Valentine's Day 2013

It's no secret that I despise Valentine's Day.  And this is NOT a post divorce thing.  I hated it then too: because I wasn't dating/married to the romantic type. Well, that's not entirely true.  The one and only good V-Day I ever had was February 14, 2000.  He really loved me in month six. That may have been the one and only time he deemed me thin enough to receive the gift of chocolate   ;)

I recall the V-Day I screamed at him because he came home at 10:00 at night to cold steaks that I had made, because he spent that entire Saturday snowmobiling with his Dad's drunk friends.  I recall the cold and awkward V-Day in Bertucci's when he yelled at me for leaving the coupon in the car.  Mostly I remember that we always bought each other good shit, because we were good at presents.  Not feelings.  But when it came to presents we were solid.

But I digress.  Anyway, as kids it was the sweetest thing, right?  It meant those little foldable valentine's cards with characters on them from your entire class, and doing a craft project to make a mailbox for them.  It meant candy: my parents always bought us those little russell stover heart shaped boxes with chocolates.  Mostly it meant nothing more than the superficial, and that was pleasant.  Mostly in the adult world, it's a shitty holiday that puts pressure on people who should just otherwise focus on treating each other well every regular day.

So, this year I am determined to dial it back to the childhood level.  What did it mean then?  Treats and decorations.  And that's what it's going to mean to me again.  I refuse to feel badly about being alone, because even people in relationships struggle on this particular holiday.  I'm going to treat myself and celebrate my awesomeness on my own.  I'm buying myself flowers.  Yes, I am.  From the same delivery company Jaime used to use and I'm dragging out that beautiful red vase he gave me the flowers in on that last V-day together because I fucking love that vase and I'm going to get good use out of  it.  And I asked my cousin Michelle to make me a dozen cupcakes (she has a business).  I'm getting dark chocolate with raspberry preserve filling, and white chocolate chambord swiss meringue frosting.  Yes, be jealous that I'm going to inhale those bitches (okay, I'm going to share with my family) and enjoy myself.  And I'm going to share with you all my attempt at putting a tiny bit of V-day spirit into the family home.  May your Valentine's Day NOT suck.  :)

Proflowers.  He used to buy me flowers from them because Howard Stern used them: oh love.

Courtesy of Happy Cake, see description above.  Yum.

my homeade mantel decor

my wreath v-day craft project 

New Year's Eve: 2013 Vision Board

Well, it's New Years Eve.  Officially.  Goodbye 2012.

But I won't say good riddance (for once.)  Honestly?  I thought I had an "ok" year.  I mean, compared to 2009 through 2011, it was a picnic.  There were downs, but there were plenty of ups too.  And I'm so grateful for that.  I declare that 2012 was a year of normalcy.  I felt like a human being again, not a divorced wretch.  It was the year of sex.  Oops.  It was a year of relationship attempts.  It was a year of less writing and more crafting.  It was a year of weight ups and downs.  It was the year I lost my gallbladder (thank the lord.)  It was the year I finally felt like the eating disorder wasn't controlling my life.  It was a year of funky hair choices.  It was a damn good year at work.  It was a much better year financially: I got my shit together and I only hope it stays that way.  It was a year of family: big changes, little changes.  It was a year that I was not at all lonely.  (Clarification: I wasn't lonely in my life like I was alone in Hartford.  Yes, I did talk about the not having a relationship kind of lonely.)

And what will 2013 bring?  Lots of good shit, I hope.  I do not feel inclined at all to make resolutions.  And let me tell you, I'm so sick of worrying about my weight.  I've got big t & a, and I'm going to deal with it.  You won't see me making any weight loss declarations.  I'm tired of the bullshit and I just want to live my life.

So, I think it's time to throw up this year's vision board.  Yes.  I love making these.

2013 is going to be all about personal identity and style, spirituality, expanding sense of self, experimenting with love and relationships, and planning for my financial future.

Here are the key words and phrases visualized on the board.  Some are literal, some are symbolic.

Savings for a Rainy Day
Reducing Debt
2013Mazda6 in Fireglow Red
Inappropriate Love and Passion (Outside the Comfort zone: why not?)
Taking a Chance (or two or three)
Manifesting Love (Reiki candle)
Homeopathy
Juicing
Crochet
Etsy Shop estalishment
Miscellaneous M
Defining Style: Rocker Chic and Boho Western
Piercing my Nose?  Finally?
M Style Aesthetic  (red chevron & black/white damask and anything cameo/sillouette/vintage)
Art Museum Trips
Painting, Better Quality brushes

Miscellaneous M

I am very excited about this etsy shop plan.  I am going to work on building inventory over the next month or so.  I want it to be a combo of needlework and home decor if possible: everything from toss pillows, to scarves, to paintings, to ornaments.   I also want to put some of my fine art up for sale as well, although only maybe a piece of two that are more generic.  We shall see.  Here is a link to the blog I will set up to list those items, my craft interests, and link to pinterest.

http://miscellaneousm.blogspot.com/

Here is a sneak peak of what I am working on.  A sparkly scarf (you cannot see the sparkles in the pic) and a few acrylic geometric, decorative canvas paintings  (silver, blue, turquoise, chocolate brown, and pearl white).    I ran out of white yarn so back to Michael's I go tomorrow!

Starting a Business for those hopeless at "business?"

I would love to turn my crafting and decorating passion into some sort of a business.  Eventually.  Down the road.  Maybe?

I have no idea how to do that, really, but I'm smart and my sister is an accountant.  That's right.  Little Shani not only is graduating cum laude after all that hard work, but was offered a very lucrative, full time offer in the audit department of the local firm she interned with recently.  I am so ridiculously proud of her.  And jealous of her starting, entry level salary.  Grrrrr.  Shakespeare and Jane Austen, I shake my fists at you and the cosmos for making me poor and impractical!  ;)

But anyway, I just love the crafting thing.  I just have no idea how to narrow it down.  Christmas ornaments? Clay pieces?  Crochet: scarves, throw pillows, blankets?  what??????  I know I can do other things too: paper crafts, wreaths, different artwork pieces, modge podge of frames or other small decor items, and who knows what else.  I wouldn't mind finding flea market and vintage finds to repurpose or repaint either.  I have no clue.

But it's on my mind.

Oh, and I need a snappy, clever, business name.  Yeah.  That's the ticket.  ;)  Suggestions?

UPDATE:  What do we think of "Miscellaneous M"   ???????  Since it sticks to my actual initials of MM.  :)

My Mother's Tree

Christmasfying my room at 3 in the morning...

Ugh, I can't sleep.  Nothing is bothering me: it's just one of those days where I can't seem to settle in.  So?  I finished my room.  Put every last random box in my hallway in storage.  Finally.  After five fricken months of living here.  And I Christmasfied it.  Yes, I just made that up (obviously.)

I can't take a picture to save my life.  And my iphone likes to put random anomalies and orbs into my photos (probably because the lens is dirty or something).  So, I tried to clean it, but that didn't really help.  Who knows.  I'll never be able to be a crafting or decorating blogger because I suck at photography.  Like big time suck.

Here's the room you've all seen before, but new, improved and full of more stuff...

O Christmas Tree

It's December 2nd people.  And I, Marisa, am a Christmas junkie.  I admit it.  I love it.  I can't help it.

Here is a sneak peak of my holiday decorating.  My tree is only tree number one.  Mom's tree isn't done yet.

I threw in some other nephew cute shots.  He just figured out how to pull himself up into the rocking chair and watch TV.  It's wicked cute.  He was very into my Christmas tree.  Although this is his 2nd Christmas, obviously last year he just laid there unaware.