Blog and Shop of the Month: Lotta and Brit

I discovered so many amazing shops and blogs this month that it was really hard to choose!  I ended up choosing Brit + Co. as my Blog of the Month and Lotta Losten as my Shop of the Month.

I discovered Lotta Losten because Twitter recommended it to me as an account to follow.  I saw that it was an Etsy shop so I checked it out and it was amazing!  They make beautiful jewelry that's like a wearable sculpture.  I was happy to see that they just barely squeaked by my requirement for having 50 sales or less, with 45 sales.  So without further ado, feast your eyes on the amazingness that is Lotta Losten!

I discovered Brit + Co. just a few days ago while checking out a ton of new blogs.  She's been called the Martha Stewart of Silicon Valley and I'm sure you'll see why.  Besides sharing cool DIY ideas, style, health, tech, and more, she has a shop where you can buy craft supplies.  She also sells Brit Kits, which are a monthly subscription for a box full of supplies for DIY projects.  So far this is my favorite tutorial I've read on her site.  It's so simple but something I would have never thought of doing!

Making Work Fun

I love running my Etsy shop.  But I have always loved actually making the jewelry, but not photographing it.  That's why I always end up with an overwhelming pile of unphotographed jewelry.  And because it is so overwhelming, I usually just make more jewelry until it is even more overwhelming.  Yesterday I decided that I would find a way to make shooting product photos fun, and therefore something to look forward to rather than dread.  I decided that the best way to do this was to be as creative as possible.  I tore apart my room to find everything that could possibly work as a photo prop.  Then I figured out how to arrange things to go with each piece of jewelry.  It was really fun.  I took 127 photos.  Also when I say I tore apart my room, I really mean it.

I also just had to take some photos without jewelry in them because I was struck by artistic inspiration.  So here they are.

This one is an abstract dreamcatcher made out of found stones and shells and store-bought feathers.

I haven't edited the jewelry photos yet.  My camera does this fun thing where the exposure setting makes the photo look super dark on the camera but everything looks underexposed on my laptop.  I have been setting the exposure higher and higher every time but I haven't found the sweet spot yet.

Shaving my Head for Cancer Research

You may remember that I have celiac disease.  It is an incurable disease.  It's not a death sentence, but it is making my life more difficult.  Cancer is a disease that is much much worse than celiac disease.  In some cases it is treatable, but the treatment doesn't necessarily work.  Cancer affects so many lives and not just the lives of those diagnosed with cancer, but also their friends, families, and colleagues.  Anyone can get cancer.  I have had two loved ones die of cancer, one a relative and the other a friend.  It is horrible to watch someone you love go through that when you can't do anything to help them.

In the past I have donated my hair to Locks of Love.  I have made donations on two separate occasions.  "Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis"  Some of the children who receive wigs from Locks of Love have lost their hair due to radiation treatment for cancer.  My friend Katy, who I sadly lost to cancer, lost all of her hair from radiation treatments.  She had to wear a hat all of the time because she was so cold.  The radiation treatments kept the cancer under control for awhile but eventually the cancer metastasized (meaning it spread to other parts of her body).

I would like to donate my hair to Locks of Love again.  In order to donate to Locks of Love, you must have at least a 10 inch long ponytail.  Your hair may be color-treated but not bleached.  It takes 6 to 10 ponytails to make a single wig.

But here's the thing, I want to do more than donate my hair.  I don't have any extra money (my tax refund is going towards being able to pay my rent this month), since I haven't been able to work since November and haven't made any Etsy sales since December.  So I am working with what I have.  I have a blog.  My blog has a little over 200 subscribers and many of those subscribers also have blogs.  So I am asking each of you to donate just a dollar (or more if you want) ,or at least share this post on your social media networks, to the American Cancer Society.  The American Cancer Society works to help cancer patients get well, stay well, and fight back.  They also do a lot of research to find cures.  You can donate in honor or in memory of a loved one or you can just donate.  You can designate your donation to 1 of 5 different types of cancer research or where it's needed most.  The problem is that the minimum donation is $50, so here is my idea.  If you want to donate less than $50, donate it to my Paypal.  Add a note that it is for the American Cancer Society.  I will donate the money every time it reaches $50.  If you are worried that this is a scam, don't donate.  If you've been following my blog for awhile, I hope you'll realize that you can trust me, but if not I totally get it.  I just ask that you would share this post.

No matter what, I'm going to donate my hair to Locks of Love again.  If all of you manage to raise $500 or more, I will donate my hair to Locks of Love and I will also shave my head.  My hair is long.  I like my long hair.  I am a female but I can be mistaken for a male when I have short hair.  But I have a choice.  People with cancer don't have a choice.  They don't choose to have cancer.  I don't know anyone who wants to have cancer.  And anyone can get cancer.  I could get cancer.  And if I ever do, I hope that there will be a cure for it, or at least better treatments.  That is why I will shave my head if we raise $500.  Because I willingly give up my long hair for the chance to contribute to a cure for cancer.  I willingly give up my long hair in the hope that others won't have to give up theirs.

If you donate on the American Cancer Society website, let me know in a comment on this post so I can add the amount to the total.

Friday Fashion: Peplum Top

Orange Skirt Casual Outfit by jaythejedi featuring black tie shoes

When I first saw that peplum tops were in, I thought they looked cute on some people but I could never pull one off.  Then I saw Candace Bailey wearing one on Attack of the Show.  She's one of my girl crushes and I wish that show was still on because it was one of my favorite shows.  Anyway she has a very similar body type to me and she looked really cute in a peplum top and green jeans (Let's be honest though; She looks cute in anything she wears.  And yes I am jealous).  So I realized that I might look good in one too.  I haven't tried it yet because of my illness and weight loss, I'm not buying any clothes until I'm back to my previous weight, so they'll actually fit.  Plus I still haven't been able to go back to work yet and no income means no spending money on non-necessities.  Anyway, if I had infinite money, I would buy a peplum top and style it like this.  It's more of a casual outfit.  And I love leather jackets (well faux leather).  I have a brown one and a black one.  That's the only part of this outfit I actually own, but a girl can dream.