family, woodworking, photography, K-pop
We’re getting ready order some gifts for our nieces and nephews. Here are some of the things on Amazon that caught my eye.
Boxed Set Featuring Little Pea, Little Hoot, Little Oink – $13I know that time’s starting to run out for ordering things online but I thought I’d post some gift ideas over the next couple of days. (Basically this is just an excuse for me to waste time trawling the internet for things I like.) Up today is affordable art. I think everything except for the typography temple print is around $40 or under.
I think I’ve mentioned before that I love dicey warehouse stores. Last Saturday I went with my friend Stephanie to the Overstock.com warehouse to see what they had. I’ve been twice before but neither previous trip was successful: the first time they were closed because a pipe had burst and the electricity was out, and the second time E threw a massive tantrum and we had to beat a hasty retreat. The store’s only open on Saturdays and is way out by the SLC airport so it was annoying when those two trips were totally unproductive.
But this trip was blessedly E-free thanks to N graciously staying home with the little guy and it was the weekend after Thanksgiving so they were having a great sale. Clothes and shoes were all $5 off with most things being priced under $15 to begin with. The place was insanely packed but we still managed to find some good deals.
I got these boots that run about $50 online for…(wait for it)…$8! There was just one pair and they happened to be in my size. And I found a Michael Kors dress for $12 and a pair of strappy black sandals for $4. It was pretty great. Stephanie found a pair of Big Star jeans (apparently one of the designer brands that the kids are wearing these days) for $9. They still had their original $90 tag on them. She was stoked.
So yeah, it’s kind of ghetto but I love me some warehouse stores.
Thinking about Christmas cards yet? I am. (It’s more fun to think about cards than about cooking my first Thanksgiving dinner ever tomorrow.) We don’t actually have a strong tradition of sending them out, last year was the first year we did them, but I’d like to mail them again this year.
I haven’t picked out our cards yet, but I took a quick look around Etsy and found these nice letterpress cards.
I don’t know if I’ll end up going with any of these. I have good intentions (as usual) but I’ll probably end up procrastinating until it’s too late to order anything by mail.
I don’t know if it’s nostalgia for my high school marching band days (I was drum major one year–nerd!) but I am loving this band jacket by Stella McCartney for Gap kids. Apparently everyone is too. I saw it online yesterday but now it isn’t listed. It’s image is still plastered all over the website but I think it sold out.
Oh well. Even if it was still available I wouldn’t be buying it because it’s crazy expensive (over $120) AND dry clean only.
But it sure is cute.
For a while I’ve been setting aside some money for a new sewing machine and keeping my eye out for a good deal on one. My old one, a basic Brother machine that my parents got me in college, has had more and more issues as time went on. I’ve had it in and out of the shop but still dreaded starting any big projects on it because I didn’t know when it would flip out on me next.
I saw that Costco had a good deal on a basic computerized model and after talking it over with N I went and got one over the weekend. (It was $10 cheaper at the store than online.) One of the reasons decided to buy this model at Costco (besides the $30 off coupon) was because of Costco’s lenient return policy. I know that if I have any issues with it and need to return it that they’ll take it back, even if it’s months later.
I haven’t gotten it out of the box yet but I’m really looking forward to using it. I don’t know what I’m going to make first, though. E already has a Halloween costume, so that’s out. I think it’d be good to start with a small project that would help me get to know the machine but is still very doable (I’m not an expert seamstress by any means).
What about you guys? Does anyone sew? Have any suggestions?
I’ve been a fan of Portland artist Amy Ruppel for several years. Ruppel’s work uses mixed media and involves layering bees wax over paper and then adding drawn details by etching in the wax. I’ve seen a few of her pieces in person and they have a wonderful depth to them.
Last year I bought a print of hers from Tiny Showcase and while it’s great it doesn’t quite capture the luminosity of her original work. But I don’t have the cash to drop on an original piece so I think I’ll have to be content with a print.
If you’re interested in her work you should check out the prints from Ruppel’s series of state animals and state birds.
I liked the Nebraska White Tailed Deer and the Washington Willow Goldfinch in particular, but there are lots of lovely pieces. Prints start at $20 so if you have a hankering to display some state pride in a stylish (and affordable!) way, look no further.
My tastes in clothes have evolved a lot since I was a kid in high school but one thing that has stayed the same is my fondness for Converse sneakers. My current pair has gotten pretty ratty looking so when I saw these Multi-Eyelet Chuck Taylors on sale I couldn’t resist. I think they’re fun.
They came with both gray and black laces so you can pick which style you like better. I’m having trouble deciding which looks better.
What do you think? Gray or black laces?
We don’t have a lot of extra space in our family room and lately E’s toys have been taking over. So last week I bought this shelf/bin organizer from Target. At $59 it was more than I wanted to pay for a solution but I was caught up in a clean-up-and-declutter frenzy (don’t worry, it only lasted for an hour or two) and I wanted those toys off the floor NOW.
But this week the shelf is on sale for $39 which is a really good deal. And I took my receipt back to the store and got $20 back so everyone wins!
for details. Most of the dvds are about 40% off, including