*tumbleweeds*

So. Life happened. It's kind of annoying that way.

I'm a teacher, or at least I'm trying to be one, and the economy is not being kind to me in this pursuit. I was pink-slipped, and was one of the (seemingly few but supposedly hundreds) that didn't get their job back.

As I pride myself on being the best that I can, this led to me kind of shirking craft stuff for a while. Well, I'm finally pulling myself up by my bootstraps and jumping back on the crafting train! It's been fun, and cathartic.

As such, the focus of this blog is going to change a little bit. It's not going to be in sole support of my etsy shop (which I also need to focus a little TLC on), it's going to be where I blog about things I enjoy that also focus around creating. Most of this will result in craft-related posts, yes, but don't be tripped out if you see the occasional recipe share or geek-out over something. I seem to be drawn to creative outlets and things one can do with their hands, and that is what I want to talk about here, in the hopes that this will draw in fellow seekers of little touches of beauty in the world so we can share and commiserate over such things. I'm excited for this shift, because my main blog, which is personal, tends to only focus on my life, and most of my internet blog-friends aren't as into the creative side as I am. A few, but not enough where I feel I can talk about these creative inspirations and joys in the personal blog. =)

So, as such, the blog WILL occasionally feature my own work (sometimes with an arrow pointing to my etsy shop if you're so inclined), but it will also be my own little place to point out other great, creative things and go, "OOOOO LOOKIT!"

Hopefully I can give you something to make you ponder, laugh, or at least smile... and occasionally probably make you roll your eyes at my nerdiness. I accept this.

Deliciously Girly - A Creative Blog and an Etsy Shop

This is the blog for Deliciously Girly, the Etsy shop of Samantha M. It is also a place for Samantha to share the neat things she stumbles across, loves, and creates when she's not looking to sell. ;D

Things Samantha likes and will most likely post about: Art (including her own), craft (including her own), art involving craft, craft blogs, cooking, adorable things that aren't "kawaii", creative processes, girly fabulous things that make her squee, things/people she really wishes she'd thought of/could be, life's little pleasures and treasures that make her world a little sweeter, and occasional pop-culture goodness that she simply can't keep to herself.

Things about Samantha you might be interested to know: Her alter-ego is an English teacher, so she keeps the details of her life fairly non-incriminating (it's like I have a secret identity!); she's married to The Hubs, a sweet man who puts up with far too much of her crap (and you will most likely see in doodles); she likes to watercolor and use oil pastels, make cards and multi-media work, make jewelry, and crochet, and also knows how to sew and knit but doesn't feel much inspiration to pursue those as much due to a short attention span; she is hoping to get a dog soon and will probably torture readers with pictures of its adorableness once the dog is procured; she enjoys cooking for cooking's sake, but not so much for the purpose of eating - same with baking (in other words, I LIKE to cook and I CAN cook, I just don't like it when I HAVE to do it); she loves the little things that make life grand, and one of the purposes of this blog is to help remind her to focus on those wonderful little things on occasion. =)

If you're interested in the store, here's the fancy info about it:
"Deliciously Girly aims to provide customers with fun, flirty accessories for gals. Flowers, hearts, crystals, and pearls abound in the pieces, with an aim for the pieces to be fun without being immature or cloying. Cute crochet hats, quirky scarves, a variety of jewelry options, and happy cards to share with friends are the main products you'll see in the Deliciously Girly shop. She is also a sucker for weddings, and will be making pieces aimed at making a lady's special day just a little more special and unique.

Materials that Samantha prefers to work with are:

• shells and natural rocks
• freshwater pearls
• Swarovski crystal and glass pearls
• interesting glass beads
• fun and funky buttons
  
• sterling silver and gold-plated wire and findings
• soft yarns (Samantha prefers to work with fibers that feel good as she works with them)

Samantha is also open to custom orders and remaking sold out pieces (if materials are still available); email her at deliciouslygirly@gmail.com with specifics and desired price range, and she'll be happy to provide an estimate and time frame. She will not try to imitate someone else's design, though."

Want to see more from Samantha?

Samantha's Flickr: Wearables photo set

Samantha's Flickr: Non-Wearables photo set