Idiocracy & Art

Am I the only one who feels that my IQ declines a little more every time I watch any news coverage of the GOP presidential candidate race?  Birth control?  REALLY?!  Did you see the weekend update Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers Saturday?  Awesome.  So let me get this straight: don't give out birth control, don't allow abortions, and then don't subsidize any medical, education, or aid for any of these children.  Um okay.  Sounds a like winning plan to me.

I saw the end of the movie Idiocracy last night on IFC.  My husband and I always joke that it's becoming true of our country.  When he saw a commercial of Kraft's new MiO water flavor drops, he flipped, "OMG it's happening!"  Me: "But Brawndo's got what plants crave!"

Today I'm excitedly awaiting the arrival of a piece of art from RACEPONYstudio.  I'm going to make a light fixture with it!!  The artist, Timothy Belcher has to be one of the nicest guys ever.  We met on Etsy and decided to do a collaboration which is going to be wicked awesome (sorry, too much coffee this morning).  Etsy rules.  Nicest. People. Ever.  I swear I don't work for them but as much as I've been promoting them lately, maybe I need to send them an invoice.


Here is an image of the soon to be awesome RACEPONY Chandy:

I will post pics as soon as it's underway!  Stay tuned...

Etsy & Consumerism Apocalypse

I've been swamped with orders on Etsy!  I'm not even kidding, I've shipped 12 orders in last 10 days.  What is even crazier than the fact that I am now a chandelier-making machine is that the customers buying my stuff on Etsy are not your typical little housewives shopping for handmade kids' clothes and knitted scarves.  I'm talking a rockstar drummer, a celebrity athlete, several interior design firms, retail shops, bars/restaurants, and just dudes (regular ole dudes!).

I think more people are jumping on Etsy to find new and interesting things that don't end up everywhere like the Bjursta dining room table that 9 of 10 people I know own, thank you Ikea.  But maybe it's more than just that.  I think it also says something about our purchasing behavior.  A few years ago, we wouldn't buy anything that wasn't USDA certified, UL rated, or FDA approved.  Now I feel I trust something more coming from another mom than I would from another big corporate name.  I've read Fast Food Nation and Skinny Bitch.  I know how it works now.  I'm no longer naive enough to believe these agencies have my best interests at heart.

I'm not going to lie, I kind of love it.  It's like being a part of a revolution.  Viva The Small Business!  Viva Urban Chandy!  Viva Etsy! 

Thinking about it further...Etsy is a great demonstration of individuals learning a craft.  I've seen some amazing craftsmanship over the last few months while shopping my face off on Etsy.  The other night on the Grammys, Dave Grohl went off on a tangent about "the human element of music is what's important...and learning to do your craft, that's the most important thing for people to do...."  This seemed to strike a note with me.  Sorry but bear with me here, America has been criticized in the last few years for lacking skilled workers and craftsman.  Maybe Etsy is the new Ayn Rand world of craftspersons coming together to create the new America we will live in.  Was that a jump or what?  LOL Maybe, maybe not.  I can certainly tell you I NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS would have predicted my jump from earning 6 figures in branded wholesale apparel sales to making chandeliers to sell on Etsy.  Well, 3 years ago I never would have.  But here I am...and I'm loving it.