If You Like Scrabble Tile Pendants...The 1" Round Wood Pendant Kit!

So you had fun with Scrabble Tile Pendants and you want to try something new? I just launched this cute kit with all the same essentials as the Scrabble Pendant Kit...instructions included! Make five 1" round pendants using finished wood circles. Currently only available in my Etsy shop.

3 New Reasons to Love Paper. Spring Collections Are In.

I admit, I have a thing for paper. To me, paper represents beauty, opportunity, and a plain old good time. You can write on it, read it, draw on it, look at it, wrap it, bind it, put guinea pigs on it, burn it, recycle it, flush it, decorate it and on and on. Paper is really a magnificent thing.

So it's with great pleasure that I have 3 new paper collections to offer. I'm just crazy about Chiyogami and Italian papers. I love the ornate and delicate nature of the designs. The pleasing color palettes, the whimsical and sometimes seasonal nature of the patterns carries me through to the next season.


The first collection is the Bunny Rabbits Hippity Hop Collection, named, of course, for the cute little Bunny Rabbits that frolic across the papers. With their pastel pink and blue backgrounds, these would make adorable pendants or a really cute magnet set.


Next is the Spring Fields Collection. I'm a sucker for dainty flowers. I love the color combination of these 3 papers together, too. For an example of a tin set using this paper collection, I have one listed here.


Lastly, the Tuscany Collection which is another beautiful addition to the Italian papers I already carry. 2 brand new papers are included in this 3-pack paper collection. One pattern has the littlest, most beautiful butterflies and a fabulously ornate bird. The second paper has a grape and vineyard theme with royal purples. There's a fair amount of blue included in these papers, and all have rich and vivid colors.

Collaboration. Like Chocolate in Your Peanut Butter. It's That Good.

Remember that Reese's commercial with the people who walked into each other as they rounded a corner, and happened to stumble across a good thing when their chocolate and peanut butter got all mixed up? OK, maybe I'm dating myself with this old Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercial from, like, the 1970's.

So this collaboration between two very amazing Etsy shops is just as sweet and satisfying as, well, peanut butter and chocolate.


Sharon of Haber Heartwork and Marisa of Elegant Snobbery have teamed up to bring you some of the cutest pendants I've seen on Etsy.


I've long been a fan of Marisa's vibrant illustrations of whimsical characters. Her artwork begs to illustrate a well-written book, but until she gets her big break my studio walls will have to do. I admire her creativity and skillful use of color. I wish I had only a fraction of her talent. Adorn your space with her gorgeous prints and lose yourself in a fairytale.

Sharon has been a long time customer now, but above all I value her friendship. Her steadfast companionship during late nights of the December shipping season is probably to credit for my sanity (or not). But her work is also meticulous and perfect in every way. You can see the attention to detail in each and every pendant.

Both of these talented artists have been a source of inspiration for me in the daily running of my business and I admire them tremendously. I'm thrilled they've gotten together to combine their talents to create something as delectable and whimsical as these beautifully illustrated pendants.

Monthly Morsels - Get On The Preferred List!

One of my business goals for the first quarter of 2009 was to begin a newlsetter program to announce all the fun new products in my shops. I have a lot of big plans in the works, a few collaborative projects, and some great new kits coming forth this year and don't you want to be the first to know about them?

Additionally, the newsletters may also contain preferred customer discount codes, advance notice of sales, and private sales. All great reasons to be on the list. You can sign up for the newsletter here or on the upper left column of my blog. Sign-up will also be available on www.anniehowes.com

Mixing Things Up A Bit in the Dog Pack.

This post is completely unrelated to business, so if you're the serious crafting type and you came here to learn about what I'm up to business-wise, I'm super sorry to disappoint you.

No, this blog post is dedicated entirely to the personal side of my life. The side of my life that greets me after a hard day's work when I make the long haul from the door of my studio 100 ft. to the back door of my house. My dogs.

Well, more precisely, this post is about the new addition to the dog pack. Yes, that's right. Dog Pack. That's what you call a group of hounds, right? This is more like the United Nations of the Dog Pack world because only one of them is technically a hound dog. Maybe. We have a Golden Retriever (Sam), a Catahoula (Carson), Angus (a Rat Terrier), and now Zeta, another Rat Terrier, because you can't have just one Rat Terrier (no joke).

Zeta, aka My Sweet Valentine (her pedigree name), came to live with completely due to the scheming and plotting of Mr. Howes, a self-described Dog Lover and Enthusiast, who baited me to Bowling Green with the temptation of a Valentine's dinner at Outback Steakhouse. What I didn't know was that when he programmed Garmin with the destination of Outback (which is over 1.5 hours from home, yeah, we're "out there") he also programed the kennels as a via point.

So little Zeta, who weighs almost as much as a Guinea Pig, is the only girl in the dog pack, and no we are not breeding dogs. We just have lots of love to give and on 5 acres, we have plenty of space.

So here's a pic of Zeta, our little piebald sweetie. May she housebreak quicker than Angus.

Daily Grommet Feature is Today!

Today is the day! Come join me on Daily Grommet, and if you have a great Grommet idea, send in your information! I'll be around all day to answer comments and questions.

Here is the updated location of my page on Daily Grommet.

Total Time Wasters and I Get Beat Up All the Time.

iMafia.

*sigh*

Mr. Howes and I have entered the new year equipped with iPhones and while I have begged for one for a very long time, he's never really been interested. "They're too expensive" topped the list. No, wait, it was "you don't need one" that was actually first on the list.

So who's the new free app king around here? You have 2 guesses, and the first one doesn't count. Mr. Howes iPhones more than I do. I typically get on the phone while waiting in the school pick-up line, or when I'm in the grocery check-out line. Normally for business purposes to answer emails, messages, and relist items in my shop on Etsy. It was an extremely valuable tool when we were recently without power for 4 days. I needed it then, Mr. Howes.

So what's all this about Time Wasters? Those little game apps, and most recently it's iMafia. Mr. Howes added it to my phone because I was curious what the heck he was doing on his phone all the time. I'm totally lost. I have a character I named Angry Annie, because I'm a mobster and you need to take me seriously, and all I've done so far is name myself and choose "workaholic" as my "type". All I know is I've extorted a few stores, bought a VW, I have a couple of glocks, 2 henchmen, and I frequently get my butt kicked by other players.

Yeah, right, pick on the lady.

So a couple nights ago I had a few bucks on the game, and called across the teppanyaki bar to Mr. Howes that "I have $103,000, should I buy the BMW?". I mean, really. Is that proper dining etiquette? Who cares, I'm a mobster. With henchmen and glocks. And I don't know how to properly act in public.

So I bought a gas station.

See? This is a TOTAL TIME WASTER and makes no sense whatsoever.

Welcome to the world of iPhone.

P.S. I'm on Level 14 and I have no idea how I got there.

P.P.S. I woke up this morning with a health of 12/100. Stop picking on me. I'm a GIRL.

iMafia by PlayMesh. Available for the iPhone. Free.