On My Mind...

Happy Friday to everyone! My mind is jam packed full of lots of different stuff right now... these are some of the prettier /funnier / more interesting things ::

1.  Buttons, Banners, Badges...  I have been knee deep in making some new shop/blog badges to be used for various purposes... including the sponsoring of other rad blogs. 

And I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying myself. 

2. Pretty much everything from the awesome Etsy shop, Robin & Mould!  

But right now I am crushing on these guys: 

{ the etsy shop }

3.  Road tripping.  I  love driving...  getting in the car, turning up the music, and just going. When the weather starts warming and drying, as it is now, I get antsy to take the roof off of my little convertible  and take a long drive in the sun, working on my freckle collection, not to mention my windblown big hair. Now if we can just do something about these ridiculous gas prices  

4.  How much I loved crafting as a child.  I had my teeny little hands into everything that could be cut, glued, painted, folded, stitched, sketched, etched, embossed, decoupaged, and so on.

The awesome Cathy Callahan from Cathy of California has written a book (releasing next week) all about the groovy crafts that I grew up with.  It looks amazing AND... it's endorsed by Amy Sedaris. 

{ source }

5.  People who smoke cigarettes and hold their smoking ciggy at arms length out the car window so that the smoke wafts into my car, and I am thinking... "Yeah it IS pretty stinky, I can see why you'd want it as far away from you as possible."  I totally respect a smokers right to smoke. And I don't intend to judge them for it. I just really don't wanna inhale it.

6.  The best furry nursemaid that a sick girl could ever ask for::

Nurse Rosco

What's on your mind today? 

❤

-t    

Mail Day!

The super sweet and adorable Julie over at Restless Hearts is one of my newest pen pals. Check out what the mailman brought me from darling Julie...  a sweet little envelope with some R-rated spoke cards (even though I don't even own a bike at present). You can see the ones that Julie has on her bike in this blog post.

The envelope was a little puffy for just a note and some 70's soft-core p o r n. "Gee what else is in there?" you may be asking... this amazing breakfast plate that Julie whipped up! How did she know that I was craving a hearty helping of steak and eggs?!   

discovering my breakfast

I haven't decided what I am going to stitch this tasty breakfast onto yet.  Maybe a hoodie, or one of my old punky/thrashed cardigans (i have a weird thing for old cardigans that have been poorly stitched back together like frankenstein).  Perhaps I will sew it onto a pillow cover so that I can lay my face down into my food.  OR... how about I put it onto one of the sassy new skirts that I plan to make so that I can wear my food around town? 

the spoke cards: get it? ride? bicycle... it's punny. 

in effort to not offend anyone I added the sunburst over the naughty bits.
& i do hope that no one was offended.

Have you received anything good in the mail recently? Leave me a comment and tell me about it. 

❤  
-t

& speaking of awesome things + the Restless Hearts blog...

just a reminder that Saturday is the last day to enter the giveaway over Yonder to win one of my Hip-to-be-Square journals.    

See Spots Sew Spots

As the sun comes back out to play I have warm weather clothes on my mind... 

My brain begins at shorter skirts with a certain dash of flounce and flow, then it zigs and zags on over to romper style dresses with big big patch pockets... Next I can hear my bank account chuckle heartily. But then... I recall that in addition to hoarding yarn and vintage buttons, I have an embarrassing amount of fabric for a girl who spends 60% of her life sewing paper. 

I started excavating the fabric buried in wardrobe bins under my bed.  I haven't purchased fabric in at least 5 years, if not longer.  I haven't thoroughly looked through my fabric collection anytime recently. I know... lame. But I have tons of it, and I am planning to use it to make some seasonally delicious duds to wear.  So back to the excavation...  Holy 101 Dalmatians Batman! I have a reedonk amount of polka dotted fabric. The photos below are just a very few of the polka dots that currently live neatly folded in bins beneath my bed.    

polka dot parade

I will be employing begging for the assistance of the enormously talented seamstress, Honey Cooler Handmade, to get me comfortably up to speed with the long abandoned craft of sewing fabric again.  My history with sewing garments is limited to simple wrap skirts and pajama pants.  Anything with a zipper, dart, pleat, sleeve, or gathered elastic will send me screaming into the night. 

really... how much polk dot can one girl's wardrobe get away with? 

Other patterns that I obsess over::  houndstooth, skinny stripes, gingham, & most plaids

Is there a specific pattern that has seen more than it's fair share of your closet space? Perhaps a certain color is stealing your fashion show? 

❤

-t 

1300 Things: Week 17

1300 Things To Be Grateful For: Week 17

401.  The burst of flavor from that little teeny piece of pepper that was hiding in my mouth.  

402.  Twitter. 

403.  Winning awesome giveaways from crafty broads whom I have mad  r e s p e c t  for. 

404.  Etsy sales picking up again after being slooooooow. 

405.  Happy crying. 

406.  Discovering the über doober adorable work of illustration artist Christine Pym::

{ source }

407.  Mushrooms. (they are tasty as a food and super cute as decor)               

408.  Sunsets. 

409.  Getting funny / awesome/ cool stuff in the mail from a new pen pal. 

410.  Gruyere cheese... especially when baked onto a buttery flaky pastry.

411.  This witty poster from Quail Lane Press on Etsy::

{ etsy listing }

412.  The healing powers of curating treasuries on Etsy. I am hooked. See what I mean? 

413.  A still sharp sharpie.  

414.  Cat yawns... especially when they end with cat lip smacking. 

415.  Being invited to sell at some smaller SF craft/art shows. 

416.  Ridiculously strong coffee. 

417.  Stripes. 

418.  Chocolate and Salted Caramel Pudding Pops (dear lord yes!) ::

{ source }

419.  Brunch with a friend at a fabulously quirky cafe. 

420.  The word "terpsichorean". 

421.  The Japanese linen-cotton fabric selection from A Verb for Keeping Warm in Oakland. 

422.  Being asked to participate in so many awesome events this summer.

423.  Taking those "next steps" for my business. 

424.  A tall cold glass of water. 

425.  This video cracks me up & I think the dude is super cute::  

Is there someone you'd like to tell how grateful you are for them being in your life?
In constant gratitude for you, your comments...

❤ 

-t

Rosco's First Guest Blogging Adventure

Last week one of my new Twitter pals, Nicole {@lovelygirl}, asked if I would consider doing a guest post for her blog.  She also asked one of my favorite longtime Twitter pals Samantha {@SSVintage}.  We wondered that to write about.  We quickly settled on the topic of cats.  Mine would be from a West Coast perspective, and Samantha's would be East Coast.

I was feeling a little overwhelmed as the weekend approached so I asked Rosco to please write the post. After all, it was going to be about him.  He obliged, but strayed from the West Coast perspective that was originally planned. Cats... there just ain't no telling 'em what to do.

Head on over to Nicole's blog, The Assorted Thoughts of a Scatter-Brain to read Mister Coltrane's very first guest post. There are a couple of photos... and frankly more writing than we thought he could muster on a lazy holiday weekend.  And be sure to tune in later today for Samantha's post on her amazing feline menagerie.  (and check out Samantha's pretty blog)

{ composed with my New Fave iPhone Photo App, PhotoShake }

What are you guys up to on this Chocolatey Holiday weekend?

❤
-t

Happy Easter!

While I am busily sewing robots I hope that you enjoy this collection of Easter inspired Etsy treasures...

'Dream a Little Dream' by punkrawkpurl

Feeling unusually pastel today... Must be in expectation of a certain bunny.

SPRING SALE Surpris... LolasRoom $12.00	Vintage 50s Tura Ho... Vintage50sEyew... $64.00	lucky horse hook monkeyandsquir... $16.00	Giant Dwarf // Dwar... giantdwarf $60.00
Urban Candy. Sunshi... Epheriell $27.00	Vintage 1950s Royal... TheFancyLamb $145.00	Victorian Petticoat... HoneyCoolerHan... $130.00	Looking Up Fine Pri... JulienDenoyer $20.00
Dik Dik Crochet Tax... MinistryofCraf... $225.00	Giraffes Screenprin... sassandperil $15.00	Pink Umbrella Aqua ... simplyhue $25.00	mini-doily pin in l... omgknits $7.50
Dark City no.3 - SA... NestaHome $35.00	pink cotton vintage... persephonevint... $38.00	Letterpress Notecar... luckybeepress $15.00	Strawberry Fields F... soradesigns $19.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

On My Mind...

I enjoyed writing the "On My Mind..." post last week, so here is another one for you.

1.  This awesome illustration, Super Pig by San Francisco artist 

and SF Etsy Street Team member, drywell.  

Gee Whiz... My kitchen needs some art.

2.  Why do cats insist upon running all over the house whilst horfing up hairballs? I mean... come on Dude just stay put, and preferably take that action onto the kitchen or bathroom floor... and not on the couch or rugs.  Do dogs do this too? Do dogs get hairballs? 

3.  I love repotting my houseplants. I love the feeling of clean soil all over my hands.

4.  One surefire way to make something sound old is to refer to it as "Newfangled".  As in... 

"How very nice that you have one of those newfangled  iPad 2's." 

You may as well be wearing dungarees as you say it. 

5.  I have a massive crush on this photo from the raw judita website. Just look at that photo! 

My entire body feels yummy and amazing just reading this website.  

Although I don't foresee a completely raw diet in my immediate future,  I do want to institute some clean food practices into my regular way of eating.  I was gluten free for almost a year and I felt awesome! 

I totally believe that our bodies (and minds) contain everything that we need to heal ourselves... all that we need is clean food, a positive mindset, and some movin and groovin (exercise). I also believe that when prepared the right way... super healthy food can be totally orgasmic to your taste-buds.

I have been gearing up to do a detox/cleanse again. (let's not bring up last weekend's berry pie or the above pictured pork illustration that I so highly covet for my kitchen walls)  I will eat what most would consider a pretty strict diet for about a month. I am sure that I will be talking about it here as I go along.  

6.  Kale chips.  I have always enjoyed munching on them, but as of late, I am all about making them at home. My fave recipe so far is for the Sea Salt & Vinegar variety, thy are just as yummy as salt & vinegar potato chips. Next on my list are kale chips with toasted sesame oil and gluten free soy sauce. 

Do you have a favorite kale chip recipe?

What random thoughts are on your mind today?

❤

-t

A Day of Firsts

I baked kale chips for the first time.  If you have no idea what I am talking about... read this.  Mine came out ok, not great and not not horrible.  I will definitely make them again with some modifications... like reading the link that I just gave before I get started.

In all these years of playing around on Etsy I have never curated a treasury... until yesterday. I've been featured in many wonderful treasuries, but never sat down and made one. Much like a tasty batch of kale chips, they're highly addictive. I made one.  Fifteen minutes later I made a second one.  Ten minutes following that, I made a third. I found this awesome tool for posting treasuries onto your blog or website. Everything is a clickable link:  titles, photos, shop names, etc.  May I suggest clicking the title of the treasury to take you to the page on Etsy where in my opinion it looks better... i.e. bigger.

I've had over 100 views on the first one that I made,"The Mod Squad of Color"! I'd love your feedback on any, or all of them! Here they are in chronological order::

'The Mod Squad of Color!' by punkrawkpurl

Mod 'Lacquer ... VintageModernA... $18.00	single classic holg... girlscantell $12.00	Give A Hoot, Read A... Sbritt $25.00	Pick Your Poison. E... margarette $22.00
This Too Shall Pass... rawartletterpr... $22.00	Super Turquoise Min... FreestyleGifts $	Messenger Pouch in ... rutinet $47.00	Lunastrella Camera ... johnwgolden $30.00
Nothing But Rain, l... EloiseRenouf $25.00	SPRING SALE--set of... restlesshearts... $8.00	Colorful MOD Plasti... joevintage $42.00	Vintage Fire King ... jacklom3 $12.00
better maid retro p... letterhappy $9.00	Keep It Simple Circ... inaluxe $35.00	Vintage Fabric & Fi... VintageZen $28.00	Sparrow flying over... morrisetsy $22.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

'Life Aquatic' by punkrawkpurl

Daydreaming of the Ocean Today... Watery Wishes & Dances with Fishes!

1 map notebook made... Marmalime $5.00	Uh Oh Shark Print twoems $26.00	Teal Confetti Garla... KristinaMarie $24.00	hi little tiny tree... hitree $15.00
Alfred Finds his So... matteart $35.00	handmade modern - v... 2chicksandafan... $25.00	Sky 10x10 Pattern P... AprilandAugust $65.00	Tall Vase with stem... dahlhaus $90.00
You Are Here (custo... Crafterall $75.00	Antique Handmade In... DailyMemorandu... $300.00	The Woodland: graph... inaluxe $35.00	Rhinestone & Velvet... HoneyCoolerHan... $25.00
Metallic stag silho... louloudo $16.00	To Sea mini Stud Se... Joannarutter $88.00	Led By a Creature W... joncarling $25.00	Sterling Silver Swi... MarKhed $80.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

'A Taste of the Elements' by punkrawkpurl

All of these items were discovered by using the new Taste Test Feature... an impressive tool.

Mabel Hedgehog Lamb... saracarr $45.00	Dent Bud Vase PigeonToeCeram... $32.00	Elviage Pearl - Tre... jennifersquire... $35.00	Feathers groundwork $20.00
Even Superheroes Ne... ashleyg $20.00	vintage thermos set harmoniepark $14.00	mountain map lamp umbu $160.00	I Do Not Know Where... monpetitfantom... $15.00
Fox and a Phonograp... pamwishbow $20.00	Woven Merino Blanke... RiverFarmRI $350.00	Dark City no7 - SAN... NestaHome $35.00	Origami Paper Star ... Lusine $60.00
Back Where You Belo... tinatarnoff $85.00	Random Metal thetypejunkie $12.00	Arrows and Ornament... ragamuffinpres... $3.00	Jotter - Chevron St... witandwhistle $5.75

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Have you made a treasury on Etsy? Leave me a link, I'd love to check it out!

❤
-t