Journals20
Newest
Contest Results
1 min read
Ok, so here's the results for the 1,000 page view contest.
3rd place: a powerful poem by :MtVentouxsPeak: mtventouxspeak.deviantart.com/… (warning: some of the imagery may be considered slightly disturbing)
2nd place: a sweet drawing by :mangakagirl2: mangakagirl2.deviantart.com/ar…
1st place: a beautiful photo of a yellow flower by :Lizkiz: lizkiz.deviantart.com/art/aS-b…
thanks for the entries, guys!
Merry
3rd place: a powerful poem by :MtVentouxsPeak: mtventouxspeak.deviantart.com/… (warning: some of the imagery may be considered slightly disturbing)
2nd place: a sweet drawing by :mangakagirl2: mangakagirl2.deviantart.com/ar…
1st place: a beautiful photo of a yellow flower by :Lizkiz: lizkiz.deviantart.com/art/aS-b…
thanks for the entries, guys!
Merry
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1,000 Pageview Contest!
2 min read
I reached 1,000 pageviews today! Yippee!
To celebrate, I'm holding a contest....my first ever.
Who inspired you to create?
Create a work of art that expresses how you feel about the person who got you started in your artform. It can be someone you personally know (a teacher, friend, family member, etc.), an artist you admire, or who ever. Just use your preferred medium to show me something about this person. You can write, sculpt, knit, draw...anything that floats your boat.
The contest will run through August. All entries must be recieved by the August 31st. Judging will be done by little ole me, and I will announce the winners on Sunday, September 2nd.
Prizes:
3rd place: Saved as a favorite, featured in my deviantart journal for a month
2nd place: Saved as a favorite, featured in my deviantart journal for a month, featured in my myspace blog (myspace.com/merrycrafts) with a link to your deviantart gallery, and your item posted in my flickr account (flickr.com/merrycrafts) with a link to your gallery
1st place: Everything from 2nd place and A FREE SCARF from my etsy shop (simplyscarves.etsy.com). That's right, you get the scarf of your choice, and you don't even pay shipping.
Feel free to respond to this announcement, or drop me a note to enter.
Thanks everyone!
To celebrate, I'm holding a contest....my first ever.
Who inspired you to create?
Create a work of art that expresses how you feel about the person who got you started in your artform. It can be someone you personally know (a teacher, friend, family member, etc.), an artist you admire, or who ever. Just use your preferred medium to show me something about this person. You can write, sculpt, knit, draw...anything that floats your boat.
The contest will run through August. All entries must be recieved by the August 31st. Judging will be done by little ole me, and I will announce the winners on Sunday, September 2nd.
Prizes:
3rd place: Saved as a favorite, featured in my deviantart journal for a month
2nd place: Saved as a favorite, featured in my deviantart journal for a month, featured in my myspace blog (myspace.com/merrycrafts) with a link to your deviantart gallery, and your item posted in my flickr account (flickr.com/merrycrafts) with a link to your gallery
1st place: Everything from 2nd place and A FREE SCARF from my etsy shop (simplyscarves.etsy.com). That's right, you get the scarf of your choice, and you don't even pay shipping.
Feel free to respond to this announcement, or drop me a note to enter.
Thanks everyone!
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Women, world peace, crafting
4 min read
Wow, tonight I attended a talk by Jean Shinoda Bolen, a Jungian psychiatrist. I had never heard of her, but my mother is a big fan and thought I would enjoy it. Well, i did.
Jean spoke of the power of women to create peace. What she had to say was revolutionary...but in an accessable way. She talked about the difference in stress reactions between men and women. Traditionally, "fight or flight" has been the buzz word for stress reactions. When attacked, humans either try to fight, or run away. She told a story of a a study done at UCLA, when researchers on a lab noticed that the men and women in the lab reacted to stress in different ways. They noticed that the men tended to go for flight. They holed themselves in their cubbies or offices. They needed retreat time. The women, on the other hand, congregated. They drank alot of coffe together, and talked!
So, they took blood samples to measure what happens in the body during stress.. For men, adreline (supported by testosterone) was in creased in the blood stream. For women, a chemical called oxytocin, a hormone controlled by estrogen that is linked to mothering and bonding, spikes. From there, she submitted that women have a psyiological advantage when raching for the goal of peace. Now, I'm pretty sceptical of gender stereotyping, but the blood work results got my attention.
She also spoke on war in Rowanda, and in the middle east, equating them to dysfunctional families. Sibling rivalry taken to a dreadful extream. She talked about how our boys are raised, the culture of bullying not only at school, but at home. Older brothers bullying the younger, and parents teaching boys in subtle (or not so subtle) ways that expressing emotions is not suitable for a man. She threw out UN studies on the necissary role of women in peace talks, the Hundredth Monkey Effect (even for things like recycling, or the awareness level of global warming), and the power of people coming together in circle...praying or meditating together, for eachother's problems and for the world's.
It was an awsome talk. Most of the philosophy part, I was already familiar with. It brought me back to my feminist teenage days. It reminded me that I am a part of a global community and that I can work towards an even more eco-reverent and gender-equal society, just by living my life. It reminded me to be proud to be a woman, that we have skills and instincts that are different than men, that we approach problem solving from a community perspective. And that when men and women come together in an open, reverent atmosphere we can change the world.
So why put this is my craft blog? I have worked in small business crafts shops for a while now. I see women (and even some men) that would probably never have interacted as equals on a regular basis come together over fiber arts. People of any socio-econimoc class can create. It's part of being human, we are hardwired to create. It connects us; it gives us an opportunity to share and learn, to gain respect for someone that we might have otherwise judged or dismissed.
One of the things I love the most at the shop is to see people of a wide variety of backgrounds, income levels, religious beliefs, and political leanings sitting a the same table, kniting and laughing. Dont get me wrong, the yarn shop isn't utopia. There's the occassional drama, but on the whole, it's a good place. It's a neutral zone where all kinds of people come together over the love of craft. It's a small scale, powerful magic. At least, that's my opinion.
(if you want to know more about Jean Shinoda Bolen, visit her website at www.jeanshinodabolen.com)
Jean spoke of the power of women to create peace. What she had to say was revolutionary...but in an accessable way. She talked about the difference in stress reactions between men and women. Traditionally, "fight or flight" has been the buzz word for stress reactions. When attacked, humans either try to fight, or run away. She told a story of a a study done at UCLA, when researchers on a lab noticed that the men and women in the lab reacted to stress in different ways. They noticed that the men tended to go for flight. They holed themselves in their cubbies or offices. They needed retreat time. The women, on the other hand, congregated. They drank alot of coffe together, and talked!
So, they took blood samples to measure what happens in the body during stress.. For men, adreline (supported by testosterone) was in creased in the blood stream. For women, a chemical called oxytocin, a hormone controlled by estrogen that is linked to mothering and bonding, spikes. From there, she submitted that women have a psyiological advantage when raching for the goal of peace. Now, I'm pretty sceptical of gender stereotyping, but the blood work results got my attention.
She also spoke on war in Rowanda, and in the middle east, equating them to dysfunctional families. Sibling rivalry taken to a dreadful extream. She talked about how our boys are raised, the culture of bullying not only at school, but at home. Older brothers bullying the younger, and parents teaching boys in subtle (or not so subtle) ways that expressing emotions is not suitable for a man. She threw out UN studies on the necissary role of women in peace talks, the Hundredth Monkey Effect (even for things like recycling, or the awareness level of global warming), and the power of people coming together in circle...praying or meditating together, for eachother's problems and for the world's.
It was an awsome talk. Most of the philosophy part, I was already familiar with. It brought me back to my feminist teenage days. It reminded me that I am a part of a global community and that I can work towards an even more eco-reverent and gender-equal society, just by living my life. It reminded me to be proud to be a woman, that we have skills and instincts that are different than men, that we approach problem solving from a community perspective. And that when men and women come together in an open, reverent atmosphere we can change the world.
So why put this is my craft blog? I have worked in small business crafts shops for a while now. I see women (and even some men) that would probably never have interacted as equals on a regular basis come together over fiber arts. People of any socio-econimoc class can create. It's part of being human, we are hardwired to create. It connects us; it gives us an opportunity to share and learn, to gain respect for someone that we might have otherwise judged or dismissed.
One of the things I love the most at the shop is to see people of a wide variety of backgrounds, income levels, religious beliefs, and political leanings sitting a the same table, kniting and laughing. Dont get me wrong, the yarn shop isn't utopia. There's the occassional drama, but on the whole, it's a good place. It's a neutral zone where all kinds of people come together over the love of craft. It's a small scale, powerful magic. At least, that's my opinion.
(if you want to know more about Jean Shinoda Bolen, visit her website at www.jeanshinodabolen.com)
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Living Online
2 min read
Well, since I got internet connection back, I've been practically living online. I've set up a few new sites, and thought I would share them here.
A new etsy account: I'm going to be selling scarves on etsy. My seller name is SimplyScarves. www.simplyscarves.etsy.com
A new Myspace account (to promote the etsy account.): This one will function like a knitting blog. I'll have updates on what I'm knitting, tutorials, book reviews, etc. The myspace id for that is merrycrafts. www.myspace.com/merrycrafts I'm keeping everything public, so you don't have to be a myspace member to view it.
An etsy in potential: My dad is a crafty guy (I guess that where I got it from) and he wants a place online to sell the bags he makes out of recycled clothing. I'll be setting up an etsy for him soon, probably by the end on the month. He's also an awsome traditional and computer artist. I told him about the etsy print service and he seemed really interested. I'll post it here if he started an account.
whew.
A new etsy account: I'm going to be selling scarves on etsy. My seller name is SimplyScarves. www.simplyscarves.etsy.com
A new Myspace account (to promote the etsy account.): This one will function like a knitting blog. I'll have updates on what I'm knitting, tutorials, book reviews, etc. The myspace id for that is merrycrafts. www.myspace.com/merrycrafts I'm keeping everything public, so you don't have to be a myspace member to view it.
An etsy in potential: My dad is a crafty guy (I guess that where I got it from) and he wants a place online to sell the bags he makes out of recycled clothing. I'll be setting up an etsy for him soon, probably by the end on the month. He's also an awsome traditional and computer artist. I told him about the etsy print service and he seemed really interested. I'll post it here if he started an account.
whew.
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WIPs galore
2 min read
well, I haven't posted much on my site since I got back from camping. I seem to be in the middle of a mess of works in progress. Just so you think I'm not just sitting around being a slacker, here's a list of what I'm working on right now.
1. A shop sample shrug. I've got it mostly knit, just need to sew the sleves together and pick up and knit a bit of ribbing. It's curently drying as i had to block it yesterday.
2. A pair of socks for a birthday present for my dad's lady friend.
3. I'm designing a felted purse for a class I'm teaching in July. It'll be my very first official class with me as the scheduled instructor at the shop!
4. A commissioned baby blanket. I'm finishing the knitting and possibly assembling it, and it needs to be done soon because the baby is due the first of August.
5. A hat knit out of Mango Moon for my mom. It's turning out really nice, and I think that it will probably be her winter holiday present.
6. I've got a sweater in time out. I seemed the armholes too high up, so they fit too tightly. Fortunately I found this out after I had only picked up and knit about three inches on the first sleeve. But, since it's summer, i figure that I can wait a while before I work on it again.
ok, I think that's it. time to break out the calendar and set some knitting goals, I think. And to find the usb cord for my camera, because i can take all the pictures I want, but it won't do me a whole lotta good if i can't download them to the comp. I hope the couch hasn't eaten it.
P.S. Happy day after Summer Solstice. I hope every one (in the northern hemisphere, that is) enjoyed the longest day of 2007.
1. A shop sample shrug. I've got it mostly knit, just need to sew the sleves together and pick up and knit a bit of ribbing. It's curently drying as i had to block it yesterday.
2. A pair of socks for a birthday present for my dad's lady friend.
3. I'm designing a felted purse for a class I'm teaching in July. It'll be my very first official class with me as the scheduled instructor at the shop!
4. A commissioned baby blanket. I'm finishing the knitting and possibly assembling it, and it needs to be done soon because the baby is due the first of August.
5. A hat knit out of Mango Moon for my mom. It's turning out really nice, and I think that it will probably be her winter holiday present.
6. I've got a sweater in time out. I seemed the armholes too high up, so they fit too tightly. Fortunately I found this out after I had only picked up and knit about three inches on the first sleeve. But, since it's summer, i figure that I can wait a while before I work on it again.
ok, I think that's it. time to break out the calendar and set some knitting goals, I think. And to find the usb cord for my camera, because i can take all the pictures I want, but it won't do me a whole lotta good if i can't download them to the comp. I hope the couch hasn't eaten it.
P.S. Happy day after Summer Solstice. I hope every one (in the northern hemisphere, that is) enjoyed the longest day of 2007.
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