Crafty Goodness

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Crafty Goodness
for all things crafty!

Nobody puts baby in a corner...

I am positive that one of the best movies EVER made was Dirty Dancing. I saw it for the first time at a movie theatre in 7th grade, and immediately wished I was Miss Frances Houseman. Bought the soundtrack and ROCKED out to it the entire summer. Even now when it is on, I have to watch it, if even just for a moment. This is how I will forever remember Johnny Castle:



Patrick Swayze was just amazing, I still blast "She's Like the Wind" whenever it comes on:



There's so much more to say, but I am really just too sad...

I miss you Bill Bailey

Wondering what happenned to the importance of music videos has gotten me to thinking about my old favorites. Not only is Guns N Roses one of the finest bands to ever grace the stage, but the videos were amazing. Were they over the top? Of course. Were they really expensive to make? You bet. Were they completely awesome? Hell yes. Use Your Illusion I and II left me speechless, they were that good. It really is no wonder they broke up, how could they have topped themselves after that masterpiece?

My favorite would have to be November Rain. Which was based on a short story by Del James titled "Without You." Check it out here:

http://www.geocities.com/zsniper51/WithoutYou

As a side note, A: I have been searching forever for the only book ever published by Del James, titled "The Language of Fear." I found a copy on ebay for $200+ dollars and didn't feel I could justify spending that exhorbitant amount on a book. Although I really love books... and B: I always envisioned I would wear Stephanie Seymour's wedding dress from the video to my own wedding but alas it was not in the cards.



November Rain was a trilogy of sorts, along with Estranged and Don't Cry, the latter being my OTHER favorite. Here's the thing about that song: it was so awesome, they had not one but two sets of lyrics. I, of course, am partial to the alternate lyrics version. The video is set to the original lyrics(which I can't link to), but the live version is here:



So there you go, the only other band that needs to reunite and tour again. If the Crue could do it, why can't they? Here is a rare appearance by them on the Fox Late Night show in 1988? I don't even remember that show. Arsenio Hall, yes. That show? No way.

Don't Come Around Here No More...

I haven't blogged in ages, the Crafty Goodness show I am co-organizing is consuming every waking moment it seems. It is my first show, so saying I am nervous is the understatement of the year. Tomorrow is our "meet and greet", and I think I am prepared. The show now has a logo, courtesy of the fabulous Wendellina:



my partner in crime, who is co-organizing the show with me. 2 months to go before the show, and SO much to do, secure advertising, signage, the list goes on. I have been crafting up a storm, so my offerings will be bountiful: pottery, polymer clay jewelry, sewn items, soap and other randomness.

But on to the REAL pressing matter, why are there no videos anymore? I swear, I haven't seen one in years. Other than Lady Gaga's newest, courtesy of Perez Hilton. Not to date myself, but a video premiere on MTV was a big deal back in the day. To pick my absolute favorite, I would have to go with "Into the Great Wide Open" by Tom Petty. For starters, a young Johnny Depp was the star, so of course it was awesome. And there was a story as well, it was like a mini-movie. Why they fell to the wayside is really puzzling. They say video killed the radio star, so who killed the video star? Crap shows like "The Hills?" Spencer Pratt killed the video star? Thank goodness for youtube, at least there is somewhere the classics are preserved for posterity. But, since Universal Music Group has disabled embedding, I can only post the link to the best video ever made. Enjoy a young Johnny in all his hotness:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivXDLaGZNlc

but first, enjoy a live version of the best Tom Petty song ever, made even better as a duet with Axl Rose:

A little "me" time...

I really despise Sundays, but knowing I do not have to work tomorrow makes today that much better. I'm either swapping or etsying, so I never make things for me it seems. In a craftster swap a while back, I received the most beautiful patchwork scarf. When I opened it, stupid as I am, I thought it was a tablerunner. When I thanked her for the lovely tablerunner, she was a bit confused and told me it was for me to wear. I never wore it, but it has been gracing my table ever since I received. It is made frm many swatches of japanese fabric, so obviously it is all kinds of awesome. I've always been tempted to make one, but never got around to it. Finally I thought I'd give patchworking a go. I slid open the door of my fabric closet and picked a few fabrics that were predominantly black, and then added a little lime green for that extra punch of color. Here it is, still needing a tiny starch and iron:



For the center I used a piece I had left from my glorious Ikea fabric from a trip I made last year:



So I managed to include my 3 favorite things: birds, polka dots and sugar skulls. I do like how it turned out, but the original is just better.

I Love these guys...

Who are those handsome men to the left you may ask? They are Larry Page & Sergey Brin, and they are complete GENIUSES. Never heard of them? Well they are the men responsible for creating google, and I pledge my undying love to them. Google has become a verb to me, I never "look" things up, I google them. Do I need phone books? Hell no, I'll google whenever I need a number, thank you very much. Have a problem? Type in a few pertinent words and voila, answers galore. It is my go to place on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. I was thinking today, "What if there was no google?" I cannot even fathom what a horrible existence that might be.

Or no internet for that matter. My computer broke a few days ago, and I was having a panic attack thinking I couldn't look on craftster, etsy, perez hilton, the "important" sites. What I had was the Code Purple error, a little special surprise HP decided to put in their computers. I'm not a techie, but of course after googling it, it basically told me once you have that error you are in fact screwed. Nice one HP, really appreciate it. So my darling husband and I trekked it to Best Buy and guess what we bought? Another HP. Apparently we are gluttons for punishment, should've bought a Dell...but I am online so every thing is right with the world.

Not your typical craft show!

Tired of plastic canvas and fleece blankets at craft shows? Looking for a cool place to buy handmade gifts for the upcoming holidays? Looking for a venue to display your truly unique crafting endeavors? Look no further, here is the answer:


Crafty Goodness at the
Calvin Park Rec.
2241 Mapleview Drive
Seven Hills, Ohio 44131
Saturday, 11/07/2009
10 am-6 pm

If you aren’t familiar with Seven Hills, it is a very central location, halfway between Akron and Cleveland. Easy access via 480 or 77.

Set up begins at 9 am, show starts at 10 am and runs until 6 pm, Clean-up from 6-7 pm. There are tables provided, but we may need more depending on amount of sellers.

I have advertising set up in Scene Magazine, 1/8 of a page, plus a mass email sent to 20,000+ subscribers. I have contacted Cleveland Handmade and the show will be advertised on their website. I have posted show info on Craigs list, AnnualEventPost.com, Ohio.com and Cleveland.com. I will see about craftster.org, as there are some new advertising options available.

Here's where you come in: if you have ANY contacts at any newspapers, magazines, etc., let me know. Any ideas let me know. I'd like to keep this as affordable as possible, tables will be $35 each. Money will be due no later than September 30 to secure a table.

There are many free advertising options available: facebook, myspace, etsy shops, craftster accounts, etc. Word of mouth is great too. Tell your friends, families, coworkers, everyone you know. If you are doing any shows in the meantime, advertise there. I'll work on putting together an evite and flyers for you to use.

If anyone is interested in a brainstorming session, let me know. There is new Panera Bread near the venue that we can meet at. I hope to have an informal meeting by the end of August, on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

I know we will have an awesome show!

Thanks for your interest!

Contact info:

Chris(organizer)
Cmsdesigns@yahoo.com
www.craftygurll.etsy.com

Wendy(co-organizer)
Satub740@cox.net
www.wendellina.etsy.com