Friday, March 26, 2010

Eco-Friendly Spring Cleaning GIVEAWAY

As a follow-up to my spring cleaning post, Elan Vital Anthology is hosting a givaway featuring green products from Mountain Rose Herbs to get you started on eco-friendly spring cleaning in your own home.  See Tara's post here on how to enter.

If you've been following her spring cleaning tips - I have! - you've come to know the awesome power of baking soda, lavander oil, and castile soap - who knew?

Monday, March 22, 2010

Eco-Friendly Spring Cleaning

image from here

It's finally getting warm enough to open the windows and refresh the house after a long, colder and more miserable than usual winter.  Tara, from Elan Vitale Anthology, is sharing some excellent tips on her blog for getting mean, green, and clean.  I am actually a tinsy bit excited about tackling some of those once or twice a year chores, like cleaning the windows and steam cleaning carpets.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Etsy Front Page!


Was so excited to see that my wrist warmers made it to the front page of Etsy yesterday!  Thankful for my fifteen minutes of fame.  If only my shop was a little more full and that it wasn't full of mittens and scarves when we are on the cusp of spring and summer, I may have actually sold something!  Still great and fun to be recognized.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Mystery Bag on My Doorstep

please stop leaving mystery bags at my door.  thxs.

Like a huge lame-o, I go home for lunch everyday.  Earlier this week, I came home and was slightly disturbed to see a lumpy plastic bag stuck behind the storm door.  I approached cautiously - when a strange bag shows up at your doorstep, common sense dictates to always procede with caution.  My heart was racing a little, because no one had called, emailed, or texted me to say, "hey, i'm going to drop such and such off at your house this morning."  So there was the huge possibility that this was a stranger's plastic bag, and there was no telling what could be inside....a bomb, dog poo, regular poo, dirt...

There was that time when I came home to find the railing that goes down our front steps missing.  I was certain someone had stolen it in broad daylight at first, but eventually rationalized that my grandpa had been working some home improvement magic.  Sure enough, it showed up later that day, painted silver and secured with extra bolts.  So it was possible someone I knew had left the bag.

I got my face down close to the bag, but was careful not to touch it - did not want to get cootied on by this weird bag.  No weird smells, which was a good sign.  I could make out a note and some very familiar handwriting.  Beginning to feel better about the whole situation, I felt it was safe to pick up and open the bag.  It was a sweater with a note  from mm that her mom was donating it to my sweater recycling venture.  Sweet relief.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Button Bouquets - A Wedding Alternative

Bouquets designed by Really Bad Kitty

With spring fast approaching, I can hear the distant chime of wedding bells as brides scurry to put the final touches on their upcoming spring and summer nuptuals.  (I can also hear the sound of the ATM shreiking in pain as I withdraw more cash for new shoes, dresses, manicures, shower and wedding gifts to prepare for wedding season.)  There's nothing more fun than unique wedding ideas, like a bouquet of buttons as alternative to fresh flowers. 

I do love fresh flowers, but they die.  There is a bitter-sweet, everything good and beautiful must fade aspect of fresh flowers (there is a Japanese phrase I'm trying to think of here...).  But a button bouquet, like diamonds is forever.

If you're a do-it-yourselfer, a button bouquet could save you some cash, but remember that your time is worth something too.  If you're a super busy bride, it might be better left to the professionals.

Plum button bouquet from Sunweeds Secret Garden 


Bouquet designed by Miss Jennifer Ray