Whatever Weekend – Shoes and Tattoos!

Today, I fell in love.

With these:

 

Gipsy Dharma has some of the most beautiful, handmade, leather, festival-style boots I’ve ever seen!

I’ve wanted a pair of boots like this for years now, as the hubs and I frequent our local Scarborough Faire, and see handmade shoes like this on the regular. It doesn’t hurt that I secretly want to be a fairy. (Shh…) I’m also a lover of shoes that keep me close to barefoot, which is hard to find in a boot. If you’re curious about why going barefoot is so good, check out this link. As for me, I’ve always enjoyed going barefoot, and continue to do it for health reasons (as someone with FMS, it’s important to me to walk consciously to put less strain on my body,) but I am a girl, after all, and this girl loves her shoes! Could it get any better than custom-made by hand?

The designer is based in the UK, but she’s obviously accustomed to selling internationally. There’s no shortage of detailed info on her shoes and clothing, including measuring and sizing tips to help you avoid returns. She’s also eco-conscious, which, of course, I appreciate, and her customers are clearly very happy!

In other news, I’ve found a great tattoo artist who I’d like to do a tattoo I’ve had in mind for years now. Her name is Shanti (which means “peace” in Sanskrit, in case you were wondering,) and she specializes in Art Nouveau style. My idea is somewhat general right now – a celebration of life garden with specific flowers to represent specific loved ones and important events in my life, placed on my hip, and wrapping around to my lower back. I have plenty of notes on possible flowers, and would love a swirly, Art Nouveau style background to tie it all together. So, I need an artist with a good sense of botanical work, and I also want bold, rich color, and after looking at some of Shanti’s portfolio, I’m confident she’ll be able to provide just that. Look at this beautiful Iris (a cover-up, no less.) The color variation and attention to detail really drew me in.

 

I’m excited to work on sketching out some designs and meet with Shanti after I’ve saved up enough money to sit through at least an hour-long session!

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Who Am I? Where Am I?

So, blogworld, here you are again. I’ve left you for too long!

This weekend, come visit us at the Cowtown Indie Bazaar at the Etsy 817 Make & Take booth. We’ll be making cute ornaments and doing origami, and we’d love to meet you!

Click me!

It’s October, and, of course, I’ve submerged myself in preparing for Halloween. This year at our church’s Trunk Or Treat, Tom and I are going to be a pirate and a mermaid. The trunk? A giant shell. This is not as easy as it seemed in my head, but I worked a little magic with foam board, acrylic paints and the obligatory glitter. I’ll post pics of the finished product later!

I’ve also been working on the Winter Wonderland Festival, and making items for goodie bags and our booth at the Etsy 817 Handmade Holidays show. Oh, yeah, and the Tri C. I finished revamping our game room, and must now move on to other rooms in need of some TLC.

In other words, life is completely insane and dragging me down with it. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Check out our shops for new pretties! (Links to the right of the page.)

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Thoughtful Thursday – Back On Track

I’ve taken some time off from blogging since my aunt’s passing to regroup, delve into some big projects here at the Tri C, and help take care of my mom. There’s lots going on right now with her health, and she’s getting ready to schedule surgery for a torn rotator cuff (due to the multiple falls she’s had since the development of polyneuropathy.)

My aunt’s memorial went well. It was a little awkward, since the only time our family has met her husband’s family was their wedding, but overall it was nice and relaxed. Things have been so busy that I’ve barely had time to let it sink in. I’m thankful for all of the creative outlets I have, including a major makeover here at the Tri C! We spent 3 days painting one of the back rooms to transform into a game room, and it’s almost done. I’ll post pictures when it’s finished (kicking myself for not getting “before” pictures!) Next, we have a lounge, a devotional room, and a library to work on. No shortage of interior decorating practice, that’s for sure.

Etsy817 is on fire right now, since we’re planning a “make and take” booth at the Cowtown Indie Bazaar in Ft. Worth, a float for the Arlington Parade of Lights, and the Handmade Holidays arts and crafts show at UTA, all within the next few months!

Click the button on the right sidebar for more info!

To top it all off, there’s the 2nd Annual Winter Wonderland Festival at church (Park Row Church of Christ,) of which I am the official event coordinator. Due to some scheduling conflicts, we had to move the festival up a few weeks, which puts a crunch on planning. I can’t wait to make it bigger and better than last year!

Click me for more info!

Once I get the game room completed, I’m going to have to carve out time each day to make new items to list and sell at the upcoming shows. I’m welcoming that quiet, creative time with tired but open arms.

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Weird Wednesday – Our New Etsy Shop!

We’re so excited! We’re opening up a new Etsy shop, JuJuEyeball, as the twisted sister store to Buy Me Love. It’s the place where all of our weirder, wilder creations will live, and we can’t wait to fill it to the brim with strangeness. Teaser: Mom is working on a hat featuring a vintage doll head, and I’m working on little wearable monsters.

We’re really feeling the itch to let loose creatively, and while we love making pretty, frilly, sparkly things for Buy Me Love, our true passion for creativity comes from a slightly more demented place. One of the reasons we love this job is because we’re allowed to have the best of both worlds!

So, I’ve set up the shop and I’m working on a banner and avatar to make the place feel more like home so we can start filling it with “artful oddities to wear and admire.” Keep an eye out! (Hardy har.)

Other exciting news:

Join us and team Etsy817 for facepainting and fun this Sunday evening starting at 5 pm. Click the pic for more info!

 I’ll be hanging out with our friends in team Etsy817 at the free face painting booth! We’ll be promoting the team and all of the shops that make up Etsy817, including BML. If that’s not cool enough for ya, we’re giving away handmade prizes from participating shops! The celebration is going on all weekend, from Friday through Sunday, in Dalworthington Gardens. Check out this blog post for more info.

Hope to see you there!

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Whatever Weekend – I Turned Into A Fairy (Who’s Scandalously In Love With A Pirate)

Tom and I went to the ren faire yesterday and made lots of friends! Who doesn’t want to be friends with a fairy and a handsome pirate?

Here’s how my wings turned out:

My little wings! I took off some of the greenery, and replaced the elastic arm bands with wide brown satin ribbon. Much more comfy.

The final costumes:

Not to get too country on you, but is this what "buttin' a stump" means?

A coveted picture with Twig the fairy:

Her wings and costume are magnificent! I tried cellophane on mine, but couldn't get it to work. I'll definitely have to try again.

We ate renaissance pizza and baklava, and Tom drank all the rum.

I bought a sweet mini-parasol with scalloped edges and a hand-painted cherry blossom design. If anyone knows a way to water proof rice paper, let me know! I also bought a walking stick made of cedar from a man named Cedar (I’m not kidding. He lives totally off the grid in Oregon.) You can see both of them in the picture with Twig.

Tom and I both got henna designs this time – it’s usually something I do to relax while he walks around. For those of you who don’t know what henna is, it’s a natural plant-based dye used in Asia and the middle East. The paste is greenish, applied through a small tip, which dries on your skin. When you remove it, the stain of the design is left behind in a rich, terra cotta color. Mendhi is the art of henna, creating intricate designs on the hands and feet for everyday, but especially big events like weddings. It looks like this:

Tom's mandala design. I got a lotus design on my foot.

The designs have been Americanized, and henna is now an alternative to temporary tattoos, since the stain usually lasts one to three weeks.

We walked our butts off and watched the joust, the royal court dance, and acts like bellydancing, whip crackers, pub singers, and joked with the roving faire characters. When we just couldn’t walk anymore (plus, the faire was closing) we took the long trek out to the car and made the long ride back home, where we soaked our feet and watched an episode of ye olde Bones.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Share the Love,
Chelsea

Make It Monday – (Fairy) Makeup Magic

Okay, so, in case you didn’t know this about me, it’s Halloween in my head pretty much year round. 🙂 I love costume design and makeup (warning – I’m not an expert!) so I love the freedom of expression Halloween promotes. This week, Tom and I decided we’re going to Scarborough Faire, the renaissance festival in Waxahachie, again this year. We’ve been several times, but don’t get to go every year because of time and money constraints. We also decided to do something we haven’t done yet, and that’s dress the part! This is a pretty last-minute decision, so we’re working with what we have. I’m going to be a faerie, and Tom’s going to go either Celtic or pirate, we haven’t decided yet.

Now, I understand if you’re not into dressing up for renaissance festivals, or even Halloween, but it’s a great hobby to have if you’re looking for an something artsy to do in your free time, or if you’re looking for a project to keep your kids busy. I’ve found some amazing tutorials on making wings, doing makeup, and costuming, so I just thought I’d share my faerie costume with you guys!

This is the dress I’m going to use for the base of the costume:

I stole it from Tinkerbell's closet. She'll never notice - she's got a million of 'em!

I lucked out and found this at a thrift store. Of course, it was instantly in plans for a costume. I’ll probably add some fabric pieces cut from scarves around the waist and hem to create more dimension and give it a flowy, ethereal feel that’s indicative of the Renaissance period.

Then, I’m going to find some large leaves (hopefully at the dollar store!) to create a waist cincher. I’ll also need smaller leaves and/or flowers for my hair, which I’ll wear in a messy updo – it’s going to be warm – and maybe some little forest friends, like bugs or butterflies.

Obviously, I’ll need some wings! This is one of the better tutorials I’ve found:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YAUxeopgNw

I think I’ll make mine smaller so that they don’t get in the way of all the fun to be had at the faire.

There are TONS of fairy makeup tutorials to choose from, but I think this one by kandeejohnson is great because you can modify it to match your outfit:

http://www.youtube.com/user/kandeejohnson#p/search/4/pjqLqJbgars

I have plenty of gold and green makeup that I could use, but I haven’t decided how sparkly I want to be. Earthy or sparkly? Decisions, decisions.

Anyway, that’s my inspiration for the costume! I’ll post pics of the finished product and do a real tutorial.

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Tuesday’s Treasure – Bargain Shopping and Antibiotics

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday weekend! I spent time with family, ate lots of good food, got over a cold … and then got a throat infection. Oops. So, after a day of antibiotics, I’m feeling steadily better, and ready to start tackling the week. With the festival finally here – this Saturday – there will be plenty to keep me busy until then. Decorating, setting up booths, delegating, working on our own booth … so, I might not be hangin’ around the blog much this week.

FYI, we’ll be closing up (Etsy) shop the day of the festival to avoid any transaction issues. So, if you’ve got your eye on something, you may want to buy now before it gets snatched up at the festival!

On to the treasure! I’m digging the composition and collection in this “under $25” gift guide:

Amazing Gifts 25 And Under

The cheesecake ring spoke to something deep inside me.

Anyway, if you’re in the Arlington area this Saturday from 10-2, check out the Park Row Winter Wonderland Festival! I’d love to see you there.

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Whatever Weekend – Winter Inspiration

Happy Saturday!

The ginormous church festival I’ve been assigned to plan is only 3 weeks away now, and things are looking great. Ideas have gotten bigger and bigger; pictures with Santa inspired story time with Mrs. Claus, and a jazz band inspired a strings group. It’s been a huge undertaking unlike anything I’ve ever done before, planning this festival with few financial resources and little time to get it all together.  It’s also been fun to put my frugal nature to work to see what I can come up with! I’ve had help from some pretty amazing people,  and more people have volunteered in ways from networking to donating their design skills to making phone calls and sending out emails.

If you’ve ever planned an event like this, you know that a little inspiration can go a long way. My inspiration for even asking if the church held a festival was that we, as a business, needed a new venue where we could set up a booth – now look where I am! I’m the event planner, and there’s a vendor sale, a raffle, a bake sale, carnival games, crafts, Santa & Mrs. Claus, 3 live music acts … it’s pretty awesome.

This is some of my inspiration for the Town Square (vendor room,) The Sweet Shop (bake sale,) and Santa’s Workshop (kids craft section):

Here’s how the flyers turned out:

And the banner (made by my awesome brother in law!):

And, finally, the website:

This week, I’ll be planning carnival games, layout, and getting together teams for each set of events. We’ll be vacationing from our etsy site the day of the festival, so I’ll also be working on adding more items to the site, and making more for the booth! Wish me sanity.

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Tuesday’s Treasure – Dress Up and Man Gifts

Um, hi. It’s November, and I feel like I haven’t blogged in ages. Yesterday I didn’t even realize Monday had passed me by without blogging until I was in bed, falling asleep.

First of all, Trunk or Treat was a huge success! Lots of kids and parents came, all decked out, to get candy for being so cute. Here’s how our trunk and costumes turned out:

Follow the yellow brick road!

 It was worth all the hard work just to see the little kids’ faces light up! Parents wanted to take pictures of their kids with us, and the kids were surprised to hear the Wizard of Oz music in the background. Oh, and we won the prize for best trunk! I was just expecting a “hey, good job – you’re the best!” but we also got a $15 Target gift card. Pretty snazzy.

Now it’s time to kick it into Christmas gear. We’ve filled up about half our vendor spaces for the Winter Wonderland Festival, and the rest is starting to fall into place. I drove around like a crazy person in the rain today, delivering flyers and posters to our local Starbucks. By the way, Starbucks has awesome bulletin boards where you can post non-profit event flyers! I was tired, cold, and damp by the time I got home, but it was worth it.

Speaking of Christmas, I guess I should get to the point. Today’s treasury comes to you super hot from the etsy presses! One of the most elusive subjects for women: what to buy for the men in your life.

Men - They are really not that hard to buy for ...

I don’t know about the treasury title. My man is pretty easy to please, but sometimes so easy to please that I can’t think of anything unique to get him. I think this treasury not only has some beautiful imagery, but good ideas – check out that reclaimed wood desk caddy! Tom would dig it. Of course, he’d dig just about anything …

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Thoughtful Thursday – Sadness, Gladness, and A Little Madness

These past couple of weeks have been doozies. Some close friends of ours lost their father/grandfather, who was an amazing man. He was an inventor and entrepreneur, and his family loves him very much. One of my online friends, a sweet woman who just recently had a baby, also lost her father. This is why the holidays are such a hard time of year for so many people. It’s hard not to associate the sadness with the season. We’re praying and hoping for them to have peace.

We also found out, though, that two of our friends are expecting their first children! Yay! We are now friends with three couples expecting babies for the first time. We’re so excited for them; soon, I’ll be going into full-fledged baby gift making mode.

There’s also the fact that things have just been downright hectic. Mom and I are planning a big yard sale to help “clean house” so she can find a new place to live (and not have to worry about moving as much stuff.) Then there’s a whole issue with our healthcare system that I won’t even get into right now. She’s also been helping me with my Trunk Or Treat costume, and I’ve been making our trunk decorations. Of course, there’s the mondo-project of the Winter Wonderland Festival, which is starting to take shape! I’m trying to find room to store the boxes of decorations people have donated, and so many people have offered to help. It’s warmed my heart to see how many people are willing to donate their time and effort.

My husband just said to me yesterday that he thinks he’s overextended himself. Fortunately, I’ve learned how to ask for help and say no when I just can’t do something (though I don’t always do it,) but I understand where he’s coming from. Sometimes I wonder if it will all get done!

On top of everything, there’s a stomach bug going around that we’ve been trying to avoid. Today, it sounds like Mom may have gotten it. One of the local high schools had hundreds of students and about 10 teachers out from school because of it – nasty stuff. All I’m hoping right now is that Mom feels better, that neither Tom or I get it, and that it doesn’t rain this weekend. I’m just gonna believe it will all work out, because it always does.

Share the Love,

Chelsea