It's About That Time

Time to go into work.

And I call it work today because I have to be on the counter helping customers instead of spending my valuable time making delightful leather goodies. And I use the term "helping customers" loosely since nine times out of ten the person will come straight to the counter and point at my father or Francisco and say "I' need to talk to him". Even if I manage to convince them that I am fully capable of answering their questions I'll still have to verify when things can be finished and how much to charge, which means I constantly have to pull him from his work anyways.It's a hassle. Can you tell I'm not a people person?
Anyways the reason for all this non-fun-time is today is my mother's birthday! (Happy Birthday Mom!) So as much as I can't stand the notion of not getting my work done I'll put up with it for today.
Tomorrow, however, is a different story.
Alright, I'd better get going so I can grab a coffee from Dunkin Donuts on my way!

Fishing Little Sister

My younger sister has become quite the popular fisherman. She's been featured several times in the Palm Beach Post and twice in Florida Sportsman, a popular fishing magazine. And now I think this is her third appearance in Fishing Weekly. That's pretty good for a 14-year-old. She's been out on the water since she was born and learned how to fish like some kids learn to tie their shoes. The first article in the Post was about her catching the first sailfish ever from the Juno Beach Pier AND she caught a huge shark off the beach when she was twelve. And yes, she let him go.

She's starting her own business as a fishing guide and has a fishing report blog:
http://fwpfishingreport.blogspot.com
Check it out. Check it out.

Tooled Cuffs

Allen has a bunch of tooled leather cuffs I need to get up on Etsy. He has quite the talented hand! Since I don't know when I'll be able to get them all online, I'm showing some of them off here.Allen made two with this tribal design. They're both stained an antiqued brown color and polished and buffed.And there's the rose cuff. And it's small so it can fit on my tiny wrist!
I hand-painted this one. I wanted to see if I could blend together the bronze at the top and gold at the bottom. I like the way it turned out. Despite the picture the metallic colors are a stark contrast to the warm chocolate brown.

Carry On Wayward Son

I just had to share the most awesome piano recital ever.

ARgh

You know those days? Well yesterday seemed to be one of those. Not the worst day ever. Just irritating.
It started out with me trying to figure out the new camera. I took a couple pics and only ended up getting one thing listed online. I went into the store and nothing I worked on was coming out right. Snaps were getting screwed up, stitching wasn't straight, customers were demanding blood....
I eventually gave up and decided to come home a little early to try and get some more listed. Editing the pictures took longer than I thought and only one more item was listed before I had to run into work (the night job).
So I get to the night job and we're slow. Really slow. The kid I'm working with asks if I want him to stay late for me (he was off at 9pm and I was supposed to be out by 11pm) and I agreed. I figured I wasn't making any money anyway and I could go home and clean the house for my mother who was to pick up my aunt at the airport at 10:30.
Well, right about 8:30 I figured I would ask the bosses if I could be let go, since we were so slow. That's apparently when everyone decided to come eat and a huge rush of people storms in the door! 9pm rolls by, then 9:30, then 10pm.... We're still busy. I looked at the kid who "took my shift" and thanked him, even though I was obviously going to have to stay anyways, due to the rush. I go to clean up some tables before I go and that's when it hits me.....
The smell of poo. I figured some baby must have left a big stinky scent behind, since the table I was cleaning had two babies, but as I walked through the restaurant I could smell poo everywhere! Then the kitchen staff comes out and says it smells in the back and asks the manager to check if the sewage is backing up.
Indeed it is. I walk outside to get some fresh air - BAD IDEA! The poo smell is magnified about 9 times! Well, that killed my appetite.
So I finally get off work and go home. It's about 11pm and I expect my mother to be coming back soon. Around 11:45 I call my mom to make sure everything's okay and she tells me she's in Miami! My aunt had gotten a mix-up in Chicago and her plane was landing at an airport 2 1/2 hours away. But they still had to come all the way back to our WPB airport for her luggage. Fantastic. Luckily my older sister was driving, and I went to bed.
My sister got pulled over for speeding on the way back. They didn't get home until between 2-3am.
Oh, and my mother lost the new camera we just bought two days ago.
ARRRRGGHHh!
So, that was my day. Normally I don't write out little diary entries for my blog but it was interesting enough (to me. who cares about you?) to put into writing.
Here's to today being brighter!

New Camera New Cuff

So we went camera shopping yesterday - I ended up with a Nikon Coolpix, which was just a stab in the dark at what I needed, since I lack the technical knowledge to read the fine print. It was brought home and charged and my first attempts at pictures were frustrating because it was so much different than my last camera. Eventually Allen pointed at a tv ad for a digital camera that was playing and said "you should get that camera". When the brand name ran across the screen we both laughed because it was a commercial for the Nikon Coolpix!

But after much picture-taking I think I finally have the hang of it. It takes a much clearer picture than my last camera but figuring out how to work all the new settings properly will still be a hurdle. Want to see some new pictures? How about my new cuff bracelet listing?This picture is actually a small portion of a much bigger picture - the first one in the listing.
All in all, I'm pleased. And definitely happy to have a camera again, that's for sure!

Camera Troubles

My damn camera bit the dust. I took it out to a friend's party and someone (maybe me) must have sat on it and now the lens won't focus. At all. It's completely frustrating because whenever I have camera troubles is usually the same time I have a TON of things to list for sale online. Stupid Murphy and his law.So now I need to search for a new one. A better one! I've already tossed the ads from Sunday's paper so if I want to see what's online I'll have to scour internet ads. Really I just a camera that will not only take excellent pictures but also will be durable enough to last me a few years. I'm not that rough on my electronics, but apparently all it took was a couple beers and a misplaced camera case to destroy the last one.Now this camera would be the ultimate in cool - a waterproof camera! I would LOVE to be able to get some great underwater scenes. Living so close to the beach it seems like a tease. I guess the only plus side to this circumstance is that the camera we payed over $350 for two years ago is roughly $150 now - so basically I can get the same quality camera for less. But who wants that when I can get a newer camera? One with higher resolution and better, more awesome features?
No matter what I choose, it'll have to be soon. I feel suffocated without my camera. I'd rather spend a week with no cell phone than no camera! But then, I never liked cell phones anyways....

Fun for the feet

I've finally finished a great deal of my sandals! I had two large wholesale orders and now we're down to one. I'm very excited about this next one and I'm waiting on a bit of leather, but soon I'll be able to complete them as well. The two pictured here are individual custom orders that I finished a little while ago.Now I have five more individual pairs to make! It's hard to get anything else done between the sandals and more sandals but I couldn't be happier! How much more fun is this than working a 9-5? Tons, that's how much. I love being able to send my leather goodies all over the globe! AND I purchased some fabric labels yesterday. I'm so excited to see them I can't wait!!

Odds and Ends

Wow! A busy weekend (again) has led me to be in a rush yet again as I write this. Not only do I want to show off some cuffs, I need to get to work!

First things first: I'm never going to get sick of these exotic fish cuffs. Okay, I can't say that for sure, but each cuff I make is so different and more beautiful than the last, that I can't get enough! This one is made with a pretty shimmering sueded pink!One top of just being excited about my cuffs, an Etsy seller made my day with these beautiful wolf-printed recipe cards! Thank you ChristopherAndTia!! Their shop is full of amazing neon-colored goodies! Check them out!

Fun with Nostalgia

I found some old ViewMaster slides and took some pictures to put them on on eBay. I don't know what happened to my Viewing device, so I tried to use my little sister's Casper the friendly ghost ViewMaster projector. It didn't really work, though. You had to hold it just right or the whole thing would be out of focus.We have the technology. We can rebuild him.I used to have a lot more of these but I'm not sure where they went to. Probably the same place as the viewing device. I guess that means it's time to clean house....

I need some more Money

I'm drooling over some beautiful hides here!

I went to eBay to search for a nice watermelon green so I could make sure I'm stocked for a wholesale order. But my eyes were distracted by these beautiful prints!Look at this holographic one!! Can you imagine the beautiful Buddy Bags that could be made with this? And, my ultimate favorite: this beautiful floral printed ostrich leg piece.
I still can't believe this is an exotic genuine leg piece!Well, back to work. No more drooling.

Happy Birthday Bicycleocean!

It's the birthday of my best friend, Naomi - aka Bicycleocean. Well, yesterday, anyway.
A good time was had by all with hot dogs and bean dip and beers and sailboats and wigs.

So check out her store on Etsy! She has oodles of circus freak squids:

AND she has plugs for stretched ears AND handmade hats!

More things to like and Love

I found this awesome shop the other day:

Suili
These crocheted flowers caught my eye; I love the detail and the colors! They look fabulous and I would never have to water them. As a notorious flower killer, these would be the perfect for me.And she has more than flowers! Check out this paper triangle intercalation!

Back from Orlando

It was a great trip!

Allen and I had a lot of fun running around and seeing the sights. Unfortunately the weather let us down again. It was supposed to be mildly chilly with a 20% chance of rain. Instead it was very chilly and rained almost the entire day, making the cold seem colder. And I'm not paying $7 for a Disney poncho.
But other than the cruddy weather it was still magical and fun. Here's a couple pictures:This tree is extremely weird. I wish I could have taken some better pictures but the line was so thick if I stopped to fumble with my camera I would have held up everyone. Here's a closer look:The trunk was covered in thick, quarter sized thorns and the branches displayed large balls of (what appears to be) cotton. Does anyone know what this is?This sign was on every ride and it just cracked me up, picturing a real person doing the things shown in the "do not do" image. Hahahahahahaah!
I'll try to get some more up soon - maybe on my other blog: http://newfavoriteshow.blogspot.com

Hi Ho Hi Ho.....

It's off to Orlando we go!

Allen and I will be spending one and a half awesome days up north in a little town in the middle of Florida. I'm thinking of the times I flipped through my old encyclopedias and books on "places to visit" that were made before 1960. Orlando is always mentioned as a small agricultural town. Growing up with the Disney phenomenon only a few miles away it's difficult to think of a time when themed rides and grown men in costumes didn't exist.

So we'll be going to a park. We're not sure which one yet, but it will be something Disney. I'll bring back photos!
In the meantime, here's an awesome Buddy Bag to keep you from getting lonely:

New Cuffs New Leather Things

My newest cuff is so cute. Well, cute in an icky way.
I have an old Dutch cookbook with all sorts of weird and gross food pictures that I adore. So I laminated this one and added a zipper for a wrist-wallet.
It's durable and the suede side of the leather is inside so you get a soft cushioned leather against your delicate wrist. I always line my cuffs (except Allen's tooled ones) so you don't have the rough underside against your arm. It just makes more sense to me . Especially when there's extra stitching. Who wants rug burn from your wrist cuff?

I made one for myself the other day for my night job at Friday's. I thought it would be nice to be able to have my change close for to-go orders. That way I wouldn't have to go running to my purse or walking around jingling all night with it in my pockets. Mine looks really cool. (Above)I really really like my laminated cuffs. I can't stop making these pretty things. Well, I couldn't stop, but the machine did :( - I need to buy some epoxy to fix a busted piece in it today.

All my laminations warm my heart, even the ones I add to my Buddy Bags. It makes them all... well, unique. Especially since I never use the same thing twice. And they're all vintage ephemera (cookbooks, illustrations, National Geographic pictures and ads).Come see! They're super cool.

Pictures and Things

I found a new favorite on Etsy.

Fotofiction has some of the most amazing photographs I've seen in a while. The colors and images just reach out and grab me. I'm particularly mesmerized by the chair photographs. I guess I have a thing for old abused buildings.Aren't these beautiful?

Giant Flowers

Yesterday my sister came home from Mar-A-Lago with huge floral arrangements. They were leftover from some event and my sister thought my mother would like them.

One flower in particular looked menacing:It's enormous! I have no idea what it is. weird monster flowers....

*update*
Thank you for the comment left by Gardens By T! It is a Protea!

A successful Race

Alley Cat Racers!

Allen and I had a lovely afternoon sitting by the intercoastal at our secret checkpoint. It was a beautiful day.Volunteers gathered and riders signed up. Raffle tickets were sold and everyone was armed with information. Slowly all the volunteers left the bar to ride to their checkpoints.
We dropped off our zombie at his checkpoint and grabbed a quick bite at BK before heading out. And then we waited as one by one all the racers came to spin the fish. Spin the fish, you!!!The winner!!And the 1st place Chopper trophy. Somebody needs an Etsy account....

Alley Cat Race!

Today is the day of the West Palm Beach Alley Cat Race. Allen and I will be manning a checkpoint as volunteers. Hopefully I'll get some good pictures to post later. The whole thing is raise money for the group riding the MS150 this year.

Speaking of which, I wish I had enough money to go this year. Really we'd just need enough money to take two days off work, and buy some gas and a little food (the ride is from Miami to Key Largo) .
We went two years ago, hauling the riders' gear. The camp out was held at John Pennekamp Park. It's beautiful, and you can get lost on the trails on spend all day swimming at any one of the beaches. A free lunch, dinner, and breakfast is served along with a free beer party on the beach. A beer truck is pulled right up. And this is what happens after a bunch of free beer:Ah, well, if we're lucky we'll go. And it's all for a good cause.
Have fun today, racers!