Home Alone With Sunburn

I'm going to blame the sunburn for my current state of wacked out delirium in the hopes that some of you may actually believe it is the cause. The truth, however, is that when I get bored and I'm too tired/lazy/unmotivated to actually work on or start a project, I surf the internet until I find something distracting.

I'm sure it's a common occurrence, and I make no apologies. It's just that it would be cooler if you all thought I lived and breathed my lame crafting.

Tonight, while exploring the interwebs, I found a lovely website that featured insightful photographs of the contents of several young hipster's bags and purses.

I am now sharing (forcibly) the contents of MY purse with you, as I am just a little bit hipstergeek and veryvery bored. It is lame. I made it.



My rendition of this exercise is less interesting than the examples in my opinion, but since I see this crap every day, it's probably a normal complaint.

BONUS: I found my lost flash drive! Who would have thought I'd have put that in my purse?!?

Now, go do the same and send me links. We'll discuss what it means to be ourselves.

So You're Getting Married...

There's love in the air. The sky is blue, the flowers in bloom, and there are harps and birds and all that junk. My sister's good friend is having her bridal shower this weekend, and there was some joking about disregarding the registry and getting her an Elvis gravy boat. Which, then, of course, had to happen.





All of you who are currently planning a wedding, beware. I've got an affection for dumb decorative things anyway, and this is nearly perfect. Gravyboats and butter dishes for all of you!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Gifting Insecurity

I'm currently looking at my calendar for the fall season. With a newly acquired part time job, studio art classwork and all of my wonderful friends with events coming up, it's turning into a bit of a pain in the arse to schedule.

What's got me troubled more than anything else, more than money even, is the gift giving. I've got a number of birthdays and weddings and showers to attend this upcoming autumn, and I'm having serious doubts while thinking up gifts worthy of their recipients.



Come to think of it, I do this every holiday! Why do I work and fret so much when most of my family and friends just ask for a list of what I need, or call my sister for advice? In a world of gift cards, why am I so worried that my gifts aren't personal or valuable enough?

A lot of it is my own psychology, I'm sure. I'm a poor artist who constantly undervalues my own work. I don't sell what I make, I give it away. Lack of ambition? Low self worth? Lazy work ethic? Who knows? All of it! I'm complicated!

A large part is the fact that other, more commercial gifts have an obvious price tag. It's easy to gauge a person's perceived esteem for the recipient, and their level of intimacy and affection, since everyone will know exactly how much money was spent. How can a crafter compete with that? Especially if the gift occasionally doesn't turn out just as you'd prefer (i.e. it's a bit lame)?

Is it the cost of being friends with an artist that you get handmade gifts of questionable value? Should I just assume all of my friends and family know it's part of the deal? How does an artist or crafter know that the gifts they make are appreciated for their time and thoughtfulness, since there is no status imparted by accepting, as there is with a store bought item? Is it faith? Confidence? Blind devotion to ideals?

I've got horror stories of where my handmade gifts have ended up. I've also got a surprising number of things I've made that are kept in much more prominent locations than I'd ever anticipated. It reminds me that I'm making what amounts to thoughtful or silly decoration most of the time, and I really dislike giving people something they'll feel obligated to display.

I have no answers to these questions. I have some insight, but no sense of practical wisdom when it comes to my concerns on this topic. The Buddha doesn't have any thoughts of gift giving that I've read, so my usual source for generic insight isn't an option. I don't think Jesus was particularly concerned with the confusion that can surround gift selection and acceptance, though I honestly haven't asked. He's not my go-to guy when it comes to most things. Martha Stewart might have some input, but I just don't trust her to be reasonable.

I wonder what Leroy Green, after his self actualizing "I'm the master!" moment, would say about all of this.

*sigh*