Because I need more sites to update like I need a hole in my head...

The Marlowe Co. now has a Facebook page.

Goodness, it does look rather sickly and pathetic with its one fan (that fan being me), doesn't it?

You Should See...

Items for sale on Etsy that have struck me as fantastic:

Balancing Cat Card



I think if I received this clever card from Pocket Studio, I'd want to display it on my desk instead of just putting it back in the envelope like so many other cards.

Power Line Plate



I'm not sure why this plate (and the other Power Line wares) from Urban Soule calls to me, but it does.

Keep Calm and Carry On Spoof Calendar for Men



You can probably learn much about me just from knowing that I prefer the mens' version of this print-it-yourself calendar from little brown pen to the womens' version.

Oops Coasters



One of the things I like best about Etsy is coming across incredibly clever (a word I seem to use often when talking about items on Etsy) products like these industrial felt coasters from Studio Wonjun.

Stuff 'N' Things

Had a sale on the moustache pendant the day after I posted it! Maybe it's because I'm still a greenhorn, but each sale is a little thrill for me. And a sale on the moustache pendant is especially thrilling since it is our first family-designed piece. It's exciting to think that something my family created is travelling across the country to be made into something marvelous by someone we've never met.

I like the fact that two of our customers are also seller/crafters on Etsy. Every time I make a trek through the other shops on Etsy (which I do often because I cannot seem to do any work on the shop without getting distracted by the shinies and pretties), I find something that impresses the bejesus out of me. So many very talented people making amazing things - it makes me happy to see it.

The Moustache is Here!

I don't intend to make this a "Look what I listed today" blog, but I am so excited to have this up in the shop that I think it deserves its own post. Please visit Mr. Moustache and read the charming, family story behind it.



(The blog has been quiet because life was a little crazy for a bit with a minor [well, minor in that no one was hurt, but my car was deemed a total loss] car accident, but everything is settling back down.)

Who's Minding the Store?

Two entries and barely an introduction. What kind of hostess am I? So here are some of the faces behind The Marlowe Co.

First, the helper monkeys kitties.



Meet Lucy. Lucy likes to protect me by creating a safety buffer between me and the computer keyboard. She also likes to taste my food to make sure I am not being poisoned. She's so thoughtful.



This is S.L., short for Spotted Leaf. She takes her job as a lap-warmer very seriously. She alerts me to potential disasters - say, if it's been more than five minutes since she was last pet - by standing up on her hind legs and tapping me on the hip. A jill of all trades, she also doubles as comic relief.



I present Her Royal Highness, Coraline. Please bow upon entering her presence and do not speak unless spoken to. Though a right regal ruler, Coraline never shirks her most important duty: keeping the beds warm.

Now, the less important humans.



Known by many names - Monkey, the Monk, Monkito, bubbeleh, The Boy, Feeder of the Cats - this is the Monkeyboi, my cohort, co-conspirator and co-spawn. A budding artist and a connoisseur of fine video games, he's the reason I go from point A to point B every day.



Mungo: designer, maker, professional breaker of things, the other half of the Monkeyboi Creation Team and my oldest, dearest friend. Aside from coming up with great ideas, he also keeps my laughing and encouraged.



And me. The shirt says it all.

You Should See...

Every so often, I will be posting items from Etsy that strike me in some way or other. Things I don't end up putting on my favorites list, but things I feel should be shared just the same.

Shy Tree Spirits



From almapottery, these little guys are just beguiling. I want to put one of these little sweeties on my window ledge, but I'm sure my cats would murder it in a matter of days.

Silver Rabbit Charm



This lovely bunny is from pinksupply, and it makes me think of one of my favorite books of childhood, Rabbit Hill.

The Whimsical Art of Hidden Eloise



This is just one of many beautiful illustrations at HidenSeek. They all have a little bit of magic in them.

Three Graces Cameo



From labellesavage, this necklace puts me in mind of the Paris sections of the HBO John Adams miniseries, which I have been watching obsessively. I can picture this around the neck of Abigail Adams as she attends an opera in Paris.

What Etsy items strike you as too good to keep secret?

Brave New World

Has it really only been a week since the Etsy shop went live? And I've already had my first sale (thanks, missneptune!). It's exhilarating and not a little scary.

When Mungo posed this idea, I was excited - I had wanted to start a shop on Etsy but had no idea what to sell - and now the ideas don't want to stop flowing. Of course, having the funds/materials to follow through on all these ideas is another story, but...

Anyway, thanks for reading and joining me on this new (for me) frontier.