Rachelle Keller

I deleted the first paragraph I wrote because it was how I thought this story started. But after backtracking along the chain of events that brought me to this subject, I realized that it wasn't how things began… The “real” story: A few days ago, and I don’t know why—I was probably avoiding doing something I was supposed to be doing at the time—I got caught in the Wikipedia vortex, clicking around on the blue hyperlinks just to see what useless facts I could feed my already-overstuffed brain. And Wikipedia did not disappoint! I ran across the following under some random subject and the header “In Film”: “In the film Requiem for a Dream , Ellen Burstyn portrays Sara Goldfarb, an elderly widow who becomes addicted to weight-loss amphetamine pills. After suffering from amphetamine psychosis, she is hospitalized against her will, undergoes electro-convulsive therapy, and later on was confined at a mental asylum.” —Wikipedia Entry “Now,” I asked myself, “what could be more in

It's the first week of February and, as expected, here in Utah it's bone-chilling pee-freezing cold: Photo from the archives of http://www.icanhazcheezeburger.com ‘Nuff said.

I know that when I put things off for a long time it seems to take much longer to do them when I do get around to doing them. This includes “shopping”. I had the car and was out-and-about today. Really I just had to go to the post office but as long as I was out… “Why not go to Barnes & Noble ?” I thought. It has been a very long time since I last browsed a large bookstore. Really, it was just an excuse to see if there was a new issue of Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry magazine. That's as good a reason as any. The local Barnes & Noble is an older location, you can see in the photo that it isn't fancy. It certainly isn't fancy enough to have a Starbuck’s Café ! Or maybe they just feel the need to add Starbuck’s aroma to the customer's book-browsing experience. Actually, I think this location has smaller overall square-footage than many of the newer locations. Hence the lack of really comfy chairs for the aforementioned book-browsing experience.  But I was there

Jewelry Class In-a-Box! I have always been crafty and love to work with my hands. I love needle arts, crochet is my favorite and the first of the arts that I learned at the tender age of 6. I started beading just four short years ago. I was looking for something to do for "extra income", something fun and crafty. I found my passion at the local Joann Craft and Fabrics in Kissimmee, Florida, in a package called Jewelry Class in-a-Box . Hey, it was on sale—something like 40 or 50% off. Couldn't pass THAT up! I had really not made any type of beaded item before. I had done some on-loom bead weaving and had made a couple of crochet necklaces from yarn but had never created a strung beaded object so it was all new to me. The kit came with glass pearls, crystals, bugle beads, metal beads, beading wire, crimps, clasps, head 7 eye pins, earring findings, a bead board, and some round-nose-type pliers. I followed the written instructions carefully and was

I haven't posted for a while and I know how much y'all love to see what I'm doing. It won't be fancy because I'm using my phone so bear with me (or bare with me—it's hot in here). Also, I wasn't planning on making a cat toy. It just sort of happened as I realized the design was one-sided. I didn't want to start over and I knew the cats wouldn't care if it were one-sided or not. First, some iTunes. I'll be using a design and tutorial from Urban Threads for “Stuffies (in the hoop)” . Next, I'll plan and gather supplies; thread, hoop, scissors, felt… I'm going to use baby-blue EcoFelt (made from recycled pop bottles—woo!) with a dark royal blue contrast stitching for the details. It's still the same light-blue felt, trust me. My objective here was to stitch the outlines so I could cut them out. I failed a bit on the bottom one as you can see, but it will work out. No worries. See? These pieces turned out okay. Those

When I find a great product, I tend to replace it with the same product. I found these Teva® Dozer Sandals over a year ago and I'm shopping for a new pair, not because the old ones are worn out and useless, but because the older ones are just looking a little…well…worn. I must not be a normal woman, I really hate shopping for shoes. I used to have a rather large shoe collection—not because I needed a shoe to match every handbag that matches every outfit, but because the shoes I bought were uncomfortable. My feet never enjoyed being crushed into a shape that the “Good Lord” did not intend—and I have never considered paying ridiculous amounts of money for a single pair of shoes that would do just that! Sorry Jimmy Choo. Shoes are an investment in my feet and my overall well-being. I also like to eat. Last year I knew I'd be spending a lot of time on my feet, especially on race weekends. The "fashion" sneakers I had just weren't going to cut it. No cushion, no a