This is another one of those, “How could I not have known about this” type of posts. There is a group that for some reason I’ve only found out about recently. They kick butt and rock it on their new album, Oh No.

OK Go! is so amazing, and as you may have guessed, I’ve downloaded their latest album to the iPod. Yes, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Their music has been played loudly in my car and I love it!

By the way…they just performed on the MTV VMAs. Yup, they did “Here It Goes Again”…Yes, that’s the treadmill video you’ve seen. What? You haven’t seen it yet? Go watch it! You’ll seen be asking yourself, “Where Have I Been?”

You’re thinking, HUH? Don’t worry, it’s the tag line from Pitter Patter Creations! There you will find fun diaper cakes filled with baby essentials - yes, things that you WILL be happy to find in a diaper! Pacifiers, bibs, onesies, toys and bottles are a few things you may find as part of a diaper cake.

Michelle started Pitter Patter Creations when she wasn’t able to find practical, yet pretty, gifts for expectant friends and family members. She decided that diaper cakes were the way to go. Every new parent needs diapers, right? That’s just the foundation of the cake. Then the essentials that are, well….Essential for every newborn! What a smart idea. Michelle’s daughter Taylor and husband Herman provide great inspiration on her creations.

Here are a couple of versions of diaper cakes from Pitter Patter Creations.

Classic 2 Tier Cake; Cupcake; Themed 2 Tier Whale Cake:

There are a few shows that I’ve only started seeing recently (like, within the last year or so) that I can’t believe I never used to watch. I don’t watch them religiously, but if I see them on I may check it out for a little while. For example, Seinfeld. Of course, the show is over and they play the re-runs and I think they are so funny! Why did I not watch this show when it was still on the air?

One of my favorites is Felicity. Okay, so stop laughing at me. It’s a cute show. It’s sweet and it makes me want to move to New York and go to college. Or move anywhere and be back in school having all of those experiences that you do when you’re a teenager and trying to discover and learn new things about yourself.

They show Felicity on the WE Channel and I happened to catch it one day when I was at home. Of course I was hooked immediately and would even, on occasion, tape it. Yes, I did.

So, the show was on the air from 1998-2002 (hello, where was I?) and I can’t believe I never ever watched one single episode. I remember hearing about this girl who cut her gorgeous hair off and that fans didn’t like it…but I can’t even guarantee that I remember hearing that back when it happened. Weird, huh? Hey, I couldn’t even find a current blog about the show, only this one.

Anyway, I like the show. There are DVD collections out for all of the seasons. Will I get them? Not sure if I’d actually watch them…then again, I said the same about Grey’s Anatomy and I watch that!

Try checking out the show if you’re like me and never saw it either. Check the WE site for times and episodes. Even if you end up not liking the show…you have to admit there are cute boys on it (which makes it nice). Hey, the WE channel runs commercials for the show that say, “Did you get to go to college with boys that were this cute? Neither did we!”…Ok, so now you HAVE to watch!

I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland. It seems like such a beautiful place. Roisin lives in Ireland and designs jewelry there. She began her love for making jewelry when she attended college and soon learned that this is where her heart was. She wanted to make beautiful things for beautiful women. Roisin Mai was born.

At Roisin Mai not only will you find necklaces, bracelets and earrings there, but handflowers as well. Roisin uses sterling silver, gems and crystals in her jewelry and takes pride in the quality of each piece. You can always commission a custom design and you can even host a jewelry evening.

Head over to Roisin’s site to see what’s new. Here’s a few of my favorites…

Sovereign Balance Bracelet; Seadance Earrings; Green Tea Necklace:

Enjoy a 10% discount (as well as free shipping) with coupon code “mixedblog10“, valid once per customer. Offer ends November 30, 2006.

Lauren is a paper lover. She started out creating wedding invitations and programs for friends. Her passion for paper grew in to her very own business, Lauren Goessling Designs. Lauren’s business has allowed her to work from home and care for her two children, daughter Ellie and son Liam.

At Lauren Goessling Designs you will find stationery that can be personalized for yourself, for gifts (hmmm…the holidays are almost here) or even your children. What a great way to have your little ones practice writing and sending out thank you notes! In addition to her stationery, Lauren also designs custom wedding invitations, baby announcements and more.

I love paper and so does Lauren. Don’t you? Of course you do, so here’s a peek…
Engraved Monogram Stationery; Ladybug Stationery; Dotted Circle Initial Stationery:

Argyle Stationery; Choo Choo Train Stationery; Poppies Stationery:

By the way…a little gift from Lauren: Get 15% off your order by using code “mixed15“.

At The Monkey and Me you can find some of the cutest handmade clothing for your very own little monkey. Beth is a true craftster - she’s an art teacher! That’s right, she brings out the creativity in youngsters. I love that about her!

The Monkey and Me was created in the spring of 2004 and has been bringing smiles to parents and their children ever since. Starting with burp cloths for her son, her business grew and has continued strong.

You have to check out her designs. Although they are bibs, burpies, play aprons and clothing for your kids, you’ll soon find yourself asking, “Hey, does that come in my size?”. Oh, and did I mention that there’s even birthday wear? How cute is that?

Robot Pants Set; Pink and Green Child’s Play Apron; Monkey Bib Set:

Birthday Wear; Sushi Dress and Matinee Jacket; Tattoo Heart Onesie:

PS-There’s free USPS shipping on every order!

That’s it? Just $8.50?

Yup, you heard (or read) correctly. Purple Pink and Orange has informed me that they are having a sale where you can purchase items off their site starting at just $8.50! Wow! So what could be just $8.50? How about some of these handmade goodies?

Lychee Sugar Mochi Body Polish (sounds good enough to eat); Magenta Textile Necklace; Bad Day Print (Haven’t we all had one of those days?):

Aren’t those great? And those are just a couple of the sale items. They have so many other things on their site from different independent artists that you should check out. There are wallets and pouches, handbags, jewelry, art prints, home decor and so much more.

Jolly Hopper Mini Purse (how cute is that bag?); Bikes Rule One Inch Button; Argyle Checkbook Cover:

Hurry over to Purple Pink and Orange to take advantage of their $8.50 sale which goes until the end of August.

What is it about bath and body products that’s so fun? Why do we like to look at, purchase and use things like soaps, lotions and scrubs? Maybe it’s all the colors, packaging and scents. Maybe it’s the feeling of being pampered when you purchase these things. You know, as if you were having a mini spa day for yourself.

Donna at Valhalla Soap Company brings that mini spa day to all of us. Glycerin soap, milk soap, body care products, soy candles and more can be found at her site.

Donna officially began her family owned and operated company in 2001 with her husband Matt and daughter Natalie. Her passion for soap making grew when an abundance of goat’s milk from her family’s goat herd got her thinking…Why not make soap? That was in 1995.

Check out Valhalla Soap Company and pamper yourself a bit. You’ll be glad you did.

More pretty papers. How could I (or you) resist?

Fancy Pants Designs: Chi-Chi, Dapper and Free Spirit collections:

Based in Toronto, Canada, The Wing Thing offers handmade jewelry made of vintage beads, glass, lampwork glass and more. Patti is a self-taught artisan who creates necklaces, earrings and bracelets of different colors and styles.

Aside from making jewelry, Patti enjoys hunting for treasures at antique stores, estate sales and flea markets. Wonder what she finds? Check out her Hodgepodge section.

Hurry over to The Wing Thing right now because Patti has informed me of a sale going on. PLUS she is offering Free Shipping within North America until August 31! You’ve got just a couple of days left, so what are you waiting for?

Hey there! I’m back from Maui. Oh, and I’m off to Kauai today for work. Yup, headed to the airport again in a couple of minutes. I’ll be sure to post more photos of Maui and will be posting again a couple of times today. I should be back on track again now that I’m back.

Thanks for reading!

If you’re wondering where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to…

I’m in Makena on the island of Maui. I just signed up now for internet service, so that’s why I haven’t been posting. Sorry about that. I have to say that I really did miss using my computer…is that sad or normal?

Above are some pictures of Iao Valley and Iao Needle. I took these pictures on Thursday when we got to Maui.

I’m here because my husband is going to participate in the Cycle to the Sun ride on Sunday. The course starts in Paia and goes up Haleakala…up to the TOP! If you’ve been here you know it’s a pretty long and steep ride. It will probably take the riders between three and four hours to get to the finish. It will be a beautiful ride, though. We took a look at the course on Thursday - I drove the van (you know, showing my support!) while my husband and his brother rode.

Anyway…Here are a couple of other things I saw…

Maui Ocean Center - A beautiful aquarium in Wailuku. There were fishes, turtles, stingray, sharks and more. Here is a shot of a big tank with about 6 different shark species in it (and a bunch of fish). This shark is a tiger shark:

And finally, a pretty horsie that I saw up in Waihee while we were driving around and checking out the scenery. Isn’t she sweet?

So, thanks for checking in. I’ll try to post more if I can on this trip. I’ll be back in full swing on Tuesday!