Snail Mail

Listening to "Windowsill 1" by Heartbeat Hotel.

It's so easy (I'm learning now) taking small things we have for granted. Take for instance postal mail. I have a sore habit of not sending mail (except through Etsy). Email? I only use it through my job and the occasional message to a friend or family. Tweeting & Facebook are done for my shop but it stops there for me. I really do not like texting and find myself sighing quite heavily when I recieve one. Yes, it's faster then picking up a phone and dialing a number but sometimes I miss that communication...

Like postcards. I've been lingering more and more towards sending one. I guess it's that curious itch that I find the perfect one to send and see their expression when we meet next. Even those crazy "I'm here next to a gator, look at me" cards bring a smile across my face (even if I am laughing at myself).

In honor, of this fascination I'm having a Holiday SALE in my Etsy shop. 15% OFF anything except cards. Just use COUPON CODE: 15PLS. Easy? I hope so.

In any case, I'd like to extend some time to sending a letter, postcard, or even a small note.. I think I'll start writing one now.

Workplace Attire

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Listening to "Hide It Away" by the Retribution Gospel Choir

I just left Old Navy's site. A clearanced cardigan was too hard to pass up. Seeing as I rarely shop online or in-store I feel pretty good. My friend Bria and I tend to take a seasonal trip a few times a year to a few local stores to spend our budgeted money. That new attire feeling is just overwhelming.. like a nice bear hug from Smokey the Bear- it's all good. I think we're about to hit that seasonal trip soon *crosses fingers*.

On the upside, I have noted that my accessories reflect me. I'm into soft tones and natural colors. Ask anyone who sees me and they will agree, even call me "granoley". Thanks. I'm not a cowgirl or a hippie but I do enjoy the feel and look of soft browns, avacado green, and creamy linens. I've always felt my accessories are more for the laid back and toned down.

I've wanted to take a step in a new direction with work attire. As many of you know I have a full-time job besides running the Etsy shop. I work in a position where good attire reflects quality standards... i.e. I have to pay to wear jeans at work and even then I would only be able to wear jeans the first Friday of every month... *grunt*. I have not partaken in what I call "The Great Denim Rip-off" but one day I hope to wear jeans at work. In any case, I have started to design more accessories aimed at those that struggle with work attire fashionistas. I hope to get these in the shop by early December.

December is right around the corner which means my Christmas sale will pop-up soon as well. This year I would like to take an extra step at donating a portion of my SALE items to the Red Cross. This year has been horrible yet again for the Carribean islands and Indonesia. Earthquakes and hurricanes/typhoons have shattered lives and I'd like to do what I hope anyone can and donate.

I will be give notice before I incoporate any of these items and sales into my shop so please watch and DONATE to the Red Cross. :)

Metalwork

Listening to "Bone Dry" by A B & the Sea.

I've begun incorporating new metalwork pieces into the Etsy shop. I'm pretty excited about this because I've always been a fan of metal and leather mixed together. However this is the first time I've used salvaged metal pieces in my shop. It's been a new experience for me.

There are a few pieces already up in the shop but I'm adding a whole line of metalwork pieces within the next few weeks. :)

Poppy Bliss

Listening to "Coin Laundry" by Lisa Mitchell

That is my favorite song right now. Helps with brainstorming... *sigh*

On to my title. I just put two new cuffs up in the shop. Yes, I've been playing with fire. No, that's not why my face is the way it is. BLEH... or meeeeeeeeow as Abby would politely put it.

My camera is finally working so we were able to take some pics of the new cuffs. Ch-Ch-Check it out. *channeling Beastie Boys*

On another note, at work today- yes, I have a full time job I work at. Didn't know that? By day I'm the lone surgery scheduler for Pediatric General & Thoracic Surgery at All Children's Hospital here in St. Petersburg, Florida. I hope I never see you or your child because if I see you it's because of trauma surgery, bone marrow transplants, ALL, cholelithiasis, hernias, etc.... I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU- no offense. It's just better that way. I love my job but it has its saddening downsides.

As I was saying before, at work I had to pull together my Excel skills again. Did I mention I hate Excel? I strongly despise spreadsheets and fee schedules. Nothing says HORROR movie like a range of ridiculous formulas and deliminated data.... Are you asleep yet? I am... ZZzzz. I just wanted you to know how much I despise that Microsoft program.

DID SOMEONE SAY AUTUMN??!! Oh, that was me. So sorry. My favorite season approaches. Unfortunately, in Florida that means 3 more months until we even feel a chill. Nothing says "trick or treat" like an excessively sweating 9 year old in a clown costume. I shall not gloat. NO! I love fall. Especially when we get those brief cold fronts that whisk me away in a scarf..... scarves.... *sigh* I can't wait to wear those... I need to just move up to Ohio or Montana for a few months and travel back and forth in my Star Trek transporter beam. There's an idea.....

Well, thank you for following along with me in today's fun-filled jabberfest. I'm working on some more items and I will hopefully have them up by the end of the week. Thanks guys!!!!

C

A Look at the Past

Listening to "Sprawl" by Arcade Fire

I suffer from a tiring disease called "SLC" or Second Look Crafting. I have a horrible time fighting that part of me that looks at something I made in the past and say, I really dislike the look of that. I know let's take it apart and reinvent something else. Apparently, this involves my housekeeping and work personality. Hence, my husband can't stand it when it's our semi-annual furniture "redecorating party".

To kick off the autumn season, I looked at something I made awhile ago and the SLC overcame me. I don't want to put this part of me down because I know a lot of people suffer from this nerve-breaking syndrome as I do but sometimes it costs me nights of iced-coffee mania or those crazed raccoon eyes at work the next morning. :) What once was a plain wooden nickel last year became something I definitely love now- felt & soft leather embellishments. A seasonal mix of buttons. Oh, and my favorite- an acorn. :)

C^_^

Treasury

Listening to "A Big Jetplane" by Angus & Julia Stone

I've been on Etsy for almost 1 year now (tomorrow is my official anniversary) and I'm just starting to experiment with some of their cool features. Take their Treasury for instance. If you're familiar with this then you know what I'm talking about. The feature allows you to share 16 different items from separate shops (usually with a central theme) that you like. You then publish the items with a Title and Description and allow other etsians to view them.

In following this topic, I dove into this feature and made my first Etsy Treasury. I based it on two huge inspirations in my life- my husband and his music. Tim, my hubby, is a casual musician. We have a makeshift music studio for him in our guest bedroom and when he "feels like playing" he goes in there and experiments with his "craft". When he shuts that door, I close my eyes and I see that scene from Frankenstein, "It's Alive!". Okay, I know he's not re-animating dead body parts but I know firsthand he is putting what he envisions into his music. He doesn't realize how much his support means to me and I just want him to know this again and again... and again... you get it.

Anyway, I am excited that I was able to tinker with this feature and create something I can share with you. It's nothing fancy but I hope you find the various items I found as creative as I did.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c969d5f39756d917e5642d1/a-rich-note?index=0

February Winner

Wow, thank you to all the people that either emailed or put your comments on the blog. They were so nice. It was incredible to hear all your stories. Out of all the entries I was able to narrow with the help of my fiance to one person that stood out with their story- Tristan Romand.

She is an incredible and talented person who has donated her time and profits to other charities in her area. Kudos to her! She has won the Rustic Cuff that I offered. Now that the giveaway is over I will be selling another cuff in my shop. I'll be putting this one up in the next few days- by Monday so keep a look out for it. Thanks to everyone!

February Giveaway

This month I'm giving away a new leather wrist cuff from my Etsy shop. I will be adding it to my store this week. As a sneek peek, I'm giving it away in a contest this month. All you have to do is answer the following question below. I will pick the best answer from all applicants and will notify/post the winner within 24 hours of the contest ending. This leather cuff is part of my new Spring leather collection and is not sized at this time. It will fit at least a wrist size of 7.5inches.

The contest starts Sunday January 31st 8:00pm EST and ends Wednesday February 10th 8:00pm EST. Please make sure when you answer the questions to include your email so I can contact you. Happy answering!

In relation to world events that have taken place, people all over have amassed to donate to Haiti's relief- especially on Etsy. :) I want to know:

What have you done or do for charity? Soup kitchen? Tell me!

Haiti Relief

Listening to "Cosmic Love" by Florence + the Machines.

It has been an eventful week these last few days. I have unintentionally zoned out of my Etsy store to continue my wedding planning and crafting. Due to this I feel that my Etsy garden has wilted since last month and I've missed opportunities to help out. No worries.

I jumped on top of my shop on Monday and started a short but sweet relief sale. I'm donating 50% of all proceeds to the American Red Cross for Haiti Relief on all items purchased before February. So far it's been a huge success. Lots of Etsians have stepped up to shop and help. There have been alot of nice stories emailed and passed along to me from Etsians who have donated. "NoasArk" a first-time Etsy shopper purchased her first item from my shop to help donate. She is an amazing person and I think it's mind-blowing that so many people shop to help out causes like this terrible one. I know I've spent quite a bit of money at other various Etsy shops who are donating too.

On another note I'll be brining out a few more items in the shop including some banner earrings, brooches, and more leather cuffs (3 that I've already duplicated for myself). I've got a hinkering that I'll be giving one of the cuffs away as a give-away for February. I'll start it the first week of February so come back then to tell me your best story! :)

Cheers! And thank you for everyone's donation!!!

You can donate through the Red Cross or Paypal.

Christmas Sale Almost Over?

Listening to "Animal" by Miike Snow

If you've visited my store in the last few weeks then you've noticed that every week I've put some items on SALE. As part of my 25 Days of Christmas SALE I'm trying to make gift giving a little cheaper. Every Tuesday I am selecting a few items to reduce. These gifts are great for more than just Christmas. Birthday? I also have some fantastic gift cards. ;) Almost everything is under $13 except for one item that I'm very sad to part with. (see below)

This is my recycled bib necklace. I handmade this one and I am very sad to see it go. OOK definitely.

Thinking about something? Well then those gear are definitely turning.

Handmade copper piece strapped to a soft leather belt... cuff!

Small, wooden, lucite mum, and nice olive creamy button underneath. $5??

I'll be continuing the sale until the end of December even after Christmas for those late gift-givers and such. Please continue to watch for my sales that I'll be posting on here and a giveaway at the end of this month! I'll make sure to send a post out before I post the giveaway! Cheers!

Etsy Spotlight

Listening to "Against Me" by Thrash Unreal

If you're like me you have to absorb Etsy's homepage every now and then. The picks they display on their mainpage vary in everything. It's almost like eye candy sometimes and when I find that one piece that catches my green eye, HEART IT! For those of you unfamiliar with Etsy.. Literally, I click on it as a favorite item and I "heart" it.

Today I viewed Etsy's page and this canvas popped out at me. I know I've seen this artist's work before on Etsy but I must have been in some kind of food coma not to heart her. Her shop is GollyBard, http://gollybard.etsy.com/, and she is quite the artist. Her drawings are simple but aesthetically pleasing to my simple eyes. Above is the drawing that caught my eye. Fortunately for me I love texture and shapes... and that watercolor hits the right spot.

I encourage you to check out her shop. She has quite the array of artwork. I'm hoping that after Christmas to add one of her pieces to my wall. Hmmm... maybe this is when a gift card to an Etsy shop would be perfect. See my last post! ;)

Cheers!

Gift Certificates!

I know, I know. I have no idea why I didn't do this sooner. Sometimes you have that person that you know would want something from a particular store but what? That's when the ol' gift card comes into play.

I've had a few people ask me about these. I finally have been able to design and add them to my store. Right now I have simple denominations of $10, $25, & $50. I can do a custom amount too. Just ask. Took me awhile to create the PDF form but it will be a direct download. I can mail it free too.

Yay!

New Selections

In the last month I've ventured further into my Etsy shop and opened up more doors to accessories. I've always been a fan of the bib necklace and decided to try my hand at it with an up-cycled sandal. No it does not smell like feet. I guarantee it but it does have some beautiful sequins on it. From there I began dabbling necklaces. Of course, the button side of me took over and I began accentuating rings and bibs with these loves. I'm in the process of putting up a mini bib necklace up in the next week full of buttons and handstitches. Keep your eyes peeled for this beauty. I'm still working on it so no picture yet.

I've been using my best friend Bria as my model. She is so gorgeous. We've been using an old warehouse next door to my house to take pictures and they are turning out fantastic. Unfortunately, I left my camera somewhere and have had to use Bria's. Once I do find mine I'll redo some of the pics, especially close-ups on the rings and coaster necklaces.

I will be doing a giveaway shortly on my blog so please keep following. You can win items from my store! :)

Until tomorrow, adieu!

Wedding Delightness

Listening to "Hold On" by Neko Case.

Ok, first of all I cannot believe it has been over a month since I've posted. The Etsy shop has taken off and kept me super busy this past month. Very exciting.


Secondly, I had to make sure that delightness was an actual word- it is. Paired with certain words it elicits a sort of satisfaction- wedding blues. It's been very busy these last few weeks. I'm getting the invitations together to send out. I cannot believe we are almost 4 months away. Christmas AND the wedding right next to each other. We're getting down to the wire soon.

I'm adding more things as I type. I've reached out into my treasure chest of buttons and brooches to pull out a new line a jewelry in my store. Inspired by vintage commercials/products, I've aligned myself with the dark side of the empire. My focus is visual aethetics. I know people love to match their jewelry with that perfect outfit but I prefer to match an outfit with my piece of jewelry. Something you can wear with anything. I'll be displaying my work pretty soon before Christmas *crossing fingers* so keep a close eye on the shop.

In other news, I've officially gone retro. I picked up some old vinyl records for free from a neighbor and am now deciding what craft I should use them for. Serving platter? Clock? Mosaic vase? Display? Hmmm...

I'm also looking for any tanneries around the Florida area- central or west? I feel hopeless..

to be continued.. I hope for the sake of tanneries.. ^..^

Leather, Leather, Leather!

Listening to "Abe Lincoln" by Best Friends Forever

I can't say that post enough.. LEATHER!!!!!

Anyhow.. It's been a little bit... ok, maybe a bigger bit since I've last posted. Things have been really moving with my leather projects. I know I posted an ambiguous picture last week of one of my bracelets. I sold that bracelet right after I displayed it and it gave me new cheer to move on to vintage inspirations. This time I have another picture...I've been wanting to do something subtle... yet me.. Took me a few hours and some buttons!! and the bracelet below is what I found in myself. I think I may keep it... shhh...

Good news. I have another belt chair I'm working on as I post this. I should have it finished with before and after pics for you to look at soon.. ok it's raining now so that will have to wait. I can't paint in the rain... :(

I went on a calming re-photo shoot this morning and was able to post cuffs to our store. We are now open. My sister should be adding her cuffs to the store this weekend so the number will double tremendously. :) Thanks for all the positive comments everyone. Cheers.

And then there were trumpets...

Listening to "Skinny Love" by Bon Iver.

It's been a few days since I last posted and I wanted to fill you in and what's been happening. It's a tornado of fantasmic proportions!! I have cuffs finished. I don't want to show everything I have finished but I did want to give a sneak peak to my faithful followers so that you can see what's coming out. I opened up an Etsy store with my sister- Hide & Moore. A little play on words but I love it. The Hide is the leather we use in everything we make. The Moore/More pertains to what we use. I love buttons and she loves sterling silver so each bracelet is different. And there is definitely more than just buttons and sterling.

So just a little breakdown...

1. Etsy store up but not quite open. I'll have it on the blog here once we have it open. So keep checking back. :)

2. I have accessories finished! Yes.. And for a sneak peak I give you.. "Hera's". This has already been spoken for by someone already but I just wanted to show you. If I show the color then I give way too much away. Take my word that this heavy cuff is awesome. ^-^

3. I also did some thrift shopping this weekend and wanted to clue you in on some of my button finds. I'll post those tomorrow with pics and separate info... I am so psyched that everything is finally coming together... :) Cheers.

Craft Envy

Listening to "Walk On" by The Hidden Cameras

I've had little time lately to peruse craft supplies but thankfully today I made a jump. I found this button in a store called Brazen Buttons and thought it was practically biblical. How great it must be to have pieces of art on your clothing like that button.

Which reminds me... I'm heading to the hometown this weekend to experiment with gum paste for the wedding and continue our leatherworking. I will definitely have some pics because now that I have supplies we should be able to produce some piece of exquisiteness. I will also be hitting up the local thrift stores and I can divulge my treasures found there. :)

I also found this pattern which was really neat. Isn't this something you'd find in a thrift store or a flea market box? I thought so. The bonnet-laden girl next to the peacock chair is quite simple. I good chaise would help this stitch.

I'm a sucker for the Pearl and Hobby Lobby stores which of course are not even in the St. Petersburg area. Why is that? I'm not really sure but I wrote a few emails to their customer service department letting them know how "unfortunate" it is not to be able to shop there. Their reply? Coming soon. Of course, of course.

Until Sunday? Cheers. xoxo

Branching Out in Buttonland..

Listening to "Bella" by Angus & Julia Stone.

I am so sorry. I have no idea why I blanked out on this post. I promised to show the buttons I recently purchased and I blanked out... wow..

I went this past weekend with my mom to a few thrift stores and came away with some great finds. And by great I mean paying a nickel for a handful of buttons. My kind of day.


I'm also including the Joann clearance I found too... Grrrr... I plan on using these in the leather projects I'm currently working on. It'll be neat to see how I fit these in to different ideas.

This is what a change jar is for.. a quarter.. :) Cheers.

Home Envy: Curtains

Listening to "Piano Man" by Ghostland Observatory.

In my absent mind, I began meandering down the road of furnishings. Stay away. BEWARE! I hate going down this path because you see things you love and it drives me crazy. It's addicting at times. Ok, all the time. I've started a little journal for the house we're saving up. "Things I want, need, and salivate over." Time will tell when we get to that point.

For now though I leave you with my home envy today- curtains. You can never have enough curtains. The outfit of any room. I love the colors of that first curtain. Would brighten up any room. Since my favorito color would go perfectly with that, green, I would jot down a "S" for salivating. ^-^

I could eat that fruit. Actually, one the cats would knock it down first after putting their paws all over it... *sigh*. The sheer white is an addicting color for any kitchen. Simple yet chic. A "W" for the kitchen.

I love the bubbles on this. Very cute in a kids room but I would love this in my craft room. Yes, Tim we are molding a CRAFT room.. ^-^

I love everything about this photo. The clean lines. The simple table. The French Country curtains. That floor looks gorgeous! Salivating... xoxo

Tutorial: Junk Drawer Organizer

Listening to "Sunday" by Sia

It's happened. Your remote is dead and you need a battery. Oh no... to the junk drawer. Yes, we all have one. It's where we throw that fortune cookie from last year or even floss (seriously, I saw it in someone's..). I hate the drawer and I make Tim get stuff out of there because I'm scared something might live in there. Unfortunately, because he and I both THROW stuff in there it's cluttered and we have to dig to find things. LIGHT BULB. I should organize our drawer. Late one afternoon I took to this easy yet productive project to organize the dirty deed.

Junk Drawer Tutorial:

What You Need:

It's easy. All you need is an empty box. I used empty tea and plastic baggie boxes. Try envelope boxes. You'll have different sizes to fit your need.
Tape
Scissors
Straight Edge Cutter
Glue (I used Modge Podge)
Patterned Paper (I used a 12"x12" paper)
Decorations
Now'n'Laters (they help with tension ^-^)
Paintbrush
Exacto Knife



1. Take your patterned paper and measure it out to a good length to cover the box all over. It depends what box you use and what paper but I taped (above) my paper to the box to help me start and rolled it through to make sure it could cover all of it.


2. Once you've figured out that the paper will cover the entire box then using a brush you can start laying that glue on the box. Don't wipe it on the paper because if you're like me and you used a plastic baggie box then you'll waste glue where you have to cut. Slowly roll the box (above), covering and gluing the paper all over the box.


3.You should have some paper sticking out on the edges. You can attack this anyway you want but I think the "gift fold" looks pretty nifty. You can cut the side pieces sticking out to the length you feel will cover the sides. About an inch will work depending on how big your box is. Start applying glue to the side of the box and begin folding in the side pieces. Then apply glue again to the top and bottom pieces and press them down. Now, depending on how much paper you cut you might have a gap (above). I did this on purpose because I wanted to put a second piece of paper there. You don't have to obviously. Repeat on the other side.

4. Now depending what box you are using you will need some sort of hole or opening to put your knick knacks in. With the plastic baggie box I used the exacto knife and slowly cut out the hole where you pull the bags out. Easy. Don't cut the hole out exactly but instead leave half an inch of paper so you can fold it under and have smooth rounded edges. Always a nice round edge. :)


5. Glue the hole's edges down and take a gander at your box. Now, at this point you could add paper inside the box to cheer it up a bit but I figured I would be filling it up with everything dirty under the sun. My first box was going to hold Tim's "tools"- drill bits, nails, screws, anchors, etc... So instead, I decorated the outside. I love buttons so they took over this box. Feel free to use anything you can think of- yarn, eyelets, more paper?!, etc... Also, I sealed the papers in with another coat of Modge Podge once I was done. Go crazy!


6. Now fill 'er up! :) Add this box into your junk drawer to make organized space. I have several "boxes" in the drawer holding batteries, sewing thread, keys, etc... Email me if you have any questions. Cheers. x0x0.


p.s. the kitty is Abby ^-^