Best of the Best: Part 1

The more time I spend exploring all of the creative works on Etsy, the more I tend to feel like I have no right whatsoever to even be there. Some of the artists and artisans there so far surpass any abilities I have or will ever have to such an extreme, it's near frightening. I have, however, compiled a list of some of who I think are the best of the best, the most creative, the most talented or for whatever other reason, just my favorites. I've decided to feature these artists a few at a time here so that you all can see just how incredible these people are.

The first etsy shop I'd like to show you is a little place called Perdoozy. The Perdoozy shop's owner, Portia, is not only insanely talented and awesome to work with, but the creator of my most favorite possession that has been purchased from Etsy. She made me this:

Yes, those are pictures of Elvis rockin out all over it. How awesome is that? Jealous that it's mine? I know you are. But her aprons are all super cute with that retro pinup flair and I can't wait to add another to my collection. You can find her shop here: http://www.perdoozy.etsy.com/

I cannot emphasize enough the quality of this item and how great Portia is to buy from! You would have a hard time finding a nicer seller or a cooler apron!

The second shop I want to show off is actually one I found not too long ago. The shop is called MagicHands and this shop quickly became one of my top favorites. They make and sell some of the most amazing soaps and body products I have ever tried- and as a self-professed bath junkie, I've tried just about everything. Her soaps do incredible things for your skin and the scents make you want to wash your own mouth out with soap!

But the soaps are just the beginning - Have you not been able to find the right body butter because they're all too heavy, too light, too greasy, too powder-y feeling or a million other things that just aren't quite right? Well, search no more - the perfect butter exists and Jackie at MagicHands will sell it to you AND make the transaction a truly pleasurable experience. Go visit MagicHands here: www.magichands.etsy.com and you'll find out what I mean.

In other news, there are some new goodies listed in my shop and I'm thinking of opening a supply shop...actually I've decided to open one but I CANNOT think of a name. I'll be selling plain tags, poly and cello bags, and some die cuts and paper piecing. Any ideas for a shop name? I'd gladly hear any and all suggestions at this point.

Back from Vacation...in more ways than one

So I know I've been completely ignoring my blog for oh...6 months now. I don't think I really 'got' the whole blog thing but now that I'm reading other peoples' so frequently, I'd like to pick back up on mine.


My husband and I just got back from our annual trip to Memphis, TN. We love it there and hope to someday move either there or Nashville. We drove down (yup, 17 hours from New Jersey) and toured a bit of Nashville along the way. In lieu of the 'normal' tourist routine, we chose the slightly cheesier route, visiting the Duke's of Hazzard Museum and the Country Music Wax Museum.....

(these photos are to stand as proof that I could NOT have made up the Duke's of Hazzard Museum...it's free by the way)

After that we continued down Rt. 40 into Memphis...we toured the zoo, hung out on Beale Street, and took a couple of carriage rides around the downtown areas. We also had tickets for and made a few brief appearances at the Beale Street Music Festival - a truly awesome event that's consistently just a little too crowded and muddy for us. Some of the highlights we did manage to see however were Aretha Franklin, Buddy Guy, and the Black Crowes.


Sunday's activity was by far my favorite though, visiting Graceland for the second time. If you know me, you know I adore Elvis and all things Elvis...to a near frightening degree. If you don't know me, well...you'll figure it out soon enough. We spent the better part of the day touring around and spending far too much money on Elvis related paraphernalia. If you're interested, here are some of the shots from that day...







If you want to see more, just leave me a comment with an e-mail address and I'll let you know as soon as I get them all uploaded to Flickr.


And on the way home we had lunch at an unplanned and beautiful little surprise of a stop. We swung by the Loveless Cafe after reading about it in a tourism brochure. When I tell you the BEST fried chicken & biscuits I've ever had (coming from a family of great cooks) I mean it. You can buy all of thier signature stuff here (save for the biscuits) and I highly recommend it- http://hamsandjams.com/ We'll definitely be shopping there once the stash we brought home with us runs out.


So we've been back about a week and are getting back into the swing of work and regular home life....but are not happy about it.


Check back tomorrow for updates on Speedracer, nostalgia, and country music :)