Animal Cracker Crumbs

Inkblot doesn't really have anything to tell her readers right now... hmm... let's look into her stockpile of cool things! Aha! Lately, Inkblot has been really into all sorts of usually ignored animals. She loves animals like the seahorse (which she posted on earlier here), swans (right), deer, octopuses (or is it octopi?)... She discovered the sedge wren (left) on a desperate search for a bird's name in one of her poems. The name just fit so well. She used it to describe the color of a wooden chair. And the sounds of the name just worked beautifully with the rest of the line. It worked out lovely. Inkblot is just obsessed with these oft forgotten beauties. In fact, her favorite animal has been a polar bear for years. Inkblot enjoys pawing through all her favorite online stores to find cute items that feature these animals, as you all saw in seahorse post. Indie designers (those that don't mass produce and generally handmake everything) are the best for finding these things. They seem to be more into using these animals in their designs than the mass producing culture. Inkblot loves that swan picture... the twinkling of the light on the water reminds her of fairies and magic. It seems almost as if magic is radiating or halo-ing the swan. And the swan looks so regal and gentle. What a gorgeous picture. Inkblot wants everyone to notice these beautiful creatures. Please feel free to share pictures or stories about usually forgotten animals. Better yet, find her a cute bag with one on it! Much love,
Inkblot

Accessorizing with Crumbs

Inkblot is kind of an hour late to post for "today". Whoops. She was out a lot today, mostly fixing up the nursery for her brother and sister-in-law. Then she had to run a few errands with her momma and then they had a lengthy dinner while they watched So You Think You Can Dance. Inkblot was definitely satisfied with the results. She didn't necessarily think Jesus should have gone, but she wasn't upset to see him leave. And Inkblot really did think that Jessi should go. Sad that she had gotten hurt right before she left so she didn't even get a chance to spend her last week on the show in a normal way, but still... she isn't good enough. Inkblot is having extra amounts of trouble trying decide who she likes and doesn't like this year. She called the results of the first two years within the top 2 (year 1: she thought Melody was going to win from round about the top 20 - maybe before - , but it was Nick who did; year 2: she hoped/wished/prayed for Travis to win from the second week of partners and America voting, but Benji did). But now, three weeks in to the partners/America voting stage of the competition and Inkblot has no idea who should win. Inkblot likes a lot of the girls and a couple of the guys, but she is excited that this could mean it is a girl's turn to win. Inkblot thinks its about time. A guy shouldn't win every year... Anyway, Inkblot wants to know everyone's thoughts on SYTYCD so far. Wow, that acronym doesn't work very well. Anyone who has any interest in the show, tell Inkblot who you think deserves the win this year and who needs to go RIGHT NOW! Much love,
Inkblot

News Crumbs

Inkblot's momma showed her this crazy article in their local newspaper today. Here's the link to "Man mistakes straw bale for stricken woman, gives it CPR". What a funny story! Inkblot's favorite line? "Deputies think the man had been drinking". Inkblot is tired now and wants to go curl up with a movie. Much love,
Inkblot

Robert Finds a Crumb

Well Robert has been on another adventure! As excited as Inkblot is to show you where Robert has been, she's even more excited to tell you about what Robert did when he was there! Robert has been getting into a bit of trouble lately...
Inkblot found Robert creeping up the driveway (top) and something seemed fishy. So Inkblot decided to hide so she could keep an eye on Robert. Much to Inkblot's surprise, Robert was heading toward the house. She hadn't expected him to come inside without asking. But all of a sudden, Robert looked both ways and darted off to the right. Inkblot followed him, tiptoeing to a new hiding spot. What she saw next simply shocked her.

Robert had jumped onto Inkblot's car! (Middle) Robert knows that he isn't allowed to drive! He is a rabbit after all. He doesn't have fingers or long legs to reach the pedals... silly rabbit. Inkblot was so upset that she almost went right up to him and grabbed him. But she thought better of it when she realized the strong possibility that she would startle Robert so much that he might just drive off in her car. So Inkblot watched him to see what he might do.

And boy did Robert try to drive that car! (Bottom) But he couldn't seem to find his way into it... Lucky for Inkblot, she had locked the doors, and Robert didn't have a good grip on the car's surface. So he kept sliding back down every time he tried to get to the front doors of the car. haha. Inkblot was excited to see his attempts foiled, but that doesn't mean she wasn't still a tad angry. But she called to Robert as she came up and acted surprised. "Robert! I can't believe you would try to drive the car!" and the like... In the end, Robert came down from the car and promised Inkblot to ask before he went on any more questionable adventures. And then they went for ice cream.

Much love,

Inkblot

Sea-Worthy Crumbs

Inkblot loves seahorses! They are so delightful and unexpected. And Inkblot loves that seahorses haven't yet become a super-trend like mens-inspired clothing and empire waist dresses (though she loves both those trends).
Inkblot is looking to stock up on some beautiful seahorse-ornamented items like this tea towel (shown left).
A quick search on Target's website gave Inkblot plenty of baby items decorated with seahorses, but she much prefers these cute glasses (shown right).
And on one of Inkblot's favorite indie designer websites, Fred Flare, she found these adorable earrings (shown left).
Inkblot is so excited to find some seahorse-inspired clothing and stationary! She'd love to expand her wardrobe and to use some seahorses in her art! Post your favorite seahorse things in a comment! Inkblot would love to see them!
Much love,
Inkblot

Challenge: Crafty Crumbs

First off, Inkblot had a bit of a scare today. Her internet was on the fritz! It said that it was 100% connected, but no websites would show up. Disappointing, to say the least. So if Inkblot stops posting for a couple days, it's because of her internet. Now, on to the real post!
Inkblot has discovered a rocking site: Department of Craft. The site is a sometimes edgy, always exciting blog. Inkblot adores the blog topics, including an update on craft events (from all over the place!) and mentions of extreme crafting events or articles (like the giant knitting project where maybe 30 people work on it at once!). But Inkblot's favorite, above all, is the monthly Craft Challenge. It is posted as a finished product by those involved in the making of Department of Craft. Inkblot thinks there are four of them. Anyway, they decide on a challenge (like "uniform" or "container") and the group takes the month to craft something specifically for the challenge (and the love of crafting!). When everyone has finished, they show each other and post pictures and such on the blog. It's a wonderful source of inspiration, and Inkblot really thinks it would be a great idea to take part in the challenges (a month late of course, having to see what they are before she can make something). A nice way to step back and craft because she loves it, not because she is trying to finish a project or practice a skill or make a little money. Department of Craft is made up of a few very creative and crafty people, so it wasn't a surprise when Inkblot discovered that they had let the brilliant craft challenge idea fall behind a bit, having not posted a challenge in a few months. But Inkblot is pretty sure the challenge will continue to live, we just have to wait for the fabulous creative minds to remember it. In the meantime, Inkblot is so excited to share this with you! She hopes you all might decide to hang out at Department of Craft a little, maybe try a challenge or two.
(Inkblot wants to invite you to check out more than one of the links as most of them are different).

Can't Help Posting Another Crumb!

Ooh! Inkblot just got the most wonderful and flattering news! What a crumb?! Her father, mother, and a family friend who is visiting all went to a Rotary function tonight. It was an end of the year shindig - basically food, friends, and some funny speeches. They had been thinking about not going, but decided they should anyway. (The family friend was wishing she didn't have to go chat up a bunch of strangers. And Inkblot's mother didn't really want to go talk to all her husband's friends. And Inkblot's father wasn't in the mood for a party.) But the point is, they went. Inkblot enjoyed some time to herself, but that's not really the point. They all come back from the party and... Inkblot's father was named Rotarian of the Year!! Inkblot is practically exploding with pride. He got to make a bit of a speech, in which he promoted the international study program that he runs with Rotary (what a self-less person). Inkblot's momma is so proud and so touched. Inkblot's father is slightly embarrassed, doesn't think he deserves it, but is deeply touched that they think so much of him. You see, they had no idea! No one knew because there aren't any nominees for R of the Y. Everyone votes for the person in the whole club that they think deserves it the most. So a bunch of people actually thought of him without being prompted. Inkblot loves her daddy so much!! She knows he must be a wonderful person if he does enough work with Rotary to be thought so highly of amongst his peers. What a beautfiul crumb?! It's just delightful! Inkblot would like to offer you the opportunity to post comments about the people in your life who are continuous cookie crumbs, surprising and delighting you all the time. Much love,
Inkblot

Robert Likes Crumbs

Inkblot would like you to meet Robert the Rabbit. She found Robert outside her house one day. Apparently, Inkblot's grandmother had found Robert somewhere and thought that he might make a nice addition to Inkblot's yard. Inkblot's momma and daddy don't really like Robert in the yard. They don't know Robert very well, but he may look a little tacky hanging out by the driveway... Inkblot understands. That's why she is taking Robert on adventures. Robert is going to many different places, and Inkblot would love to share Robert's journeys with you! So every few days Inblot will show you another place that Robert has been to. Today, we see Robert at his home by the driveway (where Inkblot's grandmother put him). Robert was sitting there, minding his own business, when Inkblot and her mother pulled up in the Honda and saw him. It was very surprising to see Robert out of nowhere. Inkblot took a closer look at him, and Robert let her know how he got there and talked about how bored he was. So Inkblot thought it over and got the idea for Robert's adventures. So exciting. I know you can't wait until Robert goes on another adventure! Much love,

Inkblot

Fresh Cut Crumbs

So Inkblot has always liked the smell of fresh cut grass, especially when its a little wet and the sun is shining just enough to make it about 65 degrees outside, and the wind is blowing just enough that your hair looks gorgeous and you can't feel the sun burning your skin to a gentle golden tan. Yummm... Anyway, Inkblot found that feeling - bottled. She had heard of Demeter fragrances before (something about there being a bunch of really unique scents in cute bottles), but for some reason Demeter faded from the public eye a bit and Inkblot completely forgot it existed. But Inkblot found Demeter Fragrance Library randomly on a link from another site and discovered the amazing scent of fresh cut grass: Demeter's Grass Pick-Me-Up Cologne. (Despite the declaration of the fragrance as a cologne, it is not meant solely for men). What wonderful crumbs do you find on Demeter's website? You can find the absolute perfect fragrance (like one that smells like brownies or one that smells like a cosmopolitan) complete with an endearing little story about the origins of the different scents used in each fragrance. The wonderful grass scent I found tells the story of centipede grass. The most expensive of the line is a 4 oz. spray for about $40, but the cheapest is .33 oz. for $3! So you can try the scent before you buy a huge amount, and once you like it, you can buy a fairly cheap large bottle. Most of their lines include fragrance sprays, lotions, body oils, body washes, and room sprays. In the meantime, Inkblot has found "birthday cake" and "baby powder" too! Reliving our childhood, are we? Make sure to check out Demeter for their amazing fragrances to get a unique scent that no one else has. Much love,
Inkblot

Finding Crumbs While Cleaning!

It's common to find crumbs while cleaning (don't you just love alliteration)! Inkblot had family coming into town today (well, technically yesterday). The house, as always, is a complete disaster with very little hope of making it look anything less than disastrous without at least two weeks worth of work. Inkblot and her parents had 2 days (they started on Wednesday) minus her dad going to work and her mom helping out her brother and his wife (his wife had to go to the hospital for something with her pregnancy and stay the night - she's fine now, don't worry). Wow, that sounded way more complicated than it is. Anyway, Inkblot spent the whole day cleaning today. And do you know what Inkblot found? So many crumbs, she almost died! Not only were there actual crumbs (in the kitchen and in her brother's old room), but there were Cookie Crumbs coming out of the woodwork! It was kind of like in The 4400, how there weren't any returnees but then all of a sudden (in a flash of blinding light!) there were 4400 returnees. Inkblot must say she was quite surprised to be finding so much. Her brother's room was filled with little trinkets. The treasures she found! There was a tiny ceramic bird (about the height of a 10 year-old's thumb) and a small antique birdcage. She found old playing cards to use in her artwork, a tiny pendant shaped like a gun, and some brand new paintbrushes. Yum, those cookie crumbs are really good! She found a new box to store her buttons in, and these fantastic painted masks in all sorts of colors. There were, of course, tons of gross things like unwashed dishes and half-empty cans of coke, pieces of shed snake's skin and 2 skulls of dead animals, tons of dust, and lots of smelly socks and sweaty gym clothes, but Inkblot was finding so many amazing things that she didn't really mind all the gross stuff (well expect the animal parts!). Inkblot was psyched to discover that she was allowed to raid the remainder of her brother's CD collection, especially since he has moved into a new phase of hip-hop and rap music instead of his normal rock and punk stuff. She gets to take a bunch of awesome CDs like all the old Greenday albums (Dookie and Shenanigans and the like), a couple Smashing Pumpkins (she believes she saw Adore and is hoping for Siamese Dream and Gish as well), and maybe some Lit (Inkblot lost her copy of their first album!). And she is apparently welcome to paw through his books as well, though she doubts there is much in there expect old Redwall books and some Goosebumps.
Inkblot thinks she has discovered a new source of crumbs and hopes to find a lot more to share with you in the next few weeks as her family finishes cleaning her brother's room. Much love,
Inkblot

An Urban Crumb

Urban Outfitters has brought an old line, Urban Renewal, to new heights. They’ve put the ever-changing collection online. Urban Renewal is a line of limited edition pieces that are handmade from vintage fabrics and overstock materials. The pieces are sold exclusively at Urban Outfitters, and now on their site. Each piece is completely unique, but each edition keeps a constant silhouette. The pieces in the edition vary in colors and patterns as well as in detail work. Since the pieces are one of a kind, there is always something new to find! And the prices… oh the prices! They are akin to those of the other products at Urban Outfitters. Basically, one of a kind piece for mass-produced price. Some of the things Inkblot is in love with in the collection include the tie-shoulder sundress ($48), the fabric wrapped bangles ($14), and the fabulous smocked gauze tunic ($42) that can be converted into a skirt!



And Inkblot didn't even mention the cute little drawings in some product descriptions that explain where the fabric for the piece came from. It's very satisfying to know how your clothes came to be. Urban Renewal is a wonderful place to find an item that no one else will have without smashing open your piggy bank of savings. Delightful! As always:
Much love,
Inkblot

Chaotic Crumbs

Inkblot is fairly worried as of late about the classes she is taking next semester. Or rather, the classes she isn’t taking. Inkblot couldn’t sign up for enough classes. There just weren’t any available. She is on the wait list for two classes during the same time slot (both would either be fun or fulfill a core requirement), but it doesn’t look like she has much luck getting into either. In addition, she has to take a math class (are you kidding?!) at 9AM (that’s got to be a joke)! Who puts such a tough – and boring – class first thing in the morning?! Come on, its college kids. Anyway, now Inkblot really needs to get her act together and go beg a bunch of teachers to let one more kid in their classes. She isn’t even considered a full time student until she gets at least one more class! And she won’t be on track unless it's a core class. Inkblot doubts this is going to work very well. At least she gets her dance class and a fiction writing course… maybe she’ll make it through. Well that’s more than enough for you all to read with my normally long-long-long posts. Much love,
Inkblot

ABC: Altered Book Crumb

This is Inkblot's first altered book page ever! Yay! She finished it like a week ago, but only just took pictures of it. She is so excited. Please tell her what she needs to add to or take away from it to make it awesome! She is now working on improving her altered book techniques. Inkblot needs to figure out how to do all those crazy techniques so she can make a real altered book (she is currently working on her practice book).

Much love,

Inkblot

A Crumb of Berries and a Crumb of Cream

I'm a little lad who loves berries and cream!
Inkblot is sure most of you have seen this amazing Starburst commercial. But in case you haven't, she expects you to check out this link. It pretty much makes my life, pretty much. Inkblot doesn't happen to be a little lad who loves berries and cream. She also doesn't wear a green suit with ruffles, a white lace collar and cuffs, and white calf-high socks, but she still loves this commercial. A lot.

In other news, Inkblot has picked back up her heavy obsession with finding herself a card catalog. Yes, those old library drawers that went out sometime between 1970 and 1990. But they are so useful! Inkblot can totally put most of my craft stuff into its files. If you know of somewhere Inkblot could buy one from somebody (preferably for fairly cheap) let her know - and fast! Not only can you use the furniture, but you can also use the cards. They make great canvases for art projects as well as wonderful embellishments and collage elements! Inkblot really (really really) wants any/all of this. If Inkblot found a card catalogue (complete with cards) for under $100, Inkblot would probably do a Scarlet O'Hara! Just look at this amazingness:

Inkblot would prefer to have one with 60 drawers (6 across, 10 down), but could do with anything over 10. And check out what seems to be replacing the card catalogue (even the online ones) now: here. Much love,

Inkblot

Crumbs with the Letter A: Anglicans, Art, and Afternoon Naps

So Inkblot has no idea what she wants to tell you today. She had to wake up WAY early (8:00 AM is not a time she sees very often...) for church. Now Inkblot is extremely sleepy. She's taken two naps today, and sat on the couch the rest of the day. Her family is between churches right now, so they are "church shopping". Today they went to a small Anglican church. The experience was... cough cough... interesting. The church used the prayer book from like 1948 or something like that. So the language was really really off compared to what Inkblot is used to. But the real shock was when they walked in, at one minute 'til, and the service had already started and there were exactly two members in the congregation. TWO! A church with two people. And who were these two people? Well the first was the priest's wife, and the second was the assistant priest's wife. So basically, there weren't any church members. But they had a service. And the priests were rather old (one admitted to being 89, the other seemed about 75). Apparently there are five people who come to a later service. So, counting the priests and such, there are about 10 people going to this church. Total. Ever. The service was short, thank goodness, but really awkward. Inkblot wishes she could find the right place for her family. But the truth is, there is no perfect place. The one place they went last week and the week before is pretty good. They like it, they are comfortable with it. But it doesn't feel perfect, in any sense of the word.
On a brighter note, Inkblot thinks she finished her first altered book page last night. She's going to take a photo of it and post it here so you can tell her if she needs to add or take something away. She's already started another page and has several other projects going as well. Inkblot thinks she may even be able to make a small profit from one of her ideas, if she can make enough of it. Much love,
Inkblot

Late/Early Crumbs

Its either very late, or very early. Whichever way, Inkblot shouldn't be up. Especially since she'll be heading to church tomorrow with the 'rents. But she thought of her readers (which she hopes exist, but how can she know for sure...) just a minute ago and had to tell you wonderful people about her forever favorite game. Here is a list of 10 reasons to love Babble. (There are way more than ten, but Inkblot figured you wouldn't want to hear them all... your welcome).
1. it has to do with words... so its automatically gained at least 10 points for that alone.
2. you can play for as long or as short as you want and come back anytime, exactly where you left off.
3. there is an awesome community of people there that are willing to help you complete the game.
4. just that: you can complete the game. Inkblot likes things that she is able to finish.
5. if you get tired of the current game, a new one pops up every day!
6. you can officially call yourself a Babbler without meaning that you talk a lot.
7. you can play alone or with a group. Or you can challenge a friend.
8. its free. Completely. You can upgrade with a small one time fee if you want a little helpful hint box thing and a couple smaller perks, but you can play without it. And Inkblot does just that.
9. you get to say "fireworks!" when you finish a game, whether or not you actually have the fireworks on your screen (they are a gift for upgrading).
10. you accumulate points that mean absolutely nothing. Just like Whose Line Is It Anyway (which Inkblot LOVES by the way... her favorite is Scenes from a Hat).
Basically, Inkblot just loves Babble all around. Today is a great day to pop on over to Babble because you can probably finish it in under an hour (even if you've never played before). There were only 44 words to find in the grid today, so Babble just finished in about a half hour. Of course, she did use Lickety's list (a helpful hints list that most Babblers use). Slap me with a trout (or a bass) for not getting cr*** right away! Much love,
Inkblot

Crumbs of Crazy Sleep

Inkblot doesn't know what's wrong with her lately! She can't fall asleep for at least an hour or so after she goes to bed. Often it takes even longer. She also can't seem to fall asleep before 5 AM. Normally, Inkblot goes to bed around 2 AM, 3 AM if she is really hyper. But Inkblot has been up all too late for the past couple weeks. Not only are Inkblot's sleeping patterns all out of whack, but so are her eating habits. She hasn't been hungry lately because she isn't very active during the day (because she can't seem to get a summer job and there are hardly any dance classes all summer). She gets hungry about an hour after she gets up, and then doesn't want anything to eat for the rest of the day. The next time she is hungry is around 4 AM. But it would be completely awkward to turn down her mom's dinner, so she eats it even though she isn't hungry. And that's why Inkblot seems to be gaining a few pounds, which doesn't make her very happy. Next week is dance intensives at Inkblot's studio, so she is certain to work everything out. Yay!
Inkblot has also been crazy busy at Facebook lately. In case you don't know, Facebook has been all about these new "applications". Things like: Places I've Been, My Moods, and SuperPoke! Fun stuff, but way too addictive. Well, Inkblot is officially obsessed with the Facebook applications, especially iLike. iLike is an application where you can find new music, tell your friends about the music you like, see who's on tour, and play a music challenge game. The music challenge is awesome!! Inkblot has to force herself to stop playing. The application plays a short segment of a song and you have to guess either the song title or the artist name. iLike rates you on how fast you are, how many songs you get right, your percentage correct, and your rank (like music apprentice or music junkie). Find it here.
Inkblot also became re-obsessed with Etsy. It's an eBay-like site for handcrafted items. Inkblot likes to call this "indie shopping". She loves to support small business owners ahead of huge corporations. And she can sell her crafts on Etsy too. Though she hasn't done that yet. Its also fun to get new ideas for things to make. More cookie crumbs, if you will.
Inkblot wants everyone to find their own cookie crumbs and send them her way! Because cookie crumbs make us happier and we should all share our happiness with our friends. Much love,
Inkblot

Late Crumbs

So I guess Inkblot is a little late on today's post... so late that it is now tomorrow. Whoops. That means two posts for today. Anyway... Inkblot has been really busy trying to figure out how to make her own template for the blog. She can't seem to find anything. She found a template that is uber-close, but it wouldn't work when she tried to put it in the blog. Something about META needing to have an end note. Inkblot doesn't know. But if anyone has any ideas on making your own template, Inkblot would really appreciate the help.
In other news, Inkblot had this huge job today! She had to enter about 400 names and addresses into a database. Her hands hurt so badly! Maybe Inkblot has carpal tunnel? It just took so long, Inkblot thought the hours were going faster than cheetahs. And now Inkblot just wants to run around the house dancing in her skivvies! But that wouldn't be very appropriate, would it.


What else has been happening in Inkblot's world? Well, Inkblot got invited to a little shindig last minute tonight. She mulled it over quite a bit, but (this is a bit odd) she decided not to go, in favor of staying home and doing... nothing. Is it weird that Inkblot, a college girl, prefers sitting at home to partying with her friends? Well, in the end, Inkblot doesn't much care whether what she does is weird or not. Inkblot knows she's awesome and beautiful and cool, so she doesn't much need to go out when she doesn't feel like it.
That's enough for today! Much love,
Inkblot

Rad Raccoon Crumbs

It was really weird, the other day Inkblot was sitting on the couch (having just woken up at about 2 in the afternoon - its summertime!) and she heard some scratching noises outside. She assumed that a bird or a squirrel or something got stuck in the chimney. Something like that. So anyway, Inkblot ignored the noises because there wasn't really anything she could do to help an animal stuck in the chimney. She couldn't exactly get it out. A couple minutes later, the scratching started again, and then Inkblot heard a light bang on the sliding glass doors. She looked over, and there were three small raccoons pawing at the doors. Inkblot keeps those doors closed all the time, treating them like gigantic floor-length windows, so they weren't likely to get in or anything, but who wants raccoons by their house? Even if they are really really cute little raccoons. But, being the good daughter that Inkblot is, and since she was the only one home, she went and banged on the window a little to get them to go away. And what did they do? They looked up at her for a second and then went right back to messing with the window!! The nerve. Inkblot is about ten times their size! It took like five minutes to get them to go away. And they ran up a tree, like squirrels! It was really weird. But the raccoons were definitely rad anyway. Inkblot wishes she had her camera nearby when they were there, it could have been an awesome picture!










And what were they doing out in the daylight in the first place?

Beginning the Collection of Cookie Crumbs

This is the first post ever for Cookie Crumbs and Inkblot herself. To start things off, Inkblot thinks she should talk about her latest endeavor: altered books. She just started her first one (granted, it is a practice book) today!! So...
Go here...
and here...
and here...
to learn about altered books or take a look at some other artist's work. Post your own links to altered book art if you want to share! Or give Inkblot some feedback on your impression of altered books. Inkblot is soooooo excited to get started!! So she is diving right into her work... SPLASH!