business cards

I received these new business cards I ordered from GotPrint.com this weekend. I designed them with their Advanced Designer....and they're perfect!

So shiny.

And they came in the cutest little box.

Can you tell I'm just a little obsessed?

Red 5 Ways

Artistic Mod

Rugged and Romantic

Casual Parisian

(her hair is so gorgeous!)

Fresh and Ethnic-Inspired

Classic with a 70s Twist

All photos from Elle Street Chic.

4 cool websites: art

Five fun, interactive art-related websites I found last night while Stumbling.

Create your own modern, paint-splotch creation at jacksonpollock.org.
Here's the Picasso face I made at mrpicassohead.com. What do you think---does it look like me?


Not exactly art-related, but too cool not to link. I won't even explain it-just try it.


Takes your doodle and turns it into a scribbled masterpiece. Which may turn out a little creepy, like mine. Scribble at zefrank.com.

ruffles

Mossimo jacket, Go International dress, Target tights, Personal Identity shoes, vintage ring

Today's church outfit. Off to enjoy an afternoon of baking and an evening of Super Bowl partying!

friday favorites: wainbowmudd.etsy.com

Candy Apple Bunch

Wainbow Cuties

Stawberry Lime Collection


This Friday, my favorite Etsy shop is wainbowmudd. I love Laura's cute and modern hair accessories, as well as her overall shop design---that soft green background color perfectly complements her colorful products!
Above are my top three picks from her shop---see everything else here.

P.S. Since I'm a sucker for packaging, I could help but include a picture of how Laura's packages her products. So simple and yet very special.

art (in my room)

I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite arty things decorating my room.

Color-phobics beware!

Eye Candy
I made this sculpture/artwork/I'm-not exactly-sure-what-it-is when I was twelve. There's this little Amish grocery store I sometimes visit in Iowa City, and they sell containers of sprinkles for around $.88 each.

I had no use for bulk sprinkles when I was twelve, but I loved the way the stacked containers looked so much that I bought them anyway.

Then I decided to make some sort of decoration out of them---one Ikea frame and 1/2 a bottle of Gorilla Glue later, I had this.

Records
I used to have a bunch of piddly little postcards taped to this section of wall next to my bunk bed, so adding these records I acquired at a garage sale was a huge improvement. Plus, no room is complete without something Sound of Music- or Tony Bennett-related.

Green Glass Collection
This happened by accident (as many collections do). I started picking up green glass items at garage sales and Goodwill because they were to cool not to buy, and eventually I got a whole shelfful (I know--that word is hard to read). This shelf is above my desk, and my uncle, who installed the shelves, is afraid it'll get so heavy that it'll fall on my head.

But so far, so good.

out and about

Old Navy boots, leggings--gift, thrifted skirt, (r)elativity t-shirt, thrifted vest

Today's outfit had an accidental Sergeant Pepper's vibe to it, which I only realized when looking at the pictures. This morning I went to Wal-Mart and the library, and here's my observations from both places:

Wal-Mart

People have been talking about Wal-Mart's decision to get rid of their fabric section for a while now, but I was still surprised when I visited the department today and found it rearranged and the products discounted. In some of the small towns near me,Wal-Mart is the closest fabric source within an hour's drive, and many groups like the Girl Scouts depend on the stores' low-priced fabrics for their sewing projects.

It makes me mad.

Library

On a lighter note, I thought these two books side by side on the library shelf looked so pretty--just in time for Valentine's!

How did you spend your Tuesday?

inspiring spaces: tara anderson

I think that the space you work in and the products you make are very closely linked, which is why I love seeing other artist/crafters' work spaces. It really makes you think about their work in a different way.

I'm starting a new series called Inspiring Spaces, where I'll share some the best work spaces I've seen. Above is one of my favorites, Tara Anderson's Craft Room. It's so fresh and energizing, and the way she's arranged her supplies seems to make projects come together of their own accord.

Do you have a favorite work space (either your own or someone else's)?

my rig

When I first started photographing my items for Etsy, it was really helpful to see pictures of other people's 'setups', so I'll share mine. My generous brother bought me an EZcube light tent for Christmas (which is wonderful) but before that I was using a homemade lightbox (which is not so wonderful, but still works).
I usually do my photographing between 3:00-4:00 PM, with the light tent on a table facing a window. I use a piece of poster board for the background, and piece of wood for the 'floor'.
I set the light tent back out of the direct patches of sunlight coming in through the window, so I just get the general ambiance.

The result!

jean jacket

thrifted scarf, Gap jacket, Xhilaration blouse, thrifted skirt (altered), Target tights, Esprit boots

I love the exposed metal zipper on the back of this blouse I bought at Target the other day.