Front Page!

I made the front page today while I was presenting in class (middle of the bottom row)! What a great surprise to come home to!

Item of the day: Halloween Table Runner

I love the punchy smile on the pumpkin in this lovely Halloween table runner by nparkinson.

What's going on...

Do you ever get a strong urge to write / blog but once the blank page is sitting in front of you.... nothing? Yep, that's where I am right now. I want to blog, but I can't think of anything to talk about. So... here's what's going on in my life right now:

1. Presentation in class tomorrow - just have to add some finishing touches & read a bit of background info..

2. Halloween costume party tomorrow - the only thing I'm missing for my costume is some black hair dye. I'm actually really looking forward to getting dressed up (since it's been 3 years since I last did) - it should be a lot of fun!

3. I have to submit an application for a holiday craft show by Monday. I actually have to submit photos since it's juried. Yikes! I'm going to send the photo I posted yesterday for Wordless Wednesday, plus a few more. What do you think of these?

I'm not sure if I'll send one or both of those (or maybe neither?). I want to send a better photo of a beaded ornament (taken in my light box) and a picture of a Christmas paper globe hanging.

Since there's lots of jewelry & tags in my shops, I don't want to send too many pictures of those, but I don't have a necklace like this one posted (but would have a few to sell).

NERVOUS! But it should be fun. Hopefully It'll be more successful for me than the last one!

4. Apparently dilutions are complicated... Even after having to do dilutions by half and by half log in the lab exercise I TA, some of the students didn't know the difference between the 2 in the quiz I gave. But I do love marking & giving feedback.

5. I need to start exercising again. I never used to until last spring when I started the 30 day challenge ... it lasted all summer, but once I got busy with that craft show & school, I dropped it. Well, that and I got bored with it. I need to get a new DVD routine. But I really need to start again. NEED to. Would be right now if I hadn't eaten lunch an hour ago.

6. OK, that last sentence was probably a lie. I wouldn't be right now even if I hadn't eaten an hour ago... but I SHOULD.

7. I need to start listing way more Christmas items. And get started on the gifts I want to make for my grandparents...

8. I have a 10 page paper to write on endometriosis for November 20. I have 3 papers read for it.... I need to get cracking!

9. That probably isn't all... but that's all I can remember for now!

Ghosts

Halloween is fast approaching! Do you know someone who can't partake in all the candy & sweets? Well this cute little ghost necklace by marymaryhandmade would make a great little gift for someone who can't have all the Halloween treats they want!

Wordless Wednesday

Brand new tags design - coming soon to PaperUlixis.

Item of the day: Once Bitten

Ever since high school, I've been obsessed with Anne Rice (well, her books anyway). I love her vampire chronicles & Lestat is my absolute favourite. He's a real vampire - not like that Edward fellow & all these crappy new series (sorry Twilight fans, I'm way biased - besides Anne Rice actually write for adults).

Anyway, in high school, I bought a sweet black velvet cape & some teeth (only the 2 fangs, not a whole set of teeth) & went as Lestat. I looked awesomely freaky. So, ever since, a vampire has been my go-to Halloween costume. I actually don't usually dress up unless friends convince me to go to a costume party. Happened once in undergrad (I went as a vampire) and it's happened again this year. So... I'll be a vampire! Easy.

But Pat'll be there too this year ... and he doesn't have a creative bone in his body. He has no costume (& doesn't appear to be thinking of getting one). We're running out of time - the party is Friday. So he'll probably just go as my "victim". I wonder if I could convince him to wear a necklace like this sweet one from Jenifersfamilyjewels...?

My Laptop - Update

I didn't realize when I shut my laptop last night that it wouldn't turn on this morning.... The CPU fan won't start & so my laptop won't start. *sob* I don't know what to do - I have a presentation on Friday & all this other crap to do & my computer at work hasn't been working properly. *sob*

Please, please let it magically work again when I get home from TAing. Please, please, please....

UPDATE:

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE Pat (my computer programmer boyfriend)??!?!?!?!?! He googled the error, opened up the back (bottom) of my laptop, spun the fan, took out a piece & replaced it - and BAM! We're back in business!!!!!! YAY!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH HONEY!!! I don't know what I would do without him!

Item of the day: Marion Crane

If you didn't catch that pop culture reference, these earrings by clevergirl are named after the main character from Psycho. Quite fitting, I think - and more than a little freaky!

Mosaic Monday

Halloween!

1. The Great Halloween Parrot, 2. Halloween 2006, 3. HaLLoWeeN°LeaF, 4. Chicken Little

Item of the day: Thorax Pendant

Are you ready for Halloween? I'm not, but hopefully I will be by Friday - I have a costume party to go to. I think this nerdy thorax pendant from sushipot would be a great addition to anyone's costume or wardrobe, especially for the respiratory scientists I'll be partying with on Friday.

Item of the day: Tweed Cloche

I've been thinking of getting a cute hat for the winter - I'm not typically a hat wearer, but when I get one I love, I do wear it a lot. Especially when it gets below -30C! I really like the shape of a cloche - timeless chic... I just don't know how it would look on my head...? This brown tweed one by moaningminnie is one of my favourites:

Item of the day: The Nameless One

I've always loved JessicaDoyle's quirky art - but her painted boxes are what really draw me back to her shop time & again. This red & turquoise colour combo is my favourite.

Wordless Wednesday

Sweet Marigold.
Yep - she has a lighter-coloured diamond on her forehead. ♥

Item of the day: Garlic Keeper

My fresh garlic always dries out really quickly, so I've been contemplating picking up a garlic keeper for a while now. I really like this green one by brookhousepottery.

Item of the day: Kai

This little guy first caught my eye on one of the many blogs I read (almost) daily. Made by y0omii, this sweet knit owl makes a perfect gift if your goal is to spread a smile.

Mosaic Monday

Ghosts.

1. flatum's sepia ghost, 2. Guessing Game: Where is the Ice Ghost ? Icy Winter Days in Germany, 3. Woman and Baby with Ghost(s), 4. Strip-tease!!!, 5. Ghost leaf 5, 6. Ghost Forest (1)

Item of the day: Old World Skeleton Key

I've featured ANORIGINALJEWELRY before when I purchased her cute little bat necklace. Now I'm contemplating buying these gorgeous stud earrings! (You know how I've been obsessing over cute studs lately!)

ACEO-X (2.0): Sign up now!

Only 1 more week to sign up for our ACEO exchange! Everyone is invited to join!

MMG Friday: BELLACOSAART

Where did the week go? Well, it doesn't really matter where it went, what's important is that it brought us to MMG Friday in record time! Today I chose to feature Deana of BELLACOSAART. Deanna, AKA Bella, is a dedicated artist who's always trying something new, and I'm happy to say I own a few of her originals. This gorgeous landscape (on a recycled cedar plank) hangs in my bathroom & I added this whimsical ACEO to my collection. My favourite piece from Bella though is definitely my hand-painted silk scarf. It feels amazing around my neck & looks great under my navy coat. I love being able to wear a work of art around my neck!

Here are a few of my favourite pieces in store right now:
Grass original acrylic - I'm a big fan of Bella's more abstract work. I love the bright colours of this piece.

H20works: I have watched Bella grow as an artist this past year, each piece getting better and better. She is always trying out new styles and new techniques, but still she never loses her own style as there is no mistaking a BellaCosaArt piece. I recently purchased a watercolor ACEO from Bella, and it is one of my favorites in my collection. It is light, airy and whimsical, I LOVE it! I have also enjoyed getting to know Deana, as a person, through our MMG family. Her support is always there whenever one of us needs it. :)

Eco Art - this piece is similar to mine - painted on muslin stretched over an old piece of cedar siding. Such relaxing scenes make you want to wander into these fields & take a nap in the shade of the trees!

karalennox: I've bought an ACEO from Bella. I gaze at her paintings as inspiration to make mine better! But more than anything I appreciate Bella for her calm, good-natured presence on the list. I love how she and her mom are so loving and supportive of one another.

Fall is soon upon us - this bull elk is absolutely stunning. He looks about ready to jump off the canvas!

iWunder: Whenever I want a new, spunky little watercolor, I know I can go to BellaCosaArt and find just what I am looking for! Bella has the amazing skill of being able to blend bright and pastel colors together to create the most beautiful little works of art I've ever owned. Her paintings are inspired by the nature around her, in her vegetable garden and her Montana backyard, and she continually challenges herself to try new things and paint in new styles. I know when she is famous one day, I can say "I knew her when..." and show off my collection of Mattos art from her.

Ring around the posies - lately, Bella has been experimenting with jewelry making & metal work. Hopefully, she'll be adding more to her shop soon, but in the meantime, you can browse through her portfolio on Flickr.

Which is your favourite BELLACOSAART original?

Item of the day: Perspectives

Abstract art is neat because each time you look at it, you see something new! I came across gretchenmist on the front page and absolutely love her style! This ACEO is one of my favourites:

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Soooooooooooo ANGRY right now! The hospital on campus is making us move labs (the lab I TA) because the old lab is being turned into offices for nurses. We were told we'd move straight to our new lab & given at least a week's notice before we had to move.

Yesterday, my supervisor received an email telling us we HAD to move by next week - to a temporary location (that isn't even in the hospital, though our new lab will be)!!!!! Um.... excuse me?

There was a meeting today to talk about it & we HAVE to move after lab next Wednesday. To the temporary location, only to move again in a couple months. ARG!

PLUS - we have muscle baths & a patch-clamp rig to move - both require a lot of work to take down, set up & calibrate.

PLUS - the lab I TA is a radioligand binding experiment using tritium. There are a lot of safety precautions we need to take because of this, plus I need a special "radioactive area" with a bench, hood & sink. The radiation guy was around yesterday & it's a big deal to get everything safe, decommissioned & recommissioned. The temporary location BETTER be ready for me...

This is so NOT a simple pick-up & move (like I'm sure the hospital execs assume). What a nightmare. :(

It's awesome that the hospital cares more about itself than about the students who are actually paying for it...

Item of the day: Gladiator Sandals

I've always wanted slippers or sandals that tie up my legs - I find them incredibly sexy. These leather sandals by sandali would definitely make me feel like a goddess!

Wordless Wednesday

Love the candlelight setting on my camera!

Item of the day: Halloween in a Box

This is a really cute idea - Halloween in a box by riricreations.

Included is a soft stuffed pumpkin & scarecrow, some decorative blocks that say BOO and Trick or Treat, some leaves and a maple candle. Everything you need to make a cute / spooky display!

Thanksgiving

We traveled up North for Thanksgiving, as usual, and I had a great time! Saturday night there was a dinner & party for Pat's aunt & uncle's 25th anniversary. Then Sunday we spent the day with my family & had a big turkey dinner.

Of course, I brought my camera & barely used it. Here are the only pictures I took of actual people... I'll post those of Marigold later in the week.

My nephew Eddy almost fell asleep in his turkey dinner. He slept a bit on a pillow on the ground after supper, but soon woke up to sit on grandpa's lap - only to fall asleep again. What a sweetheart! .... and no, my dad isn't asleep too, I just caught him with the flash. hehehe

After his nap, Eddy had to show me his Halloween costume.

Doesn't he make a cute Winnie the Pooh?

Item of the day: Webs

These hand-engraved candle holders by daydreemdesigns are spooky cool for Halloween.

Mosaic Monday

Today's theme: Thanksgiving!

1. Happy Thanksgiving (Wild Tom Turkey), 2. Thanksgiving...., 3. Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!, 4. thanksgiving wreath, 5. Happy Thanksgiving, 6. "Im grateful every Thanksgiving the there's no meat on my bones!", 7. Thanksgiving Pumpkin, 8. Happy Thanksgiving Canada!, 9. Thanksgiving Bokeh {Explored!}, 10. Erntedank/ Thanksgiving, 11. Happy Thanksgiving !, 12. Thanksgiving Splendor, 13. thanksgiving felt napkin ring

Item of the day: Pumpkin Pasture

As I'm sure you've guessed from ACEO-X, I love collecting ACEOs. A fellow MMGer recently introduced me to shopJulie, a gorgeous shop filled with original watercolours. I especially love her ACEOs, like this pumpkin pasture (which I'm really tempted to add to my collection):

ACEO-X (2.0): Sign up now!

Only 2 more weeks to sign up for our ACEO exchange! Tell all your friends!

Etsy Feature: Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians! Well, technically Thanksgiving is tomorrow, but since we travel back on Monday, we always get our turkey dinner on Sunday. Yum!

Enjoy these Thanksgiving items while I enjoy my turkey & cranberries and pumpkin pie!

Turkey tablerunner by heavenlypouches - where better place to start than with the Thanksgiving table? I think this turkey is adorable!

Handblown glass pumpkin by providenceartglass - I've been drooling over these glass pumpkins for ages!

Give thanks by craftjunkie28 - a gorgeous little sign to remind you of what's important. I love the cute little turkey (A) & sparkly N.

Sweet as pie by SpringtreeRoad - Thanksgiving dinner is never complete without pumpkin pie. Here's a fat free version! I don't knit, but this handspun yarn is so gorgeous, it makes me want to learn!

Item of the day: Pear Tree Gourds

In celebration of Thanksgiving weekend, I'll be featuring autumn and Thanksgiving decor. Today's item of the day is this lovely set of starred pear-shaped gourds by GirlGourder. They look just enough like primitive trees to carry you into the winter holiday season!

MMG Friday: iWunder

Welcome to MMG Friday! Today's more meaningful shop is iWunder, run by the incredible Jennifer. Jennifer is our very own "Etsy-pedia" - she always has great advice on tagging, pricing, search optimization and so much more. Plus, she isn't afraid to speak her mind when something is unjust or against Etsy policy. She's also a brilliant scientist & fellow MSOE member. On top of all that, she's part of the EcoEtsy team & is committed to recycling her packaging. Jennifer is truly a wonderful & kind person and I'm proud to call her my friend.

iWunder is a shop stocked with amazing knits. I've bought a skinny scarf & a handful of flowers from Jennifer - the colours are so bright & the wool so soft. I couldn't be more pleased. So here are a few of my favourites in her shop now:

Parrot moebius cowl - I've been coveting this cowl since it was listed. I absolutely love the fun art yarn & bright colours!

yarncoture: Her flowers are always well made. Her fiber choices are always of excellent quality and the color choices are always eye catching! iWunder is a wonderful seller and Etsian in general...she always has helpful information about how to sell a product, good customer relations. Experience is the key and she has definitely learned from hers and is very gracious to share it with others!

karalennox: iWunder is a font of etsy knowledge, which she shares generously with anyone who asks. Whether it's marketing, photography or pricing, she's our go-to girl. Plus, her crocheted flowers are addictive! I've bought several to dress up an ugly black backpack, which now looks stylishly divine!

Earth & a little bit of sky braided scarf - one of iWunder's signature scarf designs, these amazing braided ones are absolutely stunning and oh-so unique!

TrickyBugPaperArt: I recently purchased two fabulous items from iWunder's shop and I couldn't be more pleased! I first selected the "Twilight" crocheted flower brooch. This lovely little bloom arrived at my door very quickly, wrapped in recycled packaging.
Once I had "Twilight", I knew I had to have a coordinating scarf. Jennifer was very helpful in suggesting her long, skinny-knit wool blend scarf in gorgeous deep ocean colors. The brooch and scarf match so well and are impeccably crafted. I love that she chooses many hand-spun and hand-dyed yarns, to create items that are truly handmade and one of a kind. I love the set so much - it's unique, artistic, and a real statement-maker!

Pumpkin dude scarf - iWunder has a section of dude scarf in more neutral tones for the men in your life. Personally, I don't know any men who would wear a scarf (they're all way too "manly" to ever wear an "accessory" - ah, small town mentalities!) but if I did, I would be all over these.

jerise: iWunder is Wunderwoman! I love Jennifer's way of caring about so many people, and offering truly thoughtful help; of course she's a walking library of information, too. We all appreciate her lurking presence during our days, and know that she's ready to jump in and lend a helping hand whenever needed. I admire her organic way of going about the Etsy project, and her love for hand-dyed wool, her appreciation of sweet and overlooked vintage objects (such as that little creamer from Frankenmuth), and attraction to all things made by hand and with love. She has respect for her materials, just as she does for her friends. And she makes completely awesome cat-beds on a moment's notice!

Trix self-striping hand-dyed yarn - iWunder also dyes her own yarn (with Kool-Aid to get these awesome colours)!

marinebiochic07: iWunder's handdyed yarn is awesome! The colors are so bright and the self-striping yarn stripes beautifully (even though I wasn't trying :)). I have more balls at home and can't wait to get some more scarves made. And on top of being an awesome sales woman she is super supportive. I don't know where my shop would be without her encouragement for pricing our items fairly and her advice on tagging and titling items to get more exposure.

There's way more goodies in store, plus iWunder has 2 other shops - iWunderVintage & iWunderSews. Be sure to check them out too! Let me know what your favourite iWunder item is - and if you've ever received some advice from our very own Etsy-pedia!

Item of the day: Harvest Pumpkin

It's almost Thanksgiving here in Canada - so, of course I've been browsing the Thanksgiving harvest items on Etsy. I really love this homespun dish towel with a pumpkin applique by WhatKnotShopbyEmilie. A couple of these would make a wonderful gift too!

What's your favourite item from this shop?

Wordless Wednesday

Item of the day: Morning Cuppa

There's nothing quite like a cup of tea on a cold morning (English breakfast or chai are my favourites)! Now that the chilly weather is coming, I did a little Etsy search for tea - and found this mod print by PragyaK.

I love the uber-modern feel of this print! PragyaK also has some great bird illustrations - which is your favourite?