Happy Thursday!

Hello All!

If you have not checked her out already you are missing out, the lovely Brooke of Brooklyns Photography, that is! Aside from being a supremely talented photographer she also possesses a killer sense of style as evident by her super cute outfits while I was visiting in Omaha:) She did happen to let me in on a fun little beauty secret which she also posted about on her blog today, (see here!) Birchbox. Birchbox is a cute box filled with high end beauty, grooming, and lifestyle sample products delivered to your door on either a once a month, every 3 months, or every 6 months basis. It costs only $10/month and the products are definitely top notch, a mix of everyday products and "raise the drama bar" add ins. Brooke shares her Birchbox contents every month on her blog and today is no exception, after seeing the fun Stila Sparkle Eye Liner-I'm in! I just completed my subscription:) The Birchbox site also contains tons of videos showing you how to use your new products and also fun ways to re-create glamour worthy looks as seen on the red carpet. I am personally loving this particular video, even though my hair is a bit long for it I think I have to try! They also give excellent tutorials on how to complete the perfect smokey eye, something I still haven't mastered!

On another note, I need help.....deciding on a new iPhone cover that is! Yay! My hubby surprised me with a new phone the other day (my old one was on its last leg:() and now I need to pick out a case. I think I have it narrowed down to two choices:

iPhone 4 Case by Lisa Russo Fine Art on Etsy.com

'Blossom' iPhone 4 Case by Switcheasy

Help me decide, which one is your favorite?!

Seeking a little inspiration..

Somedays you just need to hear something uplifting, reassuring you that...
1.) You are not crazy for wanting something more out of your life, and
2.) Things are going to be tough but the end result will be worth every tear!

I am one of those people that worries about everything! It is a constant battle to maintain my long term goals of a sense of self worth and happiness between caving into what could be an easy, albeit short term, fix just to stop worrying. So today I am choosing to share a dose of inspiration from my self-medicating stash of positive empowerment:

Starting with my personal fave...

Another great source of positive reinforcement....

Check out the Quit Your Day Job posts on Etsy!

Incredibly inspirational stories about people who made a go of it, persevered, and are 

now successful small business owners, they share their tips, tricks, advice, 

and pitfalls along the way!

How do you stay empowered?! 

Summer Shawl

Hey All,

Todays post details my latest project, a hand dyed silk shibori shawl! I made this particular shawl for a client needing a coral colored, lightweight shawl to wear for a beach wedding. Check out the steps below for a fun project that yields a really cool textural effect (see the scarfs I made below:))

Okay, let's get started!

Start by laying out your fabric (I used lightweight habotai silk, it's sheer and has beautiful drape) and cut to just larger than the desired final size, the fabric will shrink slightly during the dyeing process.

For this project I used a color swatch to match my dye bath to so that it would be the perfect shade.

Assemble your dyeing elements: bucket of hot water, dye (for this project I used Rit Petal Pink as my base dye and followed directions written on the bottle, I then mixed in fiber reactive dye until I had the perfect shade), stir stick, and some pre cut fabric strips to test the shade of dye you have created. It's pry a good idea at this stage to wear gloves so that you don't end up with bright pink hands:)

Wet the fabric and then place in the dye bath. By wetting the fabric first it helps to create an even surface for the dye to adhere to. Stir fabric and dye solution and leave in the dye bath until just darker than the desired final shade, the fabric will lighten upon drying. When ready to take out of the dye bath make sure to rinse in cool water until water runs clear. I also used a color fixing agent during the wash process to make sure of colorfastness and keep the color from bleeding onto other objects in the future.

Since it's the summer you might as well take advantage of the lovely sun and hang dry your fabric:) (Special Note: While the fabric is drying this is also a great time to make a lovely summer cocktail, like sangria, yummy!!)

To create the fun textured effect on the fabric, ready a piece of PVC pipe, any size will do!

Lay out the fabric and fold in half/quarters until fabric size is manageable for the size of PVC pipe you chose. Then proceed to wrap the fabric around the PVC pipe (overlapping is ok, at this point not all the fabric will fit on the PVC pipe, not to worry thats where our handy-dandy string comes into play!)

Start by tying your string tightly around the fabric on the pipe and securing it by going around the pipe keeping tension on the string at all times. When you have a few rounds of string on the pipe, condense the fabric by pushing it together and continue to wrap the scarf around the PVC pipe and secure with the string until the entire scarf is condensed on the pipe (see below).

 Place the PVC pipe into your second dye bath. This shawl was done to be monochromatic but this second dye bath is a great time to add other colors for a fun contrasting fabric. Leave the fabric in the dyebath  until you are happy with the amount of saturation and then LET THE FABRIC DRY ON THE PVC PIPE! This step will ensure that the fabric, when dry, will retain the 3-dimensional texture that makes this technique so unique. Once dry (like bone dry!!) clip the string, unroll the scarf, and....

VOILA!!!!:)

Happy Tuesday All!

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!!

Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day holiday and enjoying soaking up the sun today! 

I know we have been....:)

A slightly belated Mother's Day

Hello All!

So this morning I am gearing up for a mini-Mother's Day brunch at my house for my mom. My hubby and I will be cooking (wish us luck! haha!) and my sister will bringing my mom from Ames. I put together a little "summer on the porch" themed gift basket for my mom complete with Red Sangria, a hand painted glass pitcher, and little drink umbrellas! I got the idea for the pitcher from some great hand painted wine and martini glasses from Pier 1. I thought they were so cute, however not really willing to pay $10 per glass to take them home with me, so instead I got *INSPIRED*.

The original inspiration-I changed my version up quite a bit and did tiger lillies.

Clean glass pitcher, paper, paint, a wash cup, and brushes. (Note: I started out with enamel paint- no no! It was super runny and I ended up taking it all off and switched to glossy finish acrylic paint.)

My finished tiger lilly pitcher!

The finished basket complete with sangria and little drink umbrellas, cheers!

Cuff Me Baby!-Part 2

Hello All!

As promised here are a few of my completed cuffs from yesterday. The first batch of cuffs that I did tended to lean toward more of a mixed media feel. I think they turned out pretty good, what do you think?

Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend, all!!

Finally Friday!

Hey all, it is finally Friday!! Hope you all have a very exciting weekend in store, I know the hubby and I are going to an Iowa Barnstormers game tonight and hosting a mini Mother's Day brunch at our house for my mother on Sunday. Any suggestions about yummy brunch options? I am thinking of trying Rachel Ray's 'Crunchy Vanilla Almond French Toast w/ Fruit', sounds delish!!

I just received my cuff blanks yesterday so I am super pumped to get started with them today. I also spent some time yesterday finishing up some feather combs and planning out what to do for hairpieces for my upcoming shows for next weekend (see here).

A few gemstone and crystal combs bedecked with feathers make for fun statement pieces.

A little bit of my vintage jewelry stash, just waiting for a creative purpose:)

 Fun flowers waiting to be added to headbands and clips for your hair.

Have a great weekend everyone, Happy Friday!

Happy Thursday!

I don't know about the rest of you, but anytime I go to the store I have to peruse the magazine rack just to see if it's there, and yesterday afternoon~I found it...the newest edition of Martha Stewart Weddings!!!! Now I love the thrill of the "hunt" for my fave magazine, but with this issue they also released their first issue for the i-Pad. A digital subscription for the i-Pad version automatically comes with a magazine subscription for the printed edition. Embedded within the i-Pad edition is extra content for example, how to re-create the up-dos, what flowers and what florists make up the bouquets, etc, etc. I think I am finally going to have to give in and actually get a subscription, I can only imagine how I will start stalking my mailbox in the same way as the magazine rack:)

Some blog lovin'

Happy Wednesday All!

Since my blog is so new I spend a lot of time studying other bloggers that I love and trying to dissect as to why it is that I love them so and what makes their blog so enticing. A good mix of stellar images, interesting content (in my case anything wedding related and crafting/creating tips and tricks), and generally being able to put yourself out there regardless of what you fear others may think. I came across a great interview this morning on Rock N' Roll Bride about Naomi Davis and how she finds her blogging inspiration for her uber successful blog: The Rockstar Diaries.  Once you start reading I just couldn't stop! Her images are fantastic and her beautiful family is, well lets just say, VERY photogenic! Their daughter is a complete doll! But long story short, the majority of her interview dwells on where she gets her inspiration, how she continues to keep blogging meaningful content (that part is hard-do people really care what I think?), and the importance she places on remaining true to yourself (blog what YOU are passionate about and don't lose sight of what makes your blog unique just because something may be "trending" in the blog world). Honestly, folks the interview is an easy read and totally worth it so check it out!

In other news, I am putting in a full day in the studio today to get ready for my upcoming shows June 2nd and 3rd (see here). Worked on feather combs yesterday and today will be headbands and hair clips, wish me luck:)

Below are a couple of sneak peeks of pieces I have made over the course of this past year, mostly for weddings. My show pieces for this next weekend will be more "ready-to-wear" than wedding, I'll keep you all posted!

Everyone enjoy your Wednesday!

Living it up in the BIG O!

So without further adieu....Omaha!

I had a fabulous time shopping, eating, and drinking my way through Omaha. I finally got to meet the lovely Brooke of Brooklyns Photography and she was an amazing tour guide! We ate every chance we got, had cocktails galore, and hit up the Old Market for some amazing vintage jewelry finds and dress up!

Welcome folks, to the vintage lovers heaven!!!

Gotta admit, their collection of jewelry is pretty swoon worthy!

And of course I also mentioned the dress up part...

I think the girls had fun, can you tell?

We had a blast! Brooke showed us around Omaha and took us to some super yummy hotspots for dinner and drinks. My favorite spot of the weekend was at Upstream, Omaha's local based brewery. They had a gorgeous patio that overlooked the Old Market and the best Dragon Berry Mojito EVER!!
Matter of fact, I think I'm getting a craving for one right now, might have to plan another trip to Omaha soon!:)

Enjoy your Tuesday everyone!