Tuesday, August 25, 2009

something new….

I am excited to announce an exciting new venture for me here at little epiphany. As you may have noticed, I’ve got a new masthead here on my blog. I did that so that it would match…..

my new online store!

It took me some time to get my act together, I won’t bore you with those details, but it is done, and I am glad. I have started small, limiting my items, but I have plenty of room to expand, and it is easy enough for me to change my stock, so that I can do it very regularly. In fact, since opening http://www.littleepiphany.bigcartel.com/ I have decided to add one additional category, “item of the week”. Each week, I will have something fun up for sale, just for that week. It could be a prototype, or a sample, a brooch, a necklace or a bracelet, you won’t know until you check it out!

I want to take a moment now to thank all my friends and family who stand by me, support and encourage me, in all I do. Thank you, thank you, I love you all!

I now I will go back to quietly hyperventilating in my corner- paper bag, please!

Monday, August 17, 2009

back to the real, and a new favorite thing

So, last week was our annual week at the beach (or “down the shore” if yuse from Joisey).  Once again, the weather was quite (if not completely) cooperative, and a lovely time was had.  It was interesting to have such a young spud as an active member of the vacation household (last year he was quite literally as active as a potato, being only a few months old).  I will say this- there is nothing as refreshing as a 15 month-old’s perspective on vacation.  Why?  Because to them every day is vacation, right, so jump to mommy, I want some hummus and no more of that sand, ok?  Hudson is blessed with a sunny disposition, which in turn shone upon us.  Even when he was crabby, he still broke through with a grin as if to say “Hey, I’m having a moment, it’ll pass, after some milk and a nap, okay?”  And it always did.  Never before has our house had so many spontaneous dance parties.  We almost always had music playing, just white noise for the most part, but he would get inspired by a song we hadn’t even noticed, and then before you knew it, even Uncle Ceiling Fan was dancing around with Hudson.  A sample:

Also, two pics that I took this week. 

IMG_7228 IMG_7214

Doesn’t this guy look like Richard Branson of Virgin Records/Airlines fame?

He roamed up and down our beach, with the flippers on and the hand-flipper-glove hybrid-thingies as well, very serious for Beach Haven’s standards.

But anyway, I am back to my sand less, wave less life, which means I am also making some things!  I’ve had some Shrinky Dink stuff banging about my brain, so yesterday I picked up a package and went to town!  I have no memories of ever actually making Shrinky Dinks as a child, weird, huh?  Maybe my mom felt that adding a hot oven to the activity roster of four children was just too much.  Anyway, I got out a whole bunch of crafting tools I ALREADY OWNED- copyright free image book, markers, colored pencils, scissors, shape templates, punches, stamps and inkpads, stuff I had been sorely neglecting.  Here’s a picture of the largest piece I made.  It started out a whopping 6 inches across

IMG_7321crop

The quality of this picture is terrible, but in my defense I took it very early this morning as I was simultaneously making breakfast and crafting and playing with the dog, so photography was going to suffer, for sure.

Here are my finished little guys:

IMG_7327edit

The largest is just over 2” square.  I can’t wait to combine them with my copper and brass dog tags, and some stones. I am also psyched to make some earrings too- I am totally freaked out by earrings that pull the lobes.  I think there are few things as unattractive as a woman whose lobes have been tortured by those huge-ass earrings she insisted wearing in the 80’s, am I right?  I’ll be able to make some substantial earrings that won’t harm the lobes, very cool, yes?  Going back to the fact that I am able to employ those neglected already been bought crafty supplies- I think I will be investing in some fancy watercolor markers.  I think they will enable me to achieve some interesting coloring effects that the pencils are are not.

I would love to see the lovelies others have created from this versatile medium-please feel free to share!  Meanwhile, I’ve got to get back and preheat my oven!