glittergirl

I live in Southern California and work in a high school. After a day of working with teenagers, I need to relax. So I come home and unwind by cooking, gardening, knitting, crocheting, making cards and making jewelry. For as long as I can remember, I have had a project going. I think I get it from my father's side of the family. My grandfather was an excellent woodworker and my grandmother was a prolific knitter, seamstress and all around creative spirit.

According to my friends, I am the girliest girl they know so I like things that are feminine but not frilly- if that makes any sense.

I am very excited about sharing things that I make with others and getting their treasures in return. The thought of being able to connect with people all over the world through arts and crafts is thrilling to me.

I have to commute 20 some miles each way to and from work everyday. This would not mean much except for the fact that I live in Southern California which means that I spend a ton of time in the car. I have recently discovered audiobooks and they have literally saved my communting life. I have really enjoyed The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon, anything by David Sedaris, The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, and Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs. Books that I have read and loved have included: Beloved by Toni Morrison, Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, Freakonomics by Stepehn Levitt, and The God of Small Things by Arudhati Roy.

I love documentaries. I also love movies that involve the mafia for some reason (The Godfathers are my all time favorites). Movies that make me laugh are what I also tend to gravitate to but they also tend to be pretty juvenile in nature (think The 40 Year Old Virgin, Borat). I also like indie films.

I am one of the last hold outs- I still do not have cable. It is not that I am morally opposed to it. I would love to have it. But when I have the TV on, I really don't watch it. I am always doing something else simultaneously- like crafting!! So, I am pretty content to have regular network TV as background noise, which is what it essentially amounts to. I am a huge Law and Order and CSI freak. I could watch episodes of either all day, everyday and be a happy woman.

I am a long time crocheter, but have recently gotten into knitting. I have always had a deep love of paper and paper arts. I make a lot of cards that I give to friends and family. My big passion is to make jewelry. I make my jewelry mostly out of sterling silver wire, semi-prescious beads, and silk cord.

Things I like:

Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters

Pretty beads

Paper- especially Japanese prints in bright colors and retro prints

Italian papers- especially prints of food, plants, household items

Takeshi Murakami characters

Handmade stuffed characters

Scents like citrus, lavendar, orange and cinnamon. Nothing too cloying.

Stickers- especially sushi, hearts, flowers, Hello Kitty

Kawaii

Interesting and vintage postcards

The color pink, other bright but not primary colors.

Retro prints

Floral and plants prints

Recipes

Jewelry

Cards and stationary

Bags and purses!!

Bath products

Things I am not into:

Lace

Country themed things

Too many primary colors

Disney characters

Religious items (except for Renaissance art and the Virgin Mary)

Goth items

Overly flowery or foody scents.

Prescious Moments characters or the like

I am into a wide variety of music. I tend to listen to a lot of hip hop and R & B. Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Eryikah Badu, and Dwele are some of my favorites. I also like some rock like the Foo Fighters. Jazz has been a fav as well. I tend more towards older jazz standards like Ella, Louie Armstrong, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Lester Young. I am also a big fan of Diana Krall and am a huge Pink Martini freak!! I have recently discovered Neko Case, but have to be in the right mood for her.