Girlish Stamps

Girlish Stamps, originally uploaded by karaku*.

One of my FAVORITE places to shop is with Karaku on Etsy, I was thrilled to find their gorgeous goods here too....

bdvp :: Helen Guzman: X-Mas Candy Land Dessert Table

Can something for Hanukkah be this cute?!! I love it. oy.

bdvp :: Helen Guzman: X-Mas Candy Land Dessert Table: "This party was so much fun because I had so much candy and goodies to play with. I chose to include Pink and blue to this theme just so it w..."

The Purple Pug: the cereal buffet bar...

This is amazingly simple, colorful, fun and out of the box...LOL

The Purple Pug: the cereal buffet bar...: "the cereal buffet bar each guests' fave cereal was offered of course I had to bling outthe milk jugs... fruit loop garlands personalize..."

The Purple Pug: Black. White. East. West. The reveal. Finally.

The Purple Pug: Black. White. East. West. The reveal. Finally.: "Finally. The Challenge of the Year pictures are here. More deets and shout outs in a few. Voting will begin shortly. Team East- Love you&..."

The Purple Pug: Black. White. East. West. The reveal. Finally.

The Purple Pug: Black. White. East. West. The reveal. Finally.: "Finally. The Challenge of the Year pictures are here. More deets and shout outs in a few. Voting will begin shortly. Team East- Love you&..."

For the craft/creative impaired *wink* so easy and so cute! Great tutorial below :)

Sara's closet: Lollipop Ghost Wreath...BOO!: "I saw this wreath in a magazine probably 5 or so years ago and have made it every year since. It's fun and can second as trick-or-treat ..."

mom’s creative love = sweet dreams

mom’s creative love = sweet dreams

Okay, so we live in a DIY world, and creating something amazing out of dental floss, corks and a shoe box is becoming somewhat ordinary. Still, once in a while an amazing creation takes us by surprise. Something inventive, beautiful and functional that uses simple and often discarded materials… and that is precisely what Lori Danelle did. She wanted a new design for her daughter’s bedroom, and with the right idea she was able to create a beautiful environment for her little girls – complete with handmade furniture! Check out their little beds… yes, they are made of regular wood pallets! Darling, rustic and chic.  The bedding is also super fab done in Anna Maria Horners Garden Party Line of fabrics - one of my Favs...  

Wow - I was just wanting to make my ruffled tube dress and then came across this today...is it a sign?  Have yet to make either - and the holidays are on us :) Must catch up is my mantra

This cute runner is from Tatertots and Jello

Oopsey Daisy: Ruffled Denim Table Runner {With tutorial}: "Alright my friends, I am so excited about this project!! I started it Friday afternoon and ended up staying up till 1 a.m. to finish it. Y..."

Handmade Spark - Suburban Stash Design - boutique childrens wear and European inspired

Handmade Spark - Suburban Stash Design - boutique childrens wear and European inspired

You see how nuts I am?!?  Today Gavriella and I had a special outing for one of our favorite meals and time spent at the bookstore - so sad that I sit and "digest" vs. take a brisk walk after eating such a filling (lets undo my button - just while I'm sitting) meal - ahhhhhhh.  
OK - so there we are at our Brand New B&N huge bookstore which has been open less than a year...Thank G-d it finally came...not that the mom & pop shops out here and the awesome used book stores and warehouses don't rock - but when you are TRYING to stay abreast of certain things, the selection and variety is phenomenal at the big chain.  So let me remind you - and myself - that this post had the intention of being about my girly moment while upstairs with Ella in the kids section - which would lead beautifully into my continued rambles on some of my favorite girly childhood toys that I had and/or have always wanted, which would then be a fab segway to finally turn the focus on the main topic - the Cupcake Craze.  I swear one thing just leads to another which then reminds me of ____ and I can't forget _____ which seems totally random but not when I tell you about _____.    Oops! 
Also, the whole time on my hands thing- not so much - crap all over the house - ummmmm yip, but am I HAPPY?!  I can totally zone out and be up for days discovering and creating crafty goodness and all things adorable, fresh, funky and vinatge/mod - lol. Would that be Modage then? UM DUH. Makes perfect sense right?
Oh Yah - I don't mess around and I usually come with Big Plans -BIG - but OY with my daughter under the table painting barbies' body with the remnants of designer makeup from my pre-children/residency days (oh how I miss Sephora) when she should be in bed - and I have a million windows/tabs open on my mac to remind me of one thing or another - including designing this terrible blog and helping me figure out how to streamline everything fresh and clean and sparkly, and did I mention I have a room full of amazing homemade things for kids and boutique clothing I need to get online and move out?! Yah - my priorities are so all over the place when it comes to me and this stuff...

Break - must put Ella down and page DH - turn off the house lights inside and turn on the ones outside etc - and then do a read of my recent bout with diarrhea of the mouth and decide where to go from here :)

Ummm - this is in my top ten right now - i LOVE LOVE LOVE...more to come.

Suburban Stash: Seriously - I have to move a room full of stock - ...: "Seriously - I have to move a room full of stock - so a portfolio is in the works and I will be posting lotsa images :)"

   

Where do you turn when you want great color inspiration? If you don't have The Perfect Palette bookmarked, it's time you do :)
The blog is a great resource designed for weddings - pulling all the colors together - but can work for anything!  Just substitute your project for the word wedding :)  What's great is that she presents color pallettes so you have a pre designed little piece of heaven. Per the blog: 

{The Perfect Palette}

Visualizing your wedding color palette doesn't have to be difficult. The Perfect Palette is here to help inspire your color choices & help you see the many ways that you can use color to bring your wedding to life.    So I am ALWAYS about 6 months behind in my life - especially in my sewing...but I'm trying to constantly catch up - OY.  Keeping with the trends - :)  with all this talk about color I wanted to dive into Fall 2010/2011 a bit.  But I still have so many other resources for ya!

I love to check the trends in a few different places - based on what i do...one of them is with Pantone - Oh how I miss using my wonderful Pantone color fan books for things when I worked in the Marketing world...so if you are asking what the heck is Pantone??!! here's a blurb.Pantone is the world-renowned authority on color. For reals - For more than 45 years, Pantone has been inspiring design professionals with products, services and leading technology for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity. (a little bit o' history for ya)

Back in the sweet heyday of the sixties, Pantone's founder created an innovative system for identifying, matching and communicating colors to solve the problems associated with producing accurate color matches in the graphic arts community. His insight that the spectrum is seen and interpreted differently by each individual led to the innovation of the PANTONE® MATCHING SYSTEM®, a book of standardized color in fan format.  (my fav books)
Pantone has since expanded its color matching system concept to other color-critical industries, including digital technology, fashion, home, plastics, architecture and contract interiors, and paint. Today, the PANTONE Name is known worldwide as the standard language for accurate color communication, from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer, across a variety of industries.


So, when looking to Fall/Winter what do they see in their globe of wonders??  As much as I try to sum it up - I am just going to copy and paste - because if you love this stuff as much as i do, you will appreciate the wonderfully descriptive piece that leaves me hungry for color! 

 TOP 2010 Fall Colors are:

PANTONE  13-0632 Endive

PANTONE 15-1050 Golden Glow

PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral 

PANTONE 19-1764 Lipstick Red 

PANTONE 18-3027 Purple Orchid 

PANTONE 19-1526 Chocolate Truffle 

PANTONE 16-5418 Lagoon 

PANTONE 18-0538 Woodbine 

PANTONE 14-1107 Oyster Gray 

PANTONE 14-1307 Rose Dust

" Fashion designers continue to exhibit a degree of caution for fall 2010, yet offer a palette of beauty and excitement with a blending of colors, some with similar undertones, in surprising and intriguing combinations. Inspired by the ongoing phenomenon of film animation, vivid colors are often juxtaposed in inventive ways, creating arresting and extraordinary color combinations.   
Exotic Purple Orchid, a purple leaning to fuchsia, is an unexpected choice for fall, imbuing a bit of magic and vibrancy to the season. 
Elegant Chocolate Truffle, evocative of delicious treats, is a rich brown with piquant plum undertones, that pairs tastefully with Purple Orchid.  
Not your mother’s avocado green, Woodbine takes last season’s neutral greens to a whole new level, and when mixed with Purple Orchid and Chocolate Truffle, results in a stunning combination.  
Lagoon, this season’s turquoise – Pantone’s 2010 color of the year – is guaranteed to add a tropical splash. A great color for fall and winter escapes, Lagoon is a popular hue, especially in accessories, pairing dynamically with all shades of red.  
Lipstick Red, a deeper, more dramatic sensual red, makes its imprint on fall, particularly in cosmetics.  
Reminiscent of a radiant sunset on a brisk autumn evening, Golden Glow, an earthy, deepened shade of yellow, creates a retro look with Purple Orchid or Woodbine.  
A softer, more inviting orange with a hint of pink undertone, Living Coral is the perfect complement to Lagoon, whether heading for a tropical destination or just fantasizing about it.  
Crisp Endive, a revitalizing yellow-green, adds freshness to this season’s top ten, and will enliven any wardrobe. Add it to Lagoon, Chocolate Truffle and Purple Orchid for an invigorating fall look.  
Oyster Gray, a classic neutral that grounds the palette, is a lighter take on the traditional fall gray, as designers heed consumers’ concern about the economy and deliver investment pieces that carry through to spring 2011.  
Rose Dust, a flattering beige, offers an ethereal, romantic, wispy option to span the seasons. 
SO - since, like I said, I am a good 6 months behind - I thought it would be cool to go back through the HOT items that have been released so far for Fall and do a little comparison to the "forecast"  :)
I started flipping through my Aug/Sept issues of various magazines to see if the color trends could be spotted easily and readily. Then BAM! a whole page on one of this seasons "MUST HAVE" colors - Quince: defined as "Not quite lemon, not quite lime - a happy family of hues (I kid you not) between yellow and green that can't help uplift you"    LOL Yes - Crisp Endive as predicted by Pantone a "...revitalizing yellow-green, adds freshness to this season’s top ten..."  Here's the eye candy both supplied and found by me in this juicy color.


I love the designs by Oopsy Daisy, Fine Art For Kids and they just got picked up at French Bull! FUN

    

Wonderful pieces for Mommy and Daughter  featured on Etsy this summer...

Let's move onto to some Lagoon and Coral, Lipstick Red and Orchid Purple, Chocolate Truffle and Golden Glow, Oyster Gray and Dusty Rose...sounds yummy...here's some eye candy

 I recently joined Handmade Spark in hopes it would help me sell my items on Etsy - plus I have an INSANE amount of stock to move. The amount of $$ I have spent re-listing things etc is obscene - and although I have had awesome feedback from people regarding the creations, they don't move.
 I can have things priced at my cost and they don't move - marked as favorites but no purchases. I even get letters from people about how great my things are - blah blah - but never get a sale.
 As much as i LOVE what I do, we are literally drowning financially and I can't justify the time and money spent away from my family. boo hoo. So this is my last attempt (handmade spark) at paying for any kind of marketing - I am overdue with my Etsy bill - and the past two years of living in a crafty bliss have been amazing and incredibly stressfull, but it's a bust. Gosh - writing this out is a little more emotional than I expected. I'm not totally off the scene yet - but I will be listing things to clear them out and hope they go to good homes :)

Kids just called to be picked up from the pool - in the meantime, check out AWESOME handmade creations found through handmade spark.  I just found a fab addition to my future post on being royalty :) Be back later tonite. hugs

Here's a cute idea for a teacher gift that will cost you very little coin! It would also be super cute in a kid's room, or as a kiddie birthday gift. You can find a box of crayons and a frame at the dollar store. Print out your background with the teacher's name, and create a monogram out of crayons, breaking them to get the right widths. Glue crayons on, pop in the frame, and you're ready to go back to school! You can also substitute other school supplies such as colored pencils or regular #2 pencils. Oh, and don't forget to check the school supply bins at your local department stores for even better prices on crayons! [click here for original project]

*Update* Lisa from Well How Nice wrote a tutorial with some great tips for getting clean cuts on your crayons.  Click here.

Project Estimate:

• Frame, $1
• Box of crayons, $1
• Glue, on hand

Total: $2

 I have joined Handmade Spark! Have you heard?

http://www.handmadespark.com/myspark/sewu

Handmade Spark - Suburban Stash Design

MAD HATTERS TEA PARTY SET


Here is outfit number 2 :)

So what I love about this one is that it can broken down into two outfits and mix and match possibilities are endless!  The lime green wrap can be tied behind bolero style or worn around the waist ...the details are neverending (hmmm one word or two neverending?) DETAILS everywhere - comfy, stylish and original - grab it now as a pre-order!

❤   Remember this? {link below} ...

Suburban Stash

Here are the final products for the event!! After a brief re-cap ❤ ❤ ❤  

Hi! :)
I am a photographer and I ADORE your beautiful clothing. I think you would be perfect for a project I am working on. I am teaming with several other boutiques (The TomKat Studio, Dolce Vita Mia, Bella Chateau)and shooting a fabulous Alice in Wonderland inspired shoot. I was wondering if you might like to be a part of this with an outfit. This will be amazing exposure as it will not only be on all of our blogs, but will also be on a great many party planning blogs as well. We are doing a modeling casting call shortly, so that will be further exposure. If you aren't interested, no problem--just thought I would ask as I think you would make a fabulous addition to this project. You can also have the photos for your shop. Thank you for considering it--you are so very talented! I have already "hearted" you and even if you aren't interested, I will be back to buy from you. :)
Thanks so much, and I hope you have a fabulous week! :)
Take care,
Laura

I almost passed out ;) Lauras photography skills are amazing and I am SO flattered!! Does this mean clothing will start selling now? that would be nice.

WOWZERS It was quite the experience :) ~ I got that invite to participate around the 17th of June { jump for joy but remain cool } and after gathering my composure ~ the main concern was the time frame before the shoot {& location it's in AZ - I'm in MI}

Then came this.... after I peed my pants {repost}

Check out this awesome event I am a part of!

"Hi Abby! :)
Thank you so much again for being a part of our awesome Alice in Wonderland shoot! I just wanted to let you know that the casting call with a link to your site has been announced on the blog and Facebook in case you wanted to share it. "

Hope you are doing well!

Take care,
Laura
http://laurawinslowphotography.com/blog/2010/06/15/model-casting-call-east-valley-az-commercial-photographer/
http://www.facebook.com/laurawinslowphotography

and I was like "Casting/Model Call?! woa - this is serious!" and now the theme from Wonder Pets runs through my head - little side note...

So the process began...first I needed inspiration - Laura was kind enough to send me this inspiration board - la la love.  OY! I almost forgot - I had to work with fabrics on hand or could be picked up locally with the time crunch. 

Then I started checking out some of the items that inspired the shoot for Laura - like over at TomKat Studio and and created my own :)   I rented the Tim Burton movie (of course) and began the hunt.  More pics can be found in the earlier posts, but here are a few from the narrowed down list -lol... I knew I wanted to do a ruffled suspender and I knew I wanted pink & aqua tulle or chiffon involved somewhere as well as bright colors and denim or black...and I knew I wanted some lace gloves as well as spats or something along those lines...the key is keeping it innocent - especially for the younger ones - yet still stylish for the older ones. 

Having a 4.5 yr old daughter myself, I knew I wanted needed twirl factor and wanted something out of the box.  Plus there were a handful of the most popular kids clothing boutiques from Etsy, which will also be featured in the shoot - I figure they will have items similar to what they are known for -but some ideas got ruled out because of that.  In searching for inspiration, I found that most Alice in Wonderland-ish dresses/outfits were either costume, something my husband

would love on me *blush*, or the light blue dress and white apron... I did find a gorgeous re-make of a dress she wore in the Burton film though. Could I talk anymore maybe? I feel like I'm blabbing & blabbing...

Last but not least I wanted something that could be worn through more than just one season (think sizing and looking cute wearing flip flops with it and a tee - or a satin blouse and hose with sweet shoes, or tights and a turtleneck.   I'm PICKY and lets just leave it at that *wink*  I'm also run-on sentance master :)  But then I also wanted something a bit edgier so the idea of creating two outfits happened - one outfit consisting of 4 pieces that can be seperated into two outfits and then a second dress - does that make sense?  A way of doing three looks with two outfits - I'll spare you the notes with each pic.  I was thrilled to come across this Amazing VOGUE ” Alice In Wonderland ” fashion editorial  by photographer superstar Annie Leibovitz from December 2003.  Annie Leibowitz, the model and the designers rocked it out.  I love the Versace and Lacroix. 

Donatela Versace

Christian Lacroix

John Galliano

Once the decision was made for basic design I got together with my girlfriend who is SO great,  and shared everything - sketches began...and fabric choices were narrowed down - I'm always narrowing down - lol. I need a team of at least 4 to run with all the ideas and things that go through my head :)  44 emails/convos later it had come to this...

some of the fabric choices were made...

But don't think it went so smoothly - I totally had a B r e a k  D o w n - here's a snippet of that for ya via email - LMBO now  - keep in mind I was up for three days straight...

" I am LITERALLY sitting here crying - I haven't slept in however long - this is night #2 so what's that... like 3 days... and ben has been on call - he is chief this year and ella finished camp so she is home with me and the house is a crap hole and my car died and we have no family here in %*&$#@! michigan and my machine broke and I have this great opportunity I thought I would have to scrap and bail last minute and then....well, hope that gives you an idea -

I promise I'm not insane - *grin* crying over your wonderfullness and working so hard on this with me but then to take my grumpy-ness and I bag your idea.... and then you come back like three times as strong... and I thank you SO very much - I owe u BIG... 

Now you know I've been up wayyyy too long b/c i am Over analyzing things - I'm gonna call it a nite and will be up and going again in 4/5 hrs.  thank goodness for full caffeine and sugared soda and wonderful understanding mommies!  i'm not even going to read this - just sending - so if it's a tangled bizarre mess of garbled nonsense then know this: rock on and you are super fantastic..."

and after all that - and a bit more - the outfits were born and here are the pics of the setup and outfit #1 - the Alice dress! 

SO??? What does everyone think?  FEEDBACK PLEASE! :)  Isn't Laura a fabulous photographer?!