Home Renovations: The Bedroom

I recently moved into a new house and I've done A LOT of renovations.  I'm going to start my renovation recap with one of the bedrooms.  I was inspired by an etsy treasury I created sometime last year that featured carnival colors and circus staples.  For my color palette, I wanted to go with the bright pastels you see on carnival rides:  sea green, hot pink and baby pink, and pale yellow.

To recreate the theme, I used a base coat of Valspar's Mermaid's Song, and created a trim in Valspar's Hot Passion Pink.  The trim was easy and relatively mess free.  I think it took me about two hours to complete the entire border.  I chose a damask pattern I found at Michael's.  My only complaint is that once I saw it on the walls, I wanted to paint it everywhere.  Once I find a crafty idea I like, I sprint with it!

I wanted something really cool for the walls, and I found an etsy seller that matched my aesthetic perfectly.  Eyeshuttertoforget sells amazing vintage-inspired prints that are beautiful, whimsical, calming, and nostalgic, all at the same time.  I love the subject and the colors.

                                                                                                   

I wanted the prints to make a statement, so I chose three 16x20 photographs.  Deciding which three I wanted was so difficult; there are so many fabulous prints to choose from!  I finally decided on the three above.  I bought silver poster frames on sale at Michael's, and I used hot pink spray paint on plain cardboard to make the mat. 

I absolutely adore all the prints.  They arrived super quickly and in perfect condition.  The seller even sent along a little 5x7 freebie of a merry-go-round horse.  I love everything from this shop and I definitely want to get more photographs.  

I added a fun and sparkly vase with glittered flowers to complement the pictures.  The vase is an empty wine bottle from World Market, and the flowers are from Michael's - I edged the them in glue and sprinkled them with glitter. 
 

Also complementing the theme are pieces of hard candy made from glass that I inherited from my grandma.  The cabinet is my most prized possession - my amazingly talented significant other made it for me for Valentine's Day a couple of years ago.  

He designed and constructed the entire piece completely by hand.  I am encouraging him to do some pieces for his etsy shop WhiskeyBent; right now he sells hand-tooled leather flasks that he literally cannot keep in stock.  I also made my own decoupaged light switch plates to match the decor.  Tutorial coming in the next post! (Yeah, I know - he can make an entire piece of furniture from scratch and I can decoupage...life is so not fair).  

.Love.

Rachel

The Evolution of the Shoe

In a recent issue of The New Yorker, there is a 9 page spread on the fabulous fashion mind Christian Louboutin, titled “Christian Louboutin and the Psychology of Shoes.”

I actually didn’t make it through all 9 pages because frankly, I was perturbed that there were NINE pages of teeny tiny New Yorker font and only ONE (yes, ONE) photograph of Louboutin’s work. Hello, New Yorker – people who are actually going to sit down and read about a shoe designer want to see some dang shoes. Really.

Anyway, the article got me thinking about my own shoe obsession. I dislike talking about it because it makes me seem so stereotypically female, but what the heck, I like shoes, and I’ve always liked shoes. I’ve recently embraced my proclivity toward shoes, because frankly, fashion is art, and art is an acceptable way to spend money; plus, I’m not being imprudent, I’m helping to stimulate the economy!

Here’s a brief look at my personal evolution in shoe shopping

Elementary school: Keds. With bows. That is all. Use Etsy to find customized Keds for your little fashionista.

Etsy seller AsaGleek provides a hip take on traditional Keds that will make your kid a rockstar.

Middle school: I would have died and gone to heaven if I could have rocked these cutesy-yet-punk-rock flats while jamming out to Bikini Kill and Hole on my purple glitter CD player with matching headphones.

Adorable zombie kitty flats by Etsy seller emandsprout

College: defined by THE COWBOY BOOT. At one point, I had 16 pairs of cowboy boots. I maintain that I was wearing them before the hipsters were (at least before the local hipsters). I got my first pair from a thrift store for $14; I’m fairly certain that was the most I ever paid. Last winter I gave away almost all of my cowboy boots. Even though I purchased them all used, I began to feel more and more uncomfortable with wearing leather, so I kept the two pairs made from manmade materials and gave the others away. Who knows - maybe someone will find a pair of my boots at Goodwill and purchase those instead of a new pair!

Reduce and reuse with these cherry red and gray vintage boots from etsy seller PacificWonderland

Post-college: the teacher shoe. At first I was scornful and claimed to only wear them for comfort, and then the unthinkable happened: I started to like them. I soon learned that you can be chic and comfortable.

Etsy seller HydraHeart has tons of hip, stylish, and comfy handmade flats. I like the red Mary Janes. They're vegan!

Wearing flats all day led me to a personal backlash at night; the more glamourous the shoe, the better! I would die and go to heaven if these lovelies found a spot in my closet.

The Ebony Glitter heels are just one pair out of many beyond-amazing painted pumps by TaylorSays.

Now: I still wear teacher shoes; off duty, my heels keep getting higher and higher. I recently signed up for a really affordable shoe club with a fantastically trendy selection in the hopes of keeping my shoe wardrobe fresh. The shoes are $49.95, but there's almost always a $10 off coupon code, plus there's free shipping. You can use the code Spring10 until April 30th for $10 off. I also love that most of the shoes use manmade materials, including the Yvettes.

The Yvette from Sole Society.

What’s your favorite pair of shoes, and how has your style changed over time?

<3 Rachel

Giveaway! Choose Your Ink

To celebrate the opening of ajoeynamedrootoo, we are holding a giveaway! Check out our tattoo and vintage inspired wearable art.



http://www.etsy.com/listing/59955192/vintage-inspired-deer-pendant
http://www.etsy.com/listing/61810936/tattoo-sparrow-in-forest-green
http://www.etsy.com/listing/61754714/tattoo-inspired-sparrow-in-sunset
http://www.etsy.com/listing/60436842/wide-eyed-deer-pendant
Each piece is created entirely by hand using professional artist's colored pencils and hard plastic. We then finish the piece with an acrylic sealant. We want to know what customized design you would like to own.

For your mandatory entry, tell us what you want, and we will create it. The winner will be picked randomly using random.org, and we will turn the winner's design into wearable art.  The sky is the limit! You can use one of the designs we have already created and choose the colors, or think of something completely original.

1. Mandatory entry: follow our blog and comment below with your design suggestion.

Additional entries:

2. Fan us on Facebook
3. Heart your favorite thing at ajoeynamedrootoo, then come back here and post the link
4. Follow us on twitter
5. Tweet about this giveaway and mention @ajoeynamedroo for one entry
6. Post about this giveaway on your blog and link back to it here
7. Heart your favorite thing at ajoeynamedroo, then come back here and post the link.
8. Comment on any of the other posts on this blog, then come back here and tell us which one.

The contest is open internationally and will end December 1st.  Thank you for supporting ajoeynamedroo!

Who in the world am I?

In 2007, my family visited the Asheville Humane Society to adopt a dog. Yes, a dog, as in one dog. Within the first minute of entering the dog wing of the shelter, we had locked eyes with a small black puppy named Racer. Racer was a 4 month old puppy with the most soulful, honey brown eyes you have ever seen. Sarah and I did a quick cruise of the remaining dogs in the wing, but our hearts were set on little Racer. Unfortunately (but predictably) my mom had a similar "this dog is the one" moment during that same minute that Racer and I locked eyes. She fell in love with a beautiful dog who the shelter guessed to be a Saluki mix; her name was Sally.

Since that day, we have had a joyful three years with the best dogs anyone could ask for. During the three years we have lived with Parker and Sally, their breed heritage has been a constant topic of discussion. We know it doesn't matter, but it's fun to talk about.

My mom has defiantly held true to the (unfounded) belief that Sally is a Saluki mix. If you've ever seen a Saluki, you know they are lanky, huge, and fast dogs. Sally is none of things.  I will give her the fluffy ears, but many other breeds have this trait also.  Here are some gorgeous artistic renditions of Salukis from etsy sellers.

ElleJW, nahlash, artbyljgrove

Now that you've digested that, here's Sally as a young dog (around one year old).  Her floppy ears vaguely resemble a Saluki, but they could also be from some type of Spaniel.  Sarah and I both agreed that she looks a lot like a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  

We finally decided to put an end to the speculation by purchasing a breed test from Canine Heritage.  It's a little (well, a lot) pricy at $79.95.  We decided to go ahead and do it because the price wasn't so bad split amongst four people.  

It's a simple process:  once you purchase the test, you receive a kit in the mail.  You use the swab to brush the inside of your dog's cheek for 30 seconds, then you return the swab to the envelope and mail it in.  After the lab receives your sample, Canine Heritage says your sample will be processed in 4-6 weeks.  

Unfortunately, we didn't have such luck.  It took over 3 months to get Sally's results.  This was after several angry emails; I got a reply to the last email that said the company was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but I would get my results.  I was a little afraid we had been scammed, but many people have used Canine Heritage, and they were featured on Good Morning America.  

We finally got the results, printed out on an official looking sheet.  The certificate includes a picture of Sally which I sent in via the website:

It turns out she's a mix of Siberian Husky and Cocker Spaniel.  It seems so obvious now!  Though we were very pleased with the results, there is no way I would recommend Canine Heritage to anyone.  If you're considering having your mixed breed dog tested, please do!  Just don't use Canine Heritage.  Though Sally's results were spot on, the customer service was horrendous.  There are several other breed tests available, including one from Wisdom Panel (you can even get it at Petsmart).

Finally, here is an homage for Sally, made up of the work from fantastic etsy sellers.  Enjoy! 

newenglandworkshop, dogwoodbydave, dogartstudio, petluv, thepotterysyndicate, lizarena

ajoeynamedrooTOO

Rachel and I have decided that it is time to create more specialized shops...so...we present...(drumroll)

at  http://www.etsy.com/shop/ajoeynamedrootoo

please go check it out.  It is obviously still majorly a work in progress.  I'm trying to post a new item every day, and we're listing items from the original shop as they retire.

No fears, it's still the same sister team of Rachel and Sarah.  We're simply dividing up managerial tasks a little bit.  While we both contribute to both shops, I manage TOO and Rachel manages ajoeynamedroo.

When the transition is complete, ajoeynamedroo creations will be all bath and body, and ajoeynamedrooTOO will be knits and jewelry.

Hopefully this is a positive step in the development of our online presence.  Please let me know what you think of the new shop!

craft in history--subversive embroidery

Subversive craft is all the rage right now. In order to keep a safe distance from our grandparent's generation new trendy crafters use irony to differentiate themselves. I would argue that to a large degree this is because we craft in a different context and for different reasons. Today's crafters have a diy attitude not out of necessity but instead to claim something we feel has been lost and also to provide an alternative to what the mainstream commercial world has to offer.

 not necessarily "subversive," but these are certainly not your grandmother's embroideries!

Click here to take a closer look

Although it may not look as subversive as the embroidery of today, the embroidery by Mary Queen of Scots in the 16th was far more subversive than any embroidery that I have seen.  Mary Stuart was queen of the Scots while her cousin, the infamous Elizabeth the great was queen of the English.  As in all the stories of royalty there were a number of power grabs going on between the two monarchs.  The "stuff you missed in history class" podcast mentioned that had Mary and Elizabeth not both been women they would have been married to one another in order to consolidate power, and prevent the continuous grabs for power.  The subversive embroidery comes into play when Mary's husband, an Englishman named Lord Darnley mysteriously dies in an explosion.  Mary is suspected of being involved in the assassination, and after marrying one of the murderers (under duress) looks even more guilty to the Scottish people.  The couple is imprisoned in Scotland.  Mary escapes to England, where she hopes her cousin Elizabeth with protect her.  Elizabeth instead imprisons her for her supposed crime.  Elizabeth fears Mary's claims to the English throne.  Elizabeth is the offspring of Henry VII's second marriage which many, especially Catholics claim to be illegitimate.

During her time in prison Mary had little to do but work on her embroidery.  The pieces look to be innocent enough often featuring animals.  However, there is said to be hidden symbolism in the embroideries, representing the life and times of Mary.  The symbolic embroidery that I heard about was was the one named "A Catte," but there are a number of other interesting pieces detailed here.

photo from http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/embroidery.htm

I love how in this age you could pretty much spell things however you wanted.  I think it gives writing a little personality (darn you Webster).  Mary's embroidered tapestry shoes a cat playing with a mouse.  The ginger colored cat is meant to represent Elizabeth, who still, as in her day is recognized for her ginger colored hair, while poor trapped Mary is meant to be represented by the mouse.  She is implying that Elizabeth is simply playing with her by allowing her to stay alive.

What strikes me about this piece of embroidery is that it was done at the time.  It was not done after the fact to be an historical reference, instead Mary was putting her feelings down on cloth.  Whether Mary was conveying what she really felt or trying to get a message to the outside world, Mary's embroidery certainly made a statement.

After a number of plots to get Mary on the throne were uncovered, Mary was sentenced for treason.  Elizabeth signed an edict for Mary's death, and she was executed in 1587.

Here's where I got my info.  Check them out for more on these royals:

http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/marystuart.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots
http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/embroidery.htm
http://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/mary-queen-of-scots.htm

Light of Spring

I now have 2 treasury easts, so exciting!  I wonder who has the most.  Maybe there has been someone out there making a treasury a day.

I am very excited about this treasury.  It came into being naturally, but I think the thing that they all have in common is the light of a beautiful sunny spring day.  I'm in love with the fox photo.  I get chills looking into that little fox's eyes..

So click click click, I want to find out that treasury easts get just as many views as the old treasuries!

Etsy Treasury East

 (My previous mini treasury, fleshed out into a big girl treasury)

click to see it in action!

Etsy has premiered in beta, the new treasury east.  It is in a land of unlimited treasuries without expiration.  Initially I was amazed and excited, but then I realized, there has to be a catch...

Never again will I have to sit by my computer, antsy to see the magic number of 332.  Never again will I have to organize my day around when the treasury is opening.  Never again will I have a beautiful treasury just waiting in poster sketch for the rare opportunity to be published for a mere 2 days.

It's just a little too good to be true.

Then I made one.  I like the new set up, there's more space, and if you don't feel like filling up all the spaces, there aren't just blank holes.  I struggled with making my treasury publish (you have to hit enter, simple enough, but I'm very stuck in the old ways of treasury).  No big deal, just small changes to get used to.

The real problem showed it's face a little later.  I made this treasury 2 days ago, and it has approximately 2 views.  I didn't contact all of the featured artists.  I decided that with the high frequency of never-ending treasuries that could actually be a little like spamming (etsy has always said that contacting the featured artists is spam.  Wha-what?).  I did post it on twitter.

The problem seems to be that unless you launch a full on campaign, it's very difficult to get seen among the masses in an unlimited space.  It's a problem that seems to be showing up across etsy, as the community grows larger and larger.

So, there are positives and negatives with the new treasury system.  Along with all of the other changes that etsy is making, I'm sure we have yet to see all of the many ways that it may rock our little etsy world!

Sometime Around Midnight

Scored a new treasury.  Go and click and comment it up!

 

you might notice that the colors are the same as my music widget.  I might have been stuck on a color combo!

New etsy listing

I just renewed my little Lima monster. He really wants to be bought. He's been waiting on a new home for a while. He was a great solution for extra fuzzy yarn!

He is approximately 8in tall (excluding his tuft of hair) and 4in wide at his widest point. Lima monster is knit and crocheted from a variety of wool, acrylic and cotton yarns with acrylic stuffing.

I'm thinking of making some more monsters. Does anyone have any ideas for some funny qualities for a monster? I'm thinking a spring would be a fun way to get around, and dreads would be great for monster hair. Let me know what you think!

Click to find out more, and check out other listings. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14648206