monkey business

I always thought career builder’s monkey ads were very creative and funny (I love the shot of the CEO monkey burning the $100 bill)

So when I stumbled across their clever Monk-e-mail I couldn’t resist creating my very own office monkey.

So if a few of your office mates are away for spring break, shoot them a friendly monk-e-mail and let them know you’re having a grand time while they’re gone.

Thanks Lynn for sharing this silly site with us!

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pretty music

I first heard Tristan Prettyman’s music when she opened for G. Love and Special Sauce a few years ago.  I love this duet titled ‘Shy that Way’ she did with Mr. Jason Mraz…

A review reads, "Tristan Prettyman is a twenty-three-year-old singer-songwriter with a Jack Johnson pedigree: She’s a beautiful surfer girl who grew up in San Diego and specializes in breezy acoustic fare, although she’s wise enough to keep beach-life musings out of her songs. Her debut sometimes sounds like folkie woodshedding, but between her gently refined Ani DiFranco-isms and the catch in her seductive voice, Twentythree makes her one of the more promising young pop folkies set on conquering coffee shops and dorm rooms." – Christian Haord

women’s lifestyle magazine 3.08

This Clover-filled Garden-in-a-Bag will have everyone sprouting the luck of the Irish this St. Patrick’s Day.  Share the eco-friendly product from Potting Shed Creations, available at both catching fireflies locations and at www.catchingfireflies.com.  $8.50

fantastic finger puppets

Meet Megan Jeffery (circa 2nd grade) from Seekonk, MA.  She creates very clever felt finger puppets that will make any kid-at-heart crack a grin.

I first purchased her work from a store I visited on a recent trip to Rhode Island called OOP!

The tag attached to this humorous gem read, "McFly grew up on the ‘wrong side of the tracks’, but got an athletic scholarship to a prestigious Ivy League school.  He’s on the baseball team because he’s great at catching FLY balls!" How could I leave that behind?

After returning home, I found more of Megan’s lovely work on Etsy.

Each finger puppet has been made of 100% wool roving, which has been wrapped around my HER VERY OWN FINGER and wet felted to create the "finger form". After that, she adds stitching, eyes, bits-n-bobs of trim to create the character that you see before you.

Megan graduated from RISD with a BFA in illustration but still churns these sweet little creations out for fun.

The saying, ‘It’s all in the details" couldn’t be truer when it comes to Megan’s puppets… right down to the fabulous backdrops for her punchy personalities.

We do not carry Megan’s work at catching fireflies, but you can purchase her goods through Etsy.

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bluebirds of happiness

If you’re looking to add a little whimsy to your Easter basket this year… why not make a few of these cute bluebird eggs to keep your jellybeans company?

Just dye a few blue eggs, snip some tissue, cut some yellow paper, dab a little Elmers, add two Sharpie marker eyes and presto– the cutest eggs in town.

And here’s a little bluebird history to boot: "The mythology of the bluebird has deep roots that goes back to thousands of years. Indigenous cultures across the globe hold similar myths and beliefs about the bluebird. It is the most universally accepted symbol of cheerfulness, happiness, prosperity, hearth and home, good health, new births, the renewal of springtime, etc. Virtually any positive sentiments may be attached to the bluebird."

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inviting feature

The ladies over at the inviting blog think this cake stand is just too cute. And with Easter and Mother’s Day coming up, it’d be perfect for breakfasts and brunches.

Thanks for the spreading the word about our pretty party ware!

miss masha d’yans

Meet Masha D’yans, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia.  She creates magical watercolor images that transport you to a fairytale-like world.

catching fireflies carried some of her card designs a few years ago and as I was strolling through Target the other day, I spotted her distinct style on a very cool artsy tee…  and sure enough, they were designed by her for Target!   

Her bio reads, "Masha moved to the U.S. when she was 14. After high school, which was spent following her artistic muse, she gained admission to the fine arts program at Cooper Union for The Advancement of Science and Art in New York where she studied painting, printmaking and graphic design.

Feeling that so much art was lost in commerce, and, well, because she wanted to do what she loved, in 2002 Masha launched a greeting card company based on her own watercolors.  Her playful, sensitive, colorful and tactile painting style draws on a plethora of inspirations including fashion, animation, calligraphy, Japanese art, nature and, of course, Russian fairy tales. Whimsical and sophisticated, her themes are evocative of a child’s imagination: euphoric abandon, everyday mystery, and the beauty of imperfection."

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gift giving trees and grocery shopping sprees

The buds might not be on the trees yet, but we made due with some green ribbon leaves and some fun flowery gifts.

Grocery shopping has never been so stylish.  These snazzy nylon sustainable bags come in loads of lovely colors, can hold up to 25 pounds and are machine washable. 

And did you know… you can get one for 50% off every time you spend $30 or more dollars at catching fireflies?  We make going green a breeze!

rare bird finds feature

One of our favorite bloggers, Sharla over at Rare Bird Finds thinks our pouch mug is pretty clever.

Eliminate the need for a saucer because once your tea has steeped you just place the tea bag in the pouch until you’re done.

Thanks Sharla for spreading the word about this tea-lovers mug!

Also… ApartmentTherapy.com featured  this mug the very same day!  Here’s what they had to say, "We don’t usually use a saucer with our morning mug of tea. Instead, the tea bag finds itself on the side of our breakfast plate, steeping in the cup too long, sitting in the sink, or, on particularly bleary mornings, making stains on our wood counter top. All to prevent the need to wash one more dish or make an extra trip to the garbage. Not a problem with the pouch mug."

cute with a capital C

One of the reasons why catching fireflies is looking so spring-tastic lately is because of all the super cute bunny & chick photos plastered over our pretty pastel magnet boards.

These adorable pics are just a small sampling of the photos (and videos) you can view on cute overload… appropriately named to say the least

It’s the perfect place to visit if you need to add a little ‘oooohh or awwwe’ to your day.

And on an unrelated note of cuteness, click here to have a puppy clean your computer screen. (thanks for the link Denise)

Okay… I had to add one more cute photo of my own. 

When I was testing to see if the puppy screen link worked, Samson caught a glimpse and began barking wildly while balancing on his tiny back legs to get a better look at this two dimensional pug.

(I never said he was the smartest bully on the block:)

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