Painted this tonight! I am hoping with time I'll get quicker - this one took me hours!!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Keegan's Neet Feet!
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| Shoes for a little boy named Keegan. |
Like his facebook prayer page! http://www.facebook.com/KeeganBoy
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
SMASH* Folios by K&Company
Hey everyone!
In January of this year, I came across a very interesting product, or series of products rather, when searching for fun journals on Amazon. I came across the SMASH* series by mistake, and it was the best mistake in the world.
Smash books are basically pre-made scrapbooks. They are spiral notebooks filled with really pretty paper, and every book has its own color and theme. Ever since I first discovered them, I have fallen completely in love!
I personally really enjoy collecting scraps of memories, but I've never quite known where to put them all. They've always just disappeared in the giant clutter that is my junk drawer; little notes from friends, photographs, magazine and newspaper snippets, concert tickets, and other random bits and bobs. The SMASH book is basically the scrapbook/journal version of a junk drawer. There is ALWAYS room for more stuff. I like to take a double page, theme it and just start randomly pasting things I find appropriate to generate something like this:
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| Four Corners Folk Festival Page |
I would recommend these products to...well...anyone who enjoys crafting or anyone who has ever wanted to experiment with scrapbooking, but was afraid to. These books are so much easier to use, because part of the work has been done for you. The pages are there. All you need to do is provide the content. It makes scrapbooking less intimidating and also much less time consuming for people who can only spare a little time.
I'd highly recommend watching the video introducing the product and telling me what you think. Have fun and happy smashing!
P.S.: There is an AWESOME SMASH* addicts group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/367533496595102/
It's just a great group of people who share the same hobby, pictures of their creations and where to find the greatest deals on supplies. As a matter of fact, I even found a pen pal! They've also begun a swap, where you and a selected partner send each other a package of random scrapbooking supples. :) I'd highly recommend checking out the group!
EDIT: People were being deleted and banned from the group for not following ridiculous rules. Those who questioned members being banned were also banned. I was also banned from the group, but did nothing wrong. So I say a bit GOOD RIDDANCE to that group! I'm in a new one now. I wish I had found it sooner!!
Monday, March 26, 2012
If only it were the 70's...
So I've been listening to a crap ton of Led Zeppelin and been watching That 70's Show in all of my spare time. (I think I am going back into my I-wish-I-had-been-a-teen-in-the-70s phase :P) I know That 70's Show is most likely NOT exactly the way it was back then, but the thing I really like is how everyone spends their free time HANGING OUT. I mean don't get me wrong, I appreciate computers and the internet, especially being the graphic design student I am, but it would be so NICE to actually sit down and spend time with people face to face as opposed to only chatting on Facebook. I have pretty much done away with Facebook chat completely, because I can't stand getting online to check my e-mail quickly before I'm off to do something else, and I then end up getting a barrage of instant messages from people, assuming I have all the time in the world to chat for the next several hours. So I end up feeling bad and don't get anything done for the rest of the day because I've been sucked into Facebook chat.
Unfortunately since I moved, chatting and skyping are the only ways for me to have any contact with family friends overseas, so it makes it difficult to just ditch the internet for a week to live as if I were in the 70s xD Bummer.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Peach's Neet Feet
Today, I handed my first pair of hand-painted shoes to Madison Steiner, founder of Peach's Neet Feet! I am proud to announce that I am now an official artist for Peach's Neet Feet, a non-profit organization that provides customized, hand-painted canvas sneakers to children with long term illnesses and diseases.
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| Shoes for Mason http://www.facebook.com/masonvsleukemia |
I had the privilege of meeting Madison and her brother Corey at the community college I attend, which is how I was made aware of this awesome cause. Since the organization was founded in July of 2011, over 180 pairs have been donated to children in over 30 states! I was immediately inspired by this incredibly selfless act.
Since I the age of 14, I have had a terrible addiction to canvas shoes and have spent hours of my time drawing all over them with Sharpies. When I heard of Peach's Neet Feet, I thought: "Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that!?" I wanted to be on board, because I knew that it would be a great way to be creative and help others at the same time. And for someone like me, nothing beats that!
After watching the Random Act of Kindness video and seeing the look on these children's faces after receiving a pair of shoes with their name and all of their favorite things on them, it literally brought tears of joy to my eyes.
It is such an honor to be working with such amazing people. I am so excited to continue designing more pairs to put smiles on the faces of kiddos who need it the most!
To learn more about Peach's Neet Feet and how you can help, visit http://peachsneetfeet.blogspot.com/ or like Peach's Neet Feet on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/PeachsNeetFeet .
- Elle-Belle
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Really?!
I am so annoyed. My boyfriend's band has been in exsitence since summer of 2010. Because of noise complaint issues with neighbors, they were forced to look for a practice space in town to rent. The place they found is really reasonable. The room isn't too big, but for the price asked for monthly rent, it would have been idiotic to turn down. The building they are renting the room in has several other businesses, so naturally, they practice after closing hours so that they don't disturb the businesses or their customers. However, there is one particular person renting, who has been causing trouble since day one.
At first, he had a "Jesus Loves You" thrift store in one of the store fronts of the building. It really wasn't a very good thrift store to be honest, it looked like a bunch of broken down stuff you'd find in a junk yard. Anyway, it became a hang out for bums and the homeless, who would do nothing more than sit around and get drunk in and in front of the store all day. The person running this place had spray painted "The Jesus Loves you Place" all over the exterior of the building and on the doors. It was a complete mess.
There is one bathroom with a toilet and sink in the downstairs of the building which is specifically only for those renting, so it was shared by the owner of the building, the Jesus Loves You guy, my boyfriend's band and the band next door to them. To Jesus Loves You guy, this was also a bathroom for the homeless, so the single bathroom was always without toilet paper, reeked of vomit and the toilet was usually clogged and the seat was covered in...it was just plain gross, enough said. So eventually in the summer, this guy was kicked out of the building and was forced to close down the thrift store.
A few months later, probably sometime in the fall, he was allowed to come back and instead start a "Jesus Loves You" ministry. So basically, it became a homeless shelter in a store front. He would leave the store front unlocked at night and since there was a door connecting the back of the store front, which was also unlocked, the bums could access the bathroom and the band rooms. They would come knock on the band's door and ask if they could play the drums or sing...and they wouldn't leave, no matter how politely we explained that it's a time for band practice and we really don't feel comfortable letting anyone else use the equipment. We'd try to use the bathroom and it was occupied by people getting sick from having drunk too much, trying to bathe in the sink etc. When we'd leave late at night, there would be people sleeping in the hallway that we had to step over.
When my boyfriend and I were painting the band room at one point in the summer actually, there were bums camped out outside saying that they were promised sandwiches and were asking us for food and money. They asked my boyfriend for his glow in the dark Misfits shirt...which he was currently wearing. He followed him all the way around the car asking him several times, while I had my thumb on the "9" button on my phone, ready to call the police. His friend had asked us if we were dating and had grabbed my arm trying to shake my hand saying that was awesome and wouldn't let it go. He finally did when Mike just about attacked him. It freaked me out. It really did. It's gotten to the point where the wives and girlfriends of the band members don't even want to go over there anymore because we can't use the bathrooms and we can't leave the room unless it's with one of the band members, because we don't want to be grabbed or begged at.
This morning, the landlord called my boyfriend and completely lost it, saying that he was about to kick both of the bands out, because there were beer cans all over the bathroom and it was left a complete mess, vomit and all. I can, with full confidence say that NOBODY in the band drinks alcohol. Period. And half the band is underage! I understand the fact that a band full of colorful haired, tattooed guys would be more likely to drink than people coming to a ministry, but this is not the case at all. And the landlord knew about the issue with the Jesus Loves You Place in the past. So the bands are basically being framed (most likely by the businesses who aren't around at night to see everything go down, which I can understand) for the mess that the bums are making, because the owner of Jesus Loves You doesn't lock up his store at night. The landlord also says he doesn't want to hear any more complaints from anyone.
Now my question is: is the Jesus Loves You guy so blind to not see that he is being used by all of these homeless people for a place to tweak, get drunk and spend the night?! They don't give a care about his ministry or God for that matter. Why does he keep doing this and putting everyone's business and safety in the entire building at risk? Don't get me wrong. I think it's awesome that a christian man would like to give those people a chance, who need it the most. And I think it's wonderful that he wants to help these people and give them a place to come and talk and possibly get to know the Lord. But if all they are doing is using him for a place to get high, drunk and sleep, what's the point? At this point, if he really wants to do the right thing, he should call the landlord and tell him that the mess being left is his responsibility. Because this really isn't fair to anyone, including Jesus Loves You guy.
At first, he had a "Jesus Loves You" thrift store in one of the store fronts of the building. It really wasn't a very good thrift store to be honest, it looked like a bunch of broken down stuff you'd find in a junk yard. Anyway, it became a hang out for bums and the homeless, who would do nothing more than sit around and get drunk in and in front of the store all day. The person running this place had spray painted "The Jesus Loves you Place" all over the exterior of the building and on the doors. It was a complete mess.
There is one bathroom with a toilet and sink in the downstairs of the building which is specifically only for those renting, so it was shared by the owner of the building, the Jesus Loves You guy, my boyfriend's band and the band next door to them. To Jesus Loves You guy, this was also a bathroom for the homeless, so the single bathroom was always without toilet paper, reeked of vomit and the toilet was usually clogged and the seat was covered in...it was just plain gross, enough said. So eventually in the summer, this guy was kicked out of the building and was forced to close down the thrift store.
A few months later, probably sometime in the fall, he was allowed to come back and instead start a "Jesus Loves You" ministry. So basically, it became a homeless shelter in a store front. He would leave the store front unlocked at night and since there was a door connecting the back of the store front, which was also unlocked, the bums could access the bathroom and the band rooms. They would come knock on the band's door and ask if they could play the drums or sing...and they wouldn't leave, no matter how politely we explained that it's a time for band practice and we really don't feel comfortable letting anyone else use the equipment. We'd try to use the bathroom and it was occupied by people getting sick from having drunk too much, trying to bathe in the sink etc. When we'd leave late at night, there would be people sleeping in the hallway that we had to step over.
When my boyfriend and I were painting the band room at one point in the summer actually, there were bums camped out outside saying that they were promised sandwiches and were asking us for food and money. They asked my boyfriend for his glow in the dark Misfits shirt...which he was currently wearing. He followed him all the way around the car asking him several times, while I had my thumb on the "9" button on my phone, ready to call the police. His friend had asked us if we were dating and had grabbed my arm trying to shake my hand saying that was awesome and wouldn't let it go. He finally did when Mike just about attacked him. It freaked me out. It really did. It's gotten to the point where the wives and girlfriends of the band members don't even want to go over there anymore because we can't use the bathrooms and we can't leave the room unless it's with one of the band members, because we don't want to be grabbed or begged at.
This morning, the landlord called my boyfriend and completely lost it, saying that he was about to kick both of the bands out, because there were beer cans all over the bathroom and it was left a complete mess, vomit and all. I can, with full confidence say that NOBODY in the band drinks alcohol. Period. And half the band is underage! I understand the fact that a band full of colorful haired, tattooed guys would be more likely to drink than people coming to a ministry, but this is not the case at all. And the landlord knew about the issue with the Jesus Loves You Place in the past. So the bands are basically being framed (most likely by the businesses who aren't around at night to see everything go down, which I can understand) for the mess that the bums are making, because the owner of Jesus Loves You doesn't lock up his store at night. The landlord also says he doesn't want to hear any more complaints from anyone.
Now my question is: is the Jesus Loves You guy so blind to not see that he is being used by all of these homeless people for a place to tweak, get drunk and spend the night?! They don't give a care about his ministry or God for that matter. Why does he keep doing this and putting everyone's business and safety in the entire building at risk? Don't get me wrong. I think it's awesome that a christian man would like to give those people a chance, who need it the most. And I think it's wonderful that he wants to help these people and give them a place to come and talk and possibly get to know the Lord. But if all they are doing is using him for a place to get high, drunk and sleep, what's the point? At this point, if he really wants to do the right thing, he should call the landlord and tell him that the mess being left is his responsibility. Because this really isn't fair to anyone, including Jesus Loves You guy.
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