Hi everyone, just wanted to make a quick post and let you guys know that I’m back at home in New Orleans now, safe and sound. I’d like to thank everyone who sent their well wishes and thoughts and to also thank the lovely Ashe Mischief for posting to let everyone know I was alright. Today is my first day in over a week with internet access, so I’ve been spending the day trying to play catch-up in a big way.

I haven’t really had time yet to go back and try to see any of the recent national coverage concerning the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, but I’d just like to say that while this hurricane was no where near along the lines of Katrina, it still managed to wreak a pretty significant amount of damage on much of Louisiana. At one point I think I heard that almost half of the homes and businesses in the entire state were without power. Some of the hardest hit areas are supposed to be without power for up to 6 weeks. For those of you who have never spent any time in this area during the summer months, let me tell you, September in south Louisiana is HOT. Hot and extremely humid and pretty miserable with no power for refrigeration or air conditioning. Organizations like the Red Cross and even FEMA were doing a pretty good job this time at getting everyone supplies like ice, water and non-perishables to the people who needed them most, but in many areas it’s going to be rough going for the next few weeks.

Anyway, just wanted to check in and let everyone know I’m home safely. It might take me a couple of days to get caught up, but hopefully I should be back to posting again regularly soon!

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Greeting Friends!  Miss Ashe Mischief here, fresh off the phone with Miss Malaprop herself.

She wanted me to stop in and thank you for your best wishes and the prayers you all offered pre-Gustav.  She is currently located in Denham Springs, LA with her beau & his father.  They are currently without power (as much of the region is), but they are all well & healthy and sustained minimal damage.  I am sure she will be back to posting as soon as she is back in to New Orleans, power is back on, and life gets going again.

Let’s send lots of love & magic jou jou towards the Greater Gulf Coast region, so that they recover quickly from Gustav and let’s keep any more storms at bay the remainder of this hurricane season!

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So today is the 3rd year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and it looks like we possibly have another storm on its way.

Everyone around here has their eyes on Gustav, but it’s still a bit early to tell. Nevertheless, preparations are definitely underway. I’ve already spent the last 3 days at work dealing with advanced just-in-case preparations and now that it’s become a weekend of wait-and-see, I’m working on making a checklist of what to grab if we need to evacuate New Orleans.

I’ve gotta say, as much as I’ve been trying to reduce clutter and simplify my life over the last few months, there’s still quite a bit of stuff around. One of the things that Katrina taught so many of us is what is truly important in life are the intangibles - friends, family, a sense of place, a feeling of home. That is why so many of us have chosen to stay here and why so many of us are possibly dealing with this all over again. That said, it also makes me realize how few possessions I would really care about if they were washed away. Most things are replaceable, and while replacement incurs expense, it’s not unmanageable in the long run. The what ifs that really scare me about this scenario are the possibilities of losing friends and family all over again, scattering us around like leaves in the wind.

Pray for the best, prepare for the worst. Like I said, it’s still too early to tell, but I think that’s what most of us are doing, anyway. Hopefully this will all blow over (pardon the pun), but the timing certainly makes for an eerie feeling.

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I love this Kyoto print Tracy Tote bag from 144 Collection. This tote bag is HUGE, and I really love that it’s got plenty of pockets - two big exterior pockets and another one on the inside that’s big enough to carry a cell phone, keys and all your other necessities.

Launched over two years ago by designer Lesia Griffin, 144 Collection specializes in handmade bags and wristlets. What began as a hobby when Lesia started taking sewing lessons as a way to express her creative side has blossomed into a successful handbag business. And Lesia’s skills on the sewing machine have been well-honed through those lessons and plenty of experience: each bag is made to last out of the finest quality fabric.

You can custom order your own bag or shop from a selection of different purse, hobo, tote and wristlet styles in a fabulous array of fabric choices.

Check out the 144 Collection website or Etsy shop to shop for more bags or place a custom order.

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This is pretty cool… I just found out that Reware, a company known for its solar-powered Juice Bags, has released a new line of American-made bags made from recycled materials.

The bags in this new line, which includes messenger bags, hobo bags and attachés, are made from either their signature Rewoven™-brand polyester fabric (made entirely from recycled 2-liter soda bottles!) or their recycled cotton, which contains the highest proportion of guaranteed post-consumer cotton available anywhere in the world (75% recycled/25% new). Best yet, the prices are pretty comparable to similar styles you might find in a department store that were probably NOT made in the U.S.A. from recycled materials.

Personally, I’m still coveting their solar powered Juice Bags. They’d be great for people who hike or spend a lot of time outdoors… You’d never have to worry about your iPod running out of power: you could just charge it with the solar panel on the bag!

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The kids at the school around the corner from my house are back in session now, and when I talked to my Little Sister on the phone last night I learned she’s been back in school for two weeks already! (I’m a bad Big Sister, I know - I can’t believe it’s been so long since I talked to her last…)

I’ve been following the Back to School Guide over at Indie Fixx and it’s filled with so many amazing finds that I couldn’t possibly even try to repeat or compete with Jen’s compilation of cool stuff. Seriously, you should go check it out if you haven’t already seen it.

I did find out about these neat school supply kits from The Green Office that are offered for different age groups (there’s a teacher kit too). If you’re the kind that hates dealing with the craziness of an office supply store during the first few weeks of the school year, The Green Office has you covered. The kits are filled with necessities like notebooks and pocket folders made from recycled paper and pencils made from made from 60% post-consumer waste recycled newspaper.

The thing that I really like about this site is that they do a good job of explaining why each individual product is green and they show you just how eco-friendly it actually is. Each product has little icons representing if it’s made from recycled or biodegradable materials (it also shows what percentage is recycled). Even though it’s getting easier to find recycled and eco-friendly office and school supplies at the major retailers, sometimes it’s hard to quickly judge just what makes a product green or not.

It seems like The Green Office does a good job of making the whole process a lot more efficient. Because really… who wants to spend forever shopping for boring school supplies like notebook paper when you could look at fun stuff instead, like one of the reusable lunch kits found in the Indie Fixx guide?

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Kaleidoscope Style is a collaboration between two sisters who create one-of-a-kind embroidered felt jewelry and accessories that are super duper cute!

These pieces would be perfect for people who have metal allergies or sensitive skin, as they’re made entirely out of felt, yarn and seed beads, so there’s no metal to worry about! Even the clasps are made from felt and a crocheted loop. They’ve got necklaces, bracelets, brooches, hair accessories and even rings…all made from felt! How cool!

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I’ve become earring obsessed again lately!

These fleur de lis dangle earrings from the high contrast™ collection by Lynda Andrews-Barry caught my eye on Etsy the other day and I’ve been lusting after them ever since. I think I will definitely be purchasing these at some point in the future. Fleur de lis (a symbol of New Orleans pride) + bright, bold colors = perfect for me.

I’m also in love with these round bubble earrings in fuchsia by Jimmy Mann of Mann Made Designs. These are made from sterling silver and recycled aluminum, and I just love the combination of a simple design with a bold pop of color. (Many other colors and designs are available too, if you’re not into pink!)

Janick of Nea is celebrating her 2 year anniversary of selling on Etsy and her recent decision to pursue her business full-time by having her first ever sale in her shop!

For one week only (the sale ends August 15th), you can find her unique creations at prices already marked down either 10% or 15% off everything! No promo codes, no revised invoices, just browse & shop. Her Deploy goose feather earrings are still my personal favorites!

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A big thanks goes out to everyone who commented and entered the A.N. Original Jewelry Giveaway. The response was phenomenal!

And the randomly chosen winner is…. bunny! Congratulations to bunny, who picked this chunky red coral and gold akoya pearl necklace as one of her favorite pieces from Ashley Nizolek’s collection.

We’ll be getting in touch via email to find out where to send your new silver Surrounded Scrolls necklace!

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Skydiving was awesome! I went Saturday morning, in a late celebration of my 25th birthday, and I’m sooo glad I fulfilled this lifelong dream. The only scary part was standing at the doorway of the plane, waiting to jump out. I kept thinking, “just jump, just go, just go”. After that it was AMAZING! Not like falling at all, but like flying! It was ridiculously cool! You can check out my photos on Flickr if you’re so inclined.

Thinking of my flight made me want to search Etsy to see if I could find any cool skydiving related goodies. What I found and fell in love with was this amazing steampunk inspired leather aviator hat and freaking awesome handmade aviator goggles!

Retro Brown Leather Aviator Hat
by LeatherheadOriginals
$56.99

Cream Steampunk Adventurer Goggles - Real Brass and Leather
by waywarddreams
$65.00

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If you haven’t already entered the A.N. Original Jewelry giveaway, there’s still time! You could win this gorgeous silver necklace by indie jewelry designer Ashley Nizolek.

In fact, Ashley and I have been so overwhelmed by the responses that we’ve decided to extend the giveaway for one more week, so you’ve got until next Friday, August 8, 2008 to enter. All you have to do is go comment on the original post here and let us know which of Ashley’s pieces is your favorite!

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I’ll probably be MIA for the next couple of days. This weekend I’ll be busy helping my boyfriend with his entry for the 48 Hour Film Festival, and Monday is my birthday! What’s at the top of my birthday wishlist? This drool-worthy shirt by roselabiche.etsy.com of course!

I’m also in love with these summery halter dresses by graziolin, I just can’t figure out how much I would actually wear one. I’m doing the real birthday celebrating next weekend by going skydiving for the first time! Eep!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend! Don’t forget to leave a comment on the A.N. Original Jewelry giveaway post… I’m amazed by the number of comments already!

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Remember that fabulous giveaway I mentioned a few days ago? Well, here it is!

I was recently contacted by jewelry designer Ashley Nizolek of A.N. Original Jewelry. She wanted to let me know about her work and to possibly do a giveaway of one of her pieces here on MissMalaprop. I went to go check out her designs and immediately fell in love, so there was no question about doing a giveaway!

Ashley designs beautiful, modern, 100% handcrafted artisan jewelry using high quality materials such as semi-precious gem stones, freshwater and akoya pearls, sterling silver, 14K gold and brass.

The necklace one lucky MissMalaprop reader will receive is a silver Surrounded Scrolls necklace, like the one shown below. It’s actually one of my favorite pieces from Ashley’s collection. (And honestly, it makes me a little jealous that I can’t be eligible for this giveaway!)

What’s your favorite piece from A.N. Original Jewelry? All you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment on this post with the name of and/or a link to your favorite item on Ashley’s website or Etsy shop. You’ve got from now until midnight on Friday, August 1, 2008 Friday, August 8, 2008 (Central Standard Time - go here to figure out what time that is where you are).

One winner will be chosen at random from the comments. Be sure to leave a valid email address with your comment, because the winner will be contacted via email to find out where Ashley should ship it to!

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