Next Stop: NYC Fashion Week

I finished a bunch of ruffle tank tops last week and took them to a local children’s/monogramming boutique and the owner loved them!  She kept them to see if they would sell and to decide if she wanted to order all one color and design or a bunch of different ones.  Yay!  I had so much fun designing the tops, and I ended up with 3 different “collections.”

Wild Child

Dainty Diva

Party Girl

Too cute, right??!?!?  To view each top up close, check out my flickr album.

Thrifty Treasures

Time again for Today’s Thrifty Treasures with Rhoda!  I didn’t make it to any garage or estate sales this past week, it was just too hot to be getting in and out of the car!! I did, however, make a quick stop at Goodwill and found these treasures:

Isn’t this mirror the cutest?! It’s plastic, but you’d never know it! I love the raised dot detail.

I’m not a fan of the color, but it’s nothing a can of spray paint can’t fix!  I have no idea where I’ll put this beauty, but for $3.99 I just couldn’t pass it up. Wouldn’t it look cute painted pink in a nursery or little girl’s room?

I also got a spice rack for $3.99 that I plan to spray paint and hang in my craft closet to store my little paint bottles:

And this accordion coat rack for $1.99 that will also get a facelift and be re-purposed as a display for my embellished tins:

These next two treasures I did find at estate sales over the past month.  I don’t know why, but I am drawn to these vintage jewelry boxes:

Guess how much??  One dollar for the top one and 50 cents for the bottom one!  I got them both when the sales were either at 50% or 75% off.  They aren’t in that great of shape (and they smell like musty old lady), but I thought they were unique & cute.  Here’s how they look opened up:

I’ve been working on getting the insides cleaned up as best I can, and spraying the heck out of them with Febreeze.  I could probably resell these on Ebay and make a few bucks, but I’ve got better plans for them….if I didn’t already have two mirrored jewelry boxes in my bedroom, I would surely slap some mirrors on them and call it a day.  But I think I will get out my trusty spray paint and give them a new color (thinking one lavender & one silver), then maybe stencil an monogram or initial on top.  What do you think?

I’m off to explore everyone else’s treasures!

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Edited for 7/09/09:

I’m also linking up this post to my new friend over at Tales From Bloggeritaville for her Thrifty Thursday Party!

Show Us Where You Live Friday – MASTER BEDROOM

It’s Friday and of course I’m joining Kelly again for her home tours; today’s feature is the master bedroom.  We just got a new duvet set for our bed at Christmas and made a few other changes before that, so I’m excited to show it off.

C’mon and take a walk down the hallway of fame (this is where we showcase a ton of family/wedding photos) to our bedroom:

And here’s the bedroom as you enter the door:

Our new bedding was a steal at Tar-jay. Hubby picked out this bed all by himself when he was single, didn’t he do good?

See that bench over on the left under the window?  I’ve had it for ages, and it’s great for storage……see?

Ha Ha, just keepin’ it real, y’all!

All the rest of the furniture in the room belonged to my grandparents.  I updated this dresser by removing the brass plates behind the drawer handles and replacing the attached wood framed mirrors with more modern bevel framed ones.

Yes, we have a TV in our bedroom.  Sue me. 

(Obviously this pic was taken awhile ago before we got new bedding)

Here are some close up pics of the accessories in the room:

You know I had to display one of my candle embellishments in here, every room needs a fleur de lis, right??

Hmmmmm, wonder what my favorite color is??

Oh, in case anyone wonders, the wall color is Behr Oakridge.

One of the two closets in our room has these awesome built-in drawers:

Not that I need them for my 179 pairs of flip flops or anything:

Thanks for looking! I can’t wait to see everyone else’s rooms!

TIGERS WIN!!! TIGERS WIN!!!

Congrats to the LSU

Tigers….2009 NCAA

BASEBALL CHAMPS!!

The LSU baseball team won its sixth national championship Wednesday night with an 11-4 victory against Texas.

Eric Francis/AP

CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Courtesy LSUSports.net

View more Championship images HERE

My Own Personal Sweatshop (and a Vista Print update)

I was busy yesterday making some more ruffle tank tops.   I’m having so much fun with these, I feel like some fancy fashion designer working on her new spring line!  Ha Ha! Really, it doesn’t take that much talent, but it is fun picking out and coordinating the fabrics.  Here’s a sneak peek at what I’ve been working on:

Too cute, right?!? I hope to have some listed in my Etsy shop and/or at a local consignment children’s boutique by the end of the week.

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On another note, I got my re-order from Vista Print yesterday (less than a week after  my original review!).  For my original review of the products, check this post.  The labels looked much better, and there was no fading or discoloration through the pages.  After checking their website from my parents’ computer, I now know what a difference different computer monitors make!  The colors were much truer on their big fancy monitor (must be the resolution or something?!).  The colors of the products I received were still a little off, but overall I’m very happy with everything, and they get an A++ for customer service!

A Custom Frame Order

I had a busy weekend working on my first large custom frame order for an Etsy customer.  Here’s how they started:

And here’s how they looked all completed:

These were for a group of 13 year old girls going to summer camp together…..Camp Greystone.

And the customer also wanted to include one personalized frame:

I think they all turned out so cute, I love the pink and green color combo! I hope the girls like them!

Today’s Thrifty Treasures

I’m joining Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality again this week for another edition of Today’s Thrifty Treasures.  I hit an Estate Sale Friday afternoon, but came away empty handed.  Saturday morning I was up bright and early (9:00am is bright and early right?) when I saw a commercial for $2 tank tops at Old Navy…how’s that for thrifty??!! I headed on over and picked up the limit of 5, a couple for me and a few to embellish with ruffles!

After the Old Navy sale, I decided to hit a few garage sales, and here’s my loot for the day:

I got all of the above for $4.50 at 3 different sales!  The pair of small wooden picture frames was $.50. I’m planning on painting them black, distressing them and embellishing them somehow of course! The little strawberry pot was $2.  I’ve always wanted one of those!  And the coat rack was $2 as well.  I plan on painting it white, distressing it, and replacing the hooks with some pretty knobs and using it as a display piece for my personalized  antique tins.

I’ve got to say, this estate sale/garage sale hunting is getting addicting!!  I’ve really got to restrain myself sometimes from buying things just so I don’t accumulate more junk!  I try to make sure everything I buy will have a purpose and not just sit around unused taking up space.

Thanks again to Rhoda for hosting the Thrifty Party, I can’t wait to see everyone else’s treasures!

*****Don’t forget to head over to Project Pretty to enter in the giveaway from my Etsy Shop!!!****

Luck Be A Lady….

I’m entering in this awesome giveaway over at a blog I just discovered, My Sweet Savannah (thanks Roeshel!). One lucky reader will win three fabulous home decor items, and I hope that lucky reader is ME!!

I know, I’m decreasing my odds of winning by spreading the word about this fabulous giveaway, but it’s one of the rules of entering!

So head on over to My Sweet Savannah, check out her lovely blog and Etsy shop, and enter for your own chance to win!

Oh, and while you're at it, go visit Project Pretty and enter for your chance to win a personalized item from my Etsy shop!

Show Us Where You Live….and a GIVEAWAY!

Now, don’t get too excited, but today’s featured rooms on Kelly’s Korner Blog Home Tour are any combination of playroom, bonus room, or laundry room.  I know, laundry is exciting right? 

Laundry Room:

Well,  I have a laundry room, but if you’ve ever seen a washing machine and a dryer in a room, then you pretty much have seen my laundry room.  So I won’t bore you with a photo.

Playroom:

Nope, don’t have one of those.

Bonus Room:

We have a 4th bedroom that is currently devoid of any furniture.  So it has become a catch-all room for any random stuff that doesn’t otherwise have a home.  The bonus is that I can throw junk in there, shut the door, and pretend it’s not there!  Currently this room houses the vacuum cleaner, a suitcase, a pile of clothes to be donated to Goodwill, extra dining room chairs, decorative items that aren’t being used, shipping boxes, and a piece of work-out equipment that my husband definitely uses everyday.  Right.

I can’t believe I am showing you these photos!  I have such grand visions of what this room could be…..a meticulously organized craft studio, a cozy sitting room filled with vintage furniture, or *gasp* a precious nursery.

Another bonus is that this room has TWO closets, so I can store even MORE crap, yay!

And speaking of BONUSES…….. head on over to Project Pretty’s blog today for an awesome give-away from my Etsy Shop!!!

Transformation Thursday: DIY Mirrored Nightstand

Editing to join the Categorically Crafting Party at Someday Crafts. Check out all the other cool mirror projects!

Editing to join the DIY Surprise Party! Check out all the other cool furniture makeovers!

Today I’m joining Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursday.  I’ve decided to feature the end table in our guest bedroom.  I did this little transformation (with the help of my handy hubby) back before my blogging days, so I don’t have any in-progress photos, just before & afters.

This end table had been with us for a few years, it was a hand-me-down from my mom, I think it came from Bombay Co.  Here it is in our old house, used as a TV stand:

 

It had been serving its purpose just fine as a nightstand in the guest bedroom, but once I redecorated the room, it definitely needed a facelift!  I really wanted a piece of mirrored furniture for the room, but didn’t want to pay the high price.  Then I remembered the previous owners had left a huge unframed mirror in the attic!  I convinced hubby to drag it down and we cut a piece for the top, the sides and the front of the drawer.  The rest I just spray painted silver!  I also applied silver leaf to the shelf, but you really can’t tell.  Oh, and I also made a little knob out of small round craft mirrors.

Total cost:  Probably less than $10 for a can of silver spray paint, a tube of mirror mastic adhesive, and a pack of little round craft mirrors!  Bonus:  The guy at Lowe’s just GAVE me the glass cutter they had been using since they were out of stock of the ones that they sold!  (Guess I was looking especially cute that day!)

Go check out Gina’s blog and share your own transformations!

Product Reviews

I recently bought some promotional products for my Etsy shop from Vista Print and thought I would share my reviews of my purchases for others interested in what they have to offer. I’m sure most everyone is familiar with Vista Print, especially if you have looked online lately for business cards and other products for your business. They are constantly running “specials” and “sales” and “free” products.

First off, I ordered a banner. It was free, but I chose to upload my own design, which cost $3.49, and clear adhesive hangers for $3.99. Even though when I uploaded the design and it told me the resolution was not high enough to print properly I still ordered it and took my chances. Here’s how it turned out:

Overall, I am very pleased with the quality. The background design is a tad fuzzy, but it really isn’t noticeable to anyone but me. It will be great to use for craft or home shows.

Also on that order I bought a set of labels to use on the back of my products. They were free since I used a stock design.

I wasn’t as happy with these since the printing was not uniform throughout the sheet. It’s kind of hard to tell from the photo, but the ink gradually gets lighter down the page. Also, I thought the color was a lot different than how it looked on their website. I was hoping for a more lavender/purple and instead got more pink. However, they were free, so I can’t complain.

Total for that order was $16.69 ($7.48 for banner & $9.21 for shipping). I paid for the slowest shipping (21 days) but received the order in less than 10 business days.

Of course, over the next few days I got bombarded with “SALE/SPECIAL” emails from Vista Print, so I placed another order for small magnets (25), a car magnet, and a pen, all of which were free since I used a stock design. Total for this order was just $6.61 for shipping. Again I chose the slow shipping but had the order in about a week.

Once again, the colors were different from what was depicted on their website, but overall I was happy with everything.

Magnets:

website proof

actual magnet

Car magnet:

website proof

actual magnet

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So, to review….For a total of $23.30, I got the following:

~ (25) business card magnets

~ (1 )11.25”x8.25” car door magnet

~ (1) ink pen

~ (140) labels

~(1) 3’x1.6’ 10oz. indoor vinyl banner

Pros:

~fast shipping

~good prices

Cons:

~Unreliable depiction of colors on website

~Lots of junk emails after ordering

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I also received some great promotional products as a gift from my best friend. She surprised me with some FABULOUS business cards from Zazzle and a basket of handmade notecards and other goodies. The basket looked much cuter when she gave it to me, but here’s a pic anyway:

If you’re looking for a low-cost option for personalized products, just do what she did and DIY! She bought inexpensive notecards (on left) from Wal-Mart and personalized them herself using her own computer and printer. The cards on the right are just single sheets of cardstock with my name and Etsy address printed on them. She then “embellished” them with glitter glue and ribbons. She also made some great discount cards for me to include with my orders and bought me some fancy markers to use.

View Full Album

As you can see, I’ve tried to give all my promotional items a cohesive look by using the same color scheme and design where possible. I think this small investment really goes a long way when it comes to giving my little handmade business a professional look!

***********UPDATE!!!************I just got a reply on Twitter from VistaPrint offering to re-order the items I am not happy with....seems like pretty good customer service to me!

***********UPDATE #2***********VistaPrint has just re-ordered all of my products!! Ah, the power of the Internet!! I will update when I receive the new shipment to see if the coloring is any better.

***********See my UPDATE post HERE***********