Pretty!

I love these fancy pencils from iomoi. Then again, I love most things from iomoi, especially these.

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P.S. Peach Post is having a giveaway! Entry ends on Saturday.

Hold the Boat!

How did I miss this? An At Home Letterpress Kit? I was on the Paper Source Web site looking for something completely unrelated (Floral Wire, if you must know. And, yes, they do sell it outside of the kits.), when I wondered "Why would they be selling red letterpress ink?" and then I saw it:

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What the What? For reals? I couldn't believe my eyes and thought that this, surely, is just another instance of me being the last to know. So I went to my Google Reader and did a search for it and what is the first thing to pop up? A GIVEWAY GOING ON RIGHT NOW! From the prettiest blogger in all of the land, iDiY. It's like the Universe, God, and everyone else with spiritual powers beyond my immediate realm is saying, "Tina! You must have this!" Fingers, toes, eyes, legs, hairs, and absolutely anything else that I can get to cross is officially CROSSED! Please hold while I go cross all of Andy's stuff...

...

Ok. I am back.

I don't even know how I am going to sleep tonight knowing that this exists. My heart hurts. I feel like a Stevie Wonder concert was just announced or something equally as wonderful happened.

Although I hate to stack the odds against myself, I know it's the right thing to do. Go here to enter.

The Sample Sale at the Merchandise Mart

Did I ever score at the Sample Sales at the Merchandise Mart last week! I've been staying away from the sales as I was traumatized after I lost a bunch of sample sale purchases in a flood back in 2007. I finally went back to see if I could find a mirror, chairs, or some lamps for the house. I didn't find any lamps or chairs, but I TOTALLY made out.

I bought this incredible beveled mirror for $79.00. My coworker found it at Horchow.com and Nieman-Marcus for $325, but it's no longer online. I found this bad photo on Amazon.com:

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I bought nine rolls of TapeSwell tapes. I bought all of the ones listed below; but only because I cut myself off. I think that I left a few Christmas ones behind.

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I bought three table runners from my favorite brand, Chilewich. One of these is a Christmas gift for a friend. (Shhhhhhh!)

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Our niece carries her diaries with her EVERYWHERE that she goes. I scored her a year's worth of journals for Christmas for only $36.00!

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I picked up a party tray from MacBeth collection in this pretty peacock pattern as a Christmas gift for a friend that loves parties AND the color blue!

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I also scored a huge stack of pool, fuschia, and moss A2 envelopes for only $5.00! They actually had more sizes, but I just couldn't think of any projects that warranted them - and we all know that I need more paper like I need a hole in the head.

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I scored these Christmas cocktail napkins too:

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I actually got quite a bit more, but it's mostly gifts for people who read this blog or small stuff - like 35 greeting cards for $7! Hooray! I saved $619 on the above listed items alone -- all stuff that I might have bought anyway! It was totally worth fighting all off the old ladies in seasonal sweaters and their garbage cans full of bubble wrap.

Grateful Boxes from Paper Source

I just adore this idea for "grateful boxes" from the Paper Source blog. Each guest at the dinner table is greeted with a personalized box of notes listing something that another dinner guest likes about them.

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Just imagine if you used the same box year-after-year. You'd have a lifetime of memories showing changing penmanship and new additions as people marry and new babes are born. I don't think that anyone in my immediate family would go for this, but if I ever have mine own family, I think that it would be a beautiful tradition to start. Maybe I should make give it a try anyway...I just might receive "I am thankful for: Tina starting a new tradition" card.

My Favorite Reusable Shopping Bags

This is how lame working too much has made me. I've actually have enough alone time to ponder and deem certain reusable shopping bags as my "favorites." BUT, I do think that these are good gifts, so humor me and file this under "Bridal Party Gifts," "Party Game Prizes," and/or "Stocking Stuffers" so that I can feel like this is a worthwhile blog post.

I've given Environsax as gifts several times and finally bought myself one this spring. While they are cute, the straps are too short and they always come unfolded in my purse, which is a total nuisance. Sorry friends and Mom and Sis who I've given this to.

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I am very, very loyal to my Reisenthel bags. They're lined and sturdy beyond belief. The only cons are that I keep losing the carrying case and they take up a lot of room in my purse. Still, LOVE. People often stop me on the street to ask about this bag (which is kind of odd when you think about it). When I'm organized enough to have it with me, it's definitely my pick for heavy duty shopping days. And the ladies at Paper Source always say, "Oh, you have your bag" when I pull it out.

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The Container Store has finally brought Flip and Tumble bags to Chicago and I love 'em! They're so tiny that I almost always have one in my purse. I just picked up a second one last week. They're so soft and launder perfectly, which is good, as I may or may not have stuffed my jacket into one to make a pseudo-pillow to nap on during an all-nighter in the office and drooled on it.

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Check out these super cute Flip-and-Tumble ECObag Kits that include three totes and a set of produce bags. What a great gift for the ECO-Bandwagoner in your life.

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Maybe I should get a life and carry it around in my reusable bags, huh?

Two Is Better Than One When You Already Have A One

Since I'm ghetto-fab and furnish my home with hand-me-downs from relatives and Craig's List finds, I'm currently in the position of having A nightstand and AN end table. Maniacally searching Craig's List and eBay every morning, lunch hour, and evening has gotten me bupkis, so I've been trying to find a set of lamps or complimentary lamps that are available in both floor and table versions. Check out these affordable options that I found at Z Gallerie.

The Thin Man Combo: $168.

The Twig Lamp Combo: $178.99

The Mariposa Combo: $378 - OK, not that cheap, but cute!

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Etsy Comes Quietly

Is posting etsy finds too 2008? If so, my blog is totally weak. Ain't no denying it.

I'm looking for cheap-but-nice art for the bedroom of our love nest, so I searched for "love letterpress*" on the good 'ole Big E and stumbled upon these pretty poem prints from larkpress.

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*Are you going to make fun of me for admitting that I etsied** "love letterpress?"
**"Etsied" is the new "googled." I'm calling it.