The snail in the mail wore a birthday hat

I've crept through the past ten days while they've been flying past me. My art/craft show application was accepted not too long ago! Can I get a woot woot? Since then, I've entered the spiraling cycle of procrastination, panic, suddenly working on projects until 4am, gluing myself to the computer screen and pretending I have time to spare, and finally repeating steps 1 through 4 in sporadic order.

One particular package in my mailbox took my mind off things a bit, though! As my first time winning anything blog-related, I was pretty stoked when Beth of Deer Little Fawn announced the names of a few lovely ladies who won her birthday treasure hunt and I was one of them! She posted clues every few days and we had to find the hidden answers throughout her blog - what a cute idea, right? 

The fact that Beth lives all the way across the pond in the UK made this bag of goodies even more interesting. I love how different their wording is on product packaging. For instance, on candy products, they refer to candy as "sweets." I wish the American vocabulary was this charming, but perhaps I've just been jaded by it. Here's the loot!

Thanks for brightening up my day, Beth (:

Green day, minus the pop punk

I've been rummaging through my closet, trying to find something green to adorn my boring work ensemble for St. Patty's Day tomorrow. So far, I've only come up with a green cardigan and perhaps some rainbow ribbon for a (somewhat obnoxious, in a good way) hair bow.

As grandmothers have a way of leaving behind the most amazing jewelry collections, so did my dear boy's. This is an heirloom of hers that he gave to me and that I wear often, especially this week:

 
I was feeling rather green today and in light of being Irish, here's a random collection of green things found around my humble apartment:  

The green chair, with her perfectly button-tufted back
and nearly flawless exterior. She made my heart skip a beat
at a Salvation Army outside of Detroit, Michigan.

Fridge art that my best friend created and sent

via snailmail. She's an artist and she doesn't

even know it.

A cup of Joe, but Joe and I are not friends - don't let him

fool you. I enjoy his company for the sole purpose of staying awake. 

No amount of sugar or milk will change my mind, either.

And, here I am, PMOT - Putting myself out there 

as Jenny over @ Everyday is a Holiday puts it!

Found &Fancied

How much do I love this Seattle photographer? Enough to want to live in this picture, or every picture she takes, really:

The Volkswagen Beetle has been my dream car ever since I was turned loose with a pair of keys at 16. This is probably one of the most materialistic things I've ever pined for, but I just have to have one someday.

I wouldn't argue if someone offered me a Nash Metropolitan, though:

Ring-a-ding-ding

My jewelry collection has always seemed to lack a particular type of item that I'm rather fond of, but until recent years, haven't been able to find in my size. Cute ones, that is...

rings!

Even as a youngster, I'd try squeezing my little sausages into those cheap, "adjustable" ones. I know those of you with your own little piggies have been there with the metal kind that pinch your skin between the sharp ends because they just won't close. In fact, I remember the very first ring that wouldn't fit. It was a piece to this game, which I received for my birthday when I was five or six years old:

Pretty Pretty Princess

While searching on E for a particular bubble/cluster style that I've been digging for awhile, I stumbled into JennsHandmadeJewelry shop, where Jenn specializes in glass and metal jewelry. It was her cluster rings that caught my eye and was just what I was looking for! At a more-than-fair price of $10, I couldn't leave without ordering something. I contacted Jenn and asked about a customized ring in one of my favorite color palettes, and she kindly assured me that my rollie pollies would be just fine! It arrived a few days later and was a perfect fit and cute to boot:

 
Elvis, who sits above my bathroom sink and
stares longingly at me while I brush my teeth,
finds my new ring particularly stunning as well.

I'll definitely be wearing this on Easter and throughout the spring season! I plan to order another in the future, perhaps in some rich fall colors.

Me and my chubs thank Jenn for her time, effort, and talent  (:

Package makes perfect

An artist standing out in a crowd of artists? This seems like a contradiction of terms and a challenge for most of us.

Lately, I've been working on the "branding" of my shop, as I've learned from the Etsy forums and other advice blogs that this is one of the most important aspects of establishing an identity for any small business. As I've been experimenting with my packaging and logo, trying to figure what works best with my style, it suddenly occurred to me that uniform doesn't have to be bad or boring. Honestly, I think consistency and repetition (outside the product, of course) keeps things looking organized and well put together.

I'm also excited about the custom rubber stamp I'm having made! This will be a perfect tool for the backs of greeting cards, other paper goods, business cards, and even envelopes and shipping boxes. How many hands does a package pass through before it reaches a customer? Perhaps each one is a chance to notice an interesting website stamped in bright ink.

What an Oodalollies purchase looked like before I shipped it earlier this week:

 (I'm a little bit of a paper freak and hoard it like a squirrel).

I've been nudged to tidy up the loose ends of Oodalollies because just yesterday I slipped the application for my FIRST art & craft show in the mail! Come mid-June, there's a very good chance that I'll be peddling my fancies at my own small booth.

I'll know in a week or so if I should panic, pee my pants, and get to work!

And afterall, you're my wonderwall

After a long and exhausting Saturday (what else could a Saturday in retail possibly be?) I tugged off my gloves and hung up my coat and kicked off my shoes and let down my hair. And then I caught the eye of this cute guy I know, who happened to be sitting across the room, cradling his nightly bowl of spaghetti-O's and grinning while he watched me shake off the end of my day.

My empty, growling stomach hurled me toward the kitchen, where I quickly stumbled upon a SURPRISE! And I adore a good surprise:

The inside of the garbage can was even cute, with its pink mess of icing tube evidence. We celebrated early on accident, since he found my stash of records for him under the bed a few days go!

Out of respect for my lovelorn friends, I try to keep my bragging to a minimum. But sometimes its okay to let the world know just how happy he makes you, and in honor of Valentine's Day, that's exactly what I'm doing.

Found &Fancied

 50s birdcage pillow,

one of many styles that I love from Olive.

Its always a strange feeling once I log off Etsy, returning to the offline world - a place where thousands &thousands of artisans are not gathered in one spot, and where many know nothing of Etsy at all. In the last year, the site has become one of my favorite &prettiest addictions (and for good reason). Many evenings have quickly turned into late nights, browsing the endless corners of handmade shops bursting with talent and imagination. The impossibility of seeing everything can be slightly frustrating when you realize that Etsy is in a constant state of motion, and you might miss something if you blink. 

So, as I continue to build my blog, Found &Fancied will become a new page that I'm dedicating to things I find, and of course, fancy! Its really quite a shame that I'm not this organized when it comes to my mess of art supplies cluttered on my small kitchen table studio.

Workin' girl

Things have been quieter around my blog this week, but only because I've been work-work-working. And I mean working in the "real world" where work isn't exactly my idea of fun, but really, I can't complain. I've been working for a party supply chain for about a year & a half now, and being surrounded by clusters of birthday balloons, pretty tableware, and customers in the catering business has given me insight into the background of amateur event planning. I've had the idea to take my interior design degree in the direction of event planning for some time now, after helping plan my dad's wedding in the summer of 2010. As a second marriage, he and my step-mother (every time I hear or say "step-mother" I instantly think of Cinderella, but I assure you, she's far from evil) . . . decided to keep it low key and casual. You should've seen everyone stirring in their pews when she wore a white dress down the aisle! She takes others opinions with a grain of salt - which is probably why we get along so well.

Back to my really big point! (; 
Just days ago I received some exciting news that stirred up all the butterflies in my tummy and has had my mind racing ever since. The company I've been employed with is expanding and building a new store in the area, and I heard that this new store will include a small design center geared especially for printing and personalizing custom wedding/party invitations, banners, gifts, etc. Its a full time position with an increase in pay, not to mention it revolves around creating things, helping others pull their events together with those special touches. If you'd like to know who got the job...

You're reading her blog!