what's new? a pandacub newsletter - that's what's new!

I'm very excited to announce that pandacub will be launch an e-newsletter next month!

Sent approximately once a month, the e-newsletter will have sneak peeks at upcoming products, special discount codes for members, exclusive e-newsletter contests and other fun tidbits!

I won't have the same content as my blog, but I hope that my friends and customers will find it useful.

Sign up now by using the handy little subscriber box on the left hand side of this blog!

march giveaway winner

Thanks everyone for entering my March giveaway for a set of house collection bobby pins!

The randomly-drawn winner is:
STYLEEZTA

Congratulations!

Watch for another fun giveaway from pandacub soon!

Crafty By Nature 2010 - now accepting applications!

I wish I could take part in this awesome monthly event, but alas, I live just a tad too far away. But I can definitely help spread the word!

The lovely Alex, who owns Hello Bluebird (the very first shop that to carry pandacub products) also organizes a monthly craft market, Crafty By Nature. It takes place every first Sunday at Shupp's Grove in Adamstown, Pennsylvania (May thru October). This will be their second season and they have now opened the doors for artists, volunteers and local businesses!

Preliminary 2010 season info can be found on the event's online journal site:
http://craftybynature.wordpress.com/2010/03/27/new-2010-vendor-applications-available/

From the photos I saw last year, Crafty By Nature is constantly growing, so if you're in the area and are interested - get your application in now!

50 books in 2010 - update 2

I managed to finish off lots more books in March, which I'm hoping is a good sign that I may actually reach the 50 mark this year. I've also started reading e-books (although I still prefer the real thing) so that's helping me finish off a few more than usual...

1. The Last Boleyn by Karen Harper, finished January 13

2. The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser, finished February 7

3. Lamb by Christopher Moore, finished February 12

4. The Man Who Ate the World by Jay Rayner, finished February 20

5. There Will be Dragons by John Ringo, finished February 26

6. The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory, finished March 2

7. Emerald Sea by John Ringo, finished March 3

8. In a Time of Darkness by John Ringo, finished March 3

9. Against the Tide by John Ringo, finished March 9

10. East of the Sun, West of the Moon, by John Ringo, finished March 15

11. Daughter of York by Anne Easter Smith, finished March 15

12. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, finished March 16

13. Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie, finished March 18

14. Captain Alatriste by Arturo Perez-Reverte, finished March 18

15. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, finished March 24

Currently reading:

- Buon Appetito, Your Holiness by Mariangela Rinaldi & Mariangela Vicini

- The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

- The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

pandacub wants...to see a robin

I didn't even realize that the first day of Spring has passed - although we did have amazing Spring-like weather here in Toronto last week. Alas, this week, it's back to rain, damp and single digit temperatures again. :(

I'm sooooo ready for Spring. And summer, but I'll settle for Spring. I just want warm weather, so I'm hoping to spot my first robin soon as that always gives me hope that the warmer temperatures are just around the corner.

In the meantime, check out these lovely robin-related items I found on Etsy!

Top row:
1. robin short-sleeved, $22.00 by mollyotshirts
2. Robin Ball Needlefelting Kit, $12.00 by fancytiger
3. Needle Felted Bird Wool Soft Sculpture-Robin With Nest, $22.00 by JaniceCordeiro

Middle row:
4. The Robins are Back - Fine Art Print, $18.00 by theeye
5. Tiny Woodland Terrarium Robin's Nest Necklace, $44.50 by WoodlandBelle
6. Robin Coin Purse, $8.00 by birdversusbird

Bottom row:
7. Robins Nest Bracelet, $26.00 by mootsie
8. Bird Nest 3 - Original Painting, $27.50 by peacockgarden
9. Wee Robin On A Spool, $24.00 by humblebea

happy st. patrick's day!

For those that celebrate it - Have a very HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

I missed my Shamrock Shake this year (McDonald's - you let me down again) but I'm currently wearing a green shirt while I write this (so that I don't get pinched) and had a green cookie earlier today...

Anyhow, I'd like to share one of my favourite Irish toasts:

May misfortune follow you the rest of your life, and never catch up.

May you have food and raiment, a soft pillow for your head.

May you be forty years in heaven before the devil knows you're dead.

pandacub shops local in...dublin, ireland

More St. Patrick's Day-related goodies! This time, I headed a little south and "shopped local" in Dublin, Ireland! :)

Ok, so now that pandacub has checked out some Etsy sellers in Belfast and Dublin - where should I "shop local" next? (Check out all the posts under "pandacub shops local" to see where else I've been!)

For more things Irish - check out the lovely Crafty Ireland team over at the Etsy Ireland blog!


Left to right:
Top row:
1. Gingerbread Bears - One Dozen Gingerbread Cookies, $30.00 by gingerbreadstreet
2. Assorted greetings (Set of 4), $16.00 by littlewhitedog
3. Large Toy Car Plates, $46.00 by scottmccarthy

Middle row:
4. Blue Glass Pearl and Swarovski Crystal Ring, $28.99 by LauraCassidyDesign
5. Heart Belt / Head Band, $75.00 by byathreadhats
6. Original Mixed Media - wee houses in blue, $38.00 by irisoconnor

Bottom row:
7. Fairy Dust - White Hand Felted Flower Necklace, $40.00 by Crafts2Cherish
8. Proud as a Peacock to be Irish - folded square card, $3.50 by propeller
9. Peacock Feather Silk Brocade and Silk Lined coin purse, $24.00 by BagNoir

pandacub shops local in...belfast, ireland

I've just discovered some pretty amazing shops from sellers all over the lovely country of Ireland thanks to the Etsy Ireland blog and with St. Patrick's Day coming up, I've decided to "shop local" in Belfast, Ireland! :)

Tomorrow, I'll be "shopping local" in Dublin!

For more things Irish - check out the lovely Crafty Ireland team over at the Etsy Ireland blog!


Left to right:
Top row:
1. Six Tea Cups, Card, $5.00 by bridbird
2. Special Spiral Necklace - Silver and Black, $43.00 by aurajewellery
3. Little Book of Love, Hand Made Artist Book, $12.00 by BridgetFarmerBooks

Middle row:
4. big bubble beads, $45.00 by poisonits
5. Donegal Sunset Greeting Card, $3.00 by fatlittlepixie
6. Celtic Organic Cotton Fair Trade t shirt, $25.00 by GreenWorks

Bottom row:
7. Textile brooch pin, $12.00 by lilgreenshop
8. Blueberry Bubbles Pearl Bracelet, $24.00 by AMIdesigns
9. Shifty Cat - ACEO, $5.00 by moonkooki

pandacub march giveaway

Yep, that's right! The pandacub giveaway returns for the second month in a row (having such a great time with this I may make it permanent, but we'll see...)

One lucky winner will receive their choice of ONE pair of bobby pins from the House Collection:
- the house collection - lions (Gryffindor House): red blossoms on gold bobby pins
- the house collection - badgers (Hufflepuff House): yellow blossoms on black bobby pins
- the house collection - snakes (Slytherin House): green blossoms on silver bobby pins
- the house collection - eagles (Ravenclaw House): blue blossoms on copper bobby pins

These bobby pins are fairly new to the pandacub shop and were inspired by the Harry Potter series. But, of course, you don't have to be a fan of the book/movie series to enjoy these pretty blossom bobby pins (perfect for spring!)

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 (or that you were already 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.
- 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 Monday, March 29, 2010.
- Winner will be contacted via email shortly after the contest closes.
- This giveaway is open worldwide.

GOOD LUCK, EVERYONE!

mulling around...

I love it when the weather starts to turn and things get warmer. Although I can't really complain much about the winter we just had, I still am a much happier person when the warmer months start kicking in. Just the fact that it's bright when I wake up and still light out when I get out of the office makes me smile.

So, with the change in weather, there are lots of fun ideas bubbling around in my mind in regards to pandacub. Some will probably never see the light of day, but there are others that have great possibilities...

- a really fun contest that involves all my lovely pandacub customers

- a monthly e-newsletters with special giveaways and discount codes

- a Tudor-inspired collection of pandacub accessories

Of course, much of this will depend on my day-job schedule and how much I can actually accomplish in the few hours I have after work, but I'm having fun daydreaming anyway!

What do you think?

pandacub wants...lemons

I love lemons. I love how cheerfully yellow they are. And the smell - it's so fresh! And I love a nice lemonade...and lemon candy...and lemon sorbet...mmmm.


Top row:
1. Lite, Low-Cal, Low-Fat Lemon Love Cheesecake, $15.00 by GoomasGoodies
2. Hand Painted Modern Lovely Lemon Slice Recycled Wall Clock, $14.99 by bearlyart
3. Lemons in a bowl - original oil painting - 6x6, $58.00 by sharonschock

Middle row:
4. Lemon Verbena Handmade Soap, $5.00 by seaspritesoaps
5. Lemons on Blue -5 x 5 Fine Art Photography Print, $15.00 by JenniferAitchison
6. Dollhouse miniature Lemon Meringue Pie, $8.00 by BlueKittyMiniatures

Bottom row:
7. Lemonade Cross Stitched Refrigerator Magnet, $12.00 by DefiantDamsel
8. Meyer Lemons Sandwich Sak, $7.50 by WasteNotSaks
9. Lemon Sugar Lip Balm, $3.50 by FlourishBathBody

50 books in 2010 - update 1

Eek, it's already March and I'm not making much headway on this goal. Of course, it doesn't help that I chose a HUGE book to read that took me nearly all month...But I seriously will not be anywhere close to my goal if it takes me 2 months to read 5 books!

1. The Last Boleyn by Karen Harper, finished January 13

2. The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser, finished February 7

3. Lamb by Christopher Moore, finished February 12

4. The Man Who Ate the World by Jay Rayner, finished February 20

5. There Will be Dragons by John Ringo, finished February 26

Currently reading:

- Buon Appetito, Your Holiness by Mariangela Rinaldi & Mariangela Vicini

- The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory