Billiken Pride

Jess LC FLEA striped earrings, SLU sweatshirt, Gap jeans, J. Crew striped ballet flats

Admittedly, I'm not a huge basketball fan. So when my alma mater, Saint Louis University, made it to the NCAA tournament this year, I was totally hopping on the bandwagon.

I swam in high school and college and that was always the same season as basketball. So the newspaper and athletic departments always favored basketball. To make matters worse, LeBron James was in high school the same time as me, and the Cleveland media looooved him!

Regardless, I'm still proud of the way the Billikens played this year. They made it to the third round of the tourney, the furthest they've been since 1998.

So what is a Billiken??

A Billiken is a symbol of good luck who represents "things as they ought to be." In the early 1900's there was a huge trend in the United States around the Billiken.

Per SLU's website, "Before [the Billiken] was Saint Louis University's mascot, he was a national sensation, a figure who was turned into dolls, marshmallow candies, metal banks, hatpins, pickle forks, belt buckles, auto hood ornaments, salt and pepper shakers and glass bottles. Though they look a little different in each version, Billikens always possess cheery personalities, broad smiles and rotund bellies." To buy a Billiken was said to give the purchaser luck, but to have one given would be better luck.

One more exciting thing! This morning I reached 50 sales on Etsy! To celebrate, I'm offering 10% off all purchases through March 31, 2012. Just use coupon code LUCKY10. And don't forget that 10% of sales are being donated to the Appalachia Service Project through April 8, 2012.

Have a great weekend!

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