I Just Feel Like Dancin'

Have you ever heard the song "I Just Feel Like Dancin'" by the Scissor Sisters? Well, I just feel like dancin'! So I put together this playlist of dance/club music. I hope you like the playlist! Right now I'm jamming to "I Like It" by Enrique. This song is stuck in my head!

I hope you are having fun during this time of the year! It can be stressful around this time, but just remember to stop and smell the roses or, in some cases, coffee! ツ

✳ Happy holidays! ✳

    Stephanie :)

What Are We Letting the Children WEAR???

I was in Wal-Mart and I found this shirt that really cracked me up! On a side note, I don't know why some people don't like Wal-Mart so much. To me it's like a giant mall that's open 24/7! It's great! If you are bored or have nothing better to do at like 2am, you can go to Wal-Mart and browse random stuff. In college, if I was up late, I would go to Wal-Mart and browse the snacks and shampoo. (Don't worry! I didn't combine the two. No shampoo on crackers for me! haha) Anwayz, back to the shirt! So I found this hilarious shirt at Wal-Mart. I was almost tempted to buy it. Almost. Underneath the innocent children movie's facade lies a disturbing underlying message. "I heart Woody"???


The innocence, the irony, the interpreted message, the shame! haha

 The shirt reads "I heart Woody" with Woody coming out of the heart. I am forever disturbed by this shirt and it's mixed messages. What further confuses me is his expressionless dangly hands. Maybe he's about to say something but he's really just smiling! But why is he smiling? *dun DUN dunnn* <-- scary music
Do you think children should be wearing this kind of shirt? The horror! lol
I think it would be really funny to see on an adult, but I also think it would be really wrong to be worn by an adult. However, it doesn't really seem like a children's shirt either. This shirt is so unique that it has fallen into the no-man's zone of shirt wearing. No one can wear it! Or they shall live in shame and confusion as to the real meaning of the shirt.

Must have 4!!!
In other news, I got a new set of porcelain dishes on clearance. The set serves 4. They don't match my glass set of dishes, but my boyfriend and I were getting tired of running out of plates. Four glass plates just doesn't cut it, when we are both lazy, anti-dish-washing people... So why not buy more? haha Anyway, I got kinda urked when I realized that one of the dinner plates had broken in the trip from the store to the house. I seriously contemplated driving back to the store and purchasing a box of plates just to replace the one, because I was feeling that OCD. I was like, "Must have 4. Must serve 4. AHHHHHH!!!!" After a few hours of stressing over having a complete set, I calmed down and realized I didn't need more plates. It didn't really make sense to buy 10 more, when I really only needed one more. I see the game they're playing! Haha, just kidding.

Lost in a Winter Wonderland!
I moved to Boise about six months ago. I have never lived in a place that snows this much. I prefer sunny warm weather. This is a picture of my backyard covered in snow.
LOOK! SNOW! SNOW! SNOOOOOOWWWWW!!!


I love the way snow looks. I just don't like freezing my ass off in it.

We shall see if I survive the winter! S:o <-- shocked face with my hairdo (lol) Thankfully, the snow covers the unsightly weeds in the backyard.

Holiday fun!
I hope you are having fun this holiday! I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, mostly because I love food! My favorite dish is the sweet potato - all mashed with butter and brown sugar. Yum! Thanksgiving just isn't right without the sweet potato! My least favorite dish used to be the stuffing. I hated it! I wouldn't eat it, but now I actually like stuffing. What has happened? I don't even know myself any more! haha I like stuffing now. :) My boyfriend and I were in the mall, and we tried the samples at Williams-Sonoma. Omg, their stuffing is AMAZING! :D You really have to try it. Seriously. It's that good! :)

Happy Holidays!
Stephanie

Pink Barbie Lips!

Tonight I successfully made Pink Barbie Lips! I combined three different lipsticks to create a pearly, pink plastic look. First I used a light pink matte lipstick. I used Wet n Wild 903C, which is cheap but you can use a different brand. Then I used a generous coat of bright pink lip gloss. For this I used Revlon Pink Pop Lipgloss. I put like two coats of it on top of the matte pink. Then I used a shimmery lip gloss as the final touch! I applied Rimmel Pink Taffy Royal Gloss on top just to add some shimmer, so it would not look flat. The result turned out quite well!

Oh, the love of make-up! It's like candy for your face!

Intermittent Exercise

     I was feeling particularly random in my last post. Perhaps this is because I'm an artist and the creative side of my brain was firing and making connections between seemingly unconnected things. :D Anyway, no matter. My car should be fixed. I'm picking it up today. Apparently the clutch master cylinder was broken and leaked the clutch fluid, which explains why the clutch pedal felt like a toy pedal. So the clutch master cylinder and fluid have been replaced, yay! :) I will be so happy to get my car back. Hopefully the squeaky belt will also be taken care of! Haha! My car needed serious maintenance. It went from me praying (I know right? me - an atheist - praying?) that it wouldn't break down between my crazy schedule of going between classes and work, to now, it mostly sits in the garage, not being driven. I love my manual car. It's so much fun to drive.
     I am trying to avoid the Halloween candy, unsuccessfully. All the mini kitkat's are gone (thanks to me! :D), and now there are a few mini snicker's left. There aren't too many left, since I ate most of them yesterday, haha! Exercising should help me reach my weight goal, if this is how I'm going to continue devouring all candy in sight! But exercising conflicts with using all my available time to prepare for the boutique this weekend. I know, I know, I should make time to exercise. It's just that I am very distracted at the moment. After the boutique, I shall surely start exercising. :)
     I bought an app for my phone a while ago, where I can track my habits and completion of my goals. According to my habits history, I tend to workout for two weeks, which is followed by a week of complete laziness. The guilt and shame of being completely lazy for a whole week and slacking off on my exercise schedule (which by the way is a completely do-able 4 times a week of 30 minutes or more of exercise) then throttles me back into exercising for two weeks, where I am determined to break my lazy habit of slacking off.
     My last blog, which told of the hardships of having boobs, may have disturbed some. Trust me, this is not the most disturbing thing I have ever said. :D In fact, there's more to come! Happy reading!
- Stephanie
PS. I'm still working on the new scarf! Pictures will be posted as soon as I'm done with it.
PSS. I watched the most amazing movie yesterday! It's called The Other Side of Sunday and it totally tickled my brain. It is now one of my favorite movies, and I'm so adding it to my Movie Picks page. :) I'm not going to spill the beans on this one; you'll have to watch it to know what I mean about the brain tickling.

Halloween Candy Eating Binge

     I'm eating tons of leftover Halloween candy. There doesn't seem to be many children in my neighborhood, which is superprising since the area appears to be master planned. Maybe there's a swankier, candy-filled neighborhood where all the people usually go? Eating all this candy is counter-productive, since I'm trying to lose weight... I was 125 lb when I moved here to Boise from Las Vegas; I like to think it was weight from going to college and working part-time. I didn't have time to exercise or eat right. Lately, my weight has been pretty crazy. It floats up and down between 123 and 120 lb. My goal is to get down to 115 lb. I was 110 lb about six years ago, and I was 98 lb in high school. I think my goal of 115 lb is more realistic than 110 lb, that way I won't give up on my goal because it will be too difficult.
     Honestly, part of the reason that I am trying to lose weight, apart from looking and feeling better, is to go down a cup size. This may seem like TMI (too much information) - if so, might want to stop reading, haha! - but I felt more comfortable as a C cup. This D cup size bothers me; it's too much boobage. It's taken me years to get used to my boobs. (I still don't think I'm used to them.) My paranoid mind worries about, "What if I get pregnant and my boobs become E's?!" I am already uncomfortable with D's; what if they get bigger?? So this prompted me to lose weight. Plus, I have time to be healthier.
     I don't know about you, but having boobs is weird! When I exercise, they move and it's kind of distracting, even to me! Haha! I kinda wish I didn't have boobs. I mean, yeah, they look great and add to my femininity, but most of the time they are just annoying. You have to get the right size bra, and sometimes the wire in the bra rubs or pokes you, causing discomfort. I made the mistake of buying a cheap bra, and now I have a scar from where it rubbed my skin. And it's not like you can go without a bra! I mean, what if people see your nipples?? Nobody needs to know what room temperature it is! I'm not a weather girl. That's for sure.
     Anyway, I'm sitting here on my couch, eating Halloween candy and watching one of my favorite TV shows (Criminal Minds :), and working on a new scarf. Pictures of the new scarf to appear soon! No worries. :)
     In other random news, my car is in the shop. My poor Honda has been difficult to get into gear this past week and a half. Something is definitely wrong with it, because it wouldn't shift into reverse this morning. The gear didn't catch and made a grinding sound. :( I luv my Honda... I hope it gets fixed soon.
     Have you checked out Twinkie Chan's new crochet book? I think it's pretty cool. There's nothing else on the book market like it. Most crochet books are for old ladies, with nothing hip and cool! Her book is very stylized and cute. :) (I love the cute tattoo down her arm!) The book looks great! I had to buy one and support a fellow handmade artisan. :)
     For my Lightning Cat shop, I have been pondering the idea of donating a portion of profits to a charity. The charity I had in mind was Olive Crest. I have donated to this charity before, and I trust them to be reputable in their mission to help abused children.

NEW! Crocheted Pumpkin Scarf

This Pumpkin Scarf is crocheted by me! :) It took me about 6 hours and 45 minutes to make this scarf. You can see 9 pumpkins in a row, with alternating stump directions. The green stumps are sewn onto both sides of each pumpkin; so the scarf is reversible and you won't see any obnoxious stitch marks. Made of soft yarn, this scarf is the perfect holiday gift!

This scarf is my original design. :) Replication of my design is not permitted.

In other news,,, I will be selling my handmade awesomeness!! (aka my handmade goods) at the St. Mark's Noel Boutique in Boise, Idaho on Saturday and Sunday, November 13-14th! I hope to see all the local handmade-lovers there! :D

Wishing you happy holidays!
- Stephanie :)

La Bomba!

La Bomba is a cute, happy bomb with a lit fuse! "Your friends make you mad? Blow them up with this cute bomb!" :D Have fun playing with this cute doll!

Each La Bomba takes me about an hour and 45 minutues to make. The yarn is soft and the lit part of the fuse is fluffy and soft. So you can throw it at your friend, and ✶ ✷ ✸ ✹ BOOM! ✹ ✸ ✷ ✶ Instant payback! Haha

This cute bomb disintegrates any quarrel with your friends, guaranteed. ;)


Click here to buy this cute doll online!




Please note: This is my original design. Replication of this doll is not permitted. Disintegration of quarrels are not actually guaranteed, but La Bomb is pretty darn cute!

Facebook Duel!

Click on the image below to read about the battle that ensued on Facebook! The dear heart of Professor Snape was at stake!



Click on it. You know you want to. MU hahahaha!!!

Flirting is Evil

     Okay so this girl, and this was a few years ago at a conference mind you, she flirted with me. It was sudden and it was random. I was in my hotel room and she pops in to chat. Perhaps that is an understatement. She hops into bed with me and swings her legs over me and is chatting with me like normal – all bubbly and cute. I am stunned but I don’t mind, because I think women are beautiful, and she happens to be a really sweet (and cute!) person. So I go along with the chat, like I wasn’t stunned/shocked/surprised (can’t find quite the right word). Just as quick as she hopped in bed with me, she hops out and goes about her conference day.

     I put it out of my mind, like maybe she wasn’t serious. Later that day, my buddy tells me that she was going around telling people that she quote “seduced” me. I am now utterly confused? So she was up to something. I had no idea she had those feelings for me. However, time goes by and nothing like that ever happens again, and there was no mention of it by her.

     I have come to the conclusion that flirting is evil, especially when you have no intention on going any further. I admit I have been guilty of doing this myself, but now that I am on the other end, it is quite unpleasant and greatly confusing. What brought on this random rant, you may ask? Well I received an email that she unsubscribed from my newsletter, and it brought up an old memory. So here I am ranting about the evils of unintentional flirting (well perhaps it was intentional but the outcome was moot). *Urg* (frustration).

     Anyway, just thought I would vent. Feel free to comment about the evils of flirting.

New shop on Zazzle.com

I opened a shop on Zazzle.com today. I figured it made the most sense, money-wise. This way I can upload as many of my designs as I want, without expending all the capital to have them manufactured. Yay! :)

Click here to see my shop on Zazzle.com. I've already posted my Jack O'Lantern drawing as a customizable t-shirt and tote bag.

A friend of mine hooked me up with a free newsletter program. So the Lightning Cat catalogs are totally free! You can sign up for my newsletter mailing list here. I also put a sign up box in the right column of this blog, where it says Join Our Mailing List.

Happy Shopping!
Stephanie

P.S. I know I was totally late (according to my Oct. 1st deadline) with sending out the October Catalog. I'm such a slacker. :P I hope you enjoy my hand-drawn jack o'lantern on the cover! :)

Skater Boys

This blog is about my high school infatuation with skater boys and my reflection on this important time in my life that shaped the person I am today. Feel free to comment. 

     In high school, I really liked skater boys, their spiked hair, skater clothes, and the fact that they could skateboard. I decided that I wanted to hang out with them. But what would we have to talk about? I figured the key to being accepted by them was to listen to the same music. I started listening to rock and metal music, like Papa Roach and Slipknot. I had a headache for a straight month, but I was determined to fit in with the skater boys. After listening to rock/metal music, I realized there weren't drums and guitars in pop music and wondered how pop music was made without instruments. The more I listened to rock and metal, the more silly pop “musicians” looked. I found that I identified more with the lyrics in rock music. I didn’t care about popularity or looking like everyone else. I got really into the band Powerman 5000 (or Pm5k for short). I even made "Pm5k" clothes. I sewed black lace onto a black jean cutoff skirt and painted the Pm5k scull on the pocket. I also took an old blue jean jacket (pictured to the right) and painted Pm5k stuff all over the back and front. It was a badass jacket. When I felt like liberty spiking my hair, I would wear my badass jacket to school. 

     My mother was horrified at what I wore out. I didn't do it to get on her nerves; that was just an added bonus. ;) Before high school, I was quote "the perfect child," according to my mother. As I got older, I decided I didn't want to be a doormat any more, because it sucked. Nobody respects a doormat. I decided I wanted more from life.

     This time in my life was very important to me, because this is when I really started to change myself. I was determined to not make the same mistakes as my parents. My mother raised me to courteous and put others' happiness and comfort above my own. She taught me to not expect anything in return. She didn't demand respect. I felt there was something wrong with that. This is part of the reason why I am the person I am today. I strive to be successful, and I urge others to demand respect in their lives.

   Despite the vow I made at eight years old to never be anything like my parents, I find that, as I become older, I grow more and more like them. Or perhaps I am just seeing them for who they really are, and I see their likeness in me. Today, I am not entirely repulsed by the idea of being similar to my parents. They are my parents after all. I have discovered that my real fear is of failure. I am deeply afraid of not being successful and even more afraid of being in a failed relationship.

Bubble Necklace and Sunglasses

I am back from vacation and my shop is back online! I added a new Accessories section where you can find the hats, keychains and sunglasses. The Cute Happy, Purring and Crying Kitty Keychains are back in stock!

I am working hard core on the October Catalog. It will have all kinds of new Halloween goodies! This will be Lightning Cat’s very first catalog. So I am quite excited about its upcoming publication on October 1st.

NEW! Bubble Necklace and Sunglasses

To sign up for the October Catalog, email me at stephanme.etsy@gmail.com. Otherwise, catalogs will be $3 plus shipping, available for purchase at my online shop.

Happy shopping!
- Stephanie

Vacation Notice

Tomorrow is my birthday! :) I'm turning 24. I will be on vacation for the next few weeks starting this Friday. I am visiting my family in Las Vegas. Yay! I've been needing a break.

So if you were planning to make a purchase in my shop, please do so in the next two days, and I will ship paid orders out before I leave. On Friday, I will be setting my shop to Vaction mode, and customers will not be able to purchase anything or peruse my Etsy items until I get back. If you miss my shop and just want to peruse all the cool stuff, don't forget my facebook page! I post a lot of my item pictures on facebook. Feel free to fan my page (if you haven't already) and comment on photos.

Other News... I'm still working on a crocheted cat hat with ears. The ears are not coming out how I would like them. For my first attempt, the ears were too forward and close together. I also thought they were too small. So I made bigger ears for the second one. They might be a little too big, but I like their triangular shape. I tried to give them a 3D effect by folding the inner part of the ear and attaching them to the hat that way. However, as you can see in the picture, I spaced the ears too far apart and it looks like a bat hat? As you may notice, I also tried to stitch in a lightning bolt in gold yarn. Haha :) It's an imperfect bolt. (lol) I think I will make the next bolt out of felt. I will try again later, after my much needed vacation. ;)

What do you think? Bat hats for Halloween? Feel free to comment. Be sure to follow my blog!

New Crocheted Hats

New crocheted hats have been added to the Lightning Cat shop! I made my first crocheted hat on August 24th. Since then I have made a total of five crocheted hats. I am currently perfecting a Lightning Cat hat with ears and a lightning bolt. It takes a few hours to make each hat. They are definitely made with love. ♥ :) Two days ago, my boyfriend helped me photograph the new hats and new jewelry. For the photographs, I wore my favorite blue shirt and put on some colorful blue eyeshadow to match. ;) This was my first attempt at smoky eye makeup! I think the photographs turned out quite well. :) I have more ideas for new hats. So keep your eyes peeled for new items in my shop! :) I will also be posting more jewelry. So look out!

NEW! Stuff

I just raided Michaels Arts and Crafts today. I made a great necklace and a flirty pair of earrings. Here's a little preview!

One Love Necklace

While making this necklace, I was thinking about "love." The pendant says "One Love." I have questions about what it is intended to mean. Initially I thought "Oh, it must mean there's only one love for me," but then I was thinking, "That's not really true." I mean, I thought I loved someone in high school but that didn't work out. Is there really "One Love"? And so I started thinking about it in a different way... What if "One Love" is the love you have for yourself? You can't love anyone else until you love yourself. Now, I think the necklace represents love for yourself. Don't buy it because you love someone else. Buy it because you love yourself. One Love.

Flirty Asian-Inspired Earrings

From my mind, I have created ... the Flirty Asian-Inspired Earrings! mu hahhaa :D I am often drawn to Asian themed artwork and accessories. It's different from what I know in American culture and is very beautiful. I thought the heart-shaped coins were very unique! Stuff like that just tickles my brain. :) ♥ I love the real fans! ♥ They are usually large and painted with beautiful scenery. :)

In other news.... I just received my bachelor's diploma today! :D I am an official, certified engineering nerd! :) Sweet!

Recent Projects - Includes Preview of New Earrings!

I am working on my newest creation, Fruit Salad Earrings! I finished one earring. It's very bright and colorful, not to mention fruity (haha). Now, I just have to finish the other earring and create a matching necklace or bracelet. Here's a little preview. :)

Fruit Salad Earring Preview

This Fruit Salad Earring is made with vintage fruit beads and bright silver chain and findings. I also have more charms coming in, including new Long-Earred Bunny charms. I am working on an October catalog as well. If you would like to receive Lightning Cat catalogs in the mail or via email, just send me your address or email at stephanme.esty@gmail.com It's free for you to sign up!

I am also thinking about drawing portraits of some of my celebrity crushes mentioned in My Celebrity Crushes blog.

My Celebrity Crushes

This is a chronological compilation of my celebrity crushes and how they've evolved over the years. I just thought this would be an interesting post. Feel free to comment and profess your crushing on celebrities. :) 

Let's Start At the Beginning

My crushing did not start with celebrities. It started with a Disney movie about Mermaids. As a child I fantasized about being a mermaid and having a mermaid lover.

In My Pre-Teens and Obsessed with Power Figures

Most of my crushes in middle school were powerful or villainous figures. I enjoyed watching numerous scary movies, and I often rooted for the villain or serial killer, because they were often more interesting. Plus, the victims in the movies were often pathetic and retarded. Why do they trip and fall down when the serial killer is chasing them and then just sit there and scream? It's like Hello, get up and run!

I had crushes on villains and vampires. At the time, Interview with a Vampire was one of my favorite movies. My other favorite movie was Judge Dredd. I had a crush on both the villain (Armand Assante) and the hero (Sylvester Stallone) in this movie. I also had a short-lived crush on George Cluney - why? I don't know. I must have been watching the show E.R. and developed the crush which quickly died.

I also developed a crush on Superman. No, not the movie character Superman but the cartoon Superman. The cartoon Superman is so much more attractive than any of the real-life Superman actors.

In High School and Evolving

I began to evolve out of the whole villain/vampire stage and gain interest in characters with more depth. We finally got cable television in the house. I started watching Kids in the Hall, Absolutely Fabulous, and crime dramas like CSI and Law & Order. I didn't know what I had been missing!

While watching Law & Order, I developed a crush on Chris Noth. I thought Chris Noth's character was strong and tormented. His sarcastic smile and defined nose are so attractive.

At the time, one of my favorite movies was (and still is) Rosencratz and Guildenstern Are Dead. The movie is loaded with witty banter between the main characters (Tim Roth and Gary Oldman). I can't decide which I had the bigger crush on, Tim Roth or Gary Oldman. Both of them were adorable in that movie. Nothing is more attractive than a witty, intelligent personality.

For a while, I had a crush on Edward Norton after watching Fight Club. I also developed crushes on Damian Lewis and Alan Rickman.

I first noticed Damian Lewis while watching a British soap called the Forsyte Saga. He was awesome in the movie Dreamcatcher. Damian Lewis is absolutely the hottest redhead I have ever seen! He has awesome red hair and glowy blue eyes. Perhaps it is because I am an artist and I pay attention to colors and their different hues, but I absolutely love how the pink color of his eyelids pairs with the light blond eyelashes.
The number one attractive characteristic about Alan Rickman is his baritone voice. His sarcastic tone and dark personality make his portrayal of Professor Snape off-the-charts sexy! I have three words to describe Alan Rickman:
SEXY, SEXY, SEXY!

Any day he wants to marry me is fine with me! :) (Haha I'm just kidding. That would probably never happen.)

In College...
There should be a television show called Desperate Full-Time Students. (lol) Engineering classes are a lot of work. Here's to procrastinating and watching television when I should be doing my homework! Let me just say... Who wants to solve engineering problems when CSI is on?

In college, I developed a crush on CSI's Grissom (William Petersen). He has a lovable face and the all-important nerd factor. In CSI, I identified with his character, specifically his aversion to politics and inquisitive personality.

After watching the movie Gia, I developed a crush on Angelina Jolie. She has such a free personality, which is extremely attractive, perhaps because I want to feel that free.

I also developed crushes on the actor from the movie The Professional (Jean Reno) and the actor from the show Medium (Jake Weber).

My most recent crushes are Mandy Patinkin from Criminal Minds and pop star Lady Gaga.

Mandy Patinkin is intense and masculine. He was also in Dead Like Me, which is an awesome show. In the show Dead Like Me, his personality is difficult to define, which makes him all the more interesting to me. He seems very confident and knows where to draw the line with people. Unfortunately, he is not in continuing episodes of Criminal Minds. :(

Lady Gaga is fascinating and lovable. She is so artistic and creative in her performances. I identify with a great deal of what she says. Lady Gaga is indescribable and beautiful. It seems like she wants everyone to see her work and not get caught up on labels.





Reflection
Writing this post told me a lot about myself. In my pre-teens I was obsessed with power figures probably because my parents had divorced and I felt powerless to keep my family together. As a teenager, I started to grow out the villain obsession and gain interest in characters with more depth. At that age, I was discovering who I was as a person. It makes sense that I crushed on different types of characters, because I didn't even know who I was yet. As I started learning more about myself in college, the multitude of characters I was attracted to started to narrow.

Looking at my compilation of celebrity crushes has shown me how I have changed over the years. Now that I am out of college, my tastes and interests are still changing. Because of my engineering education, I am still an enginerd (or engineering nerd), but I have kept my devotion and interest in art.

Top Indie Bands & Their Best Songs

Here is a list of 15 top indie bands followed by their best song. Clicking on the song title will take you to Amazon.com where you can purchase the song or add it to your wish list. Enjoy!

1. Florence and the Machine - Dog Days Are Over
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Date With The Night
3. Dragonette - Liar
4. Sangtigold - Anne
5. Gossip - Dimestore Diamond
6. MGMT - Electric Feel
7. Elizabeth & the Catapult - Hit The Wall
8. Xx - Crystalised
9. Ladyhawke - Magic
10. Lykke Li - I'm Good, I'm Gone
11. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Around The Bend
12. Eisely - I Could Be There For You (Album Version)
13. Bat for Lashes - Sleep Alone
14. La Roux - Bulletproof
15. Metric - Help I'm Alive

In terms of best albums, Florence and the Machine's Lungs, Dragonette's Fixin to Thrill, Santigold's Santogold, and Metric's Fantasies are all excellent.

This list is the result of many hours of searching for good Indie music. All of the bands and songs listed are what I personally listen to. If you enjoy the same type of music as I do, then I may have a few good music suggestions for you. All the links go to Amazon.com because Blogger has this cool thing where if someone reads my blog and buys the item listed on my blog via a link, then I get a small percentage of their buy. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't buy songs from Amazon.com myself. I stray away from buying songs from iTunes because they have their own format. I prefer to buy my music from Amazon 'cause I can do whatever I want with the song. I'm not limited by the iTunes format. Anyways, enjoy the music listed above. :)

See My New Posts!

I recently opened a new shop on Etsy called LightningCat. I am very excited to start building the Lightning Cat name. :)

I have been working like a busy bee to create new and interesting things to post on my new shop. Take a look... at Lightning Cat!

In my previous blog (New Items) I listed out the things that I planned to make. Since posting that blog, I have made an assortment of things, including clay pendants, clay magnets, necklaces and bracelets. I have recently made the clay pendants into keychains (choco cupcake and choco heart). And check out my Fruit Magnet Set! You can check out all my NEW! necklaces and bracelets on Lightning Cat. The Eggplant Necklace is getting a lot of views!

On my previous blog, I also listed powerpoint templates and more original drawings. I am not sure if originally designed powerpoint templates count as handmade? I will have to ask Etsy. Also on the radar, I am in the midst of graduating from college and moving to Idaho. With all the graduation and moving preparations & arrangements, I have not been able to sit down and work on more original drawing Just Yet! I will be very happy when I get my new drawing room setup. These past few weeks, I have been focusing the majority of my time on graduating, moving, and making jewelry. I'm all jewelry-ed out right now. I think I will be starting new and different projects soon. So stay tuned and visit my store!

Have a nice day :)

- Stephanie

New Items

I am brainstorming new items to post on Etsy. My objective is to make unique and creative works of art, whether it's a drawing or jewelry. I put my heart and soul into all my work. I don't want to be like the crowd and just makes what's popular. I appreciate originality and that's what I bring to my shop.

New items that I will be making....

• small clay pendants
• clay magnets
• keychains
• necklaces
• bracelets
• powerpoint templates
• and of course, more original drawings

Earlier this week, I made the switch from making necklaces with stretchy cord to making them with metal. I am very pleased with the outcome! I will be posting my fresh and new necklaces on my shop this weekend.

I often see the same powerpoint templates used over and over again. It's time for something new and interesting! And of course, functional. I will be putting together powerpoint templates with professionals and students in mind. I was very displeased when Microsoft no longer offered free templates in 2003 format. So I will be making my templates available in both 2007 and 2003 format. :P Ha!

I have laid quite a bit of work for myself. I will be posting quite a few things this weekend and next week. :D If you would like to be notified of my postings, you can follow me on twitter. Have a nice day!

My First Blog

Welcome to my blog! This my first blog on blogger.com

I just opened my Etsy shop last month. It has been both an exciting and at times frustrating process. The prospect of people enjoying and possibly buying my jewelry and artwork is exciting! A few arguments with my sweetheart arose when we disagreed about things like shipping costs and shop policies. Now that I look back the disagreements were silly. We are both logical persons but we do not have much experience running a business. I have always wanted to own my own business, but I had no idea about the actual work involved. I find that a great deal of the work is decision-making.

My interest in selling my artwork and crafts most likely started with First Friday. First Friday is an art event in downtown Las Vegas. There is live music and all kinds of art and handmade goodies for sale. Initially, I thought of joining First Friday and hosting a booth myself. However, I thought that the venue might be limiting. First Friday gets a lot of foot traffic, but I was not sure I wanted to sell only to Las Vegans and passing tourists.

Later, I came across Etsy.com. An article about popular websites mentioned Etsy.com. After I visited Etsy.com, a new world had opened up! I became so inspired! There are so many talented people selling their handmade goods. Just look at what some of these people can do with clay. It's amazing!

After joining as a buyer in August 2009, I made the leap to seller just last month! It has been fun; it has been crazy; but mostly, it has been amazing! I have opened myself up to the indie world and I cannot wait to see what will happen next.