Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

I recently decided to add Jane Austen to the tiny list of authors of whom I have read all their works. I saved Northanger Abbey for second-to-last partially because it was the first book she wrote and in part because it has a reputation for being one of her weaker novels. With only Emma left I have to say Northanger is the weakest for me, though still not in any way a “bad” novel, of course, because it’s Jane Austen we’re talking about here. I have been trying to buy the Norton Critical editions of all of the novels but, as it turns out, there isn’t one of Northanger Abbey (or if there is I couldn’t find it). Instead, I ended up getting this SoHo Books edition, which seems pretty at first, but then is obviously implying that the book is about a young lady relieving herself in the woods. Jane Austen would not approve.

The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin

I recently picked up a copy of “The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and Online” by Kari Chapin and read it in the hopes of combating a recent streak of epic slacking. I found it the old-fashioned way, I went to a bookstore and Chapin’s book stood out on the shelfm so I took it home. It was written recently, a huge (essential) plus, and the style of the book seemed to express a certain “not only for boring crafts” kind of vibe that I liked. Her tone was conversational as well, which is my preferred style when reading how to’s of any kind.

On the whole the book is an excellent overview of the world of selling handmade goods, there are tips on a very wide range of topics, from setting up online stores to branding, craft shows to taxes, photography to press kits (one of my favorite sections), and the list goes on. Because there’s so many topics in a book that’s only around 200 pages nothing is gone into in too much depth, but the book is a great jumping off place. I read it slowly, over weeks, going over one or two sections a night and using it to help focus and inspire me. I’ve had a business for years and years, so I treated it as a refresher course, and while I skipped some sections, I didn’t skip many.

Motorbot’s Food Labbits Get Booked

I Like to Eat on Blurb $24.95

Motorbot’s food Labbit customs from his “I Like to Eat” are the best kinds of customs. By that I mean that they take a base toy that is no good (a smoking rabbit, because yes, trite irony and promotion of unhealthy and unattractive habits is still super cool to someone) and elevates it to the level of art. I don’t consider much of toy customizing to be art, incidentally, but I definitely place Motorbot’s food customs into that category, plus he’s a nice guy to boot. I will probably always regret not buying a piece from that show when I had the chance. Now he’s come out with a catalog of all his food Labbit customs and published it through Blurb, you can preview the book here … and I strongly suggest that you do!

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Neighbor Hate Zine

Neighbor Hate Zine
on Etsy and Storenvy

It went a little something like this. You all already know about my hate/hate relationship with my neighbor, TV-chan … well night before last I was sleeping when I suddenly awoke to the sound of her door being slammed over and over again. After about six slams I wasn’t getting back to sleep so I looked out the window and she was carrying things to her car … with gusto. Around 3 AM her boyfriend showed up (which is always when he shows up and he’s always gone by 9 AM) and then, from what I heard, they swept all of the pots and pans off the kitchen counter onto the floor. They then settled in to watch TV behind my head and laugh uproariously, probably at my pain, I can’t be sure.

I used to be a sound sleeper. I am no longer that thing. Now when I wake up I have a really hard time getting back to sleep and it causes me a sadness so powerful that it verges on physical pain. This time, after an hour of trying to get to sleep mid-clamor, I grabbed my sketchbook and wrote a comic about how much I hated TV-chan. The next day (yesterday) I drove to Office Depot and photocopied it while being harassed by some middle aged dude because I was using the “best” copier at my local Office Depot. Apparently I got lucky by picking the best one out of the three they had and he was not about to let me use it undisturbed. Must be hard when you’re the most important person in the world but only you know it, eh?