Just My Type

My Aunt Allison sent me an email today. She had just received a bracelet in the mail and she thought I might be like it. Oh, was she ever right! The bracelet is made of vintage typewriter keys and even came in a typewriter ribbon box. My dear aunt also sent me a link to the shop’s website. My visit there revealed an array of pendants, rings, tags, and quote boards. The pendants are made with typewriter keys, naturally, vintage skeleton keys, and bubble pendants made with dictionary pages and vintage music. You will also find darling tags made with formica. The bracelets are currently on sale and you can special order. My aunt’s bracelet spells out her name. I couldn’t resist placing an order myself and can’t wait for its arrival!

Click here to visit Junxtaposition and don’t forget to visit the shop’s blog as well.

A bookstore that gives back

I just discovered this wonderful online bookstore and wanted to pass on this delightful find. Better World Books has an astonishing number of new and used books covering every subject or interest you may have. They do not charge any shipping in the US and only $3.97 worldwide. Their prices are some of the best I’ve ever seen. The truly inspiring thing about this bookstore is that they fund worldwide literacy programs. This means that a portion of every dollar you spend helps people around the world discover the power and magic of the written word. They manage to do all of this while being mindful of the environment and shipping in eco-friendly packaging as well as allowing you the opportunity to offset the carbon footprint caused by the shipping of your books. I excitedly placed my first order last Wednesday, April 29 and received confirmation immediately via my email. I received another email on April 30 informing me that my order had been shipped that day. The letter was so funny and cute. It was written as though it was coming from the books I ordered. I am quite enchanted with this letter and would like to share an excerpt with you.

Hello Melissa,(Your book(s) asked to write you a personal note – it seemed unusual, but who are we to say no?)

Holy canasta! It’s me… it’s me! I can’t believe it is actually me! You could have picked any of over 2 million books but you picked me! I’ve got to get packed! How is the weather where you live? Will I need a dust jacket? I can’t believe I’m leaving Mishawaka, Indiana already – the friendly people, the Hummer plant, the Linebacker Lounge – so many memories. I don’t have much time to say goodbye to everyone, but it’s time to see the world!

I can’t wait to meet you! You sound like such a well read person. Although, I have to say, it sure has taken you a while! I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but how would you like to spend five months sandwiched between Jane Eyre (drama queen)and Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (pyromaniac)? At least Jane was an upgrade from that stupid book on brewing beer. How many times did the ol’ brewmaster have one too many and topple off our shelf at 2am?

I know the trip to meet you will be long and fraught with peril, but after the close calls I’ve had, I’m ready for anything (besides, some of my best friends are suspense novels). Just five months ago, I thought I was a goner. My owner was moving and couldn’t take me with her. I was sure I was landfill bait until I ended up in a Better World Books book drive bin. Thanks to your socially conscious book shopping, I’ve found a new home. Even better, your book buying dollars are helping kids read from Brazil to Botswana.

But hey, enough about me, I’ve been asked to brief you on a few things:

It was signed by the titles of the books ordered. My books arrived today and all are in good shape. All of the books I ordered were used so I wasn’t expecting perfection. However, when buying used online one can never be certain if the book will fit the description given of its condition. This is not the case with Better World Books. Each book was exactly as described and as expected. This is a wonderful place to shop and I am already planning my next order. Each time I’ve named the bookstore, I’ve also provided a link, so please check out Better World Books for yourself. I hope you all have as wonderful an experience as I’ve had.

Green Cupboards Giveaway at Vintage Indie

While perusing my usual blogs I discovered a new, lovely eco-friendly website called Green Cupboards. The people at Green Cupboards review and test products that claim to be earth-friendly. They have done all the research and testing for you. The products that pass the test can be purchased right there on sight. Vintage Indie did a review of their “Kitchen Cupboard” products and are sponsoring a contest. The winner receives the “Kitchen Cupboard.” Please check out the review on Vintage Indie and check out Green Cupboards for yourself.

Dollar General Iffy Store Policy

Last week while I was reading a friend’s blog, I encountered the following story. It seems she was at the Dollar General Store and found a sweet Raggedy Ann and Andy book which wasn’t priced. She took it the register to find out the cost and was shocked when they threw the book in the trash. The cashier told my friend that it is a Dollar General Store policy to throw away anything that rings up at 1 cent. My friend later asked another cashier at another Dollar General if this was indeed a store policy. The cashier confirmed that it was indeed. This cashier even said that clothes had to be cut before being thrown away. After reading this story, I visited the Dollar General Store website. They claim on the website to support families, communities, and environmentally friendly practices. This policy does not seem to fit this description. Books, clothes, etc. could be donated to libraries, schools, thrift stores, charities, and so forth. Families and communities could be benefiting from these items. By donating these items Dollar General would be preventing items from finding their way into landfills thus benefiting the environment. On the menu bar of their website you will find a heading called “Our Stores.” Under this heading you will find “customer service.” Here you can leave a comment or concern of your own. I sent a comment via their website and have received no reply. Perhaps if enough of us send letters, comments, etc. we will get a response and can effect change. Thanks Robyn for making us aware of this policy and how we can make a difference. Click here to visit Dollar General’s website and leave a comment!  You can also write to the Dollar General CEO at the following address:

Richard Dreiling
Dollar General Corporation
100 Mission Ridge
Goodlettsville, TN 37072

Money Saving Ideas and Tips

In my meandurings on the World Wide Web, I occasionally come across an item that I feel may be of interest to you, my dear readers. Acting responsibly is so important. This is as true of our planet as in other aspects of our lives. If we don’t take care of our home/planet, then who will? In the past living green has been expensive and sometimes it still can be. However, I have found that there are many little things we can do that help the planet and cost very little. I recently came across this list on Inhabitots and felt that it was worth passing forward. The list includes things such as planting a vegetable garden and using cloth napkins. Some of the items on the list can be big money savers. To read the full list click here. In the interest of saving money, visit $5 Dinners. This is actually a blog I ran across the other day. The woman who writes the blog shares recipes for making nutritious meals for your family that only cost $5 per meal. She also shares shopping and coupon tips. She started her blog when gas prices sky rocketed and her family needed to save money somewhere. Groceries, etc is the one area of budgets we have the most control over, so that’s where she started and she’s sharing what she learns. I am still quite new to this blog, but am infatuated with the concept and hope it may be of some use and interest to you.

Website of the Week – Doe-C-Doe!

One day last week while perusing Craftzine, I came across these charming vintage pattern embroidery collages. I immediately clicked on the link to see more. This led me to Doe-C-Doe’s blog and Etsy store. Doe-C-Doe’s blog is delightful fun! I am enamored of her embroidery transfers and projects. Her photo of Mister F. Price had me in stitches as I recalled my own childhood. Upon entering her shop I discovered more vintagey goodness. There were sweet embroidery collages, lovely rings made of vintage earrings, and ready to hang embroidery hoop collages. I highly recommend a visit to her blog and shop. You won’t regret it!

Gift Bows

Not long ago I named the site, One Pretty Thing, as a website of the week. One of things I found on that site was a gift bow tutorial on Craftster. I recently sat down with an old magazine and tried my hand at making a bow. These are the results.


I was quite pleased and felt that my little bows turned out beautifully. Christmas wrapping has now taken on a whole new meaning. I also love the idea of recycling some of my magazines instead of just throwing them out. Here’s to putting a little more green in your Christmas.

Website of the Week – Natural Beauty Workshop

I want to share this website. Naturalbeautyworkshop is a blog sponsored by from Nature with Love. From Nature was founded by Kibby and Jay. They first became aware of natural and organic ingredients in skin care when their daughter was diagnosed with eczema. They share their knowledge through the blog and sell many products that can be used in making your own skin care products. The blog is full of interesting and helpful information like making all natural body powders. It even tells you how to make these cute powder puffs.

If you are looking for more information on organic and natural ingredients or recipes or ideas for ingredients you can add to your own recipes then this blog should be on your list of places to go.