THE ETSY'S KEEPING ME AWAKE GIVEAWAY

Every time I have a sale I get a little endorphin rush. It's really exciting and it keeps me coming up with new ideas. THE IDEAS NEED TO STOP. I need sleep and lots of it. That's all I'm sayin' people. 

So, new to the shop and lots of fun are these DIY PDF files. Pillow boxes and calendars. Can you ever have enough? No you can't. You need lots. Lots and lots of calendars. And pillow boxes to put them in. OK they won't fit, and I think I'm a little punchy.

In honor of the new photos and a shameless attempt to get my Etsy shop even more exposure, I'm going to have a giveaway! That's right, I said GIVEAWAY. My first. I feel like Oprah. But different than Oprah because there are no crazy screamers, and she gives away cars.

So it's going to go down like this, you have to link back to this post from your blog or website to enter into the giveaway. Just copy the http:// address above into your post. Then I use Technorati to determine the winner. But since I'm not sure Technorati works accurately yet, it would be great if you left a comment here as well. That way I will have a back up. I must test the waters and friends and family should enter, to make me look good. But it doesn't mean you'll win!

The lucky winner will receive all 3 PDF's that I'm showing in this post. The perpetual Bulletin Board Calendar, the Ornament Pillow Box and the Striped Pillow Box.

The give away will be done . . . December 1st. A great way to ring in the Christmas season. 

WILD OLIVE

I came across this Etsy site Wild Olive that has some really clever stuff. I especially love these tiny recycled notebooks she makes.

ORANGYPORANGY

I just found the coolest website on The Scoop. It's a shop called Orangyporangy. She make some very cool clothes and some of them are made from reclaimed fabrics which makes her clever designs even more awesome.

SLEEP TIGHT

I am in full Chandelier in a Box mode trying to get stuff churned out before the end of the month. Today I finished the Sleep Tight Chandelier in a Box. I love it so much I wish I had a baby so I could hang it over their crib. OK, that sounds creepy and kind of sad. So, you should have a baby and hang it over your crib!

THE RED NOSED REINDEER

A long while ago a came across the coolest cardboard taxidermy deer head found at a really great site called Rock Paper Scissors. I've also admired Girl Savage's feltidermy version of animal heads. Feeling their taxidermy inspiration, I wanted to try a more whimsical chipboard version covered in designer paper for Christmas.

So...Meet Rudolph.


I've only made one, but if I happen to hear that people want to make their own Rudolph just let me know and that could probably be arranged. If there are enough people that is.

I also have extra ornaments. Is anyone interested in them? The fit is a bit loose because I cut them wrong, but if you just pack them with glitter like I did with Rudolph, and you'll have a perfect fit.

THINGS TO COME

I have a new friend in my Etsy shop; the Simple Butterfly. I have a coworker who hates butterflies – they scare her. She must have had a run in with a hoard of rabid butterflies. Is that possible?

Anyway, this is actually a sign of things to come in the next couple weeks. A new mobile maybe...I love it. But this larger butterfly didn't make the cut for the mobile and is too cool to sit on my shelf. Think of it as a tiny mobile.

SLEEP OF THE DAMNED

I imagine this might be what hell is like. Street lights beaming through your backyard bedroom window, while cement machines roar and pour slag over the side of the sound wall being built. I'm not sure why they are dumping cement over the wall instead of on the new highway they are building, but what do I know about road construction.

Please tell me it will end soon. I'm tired of creeping around my bedroom hoping no one can see me get dressed. I need to finish that other curtain!


In case you are having trouble recognizing the images in this beautiful pic, there is a fence, trees, the highway with 4 football stadium rated lights, a cement machine pouring cement, AND a bunch of men with a great view of my bedroom. My bedroom is lit up like it's daytime. Actually, it's lit up like I'm having a football game in there.

POMEGRANATE

Kathy, one of my favorite people ever, taught me the coolest thing this week. Peel your pomegranate in a bowl of water and your fingers won't turn red, the juice won't spray you and all the white parts float to top while the seeds sink to the bottom. So, I bought a whole case at Costco.

PAPER STARS

Here is a peek at my weekend. I'm spending my nights folding these paper origami stars for a Christmas wreath. It's going to be awesome! I'll show you how it turns out when when I'm done.


Here is the video of Christy showing how to fold these stars I posted a while ago. Seriously though, your thumb hurts after doing a lot of these.

MORE FELT

I don't know what it is about felt. Seriously, I love the stuff. How adorable are these Pins?

These are by Kezzaroo


And these are by Lupin.


Two successful Etsiers. I think I just made that word up. Where's the dictionary?

ART NOT POLITICS

I'm so excited today is election day and for the political rhetoric to end. I wish they would give the candidates only a certain amount of time to publicly run. Like 3 months.

However, in celebration of the day I found this beautiful sculpture over on Drawn, one of my favorite blogs. Isn't it insane – the things people can do. I figure you can appreciate the art whether your a Democrat or a Republican.

I love what the poster has to say about it as well. Sort of funny. "I guess if there’s any proof to the far right’s claim that Barack Obama is a socialist it’s that his face is on more t-shirts than Che Guevara these days."

This artwork entitled Tension by artist Michael Murphy can be found here. You can also find this over at The Art of Obama blog.

HOLY CROW!!!

This is amazing to me. Apartment Therapy has put my Chandelier in a Box on their site! The irony is, I just found this amazing website on Tuesday and put it in my inspiration bookmark folder. In fact, I think I found the picture of my previous post on Apartment Therapy.

I'm so pleased, what a nice Halloween treat.

COLOR ME WALLPAPER

I would have loved this wallpaper in college. Jon Burgerman has some pretty fun illustrations and kind of a cool name. Just call me Burgerwoman from now on please.

QUILT MARKET

So I guess the 2008 Quilt Market in Houston just ended. Maybe it just began or is still going on. Regardless, I'd really like to go one day. The amazingly beautiful fabrics people design are so fun. And they are so much more amazing now than when I used to make quilts.

I love sounding like I've made loads of quilts. I've made two and another two are in my cupboard barely started from oh about 7 to 10 years ago. One of them is an amazing snowflake pattern that I'd like to throw away and choose new fabric for.

Jessica Jones (fun blog) had fabric displayed in a booth for the Quilt Market and it is so vibrant and beautiful. The booth even won an award for Best New Booth. I had to show it here.

CELEBRATE

Yaa, I've had my first sale for some lucky girls and their bedroom at Lake Tahoe. Their mom will get to decorate the Sweet Tweet for them.

Seriously though, this comes from a good luck charm Holly, who posted them on her blog. I think I'll keep her around. After a long wait, she has created a great new set of stamps which can be found here. I stole this card from her blog to post. Isn't it cute.

Thanks Holly.

BOOK CLUB INVITE

Who could refuse this invite.

BEAUTIFUL

I saw this on Etsy tonight and think it is just so beautiful. It's interesting too, because Amanda (a carpool buddy) and I were talking about non-traditional wedding rings and why more people don't explore different options and then I come across this. Any man would look good in this ring.

THE BIG REVEAL

Or not so big, but what a relief. A person isn't meant to stay away from the TV so long. Oh TV, I hear you babbling in the background. How I miss thee.

Introducing the Chandelier in a Box Kit, now in my Etsy shop. They're so great for very creative people. I love them and have many more in my head to design. So, if these sell, I'll make more, if these sit on my shelf gathering dust I have gifts for a while. Either way, it's good news.

SWEET TWEET


GLITTERING TULIP 


I need to find a different blog because I wish these pictures were bigger, but blogger limits my size. Oh well. And I wish the glitter glittered more in the photo, but what can a girl do.

But let's not forget Jasper . . . you say dry kibble, he says fine dining.

DOH! MARTHA!

So, I've been working on a project for almost a year and who scooped me? Martha Stewart of course!


It's almost enough to take the wind out of one's sails. However, my chandeliers are different and I'm really in love with them, so I'm carrying forward.

Here is a sneak peak of one of the chandeliers / baby mobiles coming to an Etsy store near you. If I'm really good it will be there Monday night.

FEELING FELTY

I've never felt the feeling for felt that I have felt this past year. Feeling luxurious felt for the first time feels . . . fabulous. Not to mention the fuzzy forms it can formulate. Felt says, "Feel free to fondle me." (in a good way).

I have fallen in serious felt love with these bags by Etcetera Media who also sell some of their products at Supermarket a very cool online market.







I wish they were less expensive. I have a hard time spending inordinate amounts of money on bags. I'm going to have to figure out how to make them myself. Which is why I never have anything very cool, because I never make it. Or if I do, it basically looks like crap. Like the curtains that are hanging in my bedroom half made. They've been that way for 2 years. But at least the neighbor can't see me now.