Handwritten thank-you notes aren't dead...

I'm kind of a stickler for the old-fashion thank-you note (just ask my kids...can't you hear them whining about it?).

I like receiving a nice note card in the mail with a handwritten thank you, as opposed to the email thank you. (Not that I haven't done the email thing when in a pinch and they are severely overdue.)

The problem is finding cards that "fit" my personality and modern taste. Then I found a gorgeous shop on Etsy called Sweet Perversion Designs. I had a really hard time choosing a set of cards, since I loved them all! But I settled on the beautiful Grazie cards in yellow.

These cards are just beautifully done, very high quality materials/printing, and packaged so nicely that I could have given them as a gift straight out of the mailer. Now I just have to decide who is worthy of my new note cards (I kid, I kid).

Now as an aside, also make sure you check out her great section, A Little Inappropriate. The one that starts with Crafty is my favorite, of course. :-)

The Japanese wave design cuff bracelet...

I'm always on the hunt for jewelry that is unlike what I do but still pairs well with my own work. So when I saw this Japanese wave design cuff bracelet I was instantly enamored.

At first glance I thought this was done in leather. Upon reading further, the artist actually makes these out of polymer clay. What a totally cool and modern take on that material is what I was thinking.

This cuff is great to wear, as it is really lightweight and comfy against the wrist. Theshagbag shop has pretty much a color choice for everyone...hip and edgy, but a with a soft side too.

Check out her awesome shop on Etsy for lots of great cuffs and earrings... theshagbag.

Modernism in nature....

The ultimate modernism in nature...plus one of my favorite colors too. A large succulent from my recent trip to Laguna Beach.

Unofficial Etsy Featured Seller....

Yay...I'm a featured seller!

Well, not quite THE featured seller on Etsy, but an unofficial featured seller on a great blog.

Check it out here: unofficial featured seller-lime green modern.

Thanks so much alliteration!

Just give me a few days....

I have to admit my first love is the beach, so when my DH recently had a trip for work in S. California, we all decided to tag along for a mini vacation.

Since we lived there for many years before Colorado, we visited all our favorite hang-outs, with #1 on the list being Laguna Beach.

Here we are overlooking the spectacular scenery, just north of Main Beach. Truly so breathtakingly beautiful, even on this foggy day.

Nothing quite as rejuvenating to me like a few days at the beach.

15 minutes of fame....

So I'm standing in the drug store line waiting to buy some sunscreen when I get an email from Statsy (a site for tracking your Etsy store stats) that tells me an item from my shop is on the front page of Etsy.....right now!

I quickly head to Etsy's front page and see my modern bow necklace there, with a lot of other great items all found with the keyword "modern".

I'm sure the people in line with me wondered why I was smiling at my phone but, hey, I was just glowing a little for my bow's 15 minutes of fame. :-)

Scrub-a-dub-dub

When I first started on Etsy, I used a lot of props with my earring pictures, so my dad found some great handmade soap in an amazing green color for me to use.

My "props" phase quickly passed and I decided my earrings just looked better photographed by themselves. But....I really loved using that soap!

Recently I decided I needed some more of that great-for-your-skin natural soap and found a wonderful shop, BeSem Natural Scents. I couldn't decide on a scent, so I decided to order the sample pack where I got to choose 6 scents.

I just love the clean scent these soaps have and I can definitely tell the difference in my skin. Check out BeSem on Etsy for all sorts of soaps, candles, and creams that smell delicious!

The black hole of my purse....

So I pretty much always buy handbags with black interior lining...so when I forget to put the cap back on my Sharpie no one is the wiser. Black hides a multitude of purse spill disasters.

But the downside is that when I have all those small things floating aimlessly around (lip gloss, small brush, ponytail holder, etc;) I can never find them in the black abyss.

Enter this super cute and bright retro flower pouch I got from JPAT. It is the perfect answer to hold all those little things and the bright colors are perfect to spot in the black hole. What I love is that it makes transitioning to another purse super quick....just grab the pouch and my wallet and I'm done. Love it!

Check out her shop for all kinds of cool little pouches in different sizes and wallets in every imaginable style of fabric... JPAT Purses.