A Wedding and a Sunset

After a week filled with fun (Hump Day drinks, new hair color, movie night, and a birthday) I was my mother's plus-one to one of her coworkers' weddings last Saturday! And what a swanky wedding it was... Hosted by a well-known local Italian family (the bride's) at the nicest hotel in San Jose (the Fairmont), all 200+ guests wined, dined, and danced all night long! I mean, the table wine alone was probably worth a tank of gas a bottle! Amazing. I would never complain about living a more humble lifestyle, but ritz-ing it up every once in a while is always an exciting adventure. 

It's funny, I've only been to 3 weddings in my whole life and this month alone I will be attending 3 more (counting last Saturday's)! 2012 has definitely been the year of Til Death Do Us Part... it seems like I would need 3 sets of hands to count all the people I know who have gotten engaged and/or hitched in the past 10 months. But I guess since we're all in our mid-20s, 'tis the biological season! Not gonna lie - it's also a bit stressful. Every time another acquaintance of mine walks around with a new ring on her finger, it's guaranteed I'll be asked "when is it your turn?" I've been with Paul nearly 3 years now, so I suppose it's a natural inquisition, but I hate the underlying pressure. I just want to live life and enjoy how well things are going right now! Plenty of time to be married for the rest of my life.

Anyway. I wasn't sure exactly how much we were supposed to dress up, so I sported my new pretty peach H & M dress for the event:

 

It's so soft and flow-y and feminine - totally not my normal style, but I'm experimenting with new things! I love the embroidered collar :)

  

Sunday was spent primarily in my pj's, on the couch, Project Runway on the TV, crafting up a storm! I added 28 new pieces to the shop yesterday - an impressive feat if you know how long it takes to add listings to Etsy! But I didn't mind; I love doing it. It's almost relaxing.. kitties at my feet, pliers in my hand, coffee on the table, and not a care in the world! 

And to top off the weekend, look at this incredible sky from last night! Completely natural, no filter or other adjustments: 

I could have just flown away into that sunset and said goodbye to the world! I love Californian sunsets. My Instagram feed is filled with them. They're so vibrant and stunning and organic and beautiful. Nothing puts me more at peace that this background to my evening.

Positivity and Creativity

Life has been good!

I've been faced with a lot of pressure at work this week, but I made the conscious decision to be as positive as I can be about it and so far - it's been working! We really can set the pace for how our days go with how we shape our attitudes towards whatever life throws our way. I'm predisposed to a lot of frustration and irritation when faced with negative circumstances, and I'm learning to let things slide a little bit. Fake it til you make it, right?

My Etsy business has improved dramatically in the past few weeks. Every day or couple of days I get a new email that I've sold something! I can't tell you how proud it makes me. I haven't had much time this past week to add anything new to the shop, but I love the idea of sending my pieces, things I made, out into the world for ladies to enjoy! That is the raddest concept ever. 

To see your hard work displayed on someone else is totally weird but exhilarating at the same time. I spent some time with my girl Jewelz last night, drinking wine and catching up on life, and I gave her a pair of earrings I'd made recently specifically for her - and she loved them:

Those sweet little pink earrings were handcrafted by yours truly! You can't see too well in this particular picture but they're pink, sparkly, and feature little silver owls on the bottom (and purple-y pink roses on the top)! Made a similar version with skulls that I need to add to the shop. 

Anyway. She happens to be a fabulous hairdresser as well as a dear friend, and in exchange for those baubles and a bottle of bubbly, she will be transforming my hair into some shade of purple this evening! I can't wait. I've had every hairstyle under the sun (other than a shaved head) and my color has covered a good portion of the reddish spectrum, so I'm looking forward to something new. 

Also, those earrings that I'm wearing in the above picture? Made those, too! Here's a close-up:

 

So I feel a bit conceited, but I fucking LOVE these earrings. Enough that I don't think I could possibly sell them. My one great love in this life (well, okay, one of them) is music. Music moves my soul. I can't explain how it transforms me to another mood, another mindset, another place entirely sometimes! And I crafted these in honor of that love.

And to top off my afternoon, I spent my last break outside, under the warmth of the sun, and loved every single second of it. Finding happiness in the little things.

Understanding the Power of Perspective

"It is necessary to caution against over generalizing... For ultimately oral testimony is no more than 'prisms on the past' refracted by personality, human necessities, social background and position, ethnic identity, social affiliation, and a bundle of other sources that provide the light by which one sees and remembers."

- Rastafari: Roots and Ideology

I've read so many novels this summer that I thought I'd begin the fall (however 90+ degrees hot it's been so far!) with something a bit more educational. I've only just begun to read this book, but I'm loving it so far. The above quote resonates with those of us who wish to question what is true in reality and what is true based on the perspective of the person telling the story and writing the history. This can be applied in so many different situations, most of them controversial to the point that it divides people, pits them against each other. This should not be. Too many bad vibes as a byproduct of misinterpretation.

We all need to be reminded that there are many facets and undertones to what people say, and that we must sometimes understand where people come from and how they've lived before we can know what they mean. Ask questions. Learn the background. I am making a valiant effort in my own life to be more open-minded and receptive to people's opinions and views, however different they are from my own. It's best to at least try.

My beautiful Monday under the sun.

The Last Sept Weekend

Um, it's October. How? Time is FLYING, especially since I've been out of school. I feel like I've done a million things this summer but it still hasn't been enough! Alas, I continue to enjoy these hot, end-of-summer days as much as possible. It'll be cold and rainy and cozy soon enough :)

I spent yesterday perfectly: slept in (I LOVE SLEEP), got my BASSNECTAR (!!) ticket in the mail, beaded for a few hours, caught up on laundry, and finished up with an afternoon BBQ-and-beerfest with a few of my favorites.

Make every day count. Or at least try to!

 Beading!

Working on a few bracelets to add to the shop. And I need to do my nails...

Ate nothing of nutritional value yesterday, so I figured I'd round the day out with this <3.

The jingliest, jangliest earrings ever. Love them!

It'll be the 3rd time I see this dude this year! STOKED!.

Inked: Third Session

There is nothing quite like the buzz of a tattoo needle and the depositing of ink into your dermis to relax after a hellish week.

I've finally started adding some color to my phoenix tattoo, and I couldn't be happier. LOVE the ombré patterning with the reds, orange, and yellows. Can't wait to fill out the rest of the spine and the tail feathers!

Certainly an excellent start to my weekend :)

New Beginnings: Round 2

Here we go again. A new blog. I originally started one on Wordpress but..

a) that site is way too difficult
b) everything is entirely too complicated
c) I am a n00b
d) whatever

I like simplicity. I remember the good ol' days of LiveJournal and similar pre-blog-frenzy, online-journal-esque websites and I figured Blogger would be a better way to go back to that. Thanks, Wordpress, but I don't need to pay $30 for CSS or to be able to change my font colors.

Plus, the people I always want to follow are always hosted on blogspot. I guess that's where all the blogging hipsters stake their flags, and I'm cool with it.

I also like that the posting setup looks like I'm writing an email. Thanks for making things easy, Google!

And away we go.