Here's Wishing You All The Best In 2010

May hope, love, and warmth
be in your heart's possessing,
and may the New Year
bring you and yours
many blessings.

Love & Rockets,
DaBomb

Warm Winter Wishes

May the closeness of friends 
and the comfort of home, 
renew your spirits this holiday.

'Tis The Season

     
Has anybody missed me? No? Oh well...boo!

December is turning out to be a crazy month as I prepare to close up my real-life business in here Los Angeles. Unfortunately it has become the poster child for the new economy so I've got to downsize things a bit and find myself a real job! Then of course, it's the holidays so there's family to see, parties to go to. So yeah... my dance card is getting chockerblock and I haven't had a moment for blogging.

Funnily enough, the day I gave notice to my landlord an amazing opportunity to travel for work has come up beginning the day after New Year's. It's a two week stint so it looks like my blogging ambitions won't be back on schedule until mid-January.

I was hoping that I'd at least have the newest video portfolio of my latest contest winner to post on this blog but alas, poor girl, her laptop died and along with it all her images of her art work and then some.

So I thought I'd take this moment to do a little bit of shameless self promotion for my Etsy store, eBay listings -- oh and also my Amazon listings as well. All orders placed on or before December 31st will be shipped before my trip so don't worry that I'm going to skedaddle without making sure your purchase is on it's way to you! Click on the animated image above to be taken directly to my shop.

Hope you're all enjoying a wonderful month! Happy Holy Daze!

GB-TV: New Contest Winner Selection

We haz a new winnah!

Featured Artist: Tammy Sprinkle + New Contest!

Today's featured artist is Tammy Sprinkle, a wonderfully talented mixed media artist and photographer that creates wedding guest books, custom journals, keepsake boxes, jewelry and pendants. Tammy especially loves to do custom work, hence her Etsy shop is entitled "Design4U".

I get the feeling that if I ever met Tammy in person we would really hit it off. She's got a warm and bubbly personality that comes through in her blog. Not only that, we have so many things in common not the least of which is being fans of the color "red", loving a good cup of coffee, meeting new bloggers and of course: art, art, art and more art!

Tammy also appears to have an affinity for birds as evidenced in her work and well, as matter of fact so do I! Hummingbirds to be exact. Anyway, I really enjoyed working on her video and got so inspired by all the sweet birds flitting throughout her work that I found a free birdie giveaway from MyGrafico.com that I want to share.  Just click on the image to be taken directly to the site and go get those birdies!

So now, as always, with every featured artist is a new contest.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below. I'd love it if you shared with me what is you are thankful for.

To be entered thrice, you'll need to step it up and do two more things: 1) follow me on Twitter and 2) Tweet a link to this site and share this contest with your followers.  I'll be checking for new followers and confirming tweets every night before the end of the contest which will be a week from today on Monday, 7 December @ 11:59 pm. This may very well be my last contest of the year, but don't worry, I'll be back in 2010! 

To follow me on Twitter simply click below!

How Cool Is This?

I just recently received in the mail a Christmas ornament as part of my participation in the 2009 Bloggers Ornament Exchange.  My swap partner is the amazing designer Genevieve Gail from Athens, Georgia. Genevieve creates her own line of designs including jewelry, crafts,  and illustrations. And if that's not enough, last month she debuted a collection of fat quarter designs for Windham Fabrics!

What a treat to receive her ornament.  That button in the middle -- it's awesome.  It's something I'll cherish for years to come. Wanna check out more crafty ornaments? Go see the 2009 Blogger Exchange Flickr pool.

"Mele Kalikimaka" - A Free Blogger Theme From GlamourBomb

As many of you who have been with me since these past few months, I've been learning how to customize and design my blog. On Halloween I passed forward a Hawaiiana blogger theme I worked on that was based on a template designed by OurBlogTemplates.

I got so much aloha it was wonderful!  So now, just in time for the holidays, I've reconfigured the same template with a Christmas/Hawaiiana theme. It's called (what else?) "Mele Kalikimaka"! You can see a live demo by clicking on the image above.

All the information on how to download it and install it are available on the live demo. While it's completely free, there are some strings attached. The Terms of Use are clearly stipulated within the code.

As I've mentioned, for the past few months I've been teaching myself how to customize my own Blogspot blog and I started playing around with this template by OurBlogTemplates.  I came up with the theme after a girlfriend of mine in Hawaii said she hadn't seen to many blogs in this style. So I made it with her in mind.

This may sound funny, but designing a theme is a lot like figuring out what to wear. I liken it to dressing up a doll! :)

If you don't like my color scheme or background tile feel free to change it. The developer made the template amazingly flexible so you can change the fonts and colors right within the dashboard without having to go into the code.

You'll have to fiddle with the widgets as I've set placeholders within the template using links to my site and others. It's really easy to do and you don't need to know any HTML.

Since I'm not skilled in web design or coding I am unable to offer support if you have any issues from using this template. I advise you to do-it-yourself with OurBlogDesign's tutorial links I've provided within the live demo.

If you've implemented this template and theme in your blog, I invite you to join the "Followers" box at the right side of the sublower bar so that we can network and share the aloha spirit!

Now, if only I could design a nice banner to go with this blog. Hmmmm...does anybody out there have mad banner skillz they wanna contribute? :)

Happy Holy Daze! Read more...

Free Holiday Music Download For You!

The von Trapp Children
"Snow" (mp3)
from "Snow - New Songs of the Season"
(IMI)

Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

I can think of no better way to bring in the holiday spirit than with music. Except maybe cookies.  Recently over breakfast a friend told me that he believed music was a gift from the universe. I think he might be right.  As my gift to you is this free download of "Snow" performed  by the von Trapp children -- the great grand children of Captain von Trapp, father of the famous singing family whose story captivated the world in the musical The Sound of Music.  

To get this freebie simply click on the orange arrow button above to download. Let me know what you think of this pretty little ditty.

Happy Holy Daze!

Give Thanks

“Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.”

-- Kahlil Gibran

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I'll be taking some time off from blogging tomorrow but wanted to wish you all a safe and happy holiday. Blessings to every one!

365 Bedtime Stories - Illustrated by Janet Robson

I thought I'd share with you some photos from one of my favorite books when I was a kid. Called "365 Bedtime Stories" it featured a daily story for an entire year.  I still remember fondly when my dad would read some of these stories to me at night and how he helped me learn to read.

I've placed this and more images from this book in the Vintage Children's Books Flickr pool where thousands of others are sharing some fabulous images of books from long ago. I'll be uploading the Thanksgiving story later in the week for the holiday so join the pool if you want to check it out.

I know a lot of you crafty ladies out there love to share public domain imagery so I must warn you that this is still within copyright. If you're thinking of grabbing it then by all means enjoy!  I'm sharing it with you here. However,  I would highly recommend you use it in your art for personal use. Juuuuust sayin'. :)

Bootleg Interview with Sharlto Copley

My favorite movie genre is science fiction so when I heard that Sharlto Copley, the sexy hot South African star of this summer's hit "District-9" was going to answer some Q&A this weekend at a special screening here in Los Angeles I was all over it. The opportunity for Copley to play the lead role of Wikus van de Merwe in D-9 literally fell into his lap but after hearing this recording you'll know that he wasn't exactly an overnight success. Copley is a true entertainment industry professional with over a 14 years of experience working mostly behind the camera producing and/or directing commercials, music videos and short films. Oh, and he also once owned a talent agency! I love this interview because he's not on a junket promoting his latest film (cough! A-Team!) but instead talking about the art of acting, the craft of filmmaking, and the business of entertaining.

As for the film itself, I absolutely loved it. LOVED it! Big puffy hearts! Big puffy hearts! I mean, it was so awesome. Really. It's a mashup of creature film and satirical mockumentary with a message not too unlike Borat with aliens. While it unfolds like any good summer action film should with ripped muscled men and lots of explosions and carnage (some of which I really couldn't watch) there's actually a really excellent bit of storytelling as the film touches on such themes as racism and xenophobia. So, I loved it. I say go see it!

Announcing the Burner Etsy Team!

We are so pleased to announce that things are in the works for a burner Etsy Team spearheaded by the creative energies of Linda Loca, proprietress of the Etsy shop "Fire Grog Studios".

Loca recently put in the application for the team with the folks at Etsy and says it should good to go in about week.

Some of you maybe wondering "WTH is an Etsy Team and why should I care?"

Well, Etsy Teams are groups of organized Etsy members who network, share skills, and promote their shops together. A team forms around a shared location, crafting medium, or another interest.

In this case Loca is building the team around a shared "community" (drink!).

"Actually, the team name is "Etsy Black Rock City Crew," says Loca. "I didn't want to use "team" in the title because, as you know, there is no team in eff you."

Aaah, this is how I knew Loca is a true burner!

Now you know me, I can't talk to a creative person without wanting to know more about what they do and why they do it.  Loca told me that she only just started selling on Etsy in October and couldn't believe that there wasn't an Etsy burners team already in place.

"So hell," said Loca. "I'll start one myself, dammit. Cuz that's how we roll. ;) Radical self-reliance and all that rot."

"I'm excited at the prospects," Loca continues. She envisions this crew as a tool for fellow burner artisans to utilize to great effect by globally promoting each others' shops and items.

Etsy's take? "Teams make us not just a marketplace of individuals, but an interconnected and diverse artistic community."

Quick! Press play!



So now that I've got you psyched you're probably wanting to know how to get in on this.

Well, here's the dealio: since it will take about a week for the crew to be processed Loca has put in place a Google group (http://groups.google.com/group/etsy-brc) you can join right now with a blog and Flickr group soon to follow.  Loca is inviting any burners who have Etsy shops to convo her on Etsy and she'll add you to the crew.

And that's it! More information as things start to take off. Until then, it's time for pie!

Mmm...pie.....

GB-TV: Contest Winner Selection

A few weeks ago I held another contest. The prize was a free video portfolio of an artist's work. All they had to do was leave a comment on a blog post featuring the work of Lulu Kellogg from Coastal Sisters.

I honestly don't know why I set the end date for the contest to be two weeks from when I posted Lulu's video because personally I think it's too long to wait. But I set it so I kept it and now I'm so glad I did! I got the flu during these past few weeks and it really kicked by my butt! I don't think I haven't been up for doing much else but get on the mend.

So now, as scheduled, here is the winner of my latest giveaway for a video portfolio. Congratulations to the winner! Please contact me so that we can begin pre-production on your video. And for all those who particpated, thank you so very much. As bloggers and artists you know how meaningful it is when a comment is left on your blog and I appreciate your time. I'll be doing the contest again much sooner so stay tubed!

How To Remove the Navigation Bar From Blogger

It's pretty simple to remove the navbar from your Blogger blog. Just follow the directions in the video above cut and paste the following code below into your template.

#navbar-iframe {
display: none !important;
}

Important: Cut and paste the snippet AFTER the credits as indicated in the video but BEFORE the variable definitions code. Let me know how it goes!

Removing the navbar from blogger disables the "follow" feature for your blog. Be sure to include the "follow" widget in your layout if you want to make it easier for others to follow your blog. Likewise, keeping the navbar brands your blog as a Blogger blog which really is a good thing. It means you're part of the the bigger community of bloggers who use this platform as opposed to WordPress or TypePad. According to Wikipedia, Blogger is ranked 16 on the list of top 50 domains in terms of number of unique visitors in 2007 so you're in good company. Leave the navbar on if you like it, remove it if it interferes with your design. Whatever you decide, I hope you found this tutorial useful.

Oh, and BTW... there's still time to enter my current contest giveaway. More information here.

Everybody's Doing It: The Bloggers 2009 Ornament Exchange

I've been knocked down flat with a case of the flu (thankfully not H1N1) so I've been out of commission for several days now.  Imagine my delight when I took a look at my reader today and saw all my favorite bloggers participating in Pampering Beki's Bloggers 2009 Ornament Exchange. The event is just what it sounds like: you get paired with another blogger and exchange holiday ornaments of about $10.00 value. It can be handmade or commercial. Now, I've never made an ornament, but I'm going to now! I can't wait to become inspired and share my creation with you. If you want to participate,  just click on the image above to register.

New Contest Plus Featured Artist Lulu Kellogg

Today's featured artist is LuLu Kellogg of Coastal Sisters. She's an all around renaissance artist that works in vast array of different mediums. Featured in this video are some of her favorite art works including jewelry, faux confections, digital art, mixed media, dark art, florals and anything whimsical.

Lulu has a very unique style that you can quickly fall in love with. I myself was enchanted as I was working on this piece. My sister, who was working on her ACEOs for Christmas, was just blown away. She loved the textures, colors and the whimsy and all around feminine appeal of Lulu's portfolio. I think you will, too.

Oh, and before I forget: you can watch this video as it is embedded in this blog from your iPhone. It's not necessary to go through YouTube although you will find it there as well.

As with all my featured artists videos, it's time for the new contest!

If YOU would like to WIN a video of your own art all you have to do is leave a comment below and share with me a few of your favorite things. Well at least just one. One thing that you call a favorite. Like raindrops on roses and whiskers and kittens! >^,,^<

The drawing ends at Sunday 11/15/2009 at 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time. Good luck!

I Love Colors!

Color by COLOURlovers

Oops, I did it again! I changed my blog! I told you I would. Only this time I think I'm gonna keep this template from OurBlogTemplates for awhile because I really, really, really like it. It's the same template I used for the freebie in my previous post in which I customized with a Hawaiiana theme only this time I took it down to a notch with a variety of neutral grays and two bright "popping" colors. I'm moving away from bright cutesy backgrounds only because now that I'm going with a non-standard template some of the fun backgrounds like the one's Itkupilli makes won't really fit the dimensions of my new template. So I guess I'm just gonna have to make my own! :)

But for now I'm just going with this color palette that I got from ColourLovers called "It Stands Out". The story how I got it is this: I really like the color red. The shade that Blogger's got on their palette is HEX #cc0000 which is an okay red. It's a tad too bright and little on the orangey side. I really prefer blue-reds but - - meh -- it works for me. I didn't want to reinvent the wheel and hand code a different shade of red every time I wanted to change something in Blogger so I went with it. I found the palette by running a search at ColourLovers for a selection of palettes that had this particular red and Voila!

I used the Forelle font, a free font I got at FontSquirrel in my banner. In combination with the palette it totally ties together nicely and works for the retro-vintage items I love to wear and sell.

Another reason I like "It Stands Out" is because it seems pretty balanced -- something I strive to be. It's got red and it's got blue. And a whole lot of grays in between! In my design approach I wanted to have neutral and understated colors for most of the blog except for the elements I want to direct your eyes to. And while I love the first background I got from Itkupilli it seemed that such a riot of colors would keep your focus off of the videos I post which is something I plan to do more often.

Which reminds me! I gotta go nudge the winner of the last contest so I can get crackin' on her video-oh!

"Hawaiian Style" A Free Blogger Theme from Glamour Bomb

Now I did it! I done designed my own blogger theme with a free template I got at OurBlogTemplate and a color palette from ColourLovers. I call it "Hawaiian Style" and you can get the XML code and see a live demo by clicking here or on the image above.

The whole story about the theme is in the latest non-latin blog post on the live demo. I just wanted to add in this blog post that I've been feverishly working behind the scenes on my own blog re-design.

It's been challenging because I'm not a natural born geek (I don't have training in coding or web design) and I'm not a graphic artist either. If I were gainfully employed I would hire my old boyfriend at Kapow and pay him tens of thousands of dollars to make me a custom website. But the recession is hitting me hard and that's why I'm learning all I can to come up with my own.

It's a lot of work as many of you know but the experience has been priceless. Along with all the skills I'm learning I've met some incredibly talented artists and designers like Itkupilli, Yummy Lolly, Nymphont, Gisele Jaquenod (and Birdie!), Kevin and Amanda, Coastal Sisters, Susie Jefferson, Two Dresses Studio and many, many more.

So I came up with Hawaiian Style because it's a theme I haven't seen yet. Now granted, I've been spending a lot of time reading and following scrapper bloggers, mommy bloggers, mixed media bloggers and other web designers. I'm sure there are some lovely Hawaiian and tiki themed blog templates are out there. I just haven't seen them in my little neighborhood of the blogosphere so I thought I'd give it a try.

The only part I'm a little worried about is offering support if the user has trouble with it. I'm not really skilled to enough to be giving tech support but I'll certainly do my best.

So mahalo for checking out my latest offering. As always, I'd love feedback.

Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am Sports My Goggles!

Over the summer I was selling some vintage goggles in my Etsy shop that were such a huge hit with burners and steampunkers that they completely sold out.

And what do you know but Will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas was sporting a pair while on tour with U2 earlier this year.

How cool is that?

You can get your own pair for $33.00 plus $6.30 S/H and PayPal convenience charge simply by clicking the button below.

UPDATE: My friend Luna-See just shared with me that one of the Midnight Ridazz is wearing a pair in this "30 Seconds to Mars" video! W00T!

Thirty Seconds To Mars - Kings + Queens - HD

30 Seconds to Mars | MySpace Video

We Haz Anotha Winnah!

Hi everybody! In this contest giveaway all you had to do was leave a comment on Yummy Lolly's video portfolio. We had four people enter however two withdrew their entries because they are artists of letters and not so much visual artists as this giveaway requires. That leaves us with two entrants and only one could win. So...drum roll please...the winner is (click the video above to find out!).

Featured Artist: Cristina McAllister

Today's featured artist is Cristina McAllister who won a video portfolio of her art. Cristina produces a series of beautiful illustrations she calls "Cristina's Angels" which are these sexy drawings of angelic girls dressed in eclectic and funky styles. They're really lovely as you can see from this video. You can get Cristina's angels on selected clothing items, prints and cards. She'll even create custom portraits and avatars by commission. The pretty music Cristina selected is by a friend of hers called Nick the Neck (aka "Pumpkin") and I think it works so well with this piece. You can hear more of his work here.

If YOU would like to WIN a video of your own work I'm having another contest. All you have to do is click here {CLICK HERE} and follow directions to enter. The drawing ends at 10/27/2009 at 11:59 pm Pacific Daylight Time. Good luck!

GB-TV: Hello Kitty's Super Fan Day @ Royal/T

I just got back from the Hello Kitty Three Apples Exhibit at the Royal/T, a unique art space and ship in Culver City. It's a killer place with a cosplay cafe that is utterly fantabulous.  While I had a really good time I have to tell you: it was pretty crowded because HK fans were waiting round the block since 6:00 am for the doors to open at 11:00am.

Check out this audio tweet I made -- live on the scene -- while I was waiting in line. I did it on my iPhone using an app called TweetMic. Here I talk to one of the event coordinators:



Still, like I said, I had a great time though...OMG I had SUCH a great time! While I was there I got to meet Yuko Yamaguchi (aka Kitty Mama) Hello Kitty’s head designer and the seriously awesome Simone Legno of Tokidoki who were both signing autographs at the event. They were there to launch the exclusive Tokidoki for Hello Kitty 35th Anniversary collection. What was really cool is that they were having a raffle of some of these exclusive items as we were waiting in the long ass lines so it made it easier deal with.

There was way, way, way more to see and do than what you can see from this slide show. Like a jewelry workshop with Three Apples artist Natalia Fabia or a Hello Kitty Sushi Bento Box Workshop with Sushi Girl! I missed out on these because apparently the workshops were chockerblock before the store even opened.

But not to worry. Since the exhibit will continue until November 15th there are going to be a ton of fun filled workshops and more cool events throughout its duration so you really ought to download the PDF at Royal T's site and sign up as soon as you see something that strikes your fancy.  Space is limited and like I said at the top of the blog, this event is super popular and the lines are long.  Bring a folding chair and be prepared to make friends with other Hello Kitty fans in line like I did. For instance: I met another fellow Blogger blogger by the name of Sandi and she's got this hip blog called "Sandi In The City".  I totally recommend it for all you glamourous fashionistas out there. I subscribed and so should you!

New Contest Plus Yummy Lolly's Free Blogger Templates

A few weeks ago I fell in love with digital artist Itkupilli. Her work totally blew my mind and inspired me to customize my own Blogger blog. If you've been reading along with my postings you'll notice I've been changing the look and feel of it like some women change shoes. I can't make up my mind! And I predict I may still continue to tinker with it. I mean all the free templates I've discovered are soooo beautiful I just...can't...help...it!

As I've been crafting my blog and customizing all the columns and widgets and whatnot, I've run into some issues and I needed help. I came across Sharnee from YummyLolly.com who was suuuuuper helpful just in her blogging tutorials alone. But I also reached out to her and asked her a question to which she promptly answered so now Sharnee has become my new best friend! :)

Anyway, we're still working on getting Cristina McAllister's video brochure up for you to see. If you'll recall, she was the winner of my last contest.  It's taking a bit of time but hopefully we'll be able to pull it together for next week. Until then, please enjoy Yummy Lolly's video and if YOU would like to WIN a video of your own work just leave a comment below and tell me what you find absolutely yummy. Come on! Tell me! :).  The deadline is 10/27/2009 at 11:59 pm Pacific Daylight Time. The winner will be selected at random.

Oh, and personally: pie a la mode gets me every time. That's my yummy nom for you! Good luck!

Introducing GlamourMom

My mother taught me everything I know about being creative and getting crafty. When I was growing up she would make amazing pieces of decoupage items -- anywhere from furnishings to home decor. She also used to knit all my sweaters, sew all my Halloween costumes, fix fabulous meals, and keep a beautiful home nice and clean. After all that she would handpaint china in her free time.

GlamourMom doesn't do any of these things any more. But she's still pretty active. She works tirelessly in her garden almost everyday tending to her roses and taking delight when the hummingbirds come to feed. I've made a few videos of her when I was just starting out in vidcasting last year so I thought it would be really, REALLY fun if she would do a small tutorial series on knitting for beginners. I mean, I could do it -- she taught me how -- but it's hard filming and being the subject at the same time. So I thought I'd get my mom to do it and together we'd have some fun.

Thing is, GlamourMom doesn't want to. :/

Today my sister and I were making mixed media ACEOs and I could tell GlamourMom wanted to get in on it. She'd just stand there, watching us, pursing her lips together and squinting. So I suggested "Hey mom! Let's get you an Etsy shop!"

GlamourMom said no and shook her head. "It's too much. I don't want to," she said.

It would seem that GlamourMom is no fun. Boo!

But then, after lunch, GlamourMom came up to me and asked me if I would sell this vintage decoupage wicker tray that she made in the seventies.

"What???" I asked her incredulously. "You want to sell that?"

Personally, I didn't want to see it go. And then I realized what a doof I was being. I'm no help! My mom finally has mustered the strength to sell a piece of her own work and here I was going noooooo-don't-sell-that-gorgeous-piece-that-I'm-attached-to-and-have-fond-memories-because-it's-a family-treasure-mom!

After much backpedaling I told my mom I would sell it for her but not before I made a video -- not so much for advertising sake but for posterity's sake.

It's a really sweet piece to me. The elements came off of a pre-cut strip of decoupage sheets and you had to snip off little ends to get it out of the paper. Then she would use Mod Podge to lay it all down and when she was done finish it off with shellac. I think my mom has a way of making anything look truly magical and glamourous! It's up in my Etsy shop and in a way I sort of want it to stay there. But I know how delighted she would be if it sold and then maybe she might be inclined to take up china painting or knitting or decoupage again and open her own Etsy shop just for fun. We'll see! (Fingers crossed). XD

Some Items Currently Listed In My Etsy Shop

Here's a slideshow set to some pretty music of items I recently posted to my Etsy store. Enjoy!

Check out Regretsy!

There's a new blog on the block and while it ain't really the cutest one per se, I have to tell you it's pretty frikkin' awesome. It features items regrettably posted to Etsy and so therefore it goes by the name "Regretsy". It's hilariously written by the "Regretsy Team" with the acerbic wit of a snarky post-op tranny going through manopause. I absolutely love this site and apparently so does the LGBT community from looking at Regretsy's picks.

Now I'm not one for putting a kaibosh on anybody's creative expression -- especially that of outside artists or even cool hipsters. It's not fair to call any artist who's work is featured there as a competitor in the "Special Olympics of Art". Expressing one's self in an artistic way is a vulnerable act that should be applauded. The Regretsy team prefers to call it acknowledged.

Some may think that the spirit of the blog is pretty mean and down right cruel but keep in mind the old adage "all publicity is good publicity" because in this case it's really true. In the few weeks the blog has gone live many of the artist's featured in it have not only gained some notoriety but have also had great exposure to buyers and have actually sold their work! Art sales in a recession? C'est fantastique!

One word of caution though: the Regretsy team has a wicked habit of putting the most obscene posts of the day up last which means if you're at work and thinking "hey, let's see the latest on Regretsy" you're very likely to see some sort of bumping ugly redone in some sort of medium and called art. It can be rather shocking. While you can't really tell your boss it's porn you're looking at, I'm sure you'd rather not have to explain yourself to your co-workers either. And all you lovely mama's out there: this is the kind of site you want to look at when the kids are in bed because it's my humble opinion that Regretsy is NSFW/NSFK. At least, the times that I've checked in.

My two cents. YMMV.

All Aboard the Blog Train!

Hey there all you crafty people, come on board the Blog Train!

The Blog Train is a fantastic idea from bloggers Trish H and Tanya Gal in which hundreds of scrapbookers from all over the blogosphere get to share their designs with others. It leaves the station every other month and is totally chockerblock with FREE scrapbook kits!

So get on over to the Blog Train Blog and download some fabulous kits today and tell'em DaBomb sentcha!

This month's theme is "Be Thankful" which is an outlook on life that a beloved friend shared with me over and over again before he had to go to heaven. I miss him much but I am ever so thankful he was in my life.

At this very moment I give thanks for technology that connects us all and enables us to share amazing ideas and creations with each other.

Think about what you have to be thankful for and perhaps you won't mind sharing your thoughts on gratitude with me by leaving a comment?

We Haz A Winnah!

Good morning peeps! We haz a winnah for my very first contest to win a custom slideshow video-oh of some lucky artist's fabulous work. This was so much fun, I can't WAIT to do it again! Thanks to everybody that participated!

Oh Noes!

I'm at the Apple Store in Sherman Oaks right now and my optical drive is borkened and needs to be fixed. Thank goodness I got AppleCare so I'm covered under warranty!

What this means is that I won't have a computer of my own for the next several days. However I will still do the contest so don't you worry! The show goes on and we work with the tools that we've got.

Here's what I'm gonna do: I will use a friend's computer to hold the contest. I will videotape the winner (so I can prove it was selected at random) but I won't be able to record a slick screencast like I did for the recent how to/tutorial screencast on how to purchase a domain name for your Blogger/Blogspot blog that I did earlier this week. :(

Please keep leaving comments for the contest HERE because I love meeting all these new artists! Good luck!

Enter My Contest and Checkout Itkupilli's Spooky Stuff {Halloween - Digital Design Kit}

Last week I made a digital "Thank You" video to Itkupilli, the designer of my blog theme and I thought I'd make another one featuring some of the cute (and cool) art she has for sale on Etsy. I love her art! She's so innovative with her designs and generous with creations. She gives away free blog stuff (like the background image you see here on my blog) and she even offers tutorials on how to customize your own blog.

Now the images featured in the video above are selections from Itkupilli's Halloween themed digital collage sheets. You can use these images for your mixed media, altered arts, ATC, ACEO, jewelry, decoupage, stickers, fabrics, and more! Here's the deets:

• 2 8x8" background papers in .jpg format
• 8 ATC size (2.5x3.5") backgrounds in .jpg format
• 20 elements in .png format.
• The entire kit comes in 300 dpi so you can print in high quality resolution!
• Now available in her Etsy store for only $4.50!

The next video I make could feature your art! I'm having a contest and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment below. Each commenter will be numbered and then the winning number will be selected at random. This is the kind of contest where you can enter as many times as you wish! But the catch is: if you want to enter again and again you must leave in your subsequent follow-up comment(s) the name of a friend of yours that also commented to be considered for another entry. OF COURSE THE FIRST COMMENT is just you. But re-entry requires a referral name. The deadline for all comments is 11:59pm on Friday October 9, 2009. Winner will be announced here on my blog sometime on Saturday morning whenever I wake up. :)

I'm so looking forward to seeing how this all plays out as I've never done anything like this before. And since I do not have many followers I think you have a very good chance of winning! (I used to do free movie drawings here in Los Angeles and about five people would enter every week for months. It was fun to hang with my friends on a rotational basis! :). Anyway...I hope you will participate in this contest. I think a video would be cool and I love to meet new artists. Good luck!

How To Purchase A Custom Domain Name Through Blogger

This tutorial will show you how to purchase a domain name through Blogger. For those of you new to blogging this means that your Blogger blog will appear at its own domain name (i.e. "http://www.MyGreatBlog.com" instead of "http://MyGreatBlog.blogspot.com". The nice part is that Google makes the process a snap.

I can attest to the ease of setting up your domain name through Blogger as all my previous domains were purchased through GoDaddy and their checkout process is very confusing! Now I'm somewhat of an intermediate level geek -- I love tech -- but even so, I've ended up making purchases for things I don't need when using GoDaddy's bamboozling checkout system.

Another plus if you purchase through Blogger is that the WHOIS ownership of your domain can be made private which is a service that GoDaddy charges extra for! The funny thing is, Blogger is a reseller for GoDaddy so you end up with them anyway but without the extra fees or confusion.

Remember to keep in mind that you just need to buy the domain. You don’t need hosting, because Blogger handles that.

If my tutorial leaves you with some questions, I suggest you go over to Blogger support and see if your problem can be resolved there. If you're still stuck I will try to answer questions via comments left below.

UPDATE 6 October 2009 - I decided to transfer my domain "GlamourBomb.com" which I have at GoDaddy to point to this blog. So I didn't have the option to do the above video for this particular site. I managed to do it successfully but it was a complex procedure. I strongly suggest if you're pointing a GoDaddy name to a Blogger blog to follow these directions carefully. I would make a video but I think it's better if you just do it the way it's laid out out step-by-step.

*Cute n Cool* Free Blogger Templates by *ItKuPiLLi*

So do you like the look of my new blog? I think it's sooooo cute. But not only that: I got the background for FREEEEEEEE from the digital media artist Itkupilli herself!

Itkupilli is just prolific in her designs! Her site offers a ton of free blogger backgrounds, buttons and banners but it's also chockerblock with information on how you can DIY and customize your very own Blogger blog. But if you prefer a custom OOAK design, you can hire her to create something fabulous just for you.

So check out her blogs -- you'll get lost in the beauty I guarantee. But remember to support Itkupilli by purchasing some of the artist's collage sheets and digital design kits at her Etsy shop!

Classic Vintage Eyewear - Cat Eye Style

Oh you hip vixen, you! I'm selling my styley vintage eyewear on Etsy. See a pair in this video you like? Contact me directly. Free shipping with every purchase!

Get Dready For Burning Man

Jewel tone on a black base dread falls. They're my latest work. These are not listed on Etsy so contact me directly if you would like to purchase. Price is $100.00

Features:

• Rubber bungie to attach to hair.
• About 21" long at longest point.
• Solid black yarn is 100% wool.
  
  
• Variegated blue/green/burgundy/teal yarn is 25% acrylic and 75%wool. 
• Add $10.00 for flat rate USPS Priority Mail shipping or pick up at my home.
• These falls are very light and comfortable to wear. 
• They will not pull on your scalp like a synthetic hair piece.

They'll keep you warm on a cold playa night at Burning Man because it's almost like wearing a hat and a scarf at the same time. But they also breathe, so it's not like you're going to die from heat stroke. I've worn them in the middle of an August day in the Black Rock Desert with ease and comfort.

Please note: in compliance with federal, state and local sanitation laws NO RETURNS/NO REFUNDS ARE ACCEPTED.

I have excellent feedback on Etsy. 100% positive!

Classic Vintage Eyewear - Cat Eye Style

* Arm: 5 1/2

* Frame: 44/24

* Color: Brown and Copper

* Plastic and metal etched frame

Available on Etsy!

Steampunk Goggles

Now available at my Etsy shop!

Perfect eye protection from dust and wind at Burning Man.

Vintage Chartreuse Lace Evening Gown/Prom Dress

This gorgeous gown is in excellent shape. It appears this gown was custom tailored as there are no manufacturer labels. It is a solid well constructed garment with no rips or tears.

Details as follows:

- Taffeta and lace construction with princess seams.
- Scoop collar.
- Cap sleeves.
- Sequined waist band with applique and rhinestones.
- Hook and eye closure on zippered back.
- 50's/early 60s style skirt.

Measurements:

- 19" across bust (from armpit seam to armpit seam).
- 14.5" across waist.
- 36.5" skirt length from waist.

Notes: This dress fits me well and comfortably. It is designed in a flattering silhouette that works great on all figures. For example: I am extremely pear-shaped with a size 5-7 top (depending on cut) and a size 10 pant. My bust is a 34. The dress makes me feel so glamorous as the design makes me look balanced and curvy. This item is vintage and may require dry cleaning.

Available on Etsy here.

Vintage Late 50s Gold Drape Dress - Fixer Upper

Etsy here

While this dress is extremely flattering on, it does need work. The fabric is good, no holes or tears but stitching along the collar and hem are shot. The final image in this series is the dress turned inside out to show collar.

If you've got an afternoon and some gold thread you can tack the collar, the hem and a few seams with a quick whip stitch and you're good to go.

There are subtle water stains from a steamer that I believe will disappear after dry cleaning (see image 3 and 4). I feel these are unnoticeable if you're planning a candelit dinner at a fine restaurant the night you receive this in the mail and want to wear it.

Vintage Tie Dye Full Bodice Slip Dress Too

Just listed on Etsy. Perfect for Burning Man!

NEW Sexy Pink Corset Lingerie - Size Medium

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=140320050687
Auction ends May 17, 2009 at 09:18:58 PM PDT

BURNING MAN FASHION: Pink/Yellow/Orange Dread Falls $75.00

Wool dread falls made by Glamour Bomb. Perfect for the playa!

Features:

• Pinks/Yellows/Orange in brown base of wool.
• Rubber bungie to attach to hair
• About 19-21" long at longest point.
• 100% wool.
• Fire resistant.
• Add $10.00 for flat rate USPS Priority Mail shipping or pick up at my home.

Glamour Bomb offers wool dread falls in exquisite, vibrant colors. Wool dread falls are exceptionally light and fun. Each set comes with step-by-step instructions on how to install them. It's really very simple to do! See my instructional video here:

These falls are very light and comfortable to wear. They will not pull on your scalp like a synthetic hair piece. They'll keep you warm on a cold playa night at Burning Man because it's almost like wearing a hat and a scarf at the same time. But they also breathe, so it's not like you're going to die from heat stroke. I've worn them in the middle of an August day in the Black Rock Desert with ease and comfort.

Please note: in compliance with federal, state and local sanitation laws NO RETURNS/NO REFUNDS ARE ACCEPTED.

I have excellent feedback on Etsy. 100% positive!