Banner

Picking out a banner is driving me crazy!! I guess I am just terrible with making decisions. Or maybe its deciding what I really want? Either way I am trying to make a new banner for my etsy shop and I am just getting frustrated. I had one for a while that I liked, but wasn't in love with. I've created a few that are going in the direction I want but I still haven't gotten that "YES!" moment. ugh! The toil! I will not give up though. Even if it takes me a hundred different banners to try out I am not giving up. Just might need to stock up on the aspirin. So if you visit my shop and notice it looks a little different than last time, don't worry, I will soon have the banner that fits good and just right. Here are a few I have/am considering.

Cumpkin Parving

 Last night my boyfriend and I finally got to carve pumpkins! I may or may not have been a little over excited. If I had it my way we would have done this about three weeks ago but life kept seeming to get in the way. Anyways, it was a great time. We didn't use any fancy patterns, just whatever was stored in our noggin's. John's turned out way cooler than mine. I don't know if he did this intentional, but his guys mouth even looks like a bat. Way to go guy. He even gave his ears! I couldn't think of anything other than the classic Jack O Lantern. (My crafty skill are limited) But i think they turned out great!

John's is on the left, mine on the right.

This is an electric knife/saw. It worked only o.k.

Patiently Waiting

About 2 years ago, maybe three,  friend of mine took some pictures of me for my birthday. She was an aspiring photography then and needed some practice and I was looking for a different yet cute birthday present. It didnt take long before I suggested that she could take pictures of me as a birthday present. She loved the idea and totally agreed. We soon set out to find the perfect locations and items to shoot., This was the easy part because  A) it was my birthday and what goes better with birthday than balloons? and B) it was spring and pretty much anywhere you went was going to be a good location. So I got some cute outfits together, ordered up some balloons, and headed out for a fun filled day. There were about three or four different outfit changes and about three different locatinos we used. It was a great day and so fun just hanging out and taking silly pictures. Since then she has become a profesional photographer and her client demand has gone increasingly up. Good for her, not so good for me. She still has yet to finish my photos due to the fact that her paying clients come first. I totally understand and know that my photos will be just that much better when she does get them finished. In the mean time she did manage to get one or two finished and even entered one into a local competition and won! So, i'm pretty proud and willing to over look the time frame it has taken to complete. They will be mine! Some day:) Here is a sampling of things to come!

All photos by Trisha Lynn Photography

Whole Foods Lovin'

It seems that just about every weekend my mom and I make our way to whole foods. Honestly, it just wouldn't seem like the weekend if we didn't. I love whole foods. It is my absolute favorite grocery store. The town I live in does not have one so we have to drive an hour away just to get our favorite foods. There are so many things I love about whole foods, like their skin care lines, their organic produce, hormone/pesticide/antibiotic free meats, books, and on and on I could go. But I particularly love all the foods they have available and ready to eat. Particularly their salad bar, pizza station, and deli. Which brings me to my latest post. All the foods we purchased, and ate there, were some how better than they normally are. (Or maybe I was just REALLY hungry) either way, I could not go without sharing what I experienced. Or should I say my taste buds experienced.

 To start, look at this sweet potato!! Absolutly the biggest sweet potato I have ever seen in real life. It easily waighed in around 3 lbs. and I wouldnt be surprised if it borderded on five. This was one among about three or four that i seen in this pile. It just really blew me away how big it was. Way to go Whole Foods, you rock.

 Next up is this lovely piece of pizza. Now I know what you must be thinking, "That's just a plain piece of pizza, right?" Wrong. It is (or was) the most perfect cheese and pepperoni i have come across. Fresh out the brick oven and the cheese was still melting and stretching as she cut it. I don't consider myself to be a pizza expert but i have had my fair share of pies in the past and this one hands down tops them all. The cheese was just right, not to thick, not to thin. The sauce was tangy and sweet without being over powering. The pepperoni was sliced oh so thinly. An the crust, pure perfection. I prefer thin crust over deep dish, however I'm sure this would satisfy the biggest deep dish die hard out there. My mom and I had to split it because it was so big which makes it well worth it's $2.99 price tag.

Next up is a seasonal item showcased in their deli. Here we have butternut squash ravioli in a sage pesto sauce. Drooling yet? I was when i seen it. Absolutely amazing. Probably one of my favorite ways to eat butternut squash. This is also a great way to introduce new foods. The squash is not scary and over bearing and the other spices and herbs give this a great starting off point. If I could bottle up a season along with a food to go with it, it would be this right here. I could only get a half pound because  a whole pound was a whopping $13.99!  I almost passed it up but thank God I didn't. If you ever get a chance to try this, GO FOR IT!

Last, but not least, we have tres leches. Or in english, three milks cake. I. Die. O.M.G. This cake is the most amazing cake in my opinion. Creamy. Smooth. Satisfying in a way that only this kin dof dessert can satisfy. Wow. I dont know how this cake is made but i do know that i am going to find out and make it all the time and for every  occasion becuase it is that good. Its just a basic vanilla cake with some sort of mixture of milks and creams but the way its done is just genius. So simple yet so complex. Bravo.

Thanks for sharing my great food adventure. I sure enjoyed it. Hope you can experience at least one of these in your lifetime becuase frankly, if I  had to live in a world that did not offer any of these, I wouldnt live there.

Cheers!

Color Coding

I don't normally make it a habit to post music videos, but I had to make an exception on this one. Rihanna's video "Only Girl (In the World)" sort of stopped me in my tracks. The over all theme of the color pink is really what caught my eye. Her hair is red and longer, fabulous. She has got the cutest two pieces on, fabulous. It's just her in the desert singing and and dancing around so not a lot of content but the cinematography is great and just the whole pink saturation thing going on is really what makes this video stand out. The song itself is a bit of a power house techno vibe feeling going on, very trendy right now in the pop music world, so the video really doesn't need to be over the top. Also, the huge pink flower in her hair is to die for. I'll let you watch it here. Maybe its just that I'm partial to all things pink and sparkly but if noting else its a great party song to dance and get dressed to. In the mean time, here are some other pink and sparkly things I like:)

Leg Avenue Princess Pink Sparkly Glitter Pumps

http://bowsandmorebygracylu.blogspot.com/

Scarfin' It

Infinity Scarf Hunter Green

Scarfs are just great. I love how warm they keep my neck:) And not only do I love how warm they make me, but I also love how stylish they keep me. Scarves come in any color under the sun and in all shapes, sizes and textures. Right now I am featuring simple yet sophisticated designs in my shop but can't wait to start making super chunky colorful crazy ones. The cowl also belongs in the scarf family but it something I have yet to get my hooks into. All i know for sure is that this cool October air has me yearning for some warm, soft goodness that only a scarf can bring.

Extra Long Ribbed in Red

Extra Long Ribbed in Grey

These Boots

For the past couple years  I have been searching high and low for the perfect pair of brown boots. To be exact, brown, round toe, three inch stacked heel with buckle decal. I don't think my request is that tall of an order but, to my demise, i have not found them yet. Sure there are loads of boots in every shape, style and color, but the ones I am searching for have some how found a way to escape me. I have equated that trying to find the perfect boot is like trying to find the perfect man. And since I already found the perfect man (for me that is:) i truly believe my boots are out there. Some where out there my boots are waiting for me to pick them up. I know that all good things come to those who wait so you can bet your bottom dollar I be waiting. In the mean time I managed to find a few cute ones here and there to keep me occupied until the true ones show up:)

Bamboo Jojo-13 $59.97

2 Lips Too Woman's Too Voltage-Tan $159.99

Paris Hilton Woman's Supreme $189.05

VIA SPIGA Woman's Divine $450.00 

Cordani October Chestnut Crosta $518.00

Bamboo Jojo-13Bamboo Jojo-13

Bamboo Jojo-13

D&G

Dolce and Gabbana. Fashion powerhouses. We all know they make amazing clothes but, this seasons fall/winter collection really knoecked my socks off. Or sould I say, my fabulous fur lined boots. Not only because I myself am in the sweater making business, but just because it was amazing.There use of knit wear was the main focus and indstead of making it drab and boring they did something magical. They took a historic material and made it fresh young and beautiful. I could seriously wear this collection for the rest of my life and still look fabulous fifty years from now. I love how they paired they heavy knits with sheer skirts and tops that blow in the wind. Great balance. Almost poetic. I will be coming back to this colelction time and time again for countless ideas and endless inspiration. Bravo D&G. Bravo.

Spook-ay!

Finally got Halloween decorations up! Outside at least.  Simple yet charming. This is teh first year i have ever used that fake spider web stuff and it was, uh, interesting! to say the least. Definitly going to be a Halloween staple from here on out. You get so much of it and it covers almost a whole block of stuff! I put it on everything i wanted to and still had some left over! The light up bats are something I picked up last year when all teh Halloween decor was on sale. I find that is my favorite time to buy season items. Cant comlain about those deals! Anyways, here are a few pics of my handy work.

 {Hand made ghosts out of trash bags and newspaper.}

 {Cute lil' Styrofoam tombstones.}

 {This skeleton is both creepy and jolly at the same time!}

 {Love this spider webbing. Works so well on ANYTHING you can make it stick to.}

 {Real or fake? Fake! These are funkins, cute, but really hard to carve!

{These bats look awesome all lit up at night}

Fall Colors pt. Duece

Since the pics i posted yesterday were mediocre at best, i have a few new ones to share with you. My mom and I went for a walk on the rail trail and the trees there were just as stunning. I think I have discovered that the tree that produces the leaves that are an orange-y pinkish color are definitely my favorite. Not sure what the name of the tree is but BEAUTIFUL non the less. Here are a few snaps I got while walking around.

 {Not sure what this tree is called but it makes the most gorgeous leaves ever! Good job tree.}

 {I really liked how this deep red strand of leaves was sitting amongst these green ones just hanging out. Like saying, Hey I'm here too.}

 {This was another really cool burst of red. Have you ever seen purple amongst the fall colors? I made for a really beautiful contrast.}

 {This picture does not do these leaves colors justice. The yellow was so bright and just really popped against the green background. I want to make a sweater in that yellow.}

 {Again, picture not doing the flowers justice but these are white wild flowers. Another beautiful surprising mix.}

 {How cool is this?! Makes me feel very small and almost like from a Jurassic Park movie. Colors speak for themselves.}

 {This was probably my favorite tree. The tree looked like it was on fire, that is the best way I can explain it. Absolutely stunning.}

{This one was a real treat. It started as green on the far right side and then turned from a yellow to orange to red going to the left side of the picture. Fall in one bush.}

God truly is a painter. Absolutely amazing.

Fall Colors

The fall colors are gorrrrrrrrrgeous right now. Yesterday my mom and I took a drive to see my sister and as we were gong down the high way the leaves on the trees were the most amazing i have seen. Not just being biased. I have never seen the colors on I-75 so pretty. The sun was high in the sky so they hit the leaves perfectly to make them look their extra best. Every color from red to orange, to pinks, to green, yellows, and everything in between. WOW.Since I have never been able to drive Up-North to see the colors, as it seems everyone in the great state but me has, This was really something nice. I tried to take a couple pictures with my iphone while driving. They turned out somewhat decent but of course did not do them justice. Here is a preview of what i experienced. Hopefully next year i will get to go to Pictured Rock or something and really get the big shebang.

Etsy

Oh Etsy. Today  I write about your woes. Well, more like my woes. As much goodness Etsy brings me it also brings me a headache. For the most part it is user friendly which I am very grateful for, but today it confounds me. I am beginning to dip my fingers in the "Custom" options and I seem to be hitting some walls. There is so much detail that goes into your own shop it can all be very overwhelming. I am the kind of person that wants instant gratification and with just a few clicks of the mouse i should get it. I forgot the part that you actually have to do work to make something succeed. But, I will not let it get me down. As long you stay passionate about what your working with you will eventually break through that wall. Not only do I have a ton of constant ideas rushing at me for what I want to keep adding to my shop, i am still learning as I go. So, here is a little bit of what i do have to offer in the time that i have figured Etsy out.

Baby Booties!:)

So Fresh and So Clean

I have a problem with making things. The problem is I cant stop. So in light of this little "dilemma" I seem to have obtained, I made some soap. Not just any soap, oh no. Goats milk soap scented with peppermint. I admit i bought the soap and the molds from Michale's but the peppermint is a pure essential oil from  my local health food store. Honestly, if I can makes something instead of buying it, I will. Just my luck my boyfriend was in need of some soap, so I said, I can make some for you! He loved it which is so great cuz now  I have another excuse to buy more crafty things and make. Which makes me happy:) If you have never made soap before it is really quite easy. Here is a step by step guide.

Step 1. Cut out your soap from the package it comes in with a knife. Also, you will want to have something  disposable on hand that you can stir the soap with . Here I use Popsicle sticks.

Step 2. Place cut soap in a microwave safe dish. Any dish will do, I just used this old coffee mug cuz its cute and has a handy handle. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals.

*Careful you don't leave it in to long or the soap will bubble over and you will have a mess*

Step 3. Add anything you like to your soap. Scents, seeds for exfoliating, or anything else decorative like herbs and such.

Step 4. Final step. After you have added all that you want to your soaps go ahead and poor them in your mold,. You can use anything for a mold really. I got this mold kit at Michale's but you can make your own or use cookie cutters or whatever else you find.

Note: If you use your own mold, make sure you place something like wax paper underneath your mold so it doesn't get all over the counter.

Let the soap sit in it's mold for a couple hours and when it has hardened go ahead and push it out like an ice cube.

And voila, you have just made soap! Congratulations and happy washing:)