Things around the house...

This morning Im sharing images Ive captured on my phone throughout the past week or so.  I have about 100 I could share, so for now, here are just a few.  These are mostly wonderful moments in between all of the work that has gone on.  I had a heavy work load this past week, but accomplished so much!  

I also wanted to say to my friends and family out there who may be reading this, I have been internalizing my feelings a bit more about my dad lately.  I guess its the different waves of emotions you go through when grieving.  So far I have shared so much so openly, I think a part of me wants to take those feelings within a bit more and work things out in my head.  I havent felt much like talking on the phone to anyone, especially those of you who I havent yet had a conversation about my dad with.  I think I relived it so much in the first few weeks Im wanting to lay off it a bit with others.  I will share again as the time feels right.  Please just dont take it personal if I have not called you back yet.  I just need some time in this area.  And know that this season will change, and I will feel back to being a social butterfly eventually...

THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE LATELY

loving every day these pretty flowers are still alive that James brought me.

I received this adorable pic of miss Leena in the mail and was so delighted to hang it on my fridge!

I read more of my Post Secret book on the way to town.  Does anyone have this book?  Its incredible to peek into the dark corners of peoples minds.

I received this adorable beanie and the necklace below (along with a precious painting) from Rachael of Talk to the Trees.  She is an incredible girl with a heart of gold and the soul of a fairy.  Love her.

For about 5 minutes the other day we got an incredible storm!  It poured down rain out of nowhere and the trees were just swaying back and forth!  We were actually scared they might just root out of the ground and fall over b/c the ground has been sooooo dry.  It was amazing!

James and his daddy and a friend worked so hard for several hours the other day tearing down some trees in our yard.  It was a necessary move in order to bring a shed onto the land.  Plus it was a cluster of cedar trees that were choking out an oak tree, so no it can thrive again.  I was so proud of all of their hard work.  And is that not the cutest pic of James and his daddy's butt, ha ha!  He is going to hate me for posting this :)

Bella watching the rain

Bella and Violet hanging out together.  They usually are on the rug at different times, so its so cute when they are chillin together.  They both curl up on the blanket, I love it.  This is the only place in the house Violet can play chew toy b/c the floors are so slick here.  So its basically their play mat :)

James snuck a pic of me and Violet sitting on the porch in the morning with our coffee, watching the birds and the morning sun peek through the trees.

This has been what my jewelry room has looked like for weeks!  With so much work in there, I just cant keep it clean. 

I have squeezed in some work out time, which includes hooping.  Im still no good at it, but I do love it.  I mostly just love hooping to the feel of music.

Nico has been a little chirping fool.  I here him right now playing with his bell.  I love when he sits up on his little painting.  So cute!

James has been playing guitar everyday.  I love it.  He has been writing lots of new melodies and is going through alot of his old stuff and re-writing some.  Im so glad he has found this inspiration again.

TODAY is the LAST day to enter this awesome giveaway!  And also the LAST day to become a sponsor for September.

PEACE,
Laura

Meet the sponsors...

This month I was honored to have some pretty amazing sponsors.  Some have been friends for a while, and some I have just recently met, and have already fallen in love with on personal levels.  These girls are truly amazing, each in their own way.  I highly recommend checking out each of their shops and blogs and seeing for yourself!  And Id like to give a loving shoutout to Betsy, of O Bella Organics, who has decided to close up shop and blog for a while to concentrate solely on her amazing family of four.  I think this decision will help her grow and bond in many ways and Im truly impressed with the woman she is.  Thank you Betsy for being you!

 blog -- shop

blog -- shop

blog -- shop + shop

blog

 

blog -- shop + shop

PEACE,

Laura

Fringe Tee Shirt DIY...

 Im sure most of you have noticed that the trend of fringed shirts has been huge lately.  I love that they have transitioned from not just vintage motorcycle and rocker tees, to any every day tee.  A few weeks ago I made one with a Skyline Fever shirt, an orange owl one... and thought Id do another for a DIY b/c it is just so easy.  I was asked by a girl at the pet store how to do it b/c she said she tried and failed miserably.  So Im here to show you today just how simple it really is.  Im sure there are already a bunch of tutorials out there on this, but here is my way. 

All you need is your shirt and a pair of sharp scissors.  *you may want to practice on an old shirt first if you are afraid of messing up a good shirt*  Lay it out nice and flat on a hard surface.

The first thing I did was cut the edge off of the bottom and both sleeves.  This gives it the nice thin rolled look instead of the thick edges.  Then just cut the neck in a half circle.  The wider the circle, the more off the shoulder the shirt will be.  You can always cut more, so I suggest to not cut all the way to the shoulders at first, just to see how you want it to fit.

Then decide how far up you want your fringe to be.  You can make long fringe or cute short fringe.  I went about half way up with mine.  I placed a ruler (you can use anything straight and long) just as a place marker to keep me going in a straight line.  Then holding both sides of the shirt together, begin to cut strips in a straight line all the way up to your marker.  They really dont have to be perfect or the exact same thickness b/c once you wash and dry the shirt, the fringe will naturally roll up a bit and you wont even notice.

 *if you want, you can do the same thing to the sleeves*

 and there is your shirt!

I hate wasting things, so I thought Id also show you an easy, quick & versatile way to use up the scraps that are left over from the edges you cut off.  I used the bottom (cut in two strips) and a piece of lace to make a braided headband.  *you could also make bracelets with the sleeve parts*

Just cut your fabrics all the same length.  I always pin my strips to a pillow for braiding to hold it in place.  (dont mind the kitty hair on my pillow)

 For the closure I used two brass clamp style findings that I had laying around in my jewelry room.  But if you dont have anything like that to use, you can always just hand stitch the ends up, and also hand stitch some yarn or other trim for the ties.  Get creative, there are probably a ton of different things laying around your house you could use instead.

 Once you have completed this easy and fun tutorial, have fun snapping some photos and send them my way!  Id love to see!

 And for those of you who dont want to hassle with doing this yourself, but would love a Skyline Fever shirt decked out in fringe, you can now add this too any shirt or dress by adding this option to your cart at checkout.

PEACE,

Laura

Softspoken Giveaway...

Are you ready for your eyes to be filled with beautiful images that will only leave you longing for autumn and winter???  For most of us here in the states, Im sure that would be a yes.  Im so ready for fall...  And this makes me so excited to bring you this feature on Rachael of Softspoken.  I have followed her work it seems since the beginning of my etsy days.  And although she has since moved on from etsy, with the exception of her lovely vintage shop, she still sells her beauties on big cartel here.  And she also runs a lovely lifestyle blog here.  Here are just a few of my personal favorites.  The fringe necklace is my all time fav of hers.... Oh my!

are all of those not completely dreamy???  visit her shop to see more.

 

1. Where did your passion for crocheting come from?
My mom taught me to crochet at an early age.  I would always help her untangle her yarn or help her roll it into balls before that and was always interested in her latest project, so I was eager to learn.  I remember thinking those granny square blankets with the big 3-D flowers in the middle were just the prettiest things ever!  I always wanted to make one, but never have.  That, and I was in love with the shell stitch.  All of my projects around that time probably featured shells of some sort.

2. What do you find most rewarding about creating and running your own small business?

Besides being able to wake whenever I want to - the most rewarding part to me is the actual creating and designing.  I love the excitement of finally getting something the way I envisioned it (even if it comes after messing it all up 50 times first).  I wish I could just sit and make all day and have someone else do the shipping and other dirty work (since I'm such a huge procrastinator when it comes to that at times - the post office seems like a torture chamber - I dread it so!), but I'm far from that point!  I also like to push myself to make pieces that are both on trend, but also have a timeless feel to them - I really like the challenge that comes with crochet to make stylish and updated pieces - crochet kind of seems like the little black sheep behind knitting - people sometimes have funny ideas and outdated associations with the craft of crochet - that it's chunky or tacky or folksy or unpolished - and I like to challenge that!

 

3. What are a few other things you are passionate about in this world?

My family, friends, my new little nephew, pets, quality yet simple food, good beer, kind gestures, time alone.

 

4. What are some of the most important things you have learned so far on this journey of life? 

Oh man, I kinda feel like I'm just blindly feeling my way through this world.  I wish I would have listened to my mom's advice about money and debt and not buying what you can't pay for today.  I wish someone would've told me maybe graduate school's totally not worth it.  I wish I'd never gotten student loans.  I wish I would have realized there's no shame in doing whatever job you have as long as you're happy doing it.  I was perfectly happy when after college I had a management position at a retail shop - then one day the mom of this guy from high school came in from out of town and saw me and acted so surprised that I was working there and told me "I used to be so smart in high school."  Used to be!  As if by working there and being a shopgirl I wasn't anymore!  Or that I'd let her down somehow by not being a doctor or lawyer or rocket scientist.  It wasn't just that one incident, but I felt this pressure at times that I should go to grad school - that I should be something more or have some ridiculous boring career - when the truth was I really liked the job I had and was just buying into these idiotic (and possibly imagined) expectations I felt of me.  And you know what, if I had stayed at that little job I would be netting so much more with that salary and not having student loans (and probably would have a nice promotion by now, too) than I would make with some boring library science career I hate with a little bigger paycheck but a huge monthly student loan bill.  So that - doing what makes you happy - not listening to others expectations or letting others ideas of you affect your choices or put a damper on your happiness. I'm so glad I don't let people affect me in that way any more!

Win this lovely crocheted turban in time for fall!  Just go to her crochet shop and her vintage shop and let me know what your favorite item of hers is!

one entry per person

extra credits for sharing on your twitter and facebook

giveaway ends on wed. 31st

PEACE,

Laura

Flourish Leather...

Ive been a little quiet around the campfire this weekend.  This week quickly got filled up with wonderful things.  James has been helping me out with a big order this week, and for the most part we got it tackled.  108 necklaces and 120 pairs of earrings, ready to make their journey to the lovely shop of Ruche.  Then I went to the movies with my bestie to see The Help, which was really good.  Brings a few good laughs and a few good tears to your face.  And yesterday I got swept away with two girlfriends for some much needed sitting and talking.  Two women I completely respect, and who understand what Im going through.  So it was super nice to be around people I can relate to.  And with starting of this week on monday with yoga and a massage, and then working out the next day (first time in 6 months), I feel I am headed in the right direction of taking care of myself.  I was getting to the point last week where I was so tense and in such a funk, I needed to make some changes, some real changes.  Im taking the baby steps needed to get there.

These photos are completely unrelated... I was flipping through my camera pics and realized how many shots I have of my adorable Flourish leather braided bracelets.  Im completely in love with these bracelets.  I wear some combo of them almost every day.  I already have my eye on 3 more!  Overkill??  I think not.  I love how you can mix and match the colors for each outfit.  And the best part, they are only $5, so you can do so affordably!  They go with everything I wear.  Next on my list is this green one, and this sparkly one.

Be on the lookout for an amazing giveaway coming up from Softspoken!  Im so smitten by her work, and cant wait to get a few pieces for myself one day...

PEACE,

Laura