Item of the day: 1x4 Building Block

I want this Lego pendant by rubygirl! Not only does it look super (nerdy) cool - but it still works! I don't know about you, but there are tons of Legos at home I could steal. In particular, I'm thinking of the "gems" and "coral" - you could mix and match depending on how you felt that day!

Mosaic Monday

Macro.

1. My best angle (Green Mantis ), 2. WOW now that's a macro!!!!!..looks like mega maccaroni, 3. I bought a ticket to the world (processed with free ACR / LR presets), 4. Raindrops with the Refraction of a Green Jungle in my Garden

Item of the day: Blueberry Fabric Bowl

Now that my paper is done (well, it will be today), I'm itching to get some spring cleaning & organizing done. This adorable blueberry-print bowl by Antracitproduction would be perfect for collecting scraps of ribbon or holding hair ties!

Easter with the Family

As you know, I went home for Easter. I had a great time - great food, awesome company, lots of laughs. Oh & some sore muscles from Wii Just Dance. And lucky us! We saw the Easter bunny! Pat was driving me home Saturday night (we had been visiting his family in town) & we saw a little brown bunny run across the road near my parents' place. Luckily, unlike 2 years ago at Easter, we didn't hit him!

I made up a basket for each of the kids again this year - peeps, chocolate, a fun exercise book & a "surprise ball." I've made these a number of times now & the kids LOVE them! I'll have to write up a tutorial on how to make them but basically you just wrap a plastic egg with streamers, hiding little toys within the layers. Here's what I hid in them this year:This is one of the eggs I wrapped in the multi-coloured streamers: Fun! Lucky for me, many of the packages came in packs of 4:

Here they are unraveling them - Eddy is finally getting the hang of them. They make a big colourful mess afterwards! This year, the big hit was mini water guns I found at the dollar store - they very quickly ran outside with a big bowl of water. It didn't take long before Dustin dumped the whole thing on his sister. Don't worry, we quickly refilled it for her & encouraged her to get back at her mean older brother.

As my mom has done every year since I can remember, she hid eggs throughout the house. Of course, my niece & nephews are the hunters these days. Eddy is 3 & at that perfect age for the holidays - he was squealing with joy every 5 seconds, with every egg he spotted & tossed in his basket. He was adorable!

You know me - I never seem to remember to take out the camera when I'm at home. So here's what I have. I also took some video to get Eddy's squealing & then my batteries died. So not too many pictures.

Obviously, they were quite excited! I hope your Easter was as sweet as ours!

Item of the day: Cherry Sandals

These sandals by mohop are really neat: the ribbon laces are interchangeable & can be laced in different configurations. So it's like you get a thousand shoes in one! Check them out!

Friday Five

I had a busy week - I spent most of my time reading & researching, reading & writing my paper. It's due Monday & I'm about 1/2 done. Guess what I'm doing this weekend? Here's what else I did this week:

1. Pat & I came home Sunday, but had the rental car until Tuesday afternoon. We did groceries, went to storage & Michael's with it. Plus, I got a ride to & from the dentist (it was pouring rain). I ♥ my driver.
2. Dentist on Wednesday. Ugh. 3 cavities on the top right - and apparently one was bad since he drilled out most of the tooth (although at first the hygienist had said we might only "watch" these instead of filling them...). It was a LONG time with my jaw hanging on the floor... I find it funny that I'm fine when I have no dental coverage in the fall, but in the spring, there are all these cavities! Plus, my mouth is only sore after he does his poking & drilling... Oh well. I'd rather a filling over a pulled tooth (or root canal).
3. Friday I attended the presentations by the biopharm students I TA'ed - each group had to come up with & complete an independent project (lab experiment).
4. I updated my blog. New background - elongated the banner - rearranged the sidebar. What do you think? I also went & added in a banner in my sewing shop: I'm ashamed it went so long without one! You can find my original cross-stitch piece in that shop now too.
5. I listed this edgy industrial necklace:

Have a great weekend!

Item of the day: Saffron Dress

I think you would instantly feel happy in this dress by pamelatang. The colour of the linen is bright & rich & the hand-pleated neckline adds the perfect amount of detail. I've purchased a notebook from pamelatang (& love it) - the fabric she uses the most are silk & linen: 2 of my favourites! I'm loving this simple green tunic too - which is your favourite piece?

MMG

I've talked about the MMG thread before, but it's been awhile. Our thread creator, Dorana, started up a new contest yesterday & the thread is just hopping! We had over 30 sales yesterday alone! So I thought now would be a good time to reintroduce MMG to any of you who may not know what it is (plus I get points in the contest - shameless, I know).

MMG = More Meaningful Gifts

What's a thread? A thread is basically a long ongoing conversation. Members of the community (in this case, Etsy) can post comments on the thread, talking with one another or promoting their shops.

Where can we find it? In the Etsy forums. The forums are basically just the collection of all the threads, organized into basic categories. Since MMG is a BnR thread, it is about buying, selling & promoting, so it goes in the Promotions section. The thread changes regularly because it gets so long, but you can always find it by searching "More Meaningful Gifts" while in the forums.

BnR? Buy and Replace. This is the "point" of the thread. Buy from a shop on the list & your shop replaces them. Then you're in the running for someone else to buy from you!

Of course, the MMG thread has become more than just a promotion thread - it is truly a conversation. We have become a community, close friends. We buy from each other, we often send each other gifts, we give each other advice, we celebrate together, we mourn together, we encourage each other... Many of us find the MMG thread our home away from home, the MMGers our family.

So, if you want to come check us out - CLICK HERE! You don't have to buy anything if you don't want, you can just come & chat (let us know how you got there too!). We're always looking for new friends! See you there!