Etsy Treasure Tuesday: Packagery

I'm having a difficult time getting into the Christmas swing this year for several reasons.

1: It's the middle of December and it's 80 degrees outside here! What is going on!?

2: I did almost all of my Christmas shopping online this year, so I (happily) missed that whole "rushing out to buy gifts" experience that usually signals the season's beginning.

3: I was so busy leading up to Thanksgiving and at the beginning of this month that I haven't had time to put up the Christmas tree, so my house looks just the same as for the other 11 months of the year, except dirtier and with a lone little aqua wreath lounging on the piano.

Despite the fact that I don't have a tree to put the presents under,

I do love wrapping them. I love the creativity I get to exhibit, and I love the pretty papers and ribbons and trims. Which is why I chose Packagery for today's Etsy feature, and why I'm feeling a little more in the mood to put on Bing's "White Christmas" and get started.

Doesn't that make you want to stop what you're going and play in the floor with all of the pretties? Me too. Happy Tuesday and happy wrapping, friends!

My DIY Wreath

I'm not sure if any of you will remember that last year in December, I put up a DIY post about how to make this adorable ruffle wreath with felt circles. I bought the materials right around Christmas last year, but didn't get around to making it in time to put up for the holidays. But last weekend, I finally sat down and put together the pretty little wreath below.

I decided to wrap it in (of course) aqua yarn, then I attached my 85 or so circles of ivory felt. Unfortunately, they didn't quite cover the whole wreath. I like the fact that you can see the pretty yarn, but it still looks funny to me, so I need y'all's opinion on the finishing touches. Should I buy more felt to cover it completely? Or should I remove some of the circles so that it's mostly a yarn wreath with a band of ruffles? And what should I embellish with? I bought some vintage-style bottlebrush trees with which I was going to plant a little forest on the bottom of the ring, but I tried to spray paint them gold, and learned to my dismay that bottlebrush trees are impervious to spray paint (at least mine were, after 5 solid minutes of spraying). I could hang some mini Christmas ornaments from the top of the ring to dangle in the center, I suppose. Any other brilliant ideas?

I'd love to hear about any holiday craftiness you've been up to recently!

Etsy Treasure Tuesday: Laura Amiss

I fell in love with all of the gorgeous prints and textile artwork in Laura Amiss's Etsy shop at first glance. The colors make me happy, and the sweet themes make me giggle. I dare you not to smile immediately.

I think "Teapots" and "I Was Different" would be at the top of my list, but the cityscapes are close behind. So charming, yes?

{all images © Laura Amiss, and pulled from the Etsy shop}

Just .... A Little ..... Further .....

I'm this close to making my 200th sale in the Etsy shop {picture me doing the thumb and first finger thing with my face scrunched up}, so I wanted to invite you guys to help me out with that; if you've been thinking of doing any of your Christmas shopping at pink street, go ahead and jump on that! I'm offering a special little free gift to be included with the next four sales, which will be wrapped beautifully and packaged with extra attention (because that's how I roll).

So go ahead, please, make my day!

Holiday Trading

So thrilled that I made it into the 2010 oh, hello friend Holiday Trade Guide! It's such a fantastic way to discover other artists on Etsy, and get some of my shopping done without spending any money! Hooray for supporting each other and being thrifty!

Check out Danni's lovely collection here, and if you make things and are interested in arranging a trade with me, visit my shop here! (That's my Meryton necklace, at the bottom left. Sold a few days ago, but there's lots more prettiness where that came from.)

Etsy Treasure Tuesday: Turtle Papers

Hello, friends! It's lovely to be back again after the holiday. I enjoyed my brief break quite a lot, and I can't wait to do it again in a few weeks. But now, we must get down to business! There is goodness to be discussed and prettiness to be displayed!

Case in point: the lovely Turtle Papers Etsy shop, of which I have been an admirer since my earliest days on Etsy. I always think that Christmas is the perfect time to splurge on something as relatively frivolous as pretty stationery. Don't you agree? And you can pick up some charming holiday cards there while you're shopping.

Pretty pastels, lacy scallops, and floral flourishes; just my style, obviously.

{All images pulled from the Turtle Papers Etsy shop.}

Holiday Wish List #1

Today's wishlist was inspired by champagne pinks and peppermint stripes.



pillowbox kit by belladrummer; sweet holiday styling by country living; red zigzag rug by madeline weinrib

lacy cardi by modcloth; darling flats by vivienne westwood; scallop top by modcloth

red velvet clutch by Home of Heart Couture; red leather and gold bangles by Maribelle Campa;

Those flats would definitely go on my wishlist if there was anyone who'd spend that much money on me. So cute!

Fall Sale at Pink Street!

Head over to take advantage of the Fall Sale in my shop: 10% off of all items, and 15% off of Sale items! Go get some of your Christmas shopping out of the way early, friends! I solemnly promise that shipping will be super-fast and packaging will be super-cute.

I love sales! Who's with me?

Etsy Treasure Tuesday: French English

Patent leather is not just for your grandmother's pumps anymore. I'm loving these cheeky bags by Etsy seller French & English Confectioners -- FrenchEnglish for short.

Here's a sampler of a few I'd love to own:

I love the way the shiny patent finish can give the plainest piece a dressy feel. How about you?

{all images pulled from the FrenchEnglish Etsy shop.}

Elizabeth Bennet Approves.

The next dance shall be dedicated to the lady genius who created Austenbook.
I laughed my bonnet off!

{via The English Muse.}

DIY Thursday: Fabric Pumpkin Tutorial

I know, I know. I did this post last fall. "But some of my lovely readers are new!" I thought to myself, "and maye they'd like a little recap?" At any rate, I can't resist the chance to put something so pretty up for you, even if it is a re-run. I hope you enjoy the photos, and for the original, full length and in-depth tutorial, visit Danielle Thompson's fabulous post here.

__________________________________________________________________________________

After seeing this photo on flickr (taken by indierocket) of the absolutely gorgeous fabric pumpkins for sale at ink + peat in Portland, Danielle Thompson of Thompson Family Life decided to make her own. And the photos she took of her own fabric pumpkin creations blew me away. Just in time for Thanksgiving, everyone! Grab your scraps and craft away! I certainly intend to.

If you try it, send me photos!

{all images above are copyright Danielle Thomspson Photography.}

Etsy Treasure Tuesday: The Shop at No. 144

Such pretty things in this charming Etsy shop. I, like the owner and designer, Colleen Lemons, have a serious thing for ruffles, bows, and soft, fluffy flowers. Also, obviously, for handmade items that fit these descriptions as well. Some of my numerous favorites from the shop:

{all images pulled from the No. 144 shop.}

Terribly easy to love, am I right? Hop on over and check out Colleen's charming shop, The Shop at No. 144.

(And ps: if anyone who plans to Christmas shop for me is reading this, I'm a big fan of those adorable teal velvet shoe bows.)

Feels Like Christmas

I got the happiest surprise yesterday morning when I checked my email. A sweet bride I worked with last year on the gorgeous aqua and dove grey wedding set wrote to let me know that her wedding (and my jewelry) had been featured on Style Me Pretty, which as some of you may know, is one of the best wedding blogs out there, and is kind of a big deal. Not only was I elated to find out that Abby Larson of Style Me Pretty has put this one at the top of her "favorite weddings" list, but I was so happy to see photos proving that I was lucky enough to contribute something small to a day that was so special and so incredibly beautiful. All of the bridesmaids are wearing pink street necklace and earring sets created especially for each girl, to match her individual style and personality, as a gift from the bride.

The lovely bride, Jessica, planned all of the details so perfectly, down to painting and distressing the aqua birdcages by hand. But she found out, just like I did on my wedding day, incidentally, that no matter how thoroughly you plan, you can't predict everything. Her obstacle was a sudden and unaccountable illness. (Mine was 5 inches of snow. On the day of our outdoor wedding.)

You can read her whole harrowing tale of the imperfect wedding that turned out to be perfect after all on the Style Me Pretty post, where there are dozens of other gorgeous photos as well. I am so grateful to have been part of her story, and couldn't wait to share the feature with all of you!

{all images by Souder Photography.}

Wish List: Wallpaper

I love the soft chintzy look of Catherine Hammerton's collages, and now she's produced a wallpaper collage! I would love to put a roll of this up in my craft room. I think it's adorable.

{via oh, hello friend. image pulled from Catherine Hammerton's website.}

A Few Random Thoughts

Hello, friends. Unfortunately, I haven't yet dug myself out of the deep deep hole that is "Things I Have To-Do" yet, but I have just a few minutes to breathe, and I thought I'd let you know that:

1. I love Love LOVE fall. Even here, where only 7 of the 32 trees in this city turn color. It's my favorite time of the whole year.
2. I am going to do this year what I've been saying I would do for the past 4 years: make caramel apples with Husband. Yum.
3. The Texas Rangers are breaking my heart. Seriously guys, the underdogs are supposed to miraculously win at the end of the story! That's how it works.
4. Even though it means I get the big bed all to myself, I don't like it when Husband's gone for a night. My eyes are a little redder this morning.
5. I'm currently loving the self-titled album from Little Joy.
6. I watched How To Steal A Million with Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole yesterday, and remembered two things: how much I love Audrey, and why I decided that my future husband had to have bright blue eyes and dark hair. (Which he does.)
7. I've decided that scarves are my favorite accessory. Yes, despite the fact that I make jewelry.
8. I don't care who you are or where you're from: Oscar Wilde is just plain hilarious. Makes me laugh every time. Out loud.
9. Art Trail is this Friday night, and I have some lovely new things to show off!
10. I wish I had some lovely new tree peonies sitting at home waiting for me. Tree peonies are my favorite, especially in these incredible arrangements by Sarah of Saipua.

I Keep Telling Myself

And I'm pretty sure that's true. But probably not for a while yet.

Please be patient with me. I'll be back soon.

{image and design © Jen Renninger of the fabulous Etsy shop PleaseBeStill.}

Etsy Treasure Tuesday: Olive Manna

I just can't get enough of pretty packaging, so obviously, Olive Manna has been in my list of Etsy favorites for a very long time now.  But this week is a perfect time to feature the shop because Danni over at oh, hello friend has an Olive Manna giveaway going on this week! Check out some of my favorites below, then go straight over and enter the giveaway!

  

 

Natalie Jost, the very talented person behind Olive Manna, has a blog, an Etsy shop, and also an independent shop with some different offerings than you can find on Etsy. Happy browsing, and don't forget to enter the giveaway!