Spring is Here!

Spring has finally arrived in Nashville, so my friends and I celebrated by going to visit Cheekwood last weekend when it was free to the public (woohoo!). Lo, and behold that on the day of our visit, we encountered the annual Daffodil show. (Who knew there was such a thing.) And yes, it is like a dog show, but with daffodils. People from all over the region enter their home-grown daffodils in any of 8 categories, individually or in groups, for judgment. Only the most well-behaved daffodils will win a prestigious ribbon. But seriously, it was pretty interesting, and the flowers were beautiful!

It's also spring at my apartment! Last year, I had ambitions of starting herbs and lettuces from seed and feasting on them all summer long. This year, I have made peace with my non-green thumb, and I went to the store and bought herbs and spinach instead! If you come to my apartment, you'll find a lovely assortment of spinach, dill, mint, basil, lemon thyme, and rosemary. They all look wonderful in their first two weeks in residence! I can't wait to use them for cooking and canning this summer. Oh, and mojitos!

Etsy: Epic Fail?

I love crafts, crafting, dorky silly things, etc. etc. The list could go on forever. I was cruising around Etsy tonight and was absolutely astonished. When Etsy.com was first becoming popular, it was a cool online place for people to buy and sell their unique, handmade items. When I was browsing tonight, I learned that this is no longer the case! Popularity has ruined Etsy!

Check out this item sold by origamichristmastree: Wasabi Paper Crane.

(Photo from origamichristmastree at etsy.com)

Hand-crafted? Yes

Beautiful? Yes

Insanely overpriced? Yes

I was into origami when I was in middle school, and a paper crane made from nice origami paper is absolutely not worth $5.50 + $1.85 shipping.

FAIL.

These sweet drawer pulls from HomeDecorCrafts are remarkably similar to the Melon Knob sold by Anthropologie!

(Photo from HomeDecorCrafts at Etsy.com)

Hand-crafted? Yes

Beautiful? Yes

Overpriced? No, this is a great deal

Original? NO!

FAIL.

While this is the vintage-crafty version of the off-brand, it still saddens me that this seller on Etsy is just selling look-alike items that don't have an imaginative, creative feel to them.

Is this the bane of popularity? I wonder if it is popular to spread love for creativity and uniqueness without inherently becoming less-unique. It seems like a paradox to me.

Lent Recap: Medical Supplies

Obviously, I suck at blogging lately, but here is the latest installment of my lenten project for 2010.

(Photo courtesy of Picapp.com)

I have visited a local medical clinic once with my co-workers because it is one of the many organizations supported by the church. Siloam Family Health Center is an amazing organization! They have a clinic of doctors and nurses who provide healthcare at extremely low costs to local families who would otherwise be unable to pay for any kind of medical care. Their in-office services are available in almost any language, and their website has pages in English, Arabic, Farsi, Krudish, and Spanish. To quote their website, "No one is ever turned away because they cannot afford to contribute to the ministry. " This is the true meaning of acting on Christian love.

As with so many well-planned organizations, Siloam has a wish-list online with a list of the top 20 most frequently needed items for the clinic. For the second part of my lenten project, I headed over to Costco to load up on some wish-list items. This is truly a ministry that deserves every penny, and then some!