Red Wooden Shoes, Yo!

My Mom has opened an Etsy shop!

Right now there's a number antique and vintage items for sale--she's putting new stuff up daily, so keeping checking back. She has tons of treasures. TONS. She also plans on putting her original woodcut prints up at some point, so watch for those as well.

Here are just a couple of items she currently has for sale:

If you're in the market to add some vintage items to your decor, check out Red Wooden Shoes and check back often!

Pilot Caps, Holla!

Look at Victoria Beckham's line this year at Fashion Week.

What was the common thread?

Pilot caps.

My Etsy shop is so fashion forward.

Image via The Satorialist.

Plugging About

Hey! This week my Etsy shop and I are being featured on the super cute Noodles and Milk site.

You'll find

1. My very first tutorial--this mod flower and leaf headband:

2. A chance to win one of these hair accessories: (just leave a comment on the N&M site!)

3. The coupon code for free shipping on any items this week until 9/5--a savings of at least $5.

That is all. Over and out!

Dude! She Knows I'm Alive!

I feel like I'm a freshman in high school and a dreamboat senior water polo player just passed me a note in class.* In this morning's DesignMom post, she listed some of the things she featured on Babble, another blog she writes for and HELLO! She featured my pilot caps! Never mind Cloud 9, I'm on Cloud 10.

*Note: Even though the senior water polo player is indeed a dreamboat, apparently he is not very sharp, as he is a senior and in a class with a freshman. But we don't care. Because he's a dreamboat.

You Had Me at Vespa

Don't worry, Mom. Your Friday picture is coming.

But first!

Watch soon for items like this one in the shop:
My illustrations, ready to be emailed to you in high resolution digital format,
for to you print and use as you wish!
Yowzas.
and this little image also fits into the alphabet series that I plan on plugging along with.
Collect all 26!
Ha!

While I've Been Fretting Over Sea Creatures

I've been making stuff.

And there will be more to come in the next week or two, my pretties,
so keep checking my shop if you're interested in cool hair accessories
(and other things that are cute and unique.)
You never know what might pop up--
kind of like sea creatures...
but in a good way.

You Would Think By Now I Could Locate Uganda With My Eyes Closed

Maps, people. More maps. It's an illness. But I'll have you know that I passed up several beautiful globes yesterday. That were all good prices! As a reward for not purchasing any globes, I bought a vintage illustrated geography/zoology book. You understand my logic, I'm sure. You so get me.

I'm using 4 of my favorites for myself...or maybe 8. I haven't decided yet. I'm having a hard time parting with any of them but Miss Cheapy Pants was like "Ooo-wee, honey. You best be selling your leftovers, chile," (I've mentioned that Miss Cheapy Pants is Mammy, right?) so I'll be putting my surplus in the etsy shop. Seriously, how cool are these?

If you're more into botanical prints, I have some beautiful vintage butterfly and moth illustrations as well.

Also, some rad vintage phonic work book pages that would rock any child's room or play area. Bam a lam a ding dong!

I know, Right?

Also

Pilot caps for boys are now available.
Any shape can be appliqued
but in the shop so far, you'll find and a guitar and a fox.
There are also more choices for the little ladies.

One more thing:

She looks so much like my Dad in the picture, it totally freaks me out. Especially with this glazed expression on her face, one that says "I've-been-watching-sixteen-hours-of-nothing-but-cowboy-movies-and-early-Seventh-Heaven-episodes." Well hello there, Tom Garlock.

Easter Garb

We broke out the Easter dresses and accessories early this year.





And I'm selling their hair accessories in the shop.

Week 51

Tomorrow Olive turns one!
sigh.

She really is this squishy, even in real life.

I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by.
I feel like it has just slipped through my fingers, just like her babyhood is this very second.
She's entering into toddlerhood at full force and there's nothing I can do to stop it.
I'm having a hard time with this.
You would, too.
Just look at this face.

This post is also a shameless plug
for my cute Hanna Andersson-inspired pilot caps
that will be up in the shop shortly.

Ok. Down to business: Olive's first year is basically over. My mom has asked several times if I will continue the Friday photo of Olive and up until this point, I had always said I'd stop after she was a year. I'm rethinking my position and have decided that I will continue to post pictures every Friday but not necessarily of Olive. I'm opening up the Friday photos to any member of our family--whoever strikes my fancy on that particular Friday. Seems like a good compromise.

A Couple of Things

1. The night I put up my shop it was featured on a blog doing a segment called "Look!" giving exposure to shops who had yet to have their first sales, but in this etsy shop owner/blogger's eyes, should have had sales. What an honor! AiClay, based out of Singapore, makes really cool miniature food out of clay, much of which is wearable. Rad, huh?

2. The next thing I'll be putting it in the shop...that is if I can figure out how to do it correctly...

3. MAY.

How do you like her outfit? She concocted it herself: a too-small froggy t underneath a pink leotard with an attached skirt over backwards striped tights. Smashing.
She's an odd little thing. Even though she's four and a half, she still has such a funny way of speaking.

Do you see the vertical, kind of c-shaped ridge in the middle of her ear?

According to Go, it's a deformity. We just noticed it for the first time the other day. She calls it her "tiki wiggles."
Other silly things she says that I can think of off the top of my head--
"Cinnamon Crunch Crunch" - Cinnamon Toast Crunch
"squib" - squid
"mud puzzles" - mud puddles
"plick-nick" - picnic
"It's so froggy outside" - It's so foggy outside.
"Valen-times" - Valentines
"Was you doing?" - What are you doing?
"My foot is busy." - Her foot is asleep
"blink-it"- blanket
"peer"- pear
"beer" - bear
We so love our kooky May May.

Bam.

Whew! It's done. That was a lot of work. No wonder I've been putting it off for so long.

The Olives on a String shop is officially open. What did I put in there? Oh, so many wonderful random things:

Illustrations on plates like these.

Custom illustrations on paper like this. (More of those to come.)

Hair things.
For the little ladies.

And for the big ladies, too.

Accessories that can be made into clips, headbands or broaches.

Graphic design offerings. Banners, headers--that type of thing.

Insulin Pump Cases.

...and whatever I feel like making whenever! Randomness, glorious randomness. Yay!

Go and check it out: olivesonastring.etsy.com

And hey--if you're my friend but can't/don't want to buy anything, don't be all shifty eyed and awkward with me the next time we see each other. It's cool, man. But if you do want to buy something, that's cool too.