Friday, March 30, 2012

Odd Duck Bazaar Sneak Peek....

It's getting close to Odd Duck!!!!! The GCD Etsy shop is officially closed in preparation!

Here's a little teaser of the new pieces that will be available tomorrow exclusively at the show...

Flowers and Flowers.... and Oh Hey - More Flowers!

I've added SO MANY new cool flowers to the mix. Bright and colorful ones, maps, sheet music and all of your childhood favorite books. Favorite books include Dr. Seuss, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Sesame Street, Harry Potter, Twilight... And classics like Gone with the Wind, The Old Man and the Sea, Jane Eyre, War and Peace and so many more! They each have a long newspaper stem that can be cut to whatever length you need - Priced at $3 each, you can mix and match your own bouquet!

I've also made lots and lots of my decorative hanging flower balls.
They will be all around the perimeter of my tent, so watch your head! 

Large Map Flower Ball - $25

 Small Flower Balls - $12

The flower balls are made from the same papers as the flowers. Lots of vintage books, maps, scrap paper... Basically anything that I can find that looks cool! 

And last, but certainly not least new vases! My little Pom couldn't resist checking it out for herself. 
This one is a cool upcycled find that I painted with gray non toxic paint and covered in white recycled paper flowers. The centers of the flowers are adorned with silver rhinestones. 

Would definitely look great filled with GCD flowers!

Gray Jeweled Vase - $25 (cute dog not included)

Sooooooo there's your preview! Odd Duck is tomorrow from 12:00pm-6:00pm in Hollywood!

 See the flier below or go to http://www.oddduckbazaar.com for deets!


SEE YOU THERE!!!!!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Broward/Palm Beach New Times Feature...

In case you haven't heard me screaming from the rooftops, my flowers are featured in the 

My beauties...

They are featured in promotion for Odd Duck Bazaar this weekend! 

Stay tuned for a special preview tomorrow of some of the wares I will be selling at the show. 

Pick up a copy of New Times all around the Broward Palm Beach area this week!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Deering Seafood Festival on Sunday....

This Sunday at the Deering Estate in Miami is the greatest seafood fest in South Florida - The Deering Seafood Festival. I'm SOOOOOOO excited that we are able to go this year!

We went in 2010, but in 2011 I had an art show. The art show was a flop, so I was cursing that we weren't able to make it. All the more reason to enjoy this one!

Cari, Casey, Maria and I in 2010

In 2010 we feasted on oysters, paella, stone crabs, mussels and anything you can possibly imagine. It was great - we set up our little blanketed area and camped out for the day. They have a mini art show, a rock climbing wall, a stage with live music and pontoon boat rides to entertain you for the day also.

If you're small enough, you can even enjoy the Uncle Andy ride!

The event features the best restaurants in South Florida and local celebrity chefs. Miami's winner of Food Networks Chopped, Giorgio Rapicavoli will be there preparing specialties and doing demonstrations. There will also be lots of other cooking demonstrations under the big tent. I have to be honest though.... We like to just park it and pig out.... maybe dance a little :)

If you're planning on going, you can buy your tickets in advance here. They are $10 off per ticket if you purchase before Sunday. So $15 in advance and $25 at the door. Seems a little steep, but once you get in the food and drink prices aren't bad.

I would also say that parking can be a bit of a hassle so get there early! If you come across a park and ride, definitely take advantage.

You can see my Yelp on Deering Seafood Fest here - Hope you can make it out!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

15th Street Fisheries... Yum!

This past Sunday Andy and I were driving around checking out a few different events in the area and decided to have lunch at one of our favorite places in Ft. Lauderdale - 15th Street Fisheries.

We've been coming here since back when we were dating... (Insert Awwwwwwwwwwww) and it's just such a staple to the Ft. Lauderdale area. Fresh seafood on the water - What more could you ask for?

View of the docks from our seat at the bar

We were surprised at the 45 minute wait for lunch since we arrived around 2:00... Late lunch crowd. So we just sat at the bar.

The food here is excellent! We've never been disappointed. I always get the crab cake sandwich. It comes with fries and a great dill sauce - So yum!

Another must try is the Bloody Mary.... This ain't your grandmama's bloody mary - don't go without having one! It's like a meal in a glass, and at $10 a piece I guess it should be!  It's got the celery stalk... But also an olive, a pepperchini and a HUGE shrimp.... My mouth is officially watering.

Is this not the most delicious thing you've ever seen?

On Yelp, there are a lot of people saying it's touristy. I've really never noticed it being touristy until we noticed the water taxi stop - other than that it's kind of hard to find, down a back street. More of a locals place to me... You can pull up with your boat, fill up gas, get bait, have a meal, etc.

Inside Bar Area... Don't ask why there's a dozen eggs on the bar

They have free valet if you're driving up, which helps because of the location. There's definitely limited parking.

The only thing bad I can say is that it gets super crowded when the weather is nice and can take a while to get a table... But well worth it once you do. Sit outside! You can also buy bait to feed the Tarpon with. Great for kids!

I should also mention that we were able to score a free beer for Andy for checking in on foursquare - see, that whole rant on social media does prove beneficial sometimes... FREE BEER!

You can check out my Yelp on Fifteenth Street Fisheries here or take a drive down on a nice day and enjoy the ambiance!

Monday, March 19, 2012

It's Just So Us...

Just a silly 6 second video taken last week before the Elton John concert...

Us going to take a picture and realizing it's on video - It's just SO quintessentially us....

Turn on the sound - Hilarious!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Social Media Addiction...

Hi! My name is Tara and I'm addicted to social media.... "Hi Tara"

So many options!!!

After signing up for a crazy amount of social media outlets lately I've realized I may have a problem. Let's break it down. I have:


I haven't yet delved into the world of Tumblr, YouTube, Flickr or Vimeo..... But don't worry, I'm sure they are on the horizon. This also doesn't count constantly updating and relisting pieces on Etsy! Whew!

So yes..... I believe I AM addicted to social media., but do I have a problem? Hmmmmm....

I think the ones I have are pretty manageable, I have a twitterfeed app constantly crossing the lines of some of the outlets to better manage time. You never realize how important all of this stuff is until you have your own business. I've posted pics of my pieces on Pinterest that have sold that way. I've met lots of people on Twitter that have turned into blog posts on GCD, show acceptances, sales or even celebrity conversations and follows. I'm talking to you Yoko Ono :)

It wasn't until recently when I signed up for Foursquare that I realized how time consuming it all is. It's like work! We were in Disney World and for whatever reason I couldn't get a signal. I just wanted to check in! And then I realized how dumb is this? I'm getting frustrated because I can't check into a stupid game when I'm in the happiest place on earth. So stupid!

For the most part I see the benefit to it all, but sometimes when I see people posting every 5 minutes it makes me wonder if they have a life outside of the phone or computer? I'm as into it as the next person, but I also value time spent with people enough to put it down when it's appropriate. When you see a couple or friends at a restaurant and they are both on their phones - it irks me so bad! Put the phone down - Live!

If there is a real live person in front of you, shouldn't they take precedence over your social media updates/texting/game?! Maybe I'm not as addicted as I thought.... Sweet!

Seriously...

What do you think about all of this social media stuff? Any ones you can't stand or swear by?

Thursday, March 8, 2012

What I've Learned OR Reflections on 28...

Today is the last day of my 28th year of life. This morning I woke up and didn't feel any different (maybe I will tomorrow), but on my way to work I started to reflect on things. I've learned a lot this past year as well as over the last 10. I'm definitely happy to be the age that I am. I look back on the last 10 years and reflect with love on the life experiences and things that I've learned along the way....

I've learned to be in the moment. No other time is guaranteed other than the here and now. I cherish the time spent with family and friends so much. You should always act like it's the last time you will ever see someone, who knows it may be. When you live like that it's impossible to have regrets. Say what you want to say, do what you want to do... NOW! Don't wait til it's too late. I like to sometimes almost step out of myself and take it all in. Feel this moment right now, see the people around you and feel the love.

Mi Familia.

I've learned you can't depend on anyone else for your own happiness - it's true and if you believe it, no one can take it away from you either.

I've learned to shut off the autopilot switch. I kind of feel like I went through a time when coasting through life was good enough. I call it autopilot, but it's basically just getting too comfortable. You just kind of coast... This last year especially has consisted of a lot of shutting it off and taking control again. Feels amazing!

I've learned to be real. Not the person that someone else wants me to be. Not the person that agrees with what everyone says. I'm my authentic self. If I don't want to do something, I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to be a yes man. It's my life and I'm in control of my experience.

My authentic self... LOL

I've learned that people change - everyone changes. I've changed, you've changed - it's a fact of life. The ones that mean enough to you will stick around and grow with you. The ones that don't can hit the road. Who knows, maybe someday you'll be on the same road again. I've had that happen this year too... Getting back on the same road. So you never know...

Friends til the end...

I've also learned that it only takes a few friends that you can depend on to get you through the rough spots. I'm all about quality over quantity. All I need is Andy and the few people I can count on to make me happy. Why have friends that stress you out?

A few of favorite girls and a really good time...

I've learned I'm a little too hard on myself and need to soften that... I always think about what more I can do, but seldom reflect on all that I have done already. What other 28 year old has started their own business that is flourishing each year? I'm no Mark Zuckerberg, but still am proud in what I have accomplished! A little pride and self confidence can go a long way.

I think a lot of life is being comfortable in your own skin. You have to like who you are and I'm confident in saying I love the person that I've become.
 
So without further adieu.... I'm off to celebrate Purim at school!
 
Cindy Lyon and I being silly for Purim today...

Friday, March 2, 2012

Weekend in Orlando...

This past weekend Andy and I made the trip up to Orlando for his best friend's wedding and a little side trip to Walt Disney World!

We went up on Friday morning and headed straight to the Magic Kingdom - We had a deadline and had to be back at our hotel for the rehearsal dinner so we did a crash course in MK which included all the best rides of course!

She said, "Hold him like you really love him"

The funniest thing that happened would have to be the fact that we were stuck on Splash Mountain for 45 minutes. It's never a good sign when you're in the next log to go out and a siren goes off and all of the workers run to the back.... LOL. So we sat and sat and sat and sat... A guy came out and tied a washcloth to the front of our log... Were we the guinea pigs?! We made it through alive and on the way out were handed some pretty cool fast passes good for ANY RIDE in the park... Sweet!

So we left and headed to our hotel - Bahama Bay Resort. It's located just a few miles outside of Disney and all of the wedding festivities were held there.


It was beautiful and really reminded us of the hotel that we stayed at in Grand Bahama for our wedding - Pelican Bay. The wedding went off without a hitch at the beach on the property and the ceremony was held after at the Tradewinds Restaurant and Bar. They had an awesome photo booth for us to play in too - Such a great day!

Eric & Jenny Grossman
After the wedding we were off to Epcot!

Epcot!



Champagne in fake France....
 
We decided for Day 2 that would we just do the World Showcase and take our time. A completely different experience when you try to slow yourself down and get out of "Disney mode". We kept catching ourselves... "No, slow down! We stayed until about 6:00 and went back to the hotel to hang out with everyone.

Day 3 (our final day) we spent in Epcot as well - we love us some Experimental Prototype City Of Tomorrow! It's by far our fave park. We had lunch at Teppan Edo in Japan which we came back to after our last Disney trip because it's so yummy! We also spent a tiny fortune in the Japan gift shop - they have the coolest stuff!

Cheers from England... Well, fake England

After a day filled with drinks and fun we were ready to drive back home. So that was our weekend! You can check out my Yelp's on Bahama Bay Resort & Teppan Edo by clicking the links!