Busy. And wordy. Very wordy.

Every time I log on to make a new post here, I think to myself, "This is it - I'm going to start posting more often now - it starts TONIGHT." And then, I get busy with all kinds of more important, but less relaxing, things like finding the women's performance fleece mock 1/2 zip in electric blue in a size XXL for a customer who needs it NOW. Oh, wait - that's not more important than my hobbies and interests, is it?

I'm torn. I LOVE Christmas - it's definitely my favorite time of year, but working in retail during the "Holiday Season" twists my innards into an unrecognizable pulp of agony and delight. Why do people get exponentially more STUPID during Christmas? What is it about gift shopping that makes people turn into absolutely vile and disgusting pigs, throwing merchandise all over the floor, pushing and sneering and harumph-ing, just so they can get the sweatshirt they need for $2 cheaper than usual? Why?

At the same time, though, I revel in the decorations, the snow, the cold, the atmosphere of Christmas everywhere outside of the Gap. Last time I made the trek to Michael's craft store, I spent about 40 minutes browsing in the Christmas aisles (and this was before Halloween, for goodness sakes!). Why do I have to have a job that I loathe during a time of year that I adore? I worked two shifts on Black Friday, because our store opened at midnight, and then I came in to close that night as well (13 hours, all told), and I came home feeling so depleted that I could hardly handle putting my pajama pants on one leg at a time. Why?

Okay, the rant is over. Wait - one more thing - why in the world would an electric toothbrush have to cost almost $90? NINETY DOLLARS? Are you kidding me? It's a toothbrush! Nevertheless, I have a brand spanking new Sonicare toothbrush now, and I'm very wary of using it. Am I the only one who finds the human mouth downright yucky?

Seriously, though, it's time for bed. I have to be back at work at 6am tomorrow morning. I wish I had some new projects to show off, but that will have to wait. I just put the finishing touches on an oh-so-cozy wool blend scarflette that is so beautiful, I may have to keep it. But we'll see how that goes. Then, I have two projects that need to be blocked, and need buttons added and seams seamed up, and those will be ready to show, as well.

I love knitting.

Cheers

-Sarah

Coming out of hiding

Well, not "hiding" per se - more like "seriously nerdy seclusion." Which means that I have been playing an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) called MapleStory all this past week.

WOW.

I am now a level 15 swordsman, and have been sexually harassed by packs of young boys several times (which, sadly, is flattering, because my character really does look like me).

First thing anyone in this game ever said to me? "can i rape u?" My reply? "Learn proper grammar and spelling and then we'll talk."

But anyway, in crafty news (this is supposed to be a craft blog, right?), I just listed this pretty in my shop yesterday afternoon:

It's been very difficult to make and list things lately, because I've been working so much and fighting off a nasty cold (which I finally succumbed to and am now in the throes of), but I'm hoping that will change this week with my (hopefully) lighter schedule. So, keep an eye out for new and amazing creations!

Have a lovely evening!

-Sarah

Absent, again.

I really wish that I didn't have to work EVERY day at the Gap. Especially not at 5am on a day when I'm not even supposed to work, with a manager that hates and excludes me. I don't like it. Not one bit.

But, in order to cheer myself up, I've made myself the proud new owner of this little beauty:

It should be arriving on Friday, and then you will never see the top of my head again.

It all goes along with my ever-increasing desire to actually become a fairy tale character - because we all know that fairy tale characters wear ridiculously large and floppy toques in an effort to be cool.

And I do feel a little bit better.

Just a little.

Now, I'm going to drink some chamomile tea and play MapleStory like the raging nerd that I am. And I'm happy about that.

Love,

Sarah

Convalescence

I am recovering from a very mysterious bout of stomach-grossness from yesterday. It was so strange - I would be fine for twenty minutes and then all of a sudden I would feel the need to expel the contents of my stomach (which were nothing!). That went on all day yesterday, and this morning, I am fine.

Anyway, during my convalescence (over-dramatic much?), I plan on drawing and painting, whilst watching "The Royal Tennenbaums" and other such cinematic gems. Oh, and drinking LOTS of coffee. Yeah.

And I finished "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell." That book is so beautiful. I cried when I finished it because it was over. It's so much worse when a book is large like that - you build a relationship with it, and when it's finally finished, it's almost like the heartache of a break-up, only in miniature. And I know I'm not the only book-freak out there, so don't tell me I'm being weird and sentimental. Ah, well, now I'm on to finishing "Grimms' Complete Fairy Tales," "The Bedside Book of Death," and "The Oxford Book of Victorian Ghost Stories." Then, I'm on to "Andersen's Complete Fairy Tales" and my Children's Lit. class text.

I guess this post didn't really have a point, other than to vent about the end of reading that amazing novel, but now I feel like I've committed myself to doing something today, because I said I would here. Funny how that works.

So, I'm off to make coffee and start in on the art-fest that is today.

Love,

Sarah

A new little friend

...has just alighted in the shop, and she is pretty precious! Here's a peek:

She is Martine, the French Refugee Mouse. To read her story, or to give her a home, go here.

I've just returned from a very satisfying trip to Michael's, where I purchased copious amounts of tiny objects. WAY more than I should have, that's for sure. Here, let me show you:

From left to right, top to bottom, we have (all miniatures): rolling pins, clothespins, white doves, trick-or-treat buckets, drums, teacups and saucers, candy canes, speckled eggs, (even though you can't tell, I promise that they are) the TINIEST buttons ever, wooden balls, top hats, thread spools, wooden blocks, wooden toys (two containers' worth!), birds' nests, twine, ribbon, a new "thank you" stamp for packaging, a pincushion tomato, more buttons, cowboy hats, Chinese takeout boxes, popcorn bags, shopping bags, Christmas lights, and another stamp for packaging. WHEW! That's a lot of tinies! I'm so excited to get sculpting!

What a great day it's been so far (despite the fact that I have a headache, and feel altogether as if I ran full-tilt into a brick wall). A real breakfast always makes the rest of my day awesome, and my darling Dad made eggs, bacon (which I hadn't eaten in almost eight years before today!), and coffee. Delicious!

Now I'm off to start on another little creature, so I'll see you later!

Love,

Sarah

Another Update, and More Laziness

There have been several additions to the shop since the last time I posted about updates here. But the two items that I listed today are particularly interesting, as they are new!

Here they are:



That's right - portraits of clothing articles! I love clothes so much that I stooped to creating portraits of some of my favorite clothing articles (reasonable, right?) I rather like them.

What do you think?

In other news, I'm really loving this here crafty blog. I love her work, I love reading her posts, and oh, did I mention that I LOVE her work?

Just look at this:



Have I ever mentioned that I have a very soft spot in my heart for dapper animals wearing people clothes? No? Well, I do.

That's one of her older paintings, but it just may be my favorite. I wish I had the money to afford the Mr. Bear portrait on the first page of her shop, but I am BROKE. Well, maybe I can eek out a few extra dollars from the corporate nightmare that is the GAP....

Speaking of the GAP, I have to be there at 8 am tomorrow morning (and stay there until 5 pm), so I need to skedaddle off to bed. I can't wait to see what Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell are up to tonight....

Goodnight, loves.
-Sarah

Crafty Slacker

Okay, so I've been a bad crafter lately.

But, here's what I've been doing instead:

What do you think? Has it been worth the recent lull in productivity? No? Well, I guess not, but it makes me feel better.

Have you ever had the overwhelming desire to simply stay in a moment, because you know you may never geet that feeling back? I had one of those times yesterday morning - after having gone into work at 8am, and having found out that I wasn't actually supposed to work that day, I came back home and had another cup of coffee, and went back to bed. It was pouring rain, and I had the windows open, and it smelled lovely and chilly, so I bundled up into my canopy bed with my favorite blankets. The light was so fuzzy, like it was being sifted through the atmosphere of the morning, and everything outside my canopy looked surreal, as if it were painted into place. There was a flock of wild turkeys outside my window, and they were fighting, but everytime the thunder would sound, they would make little frightened, surprised noises, which would get the crow in the tree above them going. All the lovely sounds, smells and sights combined to create my perfect morning.

The view from where I lay:

Now I really MUST get back to my sketchbook, and to "Boxing Helena," which I have so rudely interrupted to jot down this post.

Here's to misty, distilled-gloom mornings

-Sarah

What a day for a daydream...

It's been really nice outside, so I've been having lots of sylvan kinds of daydreams (along with a disturbing amount of housewifey daydreams, accompanied by copious amounts of "fancy" cooking). But here's where I've been spending a lot of time lately:

Lovely, no? Here's what I've been doing indoors:

More Storybook goodness. I can't wait utnil my online shop is up, I want to show off my pretties. I'm supposed to do a festival coming up next month, but I just found out last week that I need to have all my tax stuff straight in order to do it, and I'm not sure if I can get it together in time. It's really a shame, because I would quite like to do it, I think.

Ah, well, such is life. I'll still apply to be a vendor, and we'll see what happens.

Now back to another fabulous episode of MST3K (oh, how I adore Tom Servo!)

-Sarah