Halloween Preview

So today was spent eating candy corn, unpacking my box of Halloween decorations, and listening to AOL Radio's "bloodcurdling, scary music". Halloween is pretty much as big as Christmas at our house. Sacrilegious, yes, I know. We also bought a strand of pumpkin lights this morning that plays the Halloween theme when you walk by it. Gooooooood stuff.

On a disappointing note, I didn't get into the Detroit Urban Craft Fair this year. I am bummed, yet a part of me is a little relieved that I am not going to be inevitably forcing myself to make stuff last minute. And I also understand I couldn't make it in every year. Maybe next year.

It's been hit or miss on the creative front-- I'm either REALLY into something or REALLY not, and I find myself happier plopped down on the couch with a book or Wii'ing than anything else lately. I was even debating closing my Etsy shop due to lack of sales BUT some great friends encouraged me and also reminded me it's free to keep my shop open (Thanks K & T!).

SO I decided to pep up the Etsy storefront today with a new spooktacular banner:


It was inspired by the Girl Land song lyric, "Come on in, look about, you'll go in a girl, and you'll never get out (evil laugh)". You'll just have to check out the Girl Land shop yourself to see the few Halloweenie items I have listed and my matching avatar!

We had a fun, fun weekend. Friday, we hit the new Mezza Grill in Royal Oak and Goodnite Gracie's for drinks with our neighbors. Saturday, was the So You Think You Can Dance concert. T'was great!!! Wanna see what front row looks like??


POW, ADE!!!!! :) Have a lovely week, all!

Late DUCF Wrap Up

Has it really already been almost three weeks since DUCF? And about three weeks since my last substantive post??? Dang-o. I’m sorry, really.

This year’s Detroit Urban Craft Fair was GREAT. Like really really great and so fun. I have my crafty buddies that I only see at these events: Amanda (Dang Argyle), Amie (Enamor), Jason (Kill Taupe), and Sherri (Sparklepants Industries) just to name a few. I do get to see Amy (Make Out Goods) on a regular basis though, so that’s nice.

I only made two purchases. I bought this nifty print from Misanthrope Specialty Co. that will someday eventually make its way onto my craft room wall.

The second was a totally cute wall plaque from Sherri. I think it’s going up in our dining room.

How was everyone’s Turkey Day? Here was ours, in a nutshell:

+Grand Traverse Pie Co. crumb top apple pie

+Lots of Chateau Grand Traverse semi-dry Riesling

+Us “outlaws” (me and my bros-in-law) playing euchre, drinking heavily, and getting rowdy

-Someone in Ryan’s family telling Q that Santa isn’t a real person (luckily it went right over her head) because they thought it would be funny. I am still pissed. But, of course, I’m not allowed to make a big deal about it.

-The baby getting up at 5am every morning.

+The mother in law getting up with the baby at 5am (hey, she insisted! Can you tell I feel guilty? I totally do.)

+A trip to Hobby Lobby on Black Friday

-Realizing they stopped carrying the uber cool Moda and Daisy D’s scrapbook paper I always stock up on from Hobby Lobby (phooey)

That’s about it. More verrrrrrrry soon.

Raqua REALLY Rawks!

EEEEEEKKKK! I received my package today from Miss Holly. Oh. My. Gawd. Take a gander (sorry for the blurry pics and the horrible lighting).

My Twilight handmade cards:

Q loved her way cute smock!

and also liked playing her "drum", a super cute tin of raspberry green tea:

A bib for Viv:

A handmade card (how adorable is this?):

And many more pics on my Flickr page!

I know I promised a DUCF sneak peek-- I'm a little bummed at how cluttered it all looks. I'm kind of getting tired of my table layout. I need to get a little innovative but don't know how. Ryan walked in and said, "Yeesh!" I think the glitter caught him off guard.

Share the Love Part I

I feel so at peace today. Like a weight lifted from my shoulders. I cried and smiled until my face hurt last night. Then today I read posts from Alli and Elizabeth and countless others, and I knew I wasn’t alone. I’m so proud.

Today, it’s all about the love. I want everyone to be happy. I know that’s not possible, but I wish EVERYONE could feel what I’m feeling now. It upsets me to know that people are unhappy with the outcome. I think maybe some of my friends at work expected me to come in and rub it in their faces, but I didn’t. I didn’t even bring it up. It’s just not in me today because I’m so at peace.

So on to the next big thing. Come see me here in just over 2 weeks!!!

And, my dear bloggy friends, bring this coupon with you to my table at DUCF for a small gifty gift (Come early! I’m making limited quantities). Consider it a token for being such loyal visitors to this little corner of my world. xo

On Overload!

I’m so sorry my posts have been so sporadic. These next couple weeks are going to be crazy. I feel like I’m doing just *ok* on my DUCF stuff. I still need to make some more of these ornaments:

The 3D images don’t show up as well in the photo as they do in person. I just love all these images because they remind me of when I was a kid. In fact, if you haven’t noticed, most everything that I make is reminiscent of something I had or liked as a kid.

I also apologize that I haven’t been listing much handmade stuff in my shop. Starting November 16, I will be listing lots of new stuff including ornaments, dioramas, and stocking stuffers, so check back!

I am itching to show you some things I’m creating for my FIRST EVER swap, the Aqua & Red Swap! My swap partner, Holly, and I have been bonding over e-mail. I’m not sure if she reads my blog, but I will defer posting pics until after I send my package out. I jumped on the aqua/red color scheme because those are my signature Girl Land colors!

One thing I made this weekend acknowledges our mutual Twilight adoration (read: fixation), and I am soooo excited at how they turned out! I’m actually starting to understand Photoshop a bit better. It’s so overwhelming, but these little projects allow me to play around with the commands and such.

The other items I will send just happen to fall into the kitchen category. Here is a little sneak peek at one of the items I’m sending:

Well, hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. My cousin and I had 10th row seats for the So You Think You Can Dance Live Tour. My cousin is a big Twitch fan, I think Gev is adorable—I want to pick him up and put him in my pocket. He and Courtney had a cute little exchange on-stage which started with Courtney rebuffing Gev, Gev continuing to vie for her attention (by dressing up in traditional Russian and Viennese WOMEN’S garb no less), and ended with Courtney kissing an unsuspecting Gev (awwwwwwww). So dorky cute.

That Sounds About Right

So typical Monday. I get home, I'm tired and crabby. I feel like I live in squalor. Everything is in chaos. Quinn eats her dinner (crab quiche and grape tomatoes) and Ryan gives her a few orange segments-- she starts choking on a piece because she takes WAY too big of bites...and she pukes all over me as I'm eating my dinner. Lovely. All night long I got to hear, "Sorry I puked on your pants, Mommy."

I started making some glitter houses like last year's. Glad Amy nudged me in the right direction because my heart wasn't into it. Until tonight! I like this one, and I do think it looks better in person, but I'm wondering if it's too plain or too gaudy. I like that perfect mix, ya know? I owe the color combo to Sweet Jessie. And the little girl in the doorway came from some wrapping paper she sent me last Xmas-- I printed it on vellum. It looks cute with a little flicker LED light inside. I couldn't get a good pic of it with the lights off though. I feel like there should be something around the windows, but I don't want to overdo it. The windows are also vellum that let the light through and they do look less plain in person.

So I'll have two like this one at DUCF, two like the last year's, and one medium size that I'm not sure of the color combo yet. Maybe a red house with a white roof? Seems so crazy to be talking about Xmas since we haven't even seen Halloween yet!

Speaking of, we took the girls to Boo at the Zoo this weekend. We were hemming and hawing up until the very last second. Stopped at Pronto for some booze to warm our cockles (um, us, not the girls) and then proceeded to the zoo. Quinn decided she liked saying, "Here you go" instead of "Trick or Treat". Priceless. Vivian was just all around pissed. We had a snowsuit for her with ears on it as her costume was being altered, but she wasn't having it. So Ryan zipped her up in his jacket, poor baby.

Hope everyone survived their respective Monday. When you get puked on, the week can only improve, don't you agree?

One more thing-- I have a new term here in Girl Land bloggy world, COO (= Currently Obsessing Over). Today I'm COO the upcoming Twilight soundtrack. I thought I was too old to appreciate Paramore, but then I read the lead singer is 34 (Older than me! Yay!), and their song, Decode, is super catchy. I will be buying the soundtrack on November 4 after I cast my vote (EEK). Another nifty draw is that I read today that Robert Pattinson's voice (he sings a song on it) is like a young Jeff Buckley's. SOLD! Actually, I think the latter's songs Everybody Here Wants You or New Year's Prayer would have been lovely and fitting for the soundtrack. Or Fiona Apple's The First Taste. I told you...COO emphasis on the first O.

DUCF Vendors

Are up! I was so excited to see who else will be there on November 15...the Filmore! Be there or be square.

Be sure to play along with the awesome website-- cool little pop-up book type features. I love it! So fun. xo

Decal Crazy

You know how I love vinyl decals. I also love waterslide decals! But mostly just kid ones.

I found a project to use some of them. I wanted them to look more weathered. A little nursery stepstool. Damn that good paint I used! I wish I had rubbed the edges of the stools with beeswax so the paint would come off easier when sanded. Do you know that trick? I think I have a chunk somewhere. Oh well. I still like it. I have two more to make for DUCF.

Here are some other decals I sooooo love!

I ruined one of them-- the BEST one. It was a turquoise bear knitting a pink and white striped something. I failed to take a picture or scan it before it bit the dust. It was really brittle. The other three may hold the same fate. We shall see...

Yay, DUCF & More Vintage Finds

Whoo hoo! I got in! I will be a vendor at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair. So excited. I totally didn’t think I’d get in because I think there were more apps than last year, AND I was lucky enough to get in last year. I’m so happy because there were ideas swimming around in my head that I thought would be perfect for DUCF. Sigh. Very happy. Feel free to check out some pics from previous year’s show! Seriously, if you’ve never been, this is THE place for nifty stuff you can’t find anywhere else. This year will be even better as it’s near Christmas.

So we went to my parent's this past weekend to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary (go Jan and Jim!). Saw my bro, SIL, and niece. Q loves her cousin and was a complete spaz. We got to go antiquing a bit Saturday. Here are some pics from one of my fave stores downtown (excuse the quality-- they were taken with Ryan's phone).

And here were my finds! This dress is in perfect condition. No stains, rips, holes, etc. Viv may wear it for her first bday.

These S&P shakers which will make their way into my shop. Frankly, I don't make much of anything on antique store resale. I just love the aesthetic of the stuff, and it always makes its way into the hands of someone who really loves it. That's so worth it to me.

And these two are my ABSOLUTE FAVES! Not sure what I'm going to do with the clown nursery lamp, but the pic is going up in my craft room.

Also, my mom found me a house shaped shadow box FOR A DOLLAR that is currently a dark stained wood. Would love to finish it off a la Ismoyo (scroll down to her July 15th post) and put some little treasures in the openings.

Hope everyone had a fabu weekend!

OSB Update: Only lost .8 lb last Friday. Too many Hostess 100 cal packs, methinks, and no exercise. Boooooooo! Also, was bad over the weekend, but I'm back on track today. All I can do is keep on keepin' on! Sigh.

Cheesus Crust, I'm Hungry...

...for Dominio's! Anyone? Anyone? Remember that SNL skit of Darrell Hammond doing Donald Trump? I couldn't find it on youtube. I guess you had to be there. **Edit: On 1/15/09 I FINALLY found it!

So the big change in the Girl Land household is my hubby changing jobs. Not too exciting (well, for others anyway). Not craft related, but a BIG change for us. He will be leaving his current position in a large law firm to work in-house for Domino's Pizza. Very exciting-- I'm so proud of him!! Now if we can just get some free pizza...............

On a crafty front, I made a trip to Mega Joann's with Vivi after lunch with a friend today, and I spent wayyyyy too much money. Now I'm obsessed with making little girl's hair ties out of vintage and new fabrics. So fun and easy!



If I get accepted to DUCF, I thought they would be good stocking stuffers. And I have many other ideas crashing around in my head! Now I'm getting excited. Hope I get in *sigh*.

Rockin' the DUCF!

I can't believe it's over. It was SO much fun. I am in serious love with the crafty community. I met so many nice people-- vendors and shoppers alike. The turnout was wonderful, and I'm sure everyone will agree that it was a success. I was so much more comfortable at this show than the last especially due to Amy and Val. You're the best. I just can't thank the organizers enough (Amy, Stephanie, Carey, Lish, & Bethany! xo!) and the volunteers were super with the capes to prove it. Also got to see some MICE friends like Jason, Heidi, Sara, and Regina. Thank you Mom & Dad, Shelly, Amy, Leigh, Dave, and Brandy for coming by to see me too! I feel like I'm accepting a flippin' Oscar...sorry.

Always have to show off my purchases. I am in serious love with this shop, Always the Forest. Stephanie did the website herself, and I just can't believe how ambitious they are for 18 & 19! I was a slack ass at that age. Gawd. Do you not LOVE this clutch?? I was eyeing it Friday night online. And I also loved their newsprint bags. Such a great aesthetic. Also bought this birch bark bracelet from Birds Gather and this fun heart cuff from Makeout Goods! I won't be wearing them together, don't worry.

Hello to some of my other fave new friends-- Melissa, Amie, Rachel (hope you like the apple earrings!), Kelly, Gabby, Michelle of Stitch Stitch Stitch, Cortney, the list goes on!

Anyway, for more pics of the show, please see my flickr group pics.

Sixty-One Cents!

Let me just start this post by saying that I so appreciate everyone who buys anything from me! I am being honest when I say that all this Girl Land nonsense is simply a diversion-- a hobby that has turned into an avenue to meet some extremely warm, talented, and wonderful craftsters and handmade lovers from all over the world.

That being said, a note to all--do not be so lazy as me when calculating shipping costs before listing them on Etsy (or Ebay for that matter!). I made a sale last night (thank you so much, Jennifer M!) and after all was said and done, I made a profit of 61 cents. I'm movin' on up in the world!!! ;) But then again, I also sold a bottle and a half of Ryan's old Abercrombie & Fitch cologne a few days ago on eBay for 76 friggin dollars (WTF?) so I guess all is right with the world.

Happy Hump Day, Loveys...

Countdown to DUCF: 3 days!

My Credo

The vendor list for DUCF is now available! I'm excited to meet everyone. I can't believe it's already in two weeks. I've been furiously crafting away. I am in the home stretch, but I think I'm going to have to take a day off next week to finish stuff up sans Q.

I made some keychains for DUCF. One side reads the following and the other side is a picture from an old kid's book and a charm as the cherry on top. Ryan thinks the saying is old lady, but that's kinda the point. I thought it was funny. I'm totally diggin' on this font too:

DUCF Sneak Peek!

Here are some of the newer things I've made. Also, I bought this mushroom flannel from a woman in England awhile back off eBay, and I think it will be a perfect table topper. As you can see, I decided to do a practice set-up tonight! Oy vey, I still have so much to make. Hope to see you all on August 4th, loveys!!!

Back to Craftin'!

All of our out-of-town guests are gone, and it's back to business! I finished some little girl's yo- yo hair doo-dads. Q doesn't have a whole lotta hair, but they sure looked cute in it. I think I'm going to make a pink one with the kitty button center just for her.

I also love these pendant necklaces! Before the MICE show, I had seen the Martha Stewart plastic pendant kits at Michael's for $7.99 (too expensive!). I tried to figure out how I could make them myself, but of course I couldn't find the pendants. At the MICE show, I bought a lovely necklace from Relish Dress, and she created them from the larger flat glass beads. I decided not to give up and I finally found some more like Martha's than Melissa's.

I also love the hip kinda keychain chain instead of the standard black or brown cord, so I actually emailed Melissa, and she gave me her blessing. Thanks, Melissa!!! I backed them with a very cute polka dot velveteen. I'm trying to figure out which I like better. I think I'm leaning towards the cuckoo clock...

I also finished up a raffle donation for DUCF-- A La La Land Trinket Box in pink and a set of Wee Berry Push Pins. I am waiting on my *new* business cards to enclose one, but I tried to package it up all cute to send to Stephanie ASAP. Also, the bane of my existence STUPID door hangers are almost done. I actually ruined one today and had to start all over with it. I'm getting those things shipped off Tuesday. I will be so relieved when they are OUT OF MY HOUSE!

Enjoy the last few hours of your weekend, all! I've been off work since last Tuesday, so tomorrow is going to be painful. Xoxo.

I Dunno!

For those of you with kids, was it freaky to you when you realized that, indeed, your kids ACTUALLY understand what you're saying? Like they-- no doubt about it-- have pieced together the words you are speaking and act or respond to it accordingly? I mean, Q has been following directions for a few months now, but for some reason, it's all just registering with me. I think it may have been yesterday when we were going through all the animals and the sounds they make on the way to daycare. She has mastered a sheep's baa, kitty's meow, doggy's fuff, bee's buzz, horse's neigh, but then I asked her what a bunny says. She looked at me in the rear view mirror, stopped for a second, put her hands up and said "I dunn-no?". She'd never said that before and when she did say it, it was completely relevant.

Ok, enough with the kid talk. I received some baby wearables in the mail yesterday from American Apparel, and I finished up a new project idea. Kinda simple, but I'm obsessed with these animal images. They quite possibly may be my all-time favorite graphics. I practiced on one for Q and it came out pretty cool and distressed looking, but these are more clear. I have two each of the bibs and four of the onesies in varying sizes for DUCF! Hubby asked if I thought they'd sell. My reply? "I dunn-no!"

Father’s WEEK?

My mother always used to tell us as kids that our birthdays were neverending. Well, now I know how she feels. Father’s Day started Sunday with the hubby sleeping in, getting candy, a Zingerman’s basket, and brunch. Yesterday, he worked only part of the day. Today, I drove his car to work to handle his windshield repair and even filled up his gas tank on the way to work (well, I was FORCED to because I thought Q and I were going to run out of gas). I don’t remember Mother’s Day lasting 3 days…oh well, I suppose I owe him these things and then some!

On a crafty note, I am taking a glass etching and embroidery class with some other MICE this weekend. Maybe I will be able to turn out some new wares using my new skills for…..(drumroll please)…..THE DETROIT URBAN CRAFT FAIR! Yayyyyy, I got accepted. I am seriously in shock. I am half thinking they might have sent it to me in error. Hopefully not. Now I’m trying to figure out when the heck I’m going to have the time to make all this stuff I said I’d make. I’m real good about buying the supplies—actually making the stuff is another story. And still plodding along on my wholesale order of these. Gawd, do they take forever! Between the painting/drying, tea staining/drying/flattening, cutting, pasting, and sealing, I’m door-knockered out.

Last thing, Q and I have a playdate scheduled with Amy and her cutie petootie daughter who is only 2 months younger than Q. Probably no crafting involved, but a park and a “ride” (Quinn’s word for slide) definitely will be. How fun!!!