Thursday, January 31, 2013

New year, new resolutions

I apologize for not posting this until now, I meant to have this ready at the beginning of this month. Much of my schedule has been packed with filling in holiday orders, my part-time job on the side, and general holiday festivities. And the latest Dragonborn DLC. That took up much of my free time as well. How has your Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice been?

I won't lie. Much of 2012 consisted of much drama and stress that has left me feeling emotionally, physically, and spiritually drained. However, I view life's curveballs as an opportunity to build character and become a stronger individual, so misfortune can bite my cute, well-toned ass. I'm plenty thankful for friends who have stuck by me through thick and thin, as well as new friends that I've made along the way...People who are fellow recovering "sponges" and "doormats." We get each other.

Moving along, I've met most of my goals for 2012, and I'm certainly not beating myself up over crossing off every single one from the list. Shit happens, ya gotta get over it and move on.

1. Fitness: Become ripped like Jillian Michael. Although I'm now about a size 4US, I still think I'm a bit "skinny-fat" when I look at myself nekkid in the mirror. I can see some muscle definition in my legs, butt, and arms, but I definitely need more work done to get rid of the remaining jiggliness in my midsection. Currently doing a mix of beginner/intermediate/advanced moves of Level 2 of Yoga Meltdown, and will eventually do the advanced moves of both levels in a row to get the most out of this dvd. Upon completion of that, I'll try out either her Ripped in 30 or No More Trouble Zones next. And perhaps I should also plunk down some extra monies for a pair of those Bowflex adjustable dumbbells, but well see.

2. Do an overhaul on my art style. Over the previous year, I've been stewing over my illustrations and have come to realization that I'm not satisfied with how they turn out. I feel that I'm getting a tad rusty in my technique, which partly explains the lack of new work as of late. Haven't had much time to curl up with my sketchbook and draw. I think now is a good time as any to experiment with new styles and see which one will "click" with my audience.

3. Sew moar cute outfits for meself! Since I started my part-time office job a few months ago, I've been having trouble finding cute and unique business casual attire that were reasonably priced. Luckily, I have a large collection of patterns I've amassed over the years that have remained in style (and those that weren't only required some minor alterations), as well as acquired several new patterns from Jo-Anns. So far, I've sewn five dresses, two skirts and a tunic, most of which were made from my existing fabric stash. Huzzah for couture clothing on a shoestring budget!

4. Install cherry hardwood flooring in one of the spare bedrooms. SO freaking glad that Lumber Liquidators just recently opened a new location in my area. I can just pick up the flooring in person and not have to pay high shipping costs.

5. Stain concrete floor in art studio.

6. Enjoy life more. Take my first vacation in years.

7. Find happiness...This will require some soul-searching.

That's pretty much it. Again, I'm making promises not to beat myself up over not achieving everything on the list. I'll just have to try harder next year. As for you guys: What are your New Year's resolutions?

Monday, January 28, 2013

I've been featured!


Just got a lovely convo today from Katrina and Inguna of Moods & Appetites, notifying that they featured my black Japanese pine t-shirt in their latest blog entry, along with a collection of gorgeous Asian-themed artwork (left side, near the bottom of the image).  Thanks, guys! ^_____^

Friday, January 25, 2013

Friday, January 11, 2013

Random Sketches

As I've mentioned in my previous post that one of my goals for 2013 is to draw more. So here are a couple of quick sketches I did shortly before I left the office for the week:

A pissy-looking Teldryn Sero from the latest Skyrim DLC, Dragonborn...Just imagine that somebody dyed his mohawk rainbow/added hair extensions in his sleep.

Ellie Goulding? Dunno, just wanted an excuse to draw someone with 80s new wave-inspired hair.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Friday, November 16, 2012

2012 holiday shipping dates and other important stuff

It's that time of year when everything picks up and gets uber hectic. For those shopping handmade during the holidays, I've posted mailing deadlines for Christmas delivery from the USPS website:

Domestic Mail
First Class Mail–Dec. 20th
Priority Mail–Dec. 21st
Express Mail*–Dec. 22nd
Parcel Post–Dec. 14th
Destination Network Distribution Center (DNDC) Drop Ship–Dec. 19th
Destination Delivery Unit (DDU) Drop Ship–Dec. 21st
* Some Express Mail destinations may have extended service commitments.

International Mail
First Class Mail:
-Africa, Central/South America–Dec. 3rd
-Asia/Pac. Rim, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Middle East–Dec. 10th

Priority Mail:
-Africa, Central/South America–Dec. 3rd <--- 1st="1st" as="as" class="class" don="don" it="it" know="know" p="p" s="s" same="same" t="t" the="the" why="why">-Asia/Pac. Rim, Australia/New Zealand, Mexico–Dec. 10th
-Canada, Caribbean, Europe, Middle East–Dec. 13th

Express Mail:
-Africa, Central/South America–Dec. 11th
-Asia/Pac. Rim, Australia/New Zealand, Caribbean, Mexico, Mexico, Europe, Middle East–Dec. 15th
-Canada–Dec. 17th

Global Express Guaranteed*:
-Asia/Pac. Rim, Australia/New Zealand–Dec. 18th
-Africa, Caribbean, Australia/New Zealand, Europe, Middle East–Dec. 19th
-Canada, Mexico–Dec. 20th
* GXG® Notes:

  1. Cutoff date does not take into account time needed for customs clearance.
  2. Should allocate extra transit day(s) for delivery outside major cities.
  3. Last date to ship to Afghanistan is December 18. Last date to ship to Iraq is December 17. GXG does not deliver to APO and FPO addresses.
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CUSTOM T-SHIRT ORDERS:
Due to the fact that the American Apparel factory is located on the opposite end of the country and that shipped blanks can take a while for arrival, I'm advising all of my lovely customers to place their custom t-shirt orders in advance if you wish to have them arrive in time for Christmas. Below are the deadlines for getting your orders in:

United States–Dec. 7th
Africa, Central/South America– Nov. 23rd
Asia/Pac. Rim, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Middle East–Nov. 27th

This is for orders that are being shipped First Class only! Expedited orders will incur extra shipping charges for the buyer.

Please understand that I cannot give a 100% guarantee for Christmas delivery due to potential delays from bad weather, possible defects in merchandise, and/or human error. Many thanks for your patience!

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Running short on time? I can ship directly to the gift recipient AND I also offer gift wrapping and handwritten note services at no extra charge! Simply mention that the order is a gift in "Note to Seller" box and enter said recipient's name/address in the shipping address fields. You can also request the free gift wrapping/handwritten note in said "Note to Seller," and indicate what you'd like written in note. Copy of invoice will NOT be included in package, of course.





Saturday, November 10, 2012

New Print!

"A Very Corgman Christmas" 8x10" Illustration Print
Bob Corgman the Welsh Corgi is back, and he's brought his family! It's that time of year when the Corgman family is decked out in kitschy, holiday-themed sweaters for their annual Christmas family portrait. Afterwards, Bob will shudder off the tackiness via sipping on a large glass of vanilla brandy and smoking his favorite pipe. All while listening to some good ol' Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters on the radio.

Also, Junior is NOT amused.

This is a limited edition print available only during November and December. After that, it'll be gone 'til next holiday season, so snap it up while it lasts! I also have a 5x7" version available.

(The oval shaping on the print itself isn't actually cut off on the top and left - it's just some weird cropping on the listing pic).

Also, until November 22nd, take 10% off your entire order by using coupon code EARLYSHOPPER.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Tasty Chili

Whipped up some homemade chili last night, along with some corbread:




I also had some shredded cheddar sprinkled on top of my serving of chili. Totally good eatin', especially for cold weather. You can check out the recipe for the cornbread here.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Boalsburg Day Trip and Movie Night

NOTE: Sorry if my writing below seems all wonky. I was still dizzy from the spray paint fumes at the time (was working on my Morokei dragon priest mask). 

Yesterday, I popped over to the quaint, little Victorian village of Boalsburg for their Fall Colors Open House to check out the local businesses, bad weather be damned. Unfortunately, I only had less than an hour to browse, due to spending an earlier chunk of the afternoon packing orders and had a scheduled movie date with a friend later in the evening. I've also realized that I forgot to charge my camera battery, so only a few shots were taken at the time (sorry, everyone).


Summer House...I'm assuming this a B&B?

Riley on Main
I'm kinda kicking myself for not checking out the above boutique sooner - I was totally drooling over all the cute accessories and vintage furniture. The accessories were very reasonably priced and I'm pretty sure I'll be coming back to pick up a pair of cute armwarmers. The gorgeous furniture, on the other hand, were waaaay out of my price range. *sadpanda* Oh well, a Pokey can dream.

Adjacent to Riley's was Duffy's Tavern. I've never been inside yet, but I will make some time to stop by there for a pint, come hell or high water.

Duffy's Tavern.

Boalsburg Chocolate Co.
A little further down the street, I was like, "ERMAHGERD, CHERCLET!" and made a bee-line toward the little shop (pictured above), which was offering tastings of wine and chocolate pairings. Seeing that the tasting area was kind of packed, I've stuck to just browsing the display case of wonderful, delectable confectioneries. Couple minutes later, I strode out the door with a white box of newly purchased orange cream-filled and coconut cream-filled morsels (half-dozen each).


Luckily, it only started raining while I was driving back home to pick up Connor. Right before we left for the movie, we each helped ourselves to a few pieces of the tastiness....they were pleasing to our palates - not overbearingly sweet, which is a mistake that a lot of chocolatiers tend to make. The dark chocolate shells were smooth without being too soft; just the right bit of thickness in that it did not require us to gnaw our way to get to the gooey center like you'd expect with mass-manufactured variants (I'm lookin' at you, See's Candies). The fillings were velvety, rich with flavor from start to finish and did not gum up our teeth, which was also an added bonus.

Delicious chocolates aside, Connor and I went and saw the new movie Sinister. As an avid horror fan who's difficult to scare, I have to say that I did not leave the theater disappointed. Without mentioning any spoilers of course, it had its genuinely creepy moments and I loved how they stuck with subtleties throughout much of the film. The distorted soundtrack paired with certain scenes also added a nice touch. I would say the ending could be improved some, but that's my only complaint. I highly recommend that you guys watch this film. Better yet, wait a few weeks and watch it when you're completely alone in the theater. >:D

Upon arriving home from the movie theater, I set forth on spray painting my Morokei dragon priest mask in its distinctive deep shade of blue with a slight metallic sheen. I bought the can of spray paint (I don't even remember the brand) at Ollies for only 60 cents...it's times like this where I wished that I drove the extra six miles to Home Depot and bought a can of Krylon instead. Despite working in a well-ventilated area and wearing a respirator, the fumes from that discount shit were uber powerful. Spent much of the night with the windows open to air out the stench. EDIT: I'm just gonna use acrylic paint this time, since it'd be a pain in the bum to get all the nooks-n-crannies. 

Friday, October 5, 2012