Stepping out of my box

Today I ran from the mundane (woo hoo - I should be running from the mundane at least one time every day!).  It was a very, very small activity.  So small that it might not even be counted as an activity, but it was something I had not done yet in my new apartment.  Here it is folks: I took the stairs from my 14th floor apartment to the ground floor.  I had been wanting to start taking the stairs (on a regular basis) ever since January 1st, you know, the same time everybody else thinks walking for 5 minutes on a treadmill is going to transform their body into Heidi Klum's.  And so, while waiting for the indolent elevators, I decided today was the day for the stairs and I to get better acquainted.

I feared the stairs for a few reasons:

1. Sure it was easy to get in the stairwell, but could you get out?  What if I became trapped?
2. I might discover escaped convicts hiding out, who may or may not ask for my assistance
3. Rodents - yes I know stairwells aren't reminiscent of a NYC subway station, but rodents thrive in many places

Pushing those sensible fears aside, I went for it.  Fear #1 was actually pretty spot on, because once I started to get closer to the bottom, all the doors said you could not exit through them.  And the reason I couldn't even try to exit through them is because there were no knobs to even grasp.  I saw nobody in the stairwell during my journey.  One flight from the ground floor, I went through a metal cage, which locked behind me.  So much for taking the stairs back up.  When I reached the ground floor I felt dizzy, but overall proud to have taken the stairs less traveled.  And so, stairs get my recommendation for sporadic use.  

Stairs: the best escape route.  Clockwise from top left: the stairwell inside the
old Saint Paul Pioneer Press building, outside of the SPPP bldg,
my stairwell and steps leading to the Mississippi River at Harriet Island

You were never lovelier.....

Elsie Adams Photography is a great new shop on etsy featuring fabulously beautiful pictures and she has just been nominated for a 2011 Lovelies Award!  Show your support, like the shop on facebook and/or leave a comment.  Share the love - remember, what goes around, comes around!  Check out a couple of her works below:

Celebration by Elsie Adams

Autumn Glow by Elsie Adams

Sunshine Sunshine is Fine

Yesterday I created my first treasury on etsy. Boy was it a challenge! In Minnesota the only good thing about February is that it's short. Everyone is anxiously awaiting spring and things start to slowly change. Windows get rolled down at 35 degrees, pants turn to skirts, nasty bitter looks from strangers turn soft... you get the idea. So while I sat on my computer waiting to be inspired the natural choice was for my brain to think of the sun- not to mention my laptop is bright yellow. Be happy and have a great day today!

Fresh Grapefruit

Sigh. Oh grapefruit. You smell so fresh, you are so bright, today is your day to shine. All of these items from etsy artists are so beautiful. We highly, highly recommend the Grapefruit Peppermint Luffa Soap from Apple Valley Naturals. It will make you smile every time you use it.

1 day until the fair.....

One solitary day left until the craft fair. I stayed inside all day yesterday contemplating how on earth I was going to set up my display. Last time I threw a bunch of wire wrapped necklaces in a box that had 12 little slots. Mistake. This time I knew I had to do something different. And while I found a website that had some great examples and tutorials on Craft + Show Designs , I didn't have the supplies (ahem, or the skills) to create these awesome designs.  Why not just go get the supplies you ask.  Well here in MN the weather likes to dip into negative digits and since I loathe the cold I couldn't bear it.  I am so pathetic.  So how was I going to make a display?!

Then I remembered the miniature belts. Light bulb. And so I got to work. Now I realize miniature belts aren't just laying around your house, but if you have a surplus store nearby (Twin Cities folks can check out Ax-Man or ArtScraps, both highly exciting places to visit) zip on down there and see what else you can find. Chances are you aren't as afraid as the cold as I am, so you can actually get in your car or take a train or bus and go somewhere!

Then just grab an old picture frame and get to work. All I did was hook the mini belts together and screwed them to the frame. Since I have a larger frame, I had to add some support to the top middle row as some of my earrings were a wee bit heavy and making the belts sag. As for the cord, that's just a leather cord tied to both ends. Seems to be working so far. Mission completed - am now ready for the craft fair.

How exciting is this picture?!

And here we have the back of the frame....riveting!

And there you have it, yet another purpose for the miniature belt!

Trapped!

The past couple of days I've been stuck in bed - head and chest smothered with a cold. My mind isn't thinking clearly, although sheer willpower provided me a brief moment of clarity last night to watch the Bachelor. I'll understand if you want to stop reading now.

But if you've decided to give me the benefit of the doubt, then you are in luck. Because I am going to list for you, the top 10 things to do while you are sick in bed. Right now. For your reading enjoyment.

1. Use Google Earth to try and find your car from the most recent satellite image (I found mine - in Denver, from 2009, parked at my old job - it was truly a thrilling experience)
2. De-friend people from your facebook account who you don't know...just be honest with yourself
3. Write a haiku
4. Sign up to be a volunteer
5. Take a tub (if you can manage, crawl if you must)
6. Watch youtube videos so you can be on the same page as the rest of the world (I had never heard of the annoying orange until one week ago...apparently 17 million people knew about this before me, like one whole year before me)
7. Netflix watch instantly
8. Do your taxes (it sounds worse than a cold I realize, but since it's tax season and you are stuck in bed then just get them done already!)
9. Write an ehow article (they'll pay you....I won't tell you how little, but they'll pay you)
10. Sleep all day (then you won't have to worry about doing any of these things)

And to end on a crafty note, you could always teach yourself how to create something. Here's a fun video from ThreadBanger on how to create a collage necklace from fabric scraps:

We thought spring would never arrive.....

It is negative two degrees outside right now. I was planning on never leaving the apartment, dreaming of California and having an accusatory conversation with the thermometer. Then a message popped up in our etsy mailbox and we learned that an item of ours was featured in a treasury about spring! We were flattered to be featured amongst such gorgeous spring-like items and just like that, my mood changed. If you are feeling winter gloom, then I recommend staring at this treasury for at least one hour. That should cure you.



Thanks to sacredsuds for including us!