Winners of Lovelie's Giveaway

Hello everyone and sorry for the delay. I've contracted a not so lovely cold and completely zonked out last night after work. As I write this, I'm in a complete daze. Anyway, the winners of the contest are (surprise, surprise - only two people entered!):

Theresa of Threads of a Gypsy Blog and
Kirsten of 6th Street Design School

Thank you ladies and I will be sending you your exclusive discount code shortly. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Hello! And btw here's a giveway!

Well hi there! I know I've been sort of absent. And I apologize! I had every intention of blogging at my new job. I'm a computer lab monitor at my school. I work in the music department and basically make sure nobody steals anything and that they all sign in - but my job also came with another part. I'm putting my graphic design skills to work making posters for upcoming musical productions, as well as the programs that go along with them. I really thought I would have time to blog, but it's nuts! [Not to complain here, but] they give me assignments with no deadline so I can't pace myself and it gets a little crazy sometimes. I'm still finding my way. And hey, it's a good job with some perks for a single mom and student like myself. Oh and some good news on the jobfront - the dean of the art department has asked me (yes, me!) to speak at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new art building - eek!!! Very excited that I, and I quote, "came highly recommended," and definitely excited about what this could do for my reputation, job, etc. Good things, good things!

Anyway, I came on here to let everyone know that Lovelie is having a Holiday/Clean Sweep sale. It's been really hard to keep up the stock in my store, as I really haven't had time to go treasure hunting. My listings are about to expire and I would hate to pay more etsy fees (wah!) so I'm offering 20% off with code GIVECHEER annnnd two lucky winners will receive an exclusive sale code for an additional 10% off. That's a total of 30% off! Spread the word and increase your chances of winning - and help me sell out and restock so I can bring you more goodies :) Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Here are the rules:

1. Visit Lovelie and choose your favorite item(s) from the shop. Come back here and leave a comment along with your email address, mentioning your favorite item.
2. For an additional entry, link to this giveaway on your blog, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address.
3. For an additional entry, tweet about this giveaway on Twitter, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address.
4. For an additional entry, link to this giveaway on Facebook, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address.
5. For even more entries, POST again (Blog, Twitter, Facebook) at any time later in the week, come back here and post an additional comment with the link and your email address.

**You may enter up to FIVE TIMES for FIVE CHANCES to win! Good luck!!!**

The winner will be randomly chosen and posted on the blog on Friday, December 10th...I will notify the winner via email with their exclusive code. Please help spread the word so everyone gets a fair chance :) 

Sneak Peek

Hello everyone! Just wanted to stop by and say hey. I'm still busy busy busy like a bee, but I wanted to throw together a little something so ya'll could see what I've been so busy doing lol. I never realized how much time it took to upkeep a web shop until I really started getting into it. All my life I've had web shops (my family and I used to run a T-shirt and screen printing business) but it was one of those mass produced type of things where you have a certain number of designs you do and thats it. But with vintage things, it's EVER-CHANGING! And I take pride in my shop so I want my pictures to be perfect. So I slave over them haha. I don't know if I'm putting too much into it or what. But I think I'm starting to develop a method of running this ship so I'm not haphazardly doing things. Is anyone else here an Etsy seller? Or someone who runs a web shop? If you have any tips at all, please please please do share haha. I have no problem admitting that I need help! And by all means, leave a link to your store! Other than that, HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE!

Babies & Bears - A Photoshoot

Hey everyone. I can't believe its 2 am and I'm still up. I've been like a little choo choo train building, making, mending, cleaning, photographing..the list goes on. I'm re-stocking my shop and trying to get things in order now that I'm back in town. Anyway, in the midst of ALLL that, I stopped to "smell the roses." I had been photographing and staging things in my room, when my daughter woke up from her nap. She was being awfully cute so I decided to snap a few photos since I was in that mindset anyway. Well, I'm so glad I did, because I got some of the best photos of her I think I've ever gotten. The best part? In the photos I'm about to show you, she is holding my teddy bear, named "Corduroy." I got him when I was about three and took him everywhere and I slept with him all the time. Seriously, I was still clingy to this bear in the 4th grade (I know, at 9 years old it's a little weird huh?). I think I even cuddled with him when I was pregnant, on those stressful nights when I thought my whole world was going to topple on top of me and leave me buried in the rubble. Though I've grown apart from that bear, every now and then I look at him with her, and I think of that little sparkle in his eye I used to see. I guess you could say it just makes me happy; that a little piece of my childhood is seamlessly being woven into hers. My goodness I'm a sap, gettin' all misty and teary eyed over here! Oh well, I'm sure you momma's out there know this feeling too :) So I guess the moral of the story is, cliche as it may be, "Stop and smell the roses" and enjoy your children. 

Adorable Vintage Baby Shower

Hi everyone! I feel like I've been away from here for awhile..actually, scratch that, I KNOW I have been away from here for a while. Life just gets so busy, with so many things to do and it's like sometimes I don't know when to do what or how long to take doing it. And especially with this blogging thing, I tend to get lost in what I'm doing - really with any computer-related task I seem to get lost in the work (i.e. graphic design projects). Anyone else feel the same? Anyway, I was checking my twitter when I followed a link to this blog called Jen Loves Kev and I fell in love a little bit (understatement!). She's youthful, vibrant and fun-loving - oh and she's got a baby on the way. Which warms my heart because as you all know I have a little one :) Anyway, I know for sure it will be a site I will be frequenting. Well, as I was perusing her posts (and tearing up at the letters she and her husband write to their unborn baby girl) I came across a post about the baby shower they threw. And it looked FABULOUS! Check it out! (original post here)

(the expectant mommy & daddy)

How great is that party?? Right?? I love the old-fashioned vintage charm - and the outfits were pretty cute too (i.e denim, suspenders, hats). And the invitations were great! The type of thing I aspire to design to. You can tell someone put a lot of time and effort into this. It really is the small details that make get-together's memorable. Don't you just love those pickle jar labels? Oh and the mustaches!!! Ugh, what a great celebration. I wish the best for this young couple and their new little bundle :)

Image Source: Jen Loves Kev on Flickr

Ten Things I Learned this Month (July)

Okay okay....mostly this month. But some of these are just things that I had to share. Come on, would you really want me keeping valuable information from you? I think not :)

1. Storing your batteries in a fridge or freezer can extend life, depending on battery type.
• Alkaline batteries can lose up to 25% of their power a year if stored in a hot garage or attic.
• Rechargeable batteries lose 1-2% of their charge every day at room temperature. Storing them in the freezer preserves about 90% of a charge in a month. (Better Homes and Gardens Publication: Storage, Summer 2010)
2. Making your own laundry detergent can be done in less than an hour and can cost you just a penny per load! Learn more here. (I myself have been doing this for a year or so now and it is so easy to make and very customizable since you choose what bar of soap to use)
3. Save money by buying gift cards for up to 30% off their face value at sites such as plasticjungle.com, giftcardrescue.com, and giftcardsagain.com (via AARP)
4. Are you a fan of pastels? The next time you're doing a small painting project, instead of buying a whole can of a particular color, buy a sample a few shades darker than the shade you want and mix it with that spare white paint you have at home. It should save you about $10 and you'll use up that paint that's lying around. (Personal tip)
5. Here's a two-fer-one on painter's tape:
• After you've installed your molding, put the tape just a hair above where you're going to caulk to give you a straight line and no mess on the walls. (originally found here)
• When you're trying to get a crisp line with painter's tape, first use very minimal paint on the brush (dry-brush) and go over the border of the tape. Then, on the second coat, you can apply more paint. The first coat creates a seal so the second coat doesn't seep through. (seen on HGTV)
6. If you've got kids, then you've probably had a virtual smackdown in the dining room over the subject of vegetables. In lieu of that, why don't you use a little smoke and mirrors and hide their veggies (in their food of course). Try this recipe which cleverly disguises cauliflower in mashed potates. For more 007 recipes, try Jessica Seinfeld's book Deceptively Delicious.
7. Ok ladies, I know we all have atleast one pair of "sacred" shoes. To preserve their "holiness" spray them with acrylic matte sealer, which can be purchased for as little as $4 and change. This way, when they get dirty, all you have to do is wipe clean! And no one will ever know :)
8. When cooking a casserole, use ceramic or glass baking dishes; these materials outperform metal and will allow you to lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees, saving both energy and money (via Danny  Seo's Do Just One Thing Calendar)
9. Use a vintage apron as an organizer. Put mail, sunglasses, pens - whatever! - in the pockets and hang it across a door. Just tie the apron strings around the door and secure with double-sided tape. (Country Home February 2008)
10. Adding color to your room can sometimes be intimidating. Unless you are completely confident in you skills and taste, it's best to spend "big" money on pieces that are neutral, and instead bring in color with low-cost items. (Unknown)

Do you have any useful tips? Let me know and maybe I'll include it in my next tips post :) By the way, I realize I'm 3 days late but hey what can I say..better late than never right? haha

Image Sources:

Family (unknown), Paint (Twig Hutchinson), Clothesline (bal93 {new Icon})

Fresh like a lemon

Hello everyone! I'm sorry for the absence these past few days - I'm always apologizing I know, but until I go back to school and work, and the rest of my life is on a nice decent schedule, this blogging thing is going to be pretty haywire too. And if you follow me on Twitter, you know that I've been having some medical issues recently (don't worry I'm ok now, thanks to free antibiotics from Publix). Anyway, here is a small does of refreshing inspiration for your day. While yellow isn't my absolute favorite color, lately I've been drawn to it, especially when paired with grays, black, and white. It's just so sophisticated that way, don't you think?

via Style at Home

via House and Home

via roomforcourt

via Hus & Hem

via h4ndz

via Apartment Therapy