Minding Their Manor

Just a few days until my great solo Oregon adventure- heading to Portland to visit my sister and her family including my new little niece (whose cute little pics show a remarkable resemblance to her Aunt Cat, if I do say so myself). My family is staying put in New Jersey, so I am on my own for this one.

(drops mouse to happy dance around the room)

I have been thinking about proper houseguest etiquette and googled some rules so I don't make a pest of myself.

(not that this is even remotely possible... we are family, right?)

1. Share your itinerary - let your hosts know if you have other plans - easy one to follow since I have no itinerary and no plans. BUT I don't want to be one of those, "I don't know... you choose" kind of guests so I need to come up with something... and it has to be something that can be done in the rain... because this IS Portland we're talking about here...

2. Bring a gift / leave a note - this is an easy one since gifts for the kiddies, especially my new little mini-me, are easy peasy and I know any 4 month old would be pleased as punch to wear (ie gnaw on) a cork necklace, right?

3. Buy a meal - well, I guess if my sister is going to cart me around for 4 days, she can at least get a hot meal out of it, or a warm meal or at least a cold Dr. Pepper - let's see where she takes me ....

4. Never use the soap/razor/washcloth/loofah that's in the shower - that would be gross AND rude (shampoo and toothpaste are possible sharesies though). Also carry your toiletries to and from the bathroom- nothing says "Diva" like a complete bathroom sink takeover. And don't drape damp towels over the antique highboy (not that my sister has an antique highboy, but she HAS been buying alot of stuff lately at garage sales and off Craig's List so I have to be careful).

5. Make your bed- now I have to admit that most days hubby makes the bed around here (most days he also sleeps WAY later than I do) and making is really just kind of straightening so this is also a no-brainer and strip (the bed, that is) before leaving on that final morning.

6. No noisy sex - well, since I am traveling alone this would be a little hard to do and a little sad if I attempted it, but if you are traveling with Mr. Right or Mr. Wrong it is still a no-no in my book.

(and by MY BOOK I mean the etiquette book I am now thinking I should be writing since I am really, really good at this stuff)

So, what else am I missing, does anyone have any other good houseguest tips to share?



1. Sherry Truitt - Custom Destination Vintage Map Necklace (super houseguest gift I think)
2. GetReadySetGo - Upcycled Luggage (except this little elephant bag is mine - get your own)
3. JJill - Dress (I have this in every color they offer and it is perfection- it can be worn over tights, jeans or as a dress- total versatility with this one)
4. NectarJewelry- one of her new Polymer Pendants, total awesomeness
5. StrikeBooks - Pink Paper Journal - nothing screams 'my sister' like pink, believe me
6. SpaGoddess - Travel Size Scrubs - pure bliss in little jars

Father's Day Fantabulous Giveaway

AND THE WINNERS ARE - First prize goes to Sarah! Check out her beautiful blog. Second prize goes to Nicole of Lillyella - good luck with BOB Nicole- keep him in line!

Father's Day is June 21st and I know your dad (or hubby, or grandpa or even yourself) would love to win one of the amazing prizes I am giving away here!

Yes, that's right I said PRIZES, as in plural, as in 2 amazing Father's Day goodies and that means 2 winners!

So in honor of my own dad who passed away when I was 18 (and who has a special connection to these fantabulous goodies) and my wonderful hubby; both of them avid repurposers, upcyclers, artists and amazing dads - the FIRST PRIZE is:

An amazing 15" square magnet board from Polarity made with a retro cedar record frame that was recycled from an old cedar barn and stained with a gorgeous honey stain. Inside the frame is a beautiful map fabric (dad really won't have to ask for directions now) which covers a piece of galvanized sheet metal which has also been repurposed. It comes with 5 matching 1.5" magnets which have been assembled from sustainable cork.



SECOND PRIZE is BOB. Bob is an acronym for “Bunch of Bolts, a creation in honor of SomethingWhimsical artist Vincent Corona-Evans' father (who also happened to be my father) who used to make robots out of nuts and bolts and copper tubing and pretty much anything else he came across. Sporting a timeworn look, these little guys come on a 20" ballchain and are super- fun to wear. Packaged within an antiqued, weather-worn box, each BOB comes with a very informative (and hysterically funny) 16-page mini-manual.





HOW TO WIN:

Leave a comment about a favorite Father's Day gift or memory OR check out either of these shops and let me know of a favorite item or something that you would like to see us offer - Polarity or SomethingWhimsical

For some big time additional entries:

(10) Follow my blog
(10) Twitter this post
(10) Blog about this contest, linking to this post

Let me know if you have done these things so I can give you additional entries. Enter up to once a day by leaving a comment.

DRAWING:

Midnight EST on Saturday, June 6th! Good luck!

FREE SHIPPING on any jewelry order in either of my shops through June 6th - Uncorked or Polarity by noting Father's Day Giveaway (or some such something) in the comments to seller section of your order and waiting for a quick refund!

I Can't Hear You....

So, I have totally ignored my blog this week, supposedly to focus on other things, although at right this moment I am not sure what those other things could be because I have also ignored hubby, daughter, dog, dishes, laundry - you get the idea - at least I have been an equal opportunity ignorer.

I am usually a bit more on the ball. Maybe it was the amazing weather last Memorial Day weekend (which has been replaced by cold, wet weather ever since - damn!) that has made it hard for me to settle down and get things done with week.

Hubby is a master at this, especially at the end of the month when his shop's paperwork has to get done or we won't get paid. He hates doing paperwork and so do I, but we both kind of like to eat (alot) and have money coming in, so you can see the problem here. The last week of every month goes pretty much like this- hubby spends his evenings spreading work orders and receipts all over the diningroom table, he then spends at least half an hour pinning down the proper calculator, pens, notepad, etc.

HUBBY: "Did you take my calculator?"

Now, I have never even laid eyes on that calculator- but as I said, he is a master and this is a great procrastination move that allows him to maneuver himself into the kitchen drawers and into the fridge and eventually into any leftovers that still look halfway edible. After alot of noisy 'preparation' he sets the livingroom tv volume on its highest setting and settles into a diningroom chair to get to work. Except settling isn't really the right word because within an hour he is nowhere to be seen and I have to hunt him down.

ME: Hey, aren't you going to do paperwork tonight?

HUBBY (found surfing Craig's List on the laptop): *crickets*

ME: George?

HUBBY: I'm sorry, what? I didn't hear you.

ME: *frown* Yes, you did.

HUBBY: No, really. I didn't. What did you say?

ME: *frowns bigger*

HUBBY: I left some papers I need at the shop.

ME: I thought you didn't hear me.

HUBBY: *smiles*


It's hard to ignore RED
1. RED Dress by PlumPrettySugar
2. RED Rose Pin and Pendant by Lisa Burkin
3. RED Earrings by DecoratetheDiva
4. IGNORE ME Pins by BarrelofMonkeys
5. REDBird Ring by SophieHillArtist

Popcorn With Xtra Butta Baby

We don't actually eat the popcorn anymore, but it still smells really, really good (and speaking of popcorn although not the movie kind- do you ever ask yourself why all microwaves have a popcorn button and all bags of popcorn come with the specific instruction to not use it- just one more thing to keep us up at night).

Hubby and I used to be big movie people; indie films and blockbusters- we saw ALOT of movies. Somehow that changed a bit over the years.

A while back, I truly felt the need to ground myself and escaping into movies seemed trivial and invalid (I know this makes me sound very boring and no fun, but this is the way I was feeling for a long time).

And I am not sure why because I have learned so much from movies. Things that I know are going to come in handy for me one day and things that I would have never learned otherwise. Like no matter how fast you run and how slow the bad guy ambles after you-you will still fall and he will still catch you. And the bad guy is never, ever really dead- so do not drop your weapon and tiptoe around him.

And it is entirely possible that if you are blonde and gorgeous and 22 years old you can still be the world's foremost authority on nuclear fusion. And if I was the blonde, gorgeous 22 year old it would be entirely possible for me to hack into NORAD and start World War III from my laptop (or save the world, I am actually pretty nice that way). I could go on forever, but you can see why it is probably time for my hubby and I to get back into the movie theater- who knows what crucial information we have been missing out on ...

Since it looks like we will not have any time off together until fall and our BonVoyage is becoming a NonVoyage - I have been checking out some trailers of things we might like to see this summer. A summer movie after a summer barbecue seems like just the ticket to get us out of the 'all work' routine we seem to have fallen into lately.

Julia (May 8th)

Julia with Tilda Swinton (love her) as a 40 something, compulsive liar and alcoholic looks interesting (and is my favorite kind of down-and-out, can't get out of her own way- movie character).



Dead Snow (June 12th)

Nazi zombies in Norway? Hell, yeah!

Food, Inc. (June 12th)

One of the more anticipated documentaries of the year, a look inside the corporate-run food industry in the U.S, definitely scarier than the Nazi zombies.

Moon (June 12th)

Sam Rockwell stars as an astronaut at the tail end of a years-long mission on the moon when strange things starts happening. It's a throwback sci-fi, directed by Duncan Jones; David Bowie's son. What's summer without a great scifi?

Away We Go (June 25th)

Away We Go is about a couple expecting their first baby and traveling around the country searching for 'home'. This one is directed by Sam Mendes and written by Dave Eggers and his wife Velenda Vita (woohoo) and stars Jon Krasinski of The Office, my favorite show (double woohoo!) and Maya Rudolph from SNL.



Public Enemies (July 1)

The story of John Dillinger, but really all I need to say here is Johnny Depp (Christian Bale is in this one also and he HAS been amazing since Empire of the Sun, but after his lighting/cameraman rant- not sure I would see a movie just because he was in it- well, I guess I still would...). Plus the added bonus is Johnny Depp is playing a bad boy and you know we all love our bad boys (I actually married mine, but no one who could see him these days feeding Olive ice cream from his spoon would ever believe me).



Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (July 23)

My Potter obsession will not allow me to even GLANCE at the trailer for this one.

500 Days of Summer (July 15th)

Zooey Deschanel is all I need to say here. She is just too cute and a romantic comedy is a must-see in the summer.

Paper Heart (August 7th)

This is a pseudo-documentary co-starring Michael Cera and his real-life girlfriend Charlyne Yi, who co-wrote the script, as well. Definitely a must-see.

Taking Woodstock (Augst 14th)

Not since The Ice Storm has Ang Lee done anything quite like this and Taking Woodstock has an amazing ensemble cast, a great setting and you know the soundtrack will be totally awesome.

Just a quick peek around Etsy for some movie inspiration. What movies are you looking forward to this summer?



1. Anna May Wong Top by 57thirtythree
2. No Country for Old Men by ClaudiaVarosio
3. No need to say anything...
4. Popcorn Soap by LoveLeeSoaps
5. Vintage Car Movie Film by JourneyandLandscape
6. Ticket Earrings by APassionforFashion
A. Vintage Film Reels by 26olivestreet

Jon and Kate (let's stop the hate)

I haven't seen an episode of this show in, well, maybe this entire season, but I would have to be living under a rock (which I am not as far as I can tell) to not know about what is (supposedly) going on with the Gosselins.

In case you ARE living under a rock, or in case you have an actual life that keeps you busy and focused and unaffected by 'celebrity' gossip, the Gosselins are a young married (as of right now, at least) couple with a reality tv show and 8 children under the age of 8; twins and sextuplets. Just writing the words "8 children under the age of 8" makes me feel tired and worried and somehow picturing octomom's lips (which has nothing to do with the Gosselins, but this is just how strangely my mind works).

If you've ever seen the show you have probably seen Kate organizing her little brood in formations and situations that would make the general commander of the U.S. military proud. You have also seen Kate stressed to the max and Jon very (shall we say) not stressed to the max. You have probably also seen Kate go full-blown, throw a net over her somebody already, freakin' crazy ...

Now, I have only raised one child and not 8. I have never had a camera crew documenting my every move (although this is probably the only thing, other than out of town guests, that would get my house clean these days and of course, the bundles of cash they would have to pay me would be nice).

The kids are totally adorable and I think that Jon and Kate are doing the best they can. In the episodes I have seen, they truly love their children (and maybe even like each other) and I can't even imagine the kind of work that goes into making their family run as well as it does.

Since the show has skyrocketed them to reality tv "super stardom" their lives have, I'm sure, totally changed in so many ways (and I am talking about things other than Kate's hair- but, what's with THAT?!- and both Kate and Jon's super suntans - what's with THAT, too?!).

I actually stopped watching (for the most part) this type of show last year when I found myself sitting mindlessly on my couch watching the Little People's children have a pillow fight and thought - I am CHOOSING to watch other people's kids pillow fight - not exactly a mind-blowing thought, but one that did get me to click off the tv and get myself off the couch and onto something else (it might have been surfing the web- hopefully it wasn't).

Does Kate have particularly intense perfectionist tendencies? Yup. Does Jon need to dial back in? Probably. Should Kate stop berating Jon on national television? YES. Is Jon sleeping with his kids' preschool teacher? Have no idea- hope not. Is it easy to be married- NO. Is it easy to raise a family- NO. Have I said enough about this- YES.



A. 8 Ornery Babies & Octo-owl by FlyingButtons
1. 8 is great by TypeTypeType
2. 8 Vintage Typewriter Key Tie Tac by KeysandMemories
3. 8 and other numbers by SingleStoneStudios
4. 8 Tentacled - Clara's Portrait with Simon by HeatherFuture
5. 8 Splendid Suns Scarf by Subrosa123
6. 8 Tentacled - Low Tide PeppermintDaydreams Artwork; Locket by Polarity

RE-Packaging My Packaging

Lately I have been thinking about my product packaging and my business cards and my need to make my brand (am I a brand?) a bit more consistent and as cool as (I think) my products are.

When I started selling on Etsy my packaging was very cool, very eco and ultimately very hard to keep up with. So I got myself some biodegradable bubble wrap and some moo cards and called it a day- always telling myself it was something I would get back to when I had the time and I never seemed to have the time. I need my packaging to be cost efficient, time efficient and yet still scream COOL.

Now that I am recommitted to revamping my wholesale packets, it's time to revamp my retail packaging, too and those pesky business cards (plus those adorable moo cards are SO pricey- I am sure I can do this for less).

My first stop is always Etsy as I see no need to totally re-invent this particular wheel so I search - business cards. After a few pages of How to Sell On Etsy and even What to Sell On Etsy (huh?) downloads from sellers bragging about their Etsy expertise and many sales (looks like many sales of these downloads... but maybe this is my jealous nature speaking) I give up on my Etsy business card search and scope out the web for some inspiration and I will see what I can come up with later in the week. What are all you other Etsians doing with this?