luxe.

little bo-tique!

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:43:41 GMT

so, i went to a really cute boutique in shadyside to show my wares to the owner for their upcoming trunk show. things went really well and once we were about to get ready to go, a woman asked me if i made knits because she was a buyer for "bo-tiques" (that was how she said it and i thought it was really cute) in a few states and england (i really really badly want to sell in europe. the teenaged me would've been proud of me for that) and t.j.maxx (imagine her wardrobe and accessories!) and could she get my card and info. hopefully i will hear from her.

in other news:i got another treasury!

not much else to share at the moment. i do have some new things that i need to take photos of still. and of course, i have been updating the luxe.etsy.com shop just about daily. so pop by often.

pav and i

mwah!

n.

well hello dolly

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:50:23 GMT

sorry i have been such a bad monkey. i get so absorbed with trying to catch up on all of your blogs that i am so so behind on, that i haven't been blogging for myself, either. and i feel like i do get more done, but i am incredibly out of the loop, i fear. shannon was kind enough to give me a blog on the luxefibre.com site, so you can go to my old blogger one, my www.luxefibre.livejournal.com one, or this one, which is a wordpress one, if you have problems reading my other blogs. i put the same info in all, so don't sweat that.

i have been knitting and crocheting a lot of new things. i have more photos to take and a shop visit into pittsburgh to see if i can't sell a bunch of stuff, which would rock. yaaaay! munny!

in other news, jakie had his 33rd birthday on monday. i managed not to document any of it. so not like me. i was running around a bit and overwhelmed. i got him a ticket for buddy guy, and it is in a small local venue, the palace theater and it is a pretty good seat. i think he will have a blast. i saw the dhali lama at that same venue. purdy cooool!

i really am trying to get my blogging act together and blog everyday at least a bit, like i used to. i really need to get it together.

to liven up the post. some photos...did i tell you guys about this book i am in?...

it is a really cool book. it really is.

xo

n.

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! obama! yaaaaaaay!

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:40:46 GMT

i had little faith. i really didn't. after the last election, i didn't think that the people had any real power. i am still not sure. but i hope we do. i am scared of what some of the yahoos mind do. i can only hope that the country will realize that obama will do his best to do good things for this country. to give us hope again. to show everyone that if you are a good, honest, hardworking person, you can achieve anything. i think that the founding fathers...most of them, anyway, would be really proud of their country. i am. sniff.

otherwise,
i got another treasury!
i have been updating www.luxe.etsy.com daily, and i have some really pretty new knits to show ya. i need to take some photos. here is a bit of something...

xoxo
n.

no words for how lovely...

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 05:04:37 GMT

how about a really cool free obama poster to download? how about...right here? i think i am going to print it on a tshirt with those iron on thingies. and i am making one for jake, too, i think.

only in pittsburgh

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 04:31:09 GMT

this happens. sigh.

i have been a busy bee, so i am super behind on blogging and blog reading, but i am okay. i swear it.

we had dinner at the in-laws and before i got there (thank god) jake had a blowout with mainly his mom, but also his dad, about why obama is evil, a terrorist, a muslim, may not even be american...yeah. jake is very knowledgeable about politics, it is sort of an obsession these days and most of their info comes from emails that are forwarded from some other friend or relative that knows nothing. we don't bother saying anything, i see no reason to fight about something that you won't change. especially when their opinions are not based on fact. my mom is a rabid obama supporter, so i let her rant a bit.

some amazing scarves to benefit obama's campaign are being auctioned off here and here so go. and bid! now! and...
i have been updating www.luxe.etsy.com often, so make sure you pop by every day!

xoxo
n.

i got a poppy treasury!

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:52:03 GMT

here she blows! yay!

how gorgeous is...

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:34:14 GMT

this necklace from alishalouise.com?

so. i have been getting a bit more done. i am trying push myself at least for a bit each day. i had a hard time getting up today, i spent the day yesterday packing orders and then opened an birthday present from barbe that was....way too much awesome stuff. really really good. here is some of it...
i got a book i wanted from shanshan, sweet girly. and then pavel claimed the box...and then this amazing swap from france...i have a few other swaps that are WAAAAY overdue and i haven't packed up yet. i suck at that.

she has the most amazing novelty yarns and the yarn she sent me i am grappling with what to do with. she is maybe the most talented artyarn spinner ever. not that i have seen everyone's stuff in person, really, but her stuff is just amazing in person. it qualifies as art. gorgeous.

i dyed a custom order of sock yarn, one skein that is for the yarn harlot, i am told and then some loose fiber in the rest of the dye liquor from the pot. purdy.

more thorough post to-morrow. i promise.
ever
xo
n.

to-morrow's my birfday...

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:58:11 GMT

well, jakie is feeling better, for those that well-wished. we had a low-key weekend and i think the last bit of rest today did him good.

to-morrow is my birfday. jakie got me a dremel that i asked for in advance. i have yet to crack it out, although i did read the manual. seriously. i have stuff that i needed to do with it, but don't remember what at the moment. hm. buttons was one thing.

in other news, after getting orders packed and a dyeing order done, i think i need to attempt to get the house organized and my studio organized. it is making me feel bad about myself, and i have all kinds of interesting old stuff and swaps, etc, that i don't even remember having and haven't given it the respect it deserves (i.e. getting displayed and/or used). it isn't right. i have a ton of it all over. stacked up. i have an expensive and gorgeous diana fayt vase from jakie from a little while ago that was on my window sill in the studio with sticky squares on the base to keep it from falling over and it blew over from the wind somehow (it is a bit of a tippy vase, skinny and top heavy and no lip on the bottom) and it busted in half. it is a clean break, i just need to epoxy it back together, but i keep putting it off, along with everything else i need to do and everytime i look at it, sad and broken on my desk, it makes me feel bad about myself. where my exhaustion/illness/etc and my laziness/disorganization split i don't know. i really don't. it probably sounds stupid to not know, but i don't. i rarely feel energetic, and i always wonder how other people feel on an average day. especially the people like ms. christine that has kids and a house and cranks out so much gorgeous stuff and still runs her business. and the slew of you that do that, too. i haven't forgotten the rest of you...yeah. why can't i be more like that? if i were organized, i would be dangerous. if i had more energy, seriously...the things i would do. i am afraid to commit to new projects or to push for new things because i am never sure what will happen closer to that date and i can't just ditch out of everything. okay, i am going to stop bitching.

on an off-note, we watched the vice presidential "debate" and man...i hate that woman. it isn't nice to say that...but i do. a world leader that doesn't read any newspapers? not good.

xo
n.

still here. i swear.

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 03:16:12 GMT

hey all, i am alive. behind on emails and disorganized as ever, but here. i have been selling fall stuff pretty well, and i am trying to make sure it goes out in a reasonable amount of time, plus some custom orders...one to go to a new shop called knitwitz that has the yarn harlot coming and wants some yarn for her giftbag (giggle) so lots to do. lots to do. if anyone has suggestions for where to advertise my knitted bridal wraps and shrugs, do leave a comment.

jakie got sick this week and he is one of those people that rarely get sick at all, and when they do, they are literally barely able to walk or do anything else for that matter. he doesn't know what to do with himself, poor boy. he had the chills and a fever and the heebie jeebies and in my infinite wisdom, i thought i would warm him up in a hot bath...you know, a regular sized plastic bathtub that isn't very deep and then stick a shivering 6'3 dude inside. yeah. not so smart. anyway, he slept for a day solid and was much better this afternoon, wanted to get out of the house and get dinner etc, and now he feels crummy, so he is sleeping. he had a gig at an oktoberfest party that clearly he was not well enough to go to. poor boy.

oh, and i got a treasury! yay!

off to finish catching up on emails. wanna see some of the new stuff i have been knitting up for ya? here we are...a new loopy button neckwarmer, i have em in a few different colors. cute, no?

xo

paper tape mannequin tutorial!

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:46:43 GMT

i overdid it today. way overdid. i had dyeing to do for some custom things, got kind of lost doing what i was doing and had to run out to the farmer's market to pick something up and had to go without cleaning up, so i looked gross and was covered in dye. it is kind of funny to see people acting like they don't notice, though. the people that knew me found it hilarious, however. i am attempting to type while pavel is putting his weight on me in order to groom himself and i keep trying to scoot him off of my arm and he just readjusts. i am his headboard, i guess. so here is some of what i did, which is outside drying still, so don't come over tonite and steal it. i will be pissed...

look at this and
i got in an awesome treasury! everything is so gorgeous, i am so flattered to be included. sniff.

here is the almost finished tutorial for making a paper tape (like you use on packages, you have to wet it) mannequin or dressform. you have to put a tshirt underneath it because after the tape is dry, you will cut the form up the back and pop it off and then put it back together. all that you need is the tshirt, some tape to strap down the shirt well (i used clear packing tape) some water, a rag and a big roll of packaging tape. i want to build up the layers more and then once i cut it off, i will add a bit of upper arm and maybe a head. not sure yet. it is fun though. it takes quite a while to do. here are the pics...

i have a whopper of a headache, so off i go. i have been listing new warm fuzzies and yarns on luxe.etsy daily, so make sure to pop by.

mwah
n.

did i do something bad? did i? sniff. sniff. sniff.

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 04:13:36 GMT

so after i did my post about where all of these bizarre slang racist, sexist, etc, terms came from, i started to stress out that you guys would think that i was the sort of person to use words like that. i assure you, i dislike everyone equally, i really do. leave me some comments so i know that the lack of comments was just a lack of interest and not that people think i am a big asshole. no wait, i have been called many bad names, perhaps accurately, i just don't want anyone to think i am that sort of arsehole, ya know? i always wondered where the terms come from because they make no sense. being jewish, kike really always baffled me, although i wonder if my dad knew what it meant being that he speaks hebrew and yiddish and i no longer remember much of anything at all. ah hebrew school. the main thing i remember was that i hated it and that this obnoxious kid always picked on me and always brought his baseball stuff with him to class and one day had a big orange and hit it with his baseball batt and it exploded all over everyone. bizarre. anyway, so i felt compelled to say something, so say something back to me so i feel better about it.

what else? migraine city. that is where i live lately. i was a wreck last night, i took a shower late and i think another even later. jake sat in the bathroom while i showered because i was all dizzy. also, i have a mask i got from butter's sissy's shop...i think that name is right and i kept going back downstairs to nuke it because it really feels awesome on a migraine head, and i went toddling down the stairs in the dark all dizzy and on meds and migraines. i reckon if i fell, it would be like a drunk falling and i would just collapse and not get hurt:) or not. i have been really lucky that way. when i was younger, i wasn't good at spotting the symptoms of a migraine and also, more often than not, it would hit me full force out of nowhere. beyond that, until the last 5 years or so, the migraine meds kind of sucked, and i knew i would have to go to the hospital when it was that bad, because it wouldn't go away on its own when it was like that. now, with the new generation of meds, if i get a super bad one, once i take my meds, i might still feel crummy, but i mainly just have to sleep it off. that might end up being an entire day, or two days, but i (know on wood) haven't ended up in the ER in years, which is a fantastic thing.

the other day i watched marie antoinette. it was a visually gorgeous movie, i loved the soundtrack, but the acting was not so great, the story was not so great and the bizarre choice of accents drove me absolutely bonkers. rather than to either use the accurate accents or just have everyone use the same accent, there was a horrible mixture of everything. it made no sense. also, it was as though they stuck to a lot of historical information, but then had a bunch of random stuff that wasn't accurate, or was not of the period, but it really seemed random, like accidental. i assume it wasn't, but i dunno. i loved the costuming, the sets and historical buildings...wowza...the hair and makeup, so i didn't feel mad that i watched it or anything. i knew a bit about her, just from my art history stuff, but all of those royals are so convoluted and intermingled that it is very hard to keep it all straight and remember who is who and who is married to who, what their title is, etc, etc, etc. when i looked up some of the characters and many of the much more likable and interesting people were not mentioned or were painted in a different light. one of the really interesting people was the kind's mistress who had an amazing life and really had been more than a prostitute, as well as the court painter, who was a woman and was working as a professional portrait painter in her early teens as well as getting accepted to the academie, which is a remarkable accomplishment for anyone, let alone a woman in that era. and she was gorgeous from what i have seen in the portraits of her. marie antoinette was not so pretty from what i saw. her surviving daughter was very pretty, though, and had a pretty impressive life.

well, i am getting spacey. i had a whopper of a migraine today and didn't get to see butter and lauren for supper, but i told jakie to go. i couldn't stand the idea of smelling the food. i did want to mention this blog that was kind enough to mention me, and check out her gorgeous etsy shop, fancypicnic.etsy.com. seriously, several of her pieces are just...wow. lovely. so thanks charlotte! i am so happy to meet ya!

oh, and on another etsy note, first, i have been listing things daily, so make sure to check in. next, i happened by this really cool new(?) store on etsy that sells kit wheels(similar to a louet single treadle, but with a sliding hook!) and a spinning wheel that has a bike wheel! the bike wheel one is double treadle. the kit wheel is only 150 bucks! you have to put it together, but only need a screwdriver i think. pretty cool! i would love to try one out. so cool. and the bobbins are fairly big, too and only 9 bucks each for extras or 25 bucks for 3. how cool?

i have a bridal shrug made from a sparkly single almost done, i need to spin a bit more yarn to finish it, but it is super pretty. i will probably put a satin tie closure on it. it is so pretty already.

oh! one more thing. i keep doing that. i plan to make a mannequin for display that is crocheted. cool? i am thinking either squeaky yarn, because it is so firm and sturdy, or maybe cheapo peaches and cream yarn or even a heavy cotton twine if i can find any of those things cheaply and in a large volume. i actually have a lifesized person-shaped red and cream striped sculpture that i never got around to stuffing. if there was a heavy weight paper yarn or something like that i could use, that texture would be amazing, but to spin it myself, or prep it and have enough for a torso and head would be an endeavor. i can't think of any other material that would work and wouldn't feel horrible on my hands and tear me up. the cotton twine might work well. if anyone has a few cones of something heavy worsted or heavier, and you wanna swap or sell it, let me know and i will mull it over. the other thing i plan to do is to make a torso with a head out of papier mache or something like that. there are all of those tutorials for making a dressmaker's form by putting on a tshirt and wrapping duct tape around it thickly, cuttin off the shirt and then joinging it back up and stuffing it(if you want more specific directions, google "how to make a mannequin or dressform" and it will pop up. i will probably do some version of that, maybe with the plaster imbued bandages i have or duct tape, but i will just use my vintage dressmakers form. when i was doing my artist apprenticeship before i graduated college, i worked for this artist named adrienne heinrich (amazing artist, has pieces in the national gallery permanent collection!!), she had a sketch for a woman's form with a birdlike head that was made out of woven wicker strips. i had to build it for her, and it was built over a 1800's dressform she had and was incredibly cool. if i knew wehre to get the wicker strips, would make one for display. i have seen those kinds of displays for sale and they cost a fortune. it is hard to find something interesting or sool that has a head on it and a body, too, and for a lot of the neckwarmers and scarves and hats, i want people to be able to see what it looks like all put together, right? plus, i am the only female live model i have acess to, really and it would be a bit tricky to take pics of myself that way, right?

okay, headache kicking, feeling goony, apologies for any crazy spelling. i will most likely fix that to-morrow.

xoxo
n.

fart

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:39:34 GMT

okay...one more. giggle.
"fart

raspberry:1598, "small bomb used to blow in doors and breach walls," from Fr. pétard (1580), from M.Fr. péter "break wind," from O.Fr. pet "a fart," from L. peditum, properly neut. pp. of pedere "to break wind" (in M.L. pettus). Surviving in phrase hoist with one's own petard (or some variant) "blown up with one's own bomb," which is ult. from Shakespeare (1605):

"For tis the sport to haue the enginer Hoist with his owne petar" ("Hamlet" III.iv.207).

See hoist.
feisty Look up feisty at Dictionary.com
1896, Amer.Eng. from feist "small dog," from fice, fist Amer.Eng. 1805 "small dog," short for fysting curre "stinking cur," attested from 1529, from M.E. fysten, fisten "break wind" (1440), related to O.E. fisting "stink." The 1811 slang dictionary defines fice as "a small windy escape backwards, more obvious to the nose than ears; frequently by old ladies charged on their lap-dogs." Cf. also Dan. fise "to blow, to fart," and obs. Eng. askefise, lit. "fire-blower, ash-blower," from an unrecorded O.N. source, used in M.E. for a kind of bellows, but orig. "a term of reproach among northern nations for an unwarlike fellow who stayed at home in the chimney corner" [OED]

eureka! foam core! foam core?

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:31:40 GMT

okay, so i have issues of my commercial yarns getting all tangled up in the plastic bins i keep em in. i have been trying to figure out what i could use to keep them all separate, but easy to see. i was looking on pounce on etsy. there is a guy that makes soap molds. i am not sure what the divider part is made for, but it looked like foam core. before i realized it was a soap mold, i thought it was a drawer organizer for art supplies, which would actually be an amazing idea if the little compartments came out separately. or does such a thing exist? if it does, it wouldn't be as cheap as cutting strips of foam core to the length and width of your container and then the container and then notches, like booze boxes have. anyway, how i didn't think of it before, no clue, it is rather simple, but i think that will really work! wooooooot!

what else? well, i have been having bad headaches all the time (i feel guilty saying migraine. dunno why. makes me feel like a whiner) anyway, it makes me feel woozy and dizzy and my vision has been messed up. i woke up feeling hideous and after i showered and talked to dear katrina for a bit, i felt up to running errands. go me! i got to see my bud gabe, mick the antique guy, and i got a really cool green pleather rocking armchair i have been eyeballing from the thrifty antique store for 10 bucks. it looks perfect, if rather dirty. i will clean it up and see what i think of it. i may reupholster it because it looks like it is mainly put togher with upholstery tacks, the shape looks older than the style of pleather, so i think it might be a surprise what it underneath it. woooooooooot. jake will get it for me to-morrow and i will take photos of the other few things i got. someone had dropped off a HUGE box full of vintage patterns. gorgeous stuff from the late 30's through the early 60's, really complex, tailored amazing things. anyway, they were all cut, so i didn't pick any up. there were a bunch of children's a teen ones, too. all amazing with matching coats, jackets, hats. i would love to see that woman's closet. i imagine her friends were jealous and/or thought she had more money than she did. i kept one pattern from her lot, from the late 30's i think. so cool. again, to-morrow.

i was looking at anthropologie's site to see what they were selling for fall, UGLY. i am sad that the style is heading to 70's and 80's. blech. i guess if i wait a while it will go back to something i like. or i will learn to sew, like i always wanted to, but only have the most rudimentary skills and a fear of my machine. i don't have good attention to that kind of detail, things that need to be perfect, and i think in tailoring, that is not a good thing. unless you want to look like you are malformed, fatter than you are, or a crackpot (what is the etymology of that word? i looked it up. here is what i found...

I would guess that the assumption is that it’s a moderately obvious compound. It suggests that a person’s brain is like a cracked pot, in other words that he or she is in some way deranged. Pot was once a slang term for the skull, and something cracked was obviously defective — a older expression with a similar meaning that used the same word was crack-brain, and of course we still have the slang term cracked for someone who’s thought to be crazy

found it here....http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-cra2.htm
and this:

Crackpot "pretentious, worthless person" dates from 1883. The superstition that it is bad luck to step on sidewalk cracks has been traced to c.1890.

from this super cool site! http://www.etymonline.com i am bookmarking it! plus, i need to write down all of the words that i wonder about, to look up later. oooh! kewl! if you use that site, tell me what word(s) you looked up. i think jake will use it all the time.

okay, i got carried away. you know how the slang, ne racist term for a jewish person is a kike? just the other day i was wondering where that came from. guess what? found it! and it is kind of interesting and i love that the jews got the name from refusing christianity, cause we have oppositional defiant disorder like that. wanna see?

kike:derogatory slang for "Jew," 1904, perhaps originating among Ger.-American Jews in reference to newcomers from Eastern Europe, whose names ended in -ki or -ky. Philip Cowen, first editor of "The American Hebrew," suggests a source in Yiddish kikel "circle." According to him, Jewish immigrants, ignorant of writing with the Latin alphabet, signed their entry forms with a circle, eschewing the "X" as a sign of Christianity. Ellis Island immigration inspectors began calling such people kikels, and the term shortened as it passed into general use.

and the nasty word for a lesbian that never made sense to me, either, although, it isn't as bad as i thought it would be. here it is:

dyke Look up dyke at Dictionary.com
1931, Amer.Eng., probably shortening of morphadike, dialectal garbling of hermaphrodite, but bulldyker "engage in lesbian activities" is attested from 1921, and a source from 1896 lists dyke as slang for "the vulva."

and this gem:

faggot (1) Look up faggot at Dictionary.com
1279, "bundle of twigs bound up," from O.Fr. fagot "bundle of sticks," from It. faggotto, dim. of V.L. *facus, from L. fascis "bundle of wood" (see fasces). Esp. used for burning heretics (a sense attested from 1555), so that phrase fire and faggot was used to mean "punishment of a heretic." Heretics who recanted were required to wear an embroidered figure of a faggot on their sleeve, as an emblem and reminder of what they deserved.
faggot (2) Look up faggot at Dictionary.com
"male homosexual," 1914, Amer.Eng. slang (shortened form fag is from 1921), probably from earlier contemptuous term for "woman" (1591), especially an old and unpleasant one, in reference to faggot (1) "bundle of sticks," as something awkward that has to be carried (cf. baggage). It was used in this sense in 20c. by D.H. Lawrence and James Joyce, among others. It may also be reinforced by Yiddish faygele "homosexual," lit. "little bird." It also may have roots in Brit. public school slang fag "a junior who does certain duties for a senior" (1785), with suggestions of "catamite," from fag (v.). This was also used as a verb.

"He [the prefect] used to fag me to blow the chapel organ for him." ["Boy's Own Paper," 1889]

Other obsolete senses of faggot were "man hired into military service simply to fill out the ranks at muster" (1700) and "vote manufactured for party purposes" (1817). The oft-heard statement that male homosexuals were called faggots in reference to their being burned at the stake is an etymological urban legend. Burning was sometimes a punishment meted out to homosexuals in Christian Europe (on the suggestion of the Biblical fate of Sodom and Gomorah), but in England, where parliament had made homosexuality a capital offense in 1533, hanging was the method prescribed. Any use of faggot in connection with public executions had long become an English historical obscurity by the time the word began to be used for "male homosexual" in 20th century American slang, whereas the contemptuous slang word for "woman" (and the other possible sources or influences listed here) was in active use.

another racist term that made no sense to me...

wetback "illegal Mexican immigrant to the U.S." is attested from c.1924, from notion of wading the Rio Grande.

and another:

*

mick Look up mick at Dictionary.com
derogatory slang for "Irishman," 1856, from nickname of common Irish name Michael (q.v.).

and another:

wop Look up wop at Dictionary.com
derogatory for "Italian," 1912, Amer.Eng. slang, apparently from southern It. dialect guappo "dandy, dude, stud," a greeting among male Neapolitans, said to be from Sp. guapo "bold, dandy," which is from L. vappa "sour wine," also "worthless fellow;" related to vapidus

i am blown away by how long ago all of these come from and how people that so freely use them have no clue what they are saying.

okay, so back to anthropologie...i saw a few things that were interesting, i would never buy it from there. i would rather pay an artisan, i fear. thissy one
thissy one
thissy one

these kewl shoes

well, on that racist note...i found this shirt and am seriously considering buying it, i told the seller, the only reason i haven't (other than poverty) is that i am hoping as jake put it "she will slink back into obscurity"...check this out, and buy it, and wear it around...
here is the link for the tshirt for sale if you want one. you know you do.

okay, i need to try to get to sleep. monthly doctor appt to-morrow. i flaked and forgot to go to my real apppointment, which they are used to at this point. they don't even get mad. they don't remind me anymore either, which would solve the problem. you can't expect clients of a neurologist to remember stuff. seriously.

xo
n.

new fuzzies for fall

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:39:14 GMT

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30852523@N00/2841981254/" title="new scarves for september 8 by luxefibre, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3064/2841981254_1bb0f0b77a.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="new scarves for september 8" /></a>
so, i have been so out of sorts. i have bad nightmares and can't sleep and then the migraines. today, i worked through it because i had stuff that HAD to be packed up to go, which takes me for goddamned ever. i am so so slow. not slow...scattered, so there is more getting up and down than there should be. scattered. my blood pressure is always killer low, so i try to set up where i need to be and sit. it i have to run all over the place, i really wear myself out. anyway, i did some spinning for orders and a bit of carding, packing, labeling and more. i didn't talk to anyone. didn't eat breakfast, just fed the girls and had a coffee. around 7 hours into working, i started to feel really shaky and hungry, so i made us burgers from this amazing free range local angus i got at the farmer's market. even a bit overcooked, it tasted soooo good and made the whole house have that bbq smell. so yummy. or maybe i was super hungry. i am hungry now. i am trying really hard not to eat late at night, which is the main time i eat. annoying.

the only other thing is that sara barracuda scares the shit out of me. i read up on her a bit, but honestly, i hated her the second i heard her speak. she is just everything that i loathe in the world, and somehow, being a woman, makes it even worse. oh hillary, where have you gone? i am very liberal, but i try to stay out of politics (jake and the rest of my family are very involved, my inlaws are all conservative republicans, even chirs and marlo, so i don't ever talk about it to them) but honestly, it just scares me. the republican ticket is scary. if he dies, she is going to run the world? she has burned bridges in every place she has worked or held office. for example, she okayed putting sales tax on EVERYTHING including food in alaska where so many people are poor and have small children. read up on it. you will be unhappy too. and maybe the republicans will be scared enough to not just vote because they should, but vote for the best candidate that won't leave us poor, uneducated and homeless. off of the soapbox. it just worries me more than these things usually do. i had the same feeling about bush and look what happened. we all know i have a bit of a 6th sense, so.

last, i ordered this amazing book that was recommended on someone's blog, i think maybe tricia? was it you? anyway...if you like smart children's books, or art, or illustration or have kids, get it. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Look-Book-Chris-Sickels/dp/1581809409/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221021386&sr=8-1">here</a>
seriously. it is amazing. i am ordering one for my niece, she will love it.

xo everyone,
n.

i got a treasury. long time no treasury!

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:20:42 GMT

i had em a lot for a little while and then not so much. sniff. i am turning over a new leaf! right-o! here it is
weeee!

so just a quickie, i am okay, i have had lots of migraines and have been really pooped out, but this week...i will be smokin'! not cigarettes. not that either! geez. i mean, doing a lot of work. sales have been picking up, thank god. it is scary when it slows down. and then you realize that EVERYONE is hurting and have no sales. then you realize that you need to infuse your goods with crack cocaine. seriously. that is why people love my stuff. the crack. now you know.

i will be taking photos of the new goodies. i have been crocheting a lot lately. i made a really cute delicate short sleeve bridal shrug, but i am yet to see if it will actually fit a person or not. i don't have anyone super skinny around me, my dress form will have to do, but she doesn't get super small, i don't think. for example, i bought this amazing vintage top and couldn't close the form down enough to get the top even nearly zipped. and the form is from the 50's! i thought the shrug would be bigger than it was. i intended it to be a small or medium, but i didn't think it would be as small as it was. so hard to figure out. plus i made up the pattern and redid it a few times and then i added elements after crocheting the sleeves, so it will be nearly impossible to take it apart at this point. we will see. if my dressform can wear it, i will take a photo of her wearing it.

not much else. jakie worked every day this weekend, so it was not much of a weekend for anyone. before telling me he was working sunday, he brought me coffee and doughnuts. shady, eh? i like how he thinks. i ordered him award winning cupcakes fromhere. i have been eyeballing them forever, they are giant cupcakes in a ball jar. she used to have a zillion flavors and it was just out of her kitchen and it got so giant, all from etsy, that she had to get a bakery facility to use! she said that she recently was told that her business would be in the holiday edition of instyle magazine! i have a feeling new employees will be needed. soon. she uses scharfenburger chocolate and cocoa, high end vanilla from madagascar, everything is high end, so i am excited to get em. i got a dark chocolate one and a vanilla vanilla one. i cannot wait. i think it is in a 1 1/2 pint jar. so. lots to eat. i had to get 2 to make the shipping more bearable. right? i HAD to. anyway, i will be keeping you posted. it always cheers me to see that not cutting corners and giving customers a great product (i am assuming at this point, but from her sales, i think it will be goooooood) and put your heart into it, it pays off. and then people rip you off. le sigh. sniff.

okay. off i go. photos to-morrow, time allowing.

xo
n.

i love my baby! yah i do!

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:26:34 GMT

DSC09659.JPG, originally uploaded by luxefibre.

hey everybody! jake here. i wanted to stop by and say a little somethin' about my lady. she is absolutely right... i am amazing. see ya.

okay, just goofing.

i'm currently at work and have usurped natasha's blog momentarily to tell you all how lucky i am. natasha often posts nice things about me, and i appreciate everyones kindness, but i have to confess that it is she that makes me who i am. in a phrase, she is my everlasting blue sky. i love this lady immensely. she is incredibly long suffering of me in so many ways, yet she never, ever makes an issue out of any of my quirks. long hours away from home... she is sympathetic. i go out and purchase major items on a whim... totally understanding. doesn't even balk. amazing! she is my absolute everything. through all of her health struggles she remains such a light in the sky to others around her. always willing to help out in any way she can and never uttering a 'woe is me'. even as i write this i can't believe my good fortune. in fact, sweetheart, i think some of your health problems may stem from your oversized heart taking away from your immune system. thats it! you don't have an issue with your immune system, your heart is just too goddam big for the rest of your tiny lil' self. you have cardio-monumentalism. bunyanesque in its magnitude.
anyhow, i digress.
baby, i love you oh so much. i can't begin to tell you how much you mean to me. any light that shines on me is just the reflection from you. you are everything that i look forward to. you are my clear blue sky.

take care everyone. thanks for all of your support to my girl. i love you guys. also, a special shout out to shannon, barbe and diana. thanks for being pals. x's and o's comin' your way.

sweetheart, i lub ya.

take good care, all.

jake.

happy 5th anniversary sweet jakie!!!

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 04:46:36 GMT

hey all! sorry i have been so bad at blogging, but i had an excellent combo of no internet/phone most of the time and then a whopper of a migraine that just wouldn't go away. i was supposed to see my bff heather this weekend, but i was so dizzy and sick that i couldn't drive. bummed me out. last night i was really messed up and the other nite jake said i asked him why he "written his schedule on his chest" and another thing i can't remember. jakie, leave it in the comments if you remember.

so despite it being our 5th wedding anniversary, although we have known each other for
about 15 years (!!!!) and dated maybe 2 years before we got married? is that right
jake? anyway, so i wanted to make a post about my jakie and how much i love him, although, i think you all know that, already. i will number all of the reasons i love him.
8.
when i was a teen, one of my favorite bands was depeche mode. my favorite song (still one of my faves) is a song called somebody. and as corny as it is, i always thought that the song epitomized everything i wanted in my someone, but i never thought iwould have. i am talking, since probably 8th grade...here are the lyrics, although i always think it is silly when people do this...

I want somebody to share
Share the rest of my life
Share my innermost thoughts
Know my intimate details
Someone who'll stand by my side
And give me support
And in return
he'll get my support
he will listen to me
When I want to speak
About the world we live in
And life in general
Though my views may be wrong
They may even be perverted
he'll hear me out
And won't easily be converted
To my way of thinking
In fact he'll often disagree
But at the end of it all
he will understand me

I want somebody who cares
For me passionately
With every thought and
With every breath
Someone who'll help me see things
In a different light
All the things I detest
I will almost like
I don't want to be tied
To anyones strings
I'm carefully trying to steer clear of
Those things
But when I'm asleep
I want somebody
Who will put their arms around me
And kiss me tenderly
Though things like this
Make me sick
In a case like this
I'll get away with it

1.that is him. that song, was written about him.

2.also the "lovesong" by the cure, that always makes me think of him too, because no matter if we are together, apart, nearby, if i was old, no matter anything, i would always love him, like i have never loved anyone and never will again. well, maybe a fuzzy,i love my lil kitties, but that is different:)

3.and that really is it in a nutshell. he is there for me. he is always, at a drop of a hat there for me. he would do anything for me. he is always supportive and kind.
4.he sees something in me that i have never seen in myself, and that thing is unshakable. it always has been. i have never had that before. not with anyone.

5.he is generous to a fault. he never gets tired of me. if he does, he hides it really really well.

7.i am disorganized and scattered. he is super neat and organized. he doesn't ever bitch at me, even though i am sure it bugs him.
8. if we have plans, really exciting fun plans and at the last minute i don't feel well enough to go...we don't go. he acts like it doesn't matter. like he isn't annoyed or disappointed. he says he's happy just to be with me rather than seeing BB Kind down the street. no big deal. i have never had that before. not from family. friends, no one. we have turned around from our destination and gone back home because i was sick. more than once.

8.for one valentines day (or birthday?) not sure, he made his mum (who was really embarrassed, i think) pick up a ton of rose petals and he did up the bathroom with a bath and candles and petals and bubble bath. he does stuff like that.

9.he brings flowers or my favorite european chocolates for no reason, or if i haven't been feel well. he brings me cds and magazines.

10.he makes me pancakes even though he doesn't like cooking and doesn't like pancakes.
11. he makes me coffee on the weekends.
12. when i am too sick to cook, he makes dinner. this is often, lately. he hates cooking.
13. he rubs my back or neck tirelessly when it is bothering me. he scratches my back when i am itchy from my stupid patches..
14. he constantly worries if i have eaten enough, or have what i need.
15. he always believes me. i am a painfully honest person. it runs in my family, and quite often, things you don't want to hear, or don't want anyone to hear will be out there. as a child and teen and even grown up, i had chronic migraines, bad enough that i would end up in the hospital, which was super bad because i was terrified of needles and, i had UTI or kidney infections failry often, plus fatigue and depression, among other things. we moved around a lot, so i hated school and was picked on. anyway! my parents never believed that i was REALLY sick. granted, i hated school, so it would be fair to think i was maybe faking because i got picked on so badly, but my lupus, etc, was going way back to them, some things back to birth, even. anyway, jake always believes me. i have a deep sense of guilt that i should just bush it, i will be fine, see what happens, but i get really paranoid of people seeing me undone and out of control. it is a scary thing. so when i feel bad, i don't go. he NEVER questions it. never makes me feel bad. or feel like a liar or a whimp or anything else. it just is what it is . it is still something i deal with. between friends and family that have made comments and plenty that have not said anything wrong at all, i have major issues about it. this is turned into something else in a way, but in a big way, not.

jakie knew me when i had a doulbe majoy in college, doing overload, plus working full time, and i started to get sick and stressed and my personal relationships were really bad, but he was always my friend. he never held a grudge. if he had, we may never have ended up together.

16. he is beautiful inside and out. he really is. he has no clue that he is, but what can ya do? he always smells nice. he always is happy to see me, and see the kitties, and they run down to see him. they adore him.

17. he loves animals so much. he is such a soft kind sweet heart...when i found pavel, who was a week old, maybe, and we took him away from his mom because it looked like she wouldn't take him back (she was a feral lil lady) i brought this tiny guy home, his eyes were glued shut still from being a newborn and his ears were folded over and i showed him, i was still sore over my sweet black cat egon passing away and didn't feel ready, but as soon as he held him, i remember it so clearly, and i have the photo, i just need to find it, but he had him in sort of a burping position and it clicked. seriously. i have never seen anything like it before. they made a connection, like they had known each othe rin a life before. from that day on, they were inseparable. when i see a man that is able to take care of a tiny new animal. feed them, make em poop, clean em up, cuddle with them, he was just in heaven. he loved someone waiting for him to come home. someone to get up in the morning and hang out. someone to cuddle with him at night.

18. now he reads can i has cheezburger more than once a day. seriously.

19. he is open to new things. he is happy to go do whatever. to try whatever. to eat new things.to learn new things. he always has been since i first met him as a pup of

20. he was ready to learn new things. he is incredibly smart and has a wonderful memory for books and music, numbers, all kinds of stuff. he wants to know as much as he possibly can know about the things he loves. he doesn't care what anyone thinks. i daresay that in any of this adult life, he never really has. not in an attitudey way, he just seems like is doesn't exist in his world, which is just right.

21. he will try just about anything. he loves going new places and meeting new people. i tell him that i think he will like a certain thing and he is willing to try it, and he usually does like it.

22. on the rare occasion that i do clean up or cook, he showers me with positive reinforcement and tells me how awesome of a meal it was, when really, he is just pleased not to have to eat peanut butter and jelly.

23. he is tall. i like that. he has big sexy, strong hands. couple of scars. sexxxxy. he has a sexy body. he loves to cuddle. sometimes i worry that i am a cold fish, especially compared to him. he always smells good, even when he says he stinks. not possible. he's packing heat. i ejoy the heat. grrrrrrrr!

24. he has the most pouty gorgeous mouth, plus perfect teeth. he is an incredible kisser. he knows how to use his mouth.;)

25. he has amazing blue eyes that he got from his momma. when he is tannish, his widows peak and the hair around his face gets almost white, which is just gorgeous. i love it.

26. he will try anything, and has, in many cases. we shower together still

27. we hold hands.

28. i will make a point to but new things up every so often, because it is too easy to forget how wonderful your other half it. he is more than my other half. he helps me to be a better person. he give me the guts to be the person that i want to be, that i am working on being.

29. jake is one of the hardest working people i have ever met. he works hard, and he does the job right. i feel like it is just a matter of time before he gets moved up in his business because there aren't many people out there like jakie. there aren't.

i love you jakie. i hope that no matter what, all of the little things you do. all of the big things that you do, everything you do means more to me than you can imagine. i adore you. happy anniversary baby. and many many many many more. you are it.
mwah. mwah.mwah.

jakie, feel free to post some of you thought on me if you like...you know how to log in, or leave it as a comment, if you fancy. if you want to.

try to be happy

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:30:43 GMT

over this past weekend, we (jake was just along for the ride) watched a movie called twilight (i think) that was basically about how short life is, and how we have regrets about things that don't matter...or rather, that we romanticize, and in the end, it is a waste of time and energy. that is always the story in marquez books, in tolstoy, in all of my favorite stories. at the end of the movie, the old woman asks her daughter who is in chronic fear of any commitment. afraid she is doing the wrong thing...so she tells her daughter, "try to be happy...". and it struck a chord. i am not an unhappy person. i don't think i am. i used to be much more negative than i am now. i felt like i had no control of my life. i don't feel like that now. sometimes i do. i guess everyone does sometimes. i guess i thought to myself that it is important to put effort into being positive and happy. i never thought of it that way before. is that odd? so i ask...do you try to be happy?

i want to make sure that i do as much as i can. to appreciate the days that i feel well enough to do what i love. appreciate the people that i love, the things i love...to smell the air. to sit outside and feel the air on my skin. listen to the rain. hold my husband's hand. do it all. as much as i can. and to be present when it happens.

i know so many people that are miserable to their core. it is WHO they ARE. it makes them unable to appreciate anything. eventually, it swallows them up. i won't be that. i will make an active effort not to complain. not to be mean. not to be critical for the fun of it. i do that. i swear i have a gene that makes me do it.

the internet and phone have been working off and on since last week, more often not. the first day, i got really upset about it. i tried to take stuff apart and figure out the problem and got dizzy and overheated and it wouldn't work and then i thought to myself...it isn't that big of a deal. if i need to go to the coffee shop and do some online stuff, i will. not a big deal. i woke up super early on the weekend, jake was helping a friend move. i went to the thrift store, my friend gabe called me and i stopped by a street fair down the street and got to see him for a little while and got to feel happy that before 11 a.m., i had run errands and gone to the thrift store and seen one of my best friends. and then i went back home and got some work done. got to do work on the back porch. take photos.

i have had a good week punctuated with migraines from ovedoing it, or maybe the weather, but i have gotten stuff done in the up time. i cleaned the bedroom. took apart the vacuum cleaner, and then bragged to jake that i had finally got it to work again, and then it ran for a second and clicked off, silent forever. i think all of the cat hair killed the motor. anyway, i didn't get mad that i spent all of that time messing with the machine, taking it apart, inhaling dust, cleaning it, cleaning the filters, etc, etc. jake brought up the shop vac and i cleaned up the room with that. sad but true, i am finally learning, at this stage in my life, how to try to be happy. i guess some people never even realize they should try. better late than never.

i have been working on lots of things, and i listed some of em, plus some really great vintage finds in my luxe.etsy.com shop. so pop by and see. okay?

oh! on the television front, i discovered a really amazing thing...you know that horrible, upsetting show called "sweet sixteen" which is basically about super bratty, spoiled rich kids having sweet sixteen parties that cost more than most people make in 10 years. seriously. anyway, so the worst of the brats have parents that realize that they have to do something or their kids are going to end up worthless adults so they put them on a show called exiled. the kid gets sent to usually a 3rd world country and have to live with a tribe in whatever locale. the one this week was with the Masai in africa. i am a bit jealous. the problem is that they aren't there that long. the girl on this episode is actually an okay girl. she is realizing what a great life she has. hopefully she will go on to use her gifts for good and not evil. the Masai are such beautiful people. i studied a bit about their tribal life years ago, but beyond that, they are gorgeous people. i am wondering how long the brats will improve their behavior for.

missed you all whilst the interwebs was not functioning. i really did.
smoochies

butt-ons. a tutorial.

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:24:38 GMT

kind of a strange word, isn't it? hmmmm. anyway, here they are. i dragged all of my stuff outside and finished up the last batch of buttons. i needed some for these new wraps i have been working on, and i made some that are about a 2 inch diameter. i am excited to use em. so, i do plan to give a little tutorial for what NOT to do, more than anything. ask me. i know these things.
1. okay, so i figured that i would get the gigantor block of white polymer clay. it is cheap and i cover most of it anyway, so what's the difference. thrifty me. yeah. well, the difference is that it totally sucks. it is crumbly no matter what you do to it, it falls apart. once baked, it gets kind of rubbery, at best, and when i used my heat gun on it to heat the embossing powder, it got super bendy and some of them cracked. so my first advice is not to buy the big block of cheapo white.
2.warm it up, roll it out...a lot. what i learned is that a bit thicker is better than thinner. the translucent one is much harder to condition and roll out, but it is really strong and looks amazing with the pigment powders. i was surprised at how cool it looked.
3.if you are making buttons, make bigger holes than you think you will need. they close up a bit, and if you use embossing powder on them, it will shrink it up even more.
4. texture is your best friend. the embossing powder and pigment powders stick best to a textured surface. use anything you like. the bristles of a brush look super. the sidewalk. pebbles. lace. whatever you fancy. there is really no need to buy textured stamps. just diy! prick holes with a fork. have fun.
5.i used pigment powders before i baked the clay. i rolled some of it onto the surface, rubbed other colors into it with my finger. others, i speckled different colors on and gently rolled it, so it spreads a bit, but isn't all blended and muddy. when you bake the buttons, most of this bakes in and doesn't move around too much at all when you paint on the glycerin. you can just but a coat or two of embossing powder over the baked on powder if you like how it looks.

6.make sure you use a non-stick surface. i use parchment paper. wax paper would work, or freezer paper, too.
7. glycerin is what an embossing ink is made of. you can get a whole bottle of it for a buck or two at the drugstore. it is clear, of course, but if you are using pigment powders and don't need the ink, just use a paintbrush or cotton swab. i diluted the glycerin with water, but i bet alcohol would work really well. if you have embossing ink, you can use that, of course. dip the button into embossing powder. it will stick to the wet spots on the button. with your heat gun, heat it up until it is all melted. i like to rub jacquard pigment powders on at this point and then add a bit more embossing powder, and heat, repeating until i like how it looks.
8.the glycerin makes everything greasy even after you are done, so i used a mild cleaner and wiped all of the buttons down really well to make sure everything is nice and clean and sealed. i was covered in sparkle and powder, anyway.

so onto some wraps i did...one is from my brother's wedding...

and this is a brand new stole. i plan to put one of the new buttons on it, i actually made this last batch just for it. so.

the wraps are listed on luxe.etsy for any of you with a special day coming up.

off to work on some things and maybe sleep. i haven't been sleeping. le sigh.
xo
n.

meet milo the moth!

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:18:43 GMT

i have been working on all kinds of stuff, and what i realize is that i can work for hours and hours, unbeknownst to me and not even nearly get everything done. i did get this done, tho, and i would like some advice...
hey guys, i finished this little guy, milo the moth just yesterday. he was awaiting his wings. i painted a plaque that was supposed to serve as a display for him, but couldn't figure out how i would attach it. any ideas? i am thinking it might just not happen. anyway, here are the photos of milo and of the plaque.

and here is the plaque:

milo is about the size of his siloutte.

i found this site, yearbookme.com, i think it is called. this is the scary aftermath...

i got a decent amount of work done today, including making some BIIIIG polymer clay buttons for some of the snowbride yarns and wraps, etc, that i make. they need to be baked and glazed. photos soon, of course.

also, i have some really cool new stuff that will be listed on the etsy store either to-morrow or sunday. yesterday it rained like crazy, and today it was foggy and i couldn't get decent photos. i had hoped to see my friend this week, but i didn't get stuff done in as timely of a manner as i had hoped. ah well. next week, i hope.

while i was working in the studio, i caught part of oprah, and anderson cooper was doing a story on poverty in america. blows me away. it is a shame that so many people abuse the welfare system and so many people in need pay for it. especially kids.

more to-morrow
xo
n.

teeny tiny

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:50:44 GMT

well, i had a lot to do today, but i could barely get my butt out of bed. so annoying. i couldn't sleep well last night and kept having those ticks that wake you up, like you are falling down stairs or tripped on something. at one point, i woke myself up because i raised my arm to wave at someone. in bed. ya. once i finally got up and got some coffee going....well, i took apart the coffee machine to clean it and couldn't figure out with my muddled brain how to put it back together. seriously. i ran it with a piece missing out of frustration. i had giant roots in my hair so i dyed it, while it was sitting, i checked email, showered, tried to clean myself up a bit, put in pin curls, which i still have in but the pins are hurting my head. dunno if i can bear to sleep with em, i am not even sure if they will look cute or not. i will be mad if i suffered with them and it looks stupid anyway. i was so exhausted after my 2 hours of being awake, that i fell asleep on and off until jake got home.

mainly it annoys me because i have some new and exciting things that need to be photographed and listed, also, i was contacted by stampington to be in a new plushies quarterly and i need to get the disc in the mail to-morrow. so i need to be okay to-morrow. i will probably take a pep pill if i feel poopy. i had hoped to see heather, but it might not be a possibility to-morrow. if i had actually done something today, it would have been okay, but ya know. i also was contacted by a couple of new shops interested in my fiber and yarn, so that is fantastic, even if they are just small accounts. in this horrible economy, i am happy to make a bit wherever i can make it. i am trying to bob along in the ebb and flow, ya know? good thing i am REALLY buoyant. i have a lot of new things in the works.

xo
n.

i've got soul but i'm not a soldier

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:08:58 GMT

i have been a bad blogger. it weighs on my mind. i apologize. that said, i have been working on lots of things and new ideas. i have had some bad health days, but nothing too horrible. and the weather is so amazing here, cool and breezy, but sunny. peeps loves to go out in the backyard with me, she behaves herself pretty well, she basically wants to lie in the grass, eat the grass, roll around and then come back in when she gets too hot or thirsty. it only took 15 years to get her under control. i am an excellent cat trainer, clearly. ha.

i got a couple of cute shoes at target for really cheap:

cute, no? jake thought that the flats made my feet look strange, but i thought they would be cute with jeans or skirts.

i got to see my friend donna today who picked up her new yarn (thanks so much, btw!) and she looked incredible and i realized how much i like that chicky.

more soon. i promise!
xo
n.

quickie...

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:35:11 GMT

so, i have been fighting a headache since i woke up, put off going to hang out with heather until to-morrow, but i got a lot done today, headache or no.

so...what did i do?

i have been working on my fall collection of knitted and crocheted things, including this convertible shrug. if you go over to flickr, you can see all of the different ways to wear it. it is hand dyed and handspun merino (of course) and i crocheted super soft organic brown cotton all around the outside and made some big circles in it which can be just ornamental, or you can buttpn through there, and there is also a little button loop. really pretty. i love it. working with my own yarn is a treat i don't usually allow myself. i need to start shopping my wares around, and i am just no good at marketing myself. no good at all. it drives me nuts. i asked my mom to be my iowa rep, which she agreed to. i am just not sure that she will understand enough about what goes into each thing to know what to tell the buyers. we will see. it would definitely be easier to do with her closer by.

i also experimented with papercutting. most of them turned out junk. i am still figuring out what does and doesn't work. i have a hard time thinking in 2D, plus i tend to get confused as to what is outline and what isn't. one of the elaborate paper cutting artists i saw actually makes an outline for the entire area to be cut, and i think that would make it easier for me. i just don't think in terms of flat images. go figure.

i am really nauseous and feel icky, so i am gonna go and crochet a bit.
xo
n.

gah.

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:00:57 GMT

i had one of those odd days that seemed really short and like i didn't do anything, but i actually did, talking on the phone most of that while. i FINALLY did some laundry and hung it up outside. i love that about summer. my mom's condo plan doesn't allow them to have clotheslines. i saw that there is a movement going on in several states to get the right to dry. it would be one thing to hang your underpants in the front yard for a week. another thing for them to be in the back on a rack or a line for a few hours until they are dry. geez. i hope never to live anywhere that gives you crap about that. next they will tell me that i can't have my giant inflatable lighted santa claus in the front yarn all year round! or the street signs telling santa which way my house is. the thing is, being jewish, i figure maybe he comes to my house on a different day. right?

i practiced some papercutting last night, no photos, but some photos of the mess that came after one time... i did do two cuttings of the red leaf there at the bottom. no photos yet. i am actually kind of still figuring out what works well for a papercutting, and what doesn't. i am a bit slow learning in that respect. i got one of the padded martha stewart craft knifes. it is nice and has a cap. i also thought that the origami paper would cut great, people all liked it, but it is so thin, it just rips. so. i have been using all kinds of other papers. we know i have lots, right?

in other news, barbe made this amazing necklace using a few of the paper beads i had sent her. those were in the first batch and some of them were a bit cracked and beat up. now i know the secrets. or do i? anyway, i was really flattered. my heart beats fast when i see my stuff in someone's work. i think katrina used something of mine in one of her pieces, too. when clients send me photos of what they make, i get so excited. or where a softie lives, or a piece of art? so fun!

i got to talk to heather for a little while tonight. she is really sad, but she is holding it together. i don't know if she realizes how strong she is. she has been through things that would have made anyone else a mean, bitter person. instead, she is the most positive, kind, sweet person i have ever met. sometimes i think that people don't tell their friends, family, lovers how much they think of them. how amazing they are. what they love about them. people need to know. we assume that they do, and even if that is true, everyone loves to be told. so, as corny as it sounds...tell someone how you feel about em, or what you love about em, go on...do it.

love you guys...because you just have great taste in blogreading. and you smell nice, too.

xo
n.

and then again...

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 05:51:28 GMT

i had a migraine last night and had those odd short sleeps that contain really bizarre nightmares that you can't quite remember. what i do remember is that my (dead) grampa was in it and the rest, didn't make sense. they rarely do. anyway, i got up and showered and went outside to get a bit of sun, dr. oz says i need the vitamin D. anyway, i fell asleep on the porch swing and then worked on a few plants when jakie got home and got overheated, i think. i started sweating and sweating, but was covered in goosebumps and felt cold. my favorite! and usually the beginning stage to the heebie jeebies. i got in the shower with jake, who was in there already, and then i started to feel out of it and he got out, i just did my thing where i stay in there on the floor. i think i was in there about an hour. i turned the water down to lukewarm, and it was still warm when i finally got out. i have a headache still, but i don't feel all weird anymore. just partly. ha. i have had no appetite lately, either. nothing really tempts me and then i forget about it while i am eating. i get distracted. when i was on the atkins diet and lost a ton of weight, i got like that. i just had no interest. i am sure that will pass, it is just an odd thing. needless to say, i spoke to no one but jake today and did nothing except for re-potting some herbs. not a sketch. not a stitch. not anything.

i am sure everyone has heard of randy pausch a cmu professor that just died of pancreatic cancer, who gave a "last lecture" for himself and for his young kids and wife, which turned into a big thing, oprah, et al. when i saw that he had died, i was shocked at how much it upset me. there was a blurb from his speech about how he hated the fact that he was leaving his family and would not be there to comfort them, more than the fact that he was leaving, so he was going about building nets in his final months and days to help catch them when he was gone. i thought of heather, whose husband killed himself, and how his family were left to make sense of it. there was a commercial for a show about the baby elephants, taken from their mothers in the wild that have now grown up and are really angry full-sized elephants that break out of the circus or sideshow they are forced to be in and start kicking people around like soccer balls. it amazes me how abused and broken people and abused and broken animals act the same way. it always comes out somehow. so on the one hand, you have a person that is sick but understands how much they have and that life is a gift, and when they realize they are going to die (a really painful death, no less), they get right to taking care of everything that they want to take care of. and then, you have someone that has a life ahead of them, has most of the same things as the first guy, but he is broken. he doesn't see it that way. why can some people overcome horrible things and live as mostly happy people? and some people...something breaks and they just can't get it back together.

sorry to be so depressing. i guess, i don't mean it to be. i hope that the darkness helps people to see the light. no matter what is going on in our lives, no matter how bad...we are alive. we get to spend time doing the things we love, being with the people and things that we love...and wow. i love my jake more than anything, with the kitties in a close second...i consider every moment with them, my friends, my family to be a gift. and i want to remain grateful for all of it.

love you guys,
n.