My new slogan...

I love this one! From Sloganizer.net:

The goddess made CalyxAnn.

Happy New Year!

The year of the Rat! (I don't have a rat, just a dragon.)





From http://www.chinapage.com/newyear.html

There are three ways to name a Chinese year:

1. By an animal (like a mscot).
2008 is known as the Year of the Rat.
There are 12 animal names; so by this system, year names are re-cycled every 12 years.

More.
1. By its Formal Name (Stem-Branch).
   This year is the year of Wu Zi.

   In the 'Stem-Branch' system, the years are named in 60-year cycles, and the Name of the Year is repeated every 60 years.
   2008 is the 9th year in the current 60-year cycle.

2. Current year is Year 4705 by the Chinese calendar.

   [A few Chinese astrological/zodiac websites believe this year should be considered as Year 4706 for zodiac calculations.]

Thought I'd take this chance to show off my sushi sets, once again. Once I get motivated, I'll actually start listing these!

Consciousness...

And Tee-shirts...
Again, I was flipping through a free magazine that I picked up (Yogi Times, I think); and found a few ads for tee-shirts that I really liked...and perhaps, when my discretionary funds perk up a bit, I will add these to my wardrobe:
I really love the Dalai Lama shirts here. And the Teacher shirt here (although the site is a bit too Hollywood trendy for my tastes.) I like the look of the Love Not War, but don't like that the shirt is asking for both Love and War at the same time (seeing as how I subscribe to the notion that focusing on a negative (not war) is simply asking for that which you don't want...So, perhaps Love and Peace would be my preferred alternative:) I would absolutely buy that one! (And, I'm not sure what the Portuguese has to do with anything.)

In Search of Inspiration....

Wowsers! Would you just look at this incredibly intricate and detailed dragon?
I found this lovely hanging out at GlassArtists.org in Michelle Rial's gallery.She's definitely got an affinity for Asian themed creations as well as for fish. Check out all of her amazing pieces. What a talented artist out of Serena, IL.
Here is her website.

Late Night Shopping Extravaganza!

I was up late last night after a long, steady night at work, and I started perusing my favorites on Etsy.com. I found a cool new tool that lets you make posters out of listings, though I had to use my screenshot program to grab this image. When I went back today to see if the images were still there, they were. So, it did save them in my profile, or in cookies, or whatever. But, I still don't know if there's any purpose to it other than just allowing you to make your own customized images with listings. Hmm...

Still, look at all the fabulous offerings available! I did break down and buy two paintings from focuslineart, who's got a series called Tree Rings (top left). I can't wait to receive them and see how cool they are in the flesh!

Note to Self...

Check out Trunkt: The Buyer's Guide to Independent Art + Design

Moo Cards

Note to self: Check these out!

What is a Moo card? That's what I asked, minus an expletive, when I read about it. Apparently, it's not only an alternative to business cards, for use as a calling card, but it's a little personalized piece of art.

Apparently, there's a whole flickr group for moo cards from Moo.com.
And the website has several links for "what to do with your moo cards."
Jewelry, art, magnets (er..., moognets), keychains, wedding invitations, etc...
And, of course, there's even a moo blog. And folks are starting to trade moo cards,...hmm.
Chew on this for awhile, and I know the ideas will start churning!

Danger! Made in China...

I saw this link on BoingBoing.net recently. Yet another reason to buy locally, buy handmade, buy American... I know a lot of companies and corporations are outsourcing to China because it's cheaper, but perhaps as a consumer you'll think twice before buying that "Made in China" item, especially toys! Check out all the items that are lead contaminated.

On a side note, there are more reasons to think twice before buying "Made in China." I've been reading a book by Isabel Losada lately, "A Beginners Guide to Changing the World." It's about one woman's actions to get involved in changing the world for the better. She highlights her actions in trying to help with and understand the issue of Tibet and China. In the middle of the book, she quotes an excerpt from a book she's been given by Kate Saunders of the Tibet Action Network. It's called "Eighteen Layers of Hell," and it's all about the forced labor camps in China. I want to highlight this, because it's another very good reason to think twice before buying "Made in China."

Suspension by the hands and feet is also common in the labour camps. The "hanging aeroplane" involves suspending prisoners by the arms with their hands tied together behind their back so that the arms are contorted when the prisoners are suspended, causing extreme pain. Suspension can severely damage the muscles and nerves and if prolonged causes dislocation of the arms from the shoulder sockets. On other occasions the guards would grab the prisoners from behind, force their wrists together at the back and yank their arms back and up towards the head, so that the prisoners fall on their knees, as the arms nearly break loose from their sockets. For variation, the wrists could be forced together in front, the arms jerked up over the head and then back in the torture known as the "chicken claws."

"You could be forgiven for thinking that I have scanned the book for the most graphic passage. But I have merely opened it at random. This is what we don't want to know," Ms. Losada explains between passages...

Electric batons are some of the most frequently used torture instruments in Chinese prisons, and they are purchased from trade fairs - sometimes made by European or American companies....At a touch, a shock is released through two prongs at the nozzle of the baton, often emitting a crackling blue light. The batons are shaped in such a way that they can be inserted inside the body, and there is evidence that they have been applied to the soles of the feet, inside the mouth, on the genitals, or inside the vagina or ears of the victims.

I was deeply disturbed by just these two passages, yet there is an entire book full of the torture that occurs in Chinese force labor camps. "Made in China?" Yeah, I'm not interested. Thanks.

New form of graffiti on the rise!

I was reading Etsy.com's blog today, catching up on some reading because I haven't visited in awhile. Anyway, I came upon this posting picturing a pipe in Brooklyn covered with a knitted tube cozy. Fabulous!! Check out the Gallery of Knitted "Graffiti" on the graffiti group's website, "Knitta, Please."
From the website:

"Knitta began in August 2005, when the soon-to-be-Knittas were discussing their frustration over unfinished knitting projects: half-knitted sweaters and balls of yarn gathering dust. That afternoon, they knit their first door handle. Then it dawned on them… a tag crew of knitters, bombing the inner city with vibrant, stitched works of art, wrapped around everything from beer bottles on easy nights to public monuments and utility poles on more ambitious outings. With a mix of clandestine moves and gangsta rap — Knitta was born! Today, Knitta is a group of ladies of all ages, nationalities, and… gender."

Also, I've been sitting on this link for awhile without any relevance to post about it. Perhaps we can all use the tool to grade the knitted graffiti instead?

Graffiti Report Card on LaughingSquid.com

From the creator of the download-able and printable PDF report card,

"It’s a project I started a couple of months ago after seeing my neighborhood (The Mission District of San Francisco) receive an amazing amount of ugly, large, and talentless graffiti. I wanted a way to combat the ugly graffiti while at the same time give praise to the talented graffiti writers who I feel make the streets more beautiful. It occurred to me, that many of our local taggers don’t realize how ugly and talentless their graffiti is, so I wanted to give them some feedback."