{find a friend friday - link up! week 11}

Welcome back to week 11 of Find a Friend Friday. Last week I had so much fun browsing through all your super cute Easter decorations.

Today Alissa and I are so excited to introduce you all to Kristen from Rock-A-Bow. Not only are her bow tie headbands to die for, she's also a super awesome WAHM of 2 wee ones. If you're looking for something to jazz up any outfit, be sure to check out her store.

1.Tell us about yourself.

Hi everyone. I'm Kristen from Rock-A-Bow. I am a wife, a mommy of two adorable babies and a full blown Jesus freak. I am slightly addicted to coffee, fabric and all things handmade. When I'm not playing with my babies or sewing, you can most likely find me at church or blogging. I'm pretty simple...

2. Tell us a little about your shop.

Rock-A-Bow was inspired by my little girl Rhiannon and her best bud Anberlyn. It was originally a bow and tutu company with the idea of making little girls happy. After having a baby boy and learning to sew, Rock-A-Bow has become so much more. I am constantly trying to think of new and fun things to create. 

3. How did your shop name come to be?

Well...like I just mentioned, Rock-A-Bow was a bow and tutu company and it was targeted at babies and toddlers. The original idea was a play on words Rock-A-Bow baby, you know like Rock-A-Bye. As things changed and we grew, baby was dropped and now we are simply Rock-A-Bow.

4. What got you started with your craft,and selling your items?

Let's face it, being a mommy of a little girl gets pricey. Especially when you have a bald baby girl. So I started making bows for my own little girl. I was always being asked where I got them so a friend and I decided to put our cute bows out there for others to buy. Rock-A-Bow was a way for me to potentially stay home with my babies, a way for me to make my stay at home mommy dream come true. Although I still have to work part time from home, Rock-A-Bow is growing and will soon be the only "work" I have to do.

5. Favorite part of your day?

Without a doubt my favorite part of the day is first thing in the morning. Which is odd. I am NOT a morning person. But around 8:30 every morning Talon (baby boy) wakes up and we play for about 15 minutes before Rhi (my 2 year old girl) wakes up and we all snuggle and play in bed for about an hour. It is pure joy every morning. 

6. What food or food group would you refuse to live without?

Caffeine. That's a food group right? Both chocolate and coffee make me one happy momma. Although, I love me some carbs. Pasta, bread, you name it, I love it. Can you all tell that I am NOT a healthy eater? I should work on that.

7. Where can we find you?

You can find me on Big Cartel at www.rockabow.bigcartel.com

Twitter handle @rockabow

Blog- www.rockabow.blogspot.com

and Facebook www.facebook.com/rockabowbaby

This week we hope you'll link up and say hello. We'd love to see what you're working on this week. It can be a DIY, a tutorial, a craft or even a post about yourself.

Party ends on Monday, Happy Linking!

{my week -in photos-}

Hope you all had a great week and an even better Easter. Here's a little photo recap of the week and our holiday. I know I said you'd all be gifted with two more posts on Easter projects before Sunday, but between traveling to San Francisco, attending a bridal shower, and all the Easter festivities, I just couldn't get them done. Maybe I'll still share them this week and you can file them away for next year. :)

Ella + Bode

Hair Pretties

Makeup

Homemade Pepperoni + Pineapple

Bridal Shower

My FAVORITE Meal EVER!

Puerto Rican Hot Sauce, YUM!

Fakies

Golden Gate

Easter

Ella + Mr. Bunny

Ella + Mr. Bunny, Try Again

Rice Crispy Bunny

Happy Monday!

{Pottery Barn Ceramic Easter Bunnies-knock off}

You're probably thinking, TWO posts in one day?! Yep, today is a special day, not only do you get your weekly Find A Friend Friday post, BUT you also get another great PB knock-off! Yay for Friday! 

Honestly though, I have a few other Easter projects that I've had in the works, and well...there's just not enough day's to showcase them all, sooo...you'll be getting them all crammed into the next two days. :)

For some reason I've really been enjoying the Pottery Barn Easter Decor this year. It just seems so classic, clean and timeless. Here's a few photos of the Glazed Ceramic Bunnies from this year (which are now sold out according to the PB website). 

When I first saw these I knew I could duplicate them, so I searched high and low for quite a few weeks at the thrift store for the right ceramic bunnies. When I found a matching pair, they were painted matte white, with black eyes, and black dotted whiskers. I picked up a .96 cent can of glossy white spray paint at my local hardware store and went to town spraying the duo. I had to do several light layers (i'd say at least 5) to get them covered completely. Make sure you let each layer dry before doing the next. 

Let them dry thoroughly, and there you have it! An almost identical match to the PB glazed bunnies. If you want a more high gloss to them you could take a high gloss clear coat and spray them, but I think the glossy white paint is enough. 

I love the way they look, and the were SOOO easy to duplicate.  I can't wait to see them with the whole easter table set up and am going to look forward to pulling these timeless little guys out every year. 

Come back tomorrow to see two more easter projects, and don't forget to link up to Find A Friend Friday- Week 10!

{find a friend friday - link up! week 10}

Hi Friends! This Easter weekend I hope you are taking the time to reflect on all the amazing things that God's doing in your life. Today marks a big change in history. One where one man, one single.human.man sacrificed himself so that he could bridge the gap between him and his father. That separation came through a death on a cross and then and then three days later a glorious reunion in Heaven. Being a mother I often find myself wondering how a parent even survives through that kind of loss, yet I read about it on blogs all the time. I'm truly honored and amazed that they have chosen to be Jesus with skin on by sharing their loss, their story.... their journey with us. May God be the glory in your life today and always. God is good!

Thanks for joining us for Week 10 of Find a Friend Friday, Alissa and I are so glad you stopped by.

Alissa and I have met so many amazing people and even though we say that every week, we truly mean it. Today we'd like you to meet Jana from

Jana has an amazing heart!! And her shoppe is filled with all kinds of eye candy.

I hope you'll stick around because she'll be back in the next couple of weeks to share her story as part of Alissa's Be Ready, Be Prepared, Be Molded Series. You can read part one and part two here and here.


1.Tell us about yourself.

My name is Jana and I blog over at Giggles, Glitz & Glam as well as Thirty-One:10! I am happily married to Cody and we have two adorable but obnoxious dogs. Mikey, the black lab/border collie mix and Abby, the boxer. I work full-time for a non-profit organization called Christian Life Ministries and I am head over the Orphan Department. We are highly active in our church and with our home group. I have to say, we've got it pretty good!!

2. Tell us a little about your shop.

Giggles, Glitz & Glam was created because I decided I wanted to make tutu headbands and matching tutus. My nieces were my guinea pigs and after making the first set I was madly in love which is just how my shop developed!
 

3. How did your shop name come to be?

I started blogging as To Dabble in Design, but when I started making tutus I knew it was time to come up with a new blog title and business name. I really thought long and hard as I wanted it to be something I could grow into. The word Giggles popped in my mind and I wanted it somewhere in my name, but wasn't really sure. I kept playing with different words until I landed on Giggles, Glitz & Glam. I think it describes perfectly my shop and I think it allows room for growth. I figure if I started to make things for boys and mom then it could be Giggles for boys, Glitz for girls and Glam for moms. Sorry dads, but I've got nothing for you! :)
 

4. What got you started with your craft,and selling your items?

Two adorable nieces. Okay, that's only partially true. I started making pillowcase dresses for the Pillowcase Project and fell in love with sewing and the crafty world. I dreamed of a day when I would be a stay-at-home mom and wondered how I could contribute financially to my family without having to work. I walked through a store one day and saw these adorable tulle headbands. My niece desperately needed one, but I wasn't about to pay for it! I made my first headband and before long I realized it needed a tutu to match. And now it's history!!
 

5. Favorite part of your day?

When we go to bed at night. Cody scratches my back while he prays over us, our families and our future. I'll admit I don't always manage to stay awake, but it's the most cherished part of my day.
 

6. What food or food group would you refuse to live without?

MEXICAN FOOD. Life would not be life at all if it did not exist. Although to many of you, our mexican foods may be very different. We eat tex-mex around here and it's SOOO good!! Mmm!

7. Where can we find you?

http://gigglesglitzandglam.blogspot.com
http://thirtyone10.blogspot.com
http://gigglesglitzandglam.etsy.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/giggleglitzglam

Now let's get linking! This week we'd love to see what you're working on. It can be an Easter craft, a tutorial, interior decor, DIY project or your own store and blog. We love it all. There are no rules, but if you love what you see I hope you'll follow Alissa, Jana and myself!

Linky party ends on Monday night. 

{crepe paper wreath}

I'm a thrift store junkie, but a very particular one. I hate buying low quality things just because they're cheap. If I could have it my way (and afford it) i'd spend the money on high quality items once and cherish them for years. I'm the same way with clothing. For that reason, I frequent the thrift store often, if you go often then you can get the good expensive stuff before someone else snatches it up.

Anyways, during one recent trip to the thrift store I came across a TON of crepe paper, and for cheap. I know it's not a particularly expensive item but at a quarter a package I couldn't pass up grabbing a few to keep in the craft stash. 

I started browsing for crepe paper projects and look at all the fun things you can do with crepe paper!

Adorne packages

{tutorial here}

Adorne notecards (love this)

{tutorial here}

Ruffle & Ribbon (love this too!)

{tutorial here}

Crepe Paper Medallions (possibly my fav)

{tutorial here}

Rose Topiary/Ball

{photo credit}

Rose Wreath

{photo credit}

{original tutorial here}

Ok, so I whipped out two packages of yellow and started making dozens of the paper rosettes. I used BOTH packages of crepe paper and didn't even cover the whole wreath. I definitely wanted it to be fuller like in the blue wreath photo above, but it'll have to do until I can find the same color paper somewhere else. It's really pretty in real life, has an amazing textural quality and is a perfect project for spring. 

I decided to put it in Ella's nursery on her dresser. Next to her mini chalkboard (you'll see project another day) and a little birdie from Anthropologie, which is actually a doorstop. So cute huh? Since I have a few packages left, I think I'll try my hand at the medallions next. It'll be perfect for my bestie (the bride to be) at her wedding shower this weekend.

That black shelf is going to get a makeover soon, it sticks out like a sore thumb. 

Try making one, and come back and leave a link in the comment section, i'd love to see it on your blog, or in your home!

{ruffled stationary}

How is everyone's week been? Hopefully great so far. Just wanted to share with you guys a new item in my shop! Ruffle Stationary! Folded notecards adorned with a fun sewn on ruffle. Each pack comes with 5 note cards & envelopes. Perfect for gift giving and snail mail! You can see them in my shop HERE.

{Pottery Barn Easter Door Sign-knock off}

Ok, next up in the "how can I get the Pottery Barn look on a budget" project list are these: the Easter Door/Yard signs. Aren't they cute? Yes they are, and expensive. I tried my hand at recreating one of these (the green bunny sign) and I think it turned out to be a dead ringer for the actual thing. 

Here's the actual Pottery Barn versions:

And here is my version. Total cost for this bad boy... .50 cents!!! yep, you read right, FIFTY CENTS!

How'd I do it? Well, I went to Home Depot and scoured the remanent section of the lumber dept (my new favorite place!) and found a scrap piece of plywood for .50 cents. The gentleman that worked there was kind enough to cut it down to 12x18 inches for me. 12x18 inches was the dimension specified on the PB website for the door hanger. The yard post was much larger but I opted for the smaller size.

As for the rest, I painted the board with Benjamin Moore's Urban Nature green. The color is part of BM's paint line for Pottery Barn. I already had it on hand, so i'm not including it in the project cost. 

My camera and the lighting outdoors when I took this picture really distorts the color. I'd say its a dead ringer to the green on the actual sign, somehow it didn't translate well in the photograph. Here's the swatch from the website:

See, its really close to the actual sign's color. All the other paints I used were just your run of the mill craft paints I already hand on hand (not included in the cost either). I printed a picture of the sign off the internet, blew it up on my copier, and used it as a stencil to fit the size of my wood, then I just painted away. I'm no painter, but I think I did pretty good! 

When everything was painted and dry, I took some sandpaper and lightly distressed some areas of the sign, like the PB one (again, my camera makes the distressed areas look really harsh, their more subtle in real life). I haven't yet, but I plan to spray the whole thing with a light coat of polyurethane to ensure it stays in good shape for years of use. 

Overall, the project was fun, I love the way it looks on our door, and I think I may just try my hand at the other "egg hunt" sign.

Again, The Pottery Barn version:

My .50 cent version!

Happy Easter!

{weekend fun-sutter street antique fair}

This weekend we ventured out to the antique faire on Sutter Street. I live 5 minutes from Sutter St, and let me tell you, it sure is a gem. A dozen antique stores, coffee shops, and boutiques that are wonderfully curated. I wish I could live in several of them. I'll tour those for you another day...

It's the same street that hosts the Thursday night markets in the summer which I'll have a booth at (so excited for that!). Here's a little visual recount of our fun perusing through all the vintage and antique goodies. I had to have real self control with not buying several pieces, but hey, that's how it goes living in 900 sq ft (a full to the max 900sq ft may I add).

Onto the photos:

 

Well, wasn't that fun?! Happy Monday!