you’re probably jumping for joy knowing that the contest is officially up and running again. either that, or rolling your eyes.

in any case, it’s wednesday, and time for a little wordsmithing.

since i finally got my 32 things to do list together, i thought it was only fitting to have a theme for this week’s wordsmithing: inspiration.

what inspires you? more precisely, what words do you find to be motivating and inspiring?

looking for some inspiration of your own? please check out previous contests here {or by searching in the box to the right}.

as usual, the winner receives a recycled notebook with their inspiring magical word on it. and it truly is magical. also, you can enter as many times as you like. with as many words as you like. even if you’ve won before.

and now for the official crap:
the contest begins on wednesday of every week, and will end the following monday at midnight ET. meaning, this week the contest starts today, september 8th and ends on monday, september 13th at midnight ET.

{ps – if you’re following this on facebook, you do need to head over to the blog to leave a comment. or see any of the entries. but, it’s definitely worth it.}

{just in case you haven’t seen this before, every year on her birthday, andrea from hula seventy makes a list of things to do before she turns another year older and wiser. and it looks like she has inspired quite a few other bloggers, including michelle from michelle my belle {see here and here}

32 things to do:

1. take a sewing class at cut & sew studios
2. send five surprise gifts
3. make a temporary tattoo of a rose, subu, or both.
4. lazy weekday breakfast at coca cafe with the hubster
5. go rollerskating or rollerblading (or both).
6. go on a long hike with the hubster
7. buy a sewing machine
8. sew something just for me
9. make a sock monkey
10. buy a house and move
11. have a fun girls weekend away with my mom and sister-in-law
12. travel on a whim
13. silk screen something at AIR
14. start an herb garden (for real this time)
15. see amos lee, citizen cope, and ray lamontagne in concert
16. buy something at every craft show i attend
17. refurbish an old piece of furniture
18. unpack all of our wedding gifts that are still in our garage
19. copy hulu seventy and do a list a week (52 lists)
20. throw a theme party
21. blow bubbles off the liberty bridge with the hubster
22. make a garland
23. buy all handmade gifts for the holidays
24. go bike riding with the hubster
25. go kayaking downtown with the hubster
26. receive a reading in lilydale
27. make every recipe in a cookbook (book to be determined)
28. get rid of my food intolerances
29. go fruit picking (apples, strawberry, blueberry, raspberries)
30. go to a comedy show
31. learn about estate jewelry with my aunt
32. hit at least 4 garage sales (aka the summer of the garage sale)

i can’t believe that renegade chicago is here. well, technically it’s still a few days away. but man. the final stretch. the last minute details and bookmaking to cram in. the pre-show jitters. the eager anticipation of being in chicago.

bliss.

if you’re in the chicago area, please stop by and say hello. i’ll be hanging out with redraven studios and the rest of the crew in pittsburgh towne (garbella, strawberry luna, ragtrader).

the hubster and i are in cincinnati to celebrate our nephew’s third birthday. of course, no trip to visit is ever complete without several gifts to spoil them rotten with.

enter crafts n’at. and a well-placed vendor {right across from me!} by the name of jimbot. he had a huge selection of boy-friendly crafts. i.e., robots.

the boys officially love their present. and i am officially thrilled to be able to share my love for all things handmade.

my online time seems to have been drastically reduced as of late. next to no time for blogging. little time for tweeting. the good news? it’s been heavy on the bookmaking. which, frankly, is the point!

here are some things that i’ve been working on:

1. a stash of recycled notebooks for journeys of life in shadyside
2. a fresh set of recycled notebooks for wildcard in lawrenceville
3. a loverly compilation of books {recycled notebooks, notepads, hardbound books} for right by nature in the strip district.
4. custom orders {baby shower gifts, wedding favors}
5. making books for the now-past crafts n’at
6. making books {and table displays} for the upcoming renegade chicago
7. finalizing an order for something so amazing that i cannot tell you about it yet. trust me. it’s good.

things i know i need to do:

1. update my 31 things to do list, as i am no longer 31.
2. update my etsy shop with notebooks, notepads, hardbound books, and ribbon flowers
3. blog more
4. get the wordsmith wednesday contests up and running again
5. apply for holiday shows {can you believe it’s that time of year again?!}
6. order more supplies!
7. get thank you cards from sapling press

sounds glamorous, doesn’t it. but, that’s the way it goes sometimes. and honestly. i’m loving every second of it!

happy labor day. hope it’s relaxing, and filled with the people you love, doing the things that you love doing.

for starters, it’s my birthday! and yes, i get an entire weekend to celebrate. that’s what happens when you’re a #rockstar.

it also happens to be one of the best craft show weekends going. that’s right. it’s crafts n’at time.

the kickoff event:

day: friday, august 27th
time: 6-9pm
location: wildcard in lawrenceville
info: craftsnat.org

crafts n’at 2010:

date: sunday, august 29th
time: 12-5pm
location: soldiers and sailors hall, grand ballroom
info: craftsnat.org

for all of my pittsburgh friends, i have a question for yinz:
what is your favorite form of pittsburghese?

if you’re not from pittsburgh, let me offer you my condolences. and then fill you in on one of the strangest vernaculars on the planet. it’s called pittsburghese. and it has slowly seeped its way into my heart. my first night back in the ‘burgh after a six-year hiatus, our waitress asked “what can i get yinz?”. i knew we were home.

now that you know the power of these words, i need your help. i am looking to add some new words to the pittsburghese books, and have drawn a blank.

words used already:

• picksburg
• nebby
• yinz
• jagoff
• n’at
• git aht
• stillers
• slippy

i know there are more gems out there. and would love to hear your favorites.

i suppose i should announce the winner of this week’s wordsmith wednesday giveaway. i know. i am late. and on a related note, how do the days go by so quickly?!

i guess that’s not the point. or maybe it is. i think i’m offering a caveat as to how this contest runs. you know, on my whim.

no, i’m not serious. and yes, the winning word is caveats. way to go kim z!!

thanks for playing. and come back again soon.

i bet you’re just dying to know where you can spot a recycled notebook or 10 in the pittsburgh area. the good news: you don’t have to wait very long.

we {the books and i} will be heading over to the Allegheny Green + Innovation Festival on august 14th.

a little info about the show, from the I Made It! Market website:

Allegheny County has gone from an agricultural economy to a green economy.  In 2010 they will host the first Allegheny Green and Innovation Festival.  The Festival provides an opportunity to highlight sustainable living practices and innovative practices available to residents of Allegheny County and our region.

The Allegheny Green and Innovation Festival will take place on Saturday August 14 from 11 am – 7 pm at the Hartwood Amphitheater.  Thousands of festival-goers will have the opportunity to learn about products and services that promote a green lifestyle.  The event will include earth-friendly food and product exhibitors and vendors, crafters, green living demonstrations, musical entertainment, children’s activities and much more.

we {the books and i} couldn’t be more excited for the event. it should be pretty spectacular. in an awesomely sustainable kind of way.

aka, The Sketchbook Project:

It’s like a concert tour but with sketchbooks.

Thousands of sketchbooks will be exhibited at galleries and museums as they make their way on tour across the country.

After the tour, all sketchbooks will enter into the permanent collection of The Brooklyn Art Library, where they will be barcoded and available for the public to view.

Anyone – from anywhere in the world – can be a part of the project.

i am SO making my mom do this. and perhaps contemplating doing it myself.