New Necklaces

I discovered the wonder of perler beads around Christmas time last year and I haven't been able to stop crafting with them.  My latest project has been making these necklaces, which are all available on my Etsy shop.  If you'll notice, I may have snuck a little Twin Peaks inspired one in there too. 

I've also vowed to get some of the 10 million pieces of vintage clothing I have sitting around listed on my shop.  I have some seriously good stuff to share!  I hope to have a lot of new items on there by the end of the week. 

 

Amazing Anime: Sword Art Online

Sword Art Online has been described by some as the best new anime in the last 10 years.  A claim like that sets a high bar and creates a bit of skepticism.  The premise of the show is based around a VRMMORPG called Sword Art Online.  Only 1,000 copies of the game are released which causes a huge demand.  The game requires a virtual reality headgear system called NerveGear that allows the player to feel as if they are really in the game.  That takes a turn for the worst when the game's creator decides to remove the log out button and keeps the players trapped in the game.  If the headgear is removed in real life, the player's brain gets fried and they die.  On top of that, if the player dies in the game, they die in real life.  The only way out is for someone to beat the game.

As a lover of MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft (I'm a retired frost mage) and Ragnarok 2 (I'll be doing a review of this game soon), this anime was one of the best I've ever watched.  If you aren't into these kinds of games you can still appreciate the story and the wonderful animation of this show.  And if you are into these kinds of games, I'm going to have to insist that you watch this anime.  Seriously, you have to.  As usual, all 25 episodes are available on Crunchyroll for free!

One Tattoo Outline Down, One Outline to Go

I finally got one of my thighs tattoos outlined last week!  Shane B at Nonstop Art in Birmingham, Alabama took my idea to a whole new level.  I couldn't be more happy with it and it's not even finished yet!  I'm getting another piece done on my other thigh next month and I'm looking forward to see if he can outdo himself.  He's set his own bar pretty high.

Side note: I debated about whether or not to put my tattoos on here for everyone to see.  No, I don't want anyone copying my tattoos, although they say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.  However, a good tattoo artist would never copy another artist's work.  Plus, tattoos are one of the best forms of self-expression, so why would you copy someone else?  That's my 2 cents about it.  I appreciate everyone's insight on my post about tattoos last week!  It was interesting to hear viewpoints about the subject. 

Normal Now?

So I've told a few people that I know that I'm getting tattoos done this week and told them I'm getting them on my thighs.  The response I got from a few people was, "why are you getting them in a place nobody will see them?"  That response kind of surprised me.  Maybe I was expecting something more along the lines of, "I can't believe you're getting another tattoo". (I know this will be my mom's response when she finds out.  Sorry mom.)  I know that getting a tattoo in a place that you can't cover up working a 9-5 job isn't a great idea, but lately I've noticed people in fairly conservative retail stores with visible tattoos on their arms.  I've also seen a lot more people with unnatural colored hair working in retail.  This has made me wonder, are tattoos piercings, and colorful hair becoming mainstream and normal?

I suppose my mindset about people's reactions to such things comes from the fact I've lived in the conservative South my whole life.  I grew up in a small town and when I was in high school, I was the goth girl with black hair and spiked dog collar, so I obviously got a lot of whispers and shocked looks.  So when I quit my job last year, got out of my conservative attire, and started dying my hair funky colors, I was really expecting people to give me some really weird looks.  Don't get me wrong, I do get those sometimes, but for the most part, I get nothing but complements on my hair.  In fact, my husband and I went to a farmers market yesterday and I was approached by a little girl in a tutu, obviously on her way home from ballet practice.  She came up to me with a smile on her face and said, "excuse me, but I think your hair is neat!".  We couldn't help but giggle about it.

I wanted to get some more opinions about this topic.  If you have tattoos that could be visible at work, how has your employer reacted?  Do they care or do they ask you to cover them up?  What kind of reactions do you get from people if you have tattoos, piercings, or colorful hair?  What's your reaction to others who have these things?  Do you think tattoos, piercings, and bold hair colors are becoming the norm and not the exception?  

I can't wait to hear your opinions!

Weekend In Pictures

 

 I re-arranged my office and decided that I needed a succulent to put in my little owl planter to spruce things up.  I think it's pretty darn cute.

 

 I've vowed to get up the day after Christmas to buy lights for our deck for YEARS.  Every time I go, they're already sold out.  So I broke down and got some this weekend and I'm already in love with them.

 

 Got this marvelous velvet painting.  I put it in our bedroom, and it adds just the touch of tack I was looking for (I think...).

I've been working on some perler bead necklaces to put in the Etsy shop.   I hope to have them all posted for sale this week!

 

Got this adorable purse at Charlotte Russe for only $15!  I love it!

 

We bought this baby charcoal grill about a week ago and have been loving it.  There's nothing better than a burger from the grill.  Tonight I'm making shrimp skewers on it!  Let's hope I don't mess them up.  I've also decided Indian Pale Ales are my new favorite beers.  I've been enjoying a pack of Red Hook Long Hammer IPA for the last week or so.  Anyone have any other IPAs that they can recommend?

This week is going to be awesome.  My husband and I are working hard on business plans and trying to figure out the fun stuff (web-sites, products, decor, ect...) and the not so fun stuff (how to form an LLC, where to put our business, financing).  It's going to be an exciting and nerve-wrecking journey, but I'm happy it's happening.  I'm also getting my thighs tattooed on Thursday!  I can't wait!  I probably won't be so chipper about it when they're swollen like balloons on Friday.

I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead of you.  June is finally here, so the weather is heating up.  Summer is finally here!