etsy wishlist

so for the first time in 2 years husband and i are exchanging birthday gifts! yay! he got an ipad {more on that later} and i'm enjoying putting together my own wish list. i loved the simplicity of not giving gifts and the thought that went behind that decision, but i have to say that i'm excited to be getting something new this year!

so my first stop? etsy! let me share with you my budding birthday wishlist:

great lakes print

recycled silver ring

"batman" necklace

moccasins!

art print

black quartz necklace

crafty bird

what's on your etsy wishlist? any suggestions for me?? 

{i may be one step away from going wishlist crazy!}

my reading nook

so, i've been wanting a digital reader since they amazon announced they were making the kindle. i really really really wanted one. i may not be the most avid reader ever, but i'm still in the club and this little device definitely appeals to me.

so i splurged with my christmas money and got one.

so far its been, well, awesome!

i wasted no time in renewing our new yorker subscription on my nook {which husband loves to use, too}

and then i got lazy. instead of pulling out my sewing machine, i took the easy way out and bought cozy for it. i figured i would just by the material from etsy anyway, so why not skip a step and buy one? plus, i saw this and immediately described it as "crazy cute".

{i just couldn't resist turning it green, either}

i got it from sakizome and {in my humble opinion} she has the best ebook/ipad cases and the most adorable fabrics. i had trouble narrowing it down. plus, she sent a couple vintage book postcards with my package. how cool is that?

so, i've already got a couple books read and a couple more on my list, but i want to know what you recommend. stumbled across anything good lately??

kicking the knitting habit

today i made my first non-knitting craft project since novemeber! {although i did check out a couple knitting books at the library}

i finally made myself a jewelry organizer. my sister-in-law and i made one for her {tutorial here!}, but i haven't felt the need to make my own until recently. i don't have a ton of jewels- just enough to start getting messy.

my bathroom counter:

cooped-up in the english pub ash-tray that husband's grandpa gave him. things get tangled.

 side note: this is the glass frog votive i've had since sixth grade that holds husband's wedding ring:

my bathroom wall:

 i found a beat-up-price-reduced frame at hobby lobby and painted it green {to match our other bathroom decor} i added the black ribbon to disguise a few major gashes, and hung with grosgrain ribbon. i like it. although the black doesn't exactly fit the color scheme, but i was working with what i have. and i'm really trying not to let the fact that one necklace in particular is just way too long. sister-in-law would never allow this to happen to her...

 and since it's already out, i thought i'd show you one of my favorite christmas gifts: this cutie from my bestie {she has one, too!} 

i wear it most days :)

although husband is always awed {thrilled, impressed, pleased...you get the idea} with all of my many {and messy} projects {he's so supportive}, he really thinks i should add some of these to my shop.  

opinions? i'd love to hear what you think!

brand update

i just took a whole armload of bags over to t.la.re to sell during the holiday season.

if you live in kansas and are in the manhattan area, go take a look! this little store is full of vintage and handmade goods and i promise you won't be dissappointed!

and if you're not a local, you can always check out my etsy!

{faux bois tote}

{country picnic clutch}

{owly tote}

{vintage lace clutch}

here they are!

in all their glory. 

my newest batch of bags all on display at t-la-re.

i've been playing around with a couple new patterns- larger bags with adjustable straps and sides that expand with snaps.
{i'll show you some photos later}

it's kinda fun seeing them all together.

one of my newest bags. i really like the bright colors.

i'm also toying with the idea of making a bag mixing the navy/white flowers and the navy/white houndstooth. i think it could be great, i just haven't perfected it in my head yet.

a little thanks

a few drawings i made for my etsy packages

{speaking of which, i put up some new items. wanna see?}

oh happy day!

i'm so excited to tell you that i made my first etsy sale!

and this is my 100th post!

needless to say, i'm pretty thrilled :)

here is my purchased item, hidden in packaging of shredded pages from my old martha stewart magazines:

my shop is looking kinda shabby right now, but i'll be working like crazy in the next couple weeks to put up some new items.

so go visit it {if you haven't already} and please- tell me what you think!

my little etsy

 {and don't forget to sign up for the valentine's card exchange! sign up closes saturday}

t-la-re

here they are. my bags. in a shop! so. ex.citing.

houndstooth handbag:

a couple wristlets on the shelf

a personal favorite, brown corduroy slouchy bag:

you can see my stuff surrounded by crafts made by other local arisans (jewelry, knits, signs, collages ect.) not to mention all the other cool stuff around:

green sparkles, and stuffed painting of a doe. i wish i had more wall space!

and lots of vintage jewelry goodies:

so if you're in kansas {specifically manhattan} come by and see my stuff and other goodies at t-la-re. you'll also be able to find me at the palace {starting in march}

and if you can't get here, you can always check out my etsy

crafty family

over the holidays one of the things my mom, sisters and i did was make necklaces.

it was awesome!

my mom took us to the store, let us pick out our beads ect. and then we went home and made a huge mess! it was the. best.

i love creating together. and this too:
to protect their identity {and pride} the subject will go unnamed 

unfortunately, i only got fotos of mine:

{and it's not even a great one}

my mom is especially good at making jewelry, and she's put some of her smaller pieces on etsy! and at $25 a piece, they make great hand-crafted and high quality gifts. and did i mention that  

all proceeds go to charity?!?{salvation army world services}

go check it out. she would love it!

you're now looking at a local artist

i've got such good news!
a local vintage shop here in manhattan is going to be selling my bags! wa hoo! excited noises!

i'm ridiculously excited and i've been sewing like a mad woman!
it has seriously become my new full-time job. i'm sewing 9-5 (or more like 10-6) at least for this week and i'm loving it even though hunching over the sewing machine is making my back hurt. (not that i'm complaining!)

anyway, i've got four bags done (since yesterday) but i'm not ready to post any photos yet.
so until then, you can check out my etsy shop
and i've been included in the kansas etsy team treasury- so cool (you can leave comments on this page)
and you can check out t-la-re, the store i'm soon to be featured in :) i wish you could all come visit and celebrate with me and see just how darn awesome this shop is (with or without my stuff in it)

i'm leaving you with my photo booth shoot of me and my favorite hat.
or as it's become, my "thinking" cap

i don't know why i love it so much. i may or may not have slept in it last night, too.

grand opening!

my shop is open!

i'm so excited!

what do you think? thoughts? ideas? dislikes? likes?

i really want to know what everyone thinks.
what is your favorite?
what do you think needs work?

oh, and tell your friends :)

etsy sneek peek!

intrigued? i hope so!

the plan is to have everything up and running by the end of the week.
i only have a handful of items to post, but i think (hope) it's a good start