The Handwriting Game

My Girl Thursday (one of my very favorite bloggers, tweeters, and crafty geniuses) tagged me for this handwriting meme.  I don't do a lot of meme's... but after doing the 30Days of Lists project all month, I was feeling pumped up to handwrite another list for you!

I have mixed feelings about my handwriting.  It's highly inconsistent.  Sometimes I write in all capitals, and other times I randomly toss in lower case letters here and there.  It's never pre-thought, it just happens.  I like that it's different all of the time... like me, always changing, it keeps life interesting.  I never write in cursive.  When I sign my name it's a funky hybrid of cursive and print.  My one concern about my writing is that often people tell me that they cannot read it, "it's too funky!"  Hoping that you can read my list, here you go...

I would like to see the handwriting of these favorite bloggers: 

Samantha Marie - S.S. Vintage

Zoe - A Giraffe in a Scarf

Rosemary -  Motley Stew

Here are the questions if you'd like to make a post of your own.  

If you do make your own handwritten post, be sure to leave a link below so that I can come on over & check it out!

1.  Your Name - Blog Name

2.  Your blog URL

3.  Write: The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog. 

4.  Favorite Quote

5.  Favorite Song

6.  Favorite Musicians/Bands

7.  Something you say...

8.  Tag people for the game.

How do you feel about your handwriting? Do you have a favorite pen that you prefer to write with?

❤

-t

1300 Things: Week 13

1300 Things To Be Grateful For: Week 13

301.  Making mochas at home w/ super rich European hot chocolate.

302.  Awesome customer service (phone/stores/restaurants).

303.  Not breaking my tailbone when I slipped and fell on it in the rain.

304.  Coupons.

305.  Chocolate milkshakes.

306.  This vintage pink Royal typewriter:: 

{etsy shop/ source}

307.  Being told how much your missed. 

308.  Being mentioned on a satisfied customer's blog. 

309.  Ginger Pear White Tea from Trader Joes.

310.  Freaks & Geeks.

311.  Overcoming a silly fear (that wasn't even real to begin with).

312.  This Photo of a young Clint Eastwood:: 

{photo source}

313.  Seeing the yellow ball on the weather forecast... finally! 

314.  My really old minty green hoodie... so soft.

315.  Instant messenger chats with new crafty friends. 

316.  Getting to announce the winner of my big giveaway.

317.  European hot chocolate.... so decadent.

318.  Being asked to be featured on the blog of someone that I have looked up to for a long time. 

319.  This photo by Spanish Photographer, Julien Denoyer:: 

{etsy shop / source}

320.  Finding just the right button for the project.

321.  Moroccan Olive Pugliese from Trader Joe's.

322.  A sleeping cat on one side and a sleeping hunky boy on the other.

323.  How much I love sewing the details onto paper tree branches. 

324.  Really old buttery soft t-shirts with little holes in them. 

325.  This wonderfully obscure 1962 Cartoon w/ Judy Garland that I discovered following the awesome Brini Maxwell's Tweets::

Thank you all for reading this weekly feature & leaving such inspiring comments!
What are YOU grateful for right this very minute? 

❤ 

-t

and the winner is...

The winner of a one-of-a-kind Stitched Up Owl Moleskine Journal is 

Lucky # 54::

Congrats Jess! I will be contacting you to get your shipping details! 

A big huge "Thank You" to each and every one of you who took the time to enter this giveaway.  I truly appreciate all of the positive feedback & interest in this new product line. 

 To show you just how grateful I am... 

I am  giving everyone who entered this giveaway a very special gift::

20% off any purchase from my Etsy shop from now until end-of-the-day Monday March 28th

The coupon code: TwitterLove20   

To get advanced notice of future giveaways & special offers sign up for my newsletter! 

❤

-t

This Owl... Creepy or Cute?

A brief history of how I came to ❤ Owls...

When I was just a little Tammy growing up in the Seventies I lived with my grandparents for a short time.  My Grandmother's best friend was a very sweet woman named Jean.  Her Husband's name was Marion... yes Marion. (FYI:: This was also John Wayne's birth given name.)  We spent a lot of time visiting Jean & Marion at their house.

Jean liked to collect owls.  Although... the word "collect" doesn't quite capture the love and devotion that this woman had for owls.  Every single room in her home was brimming with owl decor. There were owl: candy dishes, lamps, magazine racks, curtains, planters, cookie jars, tea pots, coffee mugs, salt & pepper shakers, clocks, toilet seats, tissue box covers, bath towels, wastebaskets, calculators, staplers, pencil cups, and enough owl statues to fill up a forest.  

And then there was the clothing and jewelry.  I'll leave your imagination to run wild with that.  And do remember... it was the Seventies.  

Occasionally Jean would line up a few trinkets on the dinning table and allow me to choose one "for keeps". I slowly built up a little owl collection, which sadly I no longer have.  What I do still have is the wonderful memory of Jean and her owl house, a budding new owl collection, and a love for owls that will live forever. 

Personally I think that this Owl is cute... and kind of funny too... and really patient.
But mostly I think it's really cute.

What do you think about this little Owl? Creepy or Cute? 

❤

-t

Owl Fact:: a grouping of owls is called a Parliament. How wonderfully stuffy & regal!  

Check out my Etsy shop for some Owl Goodness!  

Use Coupon Code: parliament10 for 10% off your entire purchase  

Coupon expires tonight, Friday March 25th at 11 PM [pst]

(coupon is not limited to owl-tastic items)

Mail Day!

I love opening the mailbox and finding packages just for me! A couple of weeks ago my friend Caren from tea & chickadees got her first Chemex.  

Mind you, Caren and I have been tweeting about Chemex coffee makers for several months.  I casually tweeted about how much I love mine.... about how I love having something that encompasses 

design + tasty coffee + vintage sensibility.  I was very surprised that the lovely Caren (queen of vintage, lover of tasty coffee, collector of tea-pots) didn't have one of these, much less never heard of them.  

I buy recycled and unbleached paper products whenever possible.  But when it comes to chemex, I have heard from several trustworthy folks that the unbleached filters tend to give the coffee an added "flavor".  Being a trusting soul... I have always bought & used the bleached filters.  Upon reading Caren's post, My First Chemex Experience, I noticed that she was using the unbleached Chemex filters.  I offered to send her some of mine to do a taste test.  Being a genius, she suggested we swap.  

Without further ado I give you my Chemex-Coffee-Cat themed package from Caren:: 

(I swear to you... this post started out being about getting a package in the mail) 

the package contained:: 

• a beautiful greeting card with a very humorous edit by Caren (see the pretty girls tattoos)
• a super cool felt coffee cup cozy (little did Caren know that I have been jonesing for one of these for a very long time!!!) 
• an Instax polaroid of Strongpaw, Caren's kitty & one of Rosco's many long distance girlfriends. (sorry Ladies... he's just too much cat love for one you to handle)
• a faux-laroid drawing of Rosco modeling one of my silk & cashmere cowls. Wow! I have original Caren Art!!! 
• & oh yeah... unbleached coffee filters

The photo which inspired Caren's amazing drawing of Rosco P. Coltrane

{source}

We had one of these beauties in my home when I was a kiddo in the 70's.  Mind you I didn't drink coffee back then, but I was quite taken with the idea that my mother would make & serve her daily coffee in a science beaker (or what I thought was a science beaker). 

One of my all time favorite characters is Mary Richards.  I grew up watching reruns of the Mary Tyler Moore Show.  I now own several seasons of the show.  It's one of my favorite background shows to play while I am crafting throughout the day.  I get silly giddy when I see her using her Chemex.

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

What is your preferred method of brewing coffee? Get anything good in the mail recently? 

❤

-t

30 Days of Lists- Weekly Recap #3

You can see all of my lists for this project in my 30 Days of Lists Flickr Set.  There is also Week 1 Recap & Week 2 Recap on this here blog.  

For some reason I forgot to include list # 14 in lasts week recap. So there will be an extra list in this weeks recap... not that anyone else was counting. 

_______________________________________________________________

14/30:: Things I Love About_______

15/30:: On My Shopping List

16/30:: Things To See in My Town

17/30: Words That Are Challenging to Spell

18/30:: Road Trip Must Haves

19/30:: Recipes I'd Like to Try

20/30:: Celebrity Crushes

Some of these crushes are because they are:
-hot
-funny
-talented
can you guess which is which?

21/30:: Things I'd Like to do This Spring

You should also check out the Flickr group to see all of the different interpretations of this listy project!

❤

-t

1300 Things: Week 12

1300 Things To Be Grateful For: Week 12

276.  A bag full of homemade treats from a friend (bread, cake, caramels & truffles)

277.  A rainy afternoon crafting with a friend at home. 

278.  Warm laundry on a cold day.

279.  Art supply stores.

280.  Vintage dresses.

281.  Grilled cheese sandwiches:: 

282.  Brightly colored trays. (so darned useful)

283.  The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

284.  Felt coffee-cup cozies.

285.  My paper cutter.

286.  Overcoming a silly fear (that wasn't even real to begin with).

287.  This Etsy Shop (& her website)::

Bamboo Wall Clocks & Other Accessories from Decoylab on Etsy

288.  A package full of goodies from a friend. (post & pics coming this Wednesday)

289.  Binder clips.

290.  Pink dish sponges. 

291.  Lint rollers.

292.  Scotch tape.

293.  Having my own postage scale. 

294.  Fluorescent Pink:: 

Some of my Bright Creations

295.  The willpower to turn the ringer off on my cell phone for an entire day.

296.  Sesame oil.

297.  The Trader Joe's on University Ave in Berkeley (gorgeous!)

298.  The sun finally peeking out... if only for an hour. 

299.  Beef & Broccoli w/ extra broccoli!

300. This roller-derby-tastic movie::

How many things can you think of to be grateful for in the next 30 minutes? 10 minutes?  right this very minute?

❤ 

-t

Happy Birthday Pretty Pixie Polly

Polly of Pixie Mama has been celebrating her birthday all month long by hosting guest bloggers over on her cute blog.  Well I am pleased as birthday punch to announce that my post is going up today!

So hop on over to Pixie Mama... wish Polly a very Happy Birthday & check out my post about some of my favorite birthday gifts from over the years! 

 A Sneak Peek of the Pretty Pictures on My Post for Polly!

What are some of your most treasured birthday gifts?

❤
-t

Yarn For Sale! Part 2

The time has come for me to part with some yarn from my stash.  I have more yarn than I can shake two pointy sticks at & it's time to let some go.  I need to make more room in my home & less room in my wallet. *wink wink*  

See bottom for shipping/payment details.

(I am aware that some large online yarn companies may be selling some of this yarn cheaper. I am not a large online yarn company & am not trying to compete with them.)

Artyarns- Supermerino (100% superwash merino wool)

Colourway: #156 ( I call it Butterscotch Blues)

Worsted/Aran Weight: 4.5 sts/in

Yards: 104 per skein 

Needle Size US 7

3 skeins- $24 + shipping (see below)

Berroco- Jasper (100% merino wool)

Colourway: #3833 Verde Lavras

Dye Lot # 780

Worsted/Aran Weight: 4.5 sts/in

Yards: 98 per skein 

Needle Size US 9

4 skeins- $32 + shipping (see below)

This Yarn was Discontinued, Get it While you Can!

Zitron- Unikat (100% merino wool)

Colourway: #01 Rainbow

Dye Lot # 22377

Bulky Weight: 3 sts/in

Yards: 175 per skein 

Needle Size US 10

1 skeins- $18 + shipping (see below)

This is a Discontinued Colourway

Rowan- Biggy Print (100% merino wool)

Colourway: #247 Shock

Dye Lot # 6E4

Super Bulky Weight: 1.25- 1.5 sts/in

Yards: 33 per skein 

Needle Size US 35

2 skeins- $22 + shipping (see below)

___________________________________________________________________________

• Shipping charges will be determined based on your location. (i have a scale & will give you the exact shipping cost)
• Yes, I will ship internationally. 
• I will be accepting payment via PayPal. 

All yarn comes to you as it is photographed, never wound, never used.  All of my yarn lives in a smoke free home. It is stored in plastic bins.  There is a cat who lives here, but he doesn't hang out in the yarn bins. He only lazes around on top of the yarn that is being knit... sometimes WHILE it's being knit. 

___________________________________________________________________________

I have more yarn listings on my Ravelry Stash page. (fyi: you must be have a Ravelry account to view this page) Also see:: Yarn For Sale! Part 1

Thanks for looking! There will be more yarn coming soon. & please do pass this post onto your knitterly friends!

❤

-t

30 Days of Lists- Weekly Recap #2

You can see all of my lists for this project in my 30 Days of Lists Flickr Set.  There is also Week 1 Recap on this here blog.  

08/30- What's in My Bag

I've never done a "What's in My Bag" photo before. And I have always wanted to, so Yay for this list prompt! I'd be willing to bet that more will be showing up in my Flickr stream! 

09/30- Websites I ❤

10/30- Wishlist

11/30- Date Night Ideas

12/30- Weekly Rituals

I realized that I don't really have any set-in-stone rituals... & I'm OK with that! 

13/30- DIYs & Crafts I'd Like to Try

You should also check out the Flickr group to see all of the different interpretations of this listy project!

❤

-t

1300 Things: Week 11

1300 Things To Be Grateful For: Week 11

251.  The smell of freshly chopped cilantro
252.  Discovering the stuff you were already buying is on sale
253.  Witnessing the Catnip Crazies
254.  A bag full of vintage tablecloths from an awesome friend
255.  Scrubs. The TV show. Not the garment/uniform (tho they look comfy).
256.  These Cushions by Darling Clementine:

Via Kenziepoo

257.  Mail swapping coffee filters with the lovely Caren from Tea and Chickadees
258.  Post-it Notes
259.  That I had gauze & medical tape in the house on Saturday.
260.  Boxes & boxes of vintage buttons.
261.  Color palette:: Cherry Red, Lemon Yellow, and Turquoise Blue, with Black & White accents.
262.  This Geico commercial (I can't stop watching it):

263.  Making a Sale on Etsy!
264.  Carne Asada burritos w/ extra guacamole.

265.  Glue-sticks. Sheer genius... the convenience of glue in a stick. 

266.  Being loaned the most adorable vintage sewing machine. 

267.  So much positive feedback about my Moleskine Journals!
268.  Warm Cats on a cold lap
269.  Making it to day 200 of 365 Days- Self Portrait Project:

Day 200/ 365

270.  Any of the "conversations with a two year old" posts from crafty ave. Her little Loo cracks me UP!            & I am not usually amused by kids.
271.  That Oakland tap water is tasty.
272.  Heating Pad under the covers on a chilly night.  
273.  Apples... crisp ones.
274.  Cheese & cracker snacks.
275. This song by E L O: ❤ it so hard! I recall listening to song when I was just a kid & it has                            always made the sky blue & the sun shine for me!

How many things can you think of to be grateful for in the next 30 minutes? 10 minutes?  right this very minute?
❤ 
-t

Twitter Loving Giveaway

Oh how I love me some Twitter! I look forward to visiting with my Tweet-tastic community everyday.  I started tweeting actively last October.  At that time I had about 40 followers. Just this week I've reached 500.  I have been diligent about cutting out the spammers and I it feels great to report that all 500+ of you are real live people who I share common interests with. 
By the way, if you follow me on Twitter, don't be shy... Say hello & introduce yourself, I am very friendly.    

To thank all of my Tweethearts for helping me reach 500 followers friends I am having a Giveaway just for them!  {See bottom of post for Giveaway details}

  

Nesting in The Shop

I am super excited to introduce the Stitched Up Owl Moleskine Journals.  Now available from my Etsy Shop are  the pocket sized (3 1/2" x 5 1/2") and the Large sized (5" x 8 1/4") journals.  

After a deadlocked poll on which page style to offer; plain, ruled, or grid... I am mixing it up and offering a little bit of all three. 

Don't see a color you like? I have a bunch of hatch-lings in more color palettes landing in the shop this weekend.  And, I am always excited above custom orders, just ask!

Each One has His or Her Own Personality... Which One Speaks to You?

A b o u t  T h e  O w l s ::

My Stitched Up Owls are created using my Grandmother’s vintage buttons, colorful papers, threads, & love.  I cut all of the paper pieces by hand & arrange them according to color & texture.  I then use different colored threads to stitch them all together.  The final detail in cuteness is applied when I hand sew the button eyes on.  Each Owl has his or her own personality.

Each Stitched Up Owl Journal is a one of a kind original, handmade with ❤ by me.  I machine stitch my Little Owl Buddies onto the front cover of a classic Cahier Moleskine Journal.  If you aren't familiar with Moleskine Journals you should check out their website.  

.........................................................................................................

Giveaway Details::

I am giving away ONE Large sized Stitched Up Owl Moleskine Journal.  The winner may choose the Page style they will receive.  (This giveaway is only open to folks who follow me on Twitter.  If you leave a comment & don't follow me on Twitter, it wont count as an entry.  If you aren't a Twitterer, don't fret, there will be future giveaways) 

To enter:

Simply leave a comment here to tell me that you follow me on Twitter & which page style you prefer (plain / ruled / grid).  Be sure to include the Twitter handle that you follow me with.

For Additional Entries: {leave a separate comment for each entry}

1. ❤ my Etsy Shop {be sure to leave your Etsy name in the comment}
2. ❤ one of my journals on Etsy.
3. Tweet this Giveaway:: " Have you entered the Twitter Loving Giveaway from @punkrawkpurl to win a one-of-a-kind Owl Moleskine Journal? http://tinyurl.com/4qajwls "  {be sure to leave your Twitter handle in the comment}
4. Follow me on Bloglovin
5. Follow me on Google Friend Connect
6. Blog About this Giveaway {be sure to leave a link to the blog post in the comment}

Please leave a separate comment for each entry, otherwise it won't count!

Contest is open internationally & will end Friday March 25 at 5 PM (pst)

The winner will be announced Monday March 28th.

Good Luck Tweethearts!

❤

-t

Join The Party!

What is a Blog Party? 

A blog party occurs on a blog (pretty self-explanatory!) with a new post being published each hour. It's a lot of fun and a true labor of love!

 The adorable Kam of the popular blog, Campfire Chic, is turning 25 today! 

Happy Birthday Kam!

[You may also know Kam as one of the three masterminds behind the 30 Days of Lists Blog Challenge.]

Join me (& a ton of other bloggers) in celebration of Kam's special day over on Campfire Chic for her 24 hour Birthday Blog Party!  It began promptly at midnight & will be going strong all day & night!  Yes, we bloggers sure know how to party!  There will be music, recipes, memories, tutorials, printables, giveaways, & more! 

There is even a guest post by yours truly!  My post will be going up in the early evening hours (Pacific Time)... but you'll just have to tune in over there to be sure & catch it. Besides... you won't want to miss all of the fun going on over there! Did I mention Giveaways?! 

This is my first time as a guest blogger AND my first time attending a Blog Party.  

Leave comments on your favorite Blog Party Posts over there & then come back here & tell me how you enjoyed the party & which posts you liked!   

Let's Get This Party Started! 

❤

-t

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I have chosen this post... well actually I have chosen the post that this post is about... to be a part of the Archive Dive for the i made it so blog!  Choosing a post that I guest wrote for another blog may be a little unconventional.. but hey, that's how I roll.  The topic was spot on. 

I wrote about my Milestone birthday coming up this Fall for Campfire Chic's Birthday Blog Party. Please go on over & check it out! Be sure to come back here & leave me a comment to let me know what you thought. 

30 Days of Lists- Weekly Recap

My Notebook

A couple of weeks ago I posted about an upcoming blog challenge/project.  30 Days. 1 list a day. (the prompt for the days list is posted on the 30 Days of Lists blog each morning).  Take a photo of your list & share.  It started last week & it's been tons of fun to watch how everyone is approaching it so differently!

01/30: A Few Things About Me

02/30: Things I'm Good At

03/30: Things I'm Looking Forward To

04/30: My Playlist

05/30: Weekend Goals

06/30: Least Favorite Words/Phrases

07/30: Blog Goals

Check out the Flickr group to see all of the different interpretations on this listy project! 

❤

-t