Madness...

My stupid dreams.

Last night I was thrown into a group of people visiting a vacation house. Once we arrived we realized that strange occurrences had forced the previous tenants out. A big clue was blood dripping from the ceiling. But for some reason we decided to stay the night (like a bad horror movie where you're wondering why the main characters say things like "let's split up") and go downstairs to find jackets and blankets to keep warm. In the morning we left.
Very odd.

AND once again it's time to talk about things I want for my birthday.....
How about an awesome lucite bracelet from KolosStudio? Complete with real bugs! These are BEAUTIFUL! The colors and styles are almost endless. I need me some of these...

I think I like the yellow and green best. They even have cufflinks! and rings!
If you'd like to see more you can visit www.kolosdesigns.com

It's Saturday? My goodness!

Where did the time go? Between working and sleeping I seem to have lost a week. In a bit I'll be going in to the shop to start/work on/finish several pairs of sandals. I was really wanting to start a bag for Allen's sister but it will have to wait. At least I still have Sunday and I'll probably go in Tuesday as well.

And speaking of Tuesday - here's some more things you can buy me for my birthday:

This super-fab shop Kinchimama has a skirt I want. Actually, there were more but some other lucky people bought them already! My eye was caught by this green one a while back:

She also has her main shop Kinchi, which features seriously cool vintage stuff for kids and moms. I have no rugrats, so I'm glad she started her adult shop! Check out this kitten skirt!

New Things to Like and Love

I have a new Buddy Bag! Manatee! How cool is that? It's a deep wedgewood blue with a deep blue leather inside and magnetic snap closure. Wicked fun.

I don't know if I'll be able to get into the shop today, so I may have a big day ahead of me tomorrow. Loads of sandals and cuffs and two bags await my presence still...Back to my birthday desires! Another of my favorite sellers is CircaCeramics!
Being a coffee lover I could have a zillion mugs. I won't, and I probably have too many as it is, but a beautiful cup will still make me drool with desire. CircaCeramics also sells magnets, bowls, vases, tea cups and more! I mean, c'mon. You know you need one of these awesome cylinders! (I know I do!)

Hi Ho Hi Ho

It's back to work I go.

I need to get some more leather work done before going into my night job later. I have a new Buddy Bag in the works! It's a deep wedgewood blue leather with a manatee image sewn into the back. There's no pictures right now, but rest assured, when I complete the little guy, you'll see him. Lately I've been caught up in between sandals and making that Monty Tote for my sister.Despite all the busy work I managed to make myself a great new pair of sandals! Maybe if I manage my time wisely, I'll be able to complete the Buddy and start a new tote!! Wait, what am I thinking. I can't manage my time properly....
And since this is my birthday week, I've decided to promote some more of my favorite things on Etsy! In hopes that you will buy them for me.
These beautiful images are from DSBrennan!
These beautiful photographic prints are mesmerizing! The colors and depth of each picture transform the seemingly mundane into exquisite pieces of art!
I love them.
Buy them for me. You do it.

Completely Uncomplete

Always the busy bee.... I'm really trying to get a lot done since I haven't been at my night job in a while. It never seems like enough is really getting accomplished, though. So many things are running through my head, so many projects to begin, that it seems impossible to tackle them all.

For once I am going to try to make an early day of it, so here's a little something that makes me smile:Lilly The Cat Notecard Set by Etsy Shop GenObata

Sharks and Totes

Yesterday my dad went early morning fishing (just as he does everyday) and was surprised by a surplus of migrating sharks. Yes, all those spots in the picture above are sharks! Thousands of them. This is actually not a rare occurrence. Several times a year we get the coastline dotted with spinner sharks chasing smaller fish for food along the shore. What baffles me is the fact that no one tells you. Unless you catch the news that morning, you might think you're headed to a lovely outing at the beach. "Let's go swimming, everybody!"

My dad has some great footage on his digital camera of them turning on one shark and eating him, causing a frenzy a mere couple of feet from shore.
Word of the wise to tourists - ask the fishermen on the beach if the water is safe for swimming, don't rely on the forecasters.In other news - I've finished my sister's Monty Tote! Well, almost. She informed me she wants a small pocket so I need to add a small lining and zipper. And 4 more rivets for the handles. The colors are ones she picked out - except the brown. There was no brown dark enough for her so I had to hand-dye a lighter brown to make her happy. The small circles contain some snake-print lambskin pieces.
Now I just to make some more.....

Featured Etsy Find

Every once in a while I find an Etsy store that literally makes my jaw drop.
I found a store called sacaclaques the other day. They have the coolest handbags! Really, I should just use tons of pictures to illustrate the coolness, since the photos speak volumes.Aren't they amazing! They're constructed out of wood slats and leather for lining and handles. I'm totally in love with this olive one. Tara Appreciation Day is coming soon, people! Pay attention!!
Scrolling through Etsy listings is becoming a potentially expensive habit to have....
Check out Sacaclaques today! I get the feeling these bags are going to be flying off the shelves (so to speak). And they're just so cool....

Easter Candy Time

I'm all hopped up on sugar and caffeine.

I woke up fairly early to pick Allen up from the train station as he got back from Miami. They all had fun and nudie pins (thanks to tom and chris!) were given out to all the checkpoint volunteers. Allen said it was a bit grueling but he made it to every checkpoint and then the after party.
So I've actually been having a fab morning. My mother gave us each a lotto scratch off in our goodie baskets and I won $40 so today is starting out pretty well. Candy, Allenface, and free money is a good way to start the day!And I'll be eating too many of these bad boys today. I wait all year for the Cadbury creams eggs to come around....

Bicyle Race in South Beach

Allen's getting ready to go on a trip to Miami for an AlleyCat Race on south beach! If I weren't such a bicycle chicken it would sound like a lot of fun. Maybe we need a rickshaw so I can participate. I can't do the tandem bike thing, because I'll eventually stop peddling and just let the other person do all the work. And we could all use fancy bicycle caps like this one from Bicycleocean!

I really do miss Miami. The city is so beautiful, so raw, and so full of life. Here's a picture from our last trip, which was ages ago. Late night concerts and early morning sunbathing on the beach. We need to get back down to the keys, too.

On April 5th I'll be participating in the West Palm AlleyCat Race. Not riding, but manning one of the checkpoints. If what Naomi says is true, I'll be the happiest girl slapping everyone in the face with red paint. I can't imagine anything more fun to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Beer Holsters in Storque!!

I had the most exciting news from my friend Naomi at Bicycleocean yesterday! We had our Beer Holsters featured in the Etsy Storque!! The article is very awesome and you can read it HERE!

I'm so happy to see them appreciated. Allen has worked very very hard to make this completely unique design for our holsters. Yes, there are other beer holsters, but they're hardly the same and you sure can't pretend you're a gun-slinger with them. It really brings a huge smile to my face to see the pattern Allen labored over for months come to fruition and be a big hit! Now we just need our new veg tan leather so we can make more! Excitement Excitement!!

In another bit of exciting news, I sold my latest Monty Tote yesterday! I'm going to have to make a new one. And finish the one for my sister. And start the one I had in mind for Allen's sister and his niece.... Hmmm... I've got a lot of work to do.