merry thriftmas: glitter animals

I know Christmas is seriously right around the corner, but I love this tutorial by Colleen from Paisley Boulevard so much that I had to share.  This is a perfect project to do with kids, friends.. etc.  It would be so fun to make these for any time of year, since little toy animals and glitter are appropriate all year long.  Obviously.

I thrift a LOT, because I find that sometimes there are more charms in the things that people toss than a dollar clearance at Target. I saw this bag of animals on the toy shelf the other day and they almost jumped into my arms. There are SO many things you can do with plastic toys, and toy animals are the mother load. I knew for $3.00 I could make this bag look like a lot more.

 

I took all of these plastic animal toys and spray painted them a pretty metallic rose gold color. (2 coats to make sure I could flip them a bit.) Once they dried, I used a hot needle to poke through the plastic backs and inserted eyelets that I had on hand for jewelry making. After that I just hand-painted Mod Podge where I wanted to and coated them in champagne colored glitter. A pretty silver cord made super simple tree ornaments that you'd never imagine where a discarded toy!

   

If you don't have the eyelets, you can easily coat your critters and display them on a shelf. My little guys are hanging on the tree and a few will also be accenting gift tags on the gifts that we give this season! Thanks so much for having me Heather! Merry Christmas everyone. xo, Colleen blog/twitter/fb

simple things

The last few months of the year are always the ones we spend with family, stay super busy or really crave relaxation.  With everything we have been thankful for lately I asked some friends 'what is your simple thing'?

Catch up with some of these beautiful ladies at their own shops & blogs:

Casey Leigh

Paisley Boulevard

5oh Wifey

Rustic Living

August Wrinkle

Angela & Roi

Milk & Honey

Beautiful Blendings

What is your Simple Thing?

knitting a happy heart

Today I want you to meet my friend Kirtley.  Cute name right?  She is the hands and heart behind Snowdrift Designs and I've been crushing on her knit creations for a while now.  I'm absolutely in love with her granny sqaure tree skirt -which sadly is sold out- but I wanted to share her story and a generous discount to her shop.

When you support handmade you are supporting a person, their family, their dreams and passions.. shouldn't you know who that person is?

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started?

Hi all, I'm Kirtley the creator behind Snowdrift Designs. I'm a wife to a soldier & first time mom. I started knitting and crocheting when I was 5. I really started working at it a few years ago when my daughter was born and we were living in Louisiana  We were going to be visiting family in Indiana for Christmas & I couldn't find a hat for her at 3 months so I decided to pick up crocheting again and make her one. In October I decided to take the plunge and start selling things. 

Where do you find the time to create?

This is a tough one for me. I am also a full time student on top of everything. When my husband is deployed I create late at night & during nap time. When he is home it gives me more freedom to sit down and really create & focus on new things in my head.

What inspires your creations and do you have new items that you want to introduce to your shop?

Most people say it but everything inspires me. I love hanging outside or going to a store and looking at color combinations, patterns, & textures.I just started selling Christmas tree skirts which I am in love with! It's so unique and my favorite thing I've ever made. 

Since you create with color what is your favorite color or a color you havent tried, but want to?
I love all colors. I like putting together different colors & seeing how they come together in the most unexpected way. Right now my favorite color is red but give me a week and it has probably changed. 



To see the granny square tree skirt that I mentioned above, check out how Casey used it for her family tree this holiday season! Visit SnowDrift Designs and use code 'save40' to take 40%!!!! off your entire purchase, stock is limited because after the holidays all that inventory will be gone as she brings in new products!

SnowDrift Designs:  blog - shop - facebook - twitter

Bye Bye Beehive!

Hey there! My name is Annelise, and I have a saucy little blog (aptly named) Aunie Sauce. I tend to have a very open heart, and write often about my personal style, relationship (getting married December 1!), and what moves me. Oh, also—I like hair.

Obviously. In fact, in addition to Aunie Sauce, I also have a hairstyle blog called Bye Bye Beehive. See, a little over a year ago, I told myself it would be a great idea to go 365-days without hairspraying, teasing, dyeing or frying my hair.

At the time, I was so convinced that I was the coolest person ever for putting myself to the test with this challenge. Last Thursday, October 11, 2012, I finished that challenge. Now, it's actually official—I'm still not the coolest person ever—but I did go an entire year without "doing" my hair. Yep. You heard it right. 365-days without any highlighting, cutting, teasing, hairspraying, blow drying, straightening, curling... any of it. It was a year of new hair adventures, big hair experiment fails, and a year where I learned a lot about myself... and how hair really isn't important at all.

 See, growing up, I was a cheerleader. A typical cheerleader. Blonde, bubbly, super-preppy, and a big-hair fanatic. Big, bouffant, southern belle, "Utah Poof" style hair (sorry, Bonnie... in Idaho, we call it the Utah Poof... and let me say I am a big fan). I used to die if I had a bad hair day. I was constantly cutting it, highlighting it, making it as big as it would go. Needless to say, it was a damaged mess. So last year, that's when I decided to forego all the damaging tactics and just let it go—au natural baby. And now, I'm proud to say I did it. Along the way, I got called a hippy, innovative, crazy, gutsy, brave, and even occasionally inspiring. But—I did it. And I gained: confidence, a gazillion new hairstyles, and a ton of inches on my hair.

So, now that I've told you all about my year-long adventure (and a blog that I use only occasionally), go check it out. And should you feel so inclined, maybe start a Beehive journey of your own. OH—and then please be sure to go visit my real blog, you know, the one that I'm actually present at 5-days a week. Also, I feel bad. I know I introduced myself, but all you've really seen is the back of my head. So HELLO: this is me. Come say hi.

I want to offer one of you a medium as space on my blog

So leave a comment below and tell me: 

Would you be able to not do your hair for a year and why?  

Get an extra entry if you start following my blog, my facebook, 

or by tweeting about it with this link: http://bit.ly/SwWJ5l

this giveaway is not sponsored by facebook

you can gain an extra entry by liking a page

but it is not mandatory

fall forward

This morning when I woke up- I could hear the squirrels on my roof chasing each other, a bit of sunshine breaking through the trees -lightly shining in my eyes- and a crisp air coming through the window.  Any visions of this sounding like the start to some Disney Movie were quickly crushed as Arthur stretched out, snored and scratched my arm with his massive paws.  However, I think it might be fall.

{source}

A couple weeks ago I messaged a few of my sponsors to ask what they are looking forward to as fall approaches and today seemed like the perfect day to share that with you.

SEW CAROLINE:  BLOG  SHOP  FACEBOOK

use the code LOVELY15 for 15% off your purchase in my shop!

THE BLUE EYED OWL:  BLOG  SHOP  PINTEREST 

THE PERFECT PEAR: BLOG  BLOG DESIGN  SHOP

JESSICA WHO: BLOG  FACEBOOK  TWITTER

Discount: 25% off all blog ad spaces with code LOVELY 

What about you? What are you looking forward to?

knotieties

how did you start your business? i really fell into this little business. i was looking for a great solution for my crazy locks, something that would allow me to keep my hair tied back a lot....and do it without damaging my hair. i got tons of sample materials, tested a lot of options and ways to make them, and low and behold knotieties™ were born! i made WAY to many for little 'ol me, so i sent out a facebook shout to see if some friends wanted to buy some off me & the response was overwhelming. ever since we have been growing and evolving & it's tons of fun.

do you have any other jobs you do on the side besides this one? i have had my own photography business {jenniferJphoto} for about 7 years now & i absolutely love it. what is fun now in addition to my clients, i get to enjoy product photography with knotieties™ ...be creative & really portray the look and feel of the knotieties™ brand through the product photos.

what do you love about being an independent business owner/what is the hardest thing? flexibility for sure! 9years of marriage and 2 little boys requires a lot of personal attention....being an independent business owners allows me to give that. i do as much work as i can when everyone is sleeping...either late night or nap time. another great thing about it is being able to create what i want, pursue new ideas and styles without having to consult a boss. the hardest part for me know is doing all the crazy paperwork that goes with running your own business....but the joy i have with this little venture far surpasses any pesky paperwork.

Jen is a wife and mom of 2 crazy active boys.  When she is not knotie-tieing she is working with photography clients, volunteering at her kids school & trying to sneak time in with friends.  A good diet soda with caffeine keeps her gong on late nights making orders, but she wouldn't change a thing.

KNOTIETIES: shop . facebook . twitter 

THE SWEEPSTAKES IS NOW CLOSED

*Sweepstakes Details- contest runs 10/01-10/08, winner will be chosen at random, winner chooses two items from outfit additions (in the event items are unavailable a gift card for that items value will be issued).  if purchase is made by winner items will be refunded, if more then two items are purchased then two highest will be refunded.  if winner chosen does not have a gfc profile with a valid email address and a way to contact is not left then another winner will be chosen.  winner will be contacted via email. Open to US, Canada & UK residents only.  Age 18 and older.  Winner will be announced publicly and notified via email as per FTC guidelines.  The fulfillment of this sweepstakes is provided by Knotieties and sponsored by Heather Smith of JustLovelyThings, LLC.

lets meet someone new

I love discovering new places to shop or blogs to read, so I'm sure the feeling is mutual.  I would love if you visited the ones here, left a comment below with your own place or a new favorite that you would love for me to see! Here are a few I would love to share with you today, they are some of my rad sponsors! xo

Paisley Blvd // Jenny Holiday // Neon & Nude

Lovely Little Things // A Snapshot Life // 20 Going on 80

Brighter Sides // Living Dink // Shannon Hearts

The Life Of A Not So Ordinary Wife // Fawn & Flora // Doctors Wives Living

In the Studio: Rustik Chic

I'm so excited to share with you a lovely space today.  Say hi and completely fall in love with the studio that Krista from Rustik Chic has created.

Hi, I'm Krista:) My shop is an eclectic mix of vintage belts, buttons, jewelry, ribbon, and lace, upcycled into one of kind cuffs and accessories. Each piece is handmade and adorned with {handpicked} vintage items to create you a truly unique piece of vintage charm. I love combining the rustic, old, worn  leather with the chic, feminine pretties...I LOVE the contrast and I hope you all do too! I imagine each vintage item has a story to tell...

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED WITH YOUR BUSINESS?

I have always had a love of old and vintage items.  Late last summer one of my favorite vintage belts broke.  I was so sad because I loved it's soft worn leather and patina.  Since I have a hard time throwing anything away I knew I had to upcycle it into something new!  After creating a mirror wall piece for my home with most of it, I used the rest of the belt to make me a cuff.  I finished it off with some pretty ribbon and instantly fell in love with the contrast of the worn leather and the feminine pretties. My new creative outlet was born!  I just kept obsessively making them & making them until the only logical thing to do was to open a new shop!  ;)

WHAT TYPES OF THINGS INSPIRE YOU IN YOUR DESIGNS?

I have always been inspired by what I see around me...looking at things in a different way and imagining how I would tweak something  to bring out the hidden beauty. I am inspired by possibilities. 

Shopping antique stores and shows to find vintage lace and jewelry to play with inspires and motivates me to create. I am constantly thinking of new ideas for my cuffs...It's hard to turn my brain off.  The inspiration part comes easy for me, it's the finishing up one idea before I jump to the next that I am working on.

HOW DO YOU FIND BALANCE IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL & PERSONAL LIFE?

This is definitely a work in progress for me!  I am still figuring it out as my business grows.  I think time management is the key and this does not come easy for me. I do find that if I take care of my family and home first, then I feel more at peace while creating and ideas and inspiration come easier to me...which makes my work time more productive and my family happier.  Some days though, I have to just let it all go and escape to my craft studio.  It's my therapy.

As a thank you for taking a studio tour with me I would love to offer up 20% Discount at RustikChic for JustLove.ly Readers enter code JUSTLOVELY20 at checkout

shop // twitter // facebook // blog

*Do you have an amazing work space that you would like to share? email blog@justlove.ly 

Blog Wonderful

Notice something new?  Thanks to my friend/designer Dana I got a little makeover that completely reflects the style I'm going for right now with my brand- which I will be showing you soon when the shop re-opens.  I can't forget to thank Lauren since she provided that floral image up there and she will join me soon as a contributor with some blogging tips.

Today I want you to say Hi to Dana, a blogger/designer/artist/wannabe Wonder Woman from somewhere in the woods in Canada. She creates blog designs and websites daily, and runs this little shop with me from her home studio!

You can find her on a daily basis making something amazing from a blog post, handmade pretties, beautiful art, dreamy design work and of course her newest venture Blog Wonderful.  The talent this chick has in her pinky finger is something I'm constantly envious of and I'm so happy to call her a friend.  Today I wanted to ask her a few questions about her business and she graciously is offering up a copy of her ebook for one of you!

- what inspired you to create an ebook for bloggers?

When I started blogging just over a year ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I like to tackle everything I do head on and teach myself how to grow through the process. I received a lot of emails from readers asking how I made my blog grow so quickly after just a couple of months, so I decided that I would document the steps I took to get here, in hopes of helping others who are traveling down the same path.

- you have gained great success in just a years time, whats one thing you see other bloggers doing that could be potentially harming their readership growth?

The first thing that pops into my head is when I see that bloggers don’t take the time to proofread their posts or care about formatting them properly. It may seem like a miniscule thing, but it is actually super important that your blog be read properly so that your visitors can have an enjoyable experience.

- whats a few things you know now about blogger that you wish you knew when you launched?

That you don’t have to try to be like everyone else. I came into this world thinking “wow this person’s blog is so huge, I could totally do the same thing and get the same attention”. Wrong. Being yourself is the key to having a successful blog. People don’t read blogs because they are all the same... they read them for the individuality. You don’t have to convert your wardrobe into a scene from the 50’s or go thrifting every day to fit in.

- who are a few of your favorite bloggers that have amazing layouts?

Ummm that’s really hard because I am so critical of layouts haha. I really like the feel of Laura’s (http://violetbellasworld.blogspot.ca/), and Danniès  http://www.ohhellofriendblog.com 

- do you plan any updates for this ebook? or have plans for any future ebooks?

I am planning a design ebook J

- recently you made the transition to work on the design side of business full time- what types of things do you look for to stay creative and up to date with new ideas and designs?

Browsing the web, looking at some work of some of my favourite artists, magazines, etc. Design styles change all the time so you have to stay on top of things. Everyone is really into that watercolour look right now too. I usually start to see trends when clients start asking me for the same types of designs. Clients also inspire me and get my creative juices flowing! They mention what they like and what they have in mind for their project, and sometimes it`s something I had never even thought of before, which is awesome.

To learn more about BlogWonderful check out this introduction and these amazing reviews from those that have used & loved it. If you interested in swoopping up a copy of blog wonderful, Dana is offering up an exclusive JustLove.ly reader discount: Head over here and use code: JUSTLOVELY to save 20% through 08/14.

the sweepstakes are closed

*Sweepstakes Details- contest runs 08/03-08/13, winner will be chosen at random, winner chooses two items from outfit additions (in the event items are unavailable a gift card for that items value will be issued).  if purchase is made by winner items will be refunded, if more then two items are purchased then two highest will be refunded.  if winner chosen does not have a gfc profile with a valid email address and a way to contact is not left then another winner will be chosen.  winner will be contacted via email. Open to US, Canada & UK residents only.  Age 18 and older.  Winner will be announced publicly and notified via email as per FTC guidelines.  The fulfillment of this sweepstakes is provided by Wonder Forest and sponsored by Heather Smith of JustLovelyThings, LLC.

..so return to the gold lawn

Last year when I was still doing photography I worked on a wedding with a local photographer here Nakesha Morgan and learned that she had a sister who was a musician.  I found her online and immediately loved her Far Field ep and had always just followed along to her updates.  When I launched Love❤Club, one of my goals was to collaborate and support artists of all types and luckily Sharaya was on board when I asked if she could contribute to our boxes.  Without hesitation she drove to my house and dropped off 150 cd's.  To say she is generous is just the tip of the iceberg.

Sharaya Mikael quit her day job less than a year ago, but the folk-pop, song/songwriter and guitarist has already created a buzz with her freewheeling approach to her career. Her 5- song EP, Far Field was independently released in 2010, and was featured on Portland’s KINK.FM as well as popular blog, Welcome Hohmes “Best of 2010” list. 

It sold over 2,000 copies, most of them at gigs on a marathon 50-state promotional tour. “The road trip was more of an experiment to see if I could survive on the road and still love it… after six months straight, I couldn’t imagine my life any other way” she says reminiscing on the not so distant past. 

In 2011 she made the move to Nashville TN, where she released her Rush EP and continues to tour incessantly, maintaining strong followings in Portland, OR and Atlanta, GA. Her songs have most recently been featured on  the WB’s new 90210 mini-drama and can be viewed via Netflix. 

Her clean voice & catchy melodies paired with intelligent lyrics & tranquil instrumentation make for tunes that you won’t mind having stuck in your head, as they surely will be upon a first listen.

To stay up to date on her summer tour make sure you follow along: facebook- twitter- web 

Today I have 2 sets of each of her ep's that are up for grabs for you!

a Rafflecopter giveaway