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 

HAPPY NUDE REAR!

HAPPY NUDE REAR EVERYONE!!!  

Sending some New Year's loving to all of you who give me the greatest gift of being able to be a creative spirit in the real world.  THANK YOU!  I am going on 9 years of being a full-time artisan and can honestly say that I am one lucky gal.  I am broke most of the time and damn-near close for the rest of the time.  haha!  But I answer to no one and am able to infuse my imagination and creative soul into my daily work.  High fives all around!

2014 was an extraordinary year for me, both in my work and my personal life.  It was full of synchronicity and serendipity, magic and awe, great friends and new friends.  A friend of mine was just remarking yesterday that she really fostered her son's imagination when he was young and now he is a really adventurous person.  She said that he can think to pursue these adventures because he can imagine them first.  That was very significant to me.  I think it's so important to live partly in our imaginations because that is what will allow us to achieve extraordinary things -- the fact that we can first imagine them.  So, let 2015 be a year of imagining!  No limits!

A real powerful mate for imagination is persistence.  My fave brand of persistence is slow and deliberate.  Taking baby steps might seem elementary but I think that subtle progress is usually the most strong and permanent kind.  One little tiny and sure-footed step in a certain direction can inevitably change the entire trajectory.  Backed-up by the fuel of clear intention and you're really on your way!  

As you can see, I'm really waxing philosophical today.  haha!  Leaving my head for a minute, I am happy to say that I have some great new products coming at you online in 2015.  Many of these I already have been producing and selling at craft shows, but will now be available online.  Yay!  Here is a booth pic from the show I just did in Ottawa in December.  

I was ready for business and had an awesome show.  I am getting to know my Ottawa clientele now that I've done the Christmas show 3 times and the spring show once.  I am happy to say that my newest upcycled products were a hit!  Legwarmers, armwarmers, hooded cowls, hats, and skirts all sold quickly, leaving a few customers empty handed when they came back to buy what they had seen a few days earlier in the show.  

UPCYCLED SKIRTS -- What a hit!

The above pic shows some of my skirts made from recycled sweaters.... super fun, super cute, and one-of-a-kind.  

These are my armwarmers made from recycled sweaters, too... funky, warm, and very affordable.  Will post some model pics in the near future so you can see how sexy they look on.

All for now.  I will leave you with this awesome pic that I took yesterday at a nearby beaver pond.  It is an incredible spot located in the Green Mountains Reserve (more on that magical place soon!).  Beavers sure do work hard!

Again, all the BEST to you in 2015!  I would love to hear your feedback on your outlook for the New Year, so please comment below and feel free to share this post with others if you've enjoyed it.  THANKS!!!  Much love!

Renée

p.s.  I will be posting some new stuff in the shop next week but in the meantime there are some AWESOME bags still available.  Get bagged in style!  Take me to the shop..... www.thehobotrain.com

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