Happy Other Side of the Hump Day

Here are a few more lovelies from my 'gimme' collection of the things I love that you won't want to miss:

The amazing tea dresses of Louise Hedley of Sohomode, the stunning fabrics of Angela Adams , the totally inspiring illustrations of Jess Gonacha, Lovers Chairs in Hyde Park (ain't they sweet!) and the very cool sky planters of Boskke (not sure my plants want to live upside down, but how awesome are these!).

I love to check out all the amazing collections that people upload onto Flickr including this vintage pin and beer can collection (kinda makes me wish I'd let hubby save those old beer cans - well, sort of ... he's not really old enough to have collected any of the really cool ones anyway... although he was known to throw a few back in grade school).

Goin' to the Dogs ...

I am asked sometimes about Olive and if she really bites and what she is (a dog, silly).

I used to call my studio Dream Scenes Studio (and was getting tired of it and it wasn't exactly a household name), so when I got my little pup I wanted one of those cool dog names for my studio like Red Dog Studio or Blue Dog Studio, but all the dog colors seemed to be taken.

(I mean I could have called it Fuscia Dog Studio or Turquoise Dog Studio, but that just seemed wrong somehow ... and no one I know would ever be able to spell it)

At the time Olive spent most of her day gleefully jumping on us with her little puppy teeth grabbing into our clothes, our skin, the arteries in our wrists (which aren't as close to the surface as they seem I'm told, but still worried me).

And of course, naming her Olive was a given - I mean - just look at her ....

So since I spent so much time warning, "watch it- Olive bites" (my own lazy way of dog training- it seemed easier to train all our family and friends than little Olive)-

I ordered some moo cards with the name Olive Bites Studio, got a new sign for my studio door and registered the name (which shockingly was still available).

Of course, within days my hubby had discovered this amazing technique to stop Olive's biting which worked very fast (or she just outgrew it) and my mailman and several others asked me what I put in my olive bites (as in appetizers)....

*sigh*

In answer to the question of what Olive is- she is part Boston Terrier / part Beagle ...

(we don't use the M word around here- although it's probably the only four letter word we don't use- this is Jersey after all...)

Some Etsy faves for your own little pooch:1. Custom Pet Portrait by FuzzyMug
2. Upcycled Suitcase Pet Bed by Vintage Renaissance
3. Olive's Favorite Collar by Lucky Fiona
4. Olive's Favorite Toy - TugOWar Braid by Woofpurr Creations
5. Eco Pet Bed by Annie's Sweatshop
6. Personalized Pet Tag by Cristina Ashley Design

Awesome Fosterweld Cuff GIVEAWAY Ended

AND THE WINNER IS (chosen by random number generator Random.Org) Min: 1 Max: 341 Result: 66 DENISE! Congrats Denise- enjoy your awesome FOSTERWELD cuff!

Chris and Melanie Foster are the amazing welders and artists behind Fosterweld.

They quit their day jobs to make their dream of Fosterweld happen. Their passion for working with their minds and hands keeps their work grounded and fresh (and their customers excited and happy). They say they are down to earth people who have been blessed with the ability to balance creativity and entrepreneurship. So, they're just normal people...

(....with 400 pounds of steel and liquid plasma cutter out back)

No two pieces are exactly the same. Each is handmade and individually crafted in their Indianapolis studio. While they offer a variety of unique products, everything fits into their distinct style that merges modern composition with classic welding technique. From buckles to cuffs to home decor, if it's metal, Fosterweld is down with it!


WHAT YOU GET:
One lucky winner will receive one awesome Turquoise on White FOSTERWELD CUFF size medium!

HOW TO WIN:
It's easy, peasy -just leave a comment below with your contact information

For additional entries:

(5) Follow my blog
(5) Twitter this post
(5) Blog about this contest; linking to this post

Let me know if you have done these things so I can give you additional entries.

DRAWING:

MIDNIGHT on Saturday, July 11th (well... maybe Sunday morning- yes I am so lame I will almost certainly be asleep on Saturday at midnight!)

A Little Chat with Papillon Jewelry

The sweet and talented Tho Dinh of Papillon Jewelry in the beautiful country of Vietnam just published a wonderful little write up on my Uncorked shop. Thanks Tho Dinh! Check out her beautiful and affordable Etsy goodies here. hndf2yqvtj