Big Boy Dinner

So my husband turned 30 and jumped out of a plane. In honor of being such a big boy I thought that it would be super cute to do a candy themed birthday dinner. It turned out to be a great way to inexpensively add color to the table and send everyone home with a little something.

The table was set with some great linen homespun, I am obsessed with this and can't seem to pass it by when I see it nicely priced while antiquing. It provided a neutral background for all the colors and food. The plastic army men were a great find a Target. Perfect for the color story and the previous day's events! It took the man a bit to figure it out, but his little brother, who is 7, got it right away.

I used a combination on vintage ball jars, I have them on hand from our wedding, another obsession, and new mason jars. (I love to have these on hand to give gifts, and store food. We are trying to move away from storing in plastic and these are a great and more economical alternative) The flowers were a steal at Wegmans. My first choice would normally not have been roses but the price was right and they played nicely into my color story.

I love it when I arrive at a party and find a little something at my place. But let's face it that really never happens, at least not outside of my dreams. So in honor of this big occasion I decided to go the extra step and make a little goody bag for every guest. Inside they found childhood favorites like candy necklaces, dot candy, lemon heads, and bubble gum. I printed a black and white picture of the birthday boy on packaging labels and tied them to each bag. It was a nice touch that everyone really enjoyed.

We had a great night with friends and family, and the man has enjoyed eating the left overs since his big day.

Jumping from a Plane

My husband decided that for his 30th birthday he wanted to go skydiving. He invited our friend Ben, of Make Things Studio to join him in the adventure. We all piled in the car on Sunday morning and set out on the two hour drive to Skydive Delmarva in Laurel, Delaware.

After waiting for a few hours, the boys finally loaded in the plane without even a wave goodbye... We only had to wait a few minutes before everyone came floating down. It was so nice to see that everyone was making it down safely and such a site to see all the multi colored parachutes fluttering down.

The boys had a great time and each earned their first time jumper certificate. We then all piled back in the card for the long drive home. Fortunately I offered to drive because the boys fell asleep about 5 minutes after we hit the road. It was an exhausting, but great day.

Getting Ready

Now that I have been accepted, with my amazing friends, to all of these prestigious shows I am trying to get all my ducks in a row. Last year, and this winter were great learning experiences. Taking what I learned and being organized enough to implement it might be two different things.

For my wedding I purchased a mini Russell and Hazel, my absolute favorite, binder. It was my center point for everything wedding and small enough to carry around. So I have decided to take the same strategy with my business. I am using the same binder, ordering a few new inserts and making it my information center once again.

Today I'm off to a new jewelry resource in Baltimore, and then home to organize, organize, organize!

Spring has Sprung

It is still early in the Spring but I am so excited that it is finally here. I have already purchased a new pair of flip flops and been able to wear them a few times! This Spring is shaping up to be packed full. I applied to three different craft shows with two of my great friends. We were honored to be accepted at all three and are beginning to build up our inventory.

The first show will be Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philadelphia. This will be May 15th and 16th from 11-6 both days. This will be my second year at the show with Melissa of PaperSatchel.

A week later is Handmade Mart in DC. Sunday, May 23rd from 10am-5pm. Katie, of Churchtown Chapeau Co, and I participated in the holiday version of the show which had some weather challenges. We are hoping that this round is better!

Melissa and I applied to the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn because many of our friends who we met at Art Star last year recommended it to us. We were thrilled beyond belief when we were accepted. This years fair is June 5th & 6th from 11am-7pm.

I will be updating information as I get more.

Happy Spring!

Pretty in Pink

Recently I have been working on a few new products for my line outside of jewelry. Here is a sneak peak of a wallet made from a 1940's era tablecloth. I am really excited about where this project will be going and would love for any suggestions or ideas you might have based on wallets that you have liked or disliked. Thanks!

Baltimore Magazine Spring Fashion

Red Tree, where I work, was asked to design, build and create 8 sets for Baltimore Magazine spring fashion shoot. It was a ton of fun, and reminded me of my years as a Visual Manager with Anthropologie. Below are the images from the shoot as they appear in the magazine.

What a Limo!

I am not really a limo kind of girl. Sure they were fun in high school, and last year when my best friends fiancée surprised her, and a few of her friends, with one to go wedding dress shopping. But it is not something that I wish for in my life, or it was not until I found these...

Buck Horn Limousine in Durango, Colorado is home to these amazing stretch Grand Wagoneers. Oh yes! I have loved these cars, in their original form, for years. We did not require a car service for our wedding, in Telluride, Colorado but now I wish we had. I really wish that there were some interior pictures on their site. It does mention mood lighting, which I think is a bit out of the character of the car. Oh well everything can't be perfect!

New Goods on The Way

I just placed a big supply order and am so excited to receive it. I have taken a small break from my line after stocking up big time for the holidays. Everything is pretty much gone and I am ready to replenish and come up with some new designs.

Be sure to stop by my new shop if you have not already!

Judith & Julia

As with most people I saw the movie Julie & Julia last year and decided that I too wanted to cook from Julia's cookbook. My lovely husband was kind enough to give me Mastering the Art of French Cooking for the holiday's this year. I think that it was 40% a gift for me, and 60% a gift for himself... I thought that I would try the Beef Bourguignon recipe on New Year's Day. A hearty dish that I could put on and have mid afternoon. As it turns out we were out and about on New Year's Day and I never got around to making it. I did make it sometime over the next week and it was scrum-diddly-umcious. One of the serving suggestions is over potatoes, which I hate, or buttered egg noodles, which is a bit to German for my taste. We had some good rustic bread which I toasted. I placed half of the slice in the bottom of the bowl to absorb broth, and the other half I just placed along side to enjoy whenever. We both really liked this serving option as the stew was really heavy enough on its own and did not need a full helping of anything else along with it.

On a side note, I have been taking a lot of pictures recently with my iphone. Mainly because that is what is always with me, and it is really quick and easy to upload them to my computer. I really like the images that are produced, and wanted to mention that all of the photos on the blog recently are iphone photos.