free shipping shopping event this weekend!

you know heart and laserbeams always ships for free - this weekend my unique women in business group is gettin' in on the free shipping action with our first etsy team event! we're super stoked about it and hope you are, too!

both etsy shops and independent businesses are having sales. qualifying items for each shop vary, so check out each individual shop for their promotion. (as always, all hearts and laserbeams items will be shipping for free.)

most of the etsy shops participating will have a shop announcement: Unique Women in Business Etsy Team will be having a FREE SHIPPING event starting Friday, January 22 thru Monday, January 25. Search on UWIBTEAMFS to find all shops/items participating.

Here is the thread for more info, and to see who is participating: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6395648

To immediately start searching, click here.

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indie businesses not on etsy that are participating include:

Glitzy Events - Use coupon code UWIBFREESHIP at check-out on our website

The Angel Company - Rita Wetzel, Independent Demonstrator - Send email to Rita at stamp2stamp2@yahoo.com with a list of item numbers, description, quantity. Rita will email you order total. Payment via PayPal or Credit Card.

Charms~N~Things - coupon code FSJAN2010

Painted Laydies Mineral Makeup - Everything ships free all the time. No code needed.

Naughty and Nice Lingerie - Shipping is always free within the US! Fast, free shipping, dollar rewards and free gifts with certain purchases! Check out my store for more details or email sales@naughtyandnicelingerie.com. Ask me how to get an additional 10% off your purchase!!

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Please help us spread the word by blogging, Facebooking, or tweeting about this event.

You can learn more about UWIB by checking out the yahoo group.

hearts and laserbeams on tv! WHAT!!?!?!

as you may or may not know, if you're ever in georgia you can pop into shopScad (in both savannah and atlanta!) and pick up hearts and laserbeams gifties in person.

amy from shopscad shared a video on facebook today of a news bit that was filmed in the atlanta shopscad, and i am alllll over it! how exciting! as you watch it, keep an eye out for our plate designs, glue gun tee, and in the background of one shot you can see our tiny magnet set tins!

click here to watch the video.

hearts and laserbeams book report: confessions of a shopaholic

ok i picked this book up at the las vegas airport on the way home from... vegas! shocking! gayle and i went out there last summer for a few days and had a blasty - when we were heading home there were big chunks of time on the horizon and i had left omnivore's dilemma in my suitcase instead of throwing it in my purse.

honestly i picked this one because i knew it'd be an easy read, something i could read for a few hours on the way home and then put on a shelf until i'd finished omnivore, the kind of book where you could pick right back up where you left off like a month or two later and not feel lost because everything about reading it is just so easy. plus, i hadn't seen the movie yet and i always dig reading the book before seeing the movie. and with that, i give you:

hearts and laserbeams book report: confessions of a shopaholic by sophie kinsella

ok I LOVED THIS BOOK. super fun read, super fast read, and before you know it you're done reading! the main character rebecca is just so flighty and lighthearted, just la la la la la shop shop shop hooray!

but the weirdest thing started happening as i was reading this - while i was having the time of my life reading about her shoppy adventures, as a chick who's pretty non-shoppy and has lots of living paycheck to paycheck experience, this shopaholic girl was seriously stressing me out!! i'd be reading about her going deeper and deeper into debt, and throwing away late notices and my inner old-lady monologue would scream things like, "YOU'RE RUINING YOUR CREDIT RATING!"

which is a completely uncharacteristically absurd thing for me to think while reading anything. but seriously, girl was freaking me out. other things my brain screamed while i was having a grand ol' time reading this book:

omg you did not just lie on your resume and say you're fluent in finnish!! they're gonna check that!

omg you're poor why are you buying coffee at a coffee house every day! make that shit at home!

omg you did not just do that on your date what is your major malfunction!

omg no you did not just blow off the meeting with the bank when you're gonna start sorting your shit out!

basically, i think part of the fun reading this book was how much it made my practical side sweat. i'll probably pick up another one in the series sometime soon when i need another fluffy feel-good read! (me thinks that may be the case after my next book report selection, the bell jar by sylvia plath. yup, i'm back on the high school reading list stuff!

ratings:
hearts: 4 hearts - really fantastically fun read, well written and funny!
farts: 1 fart for keeping my inner monologue yelling at me throughout the 350 pages.

***

so it's giveaway time! you want my copy of confessions of a shopaholic to check out for yourself? it's easy, just leave a comment here about anything at all before monday, october 19 at midnight and you'll automatically be entered to win! one entry per person, suckas!

we feel fine about getting published!!!

a while back (a LONG while back!) i had gotten an email from the website www.wefeelfine.org. their website is all about exploring emotions on the internets, and they had decided to create a book.

and they had discovered this blog post on the livejournal version of my blog, and could they use my middle finger picture in their book?

what's that you say? make my middle finger famous? YES PLEASE!!!

months and months and months went by, enough that i totally forgot about their exciting email. then yesterday i got another one from them, saying "hey sorry it's been so long since you've heard from us, your section of the book got cut but we liked it so much we found a way to put it back in - so you'll be in it!"

and there you have it! my middle finger will be in the book we feel fine, in stores december 1. you should probably go get a pre-order copy from amazon!

he works hard for the money...

here we see my fabulous huzzz hard at work in the hearts and laserbeams sweat shop! we're sending a box full of tees to shopScad today; if you're in the low country you besss get in that shop later this week and pick one up! shopscad features work by students, alumni and faculty of the savannah college of art and design, and is located at 340 bull street in historic downtown savannah.

not fortunate enough to live in the south? don't fret my pet, our tees are also available online!

who wants to see something new!!!

this here is a photo of the huzzz josh cutting open one of those heineken minikegs with his dremel tool. lookit those sparks fly! there was a rattley noise coming from inside the empty keg so he wanted to see what was inside - i predicted an even smaller keg of beer! unfortunately getting inside this thing is hard work and we don't have access to a chain saw so the project was abandoned.

and that's not the only show and tell i've got for today!



check out our dog jimmy the greek on a brand new coaster set! 50% of the price of these coaster sets will benefit the humane society, cuz we're huge fans of helpin out the homeless animals!

there's all kinds of new stuff in the shop today, including mousepads, coaster sets, stationery and personalized easter plates!



order your easter plates soon soon soon, cuz it takes a little time to get em made up - unfortunately there's not quite time to get them if you're international, but U.S. orders can be placed until march 22 with guarunteed easter delivery!

coming soon to a website near you!

i can't wait to show you all the crap i've got up my sleeves! all kinds of new stuff will be on the site in the next day or two, so don't forget to check back!

(if you do forget don't worry, i'm sure i'll remind you TONS!!)

easy peasy nice and cheesy!

last night josh and i busted out our new fondue pot for some cheese-dipping delicousness!

we used this recipe!

and then, because i'm in the process of coming down with a nasty cold, i was alseep on the couch by 7pm. at around 9pm i woke up and realized i should just give up and go to bed. so i said good night to josh, grabbed my phone, and as i was plugging it in i was like OMG i got a text from my brother brandon!

this is news because el brando is an old school sort who is not too fond of things like the internets and texting. it's part of what makes him awesome. he's like the dude from big lebowski, but more sean penn looking.

so i read his text and it says, and i quote:
"best buy is giving away $250.00 gift cards to the first two-thousand callers due to some "lawsuit" i just got one; i was #381. 1-800-429-5683"

and i was like hot damn i will put off going to sicksleep for five minutes and get us some best buy goodness! i try calling the number, and it's busy.

i try calling again, and it's busy.

again.

busy.

again.

busy.

finally, i think on the 11th try i got through! SUCCESS!!! i hear some fun music and then a voice welcomes me to THE BIG GAY CHATLINE!!!

I GOT SERVED!!!!

i called brandon immediately after this and we shared a hearty chuckle and then i went to bed!

the end!!!

also, just a heads up i just got signed up as a contributer on the found handmade blog! make sure you check it out periodically throughout the day, there's a bunch of us folks that'll be sharing amazing links to handmade goodies on the internets for your shopping enjoyment!

let's get buck wild up in this piece!

ok here's a cycle that happens constantly in my life:

i'll pass a store that looks awesome like five million times thinking i should go in, and never get around to it. then the store closes. then i get sad for never having gone in.

i cannot begin to tell you how many awesome places i've missed in long beach because of it - that totally sweet antique place that was a block away from the 4th street ralphs that always had one of those 60s egg-shaped chairs out front? never went in. that cool retro-antiquey-kitschy shop in a house (i think it was called blast from the past?) on the corner of 4th and redondo? never went in.

so guess what, it was all set to happen again, but this time the cycle's been broken!!! another place that i have eyeballed litterally a billion times while driving by it on long beach boulevard (it's just south of where the 405 crosses long beach blvd) is closing, but this time we've stopped to check it out!

it's the buck wild dollar store!!! it's literally THE BEST DOLLAR STORE NAME OF ALL TIME!

and if you didn't see the sign on the street, looking at this parking sign it looks like you might be at a strip joint!

josh recreates a classic photo i took of my bff jenn at walmart years ago - you can see the original here!

the sad thing about this dollar store adventure is that they're closing. but the good thing is that meant everything in the store was 50% off!!! and while it's totally typical dollar store fare, there is some good shit! all kinds of fun kids crafty and school supplies, and just lots of little odds and ends.

but lookit all the stuff we scored for 18 bucks!!!

i highly recommend if you live in the area getting your ass there asap! they're located at 3090 long beach blvd, long beach ca 90807. tell em large marge sent ya!

guess who's wickedly chic!

i was ceremoniously dubbed wickedly chic's "reader of the week" this week, and to celebrate i will now eat a hamburger covered in chocolate!

oh i'm sorry that's wickedly gross, not chic.

uh... this is awkward.... lookit the pic they used, i love it! it's from josh and i's honeymoon at the fanciest wendys ever in st thomas.



(that totally makes it sound like we honeymooned at wendys, and maybe we did. we just really heart frostys, don't judge us!)

hearts and laserbeams holiday sale happy fun time!

whoop whoop whoop it's sale time, let's celebrate with coupon code SPIKEDNOG08 ! it's no mistake that our 20% off sale ends december 15, that's when all holiday orders need to be placed to ensure delivery by christmas!



happy shoppin! don't forget to check out the four new prints and lots of restocked plate designs!

hearts and laserbeams fabric is here!

so exciting, so exciting! i can't wait make all kinds of new fabrics! and then make stuff with that fabric! and then poop my pants!

today's the last day of the 20% off sale!

happy cyber monday, folks! a/s/l? lol!

it's my duty to remind you today is the last day of the 20% off sale at www.heartsandlaserbeams.com! just use coupon code turkey08 at checkout and we'll do the rest - and don't forget, free shipping on all orders through december 31!



thanks for lookin!

plopcorn for everyone!

hope y'all had an awesome thanksgiving! ours was cool, nice and chill and good times all around ending with a ton of tasty food and me conkin out on the couch by 8pm! it's because i'm an old fogey, you see.

so there were some amazing deals out there for black friday, so much so that josh and i actually got up at 430am on friday to go to target! we got there by about 545am, and the line was HUGE. and really, honestly, one of the biggest reasons we went (aside from sale cameras!) was this:



josh had seen this popcorn maker at target a few weeks ago and fell in love. he's been wantin an air popper for a while cuz he hearts popcorn like no ones business and who knows what's in the microwave stuff!



here he is waiting oh so patiently for his first batch of old-timey-popcorn-popper-air-popped popcorn...



here's a shot of the popcorn popper's hole... yuk yuk yuk...



and the moneyshot!!! this popcorn maker's awesome, it shoots the kernels out pretty violently, like they bounce outta the bowl onto the floor sometimes! but oh so delicious! (the popcorn from the bowl, not the stuff from the floor, you understand.)

best thing about air-popped popcorn? you can put all the unpopped kernels back into the air popper for round 2! hooray!!!

also awesome about this weekend, i've been workin on 4 new paintings for the january bird show at cactus gallery - stay tuned for pics! on that note i gotta jet, caddyshack just came on ye olde television and it's totally beckoning to me!!!

jazz hands and the razzle zazzle!

it started innocently enough... this morning i thought i'd order some hearts and laserbeams logo stickers to include with my orders. you know, just a fun little packaging item. set up the file, ordered it on zazzle...

and before you know it i was finding all kinds of awesome things to make and it was 2 hours later! i love zazzle for being able to make things i can't, like printed skateboards and shoes - oh, the shoes. made 5 different pairs using the spoonflower repeats i created last week and they're adorable! these are my faves:



you should check out the rest of the stuff i made today, will be adding to it again soon!

felt club tomorrow, so exciting!

tomorrow josh, gayle and i are makin' way for los angeles to check out felt club, and you should too!



i'm a little bummed i couldn't apply for shows this holiday season, because felt club is a blast to sell at. it's always fun to go as a holiday shopper, though, to pick up fun handmade things for friends and actually have a second to stop and say hey to all the great vendors!

if you go be sure to stop by the long beach craft mafia table, they'll have goodies for the first 25 shoppers at their table and 1" buttons galore by me, hooray!

pick up your copy of this week's the district magazine!

i am so jazzed that the district weekly interviewed me for this weeks' "best of long beach" issue - i got to tell them all kinds of great things about living here! the issue hit stands today, so keep your eye out and pick up a copy!

fyi though! i have a bit of a knack for being wordy when i'm excited, so my entire interview isn't in the print edition - for that, you'll have to visit the article online!

the magazine is available pretty much everywhere all throughout long beach for the next week and it's FREE! if you're out of the area and would like one mailed, email me at heartsandlaserbeams@gmail.com and i'll get one out to ya!



in other news, put a slathering of stuff that's been in storage back into the shop between yesterday and today - custom 1" buttons are back, along with cool things like tiny watercolors and outlet covers!

most exciting, i just designed a couple of new plates for the holidays that are fully customizeable - pick either santa or a reindeer, pick your colors, add your own personal message, and pow! a fun gift for any little one (or big one, for that matter)... check em out:





thanks for lookin, stay tuned tomorrow when i tell you all about today's jury duty!

savor the soapy flavor!

i found out about savor months ago, when they were one of the featured sellers on etsy. reading the profile, it was just really intriuging that lots of lisa's inspiration comes from actual real-world recipes. AND they look good enough to eat!


(soapsmells clockwise, from top left: ginger lemon, creme brulee, geisha, my boyfriend's tshirt, pineapple buttercream)

i finally bought some savor soap off of etsy this week, and i give her twelve thumbs up! communication with her customers (something i'm really big on) is tops, her packaging is classy and eye-catching, and shipping is fast! i ended up picking 5 to try out, and i'm totally sure i'll be back - they smell AMAZING!

savor also included a little crocheted washcloth in one of my favorite colors which gives them bonus points - hooray for soapy goodness!