The Special Delivery

Yesterday I promised I'd tell you all about my special delivery. I'm here today to fulfill that promise!

Last week I visited a stationary store in downtown Boston, and I spoke with the owner. I told her about Everything Little Miss and asked if she'd look at my stuff. She said I could bring some samples in on Wednesday or Thursday of this week. So I spent a lot of time getting my cards ready and finalizing the packaging, and I headed over to Rugg Road Paper Company on the 3rd. When I arrived, the owner was speaking with a sales rep, and I ended up waiting for about an hour. With each passing minute I grew more nervous! Finally she had a moment to meet with me, and she was really kind and positive about my designs. And guess what! She decided to make a purchase! She selected 6 different cards designs. I'm feeling more confident about my creations and I'm over the moon!

It was exactly what I wanted to happen, but I couldn't believe it. I practically ran out of the store to call my mom and dad and Eric. I managed to get everything packaged up by yesterday afternoon, and Eric drove me over to deliver the goods when he got home from work. 

So it's official, you can now get cards by Everything Little Miss in downtown Boston! How incredibly cool is that? Wanna check them out in real life? 

Rugg Road Paper Company

105 Charles Street

Boston, MA 02114

I also wrote about this on the Everything Little Miss blog. Happy weekend! I'll be smiling the whole time!

Mission: Failed

Yesterday morning I set out on a mission. And I totally failed. oh well, it happens. 

I headed over to DeLafayette Avenue in downtown Boston fully intending to photograph dancers in line for the So You Think You Can Dance auditions. I don't know if I was too late, if nobody in Boston wanted to try out, or if they were all inside registering and keeping warm and dry, but there was nobody there! On TV the lines are always down the block and around the corner. I did see two large bouncer-looking men standing outside an open door with a very tiny sign that said "So You Think You Can Dance Auditions," but they were intimidating and I was afraid to take a picture. 

Since I was downtown I decided to do some walking around. I stopped by a really old cemetery, called the Central Burying Ground, within Boston Common. I'd never been there before, and it was really cool. I'll probably go back. 

Then I made my way over to Charles Street and passed the Make Way For Ducklings sculpture.

I went to a super cute stationary store called Rugg Road Paper Company and had a nice little chat with owner. 

When I left, I took a picture of Black Ink's (neighbors with the paper store) window display, because it featured gnomes. I didn't go in, but I've been there many other times and it's always fun.

Finally I made my way over to the Library to pick up a few books that I had on hold. Then I got on the T and made my way home. 

So even though my mission was technically a failure, I'd say the outing was actually very successful! I enjoyed myself immensely (in spite of the cold, damp, dreary weather). 

Toothbrush By Preserve

Maybe this is a weird thing to write about, but I adore my new toothbrush! We were in need of replacements, so I just peeked into the health and beauty aisle while we were at Whole Foods picking up some veggies last week. There was a sale on the Preserve brand, so I tossed 2 into our basket. Even before the sale they were no more expensive than many of your standard choices. 

They're made of recycled plastic and you can return it to the company to re-recycle! Very cool. Plus, the bristles are really soft! I've really enjoyed brushing my teeth lately. 

On a different note, I turned the photos of my sister's dance performance into a short (14 second) video. Click here to see it.

A Little Bird Without A Name

I love, love, love this little bird! My dad found it (marked down to $2!) in a bin in the Old Navy fitting rooms. While we were waiting for my sister to try on some clothes, I took a picture of it sitting on a pile of soccer balls. And then I got in trouble. Ooops. The fitting room attendant told me that customers are not allowed to take pictures inside the store and that if his boss saw me she'd yell at me and make me erase the photos. How would I ever know that? As far as I could tell there wasn't anything posted about the "no photos" rule! Even so, I turned bright red and felt really guilty.

My dad ended up buying the little bird for me (and a really cute tote). It always looks like it's waving at me! Any suggestions for names? 

Loving Spring 2009 Colors

Can I just tell you that I walked into the Gap today and almost started drooling because the spring colors are so rockin'? If you know me, you know I love oranges and pinks and reds. Looks like I'll be able to stock up on many more candy-colored pieces in the coming months. I didn't buy anything today, but I wanted to (no money, no need - you pick). 

Calendar Girl

Today I received something very special in the mail. This calendar is a gift from one of my very best friends, Kristen! She created it using snapfish, and it's completely personalized. Each month has different photos and she even put pictures of important people on the dates of their birthdays. Cool, huh? It's actually my holiday gift, but it took a long time to get to her (she's in Japan), and then it took more time to get to me. I don't care if it's late or on time, because it's wonderful and fun. I took a picture of March because: 

1. there's a photo of The Schwarz and me at Kristen's wedding 
2. because you can see 3 dates with photos (her wedding anniversary, her husband's birthday, and my birthday)
3. the background is orange - my favorite color!

I think it says something about me that both of my best friends gave me calendars for Christmas/Hanukah. A few weeks ago I posted about the one Sara gave me. Truth be told, I also got one from my mom, because she gives me a Marilyn Monroe calendar every year and it's always one of my favorite gifts. 

Psst. I also have a 4th calendar that I printed using a Word template. Then there's the page-a-day calendar The Schwarz got for Christmas. And I have a one page 2008 Berkshire Books calendar still hanging in the kitchen simply because it's so beautiful. Plus I use Google calendar. So how many is that? 7? At this point, is it an obsession or a collection? 

Crate & Barrel Water Bottle

I have been coveting these water bottles since I saw them in the Crate & Barrel catalog about 3 weeks ago. They're glass, but they look like all those plastic one-time-use bottles. So, they're the perfect size, and I can use them again and again. Cute, huh?

Rainbow Maker's Gears

Here you can see the inner-workings of my solar powered rainbow maker. It's so distressingly cold outside, that I thought some bright colors might warm us up a little. 

Normally, I'm all for the winter (I can hear you groaning). I'm a skier, okay? I love snow. But this - well this is just terrible. It's very, very cold. Freezing, actually! I heard several different forecasters say that we're in for the coldest weather in years! YEARS! Holy cow. Brrrr. 

Just think about rainbows (or at least somewhere over them). And if you're in North Adams, go to Tangiers* and warm up! 

*While you're getting toasty warm, you can also pick up your very own rainbow maker.

Hand Soap

I think this hand soap is a great gift. You can pick it up at Tangiers, in North Adams. Mermaid Avenue products are homemade and completely natural. 

Tangiers Has New Business Cards

My mom owns an adorable little shop called Tangiers, in downtown North Adams. She sells everything from jewelry to handmade soaps! Right now, there's an after-Christmas sale going on, which means there are some amazing bargains. Tangiers is on Main Street, across from the Holiday Inn. 

I recently redesigned the business cards. They were printed by Image Software Services, and I think they look really great. If you're looking for a printer, Image is wonderful because they can print as many or as few as you'd like. You'll get a great deal and fast, friendly service!

New Red Shoes

Yesterday was our company holiday party. I didn't want to buy a new outfit, but I felt like something was missing. I found these festive ballet flats on sale at the Gap, and I couldn't resist! They're really fun because the sparkle like the ruby slippers. 

Contain Yourself

Here little miss spy is taking the slogan of the Container Store literally.  I'm sure the store didn't intend its bags to actually contain people, but it turns out the bag does a pretty good job of that.

Crumpets!

I don't know anything about this store, but I think they have the cutest name! I love the deep blue of the storefront and the fact that their sign is old fashioned. 

In my experience, crumpets are eaten with tea in the UK. Going to afternoon tea in London was one of my favorite things, so this sign sort of makes me feel warm and fuzzy! From the little I can see through the store window, I'm guessing they're going for that English vibe.

P.S. That's The Schwarz's car reflected in the window!

Parking Only

Oh, I just love this sign! Somebody forgot to fill in the blanks!

It's hanging outside a a liquor store in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard. I love that is says "parking only," but doesn't specify the store's name. And how funny is it that it says "unauthorized vehicles will be at vehicle owner's expense?"