• Posts Tagged ‘Shop Love’

    Completing A Tall Order Gets Me Every Time

    by  • March 8, 2013 • Shop Love

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    We made it! Rather, we made them! All 500 of these Toyidermy business card holders were completed, painted, touched up and shipped out. And I couldn’t have done it without the help of my “partners-in-craft” who I can’t thank enough. | If you’re just tuning in, catch up with part 1 and part 2 of this story. |

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    It was a tedious job and I spent a lot of it kicking myself for accepting such a huge order with a tight timeline. But, once it was complete (and I caught up on some much-needed sleep) I felt so accomplished and happy I had taken on the challenge.

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    Each animal was meticulously painted by hand, sometimes with two coats. Then came the eyebrows and the Benefit logo stamp.

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    I think they turned out pretty darn good, don’t you? And now for some “beauty shots.” (pun intended.)

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    I foud these bad boys on the internet and can only think that after I sent the herd to Benefit, they added this cute chain and tag. The zebra says “Nice brows, wild thing.” If you’re unfamiliar with Benefit, they are known for their wonderful brow products and their “brow bars.”

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    And here’s another “brow cow” stolen from the internet, with the hangtag “How cow… what beautiful brows!”

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    So there you have it guys. That is the whole story of why I was missing in action for a little while at the end of the year. Thanks for bearing with me during those crazy times and this crazy story!

    | If you are now so inspired to get your own animal business card holder, there are plenty in the shop right now. |

    Painting A Tall Order Gets Me Every Time

    by  • March 7, 2013 • Shop Love

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    So, what does 500 toy animals look like? A mess, quite honestly. And painting those 500 animals. Well, it’s an even bigger mess. Have a look.Benefit_During9

    All 500 business card holders for this order were painted a shiny metallic pink. Then, they all got eyebrows, and the benefit seal on their “backs,” where the cards sit.

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    I couldn’t have done all this painting without the help of my dear husband, my good friend, Jill and my blogging friend, Emily. All three were a tremendous help as I pushed through to get these guys on their way to sunny California.

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    There was lots of paint. Lots of touch-ups. Lots of eyebrows. All in the name of beauty.

    Benefit_During2One of my personal favorites was the “brow cow.” I first painted the eyebrows on the cow and thought they looked great, don’t you? Here’s a closer look at some of the other guys.

    Benefit_During3 Benefit_During1 Benefit_During5 Benefit_During4Tomorrow, come back to see the full line up including rhinos, zebras, cows, giraffes and more. Plus, I’ll be throwing in a few “final presentation” photos I found on the web.

    A Tall Order Gets Me Every Time

    by  • March 5, 2013 • Shop Love

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    Remember a few months ago when things went radio silent with no warning or mention? And then this site went down altogether and I didn’t even know it until my mom told me (thanks, Mom)? Well, this is part one of the story of the reason why.

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    In early October I was contacted by a PR rep from Benefit Cosmetics about making some custom business card holders. Initially, it was 250-300 in quantity. Then that number jumped to 500… Of the same animal.

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    Let’s be honest, all I was thinking was, “where am I going to find 500 pigs?!” But, eventually, after a few samples sent and lots of emails exchanged, we settled on a mix of 7 animals and I got to work scouring my usual sources for the supplies.

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    I got my order in the same night we finalized the deal. Fast forward seven days later… No shipping notice. No tracking number. No delivery. Uh-oh… Order could not be fulfilled. What?! Commence freak out. I had just lost seven days of production time.

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    I could go into more horror stories of how the next order came in and the animals were too small. The next one the animals were too big. And the next was also cancelled by the company. Panic mode overload.

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    About 8 days before my shipping deadline, I finally got all my supplies (animals) in. And it was time to start some serious production. Production everywhere. There wasn’t a flat surface in our apartment that wasn’t covered with animals.

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    OK, who am I kidding? I really just split this into three posts so I could show you tons of gratuitous toy photos. Come back later this week to see these guys get a nice coat of paint.

    Valentine Puns Get Me Every Time

    by  • February 8, 2013 • Shop Love

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    Guess what?! It’s still not too late to get your Valentine’s Day gifts. There some new business card holders in the shop and ready to ship right away. (Well, as soon as this winter storm moves out of the way, that is.) All these little guys are pink and red and shiny and bright—just like your sweetheart.

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    Best of all, they will ship wrapped up and ready to deliver to your hubby, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, mom, dad, best friend or whomever your heart desires. Each one is complete with a quirky little Valentine message, “I can’t bear to be without you,” “I love you and I ain’t lion,” “You make my heart hop.”

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    Go check out the full Valentine’s collection over in my Etsy shop. All orders placed by Sunday evening will ship first thing Monday morning by USPS priority mail (2-3 days) so they’ll arrive for Thursday’s day of love!

     

    Customization Gets Me Every Time

    by  • December 11, 2012 • Shop Love

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    So, part of the reason I’ve been MIA is because of a big order I received through my Etsy shop. Since finishing that 500-piece order, I’ve begun to stock the shop with ready to customize business card holders. Basically, these guys are all ready to go. You just pick a color and order. Any time you see the colored border, like on the horse above, it means you can choose the color.

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    There are a few horses, plus some more unusual creatures. Like, for instance, this friendly squirrel, shown in metallic copper.

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    Or this otter, shown in metallic light gold. He’d look great in any color though, right?

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    Or this blue bunny—like the ice cream. So, if you choose the color shown, your animal will ship right away. But, you can customize as you please, of course. There is also one lion left! And don’t forget about that raccoon, below. Plus, more animals to come. Pigs, hippos, bulls and more. Stay tuned.

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    PS! You still have a little bit of time left (US friends) to order for Christmas. Check out the shop for full details!

    Getting Political Gets Me Every Time

    by  • October 24, 2012 • Shop Love

    20121024-005640.jpgElephant | Donkey

     Toyidermy doesn’t like to take sides, but sometimes, it’s just more fun. So this election season, no matter which way you lean, you can silently display your political feelings on your desks with the election collection.

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    It’s a limited number run of a few patriotic business card holders, now available in the shop. If you’re interested, get yours soon because there really only are a few. (I made them, I know.) And, of course, no matter what your animal attraction here is, please remember to make an informed vote in two weeks!
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    And if you’d rather not get all political, there’s loads of other new business card holders in the shop, like this T-Rex. Tell your friends!

    Having an Epiphanie Gets Me Every Time

    by  • September 26, 2012 • Link Love, Shop Love

    Do you remember a while back when I went on and on about these great Epiphanie camera bags and how I was lusting after several one. Well, I finally have an Epiphanie of my own. I changed my mind several times and eventually decided on the Slate Lyric. Take a look. (I’m glad that chevron beauty from the video above wasn’t out yet, I would have had even more trouble choosing!)

    What do you think? I plan on using my new Lyric to tote my Olympus E-PM1, which has been my main camera squeeze recently, along with an extra lens and some other accessories.

    Action photos coming soon, I promise. Me and this bag have got some places to go and pictures to capture.

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    This post is not sponsored by Ephiphanie, only by my sweet mom who helped make my Epiphanie dreams come true. (thanks mom!) Want your own? Head over to the Epiphanie blog now, they’re giving away a few bags in the next couple weeks.

    A Trip To SOWA Gets Me Every Time

    by  • September 5, 2012 • Boston Love, Weekend Roundup

    This past weekend, Labor Day Sunday, I took another trip to Boston’s South End to check out some more of the goodness that is SOWA. My friend, Jill, and I had been planning an outing for some time and we picked the perfect Sunday to go.

    We started by checking out some local artisans including Fiber & Water. Their designs were great their product value unbeatable—one print, with matte and frame for $35, or 2 for $60. Love it. They do custom orders too, so be sure to check out their burlap prints.

    We spotted one of our coworkers showing off his fantastic prints at Upside Down Grin and after a quick chat we were back to hunting down some girlie things, like great jewels from Camla. Her designs were light, natural and ethereal. Definitely everyday wears.

    Then, we spotted these great wool-felted bags from Sarah Kingsley Designs. In a way, they were a bit nostalgic of the woven purses I carried in middle and high school. But, the bright colors and bold combinations brought me right back to 2012.

    Finally, we headed indoors where Jill and I both snagged some vintage goods at delicious prices. (more on that soon, promise) and speaking of delicious, a trip to SOWA, just wouldn’t be complete without swinging through the fresh, local food stands. This may have been my last trip of the season (a busy fall coming up), so I’m thrilled we made a point to go. There’s always new sellers to check out, so it’s a great way to start any Sunday in Boston.

    Christmas in July Gets Me Every Time

    by  • July 20, 2012 • Shop Love

    Have you ever celebrated “Christmas in July?” I remember it being a silly thing we did when we were kids, but it was never a real holiday in our home. Regardless, I’ve been pinning things I might want to make or get or receive next Christmas. Well, actually, dear readers, I must confess I’ve already started shopping, because of thanks to discount sites like One King’s Lane & Fab.com.

    Are you ready for Christmas yet? Or should I just pump the brakes until we get through summer?

    1 MAKE this DIY vintage-style marquee (but with holiday jargon) | 2 RECEIVE this epiphanie! backpack/messenger camera bag | 3 GIFT this West Elm headboard to my bedroom | 4 GIFT this Target Dress in every color (to my niece) | 5/6 GIFT & RECEIVE ebooks, like What Alice Forgot (per friend recco on GoodReads) & The Chaperone (per Amazon algorithm recco)