more photos from vegas

Just a few more photos from our trip to Las Vegas.

The one crazy thing about Vegas is that the buildings imitate so many famous world landmarks.

This was outside the Venetian hotel (where we stayed)...which was a beautiful example of Italy - complete with gondolas


and Paris (the Paris hotel)....

How about New York City (New York, New York hotel)?


and Egypt (the Luxor hotel)...

Besides the international travel, there's so much light, sound and distractions in the city! But I did find lots to inspire me as well...

viva las vegas!

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I really enjoyed Las Vegas far more than I expected to. It's so...unreal! Everything is WAY bigger than life and all lit up. And the place just doesn't sleep!

No matter what time of day (or night) hubby and I headed out, there were always tons of people on the street and in the casino. The only thing that we didn't find easily was places to eat at 2 in the morning. :)

We stayed at the lovely Venetian hotel and the staff and service we received there was amazing.

There was one thing I HAD to do while in Vegas - and that was to do the CSI Experience at the MGM Grand (I'm a big CSI fan). It was a little disappointing, especially as it cost $30 a person, but I'm glad I did it. Basically, you get to "play" at being a CSI - you get a case, you examine the crime scene, go through the different labs and then present your findings. It was pretty simple, so it's hard to mess up, but at least I can now say I've done it.

What didn't disappoint was the Cirque du Soleil show we saw. There are so many to choose from in Las Vegas, but we decided to go see Love, which features music by the Beatles. It was mind-blowing! I can't even begin to describe the show. It was spectacular on so many levels. We had amazing seats and there was so much to take in. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has the chance to see it. It's definitely worth the price of the ticket (which is on the high side of Cirque shows). I'd see it again in a heartbeat.

We also checked out every hotel/casino on the Strip, saw the Bellagio fountain show 3 times (twice during the day and once at night), did a little shopping, a little gambling, and tried to avoid the street corner card "flickers" (if you've ever been to Vegas, you know what I'm talking about!)

The other thing I love about Las Vegas is the food. There's so much good food at every corner. And there are celebrity chef restaurants every where you look! If you want to check out what we ate while in Vegas, keep an eye on the food blog I share with my sister, Chubbi Bunnies. I'll be posting a day-by-day account of what we ate, along with lots of mouth-watering photos.

I'm sorry to say that I'm back to work tomorrow. It's really hard to come off of "vacation-mode", especially when you were having so much fun. I didn't think I'd like Vegas so much, but I had such a great time that I know we'll be going again soon!

love going on vacation and seeing this...

Well, pandacub and hubby are off to Las Vegas for a week! Finally! I'll be sure to share lots of photos once I return, but in the meantime, I hope everyone has a safe and lovely week.

p.s. I love the few hours before going on vacation and seeing this:

Weather in Toronto (where I'm leaving from):

Weather in Las Vegas (where I'm gong to):

introducing pandacub pips

I was kind of bored last night and doing some random Etsy stuff for my shop (cutting fabric, gluing bobby pins, etc) while watching TV and for no reason, decided to rename one of my products and expand the collection.

Some of my bobby pins that are made up of smaller buttons are sold in sets of 5 and I love making pretty matching sets. I had a few that were based on the seasons for inspiration and then others that were matched based on colour. They're a great way to accessorize with a little colour.

So, as I was playing with my fabric, I decided to try and create as many different colour sets as possible and will be posting these in my shop in the next couple of weeks.

Also, they used to be named after the seasons or colours, but I've decided to give them a common name and make it a real collection. So...I'm officially introducing...pandacub pips!

According to wikipedia: "Pips are small but easily countable items. It is used to describe the dots on dominoes, dice, denote suits, and is the name for the small seeds of some fruits. It could be used as a synonym for dot in most situations, for example morse code."

So, I think "pips" are a cute way to describe these little bobby pins. What do you think of the new name?

hello november!

Wow, I can't believe it's November already! There's only 2 more months left to 2009 and this year has absolutely flown by.

If you're planning on getting some pandacub goodies as gifts for the holidays, shop early and don't forget to take the busy holiday shipping times into account!

november giveaway

With the holidays coming up on us pretty quickly, my head is swimming in circles (well, part of that may be due to my vertigo, but that's another story...) with all the work that needs to be done!

So, to put a little bit of fun and cheer on my daunting To-Do list, I'm going to host a giveaway!

There will be 2 winners - each winner will win a set of their own menagerie bobby pins. These bobby pins are so cute! With slightly smaller buttons than my usual bobby pins, they feature a collection of cute animals. The winners will each get to choose FIVE animals to make up their own custom menagerie!

Here's how to enter:
Visit my shop, pandacub, then come back here and tell me what your favorite thing in the shop is! Just leave it in a comment on this post.

Want extra entries? (you must complete the first step above before doing these)
- 1 extra entry: Follow this blog. Leave a comment telling me that you've become a Follower or that you were already a Follower.
- 1 extra entry: Become a Facebook fan at http://www.facebook.com/pages/pandacub/82432588156. Leave comment telling me that you've become a fan.
- 3 extra entries: Follow me on Twitter (pandacubcafe) and tweet about this contest (use the tag @pandacubcafe so I can see your tweet). Leave a comment letting me know you've done this.
- 5 extra entries: Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back to this post. Leave a comment here and include the URL where I can see your post
- 10 extra entries: Buy anything from my pandacub shop. Come back and leave a comment letting me know what you bought and your Etsy username.


Remember to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!

Notes:
- This contest closes at midnight (ET) on Sunday, November 15, 2009.
- Winner is chosen randomly using a Random Number Generator.
- Winner will be announced on this blog shortly after the contest closes.
- This giveaway is open worldwide.

GOOD LUCK, EVERYONE!

getting in the mood to be scared...

I'll admit it...I'm a wimp. I don't really care to be scared out of my wits. Watching 2 hours of a horror movie will give me vividle horrifying nightmares for 2 months. Oh, and I hate clowns.

Halloween for me was (as a child) more about getting candy and dressing up in a fun costume than being scared. So, now, as an adult, it's not a holiday I really do much for.

But I did have to have this necklace from Tiana Rutledge. It's really different, perfect for a subtle Halloween touch and it's even prettier in person!

star sign rings - update

These lovely baubles are going pretty quickly - maybe people are already starting their holiday shopping early?

As I mentioned before, only 2 of each ring was made, so these are in VERY limited edition. I would love to make more, but I can't find these vintage Italian intaglios anywhere so unless I can discover a new stash, these will stay at 2 each.

Here's an update on what's available:
Aries - 2 available
Taurus - SOLD OUT
Gemini - 1 available
Cancer - 1 available
Leo - 1 available
Virgo - SOLD OUT
Libra - 2 available
Scorpio - 2 available
Sagittarius - 2 available
Capricorn - 1 available
Aquarius - 2 available
Pisces - 2 available

pandacub travels to...Las Vegas, USA

This one is real, actually, as The Hubby and I have booked a trip to Las Vegas in November (hopefully this goes through, as our September trip was cancelled). We've never been and wanted to go and see what all the fuss is about. Neither one of us gamble, so we're there more for the lights, the sights, the sounds and the food!


Left to right:
Top row:
1. Vegas Vacation - 1.25 inch Pinback Buttons (8), $8.00 by stoopidgerl
2. Photo of Stone Angels and Roman Columns at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas - 5x7, $6.00 by mycraftyfamily
3. Going to the Chapel original painting vegas wedding vintage lounge lizard style by JSANDQUIST, $200.00 by Jsandquist

Middle row:
4. Las Vegas Skyline Cuff, Laser cut and Laser Etched, Hand Painted Acrylic, $35.00 by GetPersonalArt
5. Las Vegas Sign Necklace, $30.00 by plasticbat
6. Enjoy the View, $25.00 by PicturingThis

Bottom row:
7. Las Vegas Map Pinback Button Set, $3.00 by XOHandworks
8. Blingin Las Vegas Poker Chip Pendant, $12.00 by AForestFrolic
9. Las Vegas - Palm Trees - Wall Decals , $80.00 by BadassCustomDecals

happy thanksiving!

Ok, so this is a little late, but I was too busy enjoying turkey on Saturday, turkey on Sunday and then turkey leftovers today. :D

Anyhow, Happy Thanksgiving to all those in Canada!