Top 10 Fun Things That Happened in 2010

I know it's a bit cheesy to do a top 10 list and all the usual reflecting on the past year but this year really has been one of those life changing years. I decided to come out of my shell, quit being so damn shy and missing out on opportunities because of it, and to quit hiding my artsy/creative/wacky side for fear of people thinking I'm not normal. Who wants to be normal anyway??? Once I started letting people in I realized that my friends and family love that part of me and I completely embrace it. When I get asked to do something like be in a commercial or model in a show I say yes, even though it scares the shit out of me! But life is so very short and I am not going to miss out anymore. My goals are set high and I'm already achieving quite a few of them. If 2010 was a wild ride, just wait for 2011!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Enough babbling and on with the top 10. These are in no particular order at all.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">1. First trip to NYC.</span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"></span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556905623753761042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdG4bggUdpuYX7kTqw0Kt4-FlD_9xHoeYqr6uHe9iLdqD5pI0I8EJIqEP2FLUor6-chzt6lD9AL1GASzxm7I6pImyJbA9zDOdJL8NmQULODPWrqMW_piRy0K6NPpV_RDr2pIHeBhjGYIE/s400/City+Lights+Less+Ordinary+etsy.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" />I absolutely loved New York, as I knew I would! I felt completely like "this is where I belong" in East Village. I took so many photographs that I still haven't edited them all.</div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">2. Ann Arbor/<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Justy</span> visit</span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><br /><p align="center"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556911638838468146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn18oAx1Kst_NYU7m7R9H7miAXzWDlaiLyXR4N3BIUNTMpVTUKSmyPmdzlsZlt8YMXfno0kMocLTayzLqkcmRPz-2NDQERBB63yhUZAC8vOtwdKvn_ySSg8vZyjkNgDExgMlcbdOVuzMo/s400/DSC_1503.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 248px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /></p><p align="center">My large "Swings" photograph was in the University of Michigan Alumni Show called "Interstices: The Spaces Between." It was an honor. And my best friend, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Justy</span>, flew out with her family from Colorado the same weekend. We went to the Ann Arbor Art Fair without children in tow (a first), got caught outside during a tornado (seriously), and almost missed the opening. <img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556919761425242466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nLMFHBL5oP00QKovm10SVfM5o-tZPhyphenhyphenRo4NtVoHkckcIOF-jZU-7oHQV5Q6pF3HNpb_NOIn9Lm9sIxnDZv4v7-Ly19k5p4VPHMdg1lrr5R7gh8GMsycNjqtrcacTvHLbv52UmMF8v00/s400/alumshow2010_5.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" /></p><div align="center">The next day we went to Detroit and the kids played in the fountains in front of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ren</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Cen</span>, had fun at Campus <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Martius</span>, and we ate in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Greektown</span>. It was great!</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Y2hwgK2BxUTfX1zG3D6qh9va0IYFvLIqnXpCbHj8nCtCMcXEbSqMPtPV2Yece6Jc_8-PO9rRZ9VG3UaGl-bYQTdn4z5pXsCkdw_ls-Aen4Vv_8mdjlMVS5tpEvDU6vppvPJnXegggVE/s1600/DSC_1518.jpg"></div></a><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556912353234952514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Y2hwgK2BxUTfX1zG3D6qh9va0IYFvLIqnXpCbHj8nCtCMcXEbSqMPtPV2Yece6Jc_8-PO9rRZ9VG3UaGl-bYQTdn4z5pXsCkdw_ls-Aen4Vv_8mdjlMVS5tpEvDU6vppvPJnXegggVE/s400/DSC_1518.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Y2hwgK2BxUTfX1zG3D6qh9va0IYFvLIqnXpCbHj8nCtCMcXEbSqMPtPV2Yece6Jc_8-PO9rRZ9VG3UaGl-bYQTdn4z5pXsCkdw_ls-Aen4Vv_8mdjlMVS5tpEvDU6vppvPJnXegggVE/s1600/DSC_1518.jpg"><p align="center"></a></p><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">3. Fox 2 Commercial<br /></span>It hasn't aired yet (it's supposed to be on after the holidays so hopefully soon) but I got to be in a Fox 2 Weather Authority commercial spot. They came to shoot a house with me and shot me doing my virtual tour then asked me a bunch of questions. It was really fun.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556908298466414082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bmo-nYpKRlzbBDQQrFc_mdD5d0sEpCNvDyisMurV0hkC2vDtEl3-wEnA2eCEoTF5QZvq08NsvfIeGjXRhZRf3dowIM4QAzVa2Gkqgd8NV_Bo40qMV6CIONRTWDmXJISFijWnizII-pk/s400/DSC_0538.JPG" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">4. Motorcycle Ride</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"></span><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556908283912002562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvRHAthbmkjhCO0t__JYvRlHJFc8jTQ288uRNl7eMUcid9jlVEBGDyHa_f_bqApNWeWkO_QD0BFp09ESbJI5j2Kvq4vR7LZ-k-0Oo8X5rdqJnP1T2PWb1mUBRwCSMhisg4B264I3nY2TY/s400/harley_davidson_vrscav_rod.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 248px; CURSOR: hand" />I'd never been on a motorcycle before but always wanted to so when my brother sold his before I got a chance to ride it I was pretty bummed. Luckily our neighbor has a sweet as hell <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">harley</span> and he took me for a ride on it. I loved every minute!</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">5. Modeling</span></div><div align="center">I got to model in not one but 2 super cool runway shows! The first one was for charity in <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Clawson</span> and was put on by 808 resale. I got to wear the coolest vintage boots. The second show was for designer Matthew Richmond and it took place on the streets of Royal Oak. The dresses were all <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">eco</span> friendly and made from materials like magazines and plastic bags. After the runway show we did a professional shoot too. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556905634962215474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPeKZlCFDOitZCaEUThz-3OtvYMmGrUG3zGDPbysEDllyXCQYdxOMpJGX1TzWrAcBMq37kbBJa7MIjfBu8dfQbO5LHpQaDRbHA7yL1ExBsz7au3Tz7cZPfHhJzMxAgQ2QkcehLmBZEwg/s400/P1010794.JPG" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 291px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556908291996461698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74j_p3DvVLocl1-rpAjDFlVxmTuBVagGytxZ07UhZfq3KrR_WShpN1K90G9cFcNGdiFPW7ojWqWjuxCxhT5JX9mEcbOjpxZJww7jLiYg-3lvHuwehZa59NdcTjGz7Xc5razCvvGMVH4g/s400/fashion+show+casual+2.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 341px; CURSOR: hand" />(Oh yeah--I bought and kept those rad shoes.)</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">6. Skateboarding</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I don't know what it is but I've always been fascinated by skateboarding. I wanted to learn but didn't really have anyone to teach me. So I picked up a few skateboards at a rummage sale, brought them to a parking lot and taught myself. Now whether or not I'll remember it all in the spring is another story. But I didn't fall once and actually got pretty good on it. My goal for 2011 is to learn to do some jumps and tricks.</span> </span></div><div align="center"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556905617944540098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRjCh53__sfCAYxVMh3OIPqFixNDZ1uCeQpLNC6RfSTUzkafZ_24hmGy9LfImaEPjnI_Mi0whuzEss4HdpFQAsYJCegOzgraefiYgF9TraUWZ2tVns-I8ueO83OqSanOQW2YSOd_uP9s/s400/DSC_7982.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /><span style="font-size:180%;">7. Catching up with old friends, making new ones</span></div><div align="center">This year was the year of social networking and I have to say I love it. I've made so many new connections on there, both personally and professionally but also was able to reconnect with a lot of friends from the past. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span> rocks. And twitter has been pretty incredible as well. I now have over 5,000 followers and have built some pretty cool relationships with it.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnerNsJWz7nLIUmfS_UfDR9OIkAnjqsuzxgw67YXL7O0MYNP5MqfLDPAw5yhNl3HL8hI8ZM0p-ykZgGUK_Ju9tiE8BH9tc3JKXVjV-XHH6s9j5JH71riV8bbspnebY-MUZ-FiuwC_mm4/s1600/twitter.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556910309386032898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnerNsJWz7nLIUmfS_UfDR9OIkAnjqsuzxgw67YXL7O0MYNP5MqfLDPAw5yhNl3HL8hI8ZM0p-ykZgGUK_Ju9tiE8BH9tc3JKXVjV-XHH6s9j5JH71riV8bbspnebY-MUZ-FiuwC_mm4/s400/twitter.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 181px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuivyDf-ErRyWWq-qTOgpd3aZbJgyEA1cnQflACeLhm_s43v8Ik5AwFNAtmF44ucDhLEOsAVunUQDdGSXX9UsRSdu3J6rlG_0x8vPfUbbvvnk2t_2KiI0vvieauhHIboC5untHSZZmTA/s1600/facebook.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556910305013573682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuivyDf-ErRyWWq-qTOgpd3aZbJgyEA1cnQflACeLhm_s43v8Ik5AwFNAtmF44ucDhLEOsAVunUQDdGSXX9UsRSdu3J6rlG_0x8vPfUbbvvnk2t_2KiI0vvieauhHIboC5untHSZZmTA/s400/facebook.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" /></a><br /><div><div><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">8. Photography and Jewelry<br /></span><div>With this <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">new found</span> freedom/metamorphosis my art has really gone in an exciting direction as well. I think my photographs have gotten edgy and more creative than ever before. And the metalwork I've been doing excites me to no end. I created my first bezel this past week and I can't wait to push it even farther. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURg7QD9yiuqASv5PnPPrdwnRKy-CflhC9sRjoveYtwywoF6Gak2-wdsFZzorXir79Lw04qsuJpzDRmnFLqS-xAJKPdotFXRWtHuRAV52U7KwEpy7EfhiR3c44DgtHxPAs_BENgeAGcJ8/s1600/Detroit+Typewriter+etsy.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556908275900144530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURg7QD9yiuqASv5PnPPrdwnRKy-CflhC9sRjoveYtwywoF6Gak2-wdsFZzorXir79Lw04qsuJpzDRmnFLqS-xAJKPdotFXRWtHuRAV52U7KwEpy7EfhiR3c44DgtHxPAs_BENgeAGcJ8/s400/Detroit+Typewriter+etsy.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> Plus I found the antique typewriter of my dreams this past summer at a garage sale. The proceeds went to charity too--bonus.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">9. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">DIY</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ferndale</span></span></div><span style="font-size:180%;"></span></div><div>This was my first outdoor festival and I absolutely loved it. The people were great, I sold a lot, and it meant so much to me to have so many people see my work and tell me how much they appreciate it. All the shows I have been doing have been incredible in building my business. I have people recognize <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">Lilacpop</span> all the time and I get emails asking for custom work or where they can find my stuff in stores. I've even had customers come to shows wearing something they bought from me at a previous one. How rewarding is that? <div><br /><br /></div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WFW5QQjYziYLxlnZF8DUk_MiQ8EvLNeDBW-mBLbE7spj1F7iXN53ts-GEs-wR5FYkRTR_OjLkkKuuHqTCByXrQ8UcG9MZbIpGEqbxMrstFNVJ6SgMB0VK5DzdGyZ-9KBGNZ8uWuYvzM/s1600/100_4294.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556905611930406066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WFW5QQjYziYLxlnZF8DUk_MiQ8EvLNeDBW-mBLbE7spj1F7iXN53ts-GEs-wR5FYkRTR_OjLkkKuuHqTCByXrQ8UcG9MZbIpGEqbxMrstFNVJ6SgMB0VK5DzdGyZ-9KBGNZ8uWuYvzM/s400/100_4294.JPG" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> <span style="font-size:180%;">10. Yellow Door<br /></span>One of the best decisions I made this year was signing up with Yellow Door Art Market in Berkley. The opening day was packed and you could feel the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">excitement</span> in the air. The people in Michigan and especially the Detroit area really have banded together to support buying locally and handmade. It's awesome. I run into other artists from Yellow Door all over town and it's almost like this little artist's community, which is great to be a part of. It's also nice, since my studio is in my home, to have a place that I can send people to pick up a custom necklace or photos. I am most certainly renewing my lease that is up soon and hopefully extending it for the next year!<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrZlGynsulDbuoxO-faqXUNZQ3ki1nuVYxYvodEQojG2h4S_Y3LovFNQ2RW17ZLaOc6TRy_iVENAs0Lsl7r3uDjZgLyb00ccKGBA7GMw8AKytj3U19itB-I_AX0RA17KeDvyhZ-VWnTw/s1600/DSC_8504.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556905605576227746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrZlGynsulDbuoxO-faqXUNZQ3ki1nuVYxYvodEQojG2h4S_Y3LovFNQ2RW17ZLaOc6TRy_iVENAs0Lsl7r3uDjZgLyb00ccKGBA7GMw8AKytj3U19itB-I_AX0RA17KeDvyhZ-VWnTw/s400/DSC_8504.jpg" style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" /></a> I cannot wait to see what 2011 has in store!</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>

Top 10 Fun Things That Happened in 2010

I know it's a bit cheesy to do a top 10 list and all the usual reflecting on the past year but this year really has been one of those li...

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