Woohoo! Well, we got back from our LONGGGGG trip to the home of the KY Derby and apparently cool small bead tours, fairly unscathed. That cannot be said for our pocket book though. lol I apologize for not posting this sooner, it has been a wickedly long week. As you can see, I am posting this at 3:10 am when I should be in bed if that gives you any idea how crazy it has been.

We started out our journey a bit later than I would have liked and of course I ALWAYS forget that we are in a different time zone so didn’t factor that in for the travel time. Hit McNasty’s for a hockey puck breakfast. Here’s where I made my first mistake. They have this new drink (new to me since I don’t go out much or eat there much) froze strawberry lemonade. I thought to myself “self, that looks good for a long drive”. So, I get that instead of coffee which I really wanted one of those vanilla coffees or something. Anything that resembles a latte balms my sore Seattle heart. But I knew better than to drink coffee before starting on that long 3.5 hour journey. Besides my cardiologist BITCHES when I don’t follow orders. Sheez the nerve.

Apparently the strawberry gunk is made with sugar and red dye (die) number 800687. Which they had glopped all over the bottom of the cup. I stirred it up some, but thought hey they know what they are doing right? OMFG puke on stick.gag.a.cat.with.a.dog.on.top.of.a.goat.lickin.SOB. that stuff was nasty! I could taste the chemicals in the DYE! Thank goodness I had water and plenty of it. So I gagged and stirred and stirred and stirred, thinking surely this must mix together and be better.

The best part of the drink was throwing it the hell away. Product not recommended unless you have had your taste buds surgically removed.

Okay so you know we have been having severe flooding down here in KY. Well, it is really REALLY bad, I spent a lot of time oohing and ahhing over the water being so high and moving around and talking with my arms. So much so that I made myself car sick. So we had to stop for emergency Dramamine. LOL I know better than to do that. Leave home without the pills and to make too much motion with my lips and arms in the car.

On the road again we make it in great time, and get in and hit the tables, we had a perfect amount of time. The people running the show were very helpful and nice. The prices were great and we bought some very cool beads and findings that you will see made into cool creations on our new jewelry site http://acharmingtime.com very soon.

Here’s a picture of the bead stash. My favorite were some oval dragon’s blood beads and carved jade beads. I saw lots of new things I had never seen before. I have been working with gemstones since about 1997 or so. That was pretty cool. I found a few names for pieces that had come my way that I couldn’t place, which is great!

All in all it was a great trip with the family, very productive. We made another stop which I hope to blog about this weekend <read rant and roll>.

So, the title of the post promised discount codes. Since you are all new to our jewelry store here ‘s an incentive to do some shopping!

We are currently offering a 15% discount code: BNRONE15off
or
Free Shipping Code: BNRONEfreeship

Orders ship within 48 hours or less.

http://acharmingtime.com

Website: http://ravenswood-wine.com/

Country: US, Sonoma, CA

Blog: No

Newsletter: Yes, http://www.ravenswoodwinestore.com/index.cfm?method=newsletter.subscribe

US Shipping: n/a

International Shipping: n/a

Discounts: 20% off your first order when you sign up for their newsletter. There are restrictions as to which states they can ship to. Of course ours isn’t one of them.

Ahh the joys of living in a DRY county. That would be NO JOY unless of course you drive 30 minutes to find it. Liquid paradise can be found, for a price, here in the buckle of the bible belt. There are very few good wine shops to choose from, but we are lucky to have at least one with a good selection.

On our bi-monthly sojourn to winedom, we came across a new (to me) wine from Ravenswood, which has been a long time favorite brand for my husband and I. This bottle of Zen of Zin is a 2007 old vine zinfandel.  I was skeptical, but drawn in by the clear crisp artwork and the catchy tag line ” The way to Zinligthenment”. Brand recognition did play a big part in the final purchase decision. I believe it was between $10.00 and $12.00 per bottle, which is about average for this brand. Good to know the kind folks at the Wine-O Emporium weren’t padding their cellars so to speak by over charging their less fortunate dry county neighbors.

The Ravenswood motto is “No Wimpy Wines” and they really do live up to their tagline. This particular bottle had a nice strong start with a smooth finish. It had average legs, but hey I can relate there!

I have purchased two bottles on different occasions and have enjoyed both. Is it the best wine I have ever had? No, but it is by far not the worst. This is an excellent every day wine (despite what the church might say). A nice bottle to take over to dinner at a friends. Great with pasta, beef and pizza.

I would say this is a must try for those of you who enjoy a good red zin and especially if you enjoy Ravenswood blends. The ONE complaint that I have is the SLOOWWWWness of the Ravenswood website. On a cable modem it took more than 5 minutes to load for this reveiwer. Since I do most of my research online, you can see where this might turn me off. If you have a T-1 at your disposal, go for it. Otherwise check your local wine section and save yourself the headache.

If you can’t make it through a whole bottle, I highly recommend my favorite Vacu Vin Wine Saver. Be sure to get the Extra Stoppers in case you drink a lot of wine or if things tend to get a little wild on wine night at your house.

This was a non sponsored thread, meaning that I used my own money to buy this product for review, and I have received no monetary gain from this post.

Website: http://binhog.com/
Country: USA

Blog: No

Newsletter: Yes, bottom of the main page, or click this link here.

US Shipping: Yes

International Shipping: Yes

Discounts: WSIMD readers get a 20% discount. You must click on this link to get the discount.
http://www.binhog.com/?code=wsimd

Picture if you will, another time, another space…another dimension. The airport zone. Not just any zone, but the hell on earth also fondly called baggage claim. This zone is filled with black holes and sticky fingers, it is a place that nobody is safe. That was until I discovered BIN HOG! Now I have seen a lot of cool stuff online and on the TnV shows, but these bad boys really take the cake.

Check this out:

These versatile “tags” mark your luggage with a unique design making them easy to spot on that conveyor belt or in somebody else’s possession! They are also comfy and add a really nice little extra layer to those hard and often uncomfortable handles on baggage. They are BRIGHT too. You can opt for a more subtle look on your bags with say, black. But, hey when you are trying to stand out in the crowd, go for neon pink or green like I did. Add a skull and crossbones and you are all set!

Each one is manufactured, and embroidered by Rita, so, the quality is top gun errr top notch even! You can get them customized with your name too. Just let her know what you want and she will zip it right out. Now, I don’t get to travel as much as I would like, but that didn’t stop me from getting several of these wraps. I have one on my laptop bag, gave one (the red OM symbol) to my hubby for his laptop bag AND his work briefcase which has cloth handles. Of course there is the neon pink Yin/Yang symbol on my flight bag. We have been taking our laptops out and about quite a bit. Especially after that little re-formation hurricane Ike gave us a few weeks back that left us in our new house with no power or internet. We headed to the big city in search of a coffee shop that had working wi-fi. Let me tell you, this was NO small feat in Western KY (the state not the jelly).

We both got all kinds of compliments on our bag handles from the 12 billion other desperate internet addicts there with their bags. Using a Bin Hog wrap is akin to the whole patch my coat/backpack craze of the 70′s, but way more hip, all the groove without all the grunge.

I LOVE this one:

I actually almost spewed my coffee all over the screen when I read that! I just wish it had some little skull and crossbones or a poison sign on either end of it. LOL The really neat thing about these is that they are made out of this hyper cool fabric called CORDURA® 1000D aka it is super strong and uberly durable. The best part is that there are SO many designs to choose from you are bound to find several you love, just like I did. I have been eyeballing the I Love Wine Wrap to go on our cloth picnic basket tote. Too cute! Personally, I think these would fun for school groups, like sports teams etc. to use for school pride on their bags too.

Anyways, the long and the short of it is that Bin Hog wraps rock, so get some today. With Christmas just around the corner, there are bound to be people you know traveling. So keep them safe in the baggage claim by transporting them to the Bin Hog zone!

Website: http://flyingneedlegallery.com/

Country: USA

Blog: http://flyingneedlegallery.blogspot.com/

Newsletter: Yes, easy sign up on the front page.

US Shipping: Yes via USPS $6.00 per order or FREE on orders of $50.00 or more

International Shipping: Yes, Canada: $14.00 s/h above $50 they include an allowance of $6.00. Other countries email for more info on their shipping policies.

Discounts: WSIMD readers can take 20% off of your order, use coupon code SUMMER08 at checkout. Expires September 30th, 2008

Well I’ll be dipped and double stitched! I have found the most glorious source for textiles! Flying Needle Gallery is a tip top establishment that provides amazing patterns, quality material and unique items. I was so enamored with my recent shipment of Colorchiefs, I actually took them right to the table and put them on to try out the look. I am always on the lookout for ways to help lessen my impact on the environment. Cloth napkins are HIGH on my list of must haves for the eco-conscious. I received the 17″ x 17″ dinner napkins in the Oriental Blossoms and Branches pattern. These gorgeous cloths are made with 100% pre-shrunk cotton and are super stitched along all edges front and back. They also work really well. Some cloth napkins are stiff and non absorbent. Not so with these lovelies. Just swipe, wipe and you are clean as whistle!

I will definitely be getting more sets, as a matter of fact I am sensing the sock monkey set in my future! Check them out.

How cute are they? And they will go perfectly with my dark brown table cloth! Another item that I have been coveting (hint my birthday is next week) is this stunning chocolate colored scarf!

The service was impeccable, the packing is minimalistic fitting right in with the eco-friendly theme I was seeking, the pricing is fair for handmade quality items. Why shop large mass market department stores for your textiles, when there is Flying Needle Gallery? Really there is NO reason to hand over money to the faceless conglomerates. In addition to all of these great points they also donate a portion of their procedes to various charities. Debra Janin is a class act and brings the world of textiles to a whole new level. Go see her today and pick up some goodies for you and a friend!

Website: http://www.charmingsam.com/

Country: USA

Blog: charmingsam.blogspot.com

Newsletter: Yes, easy sign up on the left side of each page

US Shipping: Yes

International Shipping: Yes, via UPS outside of US read the policy here.

Discounts: WSIMD readers can enjoy a 20% store wide discount. Just use code WEIRD during checkout for discount AND don’t forget to choose USPS for FREE shipping in the United States! Valid
through 9/1/2008.

Charming Sam Studio is one of the coolest online shops around. Not only do they specialize in unique jewelry, they also offer art and ephemera as well. It is a one stop shop for all things hip and groovy. Like the awesome handmade rough diamond necklace you see here. Small rough diamonds have been hand woven together with gold fill wire on a sterling silver chain. Very delicate and a one of a kind necklace. The necklace is 18″ long and just beautiful. Anybody who thinks they can’t afford diamonds, think again, because Charming Sam has made it possible and affordable for everybody. I have received numerous compliments while wearing it. It is so light I barely feel I have anything on. Which I like, because I am forever fiddling with my heavier jewelry, but not so with this necklace.

Over the holidays I got this beautiful citrine necklace for my sister. She absolutely adored it, and it went perfect with her skin tone. Again this piece was delicate, subtle, elegant and well crafted.

My package arrived promptly and the necklace was wrapped in a simple environmentally friendly box. I applaud the service and quality of Amy the owner of Charming Sam, she goes above and beyond the call of duty in everything she does. I will be a long time customer of this company.

On a side note, the artwork here is beautiful as well. I think this is my favorite piece. For $5.00 you can have a little bit of class and glamor in your life in no time.