Irresistible Etsy Shops: Part VI

More fabulous items discovered while window shopping!

MissyM88

These beauties remind me of those spin doodle things... anyone know what I'm talking about?

HattStreet

Big soft flower bracelet with a button center.  What's not to love?

Electric Penguin

The beads on this cuff bracelet are wrapped with recycled beer labels!  Come on, that's cool.

treeartist

This apple tree painting makes me happy.

BubblesUpByBethieB

I don't use bar soap, but after seeing this sugar cookie soap, I might have to change my ways :)

Miss last month's Etsy post?  Here it is!

Weekly Drawing: Wormy Dude

This is an old drawing I did in high school.  I assure you it was before I ever even tried drugs.

Past drawings: Gleefully Insane Apple Launch

Crazy Neighbors

I don't think there has ever been a time when I didn't live next to some nut.  By nut, I mean insane.  Wacko.  Totally unbalanced.

Here is an example.

I once lived in a tiny apartment with my husband and two cats in a poopy neighborhood.  The rent was cheap, and we definitely got what we paid for.  The apartment was actually part of a house, and we had neighbors in said house.  None of them were pleasant, the people above us were always blaring sucky music and peeing out their window (one time they actually started a fire from throwing lit cigarettes out onto the very dry lawn), and the guy living behind us vomited very audibly (and rather violently) every single morning.  No joke- every damn day.  Maintenance guy said he was an alcoholic.

The lady who lived adjacent to us, however, was the one we dealt with on a daily basis.  And she was crazy. CRAZY.

She had a little bug-eyed dog named Butler.  Dogs were not allowed in this house.  Crazy Lady claimed he was a service animal.  So I guess by pooping everywhere and running away all the time, he provided some kind of service for her.  Right.

This woman had several visitors who would go into her apartment for about 5 minutes or less and then take off.  Crazy Lady was clearly either a drug dealer or a very efficient prostitute.  Her visitors would frequently ring our doorbell by mistake (which, by the way, was a horrible buzzing sound equivalent to a robot being raped), and we would have to direct them to her door.

Every interaction we had with Crazy Lady was confusing.  She didn't make a lick of sense.  We came home one day to see this outside the main door we share to the house:

So of course, that day we had a whole slew of people ringing #2, our doorbell, looking for Crazy Lady.  

Moral of the story: Don't be a drug dealer/hooker if you can't be available to your clients.  It's not fair to your neighbors.

Surreal Saturday

Your Dad Will Thank Me: Father's Day Gift Ideas

When you think of Father's Day, do you immediately think of getting your dad a tie?  I mean, not that there's anything wrong with a tie, but my dad rarely wears one, so it would be kind of lame to get him something he'd use like twice.  He also has a million coffee mugs, which used to be my default gift.  I say it's time to get your dad something really cool this year!  Etsy is full of great dad gifts waiting to be discovered.  Here are some of my favorites:

Meatloaf Recycled Album Art Coasters from inoudidsattic

Cigar Bolster Pillow from SofaGarden

Recycled Bike Clock from 1byliz

Pink Floyd iPhone Case from nokomomo

Spaceballs Movie T Shirt from jamjamtees

Weekly Drawing: Gleefully Insane Apple

Be afraid.  Be very afraid.

I drew this little dude while working on a project for my sister (Hi Mary!  I'll get it done someday, I promise!).  She asked me to come up with drawings essentially representing each of her kids.  So I started doodling, and at some point I drew this monster.  Mary's kids are wild, but none of them equate this madness.  I must have had some inner demons to work out.

Jewelry Giveaway!

Win this cute butterfly ring!  All you have to do is hit the retweet button for this post (make sure it contains my twitter handle @ZebrasHateHail), and on June 1st I will put your names in a hat and randomly draw the winner!  

I will write a blog on June 1st announcing the winner and request your address via email, then ship your new funky piece of jewelry to you free of charge!  Easy peasy, right?

About this ring: I used a strong jewelry glue (E6000) to attach the toy butterfly to an adjustable metal ring.  I always get truckloads of compliments whenever I wear one (that's right, truckloads!).

So hit that button and cross your fingers :D

My Top 5: Books

1. On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony

This work of fantasy follows the character Zane through his adventures after he shoots Death.  This book is impossible to put down once you've started reading it.  Piers Anthony's storytelling is both humorous and very original.

2. The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

Okay, so it's actually a novella, but I had to include it because it's such a good read.  Perfect combination of science fiction and horror.  Unfortunately the movies made after this story look awful, and from what I've heard they aren't even worth watching for the "haha" factor.

3. Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs

After I saw the film inspired by this book, I knew I had to read it.  This guy has had a totally bizarro life, and the way he tells it will make you laugh, gasp, and grateful that you didn't have his childhood.

4. Weaveworld by Clive Barker

I never wanted this book to end.  When a land of supernatural beings is threatened, they weave themselves into an enchanted rug to be hidden and protected.  The story is so beautifully crafted, and I was entranced the whole time.

5. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palaniuk

Let me start by saying that Palahniuk is not for everyone.  This book is rather twisted (and sometimes just downright gross), but the writing is clever and enticing.  If you can stomach Invisible Monsters and found that you enjoyed it, I also recommend Survivor by Palahniuck.

Top 5 Cookies Top 5 Comedies

Surreal Saturday

Artist Review: John Brosio

Fatigue

John Brosio's work is nothing short of breath-taking.  He chooses frightening subjects such as tornadoes or over-sized creatures and juxtaposes them with everyday folk who appear undaunted by their presence.  Likewise, he will contrast a fun-loving ferris wheel with an oncoming storm which almost seems like a reminder of how even with our fancy man-made equipment, we are vulnerable to nature's fiercest elements.  His style of painting is expressive and full of life.

After School

Two Earthlings

Fatigue 2

Rides 2

To see more of John's art, visit his web page: http://www.johnbrosio.com/

*Many thanks to John for permission to use his images!

Weekly Drawing Launch

Like I really need another project... whatever, I'm going to do it!  Once a week, I'm going to post a drawing.  I'm going to start out posting drawings I've already done to make it an easy beginning *cough* so I don't wuss out right away.  I don't have a set day in the week, but maybe I'll organize that a little later.  Weekly Drawing Wednesdays?  That has kind of a nice ring to it.  We'll see.  For now, my goals are simple: post one drawing a week, old or new.  I can do this.

Here's one to start:

Sorry if it's a bit off in brightness, the monitor on this computer shows images as being darker than they actually are.  I have a scanner, but pencil drawings tend to get washed out when you scan them.  Maybe that should be another goal: find best way to display drawings on blog.

I really hope I don't wuss out.

Surreal Saturday

Meet My Cats

I know what you're thinking.  "Sarah's run out of blog content, so she's writing some silly post about her cats."

That's not entirely true.  I heart cats, and like any cat lover I must share goofy pictures of them.

This is Hoggle.

He is named after a character in Labyrinth, though we usually call him "Hogs" because he snarfs down his food like there's no tomorrow.  He's always making some strange face in all my photos of him... most likely because I have a camera in his face and he's wondering what the heck I'm doing.

This is Kallisti.

She's named after a Greek myth and essentially means "to the fairest".  She's pretty timid about being pet by people she doesn't know, but when she warms up to you she's very playful and talkative.

Hoggle and Kallisti get along pretty well.

Now that you've been introduced, you'll probably be seeing a lot more of these two.  Yaay, right?

:D

Surreal Saturday