My First [Official] Mother's Day

Today was a perfect day! The weather could not have been any nicer for the cookout we had with my family in our backyard for my first Mother's Day! The day started out with cinnamon rolls with my boys, a nifty little handprint plaster mold from my Landon, some lawn care that was wayyyy overdo, and a beautiful afternoon spent grilling, wine tasting (hehe) and relaxing :)

Enough said!

:)

What Inspires You? + 50% OFF SALE

Can you say "creative block"? Ughhh. - It's no fun. These past couple of weeks have left me so uninspired I can't stand it. I'm just so burnt out, I don't know how else to explain it. This weather. My job. Even my handmade business has been a choir in the back of my head lately (which is supposed to be my creative outlet/joy). I don't know what my problem is, I think it's a combination of cabin fever/the same old routine .every.single.day. I need a change.. I'm not exactly sure what that means yet (when I figure it out, I'll let you know...).

If you're a fan of super deals, I've added a "SALE" category in my shop that you just can't pass up! Head on over to my Etsy shop and click on the new tab which is on the right hand side, everything is 50% OFF until Thursday!! I'm basically giving these goodies away: maybe a sale will make me feel better? (!!)

:)



What I Want Wednesday + Giveaway Reminder

Well we've made it halfway through the week, and geeze what an unproductive, but fun, one it has been for me! I just couldn't help it, this warm weather has been a breeze and I'm loving it. We spent all day yesterday as a family trio and it was just perfect. Landon loved the long walk we took at the park up the street, it's got a pavilion and really nice paved trails that wind through the woods - it's where we're having his first birthday party this summer :)

Anyways, here's my little collection of goodies that I want oh-so-badly on this windy Wednesday in NE Ohio!

This grill-topping roasting pan is screaming my name - so convenient! It makes me wanna drag our grill out of the garage right now and toss some veggies together..



Food on the Grill = My Favorite

Adorableness for my little man, courtesy of Old Navy. I think I can look at baby clothes all day long and not get tired of it. Yesterday, we went to Target (ohh Target, you'll never how much I love you) to register for Landon's first birthday party and I felt like a kid in a candy store. I was hesitatant of the idea of a registry at first, but after hearing pretty much every family member this past Easter weekend ask what he needs/wants/doesn't already have in his heaping box of toys, we decided that a registry would eliminate any confusion.

Plaid Baby Boy Baja

And finally, I just want to remind you that my giveaway for a Recycled Water Bottle and Magazine bracelets ends tomorrow night at midnight! It only takes a minute to try n' win!

:)

I'm a Weeee-ner!!

Can I just say that I love blog giveaways?! They're so much fun, and it's always nice to get a taste of other's handmade creations. This past week, I was the winner of a giveaway that Sara Nicole hosted in honor of reaching the 100 sales mark in her shop. I am loving all these little goodies that have one-by-one been shipped to my mailbox this past week! :)

Don't forget to check out the giveaway that I am hosting over at Below the Plateau! I hope you had a nice Easter weekend!

"What I Want Wednesday"

Wednesdays tend to be pretty predictable in this house. It's one of my days off, and my hubs usually doesn't start work til 1, so I always get my grocery shopping done in the morning when my guys are just starting to stir. I hate grocery shopping when it's crowded, I don't have the patience! It's worth waking up early just to eliminate that frustration from my day. And now that my little guy thinks the seat in the shopping cart is a skate board, any opportunity to pawn him off to get an errand done is an opportunity that I will be taking!

Matt going to work = Mommy and Landon time. I love every second of it, but when he goes down for a nap, it's my quiet time and I usually spend it at my craft table, catching up on my Blog Reader (thank you Lisa for making my life so much easier by pointing it out to me), or in today's case: browsing the www for items that I just have to have. So on that note, I want to share some things that I'm loving today.

Hand Stamped Personalized Necklace from JC Jewelry Design

Saved in my favorites for my husband to get an idea for my first Mother's Day :)

The Daniella Vacay Tote from Gussy Sews

At the top of my wish list for my birthday next month!

And randomly -- Chocolate Extreme Blizzard from DQ

(Lucky for me, Dairy Queen is right around the corner from our house)

((...and yes, I just might have gotten myself one))

:)

Hi There!

As of lately, it has been unlike me to not be blog-active for 5 straight days!! What can I say?? -- I've been a busy gal!! We were out of town this weekend for a family wedding, which was fabulous. My husband and I got to enjoy an evening out and my little guy had a fun sleepover at Gamma and Gampa's :)

And to my delight, my little shop had a nice week, too! I had a small handful of online sales and two offline orders that I was more than happy to make. Yay for selling handmade!

I have a few things that I have to take care of today, so I'm off to get them started. (I'm so proud of myself, it's only 5:30am!)

P.S. - Don't forget to check out my giveaway to win this water bottle and magazine bracelet!!

Happy Tuesday!

:)

Recycled Water Bottle and Magazine Bracelet GIVEAWAY!!

My giveaway has OFFICIALLY begun over at Below the Plateau!! Head on over there and enter to win this eco-friendly charm bracelet. And if you want a headstart (and a couple of extra entries to win), make sure you are following this blog and click on the Facebook button on the right sidebar and "like" my page!

Yay for free stuff!! Happy Thursday!

:)

Giveaway Sneak Peek

I'm gonna give y'all a quick little sneak peek into a giveaway that I'm hosting on a fellow blogger's page. I made this charm bracelet from water bottles and magazines! There are plenty more to check out in my shop. Come back tomorrow for all the fun details so you can enter to win this one!

And for today's agenda, I'm off to enjoy the day with my Landon. Cheers to a sunny day in NE Ohio!

:)

On the Coast of Somewhere Beautiful

I'm sure I'm not the only one who randomly gets the thought "If I could be anywhere right now, where would I be?" With summer approaching, I can't help but wish that I was somewhere warm and tropical this very moment. Don't these pictures paint you the perfect picture of a stress-free paradise?

Ahhh! I can just see myself in the hammock with a strawberry daquiri!

:)

CraftGawker = Love

I have a new obsession. It's called CraftGawker. Anyone who has just a tad bit of creative interest will be addicted to this darn site and probably fritter away hours browsing (like I have been doing for the past two!). It's full of amazing handmade projects, tutorials, pictures, etc. that will knock your socks off. Here are a few DIY quickies that I have taken a liking to, and have added to my growing "to-do" list!

Twine Wine Bottles

Paint Chip Framed Art

My Personal Favorite - Gardener's Seed Tape



Have fun browsing!!

:)

DIY Project - A Handmade Birthday Card

With all the birthdays that are coming up in my life, I've been looking for some nifty birthday card ideas that I can make with the supplies I have on hand. I'm not an avid scrapbooker, but I do have lots of cardstock and other odds and ends that you'd find in a craftstore. I absolutely HATE purchasing Hallmark cards (can you say generic, expensive, and a perfect item that finds its way to the trash after you leave the party?), so when I fell upon this little tutorial this morning, I knew exactly what I wanted to blog about today. Who doesn't love a handmade card?



I'm going to make a few different varieties of these today and tuck them away until we need one for a birthday. My day has planned itself already (around Landon's playtime, naptime, lunchtime) - perfect!

:)

Handmade Earth Day Auction

I'm (so so so) excited to be a participant in Eco Etsy's Handmade Earth Day Auction. It's a great cause that is raising funds for Habitat for Humanity in Japan. Go check out all the handmade fun stuff that's up for bidding!! My donation will be featured next Monday, April 11th.

Check It Out

Happy Monday, all!
:)

New Shop Additions + Free Shipping Code

I just added these new bracelets to the shop and wanted to share :) They're nice and bright and definitely stand-out: fun for any occasion! The chain is double-tiered so the bracelet hangs and dangles very fully on the wrist. I'm currently offering free shipping when you use the code "SHIPIT" at checkout...

Sea Breeze



Vera Wang Thang

I hope that you have a great weekend!

:)

The Ultimate Blog Party!!

Hello there!! Thank you for stopping by to visit my blog, and I'm so excited to be joining The Ultimate Blog Party!! Here's a quick little blurb about me and what this blog is all about. I hope you decide to stay a while and follow!

• I have a passion for creativity and the majority of this blog revolves it.
• My shop is full of eco-friendly jewelry and accessories. Coupon codes posted!
• I am the queen of bargain shopping and I'll be sharing any nifty finds as soon as I come across them.
• I post 4-5 times a week -- easier said than done!!
• DIY tutorials are my favorite
• Tasty Tuesday recipe posts done weekly.

:)

DIY Gift Card Holder and Note Card Tutorial: Reusing a Greeting Card That You Already Have

This is an awesome little project if you have ten spare minutes and a gift card that you're looking to give to someone! Here's all you need:

- A greeting card (standard 8 inches x 5.5 inches is perfect)
- A glue stick
- A paper cutter or pair of scissors

 Open card, and cut straight down at 1 inch to the right of the center line. You want to get rid of the plain side, but don't throw it away! You'll need it in a minute.

(See pictures above and below)

Card should now measure 8 inches x 6.5 inches

Turn card upside down, and fold at 1 inch down.

(above)

Turn card over and around, so that the 1 inch fold is at the top right corner.

Now fold the bottom right corner up at 2 inches.

(above)

Crease card horizontally through the middle and fold to the top so that the

edges across the top are evenly touching.You should have two pocket layers

in the top right corner of your card now.

(above)

Crease in half again; this time you'll be making a vertical fold.

Fold left half under the right half.

(above and below)

Are you with me? We're almost done!

Add a bit of glue to the edges that I've highlighted.

(below)

After you've glued the edges, press tightly for a minute or two so that the glue sets.

Now cut a rectangle that measures 3.5 inches x 2.5 inches from the discarded back side of the original card. This is going to be the note card that slides into your gift card holder!

(below)

After you write a message on your note card, you can tuck it in the back slot of the gift card holder.

The front slot holds your gift card.

(below)

Ta da!

What a nifty way to reuse that birthday card that you were going to throw away after it was displayed for a week or two. This project can be done with so many things, not just greeting cards. Decorative card stock is fun, too. But for those of you who want to ride the Eco Bus, I'd recommend greeting cards and heavy magazine pages/covers.

Once you make a couple of these, you'll be addicted I promise! I made a handful of them during the holidays with old Christmas cards from last year. They made fun little stocking stuffers and tree decorations, and it beats spending $5 on a greeting card that's just going to get tossed in the trash. 

Please share. Enjoy! 

Some Creative Eco-Friendly Gift Wrapping Ideas

While searching for an idea on how to cleverly wrap a bottle of wine for the 50th Wedding Anniversary party we're going to this afternoon (WOW- that's a looooong time!!), I stumbled upon this article and found it very cool and worth sharing.

Did you know that American's spend almost 3 billion dollars a year on gift wrap and bows?! And what happens after the recipient opens their gift? Most throw the trash away. Well here are a handful of ideas for those of you who not only want to help save the environment and save some cash, but who also want to give a gorgeous repurposed gift-wrapped item that will surely stand out over the other gifts with department store tags and bows slapped on them!

 

CLOTH (above):

Vintage Scarf, Burlap Bag, Wool Scarf with Knitting Needle, Tea Towel with Rickrack, Vintage Kimono



NATURAL (above):

Banana Leaf with Cinnamon Stick, Bamboo Leaf with Twine, Bamboo Leaves with Star Anise, Banana Leaf with Reeds, Birch Bark with Feather

PAPER (above):

Vintage Wallpaper, Newspaper and Colored Paper, Map, Grocery Bag and Beads

:)

Some Fresh Eye Candy for Your Morning

I have some nifty things up my sleeve to post about later on this weekend, but here's a real quick, beautiful pick me up to start off your weekend. My husband came home from work with some flowers for me yesterday, just because. I love him to death and I'm thinking that he's a keeper!

I love how a small bouquet of flowers can spruce up any corner in the house. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's bought themselves a cute little handful of blooms to brighten up their space at some point.  Lucky for me, he did it for me!

Perfect!

:)