Lo & Behold crafter, writer, life-liver - page 7

I know everyone feels the same way, that there is just NOT enough time in the day. I often over-commit myself, I like to be involved and get as much experience as I can, but sometimes it’s just too much. With multiple internships, a full-time job, a little music writing on the side, maintaining my own blog and making stuff for my Etsy shop I’m a wee bit overwhelmed. And on top of all of that, I have to try to hold down the fort at home with my husband and our four furbabies. And YES, I know it’s my own doing, but that doesn’t make it easier. I have the best of intentions for myself… and I know (well, I’m hoping) that all my hard work will pay off. That’s what they say right?

hubby baked this pie and made his own crust!

Suffice it to say, with the holidays coming up (costumes, handmade gifts) my life is feeling pu-retty crazy right about now. I’ve decided that instead of making EVERY SINGLE gift, I will either buy handmade or make them. This gives me flexibility and a little more time. Part of me feels like I’m letting myself down, but I know that’s just me being hard on myself. And as far as costumes… I have no clue what the hubs and I are going to be!? Guh.

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French Paper is a family run paper mill, and I’ve been a fan of their high quality color-saturated products for quite a while now. Their color selection is divine, and they even have sparkly papers, animal free papers, super heavy papers and rad patterned papers. I’ve also used their fabulous collection of free vector images for various paper products in the past.

Their online shop boasts some to-die-for graphic products like plates, wrapping paper and fun decor-a-boards (all of which I’ve salivated over at one time or another). And I totally forgot about this until Danielle mentioned it, but they also have some of their boldest designs available as posters! Huzzah!

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Just some images of fall, the feeling that I get, the tastes and the smells that are abound…

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I have some new items up in ye olde Etsy shop! I’ve really loved playing with the laser cut acrylic and hope to learn more as I experiment. In the meantime, aren’t these fun (and super affordable)?

Spooky Bob the Bat Necklace

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I keep noticing arrows… vintage ones, crafted ones, arrows as decor. Apparently they’re a design trend! And why not? They’re small and colorful, a little funky and easy to hang or place around the home. They even make great kiddo room decor. Even Nicole, over at Making It Lovely, has added them to her husband’s office and I think it’s a “lovely” addition!

Verlaivans on Etsy

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Even though I am no longer a writer for OffbeatBride.com and my wedding has come and gone almost a year ago, sweet and innovative wedding ideas always snap my attention. I’m a longtime reader of Design*Sponge and I spied this amazing rendition of a wedding invitation recently when Grace featured the idea. Uhh… stunning. I’m in so much love with these it’s ridiculous.
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Happy Monday! Unfortunately, due to my annoying sinus infection-thingy going on (and a billion glasses of wine last night at our neighborhood wine tasting), I’m sickin’ it at home today. But I have a couple of fantabulous tidbits of news to share with you.

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Summer is waning into fall. The colors are warm, with an air of cool. Can you feel the breeze? Autumn looks good on ya, girl.

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Is it too early to start featuring some spooky Halloween goodies? I think not! I love the aesthetic of Halloween… everyone disguises themselves in elaborate costumes and makeup, candy is eaten, houses are decorated, crafts are made and it’s pretty much the only day that adults can get away with wearing the most zany, deliciously dark, outfits.

I mean, let’s be honest. I think there is a bit of the dark glittery goth in everyone, and Halloween is the time to let your black soul shine! And the level of creativity really goes through the roof on Halloween, brainstorming and creating costumes and elaborate spooky decor.

I’m sure you’ll see more Halloween-themed Etsy finds from me before the end of October, but I just couldn’t help myself. BOO!

Confession: I LOVED “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and when I spotted this Cindy Lou wig I about fell out of my chair. What a great costume for a little girl. Or for me!

Gunning for glitter and black this year? I’m sure you could pair this fun cobweb hat with a sex-ay ensemble and sashay your way into the part-ay. (Did you like that rhyming? tee hee…)

Owls are ALL the super rage now. My Grandmother had a collection of owls from the 60s and 70s, and I’m loving the resurgence. We admittedly have quite a few owls adorning our living space as well. This handpainted sign is so festive!

Owls.. AGAIN, in earring form! I just gosh darn love these, and they’re in my husband’s favorite color!

A trio of skellies! These are so spookily adorable, and would be a great Halloween decor addition. Is it just me… or are they smiling?

Embroidery plus ghosts… it’s just too much. I love the texture of this ghost embroidery. Charming, in a haunted way.

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My heart and brain is screaming for some sit-down crafty autumn time. Now that the weather is slowly changing and football season is in full swing my eyes have been turning towards DIYs and little projects and crafts I can do at home on the lazy weekend days. Now if only I had time to complete all these amazing tutorials I find!

Brenna’s Secret Storage Books are inconspicuous, stylish and upcycled!

Good for more than just pencils, this zippered case tutorial is flexible enough that you can alter the overall size of the bag to accommodate your needs!

This Fat Quarter Baby Blanket is so sweet, and uses minimal yardage!

It’s no secret I love bunting. I love bunting… my husband loves to cook.. I think this bunting tea towel is right up our alley!

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I don’t have a family yet, unless you count our two cat babies and our two dog babies, but family trees are something of great interest to me. Something about tracing back who you are, understanding where you come from, documenting the blood lines of your life. I come from a big, close family, and even the extended parts of la familia come together for the holidays.

So, needless to say I was stunned at these modern, color-saturated family trees. They have custom pre-printed ones with the names filled in, but you can also buy just the print and write your own names in! A nerdy part of me much prefers the handwritten style. What about you?

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My husband is 35 today. He doesn’t feel like he’s 35. This is him with our two dogs, aka children, on the coast of Oregon. I have so much love for these three. In some ways, Brett was the beginning of my life. He entered my life when I was in a constant state of flux, changing everyday almost. The imprint that this man, and these dogs, have made on my life is ENORMOUS. There are no words…. so I won’t even try.

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I’m really super duper excited about this October, for several reasons.

1: HALLOWEEN! And that means crafty awesomeness all-around.
2. Football! My fantasy football team is teetering on the edge of a win today, so I’m hoping Monday Night Football will treat me right!
3. EtsyRAIN’s Pre-Holiday Craft Show at the Intiman Theatre!

This year I’m interning for the EtsyRAIN group, which I’m already a member of, helping them get the word out about the Pre-Holiday Craft Show. The show will feature only local EtsyRAIN members, and the chosen charity to support is DonorsChoose.org. Please check the link out. They’re a fab place doing great things in schools with kiddos.

I’m handling some of the PR, graphics and marketing leading up to the big event and it feels great to be involved! For all your EtsyRAINers out there, I’ll have a blog badge graphic ready for you to handy-dandily place on your blog so you can give the fest a shout out to all your readers!

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I’ve mentioned it about a jillion times so far… but I FINALLY got to take some photos of some new items. My friend and aspiring burlesque performer, Kiara, graciously donated her body (and soul! bwahahahah….) for my crafting cause.

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It’s the end of summer here in Seattle, and to tell you the truth I’m pretty bummed. This summer has been way too darn short, and not even that warm. So I’m going to preserve the last hurrah of summer with a super saturated bright and shiny collection of awesome. Here she blow:

Color Wheel Pendant by Yellow Owl Workshop

Vixen print by Minkee

Glitter Deer Portrait by Magical Pony Farm

Eastern Arch by Spin Thread

Sofa and Log Collage Painting by mosie26

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I had a busy weekend, y’all… and it just keeps getting busier! I spent two whole days at the Bumbershoot Music Festival here in Seattle and saw loads of great acts, including: Baroness, Bobby Bare Jr, HEALTH, Bomba Estereo, The Whigs, Solomon Burke, Justin Townes Earl etc.

I’m working with a bunch of uber-talented folks to put together the etsyRAIN Pre-Holiday Craft Fair here in Seattle (meeting up tonight!), and I STILL haven’t gotten pics and listings of some items that I wanted up in the shop for back to school… BAH! Oh well. Here are some pics of me from Bumbershoot. Fascinating, I know.

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I’ve wanted to do a bit of custom keepsake embroidery for a while now. My best friend had a baby a little over a month ago, so I really wanted to create something for them that was special, handmade and super cute! I think this speaks for itself… I can’t wait to do more!

I designed it in Illustrator, printed it on paper, traced it with a Sulky pen (which, by the way, I am NOT a drawer or artist so tracing the image accurately proved to be quite difficult) and then iron-transfered it to the fabric. Then I just had to embroider it and NOT mess it up! There is a tiny mistake, but I think it’s minimal. And in the grand scheme of things, it’s part of the handmade charm in my opinion.

This weekend I’ll be attending the Bumbershoot Music Festival and covering it for Another Rainy Saturday. Fun times in the sunshine! I’ll post links to my coverage when it all goes live.

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