Has anyone ever been impressed by pillows?

So if there was anyone who thought that Jim Gaffigan's next Comedy Central special, King Baby, wouldn't be funny.. they should be taken out behind a barn and shot. I don't think there's another man alive who could so totally sum up the woes of camping and throw pillows like he does. Besides, he was just on an episode of Flight of the Conchords.. and that gives him immense street cred - which I'm sure he totally cares about.

I've also decided that miniature Pellegrinos are god's gift to mankind.

Now, on to things that are actually important...
I got my shipment of ringbacks in last night and spent quite a bit of time creating new and exciting rings.. of which I'm only keeping two. That's a new low record for me and I'm very proud of myself. Of course, when I went to take pictures of them and the new Creamsicle popsicle I made yesterday, the camera crapped out and started blinking that irritating low battery symbol. Like I have time to sit around and wait for it to charge. Please, people.

So here I am, in limbo, unable to post anything until the camera battery decides it acctually wants to contribute - which could take some time. I think it may be feeling a bit underppreciated lately and now it's trying to get back at me. Or I could just be making that up in an attempt to give myself a reason for it's inability to work so I don't throw it out my bedroom window. Either way, I have time to kill.. back to Gaffigan I go.

Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting

Running an Etsy shop requires vigilance, a constant stream of new ideas, a comprehensive Excel spreadsheet, and a 28 hour day... I'm still working on the last one.

This last week has been a hot trannie mess and I have to admit, I've loved every minute of it. Developing new patterns, restocking the shop when things sell - it's all fantastically stressful. There's nothing better than being able to sit in my room doing what I love all day while listening to Billy Joel records and eating ice cream.

And now it's Saturday, and things haven't slowed up. I got an order last night with two crochet-to-order items, I have a few things to make so I can re list them, there's a custom order I need to finish, and I developed a new pattern last night for a Desk Monster that's cute and creepy all at once and has so many possibilities for variety. Oh yeah, I'm back in the saddle, people. Watch out.

At least I have things to fill the time between now and September when I start Mason Gross. The future is bright, for once. I'm almost waiting for the other shoe to drop - almost. I'm planning a trip down the shore for next weekend to bring the coral branches to their intended home. (Why, yes, they are finished. I said it was a busy week.) I'll also be doing some tye-dying next Saturday...

As for tonight, I'm looking forward to another night in spent watching Stargate and crocheting. And you know, it never gets old.

Mondays...

So today's the day I jump back in the saddle. After breakfast, I'll be picking those coral branches back up and showing them who's boss. I'm excited to get started again - I have a good feeling about them this time.

Speaking of good feelings, I sold another item this morning on Etsy - one of my whales with a crown. Looks like I'll be making another one of those later. This whole thing is too exciting for words. I'm printing the new business cards today, as well.. and that's exciting in and of itself.

Part of me wishes I could sit here all day blogging and zoning out and eating peanut butter cups... but the rest of me knows I'm a girl trying to make her way in the world, and that takes work. Though, the peanut butter cups can stay.

To The Moon...

And so it seems this Etsy thing is taking off. I've already sold 5 items including both sock monkeys (who knew?) and one of the made-to-order peas in a pod. This thing might actually work - knock on wood. I developed two more new patterns in the last few days... I seem to be on a pattern writing roll. One is for some rather adorable popsicles that I've already listed:

Look - he has a real popsicle stick!
His adorableness is actually overwhelming at times. It's turning me into a bit of a sap really. Just looking at him, I feel myself melting into butter and fighting the urge to squeal. Sad - I know.

The other pattern is for a crocheted owl. It seems, as I've looked around Etsy, that every self-respecting amigurumi seller has an owl or an owl pattern listed. I've had the urge to make one for some time but wanted to do something completely different and completely me. As such, I've paired a unique shape with with some kitschy colors and ::poof:: my perfect owl is born. I made a bit of a flock of them today and I should be posting them tomorrow.

Now that I got my shipment of 50 pairs of safety eyes in, there's nothing holding me back. I feel like a woman on a mission, determined to make the best go of this as I possibly can, not to be held back by disappointing business cards and sleep deprivation... seriously, don't get me started on the business cards, they're a nightmare.. but we're moving on.

In more personal news, I'm going to be taking a hiatus from people for the next week - I've turned my cell off and I'm not checking my facebook. This is a crucial time for me... I have a shop to stock up and coral branches to finish and I don't have time to let people rain all over my creative process parade. Which means, in a nutshell, that seven days of intense sewing, crocheting, and Boston Legal watching are in my future.. and, frankly, I'm really looking forward to it. I could use a break from the drama for a few days.

Eat Your Vegetables.

So it seems I've sold my first item - Alice, one of my sock monkeys. She's headed off this Saturday to her new home and is quite excited about it. Not as excited as I am to have sold something, but we can't all be as jolly as me, can we?

In other news, I developed a new idea and a new pattern yesterday. It's a peapod with three peas and the one in the middle is a wee bit different than the other two.

Not only is it absolutely adorable, but it's a gentile reminder that it's okay to be different in a world full of mundane assholes. Besides, who doesn't love a good mohawk?

I have another idea I'm going to try out tonight that I think will work out well. I'm going to attempt to list at least one new item a day. I hope it helps to keep the sales coming.

Next Monday I have to start the coral branches back up and I can honestly say that I'm ready for them and their angst-ridden issues this time. Like I said before, at least they don't talk back.

TilliEllie's Carnival of Kitsch is Officially Open for Business!

Click on the title to check out my brand new Etsy shop!

Something New Everyday...

You know, I realized something today - I work extremely well under pressure. I keep my cool, I'm level-headed, I make quick decisions, I don't second guess myself, and at the end of the day, whatever I'm working on comes out famously. So in the case of the coral branches that are waking nightmares at this point, I'm going to use that to my advantage. As of this morning, I've put them in a plastic bag not to be looked at again until 1 week before they're to be sent off. I do better when I have alot of work to do and a little time to do it, I don't agonize over every little decision, I don't continually undo and redo things, because there isn't time for that. My creative brain seems to thrive under constraints and I'm going to give it the opportunity to do so...

Now that we've got that update out of the way.. here's Ginger, the newest addition to my plush toy family, enjoying the morning sun among the plants.

She's such an adorable mythical, three-headed beast, don't you think?

And, as promised, some teasers from my soon-to-be Etsy shop:

Is this a joke?

I seem to be asking myself that a lot in the last few days.

The first incident occurred around 4pm yesterday while I was watching a Stargate:Atlantis episode I had recorded from earlier in the day. The whole episode, entitled "Sunday," started out so innocent and funny with Col. Sheppard trying to teach Ronon to golf and Dr. Weir going on a date and just when you think it couldn't get any better.... they go and kill off Dr. Beckett. Pan camera left and there I am standing with my mouth open crying like a baby and trying to convince myself that yes, this is real and no, you're never going to see Carson's amazing faux-hawk again. And, yes, it was amazing. Granted the show was a re-run and I "knew" he died, I didn't think it would be in such a senseless, unnecessary way. Ugh.

The most recent incident occurred only a few minutes ago (I mean it people.. this is like the Oscars - live, but with about a 5 minute delay) when I realized that my "Everyone my own age that I meet either wants to date me or be me" theory isn't just egotistical nonsense and does have some basis in fact. I wish I could go into more detail but I'm afraid if I do I'll end up being edited for content by the network - you're just going to have to trust me on this one. It's a shame certain people couldn't have an original idea if it beat them senseless over the head with a sign that says "Hey, fucko, I'm an original idea."

And you know, it amazes even me that while putting aside the loss that is Carson Beckett, I managed to get everything done that I wanted to including finishing the illusive Hydra plush toy.

I also finished all of my Etsy stock. Yes, I said all of it ladies and gents. Prepare to be amazed... like tomorrow or Saturday. Right now I need some sleep.. well, first I need to stop being completely enraged by everything, then I can try sleeping... Pictures of the Hydra to follow tomorrow along with some tantalizing snapshots of Etsy items before they're posted... until then, here's a picture of my beloved Carson to hold you over.

::sigh::

Vacation? I think so.

So the Philly flower show was this past weekend; I drove down there Friday with my Mother and Grandmother, in an attempt to do some intergenerational bonding, and stayed over until Saturday afternoon. I wouldn't say the exhibits were fantastic this year, but the vendors were, and it was exactly what I needed to get away from all of the crap for a few days. I think it put everything back in perspective a bit, and if it didn't, being kidnapped by one of my closest friends Saturday night certainly did. It's nice to be reminded that people care about you and friendships aren't just one-sided.. which seemed to have been the theme last week.

On the up-side, I got quite a bit done yesterday, now that I can acctually focus on what's important, including taking pictures of everything I've made for Etsy (excluding the plush toys) and finishing the 4" coral branches. I started the 7" yesterday as well, had a minor meltdown, but pressed on, determined not to over-think it again. I'm so gun-shy about the boutique owner not liking them, it's fucking with my entire creative process, which is causing me to eat copious amounts of Nutter Butters. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to have to do yoga everyday if I want to continue to fit in my size 4 jeans without a muffin top.

It's like a Circus Sometimes....

Who knew the whales would turn out to be such a good idea - it seems my attachment to the tiny coral collections is acctually a blessing in disguise. The finished products fit it much better with the rest of the items in the store, it's much more cohesive now. Over the weekend I picked up the last few things I need to take pictures of the items and tonight I'm headed to Staples to get tags and a hole punch. It all seems to be coming together so quickly...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I'm working on the red coral branches that need to be finished by the end of this month. The order is for one 10", two 7", and three 4" branches. I have two out of the three 4" ones completed and am almost finished with the last one. It's more difficult than I thought it would be to create variety and uniqueness between the lot of them and they're an unruly bunch in the base case with something always seeming to go wrong - I keep losing hooks, pictures are disappearing, and the cat keeps trying to wander off with them no matter how many bags I put them in or where I try to hide them. This hasn't been an easy comission from the get go but I'm not one to give up. On the upside, at least they don't talk back.

Real life doesn't seem to be going quite as swimmingly either. I went to see Taken over the weekend and was thoroughly disappointed - I wish someone would have taken him and spared us all an hour and a half. That, coupled with the fact that it never seems to get warm around here, the people I'm dealing with and their problems, and the abhorrent grilled cheese sandwich I had today for lunch, left me starved for satisfaction. I need a vacation from bullshit, from people that think I need coddling even though I seem to be the only one that has it together, from disappointing food, from re-runs of shows that are supposed to be new, and from my cat and her incessant need to play with her god damned stuffed spider.....
sometimes a person just needs to be left alone for a couple of days or buy excessive amounts of Nutter Butters.