It's Food Friday! (What are you craving for Valentine's Day?)

It's Food Friday and Valentine's Day is one day away! Are you having a hard time deciding what to bake?Hopefully, you are baking and not purchasing your goodies. Baking your treats is much more romantic than store bought, plus the scent will linger in the air for hours and hours- Yum! I was talking to my sister yesterday about our Valentine's menu, and I decided to steal her idea of crab legs, salad, french bread and chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert! My friend Steph was tempted by s'mores brownies- that sounds really yummy, yum too! To help inspire your baking adventure today or tomorrow I have compiled a few photos of some D'lish desserts!

(IMAGE BELOW: courtesy Sprinkles Cupcakes)

(IMAGES BELOW: Courtesy Country Living magazine)

Just in case your daydreaming about a comfy, romantic spot to snuggle up I added this photo!

Enjoy- xoxo SHS!

WedETSYday!

Hi all! Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I was a busy girl trying out some new ideas I've had. But, here I am with some lovelies for today's Etsy post! I love scouring through etsy checking out other artists. Sometimes it can be discouraging because there are so many talented artists, but it can also be very inspirational!

As you know, my husband gave me a camera for Christmas. I am still in the process of learning how to take half way decent photos. I like to see how other people photograph their art for Etsy. I came across this site and absolutely love the eye Carl Christensen has for photography. Carl's Etsy store is Buck's County Frames where he sells eco-friendly frames, photography, illustrations and note-cards.

My dog Oliver is a dachshund and when I saw this picture it brought the biggest smile to my face!

One of my goals (after opening my own boutique) is to purchase an old Ford, or GMC like the one pictured below. I want to fix it all up, paint it black, turquoise, or tan then have my logo painted on the side. I envision driving around town visiting farmer's markets, flea markets, going on picnics with my dogs in the back and just enjoy myself in my cool ride.

Here are a couple more images from fabulous photographer Carl Christensen of Buck's County Frames.

My second Etsy artist is Holly Strate of HollyHawk. I have been designing shabby-chicish and burlap/leather bracelets as of late, and as with everything I make I like to check out other artists. I came across Holly's work yesterday and decided I must, must, must have one of her FABULOUS bracelets. You can tell Holly puts a lot of time and energy into her designs and I love every detail.

Remember to BUY HANDMADE and check out both of these lovely artists. Toodaloo!

MAKE IT! Monday.

Happy Monday to you all! It's snowing here today and I'm loving it. Something about the winter weather makes me smile. Perhaps it is the smell of a wood-burning fire (even though I don't have one), or the smell of home-made cookies, or the big fluffy socks and pj's that you can wear around the house!

I was going through my archived photos of stuff I've made, and came across these pics of pillows from a couple years back. I had such a great time making these pillows for each of my nieces. As you can see I have three different styles.

The picture below are the pillows I made for my niece Cassidy- and I refer to them as "Old Hollywood Glam".

The next photo are pillows I did for my niece Shea and I refer to these as "Boho".

In addition to the two pillows I made for each of them, I also made matching valances as shown in the picture below.

Finally, these are the pillows I made for my niece Andy, and refer to them as "Urban Edge".

I chose to blog about pillows on this "Make It Monday" to inspire others. Pillows are one of the easiest ways to change the look and feel of a room. Additionally, each of the fabrics used in the pillows shown were purchased on clearance. With a little imagination, you can make your own version of an Anthropologie pillow for a fraction of the cost. The most expensive purchase was the bead encrusted ribbon on the Old Hollywood silver pillow, which was $6.00. Other than that each pillow was made for less than $5.00, and I still have fabric left over.

Happy pillow making!

Shop Love

I have already started my day dreaming and it's only 6 am. I am desperately wanting my own shop. A shop where I can display beautiful handmade items from artists around the world (and of course my own creations). I envision a brick building with a blue wooden door where the paint is chipping. There is an old cruiser bike propped up outside, and flower boxes are hanging from beneath the vast amount of windows. Inside the smell of my Moody Bitch products are wafting through the air and my dogs are lazily spread out on their doggy beds.

These images are from Ink and Peat, a fairly new store that opened in Portland, Or. I am in love with this space and want it for myself! If you are ever in Portland make sure and stop by, I'm sure you will find plenty of goodies. Also, check out Ink and Peat's blog - Housemartin. Pam, the owner and floral designer pays such attention to detail, and has an awesome talent for creating the perfect vignettes. I'm drooling, truly I am. Someday- right???

(BELOW: images courtesy Housemartin)

WedETSYday!

Hi All! It's WedETSYday, and I am so excited to post on these awesome etsy shop owners. I love stamped pottery, especially when the stamping doesn't look perfectly placed, just like the images below. These wonderful pieces of pottery are from shop owner LilyPottery.

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(BELOW:images courtesy LilyPottery)

Who doesn't love a great bag??? I came across these awesome bags, and immediately fell for the old coffee sack bag- I must have it. Check out the tags on these bags- it's the details that get me every time!

(BELOW: images courtesy Wren shop)

My last Etsy designer of the day is Sweet Petula. I am a sucker for packaging and if the contents are anything like the packaging, then I'm convinced this stuff is fab!

(Below: images courtesy of Sweet Petula)

Please think of these handmade artists / shop owners the next time you need a gift, or want to treat yourself to something special!

Studio Renovation Inspiration

I am still plugging away at the decor for my new studio. I know I already posted about various room inspirations, but here are a few images that are inspiring me today.

This image I love for the chandelier. I love how a chandelier can add the perfect amount of charm and romance to a room. I am on the hunt for a chandelier, although I'm not sure if I will end up with a crystal one or a metal one that I will spray paint a funky color!

(BELOW: image courtesy Simply Grove)

I'm lovin' these old plates that are either stenciled or decoupaged with words. I found these on Knack Studios blog, and I am inspired to create my own version of this art. I love this concept because it is an inexpensive way to make a great statement piece.

(BELOW: image courtesy Knack Studios)

Jen over at Made by Girl, found these pillows on Etsy. I was going to wait until tomorrow to post on them (since it will be WedETSYday), but I just couldn't resist. As Jen mentioned they are similar to what Anthropologie carries, but the benefit of these are the cost, and more importantly they are HANDMADE! I rushed over to this site to purchase, but they are out of this particular one, I might just have to place a custom order I love it that much!

(BELOW: Image courtesy Made by Girl / Etsy Shop littlelegwarmers)

These two images are of oilcloth place mats. My sewing desk needs to be covered. Originally I thought I would just do a solid cream fabric over the top. After seeing these great oilcloth patterns, I am re-thinking my original plan. I might just end up with oilcloth, then again, it might get too crazy with the other prints going on in the room. You will just have to wait and see!

(BELOW: Image courtesy of Casa Sugar)

MAKE IT! Monday.

Sorry to post so late, but I spent the day deciding what to blog. Because I enjoying making or re-doing things so much... I decided why not make a weekly or bi- monthly post on just that! What do you think of the title of this post??? Does "MAKE IT! Mondays" work??? I might change this name in the future, but for now it's a keeper.

I love to transform furniture. I am always on the hunt for old pieces that can be used in a different way. The picture below is an old dresser I converted into an island for my kitchen. This piece was originally white-washed (I wish I had the before picture). The first step of this project was removing the four bottom drawers. Then, I painted it a blue, then red, then decided on the yellow. After that I put a brown stain over the yellow just to tame the color a bit. The black was added to the tops and remaining drawers, then I sanded the edges for an aged effect. Finally, I added new drawer hardware, and baskets to the bottom.

(BELOW: dresser turned island)

Super easy project, and I think it turned out pretty darn good!