Saturday, March 29, 2008

Today is my birthday! Woo Hoo!

Who shares my day?

1553 - Vitsentzos Kornaros, Greek Renaissance poet (d. 1613/1614)
1826 - Wilhelm Liebknecht, German journalist and politician (d. 1900)
1889 - Warner Baxter, American actor (d. 1951)
1891 - Yvan Goll, French-German writer (d. 1950)
1895 - Ernst Jünger, German author (d. 1998)
1901 - Andrija Maurovic, Croatian illustrator (d. 1981)
1902 - Marcel Aymé, French writer (d. 1967)
1902 - William Walton, English composer (d. 1983)
1905 - Philip Ahn, American actor (d. 1978)
1906 - E. Power Biggs American concert organist (d. 1977)
1907 - "Braguinha", Brazilian songwriter (d. 2006)
1908 - Arthur O'Connell, American actor (d. 1981)
1908 - Dennis O'Keefe, American actor (d. 1968)
1911 - Brigitte Horney, German actress (d. 1988)
1913 - R. S. Thomas, Welsh poet (d. 2000)
1914 - Phil Foster, American actor (d. 1985}
1918 - Pearl Bailey, American singer and actress (d. 1990)
1919 - Eileen Heckart, American actress (d. 2001)
1933 - Jacques Brault, French Canadian poet
1936 - Judith Guest, American author
1939 - Terence Hill, Italian actor
1940 - Ray Davis, American musician (P-Funk) (d. 2005)
1940 - Astrud Gilberto, Brazilian singer
1941 - Eden Kane, British singer
1943 - Eric Idle, English actor, writer, and composer
1943 - Vangelis, Greek musician and composer
1944 - Terry Jacks, Canadian musician, songwriter, and activist
1946 - Billy Thorpe, Australian singer (d. 2007)
1947 - Bobby Kimball, American singer (Toto)
1948 - Bud Cort, American actor
1949 - Michael Brecker, American jazz saxophonist (d. 2007)
1954 - Dianne Kay, American actress
1955 - Brendan Gleeson, Irish actor
1955 - Christopher Lawford, Irish actor
1955 - Marina Sirtis, English actress
1956 - Patty Donahue, American singer (The Waitresses) (d. 1996)
1956 - Stephen Cole, English journalist
1957 - Christopher Lambert, French actor
1958 - Victor Salva, American film director
1959 - Perry Farrell, American musician (Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros)
1961 - Amy Sedaris, American actress and comedian
1964 - Elle Macpherson, Australian model
1967 - John Popper, American musician (Blues Traveler)
1968 - Lucy Lawless, New Zealand actress and singer
1968 - Sue Foley, Canadian singer and guitarist
1971 - Aaron Lawrence, American porn actor
1971 - Lara Logan, South-African born journalist and reporter
1972 - Junichi Suwabe, Japanese voice actor
1972 - Michel Ancel, French game designer
1974 - Kristoffer Cusick, American actor
1978 - Michael Kaczurak, American singer and actor
1980 - Kim Tae Hee, South Korean actress
1980 - Amy Mathews, Australian actress
1981 - Megan Hilty, American actress
1982 - Hideaki Takizawa, Japanese artist
1983 - Luiza Sá, Brazilian musician (CSS)

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Just finished up these cookies!

More crocheted cookie goodness! They look like they're singing "Oooh" LOL!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Blog Cleanup - Closing BentBlend.com and SmallBizBigBiz.com

You may see some older posts pop up on the blog. I'm consolidating blogs so no need for alarm. Basically I closed two other blogs I was maintaining because it was hard to keep up. I'm posting more here than anywhere else so it made more sense.

What Famous Pinup Are You?


You Are Bettie Page



Girl next door with a wild streak

You're a famous beauty - with unique look

And the people like you are cultish about it

-------------------------------------------------
How did I know?

What Art Movement Are You?


You Are Surrealism



Dreamy and idealistic, you've created a world that is all your own.

It's very likely that you've either dabbled in drugs or are naturally trippy.

You are always trying to push beyond the boundaries of your culture and society.

You believe that art, love, and freedom can change the world.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Believe me, I'm just naturally trippy. LOL!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Oooh, I was featured on the Jessa Likey blog!


Jessica of Knot By Gran'ma featured my crocheted cookie sammiches on her blog, Jessa Likey!
Jessica is a fabulous crochet artist herself so I am so honored to be featured on her blog!. Thanks so much!!! Be sure to check out her blog: Jessa Likey and also her Etsy shop, Knot By Gran'ma.


Thursday, March 20, 2008

Wow! Indiepublic for sale!

Posted on Indiepublic March 20, 2008

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A message to all members of Indiepublic

Dear Indiepublic Members,

Due to a number of personal issues that have arisen the past few months I have been unable to dedicate the time necessary to maintaining Indiepublic. Despite this, the site continues to pull in an average of $1200/month income, with less than $45/month in operating expenses.

I sincerely believe that Indiepublic is only in its early stages, and has tremendous opportunity to grow both in terms of membership and services offered. I also believe that the site and its population of over 6,000 members deserves to have a more active leadership.

I am therefore placing Indiepublic up for sale for the price of $18,500. If you are interested in purchasing this site, please email me directly at FORSALE@INDIEPUBLIC.COM, and I will send you a Buyer's Guide that includes:

1) Proof of income
2) Basic information on the running and maintenance of the site
3) Additional information regarding the site's traffic
4) Ideas on additional income sources

SERIOUS BUYERS ONLY. I will not be accepting any offers on the site for less than $18,500. FYI, the sale will be transacted via Escrow.com (a trusted online intermediary). If you are unable to afford this amount (it must be paid in full), or wish to place a lower counteroffer, please do not contact me as I can not sell Indiepublic for any lower than this price.

TO ADVERTISERS: If you currently have an ad in place with Indiepublic, your ad will continue to run for its entire paid duration even if the site is sold. For your protection, I will stipulate that the buyer must honor all existing ads at the time of sale and can not remove them for any reason.

TO MY MEMBERS: I have sincerely enjoyed every moment running Indiepublic. I have met some incredibly talented individuals and made many friends, so it was very difficult for me to come to the decision to sell the site. I will therefore not sell Indiepublic to just anyone. The new owner must have a clear and sincere interest in supporting the efforts of independent artists and designers, and I will work with them to ensure that this will be a smooth transition.

Thank you all for your time, and for being a part of Indiepublic!

Sincerely,
Sion


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hopefully the right people will take over this great site. Best of luck to Sion!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Newest Crochet Project - Purple/Pink Multi Crocheted Rasta Hat



I started this hat like my other berets but somewhere I added a stitch or a row or something so it was was too big when I got to the point of ending it so...I kept going and modified the design to make a larger hat perfect for long locs or long hair. Perfect if you wear updos. Finished Saturday morning before heading to the EtsyNJ meetup

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Kissing Two Fools



Many people may remember George Michael more for his roadside bathroom jaunts than his 1987 "Faith" album. And still some may remember his big hits on that album, "Father Figure", "I Want Your Sex," & "One More Try" but usually when I pull out this album its to hear the torchy "Kissing A Fool". Nothing beats a mellow lounge song for cocktails and George delivers on this self-penned song.

Also check out Michael Buble's cover on his 2003 self titled album. Closer to traditional lounge sound.

Michael Jackson on Motown 25



My co-worker wanted to watch this today for some strange reason so of course I had to blog about it. I showed the clip to my daughter and that just started a Michael Jackson video block...Beat It, Don't Stop Till You Get Enough,& Thriller. Of course she wanted to know why he wasn't black anymore and why he looked like a girl. When I showed her "The Way You Make Me Feel" she had lots of questions about his long curly hair. She said he should have stayed like the Scarecrow in the Wiz. LOL!!

Etsy "Danielle" Finds

Call me a geek but sometimes I just like to do a search for my name and find out what pops.



Danielle Sundress by Sophie and Gwendalyn
Lady Squitten Danielle by MinaBeana



The Danielle Earrings by Designs by Colleen





Danielle Doll by knotbygranma

Monday, March 17, 2008

Playing with Felt

Just some quick felt barrettes and pins I added to my Etsy shop this week.






The gift that keeps on giving

My mother is skilled at both knitting and crocheting but she favored the hook so naturally I did too. I remember my goal was to crochet different outfits for my Barbies. My mom had made this cool blue and grey coat for my Kissing Barbie and I was determined to master a wedding gown that came from the same pattern book. (It took a while but I got 'er done.)

My mom was forever making crocheted pillows for people as gifts. That was her special project. In second grade, I had a classmate named Natasha. Now, Natasha wasn't always nice to me but her mom used to give my brother and me a ride to school if she saw us waiting for the bus on rainy days. She didn't know us beyond the fact I was in her daughter's class but she said she felt bad to see us out there. My mother thought it was nice of her to offer the ride without knowing us so Mom made her one of her special pillows as a thank you gift. I'll be honest...I didn't even want to take it to school. As I said Natasha wasn't always nice to me. She dragged that pillow all over the gymnasium floor during lunch. I was sure her mother never got it.

Fast forward 10 years, I'm in high school in a different town sitting at a honors breakfast with my mom. The woman sitting across from us keeps staring at me and finally asks, "Did you go to Calvary Christian school?" I tell her yes and she asks if the woman with me is my mother. When I tell her yes, she leans over and introduces herself to my mom.

"I know we never met, but I used to give your kids a ride when I saw them on the bus stop years ago. You made me this pillow as a thank you gift and I loved it. I still have it sitting on my bed. It was such a special gift. So beautiful. So thoughtful."

My mother and I are both surprised by her emotional reaction. The two of them begin chatting and find out they both work in the same building and are members of the same union. My mother gains a new friend all from a handmade gift she made for a stranger who was nice to her kids. And 17 years after that connection over breakfast, 27 years after the pillow was first made, it still has a place of honor in that nice lady's home.

EtsyNJ Street Team Meet and Greet

Saturday, I took the long trek out to Hoboken to meet some of the talented people on the EtsyNJ Street Team. Unfortunately, I didn't get to stay long because I had a previous engagement and I was an hour late but you can read more about it at the blog of fellow street teamer, Purplelicious:

http://www.purpleliciousdesigns.blogspot.com

And you can find some photos from Liz

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24784290@N08/?saved=1

Yes that's me in the third photo!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Crocheted Lemon & Peach Cookie Sammiches


0306080720b.jpg, originally uploaded by collectiveelements.

Newest crochet project!!!