Fashion Galore was a clothing design and distribution company I owned. I was seven. Despite the boss’s diminutive stature, crying fits and lack of conflict resolution skills, FG persisted for many years. I had it all: pens and pencils, books holding imaginary records, even letterhead, a.k.a. throwaways from my parents’ business. I would shut myself in my mother’s study to scribble plans, count fake money and hold meetings with my investors: Snowflake, Meow and Baby Deer—a bear, cat and (baby) deer, respectively—their hard, beady eyes drilling me for information about the viability of my endeavor.

I enlisted my family in this corporate world I built around me: fashion advice from my mother, investment advice from my father. In a momentary lapse, I even put the fate of my little business in my older sister’s hands, slipping a handwritten document under her door that read, “Will Fashion Galore go out of business? Circle yes or no.” I’ll give you one guess as to what she circled. Fashion Galore was no more.

Twenty years later, I find myself in a disturbingly similar situation. WriteByNight is not, thankfully, on the verge of annihilation—and if it were, I wouldn’t make the same mistake again, lesson learned—but for our first year or so in business, I found myself reminiscing about Fashion Galore regularly. I’d shut myself in my mother’s study—I was working out of her Florida home at the time—to scribble plans, count fake money and hold meetings with potential investors: flesh-and-blood people this time, their hard, beady eyes drilling me for information about the viability of my endeavor. What can I say? Some things never change.

In short, I felt like I was playing office, just like I had when I was seven. The good news is that I had learned a few valuable lessons from my first attempt at starting a business, which I will summarize for you neatly here:

1. Screw the doubters. There will always be mean, big-sister types telling you that what you’re working toward is not worth your time. Often, these discouraging voices come from within. Your only hope is to shut these negative messages out ‘cause they won’t do you any favors. All that matters is that you believe in your ideas. Your strength, confidence and determination, that’s what counts.

2. No doesn’t necessarily mean no (except in dating in which case no always means no). More likely than not, you’ll experience a few roadblocks on your path to professional success, especially when you’re just starting out. These roadblocks can take many forms—a partner who isn’t on board 100%, an opportunity that isn’t panning out as you hoped it would or a client for whom you can’t quite close the deal—but what they’ll have in common is that they’ll feel like losses. The key word to remember here is “yet.” The partner isn’t on board yet. The opportunity isn’t panning out yet. The client won’t commit yet. You have many productive days in front of you in which to turn those nos into yeses. Nos are not forever, and don’t you forget it.

3. Imagination can become reality. At some point, playing office became running an office, a real one. At what point exactly this shift occurred, I can’t say, and I guess in the end it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that it happened and that I found inside me the sticktoitiveness that allowed me to ride the pretend train into the real world, despite the bumps. And the motion sickness. You can do the same.

I’ll tell you what, chickadees, when I go to work every day, I still feel like a kid, but it’s not because I’m playing pretend. It’s because my work feels like play. I’m doing what I love, and I can’t imagine a better feeling.

Justine Tal Goldberg is an award-winning writer and editor of both fiction and nonfiction. Her short stories have appeared in Anomalous Press, Whiskey Island, Fringe Magazine, and other publications. Her journalistic work has appeared in the Texas Observer, Austin Monthly, and Publishing Perspectives, among others. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from Emerson College. She owns and operates WriteByNight, a writing center and writers’ service headquartered in Austin.

2) New York Magazine’s Vulture also gave us this delightful clip of the “Community” cast playing the Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture Edition. We wish we could be on their teams.

3) Alison Brie, “Community”‘s Annie Edison, will soon be on the silver screen in “Five-Year Engagement.” In addition to two of our other beloved TV actors (Jason Segel and Chris Pratt) and Emily Blunt, this trailer offers romantic comedy fans like us hope for the future. And in our book, co-writers Segel and Nick Stoller are two-for-two after “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “The Muppets.”

4) Another dearly departed TV favorite, “My So-Called Life,” received the where-are-they-now? treatment, courtesy of an imaginative writer over at HelloGiggles. They sooooo pegged Brian Krakow.

5) Wondering what to get us for Christmas? We’ll take anything from Brookish, a lovely Etsy shop full of handmade goods inspired by the great Jane Austen herself.

Once I found that image, I searched until I found the tutorial for creating it, which ultimately came from Apartment Therapy. And then, it was off to Hobby Lobby. For less than $15, I picked up a 16×20 blank canvas and a package of 100 white Christmas lights (with white light casing and wire too for maximum camouflage). For an extra $10, I picked up a plug-in dimmer to have more control over the brightness of the lights.

Following the Apartment Therapy tutorial, I started by sketching out some dots with a pencil on the reverse side of the canvas. I loved the three-cluster design of the original image, so I tried to copy that. Once I got in there with the lights though, I realized that sketching out the design ends up being pretty fruitless, since you have to yield placement to however much distance there is between each light. The tutorial suggested poking through the canvas (which is surprisingly tough) with an awl. Since I didn’t have one of those, I used a small screwdriver instead to make the beginnings of the hole. Then it came down to simply jamming the individual light through that hole you started. And then doing it over and over again to create 100 holes filled with 100 lights. The tutorial also recommended securing each light with craft glue, but I didn’t have that and am impatient so I just left it. By criss-crossing the light strand and placing each light at maximum distance from the next one, I was able to make it pretty secure from behind.

So when all 100 lights were done, this is what it looked like:

Kind of boring/ugly, but when I plugged in the lights, it began to get pretty:

And prettier:

And really pretty:

I love the way each light throws such pretty shadows against the canvas. I suggest setting the canvas on a dresser or table that will camouflage the electrical cord trailing down from the bottom that needs to be plugged in and also provide enough space for the wiring behind the canvas. Here is a side view of what mine looks like on the reverse side (not too messy, but not pretty either):

Apartment Therapy also suggested painting the canvas first, which could be a nice way to avoid the boring white daytime look. Maybe try a pretty blush color or a nice deep blue to look like stars on a night sky.

Held at the Palmer Event Center off Barton Springs Road and themed The Magic of Christmas, A Christmas Affair spans three days and offers shoppers a chance to check out the goods of more than 200 merchants. Some of the merchants hail from all across the country, but many are homegrown, including one of our favorite local artisans, Paloma’s Nest.

Created by artist Caroline Colom Vasquez, Paloma’s Nest became an Etsy sensation several years ago and was featured in The New York Times. The Austin-based company has since expanded into an e-commerce site of its own as well as its first brick-and-mortar store, which is located on South Congress. The Paloma’s Nest collection has become best known for its trademark Ring Bearer Bowls, which became the darling of wedding blogs the world over, but also includes a number of beautiful, simple and customizable family heirlooms perfect for commemorating life events large and small.

So it’s no surprise that Paloma’s Nest has announced a 2011 holiday collection that includes many pieces we’ve added to our own holiday shopping lists, including these lovely creations:

Paloma’s Nest, which was recently featured as an InStyle Magazine Best of the Web pick, will be at booth 710 during A Christmas Affair. Tickets to the event cost $12 for one day or $25 for all three days.

2) Check out the latest and greatest in Austin’s craft scene at the annual Austin Craft Riot Holiday Show, which is FREE and held this Saturday and Sunday at the Marchesa Hall.

3) Diablo Cody’s Red Band Trailer series resurfaced recently to feature an interview with the delightfully smarmy Joel McHale. Our favorite basic-cable television host/”Community” star delivers all the sarcastic charm you’d expect, but fair warning — when he starts holding that baby toward the end, your ovaries may just kick into overdrive.

4) If you’re feeling old, read up on this comforting advice Cracked offers about leaving your 20s behind.

5) Who knew Batman was actually an idiot? These College Humor sketches present a new, but not necessarily improved take on Batman interrogating the Joker, battling wits with the Riddler, trying out new voices and, as you’ll see below, unsuccessfully vanishing from a rooftop:

If you didn’t get your fill of Christmas shopping at last month’s A Christmas Affair or Austin CraftRiot, you’ve got two free markets open this weekend where you just might find everything you need for the people on your Christmas list.

Cherrywood Art Fair is a one-weekend-only event that is both a juried art show and a market for the arts and crafts of 80 of the best local artisans. The event is free and held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday at Maplewood Elementary School in the Cherrywood neighborhood of East Austin.

Just up the road near Highland Mall, you can check out the 10th anniversary of the ever-popular and free Blue Genie Art Bazaar. Held at The Marchesa Hall & Theatre, this craft and art extravaganza runs through Christmas Eve and opens at 10 a.m. every day and closes at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday. To make your shopping more merry, Blue Genie even peddles cocktails and snacks.

While you check out the work of more than 40 local crafters and artisans, sip on some sizzurp in the form of fabulous cocktails and refreshments, or stop by the photo booth to get a little crazy with some props. But the absolute best part is that the Austin CraftRiot is free, leaving you more money to spend on all of the neato items for sale.

The Austin CraftRiot runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Marchesa Hall in the Lincoln Village shopping center of I-35. To shop these handmade goods the rest of the year, check out the links to the vendors’ online stores here.

Super Cool Tidbit: Chickster is one of the sponsors of CraftRiot, so if you attend, look for our bright pink Chickster Cootie Catchers in your swag bag!

So following Jamie’s instructions, I bought:

-Open-backed frame without glass (I found my simple black one for $12 at Hobby Lobby in the 90% off custom reject section)

-Window screening ($6 at Home Depot for a roll large enough to make 30 earring holders)

-Staple gun ($8 at Hobby Lobby)

First, I cut the screen with scissors to fit the frame. It was pretty easy to cut it with scissors, but if you have a pet or an often-barefooted roommate, be mindful that the screen left behind some small metal pieces that could be painful to step on.

Next, I pulled the screen across the back of the frame and used the staple gun to put in the first staple. Then I moved to the opposite side and put in another staple and continued that pattern until it was stapled all the way around. If I had it to do over again, I would probably staple the screen to the back of the frame rather than the inside lip of the frame (where the glass would press against if the frame had glass) because I think I would have been able to pull the screen tighter that way. Mine wasn’t super tight, but it’s still functional. Also, the staples ended up coming through a little on that inside lip so you can see them from the front. Oops. Luckily my frame is black and my staples are black, so it’s not terribly noticeable. I touched up the staple holes a little bit with a Sharpie, just in case they showed.

I’d hoped that I could put some hooks in the bottom of the frame so that I could have my earring holder double as a necklace holder, but I guess that was a little too greedy because no matter how hard I tried to get those screw-in hooks to go in the frame, they just weren’t budging. Also, as a heads-up, I didn’t realize beforehand that this type of holder isn’t ideal for hoops or post earrings.

But all told, I’m pretty happy with my homemade earring holder. It’s not flashy by any means, but now that I’ve got all my earrings on it, I think it adds a bit of something to the empty wall by my dresser.  

Thanks to Jamie for the idea! If a crafting newbie like me can do it, believe me, anybody can. Plus it gives you an excuse to buy cute new earrings as ART. Anyone want to hit Forever 21 with me?

My studio was a mess. Well, not exactly. I mean, it wasn’t dirty. Studios are supposed to be covered in paint splats and eraser dust, so that wasn’t the problem. I was more concerned that she might expect something cool and artsy. My white walls and makeshift corkboard haphazardly sprinkled with reference pictures were going to be a big disappointment. Frankly, it was a disappointment to me. A couple of years ago when I first set up my studio, I wanted big pretty corkboards for my walls. I went shopping for them, but to my surprise all I could find were hideous, boring, sad-looking ones. And even those were going to set me back $50. So I returned home with dashed hopes and some $10 cork wall tiles and tried to make the best of it. With the impending photography shoot, I now had the perfect impetus to come up with a better, handmade solution. I made two unique and lovely new corkboards, and you can too. Here’s how I did it:

Hawaiian Print Corkboard

Materials:

•Decorative Frame without Glass – Aaron Bros. penny sale is always a good deal, Hobby Lobby has 40% off coupons almost every week or custom frame shops sometimes have odd sized mismeasured frames they will sell you for cheap.

•Roll of Cork – available at office supply stores

•Foam Core

•Acrylic Paint – I used artists’ acrylics, but craft acrylics will work fine.

•Stencil for the pattern – I freehanded the pattern, but the cork was tough to get smooth edges. A stencil would have worked better.

•Spray Adhesive

•Staple Gun (optional)

1.Cut the foam core and the cork to fit in the frame.

2.Use the spray adhesive to stick the cork to the foam core. (If you value your lungs, do this outdoors.)

3.Use the stencil and paint to create a decorative pattern on the cork. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly.

4.Place the cork into the frame. If your frame doesn’t have clips to secure the cork in place, use a staple gun to place staples into the side of the frame just above the foam core. Don’t push too hard, but just enough so that the staple sticks out a bit and holds the foam core in place.

5.Hang and enjoy!

Silver Cloverleaf Corkboard

Materials:

•Decorative Frame without Glass

•Radiator Screen – available at hardware stores

•Roll of Cork (or cork tiles, the radiator screen will hide the seams)

•Foam Core

•Spray Adhesive

•Staple Gun (optional)

•Tin Snips (optional)

1.Cut the foam core, cork and radiator screen to fit in the frame. I was able to cut the radiator screen with scissors, but it wasn’t easy. If you have trouble use tin snips.

2.Use the spray adhesive to stick the cork to the foam core. (Again, if you value your lungs, do this outdoors.)

3.Place the radiator screen and the cork into the frame. If your frame doesn’t have clips to secure the cork in place, use a staple gun to place staples into the side of the frame just above the foam core. Don’t push too hard, but just enough so that the staple sticks out a bit and holds the foam core in place.

4.Hang and enjoy!

Like the look, but don’t need a corkboard? Skip the cork and foam core. Secure the radiator screen into the frame, staple fabric across the back and voilà! You now have a beautiful and convenient display for your favorite earrings.

For more from Jamie, please visit: http://posta-bella.com/blog/

I asked around and apparently all you need to paint lawn furniture is a wire brush (to scrap off dust and loose paint), about 4 cans of spray paint (I used Rust-Oleum textured durable finish in flat black [the paint guy steered me to the right stuff]) and an old sheet I didn’t mind throwing away after spray-painting atop of.

So I spaced all the lawn furniture on said sheet out in the middle of my back yard (so as not to accidentally paint my patio or my house), then I scrubbed off all the loose paint revealing that my table and chairs were really something more reminiscent of a Jackson Pollock painting; this part actually took the longest. Next I sprayed all surfaces in a back-and-forth motion while staying at least 10 inches apart…actually I didn’t. I read that part later while I was reading how long it takes to dry (1 to 2 hours to touch and 48 hours to dry completely). I think it would be better to stay at least 10 inches from what you’re spraying to avoid dripping. I sprayed anywhere from 10 to 3 inches away from my target. I’ll let you know how well that works out but so far it seems to be fine.

Last, I left the chairs out in the yard for two days, (you should be aware of the weather. If it is going to rain you can carefully move them under an overhang after a couple of hours) touched them up several times (I allotted 1 of the 4 cans for future touch-ups), and when I was sure they were dry returned them to my patio and ditched the sheet. Fairly simple.

To make your own mosaic, start with something small and simple, like a MALMA IKEA Mirror (just $2.99) that I use here (or even a little RÖNNBÄRR terracotta flowerpot).

1. You can leave the wood untreated or you can paint it any color that strikes your fancy. It won’t show on the finished product but helps seal the wood and may make it easier to apply mosaic pieces.

2. Gather together materials to add. Blue Moon Glassworks in Austin’s Hyde Park has beautiful panels of stained glass available that are quite fun to smash and break into different size pieces. You can incorporate everything from broken China plates, seashells, buttons, pebbles to found objects to junk jewelry.

3. Get a strong adhesive. Omni Gel dries clear and will permanently attach just about anything. Welbond is also an excellent water based glue for indoor mosaics.

4. Choose a pattern or create your own. Just makes sure you have a plan before you start gluing things down, and be sure to leave gaps between glued items to add grout later. If you are using glass, rubber gloves will help protect your fingertips, and be sure to put on safety glasses before you take a hammer to anything. TIP: For smoother edges, put glass or China pieces into an empty Mason jar and shake it around until the edges are worn down before attempting to apply to any surface.

5. Mix grout and avoid breathing in any dust. It’s a messy job, so you will probably want to do this outside. Darker grout usually looks best, but you can also pick a contrasting color of grout to make your design pop. The grout should have the consistency of cookie dough before it is applied to your mirror’s frame.

6. Use masking tape to protect the mirror’s surface and add grout between the gaps. Let dry overnight,  then wipe the grout off your mosaic pieces with a damp sponge for a nice shine. Peel the tape off mirror and see your smiling face as you admire your work of art.

7. Voila! Hang prominently in your house and impress visitors with your DIY skills.

If you’d like to take a mosaic class in Austin, The Art Pad offers a variety of different mosaic courses for all skill levels. The Austin Museum of Art also offers a five-week beginner class through their Art School at their picturesque Laguna Gloria location.

For a more ambitious mirror project, click here for another take on how to make a mirror mosaic.

This year that all changed when one chickster decided to throw a Halloween party and invite some other chicksters and their boytoys. When a couple of chicksters tossed around costume ideas over La Palapa’s tortilla soup, one of the ideas included “Kill Bill”‘s Gogo Yubari, the mace-wielding schoolgirl/personal bodyguard of O-Ren Ishii. I loved the idea from the get-go. Not only did it give me a chance to subtly bring sexy back to Halloween, but it also gave a little credence to this chickster’s mister, who thinks her eyes make her look like her family is more from Hanoi than Houston. And the costume had been featured on my favorite show of all-time, “Gilmore Girls.” (If the Kurt Cobain costume didn’t clue you in to the extent of my geekery, I’m betting that last statement just did.)

So what did I need to become Gogo? A wig (check), schoolgirl outfit (easy peasy) and a mace (not so easy). I started with the long black wig, which I found for $15 at Spirit the Halloween store. Next, a trip to Goodwill yielded a navy blazer, plaid skirt, white Keds and a tie for less than $20. I was afraid the mace would be my downfall. I trolled the aisles of Michael’s, a foreign wilderness to those of us not versed in the language of DIY, and picked up various objects, wondering how someone craftier than I could turn a styrofoam ball into a deadly weapon.

Finally, a trip to the new Costume World opened up a new realm of possibility when I came across a ball and chain and then a spiked collar. Using a bit of superglue, I attached the collar around the diameter of the ball. Since the chain was only a few inches long (and made of black plastic), I headed to Home Depot and picked up five more feet of real chain for a scant $3. I have to admit that the addition of the real chain really gave the mace some gravitas and had the added bonus of making that awesome swishing sound when I whipped it around.

When I got dressed for the Halloween party, I was pretty excited about my costume. And then I was even more excited when most people actually got who I was and thought it was pretty cool.

But what’s the main lesson I learned from this experience? Always choose a costume that involves a weapon. People don’t care how accurate the costume is or even who you’re dressed up as when you’re carrying something shiny that looks like it might kill someone.

Gogo battles Shaun of the Dead