30 Day Picture Challenge- Jewelry Edition :P

If you're a facebook user you've seen or at least heard about the 30 day picture challenge.

If not here's a brief explanation.

The facebook user creates a new album (i.e. Monica's 30 Day Picture Challenge :D ). Then in this new album each day, for 30 days, they upload a new picture that follows the instructions for the 30 day picture challenge. For example, "Upload a picture of you and the person who you've gone through the most with".

So that got extremely popular, at least around the young people I have as friends on Facebook. I saw it, went through a few people's albums and decided "Neh. That's not for me."

I like to play by my own rules and yesterday while halfheartedly getting ready to go to work, I had an idea. BING! People are always suggesting that jewelry makers wear one of their creations each day. Why not take a picture and post it on my blog and fan page? I know it's going to be fun and get me motivated to make more jewelry. Plus I'll get more feedback from you guys. That's what this project is all about-- what you think.

See here's the plan.
1. I wear a piece of my own jewelry everyday (preferably a new piece of jewelry everyday...) for 30 days consecutively!

2. I photograph myself wearing it. Then I post the pics on FB and my blog.

3. For fun and to up the interest factor I will also be posting comments and reactions to this new project, in terms of what people are saying about my work. GOOD or BAD! I will be posting honest opinions.

That last step may sound like artistic suicide, but I think it is completely constructive. In art class we did critiques of each other's work on a regular basis. How can I improve unless I receive some constructive criticism? Anyway I've got tough skin and I can take it. And most people I've talked to about my work have something nice to say.

So please stay tuned. I will be posting the first picture of the 30 day picture challenge this evening! WOOT!

And who knows if I like this and you like this, I just might make the picture challenge a regular feature on my blog and facebook fan page!

Plane Tickets are Headaches

I have been planning to go to Norco, CA this summer for a convention that will be completely in Arabic. Sound daunting? Well, I went last year with a group of friends and understood tidbits. It will be interesting to see if I've improved after a year has passed. I had tons of fun last year. We went to a walima, the Arabic word for party. There was fast paced dancing, a sort of circle dancing where people clasped hands and did some kind of skipping foot motion to their right. I was too shy to join in (besides I wouldn't have been able to keep up), but this year I may get the courage to jump in there. We also went to the beach, Balboa Island, but we didn't get in the water. Another thing that will have to change this year.

So anyway I am very excited about going to California, the only problem is the silly plane ticket prices. They go up and down at the drop of a hat it seems. Do they have a "Buying Plane Tickets for Dummies" at a book store? I need it desperately! Really, last year it was all arranged for me, all I had to do was show up. This year it has been such a hassel. I don't know what to expect the price to be. I bought 1 ticket for a friend that is traveling in our group of 4, and went back to the site to buy another ticket and the price had jumped $89 in one hour!

If you happen to be reading this and are not as inexperienced with buying plane tickets online, I would greatly appreciate your help and insight. None of my 3 friends that are traveling with me fly very frequently or have experience arranging this kind of thing. It feels like we got thrown into the water before we learned to swim. Of course, I know it can't be that hard, but as a college student with a part time job and lots of time spent volunteering (and making art :) ), I do not want to pay $89 more than the reasonable price I got for my friend. Your help would be very, very, very much appreciated!