I ♥ Etsy! The Anti-Valentine Edition (part 2)

  

(Well, as promised, here's part 2 of my I ♥ Etsy! The Anti-Valentine Edition. You can find part 1 here. Enjoy!)

Tiny Spiny Pincushion Necklace

by twigsandheather 

I really like the uniqueness of this. With

all the heart pendents out there, this one
is pretty while still expressing the pain and
heartache that comes with love.

Twigs and Heather are twins! I love that.
They've been working with metal for almost
ten years. You must read their
Shop Announcement. They're green!

 

Broken, signed edition

by nicholasbartle

I really enjoy the plain, whiteness of this photo.

It's simple, but the message is quite clear.

Nicholas Bartle's profile provides very little

information, but if you check out his website,

you'll discover a collection of very

intriguing images.

You don't die of a broken heart...

by stevenbrisson

I really like the heart suggestion here, and I'm a sucker
for a black and white photograph. Of course, the
wood element takes me back to my roots.

Steven Brisson is another shop whose profile
explains very little, but if you take a moment to
check out his website, you'll find a collection of
some of the most touching photos I've ever seen.

Broken Heart Wall Art
by lucky7steel

I'm so in love with this piece. I would love
to hang this on a blue, or maybe a brick wall.

Lucky 7 Steel makes some great pieces out of
"mild and recycled steel."

Tiny Brown Owl with Broken Heart
by theupstairsroom

Seriously, how cute is this little guy?
And to top it off, he's brown and blue,
my favorite colors!

The Upstairs Room (I adore that title)
creates the cutest little "oddities." She's
also a new blogger, and you can find
her blog here.

Dear Mr. Sandman

Please accept this letter as my official request to be rescheduled to an earlier time slot on your EST evening schedule. It is possible there has been some confusion and someone in your office informed you that 3:30am was an acceptable time to visit, and I can understand that. Back in the day this would have been entirely appropriate, especially on the weekends. However, times have changed. I'm getting older (is it possible, as the result of an innocent typo, 30 somehow became 3:30? I used to work in an office. I know how easily these little mistakes can happen), and my late-night partying days are long behind me (well, except for that one weekend. And that other weekend. And then there was that week night...).

I realize any adjustment to a carefully thought out and well-planned schedule can be bothersome, but you see, Sandy (we're friends, right? I can call you Sandy?), I'm currently working on my thesis and trying to finish up my Masters Degree so I can graduate in May. These late nights have become quite damaging to my sanity and my ability to think and reason during the daylight hours. All I'm asking for is a temporary rescheduling for the next three months. After the three months are up, and if you feel it's necessary, you are more than welcome to return me to my current time-slot.

Unfortunately, Sand, my man, I also find it necessary to address a more sensitive topic. I understand times are tough right now. People everywhere are trying to find ways to cut costs and conserve resources. I can't even pretend to understand the inner workings of your industry. I don't even know who it is you have to answer to (Mother Nature? Father Time?). Here's my concern, and again, I hesitate to bring it up, but I think it's necessary. It seems to me the quality of your Sleepy Time Magic Dust (STMD*) has been not quite, shall we say, up to par as of late. I know in these tough economical times we tend to search out cheaper alternatives to our tried and true, but I'm afraid the quality of these goods and products suffer. STMD just doesn't seem to have the same oomph that it once had. I wake up still feeling quite groggy, unrested, and often times, without a full nights sleep.

Or maybe it isn't the quality of your STMD that is the problem, maybe it's the quantity. Maybe your office has chosen to cut back on the doses you dish out in the interest of conservation. If this is the case, may I point out that I have never been an overuser or abuser of STMD. For most of my life I have been successfully getting by on 6 hours of sleep every night. Don't you feel it is a bit extreme to cut my dosage back to 4 hours? In the interest of making things easier on you, I propose a solution. There is this girl that I currently work with who claims to get 10 hours of sleep every night (a possible oversight on your office's part?). She comes into work every morning in the most obnoxiously super chipper and happy way. I propose you cut back her dosage by 2 hours and add it to mine. It's a win-win for everyone. You maintain your current operating costs, I get some much needed extra sleep, and she loses some of that irritating bubbliness, quite possibly saving her from being brutally murdered by an over-stressed, under-nourished, over-tired co-worker (not that I would know anything about that).

Thank you for your time and your consideration of this request. I understand you may have to discuss this with your superiors, but I look forward to hearing back from you very soon.

Sincerely,

One Blonde Girl

p.s. While I have your ear, and if you're so inclined, would it be possible for you to review your file on a certain Benny Bugger? I know a mom who would love a couple hours extra sleep at night. Thanks.

*the creation and use of this acronym is deemed acceptable by the APA Manual, 5th Edition.

I crack myself up...

    

I came across this pic as I was uploading photos for a post on my alias blog, The Bitter Blonde. I had completely forgotten I took this! 

Last week, we actually got hit with some snow (about 6 inches. I know, extreme, right!? Someone call a state of emergency, stat!). Being the ever-ready, Adirondack-born, mountain girl that I am, I have been storing my winter gear in my car. I know, I'm super smart. 

In my defense, the last "blizzard" we got here resulted in about three inches of snow. In the Adks, I still wore my flip flops in three inches of snow* (and I still have all my toes. Amazing.)!

Well, I took it upon myself to go outside about midday and shovel the steps and walkway to our house (my housemates are all, what we 'dackers would call, city-folk and can't be trusted with this task).  Being sans winter boots and winter jacket, this is the stylishly fabulous outfit I doned for the job. 

Please take particular note of the jeans tucked inside the thermal socks (the longest pair I own). This was to prevent the bottoms of my jeans (which are no strangers to mud and puddles, mind you) from dragging in the snow and becoming sopping wet all the way up to my knees. 

Really, I should be ashamed to call mysef an Adirondacker or a mountain girl or claim roots in the North Country. I can feel the slickerness of the city slowly taking over...

* I have a very funny story of a time when I had to help my step-father haul buckets of water from our house to his garage in order to put out a chimney fire. It was the dead of winter, I was home sick from school, and I was barefoot. To be continued...

The love continues...

          

I ♥ Etsy! The Anti-Valentine Edition (part 1)

(Sit tight, folks. This is a long one! I'm dividing it up into two posts for those with a short attention span, namely, me.)
         

Admittedly, this post is a tad delayed. But I've been super busy, and these I ♥ Etsy! posts take a while to create. As I have previously mentioned, I've never been a fan of Valentine's Day. In honor of my dislike and in opposition to all the lovey-dovey, pinky posts out there that gushed about V-day, I present to you this broken hearted edition of I ♥ Etsy!. 

 

Broken Heart Necklace 

by ANORIGINALJEWELRY 

I love the delicateness of this necklace. It's precious

enough for the sweet side of me, but dark enough

for the twisted side of me (gee, I sound like a  

Frosted Mini-Wheat®). 

A.N. Original Jewelry is located in Saratoga Springs, NY,

where I rested my nomadic soul for a year (and LOVED

it!). She also has a great blog you can follow (just scroll

down to the link on the right under Pretty & Creative Blogs).

Sutured Heart Necklace 

by idlehandsdesigns 

There are very few items from this seller that I don't ♥, but

in the interest of fairness and the conservation of space, I

selected this piece to feature. You definitely need to check

out the backside of this heart as well. Very unique and 

interesting!

Idle Hands Designs also has a blog, which I just

discovered. (I will post a link to it as soon as I get 

a free moment).

What Becomes of the Broken Hearted 

by Squeakypeach4

 There's just something about a broken down, rusted out

old vehicle that tugs at my heart strings. Maybe it's because 

as true North Country people (read: mountain hicks), we always 

had decrepit hunks of junk rotting away in our back yard. 

Whatever the reason, this just makes me so sad.

And if you notice, Squeakypeach4 is also a teacher and a
graduate student, just like me! (although I hope she's at least an
employed teacher, unlike myself.) Hurray for the grad student!

 

Heartache and Poetry

by BestArtStudios2 

The sadness, the colors, the nostalgia of a swing...
The loneliness, the heartbreak, the heart-shaped
moon... Sigh. I want it.

BestArtStudios2 is my favorite type of artist, 
a self-taught one. (and did you notice?
Everything is currently 25% off, although I'm 
not sure for how long).

I like change

        
I'm one of those people who has to have things changing ALL THE TIME in order to happy. The routine and the static bore me. I could never be happy working in an office, day-in and day-out, stuck behind a desk all day. I need to constantly be moving. I need to be working on 101 things at a time. I think this is why teaching art appeals to me. Not only do my students and classes change every year, but they also change every week, every day, every hour. It's great!

As a child, I was constantly rearranging my room. I mean, ALL THE TIME. Usually late at night. I still do this. I can't help myself. I also change my work space, my closets, my cabinets and my underwear drawer (I don't actually have an underwear drawer, just a basket, but if I did, I'm sure I would rearrange that as well). And, of course, my blog page, A LOT. I'm constantly working out new layouts, rearranging my elements and experimenting with new widgets. I really can't help myself.

Maybe someday I'll stop fidgeting, cease my quest for the different, the better and the more exciting. Or maybe not. It keeps life exciting, right?

Dear computer...

Dear Computer:

I know we've been through a lot over the years, and you're not getting any younger. You've been dropped more times than I'd like too admit, and we just recently survived your first virus. I know as you age you're getting cranky, dirty, and the daily wear and tear I subject you to is deplorable. Your hinges aren't as tight as they once were, and your casing is beginning to fall apart at the seams. I force you to work with half-broken, sub-standard power cords and yet you still push through. Although you're not as quick on your feet as you once were, your perseverance is quite admirable. Your dedication and commitment to my career and education are deeply appreciated. I force you to suffer through six hours of tedious Word, Excel and Publisher work while we navigate the headaches of working in a state institute and deal with the incompetence of people every day. At night, I take you home only to subject you to six more hours of Word, Adobe, Blackboard, Facebook, email, endless web surfing and Lost episodes as we attempt to survive the grad school experience.

Computer, I beg of you (and you know how I hate to do that), please, please, please just bear with me for, oh, about three more months. If we can make it through these last three months of grad school, I promise to treat you to an early summer vacation. I won't keep you up into the wee hours of the morning, typing away at the overdue homework I've been putting off. I won't force you to deal with the nightmares of Blackboard and the headaches of incompatible Adobe files. In fact, I won't even force you to struggle through my Netflix fixes and musical Pandora adventures; I know how taxing they are on you.

This is all I ask of you, Computer. Just three more months. Three more months! And then you will be looking at the finest days of retirement any computer would dream of. Thank you.

Truly yours,

Me