It's about that time again...Send some Christmas Cards

This is one of many Christmas Designs I have in stock.
Purchase these cards individually or in a pack.

$4.50 Each
$15.00 for 18

Would you WINE for me...

Saugatuck in the Summer !

A glimpse of Saugatuck in the Winter

Fenn Valley in the Fall


While visiting Saugatuck, a charming town in the western part of Michigan - about 2.5-3 hrs from Chicago, we squeezed in some wine tasting to our weekend agenda.

One of Michigans vineyard, Fenn Valley, carries a particular wine that I fell in love with. I believe it's a reisling (correct me if I am wrong) with a hint of peach and spice flavor. It is the perfect wine to serve when it's a girls night, serve with dessert, or solo when winding down from a long days work. Chicago has plenty of restaurants that are BYOW, so if you plan in advance you can contact them and have them ship a bottle or 2 w/in a week. The taste is priceless and get this, the price alone is a steal - $8-$14 !!

Out with the OLD in with the NEW...

It was a hard decision for Bastos Girls Greetings to change their Logo. BGG has been recognized to create silly Filipino greetings within our own community but also broke barriers to hit the general public with our quirky, silly, and not to mention RUDE everyday quotes.

Our bubbly purple and orange letters made a bold statement to the world, but times changing and we thought a new fresh look would open new doors to a bigger fan club !
Bastos Girls is almost done with our new website but most importantly, we will also be posting new designs for Christmas and the new year !

Hope you enjoy our new look and keep coming for more.

ORIGINAL 2007 ++++++++++NEW 2009

A cool dive to check out in Chicago

This is a fun shop to check out for unique gifts and cards ! Haven't checked out ALL the locations yet but the one in Andersonville was pretty cool. Click on the link above to follow their blog as well!!

Foursided Andersonville5061 N. Clark773.506.8300

Foursided Lakeview2939 N. Broadway773.248.1960

Twosided2958 N. Clark773.244.6431

Trendy, Chic, Eskimo Sweater

Found this designer in today's Etsy's Showcase.... I fell in love with this German Born Fasthionista! She currently lives with her boyfriend in Australia and loves Eucalyptus plants - hence the name of her shop::: lyptis.etsy.com:::
Hoy Mate! I don't see much of these designs around here, so if I were you, I'd take the plunge to go 'down under' and visit her shop to check out her urban Eskimo hoodies !!

HOT STEAL ! DOLAN & BULLOCK - Men's Accessories

My sister works with ModernArtJewelry.com in Rochester Hills, MI. She told me about a few ONE TIME DEAL items that are on sale... The sets listed are a few GREAT ideas for Christmas or Birthday gifts for that special man in your life... I couldn't believe how much they marked it down for a FULL SET !!

email me at elaineviba@gmail.com if interested !!

REGULAR PRICE $1,315.00

ONE TIME SALE PRICE $800.00

DOLAN & BULLOCK COMPLETE MATCHING SETTROY - TITANIUM, STAINLESS STEEL, 18K WHITE GOLD DISCOUNTED FULL SET SALE PRICE = $800 -

plus tax DISCOUNTED 39%

bracelet $425 money clip $250 cord & charm $205 cuff links $235 ring size 10 $200 REGULAR TOTAL= $1,315.00 SAVINGS = $515

REGULAR PRICE $690.00

ONE TIME SALE PRICE $420.00

DOLAN & BULLOCK COMPLETE MATCHING SETSANTIAGO- TITANIUM, STAINLESS STEEL, 18K WHITE GOLDDISCOUNTED FULL SET SALE PRICE = $420 -

plus taxDISCOUNTED 39%

bracelet $180 brief case lock $100 money clip $130 cuff links $150 ring size 9 $130

REGULAR TOTAL $690.00 SAVINGS = $270

2009 Chicago Renegade Craft Fair - Wicker Park

It was a picture perfect day to hang out at the
Chicago Renegade Craft Fair in Wicker Park.

Besides the fact that I enjoyed doing a lil shopping,
it also inspired me to seriously
think about participating in
this event next year.
Thanks to all the talented people out there.
I support Indie Artists. Enjoy

Studio Nest Shop...

Featured today is a young vibrant lady that I met at a Chicago Craft Mafia meet and greet. Her name is Karlie Sherman and she is an up and coming artist of custom made silhouettes. Her store is nestled within the Etsy community called StudioNest. What's so great about her craft is that she handpaints a picture of your choice and creates silhouettes in various sizes of canvas all for a very reasonable price that won't break your budget. Take a glimpse of her talent below -one day when I find that perfect picture of Mikka (my pooch) I will definitely give her a call! Best of Luck Karlie and hope to meet you again !!

Weekend Getaways....

Summer has come and gone in the blink of an eye and the warm rays of the sun is going down sooner. Good Gosh - "Sweater Season" is near!! Living in Chicago in the summer has it's advantages of outdoor festivals, concerts and events that attract tourists from all over. But what you don't know is us city people sometimes want the peace and serenity of a small town. The perfect time to wind down for a mini getaway from the city's hustling and bustling is NOW....

We took a 2 hour trip, along w/ the pooch, to a Southwest Town of Michigan called St. Joseph/Benton Harbor. This town has it's share of history and character. Although we visited the area on a rainy weekend that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. There are plenty of festivals that take place in this town such as the Venetian Nights, but in this particular weekend we ran into the Epicurean Classic event hosted by KitchenAid.

August 27th-29th Epicurean Classic - A three day celebration of fine wines, artisanal foods and cooking. Live demos, tastings, classes and seminars. An international event that has landed in St. Joseph with the Boulevard Inn as headquarters. www.epicureanclassic.com

I've taken some personal pictures but obviously too lazy to post them; however, here is a mini video I ran across on youtube for you to check out. I hope this will entice you to visit this lil town as it did for us!


In closing, this is one of my favorite things I love to do around this time of year!
Never say there is no time or too cold to travel - it is the best time to pack your bags away from all the chaos and enjoy a wonderful retreat with your loved ones. Til next time.

The following is a list of festivals going on the rest of the year. The direct link is St. Joseph.
==========================================================

September 4th -7th Tri-State Regatta - Sponsored by the St. Joseph River Yacht Club. St. Joseph is the first stop with boats starting to arrive late Friday night. Check out www.sjryc.com for more information.

September 5th Regatta Craft Fair - Craft Show on Lake Bluff Park, 10am-5pm. Presented by St. Joseph Today. 269.985.1111 to exhibit or more information.

September 19th Blues, Brews & BBQ's - Howard Band Shell. Bid a fond farewell to summer with soothing Blues, local Brew and spicy BBQ! The infamous Cornhole tournament returns to Port st. near the Bandshell. Music lineup and Cornhole details to follow....

October 10th Harvest Festival presented by Flagstar Bank - A festival of the harvest featuring our final Farmers Market, Flagstar's Furry Friends Petting Zoo, cider mill, chili cook-off and the Deep Fried Pickle Project!

October 24th The Great Halloween Spectacle!

Pumpkin Carving Contest – 1PM. Pumpkin carving contest in downtown St. Joseph. Dog Dress up - 1:30PM. Show off Fido in his best and win prizes. Halloween Parade 2:30pm - 2:45pm. A Halloween parade through the streets of downtown. Trick or Treating 3pm - 4pm. Trick-or-treating at area businesses.

November 20th Luminary Festival A Friday night holiday open house! Enjoy over 800 luminaries lighting the downtown. Take a free horse-drawn trolley ride, listen to holiday music and enjoy refreshments from area businesses. Hours for the festival are dusk until 9pm. Sponsored by AEP Indiana Michigan Power

December 5th Reindog Holiday Parade - Sponsored by Chemical Bank. At 12 noon costumed pets and their owners will escort Santa into the downtown to kick off the holiday season. Bands, carolers and crazy floats are all part of this extraordinary parade.

December 5th – 24th Santa Claus Sponsored by The Herald Palladium. Come Visit Santa Claus in his house at Pleasant and Broad Street. A horse drawn trolley will be going through downtown. Hours are Thursday & Friday 4pm – 8pm; Saturday noon – 5pm.

to see a full view of images and other links, please visit
http://bastosgirlsgreetingsnews.blogspot.com

Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sew Cute Shop Amy Butler Birdie Sling GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

:::I want to win this::::Need I say more? I think not !

A Night of Good Eats.....Sushi and Cupcake...

I'll make this short and sweet yet satisfying !

Living in Chicago has taught me how to EAT LARGE !!
There is so much eye candy sometimes I wonder how I even resist from committing sin !

First stop: Sushi-x ::
Happy Hour Sushi EVERYDAY from 5-7pm:: That means HALF OFF on most of their Maki Rolls.

Second stop: Mollys Cupcakes::
My favorite is the peanut butter filled choco cupcake called "the ron bennington" topped with chocolate ganach! Perfect dessert to end the night!

Enough said. Check out their sites and if you happen to be in Chicago - Enjoy Every Bit of it because these are another two of my FAVORITE THINGS !!

check out Poise.cc

I recently attended a casual event hosted by ChicagoCraftMafia.com at a local cafe called Beans and Bagels. I met so many talented women from experienced crafters to those that are new to the community. I admire their work, passion and charisma.
Speaking of which I met a lady who is as sweet as her name, Cinnamon. I was in awe when she pointed out the tote bag I admired from afar was her creation. Everything is made by hand and her workmanship is very detailed . A very active lady in CCM community and all over Chicago. So in turn, her bags along with her belief in her business are 2 of my favorite things.

Check out her shoppe and click on the image to the left.

Boojiboo Flirty Apron GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Obviously you follow my blog because you are drawn to my quirky cards in some strange way. I hope to keep you entertained by sharing with you other talented indie artists, things I favor the most, and especially items I only "dream" of having. (Plus my 'new' postings takes it to a different level of being inspired - and not so boring with the same old same old)

One of my favorite shops/blogs called Grosgrain is promoting a Giveaway from BoojiBoo Aprons that I absolutely LOVE - and dream of having. So if you are curious about the contest, simply click on the link below and be prepared to be taken to another world far far away - Philly that is. Although I want to be theLucky Winner of this Apron, I wish you luck too !

Boojiboo Flirty Apron GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

a MUST-HAVE when traveling...

It's my nephew's FIRST Birthday on Sunday 7/19/09. I will be traveling from Chicago to Detroit Saturday morning on the Megabus.com...
One thing I will NEVER leave home without when traveling by car, air, or sea is my neck rest from belle-hop.com. Although I didn't get a chance to use it when I traveled across the world for work, I knew one day it will be useful. Thanks to my older sister, Faye, for over-nighting the package to me as a gift.
With that said, for all you jetsetters out there, you might want to consider this to carry along with you. It's inflatable and you can easily tuck this in your bag or laptop case.

In continuation of our FIRST SHOWCASE !!

To append to my previous entry, I received a note from Apol of lapommestories, stating that she was very honored and excited to have us feature her as our FIRST SHOWCASE as one of our favorite things!!

COINCIDENTLY, and I was just about to fall off my chair, she mentioned that she is a Filipina artiste living in France !! I had no clue whatsoever that Lapommestories of Etsy has the same brown skin as me and knew the real meaning behind Bastos !!

It must of been fate or something because who would have thought a lil itsy bitsy bastos shop such as mine premiered a well known Filipina French artist in my blog. After looking a bit more into her profile, and it gets better, I found out that Etsy had a featured article on her! You have to check out Apol's (lapomme) story, because this definately inspired me to believe that 'anything' is possible if you just keep believing in yourself.

Thank You Apol, you have made a difference in my life.

BGG's First Showcase !!

Bastos Girl's Greetings is extatic to announce their FIRST SHOWCASE !!

Although BGG has been on the DL (downlow) these past couple months, we figure it is time to share some our of FAVORITE THINGS with our fans.
We also thought that making friends with indie artists can also boost our confidence in maintaining our inspiration.

Check out this cute handmade greeting card from an artiste located in France.
We just love the intricate embellishments adorned on this card. It looks as though the artiste, lapommestories, created this with alot of passion.

New Cards New Display

Read at your own Risk !! Bastos Girls can really be rude and very blunt.
Although these cards can be harsh, we still carry cards that can
also tickle your fancy.

As I was getting ready for a promotional event,
I was picturing something sassy and trendy to place my cards...
Sure enough I took a stroll to Marshalls with my honey and found a Gem.
This was placed near the garden section with no price.
It was sitting alone calling my name - knowing that it was meant for me,
for Bastos Girls Greetings. There was no price tag on it,
the manager was kind enough to sell it to me for $20.00.
I even give myself a 'pat' on the back !

"Divalicious" Ladies Night Out - Saturday May 2nd

"Divalicious" Ladies Night event coming up this Saturday May 2!
Come by to hang out with BastosGirlsGreetings !
Meet you there at about 10 pm @ Dragonfly Lounge (832 W. Randolph, Chicago, IL) Street Parking as well as valet parking is available.
For those that are not familiar with Dragonfly here is a link:

www.dragonflymandarin.com

more divalicious vendors to enjoy:

Passion parties by Vee Chulanon
come get your passion

Melissa Diep Photography
these eyes capture

Henna by Bridget Punsalang
Aurora Mehndi

!!MelissaDiep Photography!!

Check out her Blog, TheseEyesCapture. An up and coming photographer is making it BIG the the Windy City. I met Melissa through a mutual friend, and as a favor she took pictures of some of my greeting cards - I absolutely loved her work !!
2 months and several shoots later, this sassy chic has expanded her portfolio of beautiful photography of everyday people in their natural setting !!
Her work is priceless but at the moment she is running a HOT SPECIAL of $200 for 2-2.5 hour session, CD of photos included, and she willing to meet !!
....If you are interested in booking a session, book now before it's too late !!
Click blog,TheseEyesCapture, and you will be able to contact her !!

FREE SHIPPING with ETSY Greetings....January 5-15!!

Sneak Peak...Valentine 2009