More new stuff!

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share what I've been working on these last few days:

I made some more teddy-bunnies, or as my friend calls them "huggy bunnies!"

They are getting ready to make their debut at the Northside Holiday Arts Show on December 8th at the North Presbyterian church. More information here. 

I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving! :)

Relief Treasury

I have been looking forward to Thanksgiving break for several weeks now. Once this week started it felt like it would never end! Finally it is Wednesday and after 2pm today (when my last class is over) I can relax!!  (sort of...) Anyways, I made this treasury to soothe my nerves and satisfy my Etsy cravings for today. Enjoy!

Click here to view the items.... 

Wish List

It is getting to be that time of year again when we shop for gifts! I just love buying things for people -- even if it is a bit nerve-wracking! I have already purchased gifts for several people.
This weekend I went on a total Etsy binge while I babysat (don't worry -- the kids were asleep the entire time!)I don't know what is so fun about looking at tons of beautiful/cute stuff that I can't afford... but I just love it anyways. It can be inspiring too.
Anyway, I found some really cute stuff on Etsy and elsewhere that has definitely been added to my wishlist:

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What's on your wish list?? :)

Teddy-bunnies

I have been on a real sewing kick the last few days...  I wanted to share with you what I've made.

The newest version of teddy-bunnies.

They're a little shorter and fatter than last year's teddy-bunnies. And this time, I made the pattern myself.  The details are appliquéd fancy felt.
I plan to make several more for the show on December 8th. Come "meet" them in person at the Northside Holiday Arts show! (more details still to come!!!)

Display Ideas...

I am gearing up for my first art show in about a year... The Cincinnati Holiday Arts Show(December 8th from 10 to 4 in Northside -- more details coming soon!)
I am determined to have a better display this time, so I had a look around Pinterest and found some neat display ideas, thought I'd share them here:

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Whether you're a fellow artist looking for a unique way to display your pieces or just a regular gal trying to find a cute way to display her collection.... Happy inspiration!

Winter Night Alone

Went on an Etsy binge tonight and I decided that I should at least have something to show for it... so I made a treasury! Most of these items come from my favourites list on Etsy... I hope you like it!

Click here to navigate to the items. 

Stay warm out there! 

Musings: Smell

As I was coming home from picking my mom up at the airport, I became distinctly aware of the wonderful smell I could sense on my porch.. Since the weather has been so unseasonably warm (thank you, global climate change!) the flowering shrubs all around my porch are starting to bloom and the smell is intoxicating!!
I found myself thinking that I wish I could capture the SMELL. Taking a picture of the plants would be nice (if it had been light enough to do so), but finding some way to simply bottle the smell (in a way similar to how a camera "captures" the moment) would have been a thousand times better.. There is a million-dollar idea!!
While a picture may say a thousand words, the nose is one of the most, if not the most, direct way that a sense enters the brain. In addition, it is somehow psycho-physiologically hooked up to deep feelings and memories -- have you ever noticed how particular smells will bring waves of emotions and sometimes more distinct memories.
For me, I have this rose essential oil that I used to wear all the time just as Jim and I were beginning our relationship.. Both of us still love the smell of it because it brings back these memories of flirty walks in the woods and the excitement of new love....
While perfumes are of course "bottled" smells, I am talking more about being able to capture a random smell you encounter in daily life (just like snapping a *visual* picture) and then being able to go back through it, as if going through a "smell album" the way one might go through a picture album.
Anyways, with the theme of "capturing" things, here are some cute mini things that seem to each be capturing something:

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Has anyone else ever thought this?

The End of Spring Break

My spring break is coming to an end.. Due to a death in Jim's family, my break didn't quite go as planned.. But I am sort of ok with that. I feel like this is just the way it had to be.

I ended up sitting around a lot more that I thought I would (despite the good weather!!) -- I just didn't really feel like moving around. Also, I didn't get most of the stuff done that I wanted to do.. And I still haven't really mentally prepared myself for school: 16 credit hours plus 8 hours of work per week plus somehow finding time to do about 20 hours of community service!! It is going to be crazy.

And I still haven't ordered my textbooks yet! (I hate spending so much money on them so I am leaving it to the last possible minute!! - smart, right?)

BUT as I enjoy my last night before I have to wake up early (sometime b9am). I am deciding to do something wholly unproductive and share with you some cute (sort of school-related) stuff that I would like (but can't afford) to order tonight instead of text books:

hand painted sloth moleskin notebook by leanimale

some FOXY shoes from emandsprout

reusable lunch bag from ohlittlerabbit
.. I need to pack my lunch more often...

GNOME lamp by czechpub
to read by (of course).. and to get my gnome fix

Mastodon wallet by hollymolecule
... I  collect wallets ♥ 

What do you do when avoiding doing something for school/work? 

A to Z of Me

A. Age: 20 (birthday = March 6 )
B. Bed size: some weird Ikea size that doesn't correspond exactly to a regular bed size.. probably a double. 
C. Chore that you hate: washing the dishes!! I hate how wrinkly it makes my hands. 
D. Dogs: my dad has black lab/german retriever mix that I love. She is fat and crazy. 
E. Essential start to your day: an alarm, otherwise I won't ever wake up!
F. Favorite color: dark olive green right now.
G. Gold or Silver: either?
H. Height: too short....
I. Instruments you play: clarinet/a little bass once a year
J. Job title: student.
K. Kids: in the future!!
L. Live: Cincinnati, OH, USA
M. Mother's name: Debbie
N. Nicknames: Gnomi, Nao, Mayo
O. Overnight hospital stays: nope!
P. Pet peeve: girls who wear tights as pants, students who take too many shortcuts and complain about bad grades
Q. Quote from a movie: "Damn, my purse!" - Waitress
R. Right or left handed: Right (working on learning to write with my left hand though!)
S. Siblings: No!
T. Time you wake up: It varies. When school is in, usually 8ish
U. Underwear: ? err...
V. Vegetable you hate: celery.. I know it is suposed to be good for you, but its so icky!... Only good when cooked thoroughly in a soup!
W. What makes you run late: Forgetting to watch the time. 
X. X-Rays you've had: teeth, feet, ankle
Y. Yummy food that you make: apple pie (though i need to work on my crust..)
Z. Zoo animal: otters!! they are soo sweet!


( I found this here -- thank you!!)


Is there anything else you want to know? Please, comment below! ♥

Cute Stuff: Yellow Theme

Today was so warm, it feels like summer instead of spring! (I shudder to think how hot and muggy it will be in August!) I thought I would make a treasury of some cute stuff I've found on Etsy recently while thinking about global climate change.....

click here to view more detailed shots of everything

Do you think climate change would be so contested if it had never had the label "global warming" and had instead been called "global climate change" from the start?
I wonder what Cincinnati (right on the border between the north and south United States) will be like 50 years from now, when my children are all grown up? Will it be a jungle (and not just the concrete kind)?... I've always wanted to see a jungle in person, but the thought of my hometown becoming topical is as scary as it is alluring..

While climate change is rather frightening, I sure am enjoying this non-winter-y weather! I hope you are too! :)

Product Review: Jojoba Oil

Ever since I was about 12 years old I've had problems with acne and oily skin. I have been constantly searching for the perfect product that reduced the oiliness without causing my skin to become really dry....

I have tried probably hundreds of products and none of them have made my skin feel as good as Jojoba oil does! (Said like "ho-hoba").

According to my research, Jojoba oil is obtained from a shrubby plant from the western US.
It mimics the chemical formula of the sebum the skin naturally produces, minus the impurities and with an antibacterial component. It may seem against logic to put oil on your skin if you've already got oily skin, but it really does help reduce breakouts and leaves your skin feeling super soft! By putting this sebum-like substance on your skin you are in effect tricking your skin into thinking it is already producing enough oil, so it will stop producing so much dirty oil.

For me, it seems to work really well so long as I remember to put it on every night. However, I do still occasionally still get a few bumps here and there...

Added bonuses:

• Jojoba oil is made from a plant.
• It is usually cruelty free/no animal testing (mine is).
• It is fairly cheep and lasts a while (mine was like $7.00 or $8.00 from Trader Joe's).
• It can be used for loads of stuff besides acne control including your lips, your hair, and your hands, as a makeup remover and more!

But beware:

• There is a purging process - after you start using it you may start to break out a little bit more than usual. Don't worry, this passes! Just like most skin care products it takes a few weeks to really see how it will affect you.
• After applying the Jojoba oil to your face, your skin will look a bit greasy/oily for a while as your skin absorbs it. For this reason, I recommend applying it at night time before bed.

*****More info here, here, here, here, here and here. ****

FOOD: Rainy-bow day

My boyfriend and his family had a really rough day today (due to a family emergency type thing). And I saw this project here and thought it might help spread some cheer. It went pretty well! 

I put mini peanut butter cups on top because i thought they looked kinda like mini cupcakes! 

Kids looking silly enjoying the rainbow-y ness!

I had one of Jim's younger cousins help with the cupcakes and we didn't quite get the colour proportions right -- lots of purple and hardly any of the other colours on this one!  

All in all though, they turned out pretty good. 

The only negative thing I can say about this project is that it involved a little more intensive clean-up than regular cup-cake making (because of the need to have separate bowls for each colour of cake batter).

My only regrets: not buying a second box of white cake mix to make more cupcakes, and not colouring the icing as well!!

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From ArtMind.

Today was sort of bland.
Bajillions of teeny-tiny rain droplets pelting us pedestrians all day.
And it was cold.
And it was sort of raining sideways so that an umbrella wasn't much good for anything except for causing frustration by constantly being turned inside out from all the wind.

I am waiting with open ears for the smells, sights, and sounds of spring! 

Cute Stuff: The Cold is Coming

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PERHAPS contains some presents Ill be getting people for the holidays!!

Moomin

I recently remembered Moomins!
My mom has two dolls she got on an exchange trip when she was in high school.
They are so cute looking!
Anyways, I think I want something Moomin for Christmanukkah.

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Morning Sunshine on a Rainy Evening

Since I haven't posted anything in quite a while, I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite websites that a friend showed me a long time ago... it is SO cute!!

AND they are always adding new games!

Each little square is a game that you could be playing right now...!

Pet Bunnies

My two funny bunnies: Puck and Milo! I have had Milo (the black one) for over a year now, and I will have had Puck for a year mid-November. I love them so much! They are so cuddly and unbelievably soft! 

Puck, the girl

Milo, the boy

    

They are both about as big as a loaf of bread (maybe a bit bigger) and they sort of gallop around when I let them out in the kitchen.. its so cute! Puck is feisty and adventurous- She tries to eat my shirts and the button eyes off of my monkey slippers. Milo is sweet and likes to lick my hands and fingers. They give each other bunny "hugs" by pressing their foreheads together.

Just thought I'd share these cuddly moments.... Now that the weather is getting colder, curling up with a warm body or even just a blanket can be absolute bliss.

{Etsy listing HERE}

YUM!

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Can you believe these are made of chocolate!?!?
Saw these on the Etsy home page today and just had to share...
I wonder what they taste like!! 

NomNom

I had a really rough day today...

NOMNOMNOM!!!!!

Anyways, as i was sitting though the most boring lecture ever (on radiometric dating-- sorry to those of you who from some inconceivable reason think this stuff is interesting!!) i started doodling him, not knowing i would later feel just as frustrated and fearsome and ready to eat anything in my path!!!! as he looks. 

just thought I'd share him with you. 

Strange Flower

So, I have been commissioned to make this:

"What is that??" you might ask. Well, I have no idea! 

My instructions (as I remember them..) are to make a flower with a 13inch diameter using fiber materials, found objects, metal objects, "things a crow would pick up", with a spiral-type decoration in the center that doesn't follow as you would think; that surprises, with an overall non-symmetrical design with many different colours. 

The flower will be hung on a wall..

Hmmm...

Well, here is what I have collected so far:

a key, several clip on earrings, offcuts of socks from a factory, glass and ceramic beads, offcuts of fabric i didn't use, shell beads, some weird shiny metallic fuzzy stuff, bottle caps, old brooches, metal chains.... ++++

basically two pictures of the same stuff, one edited, one not.

I wonder what this thing... this... wallflower will end up looking like? 

Ideas??? Please comment!