Kesha brought her Rainbow tour to OKC...

Free flower crowns & body glitter were passed around to everyone.

...and it was one of the best things ever! She played at the Zoo Amphitheater on July 2nd, 2018. I went with my coworker friend, Audrey, and it was my second Kesha concert. The first time I saw her, I went with my friend, Michelle, and she still spelled her name Ke$ha. It was at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles in September of 2011. That was only seven short years ago but, boy how things have changed! All of us... Kesha, myself and Michelle... are completely different people now. It was rather amazing to see how Kesha has changed as a performer.

How it was in 2011.

The show she put on in 2011 was a party - her set design screamed grungy house party, she drank beer (instead of water) in between songs, she barely even sang her songs, there were backup singers & dancers everywhere and at the end of the show, she encouraged us to all go home with the people sitting next to us. At the time, Michelle & I were in our twenties and a party in LA was what we needed.  I looked back at some old pictures and that concert was great.

Fast forward to the concert last week. Completely (COMPLETELY) different experience. Kesha sang all of the words to each one of her songs and she played the guitar! It was really neat to hear "rock" versions of her older pop songs, such as Blah Blah Blah with electric guitar and an actual live band & vocals. Auto-tune and backing tracks were out and raw performances with instruments were in! There were still back up dancers, glitter and confetti but the show had purpose and meaning. She stopped in between songs to tell us about her struggles and encouraged us all to spread kindness. The visuals from the set design transported us onto Kesha's planet where she reminded us all to be ourselves, unapologetically and without shame.

Her set included a massive space shuttle which she walked out of adorned in a glittering white crown and cape. She started the show with her feminist anthem, Woman. After that song, she explained a sticky predicament she was in - the Zoo Amphitheater does not allow cursing and will charge a fine to all artists who use swear words, but 99% of her songs include swear words. Being Kesha, she gave a huge middle finger to Zoo Amphitheater management and carried on with her foul language. I don't think it offended anyone. She sang many songs from her latest album but sprinkled in some of her old songs as well.  She entered the space shuttle a few times and each time reemerged with a more colorful outfit. At the end of the night, she gave us a two song encore, including an extremely emotional rendition of her song Praying, and showered us all in confetti.

I loved her performance in Los Angeles; as much fun as that was, I think I enjoy the 2018 version of Kesha so much more. As we go through change and the growing pains that accompany life, we often wish we were still young and carefree. But going to this concert reminded me of all the greatness that comes from our pain and experiences. We all weather our own personal storms and with the right mindset, we come out the other end stronger and braver. Thank you Kesha for reminding us of that.

Erica & Wes' time in Fredrick, Oklahoma.

So some warnings before you start reading:

1. This is an emotional & personal blog. I've been posting three types of blogs: DIY crafts, recipes and travel adventures (which tend to perform the best among readers). I've only posted a handful of personal ones. My logic is that no one wants to be sad on a Monday night. Life is much more fun when you're making wedding centerpieces, right?

2. The picture above will be the only picture for this blog (sorry... I know the pictures are the most interesting part of my blogs). I didn't plan on writing about this until after the fact and I couldn't go back and take pictures afterward. 

Over the past year and a half, Wes & I have ventured to Fredrick, OK three or possibly four times with my step father, Mike. It wasn't for travel and leisure. Mike's mother passed away unexpectedly about two years ago and she willed her house and all the possessions in it equally to her children. We went with Mike to move her furniture and help in cleaning up the house.

Where is Fredrick, you ask? It is a two and a half hour drive from Oklahoma City. The only major town on the way is Lawton. It is in south western Oklahoma and it is a small town. Like a really really small town. The only place they had to eat that was open on Saturdays was a Sonic. LOL Driving two and a half hours there and back really gives you a chance to think. I've never cleaned up a deceased stranger's house before. My mom and I had to clear out my dad's stuff after he passed. That was a difficult process but at least I knew my dad. My mom and I knew what was precious to him so we knew what to throw away, donate or keep. I have never met Ms. Christina Laurent. I didn't know what she wanted to give to her sons. I didn't know what she wouldn't mind being thrown out. I was just some stranger in her house sifting through her belongings and possibly discarding things that shouldn't be discarded. 

The first trip was strictly business. Mike wanted to get a couch, some of his childhood belongings, a dining room table and the chairs that matched. We were in and out in an afternoon. "This won't be so bad," I thought, "Mike has grieved, now he's detached himself from the sentimentality of this trip and is just getting furniture. We're like a moving crew!" The last couple of trips we made didn't go as smoothly. Mike's brothers had come and taken what they wanted. There wasn't much left but there was still enough to make it hard. We couldn't just throw the stuff away... this was a woman's life. All the memories she made in that house. Her other children picked through everything and left the rejects. Since no one wanted the dresser or extra bed in the guest room, Mike took it. He gave a chest of drawers and vanity to me and Wes for when we get our house. I took a wicker trunk that I've been using as my "signature piece" in my craft show booth display. 

The last trip to Fredrick was the most emotional. The three of us knew that we'd never see that house again. Mike had to finally let go of the house he spent every other weekend in taking care of his mother until she passed. At the beginning of this journey, my thought process was take what Mike wants & needs and nothing else. This wasn't my stuff to claim. After going a few times and seeing that none of Mike's brothers really wanted much, I started to realize that if we don't take this stuff home with us, it's going into the dumpster. Like I said before, this is a woman's life displayed throughout her possessions. Clearing out her house would be like clearing out all those memories and I couldn't just throw away a woman who would have been my grandmother if she had not passed.

Plus, Ms. Laurent wasn't a stranger anymore. After visiting her house and looking through her belongings,  I learned that she loved figurines and giving to charity, especially the Human Society. She liked antique furniture and loved professional basketball. She kept almost all of her children's pictures of them growing up and she was a devout Catholic. 

I think Mike felt the same way. He had always offered us anything we wanted, from knick-knacks to furniture. But on this last trip, he really wanted us to take any and everything. We got kitchen utensils, decorative candles and figurines, sewing supplies (YES!!!), towels, even garbage bags, paper towels and toilet paper. I think we did a swell job cleaning out the house. We rescued enough belongings to keep the memory of Mike's mother alive. We took things that we could use to build our home in the future. And most importantly to me, I got a lot of sewing hand-me-downs. (okay, just kidding, I'm not that shallow) Although I never met my grandmother-to-be, by using her thread & fabric, I feel like I did get a chance to meet her and craft with her. Christina Laurent seems like a lovely lady and I'm sure we would have been friends. I'm glad Wes & I have been able to help Mike succeed in this daunting task.

Sometimes life is like a bunch of discarded jewelry that you turn into a beautiful necklace...

I made this necklace for Lacey last Christmas. As I was creating my vision for the finished product and stringing the beads, I had a great blog idea but it's been almost a year and still  no blog has been written. Luckily, I still remember the basic gist of my metaphor... but I lost my blog outline with all the details & examples. I guess it's for the best because I really need to make this a short post... got lots of craft show planning, sewing and executing to do! Why are there never enough hours in the week??! (*insert crying emoji here*)

So the story goes like this...

Step 1 of making the necklace- I had all these random pieces of discarded jewelry, which represented parts in my life that I was unhappy with. I didn't want to throw the jewelry away but I didn't like how it looked in its present state.

       I'm naturally a pessimist. I'm learning to accept that the universe is kind of a bitch. (ex. I've experienced death of family members since an early age, I live with a painful chronic disease which has no cure, and I work at a dead end job while trying to get my tiny small business off the ground.) Of course, there's good in my life, too, but when you're a pessimist, your brain is wired to focus on the bad.

Step 2 of making the necklace- I cut apart all the old necklaces & bracelets and organized the beads into categories that were visually appealing to me. Then I started to plan out how I wanted to create my new & improved necklace.

       I used to beat myself up all the time over how unfairly things turn out. But, I'm learning that a lot of the time, I am a good person and it's completely not my fault. The situation is out of my control. (ex. I work just as hard or harder than my coworkers but I get a lower raise just because I'm not friends with my boss on a personal level. Ugh!)

Step 3 of making the necklace- I strung the beads using my vision of how I wanted this new necklace to look. At first, it seemed like a silly idea. I'm making a Christmas present out of old discarded jewelry that even I don't want anymore. But, as I got more and more into making my design, I started to notice how nicely it would turn out.

       Over the past few years, I've taught myself to accept the way things are (ex. I have endometriosis. I understand that I will be in severe pain. It is a problem but I have a solution... I will take copious amounts of pain medication, pack an extra pair of underwear & pants and continue to live my life.)

Step 4 of making the necklace- I just kept on stringin' those beads and the more I did, the more I enjoyed this little project.

       Instead of being frustrated with my lot in life, I've been working on making the most of what I have (ex. I don't do as well on social media and at craft shows because I'm an introvert but I'm still making friends with other vendors by just being myself and I will continue to work hard at not being afraid of engaging with people at shows and I will even invite them to my booth and make small talk.)

Accept and look on the bright side...that has been my personal mantra over the past year or so.

Sometimes, Erica just wants to chat.

Can you believe it's February??  My coworker states every day that she can't believe it's already *insert date of the month.* I always laugh and sarcastically reply, "Yeah, it's already the 20th because yesterday was the 19th." But, really...February 2016 already. I can barely believe it!
       I've been mega-super-busy preparing RagsReborn for its spring craft show season. (Show details will be posted on another week's blog. I still have to confirm dates and try to get into one more show.) I haven't had much time for crafting or cooking, so tonight, we will just chat. There are tons of bloggers who just reminisce about their day & what they had for lunch and get great responses so let's just try it out. (Although, I'm pretty sure what I had for lunch isn't as exciting as what the celebrity bloggers had for lunch. Woe is me!)
       Disclaimer: I'm also exhausted from a very busy Open Enrollment season at work. Please forgive me if this blog just goes all over the place with no proper beginning or ending.

I have the address of the party purposely blocked out. If you're interested in attending this amazing event, please email me at ragsreborngifts@gmail.com 

Before we start, I wanted to invite you to my first at home party (although it's not at my home so you should probably RSVP to the Facebook page or email me before showing up). I'm teaming up with my friend, Kristin, to host an Arbonne/RagsReborn party! Hooray (\^_^/) Kristin is an Arbonne Independent Consultant and I will be her assistant. Along with all the wonderful Arbonne products, I will have a small display of pillows for sale. I'm excited for this new way of promoting and selling my pillows.

Enough of the craft show stuff, you'll get plenty of that in the upcoming weeks when I promote each of my upcoming spring shows. It's been over a year (much closer to two years, actually!) of Monday Craft Night blogging... I guess tonight we can get personal.
       It's a little blurry but that is a picture of my greatest craft endeavor before RagsReborn. I started cross stitching in middle school (yes, while the rest of my class was busy hooking up and partying, little Erica was learning a craft & planting the seeds for her sewing business to come many years later). This cross stitch took me literally two decades to complete. In a way, it was my therapy. When I was stressed out from school, work, boys or family or simply needed some quiet time to think, I would pull this baby out and work on it. This thing stayed by my side throughout college and even went with me to study abroad in Spain. And when I got my first "real job," I stuck it in my purse and brought it with me to work.
       I finished it a few months before my thirtieth birthday. I didn't plan it that way but about a month or so after I finished this little project, I finally worked up the nerve to open my shop on Etsy and then a few more months after that, I participated in my first craft show. I feel like finishing the cross stitch meant I could let go of all my childish worries and use all my energy to focus on something bigger and better.

This is what the inside of my closet wall looks like. When Wes moved in, we -as in mostly me- decided to decorate the apartment with our stuff. Nothing of mine and nothing of his but, rather, we wanted to display memories and artifacts from adventures that we will experience together. 

       I did a huge "cleaning" (more like, getting rid of junk) day and pretty much threw away or donated everything that I no longer felt like I needed. Everything in the decor department that survived ended up on this wall. I have my old passport & student visa (framed, of course, because I'm proud of my independent travels), a vinyl recording of John Denver and The Muppet's Christmas album, my very first crucifix from my baptism, an old family picture and an infertility support bracelet (it's like a Livestrong bracelet but it's for infertility). And some other framed items that I couldn't part with. 

       

Okay, okay, we might be getting too sentimental. Let's lighten up the mood. 

       My coworker convinced me to go on my very first diet. (A diet that allowed for Fudgsicles!) Tashara introduced me to Super Shred and to be a supportive friend, I decided I would do the four week regimen with her. I'm pretty much fine with my body image but who can't stand to lose a few pounds, right? Plus, I definitely need to start eating healthier. That was my main reason for wanting to participate.

       We started the diet on January 4th and we survived!! We followed the rules really well at work but I have to admit that I slipped on evenings and weekends (a big part of the diet was eating certain things at certain times and that was too difficult to do on weekends and it was especially hard when I went out to eat). I went into this wanting to train myself to want to eat healthier options. I wasn't necessarily wanting to lose 20lb in 4 weeks (because, frankly, that sounds a little scary...if you lost 20lb every 4 weeks, how sickly would you look after a year??!!?). After going through the diet, I did indeed change my eating habits at work-- success! : ) I used to always snack on junk food and candy. But now, I'm eating fruit, nuts and granola. 

       As I mentioned before, the diet outlined a list of allowed snacks and meals that you were to eat at certain times throughout the day. Since I couldn't eat whenever I wanted, I started to really appreciate food. We have the luxury of having food available 24/7. Many times, we eat when we aren't even hungry. We eat because we're bored or stressed out or emotional. But during the Super Shred, many of our meals were spaced out 5 or 6 hours apart and when it was time to eat, the meal was just either cup of soup or small salad...nothing exciting, but when you're hungry--like really hungry-- you really taste that soup and the greens in your salad are the freshest you've ever had. I don't think I've ever truly ate food that way before. (Half of the time, I just ate because I was bored and I didn't even know what I was eating... yes, first world problems.) I appreciate the accessibility to food so much more now. 

Lastly, I wanted to show you this. This is a picture of my mom and her boyfriend, Mike. I took this picture the very first Easter Triduum we spent together. They have been together for probably three to five years now and they are finally getting married this summer! I cannot be more excited for them!! They are getting married in June in the church where they met. It also happens to be the church that I grew up in. Wes and I are going to be their witnesses when they get the marriage certificate. What an honor! 

       Since I never planned my own wedding or did any wedding themed DIYs, I will definitely be doing some crafting for their wedding. (I think my mom actually put me in charge of decorating!) So that is what you get to look forward to, dear readers. Be prepared for RagsReborn craft show updates and Erica's mom is getting re-married wedding DIYs!

     

I saw this on Facebook and laughed pretty hard. Art history memes are the best!

RagsReborn looks forward to 2016

#tbt (even though its a Monday) to my first ever craft show. My how time flies!!

January is upon us and that means year #2 in business for RagsReborn.  \(^_^)/ I did a brief recap of my first year in business last week, so this week, I'll do a quick look ahead for 2016.

Here are two shows I wanted to do in December but didn't have time for. (;_;)

       Goal #1 is to participate in more shows!! I want to do two shows per month. Considering that I did three in November, that shouldn't be too hard of a goal to accomplish. There were two other shows that I wanted to do in December but the demands of my day job prevented me from fully dedicating myself to my business. Which was a total bummer.
       Unfortunately, there aren't too many shows in the spring so I'll be starting the year off slow. I haven't applied for any January or February shows, yet, but there are a couple in March and April that I want to be a part of. Three shows I really enjoyed were held at the YMCA, Triumph Family Worship and The Crown Center so I will definitely be applying for those shows again. I also plan to seek out more shows at churches. I'm not particularly religious but I had a really good time at the churches' craft fairs. My favorite part is how supportive the community was at each show that I participated in. The staff and volunteers are always so enthusiastic and welcoming.
      If you are a vendor/crafter, help me out here... below is a list of shows that I am interested in. Please let me know if these shows are worth doing. And if you have some that you like to participate in, let me know. I welcome all suggestions!

* Heartland Hunnies (they're the event organizers, actually, not the name of the show) & OKC Flea -- these were the two that I wanted to do in December but couldn't due to Delta Dental obligations. But luckily, they both also have spring/summer shows so I can look forward to that next year.
* Cleveland County Fairgrounds craft shows (I actually know a couple of vendors who do this show regularly and have high praises for it. This is one of the ones I plan to do in the spring.)
* The Santa Market (I applied for this show but got wait listed. *sad face* I heard it's pretty competitive and they only accept you if you have a good resume. Being completely new to this business, my resume was not impressive enough. I think I literally did one other show before I applied. LOL)
* The Earthglow Market & Jingle Bell Bazaar (both are held at churches and both came recommended to me by other vendors)
* The Christmas Bazaar at the Central Presbyterian Church (I drove by the church and saw a huge sign. Yes, advertising does work!)
* There were a few in Norman that I don't remember the name of and the Peanut Butter Drive in Mustang-- I found these shows online. I've been staying in the OKC Metro area but I've been told by other vendors that it's better to branch out to other cities.
       Smaller towns really embrace craft shows as something they look forward to. Oklahoma City has so much art and local talent that a craft show is no big deal but holding an event in a more rural area gives it's residents something to do on a weekend and they come and take it all in. Or so I'm told...

Goal #2 is to become a legit business!! I mean, I'm a business now already but for 2016 I want to manage the whole process a little bit better. I didn't keep very good records of costs and net profit. I kinda just randomly wrote things down in my journal. I opened a business bank account but barely used it (I do plan to put money in it this upcoming year and only use it for RagsReborn purposes). I've appointed Wes as my operations manager and I plan on keeping a detailed ledger. I hated finance and accounting in college but I can't really manage my business if I don't apply what I learned at least a little bit.
       I need to get a Goodwill card in January!! It supports the Goodwill cause and it offers me 5% off each purchase. I also need to stop making totes and be a little more careful of which shirts I get. I have had a year to learn what sells and what doesn't. Sadly, people don't like Oklahoma themed merchandise as much as they like popular culture. I've also taught myself some fun patterns and sewing techniques that I can use for my upcoming pillows.  I plan to add some creativity to the back of the pillows and/or choose some different fabric types.
       I also would like to take the Oklahoma Tax Commission's small business class so I can get a tax ID number, register my business name and have an actual logo. Now that is as official as it gets!

The "before" picture ... all my stuff laid out and ready to display at the Holiday Handmade Show.

Goal #3 is to keep working on my booth display!! Right now it takes me less than an hour to unpack my car and set up my booth. And I can set up my entire booth on my own (although I prefer to have help from friendly craft show volunteers.) I have one big shelf, a vintage trunk and my sewing table. It used to take two car loads to get everything transported but Wes figured it out to where it will only take one (yay for geometry!!) I like the way my booth looks but sadly my handmade "double decker couch" shelf is on it's last leg. It is made from cardboard, fabric, glue and Velcro after all. It lasted me five shows and can probably do a few more but I need to start looking into other options.
       I have some crazy ideas and blue prints in my head but none of them are financially feasible at this time. Even if I had all the money in the world, I think it would still be a little difficult to move my ideas toward reality because the hardest part is finding something that is both collapsible and that can be easily stored once the show is over (aka not too big, not too heavy and not too many pieces). Wes has more practical ideas using grid walls and simple shelving. I'll probably gradually move to that.

This is a "pack-n-roll." I got it from Jessa and Courtney for Christmas. I am in love with it.

Since I don't have any shows planned for January or February, I will use these first two months of 2016 to apply for shows (goal #1) and get RagsReborn officially established in Oklahoma (goal #2).  I also plan to spend a lot of time sewing. I still have a few shirts that I didn't have time to make for my holiday sales season this year. I am at 86 items on my Etsy shop and I really would like to have a consistent 100 at all times. This will be the perfect opportunity to work on those new patterns that I mentioned earlier!

Disclaimer: this is an old picture and a lot of these pillows have already been sold. 

Erica is going back to crafting...

...that's not to say that I had abandoned crafting. (Oh no, I would never do that!) I just had a few weeks of recipes and a craft show taking up my time. Speaking of craft shows, I will blog about The Summer Show next week. I just wanted to give it a week or two to sink in so I had sufficient time to gather my thoughts before writing my reflection on it.

But it's called "Monday Craft Night" so I'm back to it. Way back, actually... back to when I had an old friend over each Monday evening for dinner and crafting. The original Monday craft night that started almost four years ago. I made this as a going away gift for my former crafting buddy last year. She moved to Texas and much has happened since. Sadly, both the occurrence Monday craft night and our friendship has dissolved but I think this project is very fitting for how we left off. Life moves everyone in different directions and sometimes, it's best to accept that life has come between us and let go.

Let's rewind to Christmas 2014. There is a Needtobreathe song titled "Keep Your Eyes Open" that I felt was really appropriate to use as a going away gift. The recipient of this gift is young and her life was ready to begin a new chapter. The adventures would be boundless and all she needed to do was to leave what was comfortable behind and start anew. She was very excited for this journey but I also sensed a little bit of hesitation. I decided that this would be a reminder of the goodness that lay ahead.

The chorus is:
Cause if you never leave home, never let go
You’ll never make it to the great unknown till you
Keep your eyes open, my love
So tell me you’re strong, tell me you see
I need to hear it, can you promise me to
Keep your eyes open, my love

Its a really great song. I don't know how to link to YouTube or Vevo from my blog so I took some screen shots of the video as it was playing. Find it and give it a watch.

I knew I wanted to use the lyrics somehow in her gift. I settled on wall decor because I figured that everyone needs something to hang on their walls when they move into a new apartment. And, we went to an arts festival several years ago and saw paintings with beaded jewelry hanging from them. We both liked the art and I really wanted to try that technique. I don't have step-by-step pictures but this tutorial is super simple and gives you a lot of artistic freedom.

Layered Collage Wall Hanging tutorial:

       Materials needed: three canvases for painting (I used different sizes.)

                                    card stock

                                    paint 

                                    string

                                    decorative items (I used ribbon, beads and charms.)

                                    hot glue gun & glue

                                    duct tape

1. String your beads onto the ribbon in any pattern and length. Leave about an inch of extra string at the top of each strand of beads.

       I made mine varying patterns and lengths. This was over a year ago so I don't remember if I did that on purpose or not. I think it's probably better to measure your string to painting ratio and sort your beads before starting. Just so you don't make anything too long or run out of beads.

2. Paint your canvases and let them dry.

3. Paint your card stock. I did a solid color, let it dry and then added the lyrics. I chose black and white to give it a chalk board feel with the standard cursive handwriting. 

       Or you could buy card stock in whatever color you intend it to be in the end and skip the whole painting part. I'm sure mine was left over from some other project and I didn't like the color it was. 

4. Once the canvases are dried, hot glue the card stock onto them.

5. Turn the canvases over and hot glue the strings of beads onto the back. 

       Measure and lay the strands of beads on the canvases before gluing. I left a lot of slack at the top of each strand so I had plenty extra string for gluing. 

6. Once they are all glued on and the hot glue is dried, duct tape the strands on along the bottom margin of each canvas. 

       No one will be able to see the duct tape since its on the back so go crazy! Make sure those beaded strands are securely on there!

7. Flip the canvases back over and add whatever other decorative items you have. I'm not sure if you can see clearly in the picture, but the decorative items I chose were cages, keys and birds.