Meet Arthur Llwynog

Arthur Llwynog's Tea Time 8x10 Print

The newest addition to the Yay for Fidget Art! family. Hailing from Wales, this dapper, old-world gent has a passion for history and you will find him holed away in his study almost any given time. While polite, he's rather shy and would much rather curl up with a good book than join in on a party. But don't be fooled by his pince-nez glasses and his fancy clothes - he may very well hand you your ass if you bug him during his tea time.

I've also made a mock-up of the t-shirt version, which will be available in my shop soon.

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Time for another giveaway!

Yeh heard me, and this time it's a shiny 8x8" photography print from one of my shops of the famous Temple Bar in Dublin, Ireland ($23US value):

"The Temple Bar" © Copyright Marissa Rojas. All rights reserved.

Printed on Legion Moab luster finish paper using Epson UltraChrome K3 ink (the good stuff that lasts a looooooong time), I took this photo one early morning during one of my walks around downtown Dublin, shortly before the tourist rush. And this print can be yours by following these simple guidelines (trust me, it's not as much of a hassle as my last one!):

You can do any one of the following:

-Follow my blog by clicking the "Follow" button of the Google Friend Connect on the left sidebar.

-Follow my Twitter Page.

-Follow either one of my Facebook Pages: Yay for Fidget Art! or my kanzashi shop. (Sorry, I don't have a fan page for my photography shop. :( )

-Favorite my photography shop.

-Send your friends this way to partake in this giveaway!

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After completing one of the above requirements, you can post up to three comments below to let me know, along with your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. Said winner will be chosen via random number generator. So if you use all three of your posts, the greater chance you'll get at winning. :)

The deadline for this giveaway will end June 15th midnight EST.

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New t-shirt design!

...Because dragons are a must.

I've spent the past month planning, sketching and fleshing this one out, while the whole time making stoner-related jokes regarding the dragon with Lynn. Yeah, we were that bored.

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New items and other ramblings

"Misty Ruins" 8x8" Print


Oiran Loose Crew Summer T-Shirt - Sizes XS/S/M (unisex fit)


Sakura Organic T-Shirt - Sizes S/M/L


Yellow Hibiscus Kanzashi

I apologize for my sporadic posts over the past few months - I've been mostly busy with tax season, organizing my house and dealing with personal issues. Lately, I've been catching up on backed up custom orders, attempting to draft up new designs for art prints and t-shirts to send out to various boutiques and galleries.

Oh yeah, I also saved up enough pennies to buy a shiny new screen printing press! I'm still awaiting for it to arrive in the mail, but...no more crappy homemade press and foam boards for me! The metal clamps I used are still in excellent condition and are only a few years old, so I'll be listing those on Ebay relatively soon.

On a more personal note, my weight loss progress has been swell. During the last three months of my gym membership, I put in a whole ton of extra effort and the weight started to melt off. Upon the ending of my membership (beginning of this month), I picked up a copy of Jillian's 30 Day Shred dvd. I've been alternating between levels 1 and 2, and so far the workouts have been kicking my ass. I don't necessarily do the workouts every single day...more like 4 to 5 times a week, with a "rest" day in between 2 to 5 workouts. Even on said "rest" days, I normally do some low to medium-impact yoga or cleaning. Based on the workouts from the last months of my gym membership and the Shred dvd, I've dropped about ten pounds and a couple of dress sizes (now about a size 6US). Yay!

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Happy Birthday, Marduk!

He's two years old today, yeah! Gonna whip up some baked ground beef "cake" for him and try to post a video of him nomming it.

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Tsunami Relief Kanzashi

Recently, I went into super-kanzashi-making-mode and whipped up a bunch of ume and sakura kanzashi hairpins for the charity section of my shop...and now my fingers are cramped. :P

These cute flowery hairpins make lovely Mother's Day gifts and the sales will go toward a good cause. All proceeds (after Etsy and PayPal fees) will be donated to Red Cross - please pass on the link!

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Supermoon Tonight!

Tonight will showcase a rare and extraordinary event - the full moon will be at its perigee (closest orbit point to earth), with brightness at an extra 30% and largeness at an extra 14%. Fingers crossed, hope it won't be too cloudy tonight.

To celebrate this event, here is a collection of lovely items made by talented Etsians:

By the Light of the Moon by mingtaphotography


Rice Moon Art Quilt by Uncommon Cloth


Full Moon Organic Lampwork Cabochon by Truewealth


Full Moon Artisan Soap by Relic Soap Company


Full Moon Crochet Upcycled Area Rug by ekra

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Kimono Charity Auction

In regards to the tragic events that are going on in Japan, my friend Naomi of Immortal Geisha is holding a charity auction from her personal kimono collection. 100% of the proceeds will go toward GlobalGiving's "Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund," including the 20% in fees that Ebay/PayPal takes (she will cover that out of her own pocket).

All of the items offered are very lovely unique items, and she will also be adding more stuff to the auction soon. So please check it out and bid, why don'tcha?

(click the image below to head over to the listings).

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Sectionals

Currently, my living room is bare, with the exception of a couple of folding bookcases. More friends and relatives are wanting to pay a visit later this year so I probably need to get the ball rolling in furnishing my house to accommodate them.

For said room, I've been eyeing a few cushy-looking modular sectionals that will suit my love for all things contemporary while at the same time not break the bank.


The Baxter Sectional from West Elm
I love almost everything that West Elm offers and if there was one place where I can max out my credit card, this is the place! I've been drooling over this particular sectional for the past month, with the clean lines, the low/deep profile and its supposed comfiness (from what I've heard). Unfortunately $1,597 for the faux suede (plus shipping) reaches the very end of my budget. Plus, there are no showrooms located near me, so I can't exactly test the product personally.













Home Reserve's custom armless sectional in Altima Sand (photo pictured in Delmar Spice)
I personally own a Monroe-style sofa and loveseat set from Home Reserve, and I can personally vouch for how awesome they are. Practical and aesthetically pleasing, you can customize your sofa, sectional and more in a wide variety of styles and fabrics. They're also renewable in that you can always order replacement parts should your furniture be ruined by act of dog, cat or drunken room mates.

I've been fawning over the particular layout pictured above, but in their Altima sand fabric. Said fabric is great for those who have pets since it's been treated to resist stains and liquids. I have a 75lbs. lab/coonhound mix, so this may be the wisest choice for me (and at a more fair price of $737 + shipping). The downside is that their seating isn't very deep. For reference, I'm about 5'7" and I can't lie down on the sofa without scrunching up my shoulders some. Home Reserve does offer a new piece called the Lounger, but the backing is a bit too short and I can't really piece several of those into a sectional without them looking awkward. I suppose that for the aforementioned pictured layout, I can maybe spring for the corner ottoman to add more depth.













Bobkona 5-Piece Sectional in Pebble
At $744.63, this sectional looks like a reasonable deal. While the seating looks deep enough and comfy, I'm not too crazy about the leather bonded base, but for the price I'm willing to put up with it. Again, I wish I can see and test the product in person.

Lastly, I've also been checking out Ikea's sectionals online. The downside is that I would have to rent a truck and make a day trip out the Pittsburgh location. Decisions, decisions...

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2011 Resolutions

2011 Calendar, 5x7, Only 2 Left in Stock, SALE by This Year's Girl

Here we go again...another year, another set of resolutions.

1) Lose moar weight, obviously! Actually, I'm not as concerned about weight so much as dropping dress sizes. Gonna try to get down to a size 6US (from a size 8).

2) I've surpassed my 150 sales this year (woohoo!), so lets go for 300 more next year.

3) Partake in at least one craft show. I've always been too scared to run my own craft show booth due to paranoid thoughts of futching everything up or not being totally prepared. Thankfully, there are a few small, local ones that'll give me the opportunity to wet my feet.

4) Take Marduk out for more walks and teach him a few more tricks.

5) Finish interior re-painting. I still have to do the living room, the hallway, two of the bedrooms as well as finish stenciling the third. Definitely have my work cut out for me.

6) Finish up the art studio.

7) If my budget allows, install new hardwood flooring in family room. 'Cuz seriously, this manky carpet must be older than me!

8) If my budget allows for this also, get the hallway bathroom renovated. Going for a partial gutting, no relocating of plumbing, and some of the work will be done by yours truly.

9) I WILL start RCIA, consarnit!

10) Get back to making more kanzashi and kimono-related stuff. Yeah, it's been a while, sorry. My work in said area is probably forgotten by everyone by this point. :|

BONUS: To try not to let pessimism get the best of me!

So what are your resolutions for 2011?

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