We get by with a little help from our friends...

The tough job market is hitting close to home all around these days. Several of my friends are out of work and now one of them is faced with the need to move herself and her son out west in order to be closer to family, but they need help! We are mobilizing in force in an effort to help them move and to help raise the necessary funds to make it happen.

I am not a person of means, but I am in a position to help in the following manner:

50% of all orders placed between now and Friday, Feb 5th will be donated to their moving fund. As my way of thanking you for your support all purchases will come with a coupon for $5 off your next order.

Plan ahead! Will you need a Valentine's Day gift? A Mother's Day gift? A birthday present or just a midwinter treat Please consider shopping early and help me help my friend.

I think we all hoped that the effects of the recession would have passed by now, but many of us are still experiencing them every day. It is only by pulling together on a community level that we can really change our experience of this situation.

If you would like to read more about Michelle's story or make a donation directly please visit this link: Plea for Help:  Knitter & Child in Need

Devon, Becky, Tina, Me, Michelle, Little Man

I leave you with this picture and a song from one of my favorite community activists:

This is me. For the past five days I've been working with the temp agency in town to get a gig at a tax prep office. I never wanted to know (or at least read) as much about taxes as I have in the past few days. I'm ready to beat my head against the wall! That said, if you have any questions there's a good chance I can help you.

Book Review: The Thief at the End of the World

So I've been reading quite a bit and I vowed to start writing about it again. It's good practice and it makes it easier to remember what I did and did not enjoy, and why!

Joe Jackson's book The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber, Power, and the Seeds of Empire caught my eye in a huge pile of Advance Reader Copies (seriously, 200) that I picked up a few months ago. I set it aside because I thought it was something my uncle would appreciate, but right before I went to give it to him I decided to take a look at it myself, thinking I wouldn't be interested. Turns out I devoured it in four days.

I could not have anticipated enjoying this book as much as I did. It's history, and it's the history of rubber for goodness sake. How exciting could that be? As it turns out, the history of rubber is totally fascinating, and the gentleman (Henry Wickham) responsible for one of the most globally influential acts of piracy was a big dreamer with a habit of failing at everything he tried. Somehow this makes him both lovable and loathsome as the history of rubber growth and consumption unravels amidst tales his many trials (and few tribulations.) Jackson offers up an interesting mix of economics, politics, science and travelogue in order to give the reader a sense of the whole picture of rubber and the people and places that were consumed by their want for it.

Honesty Policy

What will 2011 be like?

In writing my 2010 post I realized just how much of last year I failed to document. A lot of it felt too personal, and some of it felt insignificant, but I did learn a lot and writing about things always helps that process. So goal number one will be to blog more. (Isn't it always the same goal over here?)

On a personal front 2011 will be about caring for myself on a holistic level. There is a lot that has been pushed aside for many years and a lot of self-sabotaging habits that I have picked up. Lately I have begun to examine my self and my life and I am working to find where I'm "leaking" energy and find ways to channel myself in a more productive direction, physically, emotionally and financially. I am looking forward to taking on the challenge of meeting myself again and seeing what I am capable of. I certainly have not stopped learning since graduating, and I'm looking forward to sharing with you all some of the exciting and engaging things that I have been reading and contemplating.

Business goals are also challenging, because I am at a point where I need to create another plan, another set of short and longterm goals. Certainly in the near future I will be completing the website. I am also going to be doing some close examination of myself and my own goals, and determining where they may lead the business. I think you will be hearing more about that later. Wherever it ends up there will be more designing and creating. That's a must.

Does anyone have any 2011 goals to share? Any resolutions?

P.s. Apparently I forgot about my 5 year blogiversary. It was in December. Wohoo!

It's always hard to believe another year has come and gone. 2010 was interesting and mostly productive for me, with a few major milestones. I don't think any year is free of stress, and 2010 marks a lot of changes for me with the deteriorating health of some family members and the loss of several others. However the time spent recalling the significance and impact of their lives has brought our family closer and served to remind us all that each day is precious and best spent to the fullest.

I spent much of this past year gathering resources and building forward. I started by finishing off one major project!

I graduated! Done and done!

Graduation granted me the time to really focus on business, and I feel that I made some significant steps forward last year. Jus and I moved a bit south, and I expanded my range out into New Jersey, Long Island and CT. Some of it was successful, some was not. One thing that is very cool is that my new van gave me the freedom to travel and avoid costly hotel stays. My dad and I build a very cool platform in the back, complete with a trapdoor, so that I am able to sleep on an air mattress during my shows. It's so liberating I can't even tell you!

We also built a new website (SoasaDesigns.com) and while it's not really finished it's still a vast improvement on the old one. Sometime this fall I also started selling through Artfire.com and I think that I will be happy with that change in my life.

On a more personal note, this year I grew my first solo vegetable garden! It was an INCREDIBLE experience. I don't know where I'll find land to plant one this year, but I will certainly be trying to find some! If anyone knows a place I could put in a small garden in the Goshen area, please tell me!


2010 was a good year. I have learned and grown more than I expected, and I think that I can make 2011 awesome with a little focus and determination.