It's That Time Again! (+ Some Inspiration)

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, that means the next lil' bugger of a holiday is quickly approaching as well! Perhaps most people don't see those holidays as being that close, but retailers like myself are all too aware that the holidays will be here before we know it (and thus, we gotta produce!).

A week remains to place orders for the holidays and the rest of 2012 for custom leather tags and keychains.  I'll be closing the ye olde shoppe on November 12th (well, November 13th at 12:01 am) and will reopen in early January 2013.

While I can't guarantee that orders placed today through November 12th that will be traveling outside the US will arrive by Xmas, US orders placed by November 12th will arrive by December 24th.


If one might be looking for some inspiration, below are a few recent favorites:

 Wee sentiments.

Celebrate a journey of a lifetime.

 Don't let them forget that special place!

A large keychain spells out the essentials. 

A tiny message in the corner speaks volumes. <3 p="p">

And for each, a quote!

MR AND MRS

It appears a new trend has developed in recent orders I've received for luggage tags. Featuring MR and MRS on the tags seems to be the new 'thing to do' and I love it! It adds a little bit more formality to the travel experience, which I think is lacking these days.

Sadly, I have yet to receive an order for some MR and MR [or] MRS and MRS tags. :( Maybe one day!

Halloween Masques

In two weeks my lovely Mother and Brother are making the trip up from Georgia to visit me in Massachusetts. I am beyond ecstatic. While Mother has visited once before, Brother has never been to visit me since I moved to MA over 2 years ago. I am excited to share my adorable town with him, and let him see how different New England can be when compared to the South.

These folks are visiting me during the week of Halloween, so I'd like to make sure they have a fun time (and thus encourage them to return!). Whilst wandering through Target the other day, I found some things that I felt would drastically enhance this upcoming visit. Looking back, this logic was probably nonsensical, but at the time, it seemed quite important to my cause. Cue the fabulous Halloween masks!

Holy crap! I saw these masks and just HAD TO HAVE THEM! They are so fun! And they were cheap as hell, too.  $12 each for the two large masks*, and just $8 for the smaller white mask. And they have so much detail! I see us donning these lovelies with a fancy Halloween drink in hand while taking part in happy conversation and giving out candy to trick-or-treaters.  :)

*Update: NOW ON CLEARANCE FOR $7!

I tried to pick out masks that would work for either Mother or Brother or me. I personally love this silver beaked mask!  There are two pieces of elastic in the back that are joined with velcro - so the fit can be custom to each individual's head.

I was thinking of Brother when I picked out this gilded mask.  While it does have rhinestones and lace,  I feel the shape is so masculine that it could work well for him.

I thought Mother might like this dainty mask.  I still cannot get over the detail for only 8 bucks!

Husband Guy refused didn't want to pick out a mask to wear for the Halloween festivities as he wears glasses and didn't feel like having to deal with glasses + mask.  However, he did kindly, briefly model a mask for me while he was also cloaked with a white Sphynx scarf (it's heated!).  <#<#<#


I hope to get some fun photos of us in the masks.  I guess I should be wearing some type of costume as well... Pretty much the only thing I have that is not 'normal clothes' is my Old Reliable Dress - but I won't complain about having to wear it! I like to bring it everywhere, just in the off chance I'll get the opportunity to put it on.

Yay! I'm so exited.

Apparently, Ask & You Shall Receive!

A month ago the conversation above transpired.  After it was over, I didn't really think much of what was said (except for the bit about buying whole coffee beans - I am STILL annoyed about that...).  Then, about a week or so later, this face was looking up at me from our mailbox.

Oh mah gawd! I know that face! It is the face of an Etsy Queen! But why are they sending me mail!?  This is odd...and yet so welcome.

And then I opened it. Oh yeah! I told Husband Guy I wanted this. What a surprise! (For reals though. Even though I did ask for exactly this item, Husband Guy has practically never just bought me something when I requested it out of the blue.)

I LOVE this quote.  Before I met Husband Guy, I was kind of a Jane Austen junkie.  I would read this beautifully romantic stuff in her books, just so I could mope around and be depressed about it later - "real guys aren't like that! What bullcrap..."  And then I met Husband Guy, and I found that there are guys out there that are even better than Mr. Darcy!*

*I hope Janites out there don't think this is sacrilegious. :)

 Working from home = I can't fathom the idea of wearing make up (or spending money on make up). Sorry Husband! ><

Yay!  Since receiving this lovely scarf, I have worn it every time it's been nippy out - which has been quite often here in Massachusetts.  Plus, it is nice to be able to wear something out that reminds me of Husband - besides my wedding rings of course. ;)

A Wee Bit of Travel Inspiration

Find it.

Get Organized with Custom Tags

 

Most of the tags I make end up on luggage, so it is always neat when I get to make tags that are intended for other uses.  I recently made a handful of tags that I assume were intended to label storage containers. 

I usually don't know the story behind what I am making for customers, so I have fun imagining how certain tags or key chains will end up being used. :)  I imagine the set above was used to adorn lovely wicker baskets in a storage closet.

Wicker storage container from Lowes.

I don't have any storage baskets of my own that I can "tag", but I recently bought a few of these guys, and have yet to add a label in the metal holders on the front. I am now super inspired to make some custom leather strips to add in the little holders to assist in my own quest to get organized.   Eeeee!  ><

No Regrets...Well, Just One.

I try to be the kind of person that lives without regret.  I wouldn't take back anything that I've done or said or experienced, as that has made me who I am today.  Except for one thing.  If I could go back in time, there is one event that I experienced that I would drastically change.

Circa 2000:

I am at the orthodontist.  My braces are finally off after 3 years of torture, however I now have to wear a "mouth guard."  Like the plastic mouth guard athletes wear, this contraption has been molded to my teeth, except slightly adjusted so as to train my teeth to get just a wee bit straighter.  So, when I bite into it (as I am told that I will have to do every second that I am awake (and not during school) for the next few months) my teeth slide into the new positions in the mouth guard and are straightened.

Anyway, this mouth guard is clear, yet huge and bulky and I can barely close my lips over the damned thing.  As I am sitting in the orthodontists chair, being told how often I have to wear this hideous thing, I am asked if I wouldn't mind showing it to another patient.  You see, this other patient would have to be wearing the same mouth guard thing in a few weeks, so my orthodontist wanted to prepare her.   Upon being asked this, I reply that I don't mind, and the girl is brought over.  I stick the plastic mouth guard in my mouth, as instructed by my orthodontist, and then smile so this girl can see what's going on in my mouth.

Then, this c*nty girl busts into a laughing fit.  Being a self conscience, gawky, 13-year-old girl, I am mortified and start to cry.  Seeing how upset I am, this douchey blonde, cheerleader-type girl quickly comes up with some stupid excuse about how the mouth guard reminds her of her stupid friends and that it really isn't that bad.

I leave the room to compose myself.  This is the moment.  This is the moment that I will regret for the rest of my life.  If I could relive the next five minutes and have a "do-over" I would pick that opportunity over winning a million dollars.

I should never of left the room.  Here's how it should have gone down:

::Girl laughs at me::

After slapping the shit out of that terrible girl, I call her horrible names and tell her what a worthless human being she is.  Upon departing the office, I locate her guardian and tell them what a worthless human being she is.  I probably spit on the girl, too, at some point...

That. Would. Have. Been. Awesome.

But alas, that didn't happen. I left the office dejected and shamed.

So there you have it, the one thing in my life that I wish I would have done differently. I know it isn't much, but every once in a while, I relive that moment, and it haunts me.

Blah.

Bitches, man.

Impulse Buys of the Week

I recently discovered a local organic/natural grocery store on my way to the post office.  I tend to do my worst impulse shopping at these kind of stores, as I feel I can justify the expense of it easier - I'm buying healthy food. At least it's not cookies and crap...

I had no business being in this store.  I had just done my regular grocery shopping, so we didn't need any of this stuff at home. I have a weakness for new foods.

These 4 items cost me about $22, which I feel is a little ridiculous.   I *love* goat milk, so hence the splurge on that.  I love trying new bread, but I wasn't a fan of this bread (which is sad, as Husband's name is Matt).  Turns out, I hate anything 'breakfast blend', so I won't be buying this coffee again. The pineapple chips are quite tasty, but sadly, the cost does not warrant them being a staple in our household.



On an unrelated note: 
The second trailer for The Hobbit recently came out!  I think I prefer the first trailer, with its more serious tone.

The Littlest Smile

I thought this stamped smiley face guy turned out so cute!  Initially, I was a little worried the text symbols (c: wouldn't translate that well onto leather, but I was pleasantly surprised!  I think a little smiley face like this could look just darling hidden away in a corner on a set of tags, like it was peeking at you.  ::boop:: 

Hanging Out Outside With Catty

Map Coordinates For Us

Sharing the memory of a special location...

...with initials...

...with each their own tag...

...or with names together. <3 p="p">

A little tidbit of info from Grammarist:

"In American English, the inflected forms of travel take one l—so, traveled, traveling,traveler, etc. In varieties of English from outside the U.S., these forms take two l’s—travelled, travelling, traveller, etc."

Some trivia for the day! :)

My Own Hydrangeas

Over a year ago I was lamenting apartment living and my lack of exposure to the plant world.  I would buy flowers at the grocery store to help me "connect" with nature.  However, after a while I couldn't justify the expense of buying flowers (I'd rather spend the money on organic groceries and fancy booze, ha ha!) and soon became quite flower-deprived.

Luckily, our new place has a few flowers on its microscopic lot.  It just so happens that all of the 'few flowers' are living on one plant - a hearty hydrangea bush in our front yard*.

*By "yard," I am referring to the 2 feet of space separating the front porch from the street.  New England is expensive. :( 


I am not a gardener. I don't know how flowers work. Pathetic story: Soon after moving into our new house I noticed that over half the blooms on our hydrangea bush were really dark (ugly) purple - to the point that I thought the plant was drying out and I rushed to Lowes to buy a hose so I could water it!  Before I could even hook the hose up, my new neighbor kindly informed me that the plant was doing just fine and that this dark purple color was normal for hydrangeas.  Even if it is normal, I don't like it.  Compared to the bright blue blooms nearby, the dark purple blooms look like dried up, dead blooms (even though they are alive and well!).

Bright blue blooms alongside super dark blooms.  [Husband guy LOVES taking pictures of me that feature one eye opened and one eye closed. Thanks!]

I need to figure out what is going on with the soil, so I can attempt to change the color to something a little prettier. Though, if the range is from blue to pink, I wonder where dark purple lies on the spectrum?

Below are my favorite blooms.  Seeing that I only took pictures of the pretty blue flowers, and not the dark purple flowers, kind of makes me feel like a jerk. Oh well.

Crazy bloom with blue, pink, and white.  IDK. 

Tomorrow, I think I'm going to go out and cut some flowers and make a lil' flower arrangement.  I am all for free flowers!  {Hopefully I don't kill the bush by cutting the flowers off the wrong way...}

Kewl Kwotes

A little quote collection:

Cold Catty is Cold

Before we moved out of the apartment, Rasputin developed a new habit of sitting on all the warm spots in the kitchen. He didn't start this until August of our second year in this space. He waited until the apartment was nice and hot to take advantage of the spots that were nice and hot.  What a weirdo.

 On top of the George Foreman Grill after we grilled some salmon.  Sometimes, I think he looks like the weirdest little creature.

 Big stretch!

 A recently used oven creates a warm stovetop for Pooper to relax on.

An hour later, and he is still enjoying the residual heat.

Now, in the new house, the Catty spends most of his afternoons in our sweltering hot attic. He has a handful of cat beds up there, but he usually prefers to lounge on a cardboard box, with his limbs all flopped out.

So happy! So sweaty.

I have no idea what his plans are for winter...