a new venue...

as you all may know, i've been making stamped necklaces for a few months now.  i've been doing really well and i'm ready to venture away from just selling them on facebook and my salon.  i recently had over TWENTY orders for mother's day and it was so hard to keep everyone's order on track and who's was who's.  SO...i've started an ETSY!  i'm excited and nervous.  it takes so much time editing pictures and posting online.  but i think this going to be a much easier way of telling people how to see my pieces without being a friend on facebook.  so bear with me as i'm in my beginning stages.  i'm hoping to have my jewelry and other crafts soon!

update!  i was featured on etsy's front page last night!  i have had over 480 views on one of my necklaces and this paper weight was also featured on a treasury.  i'm so excited!

growing like a weed

our little miss is growing up!  she's trying to crawl with all her might, but just can't get it figured out.  even though she can't crawl, she's ALL over the place.  the other day i sat her down, ran to the bathroom and came back to find her here.  completely in a new location, under her jumperoo.

OH HI mom!  i'm just hangin out.  

note her BIG girl jammies.  i love them but it kills me she so big!

caroline is also trying to wave and trying to say "HI" but just comes out as a shouting HAAA!  she shouts "ma ma and da da" all the time.  we recently lowered her crib and put the bumpers back up b/c she kept scooting to the edge and hanging her legs out then screaming because she was caught.  her newest thing is to scoot to the corner, pick up the monitor and shout into it. i guess she's figured out that if she shouts, we will come.

she recently got her FIRST tooth!  yes, first tooth at 8 1/2 months old!  she got it on mother's day and i was THRILLED!  she's mashing steamed carrots and eating cheerios like a champ.  but for some reason, chunk of bananas are nasty, but smashed bananas are tasty.

on mother's day.  yes, i did cut my hair and go blonder. she was not cooperating very well here.

i can't help myself, my daughter is BEAUTIFUL!

p.s. please keep my best friend hillary in your prayers.  she gets induced saturday!  i'll keep you posted!

this is embarassing...

what i am about to show you is horrible! it's something that we frequently try to keep up on but, we always fail and it looks like this again. not to mention two major events we're working for and we both wait til last minute. so are you ready?  ready to cringe?  ready for all mothers' to be ashamed?

Yes, that is our craft table at the salon.  But out of this mess and chaos comes these beauties that we call our own.  It's a mess that haunts us daily, but the joy we get out of our crafts is worth it.  Each piece has a piece of us in it, and the wreaths seriously probably have my skin in them from the HOT glue gun burning me to pieces! 

Jewelry by Casey

Wreaths by Maggie

Jewelry by Maggie

Baby headbands by Maggie and Casey, but mostly Casey

These are all things for Ethel Edith Spring SHOW and for Bowling for Boobs!  Hope you like and you come out to support these events! 

disco one

This is the cut and color we learned and yes we paid $225 for it too!

disco 1.  let's just say the class started off with "try to have an open mind"  when the instructor said that, casey said she knew we were screwed.  then they pulled out these bad boys and we really knew we were screwed.  these are called disconnected haircuts.  they can probably be pulled off in a big city, but in shelbyville, they're just going to look like a seriously messed up cut.  with long pieces randomly with 3" pieces above the ear.  it was no so pretty.  we were pretty bummed because we were SO excited to have a hands on color AND cut class.  even though the disco 1 was bust, we still had fun and learned some new techniques from it.  

 who wants it?!

such goof balls

in the hotel after we rinsed out the color THREE hours later.  we are dorks.

Chicago Hair Show!

it's been a week!  SORRY!  i don't have internet at home and it wouldn't work at work.  so finally...the chicago hair show.  

so here's the story...casey and i decided to go to the show forever ago. then we finally registered and decided to take two classes.  one-PERFECT BLONDES and two- COLOR CUTTING.  note: the show costs about $115, one class was $50, and the other...$225!!  So we have a lot invested in this trip, not to mention a hotel, parking, and taxis.  Well the week before, Casey and Brett( her fiance) and his family decided to go to the Smokey Mountains.   Then we realized they were leaving the day before the show!  We about lost it.  She was super bummed because she really wanted to go to the mountains, but had over 400 invested in the chi trip.  so after some brain storming, they decided she could do both!  YAY!  so after the show i had to take her to the airport to fly down to TN.  it was planned and we were prepared...so we thought!  

with GPS in tow, printed directions, and a bag full of change we were off.  the trip started off good.  we stopped about 30mins out of the city to fill up on gas and a potty break.  While we were there we both got compliments on our hair *bonus!*  then the journey into darkness began.  Oh goodness I can’t even express how much I dislike the city, and neither of us had ever driven in the madness before!  So at first it was going good, the gps was great, then one wrong turn…and there we were under the streets of CHI town in tunnels.  GPS having no idea where we are, we have no idea where we are, and a homeless man asking for change at the stop light.  we were freaking out and speeding toward the light of the sun.  finally after ½ hour of driving in circles we made it to the hotel!  We had 50% off parking, so we parked and headed up to check in.  at the desk we were told the shuttle to the show didn’t start for TWO more hours and self-park is NOT 50% off…not such a good start.  Oh well, we hitched a cab to the show.  We had a crazy lazy eyed man with a long “coke” nail.  He flew through the city like Batman! Going top speeds of 40mph between stop signs and locking up our seat belts at each stop!  It was quite the adventure.  Our total was $10.35, we only had one single so the man only got a $0.65 tip.  Sorry man!  Here’s our first cab ride.  Sorry about my massive face! 

More of the trip to come!

hello again bloggers

ahh, a free minute.  i've been super busy AND i'm not able to snag internet from a neighbor anymore.  therefore, this is LONG over due.  luckily downtown has free internet and my salon is able to pick it up :) 

so, lots on my plate right now.  i've currently rearranged the living room and miss caroline's room.  however the living room is still rocking bunnies and chicks and caroline's room is full of disassembled little baby things.  SO, no pictures today!  i love the new layout in both rooms and it's a nice change of pace.  i'm really loving this weather and can't wait til drag out my patio furniture and fix up my yard.  last year kylie and i worked hard on creating a flowerbed down the side of the patio.  i loved having flowers, but i hate watering plants.  but we moved so i don't even have to worry about it.  i will however have lots of potted plants.  i think a beautiful bright flower adds so much to an otherwise drab patio.  so watch out trailer park, i'll be the trailer adorned with flowers! 

in other news, i went to chicago with one of my besties.  we had such a good time.  we both however hate chicago and it's traffic, but we had fun.  i have to blog about that trip seperate, because it's one in it's own.  but on the topic of miss casey.  she's engaged and getting married next april.  i'm super excited!  she's asked me to stand up with her and i'm very happy to be a part of it.  i know it is going to be a BEAUTIFUL wedding with lots of detail.  she's found THE dress, so a road trip is in order. she's such a fun sweetie and this dress screams her name!  so excited!

miss caroline is almost 8 months old now!  i can't believe it.  and like my friend jillian, i'm also going to have to start formula.  it makes me super sad, but she's not getting enough from just me.  my little miss is rolling all over the place and i know in no time she'll be crawling then running! she's so fun and it's the best.  we've been so blessed to have her.  she's such a good baby and her cousins love her dearly.  she is aubrie's "best friend." aubrie frequently calls caroline on her "cell" phone and laughs and says "oh caroline you're so funny"  it's too sweet!  i'm so happy that our kids are close and that they love each other...now at least! haha  

well my client will be here shortly, but i'll try to update soon.  look forward to blogs about necklaces, my house, chicago, ethel edith, and more!

i'm still alive!

sorry blog world and blog stalkers!  i've been very busy and blogging has not been on my list of to dos, until today.  since my last blog, i've been making stamped necklaces like crazy.  i've literally made over 20!  i'm really enjoying it, but i've discovered i like making my own vs. a custom piece.  i can be more creative and they usually turn into my favorite pieces.  BUT, custom orders bring in the cash, so i like them too.  here's a few of my favorite pieces, custom and not.

simply breathe...

this is for my cousin.  i love this because her kids' names are great and their birthstones are great together 

i love this one because it's perfect for anyone.

making necklaces has been taking up a lot of my time on sundays and mondays, but last monday was kylie's birthday.  so we did some celebrating.  we ate at a new japanese steak house with his family.  it was super good and fun.  caroline even clapped for the chef!  then the next night was dinner with my family.  it was very good too.  then monday caroline got 6 month pictures then we celebrated my grandma's 86th birthday at a buffet!  YUM!  i surprised kyle with a iPod touch, which he loved.  thank you sisters for the extra cash to help.  he LOVES it!  and he's trying to sell his really crappy old one that's 4 years old.  then this past weekend was annie and jade's 6th anniversary, so we watched the kids.  thank goodness ruby felt sorry for me, so she snatched everett up.  then we had a slumber party at my house with the girls.  aubrie grace had a GREAT time.  she just loves caroline so.  we played games and guitar and then stayed up past bed time.  then after caroline fell asleep, aub camped out on her floor.  she thought it was awesome.  we made a couple videos of them together and aubrie telling stories.  it was fun.  here's a few pictures of the weekend and of sweet baby girl.   

this is currently my fav sleeper.  she looks like an easter egg

she loves the mornings because she gets in bed with mommy once her dad leaves

everyone pile on daddy's lap!

loving it!

well this was a monster blog!  time to put my baby down for a nap, fold laundry, clean, and actually get out of my p.js today :)