New Blog!!

Hey Everyone!

So I have a new blog (which I actually update)! Come check me out!

www.mysweetnomsa.com

See ya there!!

Ashlee

Winner!!!

Thanks so much to those who participated in my blog give-away. The random number generator choose #5, so Megan from http://somewhatvoluble.com/ wins!!!

Hooray Megan!!

She is getting these lovely items....

Thanks to those that helped me out and provided me with some great feedback.

I was at the Summit of Awesome all weekend and will be doing some blog postings about what I learned as well as providing resources for individuals hoping to sell items online or in stores.

Happy Monday Everyone!

Fabulous Give-away!!

'What's that you say Ashlee? You are having a fabulous blog give-away?'

Why yes dear reader I am. And believe me....fabulous is only the beginning.

Brief story: February of 2009 - Nomsa opens for business on etsy. The store struggles a bit selling this and that...taking crummy photos....not describing items enough....but eventually Ashlee gets a bit better at doing things, spends time reading up on marketing and business and viola...Nomsa is up and running. Hip Hip Hooray! The thing is though...I can obviously improve in many ways. So I need your help. And for your help, you can hopefully get fabulous prizes. Yes....plural.

I will give you any two items in my store that you want. Anything.
*The only exclusion are 'Reserved' listings because someone has specially ordered that item, so I can't give you what is already someone else's. *

So here's the deal. I am giving each of you a chance at three entries to this contest. Do one, do all three. It's totally up to you.

1) Take a look at my store. Leave me a comment here on my blog letting me know what two things you are currently lusting over. These will be the items that you will win if chosen. Entry #1

2) Take a look at my store. Critique it. Tell me something I can improve upon. Bad lighting in photos, wrong prices, poor descriptions? Leave me a comment and tell me. I will put on my big girl panties and take it. Entry #2

3) Tell your social media networks about this give-away. Blog about it, twitter it, put it on facebook, myspace. Whatever your thing is....do it. Leave me a comment with your blog link, twitter name, or whatever so I can see where you mentioned it. Entry #3.

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

* Now I am going to use random.org to pick a number for the winner. So let's say I get 100 comments. Random.org might choose number 73. Comment 73 wins! So it's important that you leave three SEPARATE comments so you can have three separate entries. Get it?

* Make sure to put your contact info somewhere in one of your comments so I can ship your items to you. I totally don't mind sending one thing to one place, one thing to another. Maybe you want to keep one thing for yourself, give the other thing to your mom, bff or teenager. No problem. You pick the items, you pick the addresses. By the way, it's totally cool to keep both items for yourself.

* I will pick the winner at Noon EST on Monday, May 4th. Make sure you have all your entries in my then. If the winner and I are able to get in contact with each other quickly, I will make sure your items go out on Tuesday so you can have the option of giving one of the items away for Mother's Day (May 10th)

* This give-away is open to anyone anywhere in the world. Let me hear it for my Polish Peeps!!

Questions about the contest? Custom orders? Want to send me love letters? My email is nomsaknits@gmail.com. Also, you can follow me on twitter. My username is nomsaknits.

Alright my lovelies....good luck, have fun and thanks!!

Oh yeah....Here's my store.... http://nomsa.etsy.com
PS...This is how excited I am about this!

MIA

First off....sorry for being a slacker and not writing a blog post in the last three weeks really. I have been a jerk. I know...I know. I am lame. I know some members of my family read this to keep current with my life, so I am sorry that I haven't been more interactive.

With that being said, I do actually have some things to talk about. First off, over Easter weekend, the boy and I went to Georgia to see the actual location we are getting married in September. His mom is a local official of the island off the coast of Georgia and it was our first time seeing the wedding/reception location, so I was a little nervous. Wasn't sure what to expect or on the size...but overall I love it! There are a few problems that we will have to work around (mostly size issues), but overall....it's absolutely perfect and super cute. Here are a few pictures!

This first one shows the outside. The giant turtle is kind of a theme of the island. A lot of the major buildings/businesses have a unique one outside of it. This one features a glass Mosaic shell. Also, you can see that the building has a porch, which wraps around the entire outside. We are thinking of setting up tables outside so people can relax and drink in the evening.

This picture is of the first room looking in from the doorway. Love the color. It is almost a perfect match 0f the classic 'Tiffany' jewelry store shade. Great lighting and naturally a very beautiful room. You can't really tell from the picture, but there is a lot of detailing along the wall/ceiling line.

This room is going to be a bit more of a challenge. The walls are white as well as the floor, and since it is a historical site, we can't tape/hang/etc anything to the walls. I am going to really have to be creative with this room to add some vibrancy/color. Looking forward to the challenge.

This is just a glimpse of the outside surrounding area. I didn't really take as good of pictures as I had hoped. It is really expansive and features some great areas that can be used for games, cooking, socializing etc. There is also a ballpark and playground right next to it, which the boy wants to use for an impromptu kickball game :)

Guess it's not really that impromptu if he is already pre-meditating it....

This last picture is of the gazebo that the actually ceremony will take place. It is a short walk from the reception site, near a stream and has some great foliage. I really think it be decorated in a super cute manner.

So those are some basic pictures of where I am getting married.....in five months....gulp. I have a lot to do still. I have found the invitations that I am going to get though. I am just waiting on some final details before getting them though. Here is a link to their etsy listing though...

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22390204

Um let's see....what else is new....Oh....despite my blog post earlier making fun of twitter....I am now on it.....don't worry, I have already realized my hypocrisy and it tastes good.

If you are hip like me, follow me.... http://twitter.com/nomsaknits

I am not promising excitement...but perhaps an observation or statement might make you laugh every now and again.

Okay...really quick, I have to throw in one shameless plug. I am encroaching upon 100 sales in my etsy store. Yippee! It's been only a little longer than two months and it is going better than I could have imagined. Thanks so much if you were one of those fabulous customers, and if you weren't....check it out. You might like it. You might not. http://nomsa.etsy.com

One last thing....I highly recommend the band MGMT. I am listening to them right now and if I did drugs...I would do them to this music. They are that good. They could be the 'Grateful Dead' of the twenty-something generation.

Etsy Day!!

Today is international Etsy day. It's a lovely day to celebrate handmade and the sellers who pour themselves into their craft (cough...cough).

If you have never been to the website before, go take a stroll. They have amazing search features where you can search by craft, locality, color or fabulous key words (i.e. robot...whimsical...wedding....orchids).

Support handmade. It's awesome, cool and unique. Just like you!


Oh yeah...if you want, you could check out my store as well. I think it's pretty cool.

http://nomsa.etsy.com - to celebrate etsy day in style I am offering FREE SHIPPING to anywhere in the world for all orders placed today. Pretty sweet huh?

Not an Etsy member? Click here to sign up! It's easy & FREE!

http://www.etsy.com/register

Never shopped on Etsy? - Here is a helpful guide:

http://www.etsy.com/help_guide_checkout.php

Biting off Chocolate Bunny Heads...

I like chocolate. Something might be wrong with you if you don't.

To celebrate the holiday that gives me a sugar rush like no other, I have decided to offer FREE SHIPPING to everyone in the continental US. If you live outside the US, I am offering heavily discounted shipping rates (75% off).

I think it's a lovely idea. It's especially nice because my new feather headbands have a higher shipping rate due to it's unique shape.

"Nomsa....are you saying that I can get a beautiful, hip and positively fabulous feather headband for just $15.00 without having to pay S&H?!?!"

Why yes rhetorical reader....I am saying just that.



Check out the goods! http://nomsa.etsy.com

Letters to the nameless people in my life

Dear Cashier Lady at Freshmeal,

Thank you for always smiling at me when I buy my kombucha from you. You make nice polite conversation and have a nice smile.


Dear Lady who cuts her hair in our work bathroom,

I have been noticing lots of hair clippings in our bathroom lately? Are you trying out a new style? Do you like change? What makes you cut your hair during the middle of the work day? Also, could you please clean the counter/sink when you are done? Your clippings are yicky.


Dear Homeless Man near Metro,

Sorry I didn't knit you a hat this winter. I meant to...but I got selfish and busy. I am sorry. I hope other people are nice to you.


Dear Shy Man at Au Pain last week,

Thanks for your business card. I am sorry but I will not be calling you. You were very nice but I am in love with my boy. Thanks anyway though. I thought it was cute how nervous you are.


Dear Metro Riders,

Please don't judge me as I sit huddled over reading twilight. Yes...I am 23. Yes...I am reading a teen romance/thriller. Yes....I know how silly I might look.


Dear Security Guards at my apartment,

Thank you for making me feel safe. Our building is scary but I know that you are working hard so thank you. I will bake you cookies one day as thanks.


Dear Emergency Room Doctor,

Thanks for being nice to me and rubbing my back after you made me cry. I am sorry I cried. I got startled and you pressed hard on my sore areas. You were the nicest thing about Howard University hospital.


Dear Mail Lady,

Thank you for being the craziest mail lady ever. You march to your own beat and cause me to stare everytime I see you PS...I love your wig.


Dear Chopt Salad Boy,

You are a hard worker and very sweet. Thanks for remembering me each time I come in and telling me you can't wait to see me again. I like seeing you too!

Poopy day....

Do you ever have one of those days?

I am not just talking about a waking up on the wrong side of the bed kind of day, but falling off the wrong side of the bed, hitting your head on the nightstand and stubbing your toe while grumbling kind of day.

That was my day today. It was like if anything could go wrong it could. In fact....I am embarrassed to say this....but at one point I sat in the bathroom at work with crocodile tears reading Twilight for comfort. TMI....I know, I know.

But still....today was a sad day for me and I was moaning about it to the boy on the walk home from the Subway, when I found a $10 bill on the ground.

This sudden turn of events made the sun start to shine through the clouds and I giggled a little bit.

Everything is okay now due to my new $10. Someone else's day is bad....but hopefully they will find something soon that will make them happy.

PS....my apartment sounds like there are ghosts swirling around it whenever it is windy. I don't like it when my apartment is haunted.

Coolness Occurred

Oh man.....

Right after I posted the last blog, I had this amazing link in my inbox. Check out my newest favorite blog.

http://greylikesweddings.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/corsages-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new/

Hint Hint...check out number 8

Coolness has occurred!

So Uncool

I am fairly uncool which results in my lack of blogging. Hopefully coolness will start to pump through my veins, thus allowing me to blog about fascinating topics. But until that happens....

I got to tell you. Today was an exciting day for my etsy shop. The Gods of Etsy smiled upon me and my humble store and gave me front page exposure as well as a spot in the Prom gift guides. This was extremely fantastic and hopefully will result in some more business.


I got to tell you, running an etsy store is WAY more intense than I had imagined. There are so many little details and tricks that I never realized. It's funny because you can have the coolest product in the entire world and if Oprah got her hands on it, she would start to shout and praise you, but if you don't have good pictures, advertising or business smarts....it doesn't matter. This has been a great experience though and it really has opened up my eyes to the business world a little bit more.

My favorite business gadget right now is Google Analytics. It is probably one of the most amazing things ever and really helps me figure out the traffic on my store. If you don't have it yet....drop everything, go to google, sign up for analytics, enter in your blog/etsy store/facebook page/URL and gather the data from it. Bask in the pie charts, giggle over the brillance of the graphs and ponder why you have such a wide following in Poland (shout-out to all my Polish Peeps!)

P.S. I didn't think you could really kill a bamboo plant, but right now I am staring at my pitiful bamboo plant on my table which is obviously dying. Any tips on resurrecting it?

PPS. I have another plant that I had already killed about a month ago, but I continue to water it's dead leaves in hope that I can revitalize it. No luck yet. I will probably give it another month.

Fame

Heck yeah....

I offically rule.

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=297033.0

A tribute in Haikus to my hair

India Arie
Said it best when she proclaimed
"I am not my hair"

Two long years ago
On this day I shaved my head
And changed my outlook

Eyes stared, mouths whispered
No one seemed to understand
My purpose or cause

Being bald changed me
Lost identification
Fought stereotypes

Blended gender roles
Sympathized with other views
Absorbed my brothers

Became confident
Shattered others ideas of
What beauty can be

Learned to truly love
Learned looks can be deceiving
Gained inner beauty

I do not regret
For a second being bald
"I am not my hair"

India Arie's anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZd1KeZhjfU

PPSS...

I forgot to mention...everything in my etsy store that is green is 25% off until the end of the St. Patricks day.

Hurray for Saint Patrick!!

Check out my store's announcements for all the juicy details.

Adventures in DC

These last few days have been splendid and warm in DC. On Sunday the boy and I ventured out to explore some the monuments we had yet to see. Before we went to that area of town, we had to be obedient in following our Sunday ritual....Ben's Chili Bowl!

Delicious, delicious, delicious. Also historical and pivotal in black history in DC. This place has seen it all and is rich in culture. As well as delicious. They have fabulous vegan chili and the boy stuffs himself on a half smoke covered in Chili plus an order of chili cheese fries. Needless to say, his butt makes funny and stinky noises the rest of the day.

We finally remembered to bring the camera and took some pictures while we waited in the thirty person long line...

We rolled along to the Washington monument where it was extremely windy. Fun fact: no buildings in DC can be built above the height of the monument to intact the awe-inspiring nature of it.

(The boy claims that I could have just been standing against a wall and could be lying to you. FYI...I'm not. That is a real, full-bloodied Washington Monument behind me.)

We wandered through the WWII Memorial and Vietnam War Memorial (which my mom would like to point out was not a war but rather a conflict), and finally made our way to the treasure.

Mr. Abraham Lincoln.

Fun Fact: Mr. Lincoln apparently had a fetish for midgets. Seriously, I learned it in school. It was apparently quite the scandal in 1864.

I am really happy we got to see this memorial because it had been our 'must-see' list for a while. The area around the memorial was gorgeous and I bet it is just lovely when all the cherry blossoms bloom.

That was our Lazy Sunday, hopefully we have many more!

PS...this is proof I was near the Washington Monument. Notice giant statue in background.

PPS...I added some delicious items to my etsy store. Check it out.

Etsy Treasury

Hello Hello...

Two posts in one day. Aren't you lucky?!?

Somehow tonight by the luck of Zeus, I got a coveted treasury spot on Etsy. Hip Hip Hurray!

Take a peek...

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=43877

Bandwagon

I like to consider myself a somewhat hip person.

I got a facebook profile when it was just starting up, I have a blog (obviously) and I listen to a morally degrading radio show in the morning with a full range of crazy sound effects and pop songs (much to the demise of my NPR loving boy). But there is one trend that is escaping me. Twitter. I know that everyone is talking about it right now and hence.... the jumping on the bandwagon.

I admit...I have a twitter account, but after signing up I promptly forgot my username and password and haven't been back since. Maybe it's because my life has taken a sharp turn to becoming fairly boring after moving to DC, but I honestly don't really have anything that is really so fascinating that I feel like telling people about all the time. I have a hard enough time writing something interesting for this blog.

This would be my life on Twitter....

Nomsa @7:45am - Boy took over the bathroom. Threw away some used coffee grounds while waiting.
Nomsa @8:25am - Took a later bus than normal. Pretty packed. I like looking at handknit items on bus. Currently stalking a boy with a fabulous hat.
Nomsa @10:05am - Eating a homemade blueberry vegan bagel. Delicious.
Nomsa @1:15pm - Went downstairs and treated myself to BBQ potato chips. On the way out, danced with the security guard.
Nomsa @4:30pm - Went to the bank for work. On the way chatted with my mom. She is going to start a bakery. I want her to call it Cake Whore.
Nomsa @7:00pm - Really digging musical artist SIA. Listen to Buttons or Breathe Me.
Nomsa @7:15pm - Man on metro just talked to me for ten minutes about chickens and the different breeds of them he has on his farm. Random.
Nomsa @7:30pm - Having an existential crisis on the subway after reading a particularly captivating portion of Siddhartha.
Nomsa @8:45pm - Made an extremely crappy Quinoa curry. Not sure what happened. I think I hate cumin. Wasted lots of ingredients.
Nomsa @10:45pm - Boy reading Watchmen. Tinkering around with items for my Etsy store. Just uploaded some new products. Buy them!

If this is something that is captivating enough to produce an audience, I would consider figuring out my twitter password, but I have the feeling that it is not. I don't feel comfortable talking about my work (thankful to even have a job), I don't have a super-hero alias, nor do I participate in any death-defying activities. I am just a hard worker at a full-time job that spends every spare minute planning her wedding, crafting and giggling with the boy. A simple life, but I love it.

Till fascinating things begin to happen to me...I resonate with the wise words of Jon Stewart.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=219519&title=twitter-frenzy


PS...My Save-the-Dates came in the mail yesterday! Hurray!! I don't like the color of the cardstock I got to go with them, so after I get new cardstock and figure out how to make envelopes, those will be out the door. In other words, probably not for another two weeks.

PPS...I think that it is so funny that the acronym for Save-the-Dates is STD. tee hee.

Etsy shop update

Hello All,

I added some new items to my shop today and I wanted to share them.

* First up, a felt bead headband. There is a freshwater pearl in the middle and it is attached to a black elastic headband.
* Next, I used some more felt beads to create bobby pins. Jazzing up my work outfits!


* I made some earrings with more felt balls.

* I also crocheted some small flowers that one can use them as make-up remover pads, exfoliating pads or mini washclothes. Lovely, reusable, eco-friendly.

I made quite a few other things, but I didn't have enough time to take proper pictures.

I hope you enjoy!

A word about public transportation...

I don't know if I will ever be able to accurately describe my love of public transportation. There is just something about getting from point A to point B with other random people that I love. The noise, the people watching, the excitement....it stimulates all my senses. With that said, public transportation in DC is far different than any other public transportation system. This city is really blessed to have such a wonderful system that enables one to get almost any where in this city and surrounding areas.

I enjoy people watching and everyday my commute is the best eye candy one could ask for. Last week I had the pleasure of watching a little Asian man intently read his well-worn romance novel with Fabio barring his chest on the cover. Despite the commotion around him, this man did not break his focus from the gripping erotica. On the bus this morning, the older women sitting next to me decided that my down jacket + shoulder was a desirable resting spot for her weary head. Honestly, I didn't mind but it made for an awkward exchange when I had to wake her so I could get off at my stop.

When I used to take the bus in Colorado from Boulder to Denver for my internship twice a week, I had a 45-60 minute ride. Depending on the time of the day, the bus wasn't packed but there usually weren't too many extra seats. I am not sure what it is about me, but I have a very nonthreatening physical appearance. I was always the first one to have someone sit next to them on the bus which lead to many interesting encounters, which included trying to convince an old man that I was in fact NOT his granddaughter, despite his certainty. During this same internship I shaved my head for a fundraiser for cancer and instantaneously I became a threat in people's mind. I was always one of the last one's to have the seat next to me fill up and strangers stopped talking to me as much. Honestly....I don't blame them. I might have done the same thing.

But I digress....I love public transportation. I get a serious sense of accomplishment each time I navigate myself around this city and it is a host of inspiration to wonderful crafting/knitting projects.

Dollar Store Disappointments

Honestly....I am one of the first ones to sing the praises of the dollar store. There will forever be a special place in my heart for the Dollar Tree (or whatever variation you have near you) and their bounty of glorious goodies. I think that the wonderful thing about dollar stores is that it is really hard to be disappointed. If something doesn't quite work out like you wanted or breaks easily, it's easy to be like...eh....it was only a dollar. Plus....they can be a crafters paradise. So many different supplies and trinkets.....I can get inspired while in there.

The most that I have ever spent at a dollar store was around 60-70 dollars, which is almost embarrassing/shameful. That is a hell of a lot of stuff. I spent that much when the boy and I went to the dollar store in Richmond, VA when we first moved there and didn't have ANYTHING. We had packed up a rental car and moved across the country in three days. We bought groceries, cooking gear and basic necessities like soap/toothbrushes there. It was pretty pitiful but that is all we could spend for a few weeks until our first paychecks from our new jobs.

Thankfully, we aren't that impoverished anymore, but still the dollar store continues to be a beacon of light for our modest paychecks. But sadly....I have been disappointed by the dollar store. I decided to be frugal and purchase quite a bit of our needed cleaning supplies from the dollar store a while ago, and each week when I clean I try to convince myself that everything is clean, looks good and is hopefully sanitary (fingers crossed).

Tonight though, I think I need to step out of the denial. The blue colored water that the dollar tree markets as 'toilet bowl cleaner' has actually stained my toilet bowl blue from whatever dye they put in it, and I highly doubt it sanitizes. The imitation Clorox wipes don't have any sort of absorbancy or gripping power, so I just wipe dirt and germs all around, but actually can't pick any of it up. And don't even get me started on my Windex imitation and paper towls. My mirrors were fuzzier than a teenage boys' upper lip.

There comes a point in everyone's life when their hero falls, and tonight.....I heard the crash. Sob.

P.S. Something cheap that actually does work....I use Dryel to dry clean my own clothes since dry cleaning is so darn expensive. The Target near me doesn't ever seem to carry the refill kits, but if you wet a dryer sheet and throw it in the Dryel bag, it works like a charm. Steams and freshens. Yippee!

Loop D' Loops

UPDATE 2/24/13: Come find me at my new blog, www.mysweetnomsa.com where I post other patterns and generally awesome things. See ya soon!
----------------------------------------------------------
I received a few questions about how to go about making one of these things, so I figured I might as well post a quick pattern. It is super duper easy though, cuz all you need to know is how to make a chain.

Gauge is not important with this. Just grab a lonely ball of yarn, an appropriate sized hook and start chaining.

Chain until your little fingers grow tired/you run out of yarn. After you have chained the entire ball, borrow a cute person's arms or use table legs if no cute person is around. Wrap the chain rope around the arms/legs until you get to the end of the rope. Create some sort of fashionable knot and hide the ends.

Wrap, twist and manipulate around your neck until you look cozy and hip like so.