New Holiday Tradition!

Last Christmas I fell in love with a gorgeous green mug by Jenny Blasen of jennyblasenpottery on Etsy and just had to have it!  I've used it every single day since I received it in the mail.  A few weeks ago, I  included a beautiful orange porcelain mug by kimwestad in one of my treasuries and couldn't stop thinking about it!  I felt a little silly... like I was cheating on my green mug!  Still, I couldn't stop coveting the orange mug and finally gave in to the temptation!  Today, it arrived in the mail!

It is so beautiful and HUGE and it matches my lovely new iPod nano perfectly!  I can already feel the caffeine overload! :)

I have come to realize and accept that my mug relationship is no longer monogamous.  Therefore, I shall begin a new holiday tradition (so my mugs will not feel too betrayed) and every Christmas I will indulge my mug affair.  Till then, I will enjoy my beautiful new orange mug and my beautiful green mug will sit next to my computer holding all of my pencils and pens so I can still enjoy it and see it everyday! :)

Etsy Front Page!

When I logged in to Etsy just now, I was so excited to see I was on the front page!  This gorgeous treasury was made by dollcloset ! 

New Netbook Case!

After lots of hard work and many prototypes, I finally finished the design of my new netbook case!
I took pictures and they are now available in my Etsy store!

My sister named the case Riley, which happens to also be the name of my friend's really cool and adorable daughter!

This case fits netbooks/laptops measuring up to 10 ½" x 7 ½" x 1 ½".  The netbook in the photographs is my sister's Dell Inspiron Mini 10.

I used neoprene to pad the case and then lined it with flannel to keep the netbook cozy and scratch free!
I also used canvas to reinforce all of the pocket openings.

The Riley case features:
▪ A spacious main compartment for your netbook 12 ¼" x 9".
▪ A front zipper pocket for your power cord, phone or mouse etc. 12 ¼" x 5 ¼"
▪ Two additional interior pockets within the front zipper pocket to hold your credit cards, USB flash drives, etc.
▪ A large pocket on the back of the case with a snap closure for your papers or a small mouse pad. 10" x 7 ½".
▪ Two pen slots: one on either side of the back pocket.

I can make one of these cases to fit any laptop, netbook or kindle.  I can also add handles or a shoulder strap and make it in any of my fabrics, many which can be found in my flickr account http://www.flickr.com/photos/maryjmaalouf/sets/72157610657250780/.   I would be very happy to work with you on a custom order.  Please contact me for more information if you are interested! :)

Holiday Wrapping!

I am so excited about the pretty holiday packaging I found for my Etsy items!  I just love opening and receiving beautifully wrapped presents!  Here is a sample of what one of my Alice cases looks like wrapped in pretty holiday tissue paper with my label.  

These are the beautiful wrapping papers!

This is the Holiday card!  The outside says, "(heaven & nature sing)" and the inside says, "Wishing You A Wonderful Holiday Season."

I can wrap your purchase in any of these beautiful tissue papers and/or wrapping papers and include the card, free of charge! 

Happy Holidays!
Mary :)

Smoke and Moss Treasury

There is nothing like a beautiful treasury to lift my spirits!  Aren't those metal sheep too cool?!

It seems like lately everything has been taking a little longer than usual to get accomplished.  My computer was also out of commission (possessed) last week and my wonderful dad fixed (excorsized) it!  I am almost back on schedule and I have so many new things to share, so keep posted! :)
Mary

Bright and Bold Treasury

I couldn't help it!  I had to make a treasury with lots of color! :)

I am in love with the mug and the fish and the moss necklace...well, all of them!

Anniversary and Holiday Sale

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I feel so blessed to have been able to spend it with my family. There was good wine (mojitos for me) and lots of wonderful homemade food!  I'm looking forward to another food coma today with all of the yummy left overs!

I think it is absolutely appropriate that Thanksgiving Day marked the one year anniversary of having opened my Etsy store!  I am so thankful to have the opportunity to be creative, work with my hands and learn new things every day!  To celebrate this milestone and since it happens to also coincide with Black Friday and Cyber Monday,  I am  having a huge sale!  15% off of everything in my store and free world wide shipping until Monday November 30th, 2009! www.maryjmaalouf.etsy.com.


These are the iPod nano cases I've been working on.  I'm setting up my photo equipment today and I'll start listing them in my store on Monday!

I hope everybody has a safe and happy holiday season!

New Treasury - Ready for Winter

I have been feeling a little nostalgic for the Kansas City fall and winter climate since it is so warm here in Miami and my garden continues to bloom and grow.  I can't say I miss the snow but I do miss the crispness of the cool air and the beautiful changing colors of the leaves. Most of all I miss the frosty nights warmed by good food, good wine and great friends!

I have also been working like a busy little bee these past few weeks on new projects and building stock for the holiday season. During my breaks I looked around Etsy for some beautiful wintry whites and reds for my new treasury to help me get into the holiday spirit.

Garden Surprise

I went out to water my garden this morning and was so surprised to see that my okra plant had a flower!
I would never have guessed that okra would have such a beautiful blossom!

Another surprise came from a plant I took a clipping of from my sister's back yard two months ago.  Her neighbor has a gorgeous plant in their yard and it is growing through the fence to my sister's yard. The flowers were so beautiful I just had to clip off the branch poking through the fence.  I  put the clipping in water for a few days and then planted it in my garden to see if it would take root and it did!  It flowered this morning as well!  I did a little research and found out that the flower is an Allamanda Cathartica or Golden Trumpet.

New Treasury and a Sneak Peek!

I had so much fun searching through Etsy for beautiful handmade items and gorgeous colors to make my latest treasury!   I'm a little addicted to making treasuries so you'll be seeing many of these on my blog.  I get such a thrill when my treasuries make it to the Etsy front page and the last three treasuries I curated have made it there!   I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this one! :) 

I've also been working on prototypes for a netbook case and I finally finished the design yesterday!  It all started when my aunt asked me to make a case for her new Vaio and it turned out so well that I decided  to start making them for my Etsy store.  I'll post pictures of the new cases soon!

An introduction

Hi!
This is a blog about my all of my favorite things...my work, my two kitties, cooking and my garden!  I love my quiet and peaceful life!  I get up in the morning drink my coffee, feed the cats, tend my garden and then go to my wonderful studio and start creating things. You can read a little more of my back ground on my website here http://www.maryjmaalouf.com/-about-me.html.
I look forward to sharing my new projects and ideas as well as some of my favorite artists and inspirations!
I'll be writing again soon! :)
xo
Mary

P.S. Here are pictures of my two babies...Honey is four years old and Sushi (the terror) is seven months old.