My Mobile

I folded about 57 paper cranes today, so I could finish my mobile project. 

I've been thinking about putting together a mobile for years. I saw a crane mobile in Oh Joy on the 17th, and I was motivated to finally make my own. Now you know why I started making cranes last week. 

I woke up this morning and knew this project couldn't wait any longer. As soon as Paper Source opened I ran over (literally, because I figured I could get some exercise in while I was doing my errands) to pick up more origami paper. When I got home I sat down and folded and folded and folded and folded and folded. When I used up all of my paper, new and old, I had to string them together. I'm in love with the outcome. 

Woo hoo! Another project complete. 

Back Of A Necklace

You don't usually see the back of a necklace, but this one is stunning from every angle. My parents gave it to me this past Christmas, and it's one of my favorites. As you may know, I love oranges and reds so this beauty is perfect for me. I had it laying on the table next to me as I worked this morning, and when the sun started bouncing off of it I had to take a picture (or 64). 

Collections On The Window Sill

I love these bright boxes. I found them at The Container Store about a year ago, and I had to have them. I love the way they look when the sun shines through our kitchen window.

I use these boxes to display some of my collections. I keep fortune cookie fortunes in the green box, paper cranes made from candy wrappers are in the orange, the pink one holds seashells, and there's a feather and a thin roll of birch tree bark in the blue box. 

Announcement: Etsy Shop Is Open

Need a set of thank you notes? How about a postcard or birthday card? Well you're in luck, because these are the very first things available in the Everything Little Miss Etsy shop! 

Etsy is a great site that makes it possible for people like you and me to sell (or buy) handmade items online. For a small fee they handle all of the tricky bits (like shopping carts and secure online transactions), and I instantly have an online store to sell my products. It's really very cool. The direct link to my store is everythinglittlemiss.etsy. com, but you can also get there from the Everyting Little Miss website.

Spread the word that I'm open for business. :)

Sweet Surprise!

This beautifully delicious package arrived just moments ago. Yes, what you see there are heart-shaped rice crispy treats, made lovingly by my wonderful mom. Since taking this picture (appoximately 5 minutes ago) I've eaten 4. The Schwarz has had 2. I'm fairly confident they'll be gone within the hour. As my eloquent brother would say, these treats are simply delectable.

Thanks mom! 

Wrapping Paper

I bought this wrapping paper at Target in December, because it's not Hanukkah-y or Christmas-y and it's really interesting. The other day I had this scrap sitting on the table, and when the sunlight hit it I was reminded how much I love this paper. I saved the scraps - it's that awesome! Added bonus: the black design is fuzzy, like a fuzzy poster. 

Snail Mail

I wrote 12 letters today. If you're in my immediate family or you're my grandparent, aunt, or uncle, you'll be getting one! Are you excited yet? I'll put them in the mail tomorrow. 

I made special stationery for this. :)

Feather Boutonniere

I got this purple feather boutonniere at an estate sale a few years ago. For a long time I just kept it in a box, because I didn't know what else to do with it. But now I keep it on a little shelf over the kitchen sink with a few other pretty things. It makes washing the dishes a bit more interesting. 

Paper Cranes

I made a bunch of paper cranes today. I'm thinking of folding some more and then making a mobile. We'll see how that goes.

I learned how to make cranes in 4th grade. We all gathered around during a cold or rainy recess and started folding away. (We also used to play Uno during recess if we were inside.) I remember going home and trying to show my mom, but I kept forgetting one crucial step, so I my origami birds looked weird and sloppy. I probably ended up crying. But I was very determined; eventually I memorized each fold (when I say "eventually," I really mean "the very next day"). 

Business Cards Are In

Oh! I am just about jumping for joy because my new business cards just arrived! See more photos at Everything Little Miss.

Map

We have this map of the world that I've marked with the places we've been and the places we still want to go. Since The Schwarz and I went on a cross country road trip in 2005, we've visited many amazing places in the US.  This country is huge, so we haven't come close to seeing everything. Plus, there are many places we'd love to revisit. And then there's the rest of the world! 

P.S. Check out the gorgeous photo my mom took and sent as a valentine this year. I get my love of the holiday from her; she always makes the most amazing valentines.

Valentines

I made these valentines for The Schwarz. They're the type I used to make in school - you know, folding paper to cut out hearts, glue, glitter. It was fun, and authentic.

Spiderman + M&Ms For Valentine's Day

The Schwarz's mom sent us these Spiderman valentines (sealed with heart stickers), peanut M&Ms, and a bag of Moose Munch, which has already been devoured (if I'm being completely honest, I ate most of it). So cute! 

Did you know that Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays? Not all the "spend, spend, spend" (unless you're buying my cards, in which case spend away), but the idea. It's a holiday to celebrate love, and what could be bad about that? I don't just mean romantic love, I mean all love. It's a day to think about and appreciate the people who are important to us. 

Plus, everything is pink and red and gorgeous! 

P.S. Kate Spade has some cool e-cards!

My New Favorite Accessory

The Schwarz bought me this necklace for Valentine's Day (I think), but he gave it to me when I was feeling down on Saturday. It's from Dogeared's new beginnings collection, and it's perfect for this period of my life. The card that comes with the necklace explains that it's 

"a  daily reminder to embrace new experiences and opportunities... just like the lotus, rising from muddy beginnings into something beautiful and celebrated."

I find myself looking at it a few times a day, as I think about how wonderful change can be. 

Everything Little Miss Has A Custom URL!

Last week I started a WordPress site for Everything Little Miss, and I wrote that I would eventually switch over to a custom URL (without "wordpress" in the site address). Well today the switch is official - everythinglittlemiss.com is live! It looks almost exactly like the other site, but I am working on a custom website design. 

If you added the the Everything Little Miss blog to a blog reader, please update your reader with the new information. If you don't have a reader, you may not realize that I've been updating that blog as well. I've made the Valentine's Day post "sticky" so that it's always the first thing you see (I'll change that on the 15th), but there's some new stuff below. And there will be more soon!

P.S. My sister started a blog today.

Couldn't Sleep

Sometimes my mind races at night, and I can't sleep. That's what was happening last night, so I got up. I don't usually paint, but I just couldn't stop thinking that a watercolor mouse would be so much cuter than any mouse I could draw on the computer. I also had a few other ideas, as you can see.

I'm pretty tired this morning. 

Little Miss

Remember that project I mentioned awhile ago? Well, here are the results! It's the doll from the header of Everything Little Miss. Isn't she sweet?

After I posted about my project, it was put on hold because I was getting frustrated. But this weekend my mom visited and gave me the motivation (and a little sewing help) that I needed to finish this project. I spent all day yesteday -- seriously, like 8 hours -- adding the hair and face, and making the dress and shoes. My fingers still hurt from playing tug-of-war with the needle, but it's so worth it. I'm really proud of myself, and she looks a lot like my drawing. 

A Day At The Museum

My parents and brother came to town for the weekend. On Saturday, while my dad was at a chiropractic seminar and my mom was at the Museum of Fine Arts, The Schwarz and I took my brother to the Museum of Science. The Schwarz's mom found out about or plans, and hurried down to the Harvard Public Library to get a pass to the museum so we could get a big discount on tickets. Cool, huh?

We had a great day! We saw tamarin monkeys in the Human Evolution exhibit and we also went to the Butterfly Garden. The museum currently has an exhibit about Mythic Creatures (no photos allowed). It wasn't what I expected, but it was interesting because there was information about how the myths began and why people believed in the creatures. On the other hand, the flow and lighting of the room made it difficult to read about the legends. 

1058 Pages Later

I started The Journeyer in June 2006, at my dad's suggestion. I finished it yesterday morning, 2 years and 8 months later! I really enjoyed Gary Jennings' story, and I thought it was a great book, but for some reason I'd always put The Journeyer aside when I got a new book. So I've read dozens of books in the past 2 3/4 years, but I just never got around to finishing this one (maybe because it's 1058 pages). 

The book is historical fiction chronicling the life of Marco Polo. The editorial review says: 

"Marco Polo was nicknamed "Marco of the millions" because his Venetian countrymen took the grandiose stories of his travels to be exaggerated, if not outright lies. As he lay dying, his priest, family, and friends offered him a last chance to confess his mendacity, and Marco, it is said, replied "I have not told the half of what I saw and did." Now Gary Jennings has imagined the half that Marco left unsaid as even more elaborate and adventurous than the tall tales thought to be lies."

"Life Is What You Make Of It"

I took these photos on December 28, 2008, when I brought flowers to Tom's memorial in North Adams. I'm posting them today, because February 7 is the anniversary of his death. I cannot believe it's been seven years since we last spoke. I can still hear his voice when I think about him. 

He continues to inspire me on a daily basis. He was the type of person who said "life is what you make of it," and then went out and did things. Sometimes I see a ray of sunlight and I imagine he's watching over me. Other times, it's the way a leaf blows, just so, in the wind. 

Today I am sad; every year this is my most difficult day. But even on this day, this seven year anniversary, I smile when I think of Tom.  

"The day will be decided in action, not words." -Tom Sheehan

Everything Little Miss

Here it is: Everything Little Miss! This is what I've been working on since I was laid off. It's not a company yet, but one day it will be. My very own. Eventually I'll switch over to a custom URL and site design. This is just to get me out there, so I can start branding and getting people excited (people like you!). 

You're probably wondering what I'll be offering. Stationary, business card design, note cards, stationary, prints - things like that. Check out my valentines here.

I haven't uploaded everything I'm working on, but you get the idea. I'll keep adding as I create more. Add everything little miss to your blog reader! 

Mobile Of Rainbow Ribbons

This mobile hangs in our living room window, right next to the disco ball. Yesterday afternoon the sun was shining in, making the colorful ribbons glow. It was beautiful. I don't know about you, but I often find colors moving. My favorites are oranges, reds, and pinks, but every color has so many amazing tones and shades. With color combinations, the possibilities seem limitless. 

Twitter Bug

I recently started using Twitter. I'm still getting used to it, and the whole thing is a little weird to me, but I'm pretty sure I like it. It's interesting to follow user updates/tweets and see what people are up to during the day. Some people just post links to things they're looking at or that inspire them. Other people just write what they're doing at that moment. Some people forget they have twitter for a few days at a time. 

If you're interested in following me, click here. I also added the Twitter gadget to the sidebar of this blog, so you can see updates there as well. 

Meet Moxy

This is Moxy, she's an uglydoll. She uses her big antennas "to pick up signals from all over." Pretty handy, don't you think? Uglydolls are available at Tangiers. 

I don't need antennas to get the hint that it's definitely still winter. It's been snowing steadily all day, and the plow just spent a good 20 minutes in the parking lot behind our apartment. Keep warm! 

"I Believe In Nature"

This I Believe is a great program on NPR. Regular people submit essays about their beliefs, and each week one person is chosen to read theirs on the air. Today I listened to the podcast of the January 18th show, which featured an essay called Thirty Things I Believe. The writer/reader was seven-year-old Tarak McLain, and his beliefs were insightful and touching. "I believe in nature," was number 14 on his list, and was the inspiration for today's photo. 

I urge you to listen to this essay (or at least read it), because, like so many kids, Tarak gives us something to think about by stating things so simply and clearly.

Winter Wedding

The Schwarz and I were in North Adams this weekend because Sara's little sister got married! She married her high school sweetheart after 9 1/5 years of courtship. They started dating when she was freshman in high school and the groom, who was in my class, was a junior. Wow, huh? 

They had a full catholic mass, and the ceremony was lovely. The wedding party looked great, and the couples' parents were glowing. The reception was at Berkshire Hills Country Club. I think a good time was had by all. It was like a mini high school reunion, so it was fun to catch up with friends. 

It was freezing outside, but there was something completely gorgeous about the sun bouncing off of the snow outside and the bride's white dress, the white linens, and soft candlelight inside. 

I was lucky enough to dance with the bride's father, and it was one of my favorite moments of the evening. During our dance, he told me that The Schwarz is a great guy, which really meant a lot to me (he's right, of course).