Score!!

Oh boy, I found some treasures today that really put me in the holiday spirit! I spent most of my day (and still right now) with a terrible headache... but these treasures definitely made me feel a bit better! Plus, the news that we're in for a snowstorm tomorrow...hooray!

More wooden ornaments!

Look at the detail! This is my favorite one.

Another little mushroom-sitting elf, just like my other one. He might just sneak into ye old shoppe one day soon...

And what do you suppose this little guy is doing? My best guess is that he's playing a holiday game of...volleyball?? Hmm..

And this one was just too funny to pass up.... a tiny red baby bassonet.....

With a tiny wooden baby inside! Is it Baby Jesus? I don't know!

I am so thrilled about my little ornaments!

I've added some new stuff to the shop since last night.... and there's still more to come! I have bunches to do tonight, like picking out clothes for my field trip in the mountains tomorrow, packing a lunch, doing some laundry, cleaning my room.... the list goes on and on!

Until later!

♥♥♥

Cancelled....again!

Hm. My writing class was cancelled yet again today. I'm really starting to worry if there's something wrong with my professor... this is the 3rd class in a row that has been cancelled/deemed unnecessary to go to. Last Thursday he emailed me to tell me not to bother coming, because he just graded my rough draft as a final draft and gave it an A. I guess there just weren't any corrections to be made, so why bother writing a second draft? (I'm not complaining!) Then, Tuesday, he sent out an email and said that class was cancelled because he had a "severe upset stomach". Now today there was a note on the classroom door that said class was cancelled. Again. I hope he's ok.... normally he emails the class to let us know class is cancelled. Its very odd that he only left a note on the door today. Hmm.....

In any case, I spent the past hour in the CUB with the school newspaper and a cup o' joe. Yum. Reading through the newspaper really made me wish I had my own apartment again. If only I could afford it..... le sigh. I'm sure I could get a decent apartment for only a couple hundred per month; but why spend that money (which I actually don't have, being a poor college student and all) on rent when I could put it to better use (ie student loans and new shoes)? Hopefully I will land that promotion at work; at least then I'll be working a few more hours, plus getting a $0.90 raise. *fingers crossed*

I'm awfully wordy lately, aren't I? I know. I'm sorry. Its just that I really can't jam another item (camera) in my school bag, as its already crammed full with my laptop and school books. One more thing, be it only a few ounces, will probably give me a crooked spine. Or at least a dislocated shoulder. I should really look into getting one of those backpacks-on-wheels. Except it probably wouldn't be too practical once it starts snowing around here...which, from the 10-day forecast, looks like it will be pretty soon.

Anyway, I guess I'm going to head over to my next class in a few minutes....we're talking about Wetlands today in Problems of the Environment, so of course I'm pumped.

No, I'm not being sarcastic. I really am excited. I'm a nerd.

PS - how do you like my new little holiday-themed banner? I think it just may be my new favorite thing!

See? I told you I'd be back today! I'm just relaxing on my leisurely 5-hour break between classes. Fun, fun.

So, I got to thinking today, and I'm fed up with myself and my neglecting of the ol' shop! I really need to get on the ball and add some stuff, and on a regular basis! Its not that I've lost all creativity - nay! I just lack the time. But the semester is winding down, and then it will be Christmas break, so I will have absolutely no excuses to neglect my poor little shop anymore.

Because I do have a somewhat-lack of time, I think I'm going to try to start out with small pieces. No big projects for now; instead I'll try to make some small things that don't take much time. I've been having a hankering to do some drawing lately, so maybe some jewelry? I do love making little birds and owls.... hmm....

I've also been pondering picking up some embroidery lately.... I could probably whip up a couple of little treats that way, too.... so maybe tonight I'll do that. Plus I have bunches of unfinished projects haunting me. They're piled up in a heep on my shoulder, and each one of them whispers and whines in my ear, "Finish meeeee! I feel so neglected that you never finished meeeee!" They have screechy little voices, too, which doesn't really help.

Of course, I feel like a dunce for waiting until now to decide to get motivated again.... it is almost Christmas, and there is very little time for people to place orders if they want their stuff for gifts, but... I'll figure something out. I've always been bit of a procrastinator, and I do love a challenge.....

So, check the shop. Hopefully I will have actually done something.

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Now, I'm off to search for a spoon, as I'd really like to eat my Greek Strained Yogurt with Honey. Delish! I tell you, I'm actually really thrilled with my new vegetarian diet! I absolutely love Giant grocery stores. They have the best selection of vegetarian and health foods! Of course, its no Whole Foods, but the closest one is 55 miles away. :(

I had forgotten how much I enjoy grocery shopping. Is that weird, that I enjoy grocery shopping? I really do! And I feel so much healthier! Not that my mom cooks unhealthy foods (she doesn't - she's a great cook!), but I just eat less healthy now that I'm living at home again. When I lived on my own, I only ate super-healthy foods, and I rode my bike a lot, plus I worked 3 jobs. So I have definitely put on a few pounds since I moved back home just over a year ago. But, since I started eating vegetarian about six weeks ago, I've already lost about 5 pounds. And I feel healthier. I have more energy, my skin looks clearer.... an all-around wonderful deal! :D

Wendy Bird is A-OK!

Good news: I think Wendy is going to be ok! She seems to be much more energetic today. She's still pretty weak, and she shivers a lot, but she is at least eating on her own. She's been wrapped up in my fleece scarf, all cozy, and she does eat throughout the day. And, trying to look on the bright side, I think maybe the fact that she got sick might be a good thing.... this way we have another chance to re-bond. I've had Wendy for a few years (my parents got her for me when I worked at a pet store; everyone noticed that this little baby cockatiel seemed to be attached to me. She would follow me around her giant pen as I was cleaning around the store, or dusting, or whatever. Wherever I was, she would go to that side of her pen and chirp at me). But I moved just a few months after I got her, and I couldn't take her with me, so I guess we never got to form a really strong bond. And now that I'm back at home, between work and school, I haven't had much time to devote to bonding with her again. But now that she's sick, even though its a terrible thing, we've been spending a lot of time together; and she seems to want to be cuddled. She curls up under my neck when I hold her, and she wants me to pet the back of her head. She even nips at me a little if I stop. She's just so darn cute. Did I ever mention how much I love little birds? So darn cute!

So anyway, maybe this happened for a reason; and now we can bond again. Wendy's cage has always been kept downstairs, on top of the bookcase, but I'm going to move it upstairs as soon as she's well enough to be in her cage again. I have the perfect spot, in the corner right here beside my desk. Of course, I won't be able to let the cats in my room as much, but I'd rather have my Wendy anyway! ♥

Anyway, I'm off to school in a bit. TGIT (Thank goodness its Thursday!) - Thursdays are like Fridays for me. And I'm in for a great weekend - work tomorrow, then Saturday I have a field trip with my Geology class (which will consist of driving around and looking at rocks.... which I'm actually excited about!), and then Sunday I'm going to Annapolis to see Brand New and Thrice with my best friend Lani! Yay! I'm sooooooooooo excited to see Brand New. Oh, how I love Mr. Jesse Lacey (note: the name of my shop: Crack the Sky - could it be a shoutout to my favorite band? Perhaps!)

I don't have much to do during my 5-hour gap between classes today, so I'm sure I'll be blogging more later!

Happy Thursday!

One Sick Birdie

Something dreadful happened today - I took down my bird, Wendy's, cage to feed her and clean out the cage; and I noticed that she looked a little funny... she was kind of having a hard time standing, and it seemed like she was exhausted. I picked her up without a fight, which is very unusual for her....the poor little thing is really sick! I don't know what's wrong with her, but she's really really weak, and it looks like she hadn't touched her food in a few days. I feel so terrible. I just cried all morning. So I held her and she ate out of her bowl while I was holding it. She was probably so hungry, but she was took weak to climb her little ladder to get to her food bowl! And I've been so busy, I didn't even notice! I feel like such a horrible person! I have noticed that she's been staying at the bottom of her cage lately, but I just thought it was because that's where she lays her eggs, so she was just sitting on her "nest", which she likes to do anyway. I feel like such a horrible person right now, and a really irresponsible pet owner! How could I have not noticed she was sick???

The good news is, I made a little bed for her in a shoebox, with my fleece scarf and her bowl of food and water, and she's been cozy in there for a few hours now. She still seems really weak, but I put the bowl of food right next to her, and she has been eating from it here and there. I just hope she's ok!! Poor little Wendy. I even skipped my first class today to make sure she was ok, and eating. So far so good. I think she'll be ok as long as I can keep an eye on her and make sure she's eating enough. Hopefully then she'll get her strength back. :(

Grumble grumble grumble!

Oh man, I'm sleepy. I had lunch at Applebee's with Shi, which was delicious; but I ate entirely too much. And now I'm sleepy. It doesn't help that my 5:00 class has been cancelled... now I have nothing to do until 6:30. Yuck.

My *ahem* "special" friend here at school spotted me in the CUB today... of course, I just tried to ignore the fact that I'd been spotted, and typed away on my laptop with my headphones on. He just stood there, right beside my table, and stared at me until I (sigh) finally looked up and acknowledged the fact that I knew he was standing above me, mouth-breathing. Bleh. He said the same thing as always: "Hi. What are you doing? That looks like fun. Is that a fun class? Do you have a lot of work to do? Looks hard." I just stare at the computer screen and either nod or shake my head, and occasionally muster a weak "uh-huh" and whatnot. I know, I sound like a terribly rude person, but this type of thing happens to me a lot. I can't find it in myself to be mean and just say, "I don't want to be your friend, and quite frankly, you're bothering me". So I just try to ignore, which is probably just as rude. Chris gets frustrated with me - he says I should just be mean so he gets the hint. I just can't be mean to people though. It would haunt me forever.

But today... I did nearly snap. He had (pre-meditatedly!) written his phone number on a piece of paper and had it ready to pull out of his pocket when he saw me. Good lord.

Him: Here's my phone number, in case you ever want to call me.

Me: I have a boyfriend.

Him: Ok, just as friends.

Me: No.

Him: Just let me get to know you as a friend!

Me: ....No. And now, I'm going to finish doing my homework. Bye.

I know, I could have handled that differently, but seriously, my brain just shuts down in these situations. I get so mad! Its like, I've been trying, very politely, to let you know that I am NOT interested in any way, shape, or form, for months now. I definitely have not EVER sent mixed messages, or given him the wrong impression. I have made it very clear that I am not to be bothered, and that he IS bothering me when I am quitely clearly just trying to do my homework, with my headphones on, or chatting with friends. Leave me alone! It finally reaches this point, wherein I just go blind and have no other option than to say NO. Now leave me alone!

Grrrr.

Good morning!

Hello! I'm just sitting here, getting ready to leave for school, and I thought I should pop in and say hello...so, hello!

Not too much really going on today... I think I'm in for a nice, easy day at school. There are only a few days of classes left, before finals week, so most of my classes have really slowed down. Thank goodness!

I'm so happy to finally have a few extra minutes, here and there, to peruse the streets of Etsy once again. I've found some really lovely stuff lately...now, if only I had the funds! Haha.

Speaking of, I've had my first negative experience selling on Etsy. A customer purchased my Edie doll (a month ago!) and asked if she could send a money order for payment. I don't normally accept that, but I figured I could give it a shot. I received a handwritten note in the mail a few days later, saying that payment would be sent the following Monday. Ok. Fine. Well, I never received payment. When the buyer first contacted me, I had checked her feedback, and she had 1 positive transaction, 0 neutral, 0 negative. Well, I've tried contacting her twice to find out why I haven't received payment yet; and today, I re-checked her feedback, out of curiosity. The buyer now has 1 positive, 2 neutral, and 2 negative. The 2 negative, and 1 of the neutral feedbacks left all say the same thing: "I never received payment, and can't get in contact with the customer". Its funny, too, because all of the "purchases" were of dolls of some sort. How strange! Anyway, I'm quite sad now because poor Edie doesn't have a home. I'm going to wait until tomorrow before I re-list her, in case the buyer decides to respond to my messages...but I'm not holding my breath. It is disappointing, though, because that's less money in my PayPal account, which means less money in my Lunch Fund! ;)

Anyway, back to business - I think I'll share a few Etsy lovelies I've found these past few days, Christmas-style!

Paper Ornaments by Sprouthead

A Bunny Christmas print by At Whim

Penguin Card by Angels by Joan

Taipei Scarf by TriciaRenee

And now, I'm off to the post office to send these little sweeties to their new home - hooray!

Black Friday....bleh!

How was everyones' Black Fridays? Did anyone go shopping? I had to be at work at 4:45 this morning. Not fun. But it really wasn't as busy as I had expected (or management, apparently)... it was actually almost a boring day. So let's not even bother with it.
On to the fun stuff..... my Christmas list! :D

Winter Bird Brooch by thymbyldesigns

Anna ring by mylittlestore Siena Alpaca Cowl by Silvia66
Earrings by tashamck
Leather ring by scabbyrobot

Of course, there's much more to be added to this list...this is just the Etsy-portion of it (so far)!

Happy Friday!

Its beginning to look a lot like....you know!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

I love Thanksgiving for a couple of reasons: turkey, of course (although my recently becoming vege-....er, flexi-tarian makes it a bit strange....but still), being with friends and family, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (I was there last Saturday!) - which, I might add, I am watching this very moment. But most of all, I love Thanksgiving because tomorrow is the day on which my mother has always brought out the Christmas decorations! In our house, its the official beginning of the Christmas season. And oh, how I do love Christmas. ♥

I've already set up one of my little trees....the other one is going up tonight!

And this was the scene around here (just for one day, though...boo) last week!

Macys in NY, the world's largest store, last Saturday - amazing!

Yesterday, Chris and I went Goodwill hunting and I found these little gems:

I truly think these are my most favorite thrifting treasures EVER! Aren't they just the cutest little things? So perfectly German and....wooden....I can't wait to hang them on my other tree tonight!!

Frye boots!!

Just added to the shop!

Vintage Frye (yes, Frye!!) brown leather boots, womens US size 8.

They are in great vintage condition! No scuffs on the leather, although I did find one very small tear and some slight creasing/wrinkling around the sides of the boots (natural for leather - see the third picture). The tiny scratch is on the left side of the right boot, and is really not noticeable at all. The inside soles are in great condition. The boots have a 3 1/2-inch heel, and a cute "Western" look. These look great with everything! Right now they'd look super-cute with tights and a dress! If these don't sell by Christmas, I'm definitely keeping them for myself!

*Note: They are marked size 8 on the inside of the boot, but they are definitely more like a 7 1/2! I wear a 7 1/2 and they fit me perfectly - if they were smaller they'd be uncomfortable. I would recommend these to someone who wears a size 7 or 7 1/2, not an 8!

** I do not have the shoebox for these boots, but they will be shipped in a shoebox that came with another pair of boots, for protection.