New for the Guys - Engraved Pocket Knives

Let's face it, men can be so hard to buy for! And I'm always trying to come up with new ideas for the guys to put in my shop.

Over the holidays, I had a request for a custom engraved pocket knife. And they wanted a handwritten signature on it...how cool!

I did some research to find some very cool wooden knives that were both well-made and affordable. When it comes to gift items, I always try to keep pricing in mind.

Since (finally) adding these to my shop this month, I've already sold 2 more! And I hope to get another sample engraved soon with typed names/titles on them as well. I think they'd make great groomsman gifts!

What do you buy for the guys in your life? Have any man-friendly gifts in your shop? Share them in the comments :)

Wordless Wednesday - Good Morning :)

Studio Updates

Slowly but surely, I am adding little finishing touches to my studio. The more I work in here, the more I decide where I would like things moved and where I need more lighting. I still have a few pieces of art I've purchased that need hung on the walls, but I'd like to wait until I'm done moving things around so I can see what space I have to work with. Here are the additions so far...

A new pink chair! Before I just had a folding chair with a couple pillows for cushions...lol. This chair had my name all over it. It's the perfect height for this table and is comfy as well.

I also got a cool new rug. The gray ties in with my wall color and the chevron patters was calling to me. (Ignore the line of boxes around the rug. They tend to pile up when the delivery guys are here 2 or 3 days in a row!)

I've also added some fun new pieces to my desk. I found one of these little signs on sale at Hallmark for under $3! And got the matching one with a coupon! The lamp was another piece that just had my name written all over it! Pink AND chevron, yes please.

As I mentioned, I'm finding out where I need more lighting in my room the more I'm in here. We installed 15 can lights when we built the studio. According to the layout provided by the store, that was way more lights that I should have needed. We even installed a dimmer switch because the electrician was afraid it would be too much light...wrong! One place I've found where we missed a huge lighting area is right over my shipping station. So instead of cutting into the dry wall and having to tie into another light, I just decided to add a scissor light above the desk.

I'm not entirely thrilled with the colors, but it ties in okay. I'm thinking the shade may have to be painted pink at some point though :)

Have you been updating your work space lately?

Wordless Wednesday - Hear Me ROAR

DIY Boot Cuff Tutorial

A while back I showed you how to make a pair of boot cuffs out of an old pair of socks. Today's "tutorial" is much the same except is uses an old sweater. I feel almost guilty calling this a tutorial as there are so few steps!

Find an old sweater in your donation pile and cut the sleeves off. You can make them as long or as short as you like. They just need to be long enough to tuck inside your boots. I went a little longer with this pair for a little extra warmth :)

I didn't worry about hemming the bottom/cut side as they will be hidden inside your boots (and I hate to sew).

Next I took some cute handmade buttons from my stash and used matching colored floss to hand sew them onto the cuffs. I chose to turn down the cuff before sewing, but this step is optional.

Ta-Da...you have a fancy new pair of boot cuffs to wear out on the town! I made these on Saturday so I could wear them out for Valentine's Day :)

Been working on any fun crafty projects at your house?

Featured on Something Turquoise

I'm so excited to announce that my Batman Cuff Links were featured on the wedding website called Something Turquoise!

Photo credit: http://www.nataliebray.com/

 Something Turquoise features stories about couples who had DIY weddings, shares DIY projects for weddings and also features Etsy wedding artists.

A couple who purchased a set of my cuff links was featured on the site and my cuff links got an awesome shout out!

If you're in the wedding industry and are looking for advertising opportunities, check out Something Turquoise for affordable options. I'm still considering whether to advertise or not, but the site looks like a lot of fun and I wanted to share it with other wedding sellers who are looking for advertising opportunities.

Check out one of their recent posts on DIY photo booth props! How fun!

Let's Ride!

After being -20 degrees F earlier last week, it warmed up in the 30s and 40s over the weekend. After being cooped up all week to avoid the cold, it was time to get out and have some fun! Jesse and I, along with 2 friends, finally got to put some miles on our snowmobiles.

I posted this picture on Facebook and got some funny/good comments. I guess I look a little like Mrs. Darth Vader here...lol :) You should have seen me when I had a pink mohawk on my helmet!

And yes, I do ride my own snowmobile. I've ridden double before and it's just not much fun. And a little scary. Not that I'm a good driver...lol...but it's still better than being on the back with someone else!

Hey, at least I wasn't the first one to get stuck this year :) Actually, I didn't get stuck at all this time! And I didn't run into anything. Yes, that's quite an accomplishment for me!

 

Even Keystone was enjoying the warm weather and thought he wanted to go for a ride too :)

What did you do over the weekend?

Friday Features - Dreaming of Flowers

After we got about a foot of snow this week, I'm really dying for warmer weather and sunshine. And I can't wait til the flowers start to bloom. It was -20 degrees F this morning, so I went searching on Etsy for some warmer weather escapes! Beautiful photos of flowers always put a smile on my face :)

Clockwise from top left:

Glowing purple and yellow flower photograph. Flower Photograph.

Bright Colorful Multicolored Spring Garden Macro Nature Red Orange Yellow Green Purple White Home Wall Decor

Flower Photograph, Dahlia Photo, 8x8 Photo, Purple Flower, Purple Art Print, Close Up, Archival Photo

Photography, Mint, White, Flower Photograph, Nature Photo, Shabby Chic, Delicate, Pale, Pastel

How's the weather in your neck of the woods?

Boys and Their Toys

A couple weekends ago Jesse and I went to a car show in the city with his aunt and uncle. I'm not usually into the newer car shows as they are the same cars you can typically see on a dealer's lot. But it was a reason to get out of the house and spend some time with friends/family. It was also a chance to get to see the new Polaris Slingshot!

We started the night off with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in the Old Market called Rock Bottom. I just love their bloody marys and they have the best baked mac 'n cheese ever! I got mine with chicken and bacon. (no calories there...lol!)

At the car show we got to see Jesse's new dream toy...the Slingshot (top photo). I wasn't able to get the greatest picture of it as there were tons of people looking at it, they had the hood open and they had mannequins sitting in the seats so no one could sit in it during the show. But we had a lot of fun talking to the dealer about them and dreaming of owning one. Maybe next year :)

They also had some fun sports cars that we don't see much around here like Lamborghinis, Ferraris and this cool Italian car (red car above) called the Alfa Romeo. These are the cars I enjoy seeing. I'm not in the market for a new car, so I don't care much about Ford, GMC, etc...I like seeing either vintage cars or unique cars that no one I know will ever own.

What have you guys been up to?

Almost Wordless Wednesday

While the world was cold and snowy outside...

Somebody was warm and cozy on the couch :)