Sisters!

My Sisters
I am one of six kids. There are 3 girls and 3 boys and we are not the Brady Bunch.

Today, I'm going to talk about my sisters. We are all older than the boys anyway so we should go first!


First up is my sister Jenn. She is the oldest and I have looked up to her always.

It seems all my siblings work in some sort of helping career or a noble cause.

Jenn led the way as a Nurse. She has been nursing for 10 years! She was even awarded the National PSI IOTA XI of the Year at the National Convention.

She is married to a great guy (who teases me endlessly) and has a wonderful daughter. (I'm planning a whole blog on my nieces, the most beautiful girls in the world!)

She is compassionate, wise, and ever so fun to be around! When I need a listening ear I call her. She is an amazing listener and encourages me all the time.

One of the greatest things about sisters and siblings in general is the shared history. Even if you don't get along with them (Jenn and I do get along) there is a bond and an understanding that no one else will ever have.

I am so grateful to have such a wonderful big sis who is always there for me even though we live thousands of miles apart. (I love skype :) She is one of the main reasons a little part of me wants to move back to IN. Miss you Sis!

Here she is in her nurse garb holding a friends new born :)

Next is my sister Becky. Beck, is my younger sister only a year and a half younger who has always been taller than me. (really! I think she passed me up by the time she was 3!)

In keeping with my siblings quest for doing things outside of themselves Becky is a great example. She has traveled the world and the country. She started off with a year long trip to China to teach english and most recently worked at a summer camp "Shepherds Camp" that is for adults and teenagers with developmental disabilities. She is also a certified EMT.

It isn't a secret we haven't always gotten along. When we were kids we were definatly at each other a lot, but we also had some incredable times. We made entire paperdoll houses and families from JC Penny catalogs. But once we got older (and I stopped crying as much) we became friends. I have learned what a cool and fun person she is. There is NO ONE funnier than Becky, no one! She can make our whole family laugh with one phrase.

There are days I'm jealous of the adventures she has traveling every where and the way she keeps in touch with everyone she meets. But I know I am where I should be and the same is for her.

Here is a picture of her on a hike in Colorado where she has spent significant time and is moving back there shortly.



Here is a picture of the three of us in San Francisco when they surprised me with a visit last February.

Look for a post on my brothers soon!!!

-Sarah

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My Wish List!

Rainy days are good for blogging.
Today I'll feature some items that reside in my favorites on etsy.

IngoDesign has so much beautiful jewelry, but this is by far my favorite item in the shop!

The second item on my list today is from BeautifulSoaps. I LOVE beer! I always thought I would hate it since I thought it smelled horrible. But I love beer now! And I would love to try out these soaps!


I wear hoodies 24/7 sadly 99% of them are black. I love black but I seriously need some color in this department. Enter Salts and this amazing incredibly soft looking hoodie aaaand it's a hemp organic cotton fleece blend!


I have a strange obsession with snails. My dad told a story about Ferdinand the snail when I was a kid and ever since I think they are the cutest things ever. curiouspug makes this little sweet snail that just wants to come home with me!





That's my wish list today!



Oh and check out the business card I'm working on :D












-Sarah


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Field Trip!

I started today by making this little 4x6 flier to leave at coffee shops.

Printed it looks a lot more sleek or just click on it to see in it's full beauty. I really like how this turned out.

Once I was done making it I decided to go out to some coffee shops to find out about leaving my cards. I took this picture before I left, too bad I didn't smile. Silly me!


This is one of the charming coffee shops I stopped at.


I didn't leave my flier very many places, mostly because I wasn't gutsy enough today and I only had 5 of them. I realized two things I need to be able to leave more than one and I need to get more of my journals posted.

It was a nice little field trip. I did get some better ideas. I even found a list online of indie coffee shops in San Jose. I figured these shops will be more open to a local business leaving some cards.

I'm kinda addicted to making fliers. I want to make a few more, but I guess I should focus on making journals :D

-Sarah


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Clean, Organized, and Ever So Easy to Create!

I recently bought a shelving unit to store all my papers and supplies. I put it together on Friday. Yesterday I cleaned my whole creating area using this new white beauty to organize all my papers and things! Wow! What difference it makes! I feel so much more excited to create and make :D

Here are some pictures to show you what it looks like now!
This is the unit. See all my papers so organized and pretty!


This shows my chair in relation to the shelving. (and my box of cardboard goods to recycle)




A closer look at the goodies I use to make the covers.


My "Office" As you can see it's the dinning room table with a comfy desk chair. (and my breakfast :)

That's my little tour! I know many of you would condsider this the "before" the organization photo, but for me this is the "after." And for me I'm quite satisfied :D


-Sarah

What does your "Office" or creating area look like?


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Rob Cobb - Featuring fadingendlessly!!

Yeah.... Listing veggies was super boring, but ideas you have while going to sleep seem so much more brilliant than as you doze off.


So for now I'll leave you this picture of a happy man and his new hat! It's from fadingendlessly who has a super shiny shop!!! (sorry for all the Firefly references :D

I wanted to get this for Rob (husband of mine) for christmas, but I couldn't pull it off. So after christmas I sent him the link to show him what I wanted to get him. He bought it with is spending money that day!

It came in the mail today in the coolest box and packaging ever! Seriously you need to go check it out! Click on the pic below to do so.


To fully understand the coolness of this hat you NEED to watch Firefly!

- Sarah


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Sleep and Veggies

Ok, This is what I used to get to sleep last night. I started making a list in my head in hopes it would put me to sleep :D

Veggies I love and hate!


Corn
I really like it raw, most people don't know you can. But it needs to be fresh on the cob and then it's sweet and yummy.
Cooked on the cob is amazing the best way to eat it!!! (oh and IN corn is the best) Cooked off the cob is good when fresh and ok from the can. I have recently found that steamed its very good.

Green beans
Raw they are mmmm good!
Cooked they are yummy as long as they aren't the squeaky kind bring it on!

Asparagus
If cooked right it's one of my favorites. With white sauce or baked.

Peas
Cooked I almost hate them. Raw they are mmmm esp snap peas.

Carrots
I only like them as baby carrots. Not carrot sticks from regular carrots. I don't like them cooked in any way.

Celery (I have very strong feelings about this guy)
NASTY!!! When it is raw its stringy and horrible. When its cooked, lets just say I will pick it out no matter what. Gag.

Peppers
Bell peppers of any colors so good. Cooked or Raw. Peppercinis are one I am getting used to. Anything hotter than them I can't handle.

Zucchini
I like them baked :D Raw is good too, but in small amounts.

Broccoli
I mostly like them in all ways.

Cauliflower
Cooked it always seems mushy. And raw (this is strange) gives me hiccups.

Beets
Cooked/Pickled are yummy.

Cucumbers
I like them raw, mostly with ranch. Pickled ever so perfect. I even made and canned some when I was younger. My brothers loved them.

Tomatoes (yes I know they are a fruit but I refuse to call them that)
I love tomato sauce so I guess I like them cooked. I love raw tomatoes, but they seriously need to be fresh not those little white squares the put Taco Bell things.

Potatoes
Wow I have always quoted them as one of my three favorite foods. Boiled, Baked, Mashed, Baked, Roasted, Au Gratin (that word looks funny), Fried. The only exception is potato salad.

Brussel Sprouts
I have no strong feelings about them. Except my pastor from my youth paid me a $1 to eat three. haha

Spinach
Raw always tastes gritty and dirty no matter how many times I wash it, so no thanks. I love it cooked.

Lettuce
I only like iceberg lettuce. The rest are so hard to wrangle in my mouth and feels like I'm eating leaves.

Squash
I really only like it if its cooked to perfection. If its mushy in anyway, Ick. I do remember Jennifer hated Eggplant when we were kids.

Onions
I like them all ways.

Artichokes
I've only had them boiled I think with mayonnaise. It was really good.

Sprouts
I really like them in a wrap or sandwich. Although that seems contradictory to my lettuce statement.

Pumpkin
I like the seeds baked. I hate pumpkin pie.

Cabbage (possible should be with the lettuce)
Meh. Cooked I don't really enjoy it. Raw it gives me hiccups.

Water Crescents (not sure if that's the right way to spell it)
I seriously just shuttered. The texture is sooooo horrible. It reminds me of nails on a chalkboard.

Well, I can't think of anymore.

What are your favorites and hated veggies?


As my Auntie Ru says:
Peace, Love and Veggies (or is it Peace, Love and eat your veggies?)
-Sarah



Dissclaimer: Many of these are not technically veggies, but are mostly well know as them.

Ok on to my goal

I had a bit of a disappointing evening on Thursday. It was in the virtual labs on etsy.com. It seems possible that people may not want to buy my journals as they may be perceived as something they could make themselves. Now this was a critique on one of my older journals. This one. I know I have made some more recently that do not look so "doable."

There was also some questions about the fact that I don't make the book part of my journals, that I just alter them. I realize that this is more of a concern for those in the etsy community as full handmade is more valued. As you can see in an earlier post I do want to go towards the direction of having my journals fully handmade.

Although that critique was less than fun to hear I am thankful that it is pushing me to go towards my goal more aggressively.

To that end I bought two books yesterday.

The first: Re-Bound by Jeannine Stein

The second: Bookcraft by Heather Weston


I am trying to find the best way to combine my art and fully handmade. I am concerned that people may forever view my journals as mere collages. But I will stand by my work. I love it. I believe in it.


- Sarah



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