More Jimmys and Marinas

So I've almost finished my new Jimmys. I still wanted to add a 1/4" heel and then the edges need to be finished, but all in all, they're looking good! I told you they were a little girly - Allen doesn't like the floral stripe. But I need to use the florals for something.

The only thing I don't like about this style is that it uses SO much leather due to the span of the pattern. Ah, well, they turn out nicely, though, don't they?I've also started a new pair of Marina sandals. They're made from fish skin I dyed silver and I'm pairing them with a dark blue leather. My pictures didn't turn out so great, but I really like the color combination. I have another pair I'm working on also, that's a white fish skin I dyed over yellow and gold. I'm still deciding on a mid sole color for that pair.

New sandals

Well, I'm off to work in a bit to delve into a new pair of sandals. I have a pattern that's proved to be extremely comfortable and stylish, but immediately after designing one pair I veered away from being a cobbler and dove headfirst into my buddy bags.

Even though I'm not a "slide" person (I like my flip-flops) this style really appeals to me. I call them Jimmy Slides.

It took me forever to choose the perfect materials. I didn't want something too stiff or too thick or too thin.... When I finally picked out the leathers I wanted they even ended up too girly for me! And for someone like me, who usually centers the things I make around what appeals to me (unless it's a custom order), it's an odd choice. But they're going to turn out so well! The new pair will be a deep purple with a floral stripe. They'll me similar to the pair pictured above, except where the red gator strip is, it will be extended across the entire sandal.
I still haven't decided if they need a heel or not. Maybe I should do a poll.
Alright, the cobbler in me is calling. Have a great day everyone!

scarves and things

If I were to pick up a new thing to collect it may be scarves.

Which is odd, because I don't wear scarves. Or use them in any way.

Even though it's seemingly unnatural, there's this attraction that stirs inside me whenever I pick up some brightly colored silk creation.

Usually I only come in contact with them because I sell them on eBay. Tossed aside by thrift shops, I rescue these delightful vintage goodies and clean them up. Most of the time they're still in minty condition and vibrant. But it's getting harder and harder to part with the things.

My favorites have got to be the Veras. I come across these quite a bit and they're extremely popular amongst fans of the brand. The colors and designs of Vera Neumann are bold and interesting, no matter the colors or pattern. Each one stands out on it's own as a unique piece of art. They all have the distinct Vera logo and the older ones have her distinctive ladybug beside it. Sometime in the 1980's the company that sold her designs dropped the logo.Ah, well, enough of drooling over these beautiful treasures. It's time to list them!

More Squids You Need To Know

Everyday when I log into Etsy I have to check Bicycleocean's shop to see what new amazing thing she's come up with. The past few days have been a laugh riot with her new circus freak edition squids!Meet Moe the Dirty Carnie. He likes beer and ladies. And his gold chains add just the right amount of class. Next up is Moesha the Tranny Midget. In my imaginiation she's just a little bit more of a lady than Luella. She doesn't like cheap cigars and prefers fine-dining and three star resorts.Last but not least, we have the amazing Kuthulu, the Cannibal Headhunter! I find this especially funny because I just watched (for the 100th time) the Beetlejuice movie and one of my favorite scenes is the very end where Micheal Keaton switches numbers with the headhunter and gets his head shrunk.

Back To Work

I got a little bit accomplished. Finally. It actually feels good to be back at work again. (Weird, huh?)

But I guess that's one of the reasons I like what I do so much. I'm always excited about that new great thing I want to create. My newest listing is this awesome basketweave cuff with some smokey white fish skin poking through. The combination of the two textures really has me smitten! I think I'll be doing a few more in this style.And the kitties have been extra-needy since we've all been too sick for too long. I've been giving Buddy newspaper to keep him busy, but last night Newt discovered the wonder of torn paper.

Bach's turn to Blog

My dog Bach has been bothering me all morning to blog about him. I can see it in his eyes. "You've blogged about the cat," he says. "When will it be my turn?"

Well, of course, I cannot deny my super best friend his time to shine. So I'll be showing off a couple items that I know Bach would deplete my PayPal account for, if only he had opposable thumbs to click the mouse.

I've found this great store on Etsy called Karriit82! She has all sorts of delightful, delicious looking dog treats! I'm pretty sure Bach would be all over those Lucky Pugs Peanut Butter Pastries!I also found another great shop called the Sandy Dog Bakery! They carry a great variety of all-natural dog goodies, from Pumpkin Dog Cookies to Spinach Cheese Balls! But I think Bach would be going wild for their Bark-B-Q Bones! Now if you'll excuse me, someone needs to go outside.....

Kicked Out!

I was actually sent home from work this morning. Granted, I'm probably still contagious and I had an allergic reaction to my antibiotics so I had to stop taking them, (and let's not forget the ever-present cough...) but still, why couldn't they have sent me home one of those days when I was pouring mucus from my eyeballs and couldn't breathe? Huh.

SO anyways, I'm trying to decide whether or not I should chance going back later tonight for a short shift. I really do need the money, but I also need to heal. Decisions, decisions.....

In the meantime, I've decided to give you another glance into my favorites on Etsy:
my aunt Dorothy!!
She has her own Etsy shop, OldGrandma, which hasn't picked up much wind lately. She's so far listed her handmade ornaments (I have a few of these for our tree). They're very beautiful and lightweight ornaments with a classic victorian feel.She makes these pretty little creations in her beautiful and scenic town of Mackinaw City, Michigan. Which reminds me.... I want some fudge.

Florida Weather

You know how in all the movies, the happy couple will finally get some time away for the vacation of their dreams in tropical Florida..... just to have it rain the second they step off the plane.

Well, it's all true.

Now, don't get me wrong, it doesn't rain ALL the time, but sunshowers and random storms are frequent. You could be at the beach enjoying the sun and sand when... a big black cloud comes out of nowhere and it rains for twenty minutes. But then the sky clears, the sun comes back, and the weather is beautiful once again.
And if you're planning a trip down here during the summer, just remember: it rains every afternoon around 4pm. Not for that long, but it does and it will and it will probably continue to do so.
But, it just wouldn't be home to me if it did anything else.
Still a disbeliever? I took this picture of our crazy weather last week from the back of our store.It was gone after 20 minutes.

Unrelated Crashes

I have had such a hard time with this flu. I tried to maintain a positive state of mind and continually affirming to myself that I was indeed healthy on Monday. I managed to stagger into my night job just to realize that my cough was not going to go away and my body was completely weak from my lack of appetite. They sent me home after two and half hours (I tried to make it through our rush) and I resolved myself to making the dreaded doctors appointment the next day. It's not that I have any sort of fear of doctors. I fear their bills. I don't have insurance and the last time I had to make an appointment out of the blue for some illness it cost me near $200, not including any prescriptions.

So, Tuesday afternoon rolls around, and my mother is kind enough to drive me to my appointment. At this point I still haven't been able to eat and my stomach feels like someone is punching their way out. The doctor was very nice, very quick, gave me two prescriptions and sends us on our way. I'm just relieved to have antibiotics and my only thoughts are of being at home in bed and sleeping properly.

My mother and I walk out the office door and towards our car when we hear this loud BANG directly behind us. We turn around and see a silver sedan flipping around twice and stopping when it smashes into the old stone wall in front of the doctor's building. I take a few steps towards the accident when I see the older man in the car isn't moving and blood was coming from he mouth. I start running and trying to turn my phone back on (I had to turn it off inside for my appointment). The white truck who hit the sedan skidded to a halt about 50 feet down the road and the driver came running over. A woman who was behind the silver sedan was trying to get the older gentleman to respond to no avail. At this point the nurses had run outside and the doctor (my doctor) was trying to get a pulse and pull his smashed up driver's side door open. I heard him say he wasn't breathing. I'm kicking myself for not knowing how to turn my phone back on; luckily the nurses had all called 911. It seemed like forever before the ambulance arrived.

I didn't actually witness the accident. Based on what the driver of the white truck said when he ran over ("did I run the light or did he?") I think they may both have been at fault. The white truck was racing to get through a yellow light (too fast) and the man in the silver sedan was trying to make a right turn on red without noticing that there was no way the white truck would have been able to slow down in time.

We finally left and I was able to get my prescriptions and go home. I checked the news later that night, since channel 5 news was at the scene within ten seconds, but there was no news about it. I haven't read the paper today but I checked out the stories online and there was still no news.

I hope the man in the silver sedan is alright.

Sickness thoughts

Why, oh, why can't I get past this coughing / choking / full of mucus stage of the flu? I've done little more than cough for three days now and it feels as though someone's been punching me in the stomach repeatedly. I have been getting better, and the coughing has gotten less frequent, but it still hits violently when it comes.

Which is exactly why I can't go into my night job. It's a restaurant. "Welcome to ____! Would you like a fever with your meal?"
Plus, when I'm sick, I get pissy. So things I could easily laugh off or give the "customer service white lies" turn into bitter exchanges. Example: customer asks "how are you today?" Non-sick me would have responded, "very good, thank you." despite my actual mood. Sick me responds, "I'm very miserable, how are you?"
And, as an interesting side note, (I love playing with the human condition) I've noticed there are two responses I get here. The first would be complete ignorance. The person asking me how my day wasn't genuinely interested and doesn't even listen to my response. The second is the person who is TOO interested, and begins to interrogate me on my condition, why I am unhappy and what can be done to fix such things.
If there's a middle ground I haven't seen it yet.Well, back to the grindstone. I need to get something accomplished today, the first of which will be to try and get some food into my stomach. I think an ice cream sandwich is in order...