Meet Max! Pet Parade at The Katillac Shack!

"I'm ready for my close-up!"

Happy pet parade day! Today Kelee of The Katillac Shack is hosting a party to raise money for pets-in-need. To participate I am showing everyone my little guy, Max.

He is a black Fancy Rat with white paws, white belly, and a tiny white dot on the middle of his forehead. I call him my "scaredy rat" since he is jumpy and doesn't like being out of the comfort of his cage (though he did LOVE his photo session!). He is quite the little fudge ball, too, since he doesn't like running on his wheel (maybe he knows I dislike the treadmill, too?). At 2 years old he is the equivalent of a 73 year old person!

Isn't he cute?!?

Being shy.

"Is there food over there??"

Every comment Kelee gets raises an additional dollar for the pets-in-need! So far the total raised through links and comments is over $2,000! If you want to help out, go visit the parade here and leave a comment at The Katillac Shack!

P.S. He looks a little scruffy in these pictures since he just got a bath and wasn't completely "fluffed" yet.

P.P.S. The little guy actually isn't doing too well, in the last couple of days he has deteriorated pretty rapidly, I suspect degenerative myelopathy (spinal deterioration). If you're the praying kind, just include a thought for him that he's not in pain or suffering. Thank you!

A different type of post: My First Feature!!

So I know that all of you expert bloggers have this happen all the time, but I just stumbled upon my first feature!! Eek!! Thanks to my Live Feed on the left, I found that The Unnecessary Stage created a post about my nut necklace, and I am SO pumped! Forgive this post, since again, this is probably old hat to you all out there, but I couldn't contain my excitement. The Unnecessary Stage says "Super innovative and different. I’ve never seen anything like this. "

Now I'll be honest, I was waiting to see the feedback here at PPR about what "the public" thought about the design, and I was considering making these in various colors and configurations and putting them in my (new!) Etsy shop, but wasn't convinced from the response. Not that everyone wasn't totally sweet (thank you everyone!!), but I guess I'm still shy about my designs and was waiting for "You should totally sell these!"...

Do you all think I should put these in my shop? I guess that is mostly a question to all of you expert Etsiers out there. Any feedback would be phenomenal, since I'm such a newbie at all of this, as far as listing items vs. not listing them. Do some of you just put up any crafty thing your hands create? Or are you more reserved about what you list?

Thanks all for bearing with my excitement and questions! Have a great rest of the week, and don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Etsy Monday: Stout Woodworks

Hope everyone had a great weekend! This week I have chosen to feature a shop that further brings out the autumn, nature-loving feelings in all of us, Stout Woodworking. Their gorgeous wooden rings are handcrafted and show off the true beauty of the wood. These are just a few of my favorites, I would love to pair any of them with a warm sweater! Check out the rest of their wonderful designs here.



1. Walnut Ring with Offset Turquoise Inlay $110, 2. Zebrawood Ring $75, 3. Kingwood and French Walnut Bentwood Ring $85

And, don't forget to enter my giveaway!

My New Esty Shop, and Giveaway!

I am super excited to share with you all that I have opened a shop on Etsy! It is still pretty bare right now, I only have four listings, but we all have to start somewhere, right? To celebrate this crafty entrepreneurial occasion, I am having a giveaway!! You can win one of my flower pin brooches!


To enter, visit my shop here then come back and leave a comment telling me which of my four brooches is your favorite. To get a SECOND entry become a follower and leave a separate comment letting me know you are a PPR follower! I'll be picking a winner next Friday, the 2nd. Good luck!!

This Belt Drives the Head Gears

I have this belt that I have loved and owned for a very long time. Years. Since high school, I believe. A beautiful, industrial chain finished with purple and pink ribbons, it was more rockstar than I could ever figure out how to work into my outfits. But since the love continued, it was never parted with. This past weekend, after years of the gears in my head turning, I gave the belt new life.



Simply by trimming the ribbon down (and melting the ends to prevent frays) I have a new statement necklace! I wore it out already for sushi night with one of my girls, with success! My friend liked it (and her opinion on things like this ALWAYS matters to me) and so did the waitress! What do you think?

Etsy Monday: The Daily Pincushion

This week for Etsy Monday I have chosen to feature The Daily Pincushion. I love her designs, and lately I have been in need of a sweet pincushion (a post on that later this week!). When it comes to pincushions and emery, it doesn't get any sweeter than these. Check out a few of my favorites, and be sure to visit her shop here. Happy sewing!






1. Pink Pansy on Pea Green $28, 2. Orange Flower $28, 3. Cherry Blossom $28, 4. Apricot and Lemon Hydrangea $28

Softened Hardware

As a mechanical engineer, I love hardware. Nuts, bolts, washers, you name it. I love seeing a big bin of them, shining in the assembly line lights, and my brain starts churning, thinking of all of the possibilities. Nuts were the inspiration for this necklace, but I wanted to soften them to make the piece more feminine. Nuts, thread, glass beads, and ribbon make a mechanical engineering girl's necklace. What do you think??

New Anthropologie

I love the new collection from Anthropologie, a layered, textured, colorful array of pieces to mix and match. The collection is school themed, and I can definitely see myself wearing these ensembles to class, especially as the air turns crisp and the leaves begin to change.

Etsy Monday: Made in the Hudson Valley

Since I am thoroughly addicted to Etsy I have decided to feature a favorite shop each Monday. This week I'd like to share Made in the Hudson Valley. With my love of fall turning into a full fledged obsession, this shop satisfies the rustic, rural pining of my autumn cravings. Everything is made from twigs, branches, or logs cut from fallen trees or out of reclaimed barn wood, and I challenge you not to think of the coming season when you see his work. Enjoy!




1. Rustic Log Flower Vase $21, 2. Tea Light Holder $10, 3. Rustic Serving Tray $47,
4. Oak Napkin Rings $10 for set of four.

Quotacious - Sticky Shoes

My mom just pulled up the carpet in my parent's bedroom, and "way too much glue" equals sticky feet and a pulled muscle for her. She laughed and said that if she got stuck at least she had her cell phone on her.

I reminded her she could take off her shoes...

If your shoes ever get stuck to the ground, take them off
and see where your socks take you.

kick it print $30
by jmbarclay

Icelandic Cravings

Last summer, about this time, I took a trip to Reykjavik, Iceland for a week. With the start of school and the weather beginning to change in a familiar way I find myself longing for another trip to this moody, mysterious, and beautiful country. To give you a taste of what I'm craving, I share some of my favorite photos from the trip.

"Bus Stop"

"Where the Wild Blueberries Grow"

"Troll Territory"

"Reykjavik Harbor"

"Blue Lagoon"

"Beach Chairs"

"A true friend
whom you trust well
and wish for his good will,
go to him often
exchange gifts
and keep him company."
-Old Viking saying

Office Art

I thought I would share with you some snapshots of things from around my workspace. I love the macro on my camera, and I love patterns/multiples of things. I'm thinking I might put these up as art, since the walls are still mostly blank.

Do you feel like working now?

Finally, Bedroom Pictures!

So I am still a long way from finishing my tiny apartment bedroom, but I thought that I would share what has been completed up to this point. I have painted and arranged the room, hung curtains, and begun to decorate. I still have pictures to hang and other decorations to put up, but those will get their own post.


The color is Behr "Pepper Grass", and I love the way it turned out. I had been admiring green walls lately, including Taylor Swifts bedroom in her "You Belong with Me" video. Now if only I can find a butterfly print to go with the green!


The mirror above the bed is from my post: First Post, First Project! The white textured throw pillows are a garage sale buy for $2 a piece, and the white milk glass lamps next to the bed are from my post: Brightening Up Vintage Lamps. I know that their scale is way too small, I would prefer to have a couple of large, white barrel shade, glam lamps, but these cuties will have to do for now. The pink box is my jewelry box with no better home right now than on the bedside table.


The curtains on the windows are a wonderful, light, lace-type fabric: a super find at the Salvation Army for $2.50 per panel. I think they add a little more texture to the room, and they are great for letting lots of light into the room, just the way I like it. The photo above shows how much light comes in during the day with the blinds and curtains closed!


Also next to the bed is a bright shiny alarm clock that I got at Goodwill for $2. It has sort of a retro feel in addition to being just plain adorable. It also has a face large enough that I can see it without contacts in, when I am as blind as a bat.


The room is pretty much skin and bones right now, I have much more to do to warm it all up with personal touches. I am thinking black and white photos in black frames, some silver frames, and I need to bring in a big splash of white somehow...

Here's to layering in those decorative touches!

Come Fly With Me...

As part of my Human Factors education I am required to take a course in Aviation Accident Investigation: the aviation sector was the first to understand the importance of human factors in design and human-technology interaction. Since I have planes on the brain, I decided to take a flight through Etsy to see what aeronautic treasures I want in my next carry-on.

Fly Me to the Moon Locket Necklace $28
by basilthecat


Amelia Aviator Hat $68
by rocksandsalt


Elvgren Tailwind Pinup Watercolor Print $49.95
by VANGUARDGALLERY


Steam Punk Wings Necklace $29.99
by CosmicFirefly


P40 Warhawk WWII Warbird Aircraft Pop Art Illustration $40
by DocMartinStudio


Blue Leather Bomber Jacket $199
by SantosLeather

Until next time, Bon Voyage!