Not Quite Instagram

An accidental ghost portrait • The giant Christmas tree gracing the park next to my office • A new favorite from Coldstone - blueberry froyo with yellow cake mixed in • Gastronomica's latest creation of cubed octopi • The new Wren tattoo I got today on my right middle finger • My jellyfish moodlamp, my favorite office accessory • Florida's first real chilly day (a measly 64F) calling for a soup and sandwich • The adorable mini USB tree for my desk • Midnight strolls brightened by adorable decorated houses

I recently switched from an HTC smart phone to a little Lotus flip phone. I'm perfectly happy with the "downgrade", but I definitely miss all the camera options, including Vignette, which was similar to instagram on the iPhone. Taking pictures on my phone is a primitive way of me capturing life around me, and even with a less fancy phone, I love taking shots of my daily life.

Etsy Earmarks - Leather Goods from Birdhouse Designs

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A little over a year ago, I purchase Birdhouse Designs' yellow leather keychain from a friend's suggestion and loved it. I even bought a red one for my boyfriend, Frank.

A few months later, I had the pleasure of meeting Kristen of Birdhouse Designs at an Etsy Craft Party hosted in a nearby city. She brought a whole leather painting and stamping kit for everyone to try, and was a huge help to everyone who attended. Unfortunately, mine ended up having a mysterious dark smudge but I was still so grateful to learn a little about leather stamping. Since then, I've been eyeing her shop and admiring her dedication to leather working by offering quality products at a great price.

Birdhouse Designs offers leather goods from wrist cuffs to keychains, belts, bags and more. A quick look at her Feedback will give you an idea of how happy her customers are. I can personally vouch for both her talent and customer service.

So, if you're in the Florida area, help support a local artist; anyone out of state can help support a wonderful Etsian! You can find Birdhouse Designs on Etsy and on Facebook. But hurry! Orders for Christmas must be in by December 20th.
*I was not asked or compensated for writing this review; I simply wanted to share my thoughts on a Etsy seller I had a great experience with.

Christmas Around the Corner

This weekend, I had the opportunity to help decorate my parent's house. Though I've been living on my own for the last few years, I still make time every year to come wrestle the boxes out of the attic and help artfully place all of their Christmas lovelies throughout the house.

My mom and I were on our own for the most part, but we had a great time. Our favorite part was rediscovering our favorite pieces, or finding gifts that we received last year that would be making their debut appearance. This year was a great combination of both, and we coupled the decoration with a bit of cleaning, leaving the house brimming with Christmas cheer. Followed by a lovely dinner of Thanksgiving leftovers and a game of Skip-Bo with my grandmother and her best friend, it was a successful family day indeed.

We admitted to feeling a little less than festive last year and swore off the possibility of it happening again by planning some Christmas crafts throughout the month. I also gave her the new Libera: The Christmas Album a few days before Thanksgiving, so she could enjoy beautiful classics all month long. I've been listening to it on their Myspace page at work and home.

I took a few photos of my favorite bits from the day, so enjoy the splendor that is Christmas around my family's house!

One of my favorite sets over the years... nothing says Christmas like a snowman-themed toilet set!

We had themed areas - this snowman one lives in the kitchen.

The charm of the tree is lended by some of our more homemade ornaments. This is one of my favorites!

Of course, Lilo wanted to help by passing out between my sister and I during a break.

We hung the tree outside with giant plastic bulbs, too.

Even the fishies were being surrounded by Christmas...

A green felt bulb ornament I made for my mom last year - see the tutorial here!

And finally, the finished tree!