Trash Ties: I HAVE to have these!

These are perfect for the way I do my hair (when I actually do my hair)! I have a haphazard way of using bobby pins and hair ties, but they never stay up. These are ideal. And the inventor is a mom of 2! Even better!

I made it onto the Etsy Dark Team's Item of the Day! YAYZ!

I am so excited. I never really thought I would get a spot for item of the day, especially since I haven't been as involved lately as before, but this is definite inspiration to keep going and make new stuff!

Here's the link:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=354476454&blogId=490776795

Lunch break Spring Inspiration!

For lunches during springtime, I love walking over to the Adolfo Camarillo Ranch House. The flowers are in full bloom. Here are some photos I took on my walk:









A little pathway behind the house...

That leads to a beautiful and very peaceful shrine of the Guadalupe.


Hope you get a chance to go outside today!

Springtime Inspiration

Spring is inspiring me everywhere I go. My son has been singing this song that he hears on Noggin every night, "Spring is Here." That inspires me. The flowery smell in the air
and the bright pink cherry blossoms in Eugene, Oregon, when I was there recently for a business trip inspired me. The plants and especially the roses in full bloom at the Camarillo Ranch House inspires me. A recent trip to the beach, and how the water was especially blue, inspired me. It is a beautiful time of year full of beautiful colors.

I am working on a few new projects. Those should go up soon, within the next 2 weeks. More on that later! Enjoy the season!

New favorite shop: archeress.etsy.com

Can I just say I am in LOVE with this shop? I am a huge fan of chokers as well as a huge fan of historically beautiful jewelry. I don't like my jewelry to be complicated, but I do like intricacy of design. These completely fit my taste right now, and I'm going to get a few of these beauties for myself. You'll most likely see them incorporated into my portrait work soon as well!

Illustration Friday Topic: Intricate

It's not finished, just the first sketch, but my piece is very much inspired on the brain of the 11 year old girl. Yes, inspired again by my daughter and the tween years she is going through, and putting us through. Oh wow, it is extremely intricate. I really want to finish this one. I'll post again once I do. Enjoy the sketch!

Shop Updates for the week of 03.09.09

I am going to start doing a weekly update for the shop, this will keep me motivated to keep listing things. I'm in a very creative wave right now, more for craft than for art, and this is because I am stressed out! Which is good for the shop, because as fellow crafters know, crafting is a GREAT stress reliever! So check out my updates, and follow my blog to find out when new stuff is up!

<3 Naomi

Funny

This blog really cracked me up. I thought I'd share the wealth. The truth is really more ridiculous than fiction at times! Recession? Where? lolz

I'm still a mark. Rep!

So, I signed up to be a mark. rep a few years ago, before I had my son, because I wanted to make some extra money and get discounts on the makeup (which is really great btw). I hadn't sold or bought anything in a while, but out of curiousity, decided to see if I still had my account. I need to buy some new lipsticks, and since the lipstick I bought from mark really worked well for me (usually lipsticks don't do so well for me), I wanted to see if I still got a discount. Lo and behold, I am STILL a mark. rep! They have some really cute stuff on there, and I even have my own webstore at http://nvaldivia.mymarkstore.com/.

Feel free to check it out! There's a special right now for shopping at my store. FREE SHIPPING with any $25 or more order!

<3 Naomi

Easy Victorian Hair Style: Rag Curls

So my hair is at a considerable length these days, and with my love of the movie A Little Princess, I always wondered how to get my hair in curls like that. My hair is extremely straight btw. I just read a really great article showing how to do exactly that! It's called Rag Curls! I am going to try it. It is supposed to be very easy, and because you use pieces of cloth instead of curlers, it is very comfortable to sleep in. That's the kind of hair style I like, you put it in, and the work is done where you sleep. You wake up and WALAH! Beautimous, romantic Victorian style curls.
You can see the picture of the 2 girls from the movie with their hair done up with the little cloth ribbons. I am so excited to try it. I'll post a pic of what it looks like once I get it down. Here's a link to the article: http://www.ehow.com/how_4750423_create-rag-curls.html.

Etsy DIY on the red carpet

"Congrats to wickedworld whose pendant was worn (ahem, flaunted) at the Oscars by pet-lover Mickey Rourke. The cute face of Loki, Mickey's beloved Chihuahua, stood out from Mickey's flashy white suit and be-sunglassed look. The actor was nominated for this year's Best Actor for his role in The Wrestler. Sadly, Loki passed away only days prior, and Mickey tearfully dedicated the Independent Spirit award to the pooch at a separate ceremony. "

Awesome. Click on the pic for the whole article on etsy.

Victorian Inspiration on Etsy

Another gorgeous trend watch report from etsy. I am in love. Be prepared to see more things in the shop that are inspired by Romantic Victorian aesthetics.

Inspiration!

This Etsy post is SUCH an inspiration for me! I am aesthetically being drawn to more romantic, Victorian and turn of the century aesthetics lately, and much more ladylike. Here is a beautiful post with some absolutely gorgeous looks and luscious dresses! http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/trends-the-cream-colored-dress-3505/

Diary of a Crafty Chica: PROJECT: Collage Cocktail Rings!

Diary of a Crafty Chica: PROJECT: Collage Cocktail Rings!

Seriously I am in love with this project. Perfect timing as I am itching to make jewelry again (it's been well over a year, and my burnout has long fizzled)...it's time! Thanks Cathy!