Camilla Engman – 2008 Calendar

The Camilla Engman 2008 Calendar is now available for purchase from her site! Go get one:

I ordered mine today & can’t wait!!! I explored around her site & saw so many wonderful new pieces:




The art this woman creates really speaks to my soul. The calendar is a great way to add a spark of original art to your home. Once the year is over, I like to frame the art from each month as its own piece. Affordable & lovely!

Let’s Stay PaperedTogether…

One of the biggest thrills of the Renegade Craft fair for me was the PaperedTogether booth. It was so difficult not to snatch up everything in site. I had a hard time just sticking with Thank You cards:

The prettiness of this picture is nothing compared to how pretty these cards are in person. I wanted to say “Yes, please” to everything in the booth. I mean, look at how cute:







I love that one, especially since I just dove back into my knitting project. It’s finally cool enough to handle some yarn around here! I absolutely adore this:

It’s a To-Do list!

I would love to see this framed with cool things listed to do, for example:
1. Be kind to a stranger
2. Stand up for something you believe in
3. Write the great American Novel
or
1. Don’t forget to TiVo America’s Next Top Model & The Hills!
Both would be awesome. I couldn’t get over how gorgeous this booth was in person. Also, the business card for PaperedTogether was my favorite that I snagged out of the whole fair! I suggest you all check the PaperedTogether Etsy shop often & get ready to stock up. The holiday pretties will be up soon!

Flight of the Conchords-She’s So Hot – BOOM!

Sorry I’ve been such a slacker this week. Tomorrow, I’ll be back with more of my regularly scheduling blog posting. In the meantime, here’s another Flight of the Conchords gem.
Flight of the Conchords Ep2 She’s So Hot – Boom

Renegade Spotlight: Red Prairie Press

At Renegade I was blown away by all the amazing T-Shirt designs we found. One booth that really caught my eye was The Red Prairie Press. Here are some of my favorite things I found on their site:


I love the baby stuff. Too cute:




There’s also wonderful artwork & gorgeous prints:





That one is my favorite. How cute would that be framed in a kitchen? I was also informed that the lovely Rachel from Red Prairie Press helped start a craft group in Baltimore that just won a Best of Baltimore award! Congratulations to the crafty ladies of Baltimore. And to everyone else, Happy Friday!

Creature Feature

A big Thank You is in order to SwissMiss for pointing out that I desperately want this book by photographer Andrew Zuckerman:

The photographs look fantastic:

I love the blank white page.

How cute is that armadillo butt? I didn’t even know they could do that! Andrew Zuckerman’s site is definitely worth checking out, as is the site of the super fantastic SwissMiss. Now, I have a date with the couch, diet Mountain Dew, BBQ Pringles & the premier episode of ANTM Cycle 9.
You better work!

Renegade Spotlight: Dan Grzeca

Renegade was awesome! Next year Casey & I are taking more time to explore around. But I got lots of business cards from new crafters, artists, & designers to feature in the coming months & made lots of contacts. First up for the Renegaders, Chicago artist Dan Grzeca (pronounced jhet-sah). I had marked his booth as one I absolutely HAD to stop by & wasn’t disappointed. His work is really incredible:




Of course my very favorites were made for the shows of one of Chicago’s greatest jazz ensembles, The Vandermark 5:



These prints are available for purchase in his Etsy shop. Also, his interesting blog has been added to my blogroll.
Cheers!

Comunistar Designers

So today while reading my blogs, I was drawn to this hanger I found on Josh Spear:

I have a few nephews that would love this! Actually, I also have a few friends, grown men, that would love this too, including my husband. This clever hanger is made by Comunistar Designers. Exploring around their site is a fun adventure. Here are some of my other favorites:




There’s a sense of humor to their great design that I am really digging. The barcode CD rack and the Stag mirror/shelf are so cool. I am definitely keeping an eye on this design company.
Tomorrow is the Renegade Craft Fair. The hubby & I are super excited. I’m sure I will have lots of great pictures to share. Have a great weekend!

Afternoon With Etsy-All Pirate Edition

Avast ye maties! It be time for an all pirate Afternoon with Etsy. I have always loved pirates, even before they were cool. I think it began when I watched the 1983 film version of Pirates Of Penzance with the incomparable Linda Ronstadt & the utterly fantastic Kevin Kline. Of course, I adore this pirate:

So, I thought I’d search for pirate booty on Etsy. The first thing that caught my eye was this:

These PirateBot gift tags are in the shop of a 7-year old boy: Roboboy! He only draws robots, which I think is cool. The PirateBot is also available as a note card:

I dig this OctopusBot:

More pirate items I thought were interesting were found in the shop of Crystal J.


These hand-painted silk scarves are perfect to pull back your hair as you swab the deck. I think they’re totally fun! Also fun is this gorgeous jewelry I found in the Morning Glory Designs shop:


Wouldn’t this add a touch of irreverance to a glamourous evening out? For more irreverance, you should definitely check out Juror 2:

Pirate Vs. Ninja? AWESOME!!! I also loved this shirt which could be somewhat Pirate-themed:

I’m sure pirates ran into witch doctors while exploring tropical islands. Anyway, Juror 2 is completely worth a visit either through the Etsy shop, or the formal site.
And finally, one last image from the fantastic Black Apple:

This is Pirate Girl, kind of like me! Toodle-loo.

SNAP To It.

Sorry it has been so long in between posts. I’ve just begun a temp assignment & wasn’t prepared for how little time I would have for blogging. Hopefully, I can get some posts together this weekend for next week. Now, back to your regularly scheduled Big Daddy Seashell!
I am in love with my handbag. I’ve had it for two years now & am still basking in compliments. I found my SNAP Design bag through a great online shopping site from Denver, Composition. I periodically check up on SNAP Design to see if they have any new products & am never disappointed. The designer & manufacturer, Michelle Kline, is super friendly & sent me all of these lovely photos for your enjoyment. First up are the handbags (this is the style I currently carry):

I think this Black 2Dot is my new handbag. I love it so much!


I adore the laptop bags:



The orange Lap Top bag is so awesome! There are also wonderful totes:

Here’s a back view of the same tote:



The quality of these bags is incredible for someone who makes each & everyone herself. Plus they are affordable, unique & gorgeous. Let’s give this girl two SNAPs! Or, better yet, visit the site & nab one of your own.

Madeleine L’Engle – An Inspiration

I just found out that Madeiline L’Engle died on Thursday, September 6th. As the author of one of my very favorite books, A Wrinkle In Time, she was a huge influence on my life.

Not only was her science fiction writing ingenious & thought provoking, she was excellent at writing wonderful female characters. In the gangly, awkward Meg Murry, I saw a mirror image of myself. That Meg risked her life to save her family & her father inspired me to be braver. I still read this wonderful story every few years. A great spirit, Ms. L’Engle will be missed.

November 29, 1918 – September 6, 2007