For the Love of Tea

Matt and I gave up drinking coffee daily over a year ago. I LOVED coffee....a little to much. I had to stop because I was drinking so much a day it was making me feel manic. My throat would feel like it was restricted, and my heart was beating so fast, like a little humming bird in my chest, and then after I drank it my energy would crash and I would need more and more...it really was a vicious cycle!

Matt had to stop because he has a heart murmur, and too much caffeine makes his chest feel tight. So now we drink coffee once a week on average. We use it as a treat for ourselves when we are running errands, out for breakfast etc.

So, now all you caffeine lovers are asking the same thing we asked when we quit, "what are they going to drink??!!" The answer to that question was easy....TEA!

I LOVE TEA NOW! I always have liked it, but now we love it. I have gotten addicted to that now! I drink at least 2 cups a day, and usually want it more! The picture above was a good find from when we were Gnome Home jar sleuthing at the thrift store.

Matt and I love crappy tea. We get the cheap Lipton Tea that is 100 bags for about $3. We have tried others, but realize we like the cheap stuff! (isn't it always great when it works out like that!) We used to store it on top of my recipe box in the Lipton 16 bag box...which was driving me nuts. We would put the bags from the 100 bag box into the little box...and it was getting all worn and ripped. When we first got our tea jar Matt was skeptical, but now he is as much a fan as I am!

On a non-tea note, I have been making terrariums. I have made 8 in the past 2 days, which is rare for me. Matt normally makes them, and I take the photos and make the clay stuff and list them and pack them and all the other stuff. However, Matt works from 11:00 am until 7:00pm, so the last thing he wants to do at night is make terrariums! So, instead of studying I have been procrastinating doing my work by making terrariums. I have been really proud of myself! I think they have been coming out nicely. This one is one of my favorites, and I made it 100%, from the terrarium to the house!

I also have changed some of the photos, put some new snazzy backgrounds up. I really think they make the terrariums pop!

Well I hope you all had a nice day!

~Meghan

Tiny Tea Cup Terrariums!

Hello All!

This week is my spring break week. Since we could not afford to go away I have been engaging in some good ole' TLC today. I slept in late, drank my tea, watched The Biggest Loser, made these little tea cup terrariums, ate a sandwich while listening to the Virtual Labs Critiques, watched Jon and Kate Plus 8, started dinner (veggie cacciatore)... and now i am waiting for the boy to get out of the bathroom so I have some company!

Tomorrow I am going to visit my family. My mom is taking Friday off from work to hang out with me, which is super exciting! I want to go to Joann fabrics and Christmas Tree Shop and just hang out with her. My mom is my best friend (excluding the boy, naturally) so I am glad to have the one-on-one time with her. I have an awesome nephew, and a precocious niece who my mom watches 3-5 times a week, and when they are over it is hard to have quality time with my mom.

The boy took Monday and Tuesday off work to be with me... keep my company on my spring break at home. We went into the city to have lunch (he tried Indian Food for me!) and shopped around for the multiple Birthdays coming up (Brothers on the 8th, Moms on the 24th, Nephews on the 30th). While looking for the brother/mom we came across these awesome tiny cups, and a few other jars we have yet to post!

I hope you all had good Wednesdays! Thanks for reading!

Easter Eggs for Everyone!!!

In anticipation of the upcoming Easter Holiday we have decided that every customer from now until April 8th will receive a FREE Easter egg figurine for their terrarium!

My mom has always made Holidays special, and I mean every Holiday, by decorating and giving thoughtful little treats. I have been really nostalgic lately seeing the Easter egg dye kits from PAAS in the grocery store, and remembering how much i used to love dying eggs with my mom, so this is our way of spreading that love and joy with all our awesome supporters.

The eggs are so fun to make, I love mixing the colors to get a nice pastel marbled look... I think they look like dyed eggs do after you dip them. (at least i hope they do!)

A Big Day for Gnome Homes!

Today is a big day for Gnome Homes! Probably the day that really helped it sink in for me that we are a real business, not just two people playing with moss :)

We got our business cards today! Excuse the bad photos, i just took the photos at 9pm because i was too excited to wait!!!


We ordered these last week, and i have anxiously been tracking them on their journey. Today i came home and looked all over my lobby for them and they weren't there. It was quite upsetting...but then i saw my neighbor signed for them, and i had to wake him up to get them (i wasn't aware he was sleeping when i tapped on his door!)

The past few days have been busy and great for us, but we are down to 4 things in our shop and really need to get our butts in gear to get more little gnome homes into the shop.

I love Gnome Homes, but right now with work and all my classes and Gnome Homes i am feeling overwhelmed with how much i want to do for everything and how few hours are in the day! I just wish it was warmer out, i think the cold weather is making me tired...I just want to hibernate!

Well i am off to package up some little lovelies! Have a wonderful night and very sweet dreams :)

~Meghan

Just one of those days...

Today seems like it has been longer than it actually has been... I don't know if it was sitting through some dull classes or the fact that when i got out of classes it was pitch black, or some other sad things we discovered today, but I am feeling run down. I honestly think the root is that I am hungry...lol!

But lets move into some happier things...

I realized recently that the blogs I love to read

1. Aren't all about selling on etsy, they have a personal side too!
2. Have photos of things they like
3. Include pictures and recipes of food

And then I realized I do very few of those things! So as part of my new years rethinking process I have decided to try to move the blog more in that direction...some about me...some about matt...some about Gnome Homes...

So, here are some pictures I took earlier. They are some of my absolute favorite things in the world!





This is a necklace Matt bought me for our two year anniversary and surprised me with when we were out at dinner...it was extremely sweet and romantic and now it is rare if I am not wearing it... I wear it almost every single day!

Here is my new favorite pins! The flower is from my sister-in-laws boutique, Details, in Providence, RI!

And this little lovely came from the multipackof pins from MultiplePeronality on etsy! Matt got them for me as a stocking stuffer...you can see the others on my pin bag :)

Here is my pin bag...which i kind of think as my Etsy bag since I use it every time we go and buy jars for Gnome Homes.







And last but not least is our gorgeous new dish from Playswithclay!

You have to admit that it is gorgeous, and as such a home body it really makes me smile!



And on that note I am going to do lie down...today has really kicked the stuffing out of me! I hope you all have a great night :)

~Meghan

My First Treasury Ever

Here is my first treasury ever! You can see it in real life here!

Post Holiday Update!

Hi Everyone!

We hope you all had as lovely a Holiday Season as we did :)

We spent the actual Holiday with my family and then we went to Matt's family's Holiday event on Sunday. Our families are very different, mine is small (a total of about 8 people) and his is large (his mom is one of 12 kids), which means that celebrating with our respective families is a very different experience.

We had a lot of fun with both families and we gave my brother and Matt's sister terrariums for Christmas.

We also received many wonderful presents. Matt got enough best buy gift cards so he could buy a PS3 and the game "Little Big Planet", which we have been playing every days since. It is such a cute game :) and he has been saving and asking for gift cards for a long time so he was super excited. I got an awesome Rachel Ray pan that i have wanted for a long time, and a lot of odds and ends I needed and wanted.

We also got some things that will help out with Gnome Homes. We got a little photo cube thing, it has little lights and a tiny tripod so we can take better photos when the light isn't great. I have already used it a few times and it helps on days like today where the light isn't great. We also got a mail scale and have had the post office pick up our past 2 orders. It is so much better and easier :)

I have to run and do some stuff before Matt gets home!

~Meghan

Wednesday Update

Sorry for our long absence from our blogging! We have been super busy with our shop :)

Making terrariums has really overtaken our lives, we have been up till 2am the past few days making new terrariums and mushies!

It has been awesome to get to meet so many awesome people on etsy and have a lot of people like what we make. We are curious how well we will do after the Holidays. A lot of our sales have been presents, but maybe January will bring people who didn't get what they wanted and come to buy themselves presents (i do that sometimes!)

Also i am hoping that people realize that these little lovelies are perfect for valentines day :)
Why spend $50 on roses that die in a week when you can have a moss terrarium that will last months and months!

Also if you are reading this please comment on our post, Matt thinks no one reads this and uses it as an excuse not to post!

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season :)

~Meghan

Have No Fear...Gnome Homes is Here!

If you read my lovely boy's post below and worried that we would be slowing down Gnome Homes creation because he will be a working stiff again don't you worry!

We have 16, thats right 16 terrariums that are in our living room thriving and waiting for me to start making mushrooms and homes and putting monkeys in them! This weekend we will be finishing up their design aspects and taking photos and then you will be able to see the new listings in our shop.

Expect to see some new large terrariums, some terrariums with doors and some little terrarium sets that are perfect for the holidays.

Hopefully by posting these there will be some more variety in our shop and a little something for everyone!

I am super excited, and I hope you are too!!!

Gobble Gobble!

As Thanksgiving is getting closer and closer I have been thinking about the things that I am truly thankful for this year. Here is my mini list (in no particular order)...

1. My boyfriend Matt. He is more than a boyfriend, he really is my life partner.
2. My family, who in the own quirky way care.
3. My lovely apartment, which I am happy to come home to every night.
4. My craft room which is my haven from the outside world.
5. My health, as I get older I realize what a gift it is.
6. My local library branch which allows me to fuel by passion without involving my checkbook.
   
7. And last but not least is our awesome Etsy customers who like what we create enough to want one for themselves. It is very heartwarming to know that what we do is relevant to others.

I wish you all the very best Thanksgiving and the time to reflect on what you are truly thankful for.

My craft room at my favorite time of day

Launch of our Etsy Shop and Monday Afternoon Updates

Hello All!

It is a relaxing evening...kind of. I am listening to NPR and just got home from our local thrift store. Its name is "Boomerangs" and it supports AIDS initiatives and is run by volunteers. It is eclectic and I like to go there to browse around, especially for the cookware. I have become very very fond of vintage Pyrex and wanted to go see if there were any good finds to be had. I did not find any good Pyrex, but i did find two awesome little bottles for Gnome Homes!

It is nice because it means we can have a lower price point in our shop too. I like to try to have a variety of price points so every buyer can afford something. I know it always bums me out when i love a shop but cannot afford anything in it.

Also, BIG BIG BIG Gnome Home news is that we launched our Etsy site last night! I feel like the views for Gnome Homes is much more rapid as are hearts than for my store 2lilmonkeys. While it makes me feel bad for 2lilmonkeys is makes me so excited about the prospects of Gnome Home success! I would love for this to be a hit.

But now i am off to finish scrubbing my new jars and working on my paper.

Have a nice night all!