Why does Merlin Mann absolutely rock? Because he does. Not to mention, he writes amazingly profound bits of advice such as the one above. It is concise, motivating while not being preachy, douchebaggy "motivational speak", funny and Twitter friendly - under 140 characters!
I feel like just the first and last bits "Find Your Obsession / Get better" are the perfect pair to apply to life in general. I'm currently working on being more efficient, getting my priorities straight and having things set to prepare myself for a good future and an enjoyable today that allows for the madness that everyday life brings.
Watch the entire talk he gives on "How to Blog". The man is quite the genius when it comes to getting things done.
Bre Pettis from Etsy/Make has a new show pilot out:
"The pilot is all about Nikola Tesla and the war of the currents between Tesla and Edison. In the show I learn how to blow a neon tube, explore wireless electricity and build an AC generator from a bike. I also go to Boston to visit an MIT space lab to see how the principles that Tesla pioneered are being applied to space propulsion."
Sounds like an amazing show. Check it out tonight on the History Channel at 8pm and midnight.
A great little fashion blog called 17 Blocks from Barneys is now in print version. Kara, its editor, has decided to venture into the offline world and make a zine for all to enjoy. Being a New Yorker at heart and a fashionista, she does a great job at writing about recent trends with a sense of humor and spunk. Just my cup of tea :)
Other fashion blogs that I've been reading are The Sartorialist, Altamira NYC, and Flying Saucer. It's a nice mix: what's happening across New York City, Paris, Florence and the UK in different styles. Each blogger offers his/her audience a distinctive perspective, commentary and tips.
I'm looking forward to the fall. It's all about wooly knits and tweed - which means.. plenty knitting in store ;)
Several months ago, I made a custom pair of wristwarmers for Enchanted Droppings. It's my first pair which are textured and long with buttons.
Here they are posing with Mang's pig stapler: And here they are being modeled by Enchanted Droppings herself! It's a bit too warm in the office lately to wear them around here.. guess next time, I'll finish them before summer is around the corner ;)
So you may be wondering, 'whatever happened to mellowbeing's blog?' Well, there are quite a bit of reasons for why it hasn't been updated in a very long time.
Primarily, I've been quite the busy reader of *other* blogs! It all started out with getting hooked on yarnstorm's blog and finding myself going backwards in her posts and finally wondering, well what else could I have missed? So I went to the very first post in her blog and..read all the way to current day. Its very interesting reading when you read a blog that way. You get a nice sense of what the author(s) is/are trying to communicate to their audience. You start noticing trends like certain topics and concerns that keep popping up and it helps you learn several things in that manner.
I could blame it on a little case of OCD when it comes to these things but hey, keeps it all the more fun right? So nowadays, I usually read a few of these 'blogs' at a time. I get through several of them a day and by the end of the week, I've caught up with most of them. (there are really a lot of interesting posts somedays that I can't seem to skim over...)
I highly recommend the following:
ArsTechnica - tech - amazing insight into current legal/technical issues, etc. BoingBoing - ??? - absolutely random but cool stories/finds CatBishop - crafty - photo blog about some great handmade sculptures CRAFT Magazine - crafty - all crafts, all the time Crafty Daisies - crafty - awesome tutorials on embroidery, crochet, etc. Eggman Studios - crafty - lovely fellow craftster who makes beautiful paintings and polymer jewelry Engadget - tech - all about the latest/craziest gadgets coming out futuregirl - crafty - creates the cutest crochet purses and other crafty goodness Granny Along - crafty - progress with granny squares (this is more for future reference for me.. who knows when I'll get to one of my own) Haasome - crafty - fellow craftsperson who makes cutest aprons, bags, etc. Huffington Post - politics - left wing news source Inkberryblue - crafty - crochet projects w/photos, tutorials, etc. Jared In Kansas - crafty - gorgeous photography Lifehacker - tech - all you want to know about being a more effective, productive geek NYTimes - news - for the new yorker ;) Slashdot - tech - news for geeks; a little bit of everything Tigergirl - crafty - coolest jewelry around Whamodyne - crafty - all about the puttering and making cool things with cement, light bulbs and D&D dice ;) Yarnstorm - crafty - passionate about knitting, chocolate, gardening
So here's my list of 'blogs' that I like to read ( although a few of them aren't considered weblogs ) . Are there any you highly recommend me reading? I'd love to know what others are reading out there - I may have space to add a few more ;) I hope I've encouraged ya to read something new too - it's great spreading the love. Btw, i you aren't using it already, Google Reader rocks and you should start using it ASAP.
As known in the crafty world, Yarnstorm is a very popular blogger who writes about wine, chocolate, baking, crafts, etc. Based on her 'template' look of how she sets up a blog entry, I've based the following on this entry of hers.
A little while ago, I received this beautifully illustrated package from Michelle from Eggman Studios while at the office. It made a nice little break from the work day in a the windowless room.
(to cover up my address, I've used a work in progress of mine.. call it a sneak preview ;)
The tree stump print is a great piece of artwork - it was going on my wall as soon as I could figure out how to show it off properly. Now, what kind of craft geek would I be if I didn't turn this gift into a project? Welp, I was on a mission to recreate the white frame Michelle uses in her listings. I was a bit too eager to begin the project so I didn't get a shot of the print itself but I shall provide the one "borrowed" off her blog: And so, the crafty afternoon began by trying to figure out which materials to use. I started off by choosing: - some rich yellow felt - cardboard from an embroidery kit I apparently have - the necessary pencil and a sheet of 8"x11" graph paper. I was hoping to draw freehand the shape of the frame but in the end, I was getting very anal about the project and started to obsessively erase curves because they were too wide or tall on some sides. Best solution? Pick one corner you like best and just use that four ways. As shown here: The graph paper ended up being smaller than the cardboard paper so I had to draw it and redraw a larger version onto the felt that was about 3/4" wider. I kind of liked the edge once I looked at it longer but a hand drawn black edge looked a bit messy. Now, my knitting was sitting next to me.. so.. I had to incorporate it :) With my newly acquired embroidery skills so patiently taught to me by Haasome at Etsy's Cupcake Crafts Day, I was on my way to embroidering the green yarn onto the felt. Btw, is it just me or is this post really color coordinated? The pink from the knitting matches the postage stamp, the pencil matches the felt and the green brings out the grass in the painting. Hmm..
I was contemplating whether to mix it up and place the print next to my smaller postcards or to give it its own special area. In the end, I figured this will have to go in its own little nook above my crafty stash. Without my further ado, voila!
A few weeks ago while browsing the Etsy forums, I found a "Geeks, Nerds, etc" post where it was just a place for any geek/nerd/dork/whatever-you-want-to-call-yourself could hang out. I jumped in and mentioned my "Uber Geeky Pin" which has 42 printed in binary. You already have a Douglas Adams reference but to have it written in 0s and 1s? Well, that's just l33t. ;)
I had the pleasure of making the aquaintances of Whamodyne and NorthStarJewelry on the thread. They are some pretty cool geeks. Whamodyne ended up purchasing two pins from me, the "In Soviet Russia, Pin Reads You" pin and the Moo pin. Some pics Ray (aka Whamodyne) sent me: and: As Ray wrote me: This is my "guy purse" - my beat up, used, stained, torn, repaired butvery loved old map bag. It's where I keep my sketchbook and inspirationnotes and pens and a tape measure and my wallet and camera when I'm outhunting the next cool idea.
And Beth (NorthStarJewelry), was inspired by my 101010 pin and made herself a stamped pendant:(kinda hard to tell from the pic but at least you get to see one of my favorite ThinkGeek tshirts). Lastly, I want to do some promoting for their shops and show you my favorite items! You can find this Lightbulb Stand at Ray's shop. And the following Celtic Knot pendant from Beth's shop. You will find such neat treasures in their stores that you'll find it a hard time choosing just one thing :)
This entry has been in the works for quite a while and I've been quite the awful friend for not having written it up earlier and taken the appropriate pictures. A few months ago, I asked my friend Jessica from Haasome if she could make me a bag in this incredibly gorgeous teal material she uses for her wallets. ( I told her at some point that if I could, I'd marry the patterned cloth. heh )
The finished bag:
Jessica made it with such intense labor as she described in a well written blog entry about the process behind the bag. I have used it often since and appreciated it and today, I found the perfect little outfit to go out with it into a sultry 85 degree NYC day. Cute polka dot shirt and khaki shorts to go with my delicate, polka dot bag: I must show the inside of the bag - the deep turquoise colored lining with little pockets for all the little things I must carry with me (keys, phone, napkins apparently). A little bit of self promotion: my own crochet phone cozy! See, not only the owner of the cozy empire but also a member ;) Also please note my custom knitting needles I bought from Chelle last Christmas as a small gift to myself (or that was the excuse..) These are really great needles - I asked her to make them a custom length ( 8 inches ) as well since I was to use them in future train knitting that would facilitate my craftiness without poking those sitting near me. Also, the wood is so light that it doesn't tire me as my metal needles would. She's incredibly friendly and professional - definitely recommended for your knitting needles needs!I also highly recommend Jessica's (Haasome)'s shop! She has some very adorable wallets, pouches and aprons in her shop right now that you should definitely take a look at. I've been told that some purses of this sort would show up and hopefully this post will inspire some motivation. *hint hint* ;)
A few of weeks ago, Michelle from Eggman Studios, wrote a post on her blog asking if anyone would be interested in some less-than-perfect printouts from her printing experiments. I replied that I'd like one and she was very awesome to send me a perfect copy that was sales quality! I was secretly hoping she'd send the tree stump print she had written about but I would've been happy with any of her work :)
I received this beautifully illustrated package while at the office. It made a nice little break from the work day in a the windowless room and see some pretty colors heh.
(to cover up my address, I've used a work in progress of mine.. call it a sneak preview ;)
I did indeed receive the tree stump print :D It's a great piece of artwork - it was going on my wall as soon as I could figure out how to show it off properly. Now, what kind of craft geek would I be if I didn't turn this gift into a project? Welp, I was on a mission to recreate the white frame Michelle uses in her listings. I was a bit too eager to begin the project so I didn't get a shot of the print itself but I shall provide the one "borrowed" off her blog: And so, the crafty afternoon began by trying to figure out which materials to use. I started off by choosing some rich yellow felt, some cardboard from an embroidery kit I apparently have (I really need to revisit my stash more often) and the necessary pencil and graph paper. I was hoping to draw freehand the shape of the frame but in the end, I was getting very anal about the project and started to obsessively erase curves because they were too wide or tall on some sides. Best solution? Pick one corner you like best and just use that four ways. As shown here: The graph paper ended up being smaller than the cardboard paper so I had to draw it and redraw a larger version onto the felt that was about 3/4" wider. I kind of liked the edge once I looked at it longer but a hand drawn black edge looked a bit messy. Now, my knitting was sitting next to me.. so.. I had to incorporate it :) With my newly acquired embroidery skills so patiently taught to me by Haasome at Etsy's Cupcake Crafts Day, I was on my way to embroidering the green yarn onto the felt. Btw, is it just me or is this post really color coordinated? The pink from the knitting matches the postage stamp, the pencil matches the felt and the green brings out the grass in the painting. Hmm..
I was contemplating whether to mix it up and place the print next to my smaller postcards or to give it its own special area. In the end, I figured this will have to go in its own little nook above my crafty stash. Without my further ado, voila!
I've been meaning to write for some time now and of course I have a few ideas of what to write next but taking pictures of the things I'd like to show you has been hindering this process. So instead, I shall show you a photo someone else took!
I barely look at Blogger's list of featured blogs but today for some reason, I decided to give one blog on the list a try. Maybe with a name like "Bent Objects" my curiosity was piqued and I had an inkling that it'd be art inspired. And it is! I highly, highly recommend you visiting this blog ASAP. It's one persons adventures with wire and every day objects and put together to create sometimes hilarious, sometimes thought provoking pieces. This particular piece is just so funny and appropriate for a crafty blog :) There are some great posts there and I've already bookmarked it in my del.icio.us account.
(Geeky update: In one week, I have joined both digg.com and del.icio.us. Now all I need are Twitter and Flicker accounts and I will be fully integrated in the web 2.0 era. For now, I don't have much use for either site.. unless you have suggestions, dear readers?)
Today I'd like to draw your attention to my new favorite shop on Etsy - Tiger Girl. She makes really cute jewelry and I'm especially liking these: They're called "Green with Envy Earrings" and I love them! Very unique beads and of course, I'm a sucker for green things and leaves and flowers :) Check out her shop, you know you wanna.
As a part of my blog, I like to promote my favorite shops. Not only because these individuals have amazing merchandise but also because the shop owners are incredibly friendly and awesome people themselves. I don't expect to really have an 'audience' for my blog but if you do happen to be reading this entry, I encourage you to visit Red Dime Vintage at her myspace profile. [she sells cute vintage clothing so take a peak] Several months ago, she purchased a pair of long, black wristwarmers. I've been meaning to make up a customer appreciation page on my actual website but since that isn't happening anytime soon (the day will come when it's actually live and running..) I will be using this medium to show my appreciation. Here's Jesseica in a beautiful B&W picture posing said wristwarmers.
I've managed to take pictures in SoHo with the bag I trade for (from Emotional Baggage. It's here! It's a great picture of the bag.. not such a good one of me...
The bag is so roomy yet so small. I love how it's really comfortable to carry around and it fits with just about any outfit. Definitely a great trade :)
Here are the "boy" and "girl" warmers I made for Chris, my myspace/etsy friend. They're all black with blue & pink lettering and edges in large and medium, respectively. These came out pretty well, I think. My first attempt at making fitted lettered warmers. Anywho, that is all for now. I've been working on a lot of school related stuff lately and I'm deciding whether or not I should post pictures from class projects or keep this more recreational. Any suggestions?
A few weeks ago, Tamara from Emotional Baggage and I agreed to do a trade and it's been an awesome experience! She'd seen in my shop the "geek" custom warmers I made for an earlier client and I saw her bag making expertise so it was just a matter of saying Ok, let's trade!
These are the girl sized version "geek" warmers in all their glory - meaning, she's typing while on Etsy :)
Aren't they so c00l? :) I'm really, really glad she likes them and is wearing them already!
I have been wearing the purse I got in exchange almost every day now but I've yet to take pictures so that should come very, very soon. I'm aiming for a "fashionista in SoHo" look which won't be too hard to do since I work/study in the neighborhood.
That's all for now!
p.s. I've already created 1.5 new cozies for the art show.. now to make more and actually sew the buttons on them..
Why does Merlin Mann absolutely rock? Because he does. Not to mention, he writes amazingly profound bits of advice such as the one above. It is concise, motivating while not being preachy, douchebaggy "motivational speak", funny and Twitter friendly - under 140 characters!
