Free Banner and Avi Set for Etsy

I've really enjoyed getting some practice at making banners recently, so I thought I'd give you a free download of a banner and avi, to anyone who wants it!

All you need to do to add your shop information is the following:

• Click on one of the images below
• This will take you to photobucket.com where you can click "download" to save the image to your computer
• Go to picnik and upload your file
• Click the tab that says "create" at the top of the picnik page
• Click "text"
• Type your text, choose your font, and play around with the sizing and color.  I'd suggest a white or light colored font for the images below!
• Click the "save and share" tab
• Click "save photo", choose a spot you'll remember, and you're almost done!

Now all you have to do is go into your etsy, click on Appearance on the left side menu, and navigate to the location on your computer where you saved your banner.  To update your avatar, go to "Public Profile" on the left menu.  Voila, a new banner and avatar!





Looking for more options? Check out sets 2 and 3 here!

Bean Ball Tutorial

I've been on this decorative ball kick lately, after all, I have all these great pieces such as wooden bowls, creamy white urns or glass jars, and I have nothing to put in them!  As I was browsing some shops on Etsy a few months ago looking for decorative balls, I came across this awesome shop called makalewakan.  I absolutely loved her bean ball decorations.  The idea of bean balls has been festering in the back of my mind (getting a bit dusty, really) since then, and finally a few weeks ago I decided to take action.  I thought, hey, I could make those.  So I tried it.

Disclaimer: I do not have any knowledge of the actual process that makalewakan uses, I simply made up my own process using her shop as inspiration.  Also, these bean balls can in no way be mass produced for commercial use - the design right resides with makalewakan.  This is for personal use only.

Ok, now onto the good stuff.  You should only proceed if the idea of burnt fingers, strands of glue stretched like a spider web across your dining room table, tedious work, and wasting perfectly good food does not bother you. If any of the above bother you, head to makalewakan and buy one already made :)

First, here is what you need:

Some cheap beans, plain and simple. They don't have to be navy beans, any type of dry bean will do!

A Styrofoam ball, really any size will do. Bigger beans probably should go on a bigger ball, but smaller balls go faster! This one is 2.5" and took me about an hour.

A trusty hot glue gun... and some extra glue sticks.

First...

Pour some beans in a bowl so that they are readily accessible. Plug that glue gun in and get it heated up!

Then...

You'll want to start gluing the beans in a ring around the center of the ball. Some Styrofoam balls have a line around the middle already, mine didn't so I had to guess. Lay a line of glue across the middle of the ball; you'll want to work in about 1 inch increments so your glue doesn't get too hard. Taking one bean at a time, press the small end into to the glue so that the bean is standing on end. Continue doing this all along the glue line... and repeat! Continue working your way around, and continue to make successive rings around the ball.

Halfway done... if you look closely you can see all of the pesky glue strings :( You just need to pick those off after you're all done!

Finished!

Now, I also left a small blank area at the bottom of this one... I plan on going out in the woods (just as soon as the snow is gone, really...) and grabbing a stick, putting the bean ball on top, and putting a couple of them in a white urn.

Here is another, slightly bigger one I made out of pinto beans:

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial! Now who wants some beans for dinner?

My Favorite Farmhouse Chic Picks

I've recently been very inspired by the farmhouse chic movement that seems to be taking over, and was totally enamored by the most recent catalog by Pottery Barn.  I really need to get my house in order, I am slacking in the decorating department!

So, tonight I am bringing you my favorite farmhouse chic items that I found browsing Etsy.


Green Electrical Box by Hindsvik, $34
...I think this would be perfect for holding some decorative balls, or as a planter!


Canvas Numbered Tote... by faded prairie, $30
...I just love this little tote, the number is perfectly faded and gives it a modern edge.


Vintage Paperwhite Garden in Antique Metal Mold by birdie1, $29
...Perfect exactly the way it is, this would look lovely on a rustic kitchen or side table.


European enamel ware bowl by gypsyfishstudio, $9.50
...I love enamel! This is especially great because it fits well with the white color scheme I love.


bowled over beautiful turned wooden bowl by cottagefarm, $15
...If you do not visit any other link here, please visit this shop. I had such a hard time picking out what to feature from this shop, but these striking colors in the photo got me. A wooden bowl is such a versatile thing to have in your home, whether it's for serving or decoration.


Three Button Homespun Pillow Cover by CreekBedThreads, $20
...I couldn't resist, I was so inspired by the Pottery Barn catalog that I ran off and made my own version of their cute pillows.


These are just a few of the items from a larger collection that I put together of my favorite items, seen below:


I hope you've enjoyed my farmhouse chic picks and are inspired to dig around and see what you can pull out of the closet and repurpose into a beautiful decoration for your home!

That's it for now, goodnight everyone :)

Custom Orders and Cute Nieces

Well I have a couple things to report today...

First, I finished a custom order for a friend of my mom's - here is what she got:

The third picture is a new design, I bought the pattern from AliFoster on Etsy. I'll be adding these to my shop soon, so keep an eye out!

I also finished this custom pillow and a pair of pants for my niece (more pictures of her are below!):

(It's hard to tell from the picture, but the dark patches in the pants are brown corduroy.)

Also, our open house 2 weeks ago went very well, despite the snowy roads, and I think everyone had a good time. Here is a picture of Jared and I before it started:


And now onto the most important thing... my niece! I'm not sure if I've ever posted any pictures of her before, but I got a few good ones over Christmas that I thought I would share. She'll be turning 1 in February. She's really growing fast, every time we see her there are new things she's learned, and she is interacting with us so much more! She's so good at pulling herself up now, and I'm sure she will be walking on her own in no time. Considering that she was born 2 months early, she is way ahead of where she is expected to be (proud aunt talking).


Whew that was a long post. But if you made it this far, thanks for reading!

Etsy Favorite - White Serenade

The subtle beauty and stunning photography of WhiteSerenade's online store floored me from the first time I set eyes on her online shop. I love that everything is vintage inspired, delicate, and just downright pretty!

Please take a moment to pop over to WhiteSerenade's Etsy Shop and see what the fuss is all about! A few examples of her work are below:

Wordle

In her post here, my cousin had her wordle... so I thought I would share mine! Nothing too revealing... but I do love Lowe's! Hahaha!