Seven + Seven Random Facts

One of our fellow NaBloPoMoers, TC of I Have Things, has tagged us for a meme. Kind of like a chain letter in Blogworld. So here we go, beginning with the rules:

Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share seven facts about yourself. (Since there are two of us, you get fourteen--count 'em--fourteen facts.) Tag seven random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here goes:

Seven Random Facts about Ann:

Ann playing in the Misses at the Rock n Roll Craft Show

1. The drums are my favorite instrument.

2. The middle toe on my left foot is my shortest toe.

3. I like to make my little rat terrier-mix Pilar dance to the theme song from Sex in the City.

4. My favorite numbers are 5 and 7.

5. Would like to have the super-power of becoming invisible any time I want.

6. Do not like to put my head under water.

7. I feel like I am still 27.

Seven Random facts about Sharon:

Sharon at her best friend Kelley's wedding

1. My favorite song is "Yesterday" by the Beatles.

2. I have a fascination with murder and mayhem.

3. I've seen the movie My Own Private Idaho eight times--four of them at the theater.

4. In my first two weeks working at Elizabeth House, I locked myself in back hallway three times.

5. The beauty of my physical surroundings is very important to me. (I understand why postal workers shoot people.)

6. I enjoy teaching people how to do stuff.

7. My nickname in grade school was "Derry for the Defense."

OK, your turn. We tag:

A Treehugger's Wife

Diary of a MILF in Progress

Splendid Sustenance

Towards Sustainability

Welcome to my closet, here's a black dress

12Frogs

Down the Rabbit Hole

Why The Music Posts?

Rilo Kiley

We are trying to post every week or so about the music we are listening to. I thought I'd explain a bit further what's behind this. The reason is...music is pretty dang important to both of us. I've been an avid listener since I was about 10 years old. I still remember my first full-length record: It was the original soundtrack for Jesus Christ Superstar. And I remember that the next few records included Who's Next, Neil Young's Harvest, Carol King's Tapestry and the Yes Fragile album (Can you guess how old I am?). This started my long career as a music fan--to be more accurate, my rock music addiction. Later on in my youth, I bought a bass guitar and three months later began playing in bands. To this day I still partake in both of these habits and don't see them going away any time soon.



Sharon has a strong passion for music as well. She has been around it for most of her life and spent much of her earlier years going out to support the local music scene and ended up marrying a musician. Her husband, Mike, still actively plays and is a successful music engineer with his own recording studio. Needless to say, music is a constant staple in their household. I will let Sharon fill you in later on her influences but I can tell you her interest in lyrics plays a huge part in what floats her boat.

Here is what we've been spinning this week: Sun Kil Moon Tiny Cities, Rilo Kiley More Adventurous, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Raising Sand, and Liz Phair Exile in Guyville.


Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

Ann

Green for the Holidays

This Friday evening from 4 to 7, Secret Leaves will participate in an Artisan's Reception at Home Eco, St. Louis' first and only green general store. This is the second year we have participated and proprietors Terry Winkelmann and Phil Judd put on a really nice holiday event--festive atmosphere, lots of yummy organic sweets and treats, beautiful artisan-made items and plenty of eco-friendly products, from green cleaning supplies to solar panels to lovely and unusual eco-friendly gifts.

Photo Elizabeth Maxson

If you aren't doing anything, stop by and see us! We will be there selling our wares.

Sharon

PS. Thanks to our friend Elizabeth Maxson of Elizabeth House for the use of her photos.

More Unique Boutique

OK, Ann and I are participating in NaBloPoMo, or National Blog Posting Month. You are supposed to post every day in the month of November. I have missed a couple of days since I started, including yesterday, so I am posting twice today to make up for it. Here are more Unique Boutique images:



This is our friend Cindy, on the left, and our friend Jen on the right. Cindy is an attorney. We are really proud of her, as the rest of our friends are hooligans and ne'er-do-wells. Cindy says she aspires to be a hooligan and a ne'er-do-well, but she hasn't quite mastered the art of it yet. Jen is the charming proprietor of Angelina Accoutrements. She makes beautiful sweaters, wraps, scarves and headbands out of vintage cashmere. She was instrumental in getting us into this show and we appreciate it! Her things are absolutely lovely. Here is a sweater and skirt combo she designed. Notice also the sumptious wraps hanging on the rack to the right. So fine. (That is Jen's handsome husband Greg on the left.)



Well, that's it for now. Leave us a comment...we would love to hear from you!

Sharon

Unique Boutique

Greetings all. I am finally getting around to posting about Unique Boutique, one of the shows Secret Leaves participated/is participating in this holiday season. The annual event is held at John Burroughs prep school in St. Louis and vendors are by invitation only. It was a good weekend for us: sales were brisk and it was extremely well-organized and well-run. Our thanks to organizer Bren Souers and all of the volunteers for a job well-done.

Our big sellers--as always--were Scrap Journals and Take Cover Journals. We also did quite well with a couple of new items: our Cigar Box Album Kit and our new Map Albums. We are still in the process of deciding whether to add these permanently to our offerings.

Unfortunately, my photos are not great, so you will have to trust me when I tell you that our display looked really good!

The letters draped across the front were printed on pages from an old book. It looked really cool, but the show was so crowded and the hallway so narrow, I don't think many people saw them. (The artwork on the back wall is not ours.)

A Good Weekend For The Movies

After the hectic rush of last weekend's Unique Boutique adventure and, of course, all the hubbub of cooking and eating Thanksgiving Day, I took advantage of a rainy Saturday to relax and go to a movie. A luxury these days. Although it may not be everyone's cup of tea, I chose No Country for Old Men. It has been getting a fair amount of critical acclaim and I usually love the work of the Coen Brothers.

I enjoyed this movie. But without giving too much away, if you want the story to tie up neatly in the end, this is not the flick for you. Also, as in most of the Coen Brother's work, there is no shortage of violence. But it is well done and the dialogue is very entertaining. I woke up today still thinking about it, and for me if a movie stays in your mind and makes you think, then it is well worth the time you took to see it.

And in keeping with my relaxing weekend and fatigue of eating turkey, I plan on more movie rentals tonight with a big plate of nachos! I can hardly wait.

Ann

Unique Boutique Teaser

Just a quick post with a sneak peek at our table at Unique Boutique this past weekend. More to come...

Sharon

The Menu for a Good Life

Thanksgiving with my husband Michael's family this year. Here was the menu:

Appetizers: chips and salsa, artichoke dip and crisps, dill dip with rye bread.

Main course: roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, potato casserole, corn in heavy cream, layered salad, pasta and broccoli salad, cranberry relish and sauce, cheddar biscuits and yeast rolls. Yes, it was heavy on the starch. Yes, it was delicious.

Dessert: pumpkin pie, cheesecake with raspberries, blueberry pie, apple pie with cinnamon ice cream, coffee for those who wanted it.

It was fun, relaxed, filled with laughter...a perfect family gathering. I am thankful for my loving family; Michael's loving family; my good friends (who are like family to me); my wonderful friend and business partner, Ann; good health; our dog Ellie and kittycat Lulu; a warm, comfortable house; decent cars to drive; enough money to go to the movies or out to dinner occasionally, the luxury of doing what I love...I have a lot to be thankful for and hope you do too. Happy Thanksgiving.

Sharon

Recycled Christmas cards

Here are the new Christmas cards we designed for this holiday season. They depict the first three verses of the Twelve Days of Christmas. They come in sets of 8, all the same card. All cards are printed with soy ink on 100% post-consumer recycled card stock manufactured at wind-powered plants. Yea green!

We also have coordinating Christmas stickers. These would look so cool as the seal on an envelope, on a gift, on a package to be mailed, on a place card...the possibilities are endless! Each sheet has 24 stickers with four different designs per sheet.

Twelve Days Christmas stickers

If you are interested in purchasing, drop us an email at inquire@secretleaves.com. Happy holidays!

Sharon

What we are listening to this week

Kaki King

This will be a busy week at Secret Leaves World Headquarters. This past weekend was Unique Boutique and we are preparing for the upcoming Artisan's Reception at Home Eco on November 30, as well as the Rock-n -Roll Craft Show on December 8-9. I like to listen to easy stuff while I am working, so maybe it will be a little Red House Painters, perhaps Luna Penthouse--and I have been listening to Todd Rundgren a lot lately too. Ann is a fan of Kaki King. She might want to hear some other girl rockers too. We'll keep you posted...

Sharon

Arizona Wedding

I’m sure you can picture it...Sedona. It made the perfect backdrop for my niece Crystal’s wedding. My family made the trek to Arizona to witness the nuptials and it was a fantastic time. I always enjoy the chance to spend a time with them and the trips we take together are always memorable. And I do mean memorable in a good way.

Below are a few pics of the setting. The wedding took place in early October so it was a tad chilly, but other than that the day was perfect. Also pictured is the Cigar Box Journal Kit I gave the happy couple as a wedding gift. We will be selling these at some of our upcoming holiday events and we are considering adding it to our product line. Tell us what you think!

Ann