{feature:Tiny Love Treasures}

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Please meet the adorable Trisha, the mind/creator of Tiny Love Treasures!

I've been making jewelry for fun for a while, but just opened my etsy shop this spring while I was on maternity leave with my son. I'm a mommy to two and a 2nd grade teacher.

What inspires you the most?

I am inspired by most by my children, they amaze me every single day. I figured every mom felt that way about their own children, and I wanted to make one of kind jewelry for other moms!

Where can we find more of you?

My etsy store is http://www.tinylovetreasures.etsy.com/

I can be found on facebook - http://www.facebook.com/tinylovetreasures

And my blog is - http://tinylovetreasures.blogspot.com/

What is your secret obsession?

My secret obsession? Terrible reality TV shows (although we recently canceled our cable - insert sad face here). Oh and ice cream. I love ice cream, though that's not a secret.

What is your biggest crafting disaster?

Luckily - knock on wood - nothing too disastrous, and hoping to keep it that way.

Please go check out her lovely shop now!

{keeping it girlie}

As you all know by now, I'm a huge football fan. But I still wanna dress girlie which is why I am so over the moon excited about the new line of NFL gear that VS has added!

Most pro team shops seam to think that if they make woman's appeal pink, all the girls will love it. Well, I love pink but the clothing is still very dull & still not very girlie. I'm loving VS's twist to the pro team appeal, adding v-necks & sparkles so I can still show my Cowboys pride & still look cute while watching the big game!

Only 2 more weeks until the big game!

{if i were...}

If I were a month, I'd be... December because not only does it have my fave holiday but it is also my birthday month.
If I were a day of the week, I'd be... Saturday. I love to be able to sleep in & have a whole day to do whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do.
If I were a time of day, I'd be... evening. That is the time of day when my hubby & I snuggle up on the couch after a long day of work.
If I were a planet, I'd be... Earth. It's beautiful.
If I were a sea animal, I'd be... a dolphin. They are so beautiful.
If I were a direction, I'd be... South. I wanna head straight down to the great state of Texas.
If I were a piece of furniture, I'd be... a bed. I love my bed.
If I were a liquid, I'd be... water. Nothing feels more purifying then a cold, thirst quenching glass of water.
If I were a gemstone, I'd be... a diamond. I love to sparkle.
If I were a tree, I'd be... a weeping willow. I'm so amazed by their uniqueness.
If I were a tool, I'd be... my fabric scissors. I often find them a part of my hand these days.
If I were a flower, I'd be an... orchid. They are so beautiful.
If I were a kind of weather, I'd be... a crisp fall morning so I can pull on my favorite jeans, a pair of boots & a comfy sweater & enjoy the changing leaves.
If I were a musical instrument, I'd be... a piano. I love the sound of the notes floating in through the air.
If I were a color, I'd be... pink. It's so bright & cheerful.
If I were an emotion, I'd be... unbelievably happy.
If I were a fruit, I'd be... a peach. Juicy & sweet =)
If I were a sound, I'd be... waves from the ocean. There was nothing more peaceful then hearing the waves outside our window in Jamaica.
If I were a car, I'd be... a Denali. Something big & commanding on the road.
If I were a food, I'd be... a big, buttery bowl of popcorn.
If I were a place, I'd be... Greece. I drool over the lovely picture of the vast beauty of Greece.
If I were a material, I'd be... fabric. I love to see all the many different colorful patterns & think of all the possibilities for it.
If I were a taste, I'd be... Oreo ice cream. mmmmm
If I were a scent, I'd be... fresh laundry. Not only do I love the smell but I always seem to be doing the laundry as well.
If I were an object, I'd be... a high heel cause we all know how much I love them.
If I were a body part, I'd be... a tongue. I know, weird, but I love the taste of food so much!
If I were a facial expression, I'd be... a smile. I seem to always have one on my face when I'm with my hubby. He is always making me giggle.

{wednesday wish list}

Fall is just around the corner & I am dieing for a pair of over-the-knee boots. And of course, as soon as I crave something, VS always seems to show up in my mail box just to taunt me!

Off to go convince my hubby that I need a pair! =)

{how to:heel bling}

When I went to the midnight showing of Eclipse with my soon to be sis-in-law, we were sitting & looking through some Bride magazines. We stumbled upon these sparkling rings on your shoes as the something blue part of the wedding & we thought these were so cute!

Now, the ones in the magazine were of course blue & were also over $30! So I figured I could whip some of these for way less money. All I needed was some elastic, some iron on gems, thread & needle, fabric scissors & a hot glue gun. (If you want your to be blue, you can dye your elastic. My bride is wearing blue shoes so I'm keeping my white.)

Step 1: Wrap your elastic around the heel to measure out how big your pieces need to be. Make sure you leave a bit more at the end to sew together.

Step 2: Attach the ends together & sew it up.

Step 3: Begin to glue your gems on in a row.

And your done!

See, so super simple & quick & you could do these with so many different gems & jewels to really add some color to your shoes.

{feature:Drawstring Studio}

Good morning!

I want to start off a fun week by introducing to you a new shop that has opened up in my area. I am dieing to go get my hands on some of her lovely fabrics!

How did Drawstring Studios come to be?

I have always had a love for fabrics and patterns and just wasn't sure how to put it to use. Last October I chose to leave the job I was at to stay home with my son-now 16 months. I still crafted/sewed as much as possible and when the time came that I wanted to make a quilt for his first birthday, I was disappointed in the choices of fabric that were available to me. That's pretty much how the idea for Drawstring Studio started. Then my husband and I happened upon a small space for rent in your neighborhood that was manageable financially but would also works for my needs. We are opening our Brick and Mortar store in Bayview Saturday July 17th, I also have an etsy store as well.

What inspires you the most?

Other people and their creativity. I love seeing what other people can create. I'm always amazed by the talent everywhere. I love that handmade has made a comeback, I think it's really important to d express your creativity

Where can we find more of you?

Locally: Drawstring Studio at 800 E Potter Ave, Milwaukee 53207

Tues 12-6 Wed-Closed

Thurs-Fri 12-6 Sat 10-4 Sun-Mon-Closed

ONLINE: www.drawstringstudio.etsy.com

BLOG: drawstringstudio.blogspot.com

BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK: drawstring studio(make sure it's the fan page and not the group)

What is your secret obsession?

Scarves, I love when fall rolls in and I came break out all of my scarves-I just love that it's such a great way to bring color into your day-Plus they're so comfy. My husband thinks I'm crazy because I have so many and am always looking for more!

What has been your biggest crafting disaster?

I've had my share since I don't really follow directions all too well :) I guess the big one would be when I was in high school and thought I could just whip up a quilt as a gift. I used upholstery fabrics on one side-VELVET and had absolutely no idea what I was doing-I cried a lot of frustrated tears over that project. I think I even tried to hand sew the whole thing when my needle on my sewing machine kept breaking.

If you are in the area, you should check it out too!

{weekend fun}

I just got home from a whirlwind weekend full of showers, board games & bike rides.

Here are the lovely ladies of my family at my soon to be sis-in-law's wedding shower.

What did you do this weekend?

{i adore}

I am in love with my new necklace from Forever 21!

I may have to wear it out tomorrow for the big shower I'm throwing!

Have a great weekend everyone!

{fill in the blank friday}

Today's fill in the blank is full of what I do best...watch TV! =)

1. My favorite current TV show is The Real Housewives. I get sucked into every city!

2. The TV character I can relate to most is Buster from Arrested Development.

3. My life is like (fill in with TV show and why).... Gilmore Girls because before my mom & I both got married, we were on our own, trying to figure life out & having more of our share of crazy moments.

4. My all time favorite TV show is Modern Family.

5. A TV show that is ridiculously stupid, but I continue to watch is The Fantasy Factory. I can't help but watch it because Rob is so funny.

6. My favorite TV couple is Jack & Kate (I'll miss you Lost!).

7. One TV episode I could watch over and over again is really an episode from Modern Family...it's too funny.

{wednesday wish list}

I just got my Real Simple magazine for the month on Monday & I stumbled upon this amazing lamb that I fell in love with!

Found here

I am so in love with it that I had to search for more & stumbled onto even more lovely bird cage lights!

Found here

Found here

Found here

They are so lovely but a bit pricey...I may have to whip up a money saving DIY! =)

{my first fair}

This past weekend, I attended my first craft fair as a vender!

The craft fair was held at this old, restored barn that was more then adorable inside!

I was so nervous, lost lots of sleep worrying about it & was working hard to work up some inventory all of last week. I really had no idea what to expect, what to bring, what people will like but I thought my display was pretty cute for a newbie. =)

So the craft fair over all was the worst one the other venders had ever attended, some didn't even make one sale the whole weekend! I guess people just aren't ready to buy anything in August.

It was a great learning experience, I can't wait to do it again in November, just in time for Christmas, & that I actually made a profit!!!

{feature & giveaway :Common Threads}

Happy Monday everyone!

I have been so busy lately getting new things in my shop & trying out my very first craft fair but now I'm back in action & would love to introduce you to the lovely girls of Common Threads.

Please meet Mandi, Jessi & Cassie!

How did Common Threads come to be?
(Mandi)
Jessi and Cassie have been friends for years and are old rommies and Jessi and I are sister-in-laws so we are all pretty close. This year Jessi and Cassie came up with some business plans while Jessi and I where both on maternity leaves that involved starting a blog based mostly on sewing, knitting, crochet and crafting. Cassie does some amazing amigurumi animals and knitwear, while Jessi and I tend to focus more on sewing and other crafts. We also just had our very first table at a festival this month and we are hoping to have a few more of those this summer.

What inspires you the most?
(Cassie)
I find the process of creating to be the most inspiring. I'll look at something and imediatley think "that would be fun to make"...it's probably why I do so many "one of's" I get so easily bored that I need to make something new and different everytime and learn new techniques.

*(Mandi)
We are inspired by a lot of other crafters that are online, the amount of talent that is out there and being blogged about is so great! Jessi and I both have kids so we make things for them but we also love sewing for ourselves and our homes. I also love any type of fashion upcycling or garment restyles!

Where can we find more of you?
We have an Etsy shop that we are just starting to fill, right now we are stocking a lot of childrens items but we are hopefully going to be branching out into more accessories and handmade goods soon.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/commonthreads123

We also have a facebook page where we keep our readers updated on new posts and giveaways.
http://www.facebook.com/CommonThreadsKingston

What is your secret obsession?
(Mandi)
My secret obsession is actually blogging these days! I love creating things but I now also really enjoy being able to share what we are up to and what have been making. It's great to get feedback from others and discover all of the neat blogs that are out there!

(Jessi)
I am all about blanket stitches now that I know how to do them! I am really trying to make my own unique patterns or thinking of ways to take an existing pattern and make it my own.

(Cassie)
I yearn for a Blythe doll. I go through tons and tons of photos of customized Blythe dolls on flickr and dream of when I'll have one of my very own...if only for the dress up factor! I can't wait to crochet and knit clothing for her!

What has been your biggest crafting disaster?
(Cassie)
I have an entire bag of craft fails....knit projects that reach that 2/3's point and then never get any further. A half knit dog sweater, one mitten, a sweater I never properly blocked, a purse that became way too detailed and never got finished ...and then there was the newsboy hat I tried to knit for Scott. It was alll sorts of droopy and misshapen..before I learned the importance of checking your guage!!

(Jessi)
I think the Harry Potter cloak I made my daughter, I used a choir robe pattern and didn't take into account the gather it called for in the collar (which I was taking out) it left the whole thing way to big and I did a horrible job trying to fix it.

(Mandi)
I have honestly had a few that I should keep better documentation of! Most recently it was a dress for a wedding that started to go all wrong right from the beginning but I just loved the fabric and wanted to save it! I ended up with a very burnt arm that is absolutely going to scar and nothing that is remotely wearable!! I just try and look at it as a learning experience for next time!



The girls are also giving away this adorable necklace!

To enter:

*Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite item in Common Threads is along with your email address to be contacted at if you win.

For extra entries:

*Become a follower of my blog & leave a comment saying so
*Become a follower on Twitter & tweet about the giveaway & leave a comment saying so
*Blog about this giveaway with the picture from above & leave a comment saying so

Do all the above & that gives you 4 chances to win! =)

(Giveaway ends Sunday, August 22)

Remember, if you would like to be featured on my blog, please email me at oneartsymama(at)yahoo(dot)com

{flashback:high school wardrobe}

I have been watching the show Pretty Little Liars. I have never read the books or really heard anything about it before but I actually kind of like it.

One thing I have noticed about the show though is that this is not how girls dressed at my high school!

In high school, I wore comfy clothes, sometimes coming to school in my cozy blue reindeer fleece sweatpants after a late night bus trip home from a basketball game.

My style was definitely casual...whatever I could find that was cute in the sale section of the mall.

These pics are an example of me on a 'dressy' day.


I like to think that my wardrobe has evolved since high school but I still would love to have a closet full of clothing for the Pretty Little Liars set!