Sal as Fuzzy Bunny

sal as fuzzy bunny, originally uploaded by m patrizio.

ring top bell

ring top bell, originally uploaded by m patrizio.

My 2 cent Halloween decor.

Timmie #200 Sneak Peek

(click image to enlarge)


Only 4 months after promising to show you... I present to you.....TIMMIE #200 ~ a.k.a. Timmie aviator, with his serious business leather goggles and white scarf blowin' in the wind!!

It was a cold and stormy night (hmmm, probably not) back in May 2005 when my first Timmie Tadpole was born. Don't let him know, buuuut, he was a failed attempt at making a frog, a happy accident as they say. I began the Timmie cloning project and haven't tired of making Timmies and Timmie accessories for the last 4.5 years. A big thanks goes out to all the Timmie adoptive parents for all their feedback and keeping me motivated throughout the years. To see the Timmies in some of their adopted habitats check out the Timmie group.

One of my goals for the next few months will be to make a children's book detailing the True Hollywood Story of Timmie's upbringing, his life struggling as pond outcast, his addiction to over the counter drugs, his rigorous training as an opera singer, etc.

Once the bright sunlight returns to NYC I will take some better pictures and then add Timmie #200 to my Etsy shop.

Kangaroo pouch journal

Kangaroo pouch journal, originally uploaded by m patrizio.

A new design I'm testing out.

Tooth Powder

The first time I saw tooth powder was in a Japanese zakka book a few years ago. A nice Japanese lady was dipping her toothbrush into a round tin of tooth powder. Since I am fan of really old-fashioned things, I had to have some. I came across this small bottle of natural tooth powder that only contains 4 ingredients (natural chalk, mustard seed powder, sea salt , and natural plant essence). Regular toothpaste contains chemicals such as fluoride and sodium lauryl sulfate whose safety is debated among the medical community. I hate that companies just throw chemicals into their products because they are cheap to use.

Tooth powder seems like a good alternative to using regular tooth paste, but my only concern is if the texture is too abrasive for my tooth enamel. Does anyone have any experience with this?

♥polka dot serving bowl

While searching for a coffee press made in the US, I came across this adorable wooden bowl made by the Vermont Bowl Company.

New promo card and Etsy's paper flower tutorial

new promo card, originally uploaded by m patrizio.

Yay! My new postcards came! I can't wait to start sending them out with my orders.

Also, I love the paper flower tutorial I saw on Etsy's How Tuesday - LINK

Paper flowers are a fun way to use up paper scraps that you were going to throw out, bill envelopes, etc...

what amount of milk is it okay to cry for?

what amount of milk is it okay to cry for?, originally uploaded by m patrizio.

Sweeter than sweet

My favorite part is when one of the bunnies falls to the side.

Cozy in a cup

Perfect for a chilly evening- Trader Joe's Spiced Cider warmed up! Keep an eye on your pot to make sure it doesn't boil over.

I use a small enamel milk pot like this one-

(image from ebay)

T-strap house shoes

Here is my latest attempt. I've been obsessing over t-strap shoes lately so I tried to make a pair out of some wool and linen I had around. They came out ok... I would have made different color choices if I tried it again and I would make the T part shorter.

Salvaged white cabinet

salvaged white cabinet, originally uploaded by m patrizio.

the latest trash to treasure! My dad found a green broken cabinet in the street with no knobs. He added a new base, cap and knobs, and then painted the whole thing white. I love it!

Essential Oils ~ Countertop Spray Experiments

I've been doing some experimenting on making my own cleaning sprays for my apartment. I headed to my local Russian pharmacy and purchased some lavender oil and eucalyptus oil. Lavender oil is believed to create a feeling of calmness and relieve headaches and eucalyptus oil is believed to treat respiratory problems and freshen the air because of its anti-bacterial properties. So far I've tested out the lavender oil by mixing a couple drops in some white vinegar and water in an empty Method spray bottle to make a counter top spray. So far so good! I've seen some recipes online that add dish soap to the mix as well. For tough stains I've been sprinkling baking soda on the surface first and then using the spray mixture to make a paste scrub.

Apple picking

Apple picking, originally uploaded by m patrizio.

I painted one of the apples from my first ever apple picking excursion.

Coming {back} soon

I've just finished up with my latest web project ReadAloud.org - a great initiative encouraging parents to read aloud with their children every night.

I just have one more Flash game that I need to finish up and then I will be back to designing new items for my shop. Weeeeee!