on continuing to find balance

Awhile back I did a series on finding balance. I invited some of my favorite ladies to share their wisdom and they gave some great advice. Finding balance between work, motherhood, marriage, my home, and me time has been a constant struggle. I have been trying this strategy or that for some time now and I am happy to announce I am finally getting the hang of it! 

When I was student teaching, my mentor told me that if she could teach me one thing it would be to "do your best and forget the rest." It's been years, but I think I may have finally learned how to do just that. It's all about priorities and time management. 

I wish I could tell you that I discovered some magic formula or schedule that allows for perfect balance...I didn't. I have just learned to take things one day at a time. I have been making little decisions and changes every day, and things just keep getting better and better. The problem is these changes are different for everyone, and are constantly changing.

Here are some examples of what has worked for me...

I'm phasing out my button swap program.

Who really looks at those things anyway? After some serious Statcounter analysis, I've discovered it is completely ineffective and a serious time waster. The best way to promote my favorite shops & blogs is authentic mentions and links through posts or social media. I spend too much time emailing, button making, uploading, and linking and it's all for nothing really. I will now be supporting indie biz in REAL ways.

I stopped doing daycare.

It was the easiest money I ever made but it was just not working for us anymore. Matt is working from home, all day summer care last year didn't give me enough quality time with B, and it was seriously cutting into my junking time :)

I'm staying up late. 

I have serious insomnia problems and have had for years. I'm learning to just listen to my body and sleep when I'm tired. I have more quality time with Matt, and get to read and relax more, when I stop acting like an old fart and stay up past 9!

I'm doing more shows.

I get more bang for my buck at shows. Etsy is a lot more time consuming. I'll still continue to put stuff online here and there, but it just makes more sense to do shows. Plus I love hanging with other dealers and chatting with customers. I'll be escaping the heat and selling in Pinetop on July 21st and there are some rumors of an indoor show here in the valley...stay tuned.

I'm loosening up with B.

Right now she has her Bitty Baby stuff sprawled all over the living room and she is listening to obnoxious cartoons really loud...and I don't care. This sort of thing used to drive me batty. Also, next week I'm taking her to the salon to get her tips dyed hot pink. I never thought I would let my almost 8 year old dye her hair pink, but really,who cares? We'll trim it all off right before school starts and it's FUN!

There are lots of other little things like spending less time tweeting, decorating my home, reading more, coffee dates with Matt, keeping up with the laundry, getting involved in local politics, and escaping up to the cabin. I could go on...it's the little things that add up and make the biggest difference! 

I hope this inspires you to do some thinking about your priorities, and to let go and relax a bit. I also need to you to remind me about this post the next time I say I'm stressed!

I have some great blog posts in the works that I am excited to share in the next couple of weeks. Think vintage obsessions, a money saving tip, decor updates, and  easy crafts...stay tuned!

guest post // tutorial // giveaway :: Oh Nostalgia!

My feature sponsor this month is Paige from Oh,Nostalgia! She is here today with a tutorial for a simple and stylish way to store and display your jewelry. She is also offering a $40 credit to her shop which is chock full of vintage inspired handmade goodness.  Take it away Paige...

Even before I started making jewelry for a living, I had a lot of it. And since it's my job now, my hoard has only gotten worse. I've outgrown traditional jewelry boxes two years in a row, so I decided to take a different approach and avoid the knotted blob of necklaces altogether.

Here's how you can make an easy jewelry storage frame, too.

Supplies:
--an empty picture frame
--foam board (mine is from the Dollar Store)
--burlap
--craft knife
--scissors
--tape measure or ruler
--heavy duty packing tape
--pins or thumbtacks

First, measure the inside of the frame. Use the craft knife to cut the foam board down to size. Be sure to leave a smidge of room for the fabric, which will be wrapped around the sides later.

Depending on how long your pins or thumbtacks are, you might want to double up your foam board inside the frame. I knew I would be using mine for necklaces, so I only doubled the foam near the top of the piece, where the pins would be.

Lay the board on top of your burlap and use the scissors to cut it so there's an inch or two of fabric on all sides. Doing one side at a time, wrap the fabric tightly around the board and tape it down with heavy duty packing tape. Burlap doesn't work that well with glue because of its larger weave, so tape will be a much faster option.

Stick the fabric-wrapped board back into the frame. It should be a snug fit, but if it's a little wiggly, you can use small pieces of tape across each corner for extra stability.

As for the hanging devices, I used regular old straight pins from my sewing kit.

Having the extra layer of foam provided a lot of support, and even my heavier necklaces only needed one pin.

Once you've added the jewelry, you're done!

I made a few of these, and I really like being able to see all of my jewels at once. They've only been up for a few days, but I'm already finding that I rotate the pieces more. Plus, they're like instant artwork! Score!

Love it! Now's your chance to win the $40 shop credit and check out Paige at her blog and two shops!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

birthdays & junk

I declare this the long weekend of birthday parties & junking! Sounds fun, huh?

Tomorrow is my baby sister's birthday. Happy birthday, Jillian! We are celebrating by heading downtown to the Sweet Salvage event followed my yummy food and even more shopping. If you're in Phoenix, I suggest you check it out this weekend.

sweet salvage on 7th

Then on Friday night B & I are headed out to celebrate SheyB's daughter's birthday. I hear there is a Parisian theme and I'm sure Shey will have insanely cute decorations and activities for the girls. I'm hoping to sneak a little wine and girl chat in there too ;) 

Then up bright and early for a flea market in Chandler. Again, I recommend stopping by if you are in the area!

merchant square flea 

Then off to our sweet little cousin's 6th birthday party. Phew...lots of fun in store for us!

Make sure to stop by tomorrow for TST and a special little guest post from me on Just Lovely. I'm revealing all my vintage thrifting secrets!

currently craving // vintage wall art

My home is slowly coming together. One part that I always save for last is the walls. I have to admit, wall art intimidates me. I have a hard time finalizing decor and design decisions as it is, but the walls always scare me the most. I think wall art, which is at everyone's eye level, is the most powerful part of a room. It can change the feel of the room so much. For me, it's important the the walls in my home are unique. I have my eye on a bunch of vintage pieces that are not only beautiful, but are also conversation starters. Here are a few:

These vintage audience cue cards from Roberta Grove are fantastic. The typography is amazing, they are quite the convo starter, and they are straight out of old Hollywood.

Old sign letters are a great statement piece that can be personalized to fit any room or feel. Spell a name, a word that fits the room, or even an inside joke. These letters from Haven Vintage spell "eat" and would be perfect in any kitchen.

I'm hesitant to share this next one because I want it for myself oh so badly. A little shop across the pond called Bonnie & Bell has the coolest collection of vintage school charts. This pull down linen biology chart really wants to come live at my house.

This week I raided a couple local antique malls for some vintage ads for my home and for the shop. I think the return of my beloved Mad Men has rekindled my obsession. The White Pepper has a great collection of mid century fashion ads for sale that are calling to me.

While I love color and typography, the simplicity of these vintage silhouettes from A Needle In the Hay are pretty amazing. It would be a great way to balance out a busy gallery wall or collage. If you'd rather have a silhouette of an actual person in your life I recommend Out of Alabaster for custom work.

Botanical prints are a great way to bring color and nature into your home, especially if  you don't have a green thumb. These wildflower illustrations from Ocean Swept would look amazing on a wall of mounted vintage clip boards. You could rearrange and swap out to your heart's desire.

I have a thing for paint by numbers lately as well. I had serious seller's remorse after letting go of a vintage paint by number Jesus at the market a couple of weeks ago. I found an adorable dog one for B's room for 50% at an antique mall last week that made up for it a bit. These florals from Anita Spero Designs have been hanging out if my Etsy favorites for a bit.

There are so many ways to use vintage items on your walls. Actually,  you should probably stay tuned for part two of this post as I finish up my home projects. I haven't even touched on my recent vintage flash card crush :)

Update: 

After hours of assembling a giant map from Ikea, decided I don't like said map, taking apart map and putting it back in the box, scouring the internet, measuring pieces of paper and hanging them on the wall, ordering my husband around, texting my sister a million pictures, and making my mom come over and look at my "vision", I finally pulled the trigger and ordered this...

A Vintage French pull down map of Napolean's Europe. I'm in love. It should be on it's way from the U.K. soon!

What's on your walls?

15 ways to decorate with books

Decorating with books is a great way to add personality to your home. If you are a reader, they are already on hand so it is a thrifty and earth friendly way to spice up your space. If you don't have them on hand you can stop by a thrift store and pick some up for super cheap. Here are 15 ideas on how to incorporate books into your decor.

as wallpaper via poppytalk

as shelves via real simple

stack them high via new england home

as furniture by laura cahill

vintage is better via birch + bird

sort by color via top design mag

as a wreath or lamp via the nester

face them forward via elizabeth sullivan designs

go spineless via lenore nevermore

secret hiding places from roadside photographs on etsy

make it artsy via ruffled blog

bundle by color via running with scissors

under foot via apartment therapy

stack up the stairs via holly mathis interiors

best in the hands of a child - source

How do you use books in your home?

12 in 2012 // May Update

It's the beginning of a new month and time to check in on my goals! Here is my progress...

image source

1. Get back to my pre-sickness weight

I am hovering at a 10 lb. loss still. I still have 30 more to go so I need to step up my game! I am actually going to be starting an elimination diet to identify some food intolerance issues. It's not a weight loss diet but based on the list of foods I'm restricted to, I should drop some pounds. 

Exercise is where I really need to focus on. Matt and I were walking every day but it's already too hot and won't be cool until the fall. Treadmill & videos here I come!

2. Learn to knit

Looking into classes. Anybody done the one at Joann's? 

3. Re-learn how to sew

I have a machine on my Amazon wish list. Mother's Day is coming up. Hmmmm... :)

4. Read 60 Books

I'm just finishing my 24th book. Ahead of schedule! I also just got a new pair of reading glasses that should help me go a bit faster. I am blind as a bat. I suppose part of this goal should be to get my butt to the eye doctor and get proper glasses already. I'll add that to the May mini-goal list.

5. Get dressed

I'm actually doing much better with this even though I haven't lost all the weight yet. I've at least moved from yoga pants to shorts and a tee with TOMS and a cute headband. Some days I even put on makeup ;)

6. Go to the Grand Canyon

This will happen this summer. I can feel it. Now I just need to plan it.

7. Finish decorating my home

This goal is coming along nicely. After a LONG delay, our sofa arrived and we love it. It will be getting it's own post soon. By the end of the year I hope to have all the main living areas perfect.

8. Take a photography class Done!

I did it! Read my review of the class I took from Bella Pop HERE.

9. Hit 200 Etsy sales

I'm busy prepping for the Junk in the Trunk Market on May 5th! Then I will be focusing on the shop for a majority of the summer. I have a bunch of new handmade to add in May.

10. Cook Dinner

This will get tough once I start this food allergy elimination diet. Sometimes we are all eating different things, but at least we are at the table together. That's the most important thing!

11. Do at least 3 tutorials a month on the blog

Fail. I'm actually thinking of doing some kid craft tutorials while Bailey is home this summer.

12. Go Green & Garden

Okay, this is what I've decided to replace the journal with. It's kind of a broad goal but the main things are recycling and gardening.

We are super lazy when it comes to recycling. It all has to do with convenience so I am going to educate myself and my family on the rules of recycling and then we are going to set up a system of bins that works for us.

I am also going to educate myself about gardening in the desert. I have ordered books and am reading online. I want to have a 2013 plan and schedule ready by the end of the year to grow our own organic fruits and vegetables. 

How are you doing on your goals?