Actin Staining

So this morning I looked at the slides I stained and had a mini breakdown. I couldn't find any cells, anywhere! Luckily, Katherine took a look, and found some. I'm such an idiot... not sure what I was doing wrong.

Anyway, here a couple of the pictures I took. The blue is DAPI, showing the nucleus of the human airway smooth muscle cells. The red and green, TRITC and FITC respectively, stain the actin. The pictures are a lot clearer in the Nikon software - you can see individual strands / thread of the red actin throughout the cells.

Now we have to try and figure out how to assess and compare polarity.

My Handmade Registry

This week was the grand opening - launch week for My Handmade Registry. Sign up today and show off your handmade wish list to all your friends! Join us in the groups for some helpful hints, and in the forums and chat for some great conversation! There were lots of draws and scavenger hunts this week, and there's still time to participate in one last draw!

Details are on the front page of My Handmade Registry. A big thank you goes out to Dorana, for imagining and creating this wonderful resource!

Tagged!

I've been tagged by a talented artist and good friend of mine, Debra Linker. Since she asked me nicely to keep the chain going, here are the rules:

• Link to the person who tagged you
• Post the rules on your blog
• Write six random things about yourself
• Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them
• Let each person know they've been tagged

Six Random Things About Amanda:

1. I ran my first actin staining experiment today. It was so simple, I could probably do it without the step-by-step instructions next time! Tomorrow, I'll look at the slide under a fluorescent microscope, and it will be real pretty - coloured in blue, red and green. If I remember to bring my memory stick, I'll show you a picture!

2. I am a glutton. I loooooooooooove to eat, and cook. Which reminds me, I haven't posted a recipe in a while, even though I have some pictures...

3. I'm a huge procrastinator. It's really a problem... especially since I'm lazy too. Not a good combo... but I'm laidback too, so I just don't worry about it. hehehe

4. I've always wanted to have synesthesia. Look it up, it's awesome! Letters and sounds as colour... or even cooler: sequences (numbers, letters) as each having individual personalities!

5. I hate sweeping and vaccuming. I'd rather do the dishes or dust (both of which I also hate).

6. The only bone I've broken is the second smallest toe on my left foot. I think I might have been in the 6th grade or so. Mom asked me to gather dirty glasses from the living room, and I went running into the kitchen with one or two. My foot slammed full speed into the wood box (my parents have an old wood burning stove in the kitchen)... crying and laughing in pain, mom brought me to the hospital in town - about a 15 min drive. When we got to town, the hospital was completely blocked off by.... the Christmas Parade of Lights. We had to wait until it was over before I could go get an X-ray and get my toe taped to the one beside it (high-tech, I know).

So that's that. Now I have to tag 6 people:

1. Nickileigh
2. Angie
3. Dorana
4. Arctida
5. Katelynjane
6. Little Bit Funky

Dontcha just hate when...

Someone walks past you on the sidewalk, and instead of waiting 2 seconds to pass you before exhaling their cigarette smoke, they do it in your face instead. Thanks!

Etsy Feature: Hearts

I'm really getting excited for Valentine's Day this year. I usually don't make too big a deal out of it, getting Pat a little something (usually alcohol and candy) and making a nice dinner. This year though, I'm really anticipating it. Maybe it's because I won a one night's stay at a fancy hotel in town, which we've redeemed for V-day. Once plans are made, it's easy to get excited over a holiday.

Of course, Etsy is a place of endless inspiration (and procrastination) and I've been browsing Valentine's Day things for the past week. Today I'm going to show you some of my favourites.

First up is this sleek necklace by locallibrary. I love the contrast of oxidized silver or black gunmetal against bright silver. This necklace is so sweet and simple, it's completely wearable. In fact, I'd be hard-pressed to find something I didn't want to wear this with!

Here's another absolutely stunning necklace. In fact, this is a heart-shaped locket, made by mompotter. I love lockets - their mystery is always so charming and I like being able to keep a little secret something close to my heart. That pink burst of beads is perfect against the dark silver metal and the flowery etching just make it all that much more special.

While we're looking at necklace, I may as well show you this pendant. You guessed it - it's another heart. This one is made by ccvalenzo. It's a gorgeous frosty colour, and made with dichroic glass. I love the look of dichroic fused glass! It gives such a lovely shimmer and shine to the glass, and gleams with various colours in different lighting. This heart in particular shows how it adds dimension and light to virtually colourless glass.

Here's another look at glass with this funky lampwork heart pendant by lorilochner. I'm always so in awe of glass-workers. It's something I've never tried, but would love to. Or at least I'd like to see the process of lampwork, and see the beads take shape. In particular, I love the unique shape of this heart, especially the tilt of the very tip of the tail end. I also really like this swirl of colours, and think the copper ring looks perfect with it. Very psychedelic, but in a good way!

First off, Geninne has been a favourite of mine for a long time. I have her bird print #21. And if anyone knows me, they'll know that it won't be long before I cave to the temptation to buy this beautiful Bunny Kisses print. I love bunnies! At one point, we even had a little white bunny, Jasper, along with Rosemary (who's coat is black), making this piece even more significant to me!

Mixed media prints always capture my attention because there is usually much detail and layering to the piece, letting you look at it again and again without getting bored. I especially love Geninne use of vintage postcards and ads, and the drawing she often adds to them enhance their charm.

Speaking of cute little birds, have you seen these little dishes around Etsy yet? Maybe you've seen some similar heart designs by PrinceDesignUK, who has a few white plates printed with a multitude of little red hearts, as well as these adorable little birds. There's nothing like a repeated pattern to instill a little harmony, and why not little red hearts? In fact, the heart plates would look quite stunning mixed in with some plain white flatware for Valentine's dinner.

Of course, the fact that these ones are shaped like little birds only makes them sweeter!

Now I've already purchased the Valentine's Day card I want to give to Pat (this one made by my friend Angie), but that doesn't stop me from looking at all the other gorgeous cards on Etsy. I might just get one for my mom...

I love cards with peep-holes. They make you anticipate opening them, wondering what the inside will reveal. This "Be Mine" one by paperdragonfly is especially charming!

The best cards are hard to find. They're not wordy or ornate. They feature a simple design that captures your attention and gets your message across. As I've mentioned above, I especially love a repeated pattern that communicate a sense of balance and motion. This card has a simple repeated phrase to communicate your wish - and to highlight a hidden message: "Valentine".

Here's another fine example of a great card from papertigerdesigns. Again, a simple reccuring design, this time in X's and O's. The bright contrast between the red and white makes this card particularly eye-catching.

A heart filled with hugs and kisses. Now isn't that a wonderful message to convey to your loved one?

This card is letterpress. Again, this is another artform that I absolutely love yet have never tried. There's just such a clean, crisp look to letterpress that can't be beat.

Well, that's it for now. I'm sure in a week or two I'll have accumulated enough favourites to make another Valentine's Day themed feature. Please be sure to check out the amazing artists behind these finds, and let me know which one's your favourite!

Sugared Cherries Earrings

I listed a new pair of earrings in Ulixis Crafts. Well, not exactly new - same design, different colour. I rather like this bright red for Valentine's Day. Here's the original design in royal blue. They're made with these great beads woven with nylon cord. I also have them in bright orange, burgundy and kelly green. Feel free to send me a convo via Etsy, leave a comment with a method of contacting you or email me if you'd like a pair!

Moving Things...

Last weekend we rearranged the living room to accommodate Pat's new TV. This weekend, we're moving a bunch of stuff into a storage unit. We finally had to rent one out because we just don't have enough room in this little one bedroom apartment. We've made 2 trips in our rented car so far, and there's at least another 2 to go... And then we can finish rearranging the living room and bed room furniture. I can't wait until everything is in order! Plus, I can't wait to organize my new craft space (still in the living room, but on my desk instead of a table)!

Item of the day: Plants of Love

Yesterday, I posted a stunning treasury compiled by joojoo. Today, I'm featuring one of her tiny polymer sculptures. These are the cutest little heart cacti you're ever going to see:
And they're growing in vintage German clay pots. So sweet!