Where has the month gone?

April was great for me, sales picked up, I had a few customers purchase multiple things. The last week of April, I headed to Black Lake, Michigan to an Occupational Health & Safety Conference for members of the United Auto Workers.

How do I fit into that, you ask? Well, dearies, the UAW also covers administrative positions, including those at the Museum I work in.

The experience was INCREDIBLE, the people were phenomenal, the location was gorgeous, we couldn't have asked for better weather. The architecture was outstanding, and the classes and lectures were most educational. I am now certified in CPR and can do Office Inspections. Look out, workplace! I may be lighting a fire under your butt very soon!

I had no time to make anything. I made half of a sleeve of a baby cardigan. And I drew a terrible drawing of the creek behind one of the houses.

On Thursday, I met a guy who was awesome. Someone I'd been wanting to meet all week. We slow danced a dance and talked for like 20 mins and that was that. Exchanged contact info, talked every night for 2 weeks, even talked of plans of him coming to visit me. Then an old flame decided she wanted him back and that was that. I haven't really heard from him since.

It's been a struggle since getting back from Black Lake to make anything, first because I was really just way too excited to talk to this guy every night when I got home from work, and now because I just feel like hiding under my blankets in bed. I cannot believe the rollercoaster of emotions over the last 3 weeks. It's like an emotional relapse. I'm usually much more centered than all of this.

I made a baby dress and bloomers, I'm waiting for the snaps to arrive in the mail so I can list it. That's all I've done since coming back on the 25th of April.

Tonight, I am working on a tote bag for my mom. I've never made a tote bag before, so this should be interesting, since Mother's Day is tomorrow and I was asked to work today and tomorrow at work so my coworker can visit his sick grandma. Normally I'd have today off to work out a pattern.

If it looks good, I will post photos. =)

<3 Always,
--Taina

Inspiration, Part I

I called out of work today. Sick. Truthfully? I STILL have a migraine, a day later. Behind my eyes. Yesterday was pretty miserable. I sat in front of my sewing machine and didn't do ANYTHING. So frustrating. I was just afraid I'd start sewing and make a huge mess.

Today my vision is almost completely back and the pain is subsiding, but I just needed another day to relax. My workplace is NOT fun when I'm not feeling 100%. I also got everything done on Thursday that I needed to do today, so I'm not feeling too guilty about not being there today.

PaperMenagerie wrote about her inspiration in her blog today. She's got some incredible cards that I've been eyeing for quite some time. I'm not sure if my Etsy penpal reads this, so I can't tell you which ones I plan to buy until after I've sent them. PaperMenagerie's blog on Inspiration has prompted me to do the same.

I wear mostly black clothing, I'm a New Yorker, as much as I hate stereotypes, my extended family jokes that they know when the New Yorkers have arrived at the family reunion because we're like a dark cloud. I have always liked colorful accents. Today? I have turquoise glass earrings on. They're about 2-2.5" long. I should have taken a photo of them. Sorry! I also have an amethyst bracelet and a red jade bracelet that never come off. No, my accents rarely match.

When I was at SVA getting my degree in illustration, I became known for my "weird sense of color." I guess it's not normal to see different colors in an orange bag or a cherry woodgrain, I always thought it was. It was a good thing, my peers and my instructors thought it was great (and probably a little cooky).

I haven't done anything with my BFA, I actually want to go back to school but for childhood education. I occasionally pull out my soft pastels and do a portrait. The last one was of Lady Day:



It was from a black and white photo.

I love putting colors where they normally wouldn't be. I think that's why I get so excited by a bright blue or hot pink fabric on the inside of a makeup bag. It really is a thrill everytime I open a bag up.

A great example is the pink bird coin purse I made a couple days ago. It's one of my favorite fabrics to work with because it's got the bright red, the maroon and the hot pink, so it's fun to match the zipper, felt tips and lining up with the print.

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So I guess my inspiration comes partly from the rainbow. I have a solar-powered rainbow maker that is currently creating dozens of dancing rainbows along my walls, floor and ceiling. I bought it from MoMA:



*As usual, click photos for more info.

Stay tuned for the rest of my inspiration.

<3 Always,
--Taina

Friday Morning Ritual

Today starts my first day of my 9 day vacation in NYC. I was hoping to get out of the city but I have class in the middle of the week.

I think I am coming down with a bit of a cold, at least I hope that's all it is. I'm going to the Dr. at noon today. I have this terrible fear of feeling under the weather on Friday, getting really sick on Saturday and waiting until Monday to see the Dr. People in large U.S. cities know that you don't go to the Emergency Room unless you are near death, because odds are you will die waiting terribly long to be seen. (Violent crimes and horrible near-death accidents are first, strept is way at the bottom of the list.)

After the doc I have to hunt down some heavy duty interfacing. I've never found it in NYC before, only the medium stuff, but it won't do for the very large makeup bag I have a custom order for. I usually order online but don't want to wait for it.

I had Valentine's plans to go to Blockheads for strawberry margaritas and mexican food w/ two of my friends/coworkers but one of them was really sick yesterday so plans were postponed. Le sigh.

So...Friday Morning Ritual? First? I photograph and list the item I made on Thurs. night. Second? I pay all of my bills online and figure out how much I have left after being paid. Third? I balance my Etsy Paypal acct. and transfer my actual earnings to my bank account.

This is how it works for my Etsy shop:
Listing Fees now are .20 for each of the month's 20 items = 4.00.
Etsy transaction fees once something sells = 3.5% of selling price
15% of selling price of each item - charity of the month
Paypal fees = 5% of each transaction.
Remaining? Goes to my savings account for my education fund.

I use money I make from my fulltime job to purchase supplies. I like the idea of my fulltime job investing in my education.

So this morning? I'm listing another turquoise sugar skull coin purse. It's one of my best sellers and I absolutely love the fabric!



Okay, I'm off to knit and catch up on the latest episode of Lost. Happy weekend, everyone!

<3 Always,
--Taina

A change in plans?

It's 9:35pm, Wednesday night. I am listing my 16th of 20 items on Etsy. I'm absolutely exhausted. I really was hoping to make 4 more items tonight but I think I am only going to sew until 11pm and then finally go to bed at a decent hour.




(click photos for listing info.)

Work (the FT job) has been taking a ton out of me, as have health worries. A few weeks ago, I was terribly sick and went to the doctor for what ended up being a really nasty sinus infection. My Dr. is excellent and checks everything every time I see him. He checked my breathing and said he'd detected "a bit of emphysema."

I had a 102.6 fever that day, had been waiting 4 hours for a walk-in time due to a computer glitch and was too exhausted and sick to ask him what exactly he meant. I know what Emphysema is, I watched my grandmother die of it. She smoked all of her life. I smoked for less than a year in when I was 16 and maybe a handful of cigarettes my first year of college. I have not smoked since then. I will be 27 in less than a month. Emphysema means that your body inhales oxygen but does not exhale all of the carbon dioxide it produces. It's scary.

I want to go back to Capoeira class, but noticed I was having trouble breathing after the first hour of my last 2 1/2 hour class. I'd been diagnosed with allergy induced asthma by my previous physician. I mentioned that to my current physician and he said they are definitely not the same thing. I have an appt. w/ my current doc in a little more than 2 weeks, so I hope to get more info then.

I've been super exhausted lately. I'm making sure I get my B vitamins daily and I've noticed a bit more energy, but I wonder how much of it has to do with whatever is going on with my lungs. Anyway, my body is telling me to go to bed. I'm going to push for another hour and 15 mins and then pass out.


(click photo for listing info.)

<3 Always,
--Taina