Hooray! Some new things have been added to the shop, including the first of the "Mixed Media" necklaces. I have been making these necklaces on and off for the past two or three years, and after many requests to add them to my inventory, they are finally here!

Well, I say "they," but there is only one so far. But, have no fear - there will be more on Saturday.

Here are the new goodies:





Oh, and that one in the upper left? So hard to let that one go. I love it so....

I keep fooling around with my banners, but I really need to pick one and stick to it. I have a feeling that the current banner will not be around long. I want something fairytale-ish, but not too childish-looking. I think that fairytales are the most perfect form of storytelling, and they influence most aspects of my life in one way or another, so I want my "brand" banner to reflect their impact on my work. Anything whimsical, dark, and fantastical is right up my alley.

Look for more this weekend (I have ALL WEEKEND off - that has never happened to me while working at the Gap), and I plan on working on Strange Bird.

I'll see you soon!

Love,
Sarah

A New Look

Did you notice? It's so different! I needed a change.

I also need to be better about posting here. I am, however, a slacker at heart, and I believe I always shall be.

But, today I have a real reason to post! I'm putting up four new insect necklaces into my shop this afternoon, so skedaddle on over there, if you want one!

Here are the new pretties:



I'm getting a bit better at this photoshop thing, no? (Well, the pictures were all put into one in MS Paint, but I resized and cropped and added the text in Photoshop! Now, I need to figure out how to add my custom banner to this blog...Hrm.)

Have a lovely evening, all you hunnies out in blogland.

-Sarah

"I should have been a great many things..."

It's so true. I should have been (or should be) an anthropologist, an Artist-with-a-capital-A, a museum curator, an authoress, an entomologist, a fashion designer.

Indeed, I should have been a great many things.

But, what I am is also pretty amazing. I am an opera singer, a jewelry designer, a small business owner, a pretty good chef, a budding homemaker, and so much more. I'm Sarah, what can I say?

Proof positive I should have been an entomologist:



She is for sale in
the shop right now! (Nevermind, she was purchased shortly after she was posted! Wow! If you are interested in another like her, just drop me a line over at Etsy!)

Have a good night - bundle up - it's chilly in my neck of the woods.

Here's what's up in the shop...

All of this stuff is for sale here, so go see for yourself!

Etsy!

I have finally set up an Etsy shop! Go here and see what's up (and what's for sale so far):

www.StrangeBirdHandmade.etsy.com

Now maybe I can actually SELL something, instead of hoarding like usual.

In other news, I am completely over-the-moon in love with this guy:



I have always had a soft spot in my heart for deformity (is that so wrong, really?). I was in love with weird-looking superheroes as a small girl (and a teenage girl, and a twenty-something girl), and no-one did it for me so much as the Toxic Avenger. It's been years since I have seen "Toxic Avenger" or "Toxic Crusaders" (the kid-friendly morning cartoon version of Toxie), but, thanks to my amazing boyfriend, I now have all four movies. Let me tell you. "Toxic Avenger" is basically my perfect movie. I get all nostalgic for him when I watch it, which is nice, plus the movie has a lot of great humor in it that I can appreciate as an adult, as opposed to just the brutal, gory violence that I loved as a child. Numbers II through IV are not-so-good, though. I had only ever seen the first two -III was difficult to make it through, and I actually had to turn off IV a few times (and not just because of the filthy shock-value humor). I am beaming now, having watched the original about three times so far, replaying all my favorite parts, of course (Oh, Melvin, how I love your cheesy, '80s falling-in-love montage).

My heart is pounding just thinking about Toxie kicking the asses of those jerks who pointed a gun at a baby. Ah, how I love him.

If only I hadn't gotten rid of my collection of T.A. stuff - comics, toys, what have you. Ah, well, I'm off to scour eBay now.

Cheerio

- 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

I'm bad at blogging.

Here's what I've been doing while I've been neglecting this blog:

More Storybook nonsense. These are both about 12 inches high, and are made completely of old children's books.

There has been a bit of work on jewelry, but not much:

A Haydn aria, some jasper and turquoise earrings, and a coral branch with some jade and some birds. I love the first two, but I'm not sure about the coral.

Mostly, what I've been doing is working at the Gap. Ugh.

Well, I'm off to watch some Rachael Ray and get ready for work. AGAIN.

Take care, and would you like to open up a Gap account and save fifteen percent today?

-Sarah