12.10.2013

Tis the Tacky


Tis the Season to be Tacky!
This weekend my roommates and i threw a tacky Christmas sweater party.
Here are some helpful hints to ensure your party is a tacky success!
 
Keep things lively with your face. Smiles are overrated.
 
 
 
Take advantage of large appliances.  They need decorations too.
 


Synchronized dances with oversized candy canes are a delight for all guests.
 
 
 
Cats + tinsel = Pure Tacky Joy.


Only invite pretty friends to take pictures with. This is crucial.
 

Giant origami snowflakes hung low, ensuring that your guests hit their heads on.
 
 
 
 Ghetto-Fab tights that say "Santa's Ho."
 


Friends with baking skillz who will bring things like this.


Party eyewear from Urban Outfitters.
 
 
A professional photographer.  So half your pictures don't look like this.
 
Ho Ho Ho Yo.
xoxox
BS

 

11.26.2013

Wreath Wrecks

I am sure that most of you are familiar with the web site called Cake Wrecks. Well, after my post yesterday about my beautiful wreath, it was brought to my attention how many terrible wreaths there are on Pinterest. 

Seriously the lack of effort going into some of these is hilarious. 
If you are sensitive, a nice person, or the faint of heart- you may want to walk away.

Otherwise, i bring you- Wreath Wrecks!

Unless you are Robin Thicke and this is hanging on your dressing room door at MTV's VMAs, you should be ashamed. 
 
 
Pretty sure that's the price tag dangling.

I applauded the simple effort.  Does anyone else think that looks like a cockroach to the left?

Nothing says 'Go Team' like a platinum wreath with a sprinkle of daisies.  And no, this is not what your husband meant about sharing the same interests.
 
 
Was your wreath a bit chilly hanging outside?
 

Step.Away.From.The.Tulle.

Is it bad that I actually like this one??
 

This is what happens when you don't use all the Styrofoam balls for your Solar System project and you have an extra tooth fairy lying around.
 

You feeling the joy? No seriously.  Please contain yourself.
 

 The wreath is crying out for help.  Sending out an S.O.S.
 
 
I would like to say this post was all in good fun.  We're all laughing at the wreaths, not the people behind them.  If these beauts belong to you or anyone you know, send me a photo of you holding the wreath and I will personally make you a pretty replacement.

11.25.2013

Holla-day Wreath

So in typical fashion i am returning to blogging after disappearing for a couple of months to change jobs, take a couple more grad school classes, and travel to Dallas.  In rare form i decided to jump the gun and decorate my house for Christmas.  So much of my life has been crazy out of control, so this was one aspect that i can control, and i controlled it with glitter.

More on the rest of the décor to come later.  Today I just wanted to highlight a wreath that I had made for my front door for the holiday season.







 
 
Right now i am obsessed with natural wreaths, pine cones, burlap and fabric flowers.  The chevron and polka dot red fabric was my pop of color.  To continue with the red i added in some berries for a final touch.  Boom. 

Here's to the beginning of Happy Holidays for everyone!

-xoxoxo-
BS

9.03.2013

Rude post with a lot of pictures.

Well so much for blogging everyday.
And so much for not even saying hello to you guys.
I'm so rude.

In the past couple of weeks of not blogging, I have managed to obtain a new job which I am absolutely in love with, went to visit my brother in North Carolina where he prepared every sushi roll I ate, and received two custom orders from cool chicks that found me off Pinterest.

Not too shabby, if you ask me.


 




If you would like my brother to make you sushi you should go HERE.
If you would like to see where I work, go HERE.
If you would like me to make you a custom monogram wood plaque (shown above) you should order one HERE

Hope no one had to labor yesterday, and that you survive the workday that ultimately felt like a Monday even though it wasn't.

8.08.2013

DIY Heart

 
Nothing makes me happier than when I am creating.
Especially when the end product is for the birds.
 
These cuties are super easy, environment friendly, kid friendly, and an awesome last min craft for the end of summer.
 
I originally got this idea from where everyone every female gets ideas for anything.  PINTEREST.
 
You will need:
 
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. corn syrup
4 cups bird seed
 
 
mix together
 
 
And obviously:
 
A cookie cutter (ideally a heart)
mixing bowl
spoon
stick
parchment paper
non-stick spray or veg. oil
 
 
Grease up the cookie cutter and your hands, because this stuff is sticky.
Mash birdseed mixture inside heart until it is all the way full.
Carefully poke a hole towards the center of the heart to hang it later.
 
 
 
Next carefully slide the cookie cutter away leaving the birdseed heart in place on parchment paper. 
Allow to dry overnight to ensure it is fully dry and will not crumble.
 
 

Once dried, choose string of your choice, creating a loop to hang in the tree.

My attempt resulted in 9 hearts.

We made a second batch using other cookie cutter shapes but honestly most of them weren't recognizable or ended up looking phallic, so I would suggest sticking with the heart.




If you would like to see more craft ideas you can follow me on my Pinterest Boards Here.

8.07.2013

Work it.


There are a lot of things that I work for… and more things that I would rather just pay someone else to do to get it done. 
Like yard work, cleaning out the food trap thingies in my kitchen sink, and trying on all my target purchases.
 
But if I could work for the following and some how all my bills get paid it would be a dream.come.true.


I would work for the ability to twerk.  Seriously.  My dance skill are all but lacking and more on the 'oh that's funny' instead of  'get it' side of things.  I would love to once just break out with legit moves. Or maybe just hide behind a giant teddy bear.


Source


I would work to get to hang out with Zooey Deschanel.  I could help her style her bangs, accessorize her polka dots, and tune her ukulele.  I'm sure she would have a blast.

Source




I would work for unlimited airfare and time to travel.  I could pay for these things but how exciting would it be to constantly be awarded with plane tickets and passport stamps. I want to go to there.


Source

I would work for Peanut Butter M&M's. enough said.
Source

I would work for unlimited passes to hear my favorite bands play.  Or even just a backstage pass.  Or maybe even a record player.  Have I mentioned that I love music and it fuels the majority of all art projects I work on? Current musical obsession is this:




I would work for store credit over at Windsor.  Have you seen the amazing things they have at all to affordable prices??  One could easily re-vamp their wardrobe with just a few clicks.

Source


Alright, so now that I have mentioned a few of the things I would work for, I should probably actually get back to working.   Thanks Erin for hosting this fun impromptu link-up!

And BAM just like that day 3ish of the 30 day challenge!  Thanks Mae- I'm on a roll!


8.06.2013

Full of BS

There are a lot of things that are pretty 'cringe worthy' on my blog. 

The longer I am around writing and seeing how everyone else is growing their blogs, I see one common theme. 
If you don't want 'cringe worthy' moments.. stop posting pictures when your are curiously orange and your mouth is wide open.

 

This beaut right here is not an add for self tanner.
It unfortunately was the photo that greeted people who wanted to learn a little bit more about me under my "About Me" tab at the top of my blog.

Why selfies have become ever so popular is beyond me.

Anyways, I figure that it was about time that I stopped frightening people with my tonsils and get real pictures taken of me, by a real photographer, who happens to be a real best friend of mine. 

She has and will continue to help Photoshop my blog into a new league of pretty.  Feel free to click HERE to read my new About Me section, and also preview a couple of the pictures from our recent photo shoot.



My blog is growing up!  Stayed tuned for more changes to come!
Post number 2 of the 30 day challenge!
We can do this!

8.05.2013

Write On

So some pretty cool gals, Mae Mae and Maddie have invite us all to challenge ourselves to write a new post for the next 30 days.

Well... actually it started on August 1st....
So in typical fashion I am about 5 days late to the party.
But who cares... at this point people are feeling pretty good and super excited to see you when you arrive.
(Not that kind of party? It should be.)

So welcome if you are a fellow procrastinating blogger from the challenge! 

Most of you know about my love for all things vintage, free and things of sentimental value.  Recently we were going through my grandmother's house to clear things out, as she's settling into an assisted living home, and it is a thrifter's dream to see the things that have been packed away for decades.

I snagged these puzzle pieces that were most likely something that my dad played with or that my siblings and I played with while visiting my grandmother on our road trips from Florida.  Even though the actual memory isn't there I will treasure these because they came from her, and plus they are ridiculously adorable!

 
 
 
The wooden board that most likely went with this is long gone, but I still think the little man and woman are darling.  I can't decide if I want to use them in an art work or leave them be. 
 
Lastly, here is a recent picture of my grandmother and my siblings on the Fourth of July.  I swear my brother continues to grow and my grandmother might be shrinking. 
 
 
 
 
 
Whew- well that wasn't so bad.  See you folks back here tomorrow for post number   2 of the 30 day challenge!

7.26.2013

My YouTube Debut

I am sure many of you have posted videos on YouTube of silly pranks, serenades, or even your own version of Beyoncé's single ladies using your cats.

I however am not that cool.

This little video of mine has been hidden on the internet since 2007 when a 'super cool' college professor thought it would be trendy for us to post a lesson on YouTube for credit in one of my art education classes.  I knew then I didn't want my face in the film so my class partner (Jenna) and I came up with the nerdy and brilliant idea to use puppets to create our lesson.

Yes. I said puppets.

Now at the time I was just glad to get the damn assignment over with, because we all know how awful it is to work in groups as an adult.  I cringe every time anyone mentions Aztecs, Puppets, or asks "Hey what was the name of that awful video you have on YouTube??" 

It is so awful in fact that I now think it's awesome and want to share it with the world! 
You and Jenna, wherever you are, can thank me for my amazing improv skills, inability to use my hand once it is in a puppet, and my love for funnel cakes.


 
(Disclaimer: If you are an art teacher DO NOT show this to your students.  They will mock you)


Happy Friday everyone! 
Now grab a drink and forward this gem to a friend!  It is about time I started making money off this YouTube sensation!

7.25.2013

Creative Space

I have been considering for a while now going to a therapist.  So I can have a sounding board and unbiased ears to hear my '20 something's' rant about my quarter life crisis.  While mental health is a serious matter I put it on the back burner and enrolled in grad school instead.

In January I started working on my master of art in Art Education. 
It has been scary, challenging, time consuming, and probably one of the best things I ever could have done for myself.

The program I am in highlights and focuses on personal reflections as an Artist-teacher, not just an art teacher.  It is designed for us in the program to create and make which often doesn't happen with a busy teacher schedule. 

This has proven to be so therapeutic for me and allowed me to grow in self confidence and work harder towards creative dreams.  I will admit though going back to school is not conducive to trying to grow a baby blog, (Time management please!!) but what I have learned is priceless and my blog and future will benefit because of it.

With this slow transformation of my identity as an artist-teacher over the past year and a half, my creative space has also moved, changed, and grown positively. 

Here are a few snippets of my current creative space:

 




 
Thank you for staying with me on this creative journey, and not un-following my blog because of my fungus.