Argyle pink pendant

Argyle pink, originally uploaded by Yaslani.

I'm feelin this argyle pattern. Originally I made up the design for postcards which I still may have printed.

Love it?

yaslanietc.etsy.com

Treasury Love

Linda Robbs on Etsy put together this fabulous treasury...and guess who's in it??!! MEEEE!!!

Thank you Linda...you are awesome!

Goodbye October, Hello November

November is a weird month for me. On one hand I'm sad that my favorite month is over but on the other, November starts a booming season of sales for us Etsy sellers.

Or so we hope right?

My 15 year old went trick or treating (I know I know...*shaking my head*). I'm thinking..."how much candy could she really get? I mean a 15 yr old with a lame costume and 2 equally lame teenagers?"

Here is how much:

This was just the chocolate that we picked out so it wouldn't melt

I say us sellers have to have the attitude of a 15 yr old in a lame costume on a rainy Halloween. My kid was not deterred by any of the things that I just knew would make her come home with a few pieces of hard candy and lint.

She knew there was candy out there so she went to get it.

There are sales out there to be made....LET'S GO GET THEM!!

Out of Control Ego

Out of Control Ego, originally uploaded by Yaslani.

Found a new fun site, Dumpr
Perfect for crazy photo editing.
Love it.

PS - I see nothing wrong with being worshiped by strangers in a museum. Just sayin.

Sometimes you need a good laugh

I do believe that laughter is the best medicine. Sometimes I see things and hold onto them for a rainy day because they crack me up and who knows when I'll need a good cracking up again!

This is from an old 60's magazine...can't remember which one.

What kills me most about this is the look on the ladies face who is holding the little boy. Every time I see it I DIE (Zoe style)

It's ok. I still love you

I started this weekend by running to the grocery store for a couple things. Swiped the card..."card not recognized" ???

Then I head to the ATM with a different card. Swiped that card..."card not recognized"

Ok, I admit to being slow at times so I figured, must be a weird coincidence until it happened at yet another ATM.

My fucking blackberry demagnetized ALL my cards. All of them.

I felt so betrayed. You all know how much I love my blackberry. I tweet on it. I blog on it. I don't go anywhere without it. I even tricked it out with moo stickers so it wouldn't be naked.

And this is the thanks I get.

Geez. It's ok blackberry. Right now I'm hurt but I guess you had your reasons for doing what you did. Maybe when I'm shopping I don't pay you enough attention. Did I say something while chatting on you that you didn't like? Whatever it was I'm sorry.

It's ok. I still love you

PS: If you pull this shit again I'm getting an IPhone.

Shacking Up - The Twitter Debate

Part 2 of my first videos. This is a response to a conversation on Twitter. I actually did this video for 2 reasons - 1) I had a lot more to say about it but it wasn't translating well on Twitter. 2) It was really late at night/early in the am and I needed to get another video done before I changed my mind and scrapped the whole thing.

Anyway, let me know your opinions! I'm curious what other ladies (and guys) think about this subject. It's been almost ten years since I have lived with someone and maybe things are different now. I'm also single so maybe I'm just projecting...either way, I'd like to know what you think.

I'm on YouTube! (what am I thinking?!?)

This is my first video! WooHoo! I'm uploading while it's late and no one is online and I'm too tired to re-think this potentially poor decision : )

Until I delete it...ENJOY!

PS: I did another video right after this one but I really need to sleep on it...cya tm
L8R

Self Portrait Thursday #1

Self Portrait Thursday #1, originally uploaded by Yaslani.

Ok, there is no such thing as self portrait thursday but I figured why not start one?

I'm usually behind a desk so the big question today was "Are you wearing a wrap dress?" Sadly no. Although it would be awesome as a dress it's a hip length top.

Can I do this again next week?

We'll see.

Dollar Store Project - Moo Vase

Dollar Store Project - Moo Vase (view 2), originally uploaded by Yaslani.

I bought a plain vase at the dollar store. (Yes for $1!!)

I used my moo.com stickers to create a mosaic. You don't have to use stickers.

You can use:
Squares of colored paper from magazines, ephemera, or even wrapping paper.

Ribbon. Interweave and glue for a unique look.

Bling it out with beads

If you make something cool, please post!

Balloon Boy vs OctoMom

Here we go again.

Believe it or not I tell myself everyday that I will not comment on the latest batch of crazy on the tube and internets.

As much as I rant you may think I've failed miserably. Trust me, this is restraint.

Along comes Balloon brat and his wackadoodle family and forces me...yes forces me to say something that 140 characters on twitter does not permit.

*sigh*

This won't be pretty.

By now we all know the boy supposedly snuck into his dad's bootleg, homemade balloon invention and took off into the sky. I held my breath for hours as they waited to get the balloon down.

All I thought was poor kid, scared and alone. Poor family feeling helpless. As a parent you think of your own kid.

Then I found out they were on a Reality Show.

Then I found out the kid was hiding possibly with the help of the father.

Then I found out they were pimping their story to any show with a camera.

Now I'm pissed.

Here's why.

I've had massive arguments with people about Nadya Suleman aka Octomom. My position is that she is no worse than Kate Gosselin or anyone else having a bunch of kids and getting attention and money.

Why wouldn't she think it was perfectly fine to have a litter of babies? Every other family gets media attention and a goodie bag full of tv money...soooo why not? I mean Octomom was (pun intended) the mother of all multi-births. Why shouldn't she get her goodie bag too?

Since I was young, the media has taken an interest in kids - kids who fall in wells, kids who hide in barns, multiple kids born with the help of science, triplets, quadruplets, sextuplets...

Now with reality tv and our insatiable need for disposable celebrities, producers are ambulance chasing the news for the latest freak show.

Of course the Henne family, with it's tiny taste of fame, would want more. Why wait for the producers to come to you? It makes perfect sense they would think this plan was crazy enough to work. It has worked before.

So why am I mad?

When I was 17 the Tawana Brawley story captured the attention of the nation. I was near Tawana's age at the time and now I have a teen daughter, 15. I remember then, even before any facts were revealed that no one believed her.

I'm not defending Tawana Brawley, Al Sharpton or any of the details of the story. Honestly, I feel  we will never really know what happened. 

I will say this - The message to me as a young girl of color was if something does ever happen to you, God forbid, the media will not be your friend and no one will believe you or worse...care.

This is a powerful message. If you think I'm wrong, name one more "hoax" since then...in 22 years involving a young black girl or boy. Name it.

Name one missing black child BY NAME that has been covered around the clock by the media. Name one missing black woman or one who was killed by her husband, boyfriend, stalker. Just one. Name one killed by a celebrity. By name...not by her killers name.

Can't can you?

Our kids go missing all the time but we know a lie about it will not get us a tv show. We know that because we can't be victims on tv without controversy - if we will even be seen at all.

It is not even slightly in the realm of possibility that any shenanigans I cook up for a reality show with myself and my kid (unless we both want to date Flavor Flav) will be paid any attention. Certainly no positive attention.

22 years after Tawana Brawley her name is synonymous with hoax. Think about that. She is either 40 or quickly approaching it and is still viewed as a liar. Let's say she did lie at 16 and it all just got out of control. Who didn't lie at 16? But just last week it was brought up again...as if it was the worst thing done in this country in the past 22 years.

We know this so we police ourselves. We know what you can and can't get away with.

That is the key. People do what they know they can get away with.

The answer for Balloon boy and his family is simple. Shame.

Shame has worked for Octomom. She is public enemy number one and a scourge on humanity (according to the talk shows). Heck, lots of white women were cranking out multiple babies before her and it was okie dokie. But now that some random ethnic chic wants to join in that's when everyone wants to draw a fucking line in the sand.

So if we are all really outraged about the Henne family, let's shame them. Make the name a punchline. Shame them for their "hoax" to the point that everyone...everyone understands that if you lie you will be humiliated for the next 22 years...and maybe more.

New Moo Stickers

New Moo Stickers Oct 2009, originally uploaded by Yaslani.

It's nice to get moo mail!

My love affair with all things Moo Inc. continues. *Sigh*

Today I got my new stickers and I am beyond thrilled. Some of you lucky guys will find a few of these in your Etsy order over the next couple weeks.

If you want to make your own, here are some tips:

1) Crop your photo in an editing program before importing your photo.
2) Lighten your photo a bit. The printing process makes the stickers a little darker than your original.
3) Have fun! Crop a crazy ad from a magazine or newspaper. The strangest pics can make the most interesting stickers.

When you get your stickers, upload them on Flickr so we can all see what you created!

Geisha Postcard

Geisha Postcard, originally uploaded by Yaslani.

New Postcard based on my Walking Geisha painting.

Dear Adobe,

You have created a monster : )

Artie Elephant

Artie Elephant, originally uploaded by Yaslani.

When I get into something I become a bit obsessive.

Lately I've been playing with my artwork in Photoshop experimenting with shapes and layers.

Working on getting some of these prints made up for the holidays.

L8R