What I Did Today...

1. Spent too much time "plugged in".... but doing useful (ok, sort-of) things, like earning points for the Peta2 street team, looking up recipes because I'm tired of eating the same old things, ordering some new books and a tshirt....

2. Obtained this Beatrix Potter box set. My mom found it in my sister's crawl space (where my mom stashed all of her childrens' books. She has scads of them, as she's a preschool teacher). Yay!

3. Made yummy pasta salad with chick peas, my new favorite food.

And now, I have to go to work for 4 whole hours. Bleh. Why can't I just be wildly successful and live off of my Etsy shop??? ;)

Happy Thursday to everyone, and PS - today is my dad's 49th birthday!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Feather Headdress

Ok, I was actually not going to share this drawing on here, but I'm so excited about it I just can't keep it to myself. The idea for this drawing came to me at work this other day, just kind of out of the blue. I drew it up in record time, and I just love how it came out - not to toot my own horn! Hehe.

Anyway, this drawing is in the August issue of Just Because You Can't See It. I'm also thinking about maybe featuring this design on other things..... but we'll see.

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I finally got this awesome organizer wristlet from The Laughing House yesterday. It came all the way from Singapore, so it was registered mail (meaning I had to sign for it). The first delivery attempt came while I was on vacation last week. So I went online and scheduled a re-delivery for yesterday since I was off work. Around 11 a.m. I ran to the post office that's down the street from my house to drop off a few packages. When I came home, my grandma told me that the mail truck had just been at our house, with my package. Ugh. She told me to go 'chase him' down the road and get my package. ?!? So....I hopped back in my car and set off to find Mr. Postman. Luckily, I found him a little way down the road. He asked for my pink delivery slip. Crap. Ran back home, got said slip, drove back down the road in chase of the postman, and FINALLY got my package. HA! Anyway, it was totally worth the chase. Look at home awesome this baby is! My grandma didn't believe me that it was handmade. It is of SUPERB quality, for sure. And very inexpensive, too! I am totally carrying this to work today. Thanks Winniel!

And this is my souvenier from the OBX. Its a little picture clip. I absolutely adore it.
This is the picture I have in it:


This is me and Lani on our trip to OBX last March. Notice I'm wearing a TANK TOP. Ah.

Just Because You Can't See It Zine issue 2 - August 08

Here it is, the second issue of my zine!
I've been hard at work all afternoon to get this done for August:

This one is even better than the last one, I think. Its a little more personal, and I think my drawing of the giraffe is tops. :D

Please stop by my shop and have a look-see! And don't forget, there is free shipping on my zines! Hooray!

Good Eatin'!

Broccoli from my garden!

Phew. After the past 2 weeks of being gone 99% of the time, there was NO FOOD left in the house. Literally. Especially since Chris came over every day to let the dogs out and feed the animals. We deliberately didn't go grocery shopping for a while before we left; and Chris ate what little food was actually left in the house.

So, last night after work I went grocery shopping! Weeee! I love grocery shopping! Isn't that silly? But seriously, I do. Especially since I decided to go full-blown Vegan over the past couple of weeks. Being vegetarian is so easy, it felt half-assed to not be Vegan. Of course, I did have to eat cheese twice while on vacation, but it was literally a matter of me either eating or passing out from starvation. But anyway, last night I went grocery shopping and got 3 canvas bags filled with awesome food. I'm super-excited because my mom is seriously considering going vegetarian, or at least trying to incorporate a lot more veg. food in her cooking (I always enjoyed her cooking but I pretty much cook for myself since I'm veg). I hope she goes for it!

Vegetarian/Vegan food really isn't expensive, either. With the prices of food rising so quickly, sometimes its even cheaper to buy the vegetarian substitute! Anway, a few extra pennies per package seems like a bargain to me.

So, on to the [main] points of this entry:

1. Being vegetarian/vegan is surprisingly easy! I found some really helpful guides on the Peta2 website, and this blog has great recipes!

2. You can grow your own food!

Picked these yesterday!

Back!

Hey everyone, thanks for sticking around while I was gone - it was a lovely, much-needed vacation, indeed.

I have so much to tell...where to begin? The past 2 weeks are just a blur!

First, I went to the Warped Tour with Lani and her brother Don, back on July 16. That feels like ages ago! It was really fun. There were tons of bands there that I had never heard of (Lani and her bro are rabid fans of hardcore and metal, so they brought me up to speed). I enjoyed myself, even if I didn't know many bands and haven't really listened to that kind of music in a long time. The best part was getting my Peta shirt. hehe. Silly me didn't take any pictures at the concert.

I came home the next day and worked, and then left the very next day for vacation. First, we went to my aunt's house in Norfolk, VA. We enjoyed the beach and went to the Virginia Zoo, which is just down the street from where my aunt lives.

The prairie dogs were so funny - the dome is a viewing area where people can stick their head up and see the prairie dogs up close - except this little guy wanted to give people a better view! It was so funny because people kept going into the dome, looking around, and didn't see the prairie dog sitting on top! We were trying to tell people to look up, but nobody saw him!

We stayed in Norfolk until Tuesday, when we left for the Outer Banks to meet up with my uncle and his family from Georgia. I had my own car, so I made a stop in Manteo where I used to live. The Manteo Waterfront is pretty much my favorite place in the entire world. Its just so beautiful and quaint.

I took a walk around the boardwalk...

...which leads to the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse (not a working lighthouse, but actually a boat-building museum), the cutest little lighthouse ever!

This sign cracked me up.

After stopping in a few of my favorite little boutiques at the Waterfront, I her south than we normally stay). Our cabin was called the Hummingbird, which I just loved. The campground was really nice, with access to the Sound (which was absolutely teeming with hermit crabs, which I just love!). It was also absolutely teeming with mosquitos, which was much less fun.

(Notice the 'foggy' quality of these pictures....it was that humid.)

We grilled every day (veggie dogs for me!), and took the ferry down to Ocracoke. I still say I'm going to live there someday. We spent the whole day in Ocracoke on the beach, where I became quite tan [for me]. I think my freckles are just sort-of growing together, but I do look much darker! (Of course I wore TONS of sunscreen...I'm like the sunscreen police!). My two little 7 year old cousins were so funny. They didn't have bathing suits with them so they ripped off their clothes and jumped in the water with their super-hero underwear. It was hilarious.

I left a day before everyone else so I could go back to Annapolis and hang out with Lani another day, and kind of re-charge after so many days cramped in a cabin with my entire family. On the drive north, I just had to stop one more time and put my toes in the sand.

This little guy must be the Virginia Welcoming Committee....he was sitting on the gas pump at the Border Station (which had gas for $3.65!!).

In Annapolis, Lani and I did wayyy too much shopping (like always), but had a great time. I came home yesterday evening and unpacked, cleaned up my room, played with my dog (whom I missed very, very much!), and hung out with Chris for a while. All-in-all, it was a great vacation! Now I'm a little sad because it feels like summer is winding down, and it'll be back to school and the daily/weekly/constant grind.... but now my dad's talking about spending 2 weeks in Florida next summer! Awesome!

And now, I must get ready for work. It really is back to reality. Boo.

I'm still here!

Hey everyone, just wanted to drop by to say that I'm still alive, and I'm still on vacation. Woo hoo! I'm not sure when I'm coming back yet, because I like to fly by the seat of my pants if at all possible. So..... maybe I'm going home tomorrow, maybe in a few days. I don't know.

Today we went to the Virginia Zoo, and to a giant pet store, and to a puppies-only store where I got to play with a baby Westie, just like Duffy.... I wanted to take her home so badly! I'm thinking Duffy needs a baby sister..........

See you soon!

Treasury!

Woo hoo, I finally got a treasury today! It was a complete accident, too, so that was pretty awesome. I seriously want to put all of these items in a big, fuzzy pile, and just roll in it.

Is that weird? ;)

Saturday: reality

Ok, so I didn't go to any yard sales. The Arts & Crafts show at Caledonia wasn't at all what I had hoped for. Not to offend anyone, but every single vendor there was like, "country" crafts. That's fine, and everything, but..... what about those of us who just don't care for that look? That's just not my thing. So it was pretty disappointing to see table after table of cinnamon-scented snowman plaques that said things like, "I ♥ USA" (OK, that's a tiny bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea). That is the exact reason why I have not, as of yet, participated in any craft fairs. I just don't think I'd "fit in". Grr.

But, the whole day wasn't bad.... I went to a Goodwill that I don't get to go to very often and got some really awesome stuff. The girl at the counter laughed at me because I started out with a handbasket, and after about 10 minutes had to come back up front and trade it for an actual push-cart. I was like, "This is NOT funny. I have a PROBLEM". Haha. All-in-all, I spent a whopping $36, but man, did I get some good stuff. I'm in the process of up-cycling a few things, so I'll wait to show any pictures of my bounty until I'm done. Which reminds me, I need to make sure I get some spray paint tomorrow.....*note to self*

After I exhausted myself and my purse, I got in touch with the friend I had planned on meeting up with. She got tied up in work for the afternoon, but I did end up going over to her brand-new house that she just bought (closed the deal yesterday, woo hoo!) in the evening. Let me just say, her house is AWESOME. I am so, so jealous! ;) I wanted to give her a little "the-house-is-officially-yours" gift, and she loves plants; so I brought her some chocolate mint, lemon balm, a baby tomato plant that I found growing wild in my yard today (leftover from last year?), and a cilantro that sprang up from Chia seeds that I thought were dead. She already has some beautiful gardens growing in the yard and potted plants galore, but I think she liked the new additions. She's also very lucky to have another of our friends, Amanda, and her husband, living in 1/2 of the gigantic house. What a fun time! We had a girls' evening and went out for some Italian food, and then walked to the elementary school playground to swing for a while. It was a really nice time. I tend to go very long times without seeing many of my friends, because of busy schedules and whatnot, but its always such a nice feeling to know that you have really great friends, who will always be your friends.

And now, because I've talked too much, here is a picture of the pretty new teacups I've listed in the vintage shop today, along with a few other things. Take a peek!

Saturday things

Today is going to be a great day.

I'm getting ready to go to a few yard sales, and then I'm meeting up with a very dear friend of mine, whom I haven't seen in months, to go to the 26th Annual Arts & Crafts Fair at Caledonia (which, everyone should know by now, is my most favorite park ever). I'm so excited to see Lauren; we talked on the phone last night for 2 1/2 hours. It was really good to catch up with her.

(That beautiful ring above is one that I'd had my eye on at the Goodwill for a few weeks now. I finally broke down and bought it the other day; and no, it is not going in the shop! Its mine, mine, mine! ;)

***

I'm so excited - I've had quite the little flurry of sales in both Crack the Sky and Quiet, Quiet over the past few days! So far, the new shop seems to be gathering some interest. This is very good, indeed.

***

I also just found out the a very sweet girl that I work with has just opened her own Etsy shop (and, I'm proud to say, I am the one who told her about Etsy, after she had asked me where I got my raincloud earrings last year! Haha!). She has some really pretty notecards featuring photos she has taken. Swing by her shop and have a look!

Motherload.

I hit the thrifting motherload today. I went with the original intention of finding things to stock the virtual shelves of my new shop of vintage items. Except....I fell in love with everything. And I'm keeping a lot. Not all of it. But....a lot.

Here's some of what's new in Quiet, Quiet:

And here are just a FEW of the things I'm keeping all for me, me, me:

I couldn't have found more perfect earrings if I had made them myself.

Leafy sweater-clips. I really was going to list these....I had the whole thing all typed up. But then I thought about all of the cardigans I wear in the fall and winter, and how much cuter they would be with these clipped to them, and....well, there you go.

I also found a globe lamp (like the planet Earth) that I'm really struggling with deciding whether or not to keep, 2 vintage dresses, and some other small things....

Oh! And I sold one of my Hemingway page gocco prints today! Hooray!

And the winner is.....

....drumroll, please!

Bunny, I'm sending you an email to get your address so I can send your squirrel card and some extra goodies!

Congratulations, Bunny; and thank you to everyone who participated! I really had a lot of fun visiting the links you all recommended to me! We'll have to do this again sometime!

"How many times will she blog in one day????"

Sheesh. I swear, I'm not just sitting here thinking of things to blog about!

I've been doing some much-needed shop maintenance, and have finally made the decision to open a second shop, just for vintage-y treasures.

I've been tossing the idea around for a little while, and after adding the new listings this morning, the vintage stuff really looked out of place. So Quiet, Quiet was born.

Right now I only have the three listings that were previously located in my main shop, but I promise there is more to come very soon!

****

And, make sure you stop by and leave a comment if you haven't already so you can be entered to win my giveaway contest!

Twins!

Wow, check this out - I was doing some blog-reading, and I came across this post from Sarah Blank. I thought for a second that was my picture, from this post a while back!

How scary/awesome is that?!

**Edited to add that I've just bought the coolest necklace ever from Sarah Blank

Oh, and miss Blaze Danielle is also my twin! Notice her lamp and vase of peonies in this picture. Look familiar?

Here's MY lamp, and MY vase of peonies! Weird!

***

I found this personality test via this lovely blog. Here are my results (which are dead-on, I think!)

Your personality type:
Logical, original, creative thinkers. Can become very excited about theories and ideas. Exceptionally capable and driven to turn theories into clear understandings. Highly value knowledge, competence and logic. Quiet and reserved, hard to get to know well. Individualistic, having no interest in leading or following others. Highly analytical, they can discover connections between two seemingly unrelated things and work best when allowed to use their imagination and critical thinking.

Careers that could fit you includes:
Physicists, chemists, biologists, photographers, strategic planners, mathematicians, university professors, computer programmers, computer animators, technical writers, engineers, lawyers, forensic researchers, writers, artists, psychologists, social scientists, systems analysts, researchers, surveyors.

Busy morning!

I went out to my garden this morning and startled this little guy out of his hiding place in my chocolate-mint jungle. I'm quite sure he's the same little bunny I've startled out of the mint just about every day now. He's not nibbling on it - I checked. He's actually made a little bed right in the middle of it! What a delicious-smelling little nook!

I can't wait until I have some yummy summer squash growing! For now I'll have to settle for these pretty blooms.

Another tiny visitor in my garden. This one is on my pepper plant.
See, I knew I had velvety-red lilies in the sandbox-garden! He just bloomed today!
And just look at this flamboyant fellow! This one is growing in the lily-half of my little flower garden (not the sandbox garden). My grandma and I got 4 different varieties of lilies from an old woman who let us dig them up from her yard last year. I wasn't sure if they were going to come back, but they surely did! 3 of the varieties have bloomed...I'm still waiting for my favorite, a beautiful, light-pink, frilly one!

***
And now, the real reason for this post - exciting new things in the shop!

Framed gocco prints!


I also slashed some prices, changed/added pictures to some of the listings, and generally improved the look and feel of the shop (I think)!

Please stop by and have a look around!