The Brass Paperclip Project

Hello! I'm Back!

I found this image in a google search and it made me laugh...another blogger used it for the same kind of "Sorry I Dropped Off The Radar" post that I'm about to do.  Great blogger minds think alike??  (Thank you to Jay Garrett on GadgetyNews.com for the image and the laugh!)

So, yes, I've been a slacker blogger, but not without good reason...isn't there always a good reason?  I went on vacation!  Isn't that the best reason of all?   I took a two week road trip with my cute little family in our new VW Vanagon...well, new to us...Bob is 30 years old, after all.  Yes, we did name our van Bob.  I wanted to name her Charlotte, but after driving her once, I decided she was most definitely a HE.  So Bob's Your Uncle!  I ended up naming the sewing beast Charlotte instead.  (In case you missed my FB rants a few weeks back, I was sewing curtains for Bob using my husband's grandmother's (grandmother-in-law??) sewing machine...a vintage (obviously) Singer Featherweight.  Quite a beauty, but all sewing machines are beasts in my mind...I have a true love/hate relationship with all of them...but that is another story all together. 

So back to my slackery...I am so sorry to keep you waiting on the edges of your seats for this most dazzly of "I'm Back!" posts.  I have lots of great stuff planned to post...whether or not most of it is ever released to the blogosphere at large is anyone's guess.  I can tell you that my very next post will be a printable PDF of the Thank You card I did for my daughter's teachers at last year's Oh, The Places You'll Go graduation party.  I've had so many requests for it, that I'm going to make it available to anyone who wants to print it out for their teachers, because they damn well deserve our recognition and undying appreciation.  And if anyone cries more than I did reading it out loud in front of 70+ people, I'll send you a cookie.  (I have video to prove it, so you'll have to share yours first...LOL.)

And with that, I will wrap this up and get off my slackery blogger butt to start working on my next post.  And P.S. I just re-opened my Etsy shop yesterday too, so if there is anything you are looking for or wanting designed, let me know.  I do graduation invitations, announcements and pretty much anything you're willing to pay me to design, so don't be scared of all the gorgeous vintage jewelry and accessories and custom wedding stuff in my shop if you're not planning a wedding.  ;)

Thanks for breathlessly waiting my return!  I appreciate your undying loyalty!  If you want to stay more reasonably caught up, try following me in one of my other online hangouts:

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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope the holidays brought you peace, love, joy and maybe even an engagement ring!   If you are a newly-minted bride-to-be, congratulations! 

I have so much to catch you all up on, but I'm going to start this post off by apologizing for bailing on my Handmade Holiday series mid-stream.  After what happened in Sandy Hook, I just couldn't bring myself to blog.  Anything I could think of to say seemed ridiculous and meaningless.  As the mother of a 6-year-old little girl, the tragedy struck very close to my heart and really shook me to the core.  

I spent a lot of time feeling sad and reading everything I could about what happened...as morbid as that sounds, I find I need a lot of information to process things.  In all the debate about gun control and mental illness, I found myself looking at a bigger picture, questioning what is it about our society that is pushing people to this desperate brink in the first place? 

After a week of sadness and questions, I latched on whole-heartedly to the 26 Acts of Kindness movement that resulted from Ann Curry's tweet.  Even though I could not change what happened, I felt like spreading some love and helping other people in small quiet ways was very cathartic.  My daughter and I took some warm socks and travel toiletries to a teen homeless shelter, took homemade cookies and eggnog to the fire station in our neighborhood and hid lots of candy canes all over the Seattle Center.  We also passed out candy canes, thank you notes and $5 coffee shop gift cards to employees and travelers we encountered at the airport on our holiday trip to Indiana.  It was so much fun to watch the looks of surprise and then grins from unsuspecting people. 

My take-away from this tragedy is that I need to cherish the moments I have with my loved ones, especially my little girl, and never take things for granted.  I feel that I owe that much to the families who lost their loved ones.  I also truly believe that this world can use more kindness, so to that end, I plan to continue springing random acts of kindness on my community and teaching my daughter the value of being kind to others.  I'll definitely share some inspiring ideas on my blog, but will keep most of my own gestures private, because I believe anonymous kindness to unknown recipients is really what it's all about. 

As for my holidays posts, I am going to leave them for now and move forward.  I will finish the second half of my Handmade Hanukkah series and share my planned Christmas posts later in the year.  Moving forward, I have two great giveaways coming up, lots of thrift store confessions to make, real weddings to share and tons of new inventory to add to my Etsy shop.   I'm really looking forward to the new year and hope you are too!

If you're not already following my blog, I hope you'll consider connecting with me at one of the links below and please feel free to reach out and comment.  I'd really like to hear what you're thinking and what you are enjoying or wishing for in this blog or in my shop. 

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Thanks for a great 2012 and all the best in 2013!!  XOXO, Cindi

And be sure to check out Vintage Fangirl's website if you like the gorgeous Victorian postcard I used in this post...it came from her awesome website!

Front Page News

Happy Monday!  Hope yours is going as well as mine so far.  I had the pleasure of waking up to find that one of my items was featured on the front page of Etsy!  Can you spot my wedding programs in the collection below?

Special thanks to Etsy for this honor, as well as, Etsy seller and EcoEtsy teammate The Wooden Bee for including me in this wonderful 100% earth-friendly treasury! 

XOXO, Cindi

The Winds of Change

In a recent post, I hinted that the winds of change are blowing for The Brass Paperclip Project.  I've been having a hard time deciding what I want to be when I grow up, so I've decided to take some time away from my design business to focus on my family, work on new projects, reorganize my blog and hopefully start some conversations about what it means to be "green" in this day and age. (Photo via Pinterest)

Going forward, I'm excited to be broadening the scope of my posts to include, not just green weddings, but all facets of living green in the modern world.  Living a stylish, sustainable lifestyle is challenging, rewarding, and I'm finding...endlessly fascinating to most people.   I certainly get my share of eye rolls when I talk about my obsession with conservation and reducing waste, but more often than not, I find that people are really curious about what I'm doing and how I got to this point.

You can still expect some posts about weddings, but you can also look forward to more posts about earth-friendly food, parties, travel, gardening, fashion, crafts, art and anything else that catches my attention.   I hope that by sharing my stories and experiences that you will be inspired to try something new, delve further into a topic that interests you or share what you learn with others.  I hope you'll visit often to see what I'm up to and share your own thoughts about modern sustainability. 

In the meantime, here is a great video from Daily Candy featuring British singer Eliza Doolittle performing her song Moneybox...it's a cool little song about basically, doing more with less...a good motto to live by, don't you think?  XOXO, Cindi

{Sexy} Etsy: Respect The Man Cave

Over the past few weeks, I've been hosting a {sexy} Etsy party to showcase the sexier side of Etsy.  So far, the party has moved from boudoir to kitchen to bath.  We've looked at pinup style lingerie, stuffed ourselves with aphrodisiac foods and then relaxed in a {sexy} home spa.  Today, we're sneaking into the Man Cave...shhhh...don't get caught.

Anyone who lives with a guy, knows they like to have their "man space."  For some it may be a garage, for others it may be a home office or gym.  Some call it a Man Cave, some prefer Man Room.  Some guys are lucky if they have a drawer or closet to call their own.  No matter the size...cause we all know size doesn't matter...guys need a few things to make their "man space" feel like home.

If your guy has just earned his first DRAWER, set him up with a coffee mug and some slippers of his own to keep at your place...to encourage him to stay for AM coffee, of course.  

If you've made some room in your CLOSET you've earned the right to start dressing him. (wink.) Keep him in style from head to toe with some of these awesome {sexy} Etsy finds...the bowtie may be wishful thinking, but wouldn't he look hot in a tux? 

Have you cleared off a shelf for him in the BATHROOM?  Stock it up with manly bath supplies for a {sexy} morning-after routine...

If your man still has his own place, help him stock it with {sexy} gear that you love, so that when he finally does move in with you, you won't have to send all of his stuff to the Goodwill.  Crystal decanters with silver tags, a vintage Playboy magazine, sexy speakers or a sleek phone charger will look great for years to come.

Whether you've finally committed to being full-time roomies or still have separate spaces, always respect the Man Cave.    XOXO Cindi

NOW GO SHOP TILL YOU DROP:

Man Cave Rules | Anatomical Heart Mug | Manfelts Felted Slippers | Vintage Tuxedo Bow Tie | Vintage Vargas Pinups Shirt | Too Sexy Cuff Links | Black Shoes | Sexy Beast Manly Soap | Shaving Salve | Turkish Towels | Sterling Decanter Labels | iRetrofone Docking Station | Vintage 1969 Playboy | Mid-Century Speakers

 

{Sexy} Etsy: Good Clean Fun

Last week I invited you all to my {sexy} Etsy party and shared some {sexy} Etsy finds for the boudoir and the kitchen...now the party is moving to the bathroom for some good clean fun!  If you enjoyed the lingerie and the aphrodisiac foods, you are going to love the spa-worthy treats in today's post.  You'll find links for everything at the end of the post.

STEP 1: Start by drawing a nice hot bath (for yourself or someone else!) and then drop in some of these luxurious bath bombs or bath salts.  Don't forget to light a few candles to set the mood...

STEP 2: When you're done enjoying your soak, have some fun with this whipped body butter or some edible massage oils.  Now would also be a good time to dab on a bit of tempting perfume in a few strategic places....

STEP 3: Rinse and repeat as needed...

As you'll find with many of the things I feature in this blog, each of these little luxuries is handmade with with love and all natural ingredients, so you can pamper mother earth a little while you're indulging.  Now go on...get in there and have some good clean fun!

The party continues next week...with two more {sexy} Etsy posts, so be sure to subscribe to this blog or follow me on FB, Twitter or BlogLovin' so you don't miss a thing.  XOXO Cindi

SHOP TILL YOU DROP:

Pure Seduction Bath Bombs | Flower Power Bath Salts | Orange & Honey Bath Salts | Love Potion Soy Candle | Strawberry Marshmallow Buttercream Whipped Body Butter | Temptress Perfume | Chocolate Truffle Edible Massage Candle | Edible Massage Oils

 Lead photo via Opus Oils

{Sexy} Etsy: Vargas Inspired Lingerie

In honor of couples everywhere who are deeply, madly in love lust...I've decided to throw a progressive {sexy} Etsy theme party.  Here's how it works...each day the party moves to a new room in the house to explore a new sexy theme.   You show up, explore the themes, get inspired...passion ensues.  Sound good?

Today's party starts in the boudoir and features {sexy} Etsy lingerie finds inspired by famous pinup artist, Alberto Vargas.  Whether you're shopping for Valentine's Day, your honeymoon or for something sassy to wear under that pure white wedding gown of yours, you're bound to find a perfect fit on {sexy} Etsy.  Check out all this luxurious, vintage-inspired lingerie and tell me you're not picturing yourself as the next Varga girl.

When you're done drooling over the stunning photography, be sure to visit the links at the end of this post to shop till you drop.  Have fun and I'll see ya tomorrow in the kitchen for some sexy food!  XOXO Cindi

 

SHOP TILL YOU DROP:

Hopeless: Silk Bow Garters and Pink Garter Knickers  {Also be sure to check out the seriously sexy Spokes 'n' Daggers blog.}

MajoRey:  Ruffled Floral Mask  {Spend $100 or more and get a free item, free shipping on select items.  See shop for complete details.}

La Lilouche: Red Satin Corset Bra,  Black Lace Mask,  Silk Backless Bra  {Take 15% off until 1.31.11 with code: MYVALENTINES}

Naughty Naughty:  Lace Skirted Thong  {Free lingerie bag with orders of $30 or more, free shipping with orders of $100 or more...see shop for complete details.}

Toad Lillie: High Waisted Cut-Out Silk Panties  {Don't miss Toad Lillie's blog for vintage couture inspiration...gorgeous!}

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Psst...there's more to love.  If you liked this post, you will LOVE these ruffled silk tap pants.

Tulle Art Gowns

Not really wedding related, but...I spotted these Viktor and Rolf tulle gowns on Bouquet of Tulle Roses and had to share.  What do you think?  The one with the hole in it kills me... XOXO, Cindi

Pin It!

Oh how I love a good time suck!  Pinterest caught my attention last week and I have been hooked ever since!  What is it, you ask?  Pinterest is a social photo sharing site that acts like a virtual bulletin board.  Users can "pin" their favorite photos from anywhere on the web to create "boards" based on any theme imaginable.  Users can also "follow" other users and check out their boards.  It's kind of like a visual Twitter, only with photos instead of 140 characters.

I'm loving it for organizing all of the amazing photos I find on the web that I normally have to bookmark in my web browser...always forgetting what the link was for in the first place.  Now I can visually bookmark the good stuff and see it all at a glance.

Brides, you will want to check this out...there are already a ton of amazing wedding boards and many of the major wedding blogs are already on the scene posting more wedding porn than you can shake a stick at!   You can use this site to create boards and collect images for your own wedding planning inspiration.

There's just one catch...Pinterest is currently in beta only, so you have to be invited to join.  You can still check out all the amazing content, but you won't be able to actually start creating your own boards until you've been invited to join or until the site is opened up to everyone.  So...visit the site, check it out and if you like it...request an invitation.    

I've already started quite a few boards, so feel free to follow me and see what I'm loving right now. Or click on any of the photos in this post to be taken to those boards... Enjoy!  XOXO Cindi

P.S. If you end up creating some boards, be sure to share your links in the comments below so we can all follow along. 

 

 

 

Luxe Crush No. 1: Ruffled Silk Tap Pant

If this isn't just the sexiest damn thing...imagine whipping these out on the honeymoon...or for Valentine's day...or to clean the house...hubba hubba.  ;)

via Espalore on Etsy