Crafty Girls Clothing Exchange

Do you have clothes in your closet that you never wear? Purses collecting dust? Shoes that didn't quote "work" for you? Pack them up and bring them to our first Crafty Girls Clothing Exchange Party!

What is a Clothing Exchange?
A place to trade clothing and accessories with friends! It's like pooling closets with your girlfriends.

How does it work?
Basically, it's a trading party. No money exchanges hands. You have to bring something to trade. The more stuff you bring, the more you can take home. Go through your closet, find clean & serviceable clothing, shoes and accessories that you don't use anymore (for whatever reason). Throw them in a reusable shopping bag with enough hangers to hang your items (you can take your hangers with you when you leave). Come down to our location and add your items to the mix. You can then sort through what everyone else has brought and take home anything that catches your eye. We don't count your items, we just ask that everyone be on their honor and don't take more than you brought. At the end of the night, the clothes and items left over will be donated to a local charity.

Who is invited?
Any girls who sign up in the comment area below and has clothes/shoes/accessories to trade.

What can I expect from this experience?
You'll get a chance to clean out your closet (who doesn't need to do that?) and a chance to meet new people. You may find something cool that you wouldn't have found anywhere else, and you can revamp your wardrobe for free!

The location and exact date is still TBD (although we have a line on a great central location, but we are waiting on confirmation) but we will post it here as soon as we have it finalized. In the meantime, start cleaning out your closet and getting your stuff together.

We will have drinks, snacks, and music. We'll also have a dressing room and mirror available on the premises. Please RSVP below if you are planning on coming. We will have the date and location finalized VERY soon!

Updates!

We had our baby!!! Elise Meara Cooper was born on my birthday, May 11, at 8:03 pm. She was 7lbs, 7 oz and 19.5 inches long. She's got strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes (although, we're both wondering if they'll stay that color...)



If you want to read more about Elise, check out my baby blog here: http://featheringournest.blogspot.com/

There has been lots going on in our world, but everything is sort of centered around the baby for now. I'll be back soon with more shenanigans and tomfoolery!

Stay tuned...

Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar

Earlier this year, I volunteered some time designing a new logo for the Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar on May 9th, in return for sponsorship credit and a free booth at the fair. I asked my crafty friend Jennifer, of White Wave Jewelry, to join me in running the booth, and we have been working hard on our wares for the show.

I know most everyone thinks I'm crazy for planning on having a booth at the craft fair on the DAY of my due date, but my logic isn't all that crazy. The statistics are that only 5% of babies are actually born on their due dates, so there is a good chance that I'll probably be able to be at the fair! And if for some reason, the baby comes early, my good friend Rebecca has offered to help Jennifer run my side of the table.

I've never done a craft fair before, and finding my "craft" was no easy task, but I've been so enjoying making hair flowers, headbands, and fascinators for the show. I really think people will like what I've made, and hopefully I'll sell a lot. Of course, the crafting business isn't AS lucrative as the graphic design business, but I really want to be able to do stuff like this as a hobby, and maybe make a little cash on the side.

Tomorrow I'll be shooting some models wearing some of my one-of-a-kind designs, and pairing them up with jewelry from Jennifer's collection as well. I'll be sure to post some of them as soon as they are ready, but for now, I'll share the pictures I've been taking of my collection as I've been creating it. (see slideshow below)





And, if you want to view the Flickr collection, click here.

So, be sure to come down to the Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar on May 9th at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds in the Centennial Building. You can get more details about the Bazaar at www.deluxeok.net

Congrats to Emily & Tyler!

My little sister Emily got married this past weekend to a wonderful guy, Tyler. We only have a few snapshots as of now, but I'll be sure to post the proper wedding pictures as soon as we get them.

Come to me my melancholy baby...

Some of you might be wondering why I've been neglecting my Saucy Britches blog, but most of you know the reason why. Since we are all consumed with the final month of pregnancy and preparation for this huge change in our lives, I hope you will forgive my lack of posts.

Since I prefer to talk about baby related things on my other blog, I thought maybe I'd talk about something that I'm sure everyone here has dealt with at some point in their lives; a loss.

In my case it's been the loss of a beloved pet, a family member, and my ankles (okay, they are still there, but I can't really see them!). The first two hurt the most because I know that there is no going back. We'll never get back our sweet dog Patch, or our grandfather, Leroy.

It sounds wrong to say it, but I think in some ways, Patch's death hurt more that Grandpa Leroy's passing. We all spent hours of time with our dog when we were growing up and his gentle snuffling and loyal trot accompanied many of our adventures back in Port Orford. That dog was like a little brother and when I'd come home from the military to visit, he'd always shove that wet nose into my hand and look at me like I'd never been gone. I loved watching my little brother Jackson and our dog Patch grow up together, racing up and down our street and cuddling up together on the living room floor watching television.

Grandpa Leroy lived far away and we didn't get to see him often, but I know that his presence in my mother's life when she was growing up had a tremendous impact and for that we all loved him. You have to admire a man who would marry a woman with 6 kids and raise them all as his own. Leroy had character and lots of it. Hearing the sadness in my mother's voice made me all the more sad that I'd never really gotten to know him that well.

All that sadness really made me contemplate this new life we're about to have. I am so lucky to have amazing family all around me, but most of all, I want to be sure that I help Elise form bonds with her family that is far away too. Part of my way of staying in touch is through this blog, and I am going to make a concerted effort to continue to share and write about my life experiences and Elise's milestones until, of course, she is old enough to write about them herself.

There is something to be said for all these experiences, good and bad, and the older I get the more grateful I am for all the moments that try the soul. I have learned so much in the 6 years that I've been writing here, and even with the bad days, I wouldn't change any of it. I'm glad for all these lessons, and I know that the coming months will provide us with even more opportunities to grow.

Saucy Britches News Updates

First off, my britches are STILL saucy. I just have less of them that I can fit into now. If you're curious about how the pregnancy is progressing, be sure to check out my baby blog, Feathering Our Nest.

The latest in technology news is that Tim bought us iPhones! We got a great deal on some original iPhones (no, they aren't 3g, but they are still SO super awesome!) and we have been totally geeking out on them for the past couple weeks. I can't even begin to tell you about all the cool features that have improved my life, but just the intuitiveness of the iPhone alone is reason enough to check them out if you haven't already. I LOVE my iPhone. It has all the capabilities of my video iPod (which is great when I go to the nail salon and I just want to zone out and watch a movie) and it plays all my music.

I use it for Twitter (all the time) and Facebook, email, Google Chat, viewing ANY website I need to and SO many other things that I'd normally need to be at my computer for. It syncs with my outlook calendar, which means I'll never miss another appointment, and it syncs with my Evernote program which means that I ALWAYS have access to a huge database of project notes and information that I use for my work everyday. OH, and my latest application that I downloaded helps me keep track of my baby "kick counts" for my doctor and even has a feature that allows me to email them to her. FREAKING AWESOME! Can you tell I'm hooked?

Speaking of Twitter, over the past couple months Tim and I have connected with this group of awesome people in the OKC area called Refresh OKC. They are mostly a tech based group that seeks to educate and improve the technology scene in Oklahoma City. Through them we have met all kinds of cool new friends, mostly on Twitter, and have been hanging out with all these new tweeps pretty much ALL the time. It's really amazing how technology can help people connect with like minded friends. It would have taken us ages to meet all these people otherwise. What a cool time to be in the technology world.

Spring is coming and we have started preparing our backyard for what we hope will be our first bountiful harvest in OKC. We started our vegetable and herb seeds in their started pods on Thursday and Tim started working on clearing our our garden space. We've still got a lot to do, but we're not going to be planting much in the ground until after April 10th. We can't be guaranteed that there won't be another freeze before then. Although, I have to say that the weather this month so far has been PERFECT. Mid 60's - Mid 80's, breezy and NO bugs. I wish it could stay like this all Spring and Summer.

In family news, my sister Emily is getting married in just a couple weeks. I will not be making the trek to Oregon for the wedding, unfortunately. It's just too close to our due date and we don't want to risk running into any complications while traveling or visiting in another state. I have been involved in a lot of the planning process though and I will definitely be there in spirit. In the mean time, I have a non-refundable maternity bridesmaid dress in Robin's Egg Blue if anyone is interested in buying it. :) I may have to put it on Ebay or something...

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, things have been pretty busy, and when I'm not busy doing stuff, I'm busy being SO exhausted. Such is the life in the third trimester. :) I am very much looking forward to being done with this phase of baby creation and on to actually parenting. That's all for now! Thanks for reading...

OKC Crafty-Girls Tweetup

Be sure to RSVP by commenting on this post, and please do so before March 1st, so I can make reservations.

Click HERE to see the menu at Saii Asian Bistro

Hope to see you all there!

My Funny Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day to all my readers. I hope you're able to spend it with someone you love, OR a really good bottle of wine. :) The Valentines below are a collection of random and strange vintage cards...


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

How much are you worth?

Conversation with my sister via IM:

Mary:
I need some quick advice...

Mary:
How do you calculate what you think you should be paid by your clients for your work?

Erin:
well, I base it on the industry standard and how much more I think I kick ass over average designers.

It's a very complex algorithm.

Tornado watch...

As some of you may have heard, we had a little brush with nature this afternoon. We are thankfully in one piece, but I can't say the same for everything in the OKC metro area. Just west of us, out on the NW Expressway there are torn up businesses and downed powerlines.



It was pretty frightening to watching all the clusters of tornadoes and wall clouds spinning through the city, but we were prepared. Tim moved the car into the garage, and we prepped the pantry with blankets and pillows. Tim rounded up the kitties and we all camped out in front of the television watching Gary England tell us the weather conditions.



The weatherman suggested we put on long sleeves and pants and helmets. Although we wrote of a lot of their advice as overly cautious, we thought it might not be a bad idea to get our helmets. Just in case... :)



We made sure the kitties were well protected as well. ;) So, thank you to everyone for your concern and calls.

Pretty Pretty

We are compiling a few of our favorite flower photos to hang in Elise's room, so I thought I'd share our collection with you. Most of these photos were taken by Tim, but a few were taken by me...
Enjoy!


If you want to view them at the Flickr site, click HERE.

25 Things About Me

I was tagged by a few different people on Facebook to do this, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. If you're reading this, then you're hereby tagged.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. People tell me that I'm creative, but I always feel like I fall short of my own expectations in that department.

2. I really love to sing and be on stage. For a while I considered doing it for a living. Not as a pop star, but in the theater. Even now, when I go see shows, I feel a huge tinge of regret that I didn't pursue that with a little more tenacity.

3. I was in the Air Force for 8 years and sometimes I really miss it. It was also the hardest 8 years of my life and I made a lot of mistakes during that time. Even now when I see an Air Force commercial, I wince at the memories that I associate with that time of my life.

4. Before I was married, I had a few boyfriends who told me they loved me, but I never believed them. I always expected them to do something hurtful and I was rarely disappointed.

5. Everyone thinks I'm really outgoing, but I really like being by myself. I love people (in small groups), but truthfully, being in crowds makes me sweaty and anxious. When I get anxious, I talk a lot. I don't know why...

6. I absolutely LOVE dressing up. Costumes, cocktail gowns, whatever... I love stepping outside myself and being glamorous. Probably why I should have been on Broadway...

7. My husband Tim is my favorite person on the planet. I knew the day we got married that we'd always be together. He's the sweetest, smartest, and most hilarious person I've ever known and I really can NOT believe he loves me back.

8. I really and truly HATE my skin. Everyone that has ever heard me say this says, "Awww, freckles are cute!" and it makes me want to hit them. I hate being pale and freckly. I am SO jealous of people who can tan easily and I really hope our daughter gets my husband's complexion.

9. One of my only real regrets in life is that I didn't go to college when I was younger. I've had a lot of education, and I am smart and well read, but I hate how left out I feel in conversations about college and degrees. I have GI Bill money and can go to school anytime I like, but every time I've gotten close, I couldn't decide what I wanted to study and chickened out. Plus, the Air Force trained me to be a designer, and I've done it for 11 years successfully...Do I really need a degree in that? Maybe I should study something else entirely...

10. I despise olives and I despise myself for despising them. I'm a foodie, and I hate how many cool recipes that involve olives never make it into my kitchen because of my irrational distate for olives and all olive flavored things. TAPENADE, I'm talking to you...

11. My parents loved me a lot, but my upbringing was pretty tough in a lot of ways. I think this made me really intolerant of spoiled and lazy people, especially children. I worked my whole life and I don't have any respect for kids who've had things handed to them.

12. I believe in God, but I really HATE going to church. I only go on special occasions (weddings etc.) and even then I just can't WAIT to get out. There is something so stifling and completely un-spiritual about that environment to me.

13. I felt really good about being vegetarian, but the things I missed most were chicken strips and Taco Bell. Now that I'm eating meat again, I still try to eat very carefully, organic produce, healthy amounts of fruits and veggies, but every now and then, I just want a Nacho Supreme and NOTHING else will do.

14. I love my siblings very much, but I wish we were all better friends. I am pretty different from everyone in my family and sometimes feel like the outsider. I'm the only liberal, agnostic, vegetarian recycler and sometimes I feel like they all think I'm pretty out there.

15. I've lived a lot of great places in my life, but no where has ever felt more like home to me than the southern Oregon coast. I miss the ocean and the beaches and the climate. I really hope someday that we can live there and raise our kids close to beach.

16. I'm due to have my first child this spring and even though I'm very excited and all that, I am really terrified about all the people who are going to be looking at my vagina. I know it's medical, blah blah, but I am REALLY not looking forward to that. OH, and I heard that sometimes you poop on the table. I REALLY don't want anyone to see my POOP!

17. I get really fed up with people who won't take my advice after asking for it. Seriously, if you've got a problem, and you ask me for advice and then give me all the reasons why you can't take my advice, I will probably cut you off. Next time you need help, friggin' GOOGLE IT or something.

18. I absolutely love digging through thrift stores, antique stores, and garage sales. I think the reason I love my best friend Echo as much as I do is because she would always do that with me and we'd find the best stuff and then wear it all around town. Every weirdo needs a partner in crime and she was always mine.

19. I was not really an animal person until we got our cat Daisy. She made me love kitties, and kitty hair, and being meowed at for breakfast at 5 in the morning. Sometimes I worry that she will get kidnapped or die and I will just be INCONSOLABLE.

20. I secretly think everyone is a little bit gay and the ones who deny it are gayer than most.

21. I always wear a bra, and when I go to bed, I wear a sports bra underneath my pajamas.

22. The people I love most in my life are the people who laugh at my stories and make me feel cooler than I am.

23. I hate the color pink, but since I found out I'm having a little girl, I'm hating it less.

24. I don't understand people who haven't seen The Sound Of Music. I mean, what the hell? Shouldn't that be required viewing for all children?

25. I love campy music and movies. Elvis movies, bossa nova lounge music, musicals, John Water's films, Disney Movies (the old ones) and Shirley Temple movies. All that stuff puts a smile on my face...