another DIY project

i'm hoping to get at least one DIY project a week. This week I've made 2 and it's Thursday! I think i'm on a pretty good start. 

so one thing i love is home decor. for home decor i go to pier 1, tj maxx, homegoods(San Antonio), and World Market. I especially love World Market and Pier1. 

On Black Friday I stepped into World Market for Christmas gifts and decided to purchase some placemats and napkins to use after Christmas. Well, my luck they only had 1 napkin to match. I needed 2 but I bought that 1 anyways.  

Fast-forward to last week. I removed all Christmas decor and started to put the house back to normal. I don't know why this happens but every year after Christmas decor is taken down the house seems so blah and I swear it doesn't feel like before, before the Christmas decor went up. Get me? Apparently, other people feel the same way. I thought I was abnormal til i started asking and turns out my friends are abnormal as well normal. Moved some things around, put up my new placemats with old napkins i had. My 1 napkin was tucked in the napkin drawer til this week. 

Fast-forward to this week, Monday. Because I still felt the house was a little blah, i got in the car and the auto-pilot took me to Pier 1. i was planning on going to kirklands but the car thought differently. pier 1 scares me a little because it's kinda pricey and once you see something, it's like you HAVE to HAVE to it, regardless $$$. while there, i decided to check out the napkins, you know just in case they had some to match my placemats. Well they did and they only had 1 of the design i liked. my bad luck. i bought it anyways because it was .98, super deal! i figured if i didn't use it in the kitchen i could make a hair flower with it. after all, its just fabric. 

then the lightbulb turned on. i really like both napkins, both from different stores so i said i HAVE to do something with them. i figured i could get both, cut them in half, sew the halves together and taddah, 2 BEAUTIFUL HANDMADE NAPKINS. truly, one-of-a-kind. no one else in the whole wide world has a pair like this. 

below are the pics. from start to finish, in that order. and they aren't that great either because i took them with my ancient iPhone, but hey it works.

the yellow is from pier 1 and the red-orange is from world market. and both were .98! 

 all done. and as you see, it's several napkins in one. all together 3 napkins, of course 1 is half/half. 

back on the bar countertop. it's where the girls eat their meals. but, and don't get weird on me when i say, THEY AREN'T ALLOWED TO USE THE NAPKINS. it just for decor. WHAT? I said don't get all weird on me. i already told you i'm abnormal and by the way my girls love to use paper napkins. after all, it's their only option. 

placemats: World Market

napkins: Pier 1 and half of 1 napkin from World Market.

napkin rings: world market

I'm a fan of placemats and napkins/napkin rings. i think it adds so much in certain places. i do not use them on my dining table, solely on the bar countertop. and i buy more placemats to use around the kitchen. 

thank you for stopping by. i hoped you enjoyed this DIY project.

i'm already brainstorming for next week's project. 

XOXO, 

wiww and DIY shoes

welcome back for another edition of WIWW. i'll be linking up with Linsday. WIWW (what i wore wednesday) is what i do to get me out of my PJ's and into some stylish clothes during the week. sophie, my daughter, takes a daily pic of me and then i post it up on WIWW. pretty simple. except this week the photographer wanted nothing to do with pic because she has been studying pretty hard for the spelling bee.   she was able to snap some pics. 

Girls Night Out! I promise I was dressed during the day just didn't snap. 

Blouse: Forever 21

Cami: Gap

Jeans: Wrangler

Boots: Ariat

Boots, close-up! Getting these babies on has been a challenge.
And taking them off, well let's just say I almost slept with one on.
After 20 mins of pulling and tugging a friend was able to remove it. Of course we were laughing hysterically. New leather can be very challenging. Especially on Sel and her chubby feet. 

Cardi: Old Navy

Under tee: Gap

Jeans: Gap

Shoes: Forever 21. More on these coming right up!

These shoes! So I first spotted a pair like these back in September of 2011. I saw them on Polyvore. If you have never been to this website, you must go like NOW. Well, first finish reading this post. Polyvore is where I go for all fashion inspiration. So back to the shoes. I ran across a pair of shoes very similar to these. They were Steve Madden. So Sel, being Sel, searched the whole WWW for the exact pair. I knew they were $90 and didn't care. I wanted them. Well sad to say I never found the shoes. Actually I did find them on some Asian website and I had no idea what it said. So again, Sel, being Sel, made her own pair.

Right after they were done.

On my chubby feet. 

The shoes were $15. And the stones were around $10. 

TAKE THAT MR. MADDEN!

And there we go. New WIWW post and a new DIY project. If you see something you like and you think you can do it yourself, GO FOR IT! 

Tomorrow I'll be posting on another DIY project. 

The business keeps me very busy but sometimes I just need some time for me and my crazy DIY projects. 

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

workspace tour!

the hubby has once again made me one very happy wife. he saw the need for organization and more actual workspace inside the paper passion/blossom workshop so he got to work. he installed 2 cabinets with drawers and doors to hide all the junk valuables. he then installed white countertops. instantly, the room looked very different. i actually had more space to work. at this point, the room the is complete. except for a some minor repairs, like caulking, i am ready to start work. i spent a couple of $ on some organization totes and bins for elastic, flowers, adhesives. i also had to find the most perfect knobs for the cabinetry. 

want a tour? here we go! 

tour will be from left to right. 

entrance.

 above is my banner. what you see below the banner is the entrance to the laundry room. i have a desk in there where we keep bills, files, the junk drawer. you can't really but inside the laundry room, hanging on the left side wall is where i hang all my purses/totes. at one point the entrance was sorta blocked because of the purse/tote collection so my hubby said if i didn't solve the issue he would do it himself. well, as of yet, i have not solved the issue and neither has he. 

entrance to the right, a mirror that was gold i painted black. i love it. 

entance to the left is the hall to the room. can you see the scarves? i hang them and some more purses along the wall. i already have a solution to the scarf addiction, i just need to get it done. 

 next to all the scarfs is the invite board and my guest chair, which is going to get painted this week. above the chair is the ribbon holder. i actually need another one of these. directly in front of the chair, next to the ribbon holder, is my desk, with some nice smelling crystals and a display of all things Blossom.

 the workspace. ahhhhh. i can hear the angels singing. behind my red desk chair is the workspace to the left of the room. some countertop space for work and then shelving to hold and display all my tools/materials. 

at the window (which i don't like because it hides the view to the pool) are some bins, again for organization. next pic is the workspace to the right of the room. i know this pic is not great. it probably 1/4 of the workspace. but its pretty much the same thing as the other side, with shelving on top. 

this is the computer workspace. this is the part of the room where there should be a closet but when we built the house i knew what i wanted and that was not a closet. i have a hanging organizer for paperwork. in the middle is the computer where i spend a lot of time. to the right of the computer work area is my print wall. i am filling it up with many prints (all inspirational of course). i have prints waiting for framing. 

soon, they'll go up.

knobs! i'm sorta obsessed with knobs and pulls. i wanted both cabinets to have a different set of knobs/pull. i'm excited to have the hubby put them up. knobs/pulls can add so much to a room where there is cabinetry. 

i hope you have enjoyed the tour. 

being in here is so relaxing. i love my room. 

the other day, a client who i had just met came over to put an order and she didn't want to leave. 

she wanted to stay in the room because she said she felt at peace being in here. 

all i need is a bed and i could literally sleep and work in here. 

but that won't happen, i need my hubby next to me every night. 

thank you for stopping by. 

HUGS!

hello monday!

it's monday, again! seriously, the days are just passing so quickly. i really need to slow down and enjoy them, along with this bi-polar weather/seasons we are experiencing.

hello...

to new projects.
to new friends.
to party planning for abby's birthday, IN MAY! i know very early but that's who i am and its what i do.
to finding someone who owns a typewriter. i have to fill out a membership application and it has to be typed.
to making over 500 blossom bands.
to sophie and cheer practice 3 days a week. they're prepping for upcoming competitions.

to this new week. so blessed and grateful for all my blessings.

come back tmrw. studio tour!

XOXO

instafriday!

i'm a huge instagram fan. today's instagram were taken over several weeks. one pic is even from november and somehow didn't get posted earlier. oops...

here we go!

Found these super cute earring at Forever 21. Didn't get them though. I should have gotten them for Sophie.

Abby and I having some fun at PPP!

Blossom's very own SuperModel, Abby.

  The brownie pan from Oprah's favorite things. A gift from the hubby.

Banana nut bread :)

For some strange reason, the pics were taking forever to upload. Never has this happened. I need to figure out why so it doesn't happen again next instafriday.

Have a great weekend!

Thank you for stopping by :)



back to a routine

hi there!

i know you're thinking its wiww, but to be quite honest i hardly got dressed over the winter break. my girls and i would lounge all day in pj's relaxing. it was their winter break from school and i wanted to make sure they were able to rest. next week, i promise a wiww edition :)

overall, the holidays were wonderful. i got way too many nice gifts but what mattered the most was that my family was with us on Christmas Day. My brothers, mom and Dad all came over for a Christmas breakfast, exchange of gifts, and fun times. here are some pics!

family pic! i am very blessed. 

with my MIL! 

Christmas AM. Very fortunate, we are. 

pots and pans! it was time for a new set. 

i love the expression on my face! i had been wanting the perfect printer to print the best documents for paper passion!

the hubby and i also celebrated 9 years of marriage. we shared an intimate evening at a very yummy restaurant, we exchanged gifts of leather. a coach wallet for him, western boots for me. he's the best husband in the world!

i was also able to squeeze in some time for work. 

the holidays are now over and its time to get back to routine, set goals and make them happen!

Creative Connection 2012! I hope to go this year. I have to work extra hard because the fees to attend are pricey, plus flight and hotel! I know it will happen. I'm excited for all there is to learn there. 

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you have a wonderful Hump Day :)

hugs,

right now...

weekly sunday post!

right now i am…
watching:  well i had to pause and pull out the i-pad. i had almost forgotten about this weekly post. i had to pause miracle on 34th street. love it. 
eating:  a frito pie, yum.
drinking:  fresca
wearing: PJ's, thick socks...I'm cold!
avoiding:  MY LAUNDRY! it's time. i'm starting to run out of socks and some undergarments...LOL.
feeling: blessed and loved :)
missing:  my husband. spend too much time with him this weekend, that when he's not around for acouple of hours I miss him dearly.
thankful:  for all my wonderful friends that came to support the paper passion/Blossom open house. I love them!
weather:  again, BI-POLAR; cold, rain,hot, warm, cold....BLAH!
praying: for all those young kids who don't have a family this time of year.
needing:  to stay away from the cupcakes in my kitchen
thinking: is it going to rain again because my car really needs a wash...
loving: LIFE!

and you?  what are you up to?

i know i said no blogging on sundays but if there's time, why not!

insta-friday!

i've missed several weeks of insta-friday. the only excuse is that i haven't been taking enough pics with my app. i'm so busy these days, that time to actually stop and snap has become harder. i will try my best to take more pics. i did take a pic this week that represents the spirit of Christmas.

my girls got together the presents i purchased for a foster child up in austin, tx.

i explained to them what we are doing for this young boy who doesn't have a realy family but does have people that care alot, like us. they were so excited and proud of themselves. really, it's the least we can do because we are very blessed and with our blessings we like to help. i hope the young boy enjoys his presents. actually, i know he will. and that my friends is my instagram photo for the week. no other photo could have been better.

i'm getting things prepared for my open-house tomorrow. i am very excited. i actually had some early-birds come and look yesterday and they loved what they saw. YAY :)

above is the info, in case you're interested. i cannot wait for tmrw.

and this weekend, 2 date nights with my love.

feeling very blessed right now.

peace and blessins',

WIWW

Hi!
I'm linking up over with Lindsay at The Pleated Poppy. If you're new to my blog, please don't think I do this because I love myself and love to take pics on a daily basis. That is so not the case. If it were really up to me I'd stay in my PJ's and work like that all day. So, I decided to do as Lindsay does and link up to her blog. I do this in an effor tot get me out of my PJ's and robe and put on some comfy clothes, trying to look stylish at the same time. I also list where the clothes are from! Lindsay does it so I'm thinking I should too.

here we go!

work all day!

cardi, gap

tank, NY&Co

Jeans, Old Navy

Slippers, Old Navy

necklace, Silpada

workout gear, although the working out part didn't happen :(

top, Old Navy

tank underneath, Old navy

pants, Gap

tennis, Nike FreeRun

work all day!

the whole outfit, Old navy

shoes, Gianni Binni, Dillards

Yes, I like Old Navy clothes. Can you tell? It's affordable and cute, sometimes.

Thank you for stopping by.

I have several things to get done before I leave the house for some errands.

peace and blessins',

hello monday...

hello to this kinda-nice weather! nice because it only comes once a year and kinda because you can't really do much. we had planned to go fishing but couldn't. instead we stayed in on sunday and watched netflix movies ;)

hello to getting my christmas shopping done this week. next year what i have planned to do is just christmas shop all year, that way im not there last minute! if i see something i like for someone, i'll just get it. no worries :)

hello to the my littles and their last week of school! they are super excited because apparently there is lots of TV viewing to catch up on. they love netflix!

hello to work, work, and more work! not complaining, more like excited.

hello to a dinner date with my hubby and his co-workers this friday night.

hello to stalking the martha stewart cookie app for the perfect cookie recipe for my cookie exchange party. can't wait to bake :)

hello to all of you and i hope you have a great week! thank you for stopping by.

peace and blessins',

right now

stole this idea from lindsay, who got it from a bunch of other bloggers around the internets:
right now i am…
watching:  gilmore girls. during the day it's all i watch. at night, totally different story. i keep up with all my favorite reality shows, the real housewives is my favorite, all cities.
eating:  just finished a chorizo & egg taco.
drinking:  COFFEE!
wearing: my favorite PJ's. gray flannel. the top have a pocket which is great for carrying my cell phone, candy, kleenex...you know small important things!
avoiding:  updating my login/password spreadsheet to all the accounts i have created online. whether it be bills, stores, emails, etsy account...the list can go forever.
feeling:  AWESOME!
missing:  nothing, no one!
thankful:  for a husband who went to work for 4 hours this AM, gets home with groceries and makes me a delicious breakfast and some STRONG coffee.
weather:  BI-POLAR; cold, hot, warm, cold....BLAH!
praying:  everyday for the same people. the ones i love the most.
needing:  a new TV for the workarea. one with a DVD player so i can watch gilmore girls all day and who's the boss :) oh and Uggs! oh and Christmas shopping. hoping to get it done on wednesday. from 8-2:30!
thinking: i need better organization for this workspace.
loving: sophie and her cheer team! abby and her need for MOM. david and his patience. my new work desk. my new bath soap and robe. loving friends. the idea that david and i have a couple of date nights this month.

and you?  what are you up to?

i think i'll make this a weekly Sunday post.
i know i said no blogging on sundays but if there's time, why not!

what i wore wednesday!

its wednesday! or in my world, "wine down wednesday" :)

time for another WIWW. in case you're new to the blog, WIWW is where I post pics of myself because i love myself and think im beautiful in an effort to get me out of my PJ's and into some nice clothes. I usually don't take WIWW pics on saturdays or sundays because i may stay in PJ's those 2 days, kidding. I kinda feel like this part of my "work" and i choose not to work those days if i dont have to. ok, here we go!

shirt: Gap

Jeans: Old Navy

Boots: Target

Scarf: Gap 

All you can see is my shirt and that is my Thirty-One Gifts rep shirt!

Jewelry: Silpada

I'm wearing jeans, Old Navy & shoes from Bouchique 

Shirt: Forever 21

Jeans: Gap

Flats: Gianni Binni

Necklace: Forever 21 & my new favorite!

That's it 3 pics, BOOO! It's been a crazy week.

Sophie & her Godmother!

The baby in that tummy was born yesterday!

Of course, she's beautiful!

One of the happiest days of my life!

I'll be back to work today. Creating some baby boy western baby shower invites.

Soon, I'll get started on some Mickey Mouse invites. Also, other orders such as toppers and centerpiece labels. Lots of FUN stuff to keep me happy and busy and out of the stores.

Have a wonderful day!

Thank you for stopping by.

peace and blessings,

hello monday...

hello new day, new week!

hello to Christmas countdown.

hello to my new FB fans! paper passion is almost at 400 :)

hello to pics from this weekends event where I had a booth!

i had a really good time. i met some really nice people. got lots of compliments. thankful to everyone who stopped by and to those that helped me setup. i worked really hard prepping for this event. my next big show is scheduled this month. im really excited about this one. i have invited friends and family to come to my house for an open house viewing of my products. i will be working extra hard to prep for this wonderful event. 

i have exactly 2 weeks to prep :)

hello to this beautiful weather. i love sweaters and this is the perfect sweater weather. i hope it hangs around.

oh, say hello to my new work tool!

hello, mr. bad boy torch! pretty powerful tool. a gift from my dad. a little scared to use it. i received it on thursday, took it out of the box friday, put it back in the box right away, and its still in there. a little hesitant. i don't want to burn my hands, eyebrows, or the HOUSE!

hello to new Blossom Blooms! in the pic with Mr. Bad Boy Torch, you can see felt circles. 100% wool felt, so soft! Wear one bloom or several blooms together for a pretty fabulous accessory to add to your outfits!

i hope you all have a wonderful week!

what are you saying "hello" to today?

peace and blessings!



{instafriday}

it's time to share some cell phone pics that were taken last week and this week.

enjoy!

pic with Santa! And the most beautiful Santa display at Bass Pro.

telling Santa what they want! That took forever, they want EVERYTHING!

taking a shopping break at Bass! i love him! 

admiring the fish!

in line for the carousel!

la cantera mall! black friday, all gap 60% off. I HAD FUN!

sophie with her new BuildABear! DC Cheerleader!

work! paint, all over. FUN!

ooooo, aaaaaah! does this ribbon holder look store bought? YES it does but can you believe hubby made it. he's awesome. and you see all those spools on the right? yes, i need more of these fixtures to hold all my ribbon. i love ribbon!

that's it for instagram pics. overall it was a great week.

i'll be back monday! no blogging on the weekends.

XOXO,

coffee talk...

time for some coffee talk, my other favorite type of talk. my other favorite is wine talk.

i'm on my 2nd jumbo size coffee cup this AM. a little tired. not getting enough sleep. this new "job" has me working more than i have even worked IN. MY. LIFE!

how are you feeling today? don't forget to say your prayers and take your vitamins. my daily vitamins consist of B12(did you think this energy comes naturally?), zinc because it helps with the stress acne and my immune system, keeps me from getting sick, and an Omega3 because i don't eat very healthy so this replaces my bad habit of not eating healthy foods. well enough about vitamins, kinda boring but my dad would probably say otherwise. it seems like the man has a GNC inside his home. just like people say my craft room looks like a mini-Michaels/Hobby Lobby, which by the way is a fun compliment!

emotions/feelings: this thanksgiving holiday, i was on an emotional rollercoaster. i was in heaven at my parents house. this is why:

gorgeous property where my girls have the best time. they can run outside, ride their bikes, and feed deer!

then the second its time to say goodbye i hug my mom and cry uncontrollably like a child. it still seems so unreal that they don't live near me. i haven't taken this long distance family relationship very well. its been 3 years since they've moved. i wasn't prepared for this move so when it happened it was shocking and i guess you can say im still in shock. i wish for alot of things but having them here with me is what i wish for the most. i understand they have this new life and its a beautiful life but i'm having a hard time dealing with this separation. and that's where prayer kicks in. i pray that the Lord takes care of them over there.

grateful to have David, my husband. he knows its been hard for me and has been there to ease my pain.



we are headed back to visit soon and im excited to go. gotta be strong this time when i say my good-bye's. crying like a child scared my mom. i just reassured her that life is wonderful because it is and its just hard to leave them.

3rd cup of coffee!

off to create i go! still prepping for this wknd's show. excited, nervous, scared but overall happy for this opportunity!

Good day! XOXO