Unique Art Pendants - Cool Jewelry and Gifts - The Weird Life Of Molly - Age 37

I'm back y'all. The Weird Life of Molly

2012-01-29T06:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I realized my business has completely sucked every extra minute out of the day and my poor blog had been left by the wayside for far too long. It made me sad. I enjoy writing and letting you all know a bit of what goes on in my head.
Age 36 blew by without one post. I could tell you I was abducted by aliens but I'd just sound like more of a weirdo so I'll just leave it at I was really, really, busy.
Now I'm back.
In the words of awesome PJ Harvey - You're not rid of me. I am going to try to update the blog as much as I can.

Just to update my life. I'm now 37.

My man, Mike, and I got married in Hawaii in a private ceremony overlooking the ocean! It was a truly magical moment. This beautiful old woman married us in a traditional Hawaiian ceremony and we both cried tears of joy like crazy during the whole thing.

There was lots of chanting, circling, and cool soul intertwining singing. My best friend of over 30 years was our only witness. She is a Hawaiian resident now and we were able to stay with her for 2 weeks. LOVELY!

We ate lots of homegrown fruit

Camped on the beach one night

and I even dealt with this:

(a spider so big it actually has red-eye from the camera!)

Ahh Hawaii. If you haven't been, I highly suggest going. It'll change your life.

Etsy - "Quit Your Day Job" interview! The Weird Life Of Molly

2012-01-29T05:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/quit-your-day-job-uniqueartpendants/

How did you originally get into jewelry making?
For the past 15 years, my parents have been making and selling fused glass jewelry. I have always had an interest and over the years I learned a lot of the jewelry business from them as well as how to sell at art and craft shows.

Tell us about your previous working situation and how you discovered Etsy.
I worked at a shelter for abused and neglected kids, ages 1-13, who were removed from their homes by the state of Minnesota. For years my main goal at work was to gain trust by making kids smile through my off-beat humor, my even more off-beat (literally!) dancing skills, and maybe most importantly, through devoting my attention. It was a job that was heavy on the heart and soul at times, seeing first hand what people can do to their own children. After a few years, I found myself feeling blue and had a hard time not bringing the sad emotions of abuse home with me.
That’s when the need for change began to stir inside me. I had spent years taking care of other people and not really taking care of my own personal dreams and aspirations. I had gone to art college and I’ve always been an artist and enjoyed making things, so I started doing craft shows on the weekends for fun. A friend of mine who saw I was becoming more and more successful told me, “You need to check out this awesome site called Etsy. I think it’s right up your alley.” Those were the best words I ever heard!

Did you do anything to prepare for making the transition into full time selling?
Taking the plunge and leaving a constant paycheck can be a very scary thing to do. I worked a lot of overtime, saved my money and paid off my debt. Honestly, I knew I still had a bit of wanderlust inside of me and that I wouldn’t be able to travel once I knuckled down and started the business. So I went to Europe and got inspired.

What is your best marketing tip?
My Facebook fan page has been a super great free tool for me. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t have a lot of Facebook “fans” on your page. Think of it as a portal — lots of buyers tell me they found me through Facebook and went directly to my Etsy shop to buy. Facebook has also provided me with wonderful opportunities to spread the word about my brand:

I was found and contacted by the high profile website, Jezebel. They get millions of views per month by my target customer demographic and they featured one of my cuff bracelets as a prize for a contest on their website. I sold a ton that day from the exposure.
I was also contacted by The Budget Fashionista (frequent style contributor to television shows such as NBC’s TODAY Show, CNN Headline News, E! News and ABC’s Good Morning America, etc.) through Facebook and she ended up featuring one of my lockets on her website with a link to my Etsy shop.

What’s been your most popular item to date?
My cuff bracelets! I think the whimsical, quirky styles make people smile. Plus they’re affordable, and very fun to wear.

Rumor has it a piece of yours was spotted on the red carpet; how did that feel?
Exciting! My work got close to Johnny Depp! One of my graphic necklaces was worn on the red carpet by a production member of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland.
Can you dish on the details of how it came about?

I have to keep it a bit confidential for them as my customer, but I can tell you they purchased the necklace here on Etsy and contacted me to let me know it was going to be worn on the red carpet. I had to pinch myself because it came out of the blue! It was very exciting and this just reconfirms that there is a wide range of people who shop on Etsy.

What is the biggest challenge you face during your daily schedule?
Time management for sure. I am an artist, a mother, a business owner, a wife, a sister, a daughter and a friend. That’s a lot of things to be and a lot of hats to wear at the same time. It can get very busy and easy to lose touch and get caught up in it all.

What do you enjoy most about not having a day job?
My favorite thing is being able to take a day off whenever I need to! No sucking up to some demented boss on a power trip. Wait, did I just write that? To all my past bosses who may be reading this: I really enjoyed working for you.

Is there anything you miss?
I do miss having coworkers and the friendships you make at work. I try to replace that with the Etsy community. I have found lots of good friends though the Forums here and often log on to find the most heartfelt and amazing convos from them. I love you guys!

What’s the hardest part about running your own business?
Work doesn’t always end at 5 p.m. like most jobs. There have been some nights where I’m in the studio working late while my husband is having fun playing with our kids. Although I can say, on the rare occasions, when our two-year-old, Lucy, decides to raise the decibels just to reconfirm to herself and her brother actually how loud she can scream for ice cream, working late that night is not all that bad.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself or someone considering a similar path knowing what you know now?
One of my favorite quotes comes from George Eliot: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” I wish I would have become self-employed sooner! Stop blowing your money. Save it. Pay off your debt and take the plunge. You’ll never know if you can be a successful business owner unless you try.

Have any favorite Etsy shops we should know about?

PeaceCraneGreetings – They’re perfect for folks like me who never quite get the greeting card in the mailbox. Wendi has solved the problem — all you do is order them and she signs your name and ships them directly to the recipient. My mom actually cried when she received the “I love that you’re my mother” card.
aandboriginals – Angela makes the coolest fingerless gloves. She uses lots of hip and beautiful colors and they’re very reasonably priced. Very cool and perfect for spring.
bettejaneshop – I really like Rachael’s embellished headbands. They’re great styles and super comfortable to wear.
Strangeling – Jasmine is an amazing artist and I’ve enjoyed working on a collaborative project with her.

Is there anything else you would like to share?
I would like to tell people if your sales are slow or you’re feeling kind of down, just remember, all of the people featured in this Quit Your Day Job series started on Etsy with no sales too. Keep the faith! You never really know who’s on Etsy and looking through your shop.
As I was answering these questions and preparing this interview I was contacted by the Paranormal Research Society (the same group who have the television show on A&E called “Paranormal State”). One of the members was looking through my Etsy shop and and liked my cuff bracelets. Now, after a few emails, I am going to design exclusive custom bracelets with their logo for their P.R.S. website in time for the season 5 airing of “Paranormal State” — and it’s all because of my little Etsy shop!

Lawn Sprinklers and Deer Eyes - THE WEIRD LIFE OF MOLLY

2010-01-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

Stag Deer cuff Bracelet

Well, kind reader, it's happened. Yes - the title of my life has changed as another year of living has been checked off my to do list.
As I write to you now - I am 35! I can't believe it. (This is where my 36+ year old readers roll their eyes and say "whatever" and where my 34- year old readers say dreamily "I wonder what I'll be like when I'm 35...").
Well, gals & GENTS (I know you're out there, fellas. I'm watching you watching me. ummm-humm. Have I creeped you out yet? good - I like the ball in my court, suckas.)

Where was I? Oh yes - Well, gals & gents it pretty much rocks to be 35. Straight up. I feel like I'm finally old enough to fully grasp & appreciate what life has handed me these 35 years.
2 Awesome kids.
1 Awesome man.
1 Awesome house with a studio.
1 Awesome boss named Nobody cuz I'm self-employed.
Tons of cool friends & family.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.
35.

I ask you this:
Have you ever stared a deer in the eyes?
I did. Yesterday.

It went a bit like this-
I was in my studio feeling pissed. See this person I know (a "frienemy", if you will) had been outpouring their windbag of negativity all over my good day yesterday. You know what I'm talking about - most of y'all have them - those moody friends who are always pissed about something and they go through being pissed at each individual friend and before you know it - it's your turn for them to be pissed at - and eventually they just get pissed at everybody and disappear for a while? Much like those lawn sprinklers - tick-tick-tick-tick. big long backwards spray tick-tick-tick-tick...
Yeah, well yesterday was my lucky day. Their pissed meter was pointed right at me.
tick. wah-blam!
And truly, sweet reader, in my most serious and dramatic voice - of course with a tad of sarcasm,
(are you ready for it?)

I did nothing wrong.

After too much bad-attitude-drama all morning I was debating whether to bang my head on the keyboard or the actual desk itself - it hit me. Why the hell do I have people like this in my life? I'm 35 years old for crying out loud - negative people are going to be shown the exit door in my life from now on. I threw up my hands and looked out the window.

And there it was. Standing next to the garage about 20 feet away from my studio. Staring directly at me.
A deer.

Keep in mind folks, I am a city girl. At the end of the cul-de-sac of our new house is a nature center and we have joyously found out we get the pleasure of often having wild animals around our yard even though we live in a bustling city. It rocks!

So there it was.
A deer.
Staring right at me. And I stared right back at it fused still like a statue in the position I was in. We eyeballed each other for about 10 seconds- both of us stone still. Then, with a flick of a short white tail, it was over and the deer dropped it's head and slowly began to eat a pile of leaves under the snow.
I snapped out of my own deer trance and watched it eat for another 5 minutes before it slowly walked out of my sight.
I felt 100% better.

I like it when
what I call fate,
some call God,
Native Americans call Ancestors,
others call coincidence,
whatever you want to call it
steps in and makes you feel better.

My goal for the next year - out with negativity - in with magical deer.

Happy New Year
♥,
Molly

I saved a squirrel - THE WEIRD LIFE OF MOLLY

2009-09-28T05:44:00.000-07:00

Boombox pendant - Urban Life Collection

So I was driving down the street, rocking out to my music, when I noticed the car in front of me was driving kinda slow & very weird. I immediately jumped to conclusions - (I'll have to think about that later...) and decided the piece of shit car ahead of me was breaking down or the driver was high as hell. After about 2 minutes of going nowhere behind this fool, he suddenly sped up to the right and zoomed off. That's when I saw it-

There was a squirrel in the middle of the road. Some other car must've hit it or something because it had a bum leg and was desperately trying to get out of the road and into the grass. Unfortunately, for the little critter, it was one back leg that was messed up and it wasn't getting anywhere - in fact it was whipping shitties in the middle of the road. I'm not kidding - this squirrel could only go in a circle cause it's one back leg didn't work.

That was it - I'm a sucker. I pulled my car over to the side of the road and came up with a plan in about one second:

I grabbed a super old newspaper from the backseat and decided to use that to kind of swoosh/sweep the squirrel to the side of the road and hopefully it could get itself up onto the grass - at least it wouldn't get run over by a car...

Well, kind readers, when dealing with a scared, hurt wild animal - I suggest taking longer than a second to come up with a plan.

As I approached the squirrel I scared it even more and it ran faster and faster in the never ending circle. I kind of laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation and I swear that squirrel got pissed off because I laughed. As I bent down to get the newspaper closer to it and the thought of rabies started to creep in my mind - the thing completely freaked and hurled itself onto my leg of my jeans.

Needless to say -I completely freaked out myself and screamed at the top of my lungs and in the span of about 2 seconds, on pure freaked out auto-pilot, I kind of hacky-sacked it into the air and drop kicked it with my other foot. OH MY GOD!

Well, I must've reset it's hip or something with my Karate Kid move (I had no idea I could do!) cuz the squirrel landed and ran all the way across the street, up the curb, and off the street. Continued to run (straight as an arrow) about 50 feet to the nearest tree and hauled it's ass up there.

Yes, my friends, I am a healer...

Karate Kid - THE WEIRD LIFE OF MOLLY

2009-09-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

My son starts karate on Monday and Cub Scouts on Tuesday.
I do believe this means he will eventually be able to make an attacker bleed and then tie a perfect tourniquet on him.

Latrisa the Beautiful - THE WEIRD LIFE OF MOLLY

2009-09-27T05:38:00.000-07:00

Angel Girl locket

The other day I was unpacking yet another box from the "great house move" and found an old diary I kept from my last "real job". I always seem call it my last "real job" because it was the last job I worked where I received a paycheck from someone other than myself.

I'd probably kick someone's ass and tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine if they said my business now wasn't a "real job". I'd point out how I am self employed. Proudly recite the list of museums, galleries, and boutiques my items are sold in and remind this fool that I have been self employed for long while now.
But between you and me, kind reader, I still call it my last "real job". Strange how that works...

I worked at a shelter for abused and neglected kids ages 1-13. It was an "emergency" shelter and we would get children that had just been removed from the home by the state of MN.
It was a heavy job. Heavy on the soul. Heavy on my outlook on humanity at times.
On the flip side - it was also rewarding when you were able to make a child smile who hasn't smiled in ages. The staff was really awesome and the pay was OK.

I kept sort of a diary to sort out and remember the feelings I would have on the tough days and I thought I'd post one of the entries here on my blog about an important character in The Weird Life of Molly.

Her name was Latrisa (*Of course I've changed names for privacy purposes) and she changed me in a way a self-absorbed mid 20 year old needed to be changed.

Here goes:

She was 8 years old. One would not call her a pretty girl, in fact, she has been described as ugly many times in the past and that harsh word will probably follow her into the future. She holds her face in a way that looks like she's waiting for someone to pinch her at any moment. Earlier this week she cut big clumps of hair off the back of her head leaving the staff with little options on what to do with it. Today I've sectioned the front off in little braids with colorful bobbles and plastic barrettes.
She's wearing a red and white gingham checked dress, donated to the shelter the day before by one of the wealthiest families in Minneapolis. She informs me the dress is from the GAP and does a little twirl. She tells me she never thought she'd be able to wear a dress from the GAP. She looks up at me with huge hopeful eyes.
I tell her she looks beautiful.

She was brought to the shelter three weeks ago. I read her file and found it was the same as most of the shelter's kids. Parental neglect, sexual abuse, mental health issues within the family, bounced from home to home...

Today we are going to Wal-Mart. She has a five dollar gift certificate her 15 year old sister gave her the day they were separated. I have no idea what she can buy for five dollars that's worth the 25 minute drive to the closest Wal-Mart, but she has been sad lately and I figure it might cheer her up to get out of the shelter for a while. I get the keys to the van out of the office and ask her if shes ready to go.
She gently slides her hand into mine as we walk to the van. I am the only staff member she allows to touch her. I don't know what I did to earn this trust. Maybe it's because I was working the day she arrived. Maybe it's because I gave her a bubble bath that night and scrubbed the caked dandruff out of her hair. Maybe it's because I look nothing like any of the people she has been surrounded by the past eight years. Maybe it's because I always tell her she's beautiful.
She automatically opens the side door of the van to get into the backseat. I ask her if she wants to sit up front with me and in what seems like one fluid motion - the side door is closed, she is sitting in the front seat, seat belt on, a secret smile dancing on her lips.

We both know we are breaking the first van rule.

No kids in the passenger seat. I'm not concerned. She is tall enough and weighs enough for the airbag. As we back out of the driveway I ask her to find as radio station and turn it up. She giggles and turns to a hip-hop station. Van rule number two...
We sing along to the radio for a while before I turn it down and ask her how she's doing. She looks at me, her eyes instantly watery.
"I miss my sister."
I turn the radio down some more and ask her if the phone call a week earlier was the last time she talked to her.
She nods her head.
"Do you want to tell me what your sister is like?" I gently ask.
"Sheanna saved me. She's the one who told the police about my dad and grandpa and what they did to us. She wasn't afraid anymore."
She looks out the window and I can't see her face.

Instantly the details of her file flash through my brain.
... vaginal and anal penetration by the father...
... masturbation in public...
... removed from home...
... temporary custody to grandparents...
... sexual abuse by grandfather...
... fifteen year old sister impregnated by grandfather...
... removed from placement to emergency shelter...
... Latrisa will not discuss issues of sexual abuse to date...

I know it's coming and I don't know what to do. Self doubt pours over me. I'm not trained in child psychology.
I clear my throat.
"Hey, sugar pie, " I touch her hand "you wanna talk about what happened?"

We pull into the lot of Wal-Mart and I clumsily park the van.

An eternity passes as she slowly turns her head to look at me. Huge tears are pouring down her cheeks. She takes off her seat belt and lifts up both arm rests. She awkwardly climbs into my lap wedging herself between me and the steering wheel.

"My dad... he touches me in my nasty places. He's ... he's not a good dad."

I put my arms around her and rest my chin on her head. I close my eyes and am instantly ashamed for every ounce of self pity I have ever felt in my twenty five years of life. I have never been touched in my "nasty place" by my father. I have never been raped my my grandfather. I've never been ripped away from my sister. I had my innocence.

We sit in the parking lot for 45 minutes that way.

She sobs in a way I have never heard before. People walk by and stare. She vomits out years of secrets, lies she's been told, and beatings. I speak in low tones and rub the side of her neck because I remember my mother comforting me that way when I was a child. I don't think she even hears my words. I know this is a vital thing for her to do. I feel the horrible importance swirling around us and landing on our skin, burning and healing in an instant.

I gently rub her neck until she stops crying. She wipes the back of her hand on her cheek and half hiccuping asks if I think five dollars is enough for a real Barbie. I tell her I think it is. I know five dollars is not enough and that staff is not allowed to buy items for kids.

Another rule I am going to break.

As we walk through the automatic doors of the store she slips her had into mine for the second time today. She musters up a smile and tells me she's always wanted a real Barbie. She swishes her hips as we walk so her red and white gingham dress from the GAP bells out. This girl amazes me and I give her hand a little squeeze. She looks up at me and I bend down and whisper in her ear that she is the most beautiful eight year old girl I have ever seen.

I have no idea what became of Latrisa. She would be about 18 years old now. A legal adult and finally out of "the system".
I like to think she has become a stunning young woman with an amazing future.

I hope so.

I'd Like to Dedicate This smile to...

2009-09-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Vintage Wolf Boy - Dictionary Art print

As a follow up to my previous post (I'd Like to Dedicate This Middle Finger...) I've decided to go in a complete about face, if you will, and bring out buckets of gushing love into the picture.

Here goes:

I've been thinking awhile about the weird characters I've come across in my life as if my life were a big book. Of course I have each individual family members as major supporting characters in the Weird Life of Molly.
(Yes, I've decided that is currently the title of my life.)
I'm talking more about more the quirky, memorable, non-blood related people who stumble into and out of my life and make it more interesting.
For example - in my mid twenties I knew this woman named Cary. She lived in Northern MN with her husband and 30something dogs.
Yep, you read right. 30something dogs.
They raised husky sled dogs and were the closest people who lived by my boyfriend at the time's A frame cabin we used to go to every weekend. He had known them for years and considered them family and we would hang out with them regularly. They were sort of Northern MN bumpkins that were impossible not to like.
She was an ?early 50's?, weather worn woman, grown up hippie who spent all day in the dog yard feeding and maintaining these dogs at, what I would call a dog ranch. These were not cuddly house dogs. Quite the opposite. They were work dogs - athletes. They each had an individual dog house they were very humanely chained to with a flat roof that they would jump on and around. She and her husband would spend all day mixing and dispersing dog food, picking up poop, replacing hay in the dog houses, running the dogs... it seemed a never ending task. When the day's work was done she would go into their cabin house and make a kick ass dinner from scratch. After dinner they would sit around the sparse kitchen's table, have a beer, and shoot the shit with ya.
I loved hanging out with her. It was my first friend that was significantly older than me and my "Little House on the Prairie" heartstring woke up and sang loudest when I was in their cabin around canned goods and homemade fried bread just off the wood burning stove (a technique she learned from a Native American back in the 60's).
She was interesting to me. Not like any of the women (especially her age) I've been around before. There were no mani-pedis, highlights, and twice monthly waxings going on around here.
She was truly happy working her ass off every day of the year to be able to take hours long sled dog rides in the winter. Just her and her dogs (Who, by the way, enjoyed those runs just as much as her.). That was her reward for a life filled with manual labor and she loved it.

After a year and a half of knowing her through weekend visits up North, Cary and her husband moved to Alaska. I guess their hearts were being called even further North by some hypnotic siren song that's in a pitch that only dog mushers and their dogs can hear.
On the night before they left MN we had a huge bon fire and the Northern Lights came out and rolled across the sky in shades of green that were unbelievable. I had never seen the Northern Lights before or since. It was pretty magical in a drunken bon fire way. It made sense that the MN skies would wish these awesome people a fond farewell.
We visited them and stayed the summer in Alaska a couple months after they moved there and to my surprise they had a new husky dog in their yard. Cary informed us the dog's name was Two Face. She was completely white except exactly half of her face, like a line drawn between her eyes down her muzzle that split both sides of the face - the right half of her face was completely pitch black. A totally awesome dog to look at!
She told us they had drove hours and visited another dog musher they had read about on the other side of Denali to see how he set up his dog yard. The guy was a weird, back-woods, type man. While there he showed them his dogs and casually pointed out Two Face and told them he was going to shoot her later that night. He had just found out the dog was deaf and now she had no use to him. She couldn't be run with his dog team and he didn't want to waist any more money on vaccinations and dog food on her.
After they left and drove about 10 miles they couldn't stand the thought of that beautiful dog getting killed and turned around and went back and told the dog musher they would be more than happy to take her off his hands. Sure enough - the guy's tune soon changed and he told them he would sell her to them for $100 - NOW this dog was worth money to him. ("Total Dick #1" character in this dedication.).
Cary and her husband paid the $100 and took her home.

Cary never called her "Two Face". I often heard Cary calling her "Lucky" and whisper in her ear when she would brush her fur out. The dog was for sure deaf but after a week or so Cary hooked her up to the dog team and the dog ran perfectly somehow just knowing when to stop.
A couple months after we left Alaska I broke up with the boyfriend ("Total Dick #2" character in this dedication) - never to talk to him again - and moved back to MN from OR. I would write Cary (as they had no phone) and keep in touch. She would find time in her busy day and write long letters back telling me about her life on the dog ranch. They became my favorite thing to receive in the mail.
About 6 months later I moved again and lost the box that had her letters and address and *poof* she was out of my life. Just like that. She didn't have my new address and I didn't have hers.

I think about her and her kind, simple heart often.

I like to dedicate this smile to kind, sweet Cary, the mother of all dogs.
10 years later - I still think of you all the time.

I'd like to dedicate this middle finger - THE WEIRD LIFE OF MOLLY

2009-06-25T05:04:00.000-07:00

Amazing Zoltar The Fortune Teller Necklace

I'd like to dedicate this middle finger to my 12th grade art teacher Ms. Beck. (Yes, I'm reaching way back into the past for this dedication. No, I am not crazy.)

The drama was this:
I worked on a painting for two weeks and was extremely pleased on how it turned out. My teacher told me I had to sign my name in black in the lower right corner of the painting like she had done in all her paintings for the past 30 years.
That's where I had my problem. A bold, black signature in the lower right corner would've totally thrown the flow of the image down the toilet.
I asked her if I could sign in a light blue on the left side of the painting where it would blend in a little better and she told me if I did that she would give me an "F". Signatures belonged in the lower right corner in BLACK like she signs her paintings. Period.
I wasn't going to ruin my painting and went home that night, told my parents I was about to receive an "F", and they called to set up a conference with the art teacher the next night.
(I grew up in an artistic household. My mother was the vice president of the World Organization of Porcelain Artists. She has traveled the world, has a vase in a museum in Germany, was invited as a cultural diplomat to China, etc. I knew my mother would understand and stick up for my fledgling artistic bottom line.)

After meeting with the teacher, who informed me & my parents that I, as well as the other students, would never be any sort of artist who would amount to much (eek! I KNOW! How DARE she say that?!), they came to agreement that I would be allowed to sign my name in the left in light blue and she wouldn't give me an "F".
I promptly signed my name, turned in the painting, and a week later got my grade.

The b*tch gave me a "D-".

I went home crying and my mother told me that she never thought she would be so proud of her daughter who thinks outside the box even if it means bringing home a "D-".

My first year in college I had an art fair. That "D-" painting was the first one I sold! The customer said they loved the flow of the image. Ha! That's when I initially dedicated a shaking fist at old Ms. Beck.

Now, 16 years later, I'd like to upgrade that dedication to a complete and total middle finger.

I have just received a large order from the Walker Art Center (One of the nation's top 5 modern art museums) . They showcased my jewelry a couple months ago and it went so well that they would like to now sell my jewelry in their gift shop! Whoo hoo!
I am totally honored and thrilled that this esteemed museum likes my creations so much that they are willing to sell them to tourists who are looking to buy something to remember their trip to this fantastic museum.

Today I feel I have come full circle. I am so very proud of myself and come the second week in July (when my items will be available for purchase at the Walker Shop), I will bring my two kids in and show them their mom's work. I will then tell them that no matter what anyone (especially crazy art teachers) says about them in the future - they can do ANYTHING and be ANYONE they want to be.

Yep, this middle finger goes out to you Ms. Beck.

One year on Etsy - THE WEIRD LIFE OF MOLLY

2009-05-01T09:31:00.001-07:00

So tomorrow is my 1 year anniversary selling on Etsy. Wow! A lot has happened to me in just a year....

First, and most importantly, We expanded our family and I gave birth to another strangeling. We call her Lucy Kate and she's now almost 10 months old and super cute! She's in the 90% for height so she's really tall already (no surprise as I am convinced my 5'11", tall-ass-self was an Amazonian in a past life.).
I like having kids. I tell all my kidless friends that it's sorta like a strange science experiment. Babies are weird in a good way and it's amazing how you can actually watch them learn.
It's also utterly amazing how funky kids can get and how a mother's gag reflex seems to fly out the door, never to be gagged again, as soon as that little one leaves the womb...
Poop and barf become a norm in a way kidless souls will never know.
But what's the best, and not that surprising, is how a little word like "Mama" outta a little mouth can make a gal's day!

My 13 year old, senile, geriatric weiner dog is still kickin it on our couch. Yeay! Joey lived another year! He is now 91 in dog years. Speaking of past lives - I am pretty sure he was a flamboyant gay man in a past life as he has a needy, special kind of love for every male in the family and really likes to cuddle faces. (This is where he jumps up on a man's lap and smashes his face against their's and will sit there like that for hours if he could.). He is also very fond of his various collars and struts around whenever a new one is put on him.
If Joey were a human - I would fight for his rights to marry whomever he wanted...

My man Michael and I are still going strong and notched another year of "togetherness" on our belts. He's still my best friend and I'm still his. He's the funniest person I know - besides me, of course. Ha! Just kidding - kinda. I'm pretty damn funny. Sort of.
My son Ash is now 5 and a half and he makes me bust out laughing all the time. Difference is - he doesn't try to. He told me yesterday not to get caught in his "boob trap". I reminded him it's called a "boobie trap" and told him I would be VERY careful.

As for Etsy - 835+ sales in 1 year and an invatation to showcase my jewelry at one of the nation's major modern art museums. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. (I am patting myself on the back.). My hard work has paid off! Whew!
That's on top of the however many sales I've had on Ebay. I don't even know how many sales I've had there and for some reason I don't care as much. I have a silly love/hate relationship with Ebay. I love that I get a lot of sales there, but I pretty much hate the automated administration on Ebay and the excessive fees.
My love for Ebay is more like a 13 year old's love for her pesky 8 year old brother. Where my love for Etsy is like how I love Brad Pitt in "Legends of the Fall" (passion filled and slightly obsessive - umm.. turn the computer off Mike you aren't supposed to be reading this. Don't worry - you are still my number 1, honey.).

Who knows what the next year will bring?! Crossing my fingers that it will involve the Publishers Clearing House, a GIANT check, and a commercial of me answering the door, wrapped in a towel (it adds more drama - don't you think?) screaming at the top of my lungs....
"I'M RICH!!!!"

"Lou-Lou" to "Louise" - THE WEIRD LIFE OF MOLLY

2009-01-30T07:38:00.000-08:00

First of all - I need somebody to give me a god damn round of applause. I don't even... icky...

...So, about 15 minutes ago I quickly let my dogs in from outside & I'm finally able to actually sit at my computer and answer some emails. I'm merrily typing my little fingers off when I hear this strange crunch from behind the couch. So I get up & look and it's my dog, Louise (little black thing I got at the Humane Society 5 years ago- part toy poodle/part yorkshire terrier/part vulture/part shark - shady & crazy little dog - she has beady eyes...) chomping on something. I kinda poke her and can only see a huge flash of fur (not hers) hanging from her mouth as she darts lightning fast from behind the couch to her kennel in the back room. Umm... holy shit...
So I reach into her kennel to pull her out (this is when she goes ballistic and attacks my hand and I can't pull her out...) and I see there is definitely some part of some other animal in there with her and she is snarling & protecting it like she hasn't ate in days...

Not knowing what to do, I open the back door (??? - like the dead thing is suddenly going to fly out of her kennel and out the door..), pick up a metal yard stick and try to poke her out of the kennel. Now this little 15 pound dog-beast has turned entirely Cujo and is snarling and growling at me like she's going to rip my face off. Umm... holy shit...again...

Seeing that the yard stick will be of no use to me - I threw it aside and picked up the whole damn kennel. Must've startled the devil out of the dog cuz she jumped right out of the kennel (without the dead thing) and looked at me like I was the one that was f-ing crazy.
So I semi-calmly carried the kennel & walked from my back door, through my yard, and and proceeded to tilt the kennel over the fence (so she won't get it again) to fling whatever was in it out into the alley.
It was an entire adult rabbit's head! Ears perked up, eyes, nose, wiskers, and yuck hanging... An entire head.... disgusting.
I found the crime scene in our yard. Tufts of fur blowing around in the grass - strangely there is no sign of the body...
We used to call her Lou-Lou. Now it's strictly Louise. She's a badass bitch. If she were human - I wouldn't trust her & she definitely wouldn't be living with me...

Astroids - The weird life of Molly

2009-01-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

My man found a website that you can play old Atari games on and my 5 year old son fell in love with the game "Astroids".

So the other night he walked over to us and asked if he could play "Ass Roids" (Ironicly a Preparation H commercial came on the TV just then).

Now, and forever in the future, that game is and will only be known to us as Ass Roids.