this is not a product placement ...

... but I did just spend a few moments gazing longingly into my thread drawer. Ahhh, thread. When I was a neurotic non-artist I couldn't really enjoy having tools and supplies because they caused me more agony. I wasn't using them, or I wasn't using them the right way, or they sat in the corner mocking me, blah blah blah. Now I'm a neurotic artist and it's a joy to have things that serve me well. No added crap.

Today I've got 3 out of 4 discs of John Coltrane's Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings loaded into the cd player. Ok I admit it, I can't find the fourth one. But I'm still sure I'll have something sewn when the first three are done.

"The women who have led the craft movement don’t want to work for the Man."

One of my favorite lines from the article about etsy in the 12/16/07 New York Times Magazine:

"The women who have led the craft movement don’t want to work for the Man."

happy, warm.

I'm happy for more than one reason today. I stepped up to the plate, resisted flashing my tattoos, and got picked for jury duty. I figured I could sew plenty in the evenings but when I got home last night I was fairly brain dead. Getting all hepped up preparing to pass judgment on another human then being asked to sit and sit and sit in various rooms for hours is really not an energizing experience.

Back I went this morning, where after a mere hour and a half in the juror's room, we were called into the courtroom and released. Apparently we looked so tough - even without tattoos - that they accepted a plea.

The other reason I'm happy is my new head warmer. My friend Beth of Big Geek Knit Blog made it for me. When you aren't patient enough to knit it's important to befriend those who are. It's keeping me toasty and warm. Sometimes I cheat and wear it around my neck.

Now I can get back to my sewing machines and post some new stuff on etsy. I have a few sculpted layering shirt-things ready and I'm just finishing up a dress. Hurray for warm happy and productive.

friendly empire building

I just got secretlentil.com up and running. Right now it just sends you to etsy, flickr or here, but it's a start. It was nice to just jump onto Dreamweaver and whip it up - even that simple design would have been like pulling teeth a few years ago. 

Or maybe like growing new ones. Hurray for a learning curve.

once more for a simple twist of fate.

I'm not sure what compels people to blurt out "I've never won anything in my life" when they win something. Is it a strange form of modesty? Is it a fact? A protective utterance put forth in hopes of saving more luck for later? I just hope these people, who have just received word of their raffle or pie or Caribbean cruise, haven't been silently labeling every other moment in their lives before that as losing.

Well, I won something.

Amanda Ryznar of YogaGoat Pottery put a post up on the etsy forum asking for help editing a blurb to describe her work. Space was limited and she wanted to keep "Spirited Hand-thrown Porcelain." I stared at her shop for a long time and after wiping the drool off my chin suggested three nice condensed words: "Spirited Hand-thrown Porcelain. Lush Fresh Design." And I won. I've never won anything in my life! I got to choose my prize from her shop - I'll soon be the proud owner of a lush fresh bird tumbler. Thanks Amanda.

I expect to never, ever lose again.