don't tell anyone, but i think i am going to steal my brother's copy of super troopers because it is one of the best films ever made. really, after an extended hiatus, i have now seen it 5 times in the last week, and nothing could make me happier. meow. whey they get that syrup in them, they get all antsy in the pantsy. anyhow, i just forgot how good it was, and how it just gets better and better all the time, and that i need to have it....and it looks like broken lizard has a new movie coming out in 2004, club dread. ok, so i doubt that anything could be as good as super troopers, but i am quite excited.

i trul, truly believe in some crazy sort of thought energy thing. in my quick escapes from the party, i sat to write some e-mails. i wrote to my favorite climing, crazy, amazing mechanic friend ant who sort of lives outside boston or new hampsire or could very well be riding his bike to guatemala and is sometimes hard to get in touch with. after sending this e-mail i went back to the party and had a conversation about a friend's son who is trying to convert a schoolbus to a camper in order to drive to the tip of south america and back...and i told her my friend ant would be perfect to help with the mechanics of the change. weird? maybe. maybe i just had ant of the brain, but ant is also the only person i know who would be valuable in a school bus to camper switch. anyhow, i was so excited to see that ant actually wrote back to me in the last hour. what are the chances? slim to none, but i caught him on the slim side and that made me so happy. so, here's to serendipity and ant! cheers.

party is almost over. i think i have told the duct tape story and the mad december rush story (not to mention the anthropologie story) 4 million, one hundred thousand fifty six times today. luckily, there are left overs of the dessert, and b-dog is coming over for a left-over-eating/say-goodbye visit. oh that brian, what would i do without him? ok, so these parties aren't all bad, cause i actually did have a good conversation with a friend of mine from high school who is working at being a pro-golfer. we can keep track of him at golden state tour dot com. but that was one nice catch up conversation to have, mostly because it was the longest conversation we had ever had, despite going through high school together and having all the same friends. oh well. his mom is also one of the most rad artisits i know, and i have loved her work for years. when i find a link i will post it.

tonight my parents are throwing a party.
whippeeee.
i think i might escape to the safety of my room everyone once in a while for some respite.
if only i could run away, cause i'm not quite sure why i am in such a crabby mood.

ahhh, gossip.
there just ain't nothing like it.
last night was a long and late night of all the juicy goods from the home town
and i couldn't be a happier camper!

ah yes, it's christmas time here. something about christmas and gift giving really brings out the funny, funny moments in the family. well, i'll do my best to recount a few of them here...

1. my brother was gifted a ronald reagan 2004 calendar. i didn't know such things existed, maybe my dad ordered it off the fox news website. anyhow, i was about to open a calendar shaped gift, and sarcatically said "geez, i hope it's my very own reagan calendar." to which my mom replied, "it's your own john dean calendar" to which my brother replied "howard mom, it's howard." and my mom admitted that the democratic candidates were all over her head. (although commenting later that lieberman is her favorite if she had to have one. when pressed she said it's because he is the one who has changed his policy the least over his campaign, then admitting that he is the most conservative.) more to come...

2. i was excitedly gifted a 'learn to knit kit' from my grandma, which i have been really looking forward to. of course, i sat down immediately to figure out what this whole knitting this is about. so far, this is what i have learned...
a. i have learned that i will not be able to learn how to knit based on a few drawings.
b. knitting seems like fun, but there is no way i am going to figure it out on my own.
c. knitting near a kitten is a challenge. i like yarn, and so does said kitten. the kitten also really, really like the shiny knitting needles.

3. we have already had our first christmas gift casualty. someone was given an m & m mug, and the mug is already broken. i was in the other room when it happened, but it had something to do with a dog and one of my silly family members.

4. i know own 4 complete sets of drinking glasses. all completely bizarre and sentimental in their own way. this is the set i got today from my very happy father. he thought i might like them because i liked the craziness of the 'slanted glass set' i inhereted from my nana (ie one set of glasses that i own). not to mention that i took the entire set of glasses from my house upon departure back to new haven. well, just like they always say, a girl can never have too many glasses. but if you look at these glasses (the roly poly glasses) they look really, really easy to knock over, and so knowing me (and my infinite grace) it's probably not such a good idea!.

peek peek is one of my favorite cats of all times. more like a dog-lion-cat, but fantastic (with a fantastic owner to boot) and a cat with some real personality. but i strongly suggest you check out peek peek (previously egg nog) right here at this link and then pass it along to all your friends.

merry christmas eve dearies!
enjoy your crazy families and being surrounded by love,
and i hope you all get good presents tomorrow.
much christmas love,
v

it's time to settle in to the family christmas eve. it's like our traditional christmas eve, except not at all. we usually have a nice polish dinner at the grandparents' house with the extended family. and we are all allowed to open only one gift, which grandma forces into 4 or 5 (not that i complain)...and we all have a bit to drink and all...so this year is a bit different, as my little fam sits in the red room, watching pirates of the carribean on the new big tv, eating take home thai food and delivery pizza with lots of wine and beer and shoo-ing the dog. we're calling it the international christmas eve...thai, italian, mexican beer, and french pastries...and pirates. who doesn't love pirates.

yes, so off to celebrate christmas. probably with pictures to follow tomorrow.

is this not the cutest dog you have ever seen? and he is even tamer than before...i guess that happens when you go away for 6 months. but really, such a good dog, and so tolerant of steve the monkey hanging on like that. and lucky for sport he has been hired as the newest intern at vanessa jean, so he will get to be on the about us page in no time!

i am going to post some adorable sport pictures (ok, a picture) as soon as i can figure out how to get this new fangled scanner thingy to work.

i really want to see big fish.
as my mom says, 'it's by burton, he did scissorhands.'
i guess that means it must be good.

after reading my own posts from the past week...i think i was going a bit crazy. ok, not that i am not usually crazy, because i think i am a bit off-the-rocker to begin with...but i think i was driving myself to some sort of duct tape related insanity. luckily, however, that is over now. the christmas rush is entirely sent out, and i am quite excited about that! what a busy time of year! i've officially shut down the studio for the remainder of december and all of january so that i can enjoy a little r & r, some more trips to ny, dc, boston, provi and vermont and actually hang out a bit. not that i haven't been hanging out a bit lately, but now i guess i will just get to add sleep to my schedule. that's not to say i haven't already committed to a few duct tape related things for january...very very exciting things that i can't quite talk about yet because they aren't confirmed, but when they are, i will share them. yay yay yay!

there are a few things that annoy me. this website is one of them...the least of the reasons being that it has one of those annoying floaty text things that follows your cursor.

does this look familiar to anyone? hmmm.
i was cruising the ol' internet (i do have my father's genes afterall) and came across this. the text is even eerily similar. oh well, if you look at the quality, vanessa jean wins out again!
harumph...we'll see what she gets for copying me.

wow, i thought i was in to duct tape. check this out.
apparently my goods are mentioned in here somewhere, as too expensive, so the gal opted to make her own instead.

vanessa jean on the henrietta fahrenheit site. h f is a way waay cool store in ypsilanti, michigan. the woman who owns is is tre cool and a great vj supporter. and when i was in news haven (the stricktest magazine store in town, so bizarre) with a pal last week, i was looking through venus (hello natasha lyonne) and there was an article about the store and jennifer albaum who owns it. it was so cool to see this store with my stuff in it in a mag. yes, i know i am self impressed, but i just can't get over it. love it! anyhow, check h f out online. they're great.

all this air france cancelled stuff and the no-curbside traffic at lax means i might have some trouble getting back to my snuggly home in connecticut come sunday. what's a girl to do? apparently the freeway leading up to and the off-ramp to lax was like a parking lot today, and people were getting out of their cars and walking to the airport. whippeee.

yes, yes this article explains so many things. thanks for passing along dear reader. and this is also why you will never see vanessa jean in wal-mart. darn you walmart! darn you!

on a non-walmart level it's something i can relate to after doing so much wholesale business this season. there is something to be said about doing 300 piece volume in one sale, but it's so much less than doing them individually. oh well, onward and upward.

this is a fun, fun site for anyone who has a few free minutes and any interest in zip codes. i haven't figured out how to make it refresh to a blank screen after doing it once, so i just end up re-loading it, but it's cool none the less. and so far i have learned that 55555 is not a valid zip code.

merry christmas eve everyone!
home at last, after a debaucle of sickness through the week.
grrr. sickness is a big goober.
but i guess i had it coming with the incredible amount of work and fun that was going on.
and now i find myself at home, in cali
with some strep
and a lot of free time
and an internet connection...
do you know what that means?
blogging, lots and lots and lots of blogging.
all the posting i've been so good at not posting these past few weeks.
onward it comes!

almost there! the end is in sight.

pizza, coke, cake, breakfast burritos, cake, tea. rinse and repeat as needed.

what do we want?
duct tape!
when do we want it?
now!

yo! so much duct tape i think i am going crazy. going to call it quits for the night so i can get a good full day of work in tomorrow before a super rushed and full trip to the post office (thank goodness for extended holiday hours and really, really long lines!) but before that, i get to be the heroic knight-ess in shining armor and rescue jeepie from the dealership again. why oh why oh why so many car problems lately. grrrrrrrr. yes. i am clearly losing it.

rollin' rollin' rollin'
keep that duct tape rollin'
(or, i guess un-rollin' would be more appropriate!)
things are crazy busy, i've been assembling marons and danas and hannas until my finger are raw.
i can't believe christmas is so so soon!

much too late...much, much too late for this, but...

happy birthday chi!

i hope you had a fan-tas-tic celebration day and many more to come!

the orders are pouring in like a flood. where's the arc? can the clutches and mini erikas and wallets board two by two..? yes, going crazy. don't forget that the 18th is the last day to place orders...and some will be able to be filled after that...but there is such a rush fee...

ok, back to work!

there was indeed a sledding adventure on sunday, and it was much needed. the roomie came home with plans to sled with friends, we took jeepie on the adventure to the div school, and met up with her friends. we sledded a bit. the snow was flakey and not too packed yet. it was all going well until there was a sledding accident. it was neither me or the roomy, but friends. it was kinds freaky, and not the first time i've been to the emergency room after sledding. anyhow, we were going to get hot chocolate and snacks for the troops at the med center, but someone locked her keys in the car. ok, so i left them in the car, with the plan to leave the car unlocked, so i wouldn't loose the keys while sledding (as happened to my irish pal last weekend), but my habit is to lock the car and so i did, and was locked out. so we hitched a ride home, i called my roadside service for the millionth time this year, and then took a quick trip to the med center and delivered some snackies to warm up the injured (nothing was broken, thank goodness) and then got back to jeepie, but the tow truck got stuck in the snow, so i waited for a bit (thank goodness for the roomie and her warm car!) and then the really really really incompetant (i am a bad speller!) vehicle helper man came and couldn't figure out how to unlock my car...it was 45 minutes standing out in the snow with him cursing my car and his company and equiptment...on and on and on...and did i mention it was snowing and windy and cold...but fun to be outside...anyhow, while he was on the walkie to the garage asking for (cursing for) more help, i grabbed the tools and unlocked it myself. yes, i am a genius. ok, so i'm not a genius, or else i wouldn't have locked the keys in there, with the spare conveniently in the front seat, but i always feel good when i can do things involving cars that mechanics can't. end of story. and then i went for a run in the snow with my running shoes. then i worked. and worked through alias, which was a re-run, and worked and worked and worked.

it's quiet, still and snowing. perfect for cuddling up and watching pride and prejudice and work-work-working. snow is so beautiful. the flakes aren't too big, but i hope enough piles up for a bit of afternoon sledding. smiles!

you know what's great? new running shoes...and i'm going to pick mine up!

ah yes, it's that time of year again...time for rudolf the red nose reindeer punch...no, it's not quite the same without green pants and the e.s. crew around, but we'll have to make due!

sad news for yale, good news for duke.

oooops, more overdue videos.

you might think that running a small business would get me over my phone-phobia...but sadly that is not the case. oh well...i'll just be a scared little phone caller and receiver for the rest of my life! i'm trying though, i swear.

alright little chipmunks...i'm back, and clearly going crazy from all this duct taping. maybe i should start taping ducks, that sounds a lot like fun...

anyhow, note to holiday gift purchasers...
december 18th is the last date to place an order with guaranteed holiday delivery.
orders received december 19th-23rd can be delivered in time for the holidays, but will require a rush delivery and handling fee.
the studio and elves officially shut down on decemeber 24th...and will spend january recovering. more to come on this though!

so don't wait until the 12 days of christmas are dwindling down before you place your order!

aren't you all the luckiest duct tape fans in the land...

i'm on a duct tape engineering streak...and i actually have a few minutes to post. it's been so much work lately that i think i am going crazy...so maybe a little posting will keep me sane. so far this morning, a tom, a suzy q, and initial belt and a black and white clutch. still 8 gazillion pieces to go. and it's also a gorgeous day outside...so i...must....stay......put...ahhhhhh! how many days until christmas and this craziness is over?

the most exciting thing...
this monday was a fab day...fab to the max. i happened to head into the not-quite-so-daunting-anymore city for an annual reunion. phwa to the max, but totally fun! one of the coolest parts was seeing part of the vanessa jean collection in public! wahooo. new york's grand central terminal has a cute little gift show in the lobby coming in off of one of the entrances (that's the most i can give you...see how well i know my way around!) anyhow, uncommon goods has a fancy-schmancy booth there, and i cruised by and saw my stuff. it was good. my heart was racing, and i just had to point it out with everyone i was with. ok, truthfully, it was my second time seeing it, but i was just so excited and validated that i had to show everyone i was with. yay! yes, hyper. yay!

ahhh, things that are exciting!
1. a re-order for the large clutch, but this time in the black and white stripes for the valentine's edition of the uncommon goods catalog! yay. the only negatory is that they want it this week...more business for the elves.
2. possibly really great things at another, larger chain...can't give details cause i don't want to hex anything, but really really exciting, so keep your fingers crossed!
3. i think we might be up to orders from all 50 states by now. that is my goal, and i think it might now be the case...although i think alaska might be left out...if you know anyone in alaska...send them our way.

from glorious green pants and very true...find the number in your area!
Anyone Given You This Phone Number?

In Boston, it's 617-861-3962. In New York, it's 212-660-2245. In Miami, it's 305-241-0033. In Seattle, it's 206-376-9798. In Washington D.C., it's 202-452-7468. Has anyone given you these phone numbers? If so, go cry. We sympathize. You've been rejected. This is what happened: You met an exciting new person and thought you'd like to set up a date. So you asked for the phone number. And you got it! One problem: When you called the phone number, it wasn't the hot gal or guy you reached, it was the Rejection Hotline.

"Hello! This is not the person you were trying to call. You've reached the Rejection Hotline." The fast-talking male voice goes on to explain in gritty detail the many reasons why you were rejected and then jauntily tells you to get over it. How cruel--and clever. Started in Atlanta in 2001, there are now Rejection Hotline phone numbers in 30 major cities. The Rejection Hotline is hot. Each city routinely gets more than 50,000 calls a month.

"The dating scene is full of people who can't take a hint or can't take 'no' for an answer and many who apparently can't take showers, can't brush their teeth, or can't seem to go out in social settings without awkwardly embarrassing themselves by an inability to read a situation," the RejectionHotline.com Web site says. "The Rejection Hotline exists as a public service to both the rejector and to the rejectee." If nothing else, it's an easy way to get out of uncomfortable situation when someone asks you for your phone number and you're not interested. And for the person who is being rejected, at least there is no public embarrassment.

thank goodness for brian and keeping the posting going. posting slow = business busy!
the little elves and i are going crazy in the studio, hardly enough time for anything but turning out duct tape goodies for the masses. more to come...but since i have a minute...i am going to post some juicy little tidbits. ok, well, if you read these chronologically this will be last, but that's ok. can anyone tell i'm a bit sleep deprived?

it's winnie the pooh and the blustery day in new haven! yay! i love it!

ha ha! i'm at koffee, playing with my new baby. a pretty, pretty new thang it is too. see, i have a tendency to name the objects in my life...jeepie, freddie, baby...baby was my old computer who is now failing to work...so today i splurged on a new baby. i think it needs a new name, but i'm just so excited right now that i can hardly think of anything. anyhow, it's been a good day, and i can sum it up like this...circuit city = good, comp usa = bad. koffee also = good, as this is the millionth time in a row that i have ended up in a bizarre conversation involving duct tape (ok, so that's not so surprising) and vermont and kids. long story. but it's always nice to meet people. alright, back to work for me! i'm working on getting out the last wholesale order for the season (i'm working my way into ohio!) and getting out a new edition of the duct tales newsletter to remind all the nice vanessa jean customers about the duct tape wares in time for holiday shopping. so if you need to do some holiday shopping...do it here.

zeugma \ZOOG-muh\ noun

: the use of a word to modify or govern two or more words usually in such a manner that it applies to each in a different sense or makes sense with only one (as in "opened the door and her heart to the homeless boy")


Example sentence:
"She left in a huff and a Chevy," said Jack, employing vivid zeugma to report of Marissa's departure.

oh how the orders are rolling in. here they come...here it comes...the mad holiday rush...bring it on. i am so ready, and i have an established team of elves (really, they are elves, i brought them in from the north pole) ready to help out. the number of orders hitting the website is already noticeable higher. holy cow, what's a little duct-taper to do! just be aware, the absolute last day to place a christmas order with promised on-time deliver is december 18th!

yes, yes, i am making the biggest mistake of my life. i am going to attempt to go out and fight the crowds and try to buy a new computer today. i'm sure best buy or comp usa or one of those places is the absolute best place to be on the day after thanksgiving. right...i think i must have a death wish for myself. however...that shouldn't stop you all from starting your christmas shopping at vanessa jean dot com right now!

oh dear! most people who know me know that thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday. i hate turkey, i like to nap right after i eat, and that's always hard when you are entertaining, and there's usually cooking and planning involved and either awful flying across the country or being family-less on the east coast. well, thanksgiving has been redeemed!. this was the best turkey day ever. i didn't have to cook, and hardy clean, but i got to eat a fantastic meal that had at least 4 sticks of butter, 4 cups of brown sugar, and 5 different vegetables (carrots, corn, potatoes, yams, and the best green bean casserole i have ever had), not to mention some liquid refreshment and some of the funniest people i know. i got to eat and nap immediately, and then play board games and have a dance party. when your turkey night ends with dancing on a table to ignition remix, that's a pretty good sign. it was also the most beautiful day and night ever. it was sunny and warm and i took a nap outside on the porch while the turkey was in the oven, and it was warm enough for us to hang out in the back all night long (much to the chagrin of the neighbors)!

however, i did miss my family and friends in california a lot. i got especially sentimental when i called them during their dinner and got to talk to almost everyone, but it made me wish i was there. so family...I MISS YOU! and can't wait to be with everyone over christmas. hugs & kisses. i love you guys and you give me so much to be thankful for.

happy pepto bismal day!

mucho thanks to sara from whom i just received the most incredible birthday card and gift....the coolest cd in the world by jennifer berezan. check out her website at edgeofwonder.com. thanks sar!

i'm pretty sure i know where i get my 'waste-lots-of-time-on-the-computer' genes from.

who knew cats and dogs could type?
nonetheless order cookies from mrs. fields and have them shipped across the country!

yesterday i was so SO excited when the fed ex man brought a present around 6pm. we weren't expecting anyone or any deliveries, so when i found a large, flat box from mrs. fields' i couldn't have been happier, or more surprised! but the best part was the note.
" dear vanessa,
happy thanksgiving. we miss you.
love,
peaches, em, phil (the stud cat of the world) and SPORT"
i was so touched, but even more surprised to know that the family pets were so articulate and know how to ship stuff from the internet. wow. thanks!

such a good book! blueberries for sal! i loved it as a kid, but i love it even more because it reminds me so much of this fantastic trip i took to machias, maine with some good friends. not only was it a weekend long fun-filled adventure to the machias blueberry festival, but also an adventure that continues to bring me happiness. and last weekend (thank goodness for the throngs of people who pour into new haven for the harvard yale football game) we got to have a small machias reunion, and that made me exceptionally happy! thank goodness for blueberries and machias and the good stories they bring!

test your bad ol' self with this fun left brain.right brain challenge.

if i told you i got 100%, would you call me a genuis?

just so no one worries, i'm not actually working today. i'm lounging and enjoy a festive turkey day, following a very festive pre-turkey day night on the town...and preparing for the immense meal that's coming in a few hours. i'm just treating myself with a little computer time!

oh how i wish my little computer was working so i could download some pics and post them here. in the place or real visuals, close your eyes and imagine this...(ok, read first, then close your eyes and imagine)... i just finished getting out a huge order for a store, people people. it's a huge order, the largest wholesale order by far (barring the uncommon goods order, that is all of the same piece, so that doesn't count!) and the studio is full of about 60 different colorful pieces. meri bags with adorable little flowers, a rainbow of mini maron bags, hannas galore, id wallets (pic online to come soon!), some fantasticly striped suzy q's and (my new fave!) some adorable striped alison bags. and they are just all lined up, brilliant in color, just waiting to get shipped out. but what a huge order, and what a pretty picture they all make. this is definately my favorite part of the wholesale process, looking at just tons and tons and tons of pieces all in one place!

oh dear! this will be the second holiday season in this duct tape business. anyhow who knew me through the holiday season last year can vouch that it is the craziest, busiest time of the year. and that was when the business was new and hardly know. well, it's only thanksgiving now, and the orders are pouring in, and i'm not quite sure what i am going to do with myself. i think i am going to have to enlist a few more elves at the studio. it's so fun to look back one year and think that this was all just starting and that i had no idea where it was going to go. and to think that now i am receiving orders from south boston; bartlett, tennessee; la canada, ca; new haven, ct; la; and lubbock, tx and those are just some orders that came in this week. and it's all for one reason: you! (it's ok for me to get a little mushy, it is thanksgiving after all!) this little business has grown so much because of the wonderful support of friends, family and customers who are so kind as to pass along the website and tell friends about vanessa jean. it's amazing what word of mouth can do, and i just can't say thank you enough to everyone who has showed their support. their is nothing more amazing that getting an e-mail saying thanks for the goods and 'oh, i heard about you from so-and-so in texas, and i am telling all my friends here in boulder, and my mom in vermont wants one too'. it's you're enthusiasm that makes these little wheels keep grinding and i just want you all to know that it makes me really, really happy! (yes, i am the luckiest little duct-taper in the land!)

ahhh, some e-mails are just too good to pass up. this is from my mom, writing about my dad. sorry to maybe embarass some parties in the process, but this little anecdote is too good to be true. however, i know it's true, and that makes it even funnier...(despite the fact that it's written in that anonymous forwarded e-mail tone)
i received this e-mail from my mom...

"One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his
sweatshirt.

Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What
setting do I use on the washing machine?"

"It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?"

He yelled back, "Yale".

And they say blondes are dumb..."

enough said!

have you all missed me? probably not since hardly anyone reads this duct tape related blog anymore (unless they happen to stumble across it when it comes up as a google resuly for "pantyhose+feet+photo" search [don't ask]).
anyhow, i'm back. i've come to the realization that is it quite challenging to run an online business without a functioning computer. which is what i am doing. and right now i am giving thanksgiving for my roommate who left her laptop here while she went home to celebrate the day of the turkey. it's also hard to research new computers when you don't have a computer to surf mr. internet with. oh well. anyhow, apologies galore for the lack of posting, but i was up a creek without a computer...and it was impossible to navigate. but i'm back in action and trying to post more more more for these pre-holiday days, and to update from the past 2 weeks when my (loyal two) readers had nothing new to read. so, today will be a day for feasting on turkey AND worthless vanessa jean blog info! stay posted.

sale! sale! sale!

i know, i know, those are words you hear very often around here at vanessajean.com. but in the spirit of celebration of the one year anniversary of the duct tape business, we are offering our first ever sale...and on some of our most popular goods. be sure to check out the new sale belts on the website. just click here for a variety of new and limited color combinations offered at a fun, discounted price. yay! what could be better? and it's just in time for the holiday season, and we all know that these reversible, animal-free, one-size-fits-almost-all belts make a fantastic gift. so give them a check out, fer shure it's the best vanessa jean deal to date!

sale! sale! sale!

i know, i know, that's not a word you hear very often here at vanessa jean dot com, but indeed this time it is true. in this month long tradition of celebrating the the one year anniversary of vanessa jean, we are offering some 0 comments

well, well, well...things have been busier here than i could even predict...i need more elves! the part that makes me the most nervous is that i think it is the calm before the storm. people are still telling me 'thanks for my item, i love it, and i'm going to order more for christmas!'...but i have only received one christmas order yet...i think i might have to come up with some fun incentive for pre-thanksgiving ordering. keep posted. in other year-long anniversary news, the the website has been updated a lot lately...and maybe it's new to you...so check it out my clicking here. it's also easier than ever to order a custom item online with secure ordering! just type in your specifications in the 'business' field of the order form (and some items even have a selection for choose your own!). and we'll be sure to let you know we got it in your confirmation. alright...that's the duct tape news for today!

it's a birthday celebration!

this week someone asked me how long vanessa jean * duct tape design has been around...i thought for a minute and realized it's been a year, an official year of this happy duct tape biz. it's hard to gauge a year since this all slowly rolled into being, but that doesn't mean we can't celebrate. and we all know i like to celebrate, so check the website often for special birthday offers, promos, new items, and fun holiday gifts...cause this celebration will last for a full month, through december 7, which was the official launch date of the vanessa jean website. it's gonna be like one big party around here, so throw that funny, pointy paper party hat on and let's get celebrating! coming soon, a birthday sale on fun belts and some new bags.

and, as always, a HUGE thank you to the loyal duct tape supporters who have helped us grow so much in the past year!

cheers!!!

what do you do with a drunken sailor?

ahhh, just make him sell beanie babies on e-bay. a true gem if i ever saw one.

my hero.

welcome to my love/hate relationship with sleep.
am i tired? yes. exhausted after a long week of work, an amazing 48 hours in nyc, and 2 solid days of this week under my belt (ok, and snuggling under the covers while re-reading one of my favorite books and some leftover italian from friday's gala...i love leftovers, they feed me for weeks). ok, back to the point. i am tired, i am so tired. i am so tired that people who don't even know me well ask me if i am tired. maybe tired isn't the right word for it, just beat! and yes, dear old guy, i know a few good, hearty nights of sleep would cure it all. and i love sleep, those juicy good dreams and the cozy bed and a warm, happy quilt, i love it!

but sleep?! sleeping is like missing out on all the good hours of the day (especially the dark ones when i can craft around and feel so creative!) sleeping is like taking away that extra time for whatever crazy plan i'm dreaming off or trimming the new tree for christmas or working on a crazy new duct tape design (in the works... 'ally' and something black and pink... i thing black and pink will be the colors for the winter...get excited). anyhow, how am i supposed to sleep when there are so many incredible things to do? i just can't.

and there it is my friends, my problem with sleep. i can't really call it a problem...i guess it just means that i'm content asleep or awake.

and on that note...i think i'll try to sleep now...or read...oh dear! why do i have so much energy.

ahh, the velvet ribbon is finally in, and i can't remember to send it out to a few folks. must remember, must remember, must remember!

care of mr. squirrel who is re-doing his cozy nest and loves to send along sweet quotes...

"A house becomes a home when you can write 'I love you' on the furniture."

i'm off to write 'i love you' on the furniture.

this has been a great weekend in the 'boosting vanessa jean's ego' department. i swung by the post office to drop off the second shipment of the clutches for the uncommon goods catalog order, and what did i find in my p.o. box? nothing other than the actual catalog itself. it was so exciting to see my stuff on the glossy pages of a real catalog, wowzer. i believe i showed it to everyone i know this weekend, please forgive me, it's just so exciting. and on the same note, i was actually recognized on the streets as 'the woman who makes the duct tape purses'. how cool is that? i was walking to the subway in grand central, and this woman and her accompanying fellow stopped me to ask if i was that vanessa. it was so cool, and i knew who she was because i just filled and sent off her order online. how cool is that?! she recognized me from the online photo and the huge orange duct tape liz bag i was carrying. whew, rant over, enough inflated headed-ness from me, but i just has to share the excitement with the ever dwindling number of people who read this.
post note the online clutch is now available online at uncommongoods.com...just click on this link. the coolest thing is that there is even an artist bio you can click to on that page. i'm feeling cooler than i've ever felt in my whole life!

imagine one of those hallmark commercials that makes you cry because it is so sappy, but so good. now imagine colin firth, keira knightley, liam neeson, emma thompson, hugh grant, laura linney, and many more all-stars featured in this hallmark commercial. now imagine that it's a full-length, feel-good movie, now go see love actually and you'll know exactly what i'm talking about. such a good movie, good because it knows it's off-the-wall unbelievable, but plays upon that to hit upon the wishing romantic inside each of us. it also has colin firth (did i mention that?) and portuguese, and even lisbon. i couldn't be happier to have seen it. it was so good that it even redeemed hugh grant in my eyes, and that says a lot. three cheers for 'love actually', go see it for yourself.

so i got back into the mtv watching mood last saturday while i was working. i was watching the show made and the episode was about this girl, andi, (with lots of checks, mind you) who really likes boys and duct tape and wants to be homecoming queen. she's actually known around her school as the duct tape girl. well, it was such a good show because she makes a kick-butt dress with the help of a new york artist, she gets the boy (who's a cutie and likes her too) and she wins homecoming queen and makes a great statement. i might have even tear-ed a bit. the best part is that three people called me to tell me this was on tv because of my duct tape interest. good friends and good tv! that's all.

let's play a little question and answer game...

Q: in the past 6 months, how many times has vanessa been blocked into her parking spot or driveway?



A: 4!
yes, it's true. only in new haven can you be blocked in by a firetruck that needs 1 hour to reel in its hose, a double parked 2-tier car hauling truck missing it's driver (i hunted him down and crawled around in his truck a bit), the power department fixing lines infront of my house, and (today, the kicker) some idiot who parked right infront of my driveway. luckily, there's an easy way to fix that last one.

sad news...mr. bun buns just lost his second eye. this is a sad, sad day for my childhood and for mr. bun buns.

yes, it's 4.34 and it's almost dark. wahoo for winter.

some of these cute halloween costumes for pets take a while to download, but they are very, very cute and i suggest checking them out.

some funny pictures care of mr. squirrel.

raised by a pack of french poodles? if you've seen mtv's newlyweds, i suggest you read this hilarious article.

all i can say is that life is good. after 2 weeks of stress and tons of work the cloud has finally lifted and i can say that it has some sort of correlation with my 23rd year of life. there's nothing like a birthday to re-affirm the love and caring other people have for you, and it's like lots of warm fuzzies ( that's a mrs. hermandson 4th grade term). anyhow, i'm just checking in with those loyal followers of vj.com to let you know that work is going well and finally back to that non-overwhelmed happily creative phase (i made an adorable pink mini erika with flowers today) and everything is under control and i am finally happy to work again...so keep those duct tape orders coming. joy to the world, and thanks to those fantastic support systems and kind friends i have been in touch with lately, from la to philly to portland to boston to new haven to new york to pasadena!

life is good!
and the 6 rule is in for the night.

oh dearest dears who read this...i can't even begin to explain this past week (er, 10 days)...but luckily and quite fatefully i have found myself safely back at home and in the studio and everything has worked out pretty darn well (minus the load of cash precision auto in sturbridge, mass now has from me). here's the run down...

dewey the cat wanted to take a trip to ct from md. sad i couldn't steal him. his brother mango was equally cute.


the first hundred pieces to uncommon goods gets out in time...just by the hair on our chin-y chin chins
yes, one hundred pieces takes a long time...but it's all made up by the cool new kitchen furniture set in the studio...funky 50's tableset flanked by a cool matching lantern. my favorite piece of furniture to date.


...and when it rains, it pours...
[note: it was actually raining]


i think i made it to boston (was it a dream? i think there was a prison break at the cracker barrel, and i was saved by 3 lovely souls) and we made sushi and had ice cream delivered at 11pm watched the first season of alias on dvd and i fell asleep on the floor. yes, a two day vacation from duct tape... was it forced? yes! enjoyed? yes! to the extreme, and amazing everything in life seems to work out just the way it should...and i even got to see some beautiful leaves falling in massachussetts.

and yes, a special thanks going out to brian, the gold star winner of the day. without him i would never have made it back to ct in one piece. i know he'll never read this, but i think it's just good karma to have it out there.

what a week ahead of us...the holiday season is in full swing all around, and i don't think i'll sleep until christmas eve...but then santa can come and visit. ciao!

this journal book, list yourself, came up as a topic of discussion between me and a friend this weekend. it really is the best and longest lasting journal i have ever had, and it's great for anyone who is a bit too compulsive in the list making department...a five star suggestion from vanessa jean!

can i tell you how glad i am that the new season of alias has started. i finally have something to live for again on tv. and the season looks so good!

i'm playing with crayons...these are the colors...in decending order of silliness...
midnight blue
shamrock
magenta
plum
bittersweet
and [the kicker]...
macaroni & cheese (which, oddly enough looks exactly like the manufactured cheesy color of a bowl of kraft mac & cheese, yet it doesn't make me hungry at all...

oh yes, it is winter...and time for all those comfort foods, like the entire pot of mac & cheese i just polished off by myself...and the candy corns...i love fall!

duck brand duct tape has re-done it's duct tape fan club site and vanessa jean is on it...wahooo....now i just have to get my act together and write them a little how too. dear goodness, the studio is so hectic i have no idea how the duct tape team is going to get everything done...and it's not even the holiday rush yet.

oh dear.

yeah, i think summer is over. we have a front warning tonight.

another great article about duct tape and it's uses...bears...atvs...duct tape...alaska. great!

i'm back from my 4 day excursion from wesport to philly to baltimore to college park to dc and back. i don't think i've travelled so much and seen so many special people in one weekend in my whole life. it's good to be back home, especially with the comforting knowledge that i am blessed with some terrific friends sprinkled throughout the eastern seaboard. i am such a lucky girl. cheers to that! time to finish an order for the store 2910 in baltimore, then off to catch some z's.

oh dear goodness, finally...i have internet back in the studio. so this means more frequent blogging and less sleep for me. all good things. and all of you loyal duct tape fans...once we stick and tear our fingers off with this first batch of orders for the uncommon goods catalog, i promise to send out a duct tales news update full of juicy tidbits, but until then, just scan the website, it's had a great overhaul from our dear friend b.p..

and keep your eyes peeled for some good quotes that i want to get up here...maybe creating enough impetus for those of you who still have my books to read them and send them back...you know who you are!

...oh dear, i am so tired and yet i feed my blogging addiction...

astrology and horoscopes have been the topic of the night...which reminded me that i have read rob brezneys free will astrology in the back of the new haven advocate for the past 5 years, tearing out most of the passages for us libras (and i am always sad because it usually runs the column break). being the genius i am, i just realized i could find it online, here every week, and if you want, you can read my horoscope for the week here. yay, this is so good it should go on the menu!

life continues to conspire to be good

i had a picture of a smalll weiner dog in a hot dog bun, but i deleted it.
it was cute, but now you all can't see it.

who likes getting up really early? i do! who likes duct tape? i do! who likes yoga? who is so hungry her stomach is eating itself? who is going slightly mad, but is excited to start her v-kend (a blatant theft from bri-kend) at 3 pm sharp tomorrow, maybe even sooner? me, me, me!

the old guy sent this to me by e-mail. i don't know where it came from, but it's funny. the funniest part is that he sent it to me because i am a terrible speller...

***
Birllaint....
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in
waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht
the frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl

mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do
not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

koffee?
yes, i said koffee?
koffee? is why i love new haven and why i love my neighborhood. koffee? is a wonderful coffee shop with delicious drinks and snacks and mango italian sodas. it also has a great atmosphere and a rotating art exhibit on the walls. the best part is that they have free internet access...so i have been a fixture here since the internet is not working at the studio...and they give away leftover bagels when they close. but the best part is that i live near the owner, and we run past each other a lot, and tonight i got the chance to meet him (and his adorable little baby!) and chat for a bit about the joys of the new haven community and about running a small business. it was just heartwarming and now i want to come here even more because i know there is a such a nice person behind it!
yay!

good things...
a real weekend
a finished 5 mile race
fun lunch with the distributor
and lounge time!

stealth disco. really really worth checking out. as usual, much thanks to ben.
and why are these people such and such good dancers at the same time?

what a fantastic real weekend! i say real because this is the first weekend i have stayed put and finally let go of the vanessa jean work for a couple days. i wrapped it up with enough time to get to the post office yesterday, and then i played for the rest of the day! yay. the best part is this totally relaxed sunday! this morning part of the crew ran in a 5 mile race (yay again!) and then the distributor and i went out for a fantastic late lunch at outback, both of us worn out by our activities. wahoo, what a good day. it's rainy sunny here too, and beautiful, and i get to play on the computer for fun, what could be better!

check out the names of these two beauty salons i drove past today on dixwell avenue...
yes, they are across the street from each other...
* FLAVA IN YA HAIR
* your hair and my hands in GOD'Z GLORY
(note: caps, bold, and italics are original. also note: the stores are part of the city-wide competition for the longest salon names in new haven).

no one leaves shout outs anymore. don't y'all know that's the only reason i keep this blog? as a shameless way to maybe have some people that read it should back at me with a hello? ok, so maybe that's not true, and maybe (ok, surely) the quality of my posting has gone downhill tremendously, and ben has a job now too, but still, can't someone just give one, little comment?

yes, my shameful cry for blog help.

why i love the kitchen cabinet.

yeah, i have reached the apex or dorkiness. i am searching friendster in my almost-pj's at a coffee shop on a saturday evening. the best part is...i'm as happy as a clam!

why in the name of all things good am i getting spam from escorts.com? i think it's hilarious. and if you look at the page, i think their disclaimer is hilarious... "Escorts.com is NOT an Escort Agency and does not directly provide any Escort services. We are simply a mode of service to help our Members connect to participating, qualified Escorts, Business Enterprises, and Clients. " sure you're not...you're just the middleman.

drumroll please...
here's the big news you've all been waiting for...
the vanessa jean * duct tape design large clutchin pink and kelly green will be featured in the holiday issue of the uncommon goods catalog. yes ladies and gentlemen, this fine & fun catalog has picked up on the joys of duct tape design and will be selling this colorful custom-esque piece through their mail order and website. that's good news for people who haven't been exposed to too much duct tape yet...and good for me too!
yay yay yay!

our dear friend ben has sent out of work. out of school. out of control. to its final resting spot. that may be because he is no longer out of work or school (well...) but he may still be out of control. thanks for what you gave us dude.

our dear friend ben has sent out of work. out of school. out of control. to its final resting spot. that may be because he is no longer out of work or school (well...) but he may still be out of control. thanks for what you gave us dude.

don't get the wrong idea and think that i am going to be posting regularly now. i just happen to have a free minute while i am still at koffee. so, some exciting news...i will be having 133 pounds of duct tape delivered to the studio in a week. that's a lot of duct tape (that's a lot of yellow tape!). good things good things in the work, and they will be unveiled soon. and i just heard pharell and the neptunes will be in central park soon, ooh la la! i might just have to treat myself. and really, check out vanessajean.com for a new look!

the kitchen cabinet has the sweetest 'quote of the day' for yesterday.

the author of the book 101 female uses for pink duct tape just alerted me to her cool uses of duct tape. i'd suggest checking it out!

news! news! news!

good news. a) light at the end of the internet-less tunnel...in house internet will be returning in less than two weeks (which will seem like an eternity), so look for new posting then. yahooo. the even better news is that the vanessajean.com website is getting a much needed overhaul. well, some perks in fun-ness and some much needed informational info...so check it out in the coming weeks for some new pics, and lots of new info about styles and where to buy in a town near you. alright...i have misguided dreams of getting up at 5 in the rainy weather to go for a run (riiiiiiight.)
sweet dreams little blog readers and duct tape lovers...may you have good nights and even better days.

oh geez. i'm a bit overwhelmed. more big things in the work. must get back internet at home. must sleep. oh joy of joys, so much joy. and rain too, which is great. btw, i like boston, what a nice place. i am clearly not coherent right now, and need to sleep. ahhh, the joys of duct tape are endless. more to come, maybe.

i'm still alive! i swear. so much going on. the best thing is all the great conversations with my roommate, and my new roommate who just moved in. oh, and a surprise visit from ant today, and the promise of dinner tomorrow night...and a great call from green pants last night. oh geez, where is the time going? so much to do, ahhhh! i just finished a nice order of hannas and meris and checkbook holders that are going to a great store called rockstar & rogers in manhattan, kansas. big time, such cute stuff, with lots of two-tone and colorful stripes. yikes, i packed them up before i could even take a picture! and, please keep your fingers crossed that big exciting things are in the works. i'll keep hush-hush until anything is for sure, don't want to jinx anything. the next wholesale order is off to minnesota early next week, and then baltimore the week after, and in between i am going to vermont for a little r & r and camping and paddling. oh, and irony or ironies...in my art room at my new 'real job' (which i am loving in spite of the commute!) we have everything in the world, but there is no duct tape and i keep forgetting to bring some of my own. oh well! so much creativity, i get to spend my days and nights playing in a sandbox of creativity and color and paper and and thought and joy! yay! ok, it's so late already that my trip to urban outfitters and barnes and noble witll have to wait until tomorrow. yay for the glorious last trailing days of summer!

new favorite site of the day. it's going in the right hand menu. mr ming: - the news in type. amazing. read it back a few pages though, cause he is on vacation right now.

good stuff is in the works. lots of unsolicited wholesale orders. that's a good thing. it's a good thing. there is just one specifically that i hope goes through. ya-hooo. it seems like everyone is re-distributing and re-settleing this time of year. moving to new york or boston or back to new haven. good luck to everyone who's moving and finding their new places and starting new jobs and looking for a niche. the rest of life here is good, i'm starting to feel calm again...

i'm getting kicked out of koffee at closing time, but i just couldn't resist a post. it's been such a great day, and the sun finally came out. i brought home 2 new babies with me today...a green nalgene and new chacos. i gotta go!

diaper bag!!!!

this is the perfect spill proof, ruin proof, baby-proof diaper bag of all times! a huge, rectangular tote (16x14x4 but variable) with two full size interior pockets and 2 long tote straps. this is the hotteset baby trend of the moment, and every mommy and daddy to be needs them. the featured pictures are from the same bag...just different designs on each side. these bags are just begging for bright colors and stripes and custom designs...so hop get those creative juices flowing. e-mail customorder@vanessajean.com for more info. these bags are destined to be custom ordered by size and pattern, prices range $55-$85.

only in l.a.

i'm back, and better than ever. well, i am tanner than ever, but i don't know how much i am grooving on the relaxed-post-vacation feeling. 14 hours of traveling can do that to you. so, although we still have no internet in the house, i am back to blogging, and i will probably post volumes through this weekend. then, come monday [a great jimmy buffett song btw], i'll be at my new 'real job' from 7-4 everyday. with this new change of lifestyle, blogging is either going to become a standard daily thing, a must have i look forward to all my computer-less day, or a complete nuisance that i quit entirely. we'll see, but i doubt it will be the latter.

so, here's an update from the trip. on thursday night the fam and i enjoyed the best pan-asian-hawaiian-fusion meal we have ever had at this great little place called 'a pacific cafe'. if you are ever in kapaa, i recommend it. deee-licious. other than that we cooked for ourselves a lot, taco, burgers, etc. all great too. wednesday i took an amazing 20 mile hike on the craziest trail i have ever been on. thank goodness for the hawaiian do-as-you-wish policy, because the trail was so unsafe that i couldn't imaging it existing in any other place. but it was up there on the most-beautiful-things-ever-seen list, so i ain't complaining. there were also roosters and goats along the trail, and the best part was that in the 11 mile stretch (it's a hike into a beach, and then backtracking) the terrain ranges from tropical rainforest, to woodland forest, to dry dry desert, amazing! the trail is 11 miles in, but by mile 10 i was exhausted, and put down there for lunch. this is a photo of the destination beach (only one way in) and since i didn't make it, it just means i have to go back and hike and camp there for a bit...a girl's gotta have a dream!

i'm glad that was my parting shot!
and saturday was a 17 mile paddle along the same coastline, so it was great to see it from sea and sky level. the rest of my fam is still there...for another week, yikes. but they deserve it, especially because my little bro got sick and had a 103 fever for a few days, so he needs to stay there a bit longer so he can enjoy it. anyhow, it was a good trip. a little long from ct, but worth it! the other good thing is that i read a lot of good books, i really enjoyed happiness and wicked, the latter of which is really long, and it felt good to get through an entire long book, it had been a while! i think i also read something else along the way, but i can't remember...hmmm. but when i need a new book i can just search for something on whichbook.net which i think will be my new favorite website...i've already played on it a bit and i have my next 10 reads all picked out. too much fun, and so many options. thanks ben for passing that along.
it's nice to be back in new haven. it was a beautiful day yesterday, and i had a sun-glowing and green drive home from the airport with just enough time to get some modern and enjoy it while watching the sunset at east rock. and it was great to be re-united with my roomie since we have both been in-and-out of the house for the past three weeks...we just keep talking about how we don't want to the summer to end...as it indeed has been a grand one...but i think we'll make it.

alright, time to get down to work (aka, watch for posting in the near future!)

greetings...
i'm doing some good missionary work and bringing duct tape fashion to the island of kauai. ok, well, i've been carrying around my duct tape bag as i kayak, swim, tan, hike and lounge. so that sort of counts. the highlight of the trip so far was the kayak trip on the na pali coast, a good solo (sans family) trip. it's been a challenge computer hopping on the island to get good internet access...the public library (quite an adventure) and now at an incredibly overpriced internet cafe/trip planning center, but some good duct tape stuff is in the works, and i can't wait to share the details if it all pans out. i'll write more and post some incredible pics when i get back to the east coast.
aloha!

for a good time, dial up www.jdate.com - the world's largest jewish singles community. i actually know a few of the people in here.

corn dogs

yes, you heard me, i just mentioned corn dogs the best food of all times. if you have never had a corn dog (a hot dog dipped in corn meal batter and deep fried) you are missing out on one of the best (if not thebest foods in the world. don't eat pork? they make chicken dog versions. vegetarian? they make mini veggie corn dogs you can buy in the frozen section of your supermarket. on a stick or the mini pop-them-in-your-mouth versions are equally good, and there is just something so fantastic about them. if you live in california, i would even recommend traveling to the food cart at your local mall for a taste at 'hot dog on a stick' the creme de la creme of corn dog establishments. plus, they have funny uniforms which include goofy hats, as well as the best lemonade in the world, it's a must make trip. anyhow...i'm going to start a 'eat more corn dogs' campaign that will sweep the united states (and canada about 3 months later) and the whole world will thank me for bringing light to this delicious food. and for those hard core corn doggers out there, you can actually purchase a home corn dog kit which would be like owning a dream machine. it can also whip up deep fried twinkies, which i have never had, but assume are the best sweet ending to a corn dog. back to work.

this ramble has been brought to you by the box of mini chicken corn dog bites i had for breakfast and the high-speed manufacture of 50 belts...my brain stopped working about an hour ago.

hheee heee heejeopardy is coming to yale this fall for the college championship. i am so getting tickets! i'll be there like the enormous dork i am.

i was introduced to this footage of the star wars kid this past weekend. click on the top, original, footage and then scroll through the remixes. it's funny, but in this case i actually feel sorry for this kid (and since i have a cold heart, that's a big deal). thankfully, some people have a consceince about this.
note to self...take the tape out of the camera.

this has been a wicked couple of days. let me just set the scene by saying that i flew home to cali today, and arrived to the pad in the midst of one of my brother's part-ays. right now there is a make-shift beer pong table in the back yard, and i was just roped into a game [yes, we won, the ultimate brother sister team], there is a german kid free-styling in my back yard, and a bunch of really cool (interpret that as you will) 20 year olds being cool and loud. so, it's always great to come home, after a day of traveling to this, it always feels like i have slipped into some sort of alternative universe. the time change isn't helping either, nor is my utter lack of sleep after this weekend and the fact that i pierced my foot on a tetanus-giving piece of rusted metal at full force this morning. luckily (thanks to wireless internet) i have the neptunes on baby (yes, even my computer has a name) and we are chillin' at the kitchen table. ahh, yes, i also got to see brian tonight, and that makes everything in this world worth while. he also brought me (my?) bible from junior year english class (we study the bible as lit) and there are tons of hilarious conversations in the margins...i'll be up for hours reading the bible...yea, you heard me. i'll probably post like crazy tomorrow since there is actually access here...and thursday it's off to the corporate retreat with long and hard days and nights ahead. yes, i am going crazy and i should sleep....wahoooo...

i can't believe people are still reading this blog. i'll try to post more pictures, and that will make life more fun for everyone who has to read this non-sense. tomorrow i head off for islands on the other side of the united states, and some much needed vacation. although this last month has been slow business wise (sort of) life has been crazy...and i am much looking forward to a real vacation (although i am sure i will take some work along...i love the looks i get from airline folks when i'm hauling bins of tape behind me). posting will be sparse from here on out because of the vacation and because i have managed to land a real job. yes, mr. squirrel will complain because he thinks what i do now is a real job...and it is...i work all day, i make money that pays the bills...etc, but it's still a little eccentric. however, this morning i committed myself (and maybe i should have committed myself as well) to a position at anthropologie as the visual design coordinator (or something like that) for a ct store. this means i now have a commute, but also a paycheck and benefits...something that duct tape just can't cut in that regular way. but this is also my kick-ass dream job...which means that for at least the next year i will be the luckiest chick on the block holding down two dream jobs...as if life couldn't get any better...and don't you worry duct tape fans, vanessa jean will continue in all its glory thank to the new employee. life is good, and i will be getting paid to design store displays...and for anyone who has been to one of these stores, you know what kind of groovy creativeness i am in for. more to come...have a goodnight out there!

erin at monkeysocks has taken on a funky new look, i suggest a check to it if you haven't visited lately.

it also has a great pic referencing the fantastical (and my favorite) south park underware gnomes.

this is why i like brian and ferrets. i was also happy to learn a few fridays back (yes, a friday watching animal planet is the best kind ever) that when domesticated ferrets play together, they like to run through plastic tubing. yes, deliciously cute.

greetings! by some amazing chance i've been taken to some crazy places lately and the duct tape world has been out of control! a second order to nigeria (who knew), and now the duct tape is being enjoyed by the extended 785 crew on an island. i'm being held against my will to post about robby d and danny b and hydro and spence diggity who are notorious duct tape fans so it's all a-ok. i've also learned how to play croquet (oddly enough by my es master) and sport fish...but back to duct tape life tomorrow...along with big news about my creative future to come!

ahh, this sparse internet time is making posting a different and exciting challenge. thank goodness for koffee and wireless internet. yesterday i worked my little fingers to the bone filling a huge (40 piece) order to be sent to nigeria. yea, explain that. my superhero power is definately duct tape oriented (although i desperately wish it was other things). i took the kayak out for a nice paddle yesterday, but some kids on the bridge threw rocks at me by the handful. luckily, young teen boys just don't have capable throwing abilities these days, and they hardly came close to hitting me. i also got to inspect some beautiful lotus flowers, and i saw three muskrats, 2 herons, and one white bird i couldn't name. today is a 'personal day' as my hands hurt from all my work yesterday. not really much to report from the duct tape front, except that when it rains, it pours! i enjoyed my slow period in july...but it looks like things are heating up again.
ciao!

wow...things are taken off! there is no internet access at home, temporarily, but thanks to j.b. i am internetting strong (temporarily). well, the line sheet is in progress, the website just got a lot of orders (after it was apparently allergic to orders)...the alison is the top hit of the moment. the large wholesale order to nigeria seems to be fer real, and my poor knees seem to be healing, although slowly. the weather here is gorgous and it's hard to work all day. the best part is the nights are cool and windy and stormy. i can also recommend the oscar winning movie spirited away, my only warning is that it is long and really really bizarre. someone said 'only a child could think of this' while someone else said 'only someone doing lots of late 1800's hallucinogens (oooow, sp?) would think of this.' either way, it's good. oh, and let's take a vote...if you adopt a dog from the pound, but it has a few behavior issues after 3 years in your warm and loving house, and you refuse to send it to a trainer, can you send it back to the pound? please, comment on this one, i need to pull a guilt trip/reality check. our apartment also has a spiffy new look, which is exciting. well, it's late, i'm all animated out and now i am off to do a midnight reject furniture run!!! yahoooo. and maybe a grilled cheese sandwich. i'm learning that i still can't type and talk, or type and multi-task anything, wow, someone's hyper. note to self, do not blog when hyper. oh, and today was a day of huge tote bags, the super alice and a diaper bag and a huger version of the liz...pictures to come. ok, really, i'm off now!

i'm back! this week my roommate and my dsl connection moved out. funny how that can be simultaneous. anyhow, posting has been non-existent. my apologies. really not much to report from the duct tape front. my three most favorite activities duct taping, yoga, and paddling have taken a bit of a toll on my maimed wrist, so i'm relegating myself to a desk job to get some rest for a bit. unless i fill this huge wholesale order that just came in from...nigeria. who knew. the weather is gorgeous here and i've been outside (i mean working...) alot and hence the no posting (ok, and the lack of internet connection). really, not much to report at all, but life is swell and sweet and i wish everyone a fantastic weekend!

fall preview

well, it's that time again...when the sun is shining in full force and the full glory of summer is upon us...but those darn fashion people start pushing those drab fall colors on you...and it's the last thing you want to think of. well, here at vanessa jean we are just giving you a sneak preview of the hot fall line with only the best fall color selection...nothing too drab or dreary...and hopefully it will get your creative juices going to design your own bag as well! enjoy the sampling of what's to come!

hot mini alice

this is possibly the cutest mini alice to date. it's a custom order for (none other than) a vanessa in boston...but i love her idea so much it's going into the collection! camel bag with thick red trim and a red flower. so cute. the bag features an interior pocket and a magnetic snap for keeping your goodies safe. look for lots of camel and color combinations this fall! $45. order through e-mail at customorder@vanessajean.com

nina

ok, so the nina was just introduced last month, but it's already time for a fall make-over. featured here in camel with blue trim and flower, it's such a hot and functional bag! the straps fit over most shoulders and a magnetic snap keeps your goods inside. it's hot! hot! hot! but these muted fall colors are perfect for the change to fall breeze. 11x7x3 inches is just perfect. flower is optional! $40. customorder@vanessajean.com

also available at blush...333 bleecker street, new york, ny

alison

i just can't get enough of the alison bag. i have a red one and a black and white striped one, and i get compliments everywhere i go. i think it's just the cutest thing ever, and i think every person needs at least one, if not two! featured here in navy and white diagonal stripes with a white ribbon closure, nothing can beat it! 5/7x6x2 is the perfect size for a night out on the town or errands during the day. available solid or with diagonal stripes. also available with magnetic snap closure or ribbon tie closure (both are adorable!). deisgn your own, there are just so many possibilities! $35 customorder@vanessajean.com

what? no name yet?!

you got it, this baby is hot off the press and yet unnamed. i need some inspiration! despite it's awry looks, this tote is functional and a bit hip with a multi-color rope strap. the boxy bag measures 11x12x3 with an interior pocket, magnetic snap and those cool ropes for straps (did i say that already)? take my advice, it's a cutie! $50. customorder@vanessajean.com

fall stripes! mini alice and alice

as you can see this fall is all about stripes, and fun fall colors. this mini alice (15x9x2) is the perfect size for small toting, and looks especially cool with the pretty princess pink, camel and brown stripes. it features an interior pocket and a magnetic snap. $45.
this striped alice is fantastic! olive and camel stripes are perfect for fall, and so is the bag! 18x10x3 inches is the perfect size for back to school, back to work or back to the future... features magnetic snap and interior pocket. $55
order at customorder@vanessajean.com
[don't be fooled by my awful photo editing skills, the bag on the left is smaller than the bag on the right...but you're smart, you get the idea).

today's mail delivered me the best pick me up of all times, courtesy of the ever thoughtful green pants who is finally back in the states. i was ecstatic to peel the christmas theme (don't ask) wrapping paper from the book Wacky Chicks: Life Lessons from Fearlessly Inappropriate and Fabulously Eccentric Women. i squealed in delight and proceeded to delve in right there (which was luckily in my comfy bed...) i tore through the first chapters and then gracefully drifted off to sleep for a much needed nap! after waking up, and with some leftover eggplant pizza from modern, i headed to the stoop to continue reading, and i have yet to be disappointed by any of it. this is definately taking precidence over the other books of the moment because it is just so wonderfully good. plus it has a pretty pink color which reminds me of duct tape pink as well as the book The Bad Girl's Guide to the Open Road which is a constant bedside read. it even came with a fiery pink 'road sister' bumper sticker which i proudly (idiotically?) adhered to jeepie...but very sadly came off during the last trip through the car wash (along with almost all my other stickers). anyhow, this long post is just an excuse for me not to go to sleep yet, but i'm grateful, because at least i don't have to study for the bar.

controversial duct tape art rumples a few feathers in north carolina.

duct tape and solar cars, neat-o. the stuff really is good for everything. there is also a stricking resemblance between the kid in the second picture on the page (jason nolte works tuesday...) and my brother...hmm...

wasilla, aklaska is named an 'honorary duct tape capital of the world'. a classy title? or anyoher smooth marketing plan from manco/duck brand duct tape, who realize that alaskans buy more duct tape than anyone else.

today the vanessa jean studio had a visitor. yes, indeed, please welcome erika to the production family. she is the new 'employee' and today was her first day on the job. right now she is helping out project to project, and the moment the project is putting together a nice line sheet for the fall/winter 2003 line. cheers to erika!
(and yes, i will only employee folks who i already have bags named after...just kidding!)

to mr. squirrel and the old guy who seem to be suffering from some sort of multiple personality disorder, or at least computer-illiteracy order...
there are two bulkheads for keeping peanuts dry, as would work a dry bag clipped to the top bungees. there is plenty of room for squirrels to come along, but only if they come to new haven or local area for a visit before the water gets too cold. vanessa jean tends to not get too hungry on the water (yet) but my trips have maxed at only 2 hours so far. the threatening thunder storm (cloudy skies all day) prevented me from taking a trip out today, but that's ok, i needed the rest after all my recent adventures. so, visit to new haven = ride in kayak. and after paddling the na pali coast with mr. squirrel last summer, i am excited at a chance to watch him in a boat alone here. ha!

this open letter to the ny times style section photo retoucher is courtesy of b.p.. i don't know where he finds this, but it's good.

this is the thank you link i get for giving to my alma mater. the note in the e-mail from my class officer says 'it has many fabulous campus images and made me wish i were back in college...', to which i say 'i still live here and i don't miss college'.

amy sedaris' apartment. proof that brilliance, genius, and eccentricity run down the family line.

are you ready?
new bag pics to be posted this week, as a special deal for the duct.tales list!

wahoo. this weekend i went on a second date with my new baby! 16.5 feet of pure aquatic joy, sunshine and happiness! if your orders seem a bit delayed, you'll know where to find me.

thirteen looks like the 00's non-documentary verson of KIDS and i really want to see it.

good quote today from the kitchen cabinet.

"if i had twins i would name them Paisly and Dot, after my two favorite fabrics." - robert verdi, surprise by design

i just saw the cutest tv show ad ever. the ad was cute but the show looks fantastic. the show is called animal kidding and it's on animal planet. there is only a schedule online, but it looks like the best show ever. first off, it involves kids and animals, the two of my favorite things. it also includes practical jokes and hidden cameras which are two of my other favorite things. let me just sum it up with this one little piece they showed on the ad (ok, other than the tons of footage of small children trying to wash dogs, which is adorable)...anyhow, there was (what looked to be) a zebra tied to a fench post and these 8 year old looking kids were supposed to give it a wash. the ranger starts them out, but then walks away for a minute. when the kids start scrubbing the zebra with the scrubber, it's stripes start to bleed and come off and the zebra turns into a grey mess. the kids frea out and can't believe it. it was just a painted horse, but it was soo sooooo soooo funny and cute. i will be hooked from now and, and ti am so looking forward to watching the whole first episone tomorrow night at 9pm, yes, i'm so excited about this that i don't even want to go out on a friday night.

geez do i love two for tuesdays, and wednesdays, at best video. i've done quite a number on the video list. yesterday i watched the entire first season of sex in the city and it was fantastic. so much funnier and less serious than i'd expected. and now i am so excited to see the rest of the series. i also rented just married because it looked cute, and i wasn't disappointed. it was cute and it was actually filmed in my home town, at the batman house. and i realized i watched them film part of it! i run on that street when i am at home, and i was running past when they were doing the scene where ashton is trying to ram through the gate. so i saw ashton kutcher even though i didn't know it at the time. anyhow, the movie was cute! and then today i watched amy's o which was fantastic and i highly recommended. i like movies about neurotic women, it makes me feel better. anyhow, i got done with all of that in time to watch surprise by design. and work is flying by, and i think i am going to take a paddle in the quinnipiac before yoga. helllloooo, someone has a lot of energy. ok, ok i'll hold still long enough to do some more work. wahoooo.

A blonde girl enters a store that sells curtains. She tells the salesman:

"I would like to buy a pink curtain in the size of my computer
screen." The surprised salesman replies: "But, madam, computers do
not need curtains...." And the blonde said: Helloooo.... I've got
Windows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- i love waking up to e-mail jokes from mr. squirrel
speaking of which, where is the rest of the vanessa jean family and why am i the only dork who posts all the time.

this is what happens when i don't want to go to sleep at night, my awful computer addiction. ok, ok, so this was also spurred by a conversation about google-ing your friends and looking for embarassing information about them (yes, we turned up lots)...but then i decided to do a vanessa jean search and there were some things that i hadn't seen before. for real press info, see the right hand column. but if you are more of a blogger, it's nice to see other blogs talk about your stuff.

jajdejo: effluvia of an academic brat.
frycow. apparently he's not thrilled.

then a few more i can't post. but it's fun, it's like getting to read what people write about you on bathroom walls.

on the collection front, i've also gone on a bit of a kazaa binge. oh well, it's fun and i'm missing my best of all the bob dylan cd's, so it started with a real purpose. btw, the bob dylan website is the most well organized and informative catalog of an artist i have ever seen.

she belongs to me - bob dylan
why georgia - john mayer
i'd have to be crazy - willie nelson
tangled up in blue - dylan, ani, indigo girls, bela fleck, neil young, jerry garcia band
f.i.n.e. - aerosmith

i've been on such a spree lately, and I just picked up some really good books. along with the books i am re-reading now (i like a good challenge, one book at a time is just too easy), i just started a whole batch of new ones, and that's without finishing ptown yet. anyhow, here's the list, and i recommend all of them except the few i haven't actually finished yet.

ptown - thanks b.p.
by the river piedra i sat down and wept - the best get on with your life book ever
the botany of desire - thanks d.b.
wicked - thank sara
a short guide to a happy life - i've met her before!
happiness: a novel - this is going out on a limb

yea, so i've bitten off a little more than i can chew in the number of books category, but this way i won't ever get bored. and i think i can read them on the water too. yay.

yay! yale finally hires a new women's volleyball coach. her description seems cool, and we played for the same tough-as-nails club team (ben does that bring back any memories of our sophomore year at poly) during high school. this is exciting. i love her attitude and how she sounds so positive and ready to work with the girls (as opposed to against them...hmmm...) three cheers!

holy begeebers i got my booty kicked yesteray!
i've been running around will all sorts of energy, and i can't seem to hold still or concentrate...so yesterday was a great day for errands after doing a fair bit of production, but toward the end of the day (about an hour before the sunset beach yoga) i just couldn't sit still anymore so i went for another long run, and then to yoga (which was harder than usual), and it seemed like our group had energy so we went out to eat and then back home for a little hot tub (a.k.a. lukewarm tub action) action. suffice it to say, new haven's got the summer action going on, and i love it. the new haven crew doesn't seem to want to hold still. anyhow, i woke up this morning sore from head to toe, but i love it. and speaking of toes...i'm off for a manicure and pedicure. this seems to be pamper vanessa week and i ain't going to complain. watch for frequent blogging this after noon in my over-energized state. wahooooo.

two birth-days in one
i just found a new blog of someone in know through a friend, through a friend, through a friend, etc, but it looks promising. chickenosis. it's day of birth was yesterday, and the blogger's birthday is today. check it out.

that goodness for pharell
thank goodness for the neptunes
thank goodness for the (new) cd n.e.r.d.
i love love love it, because it's so inappropriate but hilarious

i'm mean really, what would snoop and the beaches of rio be without pharell?

successive list of things that bother me...
my computer doesn't have a functional battery (i swear it's the fault of my distribution manager....
the plug-in power frequently pulls out (i should duct tape it in there) and the computer dies...
i lose long winded, fun, train-of-thought e-mails!!!
i hate writing really good e-mails and loosing them.
grrrr.

resisting a-rest
why oh why

now that i have finished the the best book of all time i think i shall move onto 'absolutely american': culture war at west point which sounds really interesting from the ny times review.

it's no fun when the shout outs aren't there!

i, literally, just dusted my bedroom last night, and there is already a thin film of dust on my desk. why is new haven the dust vortex capital of the world?

luckily, i don't have to sit around and prepare for the bar like those at the kitchen cabinet, so i might just go up to boston and stand on the shore to watch this. the thought of these guys coming in makes me think of this previous post describing the tracking of these things, as well as the rubber duckie race my good friend brian took me to in high school.

ny times reports on the current state of cork in portugal. don't laugh, it's important to them. sadly, the article is $ and will only whet your appetite for learning more about the best country in europe. on the train trip from lisbon to evora, the country side consisted on green plains and only cork oaks, nothing else, it was amazing and beautiful, so i hope the switch to non-cork corks doesn't put the under.

yes, people do think a little too much about certain things, like cat food. clearly marketing and advertisers don't direct their efforts at people like me who take the least expensive choice because my cat can't tell the difference option when buying chow.

last weekend's ny times magazine had an article about baby names. i can't find the link, sorry. well, it was a fun and informative article, although a little bit fluffly. basically, it just talked about historical and projected trends in baby names and the reasons for certain sound patterns and why my children will have names like wall, cup, neon, chartreus, and calendar. the article is based on research by two baby name planning people and the fact that the social security administration did a project charting the most popular baby names for the last certain hundred years. yes, the best part is there is a website for you to play on, and i think everyone should. i'm glad i was born as a vanessa into a year of... (can you name the year?)
1. jennifer
2. jessica
3. amanda
4. melissa
5. sarah
6. nicole
7. heather
8. amy
9. michelle
19. elizabeth

anyhow, the site will provide hours and hours and hours of entertainment. click here.

another reason i love this town...
on my drive home tonight, on my street there was an adorable pair meandering down the sidewalk. a very elderly yellow lab, quite large and slow moving, and the owner in his 30's, reading a magazine while wandering with the old dog. it was the cutest thing ever.

well, does vanessa jean ever have a story to tell!

this story would be so much better had i blogged the original incident when it happened, but some loyal vanessa jean fans are aware of the theft incident at the artspace duct tape opening. here's the backdrop (i could have sworn i blogged this, but i can't find it posted anywhere)...
for the opening of the artspace new haven 'duct tape: between fear and freedom' exhibit i was lucky enough to host a table of my wares that were available for sale. so there was a 3 foot circular table covered with duct tape bags, right at the entrance to the exhibit. well, at one point this young(ish) woman walked by, picked up a bag as to inspect it, and then (with the guidance of a man who was on her arm) walked out of the museum with the bag! yes, i was in quite a tizzy and didn't know what to do. the woman also looked very familiar and i know i had met her at some point (and that we probably had a few things in common) and i just couldn't believe she would actually steal something so i just let her walk out of the show with it. it seemed as if she was thinking she was very covert, but i saw it all happen. that was the best part, that i saw it all, and so did other people. after about 15 minutes she came back to the museum, carrying the bag. i was shocked, then she walked directly to the other side of my display table, bent over as if to inspect some samples on the floor, and deposited the previously stolen bag on the floor...returning it to it's home. well, this made me even more surprised and miffed, mostly because her actions were so obvious and i'd seen everything that happened, and because i know she is a person i have met because we graduated from the same university and went through a few similar programs. it was just such a funny and shocking and embarassing incident...and i talked about it for the next week. i was also convinced that my roommate knew her, but i couldn't get out an apt enough description...

well, the mystery has been solved!
after a boisterous evening of scavenger hunting, tgwnn crew settled at a local japanese bar to hang out. and all of a sudden this same woman walks in and i turn directly to my roommate and re-tell him the story and point out that she's the one! and he says, "her, i know her!" turns out they are good friends and previously teammates. so i became determined to get to the bottom of the stolen/returned bags, and i made him introduce us as we awkwardly picked songs from the jukebox (2 jukebox nights in a row, how lucky!). well, we are introduced and he leaves, so i fend for myself. we've clearly met before, and we get to the bottom of things after a bit of silly small talk, and we talked about my work and the artspace show and as soon as she said 'did you see me...' i told her i saw the whole thing. she explained why and how embarassed she was and it was good for a hilarious laugh (as are all bizarre vanessa jean incidents) and we had a good laugh and bonded over the foolishnes. and it gets even better (and even more full circle) because it turns out that she is the girlfriend of one of annabelle's good friends freshman roommate (oh, you'll figure out what i mean) and it was just such a riot. and as it turns out, she picked up the bag to look at it, and her male companion grabbed her arm and told her to walk out with it (forced her?) and she felt bad and brought it back. anyhow, mystery solved, new friend made, life is good.
over and out!