Thursday, October 4

Being a bit girly?

For those who know me, it comes as no surprise to say that I'm not a "girly" kind of gal. I didn't (don't) often wear skirts, jewelry, makeup, high heels, nail polish, or product in my hair. I just...don't find the effort to look interesting to be worth the time: I could be knitting, or gaming, or hanging out with friends who love me for who I am and not because I'm wearing the latest fashions or trends. I'm simply uninterested in the whole spiel. You will never catch me reading any of those fashion/makeup/trendy/tabloid type magazines, either, unless there is nothing else to read within a reasonably accessible radius, and by "nothing else" I would include nutrition facts on a cereal box, information on a toothpaste tube, and the evacuation plan in the seatback pocket in front of me during flight. It's just who I am.

But sometimes, I like being girly.

Yeah, it's taken me a couple of decades to admit it, but sometimes skirts are fun, makeup isn't always all chemically, some jewelry is cute or even beautiful, and I'm okay with that. I recently spent a few weeks negotiating custom orders on Etsy (when will they bring back alchemy*, I wonder?), and I'm thrilled with the results.

First, my kid sister said she wanted an apron for Christmas. For those of you who know her, you're well aware of her recent obsession with cooking just about any recipe she gets her hands on--and she's quite good at it. She's also a bit more into looking...perfect?...than I am, so she's not too thrilled when her less-than-stellar coordination means mashed potatoes on her pants or marinade on her shirt. So, an apron, huh? Off to Etsy I go! I searched for quite a while, until I found Perdoozy's shop; she makes aprons that look like they ought to be those cute 50's vintage dresses. Actually, my sis is whining about wanting Perdoozy to make her a dress, but you get what's available, ne? Perdoozy was a great help in looking all over to find the right fabric for my sis' reversible apron, and when it arrived, sis was thrilled with the end result. I kind of (definitely) liked one of the other ones she put together, so I bought one for myself as well--being on a diet means a lot more home-cooking, so I need one, right?

As for the other, I wanted to get a few nice jewelry items for our 3rd wedding anniversary, but I was too picky to buy just anything. I posted on the Etsy forums asking for someone to make me a custom bracelet, and after several responses I settled on Shijewels. Shi (pronounced "shy") is a really awesome lady, and while she worked on my bracelet (a mix of 2 of August's birthstones and 2 of October's, for my birthday and Daniel's, respectively), we talked about a number of things and became friends. I asked if she might be able to do what I had really wanted for my birthday, which was a moonstone pendant, and she said she'd give it a try. Lots of searching for stones and wire-wrapping later, she showed me two potential pendants. I picked one for its symbolism, asked for yet *another* customization, and she added that extra-special touch--I am so appreciative of the way she kept going the extra mile for me! Visit her Etsy shop (or blog) if you're wanting something extra-cute and affordable!

Since we're friends now, I guess, she decided to send me an extra little something--after the bracelet and necklace had already shipped--and I got it today: a pair of fire opal and carnelian earrings. Here's a shot of all that pretty stuff:


By way of saying thank you, I've knitted a Calorimetry and some fingerless mitts to fit Shi. You know, it's weird, when I bought this skein of yarn, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with it, I just knew I needed to have it because it was just right for...something. Now I know!



And today I applied for a job with Wal-Mart. It may not be the perfect job, but it's only temporary (until grad school...sigh), and I took and passed all the tests for 1.) getting a job; 2.) getting a management position; and 3.) getting a salaried management position. Now I'm afraid they won't hire me because I'm overqualified or something. We'll see.

Also, I like Daniel's new PSP. There, I said it. It was blasphemy, but with all the games from SquEnix coming out soon, I think it will be...useful >=D

~~
*Alchemy: on Etsy, it used to be a function where buyers could request custom objects and put their personal limitations (color, price range, media, etc.) and sellers would post their offers to make the item, thus allowing the buyer to make a good decision as to who was willing to do custom work that they liked and whose style they would appreciate. I'm hoping it comes back soon.

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