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COOL MOON from FUN CULT on 8tracks Radio.

You can also listen on Spotify- but some of the song versions are not ideal..and a few songs are missing..and that's not cool!
http://open.spotify.com/user/caitlin_is_nice/playlist/3Rxp7ZiBZ4XRcULRn23I3F

some summer songs

Life is more than difficult for me right now. Nothing even feels real.
If I wasn't able to work on Fun Cult a little bit, I think I would be in bed forever. I know I would. When you're in bed forever you may as well have headphones on. I made you all a special summer mix filled mostly with some old favorites. I hope you will like it.

You can listen on 8Tracks HERE
or you can find it published in Spotify if you search "See You in June", I believe? Or go HERE - But apparently the first two songs as well as the final song are not available on Spotify.
Anyway, you can play it right here..

SEE YOU IN JUNE from FUN CULT on 8tracks Radio.

THE SHOP IS OPEN!

music by Orangy

This is the first email I have sent out since the Holidays 2011! Thank you so much for your support over these past 14 months. I am grateful for every product inquiry, Tweet, Facebook  or blog comment, every email just to see how I'm doing or share your own experience. Things are still not so normal, but I am SO happy to be making things again. I made a new website. and  the shop is open!  Be sure to check out the intro video I made with music from Orangy!

One more thing- with all this new must come a new Facebook page. Please do join me there for exclusive updates, sales, and promotions. Once you like the page you can access a magic message to receive a special gift (while supplies last- I do have quite a few) upon your purchase. It's pretty tricky starting up again after being gone so long, so any sharing, blogging, tweeting, etc. you'd like to do to help get the word out would be so, so helpful and appreciated. But first, be sure to score what you're after! Quantities and custom orders are limited right now! ;-)

still here

Hello! Long time! Things are sort of the same around here. Summer is coming and it will be another one where I cannot swim. That is sort of hard to face. I will also be turning 30 in June. I have never dreaded turning 30, in fact I may have even looked forward to it..until I got sick. I feel like this last year and a half of my 20s has been stolen from me, and I am certainly not in a place I envisioned.

There are sad thoughts like these, but I still remain pretty positive considering everything. And there are good things in my life. This weekend James and I will celebrate the 10th anniversary of our first date. We are still living with my parents and it has been quite stressful, but we have high hopes of getting in our home together by June (hopefully before I turn 30, haha...if this cannot happen I will have to realize the silliness and that age really isn't a big deal....). The above Vine video shows some details in our house. Are you on Vine? Join me! Other things to look forward to..traveling in June for a family wedding..warm weather..getting a very much needed haircut (that I still need to schedule)..taking day trip drives with James and sometimes my parents..eating frozen custard..hopefully driving to the beach even though I cannot swim..OPENING MY SHOP AGAIN..

I am trying SO hard to get things in order. I still do not have a proper space to work in and I am afraid I want so badly to open my shop so it can be a distraction from everything...however, I know that cannot be. I need to be aware of everything and on top of things regarding my kidney failure. So when I open I will probably only have a limited amount of product and if I take orders that will be even more limited. If there is anything you are hoping to see in stock again, feel free to contact me so I can prepare it. I am trying so hard to open SOON. This seems to be the time of year that has always inspired me most, so it is torture not to have Nice....which WILL have a name change. Nice has served me well for 13 years! I started using it around Junior year of high school! Before I had a shop I had Nice-Etc.com for several years, and in 2005 I opened the Etsy shop...now it seems there are many shops using Nice in some fashion, blogs too, even Walgreens (a Chicago based company mind you..hmm?) is using "Nice!" as their company brand name..and besides that I have moved on. And can I say, for the record, Nice was never intended to bring to mind the bro, "Niiiiiiice!" which I loathe.

So I am trying to decide if I will change the shop name at Nice, or keep Nice open for vintage only, or perhaps collaborations between my Mom and I. If I switch to a new shop on Etsy, I will need to regain my followers and favoritees, not to mention sales haha. What do you all think?

French Feline Philosopher

So funny.  Pretty sure our cat, Constable, has the same attitude.

Handmade Christmas

Ok..Finally, I will share with you a book that both my mom and I are a part of, Handmade Christmas! I've been meaning to make a post about this since September. I even was going to give away a copy..but I'm afraid it's too late this year as Christmas is right around the corner. Perhaps next year? This project was a real struggle for me. A year ago around this time I was working to meet the deadline which was right after the holidays..sort of a bummer deadline especially when you're trying to also keep up with orders in your own shop. On top of this stress, I was insanely sick and I didn't know it. I would wake up with grand plans to finish up the 6 projects I was to make and write directions for (something I believe I am pretty bad at...), only to give up my day to a 14 hour headache, what I thought was a migraine, but was in fact hypertension. It was not a fun time. It was such a relief to send it all out to Penguin books in Australia. I haven't read the instructions over, I've been too embarrassed..I hope they helped me out. They ended up using 4 of my 6 projects...the other 2 are very good though and I hope to share them as a DIY on here eventually. So that will be fun. I was a little disappointed with the photos of my projects. I'm not sure that they do them justice, so today I thought I'd share a couple photos I took of 2 of the DIYS..


Christmas Countdown Frame


Peace on Earth Window Display Banner - In the book the photo shows this hung on a wall, which is another great use, but the point is for this to hang in your window and be illuminated by your evening lights. In the day it is still visible and sparkles from the delicate glitter which outlines the letters.

To see the rest of my projects, as well as the 3 my mom contributed, you should pick up a copy of Handmade Christmas at the Penguin site! There are a LOT of projects from other crafters and bloggers. It would make a nice gift and I'm sure it will inspire many holiday creations..after all, this is the best time of year for your own handmade talents!


Just wanted to share some wooden trees my mom asked my dad to cut out for her so she could place them in her urns. We sort of went nuts collecting tinsel inspired trees and wreaths found at Home Depot. They had a definite Confetti System vibe. You can see my mom used her wreaths as a base around the tree.

Hello all who still happen upon this blog. Things have been pretty crazy over here..in short, we did get the house and are very happy with it, though we are in the midst of giving it some needed updates before we can start sleeping there. It's alright because even if it were move-in ready, we'd both be mostly at my parents' still. The only down side to getting a house, a new place to live, and then have to do little renovations that force you to imagine how it will be, is that there is nothing solid for me to envision going back to when this is all over. It's difficult to imagine it all when you've not lived there before this sickness. Before, I could try to envision going back to our apartment in the city, that was familiar..though admittedly, it actually was still difficult to imagine..so who knows. But I like to be able to have a vision, otherwise I become worried that it will not happen.
The holidays have are proving to be a nice distraction to everything. Still no new kidney inside of me. I go to dialysis and in the waiting room I wonder how I can do this so often. I am so lucky though, because according to the days I usually go, their holiday schedule works out that I do not have to come on Christmas or New Year's eve. That is a huge massive deal to me. I will have my weekend for that week as the eve's and days of Christmas and New Year's.

Did you see Anabela's wedding on the Etsy blog? You may have spotted a Glittering Fringe Banner that I made for her and Geoff! I am still sad I couldn't be there for their day, but she's told me it was lovely and reading things like this Etsy piece is very nice. I am so happy for those two.

I should have stopped in sooner to remind you that my mom still has her shop, Oh Merci, open and is shipping until the end of Sunday December 16th. You can also contact her for rush orders. I decided to whip up a little gift guide including some special items that will be lovely for your Holidays...

So that is that. I am hoping to pop in again this week with another tiny surprise. I've been meaning for a month or so now to share something with you all. I hope your having a wonderful December! xoxo

Come Claim Your Bunny

On Sunday a neighbor rang our doorbell asking if we'd lost a bunny! It was hopping around between our front yards on its way to our backyard (we are still at my parents' house). I cut through the house to see James sitting in the back confused over this little fellow. He admitted that he never considered it was someone's pet, haha. Before long, most of the neighbor kids had filtered into our yard. I was a bit nervous because we back up to a fairly busy road, I didn't want the poor guy to get scared and dart off in the wrong direction. We eventually called a neighbor who is good with animals. She came out and we managed to corner the bunny in a bush, she caught him, and we stuck him in one of our cat carriers. The neighbor kids were so excited and just so funny to James and I. They were super efficient and ready to take care of this poor bunny. He's currently residing at one of their homes, and I'm sure he has a lot of visitors. Today my mom and I went on a walk and I snapped photos of the posters they put up.

 'come claim your bunny'

 'wants family wants to be home'

 'claim your bunny (only if it's yours)'

 my favorite one. 'spread the news'.

Hi Hi

hey friends. I've been wanting to touch base for a while.. Life is okay. I have been doing the 4 hour dialysis sessions 3 days a week since I first got sick in February, and I guess I've gotten used to them as much as possible. The 3 days add up to 12 hours and that's pretty much a day of your life gone every week, sometimes more since you're pretty wiped out afterward. It's rare that I do anything more than have dinner, watch television, and go to bed after a treatment. So far I've been able to put off the perminent access that would be in my arm..right now I still have the access in my chest. It's all so weird. Before this year I was not very familiar with dialysis..now I keep meeting strangers that have had it or know someone who has it..I've even met a dog on dialysis! I met someone at a garage sale who had a transplant recently, she too had a sudden disease attack her...I met someone at a vintage store who had to have dialysis..it's nice to know I'm not alone, ha. At my center, I am currently the youngest patient by far, so it feels kinda nice to run into strangers who have been closer to my age, and even interests.
I have had some good news. My heart is back to normal! This is great because I was really stressed out about that. In the hospital I had cardiologists jump the gun and tell me that I'd very possibly need a defibrillator put in. It terrified me. But the heart is a muscle! And it bounced back! This also was a key factor to being able to receive a kidney transplant.....which I will be receiving! My mom and dad are both matches, James and I have the same blood type, and my brother would be a good match too...but my mom is the lucky one, haha. She is related to me, and it's very likely that I will need another transplant someday, in which case hopefully my brother will be able to donate. So she has just begun the process to further test to make sure she can give it up. I am hoping that the surgery can be done before the holidays, but we really don't know at this point.

I haven't yet been able to start up Nice again. It's weird how I don't have much free time, yet I don't feel like I'm accomplishing much. I guess between taking care of myself, hospital visits, boyfriend time, packing, relaxing, haha, it's hard to know that I can commit to making and sending out packages in time. I was so, so busy before I got sick, and I know I could not handle that volume currently. I am hoping to have a soft launch soon, but life has to settle down a bit more before that. Did you notice I mentioned packing? James and I have put an offer in on a small fixer-upper out here! Can you believe it? Life has changed so much. If everything goes well, we will close on it at the end of this month. Our apartment lease in Chicago is up the same day, so things could get really nuts. A year ago- even half a year ago, I never would have thought I would be heading to live in the suburbs.  James was the first one to bring up the idea and he was okay with it right away. It took me some time to get use to the idea..we both ended up bringing up talks about whether this is a good idea or not. But it's not the end all be all. Owning a house doesn't mean you have to stay there forever. He and I have always been on the same page with changes, and thinking about our life together, I just feel so happy inside.
The town we've chosen is about 30 minutes away from where my parents are. It's along a river and it's a town with possibilities, we think. It's a town that doesn't feel like you're in the suburbs, really. There are places to walk and bike to. The house is adorable and we know we will be happy there. We both feel a bit tired out by the city..I know I personally am valuing family time a lot more than usual, and especially time with James. It has been so hard for us to live apart during all of this. It's also been hard on James to do so much driving- from work, to the apartment, to my house and back. After the transplant I will need some care, so it will be good to be close to my family. I will have to frequent the hospital downtown for check-ups, so I will always have my mom to go with me which is so nice to know. I don't know yet if I will be able to have children due to the chemotherapy, but I know if all is well, just having a kidney transplant would make it a high risk pregnancy. It's a lot to take in, but I know that I've always had adoption in the back of my brain. It's something I haven't begun to look into, but maybe it will be an option for us at some point. Who knows what the future holds! Right now I am excited for James and I to make a home of our own.

Have any of you made a move from an urban area to a not so urban area? I'd love to hear your story.

I have been using Pinterest (join me!) a lot to sort of keep up on things and be inspired. I've been shying away from blogs and such because they seem to overstimulate me! It's hard to read about what other people are doing- it makes me happy, but it also just makes me like, over-excited? I want to get back in it all, but I'm not there yet, so I end up feeling a bit frustrated. But Pinterest has been good because it's a small dose of what's going on in the world..and I just love seeing all of my pins together! haha

So yeah, Nice will come back. Perhaps even under a different name! Who knows. I still have tons of ideas constantly swimming around my brain, so I am so excited to get making things again. I will let you know a little secret, I have been able to fill small orders, providing the timeline is doable for me, so if you're interested in something, please don't hesitate to contact me (email or etsy). It keeps me super motivated!

And thank you all again SO, SO MUCH for all of your well wishes, stories, and comments. At times I have felt very left out and just alone..your messages have helped me a great deal. <3 br="br" nbsp="nbsp">

Flowers around my parents house. The other day my mom and I walked around a local nursery. I picked out the two that are in the pot my mom painted years ago. The soft pink ones have tiny yellow centers! I'll have to take another photo.

Rear Window

Rear Window Timelapse from Jeff Desom on Vimeo.
All footage taken from the original Rear Window (1954) directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
The order of events is pretty much as seen in the movie.
more info: http://www.jeffdesom.com/hitch/
Hungarian Dance No. 5
composed by Johannes Brahms
arranged for easy listening by Hugo Winterhalter

This is pretty neat, especially in full screen. Rear Window was one of the first old films I remember watching- for sure it was my first Hitchcock movie. In 4th grade when my family went to Disney World, we got free passes to Universal Studios and I was able to see exactly how they filmed this movie! They had a miniature (but large set) with tiny screens in each window! It was amazing to me. In 6th grade we were allowed to vote on movies to be shown before holiday break and I pretty much campaigned to have Rear Window shown and recruited as many friends to show up for that movie room as possible, haha. It's a good one!

going good

I just want to quick touch base and let you all know that I have been feeling much better. It has been a big adjustment being in the suburbs so much, but it has been made better by the fact that we are having a very early spring- with actually summer temperatures! It is amazing and feels so good! I mean, it could be SNOWING this time of year and it has been in the mid 80s! I love it.

Yesterday I got to go to the apartment with James for the second time. Hung out with the cat who is such a sweetheart. He's being a real trooper through all of this. And we have really great friends who have been helping us take care of him. I miss our apartment..especially with the nice weather..but I am lucky to have my family to help me out through this.

I am getting inspired and starting to get on track with Nice stuff. I am hoping to open the shop again soon. Still a little nervous since I was so busy and stressed with the business before I knew I was sick..I just want everything to go smoothly from now on. Can't get too stressed.

I've been able to have a bit of ice cream and that has been amazing. My aunt and uncle gifted me a new ipad- a super huge big deal gift that has been amazing. It is the newest piece of technology I have ever owned and I feel so fortunate. It's going to be very helpful with getting the business back on track.

And James got the family a Wii, haha. That has been fun to play with the family. Watching my brother play himself / both sides in tennis was pretty hilarious.

Over the weekend I was able to go OUT to dinner with James! That was very nice. I was able to have grilled salmon and asparagus and fresh squeezed lemonade. And we went to a movie. So slowly, things have been feeling a bit normal and I have been feeling very happy and loved. And optimistic. Things are going to be ok, I think.

My skin is kinda weird. And the medications make my cheeks very puffy..so I still don't really feel like myself. My body has changed shape a bit, but I guess it could be weirder. I've always run up my family's stairs, skipping several steps, but I am not able to do that now, haha. I try each time and it's sort of hilarious..I just immediately slip into slow motion and physically can't move that fast. Very weird feeling, haha. But I'll get there. Eventually I'll have an appointment to check up on my heart. I hope it is getting back to normal. That is something that scares me.

On Thursday I will have my 2nd Chemo treatment.

Anyway, thank you all so, so much for all of your amazing thoughtful comments through this blog, facebook, twitter, email, snail mail, everything. They have been absolutely amazing and so very meaningful to me. I will look to them anytime I need strength. I already have. You are all so wonderful and I truly cannot thank you enough for your kindness and encouragement. <3 <3 <3

what has happened

Hello Friends,

This has proven to be a pretty hard post to type up. I've been dreading it and since I've gotten home from the hospital life has been a very not-fun roller coaster.

The weekend before Valentine's Day I was feeling under the weather. I figured it was a touch of a flu or virus. James luckily was feeling fine, but because he had just received a really great promotion at work, we decided I should be shipped out to the suburbs to rest up haha. I did not want to get him sick at that point and I figured after Sunday I'd be fine. So he drove me out Saturday afternoon to my parents' house where I thought I was already feeling much better and would be back home with James in no time. Unfortunately my condition simply got worse, to a point where I was nervous to fall asleep at night because I could not draw in a full breath in any position except laying upright, propped up on pillows. Also my vision was blurring intensely and in the mornings I would wake up with swelling in my face and lips. It was odd, of course. I haven't been raised in a house that really goes to the doctor, so it was a huge deal when I said I needed to be taken to the doctor, which could then only be the ER on Valentine's Day evening. I couldn't go upstairs with out feeling like I'd run a marathon and my vision was only clear 5 inches in front of my face. I couldn't even watch television to feel better. I also didn't know how I would sleep that night, feeling like my lungs were closing in.

So my parents drove me to the ER which is 2 minutes from their house, where I grew up. When I was checked in my blood pressure was insanely, dangerously high. A huge surprise. I never thought I had a blood pressure issue, it never would have occurred to me. They scanned my head, they scanned my chest. I was so nervous something would be wrong with my head since I had been getting very bad 18 hour headaches recently. When the doctor said I needed to stay for the night, I still remember the alarm and worry..I was just so nervous about telling James! If he knew I had to stay for a night he'd be so worried and he was all the way in the city. Still, one night in the hospital was a huge deal for us and eventually my family contacted him and he came out right away. I've never been sick. They took me to the intensive care unit and hooked me up to all sorts of things I'm not familiar with because I hate hospital shows and movies. I don't remember when they put two and two together, but they eventually figured out that it looked like I had kidney failure. Totally random and foreign to me.

The next day I had a procedure that allowed me to begin dialysis treatment to flush out all of the toxins in my body that my kidneys will no longer clean out. Because my kidneys were not working correctly, fluid had been building in my lungs causing the difficulty in breathing and my heart is only working at 35% trying to keep up with unusual pressure of everything. It also explained the facial swelling and the high blood pressure which caused my vision to blur. It was all very scary and intense. And just unreal. So unreal. I was on bed-rest for several days and finally out of ICU and into ICA Thursday evening.

They couldn't schedule a biopsy until Monday Feb. 20th, so it sounded like I was going to to have a restful weekend leading up to it..turned out I needed more dialysis (thought I'd get to skip one day) and an MRI on Sunday which I was super nervous about. It's just a totally scary word and like I said, I've been having horrid headaches and my vision being poor was a bit scary. They just wanted to be sure nothing was up. I tried so hard to keep cool, but made the mistake of watching as I went inside the tube. That was a huge mistake which totally rushed my body with panic and claustrophobia! I knew there was nothing I could do though and I think I did a pretty good and quick job at calming myself down, never opening my eyes again. I'll tell you, all the weird, experimental music I have listened to through out my life was so helpful sitting in there for 20 minutes. I heard parts of Eno, Stereolab, Can, Aphex Twin, Neu... I later found out that James and my family could hear it as well, from the waiting room. So loud!

The MRI eventually came back clear and fine (yay!!), so it looks like I just have a big stress in my eyes from the blood pressure that will hopefully return to normal eventually. It's pretty annoying to not be able to see correctly. When I was able to get out of bed and walk again (which in itself was a surprising challenge!), it felt like I was in a video game! Like my vision, was not  my vision. It was extremely odd. Plus the weird lighting in the hospital halls and rooms was not helpful. Anyway, I can see way more than 5 inches in front of my face now, but I'd say my vision is at 70% where it should be normally.

I thought I was going to get to leave the hospital Tuesday, the day after the biopsy. But they kept me until Friday afternoon. I was there for 10 days..still so hard to believe. I guess what I have is called RPGN (rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis) /IGA nephropathy, and it is extremely rare. Like 1 in 10,000. That's me. Fun times. I have begun treatment to try to attack / prevent more damage- I have to go to a local dialysis center for 4 hour treatments 3 days a week, I am on a strict diet where I can no longer have very important things like french fries, beans, cheese, tomatoes, ice cream, chocolate, hot dogs (I would kill for a milkshake and french fries right now)...and once a month I will get a Chemo treatment through an IV. I am scared that this will be the rest of my life. I go through phases..I feel like, how can this be the rest of my life?? I am so young. I remember a month ago when everything was totally fine. There are so many things I want to do. James and I were at a point where we were doing more than just talking about very serious life plans..We were thinking seriously of moving to California..we were talking of kids (which I may not be able to have any more..it remains to be seen after all of this treatment)..talking of dream jobs..business goals..projects with friends..right before I got sick we booked a special little trip to California in April. It was going to be so much fun..around our 9th anniversary together and we were going to try and see one of the movies playing at the TCM Classic Movie Festival, because it was a movie that we'd watched together on our very first date! SIGH. But I am not able to travel for a long time now.
It's all very hard to understand.

My main doctor is very respected in his field. He says we need to waid 6 months and see how it goes. In the meantime I will be 'as week as a kitten'. He said we are not at a point to talk about transplants yet. However, Friday, another of my doctors basically told me that I will most likely need dialysis for the rest of my life, and that even if I get a transplant, there is noting to say that I won't eventually need another transplant.This was very disheartening, and I still don't know how to make of it. I cannot picture this being my life.

I am having a hard time feeling inspired or excited about anything. All I can do is really watch television. I don't like reading blogs or shopping or thrifting..I can't go out for a dinner or drink. For the first time I feel envious of others and I want my life back. I want to be happy again.
I can't dress normal because of the access for dialysis on my chest. And I have to have my mom help me wash my hair over the side of the tub. If I get the access point wet, it will cause an infection that will go immediately to my heart. I haven't had make up on since Feb. 10th. And I've lost a ton of weight so I don't even feel like myself. 

James and I are staying at my parents' for now. He drives to work and will pop back at our apartment to see to our sweetie cat Constable. I have been using my old room here as storage, so I need to clean it up so we can have our own space, rather than sleeping on an air-mattress in the living room. Then eventually,  hopefully, we can introduce Constable to our family cat, Hobbes. That is something to look forward to, haha.

Yesterday James was able to take me back to the apartment so that I could get a few things. It was so nice to be back there. I miss it so much. We snuggled with the cat and I couldn't help but pretend things were back to normal. Oh now I'm going to cry... I just can't imagine things not going back to normal.

Apparently you can eventually travel as a dialysis patient. Apparently they have dialysis centers at places like cruise ships, Disneyworld, Reno and Las Vegas. So if that gives you any idea of who is normally on dialysis? I don't get it.

I am so thankful that James and I were able to do so much last summer. We took our annual spring Detroit trip, our huge road trip out west, we stayed a couple nights right on Lake Michigan where we were swam (something I cannot do any more).. We had a very lucky summer. James has been so wonderful over these past few weeks. I am so fortunate to have such a strong, loving guy. I am also lucky to have such wonderful family and friends. All of your kind words mean so, so much to me. So, so much.

I am trying to get to a point where I feel comfortable opening my business again. I want to..but I am also nervous that I will become overwhelmed....or that it will not fulfill me the way it once did. My mom and James have been helping me..I am almost caught up with orders placed right before I went into the hospital. Once that task is complete I guess I'll access things. It's hard to see the point right now, I guess. I sort of feel like a ghost, you know?

Anyway, that's the long and short of it I suppose. Thank you for keeping up with me. If you want to send me anything, I think I may put my current address in my Facebook profile. Snail mail is pretty exciting these days, but truly, I wish I could get one giant huge hug from you all..daily! :)

EDIT: I've added a new blog category, for better or worse, "for your health / weird times with my kidneys" if you'd like to keep updated with what's up! ..plus it would be super sweet to come across someone who has had or even has known someone who has had what I do (RPGN (rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis) /IGA nephropathy) and / or a kidney transplant. xoxo

sad news

hi everyone, caitlin is in the hospital. she suffered a medical emergency earlier thisweek. she is feeling a little bit better each day but we won't know exactly what's going on for another few days. we put her biz on hold and will try to take care of orders placed prior to 2/14. thanks in advance for your patience.

- james

New Crystal Visions Dream Catchers

New Crystal Visions Dream Catchers have been added to the shop.

1 Year of Glitter!

After the Holidays

 

The holidays really flew by this year. The first week afterward is always so odd. It's sort of like swinging from a trapeze to another swinging trapeze? Because it's not like you ever really slowed down.. 

So far this year, winter at times has felt almost spring-like! I'm sure it can't last, though I've started a running joke at home with "The Winter That Never Came". It's 40 degrees and sunny today. No matter if it lasts or not, it's giving me a jump start and optimistic vibes towards wintertime. Which is my least favorite time. I've grown to appreciate the sort of down-time it allows, but the downtime only comes from just not going out as much and not going out as much really is a bummer. So how do you avoid the bummer all together in winter? Sun lamps? I've seriously considered. I'm trying to stay super focused on new projects and be prepared. Things haven't really slowed down, so I need to keep the momentum! Pretty things are in the works. 

Cyber Monday (needs a better name)

click to get shopping!

http://www.nice.etsy.com

Thank you so much for supporting handmade this season!

Heads up!
I'm taking photos of the holiday banners today, and I'm going to debut them on the Facebook page!
They will be available for pre-order so I want to give Facebook fans the first opprotunity to order.

come on now

You guys have been keeping me very busy with custom orders! Blogging has definitely been put on the back burner, so in the meantime, I want to really urge you all to join me on Facebook, where I am able to do quick updates to keep you informed during this chaotic time.
Is there anything you'd like to see happen on the Nice Facebook page? So far I use it for exclusive sales, updates, photos of my work and how you use your Nice pieces, and just general info. What am I missing?

Also, heads up- If you've been thinking of having a custom banner made, I will only be able to accept a small amount of special orders during the busy holiday season..which really has already begun. So please consider this and get in touch as soon as you can.

I between custom orders I have been working on a holiday inspired collection, which I am going to try to debut in the next couple weeks. These banners will be very fun to use during the holidays, but I think they'll be able to adorn your home any time of year- or at least all winter long!

Renegade Craft Fairs 2011

 

Hey! I've finally uploaded photos of ALL of the summer Renegade Fairs! San Francisco and Los Angeles from July, and of course Chicago from just the other weekend. To view all of the photos, have a look at Flickr or at the Nice page, won't you?

This Weekend

Chicago- see you this weekend at the Renegade Craft Fair!
Nice is booth #85. I'm located in the first group just east of the middle and food area, so on the north side, facing and near Smoke Daddy. I'm on a corner so hopefully you can't miss me! Be sure to stop by and say hi!

Nice to be Back

Hello!
It's been so long! This feels like it has been the busiest and quickest summer ever! I have a lot to share with you, but I am still catching up...the shop has kept me on my toes more than usual these last few months and I am so happy about that..although it has been tricky! I am using a lot of exclamation points! I want to share some photos of our trip to the California Renegades, and just get back on track with blogging a bit, but first I have to prepare for the Chicago Renegade which is A WEEK FROM TODAY. So crazy. I am having a hard time believing it is already September.

In the meantime, I've been wanting to share with you a light shade that my Mom has made. She's worked so hard on this piece and I think it's so dreamy. It's just begging to be hung over white floors and a comfy sofa chair.



It's available now in her shop, Oh Merci.

I've added a few new Hooray banners to the shop! These banners will be unlisted when it's time to take them to the Renegade show, so it's first pickins' for you right now!

This may be old news to you if you follow the Facebook page for Nice. It's easy for me to get out information that way when time is tight, so I encourage you to meet up with me there. Please feel free to post photos of the items you've purchased or any photos you've taken of Nice at fairs, etc. I'd love to see!

Talk to you soon!

Last Call!

 After tomorrow, June 26, the shop will remain open but items will not ship until early August! So Anything purchased before Monday (besides fringe banners) will go out early this week! It's almost time to hit the road for California! :D

 Also, one of my light shades was in a feature in the British publication Mollie Makes! Pretty neat, huh?

Summer Sale

Huge sale! Includes new items just listed to the shop yesterday!
See the BARGAINS section of the shop.