Simple Joy Sunday

My week started off pretty crappy: I was counting on three days of work that I didn't get.  That had me in a good rut to start the week off but I still found things to make me happy.

After finding out that I wasn't going to be working, I stopped by IKEA.  It just happened to be in the area I was for my lack of work.  I got a lingonberry soda.  It was tasty and made me happy.  And then I went home and spent a couple hours replanting my succulents and potting a couple new plants that I picked up from IKEA for stupid cheap.  The time I spent outside and communing with the plants was great.  Such a mood elevator!  After doing a few more crafty things outside, I sat down with a beer and enjoyed my work.

1. A small palm of some sort, 2. Red Mandevilla and some small Aloe, 3. Succulents, 4. Variety of plants and shells

I finally framed artwork that I got from estasketch literally years ago!  Scott's a big fan of Spiderman and I love Wonder Woman, so it only seemed appropriate that we have work from this series called My Secret Identity.  Now, we just have to figure out where we're going to hang them...

I finally got paid for my first couple of blog articles!  Woohoo!  That's definitely encouraging to me to do more.  I've done a lot of research to find places to write, now I really just need to get down to business and start typing!

One of my 3 Day Tweeps buds @knittingbagel and her daughter drew some pictures inspired by the Armoury.  I must say, this is a first for me and I'm honored!

Joys for the shop:
-finally adding the Apothecary to the Armoury, starting with some soap.
-new banners and the continuation of a blog makeover.
-getting labels for the metal tins that contain my salves, etc.
-spending a lot of time working on beefing up my Artfire shop (adding new sections, putting some custom items in the gallery, adding a bio, updating the on site blog).

Foodie joys:
-successfully making a tasty pot of miso soup with chicken (I didn't have any tofu in), soba noodles, wakame, and scallions.
-a peach, peanut butter, and cardamom smoothie.
-a cheese calzone big enough for 2-3 meals.

And just because it's a picture of my favorite cat and a pretty plant, it made me happy.

What were some of your simple joys this week?  Share below or write your own blog post (we can exchange links!).  I'd love to hear!

Inspiration: where it comes from, what it influences, where it goes

I recently purchased 52 weeks of blogging your passion by Tara Gentile (editor of Scoutie Girl) and the very first project is to figure out your mission statement. She asks a couple of questions to get you started:

What fuels your passion for craft, art, or design? What’s your inspiration?
How does that passion manifest? What do you create?

I'm inspired by the wonders of nature, strong women accomplishing their dreams, the arts & performing arts... But rarely, do these things inform my creations. Yes, it makes sense that I want to equip warrior women and it makes sense that I want to protect the environment by working with Earth friendly ingredients that are straight from nature and good for people. I almost never think: that Amelia Earhart was one amazing chick, maybe I should make some aviation inspired chain maille. Huh... maybe I should think things like that. That would certainly solve the problem I was just about to discuss.

In the past, I would have moments of inspiration, but felt like it would never manifest itself in a creative way. Inspiration would come, make me all warm and fuzzy, and then go away. The areas that I like to work in make sense based on what inspires me, but shouldn't inspiration also inform what I'm making in these areas?

What inspires you? How do you find it being made manifest in your own work?

"Real Life" is Bull: A Rant

This post is a part of the Etsy Bloggers Street Team Blog Carnival.

The theme is…BULL! Anything to do with bull: the animal bull, bullfights, just shooting the bull, the zodiac sign Taurus, something with the characteristics of a bull (stubbornness, strong will, strength) anything you think is bull, a bull market, the word bull and words that begin with bull as in bullies, bullseye, etc.

On Sunday night, I was bemoaning having to go into work the next morning and Scott said something to the effect of "welcome to real life" or something like that. Anyway, that got me to thinking. . . Why is it that "real life" consists of people having to go to a job they hate because they have to make a living? Yes, I realize that people need money to survive and that we haven't reached a utopia where we can barter and trade for what we need. However, does that mean that people have to waste away at a soulless job to justify their existence? I mean, think about it:

40 hours a week sitting behind a desk being bored to tears (my current predicament)
56 hours = 8 hours of sleep, 7 days a week
5 hours = 1 hour to get ready to go to said soulless job when it's only on 5 out of 7 days per week (sometimes it's more)
10 hours = 1 hour commute there and another back home
111 hours total. 111 HOURS out of a 168 hour week.

There are 168 hours in a week minus the 111 hours of "real life" bull leaves a total of 57 hours to do other non-bull stuff. When I'm lucky enough to have a full 48 hours off in a row, that leaves a total of 9 hours total for the other five days: approximately 1.8 hours each night. God forbid there are appointments, grocery shopping, cleaning, or other 'home business' that needs to be tended to.

I was lucky enough to have a job I loved for a full decade straight out of college. I was a stage manager for Broadway national tours, theatre in NY, regional theatre, a production manager at one of the busiest road houses in the country, and even did some business and industrial theatre. I always knew I was lucky to have a job that I loved and actually felt sorry for those that didn't. I couldn't fathom what it would be like to slave away at a job that I didn't love. Unfortunately, times have changed.

This is why I got so upset when Scott said "welcome to the real world" or whatever. Why does it have to be like this? I may sound naive saying this, but it is very upsetting to me.

This only makes me want even more to commit to my plan to start making chain maille for a living. I'm having problems figuring out how to do it with what little time I have left after the "real life" bull, though.

How do you do it? How are you reaching your dreams and living in the "real world" at the same time? How do you stay sane in a world where you might have to get by doing something that is not your passion?

Tagged, Tagged, and Tagged

I've been tagged by MrsDragon, Izile, AND MyFairyBabies!! I'm a bit behind on my blog lovin', so lets see if I can catch up on all of this insane tagging. . . Luckily, all three have the same rules.

The rules of tagging are:
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

Okay, six things. . .
1. I love museums. I love learning about art, history, and culture. Even if I don't necessarily understand or 'like' a piece, I can still appreciate it. I love soaking it all in. When I was a child and I would visit a museum, I was inevitably drawn to the ancient Greek and Roman sections as well as the arms and armor. Little did I know that I'd eventually take up making armour.

2. I am an only child, so I grew up in the company of adults as well as entertaining myself for hours. I still have no problem hanging out by myself, in fact I am very much a home body. That said, it's also kind of difficult for me to make friends because I'm so used to being by myself.

3. The beach is my solace. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed lately and went to the beach over the weekend. Despite getting a bit of a burn (first time out this season, it was inevitable), it felt wonderful being there. I even got a forty minute nap in while I was there.

4. I never in a million years thought I'd have a cat. I've been a 'dog person' my whole life and then Jack showed up. I love my little kitty cat.

5. I really want to get my tragus pierced! The tragus is the small area of cartilage that juts out in front of your ear canal. I think I would love a tattoo, too, but I have absolutely no idea what I would get or where.

6. I hammered my thumb yesterday. It's got a teeny, tiny little bruise under the nail. I really need to get a bigger anvil. . .

Okay, so now I have to tag six people:
Kirsten Skiles with the Etsy shop knitsteel
Cat at Darkling Woods Studio with the Etsy shop of the same name
Up From the Ashes with the Etsy shop of the same name
Joey and Aleethea with the Etsy shop of the same name
Kristin at the fantastical ramblings of aquariann with the Etsy shop aquariann
Helen at Visiting the Muse with the Etsy shop krummenacker