Chuckles

I love Chuck. I loved it last year -- from the opening credits (LOVE Cake, particularly Short Skirt, Long Jacket) to the celebration of all things nerdy (my peeps!).

So what a treat last night to have Chuck back in our living rooms. Cute, funny, dorky, nail biting, and sweet. What more can one ask for on a Monday night (with Heroes as icing on the cake!)??

Mondays come too quickly

But you still have time to enter the drawing for one of my scarflettes! I'll draw a name on 10/4 (Saturday) morning!

I'm always thrilled to see one of my treasuries on Etsy's front page, so it was a real treat to see my one and only treasury this week (I keep missing the openings) on the front page tonight (see below). I really enjoy promoting others, particularly my Etsy friends, and tonight is no exception!

Thanks to Ocean Avenue Silks (check out her beautiful handpainted silk scarves!), we have a screenshot here to share with you:

Yay for Friday!

First, be sure to enter the drawing for a FREE scarflette! Just click here!

Then, I've been so so swamped with work deadlines and some big shop orders this week, I haven't had a chance to keep up with my blog. So to tide us both over to the weekend, here are a few things I've loved seeing this week on Etsy!

I am SO in love with this lovely and elegant Milky Way Cowl from Fringe, I've already told her I'll be ordering one for myself very soon (even though I'm also a knitter!). Please check out Dennice's (Fringe's) shop -- she is not only an incredibly talented designer and knitter, but a really wonderful person who I'm honored to call friend!













I treated myself this week to some absolutely incredible and deliciously flavored lip balms from Haunt. My close friends know what a lip gloss and balm junky I am, so finding something unique and yummy, without the chemicals and packaging that my old Bonne Bell standards have, is wonderful to me! I hope you'll check out her shop -- she offers other goodies in addition to lip balm, and has a wonderful Fall/Halloween section, including the caramel apple lip balm that I've been using all day today!

Last for this Friday, I am in love with this
seriously beautiful wool/silk hand dyed/spun yarn from knottynaomi. Naomi does incredible incredible work, and this is neither my first nor last yarn shopping trip with her! Look at these colors! So rich and the sheen is wonderful. Naomi rocks and is always a delight to talk with -- another wonderful seller who I'm honored to call friend!

Sunday ... sigh ...

Candles, naps, knitting, chores, migraine (fun) ... who the heck is that little cat on the bottom???

Oh, that's the long lost child of Fiona (kitty on the top), the one who continues his efforts to adopt me.

Today, he learned how fun it is to chase birds and squirrels in my tree, which I'm very protective about, which brings me out in the back yard to pay him the proper amount of attention.

Migraine.

p.s., naps were taken by kitties, not by yours truly. And you gotta admit, that little guy has seriously gorgeous eyes, just like his long lost mama Fiona ...

Phydeaux's First Give Away!

I thought I'd celebrate Autumn (my favorite season by far -- definitely time to celebrate!) with all of you!

I'm going to give away one of my newest scarflettes, "Spice Berry," to one lucky reader by random drawing, on Saturday October 4th! Just enter a comment below sharing the one thing you love the most about Fall, and be sure to include your email (or your Etsy shop/user name if you have one).

I have several of these all ready, one for giving, others for the shop.

One entry per person, please!

Stranded

One would think it's a delightful twist of fate to be stuck at home, waiting for roadside service to tow your car for repair, on a Friday, rather than go to work.

Quite the opposite!

So, here's a Friday treat to make the waiting less painful ...




















Punk soap from Savor! "Punk" for Pumpkin Pie (of course), part of her new Autumn line of absolutely delicious soaps. I can't wait for my very own bar to arrive!

I am a huge Savor fan -- Lisa, the "soapstress" and creative mind behind Savor, creates really unique, beautiful, and beautifully photographed soaps, available in her Etsy shop. She's a foodie (yay foodies!) and bases her delicious soaps on favorite dishes and foods. I love Juice, Summer Rhubarb, Summer Fling (I got the last bar -- but check out her new Black Tea soap), and any of her Creme Fraiches, but Ginger Icing the most of all (oh my gosh, so yummy!).

Girls, your husbands and beaus will not be able to leave you alone if you're smelling this delish! Studies have shown that men are drawn to food fragrances, like vanilla, cookies, etc. Lisa's on to something here!

Check out Lisa's shop and let her know Brenda sent you, if you succumb to temptation! She also has a great Flickr photostream -- check it out!

ADDENDUM: Car and owner are fine, though owner is much poorer and car much healthier.

Thursday treat

Cutest little moose ever!!! I love everything that skunkboycreatures creates, but this little masked guy stole my heart! Check out Katie's Etsy shop -- you will not be disappointed!!!

I was actually ga ga over her brand new ghost kitty, but it sold in less than a day!!!

You can also read her blog here, also sure to not disappoint.

ADDENDUM: Ghost kitty 2 is mine! Tee hee hee!!!

Mid Week

New knit necklace, new neckwarmer near ready for listing, new b/w of the ever elegant Miss Molly. No kitties knitted in the making of this photo.

Monday already?

Celebrating small milestones with some perspective

Growing up, I would plan elaborate business ventures, alongside my dreams to work in medicine/science, alongside my raison d'etre: drawing, painting, writing, creating. If someone told me (in Jr. High or early High School) that there would be this nutty thing called "the internet" that allowed me to actually sell things I created around the world, I probably would have wondered if they were reading too many Andre Norton or Ray Bradbury stories!

In very early adulthood (young 20's), I was still trying to decide between science, art and writing. And I had a great store layout and business plan for a bookstore/gift shop/coffee shop (mind you, there weren't such critters that I knew of when I was 21 or 22 -- Starbucks wasn't even a twinkle in someone's eye!). I wasn't fond of my college art classes, still have a bad taste from the last class I took, where the instructor was really trying to force me into abstract art (I'm totally realist). BUT, thank God I did start that class, where I got to know Kris, the bestest friend a girl could ever have, more than 20 years ago!!!

I focused more on writing after that, and needlework/fiber arts: knitting, crocheting, sewing, cross stitch. 3-D art with color and texture! And focused on healthcare, where I've worked for nearly 20 years, now in medical academia.

I mention all of this because I'm always fascinated to learn how people end up where they are. There's often a progression that makes total sense with hindsight.

I'm tickled beyond measure that I live in the times that I do, that I emerged from my 20's and 30's intact (many other stories there!), that I've come full circle to the point that am reconnecting with my creativity in a way that challenges all facets of me, while drawing on all of my experiences and interests.

Two small milestones for me! I hit 50 sales this week and am approaching a respectable number of "hearts." It's lovely to see the hard work begin to pay off. It's even lovelier to realize that this is all possible and I'm really looking forward to next Spring's post-holidays and post-Winter perspective and lessons learned about the designing, creating and selling of knitware!

Life is still good!

I'm now worried that I worried everyone with my last post. This is the gig I got, some days/weeks/months are worse than others (like now) and it will all balance out, God willing, over time. Honest! I keep telling myself this!

Here's an example. Slowest Etsy shop day in months and months today! 7pm, yay, front page (thank you Zygoscope, creator of the most adorable fluffy bunnies and assorted critters!), and a lovely treasury full of my very favorite Fall colors reminding me that it's FALL, my favorite favorite time of year!

Life is good -- gotta look for the yay's amongst the bummers.

Reality crashes

I usually feel like a big old hypochondriac. Lupus? All in my head. Neuropathy? Just exercise more. Diabetes? What do you expect after a lifelong addiction to chocolate! Stress much? Work harder!

So I was a bit shocked this weekend to see a big ugly lesion on my cheekbone, one of the hallmarks of lupus (for those with skin involvement), and something I haven't seen on that scale for more than 10 years. :(

Even then, I poo poo'd it (is that the right spelling), even as I found similar spots on my scalp, even as my joints hurt even more than usual and my chest started hurting, even as I brushed out a small handful of hair over the course of the weekend. Double :(

So, I'm dealing with a Total Body Crash (or TBC). Guess I'll be seeing the doc.

But on the flip side of life, my little shop is doing very well this month! I'm excited and relieved, with all sorts of new ideas brewing underneath this lesiony face and scalp. :)

For your viewing and reading (or listening) pleasure

A few picks from my recent media experiences:

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Wow. Just wow. I'd never seen this classic horror/thriller/whatever movie until last night! I'd DVR'd it a month or more ago, and last night just seemed right for viewing while knitting. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were both beyond brilliant. I was both entranced by such incredible incredible acting and horrified/seriously disturbed as events unfurled. I can't recommend this highly enough if you haven't already seen it. This is a 1962 movie that is lightyears above a lot of today's mediocrity. Eeeps!!!

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. The author usually writes crime thrillers, and I'd never read him/had interested in doing so. I came across this gem of a book at the library last year and just didn't have time to read. Bought the audio CD earlier this year and it never seemed to make it into my commute queue. But iTunes doesn't work with my version of Vista on the new computer (ARGHHHHHHHH), and I'm too chicken to install a different Vista version for all the obvious reasons (don't you watch the Mac/PC commercials?), sooooo, back to listening to CD's versus downloads to the old iPod. But I digress. If you love fairy tales, folklore, mythology, Jungian/archetypical psychology, a bit of creepiness, fantasy, and an end that is sure to have you crying as hard as I was, you must read/listen to this wonderful little story. I'd love to see it in a movie. Loup-garou, woodsman, knights, monsters, lost children, jealousy, love, loss, healing, it's all here.

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I hate to say how long ago I originally read this, but I think it's 20-22 years. (... sigh ...) I read it on my own ... not for college ... and though I remember loving it, reading it as the grown up version of Brenda is a whole new and thoroughly enjoyable experience. Maybe Ayn Rand is required re-reading for each decade of one's life? It's not an easy book to read on many levels: HUGE, extremely complex and dense with challenges to society's and your own ideas, incredibly uncomfortable scenes and situations, lots of lightbulbs that may be a bit painful to experience, etc. But it's so so worth the journey. I listened to it this time, which is also challenging because you're not able to just skip a page/filter content -- it goes straight from speakers to brain. If you haven't read this, do!!! If you haven't read it in a long time, do so again! I remember late evening/early morning passionate discussions about Ayn Rand with my old buddies (most of whom are still treasured friends), like Phil and like Rich and Jerry. Seems like a lifetime ago, but those discussions would be good to have again!

Off to get my Saturday errands going! I hope to have a few new creations to share here tomorrow. Happy weekend! Fall is very nearly here!

You know Fall's just around the corner

When the squirrels are out foraging in force. Much to Fiona's delight.

Tagged and sharing the wealth

One of my team mates from the California Crafter's Club of Etsy "tagged" me, and I thought it would be fun to share the wealth (but if you prefer not to participate, just ignore the tag!).

Here are the rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged you
2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game)
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up

Here are six random things about myself:

1. When I was younger, I was so scared of whales, I wouldn't take bubble baths (thought there might be a whale under those bubbles!). Needless to say, Monstro at Disneyland was a highly traumatic thing for me to see as a kid.
2. My favorite favorite thing to do in the world is cook really great food -- yet I'm about as picky as they come. HATE lamb, sushi, goat's cheese and cooked spinach (I'm fine with lightly wilted spinach and LOVE raw spinach).
3. I grew up in a very small town in the high desert in the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. Although I don't miss that searing dry heat for one second, I miss and think about the mountains and clean air almost every day, even though I haven't lived there for 30 years now...
4. A year + ago (pre Phydeaux Designs), my "early retirement" plan was to be a pastry chef and open a bakery, creating old school delights in a fresh modern style. And write novels.
5. I met Ray Bradbury, my favorite all time author, in 9th grade! He spoke to a group of kids at my high school. I'll never forget it. He's always been an inspiration to me.
6. And I met Kurt Vonnegut, one of my other favorite all time authors, about 15+ years ago! I, who NEVER stand in lines, stood in line at Printer's Ink in Palo Alto for hours to meet him at a book signing. His body guard (yeah, really) wouldn't let people do more than shake his hand and maybe get two words out. So I shook his hand and said something along the lines of "thank you and this is an honor." At least I have the book with his signature to prove it happened!

So, for my taggees!

Off the hook hats (seriously cute crocheted caps -- thanks for the tag!)
Kris (of course, but also the most talented person I know!)
Rich (also of course, also the most talented person I know, and sushi chef extraordinaire!)
Heather (fellow foodee and super crafter!)
Becca (incredible knitware designer!)
Lauren (phenomenal jewelry designer and bead seller!)

Enjoy this holiday Monday!