She's Crafty

Alright Sacramento, we need to get it into gear.

We have very few handmade new-age craft fairs. I only know of Midtown Bazaar (every Saturday at I Street in between 16^th and 17^th) and the Whole Earth Festival in Davis (only once a year). My co-worker just introduced me to The Sacramento Craft and Flea (every 4^th Sunday of the month under the W Street freeway at 21^st). Haven’t been there yet, but I’m a little uneasy with the $3 entrance fee.

But what I’m looking for is epic. A new-age crafting explosion.

I’ve been waiting and waiting for July 9^th and 10^th for the amazing Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco. The fair started in Chicago and is now in London, Brooklyn, San Francisco, Austin and LA.

There’s also the The Finders Keepers in Australia. That would be a trip and a half.

These aren’t your grandma’s craft fair, folks. I’m talking great. It focuses on indie crafts and handmade goods. Imagine that everything you ever wanted to buy on ETSY was placed in a big room and there was good food and music to boot…and did I mention it’s FREE?

Brian’s brother, Brad, and awesome fiancée, Michaela, are getting married on the 9^th. They actually let me make their wedding cake toppers and help with some of the decorations (I felt so honored and excited to help. I’ve always been a nerd when it comes to that). Part the reason I want to go to the fair is to see if the stuff I make can hang with the “big boys” of craft. My poor mind has been going non-stop on what to make and the fact they liked what I made them only showed me that I need to update the crap out of my ETSY account.

I am excited to see how I will feel about making the 2 hour drive to the city the next morning. But in the name of “craft”, I shall try.

Sheeee's Baaaack

A lot has happened in 5 months.

-Graduated
-Applying for grad school
-Still working at the State (not a change, just a miracle that I haven't gone postal)
-Made an ETSY store
-Had my solo art show
-Survived my solo art show
-Actually sold some art
-Starting helping out at Bella Vista

Okay, maybe not that much but it sure feels like a lot has happened.

I guess it’s safe to say that the few months in between graduating and trying to figure what the heck I’m doing with my life have been a tad stressful…to say the least.
BUT I’m back. Not with a vengeance, not even with a plan. Just back.
I’m finally having one of those days where I just feel like everything is going to fall into place and if it doesn't then everything will be okay.

A drop of ink can make a million think

First, you should know that yesterday I felt that I wanted to rant and just pure complain. I had a whole list of things that I could have gone off on.
Today, I feel "normal" or as close as I can come. But, yesterday's crap all started with one ditz too many.
I have a tattoo on my foot that reads "Nothing is Forever". I understand the irony that it provides, but also I got it for a reason. I got it after feeling down too many times thinking about my grandmother's death. To me, it represents the idea that pain and suffering in some one's life is not going to last, so stop fretting. After I got the tattoo my mother told me that while my grandma was going through her divorce, her Polish mother used to soothe her by saying "nothing is forever". I took this as a sign of a idea rightly done.
Although I like my tattoo, I have become increasingly more annoyed. I cannot begin to count the amount of times I have had some nit-wit approach me and say "hey, your tattoo is forever". In the beginning I laughed it off, but now I am at the point of saying, "In the long scheme of life, the tattoo is not forever, and I am not forever." I hate sounding pompous and wish I wouldn't have to bring up the life cycle to total strangers.
I think the only thing that makes me sad about my tattoo is that NOW I feel more at peace about my grandma's passing. I think that it would be great to have the tattoo go full circle and become something new. I think about getting it covered by something a little more uplifting. Also, humor is my middle name and nothing would be more funny than physically putting an expiration date on it. In the meantime, I'll proudly display it and will just have to say a prayer for the next dumb-ass that thinks before they speak. Amen.