I know that I tend to write about more lady related topics, but that’s so not fair! I am all about equality and this bargain huntress won’t let the men down, believe me! So guys, here’s a quickie guide to www.Etsy.com ! Please, don’t be afraid to venture into the unknown. There is an entire world of crafty peeps out there waiting to work with you to create something truly legend -wait for it- ary!

From custom leather goods to personalized stationary or t-shirts, Etsy is the place for all things custom and personalized (yes, even license plate frames)! It’s what I love most about it. You can order dog tags or cuff links with your name or any other info on it. And please, don’t fear being judged! I have made some strange requests of sellers on Etsy and have never had anyone so much as blink an eye at it! So dive on in! The crafty waters are perfect! (Got a gag gift in mind? Post in the “Alchemy” section and let sellers bid for your project or contact a seller directly!)

I would say that the neatest thing I’ve found on Etsy is the personal care (aka: health and beaty) items. From organic to vegan and fragrance free (my husband won’t buy the fragranced stuff) you can find or request anything your heart or your body desires! Even custom undies!!! Yes, you can get Fight Club soap to show off to your friends/guests! You can get all things liquor/beer related from soaps to artwork. The sky is the limit!

Keychains? Yep! Shaving soap refill? Uh-huh! Macho bracelets/necklaces? Oh yeah! If you can dream it then there is someone out there willing and able to make it for you (depending on the project and your budget). Halloween stuff, too! I even found fridge magnets that look like real bacon! Sweet! And baked goods, too! Yeah, too lazy to bake for yourself or go to the store? Buy some goodies on Etsy! You can taste your way around the world! From jams to cookies and lollipops and cake…custom blended teas and coffees…did I mention the sky is the limit? Yeah, ’cause it is!

And clothes? You can get custom made garments for the same price you’d pay for ready to wear stuff in the store! Ridiculous-cool! Hunter S. Thompson passport cover? You got it! Giant Bruce Lee wall decal? Sure! It’s all in how you work the keyword search. See, all the stuff below I slapped into my fave list for your viewing and linking pleasure. And there’s so much more than what you see here! Check out more of my manly faves: http://www.etsy.com/favorite_listings_public.php?user_id=51553 (only the first 5-6 pages are for men). All I did was type in “for men” into the keyword search box at the top of the homepage www.etsy.com and sorted by price (or you can set other parameters and click on categories, too) and went window shopping!

So, check it out, give it a shot and tell me what you think! Thanks fellas! =0)

The following video is a live performance of The Gossip on the Jimmy Kimmel show…you’ll notice some confused looks on the faces in the audience, they don’t know what they are about to witness! The greatness and fabulosity that is The Gossip! Seriously!

First, please go read this: http://www.fatshionista.com/cms/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=69&p=272#more-272

It is such an intelligently written look at what feeling  or being beautiful really means. The following is an exerpt that truly touched me:

“You do not have to be beautiful. It’s not your responsibility to be beautiful, for yourself or for anyone else, not for your family or your partner or your friends or some stranger on the street who finds your face unpleasant (and let’s be real here–the most beautiful woman you can imagine will occasionally have folks thinking she looks busted). “Beautiful” is a loaded concept, encumbered with implications far beyond the dictionary definition. It’s a vehicle on which we can put our deeper worries, our fears that we’re not good enough, our insecurities, our sadness. It’s easier to say “I feel beautiful!” than it is to say “I feel confident!” “Beautiful” is a feeling that’s okay for a woman to express; often, “confidence” is not. But that’s a conflation of two discrete concepts. When we use it in this way, “beautiful” becomes a code word we use when we can’t get at our deeper feelings, or at least when we can’t express them in a culturally-acceptable way. Feeling beautiful is often about nothing so much as feeling accepted, loved, appreciated, respected, and feeling those things about oneself from the inside, as well as feeling them as they are expressed by other people.

When my husband asks if I feel beautiful, I have to say no; because I never feel beautiful; because I am not a beautiful girl. I am rather a woman who knows where she stands, who feels comfortable and confident in her own skin, and yet who struggles daily with living in a world that tells her repeatedly that she shouldn’t feel this way, that she has no right to feel this way.

Our beauty, or our feelings of beauty, are often feelings we guard as ferociously as we would a priceless treasure. Probably because for many of us this feeling comes all too rarely. But if I might interrogate our assumptions for a moment: what do we really mean when we talk about feeling beautiful? We mean that we feel good about ourselves, don’t we. We mean that we feel happy and confident and alive, and the fact that this combination of feelings is so rare and so magical and so intoxicating that we have to call it “beauty” just breaks my heart.

That feeling is beautiful. But you don’t have to be beautiful, to feel it.”

I cannot agree more. I remember seeing the classic Woody Allen film “Annie Hall” a few years ago for the first time and thinking it was such a pleasure to see a woman dress outside of the norm yet still seem comfortable and confident in her own skin. I have often struggled with the concept of beauty. I am constantly in a tug of war with what women are supposed to look like and what I look like. Or how I dress or wear makeup. And then I realized a couple of years ago that you just can’t pigeon hole yourself that way! It’s awful. You are a human being! You’re a multi-facetted individual! While my many likes and dislikes often influence my appearance, they do not define me/you as a person. I choose to wear earrings and orange sneakers, but those don’t necessarily make me any more of less beautiful. It’s an abstract!

Gender roles be damned, I like to wear makeup sometimes, but then I go through huge dry spells where I just cannot be bothered with it!  I like to bake, but I also love to talk cars! And you know what? All of this is a part of me, but isn’t me in my entirety! I think if more people (not just women) embraced this way of thinking, that we are all different because of what we do and how we proceed through, then we would all have less stress in our lives!

What do you think?

My beloved and fave blog PlanetFabulon.com has mysteriously shuttered. Leaving me with heartache and a need for a fix of fabulosity! So…I shall scour the webz in search and perhaps you’ll join me on this adventure and see what we find in the universe!

Came across a Tweet from 52stations and I friggin’ loved it and Carrie Fisher for writing it: http://carriefisher.com/?p=462

I love this site’s clothing and have bought a few items now. I can attest to it’s quality and uniqueness. You just won’t see another gal walking down the street in thei stuff (yet!): http://eshakti.com/ with sizes from 0 – 38W there seems to be something for everyone! PLUS: you can get customized styling for $10! Yes! No tailor needed! And only $10!!!

I am loving Yoko Ono’s Tweets! You may have noticed my recent post “25 Things” in her honor. Well, check out her site: http://imaginepeace.com/news/ it’s full of fabulosity and compassion!

If you’re a regular Fabulonian, you’ll already be familiar with Mr. Peakcock and his style:  http://mrpeacockstyle.blogspot.com/

And I love this art/design/blog: http://nubbytwiglet.com/blog/ it’s always full of fab typesettings and all kinds of fabulousness!

If you’re on the fashion leaning side of Fabulon: http://galadarling.com/ will surely give you something to gawk at!

Another fashion one, but this one’s a more collage style scene: http://blog.justjr.com/

I think one of the best blogs ever: http://1000awesomethings.com/page/2/ because anyone who blogs about things that are awesome and specifically: #678 Sneaking cheaper candy into the movie theater is fabulous in my opinion!

Okay so this one is both fabulous and adorable: http://leloveimage.blogspot.com/

I Love The Frugal Fag! I had wanted a clever name for this blog to go with his, but stuck with my old standby instead: http://frugalfag.com/

Another Fabulon Favorite: http://expatriato.blogspot.com/

If you love film and all things cinematique check out: http://filmexperience.blogspot.com/

Um, not sure how to categorize this one, fun-weird-crazy-fab makeup and dress-up? http://destroyx.com/

Four-eyes rejoice! http://www.eyeheartglasses.com/

I am an Ikea addict, I won’t lie! But this makes your Ikea filled house look less so: http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/

Have a crock pot? Need recipes/ideas? Cheggit: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Gorgeously Packaged Products (or ideas for them): http://www.thedieline.com/blog/

Fab: http://www.thecriticalcondition.com/

Oooh! I love these old pics: http://blog.krisatomic.com/?p=379

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now sweetie-darlings! While it’s a sad day without our dear Fabulon, we can keep a little piece of her in our hearts, always!