Friday, February 26, 2010

Friday Feature ~House Hold Words~

Today's Friday feature is inspired by my longing for a space to decorate. I've been pining after the wall decals from House Hold Words for quite some time now. What a great way to decorate virtually any space! Especially if you are a renter (which we will be whenever we do get a place of our own) and can not paint just any way you want. Here are some of my favorite decals....


Hanging BIRD CAGE - Vinyl wall decal sticker art removable- Made to Order - Classy elegant modern Chic - $39.00







Songbird Sparrow Birdie on a tree branch vinyl graphics decal Stickers art - $9.00









I Love You To The Moon And Back Vinyl Wall Lettering Decal with stars - $19.00








If you're looking for a quick and fairly inexpensive way to decorate your space, check out House Hold Words on Etsy, they have such a large selection that they are sure to have something for everyone!

Also, don't forget to check out this week's giveaway from Jenuine Jewels, it's a great one!!

Let's do the limbo

I feel as if I've neglected my poor blog already :( My goal was to post at least once a day, and almost immediately I started taking Saturdays off. Yeah, my resolve was that strong. Heh. Anyways, I missed yesterday as well, so I'm trying to make it up today. My days have been pretty full, between a 2 year old and some great orders that I'm working on (shout out to Sujatha!), and I'm also preparing some great little promo packs to send in to The Little Black Box and Sampler Village. Yay for being busy!

Do any of you guys out there feel as if you are in just "limbo" mode? My life has been in a hold status for a bit over a year, since we moved back to our hometown to kind of just start over. While we are happy with our decision on a big picture level, the day to day realities of what that move means is sometimes hard to deal with. It was a long ordeal for my husband to find a decent job in this town, which is insanely hard to come by here. I know that's the story for the majority of the country out there right now, so I'm just insanely grateful that he is one of the lucky ones that does have a good job with health insurance. And we are also incredibly fortunate to have a safe, nice roof over our heads. The limbo part comes in because I so badly want to have my *own* space. This home is a home, but it's not *my* home. It's my parent's home, and while that comes with it's own feelings of comfort and safeness, it also makes me feel a bit claustrophobic in a way. As if we are trying to squeeze our lives in any space that it will fit. I refrain from really spending too much time on our space, because it's just temporary. I find that most of my sentences start with the phrase "When we get a place of our own....". So many things I'd love to do or accomplish are just on hold for an indefinite amount of time. The simple fact is just we cannot afford a place of our own yet.
And that's life. We don't always get what we want when we want it. We have to make the best of less than ideal situations, or go crazy otherwise. And really, when it's all said and done, we ARE one of the lucky ones. We have a warm place to live, we have clothes on our backs, good food on our table, family that supports us in all we do, and great friends that have been around for a looonngg time (another shout out, get well soon Kelly!!). We have the luxury of splurging a bit of tax money on a vacation (we did the responsible thing of paying off a large bill and putting some in savings as well), and I am able to have my "dream" job of being home with my boy and working on my Etsy shop. It's a trade off, and I think even though we aren't in our ideal situation right now we are in a very, very workable place. So if I start to whine about menial stuff, feel free to bring me back down to earth.

But I still want my own space.

This is the best picture I have of us looking all forlorn. Since I'm apparently in a woe-is-me mood, I thought it was appropriate.
(This is at Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens a few years ago, that's why we look like a hot mess)


Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Wednesday Review ~The Pixie~

All of you readers with Etsy shops, listen up! If you're looking for a new, unique promo to send out with orders you'll want to check in with Catherine at The Pixie. About a month ago I put out an Alchemy request on Etsy for an idea that I had for a simple yet useful promo item. I got quite a few great bids, but one really caught my eye. From Catherine's bid I could tell that she was right on the same page as I was about what I was wanting. I've been wanting to participate in a sample box for quite some time, but with the type of product I make it's impossible for me to actually send in samples (for those of you who aren't familiar with sample boxes, check out The Little Black Box and Sampler Village). I wanted a promo that would represent my work with a few pictures, but also be useful and not just immediately go in the trash. So I came up with the idea to make a small matchbook notepad with a few small pictures of my work for the first few pages. Catherine came in with a great bid, not only on price but with the detail and thought that she put into the project. She had the fabulous idea of recycling tea bag wrappers as the pages of the notebook, how cool is that?! And so I present to you the result of her very hard work :)


The first 5 pages are various pictures of different products I offer, and the rest is the tea wrapper blank sheets for jotting down notes. I am so thrilled with the end result, I'm actually kicking myself that I didn't think of it sooner. I urge anyone looking for great promo items to contact Catherine now. Not only will you love your new promos, but she was absolutely wonderful to work with. Communication was top notch, and she's just a neat lady all around! Contact her at The Pixie on Etsy for pricing. I highly recommend it!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Giveaway Tuesday ~Jenuine Jewels~

I'm so excited to host my fist giveaway for another Etsy shop! And not just any shop, but a truly beautiful jewelry shop, Jenuine Jewels. Jen from Jenuine Jewels has graciously offered up this gorgeous ring,


It will be made to order in your desired size, which I love. To see some more lovelies from Jen's shop, check out my feature of her here.

Now, how to win. I know you're probably used to the normal routine of having to tweet about giveaways, blog about the giveaway, etc. But I'm doing things differently. It's not your job to promote me, that's my job! So this is how it's going to work:
Each of the following counts for one entry, please leave a separate comment for each one!! And please leave your email address in the comments so I can contact you if you win :)
  1. This one is mandatory :) Subscribe by email to my blog (on the right side, right over there!--->).
  2. Check out Jenuine Jewels and tell me what your favorite piece is.
  3. Your favorite number?
  4. Do you have pets, and what kind?
  5. Have you been watching the Olympics?
One lucky winner will be chosen at random next Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010.

Also, if you have an Etsy shop and would like me to host a giveaway for you just send me a message at bleuroo@bellsouth.net. Or if you're like me and just have some random cool stuff sitting around collecting dust and it needs to find a new home, that's cool too! Just contact me and we'll go over specifics :)

And the winner is......


number 5 (my assistant was not being very cooperative today)!! Comment number 5 is Lily, congratulations! I will be contacting you shortly to get your shipping info. Thanks to all of the entrants :)

I'll be posting my next giveaway shortly, it's a great one!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Giveaway Reminder

Just a reminder to check out the giveaway that ends tomorrow! And I'll be posting an awesome giveaway from Jenuine Jewels tomorrow, so be sure to enter :)

Music Monday ~The Strokes~

This is one of those bands that I don't actually hear a ton, but when I do I always catch myself dancing around in my seat. Good stuff, and they put on a kick ass live show, too.






Friday, February 19, 2010

Friday Feature ~Jenuine Jewels~

Well, I think the fog of illness is starting to clear, at least a bit. Thank you to all of you kind souls for your warm well wishes, I think they were a great help ;)


For this Friday's feature shop, I'm happy to introduce Jenuine Jewels. Looking through Jen's shop I can almost feel the warmth of sunshine and hear the crash of the ocean. The stones that she chooses have a very beachy feel to me, and with warm weather right around the corner these pieces would be a great addition to any spring or summer wardrobe. The color of the Mist Chalcedony Drop Earrings ($22) perfectly match the pale blue of the shallow water at the beach.








And just check out this amazingly gorgeous pair of Lavender Opalite Swirl Earrings ($18). The wire work is just fantastically beautiful.








Your Loves Necklace ($22)
Personalized hand stamped pendant.
He Loves Me Ring ($10)
Made to order in your size.














Not only is Jenuine Jewels a beautiful shop, it's amazingly affordable, too. As a fairly frugal shopper, I love to find amazing hand crafted jewelry in my budget.
And I'm so very excited to announce that Jenuine Jewels is offering up a gorgeous piece of jewelry for my next blog giveaway!! So please check back Tuesday and enter to win, you won't be disappointed :)

Also, head on over to this week's giveaway and enter, the winner will be picked randomly Tuesday!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Out of order

That's what I feel like today. Just stick a crappy handwritten "Out of Order" sign on me, I'm done. Guys, this cold has taken it's toll on me. I've been coughing like no one's business, my throat and ribs have just been abused. So, this is as much of a post as I can muster. I will leave you with a silly picture of my fat chihuahua, Trinket. We did not name him, I promise.



Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Wednesday Review ~Best Art Studios~

I'm still feeling a bit under the weather, so I'm going to make this short. I simply love the art from Jamie Best at Best Art Studios. The shop is a combination of art by Jamie and her husband Mike. I'm the proud owner of 3 beautiful prints and one gorgeous necklace from this great shop. In fact, you can see 2 of the works here, above our mantle,

(Obviously, I have a thing for trees...)
My husband bought this beauty for me for Christmas
One day I will own one of her large multi cavas pieces


So if you're looking for some beautiful artwork for your walls, or even your neck, click on over to Best Art Studios, there is an amazing collection to choose from.



Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Giveaway Tuesday ~Surprise Bag!!~

It's that time again, giveaway time! Thank you to everyone who entered for my first giveaway, I think it was a pretty good turn out for the first one :) This time I'm doing a small surprise bag, not as fantastic as my first giveaway, but a very nice prize still, I promise. I'll give you a sneak peek at one item, cause I'm nice like that....

Those are some super cute earrings I made a while back when I was still listing them in my shop. Now that I've turned my focus to the fabric side of things I have a small stash of earrings and other odd items that I'll be cleaning out here every now and then. This particular pair features lovely mother of pearl beads hanging from handcrafted sterling silver earwires.
The surprise bag will also include a few small samples that I've collected the past couple of months from different businesses. They are all useful items, not junk :)


Now, how to win. I know you're probably used to the normal routine of having to tweet about giveaways, blog about the giveaway, etc. But I'm doing things differently. It's not your job to promote me, that's my job! So this is how it's going to work:
Each of the following counts for one entry, please leave a separate comment for each one!! And please leave your email address in the comments so I can contact you if you win :)
  1. Subscribe by email to my blog (on the right side, right over there!--->).
  2. What's your favorite shop on Etsy?
  3. Your current favorite band?
  4. Do you have children?
  5. Last book you read?
This giveaway is open to everyone, international entrants welcome! One lucky winner will be chosen at random next Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010.

Also, if you have an Etsy shop and would like me to host a giveaway for you just send me a message at bleuroo@bellsouth.net. Or if you're like me and just have some random cool stuff sitting around collecting dust and it needs to find a new home, that's cool too! Just contact me and we'll go over specifics :)

And the winner is......


My helper and I mixing up the numbers.



I figured a two year old was the most unbiased number picker I could get.



And the winner is.......


Number 16, which is Kelly from The Lost Earring!! Congratulations Kelly, you've won a $25 credit for my shop, BleuRoo! I'll be contacting you about your prize :)

Stay tuned for another giveaway that I'll be posting later today or tonight!


Monday, February 15, 2010

Giveaway winner picked tomorrow!!

Just a note that my first giveaway winner will be drawn tomorrow, so if you haven't entered get to it!! It's super easy to enter! And I'll be listing another giveaway, so keep your eyes peeled ;)


Music Monday ~Weezer~

Ah, Weezer. I cannot hear a Weezer song without instantly smiling :) Just the fact that this band exists makes this a better world for me. And in my cold induced zombie like state today, they again succeded with putting a grin on my face. So please enjoy one of the greatest bands, ever.






Sunday, February 14, 2010

Random Sunday

This will be short today. I caught the kid's cooties. Yay. So, here is a short list of random shtuff.

1) The guy and I have never really been big into Valentine's Day. I'm not against it, I don't think it's evil, it's just never been a huge deal for us. This year we specifically said no Valentine's gifts, we'd rather save the money and put it towards our upcoming vacation. We're having Anti-Valentines! Which I found the perfect card for on Etsy, from Bipolar Betty Goods.


Shockingly enough, he was okay with this.
And he did break our Anti-Valentine pact with a box of chocolates and a small bear the kid picked out. He's nice.












2) I got to have a very quiet and relaxing evening last night when the Mr. and the boy went to spend time with his family. And he brought home fantastic sirloin steaks that I will cook tonight, nom nom nom. Seriously, these steaks are like none I've had before, sooo insanely delicious. They are marinating as we speak :)

3) In exactly 41 days this will be my new living room view for a week,



We are renting a condo on our local beach for the whole week of my husband's vacation. I could whiz my pants, I'm so flipping excited! I believe it will be the most relaxing vacation in the world. We only have to drive like 30 minutes to get there, if that. And half of the week the boy will be going to spend time with my parents, so we get to have a kid free few days. I'm really, really digging the split family/adult vacation, you have no idea. That week can not come fast enough, and then last long enough. Oh, and they have a Starbucks on site at the resort. Ummm, yeah, nuff said.

Eh, guess that wasn't that short.


Friday, February 12, 2010

Friday Feature ~Quercus Silver~

I figured since I have the "Wednesday Review" of things I've actually used or own, I would do a feature day to showcase things I *hope* to own someday. We can all dream, right? Today's feature is an awesome shop named Quercus Silver.



I knew I liked this shop instantly, and when I checked out Su's profile (Su Trindle is the artist) I saw this regarding the shop name,
"By the way, I chose the name of my shop, Quercus- the Latin for oak-because I'm really tall, grounded and I just love oak trees."
I love oak trees, as well. And blue, which if you check out her shop you can see she has some lovely shades of. So apparently it's meant to be. Which means I will own many of Su's beautiful designs some day. Right? That's what that all means, right? Anyhoo.....

Su uses resin in many of her designs, and this is what she has to say about it:

"~~A little bit about Resin~~
*I use a polyester resin which is a liquid and is air cured, it's often called cold-enamelling.
*I add my own hand-mixed pigments and once set, filed and finished it is a very strong and durable material.
*I love to work with it because of its versatility.
*I wear my resin and silver jewellery everyday.
*Care: Just be aware not to use strong chemicals(eg in a chlorinated pool)and that long exposure to strong sunlight may discolour or fade it.
*If it gets too shiny, rub gently with wire wool and a mild detergent and dry thoroughly.
*If it seems too satin, rub a little of your favourite handcream over it and wipe off excess.
Easy!"



Here are some other great designs from Quercus Silver

Water Lily earrings- $44


Charm Bracelet- $92


Go and check out the rest of what Su has to offer at Quercus Silver!




Thursday, February 11, 2010

"I'm sorry, but I won't be in today...."

Those are the words that I would have had to speak this morning if I still worked outside of the home. My boy has a nasty cold and he's in no condition to go anywhere. It definitely would have been a call in to work day. I hated that, worrying about having to call in, worrying about my kid if he was under the weather at daycare, not being able to be there for him all of the time when he felt like crap. I hated the feeling of having to choose, do I call in or is he healthy enough to try to work today? Will I get a call an hour after dropping him off? No one should have to make the choice to work or take care of their kid. Sick days are the perfect argument for telecommuting.

I'm all for working mothers. Seriously, I admire women who have careers they love and a family. I know that is the right choice for many women, that they would not be happy, whole people if they were to stay home instead of work outside of it. For me I did not have that calling. I had to work outside of the home for us to survive. And when my boy would get sick I just felt this horrible helplessness. I didn't want to jeopardize my job by calling in; I didn't want to be away from my babe when he needed me most; I didn't want to be that parent who took their sick kid to daycare to spread the germs around. It seemed as if no matter what I chose, someone was going to be let down.

So it's on days like today, when my guy is clingy and whiny and has snot dripping out of his nose constantly, that I'm the happiest about he path I've chosen. Because I don't feel guilty. I feel like I'm right where I need to be.



On a completely different note, I just wanted to throw out a thanks to all of my followers! This blogging thing has been really fun so far, and I'm loving getting to connect with people that I normally wouldn't.
Don't forget to enter my first giveaway here!




Thanks to Katie at Heaven Baked Sweets for the link to the signature generator, I'm digging it! To make your own, go here!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Wednesday Review ~Mama K's Aromatic Play Clay~




Okay, who doesn't like play dough? I mean, I'm 29 and I still love to get my hands on the squishy colorful stuff. So when it was time to introduce it to my son, I knew I wanted to get some of the wonderful handmade variety that I had found on Etsy. I settled on Mama K's Aromatic Play Clay due to the essential oil scents and the great colors.










The play clay comes in 7 different scents to invoke different moods:

Soothed ~ Lavender
Eased ~ Bergamot
Inspired ~ Lemongrass
Balanced ~ Geranium
Uplifted ~ Sweet Orange
Refreshed ~ Cardamom
Relaxed ~ Chamomile

Prices range from $4.99 for one scent to $30 for the complete set of 7.




From the Mama K site, "Mama K's Aromatic Play Clay is a 100% natural modeling clay made using only certified GF* flours and organic essential oils. No synthetics, no artificial dyes, nothing but natural. Feels great to play with."

We got the set of all 7 and my favorite scent is the lemongrass, so fresh smelling! My son loves the vibrant colors, especially the geranium. He received a small set of the mass market play dough and when we pull them all out he always picks the Mama K's first! I think he likes the feel of it better, it's softer and molds easier. And I love to just knead and roll it around, it's a great stress reliever.
So if you are in the market for a great gift for a kid, or even a fun loving adult, head on over to Mama K's!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Giveaway Tuesday!

In honor of my first full week of blogging, I've decided to celebrate by officially making Tuesdays "Giveaway Tuesday"! And to kick it off the first giveaway will be from none other than......me! For this giveaway I'll be offering to one lucky winner $25 to spend in my shop on anything you'd like! Here is just a small sampling of what you can find at BleuRoo:





Hand Embroidered Bird Earring Organizer- $22


Now, how to win. I know you're probably used to the normal routine of having to tweet about giveaways, blog about the giveaway, etc. But I'm doing things differently. It's not your job to promote me, that's my job! So this is how it's going to work:
Each of the following counts for one entry, please leave a separate comment for each one!! And please leave your email address in the comments so I can contact you if you win :)
  1. Visit my shop and let me know what's your favorite item.
  2. Follow my blog (current followers count).
  3. What's the latest movie you've seen?
  4. Is it snowing where you are?
  5. Do you celebrate Valentine's Day?
This giveaway is open to everyone, international entrants welcome! One lucky winner will be chosen at random next Tuesday, February 16th, 2010.

Simple as that! I just want to find out a little about my readers and have fun. That's what giveaways should be about, having fun, not work! So let me know what you guys think about this giveaway format, and good luck to you all!!