Hey, I've been featured!

Wickedly Chic has featured one of my necklaces in their Daily Ditties section!

Wickedly Chic is "the hottest destination for shoppers seeking advice and product recommendations from the world of Indie design and fashion."

(You know, I was Indie back when they were still just calling it "Weird"...)

Thank you, Liz!

And check out their whole site, they've got cool stuff tucked away all over the place. They've got a newsletter you can sign up for, too.

More Dark and Creepy

'Specially for Sandra Eileen....

This is Jay Long, one of my longtime favorite artists.

Funky and creepy, so of course I like it

The artwork of Ray Caesar

In which I give in to the demands of pop culture -

Well, I got tagged by Sandra Eileen - I'm supposed to list the top 5 blogs that I admire. I've been blogging for about 3 years, and never been tagged before. But now it's happened, and I feel obliged to participate. Of course, I felt obliged to go to the prom when someone asked me to, also, and I didn't enjoy it one bit. But this is less painful, and I'm not expected to grapple in the back seat afterwards, either. So here goes, in no particular order:

• Iggy, over at the Nattering Nabob. This is where I get my daily dose of politics without all the excessive proselytizing of other blogs. You either get it or you don't - if not, Iggy's not going to waste time trying to convince you, nor is he going to explain it to you. Plus, he has a wicked sense of humor.

• Timmy Cannibal, at Blogs Get Slaughtered. Not for the timid - Timmy says it like he feels it, and he doesn't care who he offends. He's the voice inside your head, screaming at the idiot in the supermarket who's blocking the aisle with their cart: "Hey, asshole! Maybe if you spent more time pushing the damn cart and less time blocking the aisle while you fill the cart up with junk food, you wouldn't be so FREAKIN' FAT!" Also provides a link to his late, lamented, doo-doo blog. (Definitely not for the faint of heart.) I have Timmy's picture taped to my bedroom ceiling.

• Shak, who used to be called The View from the Blender, but appears not to have a name at all now. Nonetheless, his is my favorite of the Live Journal, diary-type of blogs. He whines, he curses, he sobs, he laughs, and he manages to be entertaining as hell the whole time. And he does it all with an accent that he swears isn't Australian. Where else are you going to find all that?

• The Dilbert Blog. Not what you'd expect. Very rarely about office politics, Scott Adams' blog is one of the funniest and most intelligently written ones I've run across.

• Last, but most definitely not least, Sandra Eileen. An uplifting, articulate writer whose blog goes well with that first cup of coffee; a very talented jewelry artisan; and owner of possibly the world's cutest puppy! Check out some of her beautiful handcrafted jewelry, and then grab a cup of coffee and head over to her blog - she's 50% less annoying than Katie Couric, and with none of the calories! (Well, come on, as sugary as Katie is, she's got to be going straight to your hips!)

Etsy Artist - Lil Fish Studios

Lil Fish Studios -

"A sweet little wool birds nest fashioned from a felted wool sweater cuddles three real mother of pearl bead eggs and rests on a twig. It has a pin on the back so you can attach it to your purse, scarf, lapel, gift wrapping, you name it."

She also has some egg candles, some rockin' leather rings, and some other bits and pieces.

Etsy Artisan - Blossom Hill

These are too cute for words!

BlossomHill.etsy.com

"I have been making things from fabric ever since I was a little girl, when my Granny Mary taught me how to hand sew using a book I still have and treasure today (see all my tiny felt animal listings). Originally from England, I have lived in Norway, Africa and New Zealand. Finally settling in Canada with my husband Craig and two daughters' Jemma and Amber in the beautiful Province of Nova Scotia.

In my career as as a PA and translator (Norwegian)and a learning support assistant for grade 1 children, I have not always had time to sew. My two daughters' are my inspiration and I still like making things for little girls (even though my own are not 'so' little anymore). I love vintage household things, especially from the 1940's and 1950's. My collection of buttons is constantly growing and I am always on the look out for a new piece of fabric to use."

Sock - a - licious!

Etsy does it again! These are just too cool!

Available in lots of other colors.

From ilusoria.etsy.com

"Delia is a handmade studio in Portland OR that makes all kinds of things mostly from steel."

Blademaker - Etsy.com

Blademaker:

"With quality high carbon steel recovered from lumber mill saw blade, local wood and antler and a bit of alchemy, I make unique cutlery using traditional and sustainable methods. Our shop is powered by the sun through solar panels. We try to leave the lightest footprint possible and live sustainably."

Snagt

Weird and wonderful artwork!
Snagt.net

Barbara Chadwicke-Bland

Check out my friend Barb's webpage. She's a porcelain artist based in North Carolina. (Lately, she's been branching out into other formats, too.)

Precious Metal Clay

Shahasp Valentine makes some really nice jewelry from Precious Metal Clay.

Sundance

You probably know about the Sundance Channel, but you may not be aware that Robert Redford also has a wonderful catalog in which he features the work of some top notch artisans. Yes, the prices are high, but the money goes to support the Sundance Institute.

" In 1969, Robert Redford purchased land at the base of beautiful 12,000-foot Mount Timpanogos in Utah's Wasatch Mountains. This pristine place of natural beauty radiates splendors of giant pines and aspen trees, gurgling streams, sweet fragrant air, and fields of wildflowers. It has become the Sundance Village. The goal of the Sundance Village is to offer a community for art and nature that would foster artistic pursuits and recreational activity while preserving the naturally beautiful and unique environment of Sundance. At the base of the Village was a tiny store which guests would frequently write to, requesting special items they had seen while visiting Sundance.

Twenty years passed and requests for the store's unique offerings spread beyond the box canyon. People who had visited Sundance began to write back to the store from all over the country: "Do you have any more of that item, and could I get it sent to me?" and people they knew wrote, "I saw an item my friend purchased at Sundance. Would it be possible for me to buy one?""