Kimono are addictive, see?

I am totally digging on this! If you work with kimono, you'll understand.

Kimono dress-up game on Deviant Art by Tohlee. It's a flash game where you can dress your little lady in everything from full geisha gear to um, a corpse. It's a bit of an in-joke, really, the white kimono with the red splotches (blood!) that is worn right-over-left instead of left-over-right.

Just give a spin, it's fun, even if you don't know the rules or what all the gear is for!

Weaving hidden tapestries

It's been a while, I know. I haven't had time to focus on blogging (reading or writing) at all, lately, which is a shame since so many of you have such interesting things to say. To be honest, I don't much enjoy the holiday season, for many various reasons--some having to do with being the sort of person who doesn't care much for religion, some having to do with being the sort of person who doesn't care much for being told when and how to send gifts to people I care about--but here we are and I am busy making stuff to sell to stores so that they can sell it to other people, thereby turning the wheels of our great economy, blah blah blah.

My head hurts. Pretty much all the time, lately.

If you could see my studio space, you'd see me practically drowning in color. Great swaths of fabric are everywhere. Some of the fabrics are well-behaved and orderly with tags on them so I know how much there is on the bolt, stacked together by fiber (no mixing cottons and silks here), but others are not so compliant. They spill over the shelves, cascade off the tables, drape from the ironing board. They get into every corner and leave thread trails like sticky spider webs. We're forever pulling loose threads off our clothing and out of the vacuum cleaner where they clog up the brushes.

There are three different types of hand lotion sitting on my computer desk, just so my hands won't get dried out and snag the silks. My three meter long tape measure resides on the floor in a tangled heap, because any attempts to roll it up and keep it somewhere tidy inevitably backfire because then I can't find the damn thing. There is a box full of Japanese incense under my desk, and when I bend down to find a missing pencil or piece of note paper, I catch a whiff of that elegant and sublime aroma. "Reading for pleasure" means getting a new book through inter-library loan that covers a dye or weaving technique I've been trying to research. There's a perpetual stack of reference material by my bed, and I fall asleep sitting up almost every night.

Astrogeek puts up with all of this, probably because some days I remember to stop working and actually cook him a meal.

I've been told it takes 15 years to be an overnight success, which makes me about 3 years overdue. At this point, the best gift I could give my family is for me to be at least successful enough not to be stressing about paying the bills all the time. "How am I going to pay the bills" is the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last thing on my mind when I go to bed. 18 years of financial instability (tempered with intermittent episodes of gainful employment) can make a person edgy at times. I have almost everything I need to make it all work, to earn a living wage, but there is something missing. I'm not sure what, but it's something important. Gumption? An MBA? A swift kick in the ass? I just don't know.

Secret Santa Stuff

Jen over at Indie Fixx was selected as my Secret Santa from the Switchboards forum this year, and I had a great time picking out what to send. She writes a great shopping blog that showcases indie crafters like myself, so drop by and give her a read to see what is new and cool for the holidays, 'cos she knows her stuff!

New Directions

In the interest of keeping this blog on the light and fluffy side, I will be opening a new blog soon dealing with those who work with victims of domestic violence and rape. I'm still working out a title (suggestions, anyone?) and looking for a team to work with because this is not a project with only one voice, so if you have any good leads, please let me know.

I decided to start this new blog after finding out about Pretty Bird Woman House (post below), dealing with a domestic abuse situation right down the street and helping Astrogeek deal with his training (post below), all within about 3 days. If I don't speak about all of this, I'll have to scream, and speaking is often more productive. There are, of course, times when you really do just have to scream, but let's not go there just yet.

Everything is in the research phase right now because if there's one thing I've learned from owning a small business, it's that going off half cocked is a bad idea. Any words of wisdom from those of you more experienced bloggers out there would be much appreciated. I'll be posting here and around the blogosphere when the new blog is up and running. It will be more about the shelters themselves, not just victims' stories. There are so many stories, but I want to highlight the shelters so as to let people know what is available in their area and how they can help or get help.

Help your sisters in need

Man-who-keeps-my-toes-warm, a.k.a Astrogeek, is currently in training to follow his calling to aid those in crisis, specifically victims of violence and trauma. He comes home from these trainings looking drained and low, as if the gravity of all that information just drags him down, but he wants to serve so back he goes and absorbs more information. Hopefully the end result will be for him to be better equipped to aid those in need, not have a total mental breakdown from depressing-information-overload. Hey, there's a reason I don't watch TV and don't go out much: I know what's out there and I don't want to deal with it. The fact that he's willing to clean up the mess shows he's got more of a backbone that I do sometimes.

To that end, I promised FranIAm that I would pass this along. Please go to the Pretty Bird Woman House website, READ what they have to say, and donate. I'm cash poor right now, but they also request other items for use in the shelter, such as toiletries and clothing, and I know I can fulfill that request no problem, maybe even ask local resources to chip in.

I can't stop the war in Iraq or end all injustice in the world single handedly, but if I can help a woman in need, then at least I've done something. It doesn't seem like much, but if you've been that woman in need, you know it means a lot. So reach out a hand and help a Native sister, and don't forget to look around your own town to find a shelter in need. Please do all you can to help the helpers, as well as the victims. They both need you.

Oh Em Gee!

That's a direct quote from my daughter, who at the tender age of 13 talks in txtspk.

But this is so cool! Check out this page from the brand spankin' new Handmade Boutique that has my name on it! If you click through to the "Women's Apparel and Accessories" section, you'll also see Mohop Shoes and Becky Oh! Handbags. Another thing those ladies and I have in common besides appearing together is our absolutely amazing photographer, TS Harrington.

Here's a big thank you to Cristine at Handmade Boutique and Marie Cristine Jewelry for putting it all together.

Wicked Cool Mac Pride

I'm sitting at my desk as I type this, bouncing back and forth from one Mac to another, so it's obvious where my technological biases lie. And I love this: a pin made from those old, clunky Mac keyboard "apple" buttons. Available at Acorn Studios for as long as they last. Perfect for that geek in your life.

Gettin' nostalgic yet? I am.