The Ohio Update

First, lets just say...never start a roadtrip on a holiday during rush hour..especially when there are a billion college campus in your area. Our eight hour trip turned into a almost a twelve hour trip.

Danny's family was so excited to see him, he hasn't been home in a year! We had Thanksgiving dinner at his grandmothers house with his Mom's family. Danny made the big "we're getting married" annoucement, which I thought went well. But apparently his grandmother wasn't too please...but Danny's Mom and step-Dad stuck up for us. I love those two. Atleast we have people on our side! Later that day we went to Danny's Dad's side of the family.

It has always been tradition in my family to see a movie on Thanksgiving night...I was so excited when we decided to take Kaleb to see a movie!

I didn't take part in Black Friday events, large crowds in stores is NOT my thing. HOWEVER! Danny's Mom and step-Dad picked up some awesome things for me and Danny! A flatware set, a quesedilia maker, electric skillet, spice rack and some other stuff! SO EXCITING!

Friday night we were supposed to get drinks with Danny's sister and some friends. But I KNEW it wouldn't happen. I knew Kaleb wouldn't want his Daddy to leave. Danny was a little dissapointed that he didn't get to go out, but it ended up being a good night. I loved seeing the two of them together and having fun.  Danny is a great Dad.

I made breakfast Saturday morning,  chocolate chip pancakes...Kaleb said he has never had them before! Which just showed me that Ohio really is under a giant rock! Then we took his to see Santa..such a cute picture!

Saturday night we went out with Danny's Dad for dinner. It literally took Danny the entire trip before he told his Dad we were getting married. I was a little upset that he didn't want to tell him, he alluded that his Dad "wouldn't even care." It hurt a little that someone might not care about something this big. But his Dad took it well, and didn't have anything negative to say. He was all over Danny though about the security clearance/graduation thing. It was very strange.

We left Ohio late Saturday night so we wouldn't hit traffic...a good idea because his Mom was in traffic ALL day yesterday.

Yesterday we were laaaaazy all day. And then went out for sushi to celebrate my birthday. I'm sad I won't get to see him for my birthday..or for the rest of the month for that matter. I won't see him again until December 23. The longest we have been apart. But atleast I'll see him for Christmas AND New Years!

Tomorrow is my 24th birthday and I'm flying home to Boston! SO SO excited!

On a Roll!

I've been on a roll lately with listing and renewing items - but not so much with blogging. Funny how the two seem to switch places from time to time eh? Well part of the problem was that I couldn't seem to log into byhand.me, which is where I create the spotlights that I use in my treasury blog and when I show of my latest listings on this blog. I finally thought to try clearing my browsing history and that let me access the site again! Woohoo! So your going to get TWO spotlights of my latest listings and such :D

Don't forget this is the last day to earn entries in my Top Commentators Contest for this month. How does that work? Simple, just read my posts and leave me comments! So if your behind on your reading, today's the day to catch up! I'll be announcing the winners tomorrow! Also, leave in your comment today which of the listings I'm showing is your favorite and you'll get an extra entry into the contest!

Oh yes - and don't forget - all my shops have free shipping through the end of December - worldwide!

H&M Picks Continued - Cute, flattering skirts under $35

Ahh, back to reality, work, and studying. This will probably be my only post this week, since I have a huge exam this weekend which I cannot wait to get over with. But I wanted to share these great skirts which I picked up a week or two ago before they are no longer in stores, in case any readers wanted to go check them out in person.

On a separate note, Black Friday this year was tres disappointing for me - I hope readers had better luck! At midnight last Thurs, I visited (with high hopes) this outlet mall which had a ton of stores that I love - Saks Off 5th, Neiman Marcus Last Call, Ann Taylor outlet, AT LOFT outlet, Banana Republic outlet, plus much more. Somehow I managed to walk away with just a few Snuggies. It's so hard to find small petite sizes during chaotic sales like Black Friday, especially at discount department stores where you need time to dig.

Anyways, without further delay, back to the skirts. I continue to be surprised by the crafstmanship and wearable designs of H&M Trend, which can be obtained at prices only marginally higher than their regular stuff. Unfortunately, I think this line can only be found at stores in major cities like NYC, Boston, and San Francisico.

1. H&M "Trend" black / gray paneled high-waisted skirt. Size 2, $34.99.

At first glance, this looked just like a basic work skirt to me. Upon closer examination, however, I noticed it was actually quite trendy with lots of flattering details. This skirt has a banded waist with contrasting belt loops, contrasting side panels, pleated front panel, front pockets, and two back contrasting mock-pockets. Fully lined. The end result? An optical illusion that makes the wearer look like she has a small waist and curvy behind. Since I have minimal natural curves, I'm not complaining.

The key to the curvy illusion is the contrast side panels coupled with a very narrow bottom opening. Since there was so much going on at the bottom of this skirt, I paired it with a plain black tee and a thin black belt. I just adore the front pockets:

Click "Read More" for more skirts.



2. H&M "Trend" black / metallic cream skirt with piping detail. Size 2, $34.99.

All my photos don't do this skirt justice! For some reason, the lovely creamy champagne color of the skirt does not come out at all in the photos. I typically stay away from shiny or metallic materials in large quantities, but I thought this skirt was done well. The texture of the cream material is difficult to describe - a mix between jacquard and satin. I love the piping detail and elastic waist band with tiny ruffles. Oh, fully lined as well. This skirt is seriously so comfortable on because of the elastic waist (generously sized and not restrictive at all, unlike my elastic waist belt!).

I was at a loss about what to pair this with. The skirt really is a statement piece, but a plain tee on top didn't look right. I think a soft, black fitted sweater would be best, which remains high priority on my to-get list.

Paired with tights and black heels, this is currently work appropriate for me at my business-casual dress client. The metallic looks so festive in person, yet not glaringly metallic.

For cocktail or other nighttime settings, I switched up the top. The pattern of the piping reminded me of corsets for some reason, so I dug out the closest thing I had to a corset.

Tank top with structured bust from Forever 21, size S, $10.

3. Satiny pencil skirt with zipper detail. Sz 2, $24.99.
As evident by the price point, this is the one skirt I got that was not H&M Trend. The crafstmanship is noticeably poorer, but this skirt is still very cute and will last for at least a handful of wears. The zippers are cute (one is mock, one is the actual closure) and the satin is stretchy and curve-hugging, but I can tell it may pill and snag easily. It's also unlined so anything worn underneath or tucked in shows up clearly (still hunting for the perfect shapewear).

Note the ridiculous little bulges and creases around the tummy area caused by the tucked-in blouse. To make matters worse the blouse I chose has buttons, which are showing clearly. Paired with H&M cotton sleeveless top and Forever 21 necklace:

The key is probably to wear a smooth, fitted top. I was able to tuck in this tank with minimal fabric lines. Paired with the same corset tank from above:

While on my skirt shopping spree, I also picked up a fuzzy sweater from the juniors department. I loathe the quality of H&M's "Divided" line, but sometimes they do have cute stuff. Although the material of this sweater was iffy, it looked so cozy I couldn't resist.

I usually avoid shoulder details like the plague, but the fit on this was not too bad. Unfortunately, the material was indeed terrible - crazy itchy and constantly shedding. I am going to keep my eyes peeled for a similar sweater in a soft cashmere knit with better-looking buttons.

While I was admiring the fit, my boyfriend strolled by muttering about how I looked just like Shredder. I had no idea who "Shredder" was, but I had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't a petite fashion icon. A quick Google search yielded my answer:

Shredder --> Me

Apparently it's some villain from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We do have the same tastes, from the shoulder spikes down to the black waist-cinching belt. Priced exorbitantly at $29.95, the decision to return this one was easy.

I will also be returning the above skirts since I decided to keep the tweed mini, but nevertheless I wanted to showcase how pretty and well-fitting they were. Deciding which one to keep was so tough. H&M, keep up the good work with the Trend line!

Ribbitt...

or the Frog Queen? As soon as I took this Moss Koi bracelet bar out of the kiln I had decided it was mine...but to be fair I did put it on my website for a day just in case someone (who isn't on a bead diet) REALLY wanted it. Since it wasn't claimed today I decided that it had a purpose other than just to join my excessive bead stash. You see, like many others out there, I have a problem with hoarding beads. I think most of the time it comes from the fear that I will use something fantastic (and one of a kind) and then change my mind, have to rip it all apart, start from scratch, and maybe still not find the perfect creation for it. This time however, things fell in place (well, grand scheme-wise, not ease of designing-wise... the whole strand of beads slid onto my carpet on three separate occasions!) and I actually used one of my hoard beads! I was the lucky winner of one of Lorelei's Green Girl Studio giveaways several months ago and received a goodie bag of GGS pewter froggy beads.They were so darn cute I had all but decided that they would simply sit on my jewelry table where I could admire them and not have to commit to a design. Until...I pulled the Koi bracelet bar out of the kiln...it just called for a frog and a little blingy kapow (...at least as blingy kapow as I get...I know, sad excuse for super sparkle but what can I say? I'm a khaki pants kind of girl!).
Now, for anyone who might have had their eye on the Moss bracelet bar...let this be a lesson to you...snooze and I might just come up with a design for the component you had your eye on! (well... ok... I'll make another one for you if you want it... but you'll have to wait for another glaze firing... so next time just thumb your nose at the bead diet and go for the instant gratification!)

Middle of the Night Ramblings

Good morning! Erm. Middle of the night? (and yes I did TRY to sleep) Or how about whatever time it happens to be there? *giggles* Ok, it's just after 1am so I'm a wee bit silly right now, so this post might also be a wee bit silly, but I'm WIDE awake for some unknown reason so what else is there for me to do other than blog all about bazaar and the rambling thoughts running through my head?

I did a bazaar today (well technically yesterday since it's now early Sunday), and I had a blast! Sales weren't stellar, but I had a lot of fun! I remembered my camera - but I forgot to take any pictures. Bad Ruthie, I know.

Mom went with me on this bazaar and she sold a couple of her items and even got a custom order! That was really exciting for her :) She's decided that crafting to sell isn't for her, so after the holiday's we're going to be closing down Kindred Spirit Treasures. You may notice I'll be moving my charms into my jewelry shops on Etsy and Artfire, and you'll be seeing a huge sale in KST as we get closer to Christmas! I'll keep you posted - don't worry!

One thing I loved about this bazaar, even though I could have asked for more sales, was that there was definitely plenty of foot traffic. I got to have lots and lots of great conversations, both with other vendors, and with the people walking through. I'm a people person, and I thrive off of interactions like that!

Plus I heard a lot of people saying they weren't quite ready to shop for Christmas yet, which is weird to me, but I guess that's a reflection on the current economic situation. I don't really think that the lack of sales I had were a reflection on my art, it was reflection of the economy in general. Most of the people today were looky-loos. The others I got comfortable enough to ask said that their sales we're about the same as mine.

I did get several people who said that they were really excited that I'd be back because they were planning on shopping more next month! I take that as a very promising sign. I also had a gal who will hopefully be sending me information so I can do a custom order for her. To top it all off, I was originally only going back one weekend next month and it now looks like I'm almost definitely going to be able to do 2 weekends next month at this venue! Woohoo!

What else am I excited about? Well I can't precisely tell you, because it's a surprise, but I can tell you that assuming all goes well I'll be doing the big reveal on the 1st! I've been doing a lot of talking with some people I trust (gotta love Mom's and friends who are willing to listen to you hammering out your ideas) and I'm really excited!

I'm also happy because my health has been showing signs of slow but steady improvement and if this trend continues (Lord willing) I have a lot of ideas that I'm working on developing. I'm dreaming big I'm hoping to find ways to continue building my business through a variety of venues. So far, so good! I'm seeing slow but steady progress there too.

After the Turkey...

I spent hours with Photoshop! I managed to get three glaze firings in this week, quite an accomplishment alongside a dentist visit for three fillings (yes, three!! I swear I don't eat bon bons and drink soda all day!), a 5 mile pre-Thanksgiving meal walk, cooking a full turkey dinner (well the pumpkin pie came from Costco but I did bake Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies...mmmm), cranberry margaritas with the neighbors, and reading the latest James Patterson novel cover to cover (meh... not sure why I keep reading them). So, I have quite a few new things to show off including three new glazes. A big part of two of the firings was devoted to a custom order so there aren't as many headed to the website as you might think but I'm pretty sure there will still be lots for people to choose from!

Jade is a rich, lush bluey green that is just the color of rough jade stones I picked up at Jade Cove in Northern California on a road trip a few years ago (haven't named this pattern yet):
I'm loving these Bracelet Bars, they're gently curved rectangles that fit nicely across the top of a wrist. Here's one in the pattern Koi glazed in my new favorite, Moss, a speckled chartreuse.A Lattice patterned heart glazed in Jade: Bubbles charm glazed in Jade:
A pair of Bzzz charms glazed with Twilight (I have them in the innie and outie versions):Cup O'Joe charms glazed in Rootbeer (a slightly darker and more pumpkin shaded version of my Harvest glaze): Another new design in Rootbeer (the outie version of the first pattern that has no name yet):Drizzle charms glazed in Peacock:A Patina glazed Magnolia circle:
A heart in my new Lantern pattern glazed in Moss:Here's a Bracelet Bar glazed in Jade (no pattern name on this guy yet either): Well, that should be enough with the photos for tonight! Now I need to start adding them to the website... might take a while- as always, if there's something here that strikes your muse drop me a note and I'll hold it for you.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Friday's Featured Artist - Yarrow1

I've been hanging out with some new gals (Bittersweets Daily Challenge) lately - and they are delightful! I met them because of a team mate of mine on Team

Big Damn Crafters and so I decided to feature her! I'd like you all to meet Karen...

1. What type of art work do you do?

I have done and am doing a lot of things in art. I have a piece in bronze. I just did a mural on a winery. I have done them both on inside walls and outside on homes. In addition I am always involved working with pen and ink, acrylics, watercolors and other media doing cards and ACEOs and paintings. I paint tiles, t-shirts and quilting blocks. There have been a lot of wine bottles painted with enamel and donated to charity. I have even had those bottles stolen; that gives me a troubled sense of "arriving" in the art world. lol

2. How did you get started doing art work?

I was influenced by sitting on my uncle's knee and watching him draw. My learning crochet; when I was 7 and had Rhuematic Fever, was taught by a kindly neighbor. My sculpting was at the same time, given clay be a home teacher. I have never stopped since then, but gotten "off track" by jobs.

3. Do you do any other crafts?

I occasionally do ceramics, soaps, lotions, and salts because of jobs I learned them in.

4. Is there a story behind your shop name?

The name is a healing herb. I am a healer using massage, energy and herbs for healing my animals.

5. What's your favorite piece in your shop right now?

The gourd using my horses mane and wood burning. My horse was 33 years of age.

bird gourd Native American

6. Where do you sell your work?

I sell my work at the winery, Vista Del Rey. The owners are very supportive of artists.

I'm also on etsy as Yarrow1.

7. Do you blog?

No.

8. Are you on any social networks you'd like to share?

http://twitter.com/yarrow1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29162281@N08/

9. Do you watch or listen to anything while you

work? If so, what?

Public radio, it gives me both news and music of all kinds. I also listen to books gotten from the library.

10. Tell us one random fact about your self *wink*

I hate housework!

I do too! It soooo gets in the way of creating! LOL

Happy Thanksgiving!

First of all - Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful day full of family and friends and great food. Just don't eat too much ok?

Yesterday was my birthday and we had a fantastic time! Mommy made a home made cake and it was quite yummy. Yes, I'm 27, yes, I still call her Mommy. Got a problem with that? No? Good.

My sweater is finished!

Didn't she do an incredible job?

If there was any lingering doubt about where I get my creative talent, I hope that just laid it to rest :P Because my Mommy ROCKS :D

An Easy Alteration - Tapering the shape of a skirt or dress

As I am headed home for Thanksgiving, this will be my last post for the week. To my US readers: have a wonderful holiday! And don't forget about Black Friday deals. I am envious of those who live in the NYC and the LA area, near the supposedly awesome Woodbury Common and Desert Hills Premium Outlets. I've never been to either but I hear their Thanksgiving Midnight Madness is truly madness!
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So ever since I found a good tailor whom I can trust, my outlook on shopping has changed. Instead of asking "Will this fit?" I now ask "Does this have the potential to fit?" Now, whenever I see something nice on eBay for a good price, I make mental alterations to see what can be done, if needed.

This is a Theory Gamia combo dress that I found on eBay in a size 0 last month. It's nothing special in the pics, but I thought it had the potential to become a welcome addition to my winter work wardrobe. The top is a knit black stretch fabric (which, from past experience, I was pretty sure would fit me) and the bottom is a unique gray and black textured material over an ivory underlay.

I instantly took a dislike, however, to the full and swingy A-line skirt. Unless it's Halloween and I'm a 50's poodle girl, I try to stay away from such skirts as they tend to overwhelm tiny petites.

It even looks too full and matronly for the Theory model who is probably at least 5'10" plus heels, so imagine how it looked on me. Unfortunately, this was when I just started blogging, so I wasn't yet in the habit of taking before-and-after pics.

I figured that the skirt would be an easy alteration, and went ahead and bought the dress. When I tried it on at Hemmingway Tailors, they instantly tsk tsk tsk'd at the huge skirt and started pinning away. They recommended shortening to right above the knee, and changing the A-line to a more tapered shape. Click "Read More" to see the end result.



Side story: I brought this dress in to the tailors at the same time as my black Burberry coat which needed a difficult lapel alteration. They quoted me $30 to hem and taper the lined dress, and an amount for the Burb coat which will remain undisclosed, but let's just say it pretty much cleared out my checking account that day. Upon viewing my meager checking account balance (I'm an avid CC user for rewards, and rarely keep cash on hand), I called them to say hold off on the dress until next time.

Turns out, they altered the dress for me anyways, free of charge! They chattered about how they hated to see a pretty dress sit around, not fitting the right way. It was so sweet of them, and their recommendation was right on ... I love the shape now!

End result:

Before --> After

With tights to survive the wrath of New England winters:

I just noticed this same dress also in a size 0 on eBay again, with the starting bid at only 99 cents!!! Because this dress doesn't look so flattering in pics, I doubt the bid will go up too high. Auction ends this Friday night, November 27th - listing can be found here.

Catching Up

My Mom came to visit this past weekend! We did SO much! It was great getting to spend time with her and Danny at the same time. She basically came down to make sure my new Southern family is taking good care of me.

Saturday I moved out of the house in Carrboro. I have never been so excited! As much as I hated that house and the people I lived with, I do not regret moving down here at all. I never would have met Danny. Everything happens for a reason.

We ate WAY too much while my Mom was down here. I'm pretty sure it's all we did! But it was a great time! Wine night, dinners, lots of shopping, a movie..fun!

Tomorrow me and Danny go on our roadtrip to Ohio for Thanksgiving. Nervous and excited. Meeting the entire family. I can't imagine how this conversation will go.."hi, this is Nicole..oh by the way..we're getting married." Should be interesting! But I'm mostly nervous to meet Kaleb, Danny's little boy. Maybe my (sad attempt) Buzz Lightyear cake will earn me brownie points!

Wish me luck!

Crafty ADD Update #16

Lots to show off this week - so lets dive right in!

Knitting

Goal - 72 inches. As of last week - 35 1/2 inches. As of this week - 48 1/2 inches! I knitted over a foot this week :D And I'm going to have to knit over a foot to have it done this week like I want so I can start the next one. I'm currently imating the little engine that could, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."

Cross Stitch

I finally completed the piece of fabric!

I'm quite proud of how this book mark turned out :) Since it's entirely my own design. *take a bow* I'm definitely not planning on picking up a cross stitch hoop again until Christmas is over though... unless by some random happenstance I get a custom order. Mom has them all now and she's putting the backing on for me. For some reason I can't seem to handle the simple act of ironing on the backing. Go figure :P

Jewelry

My evil twins Christmas present is finished!

Her necklace was actually really challenging. The band is made from peyote stitch and I've never done a strip that long before! Plus it has two size beads, which always makes things more interesting. Adding on the drops at the end was easy though. Kind of like a nice little treat at the end. I can't wait to see it on her! She helped me plan it all out so this is one Christmas present I can blog about :D

I've also spent a lot of time putting together earrings to restock my main consignment store. I sold a bunch of stuff over Sept/October and I got the bracelets restocked but I didn't manage to get the earrings restocked right away. Things have just been crazy. Hoping to get them all priced and take them in tomorrow :D