Reflecting on the chaos of the craft show, family matters (not the show Urkel was in), and the crazy way "chaos" is spelled.

I'm feeling the need for some self-indulgent catharsis. Is that redundant? Whatever.

It's Thursday night and I'm waiting to watch some good TV while hubs gets his fill of cable shows. I'm thinking about crafting and about setting up, and then reworking, and then reworking again, and again, my "practice" table so I know how to display everything when show day gets here. Thinking about the dreamcatchers and mini sweaters I've made in the last couple of weeks and feeling like I still need more. Add those to the jewelry, bookmarks, illustrations, flower pins, and knitted toys and I'm not sure how it's possible that I would need more. So my brain is a little fried between wanting to make more more more and wondering if I'm spreading myself too thin by splitting my time and attention among so many different kinds of projects.

And then there are the fears that my items are not well-executed, or that my prices are wrong, or that my setup looks unprofessional, or that the photos online are not good enough. It's hard to be objective when you spend so many hours and energy-watts on these things. And because I'm an anxious individual by nature, I see all of the superb things that my peers are making and worry that I just don't measure up.

But I'm never going to stop crafting. I think it's the mix of being creative and technical at the same time. It sucks up all my disposable income (and, on occasion, more) and clearly I stress about the details of being in a show - but I'm also really, really excited for the show because I enjoy making stuff and I'm in awe of the stuff other people make. There's something to be said for spending money locally, too. Plus, even though I know you walk a fine line when you gift something handmade, I like making people's presents because I'm going to be making stuff anyways so it's kind of like saving money. While I'm making it, I imagine the recipient enjoying the gift. Whether they toss it out once they've got it I don't know and I just don't think about it!

Also, having been jobless for a while now, crafting gives me something to do to feel productive. It distracts me from the real problems in life...my anxiety (I wasn't kidding before), my aging grandma, finances, oil spills, homelessness, etc. Possibly more than anything else: my sister and her plight of misfortune. It seems like nothing in her life is working out and sometimes I literally feel sick about it. She's my best friend and she's smart and responsible and loving and her life and her happiness is tied to mine. She doesn't have the time to craft these days, so I appreciate that I do.

That's what I'm thinking about while Futurama is on the tele. Also, I need to get groceries, find a job, and clean the house. In that order.

Being an adult is hard. Chaotic, even. And speaking of that, we can apparently thank the Greeks for the spelling of "chaos;" a word I was very proud to master the spelling of back in the fifth grade.

New dreamcatchers; 11 days left until the Spring Market!

Looking at them is mesmerizing....

TIIIIINY sweaters for sale; 12 days left until the Spring Market!

These new creations are just a reminder that small things are cute. I would stick one on the wall, but they may very well fit a doll or could go on the holiday tree. They aren't available on Etsy, but they will be at the show!


The "MN" sweater, the "two is better than one" sweater, the "two-toned tunic" sweater, and the "heart of bricks" sweater.

It's a fairytale ballpark with *almost* perfect bathrooms

Today I saw my first game at Target Field. We lost, but that's probably because Joe Mauer, a.k.a. "Baby Jesus," wasn't playing. Blasphemous, perhaps, but hey, I didn't come up with it. Whoever did, though, was brilliant because they can just buy a shit ton of WWJD bracelets and sell them to some pro shop for like $12 a piece, and then the pro shop can sell them to us for like $36 a piece. Anyways, our losing did not really detract from the blatant awesomeness of our new park.

I look slightly bewildered because I'm not photogenic.

My first impression related to this outing - not necessarily to the game, the team, or the field - was gained on my ride to park on the light rail and it is this: people kind of smell. So I guess I'm really glad it's open-air, because there were A LOT of people there, and after the most crowded train ride I've ever had, I can only assume that a lot of those people smelled.

My second impression was that a lot of money has gone into this place. I'm clearly having an obvious day, ok? The giant Budweiser sign, the epic screen that I'm pretty sure is going to get someone killed someday because you can see it from the freeway, the Twin Cities homage that lights up in various ways when various plays are made... seriously, what's the electric bill like for this place? I realize that the park is LEED certified, which is worth the money. I'm just saying. Also, if my sources are correct (and by "sources" I mean my husband), there are like 50 extra people on staff just to take care of the grass. That would mean every person is responsible for 2,000 square feet of turf - an area more than twice as large as my city-sized back yard, where I cannot control the creeping charlie, dandelions, crab grass, and maple saplings.

By the way, I appreciate that the MN sign shows a crowd-pleasing cordial - even friendly - bond between Minneapolis and St. Paul (a.k.a. "Pig's Eye"), but let's be honest... Minneapolis should be punching St. Paul in the face while St. Paul is kicking Minneapolis in the groin. Also, the bat that St. Paul is holding should really be a bottle of Irish whiskey.

Anyways, this is the view from our seats. Denard Span takes a strike. Also seen from our seats: a lot of Justin Morneau. "Jason," as you may know him from when he won the homerun derby.

Ok, now here's what I really wanted to post about: the bathrooms. To hubs's horror, I did take pictures. Impression 3: Target is really pushing this "green" thing, which is cool but confusing given the exorbitant electrical "needs" of the park. Refer to the LEED Certification mentioned above. This sign is posted inside every bathroom stall door:

Dual-flush toilets. Awesome. Saves a lot of water. Impression 4: Target wanted to protect our health, but they kind of missed the mark on how to do this.

Apparently, "green" is not only a lifestyle, it's a germ-resistant color. Isn't it kind of a rule that you just flush with your foot in public restrooms? I feel like we've already figured out that part and don't really need the coated handle. What we do need are doors that open outward so you don't have to touch a handle on your way out, right after washing your hands. Right after washing your hands with hot water and soap, people. You disgust me. Or at least they should put a trash can next to the door so you can open it with a paper towel. Or they could just get bathroom attendants.

Final impression: Target Field offers the most delicious hot chocolate I've ever had. Also, the largest hot dogs I've ever had. I seriously had trouble getting my mouth around it and felt like it was some kind of sick joke.

Crossing my fingers that the weather is this nice every time!

Hey, I cleaned the bathroom floors yesterday.

And on the crafting front, I haven't been doing nothing, it only seems like it because the blog is gathering dust. Mostly I'm trying to get ready for the Spring Market, which means making stuff that probably won't go up on Etsy because I'm sure it will all sell at the show, plus redoing business cards and updating "the books" and laying out how I'll display things, and so on. Lots to do. Also, Becky and I made a special birthday package for our Aunt Colleen that included this:


and this:


Apparently I didn't take pictures of the other stuff - an apple, three strawberries, a lemon, a lime, an orange, and a pear. Becky's pear is my fave. She's got excellent pictures here. Seb's toy food was the inspiration, but we stuck to fruits for a theme. No ice cream cones. The grapes were a by-the-seat-of-my-pants creation, and I'm pleased at how the purple rounded out the colors in the collection.

It took me long enough

I said I was going to post my as-of-yet favorite original design on Etsy like eight weeks ago and I finally did. Well, I said it last week. But here she is:


I'm particularly pleased with the loopy tail.



Onward!