Studio update - I have a floor!

Ok, well I have a sub-floor, but it's a start right?! So far, the floor has been raised and leveled, and outlets, lighting and electrical wiring has been installed. You should see all the outlets in this tiny little building, I am ecstatic! Hmm... I wonder if that's his plan to make me pay the electric bill...

Here are some new pictures, it's finally starting to look like a building, you know, as opposed to a dirty garden shed that looked like it was ready to fall down. It'll be a while before I get to the fun part, picking out flooring and counter tops, I'm trying to restrain myself from buying too much in the way of decor, but I've already stocked up on picture frames and candle holders - my weaknesses!

In addition to this craziness I am also working my butt off on new wedding plan books. I have been invited to do a bridal show in February, I'm not sure if I will or not, but I'm starting to beef up my inventory for it, at least this means I get to spend time in my very favorite place, the paper aisle at Hobby Lobby!

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend, thank goodness for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I don't think I could make it through a dreary month like January without one little break!

Up and running

Before Christmas I splurged and bought myself an itouch. I swear this thing is incredible, I am still discovering all of the great things that I can do with it and it just so happens that some incredibly smart people, who are obviously better with technology than I am, have created apps that will let me add blog posts and check up on my etsy shop. Hello efficiency! Now I can blog anytime, aren't you all so lucky! Please let me know I'd there are other apps that you swear by, I'd love to hear all about them!

A dream come true...I hope

You may remember, early last summer, I posted some great photos of the shed that I was dying to convert into a studio (if not, you can view that post, and the photos, here). Anyway, by some miracle I was able to convince my boyfriend, ok I had a little help from his mother, that it really would be better as my studio than converted back to the working chicken coop that it had once been.

This doesn't happen very often, the whole me being able to convince him to do something my way, so needless to say, I am ecstatic! Not only am I finally getting a studio, a complete dream come true, I also get to share the who process with all of you!

Today I want to show you a few more photos of the space as it was when Aaron bought the property, just so you can appreciate how much work we have to do.

ok, I lied, I only have one picture of the shed, because at the time, I couldn't imagine why I would want more than one picture of the inside of this thing. The picture is a little dark, so I'll do my best to describe it for you. Originally this building served as a chicken coop, it was then converted into a garden shed, which explains all of the miscellaneous pots. It is dark, and currently missing two of the six windows. There is a racked cement floor, which is not level, and btw, it floods when it rains.

The plan is to raise and refinish the floor, insulate and finish the walls, finish the ceiling, paint and finish the exterior, install new windows and doors, and wire the whole place for electrical, and that's just what has to be done to the structure. After all of that is completed I have free range to work my decorating/organizational magic, and I could not be more excited!

I will certainly post pictures of the whole process, please let me know if you have any tips or tricks, or products that you could not do without. I am looking to make my studio the most organized, efficient workspace that I possibly can and I would love to know what works for you!

New Product Showcase!

As promised, today I am featuring a new product available in my Etsy Shop! Many of my friends and family members received these from me at Christmas time and they were definitely a hit, so I decided to go ahead and try them out in the shop.

Introducing the Obsessively Organized Re-fillable Notepad:

Not only is it adorable, but it is incredibly durable, and re-fillable, and therefore, environmentally friendly. Check out the listings:

Berry Citrus Notepad

Purple Paisley Notepad

Let's get back to business

Since my life has been just a bit stressful and out of control lately, my recent break from work was exactly what I needed. A week and a half gave me just enough time to indulge myself, while still allowing me to appreciate how wonderful a little break can be. I must say that I am very proud of myself, even though I had a great deal of time to relax and spend with friends and family, I also managed to find time to volunteer and create some adorable new items for my Etsy shop.

As tonight is my last evening before I have to get back to the real world I definitely find myself wishing it could last just a little longer, so I thought that this would be the perfect time to share one of my holiday ideas with you.

One of my favorite activities this holiday season was gift wrapping. I know that some do not look forward to this particular activity, but because I do love any kind of paper craft, gift wrapping puts me totally in my element.

Call me crazy, but I love to mix and match paper styles and ribbon, and each year I challenge myself to create a gift tag that doubles as a special keepsake. This year I cut each recipient's first initial from stiffened felt. I used a fine-tip permanent marker to write their whole first name on the letter, and then I punched a hole in the initial and added an eyelet. When it was time to wrap I simply slipped the ribbon right through the eyelet. It was a great time saver!

Another great gift wrap tip: I loved my wrapping paper so much that I decided to use it as the background for my holiday related scrapbook pages. In order to make the paper stiff enough to hold photos and embellishments I simply wrapped a piece of card stock just like I would wrap a gift. Now I get to showcase my favorite holiday photos and have pieces of my beautiful gift wrap to remember forever!

I have a great deal of holiday photos to share with you, keep checking in, as I plan on sharing photos of gifts that I made for others as well as new items that I have recently added to my Etsy shop!

All these great projects...that I can't tell you about

This time of the year is so frustrating for me. I love to make Christmas gifts, and I have to start right now so that I have time to finish them, BUT I can't write anything about them, or talk about them to be sure that the recipient doesn't figure it out.

I don't know if it's harder for me to stop myself from telling others about the projects I'm working on, or to keep them from catching me working on it! So, even though I have not posted a lot recently, trust me, I am super busy, and I have the week after Christmas off, so there will be tons of time for me to update you all on what has been keeping me busy.

Right now I am preparing for Halloween, just like everyone else. Now, I don't craft or decorate for Halloween like some do, I'm not big on skeletons and ghosts, sure we'll carve pumpkins, but I enjoy the day after Halloween the most. My home is decorated in beautiful, rich, autumn colors (we moved in in the fall and I was inspired), so for the entire autumn season I am on the hunt for decorator items in those colors that don't scream "FALL". I love these colors all year round, but I don't particularly want to see pumpkins and scarecrows all year round, so I get to be very creative.

The day after Halloween is my bargain paradise. As soon as Halloween is over all of the autumn items are liquidated to make room for Christmas stuff, that's when I really go on the hunt!

I hope that you all enjoy your Halloween festivities, be safe and check in for updates on my post-Halloween bargains!

Comforting finds for cold and flu season

Cold and flu season has officially arrived, and I have spent the last three days doing anything that I can think of to ease my stuffed up head. Unfortunately I will spend a lot of time sniffling this winter, but fortunately I understand that sometimes my body just needs to rest. So that is what I'm doing tonight, just resting.

Luckily I can take time to rest, and sitting around catching up on my favorite blogs is the perfect relaxation technique. There are a few other essentials that I need when I feel like this, so I thought it would be great to feature some Etsy artists who create just what I love to have around me to make me as comfortable and relaxed as possible.

The first necessity is tissues, and a lot of them. Many tissue companies offer some really cute box designs, but if you are looking for something to match your decor, and make that necessary tissue box seem like it really belongs in the room, check out Fondue. This gorgeous (and completely un-tacky) tissue box cover can be found in their Etsy shop.

Another absolute necessity is a great coffee mug. Whether you like coffee, tea, or my favorite, spiced apple cider, a warm drink makes a sore throat feel better every time. The bigger the mug, the better. Here some sophisticated handcrafted mugs from JustWork.

Nothing beats a great blanket for curling up on the couch with my coffee, tissues, and General Hospital. I have a couple of criteria for what constitutes a great blanket. First, it has to be fleece, because fleece is always fuzzy and warm, it doesn't take on the chill in the air. Secondly, a great blanket has to be extra large in size, so that all of me, from my neck to my toes, can fit underneath the blanket. Here is a super cute blanket from katesblankets.

These three things may not actually make me feel better, but they do make me more comfortable. Now I'm off for some good old fashion R&R, let me know what you need when you're sick and I'll post it for everyone!