Lisa: let's win a cargo bike!

If I win a MADSEN Cargo Bike, I solemnly swear to:
a) give you a ride around the block in the bucket
b) give your kid/pet a ride around the block in the bucket
c) go buy treats for everyone and bring them back to the party in the bucket
d) peddle something charming and/or delicious from the bucket
e) reduce my carbon footprint by carrying my own stuff/kid in the bucket

I could go on, but isn't it just simpler for you to click on the banner and help me win? You've always been a giver.

Bonus points: leave a comment mentioning what you would like me to carry with my new cargo bike.

Lisa: Craft Lake City review

I find it's most helpful to review an event two months after it happens, so that everyone who might once have cared has already forgotten about it. That's why I'm telling you now how much I loved Craft Lake City!

The craft booths were everything I wished the disappointing shopping at Swiss Days and Peach Days would be. Instead of seeing the same vinyl cutouts and magnet boards at every booth, there were tons of alternative and/or slightly subversive crafts, and fun and unusual fabrics galore.

Here are photos of my (reasonably priced) booty:

1. A skirt for Nora for next summer, from Noelle O Designs.

2. A horse finger puppet from Nifty Kidstuff, which has the cutest details--like a bright green lining to match the bridle.

3. My mom shopped Nifty Kidstuff too, and found Nora a doll that she can practice fasteners on. Nora named her Betsy Buttons, after this book. (Seriously, this girl makes so many cute things. How much do I want this little fabric sewing machine for Nora?)

4. Grandma also bought Nora some cute hair ties with fabric-covered buttons, but unfortunately they didn't have any maker-identifying packaging.

5. I had a hard time tracking down these ribbon-covered hair clips online (they're just marked 'am'), but I think the buttons covered with Japanese fabrics are darling, and they inspired me to make my own ribbon clips.

6. This little yellow papier-mache bird was an impulse buy at Beehive Bazaar, and I love having him on my mantel.

I also loved the fascinators and headbands from Its The Little Things, but I didn't have enough cash to buy one at Craft Lake City. Instead, I grabbed one of her cards and bought a hat for Jillian's funeral on Etsy later.

The family rockabilly band that was so cute was Mad Max and the Wild Ones.

Here's more of Nora enjoying them:

Anyway, I hope that Craft Lake City becomes an annual event, and that they have even more awesome booths next year. If I had one suggestion to offer, it would be to the crafters whose great wares were for sale: make sure your packaging is branded, and list your website right on it if you have one. That way, the love can keep going long after the festival is done.

Lisa: buy my love

If get your Two Loose Teeth fix via a blog reader, you might not have noticed the new Etsy widgets in our sidebars. Instead of featuring books and movies that we never got around to updating, you can now see items from Sarah's Anderson Ink shop on the left, and the Two Loose Teeth shop (currently selling some toddler hair barrettes I made) on the right.

Mostly, I started making some clips for Nora, and then they were so fun and easy to make that I got carried away and made more than one two-year-old could ever wear. So. Do you know any little girls who need a set?

Lisa: in the closet, that's my stuff

There was this incident. With the dish brush. And then I suddenly had to get rid of a bunch of stuff from our storage room. Maybe it's best not to ask.

If you're interested in any of these items, click on the picture to go to the ad or auction!

Sarah: Apartment Hunting

I've been looking at apartments since the day after I returned from Europe (oops, I still haven't blogged much about that, have I?). I haven't found the perfect place yet, but I have found a few Craigslist ads that are just, well, they're linked below.

The longest dog-narrated ad of all time

Disgusting? Tempting!

The lovely Marci accompanied me to see an apartment. After overcoming the fear that the vision of the building instilled in my heart, we entered to find that the apartment came with house plants. What a charming feature. Why would they not include this feature in their posted description? Confusing.

I need help. Any ideas?

Sarah: Setting Up Shop

So remember how I mentioned that I was poor? Yeah. I know I can't complain, because I'm poor because I get to go to Europe. I'm incredibly lucky that the stars have aligned to make this trip possible, and it's an amazing experience and I will not whine about it any more.

But, in an effort to ease the pain, I've added a few items to our shop in hopes that I can earn a few extra dollars. So if anything strikes your fancy, please spread the word. If I have time to experiment, I'll hopefully be adding some different items in the next few days. Thanks to Lisa for letting me hijack her sewing machine, in addition to her spare room.

Here's my latest item:

You could send a note to your stalker that says something like Dear Alice, I'm sure you're a very nice girl, but I don't appreciate you sorting my socks by color and place of purchase. I find this off-putting. Please stay many, many miles away from me.

Thanks for letting me pimp my stuff. Advertisement over.

Lisa: Babies for Obama

Since Nora had so much fun voting for Obama on Super Tuesday, I thought she might like a campaign shirt of her very own. I designed a graphic to look like his other swag and had Zazzle (who I've (used previously) print it up for me. I got it a little big, so that she can wear it this summer when the election's closer.

Don't be jealous. You can buy one too! I think I get like a dollar for each onesie sold--and I'll donate any proceeds to the campaign.

Zazzle's changed their site around, so here's the fancy new link to my gallery:

Sarah: A Farewell to Fangs

As part of my ongoing battle with apartment clutter, I have decided to sell my Roboreptile. He has displayed bravery at every opportunity, and I am confident that he will serve and protect whomever decides to take him into their home.

Sniffle.

Sarah: Brain Dump, List Edition

Wanting:

cute galoshes. Oh, and don't you think that Lisa's baby needs some too? I'm so glad we agree.

Peach Days, the second most delicious festival in Utah. The first is Raspberry Days in Bear Lake. Mmmmm...

Plotting:

Lisa: everything in its place

Several months ago, someone Blake occasionally works for hired me to organize his wife's office while she was out of town. Risky, I know, but I think the results were worth it. And for some reason I'm more motivated to organize other people's stuff than my own (who knows, maybe it's the fact that I got paid).

Here's the desk area before...

And after.

Here's the inside of one of the cubbies in the hutch of the desk.

The other end of the room has a window flanked by two armchairs. Here's the area before...

And then after!

We got a table/file cabinet thing that would hold legal-size documents to go under the window.

For good measure, here's the newly organized interior of the office's 'supply closet.'

So...if you know anyone else who needs help getting organized, let me know. I'm no Megan Benson, but if it involves drawers or bins or labels of any kind, I'm your girl.

Lisa: Marci Darci

Marci has an Etsy shop with her super cute crafts. Check it out, and support her study abroad if you can!

Sarah: Me and Artie Fufkin, We Love Us Some Felt.

This isn't a dollar store project, but I just got excited, so I wanted to share! I made these hairpins last night and today at work.

I used wool felt, some old buttons I had in my craft table, and extra strong burgandy thread. The hairpins are sewn on, and so the felt does slide around a little, but overall I like how they turned out. I'm trying to be guttsier, so I've been cutting the felt without first looking at someone else's cute shapes. I know. I live dangerously.

So here I am wearing the flower:

And look! I got a leaf in my hair!

The colors aren't quite right in this photo. They are much more subdued and autumnal and pretty.
And I did my hair in about two seconds, so don't mind how out-of-control messy it is.

I really like the dot:

Although again, we have the wacky hair issues.
I didn't mean this shot to have such an excellent view of my work space. Hello cell phone! Hello discs! Hello Maverick cup full of Diet Coke!

And here we are with a quarter for scale (since my head is abnormally large and doesn't give you an accurate idea of the size of the pins):

Ta-DA! I am very anxious to hear what people think: Do you like them? Hate them? Think they would sell, if I chose to make more? I know they seem more autumn-oriented, which is strange to see in February, but I am loving those colors right now, and the felt at the fabric store I went to was rather limited. Just be glad I didn't use glitter felt. Because, damn.

Lisa: Zazzlin'

If you love the redesign as much as we do, buy a shirt from Zazzle to commemorate the occasion. HAHAHAHAHA! Sorry. Anyway, I did make a few more shirts--one with the new TLT artwork, and one for Concert Black.

Sarah: Falling Down a Slippery Soap

Today I added soap to our shop. They come in two shapes:
Round:

and rectangular:

Check them out! I really like them because the size is manageable and fits in your hand, and they make a very rich lather. Plus, they're handmade, which is cool.

Lisa: Hello, Sailor

I posted some of my marble magnets in our Etsy shop. So far I've just got one set listed, since the photos didn't come out very well, but it's eight color-coordinated magnets in a round tin. Go check it out!

Sarah: Etsy, part 2

Well, Lisa and I have made the decision to open a shop on Etsy. I hope you'll all check out our shop and the other awesome craft items available on this site. Please tell your friends about Etsy and about our shop. Thanks to everyone for their support!

Sarah: Button, button, who's got the button?

First of all, the sideview of the record bowls and box, as promised (with a coke bottle for scale):

And now, I present some 5 button sets, selling for $4 per set. Remember, these are a little bigger than a quarter.

Cartoons:

Risky Business:

Eyewear:

Flowery:

Girl's best friend:

Health-nut:

Party Girl:

Pretty patterns:

Self-love:

Wordy:

As a side-note, the "show us a nude scene" button came from a magazine article about Keifer Sutherland and 24. I think that makes the pin even better...

So there you go. Leave me a comment if you're interested. Thanks! I'm going to stop bogging down our site with pictures for a while, but I've just been having so much fun with my camera. Sorry to monopolize!

Sarah: Crafty, part 3

You might say that I could have used my long weekend to clean my apartment. And you would have been right. But instead, I hung out with Blake and Lisa, had dinner with the fam, watched some dvds, trained for the marathon, and Jessie and I ran errands, had lunch with our friend Staci, and picked up some records. I spent the remainder of the evening making record bowls and boxes. I've decided to see how these items fare on our site. If you'd like to buy a bowl and/or box, leave a message in the comments. These will work on a first come, first serve basis. Any shipping costs will be arranged through myself and the buyer. Of you want only the box, they are $2 each. All boxes, unless otherwise noted, are 3 inches tall. Any box that is not spoken for will be included as a free gift with its corresponding record. Thanks, and I hope you like them!

Big Bird Sings record bowl and matching box:

I took a picture of this box and bowl from the side, but it mysteriously removed itself from my camera. I will post a side view tomorrow. Bowl: $7, Box: $2.

Kenny Loggins is ALWAYS a classic:

He looks a little like he just finished creating the universe, and is bestowing upon our humble planet a sun to warm the land, but that's ok with me. My confusion, however, was that I thought he was hardcore (well, as hardcore as songs like Danger Zone) until he had kids, at which point he made Return to Pooh Corner. This picture makes him look less Top Gun and more benevolent celestial being. Anyway. The best part of this box and bowl is the back of the box:

I know. It's great. Oh, and as far as quality control, I noticed after taking this picture that the sides of the box were coming a little unglued. That situation has since been remedied. Bowl: $7, Box: $2.

Next up is Saturday's Warrior. Let me start by saying that I've never listened to or watched this production, so I am not sure how it actually compares to Beowulf, Ramayana, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, or Dante's Divine Comedy. This is a fine specimen of LDS culture, and is a two-record set. As a result, I have one box and two bowls:

These can be sold as a set, or separately. Bowls: $7/each, Box: $2.

In keeping with the wacky religious enthusiasm theme, I found several awesome looking bands when searching for more information regarding the band Rockin' Horse, but not the band that made this record:

They have a great looking album cover, and also dedicated this album to L. Ron Hubbard.

The dedication is easily visible on the side of the box (which is 3 1/2 inches tall). Bowl: $7, Box: $2. With this item, I am offering the optional Scientology package, which will include the Rockin' Horse bowl and box, plus the TomKat pin featured on my previous post and a few other Scientology/celebrity-related pins. This package will be $11.

I thought this box and bowl was a little punk-rock, a little classical.

Mozart! Bowl: $7, Box: $2.

Thanks for tuning in!

Prices have been changed to more accurately represent fair, competitive prices. Thanks.

Sarah: Crafty, continued.

At Lisa's request, I took pictures of my craft items. I can't find my bag of marble magnets, so the list is incomplete. Also, this is my first time posting pictures, after a short crash course. Let me know what you think, upon inspection.

Pins (some examples):

and:

(quarter shown for scale)

Record bowl:

(this one is more wacky-shaped than the other bowl i've made. All, however, would have a charmingly original, handmade, irregular shape. Oh, and yes, it IS a Barry Manilow record.)
full of pins:

Take out box:

Jessie's suggestion to have this box as my trademark packaging was cute, but it'd probably considerably raise the cost of items. Well, by at least $3. Also, the boxes take a while to make. I like them, but they're a little labor intensive. Perhaps I can find a more efficient way to produce these.

Mosaic:

and a closeup, with a quarter for scale, to understand the size of the tiles:

Ta-DA! I await your comments with baited breath.

Sarah: Crafty

Doesn't everyone want a little extra income? I've been trying to think of a craft item I make that people would pay money for. Here's my list so far, but leave a comment if you have any ideas.
I added potential price ranges, so please let me know what you think would be reasonable

Sarah: Today an instrument, tomorrow my soul.

So, I was really going to try hard to make my entry amusing, since my last was an unentertaining account of my fear of getting old. Alas, I'm again demonstrably unfunny. I was reading Lisa's old entry about her ebay items, and I remembered that I need to sell my old viola. My parents bought it for me when I was in junior high, and I played on it for several years. It's a surprisingly good instrument, and they said that, if I sold it, I could put whatever money I made towards my debt to them. This is a really good opportunity for me! And it's a great opportunity for whoever would buy the viola. I loved this instrument, and it's perfect for a student. It's been recently tuned up, so it's as good as new. I'm considering putting it on ebay, but I'm a little afraid. Also, I'd want it to be bid on, but don't want to lose money. The instrument is worth $3000. Any offers or suggestions on how to sell?

Lisa: Reason #46573 why I love the Internet

Today is all about exchanging my crap for other people's crap. I bought this commemorative Hollywood Reporter issue (Featuring Angel! For one dollar!!), and I'm selling a Gandalf action figure, some home design software, and a Nintendo 64 game storage box. You can redeem yourself for not buying my parents' coffee table by bidding on these fabulous items. Up with capitalism!

Edited to add: I also put a bunch of Blake's old Super Nintendo games up for auction (with his permission). Check it.

Lisa: No Experience Necessary

I've been messing around (but looking very important and productive) on Zazzle, designing dorky t-shirts. I highly recommend creating some of your own, especially if you are more creative and talented/less dorky than me. If you want to see the Lisa originals, keep your expectations low and click on the picture below:

Once your design is done, you can order any shirt style and color that you want. Now go! Create!

Lisa: Not just pretending

Things I am thinking about right this minute: