Art Charms

Last weekend I visited a local craft show where I was happy to find a few unique items (An Affair of the Heart for all of you non-Oklahomans; because lets face it, if you are a female living in Oklahoma, you were at the fair grounds this weekend - it was packed!).

I was thrilled to come across an entire booth of soldered art charms. If you have never seen them before, they are basically text/image designs sandwiched between two pieces of glass and soldered with silver.

As you can see, I like my jewelry chunky. I chose to use each of my girls' initials, plus the "blessed mama" charm, but the great thing is that you can have as many or as few charms as you like. Also, I picked some of the largest charms, but there are many smaller options.

This is definitely not going to fit on my jewelry organizer...

Autumn Leah Designs

Before we officially kick off the weekend, I want to highlight my sister's Etsy shop. She is a talented digital designer and has some adorable items for sale.

These next three images are designs that she prints onto round stickers, and are completely customizable - you can change the wording to fit your needs. Imagine how cute these would be as envelope sealers for Christmas or birthday cards! 

She has a unique selection of frame-able art as well. I think that this cherry print would look great in a kitchen.

Be sure to check out her online store, and remember that everything that she makes can be personalized and she will even work with you on custom art. 

Have a great weekend!

Worth the trip

Do you know how to make a 27 year-old mother feel like she's 77? 

Take her into Forever 21. 

Unfortunately, despite the store's name, it does not invoke feelings of being eternally 21. Mounds of flowy tops and short skirts attract giggling groups of blonde teeny boppers; as they slide past her stroller, she is reminded of her very uncool status.  

But that's ok - Forever 21 isn't really her style anyway. What? I'm not bitter.

That is not to say that nothing can be found for an almost 28 year-old preppy mom. For less than $7 total, I was able to procure this adorable headband and rose barrette set. 

At least now my head can be "forever 21."

The weather is cool and grey (72 degrees as a high! In Oklahoma! In August!). So, my plan for today is to lounge at home and begin cutting my beloved Heather Bailey fabric for a quilt to be used in my daughter's room.

If that doesn't make me feel like a hot young thing, I don't know what will.

Horse obsession - On a budget

My daughter has been going through the obligatory phase that it seems every little girl cycles through: horse obsession. 

With all of the products that are currently vying for her attention, many of which we will never allow her to own, horses are something that I am willing to indulge her in a little bit (as long as its not these horses).

So, when the Lands End Kids catalog arrived in the mail the other day, and she flipped through and saw these: 

I wanted to be able to get them for her; even if there were other options that better suited my taste, it felt good to approve of something that she loved (as opposed to a High School Musical shirt with Zac Efron splashed across the front - she's 5!). 

While the skirts were more expensive than I would typically pay, I had decided that we would probably buy one outfit as part of her back to school wardrobe. 

Imagine my excitement when browsing Hancock fabric the other day, and I came across their new fall arrivals: chocolate brown corduroy with horses! 

For 1/4 of the price of the Lands End skirt, I was able to get more than enough fabric to make her one myself. She is thrilled, and I am excited to get started sewing again!   

Last chance giveaway!

All of this talk of fruity desserts has made me hungry! Lots of people mentioned strawberries, which are a staple in our house during the summer. Did you know that strawberries aren't a fruit or a berry? They are actually the enlarged receptacle of the flower. I learned that on the Food Network last night, and figured I had better pass along the information; we need to work together to clear the misconceptions of the straw"berry" world. 

Have you seen the TJ Maxx commercial where the airline stewardess is holding up a shiny red belt, and instead of informing the passengers of where the emergency exits are, she is describing how great of a deal she got on her latest purchase? I laugh every time that I see it. Well, I have to break from our regularly scheduled giveaway program to let you know of my latest exciting purchase:

Not only are these flip flops worthy of building an entire outfit around (I already did, in case you were wondering), but they also match my headband, AND they were on clearance. Only J. Crew has fabric combos like these! 

Ok, we can proceed now...

The randomly chosen winner of the yellow gingham and polka dot flower is:

Commenter number 15, Mique! 

Congratulations! I will contact you to get your mailing information.

Now, onto our 3rd and final giveaway - the shabby chic flower!

 

All that you need to do to enter this final drawing is tell me about your latest adrenalin pumping purchase; tell me about that item that brought a smile to your face just by thinking about it, either because it was just so cute or it was such a good deal or both! I will randomly choose and announce the winner tomorrow evening!

Good things come to those who wait

Remember this post, where I was lusting over a certain J. Crew headband, but I vowed I would never pay full price?

Well, now I am the proud owner of this adorable headband - except I got it for 70% off. I love sales.

Ikea Isn't Just for the Super Mod Minimalist

This past weekend, on the same trip that took us to Canton, we visited one of my most cherished stores. 

If you haven't been before, plan a trip to the nearest Ikea; and bring the kids. Mine love it.

And how could you not love a place that provides you with shopping for hours on end, and lets you feed your family for under $6? I can hear the scoffing now ("Hot dogs? Really?"). Oh, but they are such delicious hot dogs, even better than my usual favorite hot dog spot: Kwik Trip gas stations in MN. Don't I sound so refined?

While we visited Ikea this past weekend, we heard it announced that the average time most shoppers spend in the store is 3 hours. I was happy to hear it; it made me feel normal.

Even their carts are fun to push!  All four wheels swivel so smoothly, and the girls love to be spun around in circles. I know... I'm gushing over carts (a.k.a. buggies - only my family will get that joke). But seriously, good carts are a necessary element to good shopping with kids. 

Throughout the store the kids can get their energy out at various play-stations. Those swedish marketers are smart. 

I get so excited by their glass jar selection. They have all sorts of shapes and sizes, and every time I go, I end up getting at least one. This time I got one of these frosted ones with a cool sealing lid. You should see what I plan to put in it... Great gift idea! I promise I will show you later.

You shouldn't be surprised that I hung out in their fabric section for a while.

And I picked up a few cool prints. Can you guess what I will make with them? Hint: it won't be curtains.

This final purchase was a necessity. In case you can't tell from the picture, it is a miniature-sized picnic table. Perfect for keeping those kids of mine outside during summer meal times (oh-kay... not every meal, but a lot). I've always been amazed at the messes my kids can produce with food; hopefully this will cut back on that. 

But, once again, I have greater plans for this picnic table; I will be sure to blog about it.

I better get started on all these projects!

Canton

This past weekend, we made the trek out to Canton. If you are unaware of what all "Canton" entails, then you are truly missing out. While it is actually called "First Monday Trade Days," most people simply refer to it by the town it is located in: Canton, TX.

Basically, it is a huge craft/home decor show. We walked for hours, and didn't even begin to see it all. 

I did see a few things I couldn't pass up...

Hey, $8/yard is hard to beat!

This is my version of a candy store; I could look at ribbon all day (although, I could look at candy all day as well). 

I thought a few of these ribbons would make some very preppy belts; and at $1.25 for every 2 yards, they would be even cheaper than my original belt!

There really were lots of other cute things... Just not things that I HAD TO HAVE, like this:

Hmmm... My plan was to document my trip to Canton, but it looks like my camera could only capture ribbon and fabric. I definitely had sewing on my mind.

I had intentions of taking pictures of vendors that I liked, and gathering tons of business cards so that I could give you links to all of their websites. But, alas, I was too busy shopping. The two cards that I did pick up have some great products.

First, is Jillian's Place. The site isn't great yet (the lady said it would be fully up and running in a week or so), but the fabrics are cute and cheap.

And second is Tatermash, which is all oilcloth products. I love her bibs and lunch sacks, and she will embroider names or initials on them. 

I am very excited about my purchases, and am sure to be busy crafting in the coming days. Be sure to stay tuned to see my plans for the loot.