Funny Story

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Sunshine

So, I’m pretty much the worst blogger ever! Let me be honest here…writing and committing are not my strong suits.

I was working on my Etsy store tonight and realized I had a lot of outdated info on my website here…when it also dawned on me that I had no idea what my password even is to log in. Now that’s bad. That tells you how long it’s been since I’ve been on here.

Long story short, I need to get my butt in gear and keep up better. I don’t know that you will see many blog posts from me in the future. I really feel that blogging just isn’t my thing. If I have something I really want to share, I’ll post it, but otherwise I plan on being pretty scarce on the ol’ blog. Maybe that will change someday.

I have posted a lot of new products on my Etsy store, so please check it out! And I am still working on opening another Etsy shop featuring products that me and my daughter make together, called Finding Sunshine. Not giving you a date, well, because I like to procrastinate like no other friends! My daughter loves creating things, like her mother, and so I want to get her involved. I think it will be a great learning experience.

Well, that’s all for now. I’m always around (just not on this blog, lol), so shoot me an email, convo, text, etc and I will get back to you promptly! Nighty night…

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Meaningful Monday – Display Kid’s Art

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Sunshine

 Meaningful Monday is all about sharing ideas on how to fill your home with meaningful items. I am working to create a meaningful home full of heirlooms, treasures and art that will have a sentimental value to my family.

I have always been on the lookout for a way to display my kid’s artwork that l can incorporate into a room. I saw this idea several times on Pinterest and thought I’d give it a try. I’m the mom that doesn’t like random coloring book pages hanging around the house, so I sneak them in the trash after a couple days, when they aren’t looking.

They always call me out on it! And then I feel bad, but at the same time…I can’t save every darn thing they make. This has totally solved that. The rule is they can change out anything they want to hang, but something has to come down.

I basically just tacked up 2 equal lengths of twine rope and hung everything with clothes pins.

 

Then I used the Silhouette Cameo to cut out the quote from Pablo Picaso, “Every child is an artist.” in removable wall vinyl.

 

I love it and so do the kids! I want to start framing some of their nicer artwork also. How do you solve this dilemma?

 

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Meaningful Monday – Down on the Farm

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Sunshine

Meaningful Monday is all about sharing ideas on how to fill your home with meaningful items. I am working to create a meaningful home full of heirlooms, treasures and art that will have a sentimental value to my family.

Today I am going to show you how I helped create a meaningful piece of art for my auntie! She had seen a certain quote at the doctor’s office that she fell in love with. She wanted to have it in her house with a farm or serene scene in the background.

I suggested that we take pictures of their grandkids on their farm. What a perfect way to turn this into a meaningful treasure! She also requested to add my kids into the mix. On Mother’s Day she planned a family get together and I took some fun pictures of the kids on the farm.

She couldn’t decide on a certain picture, so I used Photoshop to create a collage with the quote on the bottom. Then I framed and matted it to match her kitchen. She needed to fill a pretty big space, so she opted to have it done in a 24×36″ size.

Here’s the finished product! It really is stunning in person and I wish I had one for myself! 

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A Few of My Favorite Things…Lately

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Sunshine

I just wanted to share with you some fabulous handmade items I’ve purchased in the last few months!

Sand and Starfish makes these adorable dresden clutches and much more! This is a photo directly from Stephanie’s website (I didn’t take the greatest photo of mine). The one I have is very similar and has orange hues. I adore it!  I use it as my makeup bag. Show her some love!! She’s also one of the sweet gals I met at Creative Estates!

Getting married anytime soon? This is where you get the perfect flower girl dress. No joke. Stephanie at Nastershum’s dresses are stunning. See my little flower girl on the bottom right? This picture does not do this dress justice, but it’s all I’ve got for the moment. I was too lazy to take good pictures! Trust me, you won’t regret working with her. And she got it to me so quickly! I am going to keep this dress forever!

And last but not least, Angelique, Ink has made some custom calligraphy for me. I am in love with her amazing talents! This is the logo she made for me for my new venture coming late summer or early fall.

And she did the calligraphy for the last name in this print I made for a friend as a wedding gift.

I also plan on having her do some more custom calligraphy for some prints I want to do in my bedroom. That will be a Meaningful Monday post in a few months to come!

Where have you been shopping lately? Share an amazing handmade shop with me, will ya?!

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Meaningful Monday – DIY Kids Banners

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Sunshine

How was your weekend? We had the county fair in town, so we spent a lot of time hanging out there.

This weeks Meaningful Monday post is all about kids! I wanted the kids to make some banners to decorate their rooms with. I plan on keeping these for them to have when they get older and maybe someday they’ll be hanging in my grandkids rooms!  Meaningful Monday is all about making things for your home that have meaning and a sentimental value.

Here’s what you need:
- fabric
- paint
- paint sponges
- stencils
- rope or twine
- hot glue gun or sewing machine

Step one – Cut fabric into rectangles. Whatever size you want! I used 5×7″ rectangles made out of drop cloth fabric. I used drop cloth fabric because it’s a neutral color, I had some laying around and if you tear it, it tears in a straight line. I hate cutting fabric, so being able to measure and tear without cutting, is right up my alley! And I love the look of the frayed ends!

Step two – Make stencils. I made my stencils with my Silhouette Cameo and cardstock. If you don’t have a diecutting machine, you can purchase stencils to use.

Step three – Get everything set up before getting your kids involved. I put a canvas drop cloth over my table. Get out paint sponges (I used some I found around the house and cut them up). I set out a stack of fabric rectangles for each kid with the stencils and paint.

Step four – Put some paint shirts on your kids and get them at the table! I just showed them what to do and then let them go at it. I helped them as they needed it. The thing that they needed help with mostly was holding the stencils in place while they painted.  And I let them do some with their handprints.

Step five – Once they are done painting and everything is dry, you need to put their banners on the rope or twine. Again, I just used some twine that I had around the house. I hot glued the fabric on, but wished I would have sewed them. The problem with the hot glue gun is that you have to make sure the rope doesn’t get twisted when you glue the fabric on. You can do whatever works best for you!

Step six – Hang them up! Your kids will be so proud and they’ve created some meaningful art!


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Did You Hear The News?

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Sunshine

I’m so ecstatic to announce that my Etsy store has officially been launched. I’m adding tons of new designs and pushing the boundaries on Letter Art Design (lol, yes…I just said that!) All kidding aside, go check it out friends! Here are some of my favorite listings!

Create with Peacock Feathers – Framed & Matted and READY TO SHIP!

Custom Letter Art Print (this would be on a sheet of photo paper that you would frame)

Custom First Names Print with Funny Quote

You Are My Sunshine Wall Grouping Letter Art Quote – All Framed and Matted

 

Posted in Etsy store, letter art design, letter art photography, super awesomeness, Taylored Prints | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Traveling Quilt

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Sunshine

Hey friends! It’s been a while…like almost 4 months while. I haven’t felt like blogging much lately, and to be honest, I’ve been crazy busy and have pondered if I should even keep my blog.

I’m gonna stick with it and get a series kicked off called “Meaningful Monday” where I show you how to make crafts for your home that are meaningful or give you meaningul ideas. Maybe I’m the only one that feels this way, but I’m tired of buying the generic stuff to hang on my walls that everyone has. I want to fill my home with things that have sentimenal value. Then maybe I won’t feel like switching everything out every year! This post is going to start as my first Meaningful Monday post!

Back in March I went to Creative Estates in Arizona with a bunch of lovely ladies! A bunch of us (not all, unfortunately) made some fabric squares with our logos or whatever we wanted and I finally (cue singing choir…alleluia!!) finished it!

Now let me add my disclaimer: I did a crappy job. I was watching a movie and wasn’t paying attention and sewed the layers together wrong twice. Ugh! Needless to say, I got a little impatient the third time around and didn’t get it all pulled together tightly. I should take it all apart and resew it, but it’s just not gonna happen. No way. Leilani will kill me if this thing doesn’t arrive on her doorstep this week! ;)

Here’s a list of all the sweet ladies with a square on this quilt.

Leilani of Soleil Selene
Kashoan of Krafty Kash
Mandy of Debonair Bandit
Elisabeth of Imma Walking Fashion Crime
Nichelle of Vintage Wanna Bee
Heather of Kustom Kissers
Jamie of Candid365
Renee of Renee’s Soirees
Shealynn of SheyB
Elise of Elise’s Pieces
Nicole of The Hanger House
Ashley Hart
Leah of Leah Ferguson Photography
Venice Allen
Tricia of Mama Marchand’s Nest

Basically we are going to ship this around the country to each other and all blog about it! Can’t wait to see this quilt travel the country (if only I could go with it!) and come back to me!

Once I get it back, it’s going to find a home in my craft room! It will always be cherished and remind me of the great memories and friends I made! Then maybe I’ll ship it off to visit everyone every few years!

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The Grand Canyon

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Sunshine

Warning! This post is going to be major pic heavy! Just wanted to share with you the magnificence of the Grand Canyon! It was so gorgeous…words can not describe it! And I got to share the experience with some great ladies! Here are some of the photos I took!

And a special thank you to Venice for driving us around :)

 

 

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Creative Estates

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Sunshine

You may or may not know that I drove to Arizona last week to a crafting retreat, Creative Estates. It was started by Shealynn Benner and it was a blast meeting her in person!

Now, in case you’re wondering, Flagstaff, AZ is 17 hours and 43 minutes from good ol’ Auburn, NE. I drove for a couple reasons – it was cheaper than flying, I wanted to see that part of the country and I needed room to pack my craft supplies!

I am such a shy person, that merely minutes after walking in, I almost started crying and turned around and came home. Thank God I didn’t! Once I realized that almost everyone there felt the same way I did and that none of us really knew each other, I started to feel better! I was completely out of my comfort zone.

Group picture! Theme was Party Like a Rockstar

Thursday night we all mingled and got to know one another. Some of us had a few drinks out by the bonfire, which was a blast! On Friday, I made some really great friends and we headed to the Grand Canyon. On Saturday, I did a lot of crafting and decided to make a traveling quilt with my new friends {more on that in a later post…like when it’s finished}. And Sunday, I left bright and early so I could make it home late that night.

These are my girls!! Kashoan, Leilani, Venice and me
Group photo at the Grand Canyon!

 From left to right – Venice, Mandy, Kashoan, Leilani, Me, Sara, Katie

Not sure who that guy is, but he must be crazy!

We had some crafting classes taught by Ashley from The Shine Project, Shey herself, Ilene from Much Love Illy and Ashley from Little Miss Momma. They were all wonderful and sweet and inspirational!

Now, I must admit…I was horrible at taking pictures this whole trip. I didn’t even craft that much. I just felt like relaxing the whole time and enjoying my time off from work and being a mom. So, most of my pictures are stolen from my newly found friends! Thanks ladies :)

On top of all that, we received amazing swag bags upon arriving. Here are the contents. Thank you, thank you to all the people who donated to them!! I love each and every thing in there. Please check out these shops and show them all some love.


1 – cowl by Snowdrift Designs 2 – cards by Paper Clouds 3 – cute paperclips by Sugar and Dots 4 – rosette earrings by Along for the Ride 5 – glitter earrings by Acute Designs 6 – camera magnet by Three Bees Creations 7 – hairbow by Artsy Anthropology 8 – flower headband/sash by Lonestar Lovelies 9 – flower clip by Love Stitched 10 – hair clip by The Sweetest Petunia 11 – cup cozy by Bellina Originals 12 – necklace by The Vintage Pearl 13 – flower pin by Much Love, Illy 14 – keychain by Candid Grace 15 – art print by Livy Love Designs 16 – rosette necklace by Vintage Wanna Bee 17 – craft twine from The Twinery 

And the best part…I won 4 giveaways while I was there!!! Does that even seem fair? No, but I never win anything, so I will take it! Here’s what I won:


This picture does not do this justice. I kinda had it all torn apart, but this is a lip balm set by Heather at Kustom Kissers. You get to decorate your own lip balm or she creates kustom lip balm for you!


I also won this adorable necklace made by Kashoan of KraftyKash! She is super sweet and from Nebraska, just like me!


I’m very excited about winning this twine from The Twinery! Not sure what I’m going to use it for yet, but I love it!


Yes, you saw that right…I won a Silhouette freaking Cameo! It also came with a vinyl starter pack. I have a feeling my Cricut Expression will be up for sale soon. I hear the Cameo is much better, but I’m going to test it out first. And then I will do a post on my comparison.

Thank you to everyone for the donations to swag bags and giveaways! And thank you Shey for creating this event. Despite the drama, I had a great time and met some wonderful ladies! I can’t wait to meet up with some of them again!

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Prepare to be Inspired!

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Sunshine
I’m so excited to be one of the bloggers to launch Pass It Forward, created by Ashley at The Shine Project. That girl is truly inspiring! Here’s what it entails, in her words:
 
Pass It Forward was designed to get people to do little things, everyday, that make an impact on the community around them. It is designed around a card that is given a unique ID number that is used to Pass It Forward. Let’s say we’re at McDonalds, and I decide to pay for the person behind me in the drive through. I’d give the cashier the card, and tell them to pass it along to the next car when they give them their food that has been paid for. I then go home and log into the website that was on the card, and find my unique ID number. I log into it, and add my information – my first name, city and a description of what I did.
 

 

Let’s say the person behind me was you. You would pass it forward to someone else, and then would go home and do the same thing. From the very beginning, you will be able to track where your card goes, and how many people you affect just by doing one simple act of kindness.
This is what the back of the card looks like!

Here’s what Ashley said to us bloggers – “I AM SO EXCITED. This project has the potential of working small miracles in the lives of those we pass, and we will then be able to see how far one simple act can go. I want to spread the shine community into something that is in every city, so that we can get projects done and change more lives…”

This is a link to her blog post explaining this movement in more detail!

How amazing is she?! Over the course of the next week, I will receive my card and will Pass It Forward! I cannot wait! I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet, but I will do a post about it next week and link up to Ashley’s blog. Please, please go to her website and find out how you can get a card, so you can start to Pass It Forward. Does anyone have any creative ideas to Pass It Forward for me? Are you going to join this effort? What would you do to Pass It Forward?



 

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