deck the halls…

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i’m actually pretty much DONE decking my halls… of my new apartment, that is! it’s been almost a month since i wrote in this blog last, but i have a pretty good excuse: november was moving month for me. well, first fae moved out in october, and then i had a few weeks of limbo being in the old house by myself with only half a house worth of furniture. and then i got into my new place on the 10th but took until the 20th to finish moving and cleaning out the old house. and then the last 10 days or so have been nesting time for me.

including thanksgiving, which did not end up being much of an occasion for me this year, sadly. but i still ate some turkey – some at home, some at debra’s while watching the saints game – and i’m happy to say that as of yesterday, i am about 99% done unpacking and arranging in the new place. it’s a great relief and has actually been pretty fun. today i finished stringing up a ton of twinkle lights outside, so now i have lights that run all the way down my side alley and onto my gate, with a twinkle star on the gate, just so you can’t miss the entrance to my house. it’s hard, living in a rear apartment, down a long (formerly dark) alley, with no view of the street or really even any other houses – just my shed and cute little backyard. so i wanted to do something to make at least my door stand out.

and yes, the twinkle lights will stay up year round. it’s not just a holiday decoration for me, though i did put up a few small christmas things around the house. now if only i could figure out where the purple mini xmas tree could possibly go! (i’ve run out of usable space!)

the holidays are of course the crunch time for crafty folks, and usually for me, too. but i have to say, i’m just not feeling it this year. i’m going to give it my best shot – i just got some scarf fabric in yesterday and have a handful of blank t’s on the way to get my inventory back up on the 70119 and skull de lis t-shirts, since those are my best-sellers – but i feel like, due to the move, i’m just NOW starting to think about it all and, well, it’s a little late to be just starting to get ready. i’m not really set up yet out in the shed, which is my new “studio” space, and haven’t printed anything yet in my new indoor set-up in the kitchen… but i guess i’ll be figuring it all out in the next few days!

hopefully i’ll get something new made for freret market, which i’ll be doing this saturday (12/4). i’ll also be doing frerestivus the following saturday (12/11), after much debate about whether to do the kingpin market or the esplanade holiday fest, which are both the same day. but in the end, i decided freret is just easier and more fun to do, and puts me in front of more potential customers than either of the smaller markets. my sundays are open at this point, unless something interesting comes up. and then i will be participating in the new orleans craft mafia’s last stop shop at the big top on thursday the 16th.

but that’s it. that’s all i got lined up for this holiday season. seems like not very much – i remember in 2006, right after katrina, when i was commuting from louisville, kentucky to new orleans JUST to do markets, i had something like 11 markets in 3 weeks in december! but this year three feels like all i can handle.

wish me luck! and if you are out and about, you should come see me!

almost there…

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the anticipation of moving is just about killing me. i can start moving in on the 10th, though i’m paying rent on iberville until the 20th (my 30 days notice). the days can’t move fast enough.

it feels like the pace of my life has picked up considerably in the past week or so. every day feels hectic now. i’ve started to pack up, though not terribly quickly. but the boxes are starting to pile up in corners. fae is completely moved out with the small exception of a few storage boxes in our walk-in closet, which we will get to some day in the next week or so. the house is, therefore, half empty. it feels very weird still being here, trying to maintain my routine and schedule in a half-empty, partially-packed up apartment. the cats are very confused and a little freaked out, particularly when my landlord brings people through looking at the apartment.

and, i must be crazy, but i somehow got talked into doing the freret market this saturday. i haven’t done a market probably since freret back in march or april (can’t remember, but it’s been a long time), and i haven’t really made anything new since then either. i’ve been in a creative funk. so i’ve had all this stock that i made in the spring, thinking that i was gonna stay on top of sales and stay well stocked and maybe start getting some into stores, just sitting around gathering dust. so i’m making this market a clearance sale. if you like my stuff and want to stock up for holiday gifts, now would be a good time to swing by and grab some stuff. make me a REASONABLE offer on anything and i won’t refuse. i need money for moving, and i also really don’t want to move more than i have to… so if i can liquidate some stock, less stuff to move!

i’m gonna have a $3 bargain bin of tshirts, ties, tanks, shorts, pants, and any other printed apparel i can find. cufflinks are gonna be $10. and signs and clocks and prints will be at least $5-$10 off. really – make me an offer on anything. i just want to move product.

and, just so you know… i’m thinking of not making the clocks anymore. i’m kind of tired of them, and there are now several copy-cats around town making other sorts of record clocks and selling them for way less, therefore glutting the market. i will still make custom orders – like if you just really gotta have a black and gold fleur de lis clock or blue nola heart or red scoot clock, fine, i’ll hook you up – but i’m just so tired of lugging all the boxes around and having to store so much inventory. SO… all this is to say, i’ve got about 30-40 clocks of various sizes/designs/colors left, but when they are gone, that’s it. come out to freret market on saturday, noon til 5pm, and get ’em while they last.

one last thing – and those of you who follow me on facebook will already know this – but i’m selling one of my folk art chairs from my early days (pic below). it was always one of my favorite chairs i decorated – i used to comb the thrift and furniture stores for wooden chairs with good lines and not much paint/varnish that i could strip and then custom paint in my then-geometric folk art style. this one’s a little woo-woo goddessy, but i still love the colors and the paint job has held up remarkably well for being 17 years old! one of a kind and a mags original! i’m saying $125 but really, if you like it, make me an offer. i really just don’t have space for this in my new place and i think it’s time it found a new home.

bit by bit…

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things are slowly falling into place. if you read my livejournal or facebook, then you already know that the last week had been a big one for me. up until last weekend, i was still pretty much looking for a roommate, very unsuccessfully. i thought i had one gal who was very interested, but she ended up getting her own place in the french quarter after stringing me along for a week or so. and i had some other bites, but most never got past the introductory email. it just wasn’t working, and more to the point, all that time looking and thinking about the prospect of having a roommate and staying in this house gave me time to realize that i really just didn’t want to stay here. not that i don’t absolutely love this apartment and our landlords, who are friends who feel like family now, and this kick-ass neighborhood of neighbors who’ve become good friends. i’ve never really been happier where i live in this city.

but. it became apparent to me that i am better at living alone than with others and that i also did not want to remain in this place that is rooted in the past two years of my relationship which is now transitioning to something of an unknown. we’re not exactly broken up but we’re not exactly together either. i think only time and space away from each other will inform us both as to what we each want. it is not contentious in any way, in case anyone’s been wondering, but it remains, daily, for us both, very sad. letting go of the past is always hard.

so. a new place it is. last weekend i finally made the decision to start seriously looking for a place. i’d been casually scanning craigslist every day for weeks but not actually calling to make appointments to go see anything until this past monday. i looked at a few places, called dozens, spoke to many, many property owners. and it came down to two – one that was pretty cute and had a vast amount of space and was an ok neighborhood but was slightly pricier than what i could afford (with a landlord that i didn’t really get good vibes from), and the other was pretty small and not so cute but in a great neighborhood with an awesome landlady who is very accommodating and was the cheapest i could probably expect to get anywhere. so after much deliberation, i went with the small place that i could afford that has many perks to it. if the last five years have taught me anything, stuff is just stuff and i can let go of some of it to make this work. (or store it somewhere.)

that is the front of my new house! however, my new apartment is actually a rear apartment – when they did the remodel on it, they took the front two rooms from my side and gave it to the other side, so my side is only bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom. pretty small. but it does come with a cute little yard and a sizeable shed, with which i will just have to make due. the yard is big enough and the alley wide enough that i can drive the scooter right on back there to park it, which is nice. and my bike can go back there too. so i think it will all work out.

while this has all been going on… i have let go of my position at curve magazine. the magazine was bought out by an australian lesbian media company and i had been pondering for a while letting go of that part of my life, so it just seemed like the right time. it’s been a weight on my shoulders and not very much income for the time it takes me, so, woosh, it’s gone.

i have continued looking for jobs and actually applied for, interviewed for and was offered one, about two weeks ago – a so-called “real” job doing admin and investigative work for a financial firm in metairie (i know, weird job for me but for some reason it caught my eye and for even weirder reasons, they thought i’d be a good fit)… BUT it didn’t pay for shit and i didn’t really like the people or the office setting i would have been working in. so that was a no. but it was GREAT for my ego and great practice for future potential jobs.

my yard sale work with my neighbor karen has largely ended, though we still haven’t packed up the leftovers and sent them off to am vets or whoever. i’m toying with the idea of perhaps doing one last sale with some of my stuff whenever i get it worked out as to how much won’t fit in the new apartment, so she might tag on to that and do another one with the leftovers. stay tuned.

and my work with nita has actually picked up. the magicmonkey collectibles website is up and running, and i post new things for sale to it almost daily. some of those things i then crosspost on craigslist, with a link back to the site, to hopefully draw in new folks. so far it’s been a smart marketing tactic, as it’s brought us a few shoppers over to the house to take a look at the whole collection, and a few of them have made some big purchases or intend to become repeat buyers. we’re still posting things on ebay every week, too. this really could be a full-time job and keep me busy for months, because nita has amassed such a crazy amount of amazing retro stuff. i guess if we wanted to get it over with faster we could do a one-day or weekend-long estate sale or something, but she wouldn’t get nearly the same amount for some of her items and it’s way more fun doing it this way and getting to meet collectors and so many interesting people. (and before i forget, we now also have a twitter account for magicmonkeynola, if you tweet. a facebook page is next on the agenda.)

so, while i’d say my life is still largely in transition, at least it’s starting to feel like decisions are being made and some pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. bit by bit.

just gotta keep breathing. and saying my affirmations.

thanks for reading, y’all.

on the verge…

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i feel like i’m on the verge of having some answers, of breaking out of my slump, of emerging from the darkness. really, i do. i’m not *quite* there yet, but i can visualize getting there very soon.

so much change, so much transition, so many new ideas in my head. so many possibilities. i’m still sad sometimes – don’t get me wrong – but the better days are starting to outnumber the worse days, at least. i’m starting to get a little excited about what might lie ahead.

first things first: yes, i am still looking for a roommate. or alternately, looking for an affordable 1 or even 2 bedroom (a girl can wish!) apartment somewhere in midcity, bayou st. john or the fairgrounds area. i currently pay around $700 including utilities where i am, so if i could find something in that range (or less) elsewhere and could live alone, i’d do it. of course i’ll still have to give my landlords a month’s notice, so there will be some overlap, which will be costly, but if the right place finds me, i’m willing to do it. finding the perfect roommate who wants to move in at the end of the month is still the easiest option, though. i’m just trying to cast my net wider now. please let me know if you know of something either way.

second, the yard sale was on saturday. thanks to those of you who stopped by. i sold a few things of my own, and thankfully i thought to put some of my t-shirts and signs out, and actually sold a few. i made more selling my crafty crap than my yard sale crap. perhaps it’s a sign? hmm.

my neighbor karen, who hired me to help her with the yard sale, is going to do it all over again next saturday, since she didn’t sell all her stuff. so if you didn’t make it by and wanted to, 8am-noon on saturday – 4705 iberville. there’s still an incredible amount of stuff, it’s crazy. it’ll mostly be indoors this time, though, to make things easier. after this one, everything that’s left is going to goodwill. really.

third, i’m still working with my friend nita, helping her sell her stuff on ebay and craigslist. since it worked out so well for karen and her craigslist sales, i’ve decided to make a little website for nita to have a place to put up pics of all the stuff that hasn’t sold on ebay or bigger stuff that’s hard to ship or stuff that just seems like it’d sell better locally on craigslist. i’m still tweaking the basic setup at the moment, but if you’re interested in keeping up with what’s for sale each week, you should bookmark it: magicmonkey collectibles. i’ll post about it again when i’ve got it all fully loaded.

and last, i’m kinda thinking i might actually try to do this odd jobs/personal assistant/errand-running/jill of all trades biz idea. but i need a catchy or punny name. any thoughts? i’m usually really good at coming up with these things but at the moment i got nothin’. leave me a comment if you have any ideas. i’m pretty convinced at this point that if i play it right – work the “i have time to do the things you don’t have time to do” angle, as well as the organizational/motivational angle (yeah i know, funny to think that i, of all people, could help motivate and/or organize anyone, but apparently i work well with people who are even MORE disorganized/overwhelmed by their stuff than i am!), i think it’ll work. i’ll offer everything from pet sitting and dog walking to creating basic websites/blogs, graphic design, writing/editing, ebay/craigslisting and yard/estate sale organization to running errands, courier services, general labor, and whatever odd job anyone’s willing to pay me to do. whatever i don’t feel qualified to do or don’t want to do, i can refer out to friends who do that kind of work, since i know a few carpenters, painters, house cleaners, and all-around handy folks. i dunno, i’m thinking it might actually work. just have to figure out how to target-market outside of my own social circle, i think.

that is all for now. keeping myself busy. how’s everybody else doing? leave me some comments – i’m tired of only getting spam on this blog!

looking for a roommate

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this is just a quick post to continue my process of putting out my feelers for a new roommate. fae and i have decided not to live together anymore and she will be moving out for november 1st. (everything is ok, really.) therefore, i am now commencing the great roommate hunt of 2010.

if you’ve already seen this on my facebook or livejournal, just ignore this post. you already know what it says. but do keep me in mind if you know of anyone looking for a roommate situation.

if you haven’t already heard my schpeal, here’s the quick details: 2BR/1bath shotgun in midcity near the cemeteries. one block from the streetcar. walking/biking distance from rouse’s, 2 banks, bayou st. john post office, and countless restaurants and bars in midcity. (right around the corner from mick’s irish pub, beach corner, herb import & yang’s po-boys!) on-street parking, cute front porch, large spacious rooms with beautiful light, great neighbors, quiet neighborhood.

rent is $500/mo + half utilities (entergy/water/cox cable&wifi). i have 2 neutered male cats, so i’d prefer new roommate not have any animals (though it is negotiable) and like cats (not negotiable). not interested in signing a year lease but would like at least a six-month commitment so i don’t have to sweat it for a while. if i know you or you are a friend of a friend, no deposit.

new roommate would get front two rooms to do with as they please; i will have middle room (office/studio) and back bedroom. we will share bathroom, walk-in storage closet, laundry room (washer/dryer stay with the house) and kitchen (at the back of the house).

feel free to pass on my email – artbymags@gmail.com – to anyone that might be interested. i also have a craigslist ad up with a few more details: http://neworleans.craigslist.org/roo/1980124362.html.

thanks y’all.

abundance

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my friend deuce says i’m scrappy. and she’s right. i have managed to scrape by, scrounging all kinds of crazy work over the years without having to ever get a “real” job. though i’ve mostly been a freelance writer/editor, club dj, and most recently artist/crafter – my “main” gigs -  i’ve dabbled in all kinds of crap since my last days working at tower records in the french quarter back in 1993 – my last regular job out in the world where i worked 30-40 hours/week.

over the years, i’ve worked in some capacity as a: landscaper, bar back, house cleaner, community activist, paralegal/investigator, personal assistant, screen printer, dog sitter/walker, housesitter, blogger, eBay assistant, data entry/gallery assistant, photographer, film festival projectionist, a/v tech, film curator, publicist, promoter, booking agent, event organizer, graphic designer, and, most recently, census enumerator. i’m sure there are other things i’m not remembering right now.

but one thing i seem to keep coming back to, over the years, is selling stuff. i’ve always been a big fan of thrift/antique stores and yard sales, and have always been a collector of various things. but at many different points in my life, i have supplemented my income by reselling things, as varied as cds, records and books to random collectibles, clothing, furniture and all sorts of other items. it’s kind of where i first got the idea of doing art/craft out of recycled objects, this dealing in “things.” it’s a fun game, trying to figure out what items you can score for cheap and then find someone willing to pay you more for… but i guess it all comes down to the fact that i just love objects. things. i like to make them, i like to find them, i like to collect them, i like to sell them.

so yeah. in this time of flux in my life when what i keep thinking i really need to do is find some regularly occurring work – aka a “real” job, even if it’s just part time – what seems to keep dropping in my lap is more of the scrappy gigs. when i first returned from festival, my friend nita told me she really wanted to start liquidating her lifetime accumulation of collectibles with the eventual goal to clear out her house so she can sell it and move. it at first seemed really overwhelming, cuz let me tell you, she has a LOT of amazing stuff in her house. but we started breaking it down into manageable bites and we’ve been steadily listing things on eBay every week and slowly things are selling and moving out of the house. we’re not really on a time table – we’re moving pretty slowly, in fact – but it’s been a steady thing. i’m not making a ton of money on it but i think it will eventually pay off, and nita is a dear friend who has helped me a lot over the years and it feels good to be helping her do this big thing in her life.

i haven’t really been thinking of it like a “job”… more just like a “gig,” a side thing to keep a little money flowing, to pay for the groceries or whatever while i keep looking for other, more regular, work. but as i’ve been spreading the word that i’m working on nita’s “estate sale” via facebook and twitter postings, another friend has now approached me about helping her sell off a crazy amount of stuff she has had accumulating since well before katrina. this one feels more like a “job” cuz it has a time limit – she asked me to make a website with pictures of lots of the stuff that will be for sale, list bigger items on craigslist and eventually work towards a big yard sale in october – and she’s paying me a generous hourly rate. it’s less of the collectibles/art variety and more of the household every-day stuff variety, but it’s still a vast amount of stuff, much of it in new or gently-used condition and for which she should get decent money.

it occurred to me yesterday that, with a little effort, i could probably turn this into a “job” – self employment, obviously, but something regular enough to call it a job. i kind of really enjoy the work, even though much of the listing-on-the-computer part is tedious, it’s fun poking around in other people’s stuff and learning what other people are willing to pay money for. but are there enough people who want to de-clutter or sell unwanted things who are willing to pay me a decent hourly wage and/or percentage of their sales and don’t know how to do it themselves? it’s not rocket science, you know, selling things online. but there are some tricks and shortcuts and after doing it in one form or another for the last 15+ years, i guess i do know a thing or two about it. but enough to make my rent and bills each month? i don’t know. and how do i find those people who would be interested in this type of service?

so this is what i’m pondering right now, while i continue working on both of these projects. i haven’t stopped looking for other work – in fact in the past few days, i’ve registered with three different temp agencies, so maybe that will pay off with some kind of work, and i’m still hustling to get that security gig working saints games at the superdome – but i think i’m really just not very good at this “looking for a job” stuff. i write and send out resumes and cover letters for all kinds of jobs. i check craigslist, worknola.com, idea village, nola.com classifieds, simplyhired.com, and a dozen or more other local job boards on a regular basis. i check the internal job listings of and submit applications to all kinds of corporations and companies that i think sound good to work for (whole foods, ups, home depot, etc.). i’ve put my feelers out with friends who work all over the place.

so far, nothing. not even a call back. so how can i not keep doing this other stuff that keeps falling in my lap and is generating me some amount of money?

oh i just don’t know. i guess what would be ideal would be to get one or two part-time gigs that were closer to “real” jobs, meaning, working for someone else who was willing to cut me a paycheck, AND keeping doing the other gigs that seem to keep falling in my lap. wouldn’t it be a nice problem to have to be really super busy and have MORE money than i knew what to do with for a change?

that’s what i’ll be envisioning for now – more than enough. more than enough work. more than enough money. more than enough love. no more scarcity for me, thanks. it’s all about abundance now.