A Bit O' Minty Freshness

I give up.

2009-07-08T00:32:00.000-04:00

I am simply not capable of blogging regularly.

My hope is to someday have my craft stuff be my job, but as it stands, I have another job and my boss just upped my work load a bit. That, in addition to the fact that Brent and I will be getting the first installment of a stream of visitors in a week, puts crafting at the bottom of the list. Sad times! Sometimes I cheat though. Sometimes I get so sick of cleaning and working that I drop what I'm doing, and grab the first craft I can see. Yesterday was one of those days.

This is about the time of year I start thinking about knitting stuff for the winter. I was searching for a good mitten pattern and I found one that I thought was pretty awesome. They're long (go about 3/4ths up my forearm) and I really like how they look. I decided to try out the pattern and BAM! The first one was practically done! I couldn't BELIEVE how fast it went! I knit all but the thumb and mitten top in less then 2 hours. Yaaaaay for instant gratification :]

Sorry for the awful picture. The color is really more of a dark eggplant purple then a plum. I'll take a better one when it's not the middle of the night, but I just wanted to give a sneak peak of the general idea. I love 'em! The cables really stand out. I think I might give this pair to my mom. I rarely give people the results of my first try but these have turned out lovely. Probably going to make quite a few pairs of these this year for people, haha.

Well, I gotta run, but I just wanted to give my 4 amazing followers a little update. I'll post pictures of the finished mittens in a couple days hopefully! Thanks so much for reading :)

~ Minty Fresh

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Mood:
Being devoured by reality

Listening to: Jim Gaffigan Stand Up Comedy :]
Reading: Mitten knitting pattern
Watching: Nothing
Making: Said mittens....
Eating: Tuna melt xD
Drinking: Capri Sun

The Power of Crafters :]

2009-06-13T15:08:00.005-04:00

I am always re-surprised when I go diving into the world of craft forums. Yesterday I posted a project on craftster.com with a couple questions for whoever wanted to answer and within half an hour I had half a dozen responses. They all even bothered to answer the questions I had asked! So much more effective then actual everyday people, haha. I mean, really. Ask a "normal" person what they think of your project (or in my case, if they think people would actually be interested in buying it if I decided to put it in my shop) and they respond with:

"Oooh wow! That looks greeeeat! You'll have to make me one sometime!"

Go to a craft forum and post something and you can count that people will tell you EXACTLY what they think of it while still being kind and tactful (most of the time anyways). So yeah, I'm back, Craftster. I always come back to you, despite having entirely too many things to check up on online everyday.

Craftster and I will probably go through another period of separation though. We're made for each other, just not mature enough for commitment ;]

Not much else going on besides me trying to figure out what color I want to paint the living room. I've never actually painted my own house before, so this could get interesting, lol. Well... more on that later. I don't want to leave this post utterly picture-less so here. Have some sparkly eye candy :]

~ Minty Fresh

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Mood:
Sick of humid weather

Listening to: Brent snore
Reading: a foodie blog
Watching: Angel. Bahahahaaa x]
Making: nothing
Eating: soup x]
Drinking: Water

I am a horrible person.

2009-06-11T14:40:00.006-04:00

I seriously fail miserably at this whole "maintaining a blog" thing. I mean, I KNOW my blog only gets like... half a dozen hits a week, but still. I need to keep the readers I have!

Life has been a constant arm poking lately, let me tell ya! Not painful or even that horrible.... just REALLY OBNOXIOUS!!!!! I'm pretty upset with myself for not having met my goal for when I wanted to open my Etsy shop, but it really can NOT be helped. Finances are down due to some totally great/worthwhile (yet pricey) travel plans Brent and I made recently, our anniversary, and the discovery that his parents are going to be visiting the end of July. We have to clean the homestead as well as paint (and hopefully do a bit of interior decorating). I'm hoping for the living room and the bedroom, but I'll be happy of ANYthing gets painted at this rate. To top that off, I've been recovering from some insane nasty bug I got. Lasted a week and a half and consisted of fever, coughing, barfing.... you name it, I had it. Bleh.

All this is pretty much turning my life into suspended animation. This is how I work, unfortunately. I'm a terribly unorganized person with an attention span that burns out quickly. Very frustrating.... :[

K. Pushing all that business aside. I have actually gotten a few crafts done in my month and a half of AWOL. Imagine that, lol. This first project was a gift for a dear friend of mine xD

It's a chibi Raichu! Hand sculpted and painted by me. I was slightly panicked that his oversized ears would be too flimsy, but they're actually pretty strong! Even survived in my suitcase on our trip to see her! Heehee so cute ^‿‿^

The other project I've been slowly working also has that "kawaii" Japanese cuteness to it. Remember those peaches I said I was going to make into cellphone charms?

Tadaaaa! Now they have cute faces! Haha! These are so fun to make. Not very time consuming either, now that I think about it. I really have no excuse for only having two done. Eventually I'm going to have an entire series of Japanese emoticon faces painted on these babies! So far, this one is my absolute favorite:

Awwwwhz! I just want to hug him! He looks so happy to be a peach, lol. I can't wait to see how they look with the protective glaze. I hope they turn out ok and that nothing smudges!

In other news, I am ready to devour my camera in rage. I mean, it's one of the higher priced Kodaks and I've been known to wrestle some decent photos out of it (even some good macros) but lately the ONLY place it will take a good picture is on my computer keys. While that works just fine on some days, other days you just want a pretty backdrops! Macbook keys are nice and all, but they just don't fit that bill! RAWR!

I'm looking to buy a Canon Rebel XSi. I know very few people hit this blog, but those of you that do, what do you think? Are you Nikon people or Canon people and why? I don't know much about cameras, but the XSi is one of the top cameras used on Flickr, so that MUST count for something! Haha :]

Well, this have been fun and surprisingly relaxing, but I must leave now. I will try to be more frequent with my posts from now on though! Thank you so much for visiting my blog and I hope you will continue to do so and that you find it at least somewhat interesting heehee :]

~ Minty Fresh

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Mood:
Stressed Out

Listening to: "Wonderlust King" by Gogol Bordello
Reading: A guide on nail care lol
Watching: Brent play a video game
Making: progress? Maybe? No? :[
Eating: Rice
Drinking: Grape Fanta

More practicing :)

2009-04-28T19:33:00.005-04:00

Wheeeee!!! I think I'm getting better! I really love these new pieces! Kind of make my first try look terrible but that's something I can live with I suppose (haha). I was FULLY planning on finishing my other projects before starting any other wire projects, but I just can't stop! It's tons of fun! Now I just need to figure out how to incorporate polmerclay into these wire projects. I do believe I will have found Crafter's Nirvana at that point heehee ;]

Any constructive criticism? Please be nice haha >‿‿◕

~ Minty Fresh

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Mood:

Devious

Listening to: the show I'm watching
Reading: Nothing
Watching: CSI: NY
Making: Wire Wrap Projects
Eating: Nothing. Booo :(
Drinking: Strawberry Fanta

Wire Wrapping = <3

2009-04-27T15:29:00.014-04:00

The last couple months, wire wrapped pieces have been catching my eye on Flickr. Especially this piece: The Magic Feather. I can't say enough about Smabla's work, but that particular piece is my absolute favorite. Anyone who hasn't heard of her needs to go over and check out her work right now! ◕‿‿◕

Anyways... that's the back story of why I decided to try it myself! It's SO much fun! I know they're not perfect but it's definitely a new hobby (they're earrings by the way)! You can completely change the look of a piece by wrapping it! It's like a whole new world has been revealed..... heeheeeee =P

I'm gonna keep practicing though. Eventually I hope to have some pieces up on my shop, but there have been some hang ups in that area *siiigh*. Lets not speak of such things for the moment though.... >‿‿<

Uh... I know this really has nothing to do with anything, but I have a hankering for a good sugar cookie. You know, like those one's with the little dollop of jam in the middle? Yummm.... I need to go Google this ^‿‿^

~ Minty Fresh

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Mood:

Sleepy

Listening to: the crime show I'm watching
Reading: Google sugar cookie recipe search
Watching: Bones
Making: Wire Wrapped Pendants and Earrings
Eating: Trader Joe's Fruit Leather!
Drinking: Water

A Little Progress >‿‿<

2009-04-25T16:53:00.017-04:00

I've been working on and off the last couple days, trying to get a few things started!

... Like this fruit for example! As you can probably tell.... I prefer peaches over apples lol. They're all hand sculpted from polymer clay and about 3/4 inch high. Eventually they'll have faces, a glossy finish, and cell phone straps!

I'm really liking my improvised baking rack. It's just a pyrex loaf pan with some 14 gauge wire, but it works REALLY well for charms. Oh and then there's the fact that it was free to make. Win win!!! <3

I've also been doing a lot of work with seed beads. I haven't beaded in a while and I kind of went crazy with these little stars haha. They're about half an inch wide and really easy to whip up. Very nice project to do whilst watching TV :]. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with them yet though. Hmm...

Other then that, I've pretty much just been sketching out ideas. Once I get my bearings, I'm going to try to do a few beaded necklaces. Perhaps some bridal themed ones. I guess I'm on kind of a seed bead kick right now, so expect a lot of that sort of thing for a little while >‿‿◕

In other news, I'm looking to buy a sewing machine soon. I don't want one that's too fancy but I would like one with intermediate ability. One that I wouldn't have to replace anytime soon. Any advice? ◕‿‿◕

~ Minty Fresh

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Mood:

Pleased

Listening to: "Stars" from Les Miserables
Reading: food blogs!
Watching: The Mentalist
Making: Seed Bead Stars
Eating: Mmmm fresh baked Bread >‿‿<
Drinking: Watermelon Fruit Punch

ZOMG!!!

2009-04-22T00:10:00.017-04:00

.... I saw a bald eagle today! xD

Seeee?!

~ Minty Fresh

Ps. Our guest left today, which means tomorrow there will be time to do something craft related! Oh really? You think I'm buffing? Pfft! Of course I'm going to do some crafts!

.... My other option is cleaning the house! >‿‿◕

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Mood:

Trying to Relaaaax *sigh* x]

Listening to: Brent snoring

Reading: Not much. Just some random online comic strip

Watching: Brent snoring (does that sound creepy? ;])

Making: Nothing
Eating: Nothing
Drinking: Waterrrrr

YAY!!!

2009-04-18T23:49:00.008-04:00

Wooohoo!Thanks to my trusty Mac friend, we're back in business!!! Took a long time (5 days without my laptop! ACK!!!) and small dent out of savings (to buy the newest OS), but my baby is back with a new look! Leopard is a huge difference from Tiger and I am not looking back what. so. ever.

Other then that horrible experience, not much else has been going on. Mixed some clay colors in preparation for a few projects but that's about it. Our guest is leaving on Tuesday though, so then I'll be free to start stuff ^‿‿^

Hm..... Sorry for the boring post. It's even more boring then I expected....

*clears throat*

..... <‿‿<

..... >‿‿>

*points frantically behind you* Look! Eye candy!

......*sprints away while you're distracted* >‿‿◕

~ MintyFresh

Ps. That picture was taken in Yorktown on a historical battlefield tour. Such a beautiful drive!

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Mood:
So happy that my laptop is working again!

Listening to: "Grace Kelly" by Mika
Reading: Nothing
Watching: "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"
Making: Nothing
Eating: Nothing
Drinking: Arizona Sweet Tea (Mmmmm x])

Wouldn't it just figure....

2009-04-08T23:22:00.009-04:00

... that I would go and buy batteries for my camera, take some lovely pictures, & then not be able to find the cord.

*grumble*

Sooooo anyway! my craft stuff came! All 3 boxes within 15 minutes of each other, too! FTW, package delivery services! F. T. W *applauds*. I should have taken a picture of the incredible packing skills of FireMountainBeads.com. Seriously.... They packed an incredible amount of stuff into VERY small box. Amazing.

Let us move on....

I have a bad case of CreativeBlockitis. I think it's because now that I got all my supplies for many different crafts, I'm not sure where to begin. What does anyone think (asumming that anyone reads this blog)? We have book binding, polymerclay-ing, beading, wire working, sewing.....? I'm also considering getting back into drawing/painting. I haden't been on DeviantArt in about two years and dang if I didn't forget how many incredible things are on there! Always get super inspired which right now, only adds to the brainclog heh >‿‿<

Thanx for stopping by to read my rambling! I promise there will be actual things of interest soon ^‿‿^

~ Minty Fresh

Ps. Hopefully picture to be added later, once I find the elusive cord :]

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Mood:

In Denial About Cleaning

Listening to: "Nobody" by Wonder Girls

Reading: Emails
Watching: "The Guild" on youtube :]
Making: Bread in the Breadmaker :]
Eating: Nothing
Drinking: Lipton Sparkling Green Tea (Berry)

I am...

2009-04-07T08:02:00.003-04:00

... obsessively tracking my art/craft stuff on the FedEx/USPS websites right now....

Is that sad or WHAT? Gah! I hate waiting for supplies X__x lol.

Hopefully I'll have my etsy shop open soon, but I'm not sure. My goal was this spring, but it's already been pushed to summer due to the many MANY visitors we're going to get this year. O the joys of being new homeowners lol. Well it's not like I have a social life... should be able to find time haha ◕‿‿◕

My other problem is trying to figure out what items I want to fill my shop with the MOST. If I did EVERYTHING I wanted to do, I would go crazy. Not so great in the "organizing my own thoughts" area haha. Not to mention people probably being scared off by the psycho eclecticness of it all *facepalm*

People always tell me I think too much into things like this, but I don't think they understand that the success of an online craft store would be the partial fulfillment of a lifelong dream. I'm not even joking. I've always wanted to do three things. Be happily married, make a little extra moneyz doing things I love, and own a pet otter. One down, two to go >‿‿< *Hint: I do not own a pet otter lol*

Ah well. It'll all come together eventually! New deadline being early summer! I best get a moooove on!

~ MintyFresh

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Mood:

Hating Deadlines

Listening to: "Love Grows" by Edison Lighthouse
Reading: a HTML tutorial
Watching: the tracking status on my craft supplies (lulz)
Making: Nothing
Eating: Nothing
Drinking: Lipton Sparkling Green Tea (Berry)