wrap your karma around me baby

we live in a world where we expect the worst. it's almost funny that we're surprised when someone is nice to us. i joined etsy exactly 2 months ago and i'm getting used to the abnormal pleasure of consistently decent, kind people. you ask a question on the forums, you get patient, detailed answers..you get links, you get tutorials, you get laughs..and a lot of them come from your competitors. i'm enjoying myself almost to the point of feeling guilty about it..and i'm learning how to run a business from these men and women who share their tips and tricks and positive encouragment. someone makes their first sale..everyone posts and cheers them on, someone can't make a sale..everyone rallies and tells them not to give up. we really are a community in the best sense of the word, and for my part , i'd like to shine a light on some of the best i've met so far.

goodkarmasoaps.etsy.com- true to the name of her shop..she posted a thread to give away a help booklet to anyone that had done something nice for someone else. and fabulous soap!

betafly.etsy.com--kind, helpful,in any thread, willing to share tips and advice. great shop

lilacpop.etsy.com--encouraging,positive, helpful...always.gorgeous pieces

crochetgal.etsy.com--welcoming,with encouragement and laughs for a newbie (me), great pieces

kiwigemwraps.etsy.com--excellent,fair but gentle critiques.,beautiful jewelry

latherinluxury.etsy.com--a new seller, with a great lavendar soap that drove my man crazy.

so now do something for me..it's just gonna take you a minute to check out these wonderful etsy shops..you'll probably find something new, something you like..maybe even make a purchase..or start a new friendship or, make a sale of your own. but most importantly, you'll be passing the good karma on..being nice for no particular reason than it just feels so damn good..peace out ..share the love.

they say it's your birthday

every year , on this day, i am older. i look forward to my birthday like a child. i'd expect balloons, and clowns and confetti and times square at midnight excitement..i wanted everyone to know and make a big deal and feel like i was sooo special. and until recently, i was always a little disappointed. over the last two years, as i 've gotten older than i'd like to admit on these pages, i've realized that the gift is your birthday itself.. for every year, if you're lucky, you get smarter and hipper and cooler and yeah, even sexier, because if you are really lucky like me, you finally learn to love yourself. it's been a lifetime of getting to know myself and trust myself and like myself..and boy ,was it hard! i had my list..i'm too short, i need to lose weight, my hair is too curly, i'm not a good enough artist, mother, friend, lover,..i know that you're all out there with lists of your own..throw them away!! start the "i love myself" movement! believe in your ability and worth and embrace your goofy face, and imperfect smile and little boobs, big boobs, straight hair, curly hair, upper lip moustache..and trust all the people that love you to have excellent judgement..every day feels like my birthday now, because i like who i am..and i wish all of you a happy birthday every day of your lives too.(and just for the record, i'm celebrating the **th anniversary of my 25th birthday)

looking forward to better days

you know how some days just wear you down..? you feel beat up and all "woe is me" and then something simple can turn it all around.. i'm feeling sick, my ear hurts, no one wants to buy my stuff (waaaaa!!), i have no money, the bills are piled on my drawing board..a lone tear trickles down my cheek................AND THEN! i see that someone has joined my blog as a follower, and she's left a really nice comment on a blog i wrote, and she's featured me on HER blog (i've never been featured anywhere!!) and she's a new customer of mine, who liked the bookends i made for her..so here's a BIG shoutout and thank you to DarlingDazzlesBowtique, a fellow etsyian, njteam member, and very talented crafter in her own right..check out her shop..you'll love it..and thanx "D" you made me feel sooooo good!!
go see her @DarlingDazzlesBowtiq.etsy.com...and say that i sent you!

help me find myself

i'm lost..lost in a sea of web sites and bookmarks and hundreds of web commerce ideas and threads i need to read.. to learn about international shipping and free boxes and hidden ups pick charges, and google base and twitter and tweets( what the H#***!!) do you twit or tweet? what IS the exact term for twitter speak anyway?..where was i ? oh, yeah, and blogs , and blogging, and followers and following, and posting ( posting, not going postal) and tax id numbers and sales tax, and paypal, and hits, and clicks, and misses. when do i paint? eat . create? my pinky has a cramp from holding it up in the air while i type like a five year old child who's just learned how to spell..i still can't post a link..or reply to a twit..tweet, without either sending a direct message by mistake, or leaving something really important off the url. i'd give up and eat ice cream directly out of the container til i was disgusted with myself, but i can't..because i've finally started my online business, after years of saying i didn't know how, or i would never sell anything..and so i;m committed to this little baby i've given birth to..i will nurture her and tend to her needs, and i will take such good care of her that she will grow and be better than anything i'd ever imagined...and then , one day, she'll turn me ....but by then i will have read all the articles and plowed thru the twits and tweets , and i'll just start another store. take that , you ungrateful child.

mother's day

i woke up thinking about my mom today. that's not surprising..today is mother's day. but the thing i've been going over and over in my head, is how she never realized her worth as a person. she was a funny, sincere and kind woman. she was loving and supportive and extremely talented. and she never thought she was good enough. i remember becoming aware when i was a little girl, maybe 4 or 5 years old, that i could draw "just like my mom". every little girl wants to be like her mother ( and then she grows up and becomes her mother and has to have therapy for 1,00 years ) but that's another blog! she recognized my talent and nutured me and told me how good i was and provided positivity and encouragement every day of my life..but she couldn't do that for herself. and when i grew up and had children of my own, i realized "my mother", the woman who nagged me to clean up, and lose weight , and get married,and could at times drive me crazy (therapy reference) , was also just like me and a million of us...a girl who had dreams and hopes of being noticed for her talent and worth., but never could believe in herself, who never had a champion....and i began to see her in a new light..every time i create something, i think of how proud she would be.of me . and in my niece and my sons, i see pieces of her, as they create and shine. so here's to all of us..mother's ,sisters, women who struggle everyday to keep who they are and nuture it , in spite of being pulled in 200 directions . don't ever give up in your desire to be who you were meant to be..and never lose sight of your dreams.

the sisitine chapel

one of the things i dread most as a mural artist is being asked " can you paint some big fluffy clouds on the ceiling in the baby's room?" i hate that!!!..now don't get me wrong. i'm not a baby hater..love them. they're .sweet, cuddly,mushy and adorable (mostly..reference the ugly baby episode on seinfeld) the thing i hate is ceiling work. it's labor intensive, backbreaking work..you never get paid what it's really worth and you get paint in your hair (yes, i wear a cap), your eyes, and there isn't enough advil in the world to cure the pain you feel for the next two days. you balance on one leg, holding several brushes in one hand, a palette and /or rags/sponges in the other, trying not to fall off and to go up and down the ladder as little as possible. how did michaelangelo paint the sistine chapel? he must have been drugged beyond belief, tied to a scaffold, and fed chocolate and coffee til he finished..it confounds me..but back to the reason for this blog..i would like to teach those of you brave enough and foolish enough (joking..no really , joking) to paint big fluffy clouds in the baby's room, or grandpa's room or any room you choose.
Materials: 2 bottles (large) white acrylic paint ( i love deco brand white)
1 bottle (small) baby blue acrylic paint ( deco, americana..anything at Michael's)
heavy duty plastic plates, 1 large sea sponge, 2 kitchen sponges, cardboard,
ADVIL, and the muscle rub of your choice (mineral ice is good)

ok, this is hard work, but it's easy to do........paint the ceiling the color blue that most reminds you of the sky ( use flat, latex paint )..let dry for two days.
while the ceiling is drying, practice making clouds on the big flat piece of cardboard.

pour some white paint onto the plate...dip the sea sponge in it, getting the paint all over the side going into the paint (wear some disposable gloves) press the sponge onto the card board and dab it so that you make a wispy, not round shape...use a softer pressure of the sponge at the edges so that it almost looks transparent. if the paint looks very dense and solid on the cardboard, you used too much paint..press gently to get a "mottled" effect..you want some blue sky to show thru the cloud ( for now, some of the card board)...use the kitchen sponge( wet it and wring it out ) to blend the paint you've put down so that it starts to look fluffy ( press or dab until it looks soft).......
when it's almost dry, put some blue in another plate, mix it with some white to get soft, almost white blue color...dab on the "bottom part of your clouds, following the shape, so that you get some dimension and shadow...when you feel comfortable practicing, ( come on, stop practicing) start your ceiling.

remember to keep your shapes irregular.and not too round like cartoon clouds....
.look to the sky for inspiration...try to place them randomly on the ceiling so that you don't wind up with a row of clouds in a stripe effect (have someone watch you and make suggestions of where the next one should go, and basically infuriate you , since you are doing all the neck-bending, back wrenching, hard work- it's good to work in pairs . ha!)
SO! climb that ladder, take a deep breathe, don't look down and release your inner michaelangelo...remember, you can always repaint the ceiling!! good luck and peace, leslie/stymiepie

Welcome to my first blog!

i've officially entered the blogosphere!! hi to you all and welcome to stymiepie studios!! i hope you'll take a moment and look around, and come back and visit, please say hi, especially if you are a fellow artist and crafter. watch my blog for exciting news and giveaways, and once i recover from the excitement of actually writing something (ha!) i'll post something about myself and why i do what i do ..