The Official End of Summer

Happy Labor Day!  I hope this weekend you take a trip to the beach, have a great day in the park or anything that you love to do.  Happy Labor Day!

Image: Source

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Wire Wrapped Jewelry

A few additions to the Wire Wrapped Collection!  You can check out the full line at my SHOP, Jewels2Luv.

Freshwater pearl wrapped in gold on a delicate gold filled chain.

Turquoise briolettes wrapped in silver on sterling silver ear wires

Coral briolettes wrapped in gold on gold filled ear wires

Rose Quartz wrapped in silver on a sterling silver satellite chain

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Hummingbirds Visit Texas

As I sit enjoying my morning cup of coffee something caught my eye that seemed to zoom by the kitchen window.  There he was my favorite little bird, the Ruby Throated hummingbird. I love fall and spring in the South.  It is the time of year the hummingbirds make their way across Texas as they migrate to and from Mexico.  It is easy to put a couple of feeders in the backyard and enjoy the tiny creatures while they are here to visit for only a short while.

 Image Source: Birder's Lounge

This is an easy hummingbird nectar recipe that I like to use.

1. Mix 4 parts water to 1 part table sugar in a pan.  For example, use 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water.  
2. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat.  Stir it while it is heating until all of the sugar is dissolved.  Don't boil it for long because that will change the ratio as water is boiled off.  
3. Allow to cool before using or pouring into the storage bottle.   

 Image: Source

I am off to find my feeders now.  Enjoy your week!

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Lovely Handmade and Vintage Items!

Color Inspiration, Orange and Green.  Support handmade!

Woodland Owl Bag - Vintage E... StarBags $160.00	Soft Orange and Lime Felt Be... StemellinaSupp... $10.00	needle felted rabbit- felted... vilnone $18.00	Autumn Waldorf Playsilk: Hea... BeneathTheRowa... $14.50
Baby "Carrots" boo... MiaPiccina $19.00	Enamel Necklace, Orange And ... happyment $30.00	Cable Knit Sparkling Green F... bysweetmom $24.00	Orange Earrings - Beaded Da... AdoriaJewelry $14.00
Stamped Bird on Flat Notecar... CalamityCrowSt... $10.00	Lace Knitted Baby Dress - Or... SasasHandcraft... $52.00	Acorn Ornaments Handmade Woo... Fairyfolk $30.00	Felted fish purse cosmetic G... galafilc $54.00
Handmade Crochet Bookmark Or... joyoustreasure... $15.00	Hand Painted Carafe Decante... NevenaArtGlass $47.80	Autumn photo - Fall leaves S... sunshineartdes... $10.00	Japanese Washi Tape - Green ... DiscountCharms $3.49

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

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How to add a signature to your blog posts

I have had so much fun the past few days redesigning the Artisan Crafted blog.  I thought I would share some of the things I have learned with you.

Let's Add A Personal Signature To The End of Every Post.

It is really easy and is a fun way to add personality to your blog!  I will show you what worked for me.

First you need to create your signature. You can open up pixelmator, paint, gimp, pixlr, or any other photo editing program you choose. Create yourself a signature with whatever fonts you want and add some cute clip art if you like.  Once I created my signature, I saved it as a .png file so that it had a transparent background.

After you have created your signature then you will need to upload it to Photobucket.
Login > Upload > and select your signature .png.

Once it has uploaded hover over the image and a little box should pop up. Highlight and copy the Direct Link code, you are going to use it in just a minute.

It will look like this…

Next login to your Blogger dashboard. Click on Template and the edit HTML.

When You click Edit HTML Blogger is going to pop up a warning box. Just click “Proceed”.

Now you will need to check mark the box that says “Expand Widget Templates” in the top left hand corner.

Click your cursor anywhere in the text box and then click Ctrl F or Command F [for mac]. You should see a “Find” box on your screen. Mine is at the bottom of my screen …

Then paste the following code into your “Find Box”

<data:post.body/>

Once you find that piece of code paste this code BELOW it.  REMEMBER:  (url_of_your_signature_image is the direct link you copied from photobucket)

<p><div align="left"><img src="url_of_your_signature_image"/></div></p>

Then you can click PREVIEW and make sure everything looks okay. If it looks good, then SAVE TEMPLATE!  
Now you have a beautiful signature at the end of every post!

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Inexpensive Ways to Decorate a Dorm Room

It is that time of year again, and as many of you head off to college and are trying to decorate those boring dorm rooms I thought I would share with some of my ideas to make your room a bit more like home.

Decorate Your Walls:

Use vinyl wall decals to add a bit of color to the walls.  Its an easy way to decorate without damaging the walls.  They are peel and stick decals and when you are done simply pull them off and you would never know they were there! Vinyl wall decals can be found on the web or at your local craft store or even at Target. 

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Use 3M Command hooks to hang a collection of your favorite items that you use every day.  In this picture purses were hung on the wall and it adds a pop of color and interest.  Another idea would be to hang hats or ties!  With storage an issue, what better way do store your favorite collections. Again 3M Command hooks go up and come off easily without damage to the walls.

Curtains:

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Purchase some inexpensive curtains and hang them to add a bit of warmth to your room.  And YES you can use those trusty 3M Command hooks to hang those rods!


The Bed:

Make the bed your focal point. Find mix and match bedding at Marshalls or TJ Maxx so you dont spend a fortune. This cute bedding set was found at Target for only $39.99!

Lighting:

Lighting is key, and if you've only been using one fluorescent overhead light plus a desk lamp, do yourself a favor and bring in a lamp. Look in your parents' garage or resale shops to see what's possible. Sometimes just adding a new lampshade can make all the difference to an old lamp.  Lamps help soften the space and make for more flattering light and a warm ambiance.

Plants:

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Bringing a little bit of life inside makes a world of difference. Add easy succulents to your room for  a bit of color and texture. 

Keep It Simple:

This is may be the best tip of all.   IN a small space, it's not always about cramming it full of stuff.  Sometimes simplifying your possessions is what actually makes your living space more liveable. And since a dorm room is usually your home for no more than 9 months, take advantage of living simply.

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Empty Nest

My kiddo is all packet and ready to head back to college.  The house will feel a bit empty while he is gone!

 image source

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For the love of burlap

I LOVE burlap! Burlap is a very versatile fabric that can add dimension, texture and interest to your space. This fabric has gained popularity since the days when it was only used as grain and coffee sacks (even though we love those too). It can now be seen as furniture upholstery, table linens, accent bedding, and drapery fabrics. The great thing about burlap is that is can be added to any space no matter what the style or decor. It goes well with fun and funky fabrics as well as traditional silks. The best thing about burlap is that it is cheap, cheap, cheap! It can be found for as low as $1.50 a yard!!! At that price, it's a trend you can easily incorporate into any space.As an interior designer I love to use burlap in my designs.  It is inexpensive and it adds such a nice texture to your design.  It is also so, French!  Below are some of my favorite uses of burlap.

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Using it on a bulletin board is such an easy way to incorporate it into your interiors.  These bulletin boards are from ballard designs but you can easily make these yourself.  Buy and inexpensive bulletin board from your local craft store and just staple gun the fabric around it.  I always put fabric around my bulletin boards.  This one has an extra element of some upholstery tacks.

 

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These drapes are also from Ballard Designs.  I have used these in many of my clients homes.  They again add an unexpected element to your design.

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You can upholster funiture with burlap as well.  This chair would be so cute if you stenciled the initial of your last name right in the center of the back.  OOOOOH so Chic!


The one thing you do need to remember about burlap is that it is a natural fiber.  Before you make a commitment to anything, I would recommend you going to your local fabric store and buying a yard of it and making sure you don't mind the texture of it.

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