weekend & boots!

hello! hope everyone had a nice weekend...i was a busy bee...worked out, went to a meeting, worked at my friend's shop for a few hours, had dinner with friends & met their super cute puppy.

on friday afternoon, i received a phone call from a older gentleman who heard through the grapevine that i rebind books. i met with him later that evening to inspect the book and see if it was something i could fix. the book is an old Bible given to him by a friend that he's used for decades & the covers had fallen off. i took the job :) it was a pleasant surprise to hear that my book binding skills are making it out into the world by word of mouth.

on saturday, while waiting for our table to open up for dinner, hubby & i browsed in a few stores. and i found these:

source

i've been on the search for new dressy boots, since my old ones finally died. i had found some gift money that i had stored away a long time ago (when i was switching my stuff to a new wallet) and decided i had better get the boots! they're comfortable and make me about 3 inches taller which is awesome.

sunday was great - hubby & i relaxed all day together. even though we had a ton of stuff to do, we've been so busy lately that we needed to spend some time together. i wonder sometimes how we are able to add more activities to our already crazy schedules. how was your weekend?

santa?

dear santa,
i would like to bring this bag to your attention, even though it is so close to christmas.

source

and i don't own a big camera. but the bag is blue and awesome.
sincerely,
me

i won!

i'm back! i kept thinking that after my shows things would calm down...but they haven't! the holidays always whiz by so quickly...and since this is hubby's & my first holiday together, i really want to slow down and enjoy every moment. but before i do that, i have a few projects to finish up, such as the rebinding of the giant shakespeare book. it's still in process & i've been snapping photos for a post.

one of the things i checked off my to do list today was sending in measurements for my eshakti prize!! a couple weeks ago, i was informed that i won *yay* an eshakti giveaway hosted by brandi of not your average ordinary. eshakti is an online clothing & accessories store that gives you the option to customize the look & fit of the pieces you order. a fantastic idea, don't you think?

for my giveaway prize, i chose the asymmetric collar felted pea coat - since the temperatures have been dipping into the single digits in the currently dark frigid north and my go-to jacket's zipper is broken.

i can't wait to wear my new coat! thank you brandi & eshakti for hosting a wonderful giveaway!

sanrio shoes of awesomeness

when i was in high school, i had a pair of dr marten boots that had black & white faces all over them. they were awesome. actually i still have them. people would ask - are those the beatles? who are they?! and i got them for $20 when i lived on guam. seriously, the best shopping purchase ever.

also, when i was growing up, i LOVED hello kitty. i had an obsession with hello kitty. before the whole sanrio thing became popular in the states, my grandma would bring me tons of goodies direct from Japan. now, i still love hello kitty and her pals...

so when i saw these dr marten boots, featured on our.city.lights, i just about passed out (ok not really):

all pics from sanrio's site here

they are sold out on dr marten's website, and only have a size 11 on nordstrom & sanrio. if they were available in my size right now, i would buy them. in a heartbeat. i'd use savings money. i MUST have a pair of these. i would willingly trade some handmade tama press items (journals, box set, photo albums, etc) for these shoes. anyone up for it??

p.s. i wear a size 6 in dr martens (7.5 in us sizes)...fyi
*updated* 9/21/10 - i had the wrong size!! i checked my boots - size 5 in dr martens!

adventure gear

over the weekend, hubby & i perused the sale at REI, specifically for a pack for me. a big pack. so we can go CAMPING. he jokingly said that i don't need a big pack because it's not like i'd carry anything anyway. *AHEM* we loaded up pack after pack, adjusted & yanked on a million different straps, and kept coming back to this one (of course it's blue):

credit

i was amazed at how different packs fit - and how none of them seemed to fit me just right, with the except of the ridgeline. we loaded it up with weight, strapped it on, and then i wandered around the store for a while to test it out. i've been wanting my own pack since the last long trip we went on (long = overnight). soooo now i suppose it's time for another adventure!

wedding accessories...

our wedding is exactly one month away! WOW how time has flown...i've been finding the finishing touches for my wedding day "outfit" (for lack of a better word). i have the dress, the shoes, and jewelry...but maybe i need one of these clutches from tsuru bride to hold the rest of my goodies (click on image for link):




i wouldn't mind getting two - one that looks like mia & the other, like vito. oh, and i love the pig too. how funny would it be to walk down the aisle with a hedgehog under my arm?

weekend storytime

what a weekend! sorry for the lacking of posting...things have been pretty crazy around here. it all started on saturday night....

bfff & i were getting some grocery shopping done at our local fred meyer. we were perusing the easter candy section and out of the blue, this beagle trots up to me and sits down at my feet. so, of course, i kneel down and pet him. the store manager asked if he was ours (umm no) and then starts making shop announcements. poor guy doesn't have tags on, but he does have a harness and little dirty leash. we can tell he's a bit older and very friendly.

the announcements didn't help, so bfff & i decided to take him to animal control (after leaving our info at the store), because that's the first place anyone looks. i called, but of course they were closed. my friend with the spca said that they have an area to drop animals off after hours, where it is warm and they have shelter from the elements. we drove down there and.....the drop off was closed til further notice. hrm. so, "fred" came home with us.


we gave him a bath, since he was quite a smelly dirty mess, fed him, left messages with animal control & posted an ad on craigslist and hung out for the evening. vito was interested with the old guy and wanted to play but a 70 pound husky mix vs. 30 pound old beagle wasn't the greatest match.

stay tuned for exciting conclusion :)

pretty things - wear it!

since it is chilly and gray outside, i thought i'd do a post on some pretty things to brighten up the day:

marquise twig ring, bittersweets ny

oscillations cardigan, anthropologie

strike a chord dress, modcloth

and since i inadvertently created a little outfit...here's a couple more things to complete the look:
soothing song heels, modcloth

pin flower hair clip, mimi charmante

pearl coral turquoise & silver earrings, crows catch
(i just got a pair of these & they are awesome)

pearls on a half shell necklace, annie's arts & follies

if you get a chance, check out the last 3 shops listed - they are all on etsy & make gorgeous work. and don't forget to drop by my etsy shop too. viva handmade!

etsy shop!

i finally have my etsy shop up! there are just a handful of items available right now, but i am working on getting more products up soon. lots of pictures to take & not enough daylight to take them. please go take a look around at tell me what you think!

here's the address: http://tamapress.etsy.com

you can also look at my main website http://www.tama-press.com and click on "etsy shop" in the upper right corner.

etsy shopping

yesterday i was following some blogs and caught up on mimi charmante's blog. she sells items on etsy - a couple months ago, i even won something from her shop (a gorgeous photo!) i popped over to her shop and came across the most beautiful (blue) necklace...and immediately knew i must have it. so after a quick message to find out the dimensions, i placed my order. here it is:

photo credit

isn't it gorgeous?? to read more details about it, just click on the photo credit or the picture. and check out her shop too. some very pretty things there. oh, and it matches my new blue shoes too. awesome.

etsy addiction

why can't i stop ordering things from etsy? seriously. i have my christmas shopping pretty much done. there is no logical reason to keep buying things. but it sure is FUN!

i've really enjoyed browsing for random things on etsy and managed to only buy myself one little thing - a 4"x5" matted watercolor koi from fish fanatic. check it out:

photo thanks to fish fanatic

i have yet to start putting my products up for sale on etsy. i was planning to get that done after the shows were over, but it's the holidays and things are busy! (not to mention a number of things i was going to post ended up selling, so i have to make more books!) i have a handful of custom orders to finish up and some christmas presents to make too....then it'll be etsy posting time. here's a pretty cool article about selling on etsy that i found from the blog a cup of jo. it discusses how people are quitting their day jobs & pursuing their hobbies & passions. very cool.

and i'll leave you with this picture i snapped yesterday on my way to lunch:

p.s. now that i look at that picture again, it looks like the red car ran into the usps truck. it didn't.

christmas shopping - etsy style!

i just finished up my first round of custom orders last night! a large address book & two medium sized boxes with removable trays. they are currently drying under some weight, so i'll get some pictures soon.

can you believe christmas is in 9 days?! i actually have my shopping pretty much done, for once. and a lot of my shopping was on etsy! i picked up some great finds from new sellers & some old favorites. i'll post some of them after christmas, since i don't want to ruin any surprises under the tree! here's some of those sellers:

Barry Singer of Fish Fanatic - he makes gyotaku, which are Japanese fish rubbings. literally. he inks up a fish & pulls a print from it. the detail that is captured is AMAZING. he also has some original watercolor pieces too. i know i should be shopping for other people, but i did treat myself to a little gift - a small watercolor koi. he is a pleasure to work with too. here's a couple of other pieces i've purchased from him in the past (pictures thanks to fish fanatic):

rainbow trout gyotaku

original rainbow trout watercolor

Bread and Badger - they etched glass home goods with fun hand drawn designs. very cool items with a wide array of choices. and the items i received are very durable - glasses have to be pretty sturdy around our humble abobe. here's something i bought as a gift (picture thanks to bread and badger):

skull & crossbones pint glasses

crow's catch - gorgeous handmade jewelry by Irene Wood. we went to school together and i came across her jewelry not too long ago. her artwork was so inspiring back in school, just as her jewelry is now. go browse her etsy shop - i'm sure you'll find something you love. a couple of my favorites (pictures from crow's catch etsy site) :

pearl coral turquoise earrings

sea green earrings

more to come later! have a good wednesday...

hello kitty

i came across this awesome site: http://www.modcloth.com, thanks to jenn ski's blog. lots of fun things to browse, from clothes & accessories to home decorations & really random stuff. clothing prices seemed to be fairly reasonable too, for some cute & different things.

another reason i like this site: HELLO KITTY! i have loved hello kitty since i was little - my grandma used to bring things back from japan for me, before she became more popular in the US. granted they only have a handful of hello kitty items, but that's okay. here's a few of them (images courtesy of modcloth):

hello kitty wallet

hello kitty key capshello kitty flash drive

hello kitty tanktop

stuff i bought myself at the bad girls show part 3

finally, i bought myself a new belt at the bad girls show. i have been oogling the belts by Julie Patchin of JP Designs for a good couple of years. her work is just amazing & eye catching, not to mention that she is extremely nice (this show was the first time i met her in person). i've seen her products at bella boutique - the fine accessories shop that also carries my books. she makes belts, watches, bracelets, wallets & much more. she will also customize things to your size or will take measurements & make something specific just for you. i also have a bracelet on order to match my sweet belt. i can't wait to wear it!

my new belt, in all of its colorful glory

and of course i was attracted to the circles. it reminded me of one of the first sets of cards i printed - my dots cards.

love Julie's work? want to contact her? try her e-mail: jp.designs@hotmail.com

stuff i bought myself at the bad girls show part 2

continuing with my shopping spree at the bad girls of the north show....

next up, i bought a sweet pair of earrings from Vicki Potter of Orion Designs. she makes beautiful jewelry with gemstones & pearls. she's also been making her living through her art, which is something i would LOVE to do someday. at her etsy shop, she has an assortment of items - earring, necklaces, bracelets, even pins!

these earrings bring some sparkle to the dark winter ahead
- this picture doesn't do the earrings justice

take a look at Vicki's etsy shop, or visit her at some upcoming shows (scroll down the page a bit for her schedule.) you won't be disappointed!

stuff i bought myself at the bad girls show part 1

every art show i've participated in (all 3 so far) have wonderful perks. not only do i get the opportunity to meet a lot of new people, i also get to show my work (duh) and network with some of the best artists in alaska. they take craft to a fine art level, in my opinion. and one of the joys of these shows is that i get to shop - unique gifts for other people and sweet stuff for myself. i sometimes wonder how i make any money at these shows since all i want to do is buy everyone else's stuff. so here is the first post of "stuff i bought myself at the bad girls show". now, i didn't go all super crazy shopping, but i did buy a few items that i just love.

one item i get every year is Wicked Good Lip Stuff made by Carol Green of Sound Soap.

(sorry it's blurry - my camera phone tries hard)

Carol creates hand made soap, lip gloss, & other body products in small, carefully controlled quantities. everything is certified made in alaska with premium plant oils. and let me tell you, i have bought a LOT of lip stuff over the years, looking for the perfect blend that doesn't leave my lips sticky or dry - this stuff is the best. plus the ingredients are things i recognize, like vitamin e & olive oil. no weird chemicals here. if you get a chance, check out her website and all of the yummy things on there.