So have a productive (and fabulous) few weeks, folks, and we’ll see you back here February 28th with some NEW BAGZ for you to enjoy.

BOOYAH!

(PS-Happy Valentine’s Day!)

Equal Love Heart Necklace by RingRingRing. $38. Love comes in all shapes, sizes, and genders, so declare your support for love and equality with this beautiful necklace. It’s simple enough to wear every day and pretty enough to wear out on the town, and, needless to say, the statement is strong enough to wear forever.

Mr. and Mr. Vintage Silver Hand Stamped Forks by MilkAndHoneyLuxeries. $20. What better way to celebrate than at a wedding? Give the guys a fabulous wedding gift they won’t soon forget with these matching hand stamped “Mr.” forks. Style, function, and a little bit of vintage awesomeness-what more could a guy ask for? (Now that he’s got the right to marry whomever he wants, that is.)

Two Ladies In Love Card by pearlmarmalade. $3.75.  This one’s for the ladies. The sentiment is simple: Love is for everyone, and we couldn’t agree more. Such sweetly simple illustration and amazing execution, this would be as gorgeous sent in celebration and support as it would be framed and on a mantle.

Custom Made Rainbow Dymond Wood Titanium Band by USAJewelry. $595. Whether you’re picking wedding bands or just looking for a super cool piece of jewelry to show how you feel about gay rights, this ring nails it. A stunningly colorful collection of Dymond wood gives this ring character and coolness to spare.

All we can say is this: Marriage (and equality) FOR EVERYBODY!

Sure, we’ve been taking care of our shipping and a few special orders, but overall Team Meatbagz has been relatively stagnant.

Even Todd has been wondering what’s up.

There’s no real reason for us to be: we have a box of new and super cool bags to print. We have some untried designs which need to be given a chance. And, you know, we like customers….and yet here we are, in a mid-winter lull.

There was a time we’d over analyze exactly where our motivation went, why things have slowed down, and question what it all meant in the grand scheme of things…but we’ve learned from past lulls  to embrace them.

So while the shop maybe kind of quiet, we’re just letting it flow. We’ve been here before, and we’ll be here again, and something we know for certain is that after even the quietest lull comes some wonderful things.

Eat Your Heart Out Dessert Plate by foldedpigs. $16. First of all, the shop name: foldedpigs. You know we were sold right there. But secondly, this plate is absolute genius. We’re both creeped out and totally infatuated-and, really, isn’t that what love is really about? The answer is yes.

I love you more than I love Ira Glass Card by MerryBluesArt. $3. Who doesn’t love Ira Glass? Answer: NOBODY! Nobody we’d care to know, at any rate. We’re pretty sure that this eco-friendly and super awesome card will not only make your favorite person smile, but make them feel pretty darn special to boot.

Funny Snarky Feisty Valentine Card by dippylulu. $2.50. Bold, daring, and, dare we say it-pretty awesome. Stop yearning after that unattainable love from afar and take the challenge, ’80′s movie style. And if it works we TOTALLY expect to be invited to the wedding.

Love Stinks Banner by livelaughlovelots. $13. Let’s face it: sometimes the whole romance thing doesn’t work out so well. We say celebrate the anti-Valentine’s Day instead: National Singles Awareness Day (Feb. 14th, in case you’re wondering) with a kick ass Love Stinks party! Step one, decorate (see banner, above).  Step two, drink! See? You’re feeling better already, aren’t you?

One of our favorite local bands, Eastbound Jesus, recently released their second album, Holy Smokes!.  We hear tell the release show was kick ass and after listening to this album we would expect nothing less.  Mack’s been through three copies of their first album, Greatest Hits Vol. 1, (not at all because they bang around her car and kitchen getting scratched) while Kate is happily keeping her’s pristine, but this latest one is not only destined for the car, kitchen and proper place on the shelf, it’s destined for the meatbagz workshop as well. The spark they started with the first album has taken off into a raging fire with this one. The writing is that much better, the band is tighter but above all they have gained a certain confidence in themselves that puts a shine on this album.

From heartbreakers to rowdy fist pumpers, this album has it all.  A little country, a little bluegrass, a little rock and everything  in between, it’s impossible to put it in a category, which makes us love it that much more.  It’s all soul.  A gritty down home sound made from sweat, talent and a love of music.  In a world where music is more stale than the piece of toast under my couch, EBJ’s gritty signature sound brings a fresh new sound that is welcome to our tired ears.

We are burning to get back into the shop… creating, laughing, letting the good vibes flow.  And now that we have an awesome new album at our side we are sure to make this our best year yet.*

So here’s to good times, good friends, a love of music and creativity and above all a love for each other and our many gifts.

Rock on.

*should any members of the band be reading this, we are always looking for manly meatbagz models.  just sayin’.

Jealous?

We would be too.

This is the time of year when, stuck between the four walls of the workshop, we start itching for new bagz, new designs, and new ideas. The world begins to hibernate and, unable to be easily distracted by the call of the outdoors, gorgeous weather, or, if all else fails, ____________________, we stop and take stock of where we (and Meatbagz) are (and where we’d like to be).

The beauty of creating-creating anything, whether it is art or food or words on a page-is that in the end, the finished product is a reflection of who you are. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from, or what you’re doing: if it came from your mind, your hands, your heart, it is part of you. This is why we love what we create-because, despite the occasional bad day of self doubt, we love ourselves. This is why it’s important to us.

We lead busy lives (outside of Meatbagz, which is a whole other version of busy). We have families. We have houses and gardens and animals that depend on us. We have jobs and errands and things to do. And we still make a point of carving out some time for Meatbagz not just because it gives us a good excuse to get together (and it does), but also because it gives us a reason to pay attention to ourselves in a creative way. Designing new bagz allows us to spend some time in our own heads, guilt free. Printing and photographing and listing things for the shop gives us an outlet. And, in the end, we get to sit back and check out the cool messengers, vintage awesomeness, and weekenders that, to be honest, are way cooler than we feel a solid 99% of the time. But that’s why it works. They help us remember that we’re not just a couple of 30 something moms who have a solid number of white hairs between us and a serious lack of sleep. Our bagz help us remember that we’re also fun, unique, and inventive broads who know a good idea when they see one.

That’s our moment of truth: when we look at the pile of Meatbagz in our workshop and don’t just see a bunch canvas and leather and work. We see ourselves, and infinite possibility.

Here’s hoping you’ve found your moment of truth too.