Inspiration for Your Thursday

Well hello there! I am so thrilled that the weather here in Southern CA has been so nice and summery! Not too hot, not too cold, not too June-gloomy...perfect! Today I want to share some links to things/people/ideas that are totally inspiring me these days!

First of all, I love Ali Edwards and all her fabulous ideas and such. So I am especially thrilled about her new "Tuesday Tutorial" series! My favorite thus far is this one from Heidi Swapp!

This blog packs a huge visual punch in the home decorating arena! Check out Desire to Inspire if you are in the mood to see some serious eye candy!

Some gorgeous layouts: love the arrangement, love everything she does, love the clustering, love the simple color scheme, and love how magical it is

Ever since my boyfriend taught me how to put YouTube videos on my iPod, I have become obsessed with finding awesome crafting tutorials and then watching whenever and wherever I want! Kristina Werner has an amazing library of card-making videos that I definitely recommend for your viewing pleasure.

The Simply Handmade blog has such great crafty ideas, not to mention a FREE mini-book download (Gen, isn't just heavenly??)!

This cute little jewelry display

Seeing people's workspaces is almost more inspiring than seeing the final product! I also love this one and this one too!

The teacups and carousel make me want to create another Disneyland album! Speaking of Disneyland, John and I need to renew our annual passes soon! Eek! It is always a huge investment but in our little world, it is worth every penny! We are such Disneyland-aholics and have now become spoiled for life! haha!

Right now I am reading How Starbucks Saved My Life and I have to say it is such a good read. Very inspiring to someone who is quickly becoming disenchanted with the job market...

Joann's is currently having a huge sale! I've already been there twice this week, where I bought some gorgeous tulle for all my tulle needs (hahah) and this because I have a sudden urge to incorporate paper into my jewelry :)

In other news, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has so kindly purchased hair accessories from my shop. You have no idea how much it means to me to know that other people "get" what I'm all about! So thank you, thank you, thank you! :)

Wahoooo!

So I am feeling newly inspired. I've been organizing and re-organizing my craft supplies and it just makes it THAT much better to actually create things when I can find them easily. Novel concept, I know, haha! I have not forgotten about the challenges, Gen and Cherie, I've actually been working on weeks' past challenges, as seen below:



The layouts above all pertain to the challenges. Using scraps, using a die-cut machine, etc. So much fun to try new things! But now it's my turn, so here is this week's challenge: Find a layout of another scrapper (online, in a magazine, wherever), and without scraplifting, get inspired by it to create your own rendition. I often get so inspired by layouts for no reason at all. Sometimes it's the color scheme, sometimes it's the way product is being used, sometimes it's the theme...you get the picture. Be sure to post the inspiring layout when you post your own. I can't wait to see what you gals come up with! :)

Visual Bliss

One of my all-time favorite things to do is find "favorites" for my Flickr account. It's like a scavenger hunt, just finding photos that beckon me to take a closer look - so much fun! And then the real clincher comes when I start looking at what other people consider favorites - talk about huge investment in time (but also inspiration!)! I simply adore Flickr...(sigh), haha! Enjoy my recent faves:

1. PInk Vintage Bulbs, 2. me + aim, 3. lifes a party be a rockstar, 4. merry christmas from the madisons, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. eating area..., 8. one side of my studio..., 9. Happy Weekend!, 10. vintage.sister.love, 11. Selina Lake - Magnets, 12. Selina Lake - Cakes, 13. Untitled, 14. vintagechristmas07, 15. With you, 16. Selina Lake - Feathers, 17. paper tales, 18. see really close, 19. Untitled, 20. CHERRYCream_shop, 21. indeed it is., 22. Handmade With Love - Day 2 - Prize!, 23. Fashion Queens, 24. Paris, 25. SKETCH #02 -Katzelkraft, 26. Princess en Herbe, 27. itsmetia 041, 28. i heart the cozy farmhouse, 29. HUGO Create, 30. Baby Bunny @ Shubenacadie Wildlife Park (20070930-154523-PJG), 31. Petal Dreams, 32. Christmas Garland, 33. Birthday, 34. Birthday, 35. Untitled

Oh my goodness!!

I woke up this morning and found out that I had sold a few items in The Cozy Farmhouse Shop and that I was featured on the Mint Design Blog! I am feeling really grateful today! Hope you are all having a great day too!

Etsy Time!

I just added a bunch of new hair accessories to the Cozy Farmhouse shop (see sidebar at right)! I got my boyfriend's GORGEOUS sister to model for me and I am so happy with the way the photos turned out! She was such a good sport and I owe her one! So feel free to stop on by and see what's new :)

Home on the Range

So I am back at home with my family, scrambling to unpack the giant mounds of boxes in the garage and in the process throw out all the unnecessary STUFF that I've been lugging back and forth between moves over the last 4 years. It feels good to just dump it! I actually plan on having a garage sale in the very near future, so that will be fun! If I make even $10 off this excess stuff, I will be a very happy camper. Sometimes it's just nice to start fresh and keep only what you love.

Between my job searching and unpacking, I am looking for ways to organize my new living space. The bulletin board is something I have had for years and years and it's always been a prominent fixture in my room. My dad never wanted me to put things on the walls using tape or pins, so he bought me a giant bulletin board instead where I can go pin-crazy at my own free will! Haha! This is the first time it's been changed since I went away to college and I am quite pleased with the results.


I have also been thinking of new things I want to put in my etsy shop as well. I'm thinking barrettes and jewelry, just to name a few. If there is something you want to see, feel free to let me know!