again - this time in the park. We were visited by all three coyotes again - they are getting incredibly bold. Adam now runs with a large stick just in case. I tried for a while, but it's annoying, so I gave up any pretense of badassedness.

We did a 3 minute run then a 5 minute run, twice. Adam says he feels improvement, but I just feel tired. I guess mentally there is an improvement - five minutes does not seem like the end of the world the way it felt the first time we did this set. We made the mistake of looking ahead to next week - the first day are 3 5 minute runs, then there are two 8 minute runs, and then 1 TWENTY MINUTE RUN. Yikes. I am afraid, but also looking forward to the challenge. I am liking the idea of being able to just run and run, even if I am cursing under my breath while we do it.

My coworker just came in while I was writing this and put in an order for an African Kufi for black history month. I am excited. He's been such a huge supporter of my work - has bought 1 birthday present and 3 christmas presents so far from me.

I now need to make a to do list for all my orders:

1. Finish JW's bag - which means

going to the fabric store and buying nice black liner, sewing liner

2. Wrapping JW's bag, SC's scarf and KG's scarf in christmas wrapping

3. Wrapping EL's picture frame in christmas wrapping

4. Take a photo of JW's bag to put on alchemy

5. Take a picture of all of them wrapped for appreciation pictures

6. Make Alex's Andrea's scarf - finish by Nov. 12th!! (I am so proud of this scarf - I taught myself how to do intarsia on this one. I had a picture of a hat to go by, and it's WORKING. It's just going slower than I'd like.)

7. Make Noemi's sister's coin purse with a crown (since she's a "princess") in pink, black, and gold.

8. Finish the 5 bags and 4 makeup bags I have in progress (buy liner, sew liner, attach handles, put in zippers, etc.)

9. List them!

10. Voila.

Meanwhile, I have an abnormal psychology class I NEED to catch up on today, (quiz tomorrow), work, and dishes like you wouldn't believe. Also - my cabbage and lettuce is getting eaten by something and I want it to stop. My tomatoes and strawberries are doing good, but I am afraid for the rest of my garden.

Tomorrow evening Amber will be coming over to knit with me, so I hope to get a lot of Alex's scarf done then.

I have so many things I want to do that I can't decide so I am running around in circles it feels like! Guess it's time to quit dreaming about the things I will do when I get home and get to work.

oh man, three cheers for gaining an hour today. I needed it! Yesterday Adam, Rommel and I went up to the Apple Orchards, which was wonderful. It was cool (it rained today) and there were fall colors, and apples on the trees, and chestnuts and apple cider... we went all over the place, finally eating lunch at Riley's farm and then heading home. We have a jug of apple cider in the fridge and half a peck of red delicious' on the counter.

Today I was an exhibitor at the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County's annual Buddy Walk at the Angel's Stadium. Sadly, it rained and rained and rained - so we couldn't really set up our whole booth, but we hung out for about 4 hours and watched all the folks walking. It was a much larger event than I'd anticipated - next year it'd be neat to get a lot of people there, including our clients. It's kind of Relay-for-Life-esque, but with more little kids.

Now I am at home, wishing I were warmer - I am in love with this pattern that Heidi found so I might take a break from crocheting my granny square coin purses and make something for myself. Oh yeah - I am pausing on the granny square bags and going for coin purses of all sizes - I am crocheting them and then putting a liner and zipper. So far, they are cute, I just want to make them extra special so I am going to put them down for a while and let the ideas for them percolate. Also - I've been crocheting so much lately that I really miss knitting, and it'd be nice to make something for meeee!

I can't believe it's already Sunday afternoon. Man. I am so tired of working fulltime. I want more days to myself.

cold fingers!

Oh my I need to make myself some fingerless gloves. It's about 85 degrees outside, but in my office, it's FREEEZING.

I finished attaching the handle to JW's custom bag - it's spiffy. Made me realize how much I really love the look of BIG bags. I'll do the lining this week and get some wrapping paper to package it and the scarves up for R.

Another coworker bought a frame from me yesterday - also need to wrap that up with Christmas paper for him. I know I keep saying this, but I really need to take better photos of the frames!

Also - if anyone out there has any old art history textbooks, I'd love them! I need the pictures.

Tonight I want to start on making my personal christmas cards. I was making the list of people-to-send-to and I realized I have many more than I thought, so I should start NOW.

My garden is sort of hit and miss. The tomatoes and strawberries look excellent, and some of the cabbage seems to be alright. One or two planters of the romaine lettuce are growing growing growing, but everything else seems a little frail. I am so bummed. I had really hoped to have a ton of squash and stuff. Maybe it needs time. Maybe it needs...fertilizer of some sort? Is that cheating? I should do some research.

However, not now! Now I leave from work, go home, make sure my house hasn't exploded (Adam exchanged dryers today), work on xmas cards, go to karate, go out to eat with karate, come home, read psychology textbook, run, sleep. sleep. sleep. lather. rinse. repeat.

My plan today -
sweep, first and foremost
laundry in washer
sprinkle cleanser in the shower
do dishes
eat an apple with some cheese cut up
scrub shower
take shower
put on running clothes, leave house
(by 11am)

leave house, head for farmer's market! buy fruit
go to beach, do week 3 of couch to 5k
go to Michael's
buy yarn for JW's bag
take car to charity car wash #1
take car to fundraising car wash #2

get home, eat things (like fruit!)
laundry in dryer
balance checkbook
make spaghetti
fold laundry
work on JW's bag or braided rug


etc. etc. I should get crackalackin if I am really going to do all of this.

The romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and strawberries are thriving. Some of the cabbage looks good too. There is one little sprout of something I forgot to label, the artichokes are dyyyying, and I don't remember what anything else is. Come on garden, you can make it!

Yesterday, Adam and I went to 2nd street and met up with pretty much every member of my extended family and then some at Rubios, walked around for a while, then went to see the movie W at the marketplace. I didn't laugh as much as the other people in the audience did. At one point, a man in the back yelled "This great American experience is almost over!!! Vote for Obama!" and everyone clapped. I think Bush's legacy will be having both a tv show and a movie come out DURING his presidency which mock him mercilessly. well that's free speech for ya.

In any case, time to get moving!

Today is one of those days where I really wish I was just at my parent's house, hanging out with my little sisters, watching The Office and crocheting. Instead I am at work, wishing that my lunch could last a litttttle longer.

In more content news, a friend of mine came over last night to learn how to knit a beanie, so she knitted and I crocheted, and fun was had by all. I even had time to do some cleaning up, and made a giant taco salald - in between watching Project Runway and Top Design.

I am still head over heels for these granny square bags - in fact, I got one more custom order, so I need to get yarn for that.

OOOH I don't know if I mentioned a very, very cool gift that someone gave me - a coworker that I turned onto etsy (ISO100.etsy.com - go there!) is a photographer, and I was complaining about my lack of photographic skills... so the next day, guess what he brings me?

My very own lightbox! Yay! I am so excited to use this. I took a few photos with it, and I am so impressed by how much more professional the photos look. This picture is one of the ones I took with the lightbox - how cool is that?? I'll tell ya - freaking cool!

Alright. Lunch is over. Can't wait til five. Delivering one of my sold etsy orders after work, and then karate and hopefully some crocheting in there somewhere!!!

I am incredibly tired tonight - just from a sheer lack of sleep. A coworker bought 2 scarves from me, which is amazing, wonderful, superb, yay! I also did the crochet portion of a new granny square bag. I have two others that I have to attach handles to and sew linings for. I'd really love to get to a fabric store and buy some zippers to try to make little coin purse wallet things.

I downloaded the etsy sellers spreadsheet, but it's not quite working for me. They have awfully elaborate excel formulas and I'm afraid to alter anything in case it affects something else. I might go old fashioned, and do it by hand. My aunt has one of my favorite family heirlooms - I want to say it was my great grandfather's - it's a giant ledger from his grocery store...and this tiny, fragile pencil spiderweb script for thousands of pages reads "eggs...mrs matherson... 25 cents. bread...mrs johans...15 cents.." etc. It's amazing. One day my great great grandkid is going to open up my archaic excel spreadsheet... hardeeharhar.

tomorrow I will delve deeply into the etsybloggers team site and figure out what I need to do to get more involved! I am having a hard time keeping track. I am like this at work lately, too. There are things I just think "okay, tomorrow" and put them off each day. No more ostriching! I am gonna do it!

But right now - I am going to fold some laundry, then get to bed!

I got a lot done on mygranny square bags this weekend - finished emily's, finished amber's - took pictures and posted them. I am really happy with them! I also listed a few new ones, and did the liners for a few more.

The photo is emily's bag... originally supposed to be small plastic handles, we decided on longer canvas ones so it could be an over-the-shoulder bag. I was a little skeptical about how such a large bag would work, but I think it turned out superbly.

The blue bag has been listed on etsy - it wasn't a custom order.

It's been getting colder and colder and colder this week - we actually turned the heater on tonight. I have been thinking about knitting or crocheting some personal items (fingerless gloves!!!) but here it is, 8pm on Sunday night, and I am busy all week.

I am proud of the photos I took today. I managed to get outside while it was daylight which definitely adds a lot. Nothing beats natural lighting, eh?

Okie dokie. That's all for now. I am going to go make progress on something - I crocheted a few flowers for a new bag, so I think I will go work on that!

no time!!!

(This picture - taken on the June 2008 Cruise to Alaska with A2A)


Ack! I am so running out of time every day to do even the little updates on items I want to do. I haven't listed anything on etsy in a week, which is just driving me CRAZY.

Tonight won't be any better - I have karate, schoolwork, and some other work I need to do. Yarrgh. Tomorrow, though - I get off work early and will be heading to Joanne's to see if they have a bigger handle to use for Emily's large pink bag. Then I can finish that, and finish the lining on Amber's - plus do the lining on the cool orangish bag I did a while back, and voila, I'll have things to list again! I also need to finish the handles on two bags that are already crocheted - and then I can add lining to them and put them up. I just need one good weekend of sewing linings and I'll be ready to do some listing!

I want to do the granny squares I am doing, but make them little and put zippers in and make them into coin purses.

No time! No time!


My garden is faring all right - some of the cabbages seem like they are getting smaller and smaller, and the artichoke looks awfully wilted, but I am hoping that they will carry through. I still have about 16 plants that are sitting in the containers from the store because I ran out of soil. Tonight I'll go get more too.

I finally took some time to do some personal mending last night - I can finally wear my favorite pants again (fixed a seam) and fixed a button for my fella. I love doing that. It would really stink to feel like I couldn't sew on a button or fix a tear or something.

I remember having that thought process in Alaska - no one where we were would have called a plumber, or an electrician, if something went wrong. Nope - they figure it out, trial and error, put it together with random pieces and duct tape, and ask their friends. It's very liberating, realizing you can fix those things with your own two hands.

A friend of mine from work actually created their own etsy page!!! YAY Michael Thantrong! Everyone go to ISO100 and take a look at his amazing photos!

delivered the black granny square bag with red flower today. I was really proud of the lining I sewed for it. It was classssy. Today I also sold the Raphael pencil holder! yay. I really like the items I have made from famous paintings, but they are not showcased well in my shop. At some point I would like to retake photos of the picture frames where they are up on a bookshelf, or somewhere looking like picture frames.

quick post for me tonight. I have a lot of crocheting to do. I have the pink granny square bag to work on - I am going to make it a "granny rectangle" bag instead, because the person who ordered it said they want it that way...so now I get to make up the pattern for that, which will be fun. Then I get to try to recreate it for the other side. ;)

Also for the purple granny square bag, I need to sew the lining. I think I am going to do a light yellow lining, I just need to sew it!

yay!

plus, the weather here is getting collllder, finally - I hear it is going to rain this weekend. EXCITED.

oh, I keep forgetting - the person who bought the red flower bag, suggested I make little coin purses out of small granny squares, and put a zipper in it. She said if I start making those she'd buy one. Also, a coworker wants me to make a dog sweater. Plus, I have the three christmas gift orders from RB. Gotta get crackalackin.

ceramics, mostly

Those of you who have known me for a long time would probably be surprised that it didn't really occur to me to sell ceramics until recently. Durr. That's only been you know, my biggest obsession since I was 13. Anyhoo - at the moment, it is difficult for me to find the time to do any wheel throwing, because I have to go down to Irvine Fine Arts Center and spend an entire day just throwing/adding handles, and then go back in a few weeks to glaze, and then go back again to pick up my stuff. It's hard for me to have so much disconnect between the processes.

I wish I had my own wheel. That'd be an amazing birthday present, btw - those of you who want to band together.. A Laguna Pacifica GT 800 would be just about perrrfect. ;)

In any case - I got out some mugs I had made before, and posted them on my etsy site! Woohoo. They are now for sale!

This Saturday I will also try to go down to Irvine and throw. I'd love to make sets of things - sake glassses and pitchers, cups, bowls, etc. etc. etc. I miss ceramics!

I also received three custom orders on my handbags this week! I will be making one with a white center, red petals, black background with black handles, one bright pink LARGE bag with clear plastic handles, and one with a purple flower and green background and black plastic handles.

Super excited about these orders! I am reallllly loving these bags. I finally found what feels like a good niche could be for me. YAY!

what a lovely saturday morning

What a lovely saturday morning it has been already. I slept for a good 8 hours at least, and then we were woken up by the dog who didn't even need to go out, just was bored and wanted us awake. hardeeharhar.

I got up and managed to scramble together a breakfast from the nothingness I have in my kitchen, and then headed to etsy!

One of the egotistical things I always love to do is see how many people have listed me as their favorites. I try not to let it go to my head, but it's a really sweet, thankful feeling when I see someone else has me listed. I do love being validated.

I also have been spending a lot more time in the chat rooms, and today's feedback were to raise some of my prices to be competitive, and to take more pictures outside with natural lighting. So those will be my next two projects. I bought a new camera, I think I mentioned a few weeks ago - unfortunately, I have not acquired a memory card, or the cord to plug it into the computer, so it's basically useless at the moment. The next spare bit o' cash I get I will get those.

I've been doing more of the granny square bags - they are lovely, lovely, lovely. Today I need to go do some errands, and then I hope to get to work on them before going to a friends WEDDING tonight. I am so excited about their wedding. YAY Kj and Lori!

Tomorrow is a big open day, and a friend of mine will be coming over to knit with me. So again, yay for weekends. WOOOHOO.

Hi world!





I am finnnally starting to get over being sick, so I celebrated with an impulsive trip to Michael's. Mwhaha. I bought kind of a lot of yarn. I have plans for all of it though - I am going to work more on the granny square bags! I also bought handles. I am loving even the idea of them!
That's all for now. Don't forget to look at my treasury, it expires soon!

Ooh, I also posted a new category and new item - A BRAIDED RUG, ladies and gentlemen. That's right, you heard it correctly, a BRAIDED RUG. Guess what? It's made entirely out of recycled tshirts. How awesome is that? I'll answer for you - really, really awesome.

Have I mentioned that I am home sick for a whole week? I have a sinus infection that knocked me on my butt! I am tired of tv, and can't focus enough to read or crochet, so I am doing all sorts of etsy and blogspot stuff. Of course, it took me about 20 minutes just to write those couple of sentences.

Anyways, here is a photo of my mommy and me when I was muuuch younger - although already preparing for etsy, as you can see.

I am sniffling, coughing, hacking and dizzy - but luckily my amazing mommy not only lets herself get painted on by little-me, but also brought me soup and pudding yesterday. I also have the most wonderful boyfriend, who brought me two types of juice, two types of popsicles, and cleaned the whole kitchen. Oh, and he brought me the most important sicky food - french fries and ranch dressing.... gulp.

My doctor gave me about 6 prescriptions, and two of them are muscle relaxants - hence the inability to hold a crochet hook. Although they are starting to wear off, so I think I am going to attempt it soon.

My newest project are these granny square bags with bamboo handles that I think are DARLING (yes, darling!) and although I only have one completed - my mom made me promise that it can be hers, so I need to hurry up and make more for etsy.

I got the day off today!

Yay! It's a beautiful friday and I have the day off!

..of course, I also have a sinus headache that wants me to stay super still and quiet with the lights off all day. But I'm ignoring that!

Last night I had a friend over who I taught how to knit (? at least how to knit felted bags) and she finished up a bag she'd been working on, while I started a very fall-esque braided rug. I'm pleased with the rug. I finally figured out how to consistently keep any thread showing. It takes so much work and time and blood (talk about pricked fingers) that I think these rugs will be my high-cost items on etsy. They're ridiculously beautiful, though, and I love making them by recycling tshirts.

I also got some feedback on little granny-square bags I was making. I was unsure whether I wanted to use bamboo handles on all of them, and I think I decided!

So my plan today is to bake bread, listen to my Dar Williams Pandora station, continually clean the house through the day, and work on my braided rug. Tomorrow I want to get my sewing machine out and make lining for every bag I have finished. I'd like to also take some photos of ceramics I have to sell, since I have them and just haven't posted them on etsy yet.

It is also TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY, by the way. So I hope that's exciting for some of you.

Also - I was saving the most important for last. Today is my little sister's 21st birthday. Holy cow. Happy Birthday ROXANA!-