christina d'arc

Dennis and I have wanted to start an Etsy store for a long time. The plan is to sell vintage stuff and handmade printed items, but we've been slacking on getting it running.

Tonight I faced down the box of estate sale treasures that's been sitting in my dining room. I unpacked everything and decided I would finally start the store by listing a cute patent leather purse I bought a few weeks ago. Two hours later, the listing is finally up!


What took so long? I had to:
- Photograph it
- Realize it was covered in fingerprints; clean up and photograph again
- Remember infamous eBay teapot listing; recover from fear of buyers seeing my reflection in shiny object; photograph some more
- Set up seller account on Etsy; read policy that vintage items must be at least 20 years old
- Spend half an hour researching origins of brand, Theodor of California (it's from the 1950s)
- Brighten poorly lighted pictures from ancient camera in Photoshop
- Upload pictures, find out the file sizes are too large
- Re-Photoshop; Re-upload (are you tired yet?)
- Write cleverly worded, correctly spelled description; start Excel spreadsheet while I'm at it
- Research other buyers' shipping charges

I was all proud of myself until I clicked on the listing and saw how bare our store looks. No fun graphics, no profile, no avatar, and probably worst, no store policy page.

I have a LOT of work to do this weekend. I have so many things to list! Good thing there aren't any sales around here on the holiday weekend, because I need to catch up.

Click here to check out our fledgling store.

Friends, I leave you with...ducklings in a bathtub!

I'm in lurve with these Pantone espresso cups! Sadly, I guess they're are only available in the UK.

A few months ago, I saw an espresso machine on sale at Starbucks, but didn't buy it. It was bright orange, which I loved, but it didn't match my kitchen. Unfortunately, my little kitchen is too tiny to make a clashing espresso machine look inconspicuous. Now I'm regretting it. I could've hidden it behind the bread box or something.

In my never ending quest for a workout program I can stick to, I came across One Hundred Push Ups. I decided that there was no way I could ever achieve this, but just for the hell of it, I would try the "initial test" - simply doing as many good form push ups as I could.

The result? I found out that I could do exactly ZERO push ups. Zero! This made me angry. I knew I had very little upper body strength. I didn't know my muscles had atrophied this badly.

With some coaxing from the bf, I managed ten "girl" push ups. I'm going to start the program this way until I've gotten enough strength to do them the right way.

I am tough! And mean! Rrawwrr!

A surefire sign of old age: the latest Hollywood it girl is TEN! years older than you, to the day.

Oh, dear.

"I am not young enough to know everything." - Oscar Wilde

A smattering of awesome geeky stuff, clockwise from top left:

• I'm bananas over these periodic table rings from ITSNONAME.
  
• Adorable clothing line from Rhombus inspired by math and science.
• I adore my new glasses from See. I'm really tempted to add some white tape.
• Nob Hill shrug pattern from the brand new spring issue of Knitty.

Let me take a moment to welcome a new addition to my tiny little studio:


I finally took the plunge and bought a new iMac! I've been in the Apple store three times since I've gotten my tax return, and kept chickening out. But I'm glad I did it - my old computer was about done. We had some good times together. We shared lots of late night, last minute papers and pointless YouTube videos. I will miss my old John Hodgman PC. Swiss Typography wallpaper via Veer.

Tonight's project is sitting on the newly-cleaned drawing table.



That is two years worth of Computer Arts magazines that Dennis and I have ammassed together. Since I finally have a hard drive bigger than a can of soup, I plan to put all the free stock photos, fonts and brushes from the "free" CDs onto my computer. According to our calculations, that stack represents $320 of our hard-earned money. "Free" my foot.

Work has been sucking the life right out of me these last few months. I haven't wanted to do anything besides knit and play Call of Duty. So here's hoping a list of concrete goals will help me to concentrate on what's important.

=(Goals for 2008)=

Finish Print Design Certificate Program @ CCS
Procure a suitable computer-machine (check!!)
Produce my graphic design portfolio
Get 3 pieces into the public forum
Launch art/design website with the b.f.
Write 100 blog posts
Buy a font, most likely this one
Purchase cartoonishly enormous glasses; look the part (check!)
Record one piece of original music
Earn advanced dog handler badge at the shelter
Visit Portland and stay at the Ace Hotel