My Secret Quirks, Friendships & Cover Hogs

Since a lot of you know me from behind the screen you probably don't know about my quirks & habits like some of my friends who see me on a day to day basis do.

Well, these ladies who finally got to see me in the flesh were lucky enough to learn some tidbits about me that, well, I neglect to mention while blogging ;)

[me, ilene, erika, julie]

1. When I am not home I sleep with an eye mask, ear plugs and gangsta grills (aka a mouth guard). Talk about an amazing trifecta of awesomeness.

2. At the airport I asked Ilene who should go first to order a drink from Starbucks since one of us should stay behind to watch the bags. Apparently this is a very "New York" way of thinking and others out there have trust in humanity. I had no clue that this was so odd.

3. I shower & wash my hair every single day.

4. I get super cranky when I am hungry. I swear I'm like an infant, I need to be fed at least 30 times a day.

5. I am a HA-UGE germaphobe. A carry a mini purel keychain on my purse for quick access. If someone else has touched my food I will not eat it. I touch doorknobs with tissues and hoover over toilet seats like a stealthy ninja warrior.

6. I never realized how uneducated my accent sounded till I left Long Island. We pronounce our "O's" as "A's" or "AW's". Some favorites from the past weekend were:

Stalked = Stawked
Bought = Bawt
Blog = Blawg
Dog = Dawg
Coffee = Cawfee
Here = Hea
Over = Ovah
At All = At Awl
Yesterday = Yestaday

pinky promise I passed 1st grade.

7. If I call you a bitch then congrats you and I are officially BFFs.

8. I curse when its not necessary. I am a happy cursor. F*ck yeah! (blame NY for this ok?)

9. I tend to bust out into the most dated dance moves ever when I get super excited (sprinkler anybody? Going fishing perhaps?)

10. I refuse to drink tap water. Not because I am snobby, but because one time back home there was an "ecoli out break" in the drinking water. The germaphobe in me has cut off all ties with tap water. We are no longer besties.

Buuut I also learned some interesting things about my fellow bloggers as well ;)

for example, Erika will randomly yell "AHHH!" and sprint out of the room with zero explanation what so ever. She will usually return with either food, her laptop, or craft supplies. This is usually followed by some questionable stares back from her peers.

 erika sportin' some yellow heart art bling and the latest "hair flower clips" to hit etsy soon.

Julie will clean out any antique store with all her awesome finds.

 totally peer pressured Julie into getting these mustard tins. You are welcome Julie.

Ilene is the worst cover hog ever. Bitch took my comforter. (see how I used bitch right there? It means we are officially the bestest of friends) (no seriously Ilene is the bomb, she is even more sweet and genuine in person) (I know I was shocked too) (she is my soul mate)

 we shared an airbed so I was allowed to violate her in this photo.

Ashley is the practical jokester placing generic brand cans of black beans all up in my luggage. But it's ok, I woke up earlier than her and put some beans in her bed. Figured she would want to spoon with them since she digs black beans so much. Its a love/love relationship between her and I.

"Number 11" and "plushies" That is all I am saying there ;)

Ashley gives thee best speeches (also? I need to go thrifting with home girl, she gets killer finds. Super jealous)

 me.ilene.julie.ashley.erika

Andrea is my hero and she knows exactly why.

Then there were bloggers who I wished I got to spend more time talking to! I got to meet so many incredibly talented ladies who I wish all lived in the same hood as me. Then we can walk to each other's houses and instead of borrowing a cup of sugar we can borrow silhouette cameos and glue guns.

I was also incredibly honored that other ladies wanted to get *my* input on how to start a business! I had so much fun shooting the biz shiz with other people who get me. Other people who work full time and run a shop on etsy. Other people who try to answer client emails, blog emails, paypal requests, special orders and shipping timelines. Other people who deal with the postal service (nuff said) Other people who need to save all their business receipts for business taxes. Other people whose living spaces are swimming in shipping supplies, felt scraps and dried up piles of hot glue strands. Other people who try to keep up with twitter, facebook, blog and other social media outlets ON TOP OF having a personal social life. Other people who deal with the positives and negatives in running a handmade biz.

One day I even stayed up till 2am with Ashley S. and Ilene just bouncing ideas off one another and sharing our personal experiences (whether it was about our blogs, our shops or even life) It reminded me that even though the handmade community can be so ugly at times it is refreshing to see other people try to help those still by offering words of encouragement and advice. I will forever hold in my heart the conversations I had with every single person that weekend. Viva la Handmade!