AbbieRoad Artwork

Extra Extra Read all about it!

2010-07-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

The Burlington County Times wrote an article about me! I'm so psyched! They even had a pic :)

The article is all about the Handmade Faire, and how / why I started doing it - check it out here:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/burlington_county_times/bct_news_details/article/26/2010/july/12/homegrown-talent.html

And a cute pic of me @ Jersey Made to boot!

Abbie

Team Tuesday!

2010-04-27T08:07:00.001-07:00

I've missed a few team tuesdays, I just have not been in a blogging sort of mood - mostly because I've been working on my website a lot, working on a new launch and I haven't really been feeling any extra web work haha! I am just sick to death of photoshop and computers right now! But the show goes on :) at least until the new website and shop is launched, then I can pretend photoshop doesn't exist for a little while!

I thought it was important to participate in this week's team tuesday, because I love the EtsyNJ team and didn't want to neglect them! Haha!

Since Mother's Day is coming up, I thought I'd do a little feature on that. The shop, PetScribbles makes these great greeting cards - this one in particular I was chuckling about the other day,.... from your furbaby on Mother's Day:I read on her facebook page that she will customize this card for you too "From Fluffy on Mother's Day" hehe..... great for the mom of your fur baby out there!

Her shop is full of pet themed cards, not all of them are *from* the pets, but they do all seem to have a pet theme, they're all adorable too!
Check out the list of other EtsyNJ bloggers that are busy doing features today!

By the pricking of my thumb...

2010-04-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

I've been creative lately.... made a few new art pieces to create my art blocks out of this year. The art blocks aren't ready for sale yet so I'm only doing a little sneak preview of one of my new pieces. I actually have quite a few new pieces - but I think this one is one of my favs!
So... what do you think it is? It's not really THAT secretive...if you really look at the pic you should be able to figure out what it is :)

Team Tuesday: Blackbird72

2010-04-06T09:37:00.000-07:00

Dandelions were one of my favorite things as a kid - I remember picking the yellow ones and making "Dandelion Soup" outside in my playhouse. Do you remember holding a dandelion under someone's chin - if it reflected yellow then that means that person likes butter.....the logic doesn't really translate into adulthood but I remember it being pretty neat as a kid. Of course there is that sick little rhyme where you put your thumb under the bud of the dandelion and say "momma had a baby and it's HEAD popped off!" and flicking the flower bud off the top as you say it... yeah, another sick little endearing child's rhyme! I hope I'm not the only one who remembers these rhymes....Then there are the puffy dandelions like in Blackbird's photo. I couldn't pass one of these as a child without picking it up and blowing the seeds all over. As an adult I can barely pass one without sneezing....but, that's another story haha. Check out the rest of Blackbird72's Shop: She has lots to offer. She offers custom photography too!

Team Tuesday - Hanging Out

2010-03-30T08:30:00.001-07:00

Saturday was my first show of the season, at the Natural Resource Education in Waretown. I got to see some of my show buddies that I haven't seen since show season ended, right before Christmas! So, today for team Tuesday I'll feature the etsy shop owners that spent the day with me on Saturday!
First up is Robin from Creations by Robin, last year we did a bunch of shows together, and it rained at nearly all of them - hope our luck is better this year! She makes fabulous sea glass jewelry from sea glass that she finds right on the Jersey Shore! Her creations can also be found in the brick & mortar shop in Mount Holly, NJ - Jersey Made.
Another show buddy that was there was my friend Doreen, she is from Seahorse Designs and she crochets and knits all sorts of wearables - hats, fashion scarves, fingerless gloves, etc. She had her son with her, and it was particularly cold for playing outside so she wowed us all when she crocheted him a winter hat to wear in what seemed like no time! This is one of my favorite things she makes, it's a scarf that looks like a vine of roses. It's in pieces so you can wear it in lots of different ways - so cool. Her creations can also be found in the brick & mortar shop in Mount Holly, NJ - Jersey Made.The other show neighbors that were there was Amanda from Dragon's Den - she makes wonderful soaps, lotions & lip glosses. I bought 3 lipglosses from her and I just love them, so silky and smooth! Great scents too - I am such a lipgloss addict, when I see it I just can not resist! I got Coconut, Mango, & Vanilla - they're all lovely!And my last booth neighbor of the day was Susann from Alonia Creations. She makes all sorts of adorable sewn goodies for kiddo's and some awesome stuff for the home too! My favorite was this adorable outfit for a little girl, the top could be worn as a dress too if you wanted to - which I think is just adorable for a little girl!
Team Tuesday - Week 6
Blog post must be about an EtsyNJ member shop . To find an EtsyNJ shop see the side bar of this blog or search EtsyNJ at Etsy . com . You do not have to be a team member to participate but you MUST feature an EtsyNJ member on your blog .
Want to be a part of this Blog Hop? Click here for instructions and code...

Easter Basket!

2010-03-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

As I was cleaning out Neil's room, purging some old toys and clothes that he's outgrown, I came across two Easter baskets he's used in the past. One shaped like Lightening McQueen, one shaped like a Firetruck. I'm sort of a traditionalist here, so I am not a big fan of the plush commercial Easter basket.So that spurred me to feature my mother in law for this week's Team Tuesday.WebmavenNJ, aka my Mother in Law, Pola. It occurred to me that I should ask her to make Neil an Easter Basket, after all - she's a basket maker. Don't know why this never occurred to me, I guess because I have different idea's of Easter baskets vs functional or decoration baskets so it just never came to mind. Between my mother in law and her best friend (and basket mentor) Mary from Pineland's Folk Music & Basketry Center I have been conditioned to appreciate and recognize quality handmade baskets. They've made me quite the basket snob!
So, within a few days I asked Pola to make one, and she came up with the design off the cuff & created it! She's still gotta sign it, but it's all done! It's great - Neil loves it! Extra strong bottom, to hold all that candy :). I asked for a yellow accent color on it. Before the bunny hops along and fills it up, it's going to sit on the center of the table as a centerpiece. I have an idea for some eggs I want to fill it with! I'm so excited to have this heirloom Easter basket for Neil. Handmade baskets last forever (We just bought one from the 1920's!) and Neil can pass this basket down to his children some day. Pola is taking custom orders for Easter Baskets if you are interested. The price is $75, which is not much for an heirloom quality basket like this. It's got a double bottom for extra sturdiness, and the handle is extra strong too. The basket is about 6" deep, 13" diameter, and from bottom to the tip of the handle it's roughly 16" tall. Act fast if you would like a custom Easter basket, because Easter is just around the corner! You can contact Pola through her etsy shop, or her facebook fan page.Of course I had to put our new little baby Gypsy Rose into the basket for the photo op! She's just too cute, and while I do not condone getting bunnies as Easter presents, she just happened to arrive around Easter time for us. She sure is a cutie pie!

This post is part of the EtsyNJ Team Tuesday Blog Hop! Visit the EtsyNJ Blog!
Check out my other team members that are also blogging about New Jersey Artists today!

Even more goodies!

2010-03-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

I scored so many awesome goodies at the auctions, it'd have been way too much of a pic heavy post to have them all in one blog, so here's a little more. I love these too, but I might end up selling the canisters. I love them, but I don't know that I can find a hope for them. I bid on them with the intent to use them in my hoosier cabinet for storage, which, they would make great storage - but - the hoosier is in my dining room and I think the canisters make it look too kitchen-y. If that makes any sense.
They say "Lincoln Beautyware" on the bottom, they're metal and the striping looks a bit more pronounced in the photo's than in real life. If somebody had a retro kitchen, these would be a perfect fit for it. I don't know, may list it on ebay or etsy, or maybe just craigslist. If I got $25 for the set I'd be a happy camper! So, if anybody is interested, let me know. I am happy to trade too!
I also picked up some more contractor rulers. I love these things. I got these ones at the flea market. I have quite a collection of rulers going hehe. I just can't get enough of them! Although yesterday I picked one up and the seller said "oh - it's $25 for that" and I nearly burst out laughing in front of him. My cohorts in flea market junking, Holly & Nicki were laughing at that too. We always find good deals when we go to the flea but there are the occasional people who think they can charge antique store prices at flea markets - and we just have to laugh. I haven't paid more than $3 for one of my rulers yet and I have quite a few - most I even paid as little as $1 for!

More Funky Finds

2010-03-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite things I've gotten at the auctions. Sometimes when I walk into the auctions, or into a booth at a flea market, I see something that just speaks to me. This is more intense at the auctions because if I see something that is calling my name I still have to wait an hour or so for it to be auctioned off. Those of you who know me, know that I am not a patient person in those terms. I don't like waiting! I sit and wonder what it will go for, decide how much I'll bid on it.... case the crowd, watch for anyone else looking at it..... yeah, it's borderline sociopathic. It's also a major thrill! Especially when I actually win the item! Like this time!

Wednesday my item of lust was these two spice drums. They're about 17" tall. I just love them. Butchers Mills Brand, from Philadelphia Pennsyvania. I like local stuff. The auctioneer is getting to see my tastes and looks straight at me when something he thinks I want starts off, is that a good or a bad thing? My favorite things are American rooted, early 1900's, simple, functional farmhouse kinda things. Something that is well loved, not over the top frilly. When I get my hands on these old finds I can imagine when they were new, the scenery that surrounded them and the people that used them. At the time, they were nothing special, it was a spice drum - big whoop! But now? It's like a window to another world. Call it an overactive imagination, but I just see another life time when I hold these things. Hey I know, call it a psychic ability and I can sit on the boardwalk and scam tourists out of their money! LOL!

Their purpose? You must wonder? Right now - we're still adjusting to the new sofa set in the living room. The ottoman, while on the chair is a bit like "sofa land" in our house so when it's not in use we've been tucking it on the end of the sofa, topping it with a coke crate (another auction find) and sitting the lamp in there. Looks great, I love it. But, when we want to use the ottoman, our light is homeless - so, it sits on these fine spice canisters. I think I may find a better use for them in the future, the fact that there is storage inside of them definitely is a plus! Living in an old home, storage is always something that needs to be found creatively, so this is perfect!

Auction Goodies

2010-03-12T07:02:00.000-08:00

I got so many great Auction Goodies & Flea Market goodies that I'm going to break it up into a few posts. Partially because I am excited I actually *have* something to blog about, and partially because I got really cam-whorish with the pictures, and I don't want to have a pic overload haha.

I've been wanting to find a silver set ever since I saw Gypsy Fish's Silver Sunday post a few weeks back. I love the look of the succulent plants in the silver! Last night I found this silver set, and I have 2 succulents that have been looking for a better home - so I'm going to polish this up a tad and rehome the plants! I'll take a pic of the finished product, gotta get some silver polish first. I tried the toothpaste & baking soda method on some other silver-ish stuff I had, not fun!

The two cups that are here are engraved - no clue who they were at the time but I googled it and they are engraved with the names of Baron Von Der Trenck and Baroness Von Der Trenck, who, I would assume was his wife. No wiki on her! Looks like Baron Von Der Trenck was kinda a badass though! I am a skeptical person, I find it hard to believe that these cups were theirs - and from the 1700's. If they are, yay for me! I don't know how I could ever find out for sure, unless Antiques Roadshow comes to town.... or maybe I'll take them down to Pawn Stars! Haha.

Maybe they're from a reenactment or something, who knows. Anybody know this guy? Haha! Either way, I'm happy with my find!

I'm a St. Patty's Girl...

2010-03-11T14:46:00.000-08:00

We have seen this woman at the flea market for a long time now, for every holiday - no matter how big or small, she is decked out to the nines in holiday attire. Sometimes not even attire, for Christmas, she was wearing a Christmas tree skirt as a cape/poncho!

I love people like this, I really do. She sort of reminds me of my late neighbor, Margie. Of course I don't really know this lady beyond her outfits, but I'd like to think she's kinda like Margie. I miss Margie, she was awesome. I think it's the stretchy pants that really synch the Margie memories with this lady!

So, today - being that I am a St. Patty's baby and I'll be turning 28 on the 17th with my green beer & corned beef with cabbage - I am eternally looking for fun St. Patty's decorations. I really never find much that is great - so when I saw her, I decided she was the best St Patty's decoration I'd ever seen and I needed a pic of us together! So I asked, and she obliged happily.

She told us that her husband likes her to dress up, he really likes it. She said she's gotta "keep her man happy" because "there are a lot of bitches out there that would take your man" I don't even know what my reaction to this was,.... hysterical laughter? I never in a million years would have expected her to tell us about all the "bitches out there" haha! What a character, I love it!

Team Tuesday! Decor I Love!

2010-03-09T17:04:00.001-08:00

On the eve of the new furniture delivery day, I am thinking about decor. We've recently rearranged a bit of the house. Partially because I am forever lacking storage for my art supplies and we have remedied that with the purchase of an antique hoosier cabinet. Closed door storage, what an amazing thing! That's another post though!

Tomorrow we are having a new sofa, oversized chair "and a half" and an ottoman delivered. We are psyched! A lot of our furniture has been hand-me-downs, so this is a big deal for us! Something that is very US and not just available! Not that we are not grateful for the hand me downs, but, we've lived here for 7 years with the "i'm getting rid of _____ do you want it?" decoration theme. It's time to make this house more ours. I'm loving the steps we've made so far!

So, my team Tuesday post is about decor! I am a big fan of Orange Slice Art, by the awesome Lauren R. She's one of the team members that is actually local to me! Not only have I done quite a few art shows with Lauren, (good and bad!) but we both also sell our work at the Mount Holly shop Jersey Made - which sells all handmade goodies, all handmade in New Jersey! Hence, Jersey Made! I have a humble collection of Lauren's creations, no pillows, yet - but they are awesome! Lauren cuts her own block stamps, dyes & stamps the fabric, sews the pillows - she's really hand making everything!

My second choice for design is Beach Chic Designs letter canvases. These are something I've been lusting after for quite a bit. Totally customizable so you can make your anniversary, or your and your spouses initials, your baby's name - your last name - you name it! I've been waiting for someone I know to get married so that I can give these as a gift - wouldn't they make a great wedding present!? Kim is a not so local, but, not so far away team member @ the Jersey Shore. We've had the pleasure of meeting quite a bit and we chit chat on facebook. She's multi talented and has a variety of creations in her shop. She steals my heart with the kid's clothes, and I have some adorable pics of my kiddo wearing some of her designs -but, alas I chose decor for my theme so I'll stick to it haha! Kim is also one of the artists in Mount Holly's Jersey Made!

Last but certainly not least is Sarada's artwork "Nail Polish Witch". Those of you who have seen inside my home know that I have a "thing" for witches. I have a dress from that was my Nanny's dressed up like a witch, wearing a custom handmade witches hat, handmade wand, handmade dreadfalls.... boa... it's quite a sight. I don't think I'm doing it any justice describing it so - let's move on - that's a blog for another day! Annnnywayyyyy...... Sarada's etsy shop is full of witchy goodness! It was hard to pic a favorite, but I definitely am feeling the nail polish witch, maybe it's the owl that makes her speak to me! But - either way, what is a home without decor, and what is decor without artwork?!

EtsyNJ Team Tuesday - Week #3
Welcome to the EtsyNJ Team Tuesday Blog Hop! To participate simply feature any EtsyNJ team members shop on your blog . You can find the EtsyNJ team by searching EtsyNJ at Etsy . com or by visiting our blog at http : //etsynj . blogspot . com

I'm a creator....

2010-03-08T16:03:00.001-08:00

I found this fun little quiz linked to from another blog I follow, looks like it actually got a lot of things correct! Creator then Persuader! Hahah!

It's all by picking colors..... pretty cool!

Try it!

here's what it said about me!

Best Occupational Category

You're a CREATOR

Keywords

Nonconforming, Impulsive, Expressive, Romantic, Intuitive, Sensitive, and Emotional

These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination, and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music, and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.

CREATOR OCCUPATIONS
Suggested careers are Advertising Executive, Architect, Web Designer, Creative Director, Public Relations, Fine or Commercial Artist, Interior Decorator, Lawyer, Librarian, Musician, Reporter, Art Teacher, Broadcaster, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Architect, Photographer, Medical Illustrator, Corporate Trainer, Author, Editor, Landscape Architect, Exhibit Builder, and Package Designer.

CREATOR WORKPLACES
Consider workplaces where you can create and improve beauty and aesthetic qualities. Unstructured, flexible organizations that allow self-expression work best with your free-spirited nature.

Suggested Creator workplaces are advertising, public relations, and interior decorating firms; artistic studios, theaters and concert halls; institutions that teach crafts, universities, music, and dance schools. Other workplaces to consider are art institutes, museums, libraries, and galleries.

2nd Best Occupational Category

You're a PERSUADER

Keywords:

Witty, Competitive, Sociable, Talkative, Ambitious, Argumentative, and Aggressive

These enterprising types sell, persuade, and lead others. Positions of leadership, power, and status are usually their ultimate goal. Persuasive people like to take financial and interpersonal risks and to participate in competitive activities. They enjoy working with others inside organizations to accomplish goals and achieve economic success.

Section I: You and Your Team
This personality overview section highlights your natural workplace talents—the tasks you pursue with passion. You'll learn how your natural strengths complement those of your coworkers and how, joining forces, you can resolve on-the-job dilemmas.
Section II: Your Key To Success
Here you discover your capacity for dispelling disruption and maximizing profitability. Use this proven, beyond-self-perception advice to create a more positive career path free of detours.
Section III: Managing Strengths and Weaknesses
Your evaluation's highest and lowest scores result in this section's recommendations for staying on-track in your career and reversing wrong turns. In focusing on your talents and missteps, you'll re-stoke your energy and enthusiasm for managing costly mistakes.
Section IV: Leadership Power Moves
This final section identifies your "street sense," those power moves that turn obstacles into insignificant details. Here suggestions based on your color-ranked evaluations will guide you towards making the most of an interview or harnessing your fast-paced workday.

Team Tuesday- Wool Lust!

2010-03-02T06:47:00.000-08:00

Well this is going to be an exciting week. As some of you may know, my pet rabbit, Hendrix passed away last November. We have really missed him since then. He was a really sweet little guy. When I heard from Hendrix's breeder that she had a new litter of bunnies available, we decided to get a new bunny. We'll be picking her up on Thursday! I haven't decided on a name yet, I have to see her in person first. She'll be a birthday present for me from my Mother in Law and I can't wait to have a little hippity hoppin' bunny in the house again! We get angora rabbits, because we are learning to spin their wool. The wool brushes off naturally with no harm to the animal and it is the warmest type of wool you can get from an animal.
I couldn't find any angora products from New Jersey but I found plenty of awesome hand spun yarn, and an awesome fingerless glove creation made from a luscious yarn! Sort of a"Before & After" for yarn!
Our Etsy New Jersey Team member Pancake and Lulu spun the lovely blue "Mermaid" yarn" in the first picture.

Another Etsy New Jersey Team member Chimera spun this bulky Sweetheart yarn in a lovely pink colorwheel in the second picture!

And for the "after" part of yarn, the lovely Happiknits brings us these darling fingerless gloves. I absolutely love fingerless gloves - and - since it doesn't look like winter is going away any time soon - it's not too late to get yourself a pair!

Auction Goodies!

2010-02-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

Years ago Sean and I used to have a great time going to the auctions and finding up inexpensive things for the house. It's been a long time since we've gone, and last week we decided to go again. And I'm hooked, again. I guess you could say I relapsed LOL! I've been busy going to flea markets with friends, going thrifting, etc, all of which is a gateway to auctions... as a friend on facebook put it, "the thrill of the auctioneer pointing his finger at you" yes - I know this feeling! YES! I've won! It's mine! It's a rush!
Last week I got some awesome finds, 3 turn of the early 1900's typewriters were the pinnacle of my winnings, I'll have to snap some pictures of them. They're great. The best part is, Neil, my son, loves them - and I paid so little for them that I don't mind if he types away on them. It's definitely a unique way to teach him his alphabet haha.

My first win of the night was this big shopping basket sized wire basket. It has handles, and what looks like a small fishing lure wired to the front of it. I have no idea why that's on there. Maybe I don't want to know. What I do know - it's slightly rusty, well used, and still very sturdy. I'm not sure where it's home is going to be, I think maybe upstairs in the bathroom with some towels rolled up in it. I scored this baby for $4!
I also scored a box of "junk". Now, as I have been on a purging binge lately I told myself I would absolutely NOT buy boxes of "junk" but this one I rationalized.... it had a small Singer box in it full of sewing machine attachments, a few bobbins, some old wooden spools of thread (which I am a major sucker for) and a few other sewing odds and ends. So, I went for it... it was $2. It was practically carrying itself to my car. As for the stuff in the box... there were 2 blue bell jars, I'm keeping them, an old Pepsi bottle - keeping that. A few other oddities - like a "squirrel call" that my MIL claimed..... I said, "why would someone want to call a squirrel" and she told me that you use them to lure in animals that prey on squirrels and then ~~kill~~hunt the bigger animals. The old bait and switch. Works every time. I'm still not completely convinced that I'd want to sit out in the woods and pretend to be a prey animal, but hey, to each their own. The rest of the stuff in the box- a weird holiday tiered app plate, a matching mug thing, a strap on horse feeder thing..... they'll all be taken straight to goodwill. I'm not even taking them out of my car!
From the second we walked in I saw the coke crate. I figured, it's Coke, collectible - no way I'll get it - but I'm gonna try! I set a limit in my head of how much I was prepared to let it go for.. and I got it for less than that! I am stoked!
After that I was very pleased with my purchases. I could have left but rationalized "well I might as well stay and see what _____ goes for. I ended up bringing home a porcelain lamp that has what I call a "Washington-esque" couple on it. It was $2, I couldn't say no. And I always need lamps. It will match my bedroom..... if I need it in the bedroom, I don't know. But it was $2!

All in all I spent a whopping $21! That's including $4 for 4 solid wood folding tv tables that my MIL got for crafting on too!

Blogged with "Thrifty Thursday @ Bloggerville!"

EtsyNJ Team Tuesday- Saying Thanks!

2010-02-23T06:11:00.001-08:00

The amazing and talented group of etsy sellers from New Jersey - EtsyNJ has decided to host a team blog hop every Tuesday. Each Tuesday EtsyNJ members will be blogging about other team members in order to get the word out about all the wonderful handmade goodness that is available right here in New Jersey.

<--- Thank You Card by AJKArtistry

Today is a rainy, dreary, dismal day in New Jersey. However, there is something I am thankful for - the fact that it is rain and not snow! I am so sick to death of snow! Rumor has it that we are expecting snow Wed/Thurs but hopefully nothing that amounts to anything!

<---- Thank You Card by SiblingStew

So, my feature today is about Thank You cards, my way of sending a virtual "thank you for not snowing" to the great state of New Jersey! I have had the pleasure of meeting each of these three designers in person ( I even went to Elementary School with Sibling Stew! We were great friends then!) and seeing their work up close, and it is even more beautiful in person! So, if there is someone in your life that deserves a thank you - send a beautiful one! These are just as affordable, if not less expensive than Hallmark cards, and so much more beautiful!

<---- Gratitute Card by Collective Elements

To see more great finds from EtsyNJ Team Members, Search "EtsyNJ" on Etsy.com! Check out the links below with "McLinky" that will show you the other EtsyNJ bloggers that are participating in Team Tuesday this week!

★★★★Blog about EtsyNJ on Team Tuesday! Join the Blog Hop!★★★★
Welcome to the EtsyNJ Team Tuesday blog hop! This is our very first edition. Here's how it works - write a feature about any EtsyNJ team member on your blog (as long or as short as you'd like it to be) and then add the blog hop code at the end of this post and check out all of the other great features - get to know the EtsyNJ street team!! More details can be found on the EtsyNJ Team Blog - Here!

Ahhhh Organization Lust!!!!

2010-01-18T12:15:00.000-08:00

I was reading Somerset Studio & saw an add for the "Original Scrap Box" http://scrapboxusa.com

i literally stared at the page and had visions of an organized workspace, everything I need within my fingertips - and better yet - having a home for this magical land among the rest of my family in my house - hidden when it needs to be, easily disguised in my dining room!

Has anyone seen this thing? Is anyone lucky enough to *own* this thing? It looks amazing. I am surely strongly considering saving up for this thing. But it got me thinking - are there other things like this? What do you all use for organizing your crafting space?

If I get one, I want to go for the biggest one -the "Workbox" http://scrapboxusa.com/catalog/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8:black-raised-panel&catid=6:workboxcategory&Itemid=60 ahhhhh it just seems too good to be true. It's like the unicorn of my craft world!

See, in reality I'd love to have a bigger house, so I could just have a room to call my own and make that my creative space. We do have 3 bedrooms and the third bedroom at the moment is currently an "office" (read: shit we don't know what to do with goes here) I've thought many times of turning this room into my craft room. It's small, but, I don't need much. I just know that if I do turn the office into my studio - I'll immediately get pregnant and we'll need the room for the baby. That's just how things go. Which is fine, I just, dont't want to bother because I know that's what would happen!

So, whatever I do it has to be as functional as possible, and also be able to work in my dining room. Right now my Buffet table, a vintage steamer trunk, and an old pharmacists table are in there disguised as decoration/furniture and packed to the gills with supplies. It's ok, but it's not functional.

Abbie

New in my Etsy Shop

2009-11-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

I was so ashamed when I went to my etsy shop and found it EMPTY! Ack! How is that possible?! Well, I've been really focusing on my wholesale business lately, which is a good thing - but - etsy had taken a back burner for me and all my listings expired! Yikes! So, my etsy team - EtsyNJ, which is an etsy location based team for New Jersey has decided to run a weekend long sale during Thanksgiving Weekend, November 25-30. I of course want to participate, and nothing gets me moving like a deadline to get me motivated - so, I signed up.

Being the nit picker than I am, I needed to re-do my pictures since I haven't done that since I got my new camera, so I took all new pics of my Art Blocks before listing them.

Along my path of listing things and thinking OMG WHY WHY WHY isn't there a "c

opy" option on Etsy like there is on my wholesale site?! It would make things SO much faster! I started a search and found this site - etsyhacks - where, so long as you run firefox as a browser, you can install something that lets you copy your existing listings, and also I installed a feature that lets me add 5 photo's at once rather than select, upload, loading......... repeatx5. It's super handy, I listed pretty much everything in my shop today from scratch..woot!

So, now I am all set for the Thanksgiving Weekend Sale that EtsyNJ is hosting! Of course I still have other things I should / will / might list.... but, I'm happy my Art blocks are up!

In other, less interesting but odd news, as I'm typing this I'm sitting in the waiting room at my son's therapy doctor..... he's in therapy and I sit and wait, as usual... well, there's a dad in here waiting that was sitting a few seats over and ever since I brought out my laptop he started pacing around the room, now he's standing about 10 feet behind me to my left side, just.... standing there rocking back and forth on his feet... uh, wtf? If you're THAT interested in what I'm doing, maybe ask me, it's not all that magical and secretive! WHACKO! Hahaha... maybe the caps are big enough he can read them from across the room ahhahaha.

Halloween

2009-11-11T17:46:00.001-08:00

I haven't been blogging much lately, I've just been busy with some new projects, and, then I just plain did't feel like it. I've been in a bit of a funk lately, I'll post about all that later...... Anyway, my hubby couldn't decide on a halloween costume, so we went to Spirit Halloween. Yeah.... he found a costume there he liked - opened it and it was cheesy and polyester, nasty fabric. I could not have him dress up in that and pretend to be scary. So, we talked about sewing a costume, though, Halloween was less than a week away. I said I'd sew it.... now.. I can sew, but, I am quite novice at it. This was my first time following a pattern, and I altered it slightly because they wanted me to use a gauze-ish material and Sean wanted a heavier material so I used felt, which, I didn't realize would be an issue until they were telling me to hem, fold, sew, hem again bla bla... got a little bulky and I had to improvise a tad, but, it ended up coming out really nicely. I was quite proud of myself!

Here's some pics from Halloween, showing off my cute little "Woody" cowboy, and, of course my sewing handiwork on hubby's costume!

Must be the Season of the Witch

2009-10-20T12:18:00.001-07:00

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. I do love Christmas and all that good stuff but there is just nothing better than the weather and colors of fall.

I got inspired last week, as usual, when I have 10,000 other things to do I get inspired to do something that would be considered "wasting time" haha. It's always when my time is crunched that I get motivated to do other things, guess it's my stubborn inner child! Well, I listened this time and I created this "Season of the Witch" sign. It's about 5' long and it sparkles in black, which is another big kick for me, glitter, I just love it haha. The sign reads "Season of the Witch" in letters cut from different Halloween cardstock. Here I am holding my sign, in my custom handmade Witches had on my way to the Witches Ball, which was an awesome event, btw!

Sean and I also celebrated 10 years of being together on October 11th. We decided to celebrate the day doing one of our favorite past times, exploring the pines. Sean wrote this in the dirt on his car while I was out catching pics, it says "I Heart Abbie 10/11/99 10 years together!" He's such a sweety. I caught some pics, on my sweet new camera (thank you MIL & Sean!), of some of the fall foliage of the pines. Check out a few of my fav's, I think you should be able to click for a bigger view...

Big Steps!

2009-09-17T13:43:00.001-07:00

I applied to a website that is going to help me wholesale my art across the country. It's not an easy site to get into, and not cheap but I think it' s going to take my business to a new level. The site is wholesalecrafts.com, you can't see much w/o a membership but it is a really awesome website.

Because I am a new seller, I am being featured on the home page all week! I hope it leads to a sale! Here's a screen cap... you can see my art block down there! This is the artblock that is being featured on teh front page!

Apple Juice

2009-08-28T09:03:00.001-07:00

In the eyes of Neil, my 3 year old, every drinkable liquid is apple juice, or, as he says "apbull jews"

This AM I was doing a few chores around the house and I have the ultimate lazy method of filling the dogs dish. It's directly behind the sink on the kitchen island, so, I can spin the faucet around, put it on a slow stream and it fills the bowl up. It's a bonus because usually Fiona, our dog, loves to drink the stream of water so she usually comes and drinks as it's filling.

Being the ultimate multi-tasker, I was also swiffering the other end of the kitchen where Fiona had made a mess (gotta love little dogs). So I finish up, get her some dog food and I called her "Fionnnnaaaaa" and Neil, who is always only 2 steps behind me yells "Nona.... apbull jews!". He was calling her to come get her apple juice haha.

I thought it was too funny that he thinks that not only is whatever I'm drinking "apple juice" but - apparently the dog drinks it as well. Just a little glimpse of perspective that reminds me how little he really is, and how adorable that is!

P.S. I finally cut his hair yesterday! He can see again! See the Before & After shot of the little guy!

Memories of My Life

2009-08-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

My friend Kecia, from Lemoncholy's Studio here in NJ made me an amazing bracelet. I had helped her w/ some techie stuff, getting her website setup, etc and she had said she would make me a piece of jewelry for my help, which, of course was not necessary but, saying no to a beautiful piece of her work is nearly impossible! So, a few months went by and she asked for pics, etc, and I felt badly about asking for something, so I hemmed and hawed over pics to use, couldn't find the right one, one that was "perfect" haha.

So, in July @ an art show, Om Baby - Kecia stopped by to say hello and she had this awesome bracelet on, I fell in love! So, she created one special for me. It's called "Souvenirs de ma Vie" (Memories of my life). She asked me for a few words that I wanted on the bracelet, I chose Neil, Sean, Peace, Pray, Create (I think I chose Create? I can't remember hah!) And I gave her a few little things I'd had laying around in the jewelry box - broken pieces of jewelry, little doo-dads, etc that she encorporated into it. She created an amazing bracelet from these items. I had a sneak preview of it about a week before it was finished, and was in love as it was but she took it 10,000x better than I could have imagined!

I can't wait to wear it! If you are interested, she does these bracelets as a custom order as well! You can pick a few words, Send a few things you would want included and let her at it! The way to get the best work out of Kecia is to let her run wild with it rather than asking for specifics - so that is my suggestion - I have been a happy customer that way before!

You can contact Kecia @ keeshagirl@aol.com - or - here's her blog!
or check out her blog post here for more info about ordering! These bracelets take 3-5 weeks so order early for Christmas. Wouldn't this be a fab idea for a mom/grandmom? You could have the kid's names on the charms! Or, a bracelet for your wife - use your wedding date or the date you met, the city you honeymooned/married in, a nickname - you could really score brownie points with something like that!

Paper Source

2009-08-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

My little sister, Neil & I decided to take a little trip into Princeton today. We stopped by Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and said hi to Sean, he was working today and we got the "10cent tour" then we headed over to downtown Princeton for some shopping.

I was dying to check out the new Paper Source store, I always drool over their website/catalog, so their store was like the holy grail! I bought some goodies, would have bought more if it wasn't raining so hard - I was worried about the paper getting ruined on the way home.

One of my favorite things I got was these stickers called INANIMATE they're all eye balls and mouths - and you put them on inanimate objects to bring them to life hehehe. I have them on my cell phone, my sketch pad, my car stereo..... and probably more as I find more hehehe. I love them!

I am dying to go back. This time, I will check the weather so I don't have a 5 block walk in torrential downpour/flash flood to the car, and, I will bring lots of quarters to feed the meter!

Neil's Favorite Babies

2009-08-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has seen Neil recently, knows that he's always got his three little comrades with him - Chaucer, Elephant, and little old Ming Ming. Sometimes he's got a little blanket with him too... they've all become quite a part of him! One night he brought me the camera, he loves getting his pictures taken..... and he showed me all his babies for photo's. These will go in the scrapbook for sure!

Chaucer is Neil's absolute favorite. So much so - that we actually bought a "backup" that we now have named "Bizarro Chaucer". We were in Borders w/ Neil, waiting in a long Christmas line and Neil saw Bizarro Chaucer and said "MINE! Dauder (how he says chaucer)" so, Sean and I decided to buy a "just incase" because at that point, without Chaucer there would be no sleep, there would be no peace.... it would be a bad thing! We've used him only once, and that was for a Teddy Bear Picnic that Neil had in school. I didn't want anything to happen to Chaucer in school, so we sent the stand-in Bizarro Chaucer. Ahh the things you worry about when you're a parent! But - yes, Chaucer is his most favorite, most loved teddy ever. He carries him with him nearly everywhere. He's well loved, fur isn't quite as fluffy and the stuffing isn't where it used to be.... you can tell he carries this bear in somewhat of a head lock, as the stuffing from the neck is totally gone! Once school starts, I can do some "surgery" on him and restuff him... but I think that would be too much for Neil to handle now!

The other two babies are Elephant, a little beanie baby sized elephant that plays "twinkle twinkle little star" when you push his belly. My cousin, Neil's Godmother - Bridget, gave it to me @ my baby shower. About a year ago Neil rediscovered it with some other baby items I was putting away, and hasn't let it go since.
Last, but not least, is Ming Ming, a chickadee. Now this one tickles me, because he's the teeniest little thing, about the size of Neil's hand - like a real chick! SO easy to loose. I can't tell you how often we are looking for this little guy. The Easter Bunny put him in Neil's basket. Neil named him "Ming Ming" all on his own, as this is the name of the duck in Wonder Pets, one of Neil's fav shows... I guess he thinks it's the same thing! I do think it's hysterical to hear him look for Ming Ming though, he goes around the house and says "Ming Ming....wear ahhh youuuu??" so cute.

The Blanket is a little more interchangeable. We have tons of those little flannel receiving blankets from when Neil was an infant. He has about 10 that he rotates through as his fav's to sleep and snuggle with.

Ahh, a boy and his teddy! You can click the pics for bigger versions!

Getting Stuck in the Woods

2009-08-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

Sean & I frequently went out exploring in the pines when we were dating. And, since we've been together for nearly 10 years (10 years on October 11!) we've seen a lot of the ruins and roads of the pines. It's one of our favorite things to do. We did take a hiatus when Neil was born, partly because of his fragile infant state, and the chaos of his club foot, etc - and - partly because we were driving a minivan and a camry, not exactly off road vehicles. We had to sell our old 87' Bronco, which was loyal car and got us through many tough roads of the pines. The backseat didn't exactly connect to the car properly.... only half way.... so, without sufficient weight (like an adult) it would sort of bounce up and down. Not sufficient for a car seat.... not even close.

Well we have a good off roading car now, since last summer when we got Sean's Trailblazer. So, we've gotten back to our old selves and we go out exploring pretty often. Sean knows the roads back there very well. Even I'm somewhat familiar with the roads - which says a lot, considering I am extremely geographically challenged.
East Stokes Road - a road we have been on hundreds of times.... always good for some mud puddles, nothing awful though. We head out last weekend into the woods and E. Stokes is particularly muddy. No big deal. Well, about 95% of the way we hit a particularly long puddle, and since there is a "go around" already cut through the woods we take it..... BAD idea. The trailblazer quickly gets sucked into "bog mire" which, is pretty much a quicksand of the pines. Have you ever walked barefoot in deep mud or a muddy lake? You know how when you pull your foot up, there is a bit of suction almost like the mud is sucking you back? Imagine that - just on the entire car. Yeah... it was great fun.

Sean managed to get a cell signal, so we called our friend Cramer who had access to a jeep. He made it out to us and we began the recovery efforts. We had tow straps, chains, shovel, rope, come-a-long - you name it. It just wasn't cutting it. We tried from the front, tried from the back - nothing. I put out a facebook SOS through my phone (in the 2 min I actually found a signal) and our friends Jim & Angela were headed our way too. What a wonderful world facebook has created! We were literally digging the mud out from under the car, trying to give us some leverage.

After 3 hours, on our last ditch effort, we had decided we would try once more and then wait for the others that were coming. We thought the TB was too heavy for the jeep to pull, esp with the mud sucking it back. So we said - one more time - and miraculously, it worked! The TB came out of the mud with a pop (think uncorking a wine bottle). Ahh joy! I was beginning to panic a bit, but trying to stay calm!

<-- I call this pic "False Advertising"

We were able to drive home, the car unharmed (but very, very dirty). We went to the firehouse to hose the car off before the car wash.... you know your car got muddy when simply hosing it off isn't sufficient. The guys had to bring out the power washer to get it cleaned.... and even then... saying it was clean was a stretch!

Well, I think for 10 years of 4 wheeling, getting stuck once isn't a bad track record!

New Creations

2009-08-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

In spite of the chaos of the Handmade Faire, I'm happy to say that I've been able to break away time for some new creations. Over the past spring I created some new wall art that I'm calling "Art Blocks Originals". Now, the originals will go for around $250 a pop, but of course in this economy, people aren't really spending on Art at that price.

I spoke w/ Julie, the owner of Creative Genius Art Gallery, an awesome contemporary art gallery where I have some of my art. She suggested creating the Art Block Originals in a way that I could sell them in a $20 range, and said that was a comfortable price that people will be ok with spending. I have to agree, my tee's are $20 and I do well selling them at art shows and online. It was a little difficult for me to "simplify" things to the extent that would put it in the $20 for my art, but I have done it!

Along with helpful idea's from Julie and my friend Holly I've created Art Blocks! They're little aprox 5x5 painted wooden blocks with prints of my originals mounted onto them. I am extremely happy with the way they came out, I even sold a bunch at the last two shows I did! I have to go get some more wood this week so I can create more to bring to Julie in the Gallery. Here's a pic of what I've been up to lately, along with a close up of one of my fav's. I think they look great alone, or grouped up in a big geometric style. Not all of them are of birds, but, yeah - most of them are. I was on a bird kick, what can I say! I have a few idea's for a new character beside the bird to introduce, but I'm still debating. If you have any idea's,let me know! Always looking for inspiration!

Tonight we're going to Atlantic City with some friends to see Harry Potter on IMAX. I do occassionally completely geek out and love Harry Potter... I'm still debating wearing my "Tonks" hat :) I got it last Halloween off Etsy.... wore it for the Halloween Party @ Crissy's (btw, sorry for posting this pic Sean, but you really shouldn't let me take pics when you've got beer in you!) haven't worn it since.... tempting, but, probably won't.

Art Shows

2009-08-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

I am way overdue on updates, and I apologize! It is mainly thanks to the chaos of organizing the Handmade Faire: Summer of Love Edition which was more time consuming than the previous shows. The show ended up going fantastic, we had aprox 8000 shoppers come through over the day - we had 100 goodie bags to give away to the first 100 shoppers, and I was a stickler about not giving them out before 10:00 - even though people were arriving by 9! At 10:00, we began giving out the goodie bags and they were gone in about 20 minutes. We gave one per "group" so if a family of 4 came, they got one - seemed fair. So, the community support was fantastic. Now if only I could get the township's support! Check out more pics from the Handmade Faire here! (Click on the mosaic for a bigger image too1)

I also participated in another show this summer, EtsyNJ @ Om Baby in Point Pleasant,NJ. Had a fun time at that show too - it was all EtsyNJ gals, which generally is a really friendly, happy, supportive group! Kim from beachchikdesigns organizes this show, she does a great job. Her friend, Christine from Sweet Life Photography was there to take some awesome pics. The one to the left is one of my fav's that Christine took. It's actually sent me on a whole "I hate my photo's" spree because looking at this pic, and then looking at the pics I take, well, the colors are just so much truer in this photo than in mine. It's not that I don't like my actual photography, I just don't like what the camera is giving me. So, first after this picture, then after spending a day with my friend Heather from Heather James Photography who suggested the Canon Rebel for me, I am officially lusting after a new camera. So. IDK. Hubby and I do have our anniversary coming up in October, the 11th is 10 years of being together! That seems like such a long time! Maybe that will be my anniversary present :) If I can wait that long! I am not very patient when it comes to things like this haha.
Well, I am still in the middle of reorganizing the house and moving things around a bit, (read: the house is a disaster area right now) so, I better get back to that!

Not exactly a real update but..

2009-07-31T21:32:00.000-07:00

this convo was too funny not to post. I'm like a month and a half past my last update, but - this made me laugh!

ABA Therapy, and stabbing myself in the eyes.

2009-06-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

My son Neil, is 3, he's been in the twp's preschool disabled program since February (started on his 3rd bday), has been receiving private Occupational Therapy/Speech Therapy 1 hour a week (each) since February as well.

He started receiving Early Intervention in our home 2 hours a week last September, which ended when he turned 3 in Feb and started school.

He is in these programs primarily for a speech delay. He does talk now, and since we began everything his speech, socialization, motor planning has drastically improved. He still needs assistance in speech and OT and like any kid he's got his good and bad days - but all in all, having only 4 months of these services we have seen an amazing improvement.

So, we went for his IEP and they suggested next year he receives the same preschool program, and suggest adding ABA Therapy for 2.5 hours a day (lunch is included in this time) This would bring his day from a typical 8:45-11:45, to a longer 8:45-2:45. This seems like a tremendous amount of time to spend in school, working. We agreed to it initially, and now having spoken w/ his private therapists, his pediatrician, and other valued opinions - we are second guessing ABA. We agree with them, and they all say the same thing - why so soon? He's only been in school for 4 months, and he's got another 2 years of school before Kindergarden - why do we need to push him hard, so soon?

For what it's worth, my son has not been diagnosed to be on the autism spectrum. I think, being in NJ where we have the highest rate of kids that are "on the spectrum" and of them, 4 our ot 5 are boys - I think that is what the school is assuming. The therapists that spend 1 on 1 time with him refer to him as a "mystery kid" and do not think he is on the spectrum.

For those of you who don't know what ABA is exactly, well, first, welcome to my world haha. Here is what I've learned about it from books, internet research, and other therapists. It stands for "Applied Behavioral Analysis" and generally, it is a lot of repetition - rewarding, and "programming". It is compared to the way you train a dog. You want your dog to sit? You tell it to sit over and over and over, and each time it does, you give it a treat. Same thing with ABA kids - you want them to say Hello? You prompt them to say it over and over, and each time they do they get an M&M. It is very by the books, very structured, very routine. I can see how this would work for some kids, kids that you can't "reach" in other means -but Neil? We are reaching him already. And frankly, in the real world we don't get "verbal prompts" and we don't get an M&M each time we do something we are supposed to. I am afraid of turning my smiling, laughing, creative and independent little boy into a robot.

Part of me thinks, hey, if the school is suggesting it - he must need it. Then I did research, parents in other districts FIGHT for ABA. We happen to have a fantastic district, and they just offered it to us. I....... Well, frankly I'm having a hard time finding unbiased parental opinions on this matter since the kids that are getting it had to fight for it, ya know?

I never knew parenthood would include having to make so many of these heavy, life changing decisions..... at least not so many of them, so fast. It sucks!

59* in May....what?

2009-05-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

As soon as Neil got on the bus this AM I headed out for a ride. I stayed local..... I'll probably do that for a while. I like the local ride here, it's pretty, there's no cars to worry about for most of it, and there are a lot of options if I want to keep going.

Yesterday it was aprox. 90* out. This AM we woke up - and I was sending Neil to school in long pants, a tee shirt and a sweatshirt over that! It's 59* outside! WTF? It's MAY 26TH! I mean, I am a lover of cool weather - I really am.... but this is just weird!

The weather says it's supposed to storm off and on all day, so, since it wasn't raining when Neil got on the bus I went out. The sky was spitting here and there but nothing constant so I kept going. I could have gone more but it really started to come down heavier and I didn't want to have to ride home in the rain and get my bike wet & stuff so I headed back. I ended with 30 minutes and 4 miles - not too shabby! It's still 464 calories burned.... which is good cause I'm making London Broil tonight. It's been marinating in the fridge since Friday...gotta cook that baby today!

I guess because it's 60* out I didn't sweat as much as I normally would have in 90* typical May weather.....I actually came home with cold hands and a cold nose! The lack of sweat is making me feel like I cheated.... ya know?

On my way into the neighborhood I saw in someone's driveway leftovers from yesterday's yard sale with a sign that said "FREE TOYS TO A GOOD HOME" Among the pile was a little toddler bike with a handle on the back for me to hold onto/push. I passed it at first and then went back and grabbed it after my ride cause I figured, hey, it's free.... he needs to learn to pedal & stuff and it could be fun! So, yep. He'll have a surprise waiting on the porch when he gets home. Of course it'll probably be raining when he gets home but...... maybe tomorrow.

One day coming up I want to take my camera with me and grab some pics of my ride too. I need to get pics of Freedom Park anyway for the Handmade Faire, so, double duty :)

Medford's Bike Pat

2009-05-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

I found a whole other side of Medford's bike trail today that I didn't know existed. From my house to the end there is 1.9 miles, so that's 4 miles round trip aprox. I wish it were longer but the good news is there's lots of quiet streets to explore around there. I did the bike path, doubled back, went through the elementary school's parking lot and picked up another part of the path and went around. Then I headed back through Freedom Park, did that loop again and headed home. Once I got to my neighborhood I circled through the Catholic School and up to the firehouse which pushed me up to 6 miles! It took me 42 minutes, though I had a few breathers in there.

It's good though - I don't feel disgusting and sweaty until I stop and am at home..... I guess cause when you're moving you are creating your own breeze so even though it was 89* and I was sweating like crazy, I had a breeze. That goes a long way with me because I hate FEELING disgusting and sweaty. It keeps me from stopping for too long also hehe.

I like this trail though, there's a stream, some woodland.... and a nice paved path. It's not a straight line, there's some twists and turns but, I like it, and it's working for me. When Neil goes to school (he's off today for the holiday) it will be nice because I am still very local and could pedal home in 10 minutes from pretty much any part of it if I hauled butt enough.

There's also a canoe/kayak launch where I pass - I really would love to go canoeing one day! I love water related activities, and I love exploring the pine barrens and I think I could really fall in love with exploring the pine's in a canoe! I think that might be a treat for me when I get to some milestone of weight loss. We'll see. I gotta see how realistic that is, I have no clue how much canoe's cost and what's involved in taking them out!

Today's Stats:

42 Min

Trip: 6 Miles

Odometer: 18 Miles

Average Speed: 8.6 mph

Max Speed: 16 mph

Cadence: 60-75ish...though it did get higher. I have to guage this myself kind of and find an average, so I am estimating low.

Cycling

2009-05-23T15:38:00.001-07:00

Today was my fourth day out riding. I found a route that I like - farm land, quiet rode - a few spots were a little rough/gravely but they ended quickly and went back to nice pavement.

Stats:

30.09 Min

Distance: 5 Miles

Odometer: 12

10.2mph Average Speed

15.4mph Max Speed

I noticed my cadence hovered between 75 and 89.

It was pretty nice riding. There are farm houses on one side and fields of wheat to the other side. It smells great out there!

I ended up doing 4 miles, getting back to the car (parked @ WaWa) and then decided since it had only been about 25 minutes, I wanted to push it to 5 miles. That's 1 mile more than I did yesterday (but yesterday was on and off road, and I was exploring the local area a bit to find a good way).

It says I burned 494 calories! Sweeeeeet! I'm trying to go for 30 minutes. I'm pushing myself hard but not so hard that I am going to make myself dread it....I don't want to end up with a headache, or feeling crappy afterwards. It was 93 degrees today, and I swear, they call it "Oak Shade Road" but I couldn't find an ounce of shade where I was! Plus, I had to fight the wind coming home which was not so fun....those swaying feilds of wheat get REAL OLD when there's nothing breaking the wind from you!

We are Penny Killers

2009-05-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

Last week Holly and I got together and decided to play with some power tools. The general idea was to drill holes in pennies, so that we could use these wheat pennies for various craft idea's that we both have.

Neither of us have 100% figured out the creations we'll make with these, just a general idea - so that's a whole other blog post hehe.

These pennies didn't come out of the jar looking as great as they do now. They were all dull, boring, and well.....they looked like pennies. It took us a little trial and error but finally the eco friendly housewife that I am came out and I remembered my green brass polishing combo - lemons and salt.
We had tried some other combo's that were quite exciting - like white vinegar and baking soda, a personal favorite of mine! But, alas, the salt and lemon juice worked best! Scrubbed those pennies right up!

Then we drilled the pennies, which, also required a lot of trial, error, and makeshift protective eye wear (sunglasses, I'm such a diva lol)

We were finally able to get some good pennies with nice sized holes drilled, but - not without a few casualties. Here is the obligatory "In Memorial" pic of the drill bits and pennies that were harmed in the creation process.....

if you want to see some more pics, or Holly's blog on these pennies - check it out!
More pics on Holly's flickr
Holly's Blog about the Pennies

Four Wheeling in the Pines

2009-05-01T11:37:00.001-07:00

The forest is as beautiful as ever now that Spring is just around the corner (although I'd say the same thing about Fall, I absolutely love the pines in the fall...really, when don't I love the pines?)
So hubby, Neil & I have been going out on many weekends and exploring the pines.
A few weekends ago we entered on East Stokes Road, and ended up around Batsto Village. It was a long way (even on main roads it's a good 40-50 minute drive) But it was a great drive! We found lots of great stuff, some awesome swimming holes that we marked on our GPS to return to in warmer weather, and some beautiful scenery! Here's some pics, they are from two different days...

View over the Batso River, a much wider part of it than we usually find!

Exploring a river bed we came across..... Neil's favorite!

View over the Batsto River

The caravan :)

We came across this, we didn't put it this way and we were pretty deep in the forest:

only thing we can guess is the forest fire service must have done it, because it looked as if there was a fresh brush burn within the last few week. It was still pretty creepy though haha. It made for a good pic! Maybe it was a geocache too....sometimes you see things like that as hints. I'll have to post about our adventures in geocaching, we have a blast doing that!

more pics on my flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbieroad/

Creative Recycling

2009-04-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

So, last Saturday my girl Holly & I did a "Creative Recycling" demonstration at the Waretown Branch of the Ocean County Library. We had all sorts of creative recycled items.

All mostly made from old, broken, or would be trashed items. We had a great time. The OC Library put a cute blog up about us too. The work showcased that day was mostly made by:

Original Abbie Artwork (me)
Leafpile.org/ Creating in Slippers (Holly )
Sue Bee Buzz
Creations by Robin
Lemoncholy's Flight of Fancy
and
The Enchanted Cupboard

more pics @ my Flickr!

We had a good time. Not a huge turnout, I think the great weather sent people to the beach and not to us! Also, I think the requirement to preregister probably hurt too, I know I hate to preregister for stuff incase I end up not making it.....and even if I end up with time to go the day of, if it said to preregister and I didn't, I figure I can't go. So, IMHO that probably hurt the turnout too! It was fun though, and Holly & I not only scored some great books to decoupage with at the booksale that day, but we got to go to Sonic for lunch. I love Sonic haha....probably because I have been watching the commercials for years and had never actually ever seen a Sonic in NJ. Well, they opened one in Waretown and there are rumors of one opening in Mount Holly on 38 this summer, so, we'll see!

Another fantastic bonus - on the way home we stopped by a totally amazing yard sale. The guy used to have an antique store, so he had some amazing finds. He was a little bit of a high pressure salesman and when he asked what I was looking for (which, I rarely ever know WHAT I'm looking for, it's more like it finds me haha) I jokingly said "how about some skeleton keys?" cause I didn't see any out, at all. Well - he ran in the house and came back out with a giant coffee can full of them. I bought about half the can, Holly bought some, and we left some less than great ones behind. I ended up with aprox. 75 of them for $20, which I thought was a pretty great price! Now I can finally make more of my necklaces. I had only about 5 keys before, and.....well, I was hording them lol. I made necklaces and kept them for me lol. Now I finally have some I can make and sell.......though right now the keys are in a vintage cut glass bowl that was Sean's grandmother's, and they are looking mighty stellar. I love to just sit and look at them haha, I've yet to do anything great with them yet, other than just look. Today I did take some pics, so...that's sort of productive, right?

The Columbine Tragedy

2009-04-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the Columbine massacre. I was a junior in high school when this happened, and I remember watching the news coverage, the coverage of the kids funerals, interviews with other students, friends, etc and just crying and crying. This is the first story I really remember gripping me and affecting me so much. I suppose I really related to the story because these kids were the same age as me. It was something that could have happened anywhere, to any school. It still frightens me to this day, the idea that people this young are capable of such inhuman acts.

I'm not sure what else I really want to say on the subject, just that I remember, and I pray for the families and friends that lost loved ones in this tragedy.

The State

2009-04-20T16:44:00.000-07:00

I am overly excited about this:
http://www.michaelianblack.net/blog/2009/04/big-news.html

The State is FINALLY being released on DVD! For those who don't know, it was a sketch comedy show in the 90's. The show was hysterical, I loved this show! Now all I need is for "You Can't Do That On Television" to come out on DVD, and all will be well with the world.

How about that? I'm dormant on this blog for like, a month - and now bam, two posts in one day. I guess I finally have something to say haha.

God's (Microsoft) Word

2009-04-20T11:59:00.001-07:00

I haven't updated in a while, but, I don't really have time for a full on update. This was just too funny to not post about.

So, a few months ago we gave my grandmother (those who know me, know her as Gommy) our Blue iMac so she can go online, type letters, email, etc. She's still getting used to it. Today she called me and sounded concerned - "Where's Sean?" and I said....he's at work....why? She says that she has been on the computer typing out a plan and a story to read to her bible school kids (she teaches bible school a few days a week in Northern Jersey) so - she's typing out her story & plan, and she says three times now "Sean Galie" has popped up on the screen. She got worried, and said some prayers for him. When it happened a third time she called me, concerned. She worries about him because he's a firefighter, plus, she's very religious so, she thought it was some kind of sign that she had to pray for him. So, she calls me and tells me this.

I asked her, "are you signed into Gmail?" thinking maybe Sean was checking his email and signing in through google messenger or something....but no, she wasn't signed in.

So, I said - well, what were you typing? She says it's the story of Moses parting the Red Sea. Well - here is where I figure it out. Word remembers the things and tries to anticipate what you are writing - so every time Gommy types "Red Sea" the "Sea" brings up "Sean Galie" hahaha. Ahh I had a good laugh with that one, after I explained it to her, and told her that God's not speaking to her through Microsoft Word - this time :)

I do exist!

2009-03-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

I guess I just got busy, or in a funk. But I'm here and I'm alive. I told myself I was going to blog today and get back into the swing of things. Well, I also told myself that after I got Neil on the bus I'd go back to sleep, cause I'm exhausted but....at least one of those things is coming true haha. I say that every morning, to myself. Like a little deal I make with myself to get myself out of bed haha. Never once has it actually happened, but, whatever works, right?

I've been scrapbooking a lot. I'm not one that ever thought I'd be into scrapbooking, it never really made sense to me but - then I had Neil. The premade babybooks I found didn't have options to add the info I wanted to add, very structured and regemented "place photo here" kind of thing. I just couldn't get into it. So, I did my own scrapbook for him. I'm about as far as his second birthday...not too bad. I have plans for everything else up to current. I'm probably digging my own hole here if we ever have a second child, because I'll have to do all this insane detail keeping for them too. I have everything in his scrapbook - even his umbillical cord, the candle from his first bday cake, clippings from his first haircut....you name it. I took photo's of the pages, you can see them here.... on my facebook
http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/album.php?aid=97340&id=636057467

We've got some exciting things in the works, a tentative Handmade Faire in June or July - working on sorting out some details there, picking a theme, hammering out the details. As soon as I know for sure, so will all of you :) Here's a hint for you - coconut bra's. Haha, jk...maybe.

Abbie

My personality...

2009-02-23T12:25:00.000-08:00

ENFP - "Journalist". Uncanny sense of the motivations of others. Life is an exciting drama. 8.1% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

Extroverted (E) 51.61% Introverted (I) 48.39%
Intuitive (N) 54.05% Sensing (S) 45.95%
Feeling (F) 72.97% Thinking (T) 27.03%
Perceiving (P) 72.22% Judging (J) 27.78%

take your own here: http://similarminds.com/cgi-bin/newmb.pl

What my Birthday says about me:

2009-02-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

took this from Danielle of Collective Elements :)

www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp

Your date of conception was on or about 24 June 1981 which was a Wednesday.

You were born on a Wednesday
under the astrological sign Pisces.
Your Life path number is 4.

Your fortune cookie reads:
The days you work are the best days.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 8, 11 & 22.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 6 & 7.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 3, 5 & 9.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2445045.5.
The golden number for 1982 is 7.
The epact number for 1982 is 5.
The year 1982 was not a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 1/25/1982 and ending 2/12/1983.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Dog.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Wolf; your plant is Plantain.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Pachons, the first month of the season of Shomu (Harvest).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 22 AdarI 5742.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 23 AdarI 5742.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.18.8.14.1 which is
12 baktun 18 katun 8 tun 14 uinal 1 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Wednsday, 21 Jumadiyu'l-Avval 1402 (1402-5-21).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 11 April 1982.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 18 April 1982.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 24 February 1982.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 30 May 1982.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 6 June 1982.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Saturday, 18 September 1982.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Thursday, 8 April 1982.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 23 February 1982.

As of 2/12/2009 3:46:57 PM EST
You are 26 years old.
You are 323 months old.
You are 1,404 weeks old.
You are 9,829 days old.
You are 235,911 hours old.
You are 14,154,706 minutes old.
You are 849,282,417 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:

Caroline Corr (1973)	Mia Hamm (1972)	Rob Lowe (1964)
Arye Gross (1960)	Gary Sinise (1955)	Kurt Russell (1951)
Patrick Duffy (1949)	John Sebastian (1944)	Paul Kantner (1941)
Rudolf Nureyev (1938)	Nat 'King' Cole (1919)	Mercedes McCambridge (1918)
Bobby Jones (1902)	Shemp Howard (1895)

Top songs of 1982

I Love Rock `n' Roll by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts	Eye of the Tiger by Survivor
Ebony and Ivory by Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder	Centerfold by J. Geils Band
Maneater by Daryl Hall & John Oates	Jack & Diane by John Cougar
Don't You Want Me by Human League	Up Where We Belong by Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes
Abracadabra by Steve Miller Band	Hard to Say I'm Sorry by Chicago

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 3.84696673189824 years old. (Life's just a big chewy bone for you!)

Your lucky day is Thursday.
Your lucky number is 3 & 7.
Your ruling planet(s) is Jupiter & Neptune.
Your lucky dates are 1st, 10th, 19th, 28th.
Your opposition sign is Virgo.
Your opposition number(s) is 5.

Today is one of your lucky days!

There are 33 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 27 candles.

Those 27 candles produce 27 BTUs,
or 6,804 calories of heat (that's only 6.8040 food Calories!) .
You can boil 3.09 US ounces of water with that many candles.

In 1982 there were approximately 3.6 million births in the US.
In 1982 the US population was approximately 226,545,805 people, 64.0 persons per square mile.
In 1982 in the US there were 2,495,000 marriages (10.8%) and 1,180,000 divorces (5.1%)
In 1982 in the US there were approximately 1,990,000 deaths (8.8 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1982 the population of Australia was approximately 15,288,891.
In 1982 there were approximately 239,903 births in Australia.
In 1982 in Australia there were approximately 117,274 marriages and 44,088 divorces.
In 1982 in Australia there were approximately 114,771 deaths.

Your birthstone is Aquamarine

The Mystical properties of Aquamarine

Aquamarine is often used to experience love and mercy. It is said to help ease depression and grief.

Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Jade, Rock Crystal, Bloodstone

Your birth tree is

Lime Tree, the Doubt
Accepts what life dishes out in a composed way, hates fighting, stress and labour, tends to laziness and idleness, soft and relenting, makes sacrifices for friends, many talents but not tenacious enough to make them blossom, often wailing and complaining, very jealous, loyal.

There are 316 days till Christmas 2009!
There are 329 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was in its last quarter.

Me Lost Me Cookie at the Disco

2009-02-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

well i should finish cleaning up but I need a little break and there's no better way to waste time than online surveys, right? This is another gem from facebook, it's fun so why not. Feel free to repost.

1. Put your iTunes on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing the game as well as the person you got the note from.

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY??
When Will I Be Loved - Linda Ronstadt

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
I Can See Clearly Now (The Rain is Gone) B.J Thomas

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Caterpillar - Janis Joplin

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Blue Monday - Orgy

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
No Scrubs - TLC (LOL!)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Like It Or Not - Frank Zappa & The Mothers

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Jealousy - Natalie Merchant

WHAT IS 2+2?
Jewish Princess - Frank Zappa

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS?
Your Southern Can is Mine - White Stripes

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Paddle Out - Sublime

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Fortunate Son - Drop Kick Murphy's version

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Say You Love Me - Fleetwood Mac (not even lying, that's what came up I swear!)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Anyone Else But You - Moldy Peaches (that's awful!)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
It's Too Bad - Jimi Hendrix hahaaa good thing I already am married!

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
My Old Friend - Tim McGraw (boy that's kinda depressing....)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi - (aren't I always?)

WHAT IS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Rumors are Flying - The Andrew Sisters

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Honey Bee - Tom Petty

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
For What it's Worth - Buffalo Springfield

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - The Beatles

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
San Francisco Bay Blues - Tom Rush

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
It's Raining Men - The Pointer Sisters

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Ode to Billy Joe - Bobby Gentry

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Gone for Good - Morphine

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Hey Porter - Johnny Cash

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Me Lost Me Cookie At The Disco - Cookie Monster & The Girls / Sesame Street Disco
hah, now I absolutely have to repost this!

Fun Fact about Sticky Glue Fly Traps

2009-02-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

Quick little fun fact ...... You know those disgusting fly strips that people can can pull out of that little tube capsule, stretch it out and it hangs from the ceiling? It is great for catching stray fly's, etc.....like the one pictured to the left (not my pic, found it online)?

Guess what gets the nasty sticky worse than honey & molasses mixed together glue out of your HAIR when it falls onto your head? EW!

Well, the answer is rubbing alcohol.

I was taking laundry into the basement and it fell onto my head, I guess I must've brushed past it or something, I don't know. The minute I went past it I thought, oh shit...did I? And then I feel behind my head and OMG sticky. My hair might as well have mated with this freaking fly trap it was so stuck in there! I FREAKED OUT. Of course, if you know me you know how calm and cool headed I can be in situations involving bugs (NOT) so I immediately started pulling it out of my hair and screaming "OH MY GOD" progressivly faster and louder. Once I pulled it all the way out of my hair I tried to isolate the part that was sticky and ran upstairs to the bathroom, still screaming OH MY GODDDDDDDDDD

I did freak out and panic, and cut some of it out, I had to, it was one of those situations you hear of in wars and movies, where you have to sacrefice one life to save many. It was just like that haha - for the greater good. I decided I needed to get the glue off my hands before attempting anymore hair removal. Soap.....no dice. liquid soap...no dice. Shampoo? Nope.......Apricot scrub? (don't ask me why I tried this?) umm...no, not that either.

Finally, an epiphany....RUBBING ALCOHOL! YES! I soaked a baby wipe in rubbing alcohol and rubbed the glue off my hands. Then my hair...then the thought...wait, is this going to make my hair bleached out? Well.....I guess I didn't care. I continued to scrub and thank God it came out.

Then a shampoo and all seems to be normal except for the massive headache I have from yanking that thing out of my hair while screaming at the top of my lungs!

So - for all you unlucky saps who may be frantically searching something like "remove sticky glue fly trap from hair" well, the answer is rubbing alcohol! I hope you never have to use this information!

Two Hour Delay

2009-02-04T07:17:00.001-08:00

Neil's third day of school brings lots of snow! We have a two hour delayed opening today. It was pretty cool because last night I signed up for text alerts for school delays/closings through 6abc - so when his school updates the news/radio stations of delay/closings -it texts me for his school only! How cool is that? Here's a view of our front porch, the snow really piled on last night!

I had a feeling there might be a delay/closing today because the snow was coming down pretty good last night. Sure enough, 4:49am I got a text message that said school was delayed 2 hours! It was really handy, I gotta admit!

Sean was home with us today so we are having a nice morning. Sean and Neil played Connect 4, we got this for Neil for his bday. He really likes this game and is surprisingly great about not dumping the pieces all over.

We haven't gotten him a whole lot for his bday, we're going to wait until after his party on Sunday because it's just easier that way, no duplicates!

We are thinking of renewing his membership to the Franklin Institute which is what we gave him last year - and we've been over there quite a bit. It's a really awesome place and he has a ton of fun there - and learns a lot, I gotta admit that we have a lot of fun there too!

The teacher says that Neil is following the routines of the day very nicely and seems to really be enjoying school. This makes me so happy! I'm glad that it's a good fit. The bus driver reported that yesterday he found his seat on his own (they have assigned seats as they are in car seats) and climbed up into it. Of course the driver/aid buckles them in but I thought that was pretty good, especially since it's only day 2!

He came home from school yesterday, climbed onto the sofa to take off his shoes & socks and said "off" for each shoe and sock. That's pretty good, probably doesn't seem like much to most moms of toddlers but it's good for Neil since he's in the class due to his lack of vocal abilities.

This was yesterday - Neil's 2nd day of school. I didn't cry when he got on the bus this time hehe. I figure I should at least be as emotionally strong as a 3 year old, right?

There really isn't anything else to say

2009-02-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

Neil's First Day at School

2009-02-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

Today is Neil's Third Birthday! It's also another huge landmark day in Neil's childhood - his first day of school! Here's Neil 3 years ago, just about (he was a few days old in this pic)

I have been really emotional about sending Neil to school, but it's going to be good for him so we gotta do it. It's a preschool program through our district. The bus drives him and everything, it's all big boy stuff!

He did great today. The school bus was really late picking him up so things didn't go as smoothly as I'd have hoped, but he got to school just fine and with no tears. He got onto the bus with a little hesitation, then the drivers buckled him in and he was all set to go. I was a mess, crying. I tried to hold it together until I was out of sight though.

Then my mom and I promptly jumped into the car and followed/chased the bus, I had to make sure he got off the bus and into school today and I wanted to make sure he wasn't crying. I knew that if he wasn't crying I'd feel better.

He was totally fine. The teacher's aid called to let me know that he was having a good day, no tears! He turned out to be a lot more brave than I was haha. Mom & I went to breakfast and Target, and then got home in time for the bus! He looks like such a big boy on the school bus. Here's to no tears tomorrow from me :)

Before School -

No makeup, I'd just cry it off anyway

Waiting for the bus...

Sitting on the bus!

Getting home from school - look at his little bookbag! So official :)

I'm going to stop writing before I start crying again!

Ah Sweet Victory :)

2009-02-01T07:13:00.000-08:00

Great news - the CPSIA has heard our voices and our petitions, etc and they have postponed the Lead Law ruling for one year in order to properly amend it. There will still be fines for selling items with lead in it, which I think is great - but it will not cripple us in any ways (yet!)

Hopefully this year long pause will give them time to properly write and plan for this law.

More info here on Etsy's Storque

and on John Greco's Blog ( a fellow etsynj member)

This really sums it all up.....

2009-01-31T20:28:00.001-08:00

I got tagged on facebook to do this music thing, where you go to your music player, put on shuffle, and hit play - then you write down the first 25 that come up. I am bored, so I did it - and I didn't cheat, I only skipped Christmas songs, Comedian Skits, Audio Book Chapters....and, LL Cool Jay's "Doin' It" which, I guess I just defeated the purpose of skipping that last one. So here it goes, if you really look at this, I think it says a lot about my absolutely scatterbrained, all over the place state of being:

1. Marcy Playground - Sex & Candy
2. Blink 182- Toast and Bananas
3. The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby
4. Wallflowers - Ashes to Ashes
5. Neil Young - Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
6. Ray Charles - Sinner's Prayer
7. Bruce Springsteen - Highway Patrolman
8. Pure Prairie League - Pickin' to Beat the Devil
9. Yo -Yo - Ma - V. Bourree
10. Tom Petty - You Wreck Me
11. Gillian Wench, Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris - Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby (O Brother Where Art Thou?)
12. Roy Orbison - Crying, (over you)
13. Akon Ft. Eminem - Smack That (man that's classy)
14. Ella Fitzgerald & Bobby Darin - Mack the Knife
15. TLC - Waterfalls
16. Sublime - Smoke Two Joints
17. Janis Joplin - Me & Bobby McGee
18. Beastie Boys - An Open Letter to NYC
19. Justin Timberlake - Sexyback
20. Jimi Hendrix - Stages 67: Live At Stockholm "The Wind Cries Mary"
21. Tom Rush - A Child's Song
22. The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
23. Frank Zappa & The Mother's of Invention - Harry, You're a Beast
24. Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
25. Henry Mancini - Moon River

I'm looking at this, thinking, if I didn't know this person - what would I assume from this glimpse at their music? I'd think...hmm, there's a lot of retro folk/classic rock influences here....Janis, Tom Rush, Roy Orbison, Zappa, Beatles....this person probably grew up in the 60's? But....TLC WaterFalls? The Cure? Marcy Playground? Duran Duran? Did they have an identity crisis sometime in the mid to early 90's?!

Well, I guess with 25 gigs of music I'm bound to have some whacked out stuff on there, but...this is pretty nice eclectic sampling of the whole thing. The reality is, I always have had a love for older music. The Beatles being my main love, and branching backwards and forwards from there (explaining Zappa, Orbison, Janis, Rush, Neil Youn). The 80's hold a special place in my heart, I guess cause it's what I remember my parents listening to as a kid...Duran Duran, The Cure....there's way more in my library than I'd admit to :)

The rest I guess is a sampling of stuff I listened to in high school. I got nostalgic last year and downloaded, er, purchased from iTunes a whole bunch of stuff from the 90's, the high school years.....Sex & Candy, Beastie Boys, Wall Flowers, TLC (ugh!)

I guess Mack the Knife, Moon River, Cryin & Sinners Prayer don't make much sense at all, the first two songs were stuff I played in Orchestra, Cryin reminds me of my great grandparents music, and....the last, well, honestly I'm not big on old Ray Charles, somebody gave me that CD though & it's decent

Who knows. I guess I love it all, and in not so many words, it really sums things up. I wonder what Freud would think.

Save Handmade! CPSIA Blog In!

2009-01-28T09:35:00.000-08:00

For those of you that haven't heard about the Lead Law, I'd like to enlighten you. This will affect everyone - whether you make items, buy items, have children, etc - here's how the Consumer Protection Safety Information Act will affect you:

To the Parents of School Aged Children:
Because of this new law, you can expect your wallet to take a beating next time you need to buy school supplies. Those paper clips, glue sticks, glitter - though they weren't made *for* school aged children, they will be *used* be these kids in school projects. This new law applies to any and all school supplies - books, crayons, paper, paint, glue, tape - anything that a child under 12 *might* use in school. You can bet that our school budgets are not equipped to spend all this extra cash on the little things like glue sticks and crayons - so, either our taxes will rise to cover these costs, or we will be asked to buy them for our kids and send them in - of course they'll be more $ in the store too.

To the Book Lover:
All Children's books now will need to be pulled from public libraries, and school shelves across the USA. There is no exemption for books, though in reality the fear of kids getting lead poisoning from a book is pretty slim, there is still no exception. What will inevitably replace these? Television. Yay. Mother Sylvania comes to the rescue. Don't believe me? Check out this article from the American Library Association.

Love Buying Handmade Things?
It's just not feasable to make these items anymore. Had your eye on an angora wool knitted baby hat, a chennile baby blanket, or any number of adorable handmade goodies for your child 12 or under?? Too bad. That hat now went from $50 to $1000 because it needs to pass testing prior to being sold that proves it doesn't have lead in it. Even if sellers find a way to finance the testing process which is thousands of dollars, these items are not feasable to be one of a kind anymore. Items are destroyed in the testing process and are submitted in batches, so expect to see hundreds if not thousands of the same thing -and at that point, it most likely isn't handmade anymore, it's just not feasable.

Do you think it's important to Go Green?
As ruled by this new law, all items of non-compliance will be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Don't just think of the Handmade people now - imagine the big box stores trashing all their unsold inventory - everything that could be used or meant for a child under age 12 that is a TON, or, more than a ton really. You can't sell it, if you do you could be sued, fined, and charged with a felony. Even if they don't sue you, it's still a fine and a violation.

Thrift Store Shopper?
I know I am, especially with a young child who is growing so fast - I often find barely worn clothes for a few dollars at thrift stores. Technically it is illegal for these thrift stores to resell these items because they were made prior to the lead testing rule. This law is retro-active. Many thrift stores will be choosing the safest possible route and eliminating the sale of any children's toys/clothing - a $100,000 fine and violation would close them down. Usually thrift stores are meant to benefit charities - like church's or local hospice cares - they can't take risks!

Entrepreneur? Small Business Owner?
You are now going to be forced to adhere to the strict testing of your unique products - or, discontinue your production/selling of them. Small businesses are likely unable to afford the cost of testing. The economy is in the dumps already, this law will cripple what is left of it.

Antique Toy Collector?
Well, its' not all bad for you, yet. Chances are right about now you are probably going to be able find many good deals and finds on antique toys being sold at blowout prices before they are contrabanned! But, you better buy now and buy a lot because toys will not be allowed to be purchased - "New rules apply retroactively , toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they are not tested and certified as safe"

American Economy:
We are all already struggling in this economy that hasn't been this weak in decades. The American economy will be hit hardest with the inevitable loss of jobs, revenues, small businesses, and consumers. The testing required for one product is FAR too expensive and restrictive - it is virtually impossible for a small business (better yet an independent artist/crafter) to undertake.

Worldwide Economy:
You don't escape this either. Because of these radical laws, many foreign manufactureres are pulling out of the US market. As you might imagine, the US is a LARGE buyer for these manufacturers - their business may survive but they will inevitably lay off workers as well.

If you think I'm being an alarmist and exaggerating - here is a recent article from Forbes.

Here is the actual text of the law.

Here is an action pack put together by Etsy - lots of info.

If this alarms you, or appauls you, and you don't want to see this happen - please react. Feel free to repost this blog, links, and images used herein.

If You Seek Amy...

2009-01-21T10:01:00.001-08:00

Man, I feel like such a tool but I must admit, when I'm looking to get moving on something I do partake in a bit of Britney Spears's new CD, Circus.

Mock if you must, but I gotta admit that I'm happy this girl didn't end up dead. It really looked that way for a while last year, and I felt for her, and for her kids. So, of course when she released a catchy new cd I had to have a listen.

Generally this music is reserved for when I just need to think, and not actually "listen" to music, just hear a good moving beat, and go. Great for cleaning, working out , etc.

There's one song on there "If You Seek Amy" that I like -- it's got a great beat and it's pretty catchy, I liked it automatically because there's a silly part that goes "Ha ha he he ha ha ho" which, just caught my attention. So when I find a song, I sometimes get obsessive and want to hear it over and over for a while (makes sean crazy) well.....I am listening to the lyrics and I'm like, wtf does this mean? This song makes no sense? Who is this girl Amy? Yeah....then I'm singing along "All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek amy" and I'm like....ohhhhhhhhh........yeah. Say it really slow. "If you seek Amy"

Get it? Catchy haha, she gets points for creativity........if she actually wrote the song, idk.

Occupational Therapy

2009-01-20T19:59:00.001-08:00

Neil had his first private session with Occupational Therapy today at Weisman's. It went well. I have a lot of hope for this place, because it comes on a good recommendation. Good friends of ours have both their boys at Weisman's for different therapies and I've seen some tremendous progress in their kids. Neil will be going for Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy every week. Thank God for Sean's job, and the great benefits we have now because otherwise we would be bankrupting ourselves over this! (Our copays used to be $50 a pop!)

The OT is really cool, she's got a lot of energy and she explains what she's doing, what she's looking for, the benefit of what she's doing, etc - and she does it WHILE she's doing it, rather than stopping to explain to us. It's great information and I'm glad it's a learning experience for me too. Plus the fact that she explains while she's doing it is great, because she's not stopping to explain and wasting valuable time! She's great though, and Neil really seems to like her and enjoy himself. So far it probably seems like a treat for him, because it's fun, swinging, rolling, crawling through the tunnel, etc - he's loving it! I expected him to cry when we left haha!

Speech is on Friday and I'm very excited about that too, though I know it won't be as fun as OT for him, I'm very excited and hopeful for his speech to improve. I think this in combination with preschool will be very beneficial for him. I'm still sad to send my baby out on a school bus, really sad actually, but, it will be good for him in the long run.

He'll be getting Speech & OT in school too, something like 180 min a month, which comes out to like 30 min of each a week. It comes in different forms though, sometimes it's solitary, sometimes it's in a small / large group, sometimes it's with the whole class. So, the private OT & ST is really important on the side.

Neil's New Blanket

2009-01-18T18:51:00.000-08:00

I made this blanket for Neil this Sunday afternoon, he really seems to like it and that just thrills me! It's a cute cowboy & Indians design with a fuzzy soft green back!

I am a new sewer, kinda. I sewed stuff as a kid but gommy always did the dirty work with the machine, threading the bobbin, getting it to catch, basically all I had to do was put the pedal to the metal so to speak haha.

Well, thank you to my girl Holly, for showing me how to call a truce with my machine, oh, and work the bobbin thingy hahaa....I am now sewing, not exactly straight lines, but eh, I'm in it for the fun of it hehe.

I had actually bought this fabric and made a really crappy blanket out of it about a year and a half ago. I made a really really crappy blanket, stuffed it in a basket and never looked at it again. Along the way I threatened, berated, and nearly fought to the death with my sewing machine. So, this morning I cut that blanket up and started over. I wanted a smaller, "tote-able" blanket for Neil. Something that wasn't too big for him to carry around with him, but that was big enough to cover him and keep him warm. It came out perfect! I even sewed a little tag onto the one side that says "To Neil, my sweet boy, Love Mommy XOXO" and on the other corner I got fancy with the zig zag stitch and wrote "Neil" hehe.

I figure I better practice with the machine. Holly is coming back over Wed to help me finish up a super secret birthday present for my soon to be 3 year old :)

Which reminds me, I need to make/send invitations to his bday party. 2 weeks til he turns 3. My gosh. That also means 2 weeks until he gets on the school bus for the first time.....wow.

Hendrix

2009-01-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

Why Yes! I am one of those crazy people who dresses her animals!

this is Hendrix, my English Angora Rabbit. He's almost 6 months old and he's a chocolate tort color. He just malted, or whatever you call it, basically his coat replaces itself every 3 months or so, so the old stuff has to come off and the new stuff comes in. His old coat just came off so he's a little on the short haired size, so I figured I'd take this opportunity to dress him up haha.
This is his "Blue Steel" face ------------------------------->

He's actually wearing an arm warmer that I bought, but was wayyyyy too big for any normal person, it was handmade I got it at a craft show. So, I turned it into a Bunny Sweater. The matching arm warmer is a Dog Sweater :)

I think he looks rather adorable.

Here he is peeking up over the back of the couch, to try and see out the window. More pics on my flickr, if you're interested :) Search Hendrix, or Angora. He also goes by "Hendrixson" which is what I call him when he's being naughty, and "Hendi-Poo" which is what I call him when he's so sickeningly cute that you just can't stand it! Which is always! Hehe.

Brakes = FAIL

2009-01-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

This morning, Pola, my MIL & I took Neil over to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for a checkup on his foot. We got as far as Cherry Hill, Route 70 & Green Tree road, big intersection - and, voila, the brakes failed. So, there I was red light, front of the line, speeding into the intersection.

The brakes have been touchy lately, I mean, we go the car in 2005, a 1998 (or 99?) Chrysler Town & Country Mini Van - it had pretty new brakes on it then (within the last 6 months) and since then we have replaced the brakes 3 times, this time will be the fourth. In November, the ABS brake light came on. The weird thing was, when the light was on, the car drove completely normally. When the light was off, it would make a horrible grinding noise, vibrate the pedal...basically sounded terrifying. It would happen really sporatically though, and our mechanic checked it out, who we trust, and he said it was safe to drive, something about the ceramic brakes rubbing, idk - he said it was safe.

Well, like I said, today on the way to CHoP, they failed. I was pushing on the brakes so hard and nothing was happening. I might as well have had my foot on a brick wall, because it would have budged more. I did the right thing, tried pumping the brakes (frantically) and beeped my horn, hoping that the 6 oncoming lanes of cars would stop. Thankfully, there was nobody in front of me so I didn't rear end anyone, and even more thankfully the oncoming traffic did not hit us or anyone else. The car finally stopped. I limped it home from there never pushing 10 or 15 mph, and pulled over in a parking lot to call Sean & the Dr's office to cancel.

So, we are officially on a car hunt. I'm sick of fixing the brakes on this car, and even the day after having the brakes fixed - STILL not feeling like the car will stop appropriately. This car was just not made to stop I guess, because I know mine never wants to.

Thank you GOD that nothing more serious happened, and that we got home safely. I seriously want to get rid of this car, I think a really important feature of a car is the ability to STOP IT when you want to, ya know? So, that's definitely on the list of features we want in our next car.

Oy, I'm just on edge over the whole thing. I have a personal vendetta against that car now for screwing with me while my baby was in the car. Not cool.

February 2, 2009

2009-01-13T21:39:00.001-08:00

On February 2, 2009 my baby turns 3. That is also the day that he is no longer eligible for "Early Intervention" and must move on to the township run preschool disabled program. He'll be in a preschool with about 10 other kids who also have problems with speech, OT, etc. Non "typical" kids, as they put it. He will have a special education teacher, & 2 aids. One of his friends is in the class already, since November, so that's good at least - he'll have a familiar face there which is a comfort.

So, on his third birthday, he gets up, eats breakfast, and gets onto the school bus. Yes, a school bus - for a 3 year old. As if being in school every day isn't a big enough deal, the school bus seems HUGE to me. I can't imagine my baby not spending every hour of every day with me anymore. I just can't wrap my head around it. I guess I've been pretending like it wouldn't happen, but, now it's like 2 weeks away and I can't pretend anymore, it's happening. I had been hoping that he would just "pop" into talking, and it would just start and all his other issues would go away and I could follow suit with my plan to keep him home with me a little longer, then put him into a smaller preschool, that is more for fun - like a 2 or 3 day program. But, while he is making progress, it's not enough right now.

I don't even want to write about it to be perfectly honest, it just makes me really sad. I'm focusing right now on ways to not cry in front of him when he gets on the school bus, because I don't want him to be afraid. I'm already planning on stalking the bus and making sure he gets into the school ok from the bus. I would stalk the classroom if I could, but they really frown on that. He's just got no idea, he's never done anything like this before and he's going to be in total shock. It will be from about 8:30 to 12. Please don't comment and tell me that it's "only a few hours that will fly by" or tell me all the wonderful art projects I can complete in his absence. This is the last thing I want to hear. I am 26 years old and though I have spent every second of the last nearly 3 years at home taking care of my son, I have not forgotten how to occupy my time. I would just rather trade every ounce of artistic ability that I have for this all to just be a normal childhood for Neil. I'm so sick of sharing my parenting with doctors, I really am. It started like, 30 seconds after birth and it has yet to end. I'm not sure why I haven't run off into the woods with him yet. UGH.

We have a meeting with the school tomorrow, hopefully I'll feel better when it's through, though, unless I come home and he's speaking understandably and tells me he doesn't want to be in this preschool, I really don't see that happening.

Martha :)

2009-01-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

On January 6th, myself along with 6 other EtsyNJ gals headed into NYC to see a live taping of Martha Stewart! We had a great time, here are some pics -

there's Martha answering audience questions, at the end of the show.
Ack!

that's me, on Martha's set. The lights were crazy, clumped all over the ceiling - high and low, it was intense! We had really good seats though, front row of the actual seating, though there were two chair rows of people who sat in the way front.

Well, we had a great time. I hope we can do it again! There are way more pics on my Flickr if you're interested!

Martha Stewart here I come!

2009-01-05T17:47:00.001-08:00

Tuesday January 6th, 7 of our talented ladies from EtsyNJ are heading to the wonderful New York City. Chelsea Television Studios, the home of The Martha Stewart Show will welcome seven of our team members, myself (AbbieRoad) included!

Other EtsyNJ friends that will be there include:

Not only am I totally psyched to see Martha Stewart live, but I am excited to meet some of these members for the first time……….Second , Third, and Fourth time for a few of them ; )

So, watch January 6th’s show, and look for our beautiful faces in the audience! I’m sure we’ll have lots of pics to share too!

What a productive 2009

2009-01-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

So, it's only January 4, and so far this year I have learned to card wool, spin wool on a spinning wheel, and felt! Tonight while Sean and Neil watched movies, I felted some balls (hah, sounds like a bad LOLCatz macro).

I felted 12 balls, but I only used 11 of them in my bracelet. 6 (the white ones) are made out of sheep wool that April (who taught me how to spin) She gave us a whole sheep worth of wool! So, I have 6 balls, or, felt beads out of that in the creamy white color, and the other 5 are in various greens from a set of mixed green roving that my MIL gave me for Christmas, I know it's sheep too, not sure what kind.

It came out pretty nice! I only have a crappy picture, because I took it with Photobooth, too lazy to grab the camera & take a good pic hehe. But, I will wear it! It's really neat. I am going to make some more, but I have to let my fingers recooperate first haha, I pricked my fingers more than once with those barbed little felting needles. Luckily/Unluckily they're so small and brutile that you barely feel it going in, but it bleeds a ton! I'm not a sissy though, I can handle it :)

So, I'm by no means good at any of this yet, but I like being a fast learner haha, I tend to get a big obsessive compulsive and single minded about new projects. I am really excited about doing all this with the angora wool we have collected, but I don't want to waste it and I have a feeling that once I start using it I won't want to go back haha. I don't want to waste it on learning!

Alright, I'm off. I am going to see Martha Stewart Show w/ some girls from EtsyNJ, I am so excited, that will be on Tuesday. I'm a little afraid of the whole train thing, train stations are on my list of fears....I'd say irrational fears ( like my fear of spiral stair cases and public bathrooms without windows, and grocery store parking lots at night) but, I'm not so sure it's irrational. Ah! Thankfully, the lovely Barbara from Capital City Craft Studio has volunteered to meet me at the train station and help me get where we need to go! I'm going to be glued to her like a bear on honey haha! (you think I'm kidding?)

I'm so dizzy, my head is SPINNING

2009-01-03T15:19:00.001-08:00

My First Adventure in Hand Spun Yarn!! ----------->

For Christmas, my MIL got me a spinning wheel! Now, I know not so much about spinning. Actually, I don't even know how to knit besides on those Knifty Knitter Loom thingies. The idea is fascinating though, and back in September my MIL and I got three angora rabbits, Hendrix (mine) Cash, & Elvis (Pola's / MIL) They are all brothers and they are completely overwhelming cuteness. Their wool, which comes out naturally during mandatory grooming (if you don't groom them regularly, they'll swallow their own wool and get wool block which is fatal). Their wool is so soft and warm. It's warmer than sheep or alpaca wool, and it's about 10,000 times softer. We have built up quite a collection of angora wool since September!

Today Pola & I went to a meeting with the South Jersey Spinners Guild and everyone was incredibly helpful. One of the members and my MIL's friend, April, taught me how to work my wheel. It was a bit frustrating to learn and I don't have the best patience with things haha, but I am picking it up and I understood the basic fundamentals.

When I got home I carded some sheep wool (practicing with sheep rather than angora, April gave me a whole sheeps worth!) I carded a bunch of sheeps wool, which is basically brushing it so it all faces the same direction. Then I gave it another shot. It was easier at home because I didn't feel like I had a bunch of eyes watching me! I get way too nervous haha. So, I gave it another shot and it really started working better. I'm by no means good at it, but getting better.

So, here are some pictures of my wheel, and the wool I spun today! Not bad for a beginner!

And the Art / Craft ADD continues!!!!

Farewell 08'

2008-12-31T15:34:00.000-08:00

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before? spent a night away from Neil. Hubby & I went to Baltimore for my girl Dawn's wedding, and Neil slept over his grandma's house.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I want to learn to sew this year, but, that's been a resolution for a while haha.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? nobody that I know personally, but internet friends did!

4. Did anyone close to you die? my Tante Jeannette passed. She would have been 99 yesterday. She passed in early November, lived a really good life.

5. What countries did you visit? just the US.....NJ/PA/MD/DE

6. What would you like to have had in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? peace of mind....Neil speaking typically, etc. Just leave me alone with my baby!

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Well, January of 2008 Neil really started walking on his own, and September of 2008 Sean got his job as a professional firefighter.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? probably the Handmade Faire Spring & Halloween Editions.

9. What was your biggest failure? oh gee lets not even go there, mmmk?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? nothing serious

11. What was the best thing you bought? we got a new car this year, and screen printing equipment, and just recently a plasma tv.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Sean, he's been working like crazy and he got a great job with amazing benefits!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I'm sure there are many candidates, but I tend not to give a shit.

14. Where did most of your money go? mortgage?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Sean's new job, Neil walking..

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Gee...not sure. I'm not one to really listen to new music haha. Maybe........ah, I got nothing.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? hmm, well, last year I was stressed because Neil wasn't walking yet. Now I'm stressed because Neil isn't talking yet. I'd say it's about even.
ii. thinner or fatter? About the same
iii. richer or poorer? Richer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? reading

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? doctor's appointments.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? Spent it @ my parents. Sean had to work :(

22. Did you fall in love in 2008? yep, 3 bunnies named Hendrix, Cash, & Elvis.

23. How many one-night stands? oh, too many to count haha, wtf?

24. What was your favorite TV program? mmmm.....damn, tie between True Blood, Dexter, & Tudors.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Nah, again, I tend not to give a shit about people who are questionable like that, it's a waste of energy to hate them.

26. What was the best book you read? ahhhh I am ADDICTED to the Twilight series.

27. What was your biggest musical discovery? um....that "Jizzed in my Pants" song haha, I love a funny parody song lol.

28. What did you want and get? Sean to get a firefighting job!

29. What did you want and not get? Neil to talk

30. What was your favorite film of this year? did Harry Potter Order of the Phoenix come out this year? Idk, I liked that one.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 26, and I can't remember. Someone asked me how old I was yesterday and I said 28, birthdays have officially become obsolete.

32. Whats one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? if Neil was talking and more on the "typical" scale as far as kids go. I really hate going to all these doctors and poking and prodding and pushing.....UGH!

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? well, I'm sporting a lot more of my own screen printed designs, so that's something. Other than that, pretty much the same.

34. What kept you sane? having many creative outlets

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Colin Farrell?

36. What political issue stirred you the most? the annoying ones. oh wait, that's all of it.

37. Who did you miss? Sean! Haha, still adjusting to him working 24 hour shifts.

38. Who was the best new person you met? hmm, I met lots of crafty people through the Handmade Faire that I formerly only knew online. There are quite a few really bitchin' gals in that group!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008: *I* know my baby better than doctors do. Maybe it's one I'm still learning, but, yeah, it's a valid one.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
" I like cold beverage yeah"

New Moon & Eclipse

2008-12-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

I finished reading book 3 of the Twilight Saga last night. Eclipse. I really love this series. The more I read the more I love it. The connection that is built to these characters is really amazing. I find myself stalling reading book 4, Breaking Dawn. As much as I want to read the book and find out the end of the story, I don't want the story to end. I get silly like this with the end of other things too, I felt the same way about the Harry Potter series. I read all but the last two chapters of Deathly Hollows and I stalled a few days, not wanting the series to be over.

I don't think I ever posted about New Moon, the second book. I did enjoy this book, though it wasn't my favorite of the three, because I am totally in love with Edward's character, this book left me missing Edward quite a bit. In reading book three though, I see how all the events of New Moon were completely necessary. It's great how it all came together, really. It really developed Jacob Black's character, and I do love that character as well. The two really great characters, I'm glad it's not my choice which she ends up with haha. I mean, I'd definitely choose Edward, but, it would still be a heartbreaking choice! Haha.

Eclipse, on the other hand, was right up my alley. It may not have had all the action that Twilight did, but after New Moon I was really wanting the love story to come out more, and it certainly did. I mean, don't get me wrong, there was a good share of mystery and action, I think the movie will be amazing (they should get the Harry Potter team to work on these movies, so they're more true to the book). So, I was up until 4am last night finishing this book heh, I wonder where these dedicated reading skills were when I was a kid and it took me weeks to finish a book! The name of this book fits best of all, too. I mean, the other two names are great, but this one fits really well. You'll see when you read it. I'm happy I bought the hardcover version of New Moon & Eclipse, I'm going to get hardcover of Breaking Dawn, too. The Twilight book I bought is the "movie cover" so it's got the cast of characters on the soft cover. Ah, I didn't pick it out, the girl from Border's did, made me feel a little like a 12 year old girl, seeing as it came with a poster haha, but, my sister liked the poster so it worked out. It was nice having a pic of the Cullen family on the front though, to reference to while reading the book. A lot of times I make characters in my head and then I'm not pleased by the actors that play them in the movie's, the pics helped make it easier.

So, I'll probably pickup Breaking Dawn today, unless they're sold out. I am going to need another vampire series to read after this...so if anybody has suggestions, I'm all ears. I know there is a series that follows one of my fav shows, True Blood. The Sookie Stackhouse Series, I believe. I'm afraid to read those books and ruin the show though, so I'm torn there. Maybe I'll read book 1 and see what I think, since I've already watched the series. I'm not sure. I'm keeping my eye on Laurell Hamilton, her series might appeal to me a bit.

Gotta go, Neil's spotten the Thomas toys we bought for his friends for Christmas and is trying to pull a fast one!

Abbie

Last week, I saw a film if I recall it was.....

2008-12-18T13:42:00.000-08:00

these two vid's are absolutely worth watching, I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes.

don't blame me if you're singing this song later, it's really obnoxiously catchy

and, for you Twilight Lovers (like me )

And, for those of you that loved both videos:

My family...

2008-12-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

My Dad comes from a big family, 7 kids. He's the second youngest. My Uncle Mark sent me this little Elf Yourself thingy, it's just hysterical. It's missing my Aunt Marian, she lives in Colorado, and it's missing my Uncle Jimmy, he's passed, but this Elf Yourself is especially hysterical.

I never noticed how much they look alike until now haha. Though my Uncle Mike looks completely sinister haha, I guess it's fitting lol!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/NfOa0RGzjx2mRyav

So, what do you think, see a family resemblance? Here's my family's version, complete with Fiona, our Pomeranian, and Hendrix, our Angora bunny :)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Playboy

2008-12-15T11:36:00.000-08:00

Normally I am fine with embarrassing myself, I really have no filter most the time and I am totally fine with laughing at myself, but today was an exception.

Christie, our Speech Therapist was here from Early Intervention, working with Neil. Sean was home because he's covering a late shift at Princeton. The mailman came, and Sean went out to get the mail. He came back in, shuffled through the mail, and pulled out a Playboy magazine!

Apparently they decided to send him a promotional copy because he's listed as a business owner, and they are trying to sell subscriptions/advertising.

Wow, what fun when Sean pulls it out of the pile of mail and casually explains how he must have gotten it as a promotion. It's true, but it sounded like such a load of crap. He might as well have said "oh, I read it for the articles" because it sounded like such a line! So yay, our EI gal probably thinks he's a perv haha.

Merry Christmas to ME! Yay!

2008-12-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

The store "Steve & Barry's" is going out of business, having a huge sale with "Nothing Held Back"

I jokingly asked the worker there how much for the mannequin, she said "$40" It's a nice one on wheels, foam filled and in much better shape than the vintage one that was my Nanny's that I've been using.

So I'm walking through the store w/ all the clothes we picked out in a cart, AND wheeling a naked mannequin around behind us.

On the way out we saw empty T stands for clothing, they told me they were $30 - I said, hell yes!

They also had wooden hangers - 20 for $1

and Cherry Wood sign stands that are nice and tall, great for my sign and price list, $10 each or 3 for $15 (someone must have been bad at math!) we bought 3!

Well, the cashier rang us up, we got about 6 pairs of pants, 4 pairs of shorts for my hubby next summer, some t shirts, the mannequin, the metal T-Stand, 3 cherry wood signs, and about 80 wooden hangers - $66!!!!!!

I couldn't believe it. They ended up only ringing the Mannequin up at $20, the T-stand at $10, and the signs at $1 each!

Merry Christmas to ME!!!! These are going to be great for my display at shows. Figures I don't have another show booked for....months! Now I'm really hankering for a show!

A useless precog?

2008-12-11T06:51:00.001-08:00

The last few weeks things have been happening a little differently. I'll be doing something quiet, where my mind will have a chance to think. Something random will pop into my head, example - today, on the way to the Pediatrician's office Bacon Lip Balm popped into my head. I thought about that thread on Etsy where it was discovered and everyone went crazy over it, the girl sold like 20 tubes in an hour or so.
I wondered what everyone thought about it, decided I would probably not like it, had a gross visual of someone putting leftover bacon grease on their lips, and then I arrived at my destination. I didn't think much of it honestly.

Well I came home, checked my blog roll and a friend of mine posted something this morning about - of course - Bacon Lip Balm. It wasn't the Etsy version, it was a commercial version, but still, how random?

The precog's are not always THAT useless. I'll have a thought like, "oh, I have to make a logo for Buy Hand Traditionally" and then a few hours later I'll get an IM from my MIL asking me to make a logo.

I'll think something seemingly meaningless, and a few hours later it comes back to me somehow. IT's happened more than a dozen times in the last few weeks.

Nothing has been extraordinarily useful. I mean, do I really need to know that sometime during my day, Bacon Lip Balm is going to be a topic? No. It's funny and interesting, but it's kind of random.

Maybe this is the start of useful precognition. Wouldn't that be nice? I could definitely see the benefits of a useful little ability like that.

Movie vs Book

2008-12-09T17:22:00.001-08:00

We went and saw the movie on Friday. I am 100% certain that if I had not read the book, I would have absolutely swooned over the movie. The movie was good, but it was nothing in comparison to the book.

The connection that the characters Bella & Edward have in the book is so immensely strong and romantic, I guess there was just no way to put that same magic across the silver screen. That's one thing you can't fake with computer graphics!

So I've read New Moon and that was OK. I wasn't big on the whole Jacob thing. I mean, he's a great character, but eh, I want to read about vampires. I found myself scanning ahead looking for the character names that are vampires hehe.

Eclipse is good so far too. Though I've only been reading a chapter a nigh because it's about all I can stay awake for before the Nyquil kicks in. I've got some major congestion or allergies happening. No fever or anything, just achy and congested. A little soar throat too. It usually subsides throughout the day, so that's something at least. It's not contagious, it's allergies. I've gotten the same thing around this time of year for as long as I can remember.

Twilight

2008-12-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

I am almost embarrassed to admit that I was curious about the Twilight Series. I picked up the book about a month ago, read about 50 pages and thought "eh". I already knew the basic idea, he's a vampire she's a human...forbidden love, yadda yadda yadda...it took a while to get there in the book and I was impatient.

Then all the craziness happened with Neil's appointment at Children's Specialized with the Autism Screening and I dove into a ton of Autism books, Twilight took the back of the book shelf.

Well I took back to the book and decided to give it another go. I finally (it was like, page 150 or so) got to the part where he admits he's a vampire and WOW. I'm hooked! I gotta admit, just a few weeks ago I was laughing at these little tween girls on the news, screaming that they want to have Rob Pattenson (whoever plays Edward)'s baby. I remember laughing and saying sarcastically "have they even had their first period yet?!" but yeah....I can see it now haha. I'm such a loser lol, but I love the book. I'm a little concerned though, from the previews I've seen of the movie it seems they've taken some creative liberties....that scares me a tad. She seems a little more frightened in the movie than she comes off as in the book. We'll see though. I think we're going to see it on Friday night. Hopefully we're not the oldest ones in the audience hah.

I'll be picking up the next book soon. I'll probably finish Twilight tonight when I go to bed.

Side Effects May Very...

2008-11-21T21:17:00.000-08:00

There is always a strange coincidence that occurs when I have a burst of creativity. I love to get motivated by something, something that makes me want to paint or draw....or anything! But I always have a very strange side effect, and that is WEIRD dreams. Yes, apparently my creativity doesn't like to take a rest so it filters itself out at night, in form of whacko dreams.

Last night, I had a dream that I had my old cafe back (I used to own a coffee house, started it from scratch - a very chill, hippy kinda place, lots of fun) so, I had this dream that I had the cafe back, and it had been neglected so there was lots of work to do. Well - I found this crock pot that had been left plugged in and cooking the whole time, and I wanted to turn it off but it was so hot that it was glowing and pulsing orange. I was very frantic about it, when the door bells jingled and I knew a customer was there...so I ran out front to help the customer and guess who it was? Barack Obama and Bill Cosby....yes, and they both had thick, full beards. I was very star struck, for lack of a better word.

I was jumbling to try and make them cappuccino's, but I was also quite concerned about the crock pot catching fire. I was trying to handle both at the same time and Barack & Bill Cosby ended up leaving w/o their coffee. I was so bummed, so I tried to chase them down and bring it to them, but I must have either woken up or the dream went somewhere else at that point...so that's about as much as I can remember!

So, yeah....I guess if I had something about Barack and Cosby on my mind, it's better to come out in a dream than on a drawing/painting haha!

p.s I can't believe I actually found a ready made picture of Barack & Cosby.... it must be fate

Feeling a little better.

2008-11-19T18:06:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I went for that awful appointment at Children's Specialized. I think I cried for a week straight. Then I read about a dozen books on autism, in addition to officially getting my "Google Degree" on Autism.

I know I've said it before, but it just isn't clicking. I'm not an idiot, I pick things up pretty quickly and I comprehend what I'm reading. I'd venture to say that I'm pretty intelligent. I have a pretty good grasp on autism. It's still not clicking with me though, I just don't think it's what is happening to Neil. I don't know what else it could be, but I don't think it's Autism. I mean, it could just be a speech delay....no big fancy diagnosis, just a need for extra help in speech & OT. I've gotten more confident in my opinions too. When it comes down to it, nobody knows my baby like I do.

We met with the Transitional Planning people, these are the 3+ version of Early Intervention. They are out of the school district. I have to say I was really pleasantly surprised. Even at the meeting, I heard Neil talking to a few of them. They noted his demeanor change when the talking changed from easy chatting, to a demand. I know that's an issue, but it's not something unfixable.

I don't know if it's the insane amount of praying that I've been doing, but I think Neil's speech is actually improving. He's starting to get it a little better. Today in TJ Maxx we looked at the snowmen. I have made the mistake in the past of looking where he was looking, noting he was looking at snowmen and saying "oh, look at the Snowmen!" or something. Now I point, I've been making a conscious effort to point and say "Snowman" more simply. I think I was talking to him like an adult too much, which makes me feel like an idiot, but, hindsight..
Well, when it was time to move on, I took the snowman from him and put it back on the shelf and I said "ok, time to say bye bye to the snowman!....Bye Bye Snowman!" and waved. Neil did the same thing, he said "Bye Bye No-Man!"

Tonight, when tucking him in instead of giving him his binkie right away, I tried to get him to say it. I do this a lot, but not always depending on how maxed he/I am at the moment. He has said "Banbee" before for binkie, but it's usually after a while, like 3 min at least. This time I did it and I did an easy sign of putting my pointer finger to my mouth - I did it about 3 times, and he put his finger to his mouth just the same way. I gave him the Binkie right away. It felt good. I *really* needed these little signs of hope.

The people at the elementary school, where his preschool will be are actually very nice, educated and easy to talk to. I was very pleasantly surprised. They didn't treat me like I was lying to make Neil look better, or like I had no idea what anything meant. They asked a butt load of questions, worked with Neil a bit, observed his behavior. They picked up on things that I actually agree with.

And, I have to say I feel totally vindicated. After leaving the Speech & OT evaluation this afternoon, Neil & I went to get some shopping done in Target & TJ Maxx. We were in Target and strolling past the baby doll isle. We normally don't look twice at any isle that glows THAT pink, but as I was walking past I had a twinge of curiosity (remember the woman from Children's Specialized told me he was autistic because he didn't feed the baby doll) well, I grabbed one of the open baby doll boxes that had a "Try Me!" bottle that you could move and feed the baby doll with. I put it on the cart in front of Neil - he looked at it, grabbed the bottle and fed the baby. I was so happy haha. When we left the isle I said, ok, baby's going to go night night now, "Night Night baby!" and he said "Night Night!" as we were leaving. The store clerk was stacking boxes, and turned around to ask if I needed anything. I said "no thanks, my son was just saying goodnight to the baby dolls" ahh, how good it felt to say something like that! It's the little things, it really is.

Here's a current pic, for those of you who haven't seen him in a while:

Keep in mind...

2008-11-05T18:30:00.002-08:00

Through all this recent shit that's coming up. I am trying to remind myself that I have followed my gut in the past, and been right.

Examples:

I pushed, HARD to get him into Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and got him an appointment in 3 weeks for his club foot, because I wanted the best for him. I tried that for the developmental peds, but, the waiting list is 2 years and iron clad.

The Dr's suggested I quit breastfeeding because it was "too hard". I went against Dr's suggestions and kept nursing. Sure, I was struggling with it but Neil was eating and healthy though it wasn't easy for me. I went through tons of shit keeping that up. Sure enough though, as far as colds, flu's, ear infections etc go - he is rarely ever sick. I think like, once a year, tops.

His head was measuring in the 110% among kids his age. His body was in about the -15%. The Dr's suggested cat scans, multiple diagnostic test to explore the reason behind this. I decided that he couldn't deal with any more stress than he was already in from all the other Dr's issues - club foot, platelets, allergies. I knew the stress of all the Dr's was too much for him, so I said no to further testing. Well, I didn't exactly say no, I just didn't do what the Doctor said heh. I'm brave but I'm not confrontational :)

When he wasn't walking before 18 months, I stressed. I contemplated therapy, etc. When he did walk at 18 months, I was relieved, but he didn't do it again until a month before his 2nd bday. I was worried, despite the fact that I knew having had the club foot he would be slower to walk. Well, we made the call to not stress him with doctors/therapy - and you know, one day he just up and started walking.

To tell you the truth, the only reason I got into Early Intervention in August was because I found out that after age 3, they no longer do home visits, it's all done in the preschool only. Being against putting him in preschool, especially special ed preschool - I jumped onto the Early Intervention band wagon. Otherwise? I might just be doing my own thing and biding my time with him. I haven't decided if I made the right choice there, but it's too late now.

So, yeah, I've been validated in my rebellious tendencies before. I've trusted my gut and kept a stiff upper lip....well, not exactly, I usually end up crying like a baby, but still, I persevere, I'm just red and puffy while I'm doing it. I just hate HAVING to do this. I hate being forced to make these calls. I just want to run off into the woods and tell everyone to bite me. My baby is perfect. Leave me alone. But, unfortunately the "normal" scale of society is a heavy weight on my shoulders. Not to mention that Neil is about 6' taller than almost all kids his age, so people assume he's older and expect a lot more out of him.

I hear all these stories about kids that didn't talk "and then one day out of nowhere they started talking" and I wish I could tell this story for mine. I mean, I heard these stories about walking, and sure enough it happened. I hear "Einstein didn't talk til he was almost 5" and "my (child/nephew/niece/friend's kid/god son/granddaughter) didn't talk til s/he was almost 4" and I think...... I'll never last that long. I can't tolerate this stress and sadness for a single moment better yet another couple of years.

RE: my crappy week

2008-11-05T18:30:00.001-08:00

Tuesday's appt at Children's Specialized Hospital didn't go as well as I'd hoped and I'm just feeling really bummed and not crafty at all. I'm having a hard time focusing on anything that's not autism research right now. Even though the lady that screened him was just a glorified RN (MSN, CRNP), she had some really tough things to say and said she would be surprised if he wasn't autistic. I still don't believe that he is, it just doesn't feel right to me but I can't sort through the true feelings and the bias mom "nothing is wrong with my child" feelings.

She's pushing us to go get evaluated by the team really quickly so we'll "know". It just all pretty much sucks. I don't feel like he's autistic, I honestly don't. I'm scared he's going to get that label and then be burdened by it the rest of his school years. It seemed to me that her evaluation was not nearly as thorough as the Early Intervention evaluations have been, but that she's about equally certified to those people.

She followed exact textbook rules for screening and I feel like it's all square peg into round hole stuff. She put a baby doll in front of him with a bottle, bowl, and spoon. Because he didn't feed the babydoll, he failed that part. Now, this is a 33 month old boy, he's probably never even seen a baby doll before.

She blew a balloon up and let it deflate and fly around the room, it landed behind her wheelchair in an unaccessible spot. He laughed, cheered, looked me in the eye and showed excitement -but because he didn't climb and get it, or ask one of us to get it, he failed. Instead he looked, saw it was unaccessible, and moved on to something else. It makes sense for an adult to act like that - like - if I drop something a foot from me, why should I expect someone else in the room to inconvenience themselves, climb past me and around a table to pick it up? He accepted that the game was over and he moved on. I'm sure if he'd have tantrumed, it would have been a fail as well. There really is one right answer, and if he doesn't fit it exactly then he fails.

I mean, whatever happened to JUST being a late talker? It's not that he's completely silent. He gets his point across just fine and he gets what he wants through non verbal skills like reaching, physically putting something in my hand (like a bag of goldfish if he wants snack) or just doing it himself, which is is quite fond of as well. I think he doesn't have a specific NEED to talk. That's why when he goes to my MIL's house, he uses more words and communicates more - because she doesn't know his non verbal signs like I do.

Einstein didn't talk til he was 5, I suppose he would have been classified autistic. It seems like in today's age, every kid that is slightly off the chart is autistic. There's no individualism, there's no difference of opinions, they're just not fitting into the perfect little charts that everyone has, and so they must be autistic.

We have the formal diagnosis evaluation with the team on January 28. It's only a few days before his third birthday. I don't know if we're going to take him to that or not. We may cancel it, I'm not sure. I feel like I don't want him evaluated and possibly diagnosed until I am on board with the possibility. I don't want him labeled autistic, and then it affects him the rest of his school years, having that label. What if he grows up to be a completely normal functioning child, and is stuck under a stigma that was given hastily? The fact is, nothing is going to change in his pattern of assistance. He'll still be eligible for the preschool, if we send him - and that's the only thing they are offering. It's not like we'll get speech therapy from an amazing speech therapist that works for the Hospital, one on one time, etc - it's the same thing I'm already doing through the Early Intervention program......just, if I do it through EI only, I do it without the label.

Now here's where I go off the deep end with the biased parent stuff. I *know* I must sound crazy. I feel like an innocent man in jail for a crime he didn't commit and saying he's innocent. I'm sure all the kids are out saying "no, my kid is not autistic!" but really, I got this feeling yesterday. I feel like they want to diagnose him with autism because at best, he would be high functioning (though there is no official diagnosis for high functioning, it either is or isn't in the medical world) but I feel like if they diagnose him, and then he "recovers" then that's something to show off with. The more kids they are able to recover, the better they look, the higher their rating, the more money they'll get for funding, the more parents they will have competing to get their appointments. I mean, I know, I probably sound massively conspiracy theory right now, but it makes sense. I can't think of another reason why this lady who is only a nurse (MSN CRNP - Master of Science in Nursing Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner to be exact) would pretty much diagnose after making a half hearted attempt at playing with him.

And why is it so hard for people to understand or acknowledge that the possible "red flags" he does have could be a result of all the scary and invasive procedures he went through as a child? Weekly painful casting, bone manipulation, surgery, blood test after blood test (sometimes up to 3 in a day!) I mean, why is it so hard to believe that this child acts differently around white coats/clinical situations? I take him back for 6 month checkups on his feet, and though he's almost 3 and has been walking steadily for nearly a year - but he will not walk for the Doctor. Does that mean he can't walk or that his feet have degraded? No! Dr. Horn understands that, and finds other ways to work with him.

For every "red flag" of autism that he has, he's got 5 things that he does fine that autistic kids usually don't w/o work.
Here's his red flags:
*Speech Delay
*Social Delay - ie: anxiety in structured play groups like tumbling tots (though he's fine w/ kids in freeform play)
spotty eye contact - 90% of the time he is fine w/ me about eye contact. With others/strangers, it's about 60% good and 40% not good.
* Doesn't like play dough / floam / silly putty

things he does that would be uncharacteristic for an autism:
*smiles, laughs, & general happiness - not grumpy or unemotional
*empathy - will laugh when we laugh, cry if we cry, be scared / anxious if we are, etc
*responds to his name about 80% of the time
*gestures by way of reaching, leaning, looking at object, physically moving my hands to the object he wants me to see, pointing with middle finger (but because he doesn't always point with his pointer finger, they say he doesn't gesture)
*does not make repetitive movement w/ objects/toys or body (no rocking, flapping, wheel spinning, etc)
* no irregular pitch/singsongy-ness
* no self harm
* no unusual attachment to objects
* very cuddly and lovey
* very social with other adults, or older children (like my 8 year old bro, his fav person in the world)
* sleeps like a champ
* doesn't freak out if routine is changed up
* plays with dirt & sand (would generally be a sensory issue same as play dough/floam)
* doesn't "parrot"
* can make silly faces/noises back to us when we do them
* holds markers correctly (not just fist grab)
* uses a fork very well, and a spoon pretty well (still tough with liquids, but eats yogurt/ice cream just fine)

so, if you've noticed that I'm in an unreasonably bad mood, completely unfocused, or just generally look like crap. It's because I've been stressing, and crying, and it's pretty uncontrollable.

crappy

2008-11-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

what a crappy day. a crappy, crappy, shitty, crappy day.

how far can I trust my instincts and my gut feelings? How much of a risk should or can I take? I am sick of having to answer these questions. Life would be easier if I just ran off into the woods with my family and told everyone else to fuck themselves.

I guess I'd fit in a little better being such a protective mama bear.

I am a Ninja

2008-11-03T13:18:00.000-08:00

Wow, ok - maybe it's the caffeine, maybe it's my super mom ninja skills, but I am totally on point right now. Seriously. I feel like I should be searching the place for radioactive spiders or something.

As probably a few of you know, I play the cello. I haven't done it in a long time, which I am sad about, but - still. Anyway, I have 2 cello's - I have a really good one (named Grendel) that I play on when I do play, and I have the one that I got when I was in 7th grade, (named Bull). The one from 7th grade has obvious sentimental value to me. While Grendel stays in the case, safe from running toddlers and leaping dogs - Bull sits and leans between the wall and the buffet table near the entrance to my kitchen.

Well - today I was herding Neil and Fiona (dog) out of the kitchen. I had Neil's pbj on a plate in my one hand, and he was drinking his juice as he was walking to the living room. Carrying food makes Fiona spin, she kind of backwards walks, jumps, begs....it's annoying and cute at once. Neil was walking and Fiona leaps around him, knocking the cello over (Bull).

Somehow, I manage to grab the cello and keep it from
1. crashing on the floor
and
2. hitting Neil

also, I did not drop the pbj. It was like super human - grabbing the cello just inches from Neil's head, saving the cello (which I would have been completely devastated if it had broken) and not skipping a beat!

So, beware - I am quickly consuming caffeine and honing my super human powers!

Election Day

2008-11-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but tomorrow in the US is election day. As an American citizen, this fact may have escaped you - it's not like there's been political commercials, mailers, flyers, phone calls, yard signs, door to door solicitations, personal letters, buttons, stickers, bumper stickers, broadcasts, and of course corporate and small business endorsements that have been in place to remind us that there is an election tomorrow.

I think it's funny that people are complaining about "dirty trickery". Apparently there are a masses of false info going out in various forms saying things along the lines of "if you are a republican - vote on the 5th, if you're democrat, vote on the 4th" or, saying that if you have unpaid parking tickets, or a criminal conviction that they might be arrested at the polls. Now - maybe it's just me being mean and cynical - but, I kind of feel like if you're dumb enough to fall for that....well....maybe you can't be trusted to make an informed decision and vote? I don't know, it might just be me, but I have an intolerance for stupidity. Sure, they aren't exactly funny jokes but I mean seriously people, it's not like voting is a new thing.

If somebody went around putting out flyers that said "if you're over the age of 50, you can only drive on even days, under 50 drives on odd days" do you think anyone would honestly believe it? And if they aren't smart enough to know a scam when they see one, do they have any place on the road? No!

I'm just sick of protecting people from their own stupidity!

P.S. if you were irritated or felt wronged by my post, please at least remember to go get out and vote on Wednesday November 5, 2008.

Pics from Crissy's Party

2008-10-28T19:56:00.000-07:00

I'll post some of the more pg pics from Crissy's party here, if you want the full scoop you'll have to see my facebook. For the first time ever,there's actually pics on my camera that I *didn't* post anywhere, cause I um...well, let's just say they are incriminating, and I do love my friends and wouldn't want to incriminate any of them too bad haha.

The costume breakdown:
Me: Tonks from Harry Potter (Nymphadora Tonks - anything for pink hair)
Crissy: Shaun of the Dead
Amanda: Naughty Maid
Dawn: Doctor (cop out!)
Jenn: Rocker Fairy (wings got lost after the first few rounds of shots)
Angela: Red Riding Hood
Lindsay: Sherrif

other than that, there was another sherrif/cop, and a devil's bride!

the jagger, and the southern comfort was FLOWING. HEAVY! Crissy was making jager bombs, there was also a magical "kool aid" drink that Jenn, our resident Shot Ninja made up, and then of course just straight up shots of Jager or Soco. Ahh good times.

Of course, Neil was sleeping over @ his Grandmom's house :)

Score Card: Abbie -0 -vs- Mother Nature - 1

2008-10-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

Well the Handmade Faire was Saturday. It rained, and was extremely windy - not just a little rainy, it was like, build an ark rainy, hell....build an ark with a sail for the wind. There were enough crafty people there, I'm sure we could have come up with an ark.

I ended up having 95 vendors, including myself. 48 of which ended up having to pack up early - myself included. Thankfully, inside the tent had 48 vendors, which - even that in and of itself is a big show for this area. The indoor vendors seemed to do pretty well, a few I talked to said they did very well. My husband was counting shoppers, from 10-1:30, he counted about 1400. After 1:30 he couldn't count anymore because that's when I started to break down my booth, and he was no longer in a good place to count. I'm estimating about 1700-2000 people, total. Quite possibly 2000 people, since hubby's counting was happening between manning my booth, helping me keep my vendors tents from flying away, and watching our toddler. The goodie bags we made disappeared in less than a half hour, and we were giving them one per group, not per person.

I feel like I have unfinished business now! I worked my butt off for the last few months promoting this, advertising, finding vendors, organizing things, figuring out the best placement for all my vendors so they would compliment each other correctly.....and, Mother Nature literally rained on my parade. I just wish all my hard work could have come to fruition.

I suppose I am happy that despite the weather we got nearly 2000 shoppers. My vendors were amazing, and I heard some glowing reviews, but.....I still can't help but feel like it should have been better! I worked for better! I'm just disappointed.

My house is a wreck from the pre Handmade Faire cram. There's pieces of paper, and just general crap all over the place. I've made some headway with it but it's still just crappy. Neil is in a terrible mood, screaming and uncommunicative, and destructive with his toys. He's never destructive with his toys, I'm not sure what it's all about but it's making me crazy. I feel restless, but exhausted at the same time. I can't just sit still. I'm feeling like I *should* be cleaning, but I want to be creating, but then....I have this blockage where I don't let myself create in a messy house. I'm just feeling like an idiot. Somebody smack me.

Though, I will say that after the Handmade Faire, I went to my best friend Crissy's house for a Halloween Party - some old friends & some new friends were there, and we had a blast. I am never one to turn down a shot of Jagger or Southern Comfort (Soco, or, as Sean calls it - "neil's third parent") haha.

Here's some pics of the good times on Saturday, I did meet some awesome people, and I got some amazing stuff - including a handmade hat from Jon, I love it! I havne't stopped wearing it yet!

Here's Jonathan - I bought my awesome hat from him!

A shot of the crowd:

My amazing hubby, manning my booth for me:

and another shot - Heart Felt Baby

I am currently stalking her etsy shop, waiting for her to list more arm warmers, she sold out at the show before I could buy a pair! I wanted these striped ones she had! Ah!

Promoting

2008-10-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

Things have been crazy. There is so much work to do these last two weeks before the Faire that everything else is put on hold. We got some awesome 12x18" posters in, and we've been blanketing the town with them - we'll be going out again today too. Our yard signs came in too, they look really good I'll have to grab a picture.

On the personal side, I a new batch of my prints made up. This time I also bought bags and boards for them, and wow, they look amazing. I am really happy with them. They'll debut at the Handmade Faire on October 25.

In other news, John from Greco Wood Crafts Blog has featured some tips I sent him for choosing a good art show! Thanks John!

Abbie

So busy

2008-09-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been over 10 days since I last updated. Things have been so busy, I haven't had time to breath better yet post haha.

Let's see, what have I been up to - well, of course I've been busting my behind working on Handmade Faire stuff. We've had an influx of late applicants that are just too cool to say no to. So, we've decided to keep our applications open for the time being. It's really no skin off our back since we have the space to grow with the outside being so large, so, I figure why not. Things I have to do with that still include:
send in posters for print again
create a graphic for yard signs
order yard signs
find out about getting the banner up over Main Street
if I can get a banner up - create & order banner
do a real big push for promo's & give aways, we've got a few but not enough. I have to hit the Etsy forums.
Get out to local restaurants & stores and ask for promo/door prizes
Finish floor plan, get it approved by Flying W

Ah, there's more but if I list them all I might get bummed out!

I've also been busting my butt getting the new EtsyNJ.com website up and running. I'm one of the leaders of the group and I decided to put together an interactive website for the group. Hoping that the members will get in there and blog, post about their new items, etc. So far everyone is really taking advantage of the events calendar, so that's great.

The EtsyNJ street team is advertising in my favorite magazine, WeirdNJ. The issue just got mailed out and I believe it's on news stands now too. Mine came in the mail today, I was so psyched! The ad is on the second page of the magazine, really great placement if you ask me! I have been an avid follower of WeirdNJ since about 1998, and when I had my cafe in early 2000, we sold back issues and current issues of WeirdNJ & advertised in there too. So, yeah, love the magazine. Pick up issue #31 and look for the EtsyNJ ad - you'll get a secret URL that will give ya a special from participating EtsyNJ members!

Still in the search for a second car in the meantime. Also, Sean started his new job last week - it was all training. This week he starts his normal schedule, he's on his first 24 hour shift tonight! Ack! Cheryl's coming up tonight to keep me company hehehe.

Just around the willow bend...

2008-09-18T17:04:00.001-07:00

Ok, so, aside from having Pocahontas songs stuck in my head, I have a new project I'm working on. It's nice to actually play with something crafty that I'm not pressed for time on - like the Jersey Devil shirts...which, shit, I still need to make more XL's and list them all in my Etsy Store.

So, yeah, aside from doing craft chores, and of course the ever life consuming work for the Handmade Faire - (still accepting applications, btw) which, don't get me wrong, I love, but it makes it hard to do anything else. Holly, from leafpile.org and I have been crafting inbetween sessions of me teaching her how to work her site hehe, and today she showed up at my house with a garbage bag full of curly willow.
Now, any ordinary person may have said something like, "why are you bringing your brush to me?!" but oh, no - no no no, of course we have a crafty use for curly willow. I'm in the process of trying to turn it into a wreath as we speak. My living room looks fabulous. I thought about not doing anything with it yet, cause - what if a spider crawled out or something? Ah. I get the creeps just thinking. But ya know, I'm strong and brave now, fyi.

So, I'm making a wreath. It looks a bit scrawny at the moment but it's a good start. It would make a really good halo or head dress, but, only if I had a giant head.....which I actually do, but not this giant....seeeeee

So, yeah, the living room is full of leaves and branches. Of course hubby does not even think twice about it, he's used to my craziness.

Ok, lets play I Spy........can you spy the wreath I'm working on in this massive pile of leaf?

if you can, I'll give you a cookie. Also, I'm pretty sure curly willow was the wood that Hermione's wand was made out of. I'm hoping to find a good "wand" in this bag! Might help complete my halloween costume :)

Sean does say that if I shake a branch at him and say "Wingardium Leviosa!" one more time.....bam, right to the moon, hahaha.

Too nice for my own good!

2008-09-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a little bummed. But, it's my own fault for being too nice, and not thinking before I speak haha.
The other day at the Flea Market there was a couple selling some vintage stuff, one of the things was vintage typewriter. It was pretty old, had a good charm to it. The first thing I thought of when I saw it was those awesome typewriter key bracelets that I've seen on Etsy.

They had the typewriter marked for $10. Quickly speaking without thinking, I said "you know, you should list this on Etsy - artists make jewelry out of the keys and you could get way more than $10 for it" they were interested, I like being nice, so I told them about Etsy, and the typewriter jewelry people are into. Almost immediately I regretted telling them, because as I spoke about it, I convinced myself that I should try it.

In reality, I don't have time to make a bracelet like that, but you know me, I'm a craft addict. It is literally an addiction - I HAVE to try something. It's hard for me to see something I like and not want to figure out how to make it. Even if I end up buying it, I want to know how to make it, even if I never do. I enjoy buying and wearing other people's work, don't get me wrong - it's just, I want to at least KNOW and TRY it myself too.

Well, immediately I regret not just keeping my mouth shut, and buying it. I contemplated sending my friend over to buy it, but I figured that would be wrong, or mean, idk. Well, today I was crafting with Holly from Leafpile.org and was telling her how I should learn to keep my fool mouth shut! See what I get for being nice to people?! Ugh. Well, she knows the lady and called her for me, to see if they were still selling it. I figured it couldn't hurt.

Well, turns out the lady took my advice, and is listing it on ebay this week. She offered it for sale to me for $40 or $45 with the condition that I made her a ring or pendant or something, idk. I passed, obviously. Ahh well. See. Normally I'm a bitch to strangers (hah, sorry, it's true, I enjoy being unapproachable to people I don't know) , and it always works in my favor. Figures - when I decide to be nice, it ends up beating me in the ass. Ahh well, live and learn.

I'm off to Etsy/Ebay to stalk/admire typewriter key bracelets. Anybody out here make them?

Abbie

New Tablecloths!

2008-09-14T17:23:00.001-07:00

Whoo hoo, this week has been busy. My MIL & I took a trip over to Jomar's in Philly, which, they're an awesome fabric store - and really great prices. I've needed some good table covers for a long time, I'd been using chopped up pieces of felt in a mix of black, brown, and tan - I umm...hated it, for lack of a better word.
So, I found this brown teddy bear kinda material, but it's still pretty light (not fur or anything) and it doesn't shed - plus I got this funky purple & green fabric for an accent. Long term idea is to have it pinned up and hanging from one of the walls, so I can put my prints, etc on there - but....that's going to take a bit more of ingenuity on my part, possibly even a bit of sewing, so it will just have to wait, until I learn to stop being so completely stupid with a sewing machine.
So - I'm putting 2 pics here to compare the difference, now that I have to the floor table coverings ---
Here's my booth at the Beach Plum Festival on Island Beach State Park last weekend (which was a great festival, btw) -

And here's a pic from this weekend's Flea @ Kirby's Mill, normally I'm not big on Flea Markets, but I love Kirby's Mill & doing shows in Medford. Plus Holly from Leafpile.org is a good friend of mine, and she was running the flea, it's always a fun day @ Kirby's Mill.

I'm really happy with it, it makes a bigger difference than I even anticipated. It didn't cost all that much, either - Jomar's prices are fantastic, $3 and $4 a yard!

True Blood

2008-09-07T22:08:00.001-07:00

Just watched the premiere episode of True Blood, and I gotta say it
was fantastic. I have always been a sucker for stories where humans
and vampires co-exist - Buffy and Angel years ago were favorites. This
show looks like it will kick ass though. I already can't wait for next
weeks episode.

Abbie Galie
Http://www.OriginalAbbie.com

Sent from my iPhone

Amazing News!

2008-09-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

My wonderful hubby has been a volunteer firefighter for a few years now, and an EMT for about 2.5 years. There's been a lot of times when it's really waring on me, because he works at his normal job about 50-55 hours a week, plus he does duty crews with EMS every week, and some weekends - and on top of that runs Fire calls when he's home. Spring and Fall usually bring a lot of classes at the fire academy, which keep him out late nights.

He's been wanting to make the jump from volunteer to paid for a while now. He's high on the state lists (I think he's scored #32 in the state) for the jobs, but the State has been taking about forever and a day to get on the ball with hiring. We've been patiently waiting, for well over a year for these companies to get their butts in gear.

Well, about 2 weeks ago he interviewed for a job at Princeton University, and he got the job! He'll be a firefighter/emt/security for the Lab there. This is on Princeton University's campus, but it's not - from what I understand - it's not a student lab. Some of the greatest physics minds of our generation work here in an effort to create a new form of energy through fusion. In which case - energy would be cheap, and abundant - it would be amazing. Well, because of the nature of what they do - they require their own fire dept!

This is going to be great for us. Pension, excellent benefits w/ low co-pays, it's a Union - so pay and raises are managed very nicely. What is really awesome is if Sean wants to go to school, at any accredited University - he only pays 15% of tuition, they will pay the rest. When Neil goes to college? They will pay 50% of Neil's tuition. It's amazing. Princeton is about an hour from where we live now but he will be doing 24 hour shifts so really, he'll only work I think like 9 days a month. I think the schedule is like - 24 hrs on, 48 hrs off - once you work 5 revolutions of that, you get 5 days off. Sean will be home a lot more.

He'll be on a 90 day probationary period, and after that he'll be in the Union!

We are so thrilled. Not sure when he starts. Mon & Wed he has some physical/medical evals to do, and then he'll probably get a start date. I think he's planning on staying @ his current job and cutting back hours, since he'll have all those days off. He's going to do that for a while so we can stockpile a little money away just incase.

Hare Brained Idea...

2008-09-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

So my MIL, Pola - aka WebmavenNJ and I have talked for a while about having angora rabbits, and spinning their wool to make yarn. Years ago I had an angora rabbit, Commander Bun Buns, but we never spun her wool, the cafe took up a majority of our time then, whereas now, I have a lot more time to focus on art and craft, even if it's an ADD version of it sometimes, with my son Neil getting my attention hehe.
So, these bunnies happen to be hard to come by, but we did end up finding bunnies! We picked them up yesterday. Pola is keeping 2 of them, and I'm keeping one. They are three brothers, born July 8, 2008.
So - meet the bunnies. They are a musical bunch of English Angora's. First, introducing the bunny that will be staying with me:
Meet: Hendrix
Born: July 8, 2008
Buck (male)
Chocolate Tort in color
likes: This boy is a mushy little love - he loves being groomed, snuggled, and exploring on and off the leash. Loves leafy greens, oddly not into carrots - yet. He likes exploring and playing, but is also happy to sit quietly and just be pet. He engages Neil a lot when Neil looks into the cage, hopping up on the edge to see him closer, etc. He was also first to snuggle on the frozen bottle that I put in their cage when we came in from outside, he really enjoyed that!

Meet: Cash (as in Johnny)
Born: July 8, 2008
Buck (boy)
Lilac Tort in color
Likes: This is the big boy of the group. His face is in the food dish quite often, and you can tell he's got more meat on his bones than the other two. He is also the most curious, and a great escaper. He manages to compress his body, to fit through small spaces in order to see what's on the other side of barriers I set up in failed attempts to contain all three at once. Cash will be living with Pola in a few days when his cage is ready.

Meet: Elvis
born July 8, 2008
Buck (boy)
R.E.W - Ruby Eyed White
Likes: What doesn't this little cutie like? He is so docile and happy. He will lay on his back on my legs and let me groom his belly and feet! When I took them outside, he would just plop down and eat whatever grass was in front of him. He clearly enjoys green food, as upon close inspection you can see some of his lip fur is green from eatting spinach, romain, grass, etc. He is quick to clean himself up though! He also enjoys siting on the perch in the cage and looking down at his brothers. We're calling it his throne - he *is* The King afterall. He will also be living with Pola.

These little guys are sure to keep us busy. Don't mind the green in their ears, if you can see it (I think only the pic of Elvis is viewable) the green will fade - they were tattooed with their pedigree #'s in their ears before coming home to us, so the green will ware off shortly.

So, our plan is to harvest their wool as we groom them - it's not harmful at all to harvest their wool. It's actually harmful not to harvest it, as they will ingest it and get woodblock which could kill them. Their wool just brushes out, and we're saving it. Once the wool is harvested it will be cleaned, carded, and made into roving which can then be dyed and spun. Angora wool is the warmest wool available - warmer than even sheep and alpaca! It's a lot softer and less itchy than sheep and alpaca is too, which makes it very luxurious.

I'll be bringing Hendrix with me to the Kirby's Mill Flea Market on September 13 in Medford, NJ if you want to see him in person. I will be at the Beach Plum Festival on Sept 7th too - in Island Beach State Park, but it's a bit of a long drive for Hendrix, so he's staying home.

I have more fantastic news, but I'm going to save it for tomorrow :)

Abbie

Instant Karma

2008-09-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

So, most of you know that I used to own a restaurant called the Jersey Devil Cafe, in Medford, NJ. It was an adorable place, fantastic food, great atmosphere, phenomenal coffee & espresso, and good people.

My business partner and I had a falling out in February of 2004, and that was the last time I was in that cafe. It was a hard road to travel after leaving the cafe, because it had been my life for so long. Nearly 2 years to the day after my business partner threw me out - I brought my son home from the hospital. I was always a believer that things happen for a reason, and when I brought my son home, I was happy to understand the reason why the whole ordeal with being thrown out of the cafe happened. I could not have been a complete, dedicated mother that I am today - and run the cafe. It was one or the other.

I am also a believer in Karma. What goes around really does come around - and usually 10 fold. I put my life into that cafe, and every touch of it. I hand painted every table, my artwork was on the walls. We came up with an entire menu from scratch, secret recipes, specialties, the whole 9 yards, same as the drink menu. When I say I put my whole heart into it, I really did. We would work most days from open to close, as early as 6 to as late as midnight some days. There were days that we were understaffed, and I would be busing, waitress, and cooking at the same time, but ya know - we managed and the town loved us for it.

In Feb of 2004, my business partner locked me out. Lots of dirty, underhanded happenings went on from there. It's not my place to take revenge, or even judge. A time comes in everyone's life when you have to meet your maker and explain yourself, and I am sure that's not an experience she's prepared to have. Until then, there's Karma. What goes around comes around - you get back what you put out. You've all heard the old sayings - and they're true.

A few days ago my old cafe caught fire, it apparently burned up the wall and onto the second floor where my old business partner still has her offices. Her office took the worst damage from what I hear. The reality of the situation is, that if I had still had my cafe there this would not have happened. I was so paranoid about fire, especially after having experienced one myself in High School - I was meticulous about keeping my machines perfect, not overloading any plugs, etc. You could say I am OCD about fire safety, and rightly so.

Now, I still live walking distance from this building. My husband is a firefighter, and when I heard the pager go off for a building (fire) at Main & Union Streets, my heart sank. Despite the buildings current inhabitants - I loved that building. That building had a spirit (more than one, literally and figuratively) it had history in those walls, including my own history but it dated back so much further than that. The building was majestic and a beautiful focal point in town. It's historic, over 200 years old, the building will be missed by many. As sad as it was to loose Margie, my dear old neighbor last year - and Frank Salicondro, the music man of Medford, who passed away also - I'm glad they weren't here to see it go, it would have broken their hearts.

Frank had saved the Stagecoach building years ago, when it had been abandoned and someone wanted to buy it and put a Dairy Queen in there. He fell in love with the historical aspect of the building and he saved it, opened his own restaurant/diner for a while, had his music enterprises on the second floor - concerts on the 2nd story porch, it was just beautiful. So for that I am so sad that the building burned. On the other hand, with someone like my ex business partner, what I see is Karma. What goes around comes around, it always seems to find a way, almost like it's fate or destiny.

But ya know, all the crap she put me through - and I was 19, 20, 21 and 22 years old when all this was going on? Young? Yes, absolutely. Too trusting? Probably. Naive or Weak? - no way. In the end, all that bs happened for a reason, and now I know just how capable and strong I am. No more monsters under my bed :P

Voluntary Insomnia?

2008-08-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

I swear I am nocturnal. I just do not want to go to bed. I stay up working on the computer in the uninterrupted quiet that I am not allowed during the day when Neil is awake.

I am, of course, researching angora rabbits. I really want to get one, my MIL is getting two soon. She's taking Commander Bun Buns (RIP) old rabbit hutch and fixing it up so she can use it. I'll be keeping my bunny inside, with an occasional front porch appearances, if its nice out heh.

It's now 12:30, I started this entry like 30 minutes ago, got interrupted ( see, that's what I get for basking in the quietness) by an email, and completely forgot til now.

I think I'm going to call it a night, go up to bed and watch tonight's episode of Swingtown, I just love that show. I love the teacher character, he's so cute.

I made nothing artsy today. Boo on me. I did a lot of work on websites though, and stuff for the Handmade Faire if that counts as artsy?

Tomorrow Neil is spending the night at my MIL's house, and we're going to go into Philly and checkout Dark Knight on the IMAX w/ two friends of ours.

Bunny

2008-08-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

I want a bunny. And I can't have one, that makes me sad.

Sean says "not now, in a little while"

which is the same man translation used when you say
"Can you take the garbage out?"
and he says
"Sure - in a minute"

when that "minute" is actually an indefinite amount of time, possibly never?

yeah, that's what "a little while" means in this case.

BOO! Remind me to use that term when he wants Mercenaries 2 for the XBox in a few days.

I am a basketcase

2008-08-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

See, you may not know this if you've never talked to me at length or met me in person - but here is proof positive that I'm a certified basketcase:

my mother in law, webmavennj.etsy.com made this basket. I forget the name she had for it, but it's pretty special.

Today Holly from leafpile.org (still pending site) came over and we crafted a bit. She had these funky wood hearts that she'd found at a garage sale. They're slices of a tree that are already naturally shaped like hearts. Pretty cool. Here's what I did with mine, a little beading, etc.

Neil's napping right now, he doesn't have a fever or anything but I think he's feeling a little under the weather. It's not like him to sleep this long, and go into bed so early. At least I got to watch the latest episode of Weeds.

Blog CPR

2008-08-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

So, although I spend a lot of time online, working, keeping in touch with family and friends, researching and learning, finding inspiration - I am so bad at keeping up with my blog that it's not even funny. I resigned myself a while back to ignore this blog and focus on the blog - http://www.Blog.originalabbie.com that I run off my website, and have had for ohhh....how long, 3 years? Though, I've had originalabbie.com for about 6 or 7 years now, in some form, sometimes I go back to the wayback machine and look at my old site, wow, if I must say so myself I've come a long way in a lot of things web related haha.
Well, I think I'll give this blog a try for a while, I think I'll have a better will power to continue to update this blog since it's web based and I can update it from any internet connection. My iPhone can update, etc, so, I'll have more opportunities to keep it up to date.

So, here it goes.

The Red Haired Step Child...

2008-05-07T08:51:00.001-07:00

This blog gets sorely ignored, it's true.

If you want to see what's actually going on in my life - check out my site:

My Online store:
www.OriginalAbbie.com

My Blog that I don't ignore:
blog.OriginalAbbie.com

My Etsy Shop:
AbbieRoad.Etsy.com

You can also find me:
Flickr:

www.flickr.com

This is a Flickr badge showing items in a set called Artwork & Jewelry. Make your own badge here.

Twitter:

IndiePublic:

View my page on Indiepublic

The EtsyNJ Street Team:

Updating with Flock

2008-02-25T19:15:00.001-08:00

This is all new, I'm trying to upload with flock...lets see how it goes!

Blogged with Flock

Home Show Success

2007-12-01T19:24:00.001-08:00

The first of my Holiday Trunk Show's went very well last night. A fun time was had by all! I'm all set for my show tomorrow - the Green Trading Post from 12-4 in Southampton, NJ. The great thing about scheduling shows back to back? I get to be lazy and leave my stuff packed up hehehe. And then Thursday is the Holiday Trunk Show at my house, and if yesterday was any inclination of Thursday, I think it's going to be a great day!

There was a lot of interest yesterday about hosting home shows, so I've added a link here where you can set up a home show. Of course all dates will need to be confirmed with me, but this will be a great place to start. So - if you're in the NJ area, and you're interested in getting some friends together for a fun Trunk Show - then fill out this form - and I'll get back to you very shortly!

Don't forget about the $10 giveaway I'm doing! All you have to do is blog about me to enter!

Thanks!
Abbie

Tags: Art, Jewelry, Abbie, Mylod, Galie, AbbieRoad, Road, Shopping, Art Shows, Home Shows

Comments

Contest in my Blog!

2007-11-28T07:58:00.000-08:00

Good news! I'm having a contest and everyone with a blog can enter! All you have to do to enter is write a blog about my site: http://shop.originalabbie.com and then leave me a link to the entry in the comments on that entry. (not this one! here - gotta be over there for simplicity sake!) For every 10 entries, there will be a winner of a $10 gift certificate to my shop (plus free shipping)......if I get 30 entries there will be a "Grand prize" winner of a pair of earrings. You can enter once per blog - so if you have 2 blogs, you can enter twice but it can't be an identical story, change it up a bit Happy
Contest ends December 11th which is 2 weeks from today - and also soon enough to have the item shipped to arrive before Christmas. The shipping will be on me as well!

So - write a blog about the site, then leave me a comment here with a link to your blog!

How will I determine the winners? I'll look for craftiness in the entry, as well as checking my website stats to see if anybodies blog makes my top referrer list....so go for it! And tell your friends! Your odds are 1 in 10, that's not bad!

Contest
And feel free to hyperlink this image:
http://originalabbie.com/AbbieShopAd.gif

Abbie