MY NEWEST TOMS!

my newest pair of TOMS. these i painted for myself. it was so much pressure since i paint all day for other people but never really take the time to think about what colors i really really really like AND would want to wear on my feet. they turned out perfectly and are SO me. and i've gotten lots of compliments! which is really exciting! want your own pair in your favorite colors? order them from harts n crafts for only $69! it's the perfect accessory for spring!

HAPPY HAPPY FUN FUN!!

aaron's older brother, david, came to visit us for a couple of days. he lives in richardson. he's always so good to us and brings lots of surprises. like this dylan's candy bar. ummmmmmm YUMMY!! it is so so so good. and has 10,000 calories in the entire bar. but that's beside the point....

also, this photo is displaying my pretty new haircut. i've never really had a good haircut or one i was like "wow, this is amazing" but this is how i feel about my hair now! it is so fun and rocker girl and summery. and i have bangs again, which i love. my friend sara cut it. she is so sweet and lives down the street from us. i traded her a pair of TOMS shoes for my hair cut. what a great deal! she, too, is an artist and i really do feel she created a masterpiece out of my long, plain, boring hair. YAY!

happy tuesday. the weather is supposed to be so so so nice all week. i wish i had a bike. aaron and i keep saying this. i haven't ridden one in forever and have some anxiety about riding in austin. because bikers and drivers are very integrated here and i am not confident in my bicycle maneuvering skills. but bike riding does produce AMAZING legs. i have learned that much. YAY!

TIE DYE!

LADIES!
we are have these shoes.
in stock. all sizes.
so so so fun for the spring.
and the beach.
and the pool.

tie dye is funky fun.
a flashback to the 70s.
the time of peace.
lots and lots of peace and love.
love love love these shoes!!

HAND PAINTED TOMS!!

OOOOEEEEEE! my first hand-painted pair of TOMS. i am SO SO SO excited about this new HNC idea. i can't wait to paint more pairs!

so here's the deal. you can buy a pair of white canvas TOMS from us for $44. you're totally welcome to use our supplies to paint them in the store for FREE!!! and we can even help out with color choices, techniques, etc. if you want us to hand-paint a pair for you, we'll do it for 25 BUCKS. this way you can incorporate swirls, polka dots, hearts, things that might require a little more skill. and so for $69 you can have a totally customized pair of shoes in the colors of your choice to match any number of outfits. or buy multiple pairs for ALL of your outfits. YAY! the perfect accessory for spring. brought to you by harts n crafts.

and don't forget the cause behind the shoe. for every pair you purchase, a pair of TOMS goes to a child in need. win win win!

OOPS!

i didn't post today. or yesterday rather. since it's already Tuesday now. it was such a whirl wind of a day. aaron and i woke up and walked to tamale house for breakfast tacos. i worked on taxes. aaron experimented with new art techniques. we took the car in for an oil change. went to austin diner for lunch. 25cent wings at waterloo icehouse for dinner with friends. and summed up the day at the carousel for live music by our friend, the whiskey priest. it was a busy day. tomorrow will equally compare. most days do. we live busy lives.

TOASTMASTERS

I agreed to go with my friend Leah to a Toastmasters group this morning. I had no idea what I was in for, nor did I realize that this is a national organization to help you "become the speaker and leader you want to be" Wow.... This might have more relevance to my life than I thought it would. I mostly was interested in learning techniques to conquer my fear of speaking at sorority meetings about Harts N Crafts. But if it can help me become a better leader and communicate more effectively the mission of HNC, then sign me up. But maybe not so quickly. I'm still reluctant. And scared to death of being called on to give an impromptu 2 minute speak. EEK! We'll see. Maybe I'll be back again.....

Some interesting facts that I learned from the three speeches given this morning....

1. To be the best at ANYTHING it takes a minimum of 10,000 hours of practice. This equates to 3 Hours a Day, Consistently For TEN YEARS!! Pretty inspiring that by the time I'm 39 I could be THE BEST at something ANYTHING I start practicing today!!!

2. Compact Florescent Lightbulbs (those newish kinds that are swirly looking)- Contain Mercury. Not enough to cause Mercury poisoning if you're exposed to it. But Mercury is fat-soluble. And the symbol is HG. Hmmm. This speech didn't really grab my attention too much or leave me with many cohesive thoughts.

3. Happiness is a state of mind. It isn't a realistic goal to attain happiness 100% of the time. One should strive for CONTENTMENT.

Another something interesting a speaker brought up is that it's human nature for us to expect more out of what someone is saying if they are attractive looking. Do you think this is true?

And lastly. I have so many free-spirited friends that I secretly kind of envy for their spontaneity and fearlessness that I thought this was really endearing....

"A free spirit loses something by being reigned in."

HAPPY FRIDAY!
Aaron and I are off to Waco today to meet lots of family: my parents, sister, brother-in-law, nephew, aunt, uncle, and two cousins. We're going to the last Baylor Women's Basketball game tomorrow. YIPPEE! (I'm telling you this so that you know I might not blog tomorrow. But I will be back! On Monday at the latest. YAY!)

QUOTES

I love quotes, sayings, lyrics from songs. I am constantly looking for these to paint on our fun products. I've never really stopped to think that it's just a normal person making these sayings. They're choosing words and putting them together to form a thought. While I was twittering (my new obsession) this morning, I ran across a man named Mark Kolke. Every morning he sends out "Mark's Musings" to over 15,000 readers. Here's what he said this morning. It really struck a chord in me.

"Dreams come before goals. Goals come before actions. Actions come before results. Results come before relaxation. Relaxation comes before sleep. Sleep comes, and that is where dreams are found."

Life is cyclical. If today just isn't working out for you, go to sleep and dream up new ideas and start tomorrow over on the right foot. Life goes on. New days are just around the corner. Every day is exactly what we decide to make of it.

More of Mark's Musings can be found at:
http://frameyourmessage.com/home/dailythought.html

HAPPY THURSDAY!!!

WASTE NOT PAPER

Spring is the perfect time to spend the day outdoors. So grab a stack of pretty notecards, a good book, and a picnic lunch. A fun day is just a walk away!

WASTE NOT PAPER sells the prettiest of all pretty stationery. Here's a little info about the company....

Over 15 years ago, the founder of Paper Source was on a mission to buy natural raffia ribbon. Only available in large quantities, she purchased the bulk ribbon and set out to sell smaller portions of this natural product to other retailers. And thus, waste not paper was born.

Over the years, their focus expanded to include more environmentally friendly products. They may have been ahead of their time, but today they are renewing their commitment to provide access to beautiful products without excess cost or waste.

Harts N Crafts sells a wide array of WNP. Buy sets of 8 for $12. or mix and match styles for $1.99 each. Definitely worth checking out!!

www.twitter.com

HARTS N CRAFTS is FINALLY!!! on TWITTER!!!
it's a fun networking website that asks the question "what are you doing right now?"
if you indeed want to see what harts n crafts is doing RIGHT NOW! sign up and follow us. there's always SOMETHING going on!

TOMS SHOES

finally a blog post.
finally Harts N Crafts is selling TOMS SHOES.
almost.
they're on their way.
the new spring line!!

and white ones too.
that you can paint for FREE!!! at HNC!
yay!

don't know what TOMS SHOES are?
check out their website: www.tomsshoes.com
for every pair you purchase, TOMS gives a pair to a child in need.