WARDROBE!!!!

So...it is supposed to be like 80 degrees today!! WHAT? I feel so unprepared for this weather! I am still in "sweater and jeans season"!!! I have looked through my closet and feel that I just don't have what I need for this weather!! What is a girl to do??? Well, online shop of course!!!! HEHE!!! One of my favorite stores in Ann Taylor LOFT. LOVE IT! They usually have a great selection, plus, they have an AWESOME petite selection,which I need! I can always find something fun and fabulous at their store!

Today, I did a little online "window shopping" (we don't have one at our mall! can you believe that??) I found a few cute items that might need to make an appearance in my closet very soon!! (Just don't tell hubby!)

Where so you like to shop??? And, what items are in for this spring???

Why Is This So Hard?? UGH!

I always thought of myself as someone who is overly organized. I always know what time and where things are without looking at my calendar and I am always on time. My home is always clean and picked up (for the most part, I am human). I know where everything is and everything has a place. My personal life is always organized and working like a well oiled machine. Then I started a business.


Over the past 3 years, I have run and operated a business from my home. I love it, I love being the boss and setting my own hours and being in charge. I love being the lead designer on all my projects and knowing that it is MY work. What I don't love is all the paperwork and all the files and random busy-work I have to keep up with. They don't teach you how to organize that stuff in college. They don't tell you about all the tax stuff you will have to keep up with and all the junk that you will have to mail and file. UGH! Not fun at all!! It doesn't help that I am completely and utterly scattered when it comes to organizing my work life. My office is neat and tidy, but I am not sure where anything is!

I feel like a fool. Shouldn't it be easy to stay on top of things? I am so organized in other areas of my life, why is this so hard? Why can't I stay on task?? What is wrong with me??
So, I've decided to make it my #1 "work goal". I WILL get organized! I am a smart person, I can do this!! And I am inviting all of you who feel unorganized to join me in my adventure!! If you are struggling to stay organized in some way, then let's get organized!!!

I found these blogs that I think will be a huge help to get me started. Lot's of great tips and ideas!! I actually really love organization, I just have a hard time doing it for myself!! (I love office supply stores, how can this be??)


www.penelopeloveslists.com, www.deliciouslyorganized.blogspot.com, www.blog.seejanework.com, www.bneato.blogspot.com, http://unclutterer.com

I would also LOVE to hear from any of you who have great ideas for organizing my work life. Any of you who work from home or just have organization down to a fine art. I would love to hear what you think!!


Ok, I am off to get started on my organizational journey!!! I'll keep you posted!

Are You Following Me???

Hi there!! I am soooo happy it is Friday!!! Looking forward to a relaxing weekend, getting my hair done and celebrating my Dad's birthday!! Each year I make my dad a special carrot cake from scratch! It is actually the only time I make it, and I gotta say, it is so tasty!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about the cream cheese frosting!! YUM!!!

Anyway, just wanted to pass along some super important info!!

Did you know S.D.G has a Facebook Fan page?? It's true!! By becoming a fan, you will be kept up to date on give aways, new products and the latest news about S.D.G!! Very exciting!!!! You can follow us here.

We are also on Twitter. Again, a great place to find out more about what we are up to, learn about give aways and other highly important information!!! HEHE!!! Check us out here.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!! I am off to sew some goodies for the shop. Be sure to check the online shop often as new things will be listed!!!

Good For What???

I loose something in my purse on pretty much a daily basis. I can't find my phone, my keys, my gum. Each day presents a new challenge when I try to leave the house. My "winter" purse is somewhat large and very deep. I love this about my purse. However, I hate that I can't find things easily. My phone is ringing, but where is it?? UGH!!!! Very frustrating!! I know I am not alone in this frustration. I know many of you are reading this and shaking your head saying "yes, I feel the same way"!! This frustration was one of the many reasons that led me to make my ever so cute zipper pouches. I wanted to do my part to make this a better world!! HEHE!!!!


So, I tried out my bags and found that YES they will hold A LOT of "stuff"! Anything really that you can fit in your purse (within reason of course). They are great for coupons, which I am FOREVER loosing in my purse. (I do usually find them when I get home and don't need them anymore!!) The pouches make great make-up bags for your purse or for travel. You can use them to organize all the little items in your purse as well, phone, gum, pens. You will always know exactly where things are!

You will also notice a few new items below. Hopefully they will be listed soon in the shop. (Until then, if you are interested in any of them, please let me know!) The mini bags are such a great size and super cute. They are great for gift cards and credit cards, perfect size for those. They are really nice for jewelry to. Good for your purse or suitcase if traveling. Most small digital cameras fit inside, as do some cell phones. Speaking of cell phones...did you see my cute iPhone/iPod/call phone cases??? YEAH!!! These are pretty stinking cute and the perfect size for your purse (or to fit inside an SDG bag!!). Again, hoping to have these listed in the shop soon!!!

I could literally go on for hours about the great uses for an SDG bag!!! The possibilities are endless!! And if you are a crazy organizer like me, you will be in love!! Your purse will be so happy and clean!!!

What would you use an SDG bag for???

Dining Room Lighting

It is finally starting to look like someone lives in our house!! Whoo!!! This seems to have taken a long time to make decisions and get things done! But it is SOOOO worth it!!! We are really enjoying the "new" spaces in our home.

I wanted to show you the new light fixture we put up in the dining room. As you know, we recently made a trek to the Ballard Designs outlet in West Chester Ohio (LOVE IT). We purchased this lighting fixture with the outlet discount as well as an additional 40% off!! WOOHOO!! And we could finally replace the "thing" that was there when we moved in (see below).

It looks really beautiful at night (sorry for my daytime snapshots). And forgive me for not showing you the rest of the room, it was not quite ready for its close up yet!! It provides just the right amount of light for a fabulous dinner party!! I love the lantern style, exactly what I was looking for!!

BIG thanks to my awesome hubby!! Not only did he drive me to Ohio, shop with me and load all the purchases in the car, but he also hung the light!! THANK YOU!!!

After

Before

Craft Show Re-Cap

We had such a great time at the craft show we did this past weekend!! I think it was a huge success, we sold some items and we got our first show under our belts. I feel a lot better going into the next show for sure!

The only bad part was the building we were in!! Obviously, you can see from the pictures that the "decor" (or lack there of) was not really my style!! HEHE!! It was sort of a lodge feel. And, it was FREEZING (in the building, not outside). So that made for somewhat of a long day on my end.

Overall, it was fun and I received a lot of wonderful feedback from customers. I also got a lot of requests for various items that I don't currently make. So, if any of you have ideas of items you would like to see in the shop, please let me know!

NERVOUS!!!

I have a confession...I am nervous! This Saturday is my FIRST real craft fair. I am actually doing a craft fair! AHH!!! I am totally prepared with all my bags and goodies and my display items. However, mentally, I am a wreck! It is a big deal for me to put myself out there in this way.

I am an interior designer, I have been for 10 years. I went to college for it, I have studied and practiced design for so long. It is what I know, it is my comfort zone. I design everyday, so what am I doing making bags, let alone selling them??? What am I doing here???

Sewing started out as a hobby, a way to pass time and a way to cut the stress I was feeling. I could sew and totally go into a zone and hours would pass and I would forget all the things that I was stressed out about. Before I knew it, I went from sewing pillows to bags. LOT'S of cute little zippered bags. I wasn't quite sure what to do with the little creations. I was fully aware that people sell things like this everyday. I search on etsy for hours sometimes looking at all the cute little pouches. I am a devoted Vera Bradley bag carrier. I know that women (and some men) carry these zipper pouches everyday.

I started thinking about selling them. It made me nervous. It made me excited at the thought of starting another small business. But could I do it? Could I maintain my interior design business and all my clients while sewing and selling my little creations? Could I really put myself out there and let people see what I was making?? Could I really do that???

Yes!!

And so I did. It happened very quickly. My amazing husband helped me design my website and that was that. I was making and selling zippered pouches and other objects of goodness!! (You'll see them soon enough.) Soon, I signed up to do a craft show.

I have had a great response to my bags so far, and I have sold quite a few to date. But a craft show??? That makes me really nervous. All my items out on display for people to see and touch and look closely at!! Will they like them?? Will they want to carry them?? Will people see how much I love making them??? I guess we will see on Saturday!!!

I was also really nervous to start this business. I worry that I won't be taken seriously and that my interior design business will suffer. I am still learning the right balance between the two. So far, I am doing quite well balancing my time between the two. And I see future growth for both, which is really exciting for me to watch!!

I am nervous, I can't lie. I love what I am doing right now and I believe in my product. I am still learning and growing and developing my unique style. It will change and evolve as my business grows.

I am excited for my craft show this weekend, even though I am nervous. I know it will be great fun and a success no matter what. This is completely out of my comfort zone, and so this is a huge accomplishment for me!!


I hope that if any of you have suggestions for new styles or new ideas, you will let me know!! I love feedback and constructive criticism and would appreciate any and all you have to give me!!!

The Wait is Over!!!!!!

That's right people, I HAVE FURNITURE!!!!! (Well, I had furniture in the rest of the house, just not this room!!!) We finally made a decision and bought a sofa!! And chairs and an ottoman, a table and lamps! I am still in complete shock when I walk past this room! I want to sit in it all day and just look at it!! And it is NOT finished YET! I still need to add the "fluff" to the room and make it all "purty"!!! But I can at least sit in the room now and that feels amazing!!!

We actually ended up buying the sofa at a local furniture store, right off the floor! I wasn't planning to do that, but when we saw it we knew that it was perfect for the space.

The chairs are the real shocker of the room. I never planned to get leather, let alone swivel club chairs, but they work and they fit the space perfectly. (And they are super cute and cozy!) The chairs are from Gradin Road. The ottoman, also from Gradin Road is my favorite thing! We have no animal print in our house (besides Oliver's coat) and it is just the right pop of fun! The tables are also from Gradin Road. Lamps are from the Ballard Designs outlet and Pier One. The table lamps are a design selection by the husband, I think he did a pretty good job!!

We still have a HUGE mirror to hang somewhere and artwork to find and window treatments to select and electric cords to hide. But the major step is over!! Now it feels like a real grown up house! I have to say, this room is completely different from anything we have in our home. It is a complete departure from my normal style, and I love it!!!!

Tuesday Eye Candy

I found these pictures in my "love" file and unfortunately, I have no idea who the designer is!!! I would love to be able to tell you more about them, but I failed to write who it was! Whoopsie!!! I guess for today, we can just look and drool over these amazing spaces!!

And, if anyone knows who the designer is, please let me know!!!

I HAVE FURNITURE!!!

Ladies and gentleman, we HAVE FURNITURE!!!!!!

I can't even stand it!! I actually have furniture in my formal living room!! I am still a little bit in shock, so forgive my excessive amount of exclamation points!! It has just been such a long road to get here!!

Saturday morning, the husband and I headed over to West Chester Ohio to visit one of my favorite places, the Ballard Designs outlet and the Grandin Road outlet. I am always so overwhelmed with the selection and the awesome prices. Both stores are FULL of great furniture and accessories right out of the catalog.

Grandin Road offers really great outlet prices and that day everything was an additional 50% off!! Gotta love that!! (I know the husband does!) Ballard had an additional 40% off all lighting, so along with furniture for my living room, I also scored a light fixture for my dining room!! Can you stnad it?? I can't!

Unfortunately, I was so excited and so in "the zone" that I forgot to take any pictures of the day!! I will take pictures of the furniture in the room and post pictures later this week!


I hope you all have a happy Monday!! I know I will! I plan to sit in my living room all day!!!

Another Give Away!!!

Would you like a chance to win your very own SDG bag?? Head over to Facebook and sign up to win the bag pictured below!!!

Thank you to the give away host Tiffany and Steals, Deals and Heels!!!


What would you do with your very own SDG bag?? Put make up in it? Coupon holder? Clutch bag??? The possibilities are endless!!!!

Good Luck!!!!

What is Making Me Happy Today!!

Happy Friday everyone!!! I for one am so happy that the weekend is here!!! This has been a really great week and very busy to!! Which I love!!! To bad the weather is gloomy and gross today (March is not my favorite month, all the rain and storms). We had the most amazing weather this week, sunny and in the 70's! Crazy!!

I have a lot to be happy about in general! I am a really blessed gal!!! But I wanted to share a few things I am REALLY happy about today!!!


First of all, I LOVE daffodils in the spring!! They are my favorite spring flower and I usually buy bunches of them and scatter them all over my house!! While grocery shopping yesterday I spotted my yellow friends and put a bunch in the cart. Most of the bunches were closed up tight, so I only bought one bunch this week. But look at what I woke up to this morning!!! Now this will get your day started off right!!!


This has been a really busy week of preparing for a client meeting (today) and sewing new things for the shop as well as a show I am doing next weekend. I wanted to "stock up" my shelves and have a good inventory going into my first show. I created bags in sets of 3. These would be great for traveling. You can hold so much in these bags it is insane!! I love the combo creation as well. Wouldn't his make the best gift???

These are my small and mini sized zipper pouches. I don't have a lot of these in the shop, but plan to add some next week. I love how simple they are, but they are so functional. The small size can be a make up bag, a coupon holder, a purse organizer, a baby bag organizer, just about any old thing you want to do with it!!! The mini bag can hold gift cards, credit cards, change, your phone, lipsticks, so many fun uses!!!

I also made a few new items yesterday!!! I don't want to tell you just yet what they are, but they are really fun!! Both fit in your purse and both are super functional!! You will just have to check back in here and in the shop for a peak at those pretties!!! I am making more today and hopefully will share them with you next week!!!

I hope you all have a really great weekend!! I am super excited because my husband and I are off to Cincinnati on Saturday!!! We are headed to one of my FAVORITE places!!! The BALLARD DESIGNS OUTLET!!!!! Ahhh.....I cannot wait!!!!! Happy Friday!!!!

Oh Baby!!

If I didn't already have "baby" on the brain, I sure do now!!! These nurseries are to die for!! They are sweet and playful but chic and almost "adult" like in the color and fabric selections. I love how unique the bedding is in both rooms. It is not the typical bears playing with a kite fabric you find in a lot of children's bedding. I like these rooms because they are "cute" without being "too cute". Does that make sense?? Anyway, these are to very lucky little babies that get to live in these rooms. I have an empty bedroom just waiting for a baby!! I am putting these pictures in my nursery file for sure!!!!

These pictures can be found at http://ohbrooke.com/

These pictures can be found at http://www.hollymathisinteriors.com/

Give Away Winner???? Where are You??

Earlier this week I announced the give away winner for my Spunk & Sass give away. The winner is :

Martha Carolyn

I am still waiting to hear from Martha. So, if I don't, I will be selecting a new winner for the give away. (Sorry Martha!! Contact me if you are out there!!!)

Is it Tile or Wood??

Have you ever thought about using a tile with texture?? Sounds kind of weird right? Usually tile has a smooth finish, and that is why most people opt for tile and not hardwood floors. While shopping for a clients floor, I came across tiles that look like wood flooring. I wasn't completely convinced, so I ordered a few samples. This stuff really feels like wood! It has so much texture and variation in the surface. It is really deceiving to look at.

The tiles are Urban Timber and it is from Mission Stone and Tile. They have a great selection of other styles, but I was really impressed by this collection!!

Ask Me Anything (Almost Anything)!!

This has been a really crazy couple of weeks. Not only am I trying to keep up with all of my design clients, but I am also trying to launch a new business venture. The new venture is taking A LOT of my time (which I love). But I still want to keep my blog fun and entertaining!!

I love reading blogs where I learn about the person who is posting it. I like that they allow me to take a peak into their day to day lives.

So...I decided to allow all of you to ask me any question you would like. And, I will answer all of them (within reason). Do you have questions about my sewing machine, my fabrics, where I buy lighting, my new business or maybe an inquiry about my dog Oliver??? Now is your chance to ask away!!!

(I do ask that you keep it clean please!!)

I can't wait to see the questions you come up with!! Check back later this week for the answers!!

Textured Wallpaper

These 3 rooms are fabulous!! The colors and the lighting and the accessories, fabulous!! But the one thing that really caught my eye was the textured wallpaper. If these rooms didn't have a coastal feel before the paper went up, they certainly do now!! I just want to run my hand up and down the wall, it just looks great!! It adds a nice warmth to the rooms as most of the furniture and accessories are white and pastel and cold looking.

I see a lot of really amazing pieces of furniture in these rooms to. The pictures are from Coastal Living, so of course the rooms are wonderful!!!!

What do you think about texture on walls???

GIVE AWAY WINNER!!!!!

I am happy to announce the winner of my Spunk and Sass give away is...(insert drum roll here)

Martha Carolyn!!!

Congratulations Martha!! Please contact me with your e-mail address so I can pass it along to Valerie.

Thanks again to my new pal Valerie! This was a really fun give away!!!

Weekend Survey!!!!

Here is a fun post to get the weekend started right!! I found this over at Valerie's blog and I thought it would be fun! (I can't resist a good survey!!!)


{A} Age - 31
{B} Bed Size - Queen
{C} Chore you hate - Unloading the dishwasher
{D} Dog's name - Oliver
{E} Essential start your day item - vitamins!
{F} Favorite color - too many to choose just one!!! I love brown and green right now
{G} Gold or Silver - SILVER!!
{H} Height - 5'3"
{I} Instruments you play -I used to play the trumpet and the piano
{J} Job title - interior designer and now bag designer and seamstress!!
{K} Kid(s) - I hope to have a few and VERY soon!!!!
{L} Living arrangements - 4BR house with my sweet hubby and our pup Oliver
{M} Mom's name -Linda
{N} Nickname -Mere
{O} Overnight hospital stay -the night I was born
{P} Pet peeve - Inconsiderate people
{Q} Quote from a movie - "After all, tomorrow is another day!" Gone with the Wind
{R} Right or left handed - Right
{S} Siblings - Just little ole me!!!
{T} Time you wake up - Monday through Friday: 6:30AM/Saturday-Sunday: 7-9 AM
{U} Underwear - Victoria's Secret
{V} Vegetable you dislike -Honestly none, I love veggies!!
{W} Ways/Reasons you run late- I usually don't! I am overly punctual!!!
{X} X-rays you've had - teeth, ankles (multiple times) chest, face
{Y} Yummy food you make - Too hard to narrow down!! HEHE!!! I make this really good chicken dish, anything Mexican I make really well, lasagna.
{Z} Zoo animals you like - I love giraffes!!!


Now, I would LOVE to learn more about you!!! Post this on your blog with your answers!!!!

GIVE AWAY Winner!!!

I am happy to announce the winner of my Spunk and Sass give away is...(insert drum roll here)

Martha Carolyn!!!

Congratulations Martha!! Please contact me with your e-mail address so I can pass it along to Valerie.

Thanks again to my new pal Valerie! This was a really fun give away!!!

I Can't Take It!!!!

Can you stand it??? These tiles are AMAZING!!!! AHH!!! I could just scream!! How fabulous would these be in a master bath?? Just makes my heart skip a beat!!! LOVE!!!!

The photos are courtesy of COCOCozy. The tiles are from Waterworks in Hollywood CA.

GIVE AWAY TIME!!!!!!

I love when I can give my readers a chance to win some really special items!!! I recently became blog/e-mail friends with Valerie of Next to Heaven. Her blog is super fun and she is just a great girl and I really glad we have become friends!


Valerie is an extremely talented artist and designs really fabulous jewelry for her etsy shop Spunk & Sass. As you can see from the pictures, her stuff is fantastic!! I was lucky enough to receive a hand stamped necklace with my initials from Valerie a few weeks ago. (We did a little product swap. She is the first person to own an original SDG bag!!) I honestly have been wearing this necklace daily. Not only is it pretty, but it goes with everything! It is simple yet elegant and I love it!! ( I also bought the Birds Nest ring from her shop. Wearing it right now!!)

My hand stamped necklace! Sorry about the poor picture quality, still learning!

My ring. Please do not discuss my dry hands and lack of manicure!!

Valerie was nice enough to indulge me and let me show off my interviewing skills. Here are some fun facts about my new friend!


Give me (and my readers) a little background on yourself.

Howdy! My name is Valerie. I’m in my mid-twenties and married to my high school sweetheart. I currently work an 8-5 job, which doesn’t allow for much creativity, so crafting is my creative outlet. I’m very much an outdoorsy kinda gal and I love adventures. I’m also a DIY believer. I love to see what kinds of things I can make myself. I’m loud, spunky, and love to have fun!


How long have you been creating jewelry?

I started making jewelry in college as a hobby to get away from studying. I think I started in 2005. After college though, is when I really got into making jewelry and learning new techniques. So I guess roughly, I’m going on 5 years!


What do you enjoy most about creating jewelry?

I love the freedom in it. I can sit down with my beads and findings surrounding me and just go to work. When I see different beads, ideas pop into my head and new jewelry is born. Making jewelry is such a huge creative outlet and I really enjoy seeing all the different pieces I come up with. I personally love it when I wear my creations and people rave about it wanting to know where I got it. Then I can say “Oh, I made it!” I love the look on their faces. It really makes my day.


What inspires your designs?

I’m all over the board with inspiration. I get ideas while shopping online and in-stores a lot of the time. That was actually the whole premise for me making jewelry: I wanted to be able to make the things I saw and liked, but for a lot better price. I also get inspiration from outfits I wear: What would look good? What would just “make” this outfit? etc. etc. Beads and other findings also help fuel inspiration. I’ll see a few beads or one little charm and a whole new idea is formed. So really I get ideas from everywhere!


When and why did you decide to open an etsy shop?

As I started getting better with my jewelry making, several friends made comments that I needed to sell my jewelry. Around this time I became familiar with Etsy and I kept having the urge to go ahead and give it a try. I started out making jewelry for myself and as gifts to friends, but I thought that if I could have people all over the world wearing my jewelry, what a cool feeling that would be.
I also taught my best friend about jewelry making and we decided to open the store together since we both shared a love for crafting. You really can’t go wrong by doing something you love.


You have a fabulous blog! What do you enjoy most about blogging??

I love being able to share my life stories and connecting with other like and non-like individuals. My blog started mostly as an online journal for me to babble or complain, but then it warped into a hobby that I absolutely love doing. Writing has always been a good release for me. I never would have thought, though, that my blog would become what it is today. That people would actually read what I have to say and continue coming back every single day. So not only do I love writing, but I love meeting new and fabulous people in the blogging community. It’s an amazing support network!


Where do you see Spunk and Sass in one year??

In one year I hope Spunk & Sass is still thriving. We have our busy times and our slow times and really that’s OK. I’d love to see us with double the sales we have now and have a little more online awareness, but, really, if we’re still selling jewelry occasionally, then that’s all I can ask for. I’m doing something I love and I’m sharing it with the world. If someone buys it, then that’s a bonus for us!


Read any good books lately??

I recently joined goodreads.com and have found a few books that I don’t know I would have found otherwise. I read The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano and more recently I’ve been addicted to the Sookie Stackhouse books, which the HBO series, True Blood, is based off of and I really love it. They are a bit more grown up than Twilight, which I still love by the way, but it’s different with more intense situations. I’ve become quite the little bookworm lately, so if you’re on Good Reads then let’s be friends.


Favorite food?

My favorite type of food is Mexican food. I love chips and salsa as well as some good cheese enchiladas! Oh yes, and don’t forget the strawberry margarita!


Favorite song?

I love music. My favorite slow song is You’re My Witness by Clay Walker, which was my first dance song with my husband at our wedding. It’s such a beautiful song. My favorite up beat song is I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas. It, without fail, puts me in a good mood!


Favorite thing to do to relax?

I love cuddling up on the couch with my husband and catching up on our favorite shows. If I’m not couch-potatoing-it, then making jewelry or reading is great relaxation for me.

I wanted to be able to share how great I think Spunk & Sass is with my readers, so...Valerie has agreed to do a :

GIVE AWAY!!!!

(I just had an Oprah moment!)

Valerie is giving away a beautiful hand stamped necklace (with the winners initials of course)!!!

Here is how you can win a necklace of your own:

{1 entry}-Visit Spunk & Sass and then comment about what you like best.

{1 entry}-Follow my blog. (And leave a comment!)

{1 entry}-Follow me on Twitter. (Leave me a comment to let me know!)

{1 entry}-Follow Valerie's blog. (Leave me a comment to let me know!)

{1 entry}-Follow Valerie on Twitter. (Leave me a comment to let me know!)

{1 entry} -Post about this give away on your blog. (Leave me a comment to let me know!)

{1 entry}-Tweet about this give away on twitter. (Leave me a comment to let me know!)

Do one of these or do them all, just be sure to leave me a comment for each one!!!

The give away ends Sunday March 7. I will pick a winner at random and announce here on my blog!!! Thanks Valerie for being so generous!!!