confessions of a blueberry bandit

The Year of Blogging Dangerously (a.k.a. Happy Blogiversary!!!)

Oh, my goodness!   It has officially been one year since I begrudgingly wrote my first blog!  And what a year it has been.  I was determined not to let this momentous occasion pass unnoticed, as the anniversary of my Etsy shop did a few weeks ago...  Though we have been a bit estranged lately, the ol' blog is still very near and dear to my heart, as are all of my friends in the blogosphere!  I have not quite lived up to my expectations with the blog or the shop, but I am pretty damn impressed with myself for trying!  I suppose I should say hooray for my half-assiversary!!! 

I have been so busy in my long absence!  Let's see, there was the rock'n roll tour (which was not so great) and the subsequent struggle to catch up on both rest and work .  (Sadly, I am still lagging far behind in both categories.)  Then there was a lovely visit from my cousins Kristina & Bradlee (all the way from Paris and New Haven)--my very first house guests!  And another equally lovely visit from Andy's family.  They traveled all the way from Denver to (finally) meet my family and help us build this:

My first porch!!!  Building a porch was incredibly hard work, but it was so worth it!  (Andy's parents deserve at least 99% of the credit...) Now we just have to get rid of the horrendous blue trim...  It's funny, I hated--no, abhorred--that blue paint when we bought the house, but now I've grown a bit attached to it.  I still haven't made up my mind about the green color we chose for the porch.  Paint is so deceptive!  I'm trying not to agonize too much over the decision, but I just don't want to be that one house on the street that makes people stop and wonder, "What on earth were they thinking?"   

I have spent the last few days nursing poor Junebug, who got into a pretty nasty fight over the weekend.  She was a mess, with ears practically torn to pieces and one eye swollen shut... I had already accepted her future as a black patch-clad one-eyed cat, but the vet tells me she will be just fine.  (Have you ever tried to put antibiotic ointment directly in a cat's eye?)  I feel pretty certain the she was the instigator, and I cringe to think of what the other cat must look like!  She seems to be recovering quite nicely and milking me for all the attention she can get...

One of the nice things about  busy life is that there are generally plenty of things to look forward to... Such as my trip to New York in a couple of weeks to see The Color Purple on Broadway.  This will be part of a whirlwind girl's weekend out courtesy of my (truly wonderful) mother-in-law.  It is a life-long dream of hers, and I feel tremendously honored to be included!  There is also talk of a work-sponsored trip to Paris in the somewhat near future, though nothing is definite yet.  It would be a business trip, but still...I am keeping my fingers crossed!

And something else I am looking forward to... I managed to purchase one of Ashley G's bearded men from her upcoming show at Gallery Revisited.    My absolute favorite was already sold out, but I am very much in love with this one, too:

Sigh... One of the worst side-effects of infrequent blogging is that I have too many things to say and so little time.  I am hoping (rather desperately) that life will finally calm down after the summer so I can resume the creative life.  For now my blog and I will have to settle with fair-weather friendship...   I hope all the lovelies out there will stick with me as I try to make my way through another year of blogging!!!  Happy Weekend!

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p.s.  The adorable cupcake bowls were a recent acquisition from Rose and Radish...

I Hate Blogs (Or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the blog) by Sara K.

Hello, my name is Sara, and I hate blogs.  Or, anyway, I used to hate blogs until three months ago, when a series of strange events forever altered my life.  Prior to said events, I had only the vaguest notion of what a "blog" was and, quite frankly, the word just sounded dirty.  I couldn't help but wonder, who are all these people who think they're so interesting?  Well, thanks to some friendly nudges to start selling my wares online and the novelty of (finally) having high-speed internet at home, I began to explore the vast world of blogs.  Much to my chagrin, I learned that "all these people" really are interesting.  In fact, they're fascinating! The world is full of fascinating people who are doing fascinating, inspiring, amazing things.  Blogging is not just  a way to flout one's ego, it's a whole new art form.  It's a way of life.  And there is no end to the tiny connections that make this gigantic world seem a little bit smaller...

While in reluctant awe, I still wasn't sold on the idea of offering my own life up to the gods of blog.  You must understand that I am a very private, often painfully shy, stubborn person.  (If you've ever encountered me in real life, you may have observed me as the silent, nearly invisible girl in the corner.  I think I successfully passed as a mute through most of elementary school... maybe even college).  So why would I want the whole world to be able to peer inside my brain and my very soul?  But then, don't we all have a need to command an audience in some way?  To make an impression, to leave a mark?  I must admit--ever since I was a child I have secretly fantasized about being an Anne Frank or a Sylvia Plath, though perhaps under less tragic circumstances.  Someday, "they" would discover my journals and be riveted, moved, amazed by my struggles and my observations, my oh-so-sincere cleverness and wit, and oh...

So as I mentioned, I've recently begun listing some items on Etsy .  Which has led to reading all sorts of crafty blogs, where people like my friend Emily tend to showcase their amazing creative progress and their tidy, fresh, well-lit work spaces, and their impressive work ethics... Which brings me here to this moment.  Actually, it brings me to a few days ago.  I was attempting to finish one of many unfinished projects and reached for my sewing basket... and this is what I found:

I'm not sure this picture really communicates the utter chaos of the sewing basket, of my work space, of my creative process, of my life... 

And that was the very first moment that I even considered starting my own blog.  The anti-blog.  The stark contrast to all those artists out there who have it together.  Who are organized and productive.   

Sigh...  Then I realized that I no longer desire to be that messy girl who is always talking about, maybe even starting, new projects and then never quite following through.  I long to be one of those previously-noted gals with the tidy, fresh lives.  So I stopped everything and spent some long hours organizing that sewing basket and, with sickening guilt, imagined my grandmother's disgust if she could only see the state of what was once tidy-down-to-the-last-button.  Right then and there, I decided that I, the hater of blogs, would start my own blog.  If not for gaining an adoring audience, then at least to motivate myself to get my s**t together and make stuff!!!   

Incidentally, this is what my sewing basket looked like for a solid 48 hours:

It has since deteriorated a bit, as I expected, but I hope and pray that it will never again return to its former state. 

Voila!  My own first steps toward progress.  Perhaps not awe-inspiring, but progress nonetheless.  (Now, if I could just tackle all of my other problem areas.)  Unfortunately, I still haven't finished the original project that started it all, but I did complete two new pillows, which I've listed here:

I promise, this long-winded post is almost at its close.  Just bear with me a little longer!

Back to this very moment... I woke up this morning, and what I saw inspired me not only to reach for my camera, but to start my blog.  For real. What I saw was the sunlight pouring through the window, telling me that it was a fresh new day full of opportunity and adventure.  A day to make changes.  So here I am, beyond all belief, writing my very first blog.  This is my mission: to make myself vulnerable, to speak to an anonymous audience, all in the name of creativity and growth and progress.  From this day forward, I am the girl who at least attempts to be organized.  I am the girl who finishes what she starts.  I am a blogger.