Oh Pickles...

Most people who have visted our shop at http://www.frozenyoga.etsy.com/ have seen our melted wine bottles. People seem to really love them.  My favorite Etsy partner-in-crime, Gina, melts our wine bottles in a kiln.  Well, Gina decided to change things up a bit and melted a 5-gallon pickle jar (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34570392).  This has gotten a lot of good feedback as well but has made me think about things -- important things.  Why do I hate pickles so much?

I've never liked a pickle -- I might be stereotyping, as I'm sure there are some very nice pickles out there, but I just can't stand any of them.  Never liked them as a kid, never liked them as an adult, and never even liked them when I was pregnant.  I refuse to eat anything a pickle has touched even after it has been removed. Pickle juice remains and tampers the whole thing.  Gina is a pickle lover.  I haven't asked her, but I guarantee you she drank the majority of that pickle juice before cleaning out the jar.  My husband does the same thing and I cringe every time.  My father-in-law puts relish on everything.  People love some pickles.  Before you judge me for stereotyping though, I know for a fact that there is a lot of pickle-ism out there.  Many dill lovers hate sweet pickles and therefore, judge sweet pickle lovers and vice versa.  My husband is one of these dill people and it's interesting, because his dad is a sweet pickle kind of guy.  Somehow they still manage to make their father-son relationship work.

In the name of science, I'll start with 5 pickle facts in the hopes that understanding a pickle will
make me appreciate it more.  DISCLAIMER: Most of my "facts" were found on the Internet so the validity is up for debate.

FACT 1:  Pickles are foods soaked in solutions that help prevent spoilage.
RESPONSE 1:  I read this to mean pickles shouldn't exist.  They were supposed to spoil which means it was all part of a divine plan and we interrupted it.  We should really avoid playing God.

FACT 2:  Pickles played an important role in Columbus’ discovery of America in 1492.  Apparently, scurvy was caused by a Vitamin C deficiency so they stocked the ships with pickles rich in Vitamin C to prevent a scurvy outbreak.
RESPONSE 2:  My thoughts immediately go to the early Native Americans.  I can see it two ways: 1) They hated pickles because it meant Columbus and his crew made it to the "New World" and took over; or 2) Maybe (just maybe) they loved pickles because it meant they didn't wind up with scurvy either.  I'll leave this one up in the air.

FACT 3:  Cucumber pickle factories usually ferment cucumbers in large outdoor vats of salt brine. Surprisingly, these vats have no cover, and are wide open to falling bird droppings, insects, and other airborne objects.  Supposedly, this is for the best because the sun’s ultraviolet and infrared rays prevent yeast and mold growth on the brine surface—potentially a much more serious problem than bird droppings.
RESPONSE 3:  Really?!? I don't think a response is needed. This one stands alone.

FACT 4:  Pickling vegetables not only improves their flavor, it can also make them more nutritious and easier to digest. During fermentation, bacteria produce vitamins as they digest vegetable matter.
RESPONSE 4:  OK Pickles, you win that round (well, except for the improving flavor part).

FACT 5:  I tried doing a google search for famous people/celebrities who love pickles. Here are a few results from that search:  Selena Gomez (Disney teen actress) loves pickles; Axl Rose, allegedly, looks like a pickle; Pickles the Feral Crippled Kitten seeks love; and something about Swollen Pickles.
RESPONSE 5:  I have to admit that Pickles the Feral Crippled Kitten looking for love pulled at my heart strings.  I don't think the name 'Pickles' had anything to do with that though.  If anything, I will now associate pickles with crippled kittens.

That wraps up my research (and I use the term loosely) into the world of pickles. My final conclusion?
I still hate pickles...maybe even more now. Pickle-ism lives on.

It's been awhile...

It took me a long time to jump on the blog bandwagon and it's obvious that I haven't really remained committed to it. I thought I'd throw at least one more post out there before 2008 ends. I could say that I'm going to blog every week as a 2009 New Year's resolution but we know how resolutions go.

FrozenYoga is still here --- if you don't believe me, check out our store at www.frozenyoga.etsy.com IN FACT - we are having a sale this week only and certain jewelry items are 50% off. After that they go back to regular prices so act quickly please :)

There are some changes coming to the store as we shift to selling more artwork and less jewelry. However, the jewelry will always have its own little spot.

So, in case this is the last post for 2008 --- I wish everyone and their families, friends, pets, and whomever else a wonderful holiday season. No matter what you celebrate - I hope that everyone is happy, healthy, and surrounded by loved ones. Take care!

Poor little neglected blog...

I am so sorry, lil' Blog, that I have neglected you. Here you sit waiting for a new blog post and I procrastinate and make you feel sad. My sincerest apologies, Blog. For those that are reading this, it would really make Blog feel better if you checked out our Etsy store -- www.frozenyoga.etsy.com Blog would feel better yet if you purchased something but looking is good too :)

Now that we've gotten past that. Today's blog post is all about things we love about different art supplies. Please feel free to add your own in the comments. If we get enough response I'll create a master list on one of our blogs. Let me make this list official...

What FrozenYoga Loves About Art Supplies...

- The smell of a Sharpie marker
- Peeling dried glue off of our hands (as kids, it was fun to pretend this was our skin peeling off...I know, kind of gross)
- The smell of Rubber Cement (why do so many art supplies smell so good?)
- Sharpening colored pencils -- nothing better than a freshly sharpened pencil
- Squishing clay or model magic in our hands
- Separating beads or glass pieces in separate jars...reminds us of pretty colors in a candy store!
- Peeling dried paint off the sides of cans
- The excitement we get from opening up brand new supplies or tools
- A blank canvas and all of its possibilities
- Gesso -- I love priming stuff -- the smell, the way it always gets all over my hands...it's fun!
- Vintage paper and photos - I love when I find one that I immediately connect with or instantly think of a possible story behind it

Ok readers -- now it's your turn. What do you love about specific art supplies?

Thanks for checking us out. And again, Blog, my sincerest apologies for neglecting you...I'll try my best not to let it happen again.

When did you first know you wanted to be an artist?

For those of you familiar with Etsy, you know this is one of the questions they always ask the featured seller. Usually the answer is something about never deciding to be an artist and that it's just this innate need to create and look at the world a certain way.

Gina and I talked about this recently. We both said that it's difficult to call ourselves artists because there is a fear that someone, somewhere is waiting to jump out from behind a tree and call us out for being fraudulent. "Boo! You aren't an artist! You're a fake!" However, we both were born with this innate need to create and it's all we ever want to do. I have been working a lot lately with collage art and have such a passion for it (see my link at the bottom of this blog to see some pics of a few of my works in progress). Gina has some great mosaics and paintings in a spare room in her house. We haven't listed these items in our Etsy store just yet but the time is coming. The subjectivity of art can make calling oneself an artist difficult.

What exactly is an artist? In the dictionary it's defined as: A person whose work shows exceptional creative ability or skill. That seems easy enough. According to this definition, Gina and I are both artists. So what are we and other artists afraid of? We create, we live to create, and we have the ability to do so --- isn't that enough? Of course there is the debate about quality, skill, and experience in defining an artist. I think that is where the fear comes in. Who am I to call myself an artist when Susie Artist has studied all over the world, has works in thousands of galleries, and is a self-sustaining artist.

This fear limits us. I don't want my work to reflect my fears or insecurities of being disliked. I want it to be free to reflect me. So, you (yes you) behind that tree, get ready to jump --- I...AM...AN...ARTIST! Creating is part of me, it's what I love, and it's what I want to do for the rest of my life. Sorry Susie, we're not as different as you might think. Love it or hate it -- that's the beauty of it.

And while you're at it -- check out our Etsy shop at www.frozenyoga.etsy.com and here's that link to my Flickr collage photos http://flickr.com/photos/23839376@N05/sets/72157606819958884/

Girls' Weekend and Inspiration

So, I was able to fly up to Cincinnati this past weekend and hang out with none other than my Etsy partner and best buddy, Gina. We had a fabulous time! You know what was best though? Working on crafts together, scouring fun craft books and cake/cookie books, and browsing around the bead store and art stores. If I could spend eternity doing that, I'm pretty sure I would be happy every day.

Gina found a great book called "The Big Ass Book of Crafts" by Mark Montano. There are so many great ideas in this book! Our favorite for the weekend was decorating metal lightswitch covers with different papers, magazine photos, and other designs. We spent hours looking through magazines, scrapbook papers, and trying to lay out designs. I came home and hung up three of them in my house already. My kids love them!

Gina also gave me a great collage book made up of ideas from many different collage and book artists. It's called "Alphabetica" by Lynne Perrella . There are so many amazing ideas for collage work -- it's very inspiring. My favorite part of the book is a list of instructions for many different techniques for inkjet transferring of photos, pictures, etc.

Last but not least is "The Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking" by Kimberley Adams that I picked up. It is a step-by-step guide to making all sorts of glass beads from the very basic to the advanced. It includes great color photos, some background, and easy to follow instructions. I can't wait to get into a local class and really start learning the art of glass beadmaking.

The book topics seem like I'm all over the place, right? Well that's what is so great about it! There's so much inspiration out there that I don't want to lose sight of it. I can read through a collage book and find inspiration for a necklace. We can spend the day doodling with Sharpies and suddenly Gina has inspiration for a mosaic or a cake.

My challenge to you? Get out there and get inspired! Spend the afternoon with your friend who loves art as much as you do, putter around the home improvement store or the art store or just wander around in the woods. Pull out the crayons and color! Whatever it takes to get the ball rolling. When Gina and I spend time together, we both walk away ready to CREATE! I love this feeling of being inspired and can't wait to get to work! I know after I flew home that Gina got to work on an anniversary cake. I found some beautiful lucite pendants at a bead shop and can't wait to get to work too -- I've never worked with plastic in my jewelry but I couldn't walk out of that shop without those pendants.

Enjoy your week and I hope you catch the inspiration bug like we did this past weekend!

And, of course, check out our new listings at http://www.frozenyoga.etsy.com/

Meet Frozen Yoga

First things first -- why don't you check out our store on Etsy? www.frozenyoga.etsy.com I think looking at our items can tell you a little about us --- we're fun, we love color, and apparently we love wine quite a bit. Keep checking back to see how much we evolve (I have been thinking about a mosaic involving the word Beer --- see? I'm growing already!)

There are two of us that make up Frozen Yoga -- Sara and Gina. I'm Sara -- by day I work in the mortgage industry out of my house. I'm married with 3 crazy little boys and my husband is a stay at home dad with a growing sportscard business (shameless plug for him www.footballcardsandmore.com). I live in SC but grew up in OH. My very favorite thing in life (other than my family) is creating. I love to make jewelry but I will try my hand at just about any art or craft at least once. I will be getting into some metalworking and possibly glasswork in the near future. I also like to make mosaics but my buddy, Gina, is the one who's really talented at that.

So, Gina - besides being the best friend I could ask for, she's also an elementary art teacher, makes wonderful cakes for weddings and other occasions, and she's the one who makes those highly desireable melted wine bottles in our store as well as beautiful mosaics and other fun things. We have been friends for about 17 years and creating has been one of our main common bonds. We used to practice bubble letters and doodles in high school calculus class. I don't remember anything from calculus but I can make you a great poster if you're having a car wash or bake sale.

One question we get a lot is "I love the name Frozen Yoga. Where did it come from?" I'm afraid if I tell you the full story of the origination of this name that it will lose some of its luster. While Gina and I think the story is hilarious (as we are easily amused), I'm not so sure others would feel the same way. So, to keep with the mystery of all that is Frozen Yoga, I'll give you a very brief summary of how Frozen Yoga came to be. It involved a high school class project (oh, about 12-13 years ago), a very informative albeit unconventional video about yoga and its stress-reducing effects on the body, and our love of all edible frozen delights. See? Now you know but you are still intrigued...

I will be adding to this blog and making it glorious over the next week or so. Please check back often and feel free to leave comments (nice ones are preferred, of course). Thanks for reading our very first blog! Whoo hoo!