Hello Friday

Friday has finally arrived after a really busy week. This weekend is just as busy and exciting. Tomorrow I will put my items in a retail store! That is pretty exciting to me. For the last 2+ years I have only sold online. The store my items are going is "The Wedding Pantry" in Tustin, CA.

I will share the in store photos next week. I will busy tonight getting all the final details ready. Also this weekend I have a fun birthday party for a 5 year old at Pump It Up. Which means I get to act like a kid for 2 hours and wear all kinds of glow in the dark stuff. Which should relief all the stress of this busy week.

About me: A to Z

This has been going around the blog world and thought I would jump in.

A. Age: 31
B. Bed size: Queen for now
C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the bathroom
D. Dogs: Yogi - 3.5 years old
E. Essential start to your day: A cup of tea - either earl grey or mint
F. Favorite color: Green
G. Gold or Silver: Silver
H. Height: 5’1"
I. Instruments you play: I can't play a thing
J. Job title: Marketing Specialist (day job) & Small Business Owner
K. Kids: None
L. Live: Mission Viejo, California.
M. Mother’s name: Alexandra
N. Nicknames: Tiff, T, RoboTiff
O. Overnight hospital stays: An extended hospital stay (around 3 weeks) from car accident.
P. Pet peeves: When people don't use their blinker.
Q. Quote from a movie: I never remember any movie quotes.
R. Right or left handed: Right handed
S. Siblings: none
U. Underwear: Yes
V. Vegetable you hate: Broccoli
W. What makes you run late: deciding what to wear
X. X-Rays you’ve had: My whole body (car accident)
Y. Yummy food that you make: I love making cupcakes.
Z. Zoo animal: Pandas 

Leave me a link if you’re playing along as well.

New in etsy shop: Holiday items

I have been busy around here making new things for the upcoming holidays just like a elf. I think I am a bit behind but I am catching up fast! I got on a roll of making place cards for each holiday - Halloween, Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. I think my favorites are the pumpkin and cute little snowman.

Pumpkin place cards

Turkey Place Cards

Snowman place cards

Snowflake place cards

After my roll of place cards, I made one more thing for Halloween. I spider web favor box. I still need to make some more new ideas for Halloween. If you have a idea or looking for something, just let me know.

Round here. . .business

It's been busy around here for business and I could not be happier. I have had couple great opportunities for Tiffzippy these last few weeks.

First: I contacted a local wedding shop. If I want to grow my business I needed to reach out into the marketplace other than online. The wedding shop said they would love to have my items in their shop! I was so excited, but then I got a little worried. That means I had to create inventory and quick. So Larry and I came up with a game plan and its all coming together. I hope to have my items on display by the end of September. Once I am in I will share photos and the shop information.

Second: A couple I know is having a Boutique Fair to raise money to adopt a child from China. They wanted Tiffzippy as a vendor. Again I could not be more excited. Its a local and it will be my first fair ever. Until now I have only sold online or to family and friends on the side.

Its a new and exciting times for the business. I am so excited to get my items in front of people in real life not just online. I am busy creating inventory, packaging design, wholesale sheets, catalogs and displays. It takes a lot of work to set up a shop under a tent in a parking lot!

I will start sharing photos of the process hopefully by next week. I have already started pinning ideas on Pinterest for display ideas.

Surprise . . . . .

. . . . . I am engaged! Larry asked me on August 28th. It was a Sunday night and he did at our home. He totally surprised me.

Let me tell you the whole story. It all started back in June. We went ring shopping and didn't tell anyone. I found my ring (pictured below) the very first place we went. I fell in love with it. Then I waited. Which surprising didn't seem as long as you would think. Funny how real life gets in the way. We have had quite a busy summer.

He wanted to surprise me when he asked me but knew if tried anything out of the normal I would catch on. On that Sunday night I had to go clean out my car to take into the shop the next day. Little did I know while I was down cleaning my car out he was running around our house like a mad man getting it all set up. When I came back in I still had no idea. I said: ok are you ready to walk the dog. He said: hold on I what to show you something. I still didn't catch on. . .until he opened the bedroom door. Then I knew, he had found all of the scrapbooks of our adventures over past 4 years and layed them all out on the bed along with a bear he had given. He had the box hiding under the bear. Once he said a few words he moved the bear picked up the box and got down on one knee to ask me. I was and still am so happy. Another fun surprise was the ring box has a built in led light so when he opened it - the whole ring sparkled. - The End.

LED lite box with my ring

Last but not least - Gnome Adventures of Cambria

Thank you for sticking through all the vacation photos. I did bring the gnome along but sadly I kinda forgot about him. I did take a couple photos.It was a great escape to go up the coast. Just a few hundred miles north and California is a completely different place but in a good way.

A local artist makes these wood mushrooms - perfect for a gnome.

Relaxing

Elephant seals

After Hearst Castle, we drove up the coast just a couple miles to a beach where elephant seals usually hang out. I was excited to see they were here this time year. Normally they come around for breeding season but this time of year was for molting.

I could have watched them for hours. Most of them were sleeping but once in while they would move around. Two males were battling each other in the photo below. It was crazy to hear the noises they made.

Hearst Castle

Our next stop around Cambria was Hearst Castle. I heard about the castle but didn't really know the whole story about the Hearst family. Larry and I didn't buy tickets in advance we just showed at the BIG visitors center at the bottom of the hill. While we waited for our time we watched the 40 min long movie about the Hearst family and the castle. It was actually really informative. It was nice to see the movie first then go to the castle. I was not a huge fan of the castle like some but its still pretty cool to see. Just to think of how hard it would have been to get materials and works all the way up there in the 1900's.

We only did one tour of the downstairs main rooms. The tour of the inside only lasted about 40 mins then we could explore the grounds and just hop back on one of the buses when we were done.

The day we went was super foggy so we didn't get to see the amazing views but I can only image on a clear day how cool it would be look out and see the hills and ocean from that castle.

Here are a few photos but of course I took tons you find the rest on flickr here.

Front door

Love the vintage ketchup and mustard bottles

Main Hall

Neptune Pool

A Horseback Ride

I have never been horseback riding before. It one of things I have been meaning to do the last couple of years. When our friends that were getting married they created a website listing some local tourist ideas. I saw they had listed a local horse ride company and we had to do it.

We booked a sunset horseback ride around the hills by the ocean. Well the night we did the ride the weather had a different idea. Thick fog had decided to roll in off the ocean. We could barely see about 20 feet in front of us. It was actually very peaceful and calming. Which was good since I had never been on a horse in my life before. I of course got the crazy horse. Larry's horse just wanted to stop and eat the whole time (haha).

I would not recommend a hilly trail for a first horse ride. Flat land would have been a much better choice. Seeing my bum still hurt two weeks after the ride! I would say I am not meant to be on  horse but I am really glad we did. I am pretty short to it was hard for me to get "comfortable".

This captures exactly what it was like.

We when got back Larry's horse when straight for the water.
He was thirsty after all snacking he did on the trail.

 

Hello September

Sitting right outside our hotel watching the ocean.

Highlights of August:

August was AWESOME! So much happened - so much good stuff. 

• 12 days at the gym - I am ok with that because life got in the way - a good way
• Got my eyes zapped - Lasik eye surgery - I am so happy I did it! I miss I did sooner.
• Went to Cambria, CA for a friend's wedding - we had some great times and fun adventures.
• A Big surprise happened and I promise to share soon.

Plans for September:

• Etsy is going great. I could not be happier with how my little shop is growing. New goals and a new machine is hitting my door step today!
• Scrapbooking this weekend with a friend
• Going on our first hot air balloon ride next week - I can't wait.
• Of course more gym time