happy friday:

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April 29, 2011

How was your week? My older brother said to me the other day, "1 quarter of this year is already over!" and it makes it sound crazy when you put it that way. But time is flying.

This weekend I am crafting like crazy to get ready for my big craft show season coming up! Really excited but just want to get lots of work done so I feel ready. What are your weekend plans?

We had some red balloons and took some pics. What do you think of Nick's hair? He hasn't cut it since the wedding. I like this look.. but I've forgotten how he looks under it all. Some people don't even recognize him with his hair this long. I like him either way, he's always handsome to me ;)

DIY Friday:

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Hi-ya friends! Cat here {from BrideBlu}. I am here today to share with you a very timely tutorial...a Mother's Day diy! Sigh, moms...they are the best, no?

I don't know about your moms, but my mom is head-over-heals for plants. I love gifting plants since they are truly a gift that keeps on giving (and growing). What do you think, friends, how about getting your mommy dearest a sweet house plant for Mother's Day this year?

You can make your plant gift extra special by whipping up this super easy, cool, edgy "MOM" tattooed plant marker along with a touching poem to truly commemorate the occasion!

What you'll need:

An old spoon (I found this one at a local thrift store for 25 cents!)
A color print-out of this design (hand drawn by moi :))
A can of Rust-oleum Painter's Touch Spray (Satin Clear finish)
A blank gift tag
Ribbon or yarn

MOM tattoo plant marker DIY supply round-up

STEP 1: Center your spoon over the design and trace around the spoon (this will help insure that the design is nice and centered!). Cut around design leaving plenty of white space around the edges.

MOM tattoo plant marker - cut out design

STEP 2: Carefully burn the edges of your design to give it a slightly destructed, shabby-chic look. (you will literally need to set the edges of your paper on fire then quickly blow it out, working around the design until all the edges are burned...this step is really fun, I promise!)

MOM tattoo plant marker - shabby chic burned edges complete!

STEP 3: Apply a thin layer of glue to the back of the design and attached design to your spoon. Any glue will do, you just want to stick the design into place on your spoon. You are going to "seal it on" permanently in just a bit.

MOM tattoo plant marker - design is now sealed!

STEP 4: In a very well ventilated area (i.e. outside), spray the Satin Clear sealer to the design (this will seal the design in place while protecting it from the moisture that it is bound to encounter in the planter!). Let dry.

MOM tattoo plant marker - seeler spray step

STEP 5: On your tag, write your Mother's Day message. I chose a sweet "growing" themed Mother's poem (it seemed fitting since this is a plant marker :)). {please forgive the missing "r" in children, I added it later...don't want my mom to be disappointed in my spelling abilities :)}

MOM tattoo plant marker - almost finished!

STEP 6: Attached tag to the spoon and nestle in the dirt of the plant.

Voila, a perfectly "green" Mother's Day gift that mama can enjoy

for months and months to come!

xx Cat

The Handsome - Joseph from Twig & Thistle:

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April 28, 2011

I got to meet Kathleen, from Twig & Thistle at ALT back in 2010 and she is really just one of the sweetest, most down to earth people you could ever know. We have Kathleen's husband, Joseph, here with us today. I love this interview, I think you can really tell how supportive Joseph is with Kathleen's blog. and I'm pretty sure (if I remember correctly) he's a developer and he helped build her blog work and everything. So cute! Enjoy the interview!

Please tell us a little about you and what you do: I'm a Senior Industrial Designer at a product development firm here in Seattle. I enjoy working out, eating sensibly, scrap-booking, candles, and lying about my hobbies.

What are your thoughts about blogs + blogging? I've been blogging on and off for the past 13 year and it's great to see how accessible it has gotten. There is so much variety now, if you have an interest in something there is probably a couple good, deep, blogs on the topic. I read about 150 different blogs and there surprisingly little overlap between them, that's wonderful.

How did you & your wife meet? A mutual friend had a party and we hung out the whole night, after that I was hooked.

How many hours a day does your wife spend blogging? 2-4 hours a day, 4-8 on weekends if she's working on a DIY. Writing posts used to be take the bulk of the time but now it's things like responding to email, freelance, and Etsy orders that soak up most of the attention. The exception are DIY posts, those are a huge time sink, I bet they average 20-40 hours between coming up with the idea, designing, testing, shopping, shooting/editing photos, and writing the tutorial. It's crazy just how much work goes into them.

What do you do during this time? Cooking, cleaning, freelance, Etsy orders, IT, helping with the posts, shooting photos, I feel guilty just kicking back if Kathleen is working.

Any silly/crazy/funny/cool stories or experiences related to blogging you'd like to share with the readers: When she started Twig & Thistle two years ago, I couldn't pay Kathleen to use Twitter. I mean she HATED it. I ended up managing the account for a few months before she started to warm up to the idea. Now she's a Twitter machine, I couldn't stop her even if I tried.

Is there any one thing that annoys you most about having a blogger wife? Well! If I have to pick just one, I'd have to say it's the 11:30pm "Can you edit the post?". If you ever see a typo on T&T is probably because I was half asleep trying to spell check on my phone so I wouldn't have to get out of bed.

Thanks for the interview Joseph! Please show our men some love & support by leaving some comments ;) PS: If you have a request or there's someone you'd love to see up here on the handsome, leave a comment and let me know!

good cheer deal, circle prints:

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April 27, 2011

Sorry for the delay in the deals this week! I am totally behind on everything. Okay, today's deal is from Circle Prints!

Item: Your choice of ANY print from Circle Prints!
Retail Price: $17
Good Cheer Price: $10 for 1 print, $18 for 2 prints + free shipping!

- Please be sure to note which print you'd like, along with color choices and
personalization notes if applicable, in the Paypal Instructions to Seller.

- only 25-50 items available!

- This deal is open to all countries! Shipping is FREE anywhere in the world!

- Item will ship out within 1-3 business days

- Please be sure to visit Circle Prints and support!

- Click the 'buy now' button to purchase this deal. Use your paypal
account to make payment directly to seller and enter your shipping
information. Then your good cheer will be on it's way!

- If the 'buy now' button is no longer working, it means the item is sold out.

good cheer deal, urban revisions:

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Another lovely deal from Urban Revisions! I love scarves. If I had a choice, I'd wear them all year long. It gets a little hot here in the summer though ;) Totally loving this shredded scarf!

Item: Shredded Scarf from Urban Revisions:

choose from these colors!

Retail Price: $38

Good Cheer Price: $26 + $2 shipping & handling

Special Discount: 15% off your order at Urban Revisions!

Enter code "SPRING11" at checkout! Good for this week only.

- only 50 scarves available!

- This deal is open to all countries! Shipping is $2 for anywhere in the world.

- Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery.

- Please be sure to visit Urban Revisions and support!

- Click the 'buy now' button to purchase this deal. Use your paypal

account to make payment directly to seller and enter your shipping

information. Then your good cheer will be on it's way!

- If the 'buy now' button is no longer working, it means the item is sold out.

He Has Risen:

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April 22, 2011

( image from David Sunnock )

A little late but wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter! We celebrated my Grandma's 85th birthday yesterday with relatives and have been enjoying spending time with my mom today. Thanks for your comments and thoughts on Friday's post. I cannot thank you enough for your support and encouragement. Today was a day of truth, grace, and victory. Death could not hold him, Jesus is Risen! Hope it has been a wonderful weekend for you, dearest friends.

Good Friday:

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(image credit from Brenton Little / text added by me)

Hi friends. Today is an important day in what I believe. Easter for us is not about easter bunnies and chocolate eggs. Don't get me wrong: we totally had easter egg hunts and all the fun stuff when we were kids. My mom actually sometimes filled the eggs with coins & dollar bills (score!) and it was a good time ;) But today, I will reflect on what Jesus came to do for us many years ago.

I know 'religion' gets into so many politics and controversy, but none of it really matters for me! It's sad that people are divided and fight over these trivial things. What matters and lays at the core of what I believe is that Jesus came to make atonement for the sins of all. He rose again 3 days later and defeated death, so that we might live with Him forever! All He asks is that you believe and accept Him. No strings attached. You don't need to do any crazy stuff after. Just believe. That's it in a nutshell.

So anyway, I came across this site, oceaster.com - it's a pretty cool interactive site, I'd check it out just for the design of it.. plus there's a cool message in there too ;) If you haven't been to church in a while or feel like going to check out what this is all about, I'd encourage you to go this Sunday! I will be up in Sacramento with my mom and am honestly a little bummed that I'll miss the service here, this awesome guy is speaking and you can find service info here. It's at a big amphitheater though so if you think you'll feel lost, I know Ruby's church is smaller and more intimate. Check out her blog for some info about a service at her church as well.

I know this isn't related to the normal content of what is posted here. But from time to time, I really just feel compelled to share with you. Today is a day where I can't not share the good news! Whatever your own beliefs are (whether you have different beliefs or none at all), you know I always appreciate you letting me be open and vulnerable, even if you don't agree with it. Whew, that was a novel. If you got through it, thanks for taking the time to read! ;) I've just been sitting here for 45 minutes figuring out what to write & share with you.

Well anyway, I thought I'd leave an Easter thought written by a great author:

"I do not mind telling you that within me I find the Easter message and the reality of the Resurrection more beautiful and glorious than the Christmas scene. Christmas tells us that Jesus was born; that He was born for the humiliation of suffering and death and atonement. But Easter is the radiant and glory-filled celebration of Christ's mighty triumph over the grave and death and hell! When Easter comes, our voices are raised in the triumphant chorus: The three sad days had quickly sped; He rises glorious from the dead! There is the real beauty! This is more than the beauty of color; more than the beauty of outline or form; more than the beauty of physical proportion. In the living Christ is the perfection of all beauty; and because He lives, we too shall live in the presence of His beauty and the beauties of heaven, forever!" - A.W. Tozer

diy with Brittni:

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Hi there. It's Brittni from papernstitch! I am hoping to add a cherry to the end of your week today, with a diy roundup that I truly adore. These creative ideas have me weak in the knees and ready to break out my crafty tool kit. Let's jump in...

(above) If you're hosting a party, round up some old jars and other random containers. Because all you need to make a g to the -orgeous centerpiece is a few pom pom flowers and yards of fabric and ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around your jars, stick in your pom pom flowers (or real flowers if you prefer) and you are ready to go. *Photo from the uber-talented Sarah Yates at the HITCHED event late last year.

And then it's time for a more traditional craft, with a twist... When I was in college, my classmates and I would make our own paper for printmaking class all the time. But we never thought to add lavender to the concoction. Nope! That genius idea is straight from Kiss the Groom. And the final product is really quite lovely! Find out how to make your own paper at Kiss the Groom now.

And for a paper project that is a bit more stress free (paper making is fun but it's not a quick process), then you'll probably like this paper lantern centerpiece idea from none other than Arrow and Apple (such a fantastic blog by the way). Love the way the light comes through the book pages.

Okay, now its mini confession time: I don't know how to sew! I've made many attempts, and I've come to the conclusion that I am just awful at sewing! Luckily however, there are projects like this no sew fabric blinds tutorial that just so happen to be perfect for inept (in the sewing department) crafters like myself. The guilt is gone and the blinds are made!

And switching gears a bit, let's talk picture frames... If you're looking for an alternative way to hang pictures throughout the house, why not try something REALLY unique. These diy book picture frames are so super cool and beyond unusual. *I know some people aren't going to like the idea of defacing a book, but to each his own, right?

Lastly, if you're yearning for a more romantic alternative to photo hanging, try stringing ribbon through antique pictures frames, and hanging them over a missmatch of mirrors. I'd love to try something like this in our guest room (if we had a guest room, of course). Found via Urban Comfort.

That's all for now. See you next time!

About Brittni: She is the founder of the handmade exhibition site, papernstitch and is also the editor of a handmade blog, by the same name. When not working on papernstitch, she is dreaming up fun little tutorials and crafting projects for her home. If you love DIY as much as Brittni does, visit her free diy projects and tutorials section for more than sixty quick and easy projects.

The Handsome - Stephen from Somethings Hiding in Here:

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April 21, 2011

So excited for this interview today! If you haven't heard of Shauna & Stephen from Somethings Hiding in Here, you have to head to their site right now! I think they pioneered the mustache on a stick phenomenon and they're constantly coming up with new & innovative ideas. I'm always inspired by the products they create. They're my dream couple: they get to be creative all day long and work together - does it really get any better than that? Oh, and they've been in Martha Stewart, I'm sure that's another dream for some of us too ;) Hope you enjoy this interview friends!

photo credit: nikon d60 wireless shutter release

Please tell us a little about you and what you do: Hello, I'm Stephen, the "engineer" behind Something’s Hiding In Here. Shauna's the idea machine, but I figure out how to realize the things we want make. I spent six years studying sculpture in art school and I've always loved problem solving and making things. I think it all started in grade school when i took apart an electric blanket to see how it worked (I may or may not have caused a small fire).

How did you & your wife meet? At a kissing booth... true story. Almost sixteen years ago, Shauna paid me 50 cents for a kiss at an art school party. I've had her hooked ever since.

You guys are always coming up with such innovative things. Where do you gather inspiration from: Like everyone, our inspiration is a mix of people, places and things. Shauna and I went to grad school at Cranbrook. It has a rich history of mid century "form follows function" design philosophy, and I think that had a lot of influence on both of us. I've always felt a connection to vintage Americana from my 66 Chevy pickup truck, vintage Pfaff sewing machine and old wood working tools, to my typical uniform of Red Wing oxfords and paid shirts. I think our Forage Bow Ties are a good example of these influences.

How many hours a day do you/your wife spend blogging? Shauna is the main driver of our social media front. I would lump many outlets into the idea of blogging since technology allows us to be so multifaceted these days (blog, flickr, tumblr, twitter, guest features, etc.). I would say we're probably at it about 3-6 hours a day. ps. This is the perfect opportunity to plug my new twitter account @FORAGEbowties. Hit me up on the twitters!

You've been featured all over the place! What's been your favorite/most unique experience so far: Hands down, our Martha Stewart Living feature, in the February '11 issue. We drove to NYC from Philadelphia with a car full of rusty tin dollhouses and a mason jar containing my wood knot collection. I was most excited to meet Fritz Karch, the collections editor (his beard and plaid suits are legendary). Before we knew it, we were in a vacuous, all white photo studio. While admiring the movable sets for the photo shoot, I looked up to see Shauna shaking hands with Martha. EPIC! To cap off the experience, we were given a tour of the “props room” which is indescribable. I’ll never forget that day.

I think lots of couples would ideally love to work with their spouse, I know I would. How is it getting to work with your wife 24/7? Do you guys always get along and see eye to eye? I'm crazy about Shauna, but we definitely duke it out while working on projects together. We approach everything from different angles, which leads us to unexpected solutions. A recent example: while attempting to print a simple poster, we spent ten hours debating what it should look like. Before we knew it, we made a rad letterpress, canvas banner that has inspired new product for us. In the end our common ground lies in our obsession over the details. Everything we make is truly a collaboration - I wouldn’t trade it for the world.