Job Posting: Position: Future Happiness

Firstly,
I've been ignoring you. I am a bad lady. It's true. Don't hate me.....

This week I was having drinks with a co-worker. She is a bit older than me and single. For all practical purposes there is no reason she is single. She is beautiful, good at her job, has a great figure, and is a charming and funny individual. She was not lamenting her single gal life, but was a bit bummed by her single status. As we enjoyed our $14 Capitol Hill cocktails she asked me how I was doing in my transition from single gal to married gal. We chatted a while about the intricacies of commuting, planning a wedding and running a small business while working a full-time job (here's the inside scoop- it's hard, that's why I've not been writing in this blog). We also discussed our similar ideas about our careers. One thing in the conversation led to another, and she asked about my mental place when I was first internet dating. Apparently I had a unique take on it. I looked at it as a job application. The job: my future happiness.

Huh? Yep. When I was dating I looked at it as a job application and interview process. Think about it....

When applying for a job you put your best and (if you are doing it right) most honest foot forward. You don't flatly lie about your abilities, you don't accept a position that wouldn't make you happy, or that doesn't meet your needs. When talking to a future co-worker you are honest with yourself about what you need to get out of the relationship, and what you can bring to the table. You interview a company as much as a company interviews you. If you have lots of experience it is looked at as a good thing, although you will need to be flexible and willing to compromise. If you are just starting out in a field, you accept that you need to learn a few more things about the position you are applying for, and do some research.

The actual dates are really just an interview. First phone date: you are making sure you are both offering something you can live with. First cocktail date: you are having your initial job interview. You talk about your life experiences, and get to know each other a bit better. First dinner date: You make each other an offer-- this is what I have, this is what I expect. From there it is just contract negotiations. If you can both come to a contract that you agree upon and are happy with, negotiations are over and a probationary period begins. Once the probationary period has been met and you both are happy with progress- you can take the next step and enter into a binding contract. Life.


xo

10 Most Important.

This week Mr. SmartGuy and I booked tickets to Florida to pick a venue and date for our wedding. We have also been to several events over the last weeks where I have come to the conclusion, that I am the worlds worst bride. In. The. World. I actually told some lovely early twenty year old girl at a family BBQ that right now I didn't really care about the wedding, I was more concerned with the marriage. She got married last year in a blow-out event that was (I'm sure) a dream wedding for her and all of her friends. I'm sure she worked for hundreds of hours on the wedding.

I'm an ass.

As a little girl I didn't dream of what my wedding dress would look like, I never imagined that I would walk down an aisle with white bunting covering the walls, or that I would be surrounded by my 15 favorite friends all wearing matching dresses. I imagined someday I would meet a guy and we would shack-up and maybe someday we would escape to the courthouse and quietly get married and send out a postcard with a little note that said something to the effect of "we got married!" When we got engaged, I called my parents and said "We're getting married!" My Mom's first question was- "okay, but when? Not tomorrow, right?" I believe that is a serious case of parents knowing their child.

As it becomes very clear that we *are* having a wedding, I have been struggling with what I want. Mr. SmartGuy has a pretty firm idea of what is important to him, however I feel a little scattered. I was chatting with a co-worker who is about 15years older than me. She has been to many weddings. She suggested that I figure out what are the 10 most important things about this event that I want, and will make the event fun and memorable to me. I've been thinking about it for most of the week, and so far- this is what I've got.

1. I want to be married to Mr. SmartGuy. He is awesome, I love him, and I never have to worry about him tweeting pictures of his junk to girls on twitter (he hates social media, and isn't an idiot).

2. I want someone I know and trust to perform the ceremony.

3. I want to make most aspects of the wedding decorations. I love a handmade aesthetic, and I wouldn't feel right about buying things for our wedding. It just wouldn't fit.

4. I want people to walk away from the wedding talking about how non-wedding-industrial-machine the wedding was. I hate the look of matching linens and invitations, and chair covers, and bunting, and giant wasteful floral arrangements, and a huge cake that is covered with chemical crap that really isn't food, but food science.

5. I want our families and guests to have fun.

6. I want to wear something that is flattering, fun, and not something that you can buy off the rack, that will go out of style or date the wedding to mid-2012. I want something vintage and charming. I want my friends to make it.


7.?

8.?

9.?

10.?


That's all I have for right now. I'm sure as the weeks and months go by and the time gets closer I will care more about the wedding. For now, all I care about is marrying my best friend, the party is just an outward expression of our inward style.


As a very smart person once said- If people worked as hard on their marriage as they did on their wedding, there would likely be fewer divorces in the world.

Delicious Vietnamese Inspired Noodle Salad

About 2 years ago I had Vietnamese food for the first time. I was immediately hooked. I don't think you could convince me that there is a more delicious cuisine out there. It ranges from healthy salads and soups to sinfully delicious fried things. This salad is inspired by bun (pronounced buun) and it is a great healthy summer salad. Best part- it's very low-fat, so if you are watching your fat intake or just don't want to feel like you ate a dumbbell it's a delicious summer dinner or fancy lunch.

This makes 2-3 servings, depending how hungry you are. Omit or make substitutions as you like, this is just a good starting place.

You will need:

1 large box of salad (I use the spring mix, you can use whatever you prefer. Romaine is a great option)
2/3 pound of fresh steamed shrimp. You can substitute grilled tofu, chicken, or fish if you prefer
1/2cup shredded carrots
2 green onions
1 cup mung bean sprouts
4oz uncooked rice noodles (available at any asian grocery store) I like the double golden fish brand vermicelli size
Hoisin sauce (optional, and available at any grocery store)


Sauce
2Tbls sugar
2Tbls Lime juice
4Tbls Water
2Tbls fish sauce (waay optional)
1tsp (or 1 clove) minced garlic
1Tbls minced pickled ginger (I get this from the international aisle at the grocery store)
1Tbls minced mint (fresh or otherwise)
1Tbls minced Basil
1Tbls minced Cilantro
a few drops of Siracha (this is crazy hot sauce, available in the international aisle)

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and let sit for an hour or more. Or if you have a food processor you can dump all the items in and whirr it together. This dressing is also a great non-fat all around salad dressing. If you can't have sugar- omit it and substitute with agave nectar or Splenda.

Soak your uncooked rice noodles in a large bowl for 1-2hours. To cook the noodles, boil water and using a colander or sieve dip the noodles in the boiling water for 30seconds to 1minute while shaking to keep the noodles separated. They will cook rapidly. dunk them in cold water to stop cooking. Drain well. Put them in the bottom of your bowls. Add lettuce, veggies/garnishes and protein. Drizzle sauce over the top and add hoisin sauce to taste.

Freakin' delish.

Pile of Whaaa?

Oh yeaaah.

To take a little travel away from my recent marriage-engagement and the fact that I live in suburbia now, let's talk crafts. I am a vendor in the Charm City Craft Mafia's PILE OF CRAFT, or as a few of my friends said: Pile of WHAAA?

The Craft Mafia is a crafty group that started in Austin, and have "mafias" in cities across the US and internationally. They are known for putting on some of the most well-attended craft shows in the country, and I am super thrilled to be included in one of their shows. I can only hope that this will open me up to getting a spot in another Craft Mafia show sometime in the future, but I wouldn't want to jinx it by assuming.

So what am I planning for this awesome show? Oh baby! A whole new display, some great new bags, and a bunch of awesome new products (like recycled vegan belts!) As almost anyone who has read this blog before knows, I make pretty cool stuff, but I suffer from what I call dis-play-ability. I try to make something great, but the merchandising never looks *quite* right to me. Maybe I am too harsh, but I feel like a crappy display really kills your chances of getting invited back to a show, and I've never felt like my displays are anywhere near as good as my pieces.

Sooo in an attempt to remedy my lame displays Mr. SmartGuy and I made a trip to Lucketts Va for Lucketts Antique Market. It's no where near as big or great as my beloved Brimfiled, but it served it's purpose. I purchased some printers trays, an antique suitcase, some old hardware drawers, a vintage step ladder and drooled over the astonishingly ugly antique chickens that were abound. Add in some overcast skies (so my translucent skin wasn't crispified) and it was a perfect day!

My spoils from the day are still in the trunk of the car, but in coming weeks I'll post some pictures of my display, and maybe you can offer suggestions about how to make it even better!


*oh, and blogger is being cranky, so I can't throw any links or pictures in this post, so get creative and use google*

The Engagement

So the question has been asked many times, and this is the general outline of how it goes with people who don't know either one of us very well.

Them: So did you know?

Me: ummm know what? That I was going to marry this guy as soon as I met him? Well, not exactly as soon as I met him, but it didn't take too long...

Them: No, silly! That he was going to ask you!

Me: Well, yeah, we talked about it a whole lot, and we planned to go out for an awesomely memorable dinner in Chicago and get engaged. It was perfect. He gave me my Grandmother's ring, I gave him this super cool ring I bought online *which seems appropriate* and it was totally perfect. I am the happiest girl alive!

Them: Oh, you knew? So I guess that's modern

Me: Well I wouldn't want to marry someone I couldn't talk to about our engagement. It seems silly.

Them: Well I guess if you feel like you're engaged, then you are.

Me: (on the inside) Fuck You.



The way it usually goes with our closer friends is something like this:

Them: Holy Shit! you are wearing a diamond!

Me: Yeah, it was my Grandma's, look you can see the groove her wedding band wore into the side of it. Cool huh? Oh, and I got him this really great ring online, and he is totally excited, and I am totally excited, and it's great.

Them: That is freakin' awesome, so when was the wedding?

Me: We aren't sure yet.

Them: You mean you didn't elope?!?, Wow you really must love this guy and want to start this out right.

Me: yup.


So there you have it. We talked about it, and decided to get married. I shopped for a ring for him (because I'm not the only one getting engaged) and we decided to go out for an awesome dinner, propose to one another and drunk dial almost everyone in our cellphones from the top of the Hancock Building in Chicago. It was awesome. It was perfect. It was totally modern, and totally us.


Here are a couple of pictures of the view that night. It was amazing.

Blog, resurrected

Remember when I used to write in this thing on a weekly, sometimes daily basis? Remember when I used to tell you all about my crazy crafty life? Well, I am working on getting back to it, because I have a big announcement, but before I tell you, here is a little update.

The skinny on the past year: I moved to the suburbs (I live in Mr. Smartguy's condo), and now I commute about 30 miles to and from work. You might say, Katie! That's not so bad!! Everywhere in the country people commute that much. Except here in the DC metro area, that translates to anywhere from 90 minutes to 4 or 5 hours depending on traffic- each way. Let me say that again. EACH WAY. I have a part-time job as a commuter. I am going to try to harness that time and whatever creative energy I have left to work on blogging, and also my big news:

We got engaged! I'm marrying Mr. Smartguy. Yes! the very one who's giant brain made me swoon. The very one I met on the internet! The very one who is the only man that could ever drag me kicking and screaming out of living in a city! That one!

It just happened last weekend, but it seems to be important enough that I'm resurrecting this blog to tell you all about the upcoming nuptials. As you might imagine, it's not really going to be a traditional wedding, so hang on! because it might be a bumpy ride.

So here is my promise, oh readers of this blog (if there are still any) I promise to write to you about what is bound to be a crafty, if not crazy event.

xo
Katie

I'll just draw a diagram.....

One year ago I met Mr. Smartguy. Or, rather I met him in "real life". We had been chatting on the interwebs for about a week before the grand meeting took place. The night of the first date was crazy. It involved a neighbor falling out of a window, a blown fuse, a haz-mat spill, several traffic violations, and 3 Republican National Convention lawyers. Sometimes, it's just easier to draw a diagram.

Here is how it worked out:

Home, Sweet Nomad....

It's that time again. I find myself standing in a partially packed apartment, there are boxes here and there, some full, some waiting to have my possessions carefully sorted and packed away. Yep. I'm moving again. This time, it's not for a job, it's for love.

Mr. Smartguy and I are making the leap. After almost exactly a year, we are moving in, shacking up, kicking the tires, and taking a test-drive. We aren't doing anything legal, just logistical. It's a big step for two grown-ass people to decided to move in and give it a shot, but somehow I'm not concerned. Maybe that's bravado, and maybe it's foolish to think that in this day and age a girl can meet a guy on the Internet and in about a year they can be living together happily, but here I am prepping for my 7th move in as many years, and I think this is the best move I've ever made.

Good luck with all the plastic!

Once in when I was working in the costume shop in Hartford a tour of tweensy children came through our shop. Amongst the eager faces of wannabe theatre professionals was a just barely pre-adolescent boy? kid? mini-dude? who wanted to know everything. What was this made out of? How did we do that? He was especially intrigued by the chorus-girl costumes made of a sparkly leotard that created the illusion of a girlie champagne flute with busty-booby-bubbles (gee I wonder why he was so interested?). The "flute" was made of a molded plastic cup, and he was mesmerized. On the way out of the door the young man proudly wished the shop "GOOD LUCK WITH ALL THE PLASTICS!" Unfortunately the kid had a terrible lisp, and it came out "GHOOD LUHCK WHIHTH ALL THE PHLASTHICS!" To this day, we still wish each other luck with ALL the plastics.

Weak segue, but whatever......

A few people have been asking me if I am still making my re purposed plastic wallets, and the short answer is- well, um no, not really. The reason? DC has enacted a totally-awesome-freakin-love-it-five-cent-bag-tax, and suddenly plastic bags are getting a little difficult to come by. People are bringing their illicit suburban bags into work to give to co-workers who use them for diapers, litter and doggy-duty. The once overflowing bag holder in my kitchen is becoming less and less full and I have to import my kitty bags from my fella's house in suburban Virginia. My once overflowing raw materials supply, is becoming less and less plentiful.
I'm making a few pouches when I find something that tickles my fancy, and I have a few bags left from the mass shipments that used to come in from as far away as Massachusetts and Chicago, but with the prevalence of totes and re-usables, I'm happy to say that this product is almost no longer viable. If I get into Crafty Bastards this year, I think that will be the last hurrah for my re-purposed plastic bags, and I couldn't be happier...

Part Deux

Upping my Crafty-nerd-street-cred-photoshoot-style

This is the second of a multi-post-series detailing my photoshoot with the Tomerlins of Tomerin Photography in preparation for the Crafty Bastards application process.


Once I decided which pieces I wanted to have photographed (of course, most of those pieces where not yet in existence) it was time to get-a-goin’. One piece I want to start selling are totebags. Why totebags? Well, because Washington DC has instituted a bag tax (which I FULLY support) and totebags are now, oh so very now. So I pulled out the YUDU Mr. Smartguy gave me for my birthday, and I took it out for a spin. **This is yet another up-side to dating someone who is interested in what you do, fully committed to gadgetry, and supports the furthering of said craftiness with gadgetry**. I think the results are strong, and graphically pleasing.



If I were to change anything about the YUDU as a product, it would be the horrible cheesy name. Additionally, as someone with limited experience with legit silk screening, (but more than a decade of painting and dyeing experience) I wanted clear and highly technical instructions. Luckily, with the assistance of you tube, some new and vintage books on textile printing, a few dozen websites and a some facebook conversations (hey, I get points for thoroughness) I fulfilled my nerdy needs and realized that although technically a bit complex, the products available on the market simplify the process. Making screens is something that someone with strong attention to detail, a commitment to following process driven instructions and a basic understanding of the importance of patience can do with reasonable success.

When styling the photos we wanted to be sure it looked like the bag was being used. Also, it was important to me to make sure that the scale of the bag, the quality of the screen and the overall image looked “professional”. We ended up stuffing the bag with a handmade lap quilt my mom made; it was a great color to have popping out of the top, and filled out the bag nicely. I’m particularly happy with this image, I think the styling and overall composition are quite pleasing and it is a good example of the quality of product (both for crafty lady and photographers!)

Like a real professional

A couple of weeks ago I decided it was high time to get some real pictures of my work, myself, and get my act together for the Crafty Bastards application (which is due in a couple of weeks). Crafty Bastards, for those of you who don’t remember- is a local show that-is-to-date my FAVORITE craft show of all times. The show was well organized, well planned, and had a great attendance. Sooooooooo I gots me a photo session.

The impetus for the photo session was pictures of items that needed context. For those of you who have not tried-it is really hard to take good photographs of your own work, on your own body. It’s even harder to try and convince your attractive friends to let you take pictures of them without some serious cajoling and maybe some roofies. So that leaves me, wearing my own stuff, and trying to take a decent photo of my own wrist, head, and (gulp) belt. Needless to say it is really hard to conjure up the littlest bit of my vague memories of that one episode of Top Model I watched in 2004 all the while trying to figure out how to operate my camera that has a more complicated processor than the space shuttle. In walk the Tomerlins, and I fall in love with the idea of getting someone else to ‘shoot’ my work.

The Tomerlins are a couple that met via their Flickr accounts. Yep, they met because they both liked each other’s photos, and started chitty-chatting online…fast forward a couple of years and they are hitched and own a photography company together. If that’s not a story made in cyberspace and digi-photography heaven I don’t know what is. I became familiar with their work via some great shots of a dear friend on facebook, later we met and chatted at a cocktail party and it was clear to me that these people could make me look great. Professional. Like a Crafty Bastard.

Here are some shots from our session.







I’ll be writing more about how I prepped for the session, and what the session itself was like in the coming days…stay tuned.

3 652.42199 days

That's how many days are in a decade.

This decade has brought us so many things- advances and back-steps, money and poverty, joy and sorrow. Here are some of the things I've done this decade.

I've:

Lived in 11 apartments/group houses in 4 major metro areas and 7 towns.

Met Mr. Wrong

Fallen in love

Graduated from college

Gone from being a vegetarian-straight-edge-very-serious-hardcore-kid to being a middle-of-the-road-meat-eating-wine-drinking-adult

Fallen out-of-love (with Mr. wrong)

Witnessed many friends fall-in-and-out-of-love

Witnessed weddings, births, adoptions, and deaths

Had my apartment broken into

Traveled to Europe

Quit 5 jobs

Been fired from 1 job

Earned and spent around $194k (that's scary on many levels)

Started a small business

Fallen in love (with Mr. Right)

Lived with 5 cats

Become the owner of 1 cat

Bought and killed 17 house plants

Gone from no car to owning a car back to a no-car lifestyle

Traveled to 14 states

Gained and lost and gained again 35 lbs


.....and most recently I've met my new niece. This is the littlest Stacklet of them all. She is amazingly beautiful, and talking to her momma inspires me to continue to take my birth control. Welcome to the family. I hope the next decade brings you lots of fun things.

Busted

Dear Blog,

It's been a while. I've not been writing in you because I've been too busy. Also, I try not to write in you when I think I might say something that would bite me in my kiester later. Therefore, you have sat blank for a (very) long time. I'm sorry. Here's a nice little post so you can feel like I still love you.


Crafty Bastards? Effing rocked. I was not the Craftiest Bastard, but I would do that show again in a heart beat. By far, my best selling day and the nicest organizers EVER. Hands down. Awesome. They brought me a whole foods sandwich. Never in my life have I had a craftshow provide me with even a snack, and this place gave me a sandwich, and it wasn't even a nasty cello-wrapped egg salad from a food museum, it had vegetables on it. **it's sad that I get this excited about a sandwich, but during a full day craftshow, it's the little things that count** Other awesome thing about the show- Mr. Smartguy helped me tear down. Ladies, if you can find a guy who is willing to help you move heavy stuff and brave a craftshow for you, you know you've found a keeper. Which is a nice segue into the holidaze...

Hey Katie, what are you doing for Thanksgiving? Oh, well I'm headed to Texas to meet my boyfriend's family. I'll write that again, I'm going to Texas to meet Mr. Smartguy's family. Specifically Austin, specifically his parents. This leads to the other question-- are ya nervous? Ummmm, maybe?...a little? I'm pretty good at meeting people and getting them to like me. I'm not so keen on feeling like I am the center of attention. Last night I found out that members of the extended family heard of the arrival of a girlfriend, and they are excited to check her out. I'm sure they are all going to be wonderful people, but until I meet them- I'm a little antsy about the introduction. Which leads to another question....

Hey Katie! What about Holiday Craft Shows? Well, like I mentioned before, I try not to say things on the Internet that are going to bite me in the tuckus later, so I will simply say that my job took over my life this fall, and I did not get my act together with enough quality goods to be accepted into any of the big NYC craftshows (well, that was diplomatic). I'm really bummed about it, but it has taken a little of the pressure off the holidaze for me. It also has allowed me to *gasp* have a little time to make some holiday gifts for my loved ones. Who knew?! when you aren't making gifts for other people to buy, you actually do have some time to make gifts to give.

I always feel like I am cheating when I buy gifts. There just seems like there is something wrong about buying things when you are fully capable of making something that has a little love already built in. So I apologize if I've ever given you a store bought gift. I do really love you, I just didn't have time to make something so I went to the mall. I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again...well, okay it will but we can pretend that it won't.


Additionally, due to the aforementioned work surplus, I did not do the graphics or website for the Side Project Market this year. The torch was handed off to someone who actually knew what they were doing! Again, I'm bummed that after lots of years as a participant, and at least 2 years doing the graphics I had to bail due to a work surplus, but that's the way the craftsperson cookie crumbles. Here is a link to the groovy website, and the name of the market has changed too. It is now part of a larger event called Shop Jarvis Square, which brings in the local storefronts and restaurants to create a really fantastic shopping extravaganza! Also, the coffee joint on the corner makes a freakin' awesome mocha (I'm just sayin'). If you are in the Chicago area on December 12th, swing by the square and support the local artisans. They make some really great stuff.

So there ya have it blog. The latest news from Craftlandia. Not too crafty, but hey! If it were all about crafts- would ya still be reading this blog? Here are some pics from Crafty Bastards, and some images of pieces that I have been working on in case you really do read this blog just for the crafts.

Crafty Bastard TOP 5

OMG! I'm in the TOP 5!


A huge thank you to everyone who voted and re-posted this to their blogs, facebook and myspace accounts. I really, really, appreciate it.

Here is the link thinger again, just in case you want to re post it some more. I would really love to win this. Oh, and if you come visit me on at the show and tell me you voted, I have a special prize just for you!



or

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/craftybastards/2009/craftiestbastard/?vendor_id=1658


In other news, I am doing my best to get ready for this show. I have some fancy new buttons, some gorgeous new leather cuffs made from cast-off leather scraps that would have ended up as landfill, and I am working on having both leather and vegan belts available for sale with my schmancy buckles. Oh, and speaking of buckles- I am working on some great new buckles featuring vintage fabrics, some new-to-me vintage magazines and these awesome British cigarette cards.




I'm still working on my set-up as it has been the thing that consistently challenges me. I want something that looks like it has been thought about, but not over thought, and that is where *I* get in trouble. Hopefully I will be able to figure out something that looks cool *and* travels easily. Wish me luck.

In more life news: Mr. Smartguy and I are having a blast. We've both been swamped with work, but we are still able to find time to hang out (seriously). This week we took one of the amazing pasture-raised-non-caged chickens I've bought from Green Fence Farm, and made a delicious beer can chicken in the oven. If you've never tried making a beer can chicken- let me just say-- oh, so easy and delicious! Your house will smell great, the chicken is moist and tasty and if you line your pan with foil, the clean-up is a breeze. If you don't drink beer or eat meat...sorry this isn't one for you. Maybe there is a version with diet coke and tofu, but somehow I don't think it would translate.

Craftiest Bastard Contest

Drumroll please................................


It's here. The Craftiest Bastard Contest. What is the Craftiest Bastard Contest? Well it's a contest by the Crafty Bastard ladies so the public can vote on who is the Craftiest Bastard. Since you read this blog, you know I am a pretty crafty b!tch. Sooooooo now is the time to help make me a crafty bastard too.

So what makes me a Crafty Bastard? Well, I am crafty, and although not technically a bastard, I can be a real smart-ass, and sometimes have a potty-mouth. Also, professionally I am basically what would happen in Mcgyver and Martha Stewart got together and had a red-headed baby. So, you should vote for me!

What can I win?

Grand Prize: $500 gift certificate to Urban Outfitters + Winner Promotion in one City Paper 1/4 page print ad + 1 Crafty Bastards eblast

2nd Place: Washington City Paper advertising ($500 value)

3rd Place: Crafty Bastards prize pack filled with City Paper goodies


So as you can see-- if nothing else it could offer me a nice chunk of advertising for this upcoming holiday season.

How can you help? Well I need you to vote, and get your friends to vote, and get their friends to vote. You can vote by clicking on the button ^^up there^^ or by clicking on this link

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/craftybastards/2009/craftiestbastard/?vendor_id=1658


And if you are willing you can put this link on your blog, or on your facebook page or myspace page. You can also send out an email to anyone who might want to help me and ask them to vote for me!

Please please please, with sugar on top!


Oh, and if I have your email address, you are about to get this same posting as an email....because I'm that kind of thorough.

So vote for me!


Thanks.

This message has been brought to you by: Citizens United in Nerdy Crafts Contests.

Oh what to write about?

Here's the skinny. I've not got much to write about. I'm with a great guy, I'm making some cool crafts, and my job has calmed down. So I guess this blog is becoming less a sounding board for my crazy single life, and more like a narrative for how things should/could go..... to be honest I'm not sure what to say more than:


For the first time in a long time I am beginning to feel like I am home. I wouldn't be so bold as to say that he is the only reason I feel DC is a home, but I do think he is a big part of it. More than anything, I think that by giving him a little piece of me, I am giving myself permission to let go of all the other relationships I was holding onto (friends, lovers, jobs, possibilities that can and will never be more than possibilities). I never thought that by giving another person a little piece of me, I'd become more of myself, but I think that is the reality I am living in right now.
I'm beginning to feel like myself again (for the first time since leaving Chicago) and all it took was giving another person a spot in my crazy life. I guess after years of being a Catherinette, I'm finally willing to toss my hat in the ring, and give it a real go.


Who knew?

New(s)

It's a quickie of a blogpost.


The Crafty Bastards vendor gallery is up and running. I think this is going to be a fantastic year. The vendor list looks hip and fun, and it seems like there will be a fantastic variety of products this year. Oh, and I sound like a real live professional in my artist's statement. haa!





ArtSpring has re-opened in beautiful downtown Silver Spring. They are the gallery collective I am a member of (previously known as Pyramid Atlantic) and the new store looks amazing. I did a drive-by craft drop this weekend with Mr. Smart Guy, and I was totally impressed. The new shop is huge, the artisans are varied, and the merchandising is top notch. If you are in need of an original handmade gift for someone in the DC area, check this place out. They have things for almost any budget ($3 cards to $!@#$ fine art). Swing by, and help support local DC metro artisans.







Things are a buzzin' at the theatre as well. We are about to open our Free For All production of The Taming of The Shrew (set in the 1950's!). I generally don't talk too much about my 'day job' on this blog, but this seems like such a great community event that I just can't help but get the word out. The show is free to the public, and a great way to get introduced to the Shakespeare Theatre Company without spending big$$.
**Just remember, in this current economic state, the arts are struggling as much as any other not-for-profit-- so give a donation at the door, and feel good about yourself.**
Listen up fellows! This is a date night that will win you billions of good boyfriend points, without costing you billions of dollars. For added bonus points, pack a romantic picnic and eat dinner at the Building Museum lawn.

Back to it!

It has been a lovely summer. I spent most of June traveling, July hosting travelers, and the beginning of August trying to make myself get back into the habit of making things daily. It's been a bit of a struggle to get my act together, but this week I am going to make a real effort. I have 5 techs between now and Christmas, as well as at least 3 big shows with a website and graphics to design for one of them.

It's time to get some music playing and my craft on!!!!

Here's a little music to get the mood going. This is what the inside of my head feels like:




If anyone has any suggestions on how to get back into my groove, I'd appreciate them now.

This week has been strange.

On Monday I received several horrible pieces of news: A very dear (maybe even my best) friend lost his father without warning. Another friend lost her brother after a lifelong battle with illness. It was a hard week. I have a difficult time with friends and loss. I also have a difficult time with the conventions of language and what is proper. My initial response generally involves at least 2 or 3 expletives and the idea- "I cannot imagine how you must be feeling". Which is not the comforting words that you are supposed to say while handing over a bundt cake or fried chicken. My lacking social grace is one of my less charming attributes, and at times like this it comes raging out.

The most helpful thing I can think is to remember the time I lost my Grandmother (who lived next door and helped raise me) and recall how destroyed I was, and how the thought that she is still looking out for me helps at times. So that's what I said. Hopefully in 5 or 10 years they will be able to feel a little comfort in the idea that they have a wing-man. It's not much, but sometimes all we get are the comforts we create in our minds and hearts.

In the midst of all this sad news I have managed to meet and become smitten with a darling man. We met online, and have been seeing each other for about 6 weeks. Each time we are together I find out something we have in common, and something we can experience for the first time. He is a dear, and so f**king sincere that I don't even know what to do with him at times.

As you can see: I'm having a bit of a dichotomy of emotion that I'm not sure what to do with. It's been a strange week. It's been days of switching between tears and smiles, and not really feeling right about either because of it.

If you are the praying type- Light a candle and say a prayer for my friends. They are dealing with some astonishingly hard emotions and sad realities this week. If you are not the praying type, cherish your loved ones and tell them how much they mean to you. Personally, I'm doing both. It's important.

A trip to the zoo

I went to the National Zoo this week to take some pictures of animals. I ended up taking lots of pictures of bugs. I seem to be developing a bug problem.

At the zoo there were stinky things, and loud things, and smelly things, and animals too!

Here are some bugs.


ENJOY!