Minted

There are hundreds of ways to announce your new baby's arrival. You can text it, email it, tweet it, Facebook it, Instagram it or e-card it. My favorite way to announce anything whether it's a birth announcement or a birthday celebration is the old fashioned way. Get a beautiful card customized for a reasonable fee and send it by snail mail!

Minted has literally hundreds of options for birth announcements and celebrations to fit any taste and most budgets!

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, it dawned on me that with all the holiday hullabaloo, perhaps a great idea next year, instead of Christmas cards how about Valentine's cards? Why not? Who says we have to stick with the Christmas card?

Or, if you sort of a stickler for tradition, how about a New Year's card? Check these little sweeties out! I especially love the Roman Numerals!

Just go see Minted. You can live chat if you need help. And there are plenty of possibilities not just with cards and stationery. You can also get party decorations like bunting flags and art prints too!

I can't say enough about he goodness that is this company! They have an affiliate program which helps launch living, breathing real people to artistic success. And a separate affiliate program for photographers as well. It's a savvy company for savvy customers.

The Inspired: Being Human

Flickr

Pain that just sits

Like a lazy student shits

all over respect for others

it burns like brothers

who steal wives

it festers like wounds that take lives

It's human I guess

I wear it today like an ugly dress

apathy runs in me

I don't care about the handsome man

I don't care about the giggling girl

I'm Free

Except for the 

Pain that just sits.

DIY Lace Resin Cuff Bracelet

Oh this is a fun one. I feel like I haven't done an in depth post about anything arty or do-it-yourself-ish for a while. As today is  free day from work (thank God), I decided to go for it. Not without some trial and error, such is experimentation.

A cuff is my favorite kind of body embellishment. It is a statement without being IN YOUR FACE. I like a statement necklace as well, but since I am petite I often feel like the necklace swallows me. A cuff bracelet is more subtle but just as statement making.

This one happens to be made of Shrinky-Dink resin paper. You can get it at Michaels or any comparable craft store.

Your materials:

1 sheet shrinky dink matte sided 'paper.'
1 pair scissors
1 design you like (I used an image of lace)
1 oven

Directions:

1. Print the design you've chosen onto the sheet of Shrinky-Dink paper (make sure your printer can handle it and that the color will not rub off on your skin - if you're so inclined, you can buy special printable Shrinky-Dink paper but it's a bit dear for the wallet).
2. Pre-heat the oven to 325,
3. You'll use the entire length of the paper but the width is up to you. If your paper is 8x10, use all 10 inches, but you may want to trim the 8 inch width down to 6 or 7 inches - I trimmed it to 6 inches.
4. Punch holes on either end of your shrink paper. These are where you'll add the leather or wire or whatever element you'll use to close the cuff (that which will keep it on your arm).
5. Lay the prepared piece on a parchment lined cookie sheet printed side up.
6. Put the cookie sheet in the oven and check your design after about a minute. *when you check the piece it will look curled in the oven - don't fret - remove it, wrap it around a glass or anything of similar size to your wrist - and put it back in the oven to remove bumps and blemishes.
7. After you've removed your piece, move quickly and re-shape it if you've put it in the oven for a second go 'round.
8. Let it cool and add your leather. The closure type is up to you. I originally did a double slide knot but the leather kept breaking so I didn't use that type of thing, instead I wove the leather.
9. Voila! You have an enviable cuff. If you can find Shrinky paper that is longer than 10 inches you could forgo the leather part altogether.
10. NOTE: Using this medium is trial an error. It can be a frustrating material to work with but hang in there. The end product is worth the trouble.

This was my first attempt. You can see the break in the plastic on the upper right part of the bracelet.

I should've re-though the wearer; my arm renders as if I am an 80 year old. But you get the idea.

"The Salt" - There's Talk

I love to give a shout out to my local peeps. I've loved this San Francisco trio - "There's Talk" - for a little while and I am so happy they are growing. I saw them at Bottom of the Hill back in November and I was hooked. I visit their website from time to time and since they are now releasing their first EP - "Tiny Strands" - I thought I'd give a look see! And voila - A simply stunning video of "The Salt," on the front page of Vimeo.

They are a folk/electronic band, fully listenable by anyone at anytime. They are fronted by Olivia Lee whose vocals carry you to other lands much like your favorite book - both angelic and haunting. Her range is amazing and the bands lyrics are ethereal and prophetic.

This beautiful art piece supports the fact that often times we don't know we are incomplete until we meet a complementary counter-piece. I could bathe in the sound of this for days - the visual makes the lyricism all the more sumptuous.

Enjoy!



THERE'S TALK : THE SALT from marta m. m. dymek on Vimeo.

Happy New Year

I haven't posted since October. It just seemed like life got to be too much. When that happens you know - something has to go. Unfortunately, I dropped yoga and Poppies. Not so sure those were the best things to let go of, but those went and I can't change it now.

What's great about the New Year is not the raucous night of partying but the whole "Happy New Year" thing is a free pass - A RESET! And who doesn't like to start over? With this said "reset" we can focus on the things we CAN change.

I'm not big on the resolution thing because I never keep them for more than three days. So this year I have committed to "Tiny Tweaks 2014." There are several things on the list some of which include:

• drink at least 60 oz. of water per day
• try to dissipate guilt 
• take vitamins daily 
• commit to yoga once a week
• journal daily
• have consistently healthier eating habits

In eating a consistently healthier diet, I know that as a grown female human, for optimum health (weight maintenance, muscle recovery, hair/nail strength, 15% increase in metabolism) I should have at least 100 grams of protein a day.

So I baked high protein, whole grain bread. This little loaf packs a wallop! It's about 12 servings and each serving of bread is only 80 calories and 6 grams of protein. Plus it's fatless and filling! Served with  mascarpone and pepper jelly I also made today - it's out of this world!

High Protein Whole Grain  Bread

3/4 C Rye Flour

3/4 C Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 C Rolled Oats

2 1/2 Cups Chobani Non-Fat Yogurt

1 tsp. baking powder

Bake in a baking sprayed bread pan at 400 degrees for 1 hour.

Pepper Jelly in the pan.

Pepper Jelly in the Jar.

Pepper Jelly on the Mascarpone on the High Protein Whole Grain Bread.

Yum.
May all your hearts desires be granted in 2014.
XO