"I Have Another Confession to Make..."

Actually, this is my first ever blog confession. That's just a line from a Foo Fighter's song. I'm so happy I used it because now it's stuck in my head. Come to think of it, Foo Fighters are like, almost always, in my head. I think it's Radio 104.5's fault. They're always playing Foo Fighters. David Grohl either owns Radio 104.5, or has serious stock in the company. I'm gonna look into that. But none of this has anything to do with what I am writing about today. I know. It's a problem. Imagine actually talking to me in person. I know. It's a problem.

Here's my actual confession: I bought Wedding Stationary. This is a problem because I don't have a wedding date. Even more so, I'm not even engaged. I am however, one of those girls. I read wedding blogs. I scout locations. I find bridesmaid dresses I like, and wonder to myself if they'll flatter all the different body types of girls that will be in my wedding. The wedding that hasn't been planned yet. Because I'm not engaged yet. Oh boy.

This is the first time, though, that I've purchased something for said imaginary wedding. There I was, wandering down the aisles of HomeGoods (that's a whole other blog) and all of the sudden three little orange boxes came tumbling down into my cart! Okay, not really, but I did find them by chance in the mirror aisle (another "wedding planning, not-yet-engaged bride", having second thoughts perhaps?). They were white. They were simple. They were cute. And they were EYELET! I looooove eyelet! It's like one of my top 5 adjectives! And better yet, they were cheap! Also one of my top 5 adjectives (the good cheap, not the bad cheap, just for clarification). Five dollars for a box of 40. I scooped up 3. Sorry 121st person/couple/family on my imaginary wedding list, you're not invited anymore.

I justify this semi-creepy act in many ways. One, they were so cheap, that even if I change my mind, I didn't blow a ton of money. Two, I have champagne taste on a TwoBuckChuck budget. This means when I actually get married, I'll have to "settle" on certain items when I'm wedding planning. Invitations are definitely one of those items for me. And most importantly, Dave and I talk about getting married. Well I talk. He listens. But I know its in our (not toooooo far off) future, which makes it less of an impulse buy.

I love eyelet, but me being me, I'd have to alter them in some way or another when the time comes (see, I know I'm not engaged yet!). I actually found a few cute ideas when I was googling an image for this post.

(I cannot take a picture of the ones I own because they are hidden somewhere deep in my closet for no one to find. I'll pull them out when I am actually engaged and say, "Oh lookie what I stumbled upon in HomeGoodes today!")

Anyways, I really liked what Cece, at Dill Pickle Picnic, did with her set:

(Image via dillpicklepicnic.com. Check out all the awesome crafts ideas she has while you're there)

She rounded the edges, added a flower graphic on top, and used a cute font. Definitely something to keep in mind.

So that's my "dirty little secret...I hope that you can keep it..."

Damnit. Another song stuck in my head,

A. Quirky

Philly Inc.

What a clever and quirky title to this post! Get it? I said I was going to show you how I planned on incorporating Philly into my house? Get it...Incorporate Philly...Philly Incorporated? Well, I like it :)



As someone who is semi-quirky, as well as semi-stylish, and semi-resourceful, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Etsy.com . I mean, it's a serious love affair. So naturally, when I was looking to incorporate (there's that pun again!) some Philly into my house without putting up a poster-size picture of the 2008 World Champs or a Chase Utley signed baseball, I knew exactly where to go...

I love this illustration by Etsy Shop birdAve. It looks very retro the way they have the illustration photographed here, and while I love it, I tend more towards a cozy look, so I would probably group it with some other items on one of my bookshelves. I also love the orange-ish shade. It's more unexpected than say a blue or gray.

The shop also has a print that my boyfriend would love. And since the quote comes directly from Ben Franklin's lips, it's an even more subtle nod to Philly than the print I love.

Another Etsy item I love is this necklace from seller BathtubJungle.

True, it's a necklace. But, the seller says that she can make it a pin if one so prefers. If I ordered it as a pin I could stick it into a corkboard, or into the corner of a frame. A frame holding a picture of Dave and I. A picture of Dave and I in Philly. Genius. Or, I could leave it as a necklace and drape it over said frame, or other object. But, I wouldn't wear it as a necklace. I'm just not that quirky ;)

Priced at $45.oo, it seems a bit steep to use as a pushpin, but it's also pretty cool. I mean a skyline. A clawfoot tub. It doesn't get much cooler than that!

I totally fell in love with all the items in architette's shop. Check out the Project Cupcake Cards to use as a "where the hell did you get this" birthday card. Architette draws skylines of hundreds of cities in the United States, as well as other countries, and even the 7 Wonders.
Lucky for me, she has 2 versions of Philadelphia. I already ordered a set of her notecards. I'll frame one, and send the rest to friends. I love them so much, they might replace post cards when I go on vacation. I'll just order the city I'm headed to in advance, and pack them to send when I arrive. Hey! That's cheating! No, it's not. It's love.

These items are only the tip of the Liberty Bell as to what I found surfing Etsy. I didn't even include any of the items I found that paid tribute to our beloved Sports Teams. Which reminds me, welcome back to Cliff Lee, lucky number 33 :)

I'll include other items somewhere along the line, as well as photograph the items that make their way into our home. Until then, I encourage you to head on over to Etsy, and find some subtle, quirky nods to your favorite city.

xoxo

A. Quirky

*I am in no way endorsed or paid by etsy or any of the shops I have listed. I just love their stuff <3>