the return of Friday Favorite Finds!!

Friday Finds is back and it's all new and improved! ;) In the past  for my Favorite Finds post I would choose one or two sellers on Etsy whose work as a whole I just adored, but I've decided there are SO many awesome things to share that I need to share more than just two a week. SO from now on, I will be sharing a handful of favorite things, each item from a different seller, every week! I may or may not have a theme each time, but for this first week back, I most definitely do! Lately I've been drawn to jewelry. I don't wear much, if any, unless I'm going out somewhere (which doesn't happen often as a single mom who works from home) but I seriously love some of the super fun rings I'm seeing on Etsy these days and find myself wanting to expand my very small collection! ;) Here are just a few of the rings from my favorites folder...

Sterling silver Handmade - Life is crazy, Candy baby - Pink Fused Glass adjustable Ring by LaNinja

I just LOVE this ring. I love the cotton candy pink color against the dark metal band and that scallop edge all the way around the stone is just TO.DIE.FOR! SO cute!

Oh happy day / Oh crappy day ring set - acrylic by Weasel Factory

I've been seeing these 3D acrylic laser cut rings all over the place. I don't know how comfortable they would be to wear but some of them are super cute. Like this set! I love all the tiny details - lightning and sunshine against the clouds. Adorable!

heart ring size 7.5 by Jewelry by Michal

perfect for Valentine's Day! ;) I love the shape of this heart ring and that beautiful deep red color of the resin stone. pretty pretty! From the last picture in the listing it looks like it might sit a little crooked on the finger and I like that too! :)

book worm word ring by Dreaming Tree Creations

how cool is this?!?! the word love is actually cut out of a book and then sealed in resin. I love this!! As a HUGE book worm myself I would love to have something like this. it's so unique! even better, you can special request other (short) words if you don't want it to say love... like READ or BOOK or BOYS (lol I have three of them) or CUTE or well, the list goes on. depending on who you're buying it for you could pick a word that means some special to both of you. I love it!! :)

magenta dichroic fused glass adjustable sterling silver ring by Desert Fire Designs

GORGEOUS stone! I can just imagine how sparkly it must be in person. and I love how the band twists around instead of just the standard ring band. super fun! :)

candy cane vintage lucite and sterling silver ring - your size by Minty Fresh Fusions

I am 100% head over heels for this ring!! That fun stripey stone! *HEART* The scallop edge (again)! *GASP* Even better... click on the link, because one of the other pictures shows the ring from the back side where you can see the genius who made it cut a heart shape into the metal behind the stone. it's like a secret only you know about when you're wearing it! I have been eyeballing this ring for a while and though it's a bit of splurge for this single mom who really has no use for such pretty things, I seriously hope to set this one on my finger and call it mine some day! :)

Well, I think that's probably enough for this week. ;) Check in again next Friday to see more of my favorite Etsy goodies!

The first official Monster Monday!

I've decided to start a new feature here on my blog. I've been wanting to share some of the super awesome plush creatures that I've found through some uber talented Etsy sellers, but I didn't want to turn Friday Favorite Finds* into an all plush feature. So this is my solution! Every Monday I'll share one of the plush monsters from my collection as well as an interview with the creator. :)

First up is actually the newest addition to my family of monsters. His name is Quarx and he's a Cake Monster. ;)

Quarx with one of his new friends here at MandeeFranee manor. ;)

I'm not even sure how I managed to find him on Etsy amongst the many, many other plush monsters. But I'm SO glad I did. He's so unique and SO well made. I really love him! The seller - Bearmojo - has a number of fun monster goodies for sale... purses, wallets, pillows and CAKE! They've got a great variety of colors available and if you know someone who likes monsters... or cake... you'd better hurry on over to the shop before they're gone! :)

 

I was able to hook up with the genius minds behind Bearmojo and they were kind enough to answer a few questions for me. :) Read on to learn a little more about this talented duo...


-Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Andrea I am a costume designer and all around creative crafty person. I formed Bearmojo with my wonderful, amazing boyfriend Todd. We are both employed full time and spend our free time together creating the world of Bearmojo.

-What is your shop name and is there a story behind it?

The story behind Bearmojo starts even before Todd and I met. I was a couple of years into college when the whole “internet Electronic mail” phase started up. Since I was and am completely inept with computers my then roomate was helping me to get an email address and up to date in the world. Well, since my last name is Bear we decided to try all the usual names: Abear, AndreaB, etc. All of the usual combination of names were already taken. In a nod to the great Austin Powers we decided to add Mojo onto Bear and sure enough it was available and I have been stuck with that email ever since. So, when Todd and I were deciding what to name the business we both decided that Bearmojo was the perfect name because its unusual and stands out from a crowd, while still being easily remembered.

-How did you get started making monsters?

I seem to have an addiction to buying fun, cute, crazy, bright colored fabrics and Todd joked that I needed to start making stuff to sell to support my “problem.” Since there seems to be no Fabrics Anonymous meetings for me to attend I jumped at the idea. Soon Todd was trapped in my craft web and now he spends his free time cutting out pieces and helping with all aspects of the business including fabric shopping and design. We’ve gotten to the point where we can’t remember who thought up what anymore.

-What inspires and motivates you to create?

Everything! Life, television, nature, we never know when the sparks of creativity will start a fire. It could be anything as innocent as driving down the road talking about the day and all of a sudden one of us is, “what about...” and the rest is history. Right now we have so many ideas we just need to clone ourselves to get it all done!

-If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?

This is a very dangerous question, and our lawyer has advised us not to answer. Just kidding! I know I should want something that would make daily life easier but I really really want to be able to breathe underwater and swim really fast. Todd wants to be able to see the future at least a couple of days to see the winning lotto numbers.

-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
Food:
Pizza
Cake
Ice Cream
Beer, beer is food, right?
Fruits (this is Todd’s mine are the all the others)

Tv shows:
Firefly
How I Met Your Mother
Face Off
Psych
Pawn Stars

Bands:
David Bowie
Violent Femmes
The Ting Tings
Mustard Plug
Mrs. Miller

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

This is tough, but I know Twinkie Chan is definitely in the top three! And I would have to say The JaeBird and Triquimoches, if you haven’t seen them you should definitely check them out.

-One year from now, I hope...
1. Living in a place with no snow
2. Bearmojo large enough to suppport at least one of us
3. Have acquired said super powers from previous question
4. Writing answers to many more questions from many more interviews
5. No seriously what is up with all the snow?

-Where can we find you on the internet?

We just started a Facebook page www.facebook.com/bearmojo we also have a new website which is in its baby stages, www.bearmojo.com and of course at bearmojo.etsy.com.

Not only did they answer our questions, but they even agreed to give us a little peek behind the scenes at Bearmojo! Check it out...

be careful Andrea, those teeth look sharp!

looks like this monster wants a bite of cake

a whole herd of cake monsters! Todd looks a little nervous!

maybe if he shares a bite they won't get rowdy?

monster wallets!

what a workshop!

Thank you so much Andrea and Todd for answering my questions and letting us take a peek inside the inner workings of Bearmojo. I wish you all the luck in growing your business and I can't wait to see the new monsters you'll create in the future!

Don't forget to check back next Monday to see more super fun monsters!!

*speaking of Friday Favorite Finds... look for it to be making a come back this week! :)

Blizzard 2011!

I know it's been a while since I posted here (almost a month, wow). I've just been doing my very best to get caught up on orders. I'm still plugging away but I wanted to share a few pictures from yesterday's big Winter storm! This is the most snow I've seen since I moved here almost 6 years ago. I have been dreaming of snow like this! I LOVE IT! There are places in my front yard where the snow hits me at MID THIGH! It's so awesome! :) My kids went out to play (twice) and I walked around taking some pictures.

The snow plow left a MOUNTAIN of snow and the boys decided to dig through to the other side. They didn't actually make it because the center was solid ice, but they had fun trying. :)

this is the sidewalk right outside my front door. that ruler is about 14 inches and the snow is over the top of it! we did have maybe 4-5 inches already on the ground when the storm hit, but we definitely got a good 9 inches or so. and some of the drifts are WELL above this! 

 it was starting to get dark at this point so the pictures kinda suck, but they're so funny I had to include them. Connor came inside and told me to wait 1 minute then come down to the end of the field where the deepest snow was... and to bring my camera. when I walked out there (which was NO easy feat, this is where it's up to my knee and even my thigh at some points) I didn't see them anywhere... until I got closer. lol they dug these trenches and where just laying inside waiting for me. goofballs! they're actually deeper than they look here, I had to hold the camera up above my head to get this shot. but the next couple pictures give a little better perspective.

even thought this one is really blurry, I had to keep it. it cracks me up!

I just love how FAT all the birds look with their feathers all fluffed up in Winter! :)

you've got to click on this one and view the full size image. you can see a bunch of individual snowflakes along the top edge of that pile of snow. it's SO pretty!

Carter sitting on top of the snow plow mountain...  it was taller than my car!

Now the kids are back to school, much to their dismay. The snow looks GORGEOUS this morning in the sunlight, all glittery and sparkling! :) And I am off to get some more sewing done!

365 photos

This will be my third year of taking (at least) one photo every day. 2010 started out stellar... but when the sock monsters and Lens Pets took over, my camera had no choice but to take a backseat. This year I am re-commiting myself to taking at least one photo every day. Not only because I love the end result and having a record of the entire year (especially since I have no time for scrapbooking right now), but I really LOVE taking pictures and I miss it when I don't do it. So far so good as the first week of 2011 comes to a close, though I could have done without today's perfect opportunity for a photo of the day!

guardrail-1 / bumper-0

On my way to pick up my son from school this afternoon I had a minor collision which resulted in a big hole in my bumper. I was already slowing down since one of the cars ahead was stopped to turn left, so when the car right in front of me stopped to turn I wasn't going very fast at all (thank goodness). My tires suck though, so I braked... and kept going. I didn't want to slide into the car in front of me so I turned onto the shoulder and the guardrail stopped me :p Thankfully no one was hurt (I was the only one in the car), no other cars were involved and my headlight is intact! :) I was hoping to wait a while on new tires but even driving carefully I've been slipping and sliding whenever I drive in the snow. Next week I'll have another perfect photo opportunity when I go buy four new tires. ick

If anyone else is interested in trying 365 (POTD)  this year my FAVORITE site for keeping tracking of my pictures is Shuttercal! You can upload your photo and add some journaling about the day (or not if you don't want to). Then at the end of the year you can get the whole thing printed on these super cute cards that look very much like polaroids and all twelve months worth of photos fit into a little shoebox (included in the price). You can't beat it. You can also keep up with friend's calendars so if anyone joins (it's free! though there are perks to being a paid member) feel free to add me as a friend! Me ----> http://www.shuttercal.com/calendar/mzelenka/

the perfect beginning to a new year

I am a BIG fan of sunsets! (sunrises as well, of course, I just have more opportunity to catch the sun going down than coming up) I am always amazed at the number of colors the sky can turn during one amazing sunset! On January 1st I left the house just as the sun was beginning to set on my way to the airport to pick up my kids (who spent their Christmas break with their dad in NC). I noticed the first bit of pink in the sky and was glad I had my camera with me to snap a couple pictures. The first one I took at 6:09 pm looked like this: 

But just a few minutes later at a stop light and I'm seeing this!

6:15 pm

6:16 pm

6:17 pm

6:19 pm

6:20 pm

6:21 pm

Simply stunning!!! I think this definitely means 2011 is going to be a GREAT year! :) In fact... I've got a little bit of shop gossip for you. I'll be working over the next few weeks to really get orders shipped and get my wait time down to something much more manageable. I *might* have to close the shop for a few days in the next couple months to help with this. BUT the good news is that not only with there be NEW Lens Pet designs and NEW ready to ship sock monsters, I also have a completely new product line that I will be debuting this year! :) I haven't been able to come up with a suitable name yet though so I might just need to create a contest to get some help in that department! Lots of fun stuff on the horizon! So thankful for everyone who has ordered and supported me over the last seven months! (can you BELIEVE it's only been seven months?!?!) Thank you thank you thank you!

Back to work I go! Hope everyone has a great first week back to school and work! :)