1AM Promise: February Purchases

How is it the end of another month already?! I feel like February passed so much quicker than January did, but then again, I’ve been super busy with projects (does binge watching Vampire Diaries on Netflix count as projects?? I’m going with. . .yes). Seriously though, February was jam packed with art mostly! But I did manage to squeeze in time to do some indie shopping online.

I’m at it again. More stickers from Scrawny Girl Shop. Apparently Shawna (the creator/owner) has zeroed in on my exact love of her illustrations and stickers because I just can’t resist them! These guys are going to be used to decorate my 2014 planner (yes, I know we’re already two months into 2014 but I haven’t quite gotten around to it yet….shhhh….). And perhaps adding more of them to my art journal so I can stare at them more.

Besides the stickers I decided to go out on a limb and buy a new candle! I love candles, burn them almost constantly in my house, and am rapidly dwindling my supply. So I figured a new one was in order. Bubble and Geek offers tons of different soy candles in nerd-themed scents. How perfect is that?! It was so hard to decide which one to buy, but given that spring is on its way (supposedly) I opted for Hobbit Garden. Besides being a huge LoTR/Hobbit dork, the scent sounded really pleasing.

I’m not going to lie, I was nervous about this one. Blind ordering a candle is pretty risky. What if I hate the scent?!

In this case I was supremely happy!! It smells fabulous. It’s actually sweeter than I was expecting, which is perfect for me as I usually gravitate towards sweeter scents. It also burns quite milder than I thought it would, which I also really love. Even scents I adore can be too much when they are super strong for hours on end.

The above photo is after it’s been burning for about 12 hours, so it’s got a good life to it! I’m definitely happy with it, and will certainly order more from their shop.

Loving my indie buys this year. I’ve got some ideas for what I’m looking for in March, so stay tuned next month to see what I drum up!

-Kayly

Life In Photos #4

A few happenings from this past week.

1. I made a cinnamon candle – the easiest DIY candle ever. Take an unscented candle of any size. Break raw cinnamon sticks to roughly the same size. Hot glue them onto the sides. Burn, and smell yummy cinnamon in your house.

2. My teabags have puns/silly sayings on them. This one cracked me up, silly as it is (click to enlarge).

3. My little miss has been SO in love with her new paints she got for Christmas! Daily painting for us.

4. Turkey burger or Krabby Patty?? You tell me!

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Indie Shopping and the 1AM Promise

The title of this post reminds me of an 80’s band name. I bet they’d have a sweet power ballad. And I know today is supposed to be a Fun Fact Friday, but I had NOTHING prepared (failure on my part, sorry!) plus I’m SUPER excited for this post so FFF will have to wait!

ANYwho, this post is going to showcase some of the sweet indie buys I’ve gotten recently. Which ties directly into the other part of this post, the 1AM Promise. What is that, you ask? If you think along the lines of my brain, you may be picturing some task that you swear to do at 1 o’clock in the morning. . .’cause that’s exactly what I though when I first saw this button:

In reality, the 1AM Promise has to do with indie shopping! It was started on IAmTheLab – a really cool blog showcasing tons of indie shops and artisans. 1AM stands for 1 A Month, meaning you promise to purchase one item a month from an indie business. It can be big, small, from an online shop or a booth at a craft fair or farmers market – as long as it’s from an indie biz. I really like this, as it’s a way to jump into indie shopping without feeling overwhelmed (which I often feel browsing the night away on Storenvy. There is just SO MUCH to look at).  It also suits my budget which is always a plus. I feel it’s a cause worth supporting and I like having the button on my posts because it’s a constant reminder to me to really think about what I’m purchasing. Great, right?

And now, onto the goodies!! These are my (AWESOME) indie purchases from June until now.

First up, my new mason jar mug hug and bag (now pencil case) from Zeeuh. I’d heard of Zeeuh via Tanya over at Mystic Eyed Rambler, and I liked the products in the shop. I was loving the mason jar mug hug, for camping especially. Then when she posted these new summer bags, I new I had to have one for my drawing supplies! Before they were housed in a falling-apart plastic baggie, and my tin for my graphite pencils. Now everything fits in this beautiful new bag!

My mason jar mug for on the go, and my new pencil case. Loving them!

The quality is great, and the material colors are even more vibrant than in her shop photos. I highly recommend her products – plus I got this sweet thank you note with my purchase! Seriously, how awesome is that?!

Earlier in June I stopped by the opening day of the farmers market I was a vendor at last year to support my friends who are selling there! I stopped by Bubble and Flame Soap and Candle Company’s booth and got his heavenly smelling soy candle.

In this photo it’s halfway gone, and at this point it’s down to a quarter left. I just can’t NOT keep it lit, it makes my kitchen smell so good! Also, I swear by her body butters – my favorite is Black Amber and Lavender. It’s just divine smelling.

And lastly, my absolute favorite thing I’ve gotten so far has got to be my new GLORIOUS custom mechanical pencil from Mystic Eye Creations. I CAN. NOT. WAIT. to start drawing with it! Originally I was going to use it as my special ‘commissions pencil’, but I’m not going to be able to resist drawing everything with it!

Isn’t it BEAUTIFUL!! Just stop a minute and take in all it’s glory.

I had to get the amazing case to go with it as well – it holds both my pencil and the pen I bought from them last year (which is my designated journaling pen).

Tucked in it’s case with my pen.

The case, all closed up.

I seriously can’t get over the pencil. As in I take it out just to look at it sometimes. Especially in the sun, where the blues just catch all the light. I seriously can’t recommend this business more for their amazing products and service.

And those are my newest indie treasures! There will certainly be more posts showcasing my indie buys, so keep an eye out in the future.

Have you bought anything indie lately? I’d love to see/hear about it!

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