Tutorial Tuesday: Earwire Tutorial by vickiorion

This tutorial by vickiorion makes DIY earwires so simple you'll just have to try it out sometime!
To view the full tutorial please click here!




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I hope you have fun creating your own earwires!
♥
Connie

Email Finds: CherryBlossomsDesign

Do you have or know of a sweet little baby girl? Stop by CherryBlossomsDesign for the most adorable hair accessories!

I heart you: GenevieveGail

I have fallen in love with the distressed finish on the jewelry in GenevieveGail's shop. Especially these little fawn earrings. They are just adorable!

Everything you need for spring cleaning!

Yes that's right! It's time to get rid of all that excess dust and dirt that has collected during the winter months and be green about it too! If cleaning isn't your thing check out #6 ;)


1. Reusable 4 layer polar fleece duster refills for Swiffer/Pledge ruler systems by racheltreasures
2. Kitchen/dish scrubbie by laksaware
3. Cinderella's secrets herbal disinfectant by whimsicalwitch
4. Ground lye soap for laundry and cleaning by MapleHillFarm
5. Clean cotton 80z all natural hand-poured soy candle by skylinecandlecompany
6. My house was clean last week sorry you missed it by giftsnsigns

Roller Derby Girls!

As usual, I have fallen in love with an object - an accessory, and boy oh boy is it super rad! I knew I must have this ultra adorable Roller Derby bag by Zoes Bag Boutique because of the great fabric and size.





My favorite feature of the bag is the nylon interior. If you have spills, or other accidents inside, it's easy to clean. Super smart! I also like the flexibility of the pouch. I've bought bags in the past that were not flexible, and it was impossible to keep more than a few items in them. The bag arrived to me extremely fast as well. A+

Happy Friday & Happy Shopping!

XOXO,
Brandy

BKA: Indy Grrrl

*Images provided by Zoe's Bag Boutique*

Ooohh and Ahhhh!

I love the color in these items.

1. Easter Card Bundle, 2. sequins pailletes crochet earrings, 3. Where There Are Trees Weekender, 4. Ice Ice Baby

Aloha Wear

Hawaii may be known (rightly) for the beaches and the weather, but one of my favorite things about living here is the fact that the thrift stores are rife with vintage merchandise of a tropical nature. I'm a sucker for the laid back quality a tropical motif can lend any outfit, and I like the pastel colors that seem to accompany most tropical themed items.

It's been getting warmer here recently, and I'm looking forward to spending my summer days in breezy dresses (aka chopped off muu'muus) and tops that will keep me cool and comfortable. Any (and all) of these beauties would fit the bill nicely:

vintage '70s babydoll top from Cloud Nine Vintage

vintage '70s Hawaiian muumuu from Cloud Nine Vintage

Aloha Floral Dress from Bleubird Vintage

xo, Caroline

Feathers on your pillow

Well, not really on your pillow, since these birds would rather peck your eyes out than share their bedding. . . . . Isn't that always the way, though? The most beautiful things are generally the most dangerous, aren't they. . . . . . .



from top left to bottom right:
Amy Longberry Photography, Café Baudelaire, Clutch That, Word Designs (alt)
Southwest Flower, MADART, Poppy Joy, AO3 designs (alt)
tzaddishop, dillon designs, Cosmic Firefly, mandiesuee (alt)
io*ta jewelry, Red Ruby Rose, Intrinsic Imagination, Shalom's Cottage Home (alt)

my mother's favourite blue....

--yobo

Tutorial Tuesday: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I hope recipes count as tutorials because this one is my all time favorite cookie recipe! It's super simple to make and they are soft and chewy. Makes 2 dozen.

Ingredients:
1 egg
5 ml baking soda
5 ml baking powder
125 ml brown sugar
125 ml white sugar
125 ml mini chocolate chips
300 ml rolled oats
300 ml butter
300 ml all purpose flour

Instructions:
1. Sift baking powder, baking soda and flour in a medium bowl then mix in chocolate chips and oatmeal.
2. In a large bowl cream (mix) the butter and sugars with the egg until smooth.
3. Add the powdered mixture into the larger bowl 1/3 at a time and mix well until everything is combined.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
5. Take a 15 ml spoon and scoop cookie dough onto a greased pan.
6. Bake 8-10 mins or until golden brown

Tips:
- Leave 2 inches between each cookie as they spread when baking!
- If you like raisins feel free to throw a handful of those in! Make sure you soak them in a bit of water and then squeeze the excess out. It makes them plump and juicy.

i heart you: linguaNigra

Pretty gorgeous jewelry at linguaNigra

Feather Earrings

This week's gorgeous item I would like to gush over: Eye Catchers made by Perlalu. The shop is brand spanking new. When I saw these beautiful earrings - I snatched them up fast:



I had been searching for the perfect pair for a while. Sadly, the first pair I found in another shop sold before I could buy them, so I was on the search again. I didn't want anything simple or plain - I wanted colorful and wild, and I got what I wished for! The earrings hang about 3-4 inches, and they are light as a feather when worn ; ) My favorite part? They have sterling silver ear wires, so those with sensitive ears will not have any irritation. Yip-eee!

Happy Shopping!
XOXO,
Brandy

*Image provided by Perlalu*

Time to bring some color into your life!

I really can't wait for the spring flowers to start popping up. My favorites are the tulips! They don't bloom until late April but they are so bright and cheerful standing tall and proud! Did I mention the cherry blossoms should be in bloom soon? When they are in full bloom I'll snap some pics of those for all of you! Anyways, add a touch of color to your wardrobe this spring with these lovely finds
from our flickr group. We've got almost 600 members in our flickr group now! Come join us!


1. Colorful square bracelet, 2. YA04b, 3. Vintage Lily earrings, 4. zz, 5. Copper Honey Bee earrings, 6. Rainbow Bone - Earrings, 7. Shelly elephant love earrings, 8. Dragonfly Abstraction in Red, 9. icecreamcloseup1

Romper Love

Rompers definitely seem to be one of those love it or hate it type of trends, and I must say I'm living it up in the love it camp. They offer all the ease of a dress - a one piece outfit with no mixing or matching necessary, along with all the coverage of shorts - no fear of exposing your under things while riding your bike, climbing a tree, or doing a cartwheel (you do bust out the occasional spontaneous cartwheel from time to time, do you not?). Plus I think rompers automatically lend a somewhat carefree feel to any ensemble. Ergo, you (the romper wearer) will exude the same sort of attitude. And, as we all know, carefree equals fun and fun equals friends.

Are you going with me on this? Yes? Good.

Now that I've got you convinced about the positive merits of rompers, check out these particularly delightful vintage options:

NStyle Vintage

Verseau Vintage

Softspoken

xo, Caroline

Moments in the Sun

♫♪ [link] ♪♫

from top left to bottom right:
everydaymoments, 5eizen, everydaymoments (again!), underabluesky (alt)
siiri, celebratelife, JLeeOhioDesigns, mincingmockingbird (alt)
everydaymoments (again! eep!), helenahelt, underabluesky (again!), everydaymoments (alt [apparantly, i like them.])
debralinker, lostcamera, PhotoVita, tanybug (alt)


*dancing through the screen*
*huming*

--yobo

**what's an almostery, you ask?
well, you know the treasuries on etsy.com right? how they always seem to pop when you aren't looking? gets on your nerves, doesn't it? especially when you have a good idea, right? well, almosteries are my answer. more infos here: [link]

Where are all the bright yellow daffodils?

Gloomy Vancouver could definitely use a bit of color. It will be spring in a few days and there are no daffodils in sight! Have you spotted any? Send me your photos!

Beautiful dreamers by irenesuchocki

Yellow daffodils 5x7 by InspirationPoint

Happy St. Patrick's day!

Did you remember to wear green and put on your favorite lucky charm today?


1. Lucky necklace by GemsByEm
2. Lucky by KentonBeadworks
3. Brass ox international lucky charm from santabarbaradesigns
4. Clever clover earrings by PinLady
5. So lucky by papermenagerie
6. Feeling lucky charm necklace by juelladesigns

Tutorial Tuesday: Resin Knitting Needles by Minty Fresh Fusions

Today's tutorial is written by MintyFreshFusions! Make your own set of pretty knitting needles! If I knew how to knit I'd totally make a bunch of these! If you're casting pendants or something and you've got left over resin this is also a great way to use it up! To view the full tutorial please click here.



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When you're finished, go knit up a storm!
♥
Connie

I'm going to see the tax man today!

It's my first time doing taxes for my business. I hope all goes well. Have you done your taxes yet?

I'm a sexy geek / calculator earrings by charlieccbb

I heart you: prettyrandomobjects

I loooooooooooooooooove this shop and I want to shout it from the roof tops! All of the items at prettyrandomobjects are so adorable I wish I had every vase because I can't pick just one!

Inedible goodies.

1. Cupcake Cutie Magnets, 2. Sushi Earring Studs, 3. Counting Cookies, 4. Cream Donut Earrings, 5. French Fry - Earrings, 6. Sushi Girl , 7. fortunecookienecklacemain, 8. happy weekend and happy valentine's day!, 9. Yarn cakes

The Candyman

I'm really excited about this find by Autumn and Eve Illustration. If you ever visit my shop you will see I have a tiny obsession, well, maybe a huge obsession with Willy Wonka. I fell in love when I first laid eyes on this print. I snagged the first one, but don't worry the artist is printing 100 editions.




Autumn and Eve Illustration is a shop filled with tons of great characters and icons. I urge you to check it out!

XOXO,
Brandy

Black & White & Worn All Over

When in doubt about my outfit, I always strip down to a neutral pallet. I know I won't look dated or out of place when I don a simple black and white ensemble. Indeed, I'm sure I'll probably look more sophisticated and pulled together than if I had tried something a bit more elaborate.

I like these particular pieces (originally scouted by my very fashionable business partner) because they each have a little something special (an interesting shape and unexpected textures or details) that elevates the simple neutral colors to something that's very visually interesting. They also happen to come from the same shop which is chock full of more vintage-y goodness.

very cute jumper dress from My Favorite Vintage

beautiful 1950 chiffon day and night dress from My Favorite Vintage

xo, Caroline

p.s. Check out these perfect vintage glasses! I thought they also fit into the black and white theme we're going with here.

Sew Fruity Contest

Just wanted to let all of you Etsy memebers know about a contest that Robert Kaufman is hosting!


They want you to make them a fabric fruit (fruit toy/plush I assume) out of their Kona Cotton Solids. The grand prize winner gets over 25 yards of fabric and an appearance in Robert Kaufman's Kona® Cotton Solids ad campaign (both online and in print) with photo of your creation and proper credit to you as the creator (listed by your Etsy username). Click here for details.

YOU ARE SMART!

after listening to this song for a while, i realised that it is, in fact, Wednesday.
i also realised that i didn't have an almostery ready for you lovely people.
so, since the lyrics sound like they're being sung by robots, i decided to go with the feeling and show you lots of cute robits!



from top left to bottom right:
rainbowswirlz, beadworkbyamanda, vol25, johnwgolden (alt)
partybots, heatherknitz, mamarobot, anatomyofaskirt (alt)
johnwgolden, heartbreakjewelry, dylanS, mattbrown (alt)
isotope, SomethingWhimsical, AmyGaines, EdsArt (alt)

wouldn't that be nice to have a nanny bot? or just a robot in general? i want a robit.....

--yobo

I heart you: truche

What's not to love? Stop by truche to check out Stevie's new collection pendants cut out from black acrylic and fine silver. My personal fave is that sweet little maple leaf down there (I am Canadian after all)!

Tutorial Tuesday: Upcycled Napkin Rings by SublimeStitching

Jazz up your next dinner party with some upcycled napkin rings by SublimeStitching! When I was in the 4th grade my aunt taught me how to cross-stitch and embroider. I totally loved it and to this day it is a great skill to have! I'm sure that you and your kids would have fun working on this project too (make sure they're supervised of course). Visit the Sublime Stitching website for the full tutorial, stitching pattern, kits, tools and more!


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Happy stitching everyone!
♥
Connie

Email Finds: waysideviolet

It snowed about 4 inches last night and I woke up to a winter wonderland instead of beautiful sunny spring weather (but that's life in Vancouver!). A little bit depressing but the snow does look super pretty. After discovering this cute pink coffee cozy from waysideviolet's shop in some old emails combined with the chilly weather I'm totally craving for a London Fog.

Off to Starbucks I go!

Congrats to lucky #26!

Congrats Wendy! You have won the "Hey Lady" Pendant Giveaway. You will be contacted shortly by nikkimichele. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Don't forget to enter!

You've still got till the end of the week to ENTER for a chance to win the Hey Lady Pendant from nikkimichele.etsy.com Just drop by their shop and then go to THIS post to comment on you favorite item. It's as simple as that!

We could all use a little more green!

Because it's almost Spring! There should be pretty shades of green popping up everywhere :)


1. Green House Baby Blanket, 2. BagNo224-1, 3. green knitting markers, 4. Green Painted Wood Cell Phone Charm, 5. Green & Gold Earrings, 6. Bracelet-green-beads-arm, 7. Green apple clasp clutch purse, 8. Loopy Loops Lariats set of 2 - Women Light All Season Fiber Arts, Fiber Jewelry in Lime n Vanilla Cream, 9. Handmade cacti

Bow Time

I love hair accessories, and I am always on the hunt for new pieces. When I came across Betty Felon on Etsy - I fell in love with her oversized bows. Also, how cute is the shop name? The bows are super kawaii, and made beautifully. It was so hard choosing only two, but I decided on these:

Green Tartan





&

Baby Blue



The bows are made so you can add your own headband or hair clip. I love the functionality feature. This means you can position the bows any which way you'd like, and you're able to attach them to anything. I enjoy mine on a headband. I can't wait to wear them the next time I go out!

Happy Shopping!
XOXO,
Brandy



*All images provided by Betty Felon*

Pretty Pastels

It's coming up on spring in this part of the world, which means I'm dying to shed the layer of muted tones I've been living in and pull out all the pretty pastels I can manage. These vintage beauties would easily satisfy my craving without being overly sweet.

reconstructed floral strapless bow mini dress small from Persephone Vintage

Vintage COTTON CANDY Pink Cutout Pumps from Dear Golden

Vintage 80s Striped Tee from Rare Treasure

xo, Caroline

update: Check out the dress I pulled out of my closet after inspiring myself by writing this post. I'm giving myself bonus points because it's vintage!

Technologic tech-tech- technologic

*hums buy it, use it, break it, fix it*
Have you gotten some new piece of technology recently?
You should definitely dress it up all pretty then, don't you think?


from top left to bottom right:
Janine King Designs, Funky Friends Factory, digiBling, digiBling again (alt)
Big Helmet Head, Thosmhicks, The House Of Mouse, Get Personal Art (alt)
RAGGED edge gear, digiBling (again apparantly!), weberphoto, crrysstall (alt)
dillonc, nycresistor, The Blue Kraken, creative dexterity (alt)

Isn't new technology fun? I love it.
I love it so much, I decided to make an almostery of all the pretty accessories I could find, and all the wacky things people do with computer parts. (my favourite is the Tesla Coil business card holder. Oh, and the steampunk laptop stand. And the belt... And, and, and, yeah, so i like it all. *.*-b)

**what's an almostery, you ask?
well, you know the treasuries on etsy.com right? how they always seem to pop when you aren't looking? gets on your nerves, doesn't it? especially when you have a good idea, right? well, almosteries are my answer. more infos here: [link]

you know you like technologic!
--yobo
*lyrics from DaftPunk!

I heart you: amandaarcher

All of her dresses remind me of two things weddings and summer! Oh, I could really use some of that hot summer sun right now. Anyways, to see more of Amanda's work visit her Etsy shop or her website.

Email find: FernandaFrick

FernandaFrick makes these awesome flipbooks. Watch the video to check them out!



TheThumbCinema Flipbooks from Fernanda Frick on Vimeo.

Tutorial Tuesday: Polymer Clay Pug Beads from threemoonbabies

This week's tutorial is so cute! When I came across it I just knew I had to share it with all of you! It's a great project for everyone to try out and perfect if you're looking for something fun to do with the kids! Thanks Marjorie for sharing this with everyone! If you like the beads but aren't interested in making them yourself they are also available for sale at 3moonbabies! To view the full tutorial please click here.

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Have fun!
♥
Connie

Surprise! Surprise!

Today you're in for a treat because I've got an interview AND a giveaway!!!

So, let's get right down to it! Today's featured shop and giveaway sponsor is nikkimichele. Nikki and Michelle are two cousin's who have put their hands, hearts and minds together to create some wonderful jewelry.

They have so graciously donated this pendant titled "Hey You" for the giveaway!

This beautiful "HeyYou" bamboo pendant is a mini work of art. She is adorned with a Swarkovski crystal and is coated in resin for a glossy shine. She comes hangin' on a ball chain and measures 1 7/8" x 1 1/4". She is water resistant but can't swim so please don't wear her in the shower.

Due to the size of these pendants, they are NOT intended for small children as it can pose a choking hazard.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
To enter go to nikkimichele.com, find an item you like and then come back here to leave a comment about it. Please leave your email address! The giveaway will run from March 1st - 7th and the winner will be announced on the 8th and contacted via email. Anyone in any country can enter.

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Now, to find out more about Nikki and Michelle keep reading! :)

1. If you had to summarize your shop and what it's about in 2 sentences what would you say?

We enjoy creating pieces intended to meet the adornment addiction of every woman's taste and style from kitsch to classic, fun to funky, bizarre to brandish and vintage to vixen.


2. How long have you and Michele been crafting together?

Since October 2008.


3. It's not very common (well, at least to my knowledge) for handmade shops to be in a partnership. In what ways does your shop benefit from the partnership?

Nicole: I cannot tell you how much it has benefited us. We bounce ideas off each other both in design and marketing. We both bring different things to the table and actually end up opening each other's eyes to different ways of thinking.
Michele: No doubt about it, two heads are better than one! As purveyors of the beautiful, creativity and imagination times two is always a good thing. As business partners, the differences in personality, skill sets and schedules, both challenge and complement one another nicely so together we can get the work done and done beautifully!


4. Where does the inspiration for your pieces come from?

Nikki: We love vintage works of art depicting women - Strong, Sexy and Beautiful
Michele: And it's no secret to anyone who knows us, that inspiration comes from the same feminine spirit that we as women, cousins, friends and mothers carry within and hold in the highest esteem.


5. If either of you could try your hand at any craft what would it be?

Nicole: For me it would definitely be making my own silver jewelry.
Michele: I would certainly like to see us head in the direction of casting our pieces be it in resin as in precious metals.


6. Is there anything else you'd like to add? (other sites your work can be found on)

Our pieces can be found on our website www.nikkimichele.com.

Nikki: We have so much fun making these pieces.We treasure each and every one of them and hope that they bring a smile to many faces!
Michele: We really do have a wonderful time! This business is as much a passion as anything. Like they say: "Do what you love and you'll never work another day in your life." It's so true!