Animal tracks, VIP treatment, and being cool!

G'day passengers of The Hobo Train!  

I've got country living, my new Facebook group, and the coolness factor of handmade on my mind today.  Read on and I'd love to hear some feedback in the comments.  

Stay beautiful and thanks for riding The Hobo Train! 

* COUNTRY LIVING * 

I live in the country, near the end of a dirt road in a valley flanked by the incredible Green Mountains.  Every Friday in the winter I have a regular snowshoe date with some friends and we plough through the woods motivated by the pot-luck lunch that follows.  This morning was glorious - a true cold winter day with a bright sun and deep blue sky.  We saw some exciting animal tracks: snowshoe hare, fisher cat, deer, mink, and lots of mouse activity.  Check out these snowshoe hare tracks next to the long shadows of the trees:

* NEW FACEBOOK GROUP * 

I recently started a Facebook group, which is different than a Facebook business page... who knew?! This new group is a VIP club where I will be pampering my much-loved and kind-hearted customers with some awesome sales events.  Members of the VIP group will received top-notch treatment and first dibs on the best of what I have to offer.  Not to mention it will be damn fun.  I will be hosting my first sales event next Wednesday, March 9th at 7pm EST.  Join in the party!  Click 'VIP CLUB' below and then click 'join' at the top of the page: 

VIP CLUB

(I'm also having a giveaway there TODAY!)

* THE COOL FACTOR OF HANDMADE *

I hear a lot of talk about handmade artisan products.  People say that it's good to buy handmade because of the quality, that they last longer, or because it helps a small local business survive, or even because handcrafted items usually come with a unique story of the artist's process, life, and personality.   But one thing that often gets overlooked is COOLNESS.  Handmade items are downright cool.  They are a means of self-expression and when you are able to express your inside on the outside, that equals COOL.  So let your freak flag fly my friends!  Take the opportunity to buy handmade when you can and boost your cool factor.  People know it when they see it and they won't be able to miss it!  'Cause nothing says cool like handmade! 

As always, I love and appreciate you all.  Comment below and I'll be over the moon!

Much love!

Renée <3 font="">

Not another GIVEAWAY?!?!?!

All aboard The Hobo Train!  Okay, this one will be short and sah-weet!  Giveaway started now.  Please enter to win.  Easy peasy.  Cool prize.  You in?  

Yes it's true!  As usual, I'm running the GIVEAWAY through Rafflecopter.... a few summersaults will get you MANY entries to win.  Who doesn't love gymnastics anyway? 

I like having giveaways because it brings more traffic and fans to my pages, but it's not entirely self-serving.  lol  Actually the MAIN reason by far is to give back to the people who help me live a life so free and creative.  And hosting a giveaway is downright fun!  So thank you to all of you! 

By the way.... what time is it?  .................  It's..........

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Please share this post if you think this giveaway needs to be experienced by other lovers of handmade items, or just anyone who loves a good giveaway.  If you'd like to subscribe to my blog, scroll down to the bottom of this page and enter your email under 'get my posts delivered right to your inbox'.  That will keep you updated on all The Hobo Train news!  I love any and all comments and read every single one. 

MUCH LOVE!

Renée 

Make a gift-giving reputation for yourselves!

YUP, it's that time of year again when everyone gets an ulcer trying to be organized and relaxed for Christmas.  haha!

Let's make it easy on ourselves this year, peeps!  Instead of braving the CRAZY stores and shopping malls just to buy a generic item, let's make a concerted effort to make the gifts special and make the gift-finding easy.  One way of doing that is to shop HANDMADE!  Yup, I feel like we're edging more and more toward a handmade planet.... #handmadeplanetISAID!  

Handmade gifts are ALWAYS the awesomest, most-remembered, most unique gifts that a person can get, and of course we all want to leave a reputation of phenomenal gift giving in our wake, n'est-ce pas?  That kind of reputation is GOLDEN!

Of course it doesn't all have to be uber handmade from that eccentric artist who makes his own paints and grows the cotton for his canvases.  For example, I'm looking at buying a super neat book for my nephew.  The best part is that it's a small publishing company and you can give them someone's name and they will print it with that person as the main character.  Mind. Blown.  Way.  Cool.

Long story short, we all still have time to order really funky stuff off the internet from the comfort of our own home.  We can find stuff that no one else has ever seen before and that will rock the socks of the person receiving it.  So in a way by giving more thoughtful and more special gifts we are actually giving the greatest gift to ourselves..... which is that satisfying feeling of making someone's day.  Okay okay, I know.... break out the violin!

But seriously, being a thoughtful and giving person rocks!

And this posting will inevitably get steered for my own purposes.  *evil laugh*  Should you know any awesome gals that would love one of my bags for Christmas, then head on over to THE HOBO TRAIN and persuse the variety.  

I am also having a contest to win a coupon code for my shop.  YAHOO!  Head on this way for that.... THE HOBO TRAIN -- FACEBOOK .  THANKS!!

All for now.  Big PROMO coming next weekend for BLACK FRIDAY/CYBER MONDAY.  Love to you all!  Hugs all around!

Renée

GIVING AWAY FREE SWAG!

Hellooooooo my lovelies!  

Yup, it's that time again.  SWAG + FREE = AWESOME!  I'm having a GIVEAWAY!  It is ridiculously fun to give stuff away.  I love giving back to my amazing customers and followers, as they give me so much already..... *grabs kleenex*  This GIVEAWAY is pretty much exactly like the last one for those to participated last time.  I am giving away an awesome skull and roses regular-sized hobo bag.  However, the winner can choose to have that bag or their choice of any regular-sized bag in the shop.  Of course, I will also ship the bag for free to anywhere in the WORLD!  Ya baby!  Here a pic of the swag bag....

A real beaut for sure!  There is a maximum of 25 entries per person.  Yes there are a few little hoops to jump through to obtain the entries, but that's the fun part.  There will also be some surprise chances at BONUS entries over the next couple of weeks, so keep your eyes peeled!  The giveaway ends on September 24th and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter.  The winner is picked randomly by Rafflecopter, so it is truly anyone's win!  

Here is the widget...

a Rafflecopter giveaway



If you have any questions at all, feel free to message me or post at the bottom of the page.  You can email too via thehobotrain@yahoo.ca .  And there's always the FB page.... THEHOBOTRAIN .  Check it out!

If you want to see what new stuff I have in the shop, please have a visit.... SHOP THEHOBOTRAIN

THANKS in advance to everyone who participates!  This is going to be a good time!

HOBO BAGS + FUN = THEHOBOTRAIN

Renée