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Archive for the ‘Shopping’ Category

I Didn’t Even Know I Needed That

October 12, 2012

I know this will be controversial, but I am willing to debate this topic if I have to…that’s how strongly I feel about it.

The most interesting material to read~without a shadow of doubt~is the Sky Mall magazine that you find in the back pocket of the seat in front of you on an airplane. Whew, that was a hard sentence to spit out. How do those stewards and stewardesses say that so quickly multiple times a day?

If you want to see what I mean, you can go to skymall.com and see for yourself, but it’s more interesting in the magazine, trust me.

Where else could you find this head rest? Man, I have needed this so many times. I’m the ultimate bobber.

In fact, I’m almost as certain as I can be~ since I was in a deep slumberous state~ that the steward on my last flight took a picture of me sleeping. I’m not kidding. I was on the last row and beyond tired. I opened my eyes and he had his phone pointed at me. When he realized I saw him, he disappeared. He probably has a blog of funny people sleeping or an instagram account set up for all the crazy things he sees. I know my mouth was hanging open. Oh dear. I really needed that ginormous head rest.

Can you imagine how funny it would be to actually see this on the plane?

Or maybe you need some portable cheeks…for those hard bleacher seats or the pew at church. Or the wooden chairs at the dining room table. If I had these buns, I’d probably take them wherever I went.

I’ve always wanted a Hot Dog Roller. I never knew I did until I saw it in the Sky Mall Magazine. It even matches all my stainless steel stuff. Who needs a bonfire anymore when you can just set this on your kitchen counter?

And THIS is intense~ check out this Soma Wave Helmet. It is supposed to give you the ultimate relaxation. Yes, please. Sky Mall says it feels like thousands of tiny fingers stimulating your scalp! I’d like to know what they have against big, chubby fingers, but I probably won’t ever really find that out…

The next time you want to make friends at your new job, take this Soma Helmet. You can take turns with euphoria in the break room.

But that’s not all…who knew it was possible to own a King Tut media storage mummy?

If you don’t have records or movies galore, you could store tablecloths in there. Or sweaters. Or outgrown clothes of your kids that you can’t part with~ I have a feeling King Tut would approve of that.

I NEVER KNEW I’d be able to buy Dumbledore’s wand!!! But yes, I can buy one and so can you! And you. And you! And YOU.

And once I have the wand, I can buy this ultimate portable screen that I can tote anywhere, so I can watch movies in any outdoor setting possible.

As I watch Gone with the Wind (or whatever), I will zap mosquitoes with Dumbledore’s wand. Can you imagine anything more fun than that? To top it off, I might wear the Soma Helmet at the same time…for the ultimate experience.

Posted in Oct 2012, Shopping | 13 Comments »

Be There Or Be A Dork!

May 3, 2012

So much has been happening~ I promise to catch you up very soon. I’ve been out of town, sort of going in a new direction with a couple book-related projects (others’ books, not mine…YET), enjoying this nice weather we’ve been having, getting ready for company (tonight!) to be here for a couple of weeks~Staci Frenes, woohoo!, and working my bohunkus off for the Wild Ruffle Pop Up Shop.

My trip away will get its own post~ it was magical. I desperately needed the break and it was absolutely wonderful.

TONIGHT is the Pop Up Shop! I can hardly believe it’s already here. It seems all good things are happening TONIGHT~ why is it always that way? I’m missing some great things…BUT the place to be is downtown Prior Lake. The cute, quaint shops in downtown Prior Lake~ near the cross point of Hwy 13 and Cty Rd 21~ are partnering with local vendors (that’s me!) for this boutique crawl. If it’s raining, the vendors will be inside the shops. If it’s perfect weather, like yesterday, the vendors will be in front of the shops. Snacks, beverages and fun conversation will be flowing. I know from the last Wild Ruffle Pop Up Shop I was part of, it will all be GOOD STUFF.

Greyley will hopefully be there with me tonight~ she was feeling punky during the night, so I’m not sure what to expect this morning. As I write this, I do hear her rustling around, getting ready for school, so that’s a good sign. Her headbands are kickin’ this time. And I love having her by my side~ we can be nervous, silly geeks together.

My new jewelry is workin’…I know this because I want to keep just about every piece. This is my method of selling~ make what I love and be fine about selling out because I can always make more OR be happy when I don’t sell out because I have a brand new collection of necklaces. I do get attached to some! But, tonight, don’t worry, you’ll be able to pry my fingers off the lovelies when I hand them to you in a nice little drawstring bag.

Please come say hi~ I’ll be at Flowers Naturally on Main Avenue.

Click HERE to see all the participating shops and vendors…

Posted in Fashion, Fun, Headbands, Jewelry, May 2012, Minnesota, Shopping, The Arts | 2 Comments »

Boutique Crawl

April 12, 2012

Three weeks from today~ Thursday, May 3rd from 5:30-9:00 PM~ I will be part of a boutique crawl in downtown Prior Lake. The Wild Ruffle Pop-Up Shop!

Greyley and I were part of the last Wild Ruffle Pop-Up Shop and had such a great time that we were excited when Cate invited us again. I wasn’t even sure where Prior Lake was located and found myself pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t too far from my house. The town is so cute and for this next event, the downtown shops are going to be as much a part of the evening as the vendors lining the streets. Hopefully the weather will be perfection and we will make new friends and shop ’til we drop.

I’ll give you a little reminder about it in a couple of weeks. Greyley and I would love to see some familiar faces. We’ve got lots to do between now and then. There’s jewelry and headbands to be made, folks! We both have a good amount of inventory going already, but it seems we always get inspired with some NEW HAREBRAINED IDEAS OF FABULOUSNESS at the very last minute before every new show. What will it be this time? I’m scared to even let my mind go there…but there’s still time…a little bit of precious time…

Cate is featuring us today on her blog for the upcoming event. For more details, you can also check out the Wild Ruffle Pop-Up Shop Facebook page…and while you’re on Facebook, why don’t you visit my new Girly Muse Facebook page too. Feel free to “LIKE” it! It will come in handy one day, I promise.

Since today seems to be Happy Link Day~ I may as well add a few more, so you can click to your heart’s content. Greyley made it through the first round of speeches at her school for the Optimist International Oratorical Contest. It’s an honor and we’re tickled pink for her. This morning, she will go through another round. As soon as she is finished, we’re off to sing/play with the ABC Youth Choir at Concordia. Tonight, I will be attending the Madame Butterfly Blogger Preview night. Maybe I will see some of you lovely bloggers there.

Have a glorious Thursday. XO

Posted in ABC Youth Choir, April 2012, Bloggers, Creativity, Fashion, Fun, Headbands, Jewelry, Shopping | 2 Comments »

Murder, Shopping and Mismatched Socks

October 10, 2011

I went and had too much fun this weekend.

I may or may not be dragging just a wee bit this morning.

Brace yourself for a rambling, subject-hopping post.

We had great times with all kinds of friends, delicious food, music, Rummikub, lots of laughs, long chats and late nights. This is what I would normally think of as the Dog Days of Summer, except…it isn’t. The weather continues to amaze and delight me. Maybe if I sing its praises enough, it will hang around for a LONG time. Please, no one say they wish for cold weather~ you know who you are, little stinkers~ it will be here soon enough! Let’s pretend summer is here to stay…or fall…whatever we’re calling this heavenly weather, I will KEEP IT!

I was concerned about lack of work when school started, but now I seem to have more than enough. There are a few fun projects in the works~ Jonathan and I are writing together again. We made a movie together last year and are working on a new screenplay together for an upcoming movie. I’m really excited about it and will tell you more about that as things progress. Cross your fingers and toes and send up some prayers and warm wishes that it will all go smoothly…and that it will all fall into place exactly as it should.

I’m also working on jewelry and artwork for 2 wonderful boutiques that are coming up in November~ The Wild Ruffle Pop-Up Shop in Prior Lake (Sat., Nov. 5th, 9AM-1PM) and Rachel’s Holiday Shopping Boutique in Minneapolis (Sat., Nov. 12th, 10AM-4PM). Click the links for more details. I hope you can come be part of these events! It’s going to be a blast and will be FULL of treasures! I can’t even believe all the amazing vendors that will be there. Cate, over at the Wild Ruffle, is regularly featuring the different artists that will be at the Pop-Up Shop and I cannot wait to meet all of them. Also, between now and the Pop-Up Shop, if you buy something from my shop and put in “Wild Ruffle” when you’re ordering, you will get 20% off!

On a completely different tangent, I believe my kids have magically sprouted into Tall Creatures over the last week. I promise, I’m not even making it up. We had to go shoe shopping in a big way~ with kids there really are times when they can truthfully say, “I have absolutely NOTHING TO WEAR!” Or at least not that they really should wear around other discerning humans. Last night I noticed that Greyley’s pajama bottoms are about 3 inches too short. She’s wearing my shoes and is just about to pass me up in height…any day now. She’s seriously looking like a legitimate ~~teenager~~ twenty year old right now.

For several years now, Greyley has worn mismatched socks…wayyyy before it was cool. It used to REALLY bug me when I did laundry and NONE of her socks matched. She’s convinced me of the beauty in it now…it makes sock sorting, or the lack thereof, a breeze. Now, they actually sell socks that way~none of them match, just blend~ oh wonder of wonders! You’d think she’d struck gold, she was so tickled by this find.

We have been inundated with fruit flies/gnats for the last two weeks. They are driving me mad, which led to a crazy murdering spree. Hundreds of gnat corpses have been “taken care of” and somehow more just keep on appearing. I’m a bit manic about it. If you’ve read Girly Muse for very long, you know I have a sickness about anything in mass quantity. It’s a sure way to send me over the edge, even if it’s something I like in singles. I would never like a gnat, single or otherwise, just so we’re clear. I’ve tried the raw apple cider vinegar trick and it kills about a dozen, but doesn’t seem to phase the other 50. Any suggestions? One just crawled over my computer screen, I kid you not. They’re tormenting me, the little wretches.

Well, now that your brain is fully addled for the day~ welcome to my world!~ I bid you, “Good day!” Have a happy Monday Funday and be silly no matter what. XO

Posted in Creativity, Fashion, Jewelry, Kids, Movies, October 2011, Shoe Love, Shopping, The Arts | 3 Comments »

I Tawt I Taw A Pig!

July 13, 2011

A long time ago, in a land far away, Nate began the tradition of buying presents for everyone when he went on a trip. A tradition like that is one that will not fade quickly, it MUST carry on! In fact, it has been clear from the second trip on, that presents were clearly expected to pop out of a backpack or suitcase upon arrival.

Hugs were cut just a wee bit short and a not so subtle glance around to see, “Could he/she have pulled out my present during that hug?”

“Is my present in the suitcase?”

“Backpack?”

“Purse?”

“It’s in the suitcase, right?”

“Where is…”

When I go to Dallas, I don’t always have time to shop. I know…I’m at Market and all, but you can’t really buy things and take them home, you have to order them and WAIT. So I usually avoid that and either go to a mall or hit the airport up for their goods.

The last time, I decided I wanted to order something fun from the showroom I work in…order something that would be worth the wait…

I even let the kids know before I came home that I wouldn’t have anything with me, but it would be arriving in a box before too long. As you can guess, Indigo is the one who is all about it now…although, don’t let Greyley fool you, she’s into it too…and she certainly had her heyday of, “Is something in there for meeee?”

Well, Indigo got the memo, but it didn’t quite sink in. He could not BELIEVE that I didn’t actually have something tangible for him to HAVE right when I got home. And when I think about it, I don’t really blame him. I was gone a long time, he missed me…he needs a little prize. Right?

He thought so.

I said…on the 3rd, 4th and 5th day that the box didn’t come, “It will come and you’re gonna LIKE it.”

Well, by the 7th day, I was saying, “So you mean you’d rather I buy a cheap little tacky toy from the AIRPORT just so you’d have something right when I get home, huh.”

And he said, “Yes.”

It just so happens that the box for them came the day I left for Arkansas and they loved their sock monkeys (stuffed sock monkeys AND sock monkey BACKPACKS!) very much. But then when I came home from Arkansas, I knew I had to have something right away and I hadn’t been to the store at all, not even once. Even the gift shop at the hospital was closed when I finally found it and then closed the next 3 days because of the July 4th holiday…

Well, if you can even believe it, Arkansas AND St. Louis both have nice airport shops. I was halfway hoping to bring something tacky just to prove my point, but no…no, I found the BEST GIFTS EVER.

Why, yes, that’s the Razorbacks’ snout!

And what is that on their shoulders, you ask? Why, that’s a shoulder pet, of course! I didn’t know it, but Indigo has been wanting a shoulder pet, like, his whole LIFE and it’s the BEST PRESENT HE’S EVERRRR GOTTEN and he loves it more than a DS or even a 100 DS’s and even Wii too…

The way he’s played with that thing, I almost believe him!

Thank God for airport gift shops. They saved my life. Find one near you and you, too, can have children like this…

Posted in Family, July 2011, Kids, Mama Musings, Market, Shopping, Travel | 6 Comments »

Help!

December 16, 2010

OK, folks, I am in a pickle.

I do not have my Christmas shopping anywhere NEAR done.

I have tons of good reasons why that is the case, but the fact of the matter is…that doesn’t mean diddly when Christmas is 9 days away. It’s not like I can go shop for the next 9 days. There are, ahem, other things to be done.

These are the times I wish I enjoyed shopping.

I will do almost anything to avoid a day in the mall with harried customers…I have never wanted to clean out my closet more than I do right now.

So…got any good gift ideas for my honey, my 12 1/2 year old daughter and my almost 6 year old son? Actually, feel free to leave gift ideas on here for any family member!

Tomorrow…yes, tomorrow, I believe I will go for it.

Posted in Christmas, December 2010, Family, Shopping | 4 Comments »