Is There an Election Coming Up or something?

Ok, I know that there's an election coming up! I have been perusing Etsy and have come across a ton of Obama and McCain items. Sorry, but I am for Obama and most of the McCain items I'm finding are jokes on McCain. I want to be neutral on my post so I will have some items that are serious and funny on both candidates.

This first one is from One Plaid Aunt and it's a set of Michelle & Barack Obama ponytail holders. Now you can get this set or there's other sets of just Michelle and just Barack. There's also Barack & Michelle barrettes too. Whether you want the elastics or the barrettes, they will both run you $10. But, think about it, it's a unique way of making your choice clear.

Of course, there are tons of Palin jokes running amok, but I just love this button from Psychedelic Tara's Groovy Gift Emporium and it's only $2.99! The other button that is just cracking me up is this one of Barack and McCain as Mac and PC. There are tons of funny ones here for the taking.

Ok, ok...McCain supporters...don't shoot me..I did find a couple of Pro-McCain/Palin items so here they are.

Here's some cute McCain & Palin magnets made from Polymer clay by Itty Bitties for You

(You can also get Obama & Biden ones too). Itty Bitties has alot of cute things, I especially love her robots! The magnet set will run you about $18.




Then there's the Palin buttons from Button Diva. The Button Diva has plenty of Palin power buttons and McCain Victory buttons for $3 each. There's also some Palin Power earrings for $5.5o and Pendants for $5.95.

So, whatever your political preference, there seems to be a

plethora of items out there. These are just a small, and I mean small, sampling of what I found on Etsy and I'm sure there are tons of other sites out there with this kind of stuff. So, make your statement in a different way...a unique way :-)

Baubles of Mine

I know, it's been awhile..and I'm sorry. With all my PTO duties, I've been sidetracked. Plus, last week was my 10th Wedding Anniversary and hubby had a beautiful day planned last Saturday.

Anyway, I've been acquiring some new baubles for my ears lately. Be it a purchase or finding a delightful Etsy SNS Secret. I'm really enjoying finding all these wonderful pieces of jewelry and I'm getting some great sales too. Alas, some of these sales are over but if you're an Etsy shopper..you need to peruse the "Promotion" section of the forums. That's where I find out about all these wonderful sales/contests etc. Today is Saturday and starting at 5pm you'll find the SNS sale thread on the Promotions forum.

One of the awesome sales I had found was a BOGO, buy one get one free, on earrings at Lilly Queen's store on Etsy. These one's on the left are Scroll & Berry cluster earrings. Pretty scrollwork and the maroon glass pearls set off the metal nicely. The other pair I bought were these on the right side and they're called Pina Colada. It's pretty white & honey jade on brass. I'm trying to find earrings of different colors, styles etc to go with any of my outfits. Just like a girl, isn't it.

I was able to pick these two beauties for only $9 YES FOR BOTH!

Prices for earrings at Lilly Queen are from $15 to $23. I actually like the simplicity of the designs. The colors and styles are simple, yet classic in design. Nothing too outlandish but just right.

This next pair of earrings I got are from Strands of Light on Etsy. These were a SNS Secret item. For those of you unfamiliar with the SNS secret...you can get one secret item per week and they generally are free or just the cost of shipping. You have to search through the store's listings to find the phrase "SNS Secret" or "Secret" somewhere in the listing. These I really like. The vintage glass beads hang from a copper ring on sterling silver. The glass beads are white with flecks of painted color. They are smaller in person (I was actually concerned they might be too big from the picture) but they are sweet and dainty. These earrings cost $23 normally. Earrings at Strands of Light range from $20-$30. If you like this style that I got, there are a few there right now that are very similar..just different beads.

These dainty lil gold ones come from Amanda Mackay's Etsy Store (she does have her own website with more jewerly). We've got glass pearls, crystal beads and freshwater pearls and gold-plated ear hooks. As you can see the pearls/beads are in varying shades of blue. These are very dainty and very feminine. They are very light on the ears (which I like cause my ears hate me if I wear anything too heavy) and easy to wear. Amanda's Etsy earrings run from $8 to $30 and there are some there now, similar in style (different colors, metals) to these that I have. These were another SNS secret I had found but originally cost only $6.

There are just so many options on Etsy! I spend hours just "window" shopping there. You can always find something new on Etsy.

Pretty "Remark"able

Make a statement without saying a word...I remember this was a quote from some product line a long long time ago (maybe not that long ago). What about in today's world? Is there anything out there that you can buy that will have you making a statement without saying a word? Not much huh? Well, lucky for you, someone who makes such a product found me!

Rebecca, who runs BananaSaurus Rex, on etsy is the creator of the Remark Cuff. Rebecca uses all kinds of vintage fabrics to create all of her pieces, but she takes some of these vintage fabrics and creates these cuffs (fabric bracelets for those of you who may not know) and puts various quotes right on the fabric. Most of her Cuffs have quotes about love on them from Shakespeare to Virgil.

Here's a picture of the one she made for me. It's made with denim, white fabric (which has the "remark" on it) and this pretty piece of floral fabric. Nice, bright red snaps finish it off. The quote is by Mr. Rogers. I gotta tell you I felt like a little bad ass when I put it on :-). It kinda reminded me of those cuff bracelets from the 1980s but this one being much more feminine than those that Joan Jett wore. Plus I think having the wonderful quote on there is much nicer than spikes!

Here's a little info from Rebecca's site about the Remark Cuff's and so you know..part of the proceeds from sales are going to charity:

"On May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that all Californians have the freedom to marry. The landmark decision ends the state ban on marriage for same-gender couples. But, Proposition 8 - which would amend the California Constitution limiting marriage to a union between a man and a woman - has qualified for the November 2008 ballot.Surrender to love, people! BananaSaurus Rex sends half the purchase price of each Remark Cuff to Equality California, a non-profit organization that works to achieve equality and secure legal protections for LGBT Californians. For more information, go to www.eqca.org."

You can get a Remark Cuff in the denim like mine or other fabrics, like the ones pictured here. Make sure to measure your wrist so you know what size you need. If there's not one in your size, you can get a custom sized one. All of the Remark Cuffs are $15.

The Remark Cuffs are not the only work Rebecca does. A couple of my favorites are her Market Bags ($25-$45) and her Power Flowers ($12). My favorite Power Flower is the one in her store's Avatar with was made into a choker necklace. You can find much more in her Etsy store. So, if you like Vintage, like upcycling, like pretty things...check out BananaSaurus Rex!