you wanna see a Flipped Bird?

Vintage Rose Wraps giveaway prizes that have arrived so far:

1. Rock A Bow Baby hat (still looking for your opinions)

and now, Marci at Flipped Bird (*love* the name) sent me a fabulous reversible bag and flower jar of hair ties!

photo credit

not a bad pic considering my 8 year old took it!

this it is moments after i tore open the package!  

i love that it can be worn over your shoulder, or cross-body, like a messenger bag.  i carried it last weekend at our local Arts Festival where fine artists from around the country convene and display their art.  

we took the kids and i toted everything comfortably in this great bag.  it was a bit thunderstormy (not a word, i know), and my bag was plenty roomy to fit: 2 rain coats, umbrellas, and my wristlet!  

a good look at both fabrics and the awesome label.  



and the name, Flipped Bird, is just hilarious!  here's what Marci says, "the name comes from my husband John who calls me bird and from my daughter Kassidy who hatched the name and claims innocence to the innuendo".  hilarious.

 along with the bag came a jar of elastic hair ties (like the orange one around the jar) in a fun variety of colors.  

i've never met Marci, but i can tell she'd be fun to hang out with!  visit her Etsy shop to find your perfect bag! 

the first prize from the VRW giveaway [and] i need your OPINION

from Rock A Bow Baby, i won this stylish hat; perfect for summer!  

photo credit

go see all the cute bows, headbands, and hats in her Etsy Shop.

in it's new home!

a better look at this beautiful pop of color and the distressed touch!

this is where i need your opinion...

can i  pull off the "hat look"?

(my first attempt at self pics in the mirror)

like the cheesy smile?  

Be honest...

...is this a look for my rounder-than-average face?

come on...give me your opinion...you know you want to...(and i *love* to read 'em)!

w.hy i. d.ig i.t? Etsy finds from brand-spankin'-new shops!

w.hy   i.  d.ig  i.t ? 
some of my favorite Etsy finds from *new* shops and i tell you why i dig it:


w.i.d.i.?
the hardness of the wood combined with the softness of the smooth, rounded edges.

Gnarly Knot Wholes 

w.i.d.i.?

the juxtaposition of the hard metal with the organic wood.  beautiful.  art.

Crown Design

w.i.d.i.? 

the wrapped wire ring is unique and the milky stones are understated, yet eye-catching.  

Rather Pretty

w.i.d.i.?

hello! chevron! the mix of this tangerine and sea foam is quite modern.  and nothing  feels better than a hand-written thank you card. 

Simply Paperie

w.i.d.i.?

i would kill to have this!  modern organic. 

Modern Drift

you will not believe what i won, for reals.

i was just about to toss in the towel on my luck with blog giveaway contests...until yesterday.  i hit the proverbial jackpot.  i had been traveling all morning for work, in meetings all day, checked into the hotel, got online and what do i find?  

i couldn't go fast enough over to Vintage Rose Wraps to see for myself.  shut the front door!  it was true!  i spent the next few hours (after i picked my jaw up off the floor) pouring over the sites and facebook pages of all the ridiculously generous vendors who donated their handmade goodies to the VRW spring into summer giveaway.  over $1000 in prizes...serious shopping my future, i tell ya!


as a shout out for each vendor, i will be featuring the actual prizes you donated so generously.  i am so excited, i just can't hide it, i'm about to lose control and i think i like it.  ;)    did i mention how excited i am???

a huge thanks to katie of Vintage Rose Wraps for hosting the giveaway.  lovin' on her headband wraps.  i know a 5 year old who will *love* one.  they will actually be comfortable enough for her to wear all day because there are no hard parts to dig into her head! and they are stylish, too!

and that lovely lady ("Sims Family") who left that comment to tip me off to my coming fortune:  whitney, of Turbo Bubble Gum.  what a super-sweetie!  thank you, whitney!  she was the lucky winner of three local vendor prizes in the event the winner was not local to AZ (what? i'd still eat cupcakes sent through the mail!)  ;)  ha!

  

more kanzashi satin flowers

the response to these folded satin flowers has been great! i am totally sold out of them!  thanks for all the nice words.  it makes me happy to know that people like the things i make. [insert smile here!].  


anyway,  i thought i'd show [off] a few more that i have done since then:

pretty piper modeling one on a headband

yay for orange!

with a leaf...

polka dot love

i call these 'spiky' (the ones above are 'loopy')...real technical terms here.   ;)

  

a monochromatic 'loopy' one worn as a brooch (by the fabulous jane k.)...she also clipped this to the handle of a purse for instant accessorization (is that a word?).  ha!

this one livens up gina's black cardigan

do you have a favorite?  

are you on "team loopy" or "team spiky"?

suggestions for other color-schemes?

scrap paper kids' bracelets [a tutorial]

we just finished our 3-day garage sale and are *so* happy to take back a lot of our storage area!  


while we were keeping an eye on our 'shop', we made some scrap paper bracelets out of the supplies on the check-out table.  


this is *so* simple and the kids had a blast 'designing' their bracelets.  think of it as a scrap paper sandwich where the tape is the bread.  but here are some pics to illustrate:

Design option #1

some scraps that didn't stick.  fit them on the tape or leave the spaces empty!

Design option #2:

here's the sandwich!

Use a small piece of packaging tape to secure it to a wrist (or ankle)!  

easy and fast activity to get the kids' creativity flowing! enjoy!

linkin' this up to those on my linky party page