ETSY-VERSARY.....

COMING IN THE NEXT HOUR

MY ETSY-VERSARY POST WILL BE UP!

I HOPE YOU ALL WILL COME CELEBRATE WITH ME THIS WEEK BECUASE IT'S GONNA BE A BLAST AND EVERYONE WILL WIN:)

BACK TO POST DETAILS VERRRRRRRRY SOOON.......

NO A/C FANS ETC

THAK GOD FOR ELECTRICITY. ABOVE IS THE CEILING FAN IN OUR BEDROOM THAT KEPT ME BREATHING LAST NIGHT, THOUGH I DID NOT SLEEP WELL.
NO AIR CONDITIONING IN JUNE IN FLORIDA= CRANKY PANTS ME AND A HEADACHE.
NEXT UP IS A PHOTO OF THE FAN IN MY OFFICE, WHERE I'M SITTING AT MY DESK WITH A WET PILLOWCASE WRAPPED AROUND MY HEAD BECAUSE FOR SOME ODD REASON I THOUGHT THAT WOULD WORK BEST. CLEARLY I AM A DELERIOUS FROM THE HEAT.
AND HERE IS THE CEILING FAN IN OUR LIVING ROOM. I PULLED THE CHAIN OFF ON ACCIDENT AND IT'S STUCK ON LOW. BETTER THAN NOTHING RIGHT?
OKAY, MOTHER-IN-LAW JUST CALLED TO SAY THE REPAIR MEN ARE ON THEIR WAY. TIME FOR ME TO PUT SOME PANTS ON. AND JUST SO YOU KNOW- THERE IS NOTHING ATTRACTIVE ABOUT MY NO-PANTS LOOK. I MEAN COME ON- I'VE GOT A SOPPING WET PILLOWCASE WRAPPED AROUND MY HEAD. I'M SWEATING LIKE AN ANIMAL AND LITERALLY SLUMPED OVER IN MY CHAIR DRINKING ICE WATER AND LETTING IT FLOW OUT THE SIDES OF MY MOUTH.

BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS I DO HAVE LOTS TO BE THANKFUL FOR:)

Bats N Birthdays.....

A. don't tell me that girls can't rock the bat bag? cause caroline is up there looking pretty darn FANTASTIC with that picece of red hotness hangin across her body.

you can find it in the shop or just continue to drool here....

B. i was notified today by the talented & awesome KRISTIN FRIESEN over at
{Sweeter Than Me}

(please check out her shop & her sale!!!)

that my 1 year etsy-versary is on the 12th of THIS MONTH!

i had no idea that was coming- but i managed to round up the troops and i've got some super serious sweetastical plans for the big day! and i'm not a fan of the one day birthday so we're gonna get this party started early. monday, june 8th, the games are ON! they will go till friday- the 12th, which is MY ACTUAL etsy-versary- until midnight.

not only will there be a SALE in my shop BUT there will also be a SUPER SWEET GIFT that is going to be given away WITH EVERY PURCHASE- a gift that has been donated by another shop. i'm not telling you whose shop just yet. where's the fun in that?

so clap your hands and say yeah- cuz we are going to have a really fun week.

p.s.- i'm trying to load up the shop in the next few days w/ great fathers day gifts-camera bags etc. so be sure to head over and tell all your friends

later all!

1 Fish Red Fish You Fish Draw Fish

DONE FISH. ALL FISH!

FINALLY FINISHED THIS CUSTOM ORDER BAG FOR A CUSTOMER LAST NIGHT. IT WAS SUPER FUN, SUPER LOTS OF WORK AND MY HAND WAS SORE! I'M LEFT-HANDED BY THE WAY. RANDOM FACT THROWN IN FOR NO GOOD REASON OTHER THAN TO THROW IN A RANDOM FACT.

I KNOW I SAID I WOULD KEEP YOU ALL UP TO SPEED ON MY NEW COLLABORATIONS BUT MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ENDED UP BEING A KILLER WEEKEND FOR SALES IN THE SHOP SO THE OTHER STUFF IS ON THE BACK BURNER. I ACTUALLY DON'T LIKE THAT TERM AT ALL. IT'S NOT GETTIN' BURNED BACK THERE. MY GOODNESS I SHOULD HOPE NOT! IT'S JUST WAITING PATIENTLY- SOMETIMES NOT SO PATIENTLY. IT CALLS OUT TO ME EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.... BLOCK PARTY PRESS TREES HOLLER COLLECTIVELY AS A FOREST AND IT KIND OF REMINDS ME OF THE WIZARD OF OZ. TOO MUCH RANDOM INFO? OH WELL, THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN I BLOG AT 3:OO IN THE MORNING. PROBABLY MORE INTERESTING THAN WHEN I'M "COHERENT", WHICH I DON'T THINK IS A STATE OF MIND I KNOW VERY WELL AS OF LATE.

DID I MENTION SAMARIA PROJECT AND HER SWEETASTIC SUITCASES THAT SHE RE-LINES ARE COMING TO THE SHOP? OH YES, THAT'S RIGHT FRIENDS. COMING SOON TO GRSG- SUITCASES WITH A BRAND NEW INTERIOR IN ALL KINDS OF FUNKY FABRIC! ARE YOU EXCITED? CAN I HEAR YOU OVER MY WHOOPS OF EXCITEMENT? WHILE YOU ARE OVER AT SAMARIA PLEASE DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND PICK UP A PLUSHIE- MAN ALIVE I LIVE WITH MINE! AND I'M NO STUFFED ANIMAL LOVER, THESE ARE ON A WHOLE OTHER LEVEL OF COMFORT GOODNESS.

LETTERS ARE UP NOW.

GOING TO DRAW MORE..... IS IT WRONG THAT I WANT TO PUT ON A POT OF COFFEE? I JUST MAY.....
YOU GUYS ROCK!

THANKS FOR PLAYING!!!

Well, i need to say another huge THANK YOU to ALL who participated in the giveaway AND for all of your awesome design ideas. they were so helpful and interesting. i got quite a wide range which makes it much easier for me to branch out- because there seems to be something for everyone!

i may start doing a bunch more "PICK YOUR POISON" pieces, which basically means you get to pick out ALL the designs you want on a bag, train case, suitcase etc. i will definitely still be drawing and listing pieces all ready to go but definitely be on the lookout for more plain pieces just waiting to be UPCYCLED with whatever artwork you may desire.

ALSO, i am super DUPER excited about the etsy artists i am going to be working with on designs and such. my goal over the next week or so will be to post a few of my favorite designs from things they have in their shop so you can see even more designs that can be added to your LUGGAGE and CLUTCHES and CASES and CARRY ON BAGS!!!!

who are these brilliant artists you ask?????

i won't keep that from you

so, in ALPHABETICAL ORDER, here they are:

1. BLOCK PARTY PRESS

CREATOR OF

Bright Colors, Bold Textures & Unique, Original Designs

MADE INTO ALL KIND OF FUNKY AND FUN JEWELRY

2. ELEPHANNIE

CREATOR OF

UNIQUE ADORABLE AND SUPER CUTE VINYL DECALS

3. PAPERSPARROW

CREATOR OF

Functional Art and Stationery

WITH ADORABLE CRITTERS OF ALL KINDS

4. TASTYSUITE

CREATOR OF

SUPER COOL

Vinyl Decals - Wall Decals - Stickers - Urban Symbols

GET READY..... THE FUN IS JUST BEGINNING

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!

WELL, I'M ALL KINDS OF EXCITED TO BE DOING MY FIRST GIVEAWAY OVER AT

THE UNBELIEVABLY AWESOME BLOG BY

LILLYELLA

it's a 2-fold giveaway!

first up you can enter to win 1 of 2 clutches
brand new fresh off the sewing machine clutches made exclusively for my new shop- Get Ready Set Clutch from TenthStreetSaks. made out of soft vinyl, sewn to give a 3d effect on the front and UPCYCLED by me! all artwork is hand drawn using waterproof ink. clutch measures 10 inches wide x 6 inches tall and comes with attachable wristlet handle.

You'll have plenty room for whatever you want to put in this fun clutch: makeup, phone, ipod, money, credit cards, and more. perfect for everyday use, concerts or just a night on the town!

you can also enter to win a $20.00 gift certificate to my luggage shop

A HUGE THANKS TO NICOLE @ LILLYELLA FOR SPOTLIGHTING ME.
YOU SHOULD ALL FOLLOW HER BLOG BECAUSE IT'S FULL OF artist interviews, recipes, craft projects, daily fashion finds & more! THEN, YOU MUST GO TO
HER ETSY SHOP
AND BUY YOURSELF SOME JEWELRY FOR ALL THOSE SUMMER WEDDINGS- AND WHILE YOU'RE AT IT YOU CAN BUY YOUR FRIENDS SOMETHING TOO!
allllllllright. get your shop on and enter to win free goods:)

DO NOT SUPPORT COPIERS!

i have been thinking about this post for quite some time now but every time i went to write it i just didn't think it was right. recently a few other etsy sellers have sent me some information and photos of other people getting copied by the same person as me and not getting an once of credit for it. so, this time when i sat down to write it all made sense.

below are a bunch of photos.

all the photos on the LEFT are that of different etsy sellers, mostly decal shops.

all photos on the RIGHT are pieces of luggage which pretty much have the EXACT same design and GIVE ABSOLUTELY NO CREDIT to the decal shop from which they stole the image.

take a look:

this next one is a piece from my shop on the left and her's on the right.

when i confronted her about this she responded by saying:

"I did this on purpose so you could feel the same way I did, you add a bird, I reverse the picture and every time you copy me, I will just copy you right back."

now the problem with this is that i had already drawn birds on branches and on wires before- they had sold and weren't currently for sale in my shop. it might have been a good idea to check my sold items before claiming that i stole hers.

the nasty response i received isn't worth writing but the fact of the matter is that she did indeed copy my work and is copying other work as well.

this last little cube is basically a rip off of a decal artist and one of my bags that she combined and called her own. again, work on the left is mine and another decal artist while work on the right is hers.