ambyblog

I am not a robot.

2009-07-27T14:17:00.002-05:00

My new music obsession? Marina and The Diamonds! But wouldn't you know it's almost all but impossible to find her music.

Enjoy the video. My favorite line: "Better to be hated than loved for what you're not."

Do it like the Greeks

2009-07-20T12:24:00.005-05:00

I have been in love with Grecian style headbands for awhile now, but never actually saw any to buy. Last year, I finally found some leather ones at Urban Outfitters and was so thrilled that I grabbed 3. I love this one on Blake Lively.

The best part is their versatility. It can be worn showing all three strands, or twisted together to create a rope look, around your forehead, or even as a necklace!

I started thinking, aha!, maybe I should start making them. During the summer, I mostly knit with cotton yarns. They're so lightweight and come in tons of colors. It seemed like the perfect material to use for a headband. So starting today I will be selling these cute Grecian style headbands in my shop! The first one I'm listing is turquoise, but there will be more colors to come.

Click here to go to my shop!

A little inspiration.

2009-07-16T10:24:00.005-05:00

I miss blogging! Ah. Life has been sorta crazy. But I am still trucking along.

A few things inspiring me lately:

Fashion blogs! I get a fresh dose of ideas every time.

a cat's nest! Everything in this shop makes me want to get out my crochet hook or maybe just buy one of her adorable shrugs!

Castledoor! I knew a couple of these guys in another life and I'm happy to see they're still making music. And their live show is as energetic as ever.

And of course these little faces!

Fabrics

2009-06-02T13:27:00.003-05:00

I recently got a bunch of "new" vintage fabric.

Today I'm sorting, washing and ironing it. I think my favorite one is mos def the tabby print.

Down by the river.

2009-05-26T23:29:00.004-05:00

Nathan and I went walking by the river the other day. We're trying to enjoy this nice weather before the heat knob is turned up aaand we don't have a house which really forces you to get out there! ha. And there are the weirdest trees here, cottonwoods, that litter tiny white fluffs everywhere. I keep calling it summer snow, because it flurries in the sky then coats the ground. We didn't have them in Birmingham, you know so they're weird.

Home.

2009-05-25T23:21:00.008-05:00

I went to Birmingham, a few weeks ago, but I haven't posted pics yet.

I had gotten so homesick and with all the stress of our house search, I couldn't get there fast enough. As always much fun was had...

Me and the bro.

We got matching tats. Somehow mine ended up being bigger...maybe cause someone changed theirs at the last minute? I dunno...

I also finally got my peace sign tattoo.

Me and the mom.

There was a little of this:

And a little of that:

Izzy! She climbed into my lap numerous times. She's so sweet.

My uncle and dad grilling out.

We went to see my dad at the shop. I was excited to finally see some of the things he's been working on. He built this cabinet!

FYI this machine will make you yawn when in use. You may need to click the picture to see why. My mom and I thought this was hilarious and my dad thought we were weird. Nothing has changed. haha

On Sunday afternoon, a tornado came through. The sirens kept going off and that's the cue to go out onto the front porch, right? I have become mildly obsessed with weather, something I got from my dad...apparently. There is nothing quite like a thunderstorm at my parents house.

The older I get the harder it is to be away from my family.

(I made Zac some tea in his favorite mug.)

For real.

2009-04-27T13:23:00.004-05:00

We moved out last weekend and it was the worst move I've experienced and I've moved halfway across the country. It seemed like there was a never ending amount of things to get out of the house and we had been organizing and packing for 30 days! Seriously, it has taken me a week to recover! We are staying at Nathan's parents while we house hunt. They have been more than gracious to allow us and the three kitties to pretty much take over the upstairs. We're trying to look at it like a mini-vacay. We've been eating out almost every meal, which we never do. Kinda fun. The cats are adjusting well, even though the car ride over was rough. (Sherman just about had a panic attack! So unlike him.)

On Sunday, I created myself a little sewing nook in Nathan's old bedroom. This is the room where he wrote and recorded his first albums (aw) so I'm thinking there are some creative vibes up here. I've already made a bunch of rings and bobby pins for Collected Thread in OKC and tonight I'm finishing up some new key fobs. That is the most I've gotten to work on TKO stuff in months!

Later this week I'm heading to Birmingham to see my family!! SO EXCITED.

OCD can come in handy...

2009-04-16T22:42:00.002-05:00

My, oh so organized, husband came up with a creative way to give us more floor space!

We're packing it up and moving out this weekend...more details to come.

Wait, what?

2009-03-30T01:15:00.007-05:00

On Saturday, we got 7" of snow, cause you know...that's normal.

Spring fighting with winter.

Sherman had to check it out.

I normally get pumped about snow, but I have been enjoying the warmer weather and wasn't really into a random snow storm...at first. Then we went outside and I was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to build a snowman and a snow fort. It would have been the perfect snow for that! I kept telling Nathan that it reminded me of the Blizzard of 1993. He always looks at me funny when I talk about the Blizzard of '93. I'm originally from Birmingham and well, it doesn't snow there very often. Imagine what happened when we got 13" of snow one March! We were out of school for an entire week with no electricity. We played in the snow all day long and my dad put chains on his 4 wheel drive Jeep and drove around town helping people get groceries. I remember the snow was up to the bumper. My whole family slept in the living room by the fireplace the whole week. It was seriously awesome. My dad even had one of the t-shirts that said, "I survived the Blizzard of '93"

Cause I have so much time...

2009-03-25T14:32:00.005-05:00

So, today of all days I started working on a laptop sleeve. I've been wanting to make one for over a year now. In the midst of having half my craft room in boxes, I get the urge to sew. I plan to sell these. Hopefully, I'll have time to make some before my next show.

This is merely a prototype, so please do not judge its imperfections. It is lined with wadded up plastic bags. Though it is a good way to recycle them, it makes for a crinkly sleeve. I haven't added a closure yet. I'm debating between velcro or a cute button. Thoughts?

Only 25 days until we have to move out, but my computer is warm now. Priorities people.

Packing it up...

2009-03-23T20:38:00.002-05:00

For the past couple of months, we've been planning to purchase the home where we currently live. We adore this house, but it's an older home that needs some repairs. Unfortunately, the people who own it have been less than easy to negotiate with...I will move on for lack of having something nice to say about the matter.

We hadn't known for the past month whether we'd be going or staying. Since we've decided not to purchase the house we have until April 20 (happens to be my birthday) to move into a new place. We are still planning to purchase a house, just not sure which house yet! I have been so stressed out with the whole matter, but I can at least focus on packing now. We're going to see a potential place tomorrow. I know that everything will work out. I'm just glad to be done negotiating with people who don't know what they're talking about!! Oh my gosh...

Did you know that if you go to Walmart Neighborhood Market after they've started restocking (10 p.m.) you can just grab the shopping carts full of empty boxes? Well, you can and the cereal aisle has the best ones. Sherman was sooo excited when I started putting the boxes together. So many fort options!

So there's an update on why I haven't been around much lately...

Practicing Selflessness

2009-03-10T18:49:00.001-05:00

He gave her about 10 minutes in there before jumping on top of it,

causing it to collapse and forcing her out.

Cat Nap

2009-03-10T18:45:00.001-05:00

It is very rare that this happens. When it does Sherman is always in

the middle, cause he gets along with everyone.

We should like have a party...

2009-02-25T23:06:00.006-06:00

This is my 300th post! Geez. I started blogging right after getting married and moving all the way to Tulsa from the lovely south. It began as a way to keep in touch with my family and make some use of my English degree. So, I thought it would be funny to look back through some old posts...or maybe just fun to me and like my mom. You can stop reading now if you want.

Our old security guard: here

A newlywed moment: here

I didn't think I could love an animal as much as Isabell and then I met this fellow: awww

And of course, the squirrel post.

Sleepy Cat

2009-02-10T14:40:00.003-06:00

In case you don't understand why I love Sherman so much...

...he is not ashamed to cuddle.

Hint of Spring

2009-02-07T19:19:00.004-06:00

Dear Weather,

Thank you for today. The warmer temp. was much needed. Though I know we have more chilly days ahead, it reminded me of what is to come, the euphoric feeling that only Spring can bring. I feel much better now.

Amby

P.S. Sherman enjoyed it, too.

Craft Night with the Mafia

2009-02-04T22:27:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we had a craft night at my house. (I just realized I never posted pics.) Everyone brought something they were working and something edible.

Much fun was had by all.

Thom and Christine.

Emily, Brigid and Holly.

Tony and his amazing scarf!

Renee.

You can find links to everyone's etsy shops here: Tulsa Craft Mafia

Hiiiiiiiiiii

2009-01-24T19:20:00.005-06:00

You know as much as I love winter, it's totally bringing me down. Perhaps, if there were snow it would be better, but alas nothing yet. There is ice in the forecast for next week, so here's hoping.

So yeah, I have a lot of things going on that will hopefully be tied up next month. I desperately want to get back to work and I'm trying to muster up some motivation. My sewing machine is starting to collect dust. My knitting needles, however, are burning it up. I recently took a knitting lesson at a local Tulsa yarn shop, Loops. It was a private lesson, so I was able to ask for help on a couple of different things I've struggled with figuring out. I started my first project on circular needles and unfortunately, um it's not looking so hot. The lady at Loops said I could bring it in for help, but I'm too embarrassed at how bad it looks at this point. Isabell is helping to hide some of my mistakes. The yarn is soo pretty though! I think I may start it over and then take it in!

I also got my hair cut this past week. I realize it may still look long to some people, but this is the shortest it's been in like 5 years. I don't think I have the guts to go shorter though.

I hope everyone is staying warm and toasty. I'm ready to watch a movie and knit.

The Happy Hooker

2009-01-14T17:39:00.001-06:00

For Christmas, my sis-in-law got me a book called The Happy Hooker

which teaches how to crochet. While I will always knit, I'm having fun learning

something new. The movement of crochet is very addictive. I've been

making "granny squares" to piece together to make an afghan.

Back to it!

2009-01-08T10:07:00.000-06:00

I'm busy, busy this week trying to get caught up on everything! I hope everyone is enjoying the first full week of the new year!

The Christmas Post.

2008-12-31T19:20:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to get my Christmas post done before it's just too far away to bring up again!

We did things a little differently this year by staying in town instead of going to Alabama. On Christmas day, we went to Nathan's parents house and had a laid back day of gifts and yummy food. My sister-in-law and her husband live in NY now and weren't able to be here this year. She was greatly missed.

The next day we continued with Christmas festivities by celebrating with my family, who drove out the day before. This was my first year ever to not spend Christmas in Birmingham!

My decorations. I finally made us some stockings.

Stocking stuffer loot!

We gave my brother a framed F. Witty print, which Nathan made. We also had one of my brothers drawings printed out. I should have taken a picture of it!

My mom got a gift for my cats, which I think Sherman kinda hogged. It's called a "Mystery Triangle" though we couldn't quite figure out the mystery. He absolutely loves it. Seriously, I think he enjoyed his present more than anyone else.

Notice the dog in this picture...my mom brought her yorkie, Ally, who got along surprisingly well with the cats.

Every year for Christmas, my mom makes a huge lunch for us, causing her a bit of stress. So, this year I forced her to sit back while I did most of the cooking. She got to do the green bean casserole.

Sherman played non-stop in his triangle. That night I found him sound asleep inside of it.

It was so nice to have my parents and brother in town. I got to show them all the wonderful "sights" in Tulsa and spend some quality time with them. Thanks to them for enduring the drive to come see us!

I hope everyone had a merry holiday!

4 Years Ago

2008-12-23T12:54:00.002-06:00

I got engaged... Nathan and I always had a long distance relationship until he moved to Nashville one summer, while I was in school. We pretty much knew after that, we wanted to get married. That fall he moved back to Tulsa for a job. He flew in for Christmas and when I picked him up at the Nashville airport it was made official. The airport may seem like an odd place, but it was perfect considering the type of relationship we'd had...

I woke up the next day to find Nashville covered in ice! It looked like a winter wonderland. Later that day, we drove to Birmingham to be with my family on Christmas. The way it looked outside matched my mood perfectly! Ice on the trees and on my finger...ha...

My pet owl...

2008-12-22T21:33:00.005-06:00

Ok, so he's not really a pet or technically mine...but there was an owl perched in the big, bare tree in my front yard today! At first glance, I didn't realize it was an owl, but upon closer observation I do believe it is!! How beautiful is he? I realize owls aren't the friendliest creatures, but how cute is his face? You can click the pictures to enlarge them.

I did a little research and the closest match I can find is the Snowy Owl. The description says that the younger owls and females of this breed, typically have more dark spots. If you know how to identify owls please leave a comment!

It's been really cold...

2008-12-17T18:30:00.001-06:00

Handmade Holiday Market @ Ida Red!

2008-12-12T00:58:00.004-06:00

If you live in Tulsa please come out and buy local and handmade!

There will be unique items for under $25.

So come finish (or start) your Christmas shopping.

This Saturday, Dec. 13th

Ida Red on Brookside: 3pm- 11pm

Music by: Joy & Dawn, Fiawna Forte and Erin Austin

You can read more about it here in Tulsa World!

This is my last show until the spring!

I've been tagged...a lot.

2008-12-10T21:46:00.009-06:00

I'm really bad at actually doing these when I get tagged, but I have been 3 times. I think that means it's time to do it. Here are the people that have tagged me: Renee, Kelli and Jenny. (Jenny tagged me awhile ago.)

1. Link to the person that tagged you

2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

Here are my weird/random things:
1. I absolutely can't stand rubbing wet hands together. Like I'm uncomfortable right now just thinking about it. Ahh.

2. I took voice lessons for 6 years and studied classical voice my freshman year of college. I miss it.

3. I eat gum, like most people eat a bag of skittles. (Except, I chew it until its lost the flavor then spit it out.)

4. My dad's family is from Sicily. My granddad and family changed their last name from DeFrancesco to Franks after moving to the US. I like to think had my last name been DeFrancesco, that I'd be famous. :-(

5. I assign gender and personalities to letters and numbers. I've been doing it since I learned to read. I used to think everyone did: OLP

6. I very randomly met my husband right before my 18th birthday, in St. Louis even though neither of us lived there. It was a one chance meeting. We didn't actually get together until years later, but I've totally had a crush on him since that night.

Wow. Those make me seem weird.

Ok, almost everyone I know has been tagged with this. Hmm:
My bff Tony who just started a blog.
My mom!
My friend Kristi, who also has a new blog.

This post is about pie.

2008-12-10T13:54:00.005-06:00

Nathan has been wanting buttermilk pie for awhile now. I kept forgetting until recently when I had some leftover buttermilk from another recipe. So, last night I whipped this together while making dinner and stuck it in the oven without him noticing. After dinner I made us tea and handed him a plate with a slice of pie. He was pleasantly surprised. He said he thought he smelled something, but couldn't figure out what it was. (I also can't help, but say "peeeh" like Cartman from Southpark, every time. )

This is his family's recipe and it's super quick. It would be a great addition to a holiday meal.

Buttermilk Pie

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup Bisquick mix

1 cup buttermilk

1 stick butter (melted)

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth; pour into pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. This pie makes its own crust.

The secret to making a man happy? Bake him pie. ;-)

Angel under the tree...

2008-12-08T13:43:00.003-06:00

I've been decorating and decorating. My family is coming here this year and I'm so excited. It's given me more motivation to decorate since I will actually be here on Christmas. There is a slight chance for some snow tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Merry Early Christmas to Me.

2008-12-05T22:06:00.005-06:00

I have some last minute things to do tonight for a craft show I have tomorrow and of course I'm procrastinating and posting a blog!

Nathan got me an early Christmas present this week, an iPhone! Needless to say it has made me a happy, very organized lady. Nathan said it would change my life and I already agree.

I've had a very long day today, running errands and making some last minute items. I decided I deserved a treat, so I'm having a bowl of popcorn with M&M's sprinkled on top. Delicious!

If you're in Tulsa come see the Craft Mafia tomorrow at the Darnaby Arts and Crafts show. The show is held at Union's I-High at 71st and Garnett. It's free to get in!! They will have a Chickfila trailer setup. If you've done many craft shows you know the food choices usually consist of nachos and hot dogs. I looove me some Chickfila!

I must get back to work, since this post is becoming about food.

Come to The Collective

2008-12-03T12:10:00.004-06:00

If you live in Tulsa, you should come out to The Collective (11th & Harvard) tomorrow night from 6-9pm. The Tulsa Craft Mafia will be displaying art there through the month of December. The Collective serves food and both drinks of the alcohol and caffeinated persuasion.

"Owl Art"

My section!

Knit Night!

2008-12-02T23:34:00.004-06:00

I'm finally posting pics. I was very happy with the turn out. I taught about 6 people to knit or at least got them started. There were also some people who already knit that helped the people learning. Thanks to Ida Red for hosting the event. We're going to do it again soon.

Here is my friend Tony Li and his guests.

Thom and Christine have both wanted to start knitting for awhile now. They were very competitive and funny, but both picked it up very quickly. Thom just finished his first scarf!

Renee helped me teach!

I made owl cookies and cupcakes.

Hope to see everyone next time!

Knitting fool.

2008-11-28T22:30:00.005-06:00

Just added new cowls to my shop and I'm offering free shipping!

I'm having a giveaway on The Knit Owl blog. Head on over and leave a comment for a chance to win a Rainy Day Wall Cloud! Ends Nov. 30 at midnight!

The Great Debate: Dressing vs. Stuffing

2008-11-26T21:29:00.004-06:00

At this moment I am making this, my grandmother's recipe for cornbread dressing, the absolute most delicious recipe in my book. (Ok, well I omit the celery, because it is the one veggie I will never like. It's hard for me to even smell it.) Moving along, so being an Alabama a girl, I was raised eating dressing with my turkey. When I moved to Oklahoma suddenly there was stuffing and people who were ok with eating it, something that was often frowned upon by my elders, mainly my mom. (She is a make it from scratch cook.) There is always a debate over the meanings of each and which is the best. I did a little research a.k.a. googling and found this hilarious article from Georgia. My favorite quote being: "Southerners think cornbread dressing is the food - or at least the side dish - of the gods, while Yankees think stuffing is the only way to go." I also learned when I moved here that only Southerners still refer to people from the north as Yankees. So anyway, stuffing makes me think of something from a box, that is usually shaped like bread crumbs and is rarely actually stuffed in a turkey. Dressing on the other hand has a smoother more firm consistency and is made from cornbread. It has become an irreplaceable component of my Thanksgiving feast. It reminds me of home, specifically my mom and grandmother's cooking. I think people probably prefer whichever they were raised with.

Which do you eat on Thanksgiving?

Ramblings

2008-11-24T21:23:00.003-06:00

I can't stop yawning!!! I worked a much longer day today and I can feel it. Not to mention Sherman keeps waking me up at 6 a.m. by hitting the blinds or acting like he's going to knock my lamp off the night table. He used to pull it all the way off, but now he knows he can just tap it a little and I will jump awake. Annoying. (Yes, he is feeling better.)

Sooo, my weekend. Nathan was out of town all weekend re-filming scenes from a short film he is in. He gets shot in the movie. I've seen only photos so far and they're pretty graphic. I hear he did a great job though. I missed him, but I was so busy the entire time he was gone!

I have pics to post from the knit night on Thursday. There was a great turn out. I will get those posted for you tomorrow. The craft mafia setup at a show on Saturday that ended up being a bit of a bust. Eh. People don't seem to understand the difference in handmade and made in China.

Tonight, I'm working on a new bobby pin display. It will find a new home over at Ida Red. The bobby pins are in high demand apparently!

I'm really pumped about Thanksgiving. I start getting homesick this time of year. We're going to Nathan's parents on Thursday for a low key day. It will be nice to spend the day with family. I'm also really craving some turkey.

One more thing, congrats to my friend Jenny who got married on Saturday!!

Kniiiit

2008-11-16T22:55:00.007-06:00

So today was long. I took product photos all afternoon and have been listing things in my shop all evening. I'm really excited, because I finished some really pretty knit items. I just listed this cowl in my shop. There will be more of these in other colors coming soon!

Speaking of knitting, Thursday night I'm having a knit night at Ida Red in Brookside. If you live in Tulsa, you should come knit with us. If you don't know how we'll teach you. If you don't want to learn, that's sad, but you can come and just hang out and maybe have some cupcakes! It will be a good time!!

Happy Friday

2008-11-13T23:39:00.003-06:00

"Happiness" by one of my all time favs, Goldfrapp.

It was good luck.

2008-11-13T00:14:00.007-06:00

You may remember last year on the 13th a little black kitten appeared at my door.

Well, 1 year later she's still tiny and delicate, but thinks she is really tough. She is the resident bug killer and has been known to growl when unhappy. Nathan told her "no" one day and she hissed back at him, all 8 pounds. What she wouldn't want you to know is that she's actually really sweet and cuddles beside me every night.

Sunday night.

2008-11-09T21:07:00.011-06:00

Part of my problem with posting frequently are photos! I think it's boring to post without a photo, but I'm too lazy sometimes to take the photo, upload, edit, upload to blogger...gah.

Soo, I'm finding photo booth to be way more convenient.

Tonight, I am hanging on the couch with my latest knitting

project, new (new to us at least) episodes of The Wire, and peanut butter cookies made from the dough I bought from our cute 8 year old neighbor next door.

Intensely, watching the Wire while knitting a cowl.

Reese's Peanut Butter cookie.

Snoozing cat to my right.

I've still been having to monitor Sherman pretty closely. On Friday, I thought I might have to take him into the vet again, but instead he's on a strict regimen of medicine, watered down wet food and kisses, all of which will hopefully help him get back to normal.

Voted.

2008-11-04T13:25:00.003-06:00

Only in America can you get a free cup of coffee and a donut for voting.

Sherman's home!

2008-11-03T13:13:00.006-06:00

I picked him up today!

People keep asking me what happened, so I figured I might as well explain. He had urinary blockage, which kept him from being able to go to the bathroom and had we not taken him in it would have caused kidney failure within a few days. The vet cleared the blockage and monitored him over the weekend to make sure it didn't happen again. Now to prevent it he will be on prescription food. I'm doing research, so I can fully understand and to see if I have any other food options. Has anyone else ever dealt with this? I'm not sure yet how this new feeding schedule will work with 3 cats. So yeah. It's been a stressful weekend. I'm glad to have my little buddy back home. The vet said he was a special kitty and they enjoyed having him.

He has been talking non-stop since we got home.

I'm sure he is trying to tell me about his recent adventures. ;-)

Sherman Sale

2008-10-31T22:35:00.006-05:00

I get to pick up my little buddy on Monday. It's weird not to have him at the house. Isabell and Ele have no one to cuddle with and heaven forbid they come within a foot of each other. The vet said he's doing well. He has a cone around his neck to keep him from pulling out his IV and catheter. I'm thinking he's going to need a hug when he gets home.

So as for the sale, everything in my shop will have free shipping between now and November 15. All proceeds will go towards Sherman's vet bill. Since it's almost Christmas time you can stock up on key fobs, pillows, totes, whatever suits your fancy and I will ship it to you for free! All the items in my store are already updated with free shipping. I will be updating my shop this weekend with some new items. Visit my store here!

Feel free to repost this on your blog or myspace. I'd like to get the word out. Thank you!!!

Sherman is sad.

2008-10-30T21:24:00.006-05:00

So my little Shermy is at the hospital. He had to have minor surgery yesterday. I won't go into all the details, but had we not taken him in it could have been a lot worse. He's staying until Monday and hopefully will feel much better. He always follows me around the house and last night and this morning all he did was lay in the bathroom. I had a really long and sad day, but he's going to be ok.

I'm thinking about having a Sherman Sale in my etsy shop. All procedes would go towards his vet bill. Would anyone be interested?

Cooold

2008-10-28T10:29:00.003-05:00

It's very chilly outside and it makes me want to huddle under a blanket on the couch! Buuut after browsing some super cute and creative holiday ideas, I'm feeling my motivation creep back. This is definately my favorite time of year. I think since moving to Tulsa and experiencing the hellacious summer weather, winter time is my fav. Oh, and yes I will soon be obsessing over when we'll get snow. It happens every year, I apologize in advance. SNOW. OMG that just made me excited.

There is a lady bug on our ceiling. Nathan says that's good luck. So on with my day...

My email

2008-10-25T22:35:00.003-05:00

is temporarily down. We're moving our Britrix domain to new hosting. So no email for me! Ah. If you need me, mail@theknitowl.com or of course those old fashioned things called phones.

Helping herself...

2008-10-21T21:11:00.001-05:00

I have to wonder how often she does this without being caught.

Popular Pumpkin

2008-10-17T22:31:00.004-05:00

Everywhere I look there are pumpkins! So I decided it was definitely time to make pumpkin bread. I found a new recipe that called for applesauce, something I've been wanting to bake with because it helps make the bread more moist. I must say it worked and this bread is delicious! The recipe is here.

What's up my babies?

2008-10-15T13:26:00.004-05:00

Sooo, my long Indie Emporium weekend is over. I had so much fun and the event was very successful for everyone. We gave out 100 goody bags within the first hour! I posted some pics over at my other blog. It's a little confusing having two blogs. If you haven't already, please bookmark my new blog www.theknitowl.blogspot.com and head over to check out my Indie Emporium pictures.

In other news, I'm on a huge baking kick this week. It's been rainy and cold here and I can't think of anything more perfect than baking. I'm going to post some recipes in the next few days.

Happy hump day! haha...that's some office lingo for ya.

Long Day.

2008-10-08T21:41:00.002-05:00

Wow. Today was very eventful. I've been going non-stop! It started this morning. Tara and I did Good Day Tulsa, which I think went well. Then Nathan's grandparents were in town and we went to lunch. I had to work then head to the Indie Emporium Pre-party, grabbed some coffee, after I quickly ran to Michael's and Joann's for some canvas's and 5 lbs. of polyfil! Now I am settling down, eating some Indian food and catching up on Perez Hilton. It's going to be a late night!

Dude, this weekend is going to be so much fun!

www.indieemporium.com

Tomorrow..

2008-10-07T13:23:00.004-05:00

I will be on Good Day Tulsa on ABC (Cox channel 8) in the morning promoting Indie Emporium. Tune in if you're up. The show starts at 9 AM, but not sure when I'll be on.

I'm sewing away this week. Only 2 more days until Indie Emporium. Wow.

Tonight @ the Monolith

2008-10-04T16:12:00.004-05:00

I'll be here tonight along with some new wall art!

Organizing my addiction.

2008-09-29T21:14:00.007-05:00

The biggest problem that I have in my sewing room is figuring out how the heck to sort all of my fabric!! I'm so addicted to buying fabric, but I made a deal with myself not to buy anymore until I could figure out a good way to organize it. I finally decided on rolling it and stacking it on my shelf. That way I can see more of what I have. Since my shelf, which already held my fabric collapsed whilst I was moving it across the room, it was the perfect opportunity. (I don't like to wait for help. I just go for it even if this provokes obscenities.)

My BFF Sherman helped me. By "helped" I mean he took a nap while I organized.

Apparently, I only took Sherman pictures and none of the finished shelf. ha.

3 Years

2008-09-24T10:59:00.004-05:00

Another reason I love the fall is because that's when I got married. Today is our 3rd anniversary. I'd really like to share the story of how we met sometime. It's really crazy.

Here is a video of our processional mixed with some photos.

The Perfect Autumn.

2008-09-23T11:42:00.004-05:00

Would you like to know how to create the perfect Autumn? For me it's all about fragrance in the fall. It sets the mood for open windows, a cool breeze and falling leaves. I have a couple of specific favorites that I run to this time of year. I stepped into Bath and Body Works the other day and picked up my favorite fragrance, Pumpkin. They only have it this time of year and that's really the only reason I ever go in there. I normally buy the candle, but it smelled slightly different than normal, so I settled for the oil. I hate when companies alter products that were already wonderful! I bought one of these candles my first fall in Tulsa. I was a newlywed and enjoyed decorating our apartment for the season. Fall table anyone?

Now, if you'd rather support handmade products, then I have another amazing recommendation. My friend Christine, a fellow craft mafier, makes a Pumpkin Vanilla candle. I go nuts over it every time we do a show together. They all probably think I'm kinda weird. It reminds me of Indie Emporium last year, which was my first show ever. She doesn't have any candles listed at the moment, but I bet if you message her she'll post one for you. They smell good without even burning them! Here's her store: such.pretty.things

Owlabama.

2008-09-18T23:50:00.002-05:00

I am excited to share that The Knit Owl can now be found in Alabama! There are rings and pins available at Red Rain in Homewood on 18th St. If you live in Birmingham, it's totally cool if you want to go in and say, "Oh wow! You sell The Knit Owl! I love this stuff!" Just an idea. Either way please stop and check them out. I'm happy to be selling in my hometown now!

The Fourth Kitty.

2008-09-17T13:44:00.003-05:00

Don't you worry, we aren't keeping her! As sweet as she is, we thought it best to try and find her a home. I think I found the perfect person, too. A girl I work with who is a student and lives alone. She is a first time cat owner and I think she will soon be a full-fledged cat person. This is one of the sweetest kitties. She had to stay the night in our bathroom and barely made a peep. Every time I went in to see her she purred and rubbed against my leg. She looks a lot like Ele in the face, so it may be her sister. Her coloring is beautiful! Nathan and I were sad to see her go, but I know she'll get lots of love and attention in her new home!

If only there had been cameras today...

2008-09-14T23:28:00.000-05:00

My day was weird.

It started this morning when we noticed a bike laying across the street from our driveway. After further inspection, we realize someone had ditched their bike because they had stolen Nathan's!! We have never had problems like this in our neighborhood. We were pretty mad and were thinking someone might come back to get the bike on the street. I suggested we chain it to the street sign so they can't take it. Nathan suggests that is illegal. Shortly after this the stray kitty shows up at my porch. I should give some back story. A cute little black cat has been frequenting our front porch. She comes and goes as she pleases. We think she may be Ele's sister as they look alike and seem approximately the same age. We really don't need a 4th cat and have just put food out for her instead. So the kitty was on my front porch this morning with a collar on. At first I thought that was good because it meant she had a home! Upon further inspection I noticed there was a note duck taped to the collar! I opened the note and it read, "Dear Mom and/or Dad, If you insist on letting me run free at least put a collar on me with a city license number, so when I am hit by a car they will know who to call." I am not even kidding you that is what it said!! So that creeped me out and I immediately began trying to think of people who would be interested in adopting her. I sent out a mass text message and called my friend Annette who has a cat shelter in Owasso. She said she didn't have the space for another kitty, but would give her shots for free. A girl that I work with called and said she was interested in meeting the kitty and perhaps adopting her, well by this time the kitty had finished eating and run off. I realized I never reattached the collar and note and couldn't decide whether this was a good or bad thing. Would this infuriate the crazy cat person in my neighborhood even further? Nor did I have any clue how to find her again for the girl to come meet her. So afternoon comes and our friend Matt, who Nathan had played drums with over the weekend, comes by to drop off Nathan's drums. He had another guy with him, who points at the bike laying across the street and says it's his friends bike!! I'm not even kidding. We tell him that Nathan's bike was stolen earlier that morning. So he calls the owner of the bike who tells him HIS bike was stolen DOWNTOWN the night before!!!!!!!! You can't make this stuff up. Apparently, someone stole his bike that was chained in front of a restaurant downtown, then they rode all the way to our neighborhood, somehow spotted Nathan's bike, ditched their first bike and rode off on his (which had 2 flat tires, by the way). Also, what are the chances that someone came to our house today and recognized that bike? Matt was originally going to come by yesterday. Needless to say, Nathan misses his bike, but I may have found a home for the kitty.

I have to get some sleep. Today was like a dark comedy or something.

Three Katz Kraft Korner.

2008-09-11T22:01:00.009-05:00

It was down-pouring all yesterday. So, I made brunswick stew and cornbread, cause that's the appropriate meal. Yum! Nonetheless, I persevered through the yawns and listed some new things in my etsy shop. You can go look.

As for my new blog, I now officially have The Knit Owl blog. It will be a part of my new website, which is almost finished. My hot web designer has been working away to get it ready! I appreciate the blog title suggestions and even though I'm a sucker for alliteration, I will pass on "Three Katz Kraft Korner." I especially dislike when k is substituted for c. What is that about? I'd prefer to hear nails run down a chalkboard. I think my mom agrees and that's why she suggested it...

Here's my new blog: The Knit Owl Blog

Almost time to burn caramel candles...

2008-09-09T11:05:00.005-05:00

Hello. Sorry my posting has been so sparse. Nathan was out of town all weekend and I secluded to my sewing room. I barely even ventured out to the rest of the house. I caught up on a lot of custom orders that had sort of fallen to the wayside. The weather is beautiful today, which means it's cloudy, breezy and cool. We're both working in the living room today with the windows open. So nice. There is no relevance to this photo except it's cute.

My busy season is quickly approaching and I couldn't be more excited! Fall is the best time to do craft shows. I'll be at the Autumn Harvest show Sept. 20 @ Bishop Kelley high school. I'm going to have lots of new stuff! Ooh and I will also be launching a new blog...more soon.

I may have to start paying him for this...

2008-08-28T21:31:00.004-05:00

I think Jackson is my new unofficial model. The past two days that I've kept him, he's helped me photograph some new key fobs and rings. He thought it was fun, but couldn't quite understand why I was taking pictures of these things. I told him I sell them on the Internet. He asked me where I got them and I said I made them, which he then asked how so I explained to him how I make them. I don't think he really understood, but who knows maybe he'll take up sewing. :-)

Banana Etiquette?

2008-08-28T21:19:00.003-05:00

I was just at the grocery store and walked over to the bananas. I only needed two, but rarely are there two just laying there. So I grabbed a bunch and very carefully pulled two off. A guy that worked at the grocery store was standing there and very obviously walked over and made a face. He looked over at the bunch where I had pulled the two from like I had done something wrong. Is this some unspoken grocery store rule I missed? Sorry that I don't want to buy SIX bananas, because I cannot eat that many before they go bad. Even though I always think "oh I'll just make banana bread". I always run out of time to make the bread before the bananas get past the line of ok to still consume and then I will feel wasteful. Seriously, some people need to take a chill pill.

Indie Emporium Ad Rates

2008-08-27T20:22:00.003-05:00

So the 2nd Annual Indie Emporium is coming up October 10 & 11. If you don't remember from last year, it's Tulsa's indie craft show! We're still selling advertising space for our program. It will be handed out to everyone that comes to the event and we are expecting a crowd this year! If you have a small business or craft business that you would like to promote this would be a great affordable way. If you're interested let me know or you can email Christine.

Berry, Berry Delicious!

2008-08-26T00:20:00.004-05:00

I've been making smoothies in the morning and they are delicious! So I thought I would share this super simple formula.

-Buy the frozen fruit of your choice. I got strawberries and blueberries. Buying frozen fruits eliminates the need for ice.

-You can add non-frozen fruit. I threw a banana in there.

-Add about 1/2 a cup of water. This makes is easier to blend and drink.

-You could also add protein powder or rum. Depending on how you want your day to go... ;-)

-Blend.

-Pour and Enjoy.

It's berry, berry delicious! You have to be corny and say that...

<--- This one has just strawberry and banana on top hence the different colors.

My Weekend Home.

2008-08-19T12:33:00.012-05:00

So I finally went to Birmingham weekend before last. I hadn't been home in 8 months, which is crazy. Here's my relaxing room at my parents house. Oooh.

And here is my family. Can you tell we took this ourselves?

I finally got to meet my niece dog, Izzy. She's sooo cute.

To the right is a pic of my brother and me that pretty much sums us up.

Here is my Mom and Dad. You should check out my Mom's blog if you haven't. She's the Martha Stewart of Alabama. For sure.

I tried to get as much done as I could in a short weekend. I got to see my mom's family, because it was my great grandmothers 95th birthday!! I also have big news! The Knit Owl is coming to Birmingham. I'm going to be selling in a store in Homewood. More on that soon! I wanted to finally update about my trip.

This might make you cry...

2008-08-18T20:49:00.004-05:00

My mom sent me this. I wanted to share, because I know some of you are also animal lovers. Yeah, Isabell, Sherman and Ele got big hugs.

Multimedia message

2008-08-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

Flying above the clouds as Annie Lennox's "Heaven"plays on my ipod.

The Knit Owl in Urban Tulsa.

2008-08-06T10:32:00.006-05:00

Christine and I are in Urban Tulsa this week!

See the full article here.

Crafting a New Niche

Local ladies turn old into new with handmade designs

BY LINDSAY BURLESON

Amby Barnes had always been a seamstress. Her crafting resume eventually expanded to include knitting as well. She soon found herself making bags, totes really, just for fun. Exploring the Internet for craft forums, she came across a link to Tulsa Craft Mafia. All of these separate elements came together in the creation of The Knit Owl, the craft business Barnes started in 2007.

The Tulsa Craft Mafia describes itself as "a great way to meet like-minded people, learn new crafty skills and get exposure for your indie business." All members have an established craft business, which can include selling crafts in area markets, at local shows or at etsy.com. Members meet once a month to showcase new products and provide tutorials on crafts, like screen printing or knitting, in order to get more people involved in crafting. In general, it's a support group for crafters beginning or continuing a business.

The Knit Owl's name came from Barnes' love of knitting. Additionally, at the time she began The Knit Owl, owls were becoming trendy again, and Barnes found herself collecting them. She also thought it was a fun wordplay on "night owl." In the year since she made her debut at Tulsa's Indie Emporium, The Knit Owl has spread locally and even internationally. What started with bags now includes rings, wristlet key fobs, fabric headbands, pins, earrings, pillows, wall art and coasters with all of The Knit Owl fashions and home accessories made from vintage fabrics. This, Barnes said, is where she really has fun. Hunting down the vintage fabric, whether through someone's grandmother or other outlets, and then turning them into something new entirely is what inspires her. Seeing a striped, floral or other patterned fabric might inspire her to make a new type of bag. (continue reading here)

I think I'm melting.

2008-08-05T20:42:00.004-05:00

I've been adding lots of new things to my Etsy store, including this cute little hedgehog ring! I'm trying to get 100 items in my shop!

You can check out what I've got here: The Knit Owl

This is the time of year that I don't like Tulsa. It's gross hot. The humidity here is not like anything else I've experienced and I grew up going to Florida in the summer. The air here is thick and immediately upon stepping outdoors you feel sticky and sweaty. I keep telling myself to be strong for one more month and then FALL will be upon us!

Fall also means that the 2nd annual Indie Emporium is quickly approaching!!! I'm very excited! It will be October 10-11. We've already begun preparations and it's going to be even bigger and better than last year.

Also, this weekend I will be going out of town. I'm heading to Birmingham to see my family. I haven't been home in quite awhile. It's only a short trip, so I'm not sure I'll be able to make my rounds and see all my friends. I hope to come back for longer next time.

New Totes!

2008-08-03T09:34:00.003-05:00

I just finished up some totes for Ida Red.

Bad Influence.

2008-08-02T21:56:00.003-05:00

Every once in awhile we catch Sherman on top of the refrigerator. It is not allowed, though he never seems to remember this rule. Convenient. Well, the other night there was an impressionable young mind watching him.

I tried to get onto them, but I was laughing really hard

and I'm not sure they took me seriously.

Cat Bridge.

2008-07-29T08:47:00.006-05:00

I have been going through old pictures from when I lived in Nashville. I found a couple of old favorites of Isabell. This is from when it was just the two of us.

I sent this one to my brother and told him it was Isabell doing an impression of a bridge. Pretty good, eh?

Lady of the Rings

2008-07-22T20:23:00.005-05:00

So someone asked me today if I knew my rings were in the paper. I didn't. How fun!

They were on the front page of The Scene in the Tulsa World.

Click here to see the full page.

Hang your keys here...

2008-07-22T11:31:00.002-05:00

I've been making some new things lately, just trying to come up with more ways to use fabric. Sometimes I find small pieces of vintage fabric and can only make a few things out of it. I still have scraps left and I hate to just throw them away! Sooo, I'm making key fobs. They only use a small strip of fabric and look how cute! There are also very convenient and I'm not just saying this to sell you a product, though that would be cool, too. I've been using mine a lot. I just slide it on my wrist and go. If you would like one in a certain color just shoot me a message. There are some already in my etsy shop: here!

Set your Tivo..

2008-07-21T19:28:00.005-05:00

Some of us Craft Mafia girls are taking to the airwaves tomorrow. We will be on Fox23 tomorrow morning between 8-9 AM. Yes, early morning. We will be promoting the Alzheimer's Association 'A Walk Down the Runway' Women's Luncheon and Fashion Show.

We will be setting up with our wares at the luncheon this Friday at Asbury in South Tulsa.

This reminded me that I never posted a clip of Thom, Christine's husband, and I on Fox promoting Indie Emporium.

Movie.

2008-07-19T22:19:00.000-05:00

About to see The Dark Knight. It's really dark in here.

Ida Red.

2008-07-17T23:18:00.005-05:00

I am now selling at a new store in Tulsa called Ida Red. I made some custom totes for them and they are also carrying my rings.

As of tonight, my wall art is hanging there too!

Cupcakes!

It was very exciting to see it all hanging on the wall.

Ida Red's grand opening is tomorrow night and Sat. night, July 18&19. Go check out the store, located on Brookside, if you haven't yet. They are an extension of Cain's Ballroom and have been called a "rock-n-roll boutique". They have a lot of memorabilia, t-shirts, and treats. I'm very excited to be apart of this cool store.

Wet Birkenstocks.

2008-07-15T20:16:00.006-05:00

This past weekend was the One Love Music Fest aka Reggae Fest! It was held in Jenks, OK by the river. The Tulsa Craft Mafia setup a booth together.

This was our view of the river from our booth.

It was really hot.

Unfortunately, on Saturday afternoon grey clouds started moving in.

We started taking our booth down and our product out to our cars when the deluge began. The tent was still setup so Renee and I had to go out in the rain and lightning to take down a metal tent. We were out in pouring rain for at least 20 minutes. Then we had to run around to get to the car, throw the tent in and drive home! We were completely drenched. Regardless of the rain, Reggae Fest was a success!

A Trade.

2008-07-10T22:46:00.006-05:00

A pillow for a hat imagine that...ok sorry. So yeah a girl on etsy asked if I'd be interested in a trade, because she liked one of my pillows. After seeing that she crochets adorable hats, I happily obliged!

Thanks to WithLoveCrochet for the summer mesh hat!

(I am torturing Ele with kisses in this pic.)

Why do I have a feeling that my MOM is going to make fun of my hat? Probably cause she has been trying to think of what to say in the comments the whole time she's been reading this post....

Ring Mosaic

2008-07-10T11:17:00.002-05:00

Available at The Knit Owl

Inspiration on a rainy day...

2008-07-09T13:18:00.002-05:00

It's been storming all day. I love working on days like this. I'm watching music videos on youtube while I stuff pillows.

This is Lykke Li an Indie artist from Sweden...enjoy.

Please use a coaster.

2008-07-08T13:23:00.005-05:00

My latest product...fabric coasters!

Now available in my etsy shop! These would make great gifts or a treat for yourself!

This weekend the Craft Mafia is setting up a booth at the One Love Music Fest aka Reggae Fest. I'm working on some new products, which I will be selling this weekend. One of which will be the tie dye shirts from my last post.

These will go well with my Birkenstocks.

2008-06-26T13:17:00.007-05:00

I've been wanting a tie dyed shirt for awhile now. The only ones I've found have been the rainbow colored ones, so I decided to try it myself.

The first color I did was brown. I read that it's best to do darker colors on the stove.

I tested the swirl on a dish towel first.

After dyeing a few, I started searching the house for anything white. I think I'm addicted.

This shirt is my favorite. I like the model, too.

Etsy Favorite: Clear Jade Studio

2008-06-24T11:18:00.003-05:00

I spotted one of these prints in an Etsy treasury. I went to her shop and found even more cute pictures! I think I need them all!

Momentum Tulsa

2008-06-22T15:50:00.003-05:00

Last night we went to the annual art show Momentum Tulsa. After perusing some amazing art work we headed to Tiny Lounge for the after party where Nathan played drums for Vandevander. It was a good time. Needless to say we are rather tired today. Looking through the art definitely got me inspired. Here's to a creative week!

New Packaging!

2008-06-21T16:06:00.003-05:00

I've been selling fabric pins and earrings for awhile now and

I finally have some cute packaging for them!

Now available online and at Dwelling Spaces.

Strike a pose.

2008-06-19T22:00:00.002-05:00

Sherman tests out my photo box.

What I've been working on...

2008-06-09T19:58:00.005-05:00

I've been keeping busy. You can find most of this in my Etsy shop.

Craft Mafia Meeting.

2008-06-08T21:47:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah watch your back!

Shrinky Dink.

2008-06-03T12:46:00.002-05:00

Since quitting my full-time job, I've been keeping Jackson and Abby again, yay! We had a craft day and made some pendants from shrinky dink.

Before baking:

They curled up a bit, so I had to reheat and flatten them back out.

Here they are wearing their finished piece. Can you believe how big they've gotten?!

Part of this Post Scares Me.

2008-05-29T13:39:00.009-05:00

So Nathan has been in Austin all week, with his new band, Lewis Carroll. (That's like the best band name ever.) I was totally fine this week except I kept worrying that a roach was going to crawl over my foot if I went into the kitchen at night. It's not that we have a roach problem. It's that I'm a bit terrified of them and the thought of one appearing without someone there to kill it for me does not make me happy. When I moved out of my parents house that was one of my biggest concerns, because I lived alone. There was no one to save me from their deadliness. Yes, I do have 3 cats, but they torture their prey and I don't want to see a roach thrown around on the floor. OMG that sentence makes me nauseous.

I have tried to get a lot of work done, but it seems instead that I just cleaned. I did finally put together a light box for photos. I've been really needing to update my shop. So now I have nice clean photos of my products.

I am thinking it's about time for Nathan to get home. I'm having full on conversations with the cats now. I used to do that when it was just me and Isabell. They respond everytime I ask them questions, so I just keep going. It's cool as long as the answer is "meow". They are very attentive.

I caught this picture of Sherman and Ele on the washer yesterday. Notice that giant Sherman is laying ON TOP of tiny Ele.

Bruce Lee's Top 7 Fundamentals for Getting Your Life in Shape.

2008-05-22T13:07:00.003-05:00

I thought I would share this with everyone. It's from Positivity Blog.

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last 30 years I’m pretty sure you know who Bruce Lee was. If you have, then you may be interested to know that Lee was a very famous martial artist and actor who sparked the first big interest of Chinese martial arts in the West in the 60’s and 70’s. But besides being an awesome fighter and iconic figure Lee also had some very useful things to say about life.

1. What are you really thinking about today?

“As you think, so shall you become.”

Perhaps the most basic statement of how we work. Think about what you are thinking today. What do those thoughts say about you? About your life? And how well do they really match your plans for your life and your image of yourself?

It’s easy to forget about this simple statement in everyday life. It’s easy to be quite incongruent with what you think on an ordinary day compared to how you view yourself and your goals. A simple external reminder such as a post-it with this quote can be helpful to keep you and your thoughts on the right track. An brilliant and beautiful expansion on this thought can be found in James Allen’s "As a man thinketh".

2. Simplify.

“It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”

If you want to improve your life then it’s tempting to want to add more. One problem with this may be that you don’t really have the time or energy to do more though. And so your efforts to improve become short-lived.

Adding more and more just creates more stress and anxiety. Removing clutter and activities, tasks and thoughts that are not so important frees up time and energy for you to do more of what you really want to do. And as the clutter in your outer world decreases the clutter in your inner world also has a tendency to decrease. This has the added benefit of making it easier to actually enjoy whatever you are doing even more while you are doing it.

Adding more thoughts and thinking things over for the 111th time may create a sense of security. It’s also a good way to procrastinate and to avoid taking that leap you know you should take. And the more you think, the harder it gets to act. Perhaps because you want to keep that comforting sense of security and avoid the risk of wrecking that feeling.

Thinking has its place. It can help you plan a somewhat realistic route to your goal and help you avoid future pitfalls. Overthinking is however just a habit that will help you waste a lot of time. It’s more useful to replace that habit with the habit of just doing it.

3. Learn about yourself in interactions.

“To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.”

The one person that is the hardest to get to really know may be yourself. Studying yourself while you are alone may result in some insights. But it’s also likely to produce a lot of made up thought loops and doubts in your mind. A good way to really learn more about yourself is study yourself in interactions with other people. How people react and act in these interaction can over time teach you a lot. And what you think and how you react can perhaps teach you even more.

What you see, feel and hear in other people may be a reflection of you. The things you learn by thinking this way may not always be pleasant, but they can be enlightening. They help you to see yourself and also how you may be fooling yourself. And these powerful insights can be very valuable for your personal growth. So, in interactions with others, try asking yourself: what is reflected?

4. Do not divide.

“Take no thought of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against.”

This is a very useful and powerful thought. It is also one that obviously is hard to live by. Why? I believe it’s because the ego loves to divide and find ways to “add more” to itself. It want’s to feel better than someone else. Or more clever. Or prettier. Or cooler. Or wiser.

How can you overcome this way of thinking and feeling?

To me it seems to boil down to not identifying so much with your thoughts or feelings. That doesn’t mean that you stop thinking or feeling. It just means that you realize – and remember in your everyday life – that the thoughts and emotions are just things flowing through you.

You are not them though.

You are the consciousness observing them.

When you realize and remember this it enables you to control the thoughts and feelings instead of the other way around. It also enables you to not take your thoughts too seriously and actually laugh at them or ignore them when you feel that your ego is acting out. When you are not being so identified these things you become more inclined to include things, thoughts and people instead of excluding them. This creates a lot of inner and outer freedom and stillness. Instead of fear, a need to divide your world and a search for conflicts.

5. Avoid a dependency on validation from others.

“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”

“Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.”

The ego wants to add because it thinks it’s not enough. One way of doing that is by craving validation from others. We want to feel smart, pretty, successful and so on. And the validation makes you feel good for a while. But soon you need a new fix.

And the problem with being dependent on validation from other people is that you let other people control how you feel. This creates a rollercoaster of emotion in your life.

To find more emotional stability and to take control of how you feel you need to get your validation from to a more consistent source. Yourself. You can replace the expectations and validation of others by setting your own expectations and by validating yourself.

And so you validate yourself by thinking about how awesome you are. You don’t sell yourself short. You appreciate how far you have come and the positive things you have done. You appreciate your own value in the world. You set goals and you achieve those goals. This builds confidence in yourself and in your abilities. These things will help you to build a habit of inner validation.

Now, showing off. Why do we do that? To get validation from others. However, this need for validation often shines through and that is why a thing like bragging seldom works. Instead of seeing the cool and successful person you are trying to project people just see the insecure and needy person looking for validation. And your bragging falls flat.

6. Be proactive.

“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”

It’s easy to get locked into a reactive mindset. You just follow along with whatever is happening. You do what the people around you do. You react to whatever is going on.

And so you get lost in your circumstances. This way of thinking doesn’t feel too good. You tend to feel powerless and like you are just drifting along.

A more useful and pleasurable way of living is to be proactive. As Bruce says: to create opportunities despite the circumstances around you. This feels better and provides better results. But on the other hand it’s also more difficult. It’s easier to just drift along in the reactive stream of life. And if you want to be proactive then you may have to take the lead quite often. And that can be scary.

Still, living proactively is so much more rewarding and exciting.

7. Be you.

“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”

Just being yourself is a hard thing to do. You may do it sometimes. And other times you may forget or fall back into old thought patterns. Or you may imitate someone else.

And that comes through too. And it may work.

But I believe that being the real you will work better. Because there the genuine you is shining through. Without incongruency, mixed messages or perhaps a sort of phoniness. It’s you to 100%. It’s you with not only your words but you with your voice tonality and body language – which some say is over 90% of communication - on the same wavelength as your words. It’s you coming through on all channels of communication.

So I’m not saying: “yeah man, you should just be yourself because it’s the right thing to do etc.” I’m saying that I think being your authentic self – the one where you do little dividing, the one that needs little validation from others, the one where your ego is not running the show and trying to get something from someone – will give you better results and more satisfaction in your day to day life because you are in alignment with yourself. And because people really like genuine and people really like authenticity.

Stop and Hug the Sherman.

2008-05-22T00:39:00.003-05:00

Sometimes we get so busy that we forget to stop and hug our loved ones, in my case the cats. They are quick to remind me that they need attention too. I had a crazy long weekend followed by a busy week. I feel like I've gone non-stop from one place to another. Nathan's playing drums in a band now and has had rehearsals from 12-5 everyday this week, because they're going to Austin next week to record. On top of that he's trying to put the finishing touches on a record he's producing for a band. It seems we've mainly seen each other in passing. Today he was dropping me off at work. I jumped out of the car and he asked when I'd be home. I told him I had a meeting, (I've been going to the Tulsa Women's Collective meetings at the library on Wed.) so around 9. I said it with a sigh, just because it meant another long day away from home. He reminded me that I am finally doing what I've been wanting to do. He said I'm getting to be Amby. It was a reminder of something I had so quickly forgotten.

Blue Dome

2008-05-20T11:58:00.004-05:00

This past weekend the Tulsa Craft Mafia setup a booth at the Blue Dome Arts Festival. It was a 3 day event held downtown. It was a successful endeavor and a lot of fun. We have nice sunburns to show for it. Thanks to everyone who came out to see us.

Hatched.

2008-05-10T23:53:00.006-05:00

I had to climb on the side of my Jeep to get close to the nest. (It's under the carport.) I was a little concerned that she might peck at my eyes for getting so close. She didn't. Instead she sat very proudly while I photographed her new babies.

Happy Mother's Day!

Enjoying the breeze...

2008-05-01T13:43:00.005-05:00

It's amazing how much spring can reenergize you! I'm sitting in my sewing room with a cup of tea. The window is open and there's a nice breeze blowing in. It's an inspiring time of year. I'm cleaning out and reorganizing and getting ready to start work on a new project. I noticed some birds doing the same thing in a planter outside my kitchen window. The male bird kept bringing twigs and what not while the female bird got everything arranged. She sits there day and night. It's the sweetest thing to see how devoted she is to her nest. I hope to soon see little beaks poking up begging for food.

Oklahoma Magazine

2008-04-24T13:21:00.004-05:00

If you live in Oklahoma, you should pick up a copy of the May issue of Oklahoma Magazine. They did an article on the Tulsa Craft Mafia!

It's a great article. Hopefully, they'll have it up on their website soon. If not I'll figure out a way to get it online.

Super Sherman

2008-04-13T14:31:00.013-05:00

I have to start by saying this is for a contest. In the Craft Mafia we have contests every month. This month it was to make an accessory for your pet. So to those who are about to make fun of me...it was for a contest.

There were fittings...

and measurements...

some sewing...

And finally...Super Sherman!

Watching him wear the cape is about the funniest thing I've ever seen, especially because he really doesn't seem to mind having it on. There are so many corny lines I could write, but I'm really trying to hold it in.

I Love April Showers.

2008-04-10T21:52:00.005-05:00

Hiiii! I'm still around. I promise. You'd think I'd be blogging more since I've gained more time, but I've been busy adjusting to my new schedule. I did get a part-time job and I'm liking it so far. I get to work with my friend Renee everyday. I work afternoon-evening and I must say it's so strange to be home in the mornings! I get to wake up and have tea with my husband and the kitties every morning and that is just lovely. We've had a slew of thunderstorms this week, which has been exciting. We were woken to the sound of sirens the other night at 2:30 a.m. and we immediately turned on the TV to see the news and watch the storm pass through. It was so exciting. I'm telling you we're so going to be storm chasers if we get tired of music and crafts.

So there's an update of what I've been doing. I have a busy couple of months ahead full of shows, custom orders and a feature in a magazine! More to come...

The Knit Owl is in Norman.

2008-03-29T14:02:00.001-05:00

Craft show in Norman today...

Lots of lasts.

2008-03-27T07:00:00.002-05:00

Today is the last day at my job...because I quit! I've been here for a year and a half, so to think I won't be doing any of this ever again is weird. I'm going to miss my friends here, but I know I can still see them. I quit so I could focus on The Knit Owl. I have a lot of shows scheduled for this year, including Blue Dome in May and Indie Emporium in October. So there will be lots more talking about my store, cause I've got 3 cats to feed! So here's to one more day working for the man...

Practically Edible.

2008-03-21T15:28:00.004-05:00

She's just that sweet.

The other night she "helped" me photograph some rings. I couldn't resist snapping a few of her.