I think I've written before about Zazzle mousepads. They are really nice. Seriously. They are thick and weighty, have a nice no-slip backing, a great surface texture, and the print is always sharp and bright. I just bought the two pictured above and once again, I am impressed. The one with the beach scene is available in my Zazzle shop and I really think I ought to create some more because they're really that good. 

Yesterday I received a test print Tshirt that I purchased right here on my own website. I am happy to say that it looks great! The print is crisp and clear, the colors bright and vibrant, and the shirt itself is wonderfully soft 100% ring spun cotton (from Gildan). I'll be adding a few new variations in the coming days. I also added a few items to my long neglected Society6 store page ​society6.com/madtropic. I'll be adding another link to that on the front page when I feel like it. Maybe tomorrow, maybe later. Whatever. [The island map designs you'll see there are a project of mine with a limited, locally focused interest relating to my home town and county's chain of lakes. I spent months creating the actual maps and I sell them through my other website: www.madisontropic.com (or Etsy).] 

Stay warm & be cool.

I've added a SHOP page with a few items from the POD service Printful. I'll be playing around with it for awhile to see if I like it. It's nice that it is easily integrated into my website, but the products available are somewhat limited. The mugs look good (as they always do) and though the beach towels may be a little pricey, I like the look of them too. I'm still working on adding towels, hand towels, tea towels, placemats, pillowcases, etc. to my Zazzle store but I've been lazy and retooling my designs to fit various new template dimensions is tedious work. It'll get done on island time, i guess.

​Summer is coming. I keep telling myself that. It's coming closer every day. So far it's been a chilly April (March too). I've been itching to paint my bike, but the air temperature should be above 50 degrees for the paint to dry properly and we just haven't had that kind of warmth yet. So the bike is stripped bare and sanded, just waiting for that new blue coat for summer. I can't wait to get out there again.