kara rocks. she did a major purge last week and sent me her gocco! i've been wanting one since, like, ever. (or at least since i knew they existed).
she sent me other goodies, too. tons of gocco supplies, one of her cool totes, and some excellent kid books. this one i hadn't seen before, and i'm starting to think i've seen them all. i love the font and the illustrations. ubercute.
it's been a banner mail week here. first came this pendant from kristen...
i really love it. she also sent me a great old book i'll be chopping up soon.
then, today, i received these from erin...
along with a matching hat! and one of her sweet bird ornaments. she really amazes me. and i'm wearing the fingerless gloves right now as i type because it is pretty freakin' cold today.
i've jumped on the baker's twine bandwagon in a big way this year. my goal is not to buy any new wrapping paper since i've got tons of old stuff - so i'm using twine to make it all pretty...
i made a christmas mix to give out to people who i think might like a christmas mix. here's the playlist, in case you might like to make one and are looking for some i-tunes inspiration (and you don't think my taste in music sucks)...
season's greetings/robbers on high street
i saw three ships/sufjan stevens
holly jolly christmas/the format
have yourself a merry little christmas/judy garland
christmas time is here (vocal version)/vince guaraldi trio
white christmas/bing crosby
silent night/joan osborne
baby, it's cold outside/gabe dixon & leigh nash
i'll be home for christmas/aimee mann
all that i want/the weepies
winter wonderland/perry como
happy xmas (war is over)/maroon 5*
god rest ye merry gentleman/we three kings/barenaked ladies
2000 miles/the pretenders
christmas day/dido
the christmas song/johnny mathis
hey guys! it's christmas time!/sufjan stevens
*i know what you're thinking on this one but i can't track down my cd and itunes wouldn't let me purchase the john lennon version w/out buying the whole album and this version is actually quite nice. you don't have to believe me, but it is.
happy monday!
wow.
august.
kinda snuck up on me.
and august means time for a new blog o' the month. this month it is all about the talented kara from broken press studio. i've chatted about kara here before - she is my birthday twin (who also has a library degree and also has a thing for vintage kids' books). we're like twins somehow. anyway, she makes the coolest stuff, like this handmade book she sent me for my birthday...
and this super cool box she made from a vintage book...
and she makes really cute buttons and tote bags like this. everybody needs one of those, right?
so last night some friends were over and i was showing them my loot from my weekly trip to salvation army (1/2 price wednesday) and i pulled out this cute vintage twin set i got and my friend pointed out that it was cashmere (i hadn't even noticed - i just thought it was super soft wool - $1.50!). and then my other friend said "now you're going to blog about it, aren't you?" and i just laughed. but now i have (blogged about it).
can't sleep, so i blog.
i have been getting so much mail love lately and have been sucky sucky about posting pictures. i am resolving to do better. i got a sweet package from sweet dawn yesterday and it made my day in a big way. 
i ask you, how cute is that?! pretty freakin' cute, i say.
john is better so we are all happy campers over here. and one of my best friends and her three adorable children are visiting us from vermont tomorrow. i can't wait. might be more of a picture-sharing-over-at-flickr kind of week.
hope you are having a great weekend!
this is where i'm at. hopefully finishing prep work (which of course included cleaning out all the cabinets, new shelf paper, etc.) today and actually painting tonight. hopefully i'll have something more interesting to show soon.
other stuff going on this week::
**that little bit is from some stand-up act that john likes to quote a lot. john's mantra is "if it's funny once, it's funny a thousand times." that certainly explains the daily spinal tap references we all enjoy around here.
p.s. crap! i keep forgetting to mention that i have a new blog o' the month - my friend, futuregirl (alice). i love alice because she is very talented and makes really unique things (mostly crotchet + embroidery w/great tutorials). i also love her because she is super snarky and i tend to be pretty snarky and generally like to surround myself with snark. plus, i love the name alice and really wanted to name our second child alice but she was born with a penis so we had to name her charlie instead.
just feeling quiet.
i'll snap out of it soon.
i pinky swear.
in the meantime, check out this cool fabric angelique sent me.
angelique rocks, no?
chat soon.
xoxo
thrifty...
saw these at salvation army on half price wednesday. no matter that they barely fit jane's size or taste. as i stated on flickr, i'm gonna cram her into one of these if it kills me. i'll be sure to get photo documentation.
crafty...
currently drowning in a sea of decoupage...sorry for the not-so-great pic.
lucky...
jane lost her first tooth last night! we are especially excited because she is just a few months shy of her 9th birthday and it was looking like her younger brother might lose one first, which would not have been good.
also lucky because the very generous stephanie sent me these mugs which i am totally in love with. thank you so much, stephanie!
again lucky because john is home from his trip, safe and sound.
happy thursday, everyone!
i know other people have experienced this phenomena. i'm such a dork that i'm considering starting a flickr group. i am psyched about all my treasures today, especially the vintage skirt in the background that will be ripped apart to make something new. eventually.
oh, and i totally suck, by the way. natalie, a reader who is too nice for words, sent me a box of over 60 (!!!) super fabulous vintage books and it has taken me a week to thank her here. and i've already cut one up and made some luggage out of it. thank you so much, natalie!
and like melissa recently vowed, this summer will be the summer of the reciprocated gift. or i'll at least pay it forward (cheesiest movie ever, and yet the phrase sticks).
the day totally got away from me. and i meant to post because i got some great mail from sue (thanks, sue!)
along with some great vintage trim and home-made envelopes, she sent me this totally rad vintage kids' book that i can't wait to cut up...
now it's saturday. just hit some yardsales with jen and scored a new bike for charlie. he just learned to ride a bike in about zero seconds (literally, john gave him a push and he biked down the street and back). i'm pretty sure he's a kinetic genius. he definitely did not get that from me.
we are headed out to a real hairdresser now because jane wants a pixie-cut and that is beyond my skill set.
hope you are having a great weekend!
...mmmmmmail. got a lovely little package from the lovely little jenifer of sprout studios. look at all the cute stuff!
i especially love the little house magnets (from my fellow homebody cancer). thanks so much, jenifer!
"m" is also for mmmmmmmmooooooo cards. i got a set right before bazaar bizarre in december and before i even got to enjoy them, swwoooooossh, they were gone. this time i think i'll be a little more stingy with them. i don't know what it is about them, but they are just so fun. i heart moo cards in a big way.
and that's all i got today. it's gonna be a chicken-with-his-head-cut-off kind of day, if you know what i mean.
hope you have a good one!
