happy halloween

happy halloween, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

k: ok, so i'm not really dressing up, i'm just throwing on my jean skirt and black BCBG tshirt. and i bought some cool skulls and cats {really? cats?} tights to wear with my doc boots.
me: that's so funny.
k: what? why is that funny?
me: i'm wearing some spiderweb tights i bought lastnight with a jean skirt and a black top. seriously.
k: no way. that is funny.
me: i know right?
k: you have to post a picture for me so we can say, look, we dressed alike and we live hundreds of miles apart.
me: sure, ok.

crafty swap 07

so here it is people: the crafty craft swap of 2007. i've had a few people interested which is fine, because that means more stuff for us, right? anyway, if you want to participate, here's the deal:

a packet for each person containing scraps, kits, leftovers. these can be organized by color, craft or project. include in the same packet one item from your current hometown. i fully expect to have a canadian mounty deliver my package from carly. don't worry, i'll send you some snow.

that's it! oh and the deadline to mail these out will be Saturday November 17th. plenty of time to put things together and get them around thanksgiving, so we can make Christmas gifts using our goodies, if we so choose.

so email me your address by this saturday if you're going to give it a shot! tinkerellen@yahoo.com, i'll email out a list of participants and their addresses on monday.

oh, and happy halloween.....muwahahahaaaaa.

swap ideas continued:

so there were two suggestions that really stuck with me. both from krista, which, who are we kidding, had like 100 suggestions...{thanks to everyone who threw ideas out there, it was fun to hear them all.}

so now if you could just give me your input as far as if you'ld like to be involved, questions about the swap and general comments. i'll coordinate the official rules and deadlines later on, as soon as i see if there's enough people interested in doing this. so if you ARE interested, just comment a quick, "yay, count me in". and thanks in advance!

CRAFT PURGE SWAP: little bundles of fabric, ribbons, buttons, yarns, silk flowers, paper etc. anything you have leftover of in your crafting realm that you haven't wanted to just throw away...keep these in color combos if you can, if not, don't worry, just make cute packages of stuff. for example, you could coordinate the packaging instead of the colors, or keep everything vintage, or organize your bundles by theme, like scrapbooking or knitting. basically, you can run free with this, but make sure you're sending people more than just a sticker and some ribbon.

in addition to the purge items, it would be cool if you could send one item with each bundle that follows these guidelines:
small items only from your region. if you're in vermont, some maple candy. a ben & jerry's magnet. if you're in ohio, maybe some actual buckeyes. (don't eat them, they're toxic) florida, a seashell... maybe some pictures of your state's landmarks or beautiful sights. a postcard. something to make us feel we've been somewhere and it'll connect us all a little more. {i really like the idea of showing off where we live, even if it is a small town tundra like syracuse;) }

holy green batgirl

me_curlyhead.jpg, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

ok, who's sick of looking at me? ha. don't all answer at once.

so who's digging the curls? i'm not sure now that i see this picture. besides making my eyes look ha-yuge, i think i look weird. or maybe just different i guess. which may or may not be a good thing. but the hair is long enough to curl. which is in and of itself, ha-yuge. {i noticed i wear a lot of brown in the fall.}

happy friday.

things are gonne change, i can feel it

krista_hat.jpg, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

big things are happening over at tinkerslife. nothing to talk about just yet but it's huge. i mean HUGE. {and it's not a baby mom, i wouldn't annouce that to you online}.

anyway, for the time being, hopefully this poorly posed picture of me sporting the hat krista made for my birthday will have to do. isn't it lovely. vintage shiny button and everything...i luff it.

(oh and that really uber-proud of me thing i forgot to tell you yesterday: i cut my husband's hair! yes, if you know him you're as shocked as i was when he first suggested it. a master of criticism asked me to cut his hair. i've never cut hair before. but i have to say, even he said it turned out pretty good. the earth can now continue it's rotation.)

i heart pa-rizes

iheartfall_blog.jpg, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

so lots and lots of good swap ideas yous guys. keep em coming. the weiner gets one of these nifty keyrings i stitched up lastnight. even better, they're puffy. {a couple in the shop today.}

also, am planning on opening a graphic design etsy shop. i need to really flex my design skills, and lots of people have been asking about my baby announcements, so they'll be the first thing up there. and then i think i'll expand to etsy banners and business cards, blog banners, ect.

swap ideas: part nine hundred seventy two

think of this as one of those locked-down suggestion boxes hidden in the way-back corner of your local walmart. except that there is no box. this isn't walmart. and everyone can see what you suggest. and if i had a suggestion box, i wouldn't hide it in a corner. unless i sucked. like walmart.

and of course, the chosen suggestion wins a pa rize. something sweet and cute i've been working up in my head....

and something fun to tell you about tomorrow. you'll all be uber-proud. seriously.

fall photo shoot and runny noses

so the weather was a bit dreary but the foliage couldn't have been more perfect. i heart fall. so so much. anyway, here's a few of the photos from saturday. heather's got such a cute family, no?

photo shoot oct 07, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

it's a swap, it's a swap!

so it's been itching away at me, this idea of another swap. and i couldn't think of anything that we could all do again, until now:

a magazine swap.

yep, recycle those old magazines that you don't have the heart to toss or the time to read again.

so here's the deal: mail ONE magazine to each person on the list. AND include one fun thing to accompany it {studies have shown magazines can get very lonely when placed in dark sealed envelopes for extended amounts of time...}. so that's it. if you want in here's what you do: email me {subject line MAG SWAP 07} at tinkerellen@yahoo.com with your mailing address. magazine mail-out date of november 10th. you can mail before that of course, but this would be the deadline....

goodies galore

biz_cards.jpg, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

my cheapo etsy business cards finally arrived. i shouldn't say finally, i ordered them a couple of weeks ago and they said it would take up to five weeks to get them, so this definately exceded my expectations. and by cheapo, i mean, they were like all of ten dollars. and now i don't have to print and cut my own. HUGE time saver.

the other more colorful things are matchbook notepads. actually, they're bigger than matchbooks by far, but way cuter. and they're completely made and packaged from recycled office waste. yep. we waste too much and the office doesn't have a recycling program {?say what?} so i decided to do some good green will and make useful what i could. these little babies are my new freebies, included with every etsy order. yay. and thanks to everyone who made getting past that 100th order mark much easier. you all rock.

new cute totes

totes_cayute.jpg, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

so these are what i made BEFORE my machine decided it needed a break...i love them, there's about four of them in the shop now. check it out! and thanks to mb for correcting my poorly spelled 'khaki'. i really should spellcheck but i'm not done bucking the system yet.

pie baking harlot {and her well-dressed accomplice}

justinme_apple.jpg, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

here we are yesterday picking ginormous apples for baking. and some smaller versions for eating and chucking. actually, the chucking only happened when we accidentally picked a wormy or bruised one. yuck. it was cold. be ye not deceived by this photo of us looking toasty and warm. but hot apple cider made everything better.

saturday i spent working on a few book totes that i'll put in the shop tomorrow. so stinking cute. only problem: my machine broke. i think. i tried everything but the thread keeps tearing. i'll be sewing along and then rip, right out of the needle. i tried raising/lowering the tension, oil, new needle, different thread, different bobbin, nothing. sooo frustrating. i may need to bring it somewhere for a tune-up...and this all happened as i was finishing up a new gretta bag, which means, until i get it fixed that poor bag just sits there, 98% finished. grrr.

to everything turn turn turn

everyone has those people who wander in or out of your life and i'll go even further and say everyone has been that person. i know i have. my most recent and favorite wanderer is krista {aka morningglorykitsch}. besides the fact that it's always entertaining to talk to her on the phone {no, mommy said no, get out of my room, stop screaming can't you see i'm on the phone, don't eat that!!!!} it's been incredible to reconnect and find that friendship we had oh so long ago. you know, that friendship that's just as strong as the last time you talked, say oh, 4 years ago?

but with every good comes, well, other things, like friends who wander out of your life. life harry and sally, where boys and girls can't be friends simply because of that silly y chromosome. sally was right btw, it is possible. i think. anyway. regardless of being slightly hurt, i'm glad for this season. i am. so thanks krista for being awesome and to jen for rocking my relative genes. i can always call either of you and complain about the most mundane thing and neither of you tell me to shutup. well, unless that's what i need to hear....or unless you're actually yelling at a two-year old....

otto the owl

otto, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

so today felt like a two-post day.

here's otto. he's just one member of a big owl family that i've recently created. he's cute, no? i'm thinking he'll grace some pendants and maybe even get himself onto some printable fabric. who knows, maybe he has a future in tote bags! for now though, he'll wallow in self-pity, because we all know it ain't easy bein' green.

see my big girl shoes

autumn gear, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

or hat. it's here. autmumn. fall. the end of summer. it's grey and rainy and cold but if i try real hard i imagine i live somewhere more exotic than syracuse, like london or seattle.

hosting bible study at our place tonight. i'm kind of excited. we have people over all the time, but not people that we would ever let see our dirty laundry or dishes or overflowing shoe closet.

i pulled out the pumpkin spice candles and arranged the gourdes and now i feel like throwing a festive party and serving apple pie and warm cider. i LOVE this time of year. i want to marry it and have little half autumn, half human babies....{anyone watching pushing daisies? if you're not you're truly missing out on a break-the-mold tv show, thanks for the heads-up krista}

goodbye sweet summer love

peeptoes.jpg, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

it's almost over. this thing called indian summer. starting tomorrow temps will dip, sweaters will come out of hiding and the crisp mornings will nip at our bare ears and necks.

and honestly, i'm ready for all of that. i have new socks that want to be worn, a warm wool hat, boots aching to see the light of day and a shiny new camera {good call sara} tucked in my bag to catch the sun streaming across pools of orange leaves as i walk to work.

happy bday to me and happy discounts to you

Pendant_treesmall.jpg, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

more about my bday later...

for now, i'm so happy to offer a different monthly etsy discount to my faithful blog followers! great idea, right....

this month i'm offering free shipping for yous guys! just make sure you type TINKERWITHFREEOCT in the message to seller when you check out AND wait wait wait for a revised paypal invoice from me. please don't just share this little secret with anyone, i want you guys to feel special cause it's really just for you!

also, i'm now offering cutesy silver ball chains to go along with the pendants i sell. make sure to check it out and if you don't see any just convo me. i've only purchased a few to get started with, just to see how they sell...and i'm putting some more pendants up {i raised the price again, this etsy thing takes time to figure out, but i figured the free shipping would help ease the pain a bit...}

and that's it for now. i'll give you a small bday hint: i didn't get the puppy but what i got is much easier to tote around...

it was a good car

for sale, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

here it is, the first car that ever had both our names on the title. and now it's time to let it go. with the addition of the new truck, we're up to four cars. we hardly need two with j having a work hoopty. so this is the one to go, as much as j wants to sell my car, that's just not happening. i had to fight to keep this baby around back in the day. goodbye car that i used to sideswipe a parked car at target. you will be missed. if you sell that is.

anyone interested? ;) have a good weekend! i'll be unavailable until monday, pretending like this weekend never ever {ever} took place.

that and another new camera

j: so what do you want for your birthday?
me: a puppy.
j: we're not getting a dog! why do you keep asking me for one?
me: we'll get one someday, right?
j: yeah, i guess.
me: then when i ask and you say yes and we get one it'll be someday. so i'm gonna keep asking.
j: you're insane.

like wearing snow boots on the beach

not much going on really. husband is home sick, boo. didn't make an apple pie like i wanted lastnight due to taking care of sick husband and getting shop orders ready to ship. pulled out the curduroy skirt and knee-high boots {thanks to freezing in my capris and flip flops yesterday} only to be greated by 80 degree weather today. so i look silly, instead of stylish. not that i don't love getting warm weather in october, but please people, i never know how to dress. transitions suck.

getting a wholesale order for the pendants, woot, and working on some new bags but you probably won't see those for about a month or so. oh, and downloaded the ingrid michaelson cd lastnight, simply perfect. yay for itunes and paypal playing nice together, their parents would be so proud.

happy wednesday, everyone wish manda a happy birthday!

heaven has an organized work space

ikea_kitchen.jpg, originally uploaded by tinkerellen.

so i had this incredible before shot to show the obvious improvement of my kitchen space thanks to this addition from ikea. but alas, i think it was sacrificed from the memory card in nyc for a more memory making picture. {how does one fill up 3GB worth of space exactly?}

anyway, previous to this was a nifty bakers rack from target that i loved since our wedding, BUT it stressed me out. just being able to see all the mismatched bowls and pans and never having enough counter space to work with. so everything, and i mean everything from silverware to spaghetti pots fit in these three drawers. genius. AND the counter space is heaven. i can make an apple pie AND an entire lasagna without EVER having to leave that red rug.

my kitchen time has been revolutionized. those swedish people are so smart.

weekend synopsis: grade A

gas fireplace estimates: ouch
warm homemade apple pie: yum
'lucky you': boring
weather: fantastic
crafting: super
shop sales: awesome

finally, the husband is home. it was a fun and productive two weeks but it was also very seriously lonely. sure i got to watch the movies i wanted, never had to cook, sole possession of the remote control, had the entire bed to myself, but life without him is boring. b-o-r-i-n-g. i am not looking forward to next year.

yesterday we went all ghetto and hung out on our front yard. if there's anything i've learned from living here for five years it's this: one must soak up the sun when one has sun because there will be months to come with no sun. thus is upstate ny. so we spread out the blanket, read a good book, drank green tea and ate caramel apples. {and i secretly prayed for a very delayed winter}