Rampant Consumerism 2: We Don't Need No Stinking Fabric

On Friday, Jeepy Grrl and Groovygrrl went shopping. We have done this for two years in a row now, and we do it to just be weird. We do want to get great deals, but we aren't willing to fight for anything. Or trample anyone. Sheesh! What were those people thinking? Were they people?

Our day started at 5:45am, at Target. There I am above, in my coat and headband. It was a cold morning. I'm showing off the map of Target that some person was handing out. I am making fun of it, as I hope is obvious--who doesn't know how to navigate an effing Target?

Well, maybe the map was given to us because one of us didn't wear a coat, and the dude thought we were out of our collective mind. Jeepy Grrl, you are crazy! Please note in pictures below that she did accept my offer of a scarf for the day.

This shot above is of the civilized crowd in Target. You can see Jeepy Grrl's head in the very back, just down and right from the "New!" sign. Oh, and ALL DAY people were saying, "She just took a picture!" To which I replied, "I'm a blogger. Let it go."


After Target we hopped over to JCPenney, for a luggage deal. We needed directions, and I looked for some help. "Oooh! Jeepy! A man in a hat! I bet he knows." He certainly did know where the luggage was, and told us. Also, cluing in to the "I'm a blogger" reference, Jeepy told him, "She's a blogger," when I pulled out my camera, and he immediately put on that big smile. Great reaction skillz! Thanks, Man in the Santa Hat!

After JCPenney, we went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. There was nothing beyond what we've already seen there in our lives, so there are no photos. We were beyond hungry, and so we went to Gunther Toody's for their Big Bopper Breakfast. Above are Cora and Pixie, our servers. What a delight--they were in such good spirits to be working on such a difficult day.

Whew! After breakfast, I marveled at the back of the Jeep. Yes, the seat was down already, to hold our loot. We traveled to JoAnn fabrics, because I always like to sew something for someone during the holidays, and they always have great deals after Thanksgiving. Last year, we waited for over an hour to get the fabric cut. We suspected that would be our lot on this day, as they were on number 23 when I took my number:



Yeah, forget it. I went back the next day, and there was no line at all, with the same deals. Instead of gettting fabric, that day we wandered around the store, finding other deals. I saw this wreath, and one part of me, the Gaudy part, said to Jeepy, "Do I kinda like this?" She replied, "Oh my god, why would you?" Okay, so that's a "no." This is why we shop with friends when we have been up since 4:45am:

I didn't need any help wondering if I liked this item:

No, I find it both baffling and horrifying. Especially Santa's remark about "piles." Appropos is this final photo, the remains of the Jeep after we emptied it of our purchases:

I didn't want to ask.

More and more LOLz!

Don't make me go all arts and crafts on you.

An excellent point--try it out.

I recommend everyone read this blog post. It gives a wonderful perspective on marriage, and what it means, with great and powerful simplicity.

Even More LOLz

Bwa ha haaa!!! Love it!

LOLz

Hee hee hee!

Holiday Gift Guide

Just another service I provide--gift giving advice! Of course, all my advice today is coming from the premier holiday gift fair in Denver: Gifts for Yule. All photos are linked to a website, if that vendor has one. Above, we have a lovely selection of handmade dolls, all crowded into their little crib. Please note how they seem at ease with one another, even though they are all different. Republicans, take a lesson. Jennifer, your dolls are NOT ButtUglee. They're cute as anything!

Here we have a lovely selection of handmade pottery, from Julie. I am into bright colors and whimsy, in case you hadn't noticed.

Jennifer at Dizzie Izzie enhances children's clothing, to great effect:

My daughter would approve. The folks at Fancy Tiger were giving the crafty lookers something to purchase. You know you do it! You know you walk around a craft fair, thinking, "I can make that myself." Fancy Tiger dares you to do it! They make it easy for you, though. Check out the colors on these yarns:

Dia Kline is one of my favorite jewelry makers. Her line this year includes vintage-inspired luggage tags, stamped with a 100-year-old stamp, in whimsical words of her choosing. I suppose "goy" would fit me:

Dia gets two pictures, because I love her and her stuff so much. Also because she dresses up mini-mannequins to look like ancient preistesses. Gotta love that. These ladies are ready for anything:


Speaking of mannequins:

This one is in a prom dress and an Elvis bag. I secretly covet that bag, even though I'm more of a Beatles girl. Joy at Studio Bead knows how to work a display.


The cute continues with these felt sachets, filled with organic lavender from Diane's garden. Click the photo to email her:

But where are the fanciful, vintage glass ornaments, you ask? Relax! They're right here:

Willa Fuller and Todd Vadas live in Lakewood, and assemble these into bouquets for your holiday décor. Love it! Beauty!

And finally, vending next to me (along with Diane), is Phyllis Quinn. This beautiful green crystal bracelet caught my eye immediately:



Support independent businesses ths year, when shopping for gifts. It directly affects the economy, on a "main street" level. Happy holiday shopping!

Superstar!

Hooray! I did my radio interview. You can listen to it anytime--it's over there, on the right. Click play. Yay!

On the Radio!

Is it really a radio show if it's on the Internet? Must radio waves be involved for a show to be called a "radio" show? Or is the simple fact that voices are broadcast to the world, somehow, and someone else listens---is that what makes it a radio show? What if nobody is listening?

No need to get too philosophical here. I'm a guest on a radio show, this Wednesday! Book World News! You can listen!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Circle-Of-Seven

Go to that link to listen, live! Wednesday, November 12, at 8:30pm EST (that's 6:30pm Mountain time). While listening live, there is also the option to chat! Ah, technology.

And in this age of the Interwebs, there is no need to fret, of course, You can listen to it when the archive is posted.

Yaaay! I'm gonna talk about books! *collective audience snores*

What? It's true, isn't it?

Hee hee hee hee heee......*snort*....chuckle chuckle....*snort*...GUFFAWGUFFAWGUFFAW....

*falls out of chair* a HEEE HEEE HEEE HEEEEE HEEE..*SNORT*....HA HA HA HA HAHA HA HAAAA......

*eyes tear up*

....aheh.....*giggle*....aheh aheh.....*snort*....hee hee hee hee HAA HAA HAA HAA HAAAAA

Oh, yeah. I needed that.

Traveling Masterpiece

This Traveling Masterpiece started with Manisha, who is a member of our NaBloWriMo group. We are sending around this piece of artwork, each of us adding a bit to it. I thought it needed some bling, so you can see my addition there. I used Prismacolor markers in the following colors:

• Crimson Red
• Goldenrod
• Violet
• Indigo Blue
• Metallic Silver

Here is the masterpiece, ready to be handed off to Danette:


There is a golden circle in the middle of that black squiggle thing--I didn't remove that, it's just a fault of the photo. Also, I did not add white/grey sprinkler lines up the canvas--another fault of the photo.

I take faulty photos. *sigh*

Collage page on Etsy

For those who don't know about Etsy, please allow me to educate you. It's the world's largest collection of crafters, each with a shop that's available anytime, online. The interface is easy to use--browsing for items is made simple and exciting with many different ways to do it. You can browse by:

• category
• color
• keyword
• newest listed
• seller

just to name a few ways. My favorite, ADD way to browse is "Pounce." Every time I click the button, up pop three items that just sold, along with other things in that shop for sale. Don't like those things? Click again. Click click click.

Because of the huge number of crafty people in one place, there are more than a few craft suppliers on Etsy, as well. I recently bought a kit for making 5 glass tile necklaces. Kits! Fabric! Buttons! Beads! Findings! Adhesive! Paper! It's a crafter's paradise.

Got some cash sitting in your Paypal account? Head on over to Etsy, and support independent businesses. Take The Handmade Pledge, if you want. Once you get there, it will be easy to see why you might want to.

The photo above is of my latest listing: a collage page of flower photographs. It's another way to self-publish--individual pages. That's another reason why I love Etsy--it creates an environment where technology meets creativity, and new ways to sell things happen.

Respectful of the Struggle

This is what I was trying to talk about.

Incoherent Ramblings

I have already had a conversation this morning with someone who thinks that it is bordering on racism for me to be happy for African Americans. "Be careful," I was told, "you don't want to say 'them.' "

But there is a part of me that finds it insulting to only say this is a happy day for all Americans, no matter the color. Yes, that's how America should be, but it isn't. It isn't yet, not even today it isn't.

There was yesterday, and now there is today. And I think, after everything that African Americans have struggled for in this country, that there is a great validation for their struggle. For the love of Mike, the Voting Rights Act has been in effect for only 43 years! That the Voting Rights Act had to happen is the tip of the iceberg of the struggle. Discriminatory voting practices were waged primarily against African Americans--and we're talking about murder! Legal means were needed to stop it, of course, and this was long AFTER being recognized as having the right to vote. We are talking about PEOPLE, here! One group of people with a certain skin color wanted another group of people with a different skin color to be intimidated out of voting, so they decided to murder voting activists. And far worse than that was happening for years and years. It still is happening somewhere, I'm certain.

There are people in this country who voted yesterday, who were alive before automobiles were a standard household item. Before television. Before consumer air travel. Before women were empowered with an acknowledgment of their right to vote. Before someone walked on the moon. Before space shuttles, cable tv, and the Internet. Those people have seen this country change like nobody else.

It is about time that this country has a person as president who represents the diversity of America. But I think it is insulting to the struggle of African Americans to ignore the fact that this president is representative of their cultural community. He represents them. I said it. Them.

Having said that, I know it is also true that this represents a barrier broken for all people of color. But where do the barriers stop? When will the journey toward complete representation end? This is the other side of my sentimental coin: when will there be a woman? A Native American? A homosexual? An Asian American? That is not necessarily what we are about, is it? Is it? Are we about representation of all different groups one by one? Where does the grouping end?

It is a journey. America is a very young nation. I think now that America can finally start moving in a direction of equality for all people. I think that's what this represents, and why I am so overjoyed that I'm crying. I cried last night, watching the people in Chicago react to the news. I cried listening to the speeches. I cried on the way to work today, thinking how different things can be, now. I cried thinking that children of color in America can finally, truly believe it when they are told by their parents, "You can be anything you want to be."

There was a yesterday, and now there is a today.

BOO-YAH!!!!

Obama wins! McCain concedes!!!!!!!


*collapses in tears*

Support independent businesses

The t-shirt above provided one of the biggest laughs I've had in a while.

Well, actually, I laughed pretty hard yesterday when Lyman informed me and Steve, "yeah, she's a special needs teacher. She has a climbing wall in her classroom."

I collapsed in laughter.

This shirt, however, also did the trick. I've linked the photo to the etsy store. Somebody, please! Support this business! :)