friday five #13

01. royal typewriters - specifically those made in the 50's and later in gorgeous colors! they are so pretty and timeless. i have a junky old olympia and i am seriously craving an underwood cursive typewriter but i would love to score a vintage salmon or teal royal. but, in the meantime i will get by with a little help from crafty folk's typewriter stickers.

02. "contra" - the new vampire weekend album came out tuesday, sara berry clued me in to the fact that you could listen to it on npr's website before it's release and i'm pretty into it. it's probs going to be perfect to get us all through the end of winter and ready for a fresh and fun spring.

03. the boy can atc - the boy & i went to kristina & dawn's new years day housewarming party (vee came up too, yay!) and one of the first thing's miss k yelled in our general directions was that everyone had to make an atc card for the house before leaving. i thought the boy was going to be not so into it, but he was totes into it and slammed out a killer card complete with painting, stamping and even rub-ons. i'm a lucky miss!

04. fuggs - let me get real serious here for a second. i hate uggs, like haaaaaaaaaate them! but my toes have been frozey this winter, so i caved and bought some fuggs (as in fake & fugly) last month and i kind of see what it's all about. they keep my feeties warm, are super easy to slip on and they oddly enough make your legs look cute and small by comparison. hell must have truly frozen over.

05. tattoo possibilities - wintertime is tattoo time and i'm so ready for a new one. i have it narrowed down to just a couple of pieces by one of my favorite artists, julie west, and i'm pretty sure about location, now to just donate blood before (so annoying that you can't for 6 months after), save the funds, make final decisions and make the appointment! yay!

on & on

+ loving tumblr! the stuff that people share is just completely stellar. i have to stop myself from heart-ing just about every post because there is just so much inspiration out there in the collective creative community! this mosaic is a little me and a lot collected from some of my favorite tumblr ladies;  jasmine , eyeswideopen and others. i am a bit confused about how to use it. i don't feel like i completely get it yet. sometimes i really wish i could just comment on someones post instead of re-blogging it, but it's fine. i'll get there.

+ the colors in that "close your eyes, clear your heart, let it go" piece up there are so what i am loving right now and i'm lucky enough to have an awesomely talented dude friend in my life who i could just ichat and say, "i want this text square re-done with my blog title and while you're at it can you figure out the hexadecimal colors for me so i can rock out my blog" and like 5 minutes later, done. now i want to live in my blog. steve, thanks for totes killin' it!

+ umm.... i've been reading in the woods by tana french for like EVER now! it's not that it's bad, because it's definitely good, it's just a little too creepy at time to be read before sleepy times, which is when i do most of my reading. anyway, i thought it might help if i have a new book that's next up to bat, y'know? so, i went to borders the other day to find one and that place looks like a ghost town of book. there is like nothing on the shelves, it's a little scary! so, all i ended up buying was wreck this journal  and some owl stickers, haha. any book suggestions for me? make them good!

+ the time has come for me to start saving money like a crazy lady to pay for the major tattoo itch i've got growing right now. i've been wanting a full on 3/4 sleeve full of julie west loveliness for a while now, but it has always seemed pretty daunting as a whole. but i have just discovered the perfect piece to start with and so now i'm dieing to make it happen! i think i might be able to pull off an early april appointment if i save my money from teaching this month. nevertheless, i want it now!

+ also majorly craving some items that i have neither the energy nor funds to procure such as the sweet granita bag & the movement of waves bag from anthropologie. anyone care to be my benefactor? i also would still like my helicopter pilots liscense and now also want to go to stunt driver school, if for no other reason than to see what happens when you do crazy things while driving, but without the pesky dieing part! anyone? anyone? no? fine.

wow!

first of all, really long time no blog. sorry! i'm sure y'all aren't hanging on my every post anyway!

second of all, look how rad my new blog set up is! i am totally in love wiht it. i scrapped the banner yesterday and actually figured out the layout myself, haha. i am kind of inept when it comes to this stuff sometimes so usually aimee does it for me because she is so rad. this is also my first banner i've designed myself! yay! anyway, imagine i am posh spice when i say this is going to be a major listy type update and then i'll be better for reals.

* ummm okay, i know i said this last time, but this weeks into it over it song, "ashley's big adventure" is defenitly my favorite so far. i continue to be more and more impressed every week.

* kristina's visit consisted of little sleep, lot's of weird clothing at the mall, beer samples, russian hats, photo booth pictures, little sleep, scrapping with nicole and lots of fun.

* i elfed nat, vee, myself and kristina in preperation for our fun get together this weekend in long island. we're going to brave the crazy tourist level to head into the city, hopefully hit the union square holiday flea market and have lots of fun and photos. marykate might head in with me too.

* i have been sick for what seems like forever, one of those horrible colds that just won't let go. it seems to finally be on its' way out and last night i could actually sleep with my head at a normal level, rather than propped up on several pillows, yay!

* thanksgiving was cozy, quiet and yummy. after dinner we watched evan almighty and traded christmas wishlists.

* speaking of wishlists, there are lots of yummies i am hoping for this year. like this awesome swing coat that i have been drooling over for like ever, this hello kitty woodgrain bank,

it's going to be so hard to let go!

i just finished this banner as a special thank you for my tattoo artist, stacey, and i have no idea how i'm going to actually be able to let it go! the tiles aren't attatched to eachother yet, i'm going to get metal rings from michael's (I'll close my eyes while walking past the martha stuff) i think they will fit the topic and design well. i might take the fiber hanger off and make one out of linked metal rings too.

anyway, here it is!



parting will be such sweet sorrow! haha, cheesey but totally freakin' true!

bad blogger returns!!!

i get so annoyed when people don't update often (usually just out of cute new lo withdrawel) and now i've been the bad blogger. the lo block is still in full effect, but with these new ::whispers:: martha stewart :: lovelies






and the amazing feltiness from aimee perhaps i will be able to unblock. tonight it's my goal to work on some new stuff to put up in my etsy shop.

tattoo update:: the bugger is soooooooo itchy!!! it's crazy! i can't scratch it though and yes i confess i'm a scab picker (along with being a sunburn peeler) so it is totally killing me!! i know, i'm gross, haha.

also, i have some rak's in the works! i keep finding adorable stuff everywhere i go so i've started putting it all in a rak box so that whenever i want to do one i can just grab stuff out! let me tell you peeps, there is some rad stuff in there already!

so since midnight last night, tech. today, it has been kit day and i am totally psyched on what i made away with considering i am trying not to spend too much.

let's see, over at story of my life i got the main kit, the swallow stamp, some 7 gypsies stickers and the bazzill add-on from last months kit that i had forgotten to get. i also got a godzill-ha stamp for crystal, she is so psyched to get him.

then, at 2 am poppy time i drooled over the add-ons, especially the lulu add-on! it has a cute little girlie owl stamp, but i just couldn't spend the money. however, upon seeing the full reveal of the kit i am so totally psyched that this month starts my subscription! maybe crystal will let me stamp her lulu owl stamp on some stuff next time i see her. : )

to bed i went and then set my alarm for 9 am for zingbooms kit reveal. that menagerie kit was waaaaaay too amazing this past month and seeing it again made me so jealous of the people who caught it in time. anyway, i already have much of the office space kit so i didn't want to re-buy but it is defenitly awesome! they did open a mini stamp shop though and i got that little heart holding robot that i've been drooling over for a while and the fawn silhouette. so psyched on those!

i know it doesn't seem like i behaved, but believe me, my paypal account and i could have done a lot more damage!!! these three kits keep kicking my cc's bumm! and, i can't wait until i have all these goodies in my hot little hands!!!

also, i was first order again over at soml and so sara hinted at an added surprise! sara is so super sweet, she also had a super rad shout out entry on her blog, which is just way too nice! it's so awesome to be recognized and encouraged by someone who inspires you in such a major way!

anyway, i'm off to ::hopefully:: make some things, wish me and my block luck!


p.s. flips are 2 for 5 over at old navy so i replaced some colors in my closet that were getting kinda grodey and got some fun new colors. the orange ones are a total shout out to aimee and emine! i never liked orange before but these ladies are showing me the light! haha.



::UPDATE:: i am so totally weak! i just went back to drool over my new zingboom stamps and noticed that next months peak is up and had to order the "so freakin' cute" kit as soon as i saw it! it really is so freakin' cute! the love,elsie and those adorable little green apples, not to mention the super rad food friends stamps, 4 of them! really, all three kit companies that i stalk have totally kicked it up a notch or 50 love it all! go check them out!!! all the links are in my kit obsessions section at the right there --->

::UPDATE:2:: yeah i just went on over to jenni bowlin and ordered some goodies too, like the felt birds, antique journaling spots and bird rub-ons. but seriously, now my card is going away! hey i wonder if miss amber ulmer will pack my goodies! hehe. that would be fun.

new tattoo!!!

::le squee!:: i am sooooo psyched on it, here are some pictures, it's only 4 hours old so it's a little funny looking! stacey at sacred art in nazareth, pa did it! she did a phenomenal job! i am so impressed that she could get the little tattoos on the birds' wings! and, the teeny tiny skull and crossbones even has eyes! so blown away by her talent and she is such a rad girl! i am totally going to make her a little mini book or card. and i am def making a mini book of the tattoo for myself. i took pics at ever step and she was totally awesome about it! anyway, here they are;

oliver the inspiration owl

so, my scrappers block and i have come to an compromise. i'm having no problem making photo albums and cards so i'm just going to keep doing that. and this little guy;



who i am calling oliver the inspiration owl is helping me out. i made him today and i am so in love with him that there is no way i am listing him on my etsy.

i also came home to half of my hambly goodies! yummy vanilla-scented transparencies and rub-ons. once the other half of my order comes i will take picture.

so, tommorow is the big tattoo day! can't wait! i'm going to make sure to have a great big lunch and a luna bar for some extra protein! i'll post pics asap!

i'll make you cupcakes...

... if you live anywhere near nazareth, pa and will meet me at the tattoo shop on tuesday at 2 so that i can have someone there to take scrappable pictures. all my friends are working. this is a total longshot, but i figured why not?

<3 .spreading some etsy love. <3

i just sold some stuff in my etsy shop so i decided to turn it right back around and buy some of the little things that have been sitting on my etsy wishlist. so, i got these 6 sets of plastic charms (you'll be seeing these on my lo's, cards and in some rak giveaways) and these three adorable necklaces!



love love love me some etsy!

also, i got my appointment all set up with stacy over at sacred art and i'm going for my tattoo tuesday @ 2. can't wait. i've really been thinking about this tattoo for about a year now, in one form or another, and i'm glad i have finally made the decision! it was a tough one to make since this will be my first tattoo that will pretty much always be visible (it's going on the inner lower arm, down by my wrist. i can't wait to get it though! hopefully there will be someone there to take pictures! have to scrap it!

kur+ #alsey freakout!!!

i don't know if you all know about kur+ #alsey (i can't use his name or my blog gets a million extra hits a day), but he is one of my favorite artists of all time. and i was looking up a link to his site for my "art is life..." section of this blog, when i spotted these;






they are from the fine people over at sublime stitching who always make the cutest embroidery patterns ever. so, of course i snapped this pattern up along with the tattoos, atomique and rock n' roll because they are having a "4 patterns for $10" sale. do i know how to embroider? no! but i will learn for this! haha.

here are a few of my favorite pieces from him. if you search under his name in google image search there are about a billion others that are also super awesome.



i'm actually deciding between the birds from this one or from an artist called lilnini for my next tattoo...



this brings back nice warm summer memories...





this one just make me giggle...