tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88490908774122443092024-03-07T03:53:21.486-05:00Knit Graffitismall family.
interiors. crafty. knitting. sewing. weaving. felting.
love. life. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349446473496075346noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-56812097262572472372012-02-14T14:13:00.000-05:002012-02-14T14:13:02.668-05:00almost one year later...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzToZ6CXv0lSvthsriUZfyKD0NYwJ0romjsjMtpexOtrLdG7bL0KXUDjBAFjsgHPigHZaDI7QErXJAVnCBWUtjbS2rr1KzjXr0lDTcMcMVNtRora3haRHlKC4PCMW4OzDkvt2hFfhEIw/s1600/valentines-us-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzToZ6CXv0lSvthsriUZfyKD0NYwJ0romjsjMtpexOtrLdG7bL0KXUDjBAFjsgHPigHZaDI7QErXJAVnCBWUtjbS2rr1KzjXr0lDTcMcMVNtRora3haRHlKC4PCMW4OzDkvt2hFfhEIw/s320/valentines-us-web.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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we have a baby!!</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">James Lawrence Robinson</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">born on January 18, 2012 at 11:17 pm</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">6 pounds 11 ounces</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">18 inches long</span></div>
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happy valentine's day, with hugs and kisses, from the Robinsons! </div>
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more projects to come soon! </div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-78466853291366133732011-02-17T19:01:00.009-05:002011-02-17T19:25:03.384-05:00my first project<div style="text-align: left;">well, technically this is not my first weaving project, but it is my first project on my very own rigid heddle loom!! how excited am i?</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">my first project will be placemats! </div><div>
<br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ANn8OisbOGAJQ4M0SSSC6l8aPcYpl4lZtKY_V1Gx7RfssCiALUAIIsDSlMyIrF8rYDN_uF0Y55PEUx6J_8Dj4Q36MaSV3G6_lvpB2sJtweIpSJPD8O_uEskzksNgW0KouG5P0hw3LbQ/s320/IMG_2319.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574813429305710594" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div>choosing the yarn is so satisfying. the coral yarn i dyed myself, and the lime green will both be used for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_(weaving)">warp</a>, and the deep plum will be the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weft">weft</a>. </div><div>
<br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglG86Vk4s_WV5zi8U8kELOd6YZWyLNzILTWGhYLUFNpT4Z0QNWNvuJV0j-7pDlTK6gWtJpz-Wtu54v5WxsMj7orP7Z-OAWfJxA-qqR7NITl872XXF9nNULS07-g3EUgR5dy2wMztraGw4/s320/IMG_2327.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574814279018142818" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; ">
<br /></span></div><div>winding the warp (left). [[i would really love to get into the entire process of weaving, but i will gladly let <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving">Wikipedia</a> do it for me!]]</div><div>
<br /></div><div>the warp is all ready to go! (right) </div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TtixAtYJIniyVAXRt-yI_oLo81e-BrlOUFDVI6OIAO0rHS4Knt9mCG8EF1OwlMn0o599Tnqed36GAJJ6SOxBnkaLt4wUMUY0TdsGYyodF8gj_RU0kAOZyeB0RhFamOVZ0dh7mS40kPE/s1600/IMG_2330.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TtixAtYJIniyVAXRt-yI_oLo81e-BrlOUFDVI6OIAO0rHS4Knt9mCG8EF1OwlMn0o599Tnqed36GAJJ6SOxBnkaLt4wUMUY0TdsGYyodF8gj_RU0kAOZyeB0RhFamOVZ0dh7mS40kPE/s320/IMG_2330.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574814825302200290" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div>
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<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4943l7SCmVlk9b2q2OVqvYcDFRvCNCt3I0BqCpHw-JvM2ylnxztlQKG9uTn6mdN9CrlqFmd95xUrLe9gCdPrwK68X9xEjYSc8x81JmyfD7bDCRFihFEmpfy9bBeZh3SVj6lxH54Xanq8/s320/IMG_2337.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574815408885622930" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div>with a little help from my husband, the warp is on the loom, only one more thing to do before i can start weaving!</div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRc4flc1SlEnSW9Lhx_wwPbcdgCBqdLEo310i0Tn7EIFcLHyglksjPp7zjLbqJX4v9Lt5qb4LrY_oQzYpev599_wMH4kp47FZnJsKMlJBdd_e8B8ncgDky8Z4vuvLRPM0R3K38SKhyphenhyphen8w/s320/IMG_2342.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574815733662937458" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div>and that's tying on. let's weave!!</div><div>
<br /></div><div>it has definitely been a learning process, but i am so in love with it. i don't even want to get into how many times i had to undo what i was doing and start over, but i had enough yarn and the color combination is really nice. i started weaving this past weekend and it's been trial and error. i'm sure it will just take a little bit for me to get my rhythm back.</div><div>
<br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-r3D5b_DFAV6Oz3gzrxfn0heqsc5IeWBz0I66IaRINQoAHK6iBwTJzCaEDUwWXRZFoSzwgC9WjbW-YlY1SvsONyeVZi5cRjsGwXx1-An4YEwClcrc3FdheYntHvA8FfXFTdG53VSDg0/s320/IMG_2352.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574816187672503426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div>i'm not too crazy happy about these edges, but i'll get it right.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>more updates soon! </div><div>
<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-59451147926324085052011-02-05T11:50:00.031-05:002011-02-06T09:36:49.792-05:00weaving is happiness<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDx7Ia5DY3MFvqiZ1q58f3-Dg3Yj0rNR6YUX6UeEus3ET2_IWb9BowH8v_1v8FQG-Cdpv_wbky1-r_5yYZmGbyyJib1FdkKT38rKusNv3YVts283r4TbmxyzJWS01CJbJlkvp4KOxfHtA/s1600/IMG_2288.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pbSPjiOkdCy-crmLBcqaIZGRd87d3wkYPl0zELSBW5nEvekACMoP2-6mVx5tyZLzw1zqswESS4eyIFmFqHEVBnwBrccockaTzSJJNcorLGS9rGNSthk9NafiWvo044vNbGQ4Ei-_to0/s1600/IMG_2264.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pbSPjiOkdCy-crmLBcqaIZGRd87d3wkYPl0zELSBW5nEvekACMoP2-6mVx5tyZLzw1zqswESS4eyIFmFqHEVBnwBrccockaTzSJJNcorLGS9rGNSthk9NafiWvo044vNbGQ4Ei-_to0/s320/IMG_2264.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570264615894795890" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXEJapedbjFlMKBVnyymK2UvrTVtsSffjzUIBmXpAFbE6LqHDqhlqBHQ7Q8Yz0TK1I-YYNkW7eaI4k827kLHMSG4hLvayZmaauStTg8kNFgsmwXwK81u7-tpEp90S72c-pu9aH6ugdHo/s1600/IMG_2261.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXEJapedbjFlMKBVnyymK2UvrTVtsSffjzUIBmXpAFbE6LqHDqhlqBHQ7Q8Yz0TK1I-YYNkW7eaI4k827kLHMSG4hLvayZmaauStTg8kNFgsmwXwK81u7-tpEp90S72c-pu9aH6ugdHo/s320/IMG_2261.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570264313204122818" /></a><div>i learned to weave in college. from the first time i sat at a loom, i knew i had found a true love. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>[[tapestry projects from college]]</div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">there is something so meditative about the entire process of weaving. choosing the yarn combination, the pattern, preparing the warp, setting up the loom. color and weave, and tapestry are my favorite methods.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFb4WbjrYsQEmkCRMpvG2vSNtzk8lg2tkLJEt1H_DW5EV7SKoOdqknEix2T8MLCnAzlo1H3kujHVgalhFxRrTTST_9pu7LrWj1y_QJBuk2YJTmi5gZkkksV4NTrx78rWds_43DgEd6oU/s320/IMG_2268.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570261774955820210" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div>[[my first tapestry sample decorating our "hallway" on the left. i found that embroidered piece on the right in a thrift store. it almost looks Indian in origin]]</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></div><div>when i graduated almost 5 years ago, i left weaving behind. looms can be a bit expensive and quite large, not very practical for a small NYC apartment.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDx7Ia5DY3MFvqiZ1q58f3-Dg3Yj0rNR6YUX6UeEus3ET2_IWb9BowH8v_1v8FQG-Cdpv_wbky1-r_5yYZmGbyyJib1FdkKT38rKusNv3YVts283r4TbmxyzJWS01CJbJlkvp4KOxfHtA/s320/IMG_2288.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570265131115298914" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></div><div>[[a weaving and dying project, using a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibori">shibori</a> technique. aka resist dying.]]</div><div><br /></div><div>my brother wears a scarf that i wove in college. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbrsaz5NrZDcT9FcI27i7ARSJ831R5-qv5-I6Mba5tmrIcTQzmz4uGy92Nv9OXQQZP6sXGkB4rw-rtmkkprI9gZtO_yCylp_QKsKZEiNJzY9qmrWp49yNpibTWDKOnDxX8YAPAZeKus-g/s320/IMG_1991.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570299099244412930" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div>a few weeks ago, i found out that one of my favorite online stores for yarn, <a href="http://www.knitpicks.com/">KnitPicks</a>, is now selling rigid heddle looms. i bought one immediately! the great thing about this type of loom is that it is compact and can fold up for easy storage and travel, even in the middle of a project. weaving can be done on a table top, or a stand.</div><div><br /></div><div>putting it together today.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IfJbMZprCOKLZIvA0IkjLXvGzYcl8hoHhzGbClzVviv9rDRUKqko-LVMaBL2-hMI8UqboPvg5Y1OtwqSFOqqzoyR6Wq54BLAdBJZWi1f_ymqa61lCElw2ySaz9NVnoUvTCgoyd5IqsY/s1600/IMG_2277.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IfJbMZprCOKLZIvA0IkjLXvGzYcl8hoHhzGbClzVviv9rDRUKqko-LVMaBL2-hMI8UqboPvg5Y1OtwqSFOqqzoyR6Wq54BLAdBJZWi1f_ymqa61lCElw2ySaz9NVnoUvTCgoyd5IqsY/s320/IMG_2277.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570262763788212402" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9HFzP3Xe-cEeXV4S0yKw8ftaFn9YXi7Yjl4IVKFVVXoRbyzv99ISgjfpfYBZ4iqubHcqDc-dnrCgr6jFF2MwNLsrJZ2BvRfRMvu_UcdAL99mngZfV3zckGAT_-3304U4se3_22s_DAc/s1600/IMG_2278.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9HFzP3Xe-cEeXV4S0yKw8ftaFn9YXi7Yjl4IVKFVVXoRbyzv99ISgjfpfYBZ4iqubHcqDc-dnrCgr6jFF2MwNLsrJZ2BvRfRMvu_UcdAL99mngZfV3zckGAT_-3304U4se3_22s_DAc/s320/IMG_2278.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570263384701206722" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IfJbMZprCOKLZIvA0IkjLXvGzYcl8hoHhzGbClzVviv9rDRUKqko-LVMaBL2-hMI8UqboPvg5Y1OtwqSFOqqzoyR6Wq54BLAdBJZWi1f_ymqa61lCElw2ySaz9NVnoUvTCgoyd5IqsY/s1600/IMG_2277.jpg"></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzmt2ivHB6fZ3KGX8CUw2NPqtHrt3vS79iLzcmT8ZC5V-Tbe2-uhkzq4UDssIuaYyYomkFSHMXHzlywpSFAo5c0z0CDDUp5UmTprEvWaPVRQx-2H7VLWphLbTEy7W0mz2I1bl4dcEtSc/s320/IMG_2307.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570283370273463362" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 317px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3bjVdVR5Drp9_M81EhhJD8HWGT5J7erxkTggibN_GTruBCYD7THV35-rVz-F3k6dSBuJsynCFEVAa1PKxR0lz5I8I84ME-fr6QDlgN7I4INRCAgbCUjRa5zGH8h8LIAh1FYq0C9lKqI/s320/IMG_2309.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570283996038134434" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHngGJWdLIsx843VhJj9ZEFjoSoAUzbc0mJ8tGRgmaABCa9JDoAP9fSaUeNXhgpUfsb7Oq-daAE4SqcpM8fZvhW4HNKknklU8YWq5WYHozVFAILQVnoK6u8kHlo-fjRSJ7OYstgKLVGs/s320/IMG_2300.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570284387381480194" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQi783eqcCRQUbCfvYu92M7kcdsLDCzqbFhh9TUmE5gteBa-SFWSdYTO-hRZDzmM-QHmUmu27PGqhcS_OxI3jRPFqUOfUkRzVEmafLEeVhLDLMX5ZltP1P__C3zn6RRrOCFEgG5w5HR2Q/s320/IMG_2299.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570284941973896818" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 307px; " /></span></div><div>the finished product!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35ELuoQCEnlgHd2kuqoTka7IvrmTKLZEmfOxgQXLLNyNRmk1QPgngLioGEBvf5irxEaersFtKaulLbrbwsI_Iy2QJzE_jf-swk2rdjHxbaLVxk-f5eMfV_A8-CL1pYXt1YIbTIfyFMds/s320/IMG_2318.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570298473211498242" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div>i can't wait to start a project, what will i make first?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-12331066554586491492011-01-29T08:53:00.005-05:002011-01-29T09:24:11.289-05:00treasures<div style="text-align: left;">it's been a long time since i opened the etsy home page on my computer. the lack of work to list there was almost a bitter reminder that my shoppe has been dormant for such a long time. not that it's really a bad thing, but my day job has just been so demanding, and my husband uses the studio/study much more than i ever would.</div><div><br /></div><div>in other words, i have fallen in love with etsy all over again. not realizing how many changes they've made to the website, i've updated a few things and started surfing through my favorite places.</div><div><br /></div><div>inspiration. </div><div><br /></div><div>one of the changes that i really love about the new etsy is that anyone can make a treasury! when i first started using etsy, over 4 years ago, one had to wait for a slot to open up, and that was just too much work. so yesterday, i made my first treasury! </div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLg2oJlF1pjV9LdDgwlkco5ldRHIAV5s7m7OaLLgwCGDxrU1Lcrrd08rwq6czmyzFRIEvtvVaSVX8kvQfMp-VtEIAHZKkF2u4UGaP48Isj9_GoUglurQVxR7u8oNETKmzfjnoHBXydaE/s320/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567608722105879730" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 320px; " /></div><div><a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d4385b48aeb8eef61c8967a/for-you-my-love">for you, my love.</a> (click on the image to view it larger) </div><div><br /></div><div>really made for the hopeless romantic husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, lover, looking for the perfect gift. i'm working on another one right now. the idea of a treasury is to create a collage of favorite items based on a theme, either by subject matter, color, gift ideas, etc. no two items can be alike, and no one seller can be featured more than once. i love to use color and theme together, so focused on pale pinks, deep reds, white and gray but also trying to find items from my favorite sellers that could make wonderful valentine's day gifts. </div><div><br /></div><div>you can visit my treasury by following the link above, "for you, my love". </div><div><br /></div><div>what are your treasures?</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-79605161537217390432011-01-17T17:16:00.001-05:002011-01-17T17:17:12.371-05:00happy new year!the <a href="http://brianandlesleyrobinson.blogspot.com/2010/12/seasons-greetings.html">Robinsons</a> wish you a happy new year from new york city!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-60953772006261814782010-11-13T11:51:00.004-05:002010-11-13T12:06:46.781-05:00New blog!<div style="text-align: left;">Hello family, friends and fans!</div><div><br /></div><div>It's been awhile, I know. Crafting has been on the back burner for me since last winter, as my husband needed the second bedroom for his study.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Q99GgBWS_tk1LRIT0aUxVbzzNwnJh7EdkowRKSxmYLFHsNeK6UiRik-efAhPIF1WpIbK3CFB1KciKK0RdOR3fd3N7wK-CG-E8DhOyaQcVwqxYpvJ0wjwNUWE_U_VBKMVszX_lzTNF3U/s320/IMG_1539.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539080002710247474" /><div><br /></div><div>[Brian in his study!]</div><div><br /></div><div>I was realizing that this blog was turning into more of an everyday blog for what was going on in the life of the Robinsons! Nothing wrong with that, of course, but I decided to start a blog dedicated to just that! </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg91X6WXxOPMdw-JW9INSXWXEMwqY2HLcISQrI-sbMwwY6WWjO0qSeW6hVgKavjktmzoC2Ec_dgs8-4c4ie0XmfyS22X2OKudfqpbqwIfBXSCmrfYJRo-ceoe2Q80xriEDDb5oCXNLM98/s320/IMG_2000.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539080958152300562" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>[The Robinsons outside our apartment in Queens, our lovely new VW Jetta parked next to us]</div><div><br /></div><div>You can see it here:</div><div><br /><a href="http://brianandlesleyrobinson.blogspot.com/">Meet the Robinsons</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned for more crafty updates! </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-52831599427657656802010-05-29T21:23:00.012-04:002010-05-29T21:51:38.135-04:00not for the vegan hearted<div style="text-align: left;">memorial day weekend brought with it plans of relaxing.</div><div>plans of starting a garden in our apartment. </div><div>of roasting a whole chicken. </div><div><br /></div><div>little did we know that some of these plans would not work out quite as we hoped. </div><div><br /></div><div>or expected. </div><div><br /></div><div>the garden is perfect! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9ue53ULFB0iOpRngEn9VTdg90o9v0vC_9nD-wQQgiXzG5miMOzZvDdpga499qz1CwMCuK7fzg0W5d3F_C_Nao7AkxP6JtZBDQc3Rx_EEbwGnFaQ64qGFq66xARAJ-VM_QUTY0DtAL14/s320/IMG_1560.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476872736490199202" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>it was the chicken. </div><div><br /></div><div>using a recipe from a "Real Simple" magazine i bought a few weeks ago, i decided to roast a whole chicken, something i had never done before. on my own at least. </div><div><br /></div><div>roasted with potatoes, onions, organic carrots and an entire head of garlic, i knew this was going to be fairly simple. the preparation was, and i really enjoyed it.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshVHTraq6tnq6LGp7aa6LIJX2tL47thi8ug-1426Djpue_y8i4M302qQd00WEpy8WkxQn3YiT4olY0V8QSSHYIZ8xBuBR5oN7VClH_jWY8zYdg4Vo5ME0tzEMEssMgLo9hSxyYOfnZxs/s320/IMG_1576.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476869100194616834" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpDhxvmqQDZSrKuLAS4cK__SbZn-fClYakGA5DEszd1Xv1zP2QU0kC3K1GnL4ZsjgSWX-O3xAgl95fGvzh2TGuhiV5PjaGftqdDZBmxnb-Dgx8Tr7JTwG-9-VmYbxtdc27Z9c2QKqVfU/s320/IMG_1575.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476869931959912258" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2VGJkdlqm942uQuDA5DzGTJqe9I6_TRebFN3d3J4r6_AFoK3uvjBdJruO6Eyc_aCFTbktvEaUX3jFsJtSTvjNjRZOLB9Jmit-udHcIKJNmiQCF6cDdB549WWMfV4YPNaVjfNJFlww8c/s320/IMG_1580.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476870402158433890" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>everything was ready to go, oven preheated, ingredients combined, chicken stuffed with fresh herbs from my windowsill garden and lemons. so i put the glass dish filled with yummy things in the oven to cook for the next 90 minutes. </div><div><br /></div><div>an hour passed. </div><div><br /></div><div>i decided to take a look at the chicken (by the way, i didn't smell anything cooking, and i was planning on removing a fully cooked chicken a half hour later). the chicken was still completely raw. not even warm. </div><div><br /></div><div>ugh. </div><div><br /></div><div>our oven was totally busted! </div><div><br /></div><div>we called our Super to see if he could fix it. luckily he lives right next door and is such a nice man. he looked at it and realized he couldn't fix it and thanks to the holiday, we wouldn't be able to get someone in to fix it until Tuesday evening at the earliest. ugh again. </div><div><br /></div><div>all seemed lost. </div><div><br /></div><div>then, our Super was so nice to offer the oven in his apartment! we took his offer and ran the glass dish filled with a 4 pound chicken and veggies to his apartment in the building next door. i will admit that i felt a little strange about doing this. i didn't want to interrupt his schedule, and it seemed so out of reach! but we put it in his oven, and went back to our apartment to wait. </div><div><br /></div><div>patiently.</div><div><br /></div><div>about an hour and 25 minutes later, after running over to his place, we came back to our apartment with a beautifully roasted chicken. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWDOGPQ18hu2wJBoSzzxwhlDJeH9nk47P6sWnuVDYj3m9slLc9bo581gUDDHH9BbZx-SgG1b0k54lH3SfYMukqER6sWH-rhOK_z9cSYZ_Vr2OWXg4i1nWnQwp_tygyYWKYi7i6TPveEE/s320/IMG_1582.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476871204185739426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>and it was so delicious. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduuqxaUbi8vEhly5djImP_tsDz-rAGY4VRAPRIAcNJdM-i8u_eu5eRAzTUgT27tgiXsV202UQQ6dZGTyxBnlGmvfKXifJbWibB72pF2Msf4UpZYfX1sm-xa7n47Ry7zMZnvbBET25MzE/s320/IMG_1584.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476871682721811922" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-62924055137849875072010-05-26T21:15:00.000-04:002010-05-26T20:17:30.982-04:00new look and more of a break than i thought<div style="text-align: left;">hello my faithful readers!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>i have been a bit MIA with the crafting since the holidays. they seem far away and yet really almost 6 months ago! </div><div><br /></div><div>i've been taking a much needed break from sewing and making and creating, as the holidays were a very busy time for me. needless to say, i got a little burnt out and decided to let my listings on Etsy expire and start fresh! a new year, a new start. (that sounds familiar)</div><div><br /></div><div>i have a lot of ideas rolling around in my head, most involving the decorating of our apartment. it's become a project and has taken over! the studio was going unused, and i was looking at my husband working day and night in our living room, distracted by my silly TV shows and knitting projects (yes, i still have those).</div><div><br /></div><div>so i decided. to give him the studio to make into his study. a little moving around, a little organizing with plastic bins (i love plastic bins), putting them in closets and wallah! the clutter was gone and B has his own space where he can close the door and work quietly without hearing vampire slayage in the background (no, i'm not going to tell you what silly TV show i'm referring to).</div><div><br /></div><div>see before as my studio. (what a mess!)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMDD-JZpNh2LhcGNqo0o5kyMG3UnpovJ25-8fgLY2b0cs5r1FKSFch7zvhDyBALgjYNNk_GBZ8Rl1wPuU117JD_Gekll9_0ygYlY-m2SYTJkk-TyvKDkN9FUTm-1-egWcjDUq8zwQhkM/s320/IMG_1528.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475730473481424178" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>and after as B's study (B has a much hipper chair now).</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpB6mmNEjwSXsuKLj50pvVGnYX-EMNlmNu3WdmVCwiVqcGPu0GvMRDsiLn4utZyyH49u7YyYP4bf1qDrJzmtyXSuo84XPFJJAeBMJLrV3TExTScP2UtE763qpT2DkSZDvTlFIvpXLHiv8/s320/IMG_1533.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475730939907645474" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KSqDildR1dCPNsOeu_9YEqgZZl7s4m0aGIWiMAi6_Np0DzsgG9iLpj6rjfmrw9NeyFtwgm2SKPU8TvwexIopR1JtaMteDoYiCpE7O0uEB2T2rF9GXyiCZKjKOtH_rOKKk6NqFlk4pUo/s320/IMG_1535.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475731460022278642" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>this actually was finished quite a few months ago, in February, ugh! have i really been gone that long? </div><div><br /></div><div>---------------</div><div><br /></div><div>in other news, i really have not been crafting. other than knitting, i have been craft-less. my sweet mother who lives in Michigan visited the week after Mother's Day, and she stayed in the study. the sofa you see in the photos is actually a convertible sofa, and turns into a nice size double bed for our overnight guests. also quite comfortable i hear. </div><div><br /></div><div>my real reason for posting today was to tell you about my "windowsill garden" that i've started in our apartment! i have recently been longing to live in a house, to have a backyard to call my own, to grow things. i read an article in my new favorite magazine, "Body + Soul" (which is changing their name to "Whole Living" from the website by the <a href="http://www.wholeliving.com/">same</a> name), a Martha Stewart publication. it was about a woman named <a href="http://www.rosalindcreasy.com/">Rosalind Creasy</a>, a landscape designer in Northern California. she is known for her "edible landscaping." i was so inspired that i called my dad immediately to tell him about it! (my mom and dad are amazing gardeners, see my dad's blog <a href="http://aviewfromthegreenbarn.blogspot.com/">here</a>, he talks a lot about their garden, and my mom's blog <a href="http://www.ruthie822.blogspot.com/">here</a>, she always posts beautiful photos of flowers and such)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_JWAXpIcbx4ko4md0u1syJuh-0Vx1tzyzOmZ8fzTTgusqX-7jgWQ6WTG3XIGdJ3x9rC_4ets05sH0PYL_P8Aa1PZCHpYa_ADVPUrPRah7zVA1zjLQlR7RawJh-kYFFHwnWQdOkV4uXk/s320/IMG_1546.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475732584379494850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>(newest issue on the top)</div><div><br /></div><div>i thought to myself. just because i live in an apartment in New York City, with no backyard to call my own, doesn't mean i can't grow fresh ingredients! i bought a basil plant when my mom was visiting, and it is the first plant in my new project. basil on the kitchen windowsill.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_EY6-JEaKhFdB_iXOrUDoZ1noL7H0poLddTbyJne-q_sGo160Jhzpyqjmz4m6_pgMaP0ynyLcJFT22YapF06Q5rzgjfwO7raHik-HLtHu2HAzNmDQlJa67k1Ka8ZlrtB4p1cHZkRcOuc/s320/IMG_1553.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475733185777611586" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>so this weekend, i think i'll venture to the local farmer's market in Union Square and get some edible plants that will thrive indoors! luckily this window gets a lot of sun during the day!! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilWsaXgEapMnbulA0aef0UHsrpBPnJ6IpSJiaLlV5dPBiO2zKR-EnVzoGfVDXfZwfVdFtsmWlhr2g5e2-bNK9ZHTPRJZ8k7q4gpRjTkyJ1HDUr1bZbogPVCF1TkBfC4SsCjHWGm4dZrKE/s320/IMG_1551.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475733478328338114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>i know i can be happy with this.</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-50932577764734996012010-03-16T14:19:00.010-04:002010-03-16T14:38:53.363-04:00in the meantimelong time no blog!<br /><br />i have a post in the works about what is going on in the life of lesley and Pink Graffiti, but in the meantime, take a look at some pretty things.<br /><br /><div><div><div>Brian's cousin Molly is getting married in June, we are so excited to take a vacation to Fort Worth to visit the family! but of course this was an excuse for me to buy a pretty floral dress (pictured below). i must say that the fashion and clothing in every store very much resembles what i see in the <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp">Anthropologie</a> store windows, but for much more affordable prices! take <a href="http://www.charlotterusse.com/">Charlotte Russe</a> for instance. </div><div><br /></div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449299092055178418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0oxjvgb3VSZuOVl8e2NZ6tblU6HEkg8l88mlzWfzA-bV85La7xyX4RSM_JIt8R-OXqr8pmbU-zSJwjd-EB4HFFd5o-iztumL3Cldw-RSRgWkV4wbwfp5ttZs9UbLCsR9dyZvtLDKxCo/s320/pCHIC1-6943133dt.jpg" /></div></div><p>Floral Poplin babydoll dress </p><p>just one of many many dresses i fell in love with at Charlotte Russe. i even bought matching turquoise sandals to wear to the wedding!</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPGCW7pmqMlC7_UthguHJr-qlZpEUWSFnyB2HR8ixV8LdrPESexCBlBkeBnBCKGAwXgLGXLkpyj9UoDdO3OmpbO9-TgFDOHleTINQoT5rdwd7m4BhO8K1Uisg03Z44E-WhdjbFu6bRN4/s1600-h/26_gorrill_48_6.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449300803956590690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPGCW7pmqMlC7_UthguHJr-qlZpEUWSFnyB2HR8ixV8LdrPESexCBlBkeBnBCKGAwXgLGXLkpyj9UoDdO3OmpbO9-TgFDOHleTINQoT5rdwd7m4BhO8K1Uisg03Z44E-WhdjbFu6bRN4/s320/26_gorrill_48_6.jpg" /></a></p><p>Gorrill gladiator sandals from <a href="http://www.aldoshoes.com/">Aldo</a>.</p><p>pretty shoes, pretty flowers and very very pretty colors. i think i even have a necklace to finish it off.<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw93lrrO2hGdCN8z6JfW7WyPrXQcDHrNgLMyV9MjZnq-_KbeFg0RGLZycSZLxY06rNjt0UmUw40oygwiB9Blhw_t3ElorvLvrJWJbawvBp83lWJDaXRXqmziKVQE01lT76D5_xafixEXk/s1600-h/on732841-00vliv01.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449301914967504514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw93lrrO2hGdCN8z6JfW7WyPrXQcDHrNgLMyV9MjZnq-_KbeFg0RGLZycSZLxY06rNjt0UmUw40oygwiB9Blhw_t3ElorvLvrJWJbawvBp83lWJDaXRXqmziKVQE01lT76D5_xafixEXk/s320/on732841-00vliv01.jpg" /></a> </div><div>bubbles cluster necklace from <a href="http://www.oldnavy.com/">Old Navy</a>.</div><div> </div><div></div><div>what are you wearing this spring and summer?<br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-25835359804058573822010-01-23T12:54:00.027-05:002010-02-10T21:10:33.124-05:00featured artist : Padmaja<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Pink Graffiti is happy to feature artist Padmaja Chaluvadi! a wonderful textile artist and surface designer from India, Padma is a New York resident, with a studio in Brooklyn. a fascinating person that i am lucky enough to have met and call a friend, she is traveling in India at the moment, painting and visiting family.</div><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline" class="Apple-style-span"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 231px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429996330343388290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZXDRYeq3L1qvxSP1oH_t6n3-27KRD9nEbpZ35UQ2wfVJiUwgivNj-pNqK6hDwBKnyVi70JLfCkrVShJ3eqMc9ND_cUet5hpettSrcoCX5lxwxJyt-Y3o7k6u0gjO3LSuj9m-T00emJ0/s320/IMG_6116-sm.jpg" /></span><br />Padma working in her studio. her <a href="http://www.blogger.com/:http://www.etsy.com/shop/padmaja%22">Etsy shoppe</a> currently sells clothing, home decor and accessories, all hand painted and printed in her Brooklyn studio. we actually met through my mother and her friend, Rauf, who lives in India.<br /><br />Padm<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">a was kind enough to answer some of </span>my interview questions:<br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tell us a bit about yourself, your shop, what you design/create!</span></b></span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13;"><div class="gmail_quote"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic;font-size:small;" class="Apple-style-span">Well, I am an Art director/advertising by profession but always been drawn to fashion and textiles since childhood. So now my work has the mixed influence of advertising, fine arts, as in having an idea/concept/thought behind the patterns. As well as cross cultural iconography, indian motifs with a western twist, a western motif with an Indian subtext.</span></div><div class="gmail_quote"><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></b> </div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">When did you start creating things?</span></b></div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></b><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic; WIDTH: 0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Five years ago, one Fall day, just for fun, I enrolled in an evening class of experimental screen printing at FIT, and now forever got hooked on the tactile medium. The interplay of the substrate </span></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic; WIDTH: 0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">is simply addictive. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic; WIDTH: 0px"></span><br /><br /></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">How do you like selling on Etsy so far? Would you like to start selling anywhere else?</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /><br /></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I just started, and I like the venue very much, but all the sales I made so far are from my friends and family :). So, That's not exactly true measure of sales... Yes, I want to try other avenues, high end boutiques, museums and custom orders. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></b> </div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">What kind of materials do you like to use? What are your favorite tools to work with? </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /><br /></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Natural and eco-friendly materials. I really try to be a fair trader and use low impact resources in the production process. My favourite tool is a loaded brush:).</span></span></div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></b> </div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Do you enjoy any other crafts or hobbies? What do you do when you're not crafting?</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /><br /></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A lot of photography (my main source of imagery), a lot of reading, 'looking' and painting. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /><br /></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Where do you look for inspiration?</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /><br /></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Everywhere... Nature, literature, and new york city streets.</span></span></div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><em><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></em> </div></div><div class="gmail_quote"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmv5MiduubRct2nLytnw9aVzcS-2bNjGMcxPOZbJNSiQ1a_FFhRIjbAhm5GtfqvvLOvEBcPVVgs-iEZh_Ywv9_f4HTwjDmgUWo4qwgX_CVAqvzC_T7o-iwKL5nce8C29ZnKnfncTzOkH8/s1600-h/SN200944.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 235px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431057569483415410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmv5MiduubRct2nLytnw9aVzcS-2bNjGMcxPOZbJNSiQ1a_FFhRIjbAhm5GtfqvvLOvEBcPVVgs-iEZh_Ywv9_f4HTwjDmgUWo4qwgX_CVAqvzC_T7o-iwKL5nce8C29ZnKnfncTzOkH8/s320/SN200944.JPG" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Any tips for other artists starting a craft business? </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /><br /></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Don't give up on your dream, and don't give up on your day job until your dream becomes real/possible. Personally and surprisingly, I am more creative and productive when I know my bills are getting paid than being a full time Artist and I am a 24/7 worry knot. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /><br /></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Where do you see your business going? Any future plans?<br /></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I want to enter home furnishing and interior design market and explore custom designs for fashion houses. </span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Anything else you'd like to share?</span></b> <div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_quote"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_quote"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Thank you Lesley for your time and interest.</span></span></div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)" class="gmail_quote"><em><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></em> </div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwpN3e4u3sW_f4rbMRqlbP5gSu4RWlwheaHtApbF7aToYQ7hmrJNcBgV1vm0C-bIWUrsXdfspOHffnMxGQ3wY5BSdBapWAiPglwvka4LJEL1pOqSYHNlL2rglx36rHB8_F14825OoiKE/s1600-h/IMG_6114-sm.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431058993127505378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwpN3e4u3sW_f4rbMRqlbP5gSu4RWlwheaHtApbF7aToYQ7hmrJNcBgV1vm0C-bIWUrsXdfspOHffnMxGQ3wY5BSdBapWAiPglwvka4LJEL1pOqSYHNlL2rglx36rHB8_F14825OoiKE/s320/IMG_6114-sm.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">thank you Padma, we are so excited to hear about your work! Padma and i have had lovely conversations about design and combining interiors and fiber design. we wish you so much luck and a wonderful, enriching time in India! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span><br /><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span> </div><div style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">you can also see her beautiful hand-painted and silkscreened designs here: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13;"><a style="COLOR: rgb(7,77,143)" href="http://majastudio.carbonmade.com/" target="_blank">http://majastudio.carbonmade.<wbr>com/</a></span></span></div></div><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-84813692457017873482010-01-08T10:45:00.006-05:002010-01-08T10:59:15.371-05:00i'm featured on a blog!oh how exciting! <a href="http://www.feltorama.com/">Felt-o-rama</a>, a wonderful Etsy seller, and crafter, has featured me and Pink Graffiti at her blog!<br /><br />see the interview <a href="http://feltorama.blogspot.com/2010/01/featured-felt-crafter-pink-graffiti.html">here</a>.<br /><br />thank you so much, April!<br /><br /><p>---------------</p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424398217119494770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUCeoiAKJo8tmAtwmTaY2iNGfhySm4ERfhEwuWipceJBAtY61nps7RKCtFWmysp2o8fRfa7745lvOaGfHwCom1iICOJ6hg8kjiB9riaB6GR-ksEqZAHfU2hA_yPzihRgqnPWcrAPu3ao/s320/944458_017_b.jpg" /><br /><br />the holidays are over, and i'm slowly getting back into crafting, i have so many ideas in my head! one of my biggest inspirations, a lovely necklace from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?navAction=jump&id=944458">Anthropologie</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-49456358010625516192010-01-03T11:20:00.008-05:002010-01-03T11:59:53.541-05:00another year, another decademerry christmas and happy happy new year!!! welcome back everyone, and i hope that all was merry and bright.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2im1Mcp4Ku4Aq-Q2GLbj5-SDhioSUSU3Q7W-7PTdDUrC-Qc6pfBYIt5reAkQy0sJttyjztpUKoXI978CyS1J_Dg7FBEJHsYHTQ-dLndvkmgCtnWuPLQxbpkVlshKU0YxVOWFHIkyXf-U/s1600-h/christmas-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2im1Mcp4Ku4Aq-Q2GLbj5-SDhioSUSU3Q7W-7PTdDUrC-Qc6pfBYIt5reAkQy0sJttyjztpUKoXI978CyS1J_Dg7FBEJHsYHTQ-dLndvkmgCtnWuPLQxbpkVlshKU0YxVOWFHIkyXf-U/s320/christmas-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422549651758866498" border="0" /></a>the husband and i stayed in NYC this year, just the two of us. it was quite relaxing and a blessing not to travel, but we missed our families dearly. here is our christmas corner, after opening presents and watching Christmas Vacation all day while we prepared our dinner feast.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TO3o6FaFoiOUrty47j9n2iygqv8bgy9JvBBJEl5n4PjL9siJPye4KLjC3eDnqH75DI8xhv2fTCWDqxEKhFESmKcjwq8qG06U-LpK9jlj_7CUfQzQV2OFQz5A2PEP1SPMtaoSeLkpDwA/s1600-h/christmas-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TO3o6FaFoiOUrty47j9n2iygqv8bgy9JvBBJEl5n4PjL9siJPye4KLjC3eDnqH75DI8xhv2fTCWDqxEKhFESmKcjwq8qG06U-LpK9jlj_7CUfQzQV2OFQz5A2PEP1SPMtaoSeLkpDwA/s320/christmas-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422550112293075410" border="0" /></a>i started cleaning and setting up the dinner table. candlesticks from my aunt and uncle from our wedding shower, bottles and vessels from our wedding, red beaded placemats from Kmart on sale, paisley napkins from Crate and Barrel, ornaments and gold leaves and berries from Michael's.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTVJHVFGrNjO2VdiZirsKOWcMMMjBO_oZDq6T2P6q5Sd5PBHgchmyir-lxdcw7otVtBZTlYmQI7uCe0g6chdYIJN-ThX0Dcysn1yvN73Kg4qCsVTgWQfnPz73MEJElw6VC_vk4L8jAek/s1600-h/christmas-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTTVJHVFGrNjO2VdiZirsKOWcMMMjBO_oZDq6T2P6q5Sd5PBHgchmyir-lxdcw7otVtBZTlYmQI7uCe0g6chdYIJN-ThX0Dcysn1yvN73Kg4qCsVTgWQfnPz73MEJElw6VC_vk4L8jAek/s320/christmas-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422550838218384322" border="0" /></a>i spent the afternoon baking a cherry berry pie, which was so delicious. cherries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. very simple recipe actually. i topped the pie with the Texas state, in honor of Julia, my sweet Mother in Law. here is what i did:<br /><br />-Pillsbury pie shells<br />-Cherry pie filling in a can (i recommend using 2 cans for a 9-inch pie pan if you want ONLY cherries - i only used one and had to improvise)<br />-Mixed berries, frozen<br /><br />prepare pie pan as usual, with one pie shell on the bottom, cut to fit the pan.<br />place cherry pie filling inside first.<br />let the mixed berries thaw to room temperature before placing in pie.<br />add 2 T of butter. place second pie shell over top, fold in as usual.<br />you can use any cookie cutter shape you might have that would be fun! i was given this Texas cookie cutter for my bachelorette party last summer, so i used the remaining dough (after cutting to fit the pan), rolled it out and used the cookie cutter! this could be very fun with a star, or snowflake shape around the holidays.<br />bake as usual! yum.<br /><br />the menu for the evening's feast:<br /><br />-top sirloin steaks from Whole Foods (see Brian below grilling in the apartment)<br />-sauteed green beans<br />-baked potato<br />-crescent rolls<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHF2OUY0_0ws5xqhuFXeKKshSKAe_o66XzEBKATkCIpDShFuFE8g1urBCFccGPEnbUQIZuwWArii8tS-1ZgXNbn8_9T60wu28UmXNh5nRrg-ymn1nvrBZZlTh6D6xKkjSOiywG6LRIbyM/s1600-h/christmas-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHF2OUY0_0ws5xqhuFXeKKshSKAe_o66XzEBKATkCIpDShFuFE8g1urBCFccGPEnbUQIZuwWArii8tS-1ZgXNbn8_9T60wu28UmXNh5nRrg-ymn1nvrBZZlTh6D6xKkjSOiywG6LRIbyM/s320/christmas-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422552678551931218" border="0" /></a>we love this grill. one of the gifts from our registry, both an indoor and outdoor George Forman grill.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-NP48RgAL92Oh-nugESG2HRtStYvz6KjZVPHwUEpHFlvISKInqWDJaSw5sda9kDNlPta0gUwD0hCApi5fr7qOheHrjWGxEtxUi8ehmoCjXp3mzoDT9lG0XPXW3ygM7cmHaTlBsL71uc/s1600-h/christmas-6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-NP48RgAL92Oh-nugESG2HRtStYvz6KjZVPHwUEpHFlvISKInqWDJaSw5sda9kDNlPta0gUwD0hCApi5fr7qOheHrjWGxEtxUi8ehmoCjXp3mzoDT9lG0XPXW3ygM7cmHaTlBsL71uc/s320/christmas-6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422553850412729314" border="0" /></a>our table set up for dinner, with our ware that we registered for at Crate and Barrel. thank you to our wonderful parents who sent us another place setting for christmas gifts, we are almost complete!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiAKKCa3N7j17UNVbPFDFGhXdW18cHTqbf_9i6nMtj11Nq1XwAqZp58f1WSf99PaRybFqj4BNNhKFWYcvFpF31Z_oCpKD3lgS8GZzX6qx2Du5QbBchlVzhhIgSMJUzEmLs9E2iqufseo/s1600-h/chirstmas-5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiAKKCa3N7j17UNVbPFDFGhXdW18cHTqbf_9i6nMtj11Nq1XwAqZp58f1WSf99PaRybFqj4BNNhKFWYcvFpF31Z_oCpKD3lgS8GZzX6qx2Du5QbBchlVzhhIgSMJUzEmLs9E2iqufseo/s320/chirstmas-5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422554537492876258" border="0" /></a>finally, the dinner is ready and we feast.<br /><br />we missed everyone so much this holiday season, but we were so happy to receive so many cards and photos. they are plastering our refrigerator. many happy wishes and may all your resolutions come true this year, this new decade.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-63038329473569312712009-12-14T10:35:00.032-05:002009-12-17T12:07:58.850-05:00it was a ___ weekend in astoria<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHMxfiCQRAM1MxbGw6QrlPZk5HOMojBBMTzA1u0vm6kR79N4H1zsi-eROr-aYG6Mm4z1K10D7UAjy63o84na5qAmifvcbspsoQl_v2JQhqIIDszv9fmPj4seV2CWbrgY-Qk9BGa7Ok5A/s1600-h/christmastree-1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415630301406138786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 163px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHMxfiCQRAM1MxbGw6QrlPZk5HOMojBBMTzA1u0vm6kR79N4H1zsi-eROr-aYG6Mm4z1K10D7UAjy63o84na5qAmifvcbspsoQl_v2JQhqIIDszv9fmPj4seV2CWbrgY-Qk9BGa7Ok5A/s320/christmastree-1.jpg" border="0" /></a>"have yourself a merry little christmas"<br /><div><br />the song runs through my head, played by Chris Botti on the trumpet. very jazzy. i write this as i listen to a Christmas station on <a href="http://www.slacker.com/">Slacker Radio</a>. memories of this past weekend, filled with the holiday spirit and hundreds of people dressed up as Santa Claus, running through the streets of my little neighborhood.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOz4M3uPX-WAt0_1JJ3AZrOEJH1X6q9mdK3zZ6DKTWnNDbC37_SycQTZmi70ha6CPe9Ly0I1jloxLINqImRRU0B8_DYNu4Ij96xBQSn6pUnS9ai69I6HhAqFNQ0NxTKd5nc-d4CBldPA/s1600-h/santacon-1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415626401549279778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWOz4M3uPX-WAt0_1JJ3AZrOEJH1X6q9mdK3zZ6DKTWnNDbC37_SycQTZmi70ha6CPe9Ly0I1jloxLINqImRRU0B8_DYNu4Ij96xBQSn6pUnS9ai69I6HhAqFNQ0NxTKd5nc-d4CBldPA/s320/santacon-1.jpg" border="0" /></a>what is this? a parade? an audition? a mind trick? no. it's <a href="http://nycsantacon.com/">Santa-con</a>, as we found out later. this image was taken from our kitchen window, looking out on our street! i was working in the studio when Brian called out to me. we sat waving at all the Santas for about 20 minutes, and they kept coming! from the subway station, we think, which you may be able to see in the distance. there are too many websites about this "convention".<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwHhybbAYmp2gHF9uDYCHWUpHx3P3wVVVKAA1vklOUM1Ij6yjLqpKClSwiVY1FI0NHFYe8E9Gnlt147VfTb1F0Jzv1yfNeXCryw1-PJbgLCmYPEZYE5ymJX2K4wtkeCsWaeX5EutPU38/s1600-h/santacon-2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415626744560446962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrwHhybbAYmp2gHF9uDYCHWUpHx3P3wVVVKAA1vklOUM1Ij6yjLqpKClSwiVY1FI0NHFYe8E9Gnlt147VfTb1F0Jzv1yfNeXCryw1-PJbgLCmYPEZYE5ymJX2K4wtkeCsWaeX5EutPU38/s320/santacon-2.jpg" border="0" /></a></div>this was Saturday, which i spent in my studio, preparing for Winter Blast. the craft fair was on Sunday, and i had been preparing for a number of weeks [[perhaps even months]], and had some last minute preparations to do.<br /><div></div><br /><div>sunday.<br /><br /></div><div>Sunday brought with it hopes of a day full of meeting people, showing off my work, and i was crossing my fingers for some sales. from reading a lot of forum posts about craft fairs, and some blog posts from crafty friends who have sold at fairs, i had little to no expectations about the day, it being my first craft fair and i had no means of comparison.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Brian and i woke up fairly early for a Sunday morning [[7:30am]] and started loading up the car. it was like a very good omen that the car started immediately! we had given ourselves some extra time to heat up the car [[long story short - the ignition for our Saturn Ion needs to be heated up via heating up the key on very cold days]]. we got to the hall to sell in good time and started setting up! i had brought a mish-mosh of table cloths, what i had in the house, but i loved the multi-color feeling of it. [[more on this later]].<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajYDJH8rcWP-zLdyEGfidwXM_REav40nyvzSVI7X_Gm_7VvRPNGwIhnpoQUMg0erGX-v9z3KvCYNBrqHWb-F6ZNBGWmbcY-2nY1_f5nA8EDi3tjYtev_JO5IsBgTs3OO6SyLvexlHMB8/s1600-h/winterblast-1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415627243870714786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiajYDJH8rcWP-zLdyEGfidwXM_REav40nyvzSVI7X_Gm_7VvRPNGwIhnpoQUMg0erGX-v9z3KvCYNBrqHWb-F6ZNBGWmbcY-2nY1_f5nA8EDi3tjYtev_JO5IsBgTs3OO6SyLvexlHMB8/s320/winterblast-1.jpg" border="0" /></a>my table right after setting up.<br /><br /></div><div></div>the show started with no real organization, people started coming in the doors before a lot of the sellers were done setting up, including myself! but by 10:30am my table was ready and Brian and i were manning the booth! excitement coursed through my veins as i anticipated meeting my customers face to face, different people looking at my work, being surrounded by fellow crafters!<br /><br /><div></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL9ut3ZnfDPU12E9S2iFgyZkuwvTPeJxy7YLAVHmV9rU4nsNRElUFwyBZteTP78bH7cTJcxKUd25OSV3JVSTLRZj21KkFTEuog4CCa_nXzoTS8mkXaCfl7k7Khaensgd5lvulzwFWehc/s1600-h/winterblast-4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415627514737118850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL9ut3ZnfDPU12E9S2iFgyZkuwvTPeJxy7YLAVHmV9rU4nsNRElUFwyBZteTP78bH7cTJcxKUd25OSV3JVSTLRZj21KkFTEuog4CCa_nXzoTS8mkXaCfl7k7Khaensgd5lvulzwFWehc/s320/winterblast-4.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div></div>11:30am<br /><div></div><br /><div>12:30pm</div><br /><div></div>1:30pm<br /><br /><div></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTslyIejLvewt7GnpL4hLfqivBeuHsgCgsb6Hkmt4WWPR04lHBEE2_KSg1RujI7BhPZKXlmEUiEOecjHqNnQCTMG7_AMoyNInHlPyFL5bHAOu8uhVanVVvpDSs_6wR3DyXYaccqwe5q0s/s1600-h/winterblast-3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415628078895634962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTslyIejLvewt7GnpL4hLfqivBeuHsgCgsb6Hkmt4WWPR04lHBEE2_KSg1RujI7BhPZKXlmEUiEOecjHqNnQCTMG7_AMoyNInHlPyFL5bHAOu8uhVanVVvpDSs_6wR3DyXYaccqwe5q0s/s320/winterblast-3.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>still no sales. i was beginning to be disheartened. Brian and i started coming up with every excuse in the book why we weren't selling.<br /><br />1. the downpour of rain that day.<br />2. bad advertising<br />3. weird location<br />4. rain</div><br /><div></div>2:30pm<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMWGkncAdlFWCXPN1ab3eu02qaMKgoVpOuNh9kRwPFV_t3v-9FMqFx5JgUjuqGTVXEcTmdSn61sM3hqg-X72U7GyUdcEc6R4MbH6O_yhkzcsO7KvrsPXgUY7VoYnVx8pqWZ4KK6ssPQc/s1600-h/winterblast-8.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415628471616560770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMWGkncAdlFWCXPN1ab3eu02qaMKgoVpOuNh9kRwPFV_t3v-9FMqFx5JgUjuqGTVXEcTmdSn61sM3hqg-X72U7GyUdcEc6R4MbH6O_yhkzcsO7KvrsPXgUY7VoYnVx8pqWZ4KK6ssPQc/s320/winterblast-8.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>by this time, i started writing down some trends i was seeing, what was selling, what was popular, what other sellers were doing. i walked around a bit and talked to some other sellers, i wasn't the only one there selling for the first time at a fair! i wasn't the only seller disheartened by the poor turnout.<br /><div></div>popular vendors:<br /><div>-knitwear</div>-beaded jewelry<br /><div></div><br /><div>trends: </div>-solid tablecloths, to make the product POP!<br /><div>-a lot of the vendors didn't have a sign with their shop name - strange</div>-donating an ornament for the raffle was a good idea, even though it didn't bring many sales, it did bring people over commenting on how they liked the ornament!<br /><div></div><br /><div>3:30pm<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNLTA6AR4C1qg3B3TDzd7E6ErHczdeXimzJEJhUyIQIFRqV10sy2ErR64qoiJVMiL-co-oaeatV-FxXFgBzrDCVXK3BtD_7ZkdEV0GahR3GDXoDFb_P90SPq4EBehZVZkV1JZaaZoeog/s1600-h/winterblast-7.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415628799290429170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNLTA6AR4C1qg3B3TDzd7E6ErHczdeXimzJEJhUyIQIFRqV10sy2ErR64qoiJVMiL-co-oaeatV-FxXFgBzrDCVXK3BtD_7ZkdEV0GahR3GDXoDFb_P90SPq4EBehZVZkV1JZaaZoeog/s320/winterblast-7.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div>Brian was such a great support. if it weren't for him, i wouldn't have made it to 4pm with no sales. <div></div><br /><div>4pm </div><br /><div></div>my first and only sale! a fellow craft vendor bought an ornament, which i unfortunately don't have a photo of. at this point i was offering 10% 0ff everything at my table. "end of day sale"<br /><div></div><br /><div>4:25pm</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-glqeONDznfgfaXknNFgdsPMRl5qVom_Nif-10ThS3Y2pKMnSbRp2EJrJO6SObBy1PRaszqdgmumUmKF9ahgnQ4dxfrhUG0U1rPV5oPkg7LREXLwAVd2IOVXCmdcV2b72vkOHrFXVBCI/s1600-h/winterblast-6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415629443348394146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-glqeONDznfgfaXknNFgdsPMRl5qVom_Nif-10ThS3Y2pKMnSbRp2EJrJO6SObBy1PRaszqdgmumUmKF9ahgnQ4dxfrhUG0U1rPV5oPkg7LREXLwAVd2IOVXCmdcV2b72vkOHrFXVBCI/s320/winterblast-6.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div></div>we started packing up. i left without talking to anyone, or saying thank you, because frankly, i was very disappointed. i really don't know if i will do an event with this company again, and i'm definitely not going to do another craft show until i have a more cohesive look and more stock. [[more on that in a later post]]<br /><div></div><br /><div>if anything at all, Sunday was a great learning experience for me. i feel it was money well spent [[$80 for an 8-foot table]] and despite the extreme exhaustion i felt in preparing for the show, i am happy that i was able to participate in something, spend a lot of time in my studio the past few weeks, showcase the work that i'm proud of and get feedback! there were quite a few people that stopped by my table, and even though they didn't purchase anything, some signed up for my mailing list and most took a business card! so who knows what will happen. i'm staying positive.</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dF0YwXTeYa1P1-EdQ-KqLF4FeY0H50rZ9mn-MX_NDxAWSkPQ79ZOoDUVHjuBC9tLyx-8gLT9ZLhGKEKmxxXMKcv9ZmXDpwfLIYM-wvpics58emMQ4Vda6mmmdLIIVpmoONEg0_L3LT4/s1600-h/winterblast-5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415629040206326994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dF0YwXTeYa1P1-EdQ-KqLF4FeY0H50rZ9mn-MX_NDxAWSkPQ79ZOoDUVHjuBC9tLyx-8gLT9ZLhGKEKmxxXMKcv9ZmXDpwfLIYM-wvpics58emMQ4Vda6mmmdLIIVpmoONEg0_L3LT4/s320/winterblast-5.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div></div>the vendors across from my table. the jewelry lady and i liked to make fun of the DJ when there were no customers around.<br /><div></div><br /><div>-----</div>news for this week and the weeks to follow!<br /><br /><div></div><strong>update :: Pink Graffiti will be hosting a giveaway at my blog! keep your eyes on the blog, the giveaway will be starting this weekend! sorry about the mix-up, i am a bit under the weather this week. </strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><div></div>Pink Graffiti is also going through some changes, which i will go into greater detail after the holidays. i'm going to be taking some time off from crafting to go back to the "drawing board", so to speak. lots of sketching, new ideas, retiring some current items, etc.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUb0bWjPxxVfteEAN3VUgnPqF5_w2-SetTXgmOqUQe_TEFcvrjXVwNXHGaLq1BAEdwrxCyT8S7riXFGCVAfaFlAL30fPAYqwrBRoW1TcEXk-Wzb3yJOVRJLLUZ9GFJfPd3gyJUs1AcnQ/s1600-h/christmastree-2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415629788993509730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUb0bWjPxxVfteEAN3VUgnPqF5_w2-SetTXgmOqUQe_TEFcvrjXVwNXHGaLq1BAEdwrxCyT8S7riXFGCVAfaFlAL30fPAYqwrBRoW1TcEXk-Wzb3yJOVRJLLUZ9GFJfPd3gyJUs1AcnQ/s320/christmastree-2.jpg" border="0" /></a>happy holidays and i wish everyone luck with all their preparations! [[this image and the first are of our Christmas tree]].Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-27612292833605680492009-12-08T15:27:00.009-05:002009-12-09T11:54:22.472-05:00dear...i would like to thank Gordon from Ohio for purchasing a pair of my puzzle piece earrings from my Etsy shoppe.<br /><br /><div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412968844784835554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYns0ZwS7aL7U0mZPch7tJyZZY-OovaZgZopiy_Sh9Pu8Imuw3QyCwmuZydCw4mhybD5MUzkDX6AJYHBGem0GXo9Tg7bRdiIuj10cpBdBmAvMeoYoQ5E2pgCW3m301KHW6FLaGEYhrUvg/s320/il_fullxfull_13478956.jpg" border="0" />dear Gordon from Ohio<br />thank you for visiting my shoppe<br />thank you for loving something so simple<br />dear Gordon from Ohio<br /><br />dear Gordon from Ohio<br />i think i know how you <a href="http://timothyadamdesigns.blogspot.com/2009/11/etsy-top-10-112409-thanksgiving-edition.html">found</a> me<br />or at least how you found the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=22514188">item</a> you found<br />the one you loved enough to buy<br />dear Gordon from Ohio</p><p>dear Gordon from Ohio<br />maybe you don't know, or maybe you didn't see<br />the other <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_1&listing_id=9862856">earrings</a> waiting ..... waiting....<br />dear Gordon from Ohio</p><p>dear Gordon from Ohio<br />thank you for an email sent<br />for sharing your plans with me<br />a small gift for your wife, waiting in her stocking<br />dear Gordon from Ohio</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413280235063602162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSh7a8enj_d4ortHtMx7Pyu_d7TpXT8jpbOtX6FKfesvaeUlfobo9a_KXCmGQgyw31-I-m4SMwFjkSlNrBaKtkqpMAtYmgfXXmjPn0howDcF-p5Dk2P8p36A-rYXnMQUzh-7ZZdUz2Zg0/s320/il_fullxfull_13479042.jpg" border="0" />thank you, thank you, dear Gordon from Ohio.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-68722945860874401012009-11-30T20:38:00.012-05:002009-11-30T22:12:19.538-05:00how i named my blog<div style="text-align: left;">so my mom has quite an amazing blog, which she calls <a href="http://ruthie822.blogspot.com/">"Synch-ro-ni-zing"</a>. she writes about many different things, like her poetry, her photography, her politics, her likes and her dislikes. she is the most incredible woman i know. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">a few weeks ago, she posted a not-so-contest contest on her blog, asking her followers to write about how they named their blogs! <a href="http://ruthie822.blogspot.com/2009/11/major-blog-award.html">"How I Named My Blog"</a>. so here i am, telling my story.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pink Graffiti.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>remembering. flipping through my sketch book. i found something.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWv56UIfMcb_4K3nh0MDLFLb5EuoNhzPwwWTbtawtXwLI2fwPLtd3I0mN2M9aX2-rzmDIMe0TVhLN4mdnCjp0kKHNHgtijQ-JY_vqrWcoecFSFT5_u_MfsY4bA59-DwAcehFDL23LBJs/s320/grapefruit.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410083345501173954" /></div><div>about 2 years ago, i was starting up my Etsy shoppe, my business, my craft. i wanted a name, something different, something that had meaning to my life, to my work. but i also wanted something that was significant for me. at the time, this was back in 2007, i was meeting with a small group of women. we all wanted to be business women, entrepreneurs, mogulettes. they helped me to brainstorm ideas and thoughts.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>i was really loving a poem that my mom had written about me, called Pink Grapefruit. inspired from a hat i knit from yarn i dyed from Kool-aid (which you can see in <a href="http://pink-graffiti.blogspot.com/2007/07/inspiration-today.html">this</a> post). the poem is so beautiful, and it inspired me to name my shoppe! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;">PINK</span> is such a rich color. it can be so stereo-typed, but used in the right context, it can lose its meaning completely. Pink Grapefruit, although a lovely name for a color of yarn, or a meaningful poem, was a bit too descriptive to name my craft shoppe.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>but the words were so seamless. there was something about that combination. the sounds of the words together, the syllables playing off each other. [grapefruit photo from Google]</div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkQ8h5TZH6KTJKC-9-tVczHNjwv1Fs5L3ApaZtyvlncEsfKqzJkhg2JPbWKEZ4lY7L1KVbw8_XaLpiBJQtUGGMQnTFpH6BHwRRUb6WTMmH182L3N-spL4YQWcy5W2t7jQKrlJMjYw-mc/s320/grapefruit2small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410085075463370786" /></div><div>when i was living in Detroit while going to school, i was always fascinated by the constant graffiti i saw on every building, some magically artistic, some amateur. i started thinking about my work as graffiti, embellishing something that is already there, already has a life of its own. giving it new life. new meaning. i think graffiti is that for some people. their stamp, their trademark. something to remember them by.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFdcuHQLt7N8fWGN9ej_niS-dZCUdjMeC-6M_8PlQbGmZC6S9S6jxoAaPGWnZX87U_3_dfcOgl1SQMLg90fnRgR5LT6Mdghjmf5-jsa5npWFNu2v2068uChv223SwUGhjCxA1Rinq8co/s320/3D3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410085488959930178" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 158px; " /></div><div>Pink Graffiti.</div><div><br /></div><div>the pink no longer holds any meaning. i look at the two words as a whole. representing my work. [photo from Google = literal representation]</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnb5odIzyRqmoBETttay62eMJ0Rvm9sophVCEvyolb2LXq18ho32K8JEUMJ4gTOkUYdjsCVuaZURXf2qRksGX8pu2n681hfDTneZQNyHuVb8iJfciTqJqf9OZjjS8zqvXjTQ5ePgBTaQc/s320/il_fullxfull.16942581.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410086080289299826" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 301px; " /></span></div><div>my graffiti.</div><div><br /></div><div>[i wonder if i ever told you any of that, mammas.]</div><div><br /></div><div>i would love to hear how you named yours! leave it as a comment or give me a link to your blog post about it! </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-26180532867209939202009-11-20T12:20:00.006-05:002009-11-20T12:32:28.565-05:00birds birds all for the birdsi have birds on the brain. it's intoxicating me! it's all i'm thinking about.<br /><br />i'm a vendor in my first craft show! Winter Blast in Astoria, on Sunday, December 13th. mainly focused as being a holiday fair, i'm mainly going to be selling my bird ornaments! i have a few at my <a href="http://lesleyanne.etsy.com/">Etsy shoppe</a>, all one of a kind and in all kinds of different colors.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406237862406524930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0CxGvVQ7P42JRiIXF22SCMF12X8pEwso2IFBWp6luNsezF7xmplvI1eRBC2fFMN2e7ayOJjCyV0w5uaCdg4ACT0HlhyphenhyphenvImoRaKBm6KPA-emMHde25Y91xU2sQ_6KCL7rKZWanvlT958/s320/il_fullxfull_103509571.jpg" border="0" /><br />the most recent bird ornament listing on Etsy. there are a few in this felt, which is not recycled, but recycled felt samples from my Interior Design job.<br /><br />i mainly like to use Eco Felt, which is made from 100% post consumer recycled plastic bottles. pretty cool material, and so many bright colors!<br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406238232278869026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBj9owAfHaHbe_lDakbbDEPF7ib_N_IRdUMTmJcIbJzcYjPKzitKkkcUTTpUa40qb0BRREFq1wEJuIH0-N1ZDnWlf0TXof-1FrXIeRFsHDEvtTrTb5_aakue6eCN5LVDRsIKH1YpWkok/s320/il_fullxfull_100793043.jpg" border="0" />like this bright green ornament! i have a huge stash of vintage buttons and gorgeous floral fabrics, so each one is a little different. they speak to me, the color and combination of buttons, the fabric backing....</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406238664331325202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLx1t7naDoVDBwLuoBNqBi4lKLlb5Wk3xQbq9oqpOmVOH_K8rwfSDvvSYzJH-fXCpinsTnrRRlkJC89hc7EVF73rxdToL5sTCsL9KUvorn0TtSNaXNoJiiZV-EDOM6Wz557dALPXwPoto/s320/il_fullxfull_100793130.jpg" border="0" />Pink Graffiti was also featured on the <a href="http://astoriaevents.blogspot.com/2009/11/handmade-designers-and-artists-of_16.html">Astoria Events blog</a>, as i'm donating one of these ornaments for the raffle/givaway at the fair!<br /><br />i'm trying to make at least 30 ornaments and possibly even some brooches for the fair, i have about 20 at home ready to start sewing and stuffing! last week i took 10 to <a href="http://www.candyplum.com/">Candy Plum</a> to sell there, so i'm crossing my fingers! </p><p>i have so many beautiful colors of felt, thanks to <a href="http://www.feltorama.com/">Feltorama</a>! i love custom orders, so if there is anything special you'd like to see, let me know! i can also embroider and applique words, so ideas are welcome! just send me an email or conversation at Etsy. pinkgraffitishop@gmail.com<br /><br />stay tuned for a tutorial!!<br /><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-46227286656581742452009-11-08T09:40:00.010-05:002009-11-11T12:51:56.528-05:00Featured Artist - Sweet and Dirty's Emporiumthis month's featured artist is <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetanddirtys">Sweet and Dirty's Emporium</a>!<br /><br /><p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvdO-Pk7iiD-Nb8mHDG-geMnb4HMZoQQsyjFMHQgueOCXGqzgJi3IDf2oAX96fLkT93BELb13_Mm0VD58p1p4D8sUNkK3URjz0LMkG0F1eXvse19Sr8JzimpZj0tidxymC0dBsxpODWA/s1600-h/felt+leaves+1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401748070379826514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvdO-Pk7iiD-Nb8mHDG-geMnb4HMZoQQsyjFMHQgueOCXGqzgJi3IDf2oAX96fLkT93BELb13_Mm0VD58p1p4D8sUNkK3URjz0LMkG0F1eXvse19Sr8JzimpZj0tidxymC0dBsxpODWA/s320/felt+leaves+1.JPG" border="0" /></a>Dave and Logan's shop, i found them through the front page of Etsy, the brooch pictured above was featured, and i immediately fell in love with the colors, fabric and contrast! i interviewed Logan to see what she has to say about her work and the shop itself!<br /><br />interview:<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc6600;">Tell us a bit about yourself, your shop, what you design/create!<br /></span><br />Well where to begin… A little about myself.. I am a mom and wife. I’ve got a sweet husband who is my biggest support system in all that I do, and we are brand spanking new parents to a 10month old little ladywho calls all the shots. We also have a house that holds a dog and three cats.. Its crowded for sure…but warm and cozy.</p><p>I went to school for art, and after getting a degree in painting I spent a good two years at a job I hated. Finding out I was pregnant was just what I needed to get me on the path towards doing something I enjoyed. After some tweaking, my husband and I decided we could cut some corners and let me be a stay at home mom. My friends and family have always been on the receiving end of all that I make. With lots of encouragement and the desire to work for myself Sweet and Dirty’s was born. The shop is a joint effort, my husband helps me navigate the business end, because he is a more patient person than I am .. And he makes jewelry when he feels like it. He is also the ‘dirty’ to my ‘sweet’.. they are lovely nicknames from amazing friends. I do all the sewing and picture taking, usually around naptimes and bedtimes. I tend to focus my attentions on bags of all sizes, and recently I’ve begun making pins. I’ve found that the pins can be made during the baby’s awake hours…so its nice to be able to play blocks and sew at the same time, besides she loves the button jars!<br /><span style="color:#336666;"><br /><span style="color:#cc6600;">When did you start creating things?</span><br /></span><br />I’ve always been into making things…. But I haven’t always sewn. Sewing happened all by the encouragement of my husband who always saw my frustration with never being able to find the right sundress. Some questionably constructed outfits later I got the hang of it and became addicted to my machine. Now I am swallowing our house with fabric bins and buttons. It’s nice to know you can make what you need. I’m still working on my knitting….</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402901574870987442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUK0n_9FTeSckxOapNnrgZpy3jX8b7UZk0Y2jpMfFuNqeWAIA5COiKFx3ZY2Y4aIOG8FIVrzarMXI6hdeVKQrhE2sZ-eIDt65VmIrunuOPqBHuq_yz5kz93cbkZhljboWnMlxjEVmc01A/s320/pant_1.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#336666;"><span style="color:#cc6600;">You sell your creations on Etsy, how did you get started doing that? Do you sell your creations anywhere else?<br /></span><br /></span>Etsy had always been suggested by friends… and it honestly took the motivation of having a baby to make it happen. I loved the notion of doing what I enjoy and raising our daughter all from the comforts of home. So I just leapt into it from there. Its been so amazing being on Etsy, an entire community of artists with so much talent is so inspiring. I love it. I don’t have anywhere else that I sell permanently. I have sold locally and within the past year have engulfed myself in indie craft fairs, mostly in Asheville. Also this past summer we did our first music festival, which was amazing.<br /><br /><p><span style="color:#cc6600;">What kind of materials do you like to use? What are your favorite tools to work with?<br /></span><br />Ive never met a material i didn't like... but mostly vintage fabrics, felt, and buttons. I've always got my trusty machine and needles and thread, so i suppose my favorite tool to use is my hands...</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402901898252287890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifkncYBfD1RcgFlEd3dp2mGFpjav-UOJi8gvA9WNvCwTAzIBL04Tx5x5rEoQuOnyg2UxpOcythH3gBM24WwXoDokMnYdFWiph-HMP1qlBbyO24NFMWnDWl9bjpon00w1BCAIFC3owWdVk/s320/005.JPG" border="0" /><span style="color:#336666;"><span style="color:#cc6600;">Do you enjoy any other crafts or hobbies? What do you do when you're not crafting?</span><br /></span><br />I am a thrift store addict… its where I find almost all my fabric. Its so exciting to find hidden treasures on the cheap. I’m trying to become a better knitter… I have yet to make the perfect ending to a scarf. When I’m not making things I can be found on the floor with building blocks and a spunky little lady trying to walk. I spend the majority of my time with the little one and my husband… seeing what we can get into. My husband and I get one night a month to be grown-ups.. we tend to devote those to good beer.<br /><br /><p><span style="color:#cc6600;">Where do you look for inspiration?<br /></span><br />Everything I make is all inspired by color and textures of fabric. I like bunching and shaping fabric into shapes and seeing what happens. Putting fabric together can take me forever, sewing is the easy part. I get really involved with color selection. I’ve always been a fan of Eva hesse and her use of color in her painting and drawings. I can't plan out what I make.. It all just happens… when I plan it ends up looking too tight and silly.</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402902369918225186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAfACmHtG-i9zxS67Ij1SUBCgmWi_q-xn_-lW3PHP9DZGUmEu4uC9_cHvED0v8PF57sGUqz8sXKJPEzGEhaGms0LNVwLP1jdG0FfvvgEtp2fxT8PRAjEcZ6FY1BA-BM8ze0L5NJeoBzY/s320/il_fullxfull_96066691.jpg" border="0" /><span style="color:#cc6600;">Any tips for other artists starting a craft business?</span><br /><br />Just stick with it. There is always a market for anything and everything that gets made, just do what you enjoy and it will happen. My shop was slow going in the beginning and its just now picking up… you have to put yourself out there.. Its really rewarding in the long run. ☺<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc6600;">Where do you see your business going? Any future plans?</span><br /><br />I hope it keeps chugging along… with a bigger inventory and whatnot. I’d love to have my own little physical shop one day too.. But we will see how that goes. The plan is really to just keep making the things I love and adding to our family…. All the while seeing it grow.<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc6600;">Anything else you'd like to share?<br /></span><br />Im sure I could go on and on.. But I just want to say thanks so much for letting me be a part of this!<br /><br />end.<br /><br />thank you, Logan! we loved hearing about your process and your work! you are truly inspiring to me, i wish you the best!<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402903098624997122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkRij9A0d8wic4NohkBBvrcuaFmk_nOjtMaoauLO_wapVqLxwInYwYCCLFrAOPV0NLq7kYuHx95rQJ1Uvw5pW_7X74fV41zZk_RONgn5p3l4RDp-JP-dbZjFBF2k-LKwsdDuyUPGxX4I/s320/080.JPG" border="0" />photo of Logan and her daughter. all photos provided by Sweet and Dirty's Emporium.<br /><br /><br />you can follow Sweet and Dirty at the following:<br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetanddirtys">Etsy Shoppe</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Sweet-and-Dirtys-Emporium-of-Good-Stuff/60813474637">Facebook Fan Page</a><br /><a href="http://sweetanddirtysemporium.blogspot.com/">Blog</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetanddirtysemporium/">Flickr</a><br /><br />check back next month for another up and coming artist from my favorites!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-41208921641313494142009-11-05T22:29:00.005-05:002009-11-05T22:46:57.096-05:00sneak peek - holiday ornamentsi sit at my PC (which has been much neglected these days, thanks to our brand new Macbook Pro), while slowly tweaking my photos in Photoshop (ugh this is taking forever), but my heart feels happy to be sitting in my studio late on a Thursday night. i definitely don't do this often enough, especially after a long day at the office.<br /><br />tonight was different. there's nothing quite like laughing for over an hour to get the heart rate up, your mood boosted and those smile muscles working on overtime. two words. Ricky. Gervais. he is utterly hilarious!! we saw him live at Carnegie Hall tonight, part of the <a href="http://www.nycomedyfestival.com/">New York Comedy Festival</a>, hosted by Comedy Central. he made the audience fall out of our seats by reading us a book from his childhood about "Noah" and his ark. he was his usual self. he ended the night by coming out for an encore with Elmo from Sesame Street! not what i expected. but hilarious nonetheless!<br /><br />(((i love the piano in this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-QhxjJFl7E">HTC commercial</a>.)))<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaQ1x4A9Ry0N_L1jX3AhW3OkYeAmisT4ssazfJcEoT4v_dA0oWcE9sYjhbj8NXMNk5gTSu20moILBjZ4Rs0vNRtZutXPU4o0WZpH6nOSoCsCtKTW0aUTlowP1os7eKxpIG-qJ82Ikshk/s1600-h/birds-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaQ1x4A9Ry0N_L1jX3AhW3OkYeAmisT4ssazfJcEoT4v_dA0oWcE9sYjhbj8NXMNk5gTSu20moILBjZ4Rs0vNRtZutXPU4o0WZpH6nOSoCsCtKTW0aUTlowP1os7eKxpIG-qJ82Ikshk/s320/birds-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400829917726207746" border="0" /></a>inspiration in the studio. i'm preparing for the holidays, more ornaments! these are ready to be sewn and stuffed. these were made with the eco-felt that i bought from <a href="http://www.feltorama.com/">Felt-o-rama</a>! and the fabulous vintage fabric used for the backing was given to me by my aunt and my cousin. their grandmother had all of this lovely fabric, buttons, ribbon and lace stowed away in an attic, not being used at all, and instead of throwing it away, they gave it to me! i was, of course, happy to take it off their hands.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6M23LMDIsjr-ADcu4Q1l36O3mQ3a-S9b6KqhqwgXZeCmAyQ1JkS2UebE_yEBR0jigeVZSYRep3EUcFlNhI2AMEAKNV3BAE3L2ounVzSCfuTnJRit8BZ0Rg_36dme0GmdtFKaXlptkp0/s1600-h/birds-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6M23LMDIsjr-ADcu4Q1l36O3mQ3a-S9b6KqhqwgXZeCmAyQ1JkS2UebE_yEBR0jigeVZSYRep3EUcFlNhI2AMEAKNV3BAE3L2ounVzSCfuTnJRit8BZ0Rg_36dme0GmdtFKaXlptkp0/s320/birds-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400831050465335250" border="0" /></a>it is difficult to part with some of these buttons.<br /><br />the eco felt is actually very easy to work with. i quite like it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmBxNm6UlS-HlJKvfCHSnqGCDJZIqivdD1eSWxKfl7wVk4BktB49vL_LXz0i-iV_KTdfrwXFCZwapzMLRI38ekzzri_ZpiWnA-Jm1JC088CrsfQUXTQAmAh2wUrVZMn8Acj0oGOm3vOE/s1600-h/fabric.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmBxNm6UlS-HlJKvfCHSnqGCDJZIqivdD1eSWxKfl7wVk4BktB49vL_LXz0i-iV_KTdfrwXFCZwapzMLRI38ekzzri_ZpiWnA-Jm1JC088CrsfQUXTQAmAh2wUrVZMn8Acj0oGOm3vOE/s320/fabric.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400831732175524610" border="0" /></a>this fabric looks hand-drawn. i wish there was more of it. <br /><br />check back this weekend! i will be listing these ornaments on Etsy and taking them to local boutiques!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-13110750419565882082009-11-04T22:22:00.002-05:002009-11-04T22:45:36.983-05:00so little timei have so many ideas in my head, but not enough time in the day to accomplish. <div>my shoppe feeling buried lately, trying to get my head above water.</div><div>spending more time online than in my studio! but i have found some useful tools. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/uniqueartpendants">Unique Art Pendants</a>, a very cool Etsy seller, posted a <a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6278543">thread</a> on the Etsy forums, very helpful! very long, but so inspiring. at the time she had her 2,000 sale, quite amazing really. she has some great advice for Etsy sellers especially, but it could apply for any crafter or business person out there, trying to get recognized in an endless sea of shops. </div><div><br /></div><div>Etsy has really become quite overwhelmingly huge. with over 200,000 shops, you can read <a href="http://timothyadamdesigns.com/">this</a> blog for more statistics. Timothy Adam is an amazing artist, who sells on quite a few online marketplaces, but he also has a huge following on his blog! he has Etsy tips galore, and i have started reading his blog quite regularly for advice. </div><div><br /></div><div>i wish all Etsy sellers luck, it is a tough world out there right now to be selling handmade, but i know a lot of sellers are still doing very well. </div><div><br /></div><div>-----</div><div><br /></div><div>in other news, i am still getting lots of inspiration at work! since college, i have been following a company called <a href="http://www.materialconnexion.com/">Material Connexion</a>, a library of innovative materials for architects, designers, and more. they are based all over the world, but the only physical library in the U.S. is right here in New York! they hosted an event tonight, called Bits and Pieces, which showcased a traveling display that incorporated the digital age with modern design. i invited my co-workers, and my boss even wanted to go! i've been chirping in her ear for over a year about this company, and she finally showed some interest! let's hope we can use this resource more often. </div><div><br /></div><div>-----</div><div><br /></div><div>curling up with a blanket on the sofa, watching the Yankees game. tomorrow we see Ricky Gervais at Carnegie Hall. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-90379421452051562522009-10-27T13:55:00.003-04:002009-10-27T14:19:57.570-04:00autumn sale at my Etsy shoppe!check out my <a href="http://lesleyanne.etsy.com/">Etsy shoppe</a>, all summer fabric earrings are 30% off! this is my first official "sale", i am trying to get my shoppe ready for the holidays. have some new ideas brewing, and did some work in my studio this weekend. more on that later...<br /><br />some of my favorite shoppes of late:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6329012">ArtLab</a> - based in New York, way hip clothing with lots of frills and ruffles<br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5633312">White Owl</a> - based in Detroit, lacey necklaces made with vintage lace, so inspirational. my favorite is the peacock sequin necklace.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7006081">Adelaide's Homesewn</a> - based in Kansas City, vintage-inspired clothing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5979129">Odds & Ends Couture</a> - based in Raleigh, NC, hand-felted accessories. simply amazing.<br /><br /><br /><script src="http://www.etsy.com/etsy_mini.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><script type="text/javascript">new EtsyNameSpace.Mini(92368, 'favorites','thumbnail',3,3).renderIframe();</script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-85929870388699963782009-10-22T10:23:00.004-04:002009-10-22T10:34:10.717-04:00lace and feltinspiration for the weekend.<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395430735434878498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CJLlSmvbz352jTHYbwhq4pnjHsXW6D9bJ9ZUUC6xUynbFMXwV0ALULOcAH7TStHiP1lyflooMlBDs6eMErRbgH2e_xtpa2rxdCxAi_zWierQyNOyy_Hm-dhjIc9OYM61JHwqYA-J7I0/s320/Lace-main_Full.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>vintage lace (image found on Google). i have piles of vintage lace in my collection now, including lace ribbon. </p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395431394648953346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36aQAgs4RNCEDXFpz6iDal1kGJVKbzag4tg2Yz-dYLvlNT7vJkF2n708nMrhMqK-zZM6f_AD4ee-gWgCohGvL6vbYnZch0_vLOAict3YMt6t0FKwiorBvJ3LnNto7g2ifHcPmN58JXeM/s320/feltorama.jpg" border="0" /></p><p>recycled felt (photo by <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32740947">Feltorama</a>). this stack of gorgeous colors is made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, with the look and feel of felt. and is currently sitting in my studio, just waiting to be made into ornaments and jewelry. Felt-o-rama is a new find for me, and i am ecstatic to have found a supplier who sells recycled felt! more on that later.</p><p>combining the two. the possibilities are endless. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-10751849409117177032009-09-30T17:57:00.006-04:002009-09-30T18:16:38.956-04:00falling into autumn<div style="text-align: left;">autumn brings such warm feelings to my soul.</div><div>i feel re-born, the cool air and crispness, the leaves changing into such brilliant colors, everything is an inspiration to me. </div><div>the past weekend brought some cool weather, and so i spent a lot of time in my studio, cleaning, organizing, and actually crafting! </div><div><br /></div><div>i have a lot of old sweaters that i don't wear anymore, so instead of donating them (again...i bought all these old sweaters from thrift stores), i am making them into shiny new things! i am keeping this one going, one of my best-selling items: leg warmers.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHHo6dX0VCvY8Nt9O3u1v6eYfP7lOOQBeOhDzU7rUugdEg0Jl2mwqgRScsEZNnpWABxlYh0Bf8GlSXh4SQwOmMGnazJZxUyzo87I_3qPJTWeiyn2XDk7NCRCERULExQ2VMa0tNdVXSxo/s320/il_fullxfull.92812228.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387384414298613602" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 320px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>these are bright red cabled leg warmers, with a light Graffiti blossom applied to the top for a feminine touch. The blossom is embellished with bright yellow thread, and a vintage button, compliments of my Aunt Sally and cousin Lauren, who graciously sent me boxes and boxes of amazing vintage buttons, ribbon and fabric!!! </div><div><br /></div><div>i've sold two pairs similar to these, but all have been one of a kind. what makes these interesting is that they are actually made from the sleeve of the sweater! the way the sleeve bells at the shoulder makes for the perfect bell at the top of your favorite pair of maryjanes.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYPs7namnojmyrxnPx11nmFHYELXCK9S6vD1NV8N2sv_Dua45CH26C0mSjvr86fhuJu7oSVr6eMPSkGhsU2iIJZhqvYRwVJd_aq1kEmo-HHjhj2uu3_BgNZwaeMSGnxtwGwuS-hajSK8/s320/il_fullxfull.92812836.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387385727941973938" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px; " /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>close up of the embellishments. i just love the buttons, i have never seen anything like them. </div><div><br /></div><div>----------</div><div>in other news...</div><div><br /></div><div>i have started a list of "Things to be Happy". basically made up of random things to start, new projects, or just plain fun things to do. here are a few of them: </div><div><br /></div><div>-new knitting projects - i've currently started a test of making a cowl</div><div>-using our NEW CAR (it's actually my brother's car that he's loaning to us while he's in Hawaii on another cruise) to visit apple orchards and pumpkin patches</div><div>-learning new recipes - i'm currently obsessed with <a href="http://www.freshdirect.com/">Fresh Direct</a>, which has some recipes from different cookbooks and magazines! we order our food from them sometimes, as it's a pain to drag our cart full of groceries 5-6 blocks once or twice a week. can't WAIT to have a car!!</div><div>-decorate our apartment for the holidays!</div><div><br /></div><div>what are your lists of fun things to do?</div><div><br /></div><div>also in other news, i finally went and stood in line for an hour at the Social Security office to change my name to Robinson! not my first name...although that would be an interesting one! </div><div><br /></div><div>stay tuned for more updates!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-11389714211247700322009-09-05T10:17:00.018-04:002009-09-06T13:01:43.114-04:00new featured artist - fglass knits!<div style="text-align: left;">there was a time in my life when i would spend hours upon hours perusing the glorious shops at Etsy.com, i was completely consumed by it. that was before my job started picking up and i started planning my wedding (although when that happened, i was perusing Etsy for all things wedding!). now that things have calmed down a bit, i find myself again drawn to Etsy's main page, which changes featured artists and treasuries fairly often.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>the other day while taking a break from space planning at work, i saw an interesting item on the front page of Etsy. it was a very large knit cowl, something i was actually planning on knitting myself! <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5353842">fglass knits</a>, a shop run by a wonderful knitter named Laura, completely blew me away with its creativity and interesting photography. she knits with large gauge wool yarn, all natural, and uses over-sized wooden buttons for closures that she finds at another Etsy shoppe.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyq-KpfboFi09bIAnmi2nmJ4u40FwFGUkkt5Pkj287jy30PB7IAYRlVyku0K3aTOSwTHRgVxsxJA3F8fYTdNZR4Sd0lvDaiNM9RTUSk94kLb4c1SbxWv2fG8OHILfZkUkJvFPq700uG2A/s320/il_fullxfull.87877641.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377992305335417922" /><div><br /></div><div>this is Laura, modeling one of my favorite pieces. she also takes all of her own photographs.</div><div><br />the Etsy community is really one of a kind. i have found that most Etsy sellers are not only trying to sell their own work, but also very encouraging to others and their work as well. so, for Laura, instead of buying buttons from her local yarn or fabric store, she is supporting another handmade artist, it's just wonderful. All buttons in her shop are made by <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5971149">WoodenTreasures on Etsy</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggLW-Rjio1SeUnlYQrPQYHxM4UBPi3Oc7nkxhSHnDOD9By1lR0yXyhUeHK7VW2ucuK6hphuBrRsyBm-vzrg-P58DeurTLInXEnEK_TyBMMDRYRpkIp2ABjAV01qd6zHGwvNilYXhmw2U/s320/il_fullxfull.86576975.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378398421887973426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 295px; " /></span></div><div>a very original scarf design in one of my favorite colors, with more wooden buttons. </div><div><br /></div><div>Laura has taken knitting to another level, it's modern, it's minimal, it's feminine. she likes to use bright colors, which stand out against the gray and white wall which she uses for her backdrop. she uses embroidery to make her knitwear one of a kind and interesting.</div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHtfmfkoTcFB_eR8hbdrfqrV_Z0xO-6xDIORuj155pxWIBLMMjk7ZDwrWo6WrBTwqm9Zib_hqIpSs0mbn_mIMxSmw-DGr4MbJSxYOr3JfzlPyWEmDkDs4-e-et9BgGEAUJRJM3qHnRW4/s320/il_fullxfull.66470387.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377991666281552882" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">a capelet, designed by Laura. what a perfect accessory to wear to brunch on the weekends in autumn!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UlAITh49_n_eH6fqXkzxuLup8apzfMAxGUE9nabKW_pqnNqhVxx7vfI-PVwBizCnOcwSwPnzDgtDV_hVKOGG4Fk194oJNSmcKy8GZqA09nAse4H0KTdpFPpJmO3UABrr1tjpG4HTBKU/s320/il_fullxfull.67283548.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377995035212530194" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 310px; " /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">a simple button cowl with cherry blossom embroidery, another one of my favorites. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">like me, Laura has a day job, but i think, like me, that she would love to knit all day long and sell her wares. it's sellers and crafters like Laura that inspire me to keep making, to find new ideas and follow the latest trends.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">all of fglass knits can be found at her Etsy shoppe, see the link below. she specializes in custom designs, as well as the items she stocks regularly. good luck to you, Laura! thank you for the inspiration. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, -webkit-fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, fantasy;"><br /></span></span></div><table style="text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=5353842&user_name=fglass&item_source=shop&item_size=thumbnail&rows=4&columns=4" width="374" height="374"><param name="movie" value="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=5353842&user_name=fglass&item_source=shop&item_size=thumbnail&rows=4&columns=4"></object></td></tr><tr><td><a style="text-decoration: none; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#D35701; font-size:14px; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.etsy.com/">Etsy</a><br /><a style="text-decoration: none; color:#D35701; font-size:10px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" href="http://www.etsy.com/">Buy Handmade</a><br /><a style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;color:#0192B5; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;" href="http://fglass.etsy.com/">fglass</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-48727376515402799102009-09-01T13:32:00.003-04:002009-09-01T13:53:09.423-04:00marketingsince getting back from the wedding and honeymoon, my main focus has been organizing our home and especially my studio space. i feel that when my space is completely organized, and i have a place for everything, i will really be able to start making again. in the meantime, i am trying to find some unique websites and craft marketplaces! there are so many out there, it's really a matter of which ones are right for ME and my crafts.<br /><br />my shoppe has been on the back burner for almost a year, since we were engaged last August, and i am ready to start making some new things to sell. i have confidence that once i have some new goodies, things will start to pick back up again!<br /><br />a few of the marketplaces and social networks i've found are <a href="http://www.artfire.com/">ArtFire</a>, <a href="http://www.indiepublic.com/">Indiepublic</a>, and of course, Etsy. ArtFire is brand new for me, through which i've found <a href="http://www.handmadenews.org/">Handmade News</a>, which looks to be a great resource for crafters all over the world! even though i've just started, Twitter seems to be a great place to market.<br /><br />blogging is also a great way to market, which is definitely high on my list. new ideas, new trends, special artists that i fall in love with, great ways to organize my studio, new knitting projects. there are so many possibilities. i can't wait to start marketing myself more, and meeting new crafters out there!<br /><br />New York is a great place to be, there are so many resources. in my spare time, i hope to really take advantage of them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8849090877412244309.post-88553644891802203852009-08-31T16:28:00.007-04:002009-09-02T22:18:53.757-04:00post-wedding-productivity<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnrOQL4BIhFIIG5WGYp-yzSXPyAo5Jqr4rtlETP0NAO4-3NDr2TppNV7F_Q0pH1NNs5gArduZL3UWxnfV8MbthycTt7YOUlesJzR5c4lb7vuLyO1uBQ-Mh9C29rcwu7s3V4sQnQFmWXw/s1600-h/barn.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376227777946017330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnrOQL4BIhFIIG5WGYp-yzSXPyAo5Jqr4rtlETP0NAO4-3NDr2TppNV7F_Q0pH1NNs5gArduZL3UWxnfV8MbthycTt7YOUlesJzR5c4lb7vuLyO1uBQ-Mh9C29rcwu7s3V4sQnQFmWXw/s320/barn.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />hello out there! we are back from our honeymoon and still loving NYC! the wedding was amazing, out of a dream!<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376229579303972946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNurO-FAh5WpbEHzo610OszbdWd4WxOOsSw2upmfZ7Iaz8cQ0hBB0X7vZPcQvXwVejhyphenhyphenaWKynTxEca7TMvebRBGw5aJbGCaf-9UtCertRC6CEPZT2EGh_lHQzgg1COFikRgwIOw7YA7I4/s320/sosohappy.jpg" border="0" /><br />our official wedding photos have been posted at our <a href="http://my.bellapictures.com/Mowry-Robinson08012009">Bella</a> website, if you'd like to take a look!<br /><br />i am on a complete organization kick right now, and i feel that after i / we get everything organized, i can get my head into creating new things for Pink Graffiti! i have some new ideas clunking around in my head, getting a lot of new inspiration. i'm so excited to get some new items in my shoppe! i just hope that i can keep up with the new trends.<br /><br />i have also joined <a href="http://twitter.com/PinkGraffitiShp">Twitter</a>, at last! trying to find new marketing tools, to get my shoppe going again. it's more interesting that i expected! following some fun people, like Martha Stewart, TheKnot, Etsy, Al Gore, and more. i recommend!<br /><br />look for new goodies!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376230174070437362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhnY-Naowf-SPSEpC0wAGGiK43CV7HCHCL_R7E1sziO5OI0BK-u1STMXhod4EdrCpPWxP8aZDulYZ7AcWOkyI45pztdEZxJLLo3As1kDp8ot5SIxmSsBLsrUCaa8oSSDHffd8oaBmoAiQ/s320/lighting.jpg" border="0" /><br />all photos by Mihaela Avasiloaie.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3