Do You Ever....

Do you ever go through phases in your life where you obsess on one thing?

I sure do!

.....like right now, I am obsessed with turquoise, pink, yellow and green.... ....I think it's because everywhere I look in Florida I see these colors....

....the turquoise ocean, pink houses, yellow sunshine, fresh green palm trees....all such happy, pretty colors!

So, yep...my shop has been filled with these colorful creations, and I just can't help it!

I have been making colorful purchases, too.....

Like these beee-utiful buttons by Tessa Ann....

...and this yummy peacock fabric....

and flowering fabric....all found at My Heart and Sew....

I can't wait to get home and create with these fun finds!

(oh, and I have been obsessed with frozen peanut butter M & M's, too.....but we wont go there).

SoOOooooOoo...........

Wondering what the surprise is? Well, it's bittersweet.

I have no idea how it happened (*wink*)....but somehow I have accumulated way more crafty goods in Florida than I arrived with. Baffling, I know. There is no way I can cram all of my new goodies in the SUV with hubby and Owen!

So, it could be your lucky day, since I am doing a HUGE, GIGANTIC giveaway....with lots and lots and LOTS of yummy crafty stuff!

One lucky winner will receive a huge destash package filled to the brim with ALL of the following:

A huge stack of papers....

Piles and piles of pretty buttons and fabric brads.....

A fun bundle of new stamps....
Lots of pretty flower embellishments.....
Ooooodles of vintage and new trims and ribbons..... Yummy bundles of fabric....
and...sheets of delish felt.....!

The box of goodies is all packaged up and ready to go! My sweet neighbor friend has happily agreed to ship it out to the winner for me....isn't she sweet??

What do you have to do to qualify?

Answer me these 2 questions...

What have you been obsessing on lately? And, what have you always wanted to ask me? Anything?

I will not be able to choose the winner until I get back home, unpacked and settled in. I will be taking a little bloggy break to get re-acclimated to home.

It will be a big, huge surprise as to when I announce the winner! But, I promise it wont be too long (heheeh *evil laugh*).

Until next time (hello, Wisconsin)......enjoy yourself!

.....oh, and it BETTER be sunny when I get back...

Saturday Inspiration & Project

Hello Lovlies!

I have some sweet eye candy for you!!

If you need some inspiration for a new girly nursery, look no further than HERE!!

Wow, this "Tree Top" room is amazing.....I so wish I had seen this when i was decorating for Lily's room....so CUTE! I love the colors and theme.

.....and you know I am lusting after that sweet owl plushie....

....love, love, love the sweet branches and leaves...great idea!

And, you know how I loooove seeing where my Lemon Tree goodies go?

Well, new mommy Kendra put the BLOOM pillows to good use!
Thank you Kendra, for sharing your beautiful nursery with us. You have one lucky little girl.....the nursery you created is beee-utiful and oh so inspiring!

If you have a fun Lemon Tree purchase turned creation that you'd like to share, don't hesitate to contact me....I'd LOVE to see it!

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On another crafty note....remember those paper tags that I dyed...? Need a refresher, go here and see!

Well, here's another fun dye project you can try (warning: wear laytex gloves).

If you love ribbon, you'll LOVE seam binding....especially the vintage variety. It's so so pretty, with the most perfect sheen and texture. This is a fun way to spruce up your seam binding collection (and a fun tie dye project for kids)!

So, here's what you will need to do.....

Gather up some seam binding in white, or a light neutral color:

Cut it up into whatever increments you like...I did a little over 2 yards each cut. Then you wrap each one up into bundles with rubberbands......make sure to do them very, very tight. This is kind of like tye dying a t-shirt!Then, you dip them into dye. I just used plain old food coloring, but you can use coffee, tea, kool-aid, leftover Easter egg dying kits...I made some batches with this method and some I made by dipping sections into multiple different colors.....I left them in the rubberbands for about an hour, and then I unwrapped them and let them hang to dry....and this is how the first batch turned out! I love the color combos.....Now they are ready to embellish!

I hope you're inspired to create something fabulous this weekend!

Enjoy your day!

Holy Cute!

I love surfing the web in search of cuteness. And, with Mother's Day just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to showcase some of my favorite "mama love" things!

So, I have been searching on etsy for some fun Mother's Day gifts.....a perfect place to start!

Isn't this stuff CUTE??

Mom and Me Gnomes by Humble Bea

Colorful Daisy Purse by Bayan Hippo

Sweet little dish by Mud Hutt.....

Mama Card by Cookie Bits

Darling print from rkdsign88

Lemon Tree Kit from Seven Acre Woods

Quilted wall art by Walk the Talk

Cute mug cozy by Knit Storm

What cute things are YOU thinking of for your mama??

Getting Ready to Say Goodbye

With a heavy heart, we are getting ready.......

....to say goodbye to Florida. Boo Hoo!!

Playing

Seeing

Walking

Soaking

Splashing

Relaxing

Loving

Going, going, going We'll be leaving next week and have so much more fun to sneak in...

We loved being here, we loved the weather, the people, the fun.....thank you, Clearwater Beach! We heart you.......and, we'll be back soon!

Goodbye, Florida! XOXO

(I have a special surprise before we leave, so stay tuned!)

Helping Eachother

WARNING: this post is WORDY!! Bear with me!

I had an "A-HA" moment today while Lily and I were enjoying our Jamba Juice (YUM) today......

I have had a few emails in the last couple months from blog readers/etsy sellers/wanna be etsy sellers...asking how to boost sales, start selling, promoting, and just general "how to's". I am oh so flattered that I would be asked, since I do not consider myself some big entrepreneur. I am just a happy mom who loves to create into the wee hours of the night!

I am certainly no expert when it comes to etsy and I do not claim to have the best shop around. I like (LOVE) what I do and enjoy knowing that my handmade goodies are going to good homes and that people are making an effort to buy handmade and support little shops like mine.

I wanted to bring this topic to my blog and ask you, my readers (many of whom are super talented artists, and creative junkies that I admire), what your thoughts and opinions are for having a successful etsy shop. I know that several of my readers have etsy shops and I'd love to share and compile our thoughts/ideas/tips into one post/comment area to help others. I do not see etsy as a competitive marketplace, but rather a place where fabulous, talented gals (and guys) come together to share their love of everything handmade.

So, will you help out?

I will start with a couple of my ideas/tips (these are not written in stone, but just a few things I have learned along the way):

*If you are new to selling or just opening your shop....have enough inventory to list over several days. I would not list everything you have made all in one day. Things tend to get buried quickly (i.e. in the searches) with etsy's new batch loading system. This is especially true of jewelry. I would list a couple items here and there....and build up your shop slowly. But, still have enough items in your shop to keep people interested.

*Do not get discouraged! I opened my shop on February 14th, 2008.....and didn't sell a thing until March 2. For fun, this was the first thing I sold.....a set of Amy Butler paper tags....(and I plan to keep selling them once I get back home to my die cutter, hehehe).*Have fresh new stuff....all.the.time. This is what keeps people coming back...when you keep re-inventing yourself....new paper, new fabric, new material...used in different ways.

*Be good to your "regulars" (offer incentives just for them, like free shipping, coupons, etc). They will keep coming back...trust me!

*Visit the etsy forums ... I have learned A LOT there...and it doesn't hurt to be "seen" once in a while...I have made some friends and some sales from the exposure there.

*Answer ALL your convo's...with a quick turn-around. I try to answer them all within 24 hours....I think people appreciate the attention to promptness. Of course, this isn't always possible, but.....I try my hardest.

*Use all your tags!

*Take advantage all 3 featured items in your shop.....and keep changing them to freshen up your shop. It's like a display window....the first thing people see when they come to your shop.

*Take good pictures! Ugh, I am constantly battling with this one. I try really really hard to make sure my pics are worthy, but it's a struggle. I firmly believe that a good picture is worth a thousand words (and sales!).

*Try advertising.....I tried Craft Cult for a week ($15) and it seemed to pull in some business, if not...at least some traffic and some hearts.

*Package your orders like they are special "gifts". Who doesn't like receiving a prettily packaged item in the mail? It doesn't have to be expensive either.....think recycled materials....vintage tissue paper pattern sheets, newspaper, etc.

*Do not sell yourself short, value your time....I think that if you value your work, your customers will too.

*Be original and unique! There are so, so many awesome sellers on etsy, it's easy to get lost in the pack. I am constantly amazed by the talent I see on etsy....it can be quite intimidating! But, I strive to make sure I am consistently coming up with my own new ideas and designs.

So, there are my lil tips.....not to be taken as the etsy bible! Just a few tidbits I believe are important. I hope they can help someone, anyone!

Now....your turn...tell us your etsy advice!

(or ask your questions here, happy to help)

I Have Good Intentions....

I really, really did have good intentions....

I get on my laptop, ready to post something new....and lately....

--someone pulls on my arm and sits on my legs.

--someone shoves a huge book in my face.

--somone dumps all her toys in my lap.

--someone tries to jab her fingers into the side holes of my laptop.

--someone uses all her strength to slam my laptop shut.

--someone shouts frustration at me.

I think you all know who I am referring to...and she is the reason for the random, not-so-often posts. And, she is worth every second. I simply just can not justify letting her "be", just because there are things I "need" to get done.

(that's what laaaate nights are for!)

So......

We are in the midst of soaking up every ounce of fun we can in Florida before we have to pack it up and leave....boo hoo! That means trips to the beach, long walks, and enjoying the sunny outdoors every single day we can!

Oh! And, we recently had fun visitors here!

They wanted to get out of the snow and cold and play in the sun and sand (and someone likes to taste the sand, too--caught ya, Brooks!).....

Aaah.....life is sweet....
Braving the waves....

"want to share some of this sand?" No thanks. OoOoh La La....we even got a free (unwanted) show....

...and you should have seen my daughter stare. And stare. Aw....just like a married old couple, aren't they?
This was a loooong day!

Thanks for coming to visit us, Casey and Brooks......we had fun! We loved having you here!

* * *

Hubs and I braved Tampa again, too........took the Lilster back to her loves......

TIGERS (and Lions)!

Thanks for the interesting view, Mr. Tiger. ......and BIRDS. She was in heaven!

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I have HUGE, GIGANTIC, FABULOUS surprise for my readers....coming soon! So, stay tuned!

( And, no.....I am not preggers! )

And, stay on the look-out for this sweet summer clutch, coming to Lemon Tree later tonight!

It's sooo SUMMER - YUMMY!

BUT, today is rainy, so it's a library/Barnes and Noble Day! We'll be holed up reading books and drinking cocoa.....hope it's better weather where you are!

Enjoy your day!

Random Sunday

Cute, cute, cute!

If you have young kids and a Michael's in your area, scoot on over there to snatch up this ADORABLE set of unisex alphabet cards.....they are nice and sturdy and about 5 X 7 inches big!

Aren't they so sweet? I love the neutral colors (so sick of bright, primary colors and the pink for girls, blue for boys -- yuck).

....and they have fun facts on the back of each card, I just love that! We bought 2 sets, one to hang on the wall of Lily's playroom (a work in progress) and one to laminate and put onto a steel ring for travel.Still not convinced? Here, have a 50% off and other bonus coupons: CLICK HERE and just print them off! YAY...what a steal!

Thank me later, Mmmk?

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Do you ever wonder what to do with those packing tape rolls when they are empty? I go through quite a few of them and have saved them, thinking I can not throw them out.........so, instead I just started recycling them into picture bracelets for Lily and she LOVES prancing around in it.

This one is "friends, family and tigers" (her fav).

What a fun project for older kids to make their own picture bracelets and a great way to reuse and recycle!

Do you have any other fun toddler recyclable projects to share........we are always on the look-out!

Not to change the topic, but.....I NEVER EVER nap. I have way to much to do to be taking naps....I would almost feel guilty taking a nap....seriously.

Well, yesterday was a different story. I laid on the couch to read some emails...and then next thing I knew, 3 hours had passed! I was O.U.T.

How did this happen?? I guess my body was telling me I needed to catch up on my beauty sleep, hee hee!

Well, I wont be making a habit of it, because I was AWAKE and NOT TIRED at my normal bedtime. Needless to say, I was up until 3:30am.

Sewing.

I guess one cute thing came out of it! A sweet set of colorful fabric placemats.....

I love them! I am thinking of making a few more as wall hangings....the possibilities are endless!

No more cat naps for me though....I just don't feel "right" today!

Hope your Sunday was a good one!