Getting crafty

On a whim and inspired by the incomparable Jen, I recently signed up for my first craft show. Being in a craft fair is something I've thought about for a long time. I am one of those people who likes to go craft fairs to look, but never buys anything because I know I could make those things at home. A part of me always resisted getting a booth because I wasn't confident that I could make lots of awesome things that someone else would want to own. So, since this is the year of confidence, self-discovery and newness, I thought, "What the hell, let's do it!"

The show is going to be at the East Valley High School, December 5th and 6th. I've dreamt up a very elaborate collection of day-glo, plastic, 80's-style jewelry based on what I observed at the Warped Tour this year. I'm going to be selling resin rings, bangle bracelets and necklaces in neon pink, green, orange and yellow.

Here's a picture of a few of my first items. I'm still learning about working with resin, so there's been a bit of trial and error, but so far I've managed not to create any crazy chemical reactions or accidentally encase one of my chihuahuas in glittery epoxy.


Halloween Party prep is in full swing. Liz and Jen have graciously taken over the foodstuffs. It's a good thing because I've been seriously craving those vegan chocolate cupcakes. The idea of two baking masters working together fills my stomach with joy (then I cry a little because joy isn't as tasty as cupcakes). This year the party is going to be primarily indoors since it will probably be negative 1000 degrees outside. I'm setting up the basement as a game area with a balloon dart game, pumpkin toss, and few other ideas I found online. It should be rad, I'll post pictures when I get all the decorations together.

Since I promised myself I would make time to paint (time that I don't have), I chose to paint something that needed to get done anyway. This years' Halloween Costume Party invitation is done with watercolor on canvas board.

And here she is:


A couple other random things:

1. Here's the new logo I did for the Rings & Things Gallery


2. Today discovered that I've inadvertently saved over $550 by being enrolled in BofA's "keep the change" program. Automatic savings is seriously the way to go.

Nothing but the Truth

Over the past month or so, our group of friends has been talking about telling the truth. Not "telling the truth" like avoiding overtly lying, but "truth" like how you really feel about something. Truth like, "Actually, I'm not fine," "I don't feel like going," "When you do that, it bothers me." It may be hurtful in the short term, but overall, it seems better to have it out in the open.

I'm choosing to write about this today because yesterday I got hit by a car on my longboard, and it was absolutely imperative that I tell the truth.

As the driver was apologizing and saying that she just didn't see me, I realized that the "old" me would have jumped in and said, "Oh, it's okay, don't worry about it." But it wasn't okay, and she should be worried, and she should be sorry.

So I did the "real" thing instead of the "right" thing. I admitted to being freaked out and upset, and possibly injured. I told the police officer exactly what happened, even though the lady who hit me was very nice, and I felt badly that she got a ticket. Why should I feel bad? It's time to stop being so damn nice.

Why do we say and do things that aren't in our best interests simply to preserve the feelings of others? If you are hurt you should say so. If you need something, you need speak up. It's a disservice to yourself to sit in silence. And in a way, it's a disservice to others. When you hold everything in and lead everyone to believe that you feel a certain way, then one day you suddenly tip over the edge and explode, you leave a blast-zone of bewildered people who don't understand what went wrong.

The other day I told a client that they were making a "poor choice" by picking one design over another. It felt weird to offer my opinion like that, and in such a blatant way, but I'm glad that I said it. Regardless of the outcome, I'm happy that everyone knows how I feel.

Here are the two postcard designs. I prefer #2 over #1, I feel that it is the more powerful of the two, and is more likely to leave an impression on the viewer.


So be warned. I am done agreeing simply for the sake of saying "Yes."

Lest you think this is only about being catty and evil, consider that it also applies to speaking your mind in general. When Liz and I first started talking about saying what you really think, I experimented with sharing the funny things that I think about instead of censoring myself.

For example, when I saw that the parking lot attendant at the mall had a giant bottle of wine and a sub sandwich at his desk, I said, "You really know how to bring the party." And we all had a good laugh. Good times. Now we all get to be amused instead of just me.

Another example from Liz: Liz asked the girl (Erin) who scans our cards at the gym why there were balloons in the lobby, and Erin said, "It's to show that we appreciate you today," to which Liz replied, "Shouldn't you appreciate us everyday?" And we all had a good laugh. Good times.

In both cases, we have made new aquantance-type-friends. Erin is now very happy to see us each time we go to the gym, and the parking lot attendants are equally enthused to see us. I'm sure they are thinking, "There's those funny girls, I wonder what crazy things they'll say next."

It's not going to hurt the random people you encounter to know what you're thinking. The worst thing that could happen is that they'll think you are a little odd. But honestly, you are a little odd, aren't you? Tell the truth now.

Everyday could be a Holiday-Day

As I'm thinking about preparations for the 4th annual Halloween Party, I am also looking back at past holiday events. Holidays are very important to me. I love traditions and rites-of-passage almost as much as I like shaking-up those traditions.

Making special occasions out of every-day occurrences helps me remember the good times. Moments slip through my mind faster than I can capture them. My mental shutter speed is no match for a camera. That's why I try to take lots of pictures and write about what's going on in my life. It seems that our minds sometimes block out the good memories when the going gets tough, but I have concrete evidence that I do have a good time on a regular basis. :-)
Try it! Take a picture of yourself with a big, cheesy grin and put it up somewhere you'll see it everyday. When something horrible happens and it seems impossible to find the lesson or the humor, fake it. Write down something positive about it, even if you have to lie a little, it can help shift the way you are feeling right now...and it will definitely change the way you remember it later on.

If every single day could be a party, I would be the happiest person in the universe. I love the way people interact and experience something when they know it's time to relax and let go. Also, being a visual person, I love to make invitations and create atmosphere through lights, decorations and music.

Years and years ago, before my Dad shipped out on a 6-month tour, I created a "Holiday-day" event. I set up "stations" around the living room, each one featuring a different holiday, effectively cramming 6-months worth of holidays into an hour. We walked around to each area, sang the related songs and took a picture of ourselves with the holidays' decorations. It helped me to create a memory for each holiday that included our whole family. That way, when the actual holiday rolled around, I wouldn't have to feel like anyone was missing.

It's about escapism. It's very much about forgetting that tomorrow we get on a boat and sail away from the ones we love. Whether that's an actual boat or just the obligations in our lives that pull us away from what's important, it makes no difference, the feeling is the same.

Here some invitations I've designed that remind me of fun times and make me smile:



On a separate note:

This Sunday, I tried inner-tubing for the first time. I haven't been on a small boat in about 20 years and I never imagined that I would be comfortable on the water. But you know what? It was awesome.

The speed and the sunshine and the spray from the water is incredible. It was much more intense than I thought it would be.

My arms are crazy-sore today from holding on to the mesh handles. Keeping your grip isn't easy and hitting the water is like being struck by a train. I don't remember anything after hearing Aaron yell, "OH SHIT!" Then I was coughing and laughing and soaking wet and trying to catch my breath.

"Super-Awesome, Shorty-Summer" isn't quite over yet, but it could end tomorrow and I would be more than satisfied. The yard sale, the yard-sale after party, having my socks rocked off by Modest Mouse, being seriously piggy-ish at Pig Out in the Park, making a whole new look for my kitchen for just over $100, training for the Spokane half-marathon, and myriad other things have made it incredible.

Bring on the Fall!

So far, so good.

My money-saving kick is really paying off (ha!). I could actually see the difference in my savings account right away. Those $3 coffees for both Greg and myself every single day were draining over $2,000 from our wallets each year. Red's tiny coffee pot from school is the perfect size since we each drink two cups of coffee in our giant tumblers.

URM (cash & carry store) has tons of flavors for coffees or italian sodas. Our kitchen is now stocked like a full-service espresso stand and I couldn't be happier. No more hoping that I get the barista who makes the coffee the way I like it...because now it's always me...and I know exactly what I like!

Another success story: Super-Awesome-Shorty-Summer!
Thus far, I have accomplished the following summer/fun-related activities:
- Epic Skate Journey
- Gym like crazy - Seriously - Like. Crazy.
- Flying Irish fun running
- Rocket Bakery and neighborhood adventure - ate a yummy sandwich and ventured about
- Golfing for Nate's B-day
- Party at Erik's - dressed as a gangsta hottie in my kick-ass pin-striped hat
- Party at Aarons - trampoline! fire pit! alcohol! ...danger!
- Silly lunch with good friends - silly because the service was bad and the food was disappointing, not because lunch itself is silly, lunch is serious business
- Newman Lake for a family BBQ - still fun even though I was falling asleep in my comfy camping chair
- Marilyn Manson Concert - Greg and I rocked the mosh pit, the show was incredible
- Yard Sale! - this hasn't happened yet, but getting ready for it is eating up a lot of my time in a good way. Every box that I take out to the garage is more space in the house and more money in our pockets. If that's not good enough for ya, the yard sale will be followed by a BBQ at Cindy's, then a sure-to-be-rad Modest Mouse concert.
- Painting the kitchen and cabinets - a full makeover on the cheap that I have optimistically planned for Labor Day (before and after photos coming soon)

Let's try this again, shall we? - Super-Awesome, Shorty-Summer

Summer has failed me...or perhaps I have failed Summer. So I am starting over.

Selina's official Summer do-over kicked off on August 15th with the Warped Tour. I took a vacation day Monday and leveled my Paladin to 79. Pedro celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday and we all stuffed our faces with and incredible WoW-themed cake. Then Liz and I hit the two-thirds point for our "silly people like to run 7-marathons on treadmills at the gym" event. It got even more awesome last night when The Bleeding Edge played at The Grail in Post Falls. We had a killer time and booked two more shows with that venue. So far, so good.



I am going to concentrate on making each day of "Super-Awesome, Shorty-Summer" every bit as great as its name implies. Although I am short on time, I am long on ideas for maximum Summer impact.

Hear that sizzle and pop? That's the sound of a fire starting. It will continue to burn away fast and furious until Tuesday, September 22nd. That's a little under a month of seasonal activity.

Cindy says it can be awesome like the last 5 minutes of a fireworks show: extra-intense, bright and loud. An impressive ending that makes the build-up worth it. Everyone knows that the finale is the best part anyway.

(Just to be clear, my summer failure doesn't include my week of vacation that was previously chronicled in this blog. I would be lying if I told you that I didn't have a blast.)

Sometimes the best way to enjoy the time you have is to step back and take a look at what you were doing wrong before. I think I just assumed that if I waited long enough, Summer would happen to me and I would have a great time.

Now I am in pursuit of Summer, I realize that it will not wait for me.

Attack of the 80's

Shutter sunglasses, pink and black tiger-striped skin-tight pants, lime green nylon hats and mustaches galore. Welcome to my 80's nightmare...it's happening right now...and I am wide awake.

This Saturday was the 15th Warped Tour at The Gorge. I am used to seeing punky-colored-hair, spikes, leather and ripped black fishnets. This year was completely different. You couldn't drunkenly stumble 2 feet in any direction without running into Cyndi Lauper and the Beastie Boys circa 1985. Last year we were fine, where did this entire generation of color-blind fashion victims come from?! Surely they remember watching their older brothers and sisters getting dressed up like that...the crimping...the hairspray...the horror. Why are we doing this again?

Ranting aside, it was a great show. We saw Bad Religion, NOFX, Senses Fail, Saosin, In this Moment, YB, Meg and Dia, 3OH!3 and a bunch of others. Maybe it was just me, but it didn't seem like the pits were as intense as they have been in the past. It was cool to finally see NOFX, it sucked that most of the people watching their set were just there waiting for 3OH!3 to come up next. Hopefully they appreciated the better band and will see the error of their ways (^_^)

It didn't rain, I didn't see any flaming port-a-poties and no one slept under a car (at least not anyone from our group). So I say, "Success!"

I didn't see as much of the emo kids as in years past. There were still skin-tight pants but they were more of an 80's style (neon colors or higher cut in the waist) than the usual 70's punk rock influenced style. Hair is going bleach blond with black roots, I didn't see a single person with the "chunked" hair color.

I noticed a lot of t-shirts with giant Helvetica text like, "THIS IS A 3OH3! SHIRT" in black ink on white shirts. No graphics, just text. There were quite a few different takes on that design. Some were in multi-neon inks, but most were just black or white ink.

The best thing to do now is to embrace this resurgence of ridiculousness. I missed out on the bad 80's fashion the first time around because I was too young to successfully dress myself (perhaps I still am). This is a golden opportunity to shine like a glittering neon beacon of awesomeness without even the slightest hint of irony.

Babysitters Club anyone? Where is my half-shirt?! It's time to party.

how I spent my summer vacation

August 3, 2009

by sEliNa - age 25

I am in pursuit of the perfect week...how do you think I did?:

Friday - dyed my hair orange, ate at Neato Burrito, went to a Sonic Youth concert

Saturday - Gym, finished reading "Good Omens" - awesome book, hilarious, went skateboarding with rad new board and saw Over the Hedge in the park in Liberty Lake

Sunday - Bare Buns Fun Run at Kanisku Ranch, I got 1st place for females ages 25-29

Then we attended the Royal Fireworks Concert in Riverfront Park. In my opinion, the fireworks display for the symphony was way more impressive than the usual 4th of July show.

Monday - Pullman adventure to visit Erin

On the way down to Pullman I saw phone booths! The only other phone booth I have seen in the past few years is the one next to the Shell station on Division that doesn't have a phone inside, but always seems to contain a homeless person and hundreds of burrito wrappers.
then...
I got attacked by Freddy Cougar at Sella's. The delicious calzones made the bites and scratches worth it.
then...
I toured Erin's extra-sensitive apartment
then...
we did a little bowling and checked out the arcade. I beat Erin at every game...yes, Erin, I did...don't listen to her...she is a liar.

Just for fun: See if you can guess which of these sinks belongs to Erin, and which belongs to her room mate.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Tuesday - Played WoW went to the gym and got my new board ready to bomb hills

Wednesday - Played Wow some more and bought a killer new coat for the winter they tell me we'll be having as soon as the 105 degree weather ends...

Thursday - Flying Irish, gym, skateboarding, rocking at Club Edge (no photos from this show) Please enjoy a photo of me loving beer instead:

Yep, that's my 21st birthday. Not much has changed.

Friday - Went to see Harry Potter, then gave Greg a new hair cut and took artsy photos in the living room


Saturday - gym again (I am a machine!) + attended Mark and Jen's Awesome Wedding

Sunday - Chillin' at the lake with Greg's family

Trying to convince me to try wakeboarding, Greg says, "Doesn't my hair look awesome?! I totally face-planted and got water up my nose...it feels like someone punched me in the face!...but it turned out okay. Wanna try it?"

Um...sure honey...I'm all over that.

I am now ready for my next vacation. Can I make it better than this one? I'm going to try.

endless summer? I hope so

July 25th, 2009

My awesome board has arrived! It's a Rayne Hellcat with Randall R11 180 trucks and 75mm Orangatangs. The wheelbase is a little longer than the Big Red X and the board is a little wider. It is seriously the most comfortable board I have ever stood on. The trucks are incredibly turny, but still stable at moderate speeds. I'll need to tighten them up more for the big hills, but they have been great so far for riding downtown and hitting parking garages.

Look at it...it is glorious.

I love the queen of hearts graphic on the bottom (maybe it's king of hearts, but I'm a girl, so I say queen). It came with a roll of clear grip tape, but I've always hated how clear grip gets nasty and grungy looking, so I decided to go with black instead then cut a design to make it more personal.

Here's a couple shots of the finished design:

It takes while, but it's not too bad if anyone out there wants to give it a try. The trick is to flip the grip over and sketch out your design on the back (in reverse/mirror image), then cut it from the bottom with an exacto knife. Grip tape eats exacto blades for breakfast so have extras on hand. Getting the tape on without ripples can be tricky. I've found that it's a lot simpler if you start at one end and peel away the backing as you go down the board instead of peeling off the backing all at once then trying to get the whole sticky mess to cooperate.

After the grip is stuck down, use your fingers to push it down around the edges all the way around the board. Instead of trying to cut a perfect outline with your exacto knife, run a screwdriver around the edges to score them (use the metal shaft, not the tip). The friction will wear away the grain of the grip tape and you'll be able to peel away the excess leaving perfect edges.

I'm looking forward to another few months of good skating weather so I can break it in properly. It's not a coincidence that I decided to take a week off work the same day this arrived. (^_^)

tracking language trends on Facebook

July 17, 2009

I'm probably a little late to the game, but I've just discovered a tool on Facebook that will help me track the popularity of my "10 Nicknames" note. (Quick refresher: the "10 Nicknames" note is a fun little experiment I cooked up to see if I could knowingly create viral content on Facebook). The tool I'm going to use is called Lexicon and it includes a search function that creates a graph displaying the the frequency of discussion for a topic.

Facebook says:

• "Lexicon is a tool to follow language trends across Facebook. Specifically, Lexicon looks at the usage of words and phrases on profile, group and event Walls. For example, you can enter "love, hate" (without quotations) to compare the usage of these two words on Facebook Walls. You may enter up to five terms, where each term can be a word or two-word phrase consisting of letters and numbers."

When I'm ready to take a look at the data for my note (probably in a few more weeks), I can just input the key terms into the search box and see if there was a spike in usage for related language.

Huzzah! That's so easy! I love it! I exclaim a lot!

Then, once I have my fancy graph, I can decide whether or not to release my second note test (a boring note instead of a fun one). Based on the data from both notes I can hopefully create a baseline for future tests.

Here's a fun example from some of their suggested search terms. It is a side-by-side comparison of "party tonight" and "hangover." Notice that there's a spike in chatter about parties on the days leading up to New Year's Eve, followed by an even larger spike in talk of hangovers on New Year's Day.

Good times.

You can learn more about Facebook's other marketing tools on the Marketing Solutions page.

hair envy...you know you've got it

July 16th, 2009

I promised photos of crazy hair and the dress I made, so here they are:

This was my hair test to see if I could actually make large hair happen without hair-frying disaster...or accidentally getting AquaNet in my eyes.


This is Cindy and me all dressed up with somewhere rad to go. I managed to break my necklace during the show (too much jumping around), but the dress miraculously held together, and the hair didn't budge.