A Few Vintage Valentines

Well vintage inspired anyways. I enjoyed another day of creating. It was cold and raining so the perfect time to get some new goodies made. I worked primarily on Valentines with a few wedding things as well.

I was on a roll today and before I knew it, made well over a dozen gift tags. Don't you just love it when you are "in the zone."

I also stamped some gift bags. . .

and made some new note cards. I just love the way they turned out and it was nice to play with pink for a change.

Well I am off to snuggle on the couch with a cup of cocoa, my sweet hubby and a movie. For a closer look at these goodies and more, visit our site here. :)

Just Messing Around

It was a sunny cool day here and while the kids enjoyed playing outside I took some time to play a bit as well. It has been such a busy few months here as we have been house hunting and have finally found our little dream home. Now while we wait for things to move forward with it I jumped at the chance today to relax and create just for the fun of it! The first thing I did was this wreath. I have always wanted to make one so I tried my hand at it and this is the result!

I also made a creamy lace covered canvas. .

and a few Valentine treats. It was such an enjoyable day and now that I have the creating bug I am off to play some more this evening!
These creations and a few other new goodies are available here.
Happy Crafting!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

As a child I couldn't wait for Christmas to come. I would stalk those presents under the tree, gently shaking the boxes trying to guess what was inside. This year as my children do the same I find myself waiting. . . with great anticipation for what will be a wonderful gift of sorts. A new home. We have been, and continue to wait patiently. Well, truth be told I am actually somewhat impatient . . for our house to come through. I just keep hearing the lyrics from that Tom Petty song over and over in my head. "The waiting is the hardest part." I do vow to remain optimistic that with the new year will come many wonderful changes for myself and my family. We have waited this long and I'm sure I can wait a few weeks longer. In the mean time I will go on singing my song and planning for our new home.

Happy Holidays!!

A Cherished Moment

I took a break the other day from the craziness that is December and worked on a little junque book. It felt really good to create just for the fun of it. With a nice cup of Nutcracker tea in hand and a little Etta James in the background, it was one of those rare quiet moments in what has become an extra busy time of year. You see we are in the midst of buying a house and well it is a bit hectic being around the holidays, it is a very exciting time for us. I'll share more on the house front as it unfolds.

Back to the little junque book. I decided not to over do it, but rather just get it started and leave it for someone to add their own special touches.

There are pockets filled with creative goodies.

and little embellishments throughout.

It's just waiting for someone to personalize it with their own special memories. You can see more of my little junque book here.
Happy Creating!

Thankful

This year has taught me so many things. . . patience, faith, tenacity, and most of all to remain open and optimistic for the future while embracing each day. It was a trying year in so many ways, and now as Thanksgiving approaches I am reminded of something I feel everyday. Thankful. . .for my family, my friends, to be able to do what I love for a living, and most of all the unwavering love and support of my husband and children. This journey is so much more meaningful with them by my side. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday with those you love most.

The Muse

Stop by and see our newest category, The Muse
We have just listed several beautiful mannequins.
Hope you are enjoying the long weekend!

A Few of Our Favorite Things

I have been busy listing new treasures and have many more to go! I was doing some cleaning and reorganizing and found things I didn't even know I had! Supplies have been rolling in this week and now I have so many fun new goodies to play with I don't know where to start! Perhaps I'll just dive in.
Have a lovely weekend!

In With The New

I am way past due for a blog post. Lately however, I can't seem to tell whether I am coming or going! Between working/creating, running a household, keeping 2 very active children busy, buying a house and the million and one other things we do as moms and wives, well . . . at the end of the day I simple collapse on the couch and knock out.

Despite all this hustle and bustle I really wouldn't have it any other way. It is a joy each day to grab my list and start knocking off items one at a time, having that sense of accomplishment when I am done. . even it is only something as simple as folding the laundry that has been piled up for too many days to mention.

With that said, here are a few new journal designs just listed. They are girly and feminine but I just had to put the holidays aside and start dreaming of soft pastels for a change.

I know Halloween is just around the corner, literally . . . but I am already moving on to well . . . pinker things. :)

A Wonderful Treat!

Thank you Romantic Homes for featuring our "Be Merry" Gift Tags in the November issue's Holiday Guide! What a thrill! 3 years ago I could have only dreamed of opening up one of my favorite magazines to see our work inside. What a blessing, I have to just pinch myself!!

These cute little tags and many more fun holiday goodies can be found here!

~Carrie

Loving Fall

I am really loving Fall this year. In one week we have gone from 114* to 60's and rain. It has been so long since we have had rain. I think it was maybe in April so this is nice. The cooler weather inspired me to bake a batch of pumpkin muffins for breakfast today and take a much needed break from what has been a very hectic, busy few weeks. We are house hunting, and while it is exciting it is also a ton of work. I guess I didn't realize just how much work! I have spent my days running around looking at properties and getting paperwork to one person or another. We hope something comes through and we can be moved before Christmas. (fingers crossed)

Well, back to enjoying my sweater weather.
Happy Wednesday!

How To: Kissing Balls

Recently I was given these small green moss balls pictured below and was trying to figure out what to do with them. I decided to try my hand at making kissing balls. It ended up being a simple and fun project!

To begin with you need moss covered styrofoam balls in a size of your choice. The ones I used ranged from 2-3" in diameter.

I began with bouquets of parchment roses in white.

Cut the roses from the stem, you will need a fairly large quantity of roses depending on the size of the ball and the rose.

Using a hot glue gun begin attaching roses around the ball.

Continue working until the ball is covered on all sides with a small space left to attach the ribbons.

Choose some ribbons from which to hang your kissing ball or if you like you can leave them plain to fill a bowl or cloche. I used crinkled seam binding for mine. Dot a bit of glue onto the ball and using a straight pin attach the ribbons in a loop.

The finished product! I attached a little stamped tag to mine as well.

You can make these with a variety of roses for all seasons.
Try one for yourself or you can see a few of ours here!

~Happy Creating!

In An Autumn Mood

Well it's 106* right now outside, and Fall is officially here so I thought I would share a few goodies new to the shop. I know you are thinking Fall/106*. . . well, out here in Southern California the beginning of Autumn is almost always marked by an excessive heatwave. So here I sit, inside where the air is cool I can dream of cozy sweaters, pumpkin lattes and a new pair of boots!

First up is an abundance of gift tags, I just couldn't help it. I adore these new images and the roses are in the most beautiful shades. They remind me of an early Autumn sunset.

I do have several new projects in the works but wanted to stock up on some of the old standbys while I was on a roll.

And yet more tags. . .

We also have several new journals, made to order.

These are a few of my favorites.

My kids and I spend a lot of time at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanical Gardens and this little garland was inspired by all the beautiful peacocks we enjoy there.

We also have lots of new altered note cards.
Well. . . back to work on some goodies.
I don't plan on venturing out all weekend long!

A Creative Moment

I have spent the last few weeks working on filling wholesale orders. Mind you I am forever grateful for the opportunity to do this and while it is enjoyable, it is not the same as simply sitting down and creating because you simply must or you will burst!

I forced myself to take some time and just have fun. As I sat and began wrapping bits of lace around tags and stamping here and there it was as though this pent up energy was being released.

I love how you get in a rhythm and it all just sort of flows from there.

While I made several things these two "creative pockets" were some of my favorites. I used a chipboard backing from Melissa Frances as the base and just sort of built on them with bits of lace, vintage buttons, keys. . .anything lying around.

Voila!
Now I can joyfully go back to wholesale for a bit longer. This was just the creative moment I needed!

A Welcomed Weekend

This has been an extremely long week and I am welcoming the weekend with open arms. I wish I could share all the details but I don't like to count my chickens before they've hatched so let's just say something really exciting for my family and I is in the works and I hope it comes to fruition. That being said. . .

I just haven't had much time for creating this week. I am however, setting aside this weekend for some fun once I recharge my batteries.

I did grab a few minutes to list a few new pretties this morning including some Fall inspired treats and the beautiful bookmarks pictured above. You can find these and more here.

I wish you a wonderfully relaxing stress-free weekend! Check back next week for more new treats! The holidays are just around the corner and we have some fun things in store!