(Sigh)....Frustrating day.

I got the official referral to a fertility specialist today in our quest to get pregnant, which is both encouraging and depressing at the same time. After struggling to keep it together whilst on Clomid for the last few months, they've now added in the HCG shots. Yeah, more hormones! Just what my mood swings needed. But, at least progress is being made, and I have actionable items instead of just crossing my fingers and then getting disappointed.

I also have major high-school-level drama at work, where it seems (once again) that a target has been painted on my back. So frustrating, so annoying....can't people just concentrate on their own work and leave me out of it? And my husband had such a typical male response and method of encouragement, it was almost funny. Almost.

So, dear reader, I apologize that I'm a little down, a little negative today. I'll "power through this" and feel better tomorrow, I'm sure.

Have a beautiful night :)

Spring! How I've missed you...

What a gorgeous day. The sun is shining, my windows are open to enjoy the mid-60° weather, kitties are sitting on the screened-in back porch, and my coffee mug is warming my hand. Life is good!

I participated in a bazaar/flea-market type thing last Sunday, which was my first foray into setting up a booth for my sewn-goods. Pretty good crowd, but they were primarily there to snap up all the good deals on used clothing, jewelry and shoes. When comparing a $3 top to a $45 handmade handbag, my stuff probably seemed pretty expensive....

However, it was great exposure, good practice for my upcoming craft fairs and a damn fun time with my dear friends, Brandy, Amber(s) and Kikii. And thanks ever so much to Katie @ Savvy Salon, who hosted the event and was ever helpful, sweet and accommodating!

Here are some pictures of my booth:





Well, time to clean up my sewing studio after the tornado of an upcoming craft fair swept through it and make the pillow that represents my first sale in the CODhandmade Etsy shop! Isn't it super-cute?




Have a great day!

Well, hello! Welcome to my home.

Sewing is a triumph for me.

Each day I spend in the midst of creation is a day I've fed my soul--corny, but happily true. I've been immersed in arts & crafts my entire life. I'm very lucky to have amazing parents with artistic backgrounds themselves; my dad is the head designer for a family-owned and American-operated furniture manufacturer, and my mom is a poet and now-retired composition and literature professor. She also happens to be a terrific seamstress and taught me how to sew. Thanks Mom! I fell in love with my dad's 1960s Canon camera in high school and received my bachelor's degree in fine art photography in 1999, leaving sewing behind me for the time being.

You might have been wondering, why the particular choice of "triumph" in the first sentence?

From 2000 until April 2008, I struggled with creative block which, if you've dedicated your life to expression, is a deeply depressing circumstance. I only made work once or twice a year; the difficulties eventually reached my musical endeavors as well. It's not the happiest topic, so I certainly won't dwell. I don't need to think about it anymore anyway. Because...

That time ended when I did (what I thought at the time to be) a silly self-help exercise from the book my mom gave me for Christmas (organizational help for the right-brain dominant--i.e., creative types, like you and me). I was instructed to dream and dream big, with no worries about practicalities or logic. Near the top of my list? The desire to start sewing again. I had to dream big to realize this?? Scary, I know. I hadn't thought about sewing in years. I took a couple of intermediate level sewing classes at Joann's just to get myself comfortable again, and I've been off and running ever since.

Thanks again, Mom. You're truly the best.

I made Cult of Domesticity LLC official in 2008 and now dedicate myself to designing and creating modern/chic/impeccably crafted fashion accessories and home decor items. I especially love handbags...but, who doesn't? I also sell my fine-art photography through a sister company, ShotByGwynneth.

So, dear reader, here we are.

I decided to start this blog to keep me sane during my 70 hour work weeks, while I balance my day job, my exciting new business venture, my band Yuki, my best friend & husband Tony, and our four (yes, 4!) gorgeous cats. We're also trying to get pregnant--can't wait to throw a baby into the mix :)

Please, feel free to comment and question away. I can't wait to hear from you!

PS~Did anyone get the Brenda Dickson reference in the title? It's from her cult classic TV feature, Welcome to My Home, that the soap opera star put together in 1987 to school us all on style, fashion, diet, and exercise. As Brenda so succinctly says, "Style is as just as important as your look."

Ciao,

Gwynneth