Kickin out the blog award jams--first up: One Lovely Blog Award

The amazingly awesome, super-inspiring Bethezba of Bethezba's Preoccupations nominated me for this blog award and I HAD to respond. I do have OTHER blog awards that I've been tagged in since I started this whole 'rambling for the world to see on the interwebz thing' that I need to respond to and rest-assured I am getting to 'em. Oh how I wish I had more time!!

Anyfrickinway, before I get into it, I just gotta say how awesome Bethezba is! I have only been following her blog for about a month now but already, I have found so much inspiration in it. Her Ode to Vampira post is a killer encyclopedic exploration of the iconic 1950s tv horror figure; her makeup skills are da freakin BOMB; her goth style is to die for (no pun intended lol)  and in general she is such a huge inspiration to me as fellow makeup/darker-things-in-life-loving blogger mom. So seriously, if you don't already, follow her blog. I promise you will be inspired and educated!!

So here goes my forray into the whole blog award things--I hope it's not too boring or annoying!

The rules for this award are simple enough: List seven things about yourself and then tag 15 other bloggers for the award. K, let's turn this mutha out.

1. As I've mentioned in passing a few times, I make jewelry (I hoard beads even more greedily than I do cosmetics--no really, I do). I love making wire-wrap pendants especially. Here's a few examples of my 'work' (if you could call it that--more like 'bestest most awesomest joy-bringing hobby ever'):

The first 2 pendants are long sold on Etsy from my now-defunct jewelry shop (I'm SO working on getting a new shop up and running which I promise to pimp out on this blog regularly) and the third was made for a dear dear friend of mine as a celebration of both pentecost and her ordination (since she's only the most phenomenally inspiring preacher EVER)...

2. I love to draw and paint on surfaces OTHER than faces. A few years back, I discovered zentangles--which I renamed cracktangles cuz they're just as addicting as the world's most notorious broke-ass street drug. Wanna see some of my cracktangles, do ya do ya? Too bad if you said no cuz here they are:

Sorry for the craptastic pics. These are way-old cell phone pics. I don't have any of these pieces anymore as I hate keeping my own artwork...which leads me to "thing about me" number 3:

3. I once was and hope to be again an avid maker and swapper of Artist Trading Cards (ATCs). If you don't know, ATCs are 2 & 1/2 by 3 & 1/2 inch works of mini art that you create and swap with others. You can either do in-person swaps or you can join up with ATC groups on the web (I've done both--yahoo is a great source for online groups). Usually, swaps run along a theme. You are asked to create a certain number of cards related to the theme and then you send them out and you receive a certain number back from all the other members who are participating in that particular swap. I have hundreds of ATCs made of all kinds of incredible material from so many amazing artists all over the world which I will most definitely pull out and photograph one fine day (once again, WHY aren't there more hours in the day?)...I have made tons of sets myself but have only managed to photograph a few sets before sending them off into the world. Here's an example of a set I did for a swap with an Art Nouveau theme:

Wish I had pics of the backs of the cards, too. I used Art Nouveau decorative elements, also some text describing the Chrysler building (an icon of Art Nouveau architecture) and quotes from The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (one of the defining novels of the era). 

4. I am freaking OBSESSED with and fascinated by drag queens. They are my off-the-chain glittering glam icons. NO ONE knows the true transformative power of makeup better than a drag queen and NO ONE can rock makeup's full potential harder. I watch Rupaul's Drag Race religiously and have even been known to throw viewing parties for the show that involve getting doozied up as your favorite contestant. If you watch the show, you know season 4 is currently well on its way right now. My favorite this time around? None other than Ms Sharon Needles--DUH. Spooky goth awesomeness AND the kind of shape-shifting glitz that only a true QUEEN can pull off?! Am I dreaming? Nope and here's proof: 

The runway footage that made me fall for Sharon. Fucking FIERCE--and SICK'NING of course!

5. If I really had to, I could live on nothing but breakfast cereal and be perfectly happy. Cinnamon Toast Crunch is my all-time fave.

6. I'm a HUGE coke addict--of the canned, fizzing variety. Vanilla coke is only the most fantabulous softdrink ever invented. I know it's ridiculous, but I drink a can of coke with my breakfast every frickin morning. Since I don't like the taste of coffee (never have--though, oddly enough, I love the smell of it), I use my need for an alternative caffeine source as an excuse for why this is ok. Question my reasoning and it I'll cut you.. ;)

7. Last but not least, I am a proud native of the Little Italy that is South Philadelphia (I read once that 80% of South Philly's population is of Italian descent--and that's the highest percentage of any large US city). Although I am a mixture of  nationalities, I was raised most closely by the Italian side of my family (my great grandparents came from Cetara--a tiny town near Napoli) and it shows. Consequently, I have a nostalgic love for all things Italian-American and I'm known for making killer meatballs, talking at an inappropriate volume and launching into an Italian slang cursing schpeal every time I am frustrated...So yay for South Philly guidos and yay for the end of this post!

So now you know more about me. Aren't you just so freakin glad? I guess now I should tag 15 bloggers. Honestly, I don't know that I KNOW 15 other bloggers that I could tag...only one springs to mind because she tagged me in 2 awards (like I said, m SO getting to those) and that is: Going to the Showing who is an awesome newer beauty blogger like me. As for the other 14 spots, I guess I'll just have to leave those open to any of my followers who also have beauty blogs--so if that describes you, consider yourself nominated & leave the link to your post in the comments section of this post cuz you know what? We all deserve a lil love! :)