Funkified friendship bracelets are so "now", so "in", so "cool", especially with all the layering going on.  There are some great ones out there (we're looking too!), but the really special ones can get a little pricey.  They are worth it, but if you have a little time on your hands and are itching with creativity, gather up some supplies, maybe invite some friends over, and try your hand at a one-of-a-kind wonder.

Here are some ideas to try:

If you're not feeling crafty, then check back in soon.  We've recently ordered some great friendship/wrap bracelets.

Initially, we weren't sure we wanted to carry watches at Accessory Foundry.  Not that we don't like watches, we do.  But, there is the issue of warranty so you need to find a good company, and we felt that they would have to be a fashion piece, not just a time piece.

Then we found Winky Designs and had to take the plunge.  Their designs take such a unique approach.  We love how they incorporate the friendship bracelet and wrapped stone bracelet trend.  And, we love the slap watches with bright colors and fun icons instead of numbers.  

These watches are perfect to stack up with all the fun bracelets that are out now because they won't detract from the look, they will add to it.  

Okay, let's be practical too.  They have a Japanese movement and a one year warranty.

Sold!

"It is better to have loved and lost than never to have lost at all."
(Samuel Butler, The Way of All Flesh)

This is a little hard to swallow for me these days as the marriages of several of my friends dissolve and my own is often much less than perfect.  But, I try to remind myself that it doesn't always have to be that way.  There can be happy endings.  Right?

Love is a terrible, wonderful thing we all desire.  We look for it and it is elusive.  We stop searching and suddenly it finds us.  Is running into it a matter of luck?  How do we know what we feel is love? How do we know when it is "enough" or "right".

Fueled by the desire to help my kids have faith in marriage and love, I have given a lot of thought to finding the "right" person.

Don't wait for perfection.  It doesn't exist.  You're not perfect, right? How annoying would it be to be with Mr. or Mrs. perfect all the time? Besides, if you look for perfection, you will never find it. Never. Life is supposed to be a little unpredictable, it's what makes things interesting.  However,

• Wait for a love where you feel safe, at home and most like yourself
  
  
• Wait for the desire to simply let go and fall, not worrying about where or if you land
  
  
• Wait until you long to give into it completely enough to feel lost, set free and uninhibited
  
  
• Wait until you find someone you can disagree well with so that you reach a solution, not a win

Then, allow yourself to fall passionately but remain truthful with yourself.  Don't ignore missing or wrong pieces that could become problems later.

To sum it up, choose wisely.  Most couples who break up can say they realized the problem was there from the start.  Once you choose wisely, be sure to cultivate the little things.  Pay attention.  Listen. Support. Prioritize...

I occasionally look for blogs that fit in with Accessory Foundry product lines, good design, somewhat modern, same price point.  I find it odd, but maybe I shouldn't, that most blogs are high fashion collages or are a parade of someone's daily outfits.  Not a lot is targeted at the person looking for creative, independent-minded, not too cheap, not to expensive items and ideas.

This past week I came across a blog called Envynde.  

Envynde provides a platform for independent designers to market their unique designs. It is their primary focus to help promote and build consumer awareness for independent designers. (Statement taken almost verbatim from their site.)

I liked Envynde so I emailed them and asked them if they might check out AF.  Since their focus is on indie designers, AF as a shop wasn't really something to blog about.  But, that didn't keep them from saying all kinds of nice things about us.  With a few kind words, someone out there really made my day.  

I emailed back thanking them for their kind words and asked if they had any suggestions for marketing ideas.  The CEO, Brandon, contacted me with such an open heart and kind words and offered not just suggestions but also an offer to feature a 250x250 banner for Accessory Foundry - for free.  

No kidding.  

So by now, they are really making my day and really making me realize that there are really nice people out there doing really nice things for people they don't even know.  That really made my day and I have to say, I thought about Brandon's generosity several times over the next couple days.  

I'm going to risk sounding cliche because it can't be stated/thought/lived enough:  if more people were so giving and helpful to strangers and those in need, the world would be a better place.

I don't know if I believe in karma, but if there is such a thing, Brandon and his crew must have a big pile of the good stuff.

Check them out:  http://www.envynde.com/

Pause and think of how you might help someone and feel the glow of enviable karma.

I thought I was a fan of Mr. Jason Mraz before, but I found out he is stepping out in many ways to help others and so I adore him now all the more.  

Jason has a charity foundation and he has made a personal sacrifice to support gay marriage rights. Jason proposed to his girlfriend, Tristan Prettyman, but he has declared they will not walk down the isle until everyone can, including gay couples. 

You go Jason!  Marriage doesn't define a relationship, it merely declares it officially to society.  Why support an institution such as marriage if it fails to adhere to your core beliefs?  I guess why indeed is what Jason is saying.

Kudos.  Whether you believe homosexuality is right or wrong shouldn't give you the right to remove someone's ability to declare their love.

Love is a mysterious, powerful, inescapable pull.  One is lucky to feel it's gravity even just once in a lifetime.  Let it be.

Uh..... this..... just.... goes.... to .... the.... core.... of..... my.... inner.... child.

Brownie covered Oreos.  I'm drooling and experiencing creative jealousy at the same time.

Essentially, make your favorite brownie batter, put a little in a muffin tin (liners make eating & clean up easier), insert Oreo, cover with more brownie batter.

350 degrees for about 15 minutes. 

My favorite brownie recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman, the god of simple, good cooking. Brownies are so easy to make from scratch and so much better than from a box:

1 stick butter or margarine (soften in microwave for 30 seconds)

1/2 cup good cocoa (or melt 3 ounces of baker's chocolate with the butter)

Mix together, add

1 cup sugar

2 eggs (or egg replacer for us vegans)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together, add

1/2 cup flour

Mix and done (except for licking the spoon, that is)!!

I can't seem to get enough of Jason Mraz's music lately.  

One of his songs, Make it Mine, has a great line in it:  leap and the net will appear.  It sort of sums up my background thoughts these days.  It's a more refined, "what the hell!"

I thought it was original to Jason, but it turns out to be a famous quote from John Burroughs, a nature essayist who died in 1921.

I decided to look him up.  Here are a few other quotes worth pondering.

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.

To me - old age is always ten years older than I am.

A somebody was once a nobody who wanted to and did.

For anything worth having one must pay the price; and the price is always work, patience, love, self-sacrifice - no paper currency, no promises to pay, but the gold of real service.

Thanks John! And Jason.  

Here's another good one, but it's a little bit... nasty.  In a good way.  :)

So yesterday the world reminded me to be happy and take in the warmth of life and today a fabulous post about giving love showed up on my facebook (thanks Ed Kowalczyk!).  

88-year old Johnny Barnes, a.k.a. Mr. Happy Man, devotes six hours a day on a traffic island in Bermuda to waving and saying "I love you" to those who pass by.  He says his mother never told him she loved him and that love is what has the power to transform the world.  If you love everyone there can be no war, no rape... 

You've got to watch this award-winning short movie made about him.  

I LOVE YOU!

Mr. Happy Man from Matt Morris Films on Vimeo.

A little slice of happy in the form of the website i-am-bored.com.  They did a little bit with pics entitled "America, this is why you're fat".  Okay, I'm lol-ing, but a little grossed out too.  Here are a few pics to tempt you; check out their site for more but I suggest you hit the gym afterwards.

Cherry, pumpkin, apple pie cake.

What kills me is that this is clearly in someones HOME! The 2-liter bottle was too small...

I often joke that fries are just a medium to eat ketchup but this goes too far.  Too far...

They say verything is better with bacon but SODA?!  

I was out this morning having breakfast with my son at a great locally-owned place called Sunrise Cafe.   We know the owners because their kids went to school with our kids and they also played soccer together.  Such a nice family.  Always genuinely pleasant, happy, kind... add as many similar adjectives as you like, they'd fit.  

So, as I'm sitting there eating my "home-cooked" and prepared with love plate of potatoes, spinach, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes (yeah, it was yummmm), the owner comes up to say "hi".   We're exchanging pleasantries and talking about the kids, usual stuff.  

"How's it goin'?" she asks.  "Great!"  I reply.  "The sun feels so great on my back and I'm happy just sitting at this perfect little table with my son.  I'm happy."

She steps back, looks at me thoughtfully, taking in a simple but heartfelt comment.  

"You know," she says "wouldn't life be so much better if we could all just enjoy the moment, be happy, simply and easily like that?"  I nod as she adds, "really, if we could all just enjoy the simple things and let go of the other stuff, just be happy.  Wouldn't that make a difference?"

What she says is really sinking in because it is pure, clear truth.  "Yeah," I reply smiling.  "It would be.  You know, life is pretty good."  She smiles and we share a look that says we are both soaking in the little things that warm your heart.

Just like the sun warming my back at that great little table with the great little plate of potatoes on it with my son sitting next to me with the Mickey pancakes and sticky syrup.   

Yes, the little things are warm and happy.  It's a good day.

Thank you Angela from Sunrise Cafe.  :)