Dear Sam

When our son was born I played around with the idea of writing him a blog where I would document things and write him notes kind of like this commercial {that makes me cry by the way-I'm a total sucker}

But Danny had the idea of making something more tangible that he could hold in his hands and have to keep as an adult.
The internet may not be what it is today once Sam would be old enough to read these entries, and I'm old fashioned when it comes to books; I choose pages over e-readers.

I found a way-too-expensive leather bound journal that I had bought back when I had more expendable money {before I had kids} that would work perfectly. It was too nice to sit on my shelf unused, and the black leather made it perfectly masculine for a boy.

Danny and I will write little letters, tell funny stories, and take notes about milestones.
Maybe he'll get it on his 18th birthday.

{Journal- Barnes & Noble $50.00}Now it sits nicely where we can be reminded to log in it often. I'm excited to make this gift for him, and hope it will be a really special thing :)

Halloween No-Sew Paper Banner

Remember when I made this easy banner with a hole punch and twine?

I made another one for Halloween, and they're so easy I might just make one for every holiday. I love the way they look strung across our entertainment center.

{Twine not pictured. You can use twine to string them, or ribbon}

Use the template in the size/shape you've chosen to trace triangles on the back of  the 12x12 paper

Cut them out

Punch two holes on each side of the pennant triangles

String the twine through the holes with the twine resting on the backside of the triangle, not the front.

Once all the pennants are strung on the twine in the pattern you like, tie the ribbon and rickrack inbetween each one.

Hang!

All done!

This is so easy you guys! Only takes about 10 minutes.
Am I crazy for putting up Halloween stuff already? I love getting into the festive mood.
When do you put up your Christmas tree? Is now too early?! ;)

colors

I couldn't help but see the beauty in this cart full of fabulous fabrics.
I just love color- it makes me so happy.

These will be rosettes.
I've committed this whole week to making them since I've been getting a bit of mail about what colors I can make. Because of that, I've decided I'll be adding new feature to my shop where you can request a custom color necklace. More on that later!
♥♥♥

Fall is officially here!

It's a little late but...

I took some fall photos of the Samster last week in our yard. I might make this into a card like I did this one.

I can't believe my little guy is 2 and a half already!

Looking forward to a break in the heat over here...it's still in the triple digits each day.
I've stocked the house with mulled apple cider candles and I'm ready for the coziness of the holiday season!
Are you?

new stuff

...is in the shop!
Pouches and Ruffle Clutches are in there.
Some of you have asked if I can do the solid ruffle on the pouches, but I'd like to keep the pouches without ruffles since a bunch of other shops make ruffled pouches. Instead, I'm keeping my stuff ruffle-free, with the exception of these Ruffle Clutches. I have to say though, I'm loving making these messy, random, bright & juicy ruffles, which started as as a way to use my leftover rosette fabrics.
I'm hoping to get started on some Christmas stockings- something I've never done before. Isn't it so strange to be making Christmas stuff in September?!

The Roselands

See that super cute button over there to the right that says The Roseland Family?
That's mi amiga Jenni, and she's guest posting over at Evy's Tree showing you how to make a super cute {and easy!} crayon wrap like the ones I sell in my shop (when I actually have them stocked...).

 Check it out and follow Jenni... she's a mom, teacher, and blogger extraordinaire whom you will love ♥Ps- I've committed this whole week to just making rosette necklaces. I've been getting a lot of mail about them, so stay tuned as I will be posting here when they're up in the shop.And as always, thank you so much for being so supportive. I appreciate each and every one of you so very much!

a kid lives here

If you're a mom, this looks all too familiar.

 You wake up to a nice clean house just the way you left it the night before.
But then a creature from the depths of messyville emerges and turns your nice living room into Toys R Us during an earthquake.

 marker jar, legos, Spiderman lunchbox Oh My!

even the shoe basket is overflowing!
Oh well, such is life right?
They say cleanliness is next to Godliness right? Well messiness is next to happiness for this little guy...and that's okay.
But I'm still learning how to embrace peanut butter and jelly hand prints on my walls :)

Carnival Party!

My friend Jaclyn is gorgeous, fit, funny and smart.
Then she went and created the cutest party ever for her twin boys' second birthday, and now she can add Event Planner Extraordinaire to the list.

Seriously.
That chick had TWINS. Life just isn't fair.

 How cute are these invites from MJCorderDesigns?!

 Sam with his best friends Camden and Jordan.
1. Jordan with a cotton candy soul patch  2.Sam wasn't a fan of cotton candy 3.Twins fishing in the duck pond

 These sabotaged my diet but was worth every.single.calorie.
Recipe for these marshmallow "popcorn" cupcakes soon!

 Jaclyn's dad and stepmom always have so much fun. They're avid costume enthusiasts and make every event memorable for the kids AND adults!

 Caught having a big kid moment!

 Face painting station. I'm not sure if this is Wes or Zack (I never can tell) but the mom tattoo is sure cute!

 Sam pretty much thought I was torturing him with pink cotton balls when I tried to get him to try some cotton candy. He wasn't a fan, but maybe that's a good thing?

We discovered from this party that Sam is quite the bossy boy- he said "Hey kids, I'm gonna need that ball" to a group of kids playing. I foresee some teachers notes in our future!

In awe of their cake and cupcakes made by mom

Happy birthday Wes and Zack! It was a great party!
♥
I'll be posting the recipe for those amazing cupcakes soon!
Have a great week!

The Simple Things

It's Sunday and you know what that means!
This week's photos for The Simple Things are a little random!

One of my favorite flowers-hydrangeas- shot in beautiful Ludington Michigan.
I dream of the day I can have a wraparound porch surrounded by these.

 The other day we had some storm clouds roll in over Phoenix. Needless to say, people were excited.

 My reason for everything. Mr. Samuel Drake.

So here's how it works. Click the button below and link up some favorite photos of yours that remind you of the simple things. Title the post "The Simple Things". Thats it!


Hope everyone's having a great Sunday Funday! :p

so you're starting a handmade business...

Okay, I want to state that I am no expert in this field.
I'm just a little handmade entrepreneur who has launched a successful online shop and helped others get their shops running, and therefor decided to share some tips I've learned in the process!

A little ethos:
My shop was opened on January 1st of this year, and in that 9 months I've had 104 sales without spending a dime on advertising {I bought my first ads this month!} My shop and products have been "favorited" 279 times by Etsy shoppers and my stuff has been in multiple treasuries, which is Etsy talk for features, one of them being on Brides.com.

So here's my two cents for starting up a handmade business online:
Tip #1: Branding.
It's the reason you can spot a Starbucks without needing to see the actual name. It's the green straw, the logo, the vibe. And just as with a bricks & mortar store, an online shop also needs to have a recognizable brand whether that be colors, a logo, or both. Make sure your message and aesthetic is clear.

Which brings me to number 2...
Tip #2: Presentation.
You've heard the saying "presentation is everything". It's true. It's the reason we pay more for name brand- not because the product's actually better, but because we like the packaging. We as consumers like to feel that something is legit before we buy it and having a professionally done brand will give your shoppers that peace of mind. I hired Fabulous K Creative to design my blog/shop because I did my homework and saw that she has a really fun, modern aesthetic. Through her creation, my brand colors became fuchsia, yellow, and gray and my logo became the fuchsia peony.

Tip #3: Take good Photos!
One of the MOST important things. Photos are to online shops what window displays are to stores in the mall. They are the representation of what's inside. They should be well lit, colorful and clear. To take the best photos you don't need an expensive camera- just a window, a white posterboard, and Picnik.com.
You should always photograph in natural light (window) with a white background (poster board). The light will bounce off the poster board and create a sort of natural lightbox. Also a white background makes a blank canvas for your item and wont compete for attention, and never ever use a flash. Edit your photos in Picnik.com and you're set.

Tip #4: Do your homework
As a frequent Etsy shopper, there is nothing more frustrating than a shop who charges more than it costs to ship said item. Shipping fees should be exactly what it costs you to ship the item, it's not another way to make money off the sale. Since I was a newbie and didn't want to bamboozle my customers, I went with free shipping. Originally it was just going to be until I got a gauge of what it costs me to ship, but for now it suits me well, and it's helped me get more sales :)
To give you an idea of shipping charges, my Wristlet Pouch (which is 10.5 x 5.5 inches) shipped with plastic wrap, tissue paper, a thank you card, a whole page receipt, a business card, wrapped in twine, costs me $1.71 to ship. So when you're selling featherlight earrings or a delicate necklace for $3.00 shipping you're going to tick off the people who know better. Keep that in mind. Tip #5: Be Prepared.
Don't wait until your first sale to go out and buy your shipping supplies. Have everything ready to go and preferable organized in a safe place set up for shipping. Some supplies you want to keep on hand are:
bubble mailers (or appropriate sized shipping envelopes)
bubble wrap if you need it
business cards (don't you dare ship anything without them!)
ink & paper for your printer (you need to print the customer a copy of the invoice)
whatever presentation materials you'll use in shipping
scale (some people buy their own, I just use the one at the post office)
Also, make sure you order business cards before you set up shop. Business cards are so so so important because they tell potential customers how to find you. Tip #6: Try to be Original.
There is a saying "There's nothing original under the sun"... this is true, but try not to rip people off! Gather inspiration then try to put your own spin on it. Don't ever use someone else's images to promote your shop, it's false advertisement-literally. And don't ever copy someone's wording verbatim on product descriptions. Mainly, just use common sense.
Tip #7: Have Variety.
Try to have multiple price points. Big ticket items are great but they wont appeal to every shopper and lower-priced items make great add-ons. Also, make sure you offer different color and style variety (within your brand's aesthetic of course) so that you will appeal to a wider audience.
Tip #8: Offer Incentives.
If you charge shipping, make it so that shipping is free with another purchase. Or offer free shipping when a customer spends over a certain amount. I have a discount code that prints on my receipts that offers a discount on a future purchase. Incentives are great for you AND the shopper and they can really drum up business.
Tip #9: Giveaways.
Giveaways are a great way to get your name out there because they not only put you on readers' radars, but they feature information and photos on your products. The very first giveaway I ever did was with Honey Were Home. I had only 15 sales at the time and within 2 days I had more than doubled my sales. So how do you do a giveaway? Ask! I simply emailed Megan (from HWH) and asked- she was so sweet and made it really simple. Now there are some ethics involved... If you are a blog with 17 followers and 10 items listed in your shop, it's probably not wise to do a giveaway on a blog with 3000 followers. You need to have the inventory & variety (see #7) to keep up with the amount of traffic you'll get. Be a little established before you attempt a giveaway. Make sure your shop is fully stocked with amazing photos and great products.
Don't anticipate making money either. Sometimes you will, but really the purpose of a giveaway is to increase traffic to your blog/shop in the hopes of new followers and shop views. People may not purchase right away because they're waiting to see if they win the giveaway (which is usually a shop credit or an item of their choice) but now they've seen you, and that's a great thing!
When I did mine I set my prices to be really affordable along with free shipping so when her readers checked me out they had a good first impression and it garnered me business. You don't want to turn people off with ridiculous prices or gouged shipping costs because they may never come back.
Tip #10: Spend money to make money.
You're going to have to spend money to make it. It's just the way it goes, there's going to be overhead in any business' start up. You want to be as legit and professional as possible so if that means paying a designer, or paying for ad space, or investing in a better camera, or buying an updated sewing machine, or more fabric variety, or bigger canvases, or better quality paints, or whatever it is you do- than do it. Once you're in business it's a whole different ballgame than doing it for hobby. Your paying customers are going to be more scrutinizing than your dear aunt Martha. Make sure your stuff is the best you can make it, even if that means shelling out some dough for better materials.Tip #11: Keep it legal.No one wants to talk about taxes. They're not fun or exciting at all. But it isn't fun getting audited either. Make sure you're prepared when you do your taxes each April by bringing with you tallied up receipts of expenditures as well as all your added up income made. How your state will determine taxes to take will depend on income minus expenditures. So make sure you keep all your receipts! Also, before you start writing off lunches and expenses, the government will want to know that you're actually making an income. This is so that people can't make a couple friendship bracelets, call it a business, and start writing stuff off. You need to be making a profit for the government to see you as a business, and they're not going to be too keen on footing the tab for your friendship bracelet venture if it's not for real.Keep a spreadsheet and go into tax time prepared.If you have any questions Google your local H&R Block and tell them you have some general tax questions. I've done this many times and they're always eager to help.
♥♥♥
Keep in mind these are just my humble opinions, but thankfully they've been working for me so I thought I'd share. If you have any questions at all, please post them below and I will answer them in the comments in case someone else has the same question :)Feel free to add any of your own helpful tips as well!
Hope I could be of some help!

Paint Drip Art

This fun painting hangs in Sam's room.
I made it one night while watching my recorded shows. It was a while ago and I'm not sure what came over me to posses me to do it, but it gets a lot of attention so I thought I'd post about it. You may have seen it here.
Because I did this so long ago there are no pictures, but there really aren't any needed...it's so simple.
I bought a big ol' slab of acrylic plastic at Home Depot on the cheap and busted out my paints.
At first I tried using acrylic artist paints, but soon found they were too thick to run down the side. So I switched to craft paint.
I set the slab vertically on a piece of newspaper and simple squeezed the craft paint (about $.69 a tube) down the side.
I let the paints overlap and then it dried overnight.
That's it!
Next up, I'm trying this with Crayola crayons and a canvas. I'll make sure to take photos of that one!

who likes a sale?

Today only, take 15% off in my shop by using coupon code LABORDAY
Sale will end at 11pm Mountain Time...and there's some new stuff in there too!
♥  We're having a lazy day.
How are YOU Spending your day off?

The Simple Things

Linking up my favorite photos of the week again with Rebecca!
Click the button below to join in!

Sam seems unsure of this photo op

New tiny Pouches in the shop!

My handsome little man

My beautiful boys
Wanna join in?Link up your "the Simple Things" post by clicking the button below.Simple as that!