mmmm, pizza

This is my new favorite, quick meal. Arnold's Multi-grain Sandwich Thins, pizza sauce, a sprinkling of mozzarella, goat cheese, turkey pepperoni and hot peppers, heated to awesomeness in the toaster oven! Just about 250 calories and lots of fiber :)

crafty super market - sweet nothings

a couple sweet little things that I'll be selling in my booth...

new bloggy endeavor

Hello, friends!

I have an announcement to make, and I couldn't be more excited! I've decided to open up a new blog. It's called Oh, Hopscotch, and it can be found here http://ohhopscotch.blogspot.com/.

Now, I'm not abandoning Found in Translation. I love this little blog, but I'm going to bring it back to what I originally founded it for—a photo blog. It will be even more-so a visual documentation of what's shaking in my life.

Oh, Hopscotch is going to be dedicated to my creative life as an artist—what inspires me, my own recent works, crafts, and all that jazz. I hope to bring a little bit of inspiration into your lives, too. I've already populated it with a few posts, just to pique your interest. I have so much more in the works, I promise!

So please stop on by, give it a read, and maybe even add me to your reader if you like it that much! I'd be oh so flattered. Comments help me know what I'm doing right, or so horribly wrong.

So, still friends?

Yours Truly,
Val Smith

Crafty Super Market

Yesterday was a big day for me. First off, I booked a cruise! More on that later. Secondly, Yellowberry (that's me) & her very good friend, Lady Bear Crafts (owned by dear friend, Rachael Smith—no relation), found out we have been selected for a duel booth in Cincy's very own Crafty Super Market!!!!!
Holy moley, do I have some work to do!

The two of us submitted an application weeks ago, and have been waiting with bated breath ever since. We're both so pleased, and so proud to be a part of such an independent, special event. I'll be selling my jewelry and accessories, and Rachael will be selling her uber adorable, hand-embroidered paper goods (think greeting cards and bookmarks and stuff). This is our very first time as vendors, so your support would be treasured! Also, you would have the chance to do some great shopping, and come away with some truly unique pieces.

Here's the skinny:
Crafty Super Market
Saturday April 17th, 2010
11am-6pm
Clifton Cultural Arts Center

Here's my "Ashlyn" necklace that just might find it's way in the show:
This is one of Lady Bear's greeting cards (check out her blog for the latest news in her world):

craft night: bubble paper prints/stationery

Remember when blowing bubbles in your drink and annoying the heck out of your parents was your idea of a good time? It still is? Mine, too. You'll feel right at home with this project. Now we didn't walk away from this craft thinking "success!". Our prints didn't look just like they did in the craft book (but still looked pretty swell). Though, they so seldom do. So I'm not too stressed. However, this was definitely the most fun craft night to date! what you'll need:

1 small bowl (like soup bowl size)

1 straw

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon dish soap

10 drops food coloring

light colored paper of your choosing

What to do:

1. Completely combine the water, sugar, dish soap, and food coloring in the bowl. Be very liberal with the food coloring, otherwise, your bubbles will be rather faint.

2. This is the part where all those "That's What She Said" jokes started to come into play. We're a mature bunch... Get out that straw and start blowing! slower is better. It makes bigger bubbles which print better. That's what she said!

3. Gingerly scoop the larger bubbles off the top of the bowl and arrange them to your liking on top of your paper. Resist the temptation to pop these bubbles or blow them away. Put it aside to dry. At this point, you are done! Now write someone a pretty letter, or do a fancy drawing. If you want to get really crazy, repeat steps 2-3 with a different color for a two-toned affect.The finished product, which was completed by my friend Alissa. She was the one who really got the hang of it.
happy crafting!

happy day!

I logged into Etsy yesterday, more out of habit than anything. I thought my little eyes deceived me—lo and behold, I had made a sale! A very nice girl from the Cincinnati area will soon be the proud owner of my "Dessa Dreamcatcher" necklace.

The first thing I did was stare at the receipt screen. What do I do? All that planning and work I had done, and I hadn't thought about how you actually handle a transaction! So I called up my friend, a fellow seller on Etsy, and she told me all I pretty much had to do was package that sucker up!

So I wrapped it in finery, threw in a little something special, and headed on over to the post office. Then I waited in line for a good 15 minutes. And now that merry little package is on its way. I've never even shipped anything before! It was a week of firsts.

Here's the necklace that got away.