Hi everyone!

I am still alive, aliens have not abducted me, and I am not being held hostage by terrorists.

I just have a new hobby (*COUGH* addiction *COUGH*).

I recently discovered these wonderful little things called Perler beads (those of you not in the states my know them as Hama beads.) Essentially, they are these tiny little plastic beads that are intended to be used by children to make cutesy little magnets they can give mom for the fridge.

But, being the weirdo I am, I have started using them in my art projects. I am attempting (emphasis on attempting LOL) to use them to make mosaics. Regardless of whether it works or not, I am having a blast trying. And I am 100% addicted. I can barely sleep. The beading has taken over my brain!

If I can get anything good out of this venture, I will be sure to post pics.

I hope you are all well, and i do miss you all… <3

Hey everyone!

I’m sorry I have been gone for so long. I truly didn’t intend to just abandon you like that. Nothing is wrong really; I just had some things I needed to deal with on the home front. I am healthy and happy and I will be getting back to regular posting as soon as I can.

Long story short, my mom wasn’t doing well. She’s okay now, and it honestly could have been a much bigger deal than it actually was. It’s just that she is my best friend in the world, and it’s always just been me and her. Essentially, we are all the other has in times of crisis. (No offense intended to my friends. I hope you guys know what I meant by that.) Anyway, when she tells me she needs me everything else gets put aside until she feels independently functional again. 

I miss you all, and I promise I will be back around to your pages very, very soon.

Please forgive me, and I can’t wait to hear how great you all are!

Much, much love…

-NJ-

No, I am not talking about eating.

I’m talking about my shopping habits.

I have this terrible habit of going a little bit insane when the malls have a big sale. I will buy tons of clothes and shoes and purses and whatnot. I will shop until I drop. My poor closet is usually so full of stuff I can barely seem to find anything at all. It’s just like a disaster scene in there. I have clothes for all seasons, shoes for any occasion, and a purse to match anything.

It’s really sort of embarrassing.

So today I decided to do something about it. 

It’s been far too long since there was any closet cleaning around this place. But I just took care of that. I spent the entire day purging all the unused things from my wardrobe. My living room sofas are literally piled high with castoffs. I am pretty sure that I would have no problem starting my own used clothing store at this point.

At first, it was slow-going. I hemmed and hawed about every single piece. “What if I need this?” my mind asked. “Oh! No! I love that one!” it screamed. It was not an easy thing. Then, suddenly, my resolve took over and the momentum began to build. Pretty soon I was tossing it all. If I haven’t worn it in the last three months it went to the “go” pile. There was even a point there where I considered just getting rid of every single thing in my closet and starting over with a clean slate. 

I feel so liberated!

Now… If I could just find some way to purge the rest of my life of unneeded boolshitz…. 

But not for long…

I am heading out of town this weekend to catch up with old friends and make some new ones. I haven’t abandoned you guys, but I fear I will be without internet access for the next three days or so (GASP!). 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I will see you all soon!

Much love and booty rubbin’s…

Is there somewhere I can go for a quick tutorial on designing my own page?

I like this one I have now, but it’s stolen (with permission, of course), and I would rather have something that is uniquely mine.

Can anyone out there point me in the right direction? Thanks!

-NJ-

I’ll be right back…

Sorry guys! I promise I haven’t abandoned you. I’m just busy working on a mother’s day gift for my favorite person in the world.

I’ll be back to tell you all about my boolshitz as soon as I can – promise.

Is there a way to make this blog “rated”?

I know that some of the material may end up being unsuitable for young eyes, and I don’t want anyone to stumble on something they don’t need to see, but I can’t seem to find a way to mark it as “18 & up” or anything like that.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

A person very near and dear to my heart just moved into the most wonderful community. It’s this tiny little industrial area that has been taken over by artists, musicians and freaks (I use that in the kindest sense, mind you) of all types.

There are constantly people roaming the streets, going from boutique to coffee shop to gallery and back again. You can see men in polos and khakis chatting up pierced and tattooed women at any given hour. There are dogs with at least half to population. There are kids and tweens and thirty-somethings and retirees all hanging out together and getting along.

Driving to his new place is almost impossible for me to do with the windows up. I simply HAVE to open them so I can hear the sounds coming out of the bars and galleries. I MUST let me nose be assaulted by the delicious aromas from the coffee bar and the jamaican place on the corner. I can’t imagine remaining enclosed in my “car bubble” while driving down the main street of his little neighborhood. It simply would not suffice.

The entire little community is only a few blocks long. Most of the living areas are either renovated mill houses or converted loft space. You won’t see many picket fences and front-facing garages, and the lack of cookie-cutter houses is like heaven. Each building is unique, and it’s so refreshing in this day and age of conformity.

I love this place he has moved to. I am so green with envy I can barely stand myself. I want to be able to wake up in my awesome house (that used to be a textile mill back in the ’20s!), roll out of bed and throw on some fabulously casual chic ensemble before walking (WALKING! isn’t that AWESOME!?) to the coffee bar a block away to listen to acid jazz at three in the afternoon. I want to be able to come home from my boring 9-to-5 job, crack open the window, and just listen as the sounds of reggae music drift in. I want to be within crawling distance of 10 hip bars/clubs/restaurants/salons.

So please NoDa… will you have me when I can afford to have you?

My hair might not be edgy enough, and my clothes might not be as trendy as your other citizens, but I promise you I will love you as much (if not more) as they do. 

Just think about it ok?

‘Cause you, NoDa, are all I can think about…

 

I can’t seem to figure it all out.

“How hard can it be?” I thought. “It’s just typing words to a web page to get them outta your head” I told myself.

Yeeeaaahhh…. riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight…..

Anyone out there wanna give me some advice? Anyone wanna point me in the right direction for my googling?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?