Monday, February 27, 2012

Great Handmade Blog

Hey everyone!  I'm involved in a great giveaway that I mentioned over a week ago.  It is being hosted by Jolynn's Hobby Shop and I'm giving away one of my skull and roses hobo bags.  The giveaway is still on and ends of Friday -- so, get your buns over there and enter to win.  Here's the link:  http://jolynnshobbyshop.blogspot.com/2012/02/giveaway-friday-win-handbag-from.html

Well in promoting my giveaway, I stumbled upon an awesome blog:  http://www.handmadeables.com .  This site has also posted the giveaway -- THANKS handmadeables!  This blog has great gift ideas and focuses only on handmade stuff.  One more point for handmade. 

In other news, I'm still on my cauliflower kick.  Ate 3 whole cauliflowers last week.  Well, and they were on sale for $1.67 at the restaurant supply store so that may explain why I bought so many.  lol  I've been making my own salad dressing (garlic, oil, vinegar, spices) that I just can't seem to get tired of.... *tooting horn* 

Goodnight,

Renee ♥

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Peek into my Messy Workshop...

Hey my little hobo peeps!  Just dropped by to post a pic of my messy workshop.  lol  This is where all the action takes place.  It's awesome to have a space I can totally 'take over' and extra awesome that I have a 16-foot window right next to me.  Renee

Friday, February 17, 2012

Wanna win some handmade swag?

Hey my little hobo bunnies!  I'm participating in my first blog giveaway.... Here's the scoop...

Okay everyone, the giveaway has started. There are 3 prizes to be won -- one of my delicious skull bags and 2 lovely items from other Etsy sellers. Follow this link to Jolynn's Hobby Shop.... http://jolynnshobbyshop.blogspot.com/  There you will find the rules on how to participate. The contest runs until March 2nd, so you have time to get as many entries as possible. Please share this link with all your friends who would LOVE to win some handmade swag. THANKS! (Any questions, just comment below).

I'm really excited about this giveaway and really want to get as many people involved as possible.  So PLEASE pass the word along.... Have a hobolicious day!

Renee

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Cauliflower and Upcycled Clothing

Hey Peeps!  So this week I've rediscovered my love for cauliflower.  I've always been a veggie lover but sometimes I get in a rut of eating the same thing over and over.  I've been trying to eat as raw and as cheaply as possible.  Cauliflower was on sale at this FANTASTIC restaurant-food supply store, so I bought me a large head.  I've been putting chunks of it in my salad along with spinach, onions, avocadoes and tomatoes, topped off with my homemade oil and vinegar dressing.  So this is basically all I've been eating this week.... a fresh start after falling off the wagon last week, eating chips, cookies and old-fashioned cooked food.  I'm already feeling a lot better.  I will post more regularly and more specifically about raw food in the future... for now it'll just be a few ramblings here and there.

In other news, I've been working hard on my Etsy shop: see http://www.thehobotrain.etsy.com .  I've struggled with taking good pics and am finally getting the hang of it.  I've been making bags for almost 6 years now and am looking to diversify.  I think upcycled clothing could really be a hit, especially since it's not a saturated market and has a specific target group.  (Listen to me with all that biz speak! lol)  I've already got a few pieces done.  It's been tough since I'm not a patternmaker.  I will post pics very soon.  Fingers crossed that it'll be a hit. 

All for now.  Please check out my Etsy shop http://www.thehobotrain.etsy.com and fan me on facebook... http://www.facebook.com/thehobotrain ... if you really want to go to town, follow me on Twitter... www.twitter.com/thehobotrain .  THANKS!

Wanna know what I'm listening to in the workshop today... Van the Man!  Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44wDwMQVqCc

Later hobo peeps,

Renee

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Popping in for another quickie... lol

Hey peeps!  Don't really know if anyone is reading this, although it would be great some folks were entertained by my ramblings from time to time.  Just had to pop back in because the thoughts I expressed in my last post were haunting me.  I couldn't quite explain things the way I wanted to.  Words... how they frustrate me sometimes and do their exact job at other times.  The idea of customizing your life means to me -- taking the stuff that's on the inside (dreams, values, desires, interests, ideas, passions, curiosities, etc) and realizing it on the outside.  It is a gift to be able to do that and it is a gift those around you if you do it.   *feeling better now*  Later friends! 

Oh ya... if you're out there in cyberspace lurking, I'd love for you to leave a comment or follow my blog.  Feedback is inspiring.

Dropping by...

Just dropping by to say hello.  ♥  Been working hard on my Etsy shop... http://www.thehobotrain.etsy.com

Trying to revamp the pics of my bags.... so far pretty successful.  Although they now look pretty sterile.  Gotta throw in some personality in there somewhere.  Otherwise, I'm super happy with how bright they look considering I have to take them indoors for now, and thrilled that the fabrics look true to life.  Yay!  I've been hanging out in the Forums on the Etsy site and have met some AWESOME people there... hardworking crafters looking to make a life for themselves that is different from the mainstream.  So inspiring.  Yah, let's go there....  I love the idea of customizing your life.  Why do people have to live a certain way?  I suspect that most people, given the chance, would live differently than they currently are living.  And as I type this, I realize that many people in my society do have the opportunity to live differently, but don't.  That opportunity exists mainly in the first world and it is a shame to see it lost.  Most of the rest of the world don't have much of a choice, since their daily grind focuses on survival and getting the basics covered.  In my part of the world, the basics are taken for granted and there is a never-ending hole of insatiable desire that is constantly being stuffed and filled but never satisfied.  Kind of brutish I would say, non?  Greed is the creed.  Anyway, that's a whole other blog posting.  lol  Back to the idea of customization... Most people around me have the means to customize their lives, at least in part.  Hell, I'm trying to do that and I make less money than almost everyone I know and currently struggle to make ends meet.  Why is it fucking cool to customize your life?  Well, I think that it can really make people happy to have control over their lives and to carve themselves a life that satisfies their desires.  A deep sense of satisfaction can result.  ♥  Waxing philosophical now... lol  I'll leave you with that before I start speaking in tongues.  hahaha!  Later peeps!  Don't forget to check out my new swag.... and feel free to give me some feedback! 

http://www.thehobotrain.etsy.com
http://www.twitter.com/thehobotrain