Day 338: Get Crafty.

 by Stephanie Ryan Art
If you would have told me five years ago, that I would be living in Paris with some extra meat on my bones, that I would be broke yet happy, and have taken up photography and light crafting, I would have told you from my office that you've lost your damn mind...via my Blackberry of course. Fast forward to the present, this is exactly what my life is; simple and lovely, complete with a Nokia phone from 1999. While I'd still like to find a job where everything from my stapling to my letter stamping skills aren't put into serious question, these days, it seems as if that's a tall order. In the meantime, while waiting for that dream administrative job to come and sweep me off my feet, I've decided to think outside the box and get my craft on. Sort of...
Back when I was living in Brooklyn, my roommate worked at the craft site Etsy, and she would be found night after night making little doodads at her table in our living room for her online boutique, while I sprawled out on the couch, sipping on red wine, poisoning her creativity with Bret Micheal's Rock of Love. Our apartment with its sweet pea green painted walls looked like what I can imagine Zooey Deschannel's thoughts looking like; cutesy, "vintagey", and quirky. I never got into Etsy because I thought it was exclusively for super clever crafters who came up with Juno-esque ideas, and not for simple gals like me who can't draw for shit but recognize cool and interesting things. But it's not...even a Coquine like me is creative! Who knew?
Saying that, today is the official launch of Quelle Coquine!, my own Etsy shop! Champagne! Starting with a small offering, I've selected a few of my favorite photos, sharing a little slice of my life in Paris where every picture certainly tells a story. They are now available in "my shop". How cool...my shop. So official.
I invite you to take a peek here: Quelle Coquine!
Extra special thanks to Miss D, part owner of a family run wine shop near my mother's house who encouraged me to take on this project! I knew my wine habit would one day amount to something positive in my life!