Branson Surprise

Last weekend Jesse and I went to Missouri to surprise my mom for her birthday. I'd been emailing with my dad to get everything set up and boy did we surprise her! I texted her a picture of their view of the lake, which totally caught her off guard. Then we showed up at their door :)

The weekend was nice and relaxing since we didn't really have anything planned. Morning coffee on the deck was great, especially when we had a tortie neighbor friend show up :)

The second day we were there we went out for an awesome breakfast, then went out on Table Rock Lake. We floated in the water and saw a few sites. We ended the day with a small car show.

 

The second day we thought we would hit up another car show in Springfield. There were only about 8 cars there, so we had to find something else to fill our time until supper! We decided hit up some yard sales, which is something my parents have started to enjoy in their retirement :) We found a cheap set of golf clubs perfect for the air boat and I found a couple nice baskets that will work great at craft shows.

In all our driving around, we came across this fun bicycle "fence" and awesome mailbox :)

Then we headed to Bass Pro to see the new exhibits and do a little shopping. My favorite was this guy with heart-shaped antlers :)

We ended our stay with a bang! We all rode the Ferris Wheel that is new to the Branson area. The cool part was, it's the same Ferris Wheel that Jesse and I rode in Chicago last September! They got a new one in Chicago and moved the old one to Branson! It was fun riding at night and seeing all the lights!

Then my mom and I rode the Ozark Mountain Sky Coaster. This is something we'd done several times when we used to vacation there when I was a kid. We decided it had been 18 years since we had ridden it last! They take you up 100' in the air, you pull the rip cord and fly. And I screamed...The.Entire.Time! It was a thrill, but I think I'm good for another 18 years...lol!

It was a great weekend away and I'm so glad we pulled off the surprise!

Our summer weather has been hot and humid with plenty of storms thrown in! I decided to put together this Etsy Treasury with lots of summer finds that fit the mood of our weather recently. Mostly sunny, yellow skies mixed with gray, moody clouds and a fun mix of color throw in. Enjoy :)

Summer Storms

This summer has been full of sun and storms. Here's a mix of great Etsy items to reflect the summer weather. A special shout out to my Blogging Business Artisans Team Members: https://www.etsy.com/teams/10615/blogging-business-artisans

Summer Storm in Bodie- Fine Art Print dubland $20.00	Button Dangle Earrings / Yellow and White Beaded Jewelry / Simple Fun Piece by randomcreative on Etsy randomcreative $10.00	Yellow and Grey, Canvas Art, Ready to Hang, Abstract Art, Canvas Wrap, Wall Decor, Wall Prints, Pale Yellow, Gray, Modern Art, Giclee Canvas MurrayBolesta $99.00	You Are My Sunshine Centerpiece Happy Birthday Sunshine Party Decor Photo Prop Suns Chevron Yellow And Gray Decorations I am One PaperMadeParty $15.00
Chevron Earrings - Acrylic Earrings - Yellow and Gray Chevron Print Rectangle Acrylic Drop Earrings kailochic $15.00	Abstract Yellow and Gray Pallet Knife Painting - 18 x 24 - Skye Taylor skyetaylorgalleries $150.00	Polymer Clay Floral Pendant Necklace Beaded Necklace Summer Jonquil Mint Swarovski Crystals MagdaleneJewels $52.00	Beaded Bracelet with Onyx and Hematite AntiquityTravelers $47.00
Mid Century Modern Art Print, Yellow and Gray Abstract Wall Art, Mountains Art, Minimalist Poster, Giclee Print, Abstract Landscape evesand $20.00	Golden Yellow and Blue Czech Glass Beaded Niobium Earrings BeadedTail $18.00	Dandelion Wall Art, Dandelions Art Poster, Yellow and Gray, Printable Art, Home Decorations, Housewarming Gift, Home Sign, Home Decor WeLovePrintableArt $5.00	Flamingo Wood Sign - Flamingo Crossing Florida Beach Pallet Art Sign - Chalk Paint Sign MermaidsWhispers $25.45
Double sided, Yellow and gray chevron ikat decorative pillow cover, Nate Berkus pillow pillowflightpdx $38.00	Pallet Wood Clock, Yellow Wood Clock, Rustic Wood Clock, Yellow and Grey Clock, Shabby Chic Clock, Mustard Yellow Decor, Primitive clock ThePalletDoctor $50.00	Fireflies, Signed Metallic Art Print small NouveauNiche $25.00	Yellow and Gray Wall Art, Yellow Flowers Print, Friendship Quotes, Unique Gift for Friend, Friendship, Gift for Friend, Yellow Flowers Print bonnielecat $28.00

Powered By Toastie Studio - Etsy Tools

Customer Photos

One of my favorite parts about creating custom pieces is the fun pictures I get from my customers. I love that customers can leave a photo with their review now too! Here are some recent photos I've received from happy customers :)

This look is just priceless!!!

 This buyer made each daughter a special sweater. Handmade sweater paired with handmade buttons :)

And Amanda from Sorby Sweets makes the most beautiful wedding cakes and other sweet confections. She sends each wedding couple a thank you box and includes 2 of my wooden spoons :)

Etsy in People Magazine

While browsing a recent issue of People magazine, I was pleasantly surprised to see Etsy mentioned not once, but twice in the issue!

I first came across this advertisement for the USPS. I'm not sure how they chose which businesses to represent in this ad, but I was happy to see Etsy right alongside a big name business like Bass Pro!

  

Then while reading "100 Reasons to Love America" Etsy was listed on the first page (after Matthew McConaughey, of course). It is listed as "Born in Brooklyn, it's an online emporium for all things artisinal".

With all the processing problems that Etsy had last week, it sure was nice to see something positive about Etsy :)

New Art in the Studio

I've been working a little more with painted projects lately, but just on personal/gift projects and not things for the shop. I enjoy projects like this when the weather allows and when I have time. Last week I showed a fun baby shower gift I made and here is a similar piece I made for my own studio.

I have a tall skinny piece of wall space next to my bathroom door that can be seen when you walk in my studio door from the outside. I've been looking for a piece to fit this area, but had no luck in stores. So I decided to take on the project myself! As usual, it took me forever to decide on artwork and a design! But once I did, it came together so nicely! Are you surprised I didn't choose pink :)

 

Like my baby shower piece, this one also had a "mistake" take place during the painting. As I was painting the outer edge white, I accidentally dripped white paint on top of one of the feathers! The blue paint is spray paint, but the white paint is acrylic paint. And to my surprise, I found that the excess paint wiped off with a damp cloth and didn't hurt the blue paint! So I decided to paint both of the feathers white as well!

 

Note to self though...next time use a different font that doesn't require so much weeding! Luckily I could sit and watch Netflix as I took all those tiny pieces of tape off :)

Friday Features - 4th of July

Wishing all of my US friends and readers a Happy 4th of July weekend!

I didn't realize how long it had been since I'd put together a Friday Features post and what better reason than a holiday :) Enjoy these finds!

Flag Art | Tank Top | America the beautiful Sign | Mason Jars

And I got all festive and gave myself a manicure! Any bets on whether it actually lasts until Monday...lol! At least I took a picture before I find a way to mess them up!