Friday Features - For the Birthday Boy

Today is Jesse's birthday! We don't have any special plans for the day, but I do have a really great gift picked out for him (but I don't want to ruin the surprise). So for now, I've put together a list of things from Etsy that Jesse would love. Give him anything with a motor or some Budweiser and he's one happy guy :)

ON SALE Old School Classic 1969 Camaro Z/28 Muscle Car Vinyl Wall art

by Pillboxdesigns 

Budweiser Draft Tasting Glasses Set of 8

 by NOLAdrift

I'd Rather be Snowmobiling Car Decal

 by huckleberrycreation

 Airboat Charm Sterling Silver Fanboat Vacation Water Florida Themes

by jewelbecharmed

great shape vintage 1989 budweiser BUD MAN lidded STEIN ceramarte

 by score571

Happy Birthday Jesse!

New Shoes

Thanks so Melissa at Bubby and Bean and Blowfish Shoes...I'm now rockin' these awesome sandals! I was the lucky winner at Melissa's blog earlier this summer and got to choose my favorite shoes from Blowfish!

I even went and got a pedicure for the photo shoot :)

I'm loving these sandals! They are so comfortable and so stylish! Plus, they go with everything, so I've been wearing them all the time lately.

Stop by Blowfish Shoes and see their new line up for fall!

Wordless Wednesday - Shadow Play

Studio Update - Floor is Poured

This past weekend we were finally able to get the floor for my new studio poured!!! The footings made it real, but the slab made it look real. Getting that concrete down was a major part of the construction and I'm so glad it's done!

On Friday I got to help put in the in-floor heat. This basically consists of water lines running under the flooring. Our wood stove will heat the water in the winter, so my studio will be nice and toasty! See all those little blue clips? That was my job...ugh! Jesse laid down the lines and got them the right distance apart and the right length, then I got to go around on my hands and knees and place all the clips. My poor body isn't used to that manual labor anymore..lol! But I was very happy to help. I'm going to love that heat this winter!

Saturday was the pour! We had tons of help which was just awesome! And a friend of ours had all the concrete tools we needed and was nice enough to come help. He and Jesse have both worked in concrete in the past, so they got stuck with all the hard work and finish work.

Next up is framing. We have all the supplies to get started on this part. And we'll be ordering the trusses and roofing this week as well. It's really coming together nicely and I'm loving seeing it through every step of the process!

Friday Features - Back to School

Back to school time is here...how did that happen? The kids in my town and surrounding areas have already been in school for over a week now. Where did summer go?

But with every new season comes fun new accessories! Today I put together a fun back to school guide for adults. And these features are great whether you're actually going back to school or not :)

Gray Large Chevron Camera and Messenger Bag

by HayBugDesigns

Bicycle Wheels 2013-2014 School Year September to August Calendar Day Planner

 by WonderlandAnn

 Custom Pencils - Set of 10 Pencils - Choose Your Color and Wording

by RowHouse14 

Laptop Stand, Kindle, Nook, Bible, Book, for Frequent Travelers

 by robertgreenhoe

Art With Love

I was recently asked by Sarah Leonard of A Catlike Curiosity to review one of her Art With Love Packages. I was thrilled when Sarah told me I'd be receiving a one-of-a-kind piece of her artwork!

I was so excited when I received my package. Each Art With Love subscription includes one original piece of art along with 3 art prints. The canvas is by far my favorite piece! I love mixed media art and wish I had the talent to put such beautiful pieces together. The canvas immediately went into my "studio" above my computer.

The art prints are just as great. Each one features a print of Sarah's original drawings. There is so much potential for these prints. You could frame and hang them. Give them as gifts. I even thought they would make cute fronts for greeting cards.

If you're interested in purchasing a subscription to Sarah's Art With Love, you can pick one up Right Here. She also has many other lovely items in her shop as well!

 

 Thanks so much Sarah for these beautiful pieces!

Wordless Wednesday - I ♥ This Face

A Little Bling

I'm always looking for new ideas for my wooden items. And I'm always looking for things I can pair with my wood to add color and give buyers options. I recently experimented with some glitter and gel medium to go with my wood for some earrings...the results were sparkly goodness!

I first made myself a pair in pink (surprise, surprise!) and I loved how they turned out. A little color, a little bling...perfect!

I knew gold and silver had to be next. They're colors that can be worn with just about any outfit and I love how they're just enough bling that you can wear them during the day to work or out on the town at night.

I do have several other colors of glitter if someone is looking for a certain color. Pink, purple, blue, teal, red, green, and copper are currently on hand. (I tried the black, but really didn't like the results...not enough bling!)
Do you like a little bling for your accessories?

Friday Features...On Monday

The end of last week and this past weekend were busy with lots of running around. And my days seemed to get all mixed up and I missed my Friday Features! I have some really cute items picked out and didn't want to miss sharing them, so today I have Friday Features...On Monday.

I got asked last week when I featured my new Tandem Bicycle items if people actually ride these bikes. I'm sure they do. I know one local couple who owns one. But I think the popularity of the tandem bicycle is more about what it stands for. A tandem bicycle requires working together, much like a relationship. They're built for two, just like a relationship. So I think even people who've never ridden a bike like them because they are a symbol of love :)

So here are today's features of Tandem Bicycles

Handmade Wire Tandem Bicycle personalised cake topper for a wedding cake

by Wirebicycles 

Wedding Tandem/ Bicycle Guest Book - Fingerprint - Thumb Tree - poster & ink pad

 by StudioGoldArte

Tandem Bicycle Wall Art - Large Bike Screen Print - 24x48 Custom Made Painting

 by RightGrain

 Biking is for Lovers - Tandem Bicycle TShirt 

 by darkcycleclothing

Trending - Tandem Bicycles

I've been getting a few requests for tandem bicycle items lately and I'm loving how they look! I'm not even a bicycle rider, but these tandem bicycles are just too cute :) And they're perfect for wedding items!

My first request was for a set of wine bottle stopper favors and a matching guest book.

I loved how well these turned out, so I made a larger version of the guest book.

And a set of cuff links. (sold two of these this week already!!!)

I'm thinking a wedding invitation and custom flask may have to be next!
What trends are you liking lately?

Wordless Wednesday - In Bloom

Work Hard - Play Hard Weekend

This past weekend was a busy one filled with work on the studio as well as some fun family time on the river. Friday we left for Menard's around 11 am and finally returned home around 6 pm. After finally unloading the truck and parking the trailer, we made it in the house about 8:30 pm! It was a LONG day, but well worth it. Menard's was having an 11% rebate, so we bought as much as we could.

Here's the trailer full of sheeting and 119 2x4s. Luckily my job was to keep count and not load the trailer :)

The back of the truck is full of my flooring and insulation. And the back seat is full to the brim to with a kitchen sink, bathroom sink and toilet.

When we got home we unloaded the flooring out of the pickup and stacked it in the living room...one...box...at...a...time! My body's not used to that manual labor anymore!

But Saturday was spent relaxing :) We went air boating with both of Jesse's brothers and families. It was the first time we'd all gotten out together all summer long! We boated all day and into the early night getting off the river just before dark.

We ran into this really cool structure. We're not sure if it was a walking bridge at one time or just there to help keep the railroad bridge from taking abuse from the current.

Sunday was spent mostly relaxing. Jesse got to fix our trailer (after the boat tried to fall off!). And I got to nurse a burnt hand (after trying to save the boat!). Luckily the boat, the trailer and my hand are all okay :)

 How was your weekend?

Recent Name Albums

I just finished another batch of Custom Name Albums last week and wanted to show you the fun colors I got to work with this time!

 

I started with Isaiah for a baby boy album. His was a pretty standard baby boy album with light blues and greens, but I threw in a fun brighter blue to mix it up a little. I love the addition of the bright color to a normally pastel color scheme.

Next was Lincoln. His was also a baby boy album, but again, the buyer wanted brighter colors. I found these really fun textured papers in pretty greens, then added that same bright blue. The buyer absolutely loved the dotted papers :)

I also got to do an album in my favorite color combo...pink, purple and aqua for Victoria. Her mom asked me to make it "girly", so I used lots of flowers, butterflies, fun sayings all in these great girly colors.

Have you been working with any fun colors lately?

Friday Features - Concrete Creations

After doing a little concrete work last Saturday, I thought it would be fun to take a look around Etsy to see what beautiful concrete creations they had to offer. The concrete work I got to do wasn't much fun, but these featured items sure are!

 

Concrete Icicles - Necklace

 by Berezki

Curved Concrete Fruit Bowl or Tray

by INSEKDESIGN

Concrete Cufflinks

by WalkingDune

Concrete Business Card Holder

by fmcdesign