A few weeks ago I was trying to figure out what to do about my shoes. I sold 10 pairs on eBay and threw out a bunch but still have about 50 pairs left. The boy suggested I buy those plastic boxes he saw on some home improvement show one day. I knew these boxes existed, but at retail they were pretty pricey and I have a decent amount of shoes so that was out of the question. But it stuck, and I was pretty adamant something needed to be done so I did some research and found someone who sold exactly what I wanted, wholesale, for under $1.50. The boxes are 0.8mm polypropylene, with welded seams and a carry handle. I wanted them 0.8mm specifically for sturdiness since I plan to pile a lot of them on top of one another and I loved the tabs on the ends that made it easy to open and close. Sooo.. I placed an order.
(These pics are from my Twitter so click to view in full)
I used Moo Minicards for labels. They are fantastic, you order in boxes of 100 and each one of them can be customised with a different image. Apart from shoe box labels, you can also use them for gift/retail tags, thank you notes etc. I (thankfully) didn’t have 100 pairs of shoes so I put random pictures on the rest and handed it out to friends as little keepsakes.
And this is the final result:
It was the perfect solution: I saved a heap of space and my shoes would be easily accessible and protected from dust. And it makes my OCD happy!
But today I bought a pair of shoes.. and when I came home I realised I am stuck with the problem of not having a matching card to label the box with! ARGH. Even I’m not crazy enough to order a hundred cards every time I buy a new pair of shoes.. so perhaps it’s time to stop buying shoes :/
But I’ve been meaning to buy something like these for ages and they were on sale for $30.. from $160! Guess I’ll just have to live with one box with no label.
The boy is starting a new job next week. I wonder what the new schedules will mean for us – though part of me relishes having more me time, I’ve started to enjoy our evenings sitting on my couch after work with a DVD or two, dinner and wine. Some times I cook, some times we order in. The boy and I will watch pretty much anything, despite him preferring ‘boy’ films and me swinging between ‘happy fluff’ and foreign. We seem to have reached a happy compromise, for every movie with bloodshed and decapitation he sits through a heavily subtitled one with me.
My favourite part of the evening is the bit after the movie finishes where we would talk about what we’ve just seen and more often than not our debates would turn into friendly arguments because we have very contrasting opinions. On occasions they would continue on to the next day and it’s these moments when I realise I am really going to miss him.
I’ve been a little shopping demon and bought not one but three art prints online. Actually there are two more I’m thinking of buying but maybe a bit later when I’m a little more cashed up!
Here are two of them:
Can’t wait till they arrive! These are by artist/illustrator Yellena James.
The third one is a larger one by one of my fav artists, LA-based Hannah Stouffer. Check her stuff out, it’s amazing!
Can you tell I don’t really like stark white walls? :)
Not too surprised being asked by a lot of people if I’m gay or not due to recent involvement in the Mardi Gras here. Valid question, I guess! I have been crap at keeping in touch with every one, and I didn’t think it would be any kind of question. But just so we’re clear, it’s actually my second year – I didn’t get round to posting much about it in 2009 and I didn’t appreciate one or two people lacing the question with some sort of.. sympathy? (?!)
The point is, does it matter?
First of all if I tell you I am gay today doesn’t automagically mean I will be any different from yesterday. The only thing that really changes is your perception. If as a friend, my sexuality becomes an issue, then you’re not someone I care too much to continue being friends with. As to why I’m involved.. I don’t feel like I really need to say much more than I like being there and that I have a lot of respect for the community in general.
But anyway, I’m not gay. Neither am I any sort of advocate for either camp. I’m just saying don’t discriminate. It’s 2010, yeah? Now if only all this negativity towards homosexuality can be channeled someplace more useful..
Here are some pre-parade pictures from earlier today that I took after I finished up helping with registration. It’s great to be able to walk around and watch everyone get ready. I lost count of how many people I’ve given directions to the portaloos today!
There were about 9000 participants on 135 floats this year. For an event this huge, it’s amazing to know that apart from the accountant, the entire gig is volunteer-run. It’s sure come a long way from when the parade first started off as a gay rights protest march in 1978.
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- Rego 2010!
Happy Mardi Gras! :)
Stephanie is currently in Sydney.
