Wednesday, May 25, 2011

NOLA state of mind

Last month, Boyfriend and I took a trip down to New Orleans. We expected to eat lots, drink lots, and chill the hell out, and NOLA did not disappoint on any of those fronts. But we weren't expecting to fall in love with this city in ways I'm still finding hard to quantify.

Perhaps it was the warm, muggy weather that inspires you to move just a little more slowly than you might back home....


Note my utter lack of coat, hat, gloves, or other blustery-weather attire, all of which was still required back home in Chicago despite it being late April!

... or the art and music that felt as though it was exploding at us everywhere we turned....












... or the cats who came out to play (and eat food that'd been left out for them by other visitors) in Jackson Square when it began to get dark....



... or the parades that came out of nowhere, celebrating some great or mundane aspect of life....


Each of these little parades we stumbed across was escorted by cops who'd blocked off the street in question. I can only imagine the reaction I'd get if I rang up Chicago's finest and asked for permission to do the same. I'm certain the response would not be printable!

... or the fact that no one gave a damn if you walked down the street with open booze, as long as you weren't causing a disturbance or hurting anyone else...



... or the shops, venues, and just plain atmosphere that warmed this goth girl's cold, black heart.






All I know is, I left feeling as though I'd found my creativity and inspiration again, and I can't wait to go back.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

When crafts attack....

So I posted the other day about the Attack of the Craft iPad giveaway, but neglected to mention just what Attack of the Craft is and why it is awesome!



It will surprise no one when I say that my work doesn't exactly fit into the mainstream of "normal" crafting, whatever that means. So of course the "normal" craft forums on Etsy and elsewhere also aren't a good fit for me! I would always get a little nervous posting in the Etsy forums because my skulls and bats would sometimes freak people out, but I certainly wasn't going to change my avatar just to avoid frightening away other posters!

Not the case with these folks, who bill themselves as the "crafting misfits." I feel like my gothy goodness fits right in. In addition to crafty and promo talk, you might find discussions of vegan recipes, music, books, or how to dye your hair in Crayola brights. I'm not as active on the forum as I'd like to be, but I am working on it!

They also have their own handmade shop filled with team members' work. And, Etsy sellers: they have super-reasonable ad rates! I've run a rotating banner ad a couple of times on their site and it got me a lot of traffic (and some sales too. :) )

Check them out!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Attack of the Craft Etsy team iPad giveaway!

The fine folks over at the Attack of the Craft Etsy team are running a "Simon Says" contest to give away an iPad. I know these guys, they are a cool and unique bunch of goth/punk/alternative crafters, and this is definitely NOT a scam, unlike those Facebook links that sometimes pop up on your feed.

Grand prize is a first-generation iPad or $300 Visa gift card... honestly, I'm not sure which one I'd choose. I don't yet have an iPad and I've been drooling over them for a while, but there is definitely something to be said for cold hard cash. :)

Here are the rules, copied from this thread on the team forum: http://www.attackofthecraft.com/stage/showthread.php?t=5759 Note: You do NOT have to be a member of this team to participate!

"Contest Starts: Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Contest Ends: Saturday, May 21, 2011

Objective: We are going to play our own version of Simon Says. There will be 40 daily "tasks" assigned over 40 days. You must complete 30 of these 40 "tasks" to be entered in the random drawing for the iPad. This means you can skip 10 tasks, or come in a little late on the contest and still be able to participate. The drawing will be RANDOM, so anyone who has completed 30 tasks can win, not just the most "motivated" player

How does it work: Every day, we will post a new thread to this forum. This thread will have your "Simon Says Task" description. You will have 24 hours to complete the task, and post whatever "proof" is required for task completion. You will receive ONE point for each task you complete.

What kinds of tasks will be assigned: Anything and everything. Some photo scavenger hunts, some creative challenges, promotions for shops and AotC pimping, and lots of sillyness. If you're not a *crafter* you can still participate, as we will have no more than TEN craft related tasks. However, this means you have to complete ALL 30 remaining non-crafty tasks. But really, take a chance, try some crafting. You might surprise yourself.

How to win: There will be 40 tasks assigned. Every entrant who completes 30 tasks (receiving 30 points) will be added to the random drawing for the grand prize.

Grand Prize:

Your very own iPad (16 gig wifi FIRST GENERATION) or $300 Visa Gift Card, your choice.
Free month of banner advertising on AotC
500 pm limit and the ability to change your own title"

Good luck, everyone!