Coral

There is not another color that can get me psyched up for summer better than coral. It isn't the hot pink or golden yellow, it's coral. A combination of red and orange and pink and all things warm and wonderful. Since I experienced an Oregon spring today, (translate: I drove through hail, dashed through a downpour and watched helplessly as the sun beat down while I was working) I decided I needed a summer reminder so I went to Etsy to find some amazing pieces that inspire me while screaming at me that summer is on the way.

First I found this radiant brooch, I love the 1950's design and the color is incredible. It is being sold by Happy Day Vintage. Check out her shop, she has everything vintage. From clothing to cookbooks to a typewrite. You can tell that she loves what she does by the quality of the items she sells. I can not begin to imagine the amount of fun she has putting together her own virtual vintage shop.

I think that the combination of the turquoise beads and coral colored rose is fabulous. Both colors are unexpected in themsevles and incredible when used together. This is designed by Luxe Deluxe, she has many many more of these in her Etsy shop, each with its own vibe and feel.

Robin's Egg Blue offers one of a kind pieces in her shop. From bags to pillow to jewlery. Everything in her shop has personality. I had to go through all her items to discover her amazing ability. This purse was made from vintage fabric, there is such a relazed sophistication to the piece that it is hard to guess that it is a mix between the old and the new.

Upcycled Vintage is awesome, especially when it is a grandma doily turned into a hot bracelet! This is the creation of 2Tart, a new seller on Etsy. I think that as her ideas grow she will be doing a lot of business on Etsy.

Imagination

I am not sure what I would do without my imagination. It occupies my time when I have to drive the twenty minutes between work and home. My favorite road trip imagining usually involves my self and several million dollars. This day dream is inspired by the gigantic billboard outside my work which announces the weekly powerball money. I rarely buy a ticket, er I might actually be too lazy to go to the local mini mart to get one. Which if you think about it means that I don't deserve to win the gazillions of dollars that filter through the lottery system. Between work and home I will have spent half of the money, first thing I would do is buy a home, well several depending on the amount of money that I won. Oh yeah I limit my dreaming to the money that is offered on the billboard and I even figure out what my take home would be after taxes. Er, ummm maybe I need to relax my structured creativity. But by the time I get home I will have furnished the house and bestowed gifts on all of my friends and family. I know this is not a unique fantasy, nor unusual. Just an amazing way to make a long boring work commute turn into something profitabley fun.

Dressing Up for work Mall Style

I find it funny that most professional women that I have met wear clothes that I think my mom was wearing in the '90's. And by professional women I mean women with advanced degrees. And by clothes of the 90's I mean high wasted pants with a blouse. And by people I meet I mean the lawyer who was trying the case when I was on jury duty.
Truly I usually am surprised by women ( and men) that tend to dress in older (yet sensible), well made (yet again dated) clothes. Then I think to myself, this why they are in the position they are, they are sensible with money, education, careers, etc. While I spend money on frivolity, never completed my second bachelor's (it was too hard and took up too much of the money that I would rather spend, ummm and I already have a degree.....well okay I have a B.Ss in Psychology and I am not sure if that really counts because it sure has never helped me get a job) and I work retail because it is all that I know. (and I also love it, but I do dream of going to work in a cute cream colored dress with a fluffy knee-length skirt to show off amazing (I wish) legs, a cute cardigan in a springy pink and a big chunky necklace) Ooooh and I would be wearing cute low-heeled (hell even in my dreams there is no way I am wearing heels) mules to show off my non-callused/feel like sand paper feet. In my dreams I have perfectly symmetrical, smooth as silk feet. In reality I go to work every day in my dress code black collared shirt (white is also allowed but after a couple of nasty work-related accidents white became an off-limit color for me) black pants (kahki are also approve, but again with the light colors) and little nylon footies (you have to wear socks for OSHA) and closed toe shoes (again with the OSHA). I dress all in black... every day..... I might be a vampire or at the very least a witch.
Well the mall employees (read) retail workers dress nicer than any other working class group I have ever encountered. They also smell nicer, and I am not just saying that because of the permanent smog of perfume scented air which Abercrombie and Fitch have granted the mall. They have better make up and better hair. I am not sure if it is because they are surrounded by such pretty items every day that makes them want to spend, or are they dressing to impress high end clients? Maybe they are impressing each other ( I think this one is dead on in most cases.) At the very least the majority of their salary is going towards their appearance. Hmmmm maybe my dress code black is my own personal savings plan.... Way to go work!

What a Wonderful World

In honor of Earth Day I am listing some totally wonderful items that I found on Etsy. These are hand-made items that all of us should own to do our part in saving our planet or are recycled goodies that are so cool I am adding them to my wish list.

I have been using cloth shopping bags for several years. I think they are a really easy way that we can individually make a difference on our environmental impact. A few years ago it was really hard to find bags that inspired you to use them. This funky design are made by Earth Cadets in their Etsy shop.

This is such a unique sticker that I think all cars need to have one. We can all do our part to create awareness of our valuable Earth and all its limited resources. Elemental HandCrafts
sells these along with other original items, such as wooden spoons for children and breast feeding advocacy stickers.

I love my morning coffee but think of how many trees we will save if we re-use our cup sleeves. These are made by Karley and she has a lot of other designs (I just thought this one was perfect for Earth Day). You can really express yourself while you espresso yourself.

For Crafters out there check out these beads! Recycled from junk mail and other paper scraps they are hand-made by Vivid Earth Designs and come in many colors. I am inspired to incorporate them into my work somehow.

I have had these on my favorites list for awhile now. I have to sit back and wonder how many plastic baggies have I left as part of my environmental footprint? Today is a great day to make a resolution to reduce that footprint. These bags by Eco Green Bags are a great start.

Confessions.....

I new the mall was going to be chaotic, it was a busier store.... and that is all I thought. I could handle it... why did everyone do that sympathetic sigh thingy everytime I told them about the mall. You know the one where they give you a pitying half smile/frown as their eyebrows scrunch up in pain Ohohoh...
I can't have kids, my husband and I are in the process of adopting. I am at peace with our choice. I have embraced the idea of my little baby that my husband and I get to travel overseas to bring home and start a family with. My concept of family has changed... for the better. But a couple of years ago I was not ok. I cried buckets when my friends told me they were pregnant. Even lost contact with a couple of them. I didn't speak to my sister for three days when she told me she was going to have a baby. Pregnant strangers? I would turn around and walk down a different aisle if I saw them in the grocery store And then I got over myself, my jealousy was making me a miserable person and i could stay miserable or I could grown up. I mean it wasn't like this happened over night but i came to the conclusion that I had no control over what was happening and I wanted to be happy, so dang it I am happy. Oh but I forgot where I was going with this..... Pregnant women and baby strollers have TAKEN OVER THE MALL! There is even a group of about 20 of them that use the mall as there private gym every morning, several hours before the mall opens. They walk at a godawful pace around the perimeter of the mall and then congregate in the middle routunda. There they park their strollers in a large circle, stand behing them as a leader calls out drills and they all jumping-jack in unison. I have to say, not so jealous about the whole lose the baby weight thing..... hmmmm I may be a little more at peace with myself. And Kudos for those women exersizing like that. Which leads me to a whole other topic.... Mall Walkers, a different breed completley.

Confessions of a Suburban Mall Employee......

I loved the mall.... When I was a teenager. I even worked at our local (read incredibly small one) mall on the coast when I was in High School. When I was in college a great time could be had at both the Salem Center and Lancaster malls, spending money I did not earn (but am now paying back) as freely and I received it. Then I grew up.
When I say I grew up I mean that I started appreciating the smaller thing in life. I don't mean I stopped shopping, hell no! I began to support local businesses. I have not been inside a Wal-Mart in almost 10 years, I grocery shop at our neighborhood locally owned grocery store, Powell's Books and the library are the best places to get reading material. I live in an area of the city that is such a well defined community that I can go the whole weekend without driving and yet I can still watch a movie, go out to eat, take the cat to the vet and visit our local yarn shop. I really developed a social concsience, our local ecnomy is the key to our future. And then I went to work for a (fabulous) Corportation, I know it seems a little hypocritical. But when you have a diabetic husband health benefits become really important.
I started out working in community stores, I built some valuable relationships not only with the people I worked with but also the customers. I have always worked in customer service oriented jobs, the best part is getting customers that come to your store because you work there. I spent a little over a year in the community and then bad things happened with our economy. My business was not immune the financial crisis so our stores re-structured themselves.....and I got moved to the mall. A friend of mine (also in the biz) text messaged me the day we got the news and said good luck at world war III. I really hoped she would be wrong.....

Cherry Blossoms

They are the first clue that spring is here in Portland. I went for a morning walk and became happier with every tree that I saw. The blossoms are fluffy and range in color from stark white to bright pink. Etsy has some amazing items from fabulous crafters that do a great job evoking spring in their cherry blossom work.

This is the creation of lulu Coco from her Etsy shop. It reminds me of my great-grandmothers 1920's house, complete with vintage charm. I think this ring would get a ton of recognition for whoever wears it. She has many more in her shop that range in shade and color and change the whole look.

I found this print while browsing Etsy. I totally want this girl. I am adopting a baby in the near future and I think she would look perfect in a child's room. She is the concept of lindsayart. There are many more pieces in her shop that are just as intriguing. Plus the prices are totally reasonable.

Check out these amazing note cards.. These are all occasion and pretty enough to frame. Weddings, Birthdays, thinking of you's, would all work. I can't decide which color is my favorite. They are made by the Craft Pantry, there are many other items to choose from in her shop as well.

It is how the findings are oxidized sterling silver that make these earrings for me. Plus they are simple and stylish and would look great with work or play clothes. Thioviolet has a great eye when making all of her earrings, there are more than a few pairs that I would love to own.

This pendant by Cherry Creek Charms has class and sophistication. Not only are cherry blossoms one of my favorite motifs but it has great composition. Plus its rustic charm truly represents the new hand-crafted movement flowing all over the web today.

Friends

Seriously the best show ever, how much of my own personality was formed by the humor of that program. I mean even thinking of some of their one liners can send me into hysterics.... "Can I be wearing any more sweater vests?" ...... "The cushion is the essence of the chair."....... "It's not Phil Spiderman.... he was SPIDER MAN." I am sure I butchered the exact words but the feel of them is the same. I could watch friends over and over again and crack up laughing everytime. Ah Chandeler, Joey and gang.

Nancy Drew

I grew up reading Nancy Drew Books. I was in 4th grade when I received my first one. Actually received my first 2. We were celebrating christmas and my grandma asked me to come into a back bedroom and she held a book open to a random page and asked me I was able to read it. I looked at it for a few minutes and told her yes. I guess she decided that my reading skills were advanced enough that she gave me the books that night as a gift. I remember loving the feel of their yellow spine as I cracked open the fresh new book. I was a little daunted by the lack of pictures and the amount of text. I had to start reading it several times, and I can not remember why but I became engrossed. I read them and then everytime I visited my grandma (she lived several hours away) or she visited us I received 1 to 3 more books. It took a couple of years but eventually i owned all 52. I still have them, probably one of the most sentimental items I own. My grandma passed away when I was 14 and those books are my most precious memory of her. It can still coke me up and it has been almost 18 years. I make Nancy Drew Pendants from used books (not my own private collection) I have found.... everytime I wear one i think about her.

Etsy

I have a new Etsy Store that I am kind of proud of right now, at least I am having a lot of fun with it. It has really caused me to re-visit all sorts of arts and crafts projects. I adore fabric and am falling even more in love with it as I work on my stuff. www.wanderingblossom.etsy.com.

easter turned out to be awesome, Scott and I hung out at home all day. I only got a work call once and after several minutes of panic that I might have to go in (turnd out I didn't) it was relaxing. Scott spent time working on my banner for my etsy shop and I made bracelets, really cool chunky, funky fabric bead bracelets.

Review

Sarah's Key, Tatiana de Rosnay.
So I was hoping when I sat down to this book that I would discover an inspirational story that would bring forth hope, which had been driven out of Europe during the reign of the Nazi's. You know, the kind of inspiration that emerges after the disaster, when you realize there are so many amazing people out there doing amazing things in the face of evil. I was wrong, this book began sad and ended with only a sliver of hope.
The novel set in France during German occupation has two heroines. Sarah who was a young girl when her Jewish family was sent to a concentration camp and Julia, an American woman living in modern Paris. The first half of the book goes back and forth between the stories of the two women chapter vs. chapter. While many books are set up in this style, (the first time I experienced this was Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath), at times it can be frustrating if you are a working woman like myself. I only have a limited time to sit a read and I have to remember whose voice I am reading and what had preceded the part I was on, etc.
Not only were the two different voices a mere annoyance it would have been nice if we (the readers) had been given a break from the dark depressing tale that was Sarah's holocaust nightmare when we were reading about Julia. Instead we were led down the loveless, lonesome life that was Julia's. The book does become intriguing at the end... and wraps up nicely... just beware if you want a light story to take you through the week this is not it.

Review

Getting Rid of Matthew, by Jane Fallon.

While I was not profoundly intrigued, I spent several enjoyable evenings curled up with this story. The book focuses on one woman who has an affair with a married man, who decides to leave his wife and move in with his lover. Epitomizing the saying the grass is always greener, each lover realizes that the fantasy is always better than reality. And as us feminists who enjoy a modern day fairy tail, depicting woman who take their lives into their own hands as they hypocritically allow men to lead them astray, love the romance and the drama as the novel unfolds. It was a quick read, great for nights when thinking hurts and an escape is needed.

Anticipation

I have to go to work soon.... Later..... eventually. I would rather get up at the crack of dawn and go to work than wait till later morning to start the day. This is my career choice and these are the hours I have been dealt. Just how do I fill the time, if I start to read I will get sleepy. If I start a project I will not have enough time to see it through. I wish time did not exist, I could do without that dimension. It is the inevitable consequence of living. I stopped wearing a watch several years ago in an effort to slow my relativity down, oh and get rid of the rash that was building up under, a result of constant hand washing in the serving industry.
Speaking of the serving industry...... I am going to go in with an open mind. No one will feel the need to roll their eyes at me today, No-one will bring me down with a snarky comment. I will stay positive, I will be positive! It is only coffee........ right?

By myself.

This fall I visited the Japanese Gardens here in Portland. There is something therapeutic about being a tourist in your own city. Especially when you are there alone and can use all of your senses without distraction. I literally have to take the time to "smell the roses". I work so much and try to squash as stuff as I can into any down time that i have that I rarely fell rested. This place centered me. I took my camera and captured the amazing color that the garden had to offer. There were many other photographers out that day with way better equipment that I could ever imagine owning. I would love to see the photgraphs they took. I worked for a photographer when I was first out of college. I developed the photographs for him and many other amazing artists. It was so inspiring at the time and really laid the foundation for the understanding and appreciation that I have of the art today.
Across the street from the Japanese garden is the Portland Rose Garden. Although all the roses where not in bloom I was able to view some of them.

Janeary 21, 2009

I am inspired. I have spent the morning listening to the national prayer service. I was very impressed with the Reverend Watkins and her challenges to the new President to keep to the promises he has made to us. I am inspired because it is up to th individuals to work together to be complete, to fix our broken country. I have spent 8 years sad, and I am ready for hope, willing the change. I really feel that today is a new day, a fresh start.