Tag Sale

I just got tagged. It's been a while. These blog tags come through every once in a while and then they disappear. Arjie, from One of these mornings, hooked me up with 7 questions that she thought up all by her brilliant self {well, almost}. I am supposed to answer them and then tag 7 more bloggers and come up with 7 new questions for them. We'll see if I get that far. So, here goes.

If you could give your teenage self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Hmmm. I wish I could have told myself to work harder, not that I would have listened. School and art always came so easy to me that I didn't ever have to try too hard. Now I see that if I would have put more effort into things I could have achieved more by now.

What are you currently obsessed with?
My current obsession is trying to figure out why I feel like crap all the time. It has been my obsession for years, but lately I have actively done more to try to figure things out. As a matter of fact, I decided earlier today that I am going to try a gluten free diet for a week or two. I have considered doing a cleanse, but I'm not so sure I believe in them. I am determined to find an answer.

Is there any one event you look back on in your life and just cringe with shame?
Uh, yeah. Several. I have generally been a pretty well behaved girl, but I have made some stupid decisions in my time. I regret having made my parents worry so much about me. Regret dating some of the idiots I dated. But the one thing that I wish I could take back is a stupid marriage that lasted all of three months. Yeah, you didn't know that , did you? The one thing that I always thought I was too smart to do {marry the wrong guy}.... I did. Don't ever think you are invincible.

Would you call yourself a feminist?
No. Short answer.

What is the one thing that if you don't do in your life you will be really angry at yourself for not doing?
I have already tried learning to breakdance, so that one's marked off the list. If I never make a real business out of my art/design skills, I will hate myself forever. I know that it is possible and that the only thing stopping me is me. So if it never happens, I know that it is all my own fault.

Do you get on better with your mum or your dad?
Interesting question. I get along with both of my parents, but I am closer to my mom. Me and my dad are so much alike that we clash sometimes. Kinda funny.

Every music album in the world is to be destroyed and you can only keep one. Which do you keep and why?
Man, this is a tough one. I'm not sure I can even answer this one. For some reason, tonight, I am going to have to go with Metallica's Black album. I'm sure I would be beating my head against the wall later, wishing I would have kept something I could dance to. But it feels right tonight.

Here's the hard part. I'm not sure I can come up with 7 people. Arjie already tagged my peeps. But I can come up with 7 questions. Blogs I tag: Armas Design, LaLa Lovely, Little Lost Love, Mimi Love, Puzzle Pieces, Slumber Designs, and Varnish.

Your questions, should you choose to participate, are:

1. What scent always makes you happy?
2. What is your favorite mistake? {like the Sheryl Crow song}
3. If you could change one of your physical attributes, {magically, not surgically} what would it be?
4. Is there one food that you could eat every single day and never tire of?
5. You just came into some serious money. What is the first thing you buy?
6. When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?
7. You are being granted one talent or skill that you don't already possess. What do you choose?

Go do your homework. I'll see you next week.
xoxo ~Jo~ xoxo

*photo from This Is Glamorous.

Rant and Roll

First of all, it's late*. I should be in bed. But I'm not. I should have worked out tonight. But I didn't. I should have had at least one vegetable with dinner tonight. But thanks to my husband's family's affinity for meat, I had none. But that is all beside the point. I am here to talk about fashion magazines. More specifically, I am here to talk about why fashion magazines piss me off.


I love me some fashion magazines. And everyone who loves fashion magazines knows that fall is the fashion industry's favorite season. Therefore, I have a big pile of freshly printed magazines hanging out at the foot of my bed, all glossy and smelling of perfume samples. Ahhhhh. Fashion design. I love it. But what am I supposed to do when all good fashion sense gets thrown to the wayside? How am I supposed to cope when fashions greatest are throwing pies in our faces? Tonight I give you ..... "A New and Revised List of Stupid Shit I Keep Seeing in Fashion Magazines." Enjoy.

*Models jumping. Why? Why the hell do photographers think that models need to jump? I am sick of it. Who jumps? Do you ever see people jumping up and down besides at a concert? No. Especially not in heels.

*For the love of God, why on earth do designers want their runway models to look ugly? Ugly hair. Ugly makeup. And some of them are not only ugly, but down right creepy or dirty looking. How does making a model look like crap help your clothing? STOP! Be more like Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors. Pretty is better. Ugly is just.... ugly.

*I am seeing an unusually high number of photo shoots in the desert lately. Yeah. I just threw on this ten thousand dollar ensemble and am now traipsing around the desert. That happens. All the time.

*Hey fashion industry, you can feel free to stop reminding us that 50 year olds can look like 20 year olds now. We get it. Money can buy the fountain of youth. Next time you put out an "Age Issue", try using people who actually look their age.

*Stop printing political pieces. We all know that you are going to take the liberals side every single time. We are here to see fashion. When I want a political view, I will turn on Fox news. Because, yes, I like fashion AND I am a conservative.

*Androgyny. Okay. This one is killing me. Girls who look like boys and boys who look like girls. And then, throwing all of those boy/girl looking people in a pile and making you guess which is which. I am lesser endowed than most. That doesn't mean I want to look like a boy!! And, for heaven's sake, Stop Putting Lipstick on the Guys!!!! {I'm looking right at you, Burberry} Pick a side.

*When was the last time you took your clothes off and hugged your purse? Oh, just this morning? Well, in that case, never mind. Purses modeled with naked bodies. Don't get it. Also, I am seeing nudity in the oddest of places lately. Not just purse and shoe adds. For instance, topless girl hanging out at the ball court with all her man's friends. I don't have a problem with nudity, when done right. But, come on. Do you really expect this to boost a young girls idea of self worth? About as much as the fact that you still use size zero models.

The fashion industry never has and never will be the best role model in the world. And I wouldn't want them to be. It wouldn't be nearly as fun. But sometimes they do make a normal girl want to bang her head against the wall in disbelief. Who comes up with this stuff? We really don't have to have the shock factor to stay engaged. The blogging world has proven this to great measures. You can see a million photos of living rooms, flowers or Paris. They don't have to blow our mind every time. They just need to portray beauty. Beauty always works. Beauty will always captivate. Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, colors and styles.

Let's just call it what it is. Pretty is pretty. Ugly is still ugly. Stupid will always be stupid. And models jumping without a puddle underneath them still makes me say "What the hell?"


*It was late when I started. And then I went to bed.
**I think this photo came from Slumber Designs. Although, I could be wrong.

Panic Attack

I just ordered a new sewing machine.

It's freaking me out a little bit, as I am not one to spend money easily.

My dear sweet husband is praising me for my bravery.

It had to be done. I have piles of leather that cannot be sewn with my current machine. Piles of sketches of new designs. If I am ever going to make any advances in life I have to believe in myself enough to invest in myself. This is an investment in myself. And if you don't hear of any new leather stuff being listed in my shop over the next month, I expect you to stop by and slap me in the side of the head.

Thanks for listening.

Natural Beauty

Sometimes we run across things that have such deep beauty that they make us stop in our tracks. This week I ran across an artist whose work made me do just that.

Joycelyn Merchant is the artist behind these magnificent pieces that had me enraptured from the moment I laid eyes on them.



Joycelyn hand crafts each piece completely anew, so no two are exactly alike. Each one carries individualized marks and character from hand forging techniques. This is not a story of reproducing a great design over and over. This is a story of personally breathing life into each and every leaf that she creates. And she has been creating these beauties since 1977. No wonder they look like they could have been plucked straight from the tree.


Her earrings, pins and pendants come in three finishes. Silver, gold and that gorgeous copper. Each one is just as beautiful as the last. The only question is which one to choose.

Take a moment this weekend to check out Joycelyn's store one Etsy, aptly named ginkgo. I promise that the only artist who can make these leaves any prettier is the Artist who made the trees themselves.

September Smiles

Hello darlings. Can you believe that we are already almost half way through September? It doesn't seem possible. I could ramble on, like I always do, about things not getting done and never finding time to do other things. But I'm not here for that today. No. Today I am here to talk about positive things.

Things like feeling better, thanks to the miracle of allergy medicine. Things like being able to work out again! Things like almost completing two projects {which I can't wait to share with you}. And things like running across some very nice people. Jane, from Ill Seen Ill Said, was nice enough to link me to a recipe that I have been curious about. Two incredible artists from Etsy were nice enough to share a little equipment advice with me. And other fabulous bloggers have stopped by just to say hello or check in with me in the past few days. These things make me smile.

And speaking of smiles, I have started a new endeavor that I want to tell you about.
~I have a weakness for empty books. I love books with words in them, but I have a hard time passing up a beautiful book with blank pages. I have a collection to attest to this fact. Piles of gorgeous journals and sketchbooks, all waiting patiently to be filled. Problem is, I am not nearly as good at filling them as I am attaining them. But a few weeks ago I thought of a task worthy of striving for every day. I would fill a book with smiles.

So I started filling the pages of one of my books with things that make me smile. Each day I will write one thing that made me smile in the last twenty-four hours. Really, truly, deep down, from the soul Smile. Some have come pretty easy. Others, I have had to be very observant for. I thought it would be easy. Surely I get a real smile at least once a day. But guess what. I have skipped several days already. And not out of laziness, but because nothing made me truly smile. My hope is that the more I recognize the things that make me smile, the more things there will be to smile about. And more pages filled!

I challenge you to notice what makes you smile each day. Not laugh. Not smirk. What makes you SMILE? A smile comes from appreciation. Think about it. And then report back to me! Well, you don't have to. But it sure would make me smile.

*photo from Cannelle et Vanille

It's Been a Long Time.

Hello friends,

Just thought I would drop in and let you all know what has been going on in my world lately. I have been quite slack, again, at posting. I didn't realize it had been over a week! Gees. However, feel free to ignore this post if you don't want to hear the ins and outs of my life. I know it can get quite boring and repetitive.

First of all, my nerves have been bothering me again. I just have that nervous, irritated feeling that won't go away. Then, last Thursday, my husband's great-grandfather died. He was 89 years old and sharp as a tack. Friday and Saturday were spent at the funeral home and graveyard. I know that sounds quite depressing, but on the contrary, it was quite nice to have all of the family together for a few days. I laughed so hard that my jaws hurt. My husband's family is quite a hoot, I must say.

I was overjoyed to be off work Monday. We never close the shop for Labor Day. This year was a first. I spent the day doing little projects around the house, getting the yard mowed and digging potatoes.

The past two days have been a little bit of a different story. I haven't been feeling so good. My allergies had been bothering me, along with my nerves, and then (seemingly out of nowhere) my chest started feeling a little funny. I hate to be a hypochondriac, but it really has me worried. I've been trying to closely monitor how I'm feeling, just in case I end up needing to go to the doctor. I don't want to overreact. I don't want to under react, either!

I have several new things I want to share with you. Hopefully I will be feeling better and have my act together by next week. Until then, I hope you all have a great weekend. Hugs to you.

xoxo ~Jo~ xoxo