Sunday, May 30, 2010

congrats to mr & mrs a!

it's wedding season!  to start off this year's wedding season, we had the pleasure of taking a trip to chicago to witness the marriage of mr p and miss j.  the day started out a little drizzly but it made the garden even more beautiful and the sun peaked out in the afternoon.  it was such a fun wedding, lots of love and laughs.  the night ended with a yacht cruise on the chicago river... which got cut short because of the thick as pudding fog that frightened the seasoned captain... but still, good times! congrats to mr & mrs a!




photo credit top photo - marco and/or cynthia of magic touch photography :)

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

hiatus

i've decided to take a little break from the toki cafe etsy shop.  i just haven't had time to maintain it and stock it with new items so i'll close the shop for a bit while i develop and play with new ideas.  plus summer is just about here and there are many weddings, graduations, and fun days ahead!  i'll still be answering any convos and i would be happy to take on special orders depending on what my availability looks like.  just send me a message and i'll get back to you!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

for the love of mail

i've mentioned my love for snail mail  in the past and lately, i've noticed a huge boom in number of people who are rediscovering the joys of snail mail.  i'm so happy that it's making a comeback!

Postcards Exchangei recently discovered postcrossing, registered immediately and sent out my first card the next day!  here's the description from the postcrossing website:

"The goal of this project is to allow people to receive postcards from all over the world, for free. Well, almost free! The main idea is that: if you send a postcard, you will receive at least one back from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world.  Why? Because, like the author, there are lots of people who like to receive real mail.   The element of surprise of receiving postcards from different places in the world (many of which you probably have never heard of) can turn your mailbox into a box of surprises - and who wouldn't like that?"

 






so far i've sent out postcards to taiwan, germany, china, and finland.  i just received my first postcard on monday.  it's from greece and the sender chose it for me because i mentioned that i like the color blue in my profile  :) 





























i don't remember where i found this beautiful photo blog but i love good mail.  their "about" is perfect: "stamps, seals, postage, envelopes, mail art, postal carriers, postboxes, pen-calluses, and inky fingers."  the good mail photo blog is the sister of the book "good mail day" which is full of lovely images and tips for getting involved in the world of mail art.  i've re-read it several times in the past few weeks and i've got my fingers crossed that no one else reserves it at the library so that i can keep renewing it.  they also have a blog and a flickr pool for people who just can't get enough.  good mail day is run by carolee gilligan wheeler and jennie hinchcliff, two friends and master mail artists.


*i apologize for the wonky arrangement of this post... i'm not even sure how it happened!*

Thursday, May 6, 2010

TWINS!

i'm going to be an auntie... of TWINS!!  my beloved sister is pregnant with two little rugrats  :)  i'm elated and can't wait to meet them.  i hope they like me.  i'm going crazy with curiosity wondering if they'll be boys, girls or better yet, one of each!  whether they're boys or girls, they're going to be bombarded with handmade toys.  i want to make them quilts, toys, mobiles, games... i'm so excited!  and of course i'm already searching through etsy for beautiful handmade items that i can spoil the little guys with.




 






and for the omma to be...