emily's little purse {elp}

so today's clutch is named for a good friend of mine, emily ley. she is the founder of emily ley paper, designed our amazing invitations and save the dates for our wedding last april, and in general, made my wedding related gift giving easy (personalized stationary, anyone???)...

the pattern on this particular clutch reminds me of some of her new social stationary collection: simple, preppy and classic - a little bit like the lady herself. thanks emily for all of your help throughout the entire wedding planning process and for your support and advice on how to get this little business up and running. you are inspiring! :)

pretty poppy polly

alright dear readers, it's time for the next installation of 'name that clutch'. (do i even have A reader??) it's kind of weird knowing that i am basically talking to myself. if you are reading this, be kind- i never said that i was a good writer!

ok, on to the clutch! today's feature is named the pretty poppy polly. with a nice punch of color, it's the perfect accessory to start the summer. (you like that rhyme, don't you?) :)

the pretty poppy polly is for my good friend mary elizabeth brewster (aka. polly). she runs an awesome site called Poor Couture where she keeps the masses informed of great fashion/gift ideas that pack a big punch for a relatively small expense. plus she is clever and a great writer so it makes an enjoyable read. thank you ma'am!

she's always one to have a really fun colored maxi dress or shirt on hand (remember the rainbow striped wrap shirt polly??) but on a day where maybe she wants to tone down the outfit color but still have a little something- i'm thinking she might pair one of these clutches with some jeans and a tank...perfect for an afternoon in the park or happy hour at a local williamsburg bar.

so polly, this clutch is for you.

simple stylish sarah

i've decided to name the clutches i make after some of my female friends and family. why? because i think it's fun. :) if i have not named one for you (in the next month or so) and you want to petition for next up- send me a note (or buy me a beer). the beer may be a better option...

let's begin!!

the 'simple stylish sarah' is aptly named for my sister. i cannot think of a more accurate description for this lady. she is the girl who always makes the clothes look good and her style is simple. the perfect worn in jeans, tank tops, some type of cardigan/hoodie (she lives in the mountains). throw on a necklace or belt and boom- success. simple and stylish. i try to recreate her outfits with no luck. this big sister is jealous.

a bag for your bag.

so you get a new bag (maybe from my little shop???)

then, if you're anything like me you realize- ah, crap. there is no way i'm going to be able to keep this thing clean in a household with 2 big slobbery, shedding dogs who, along with our 'classic 1923 bungalow style home' create more dust than a construction site. might i add that the housekeeper (aka. me) is clumsy and has a tendency to spill wine on any and everything. don't ask why i have wine in my hand while i'm looking through my closet...

so, here's the solution:

boo-yah. handy dandy fun bag (ha!) protector. :) thoughts???

world cup.

i am riveted to my online streaming of this game.
AND WE ARE TIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

they're hereeeeee!

heading over to the grand ole post office today to pick up our wedding photos.

then i'll share some of my favs. most likely ones that include pictures of the clutches, since this is a blog that is dedicated to my etsy store, duh.

happy friday!

moose turns 3

our dogs. moose on the left, magnolia on the right. happy birthday big boy!!!

photos by the always amazing matt miller.

seriously i cannot say enough about how happy i am that we found matt and were lucky enough to have him shoot our engagement photos and wedding photos. matt miller and his assistant reagan powell from our labor of love kicked a** and took names. i'll share a couple with you once i get the disc of images. way more exciting then hearing about the one thing i've sold on etsy. :)

if you are debating who you should book for your next photo shoot (because everyone should have one!!) debate no further. they will travel.

this was from our engagement. l.o.v.e.

one more and i'll be done.

omg omg you guys!

anyone know what the name of that song is that my title refers to? my niece sings it all the time and it is stuck in my head...

anyways, one of the lovely readers from GWS saw our wedding up and contacted me at my etsy shop regarding custom clutches for her bridesmaids!!! i didn't even have any listed yet. so so excited. :) hopefully i can do a great job for her and this will just be the beginning.

i know that with a full time job i'm going to have to start prioritizing my time at home and i am ready. i always seem to do my best work and be the most productive when i have to manage my time. funny how that works.

wish me luck!!!

if you'd like to see my first listing (at it's discounted rate) check out my shop.

Oatmeal Lace

xo

mk

I don't know photoshop.

Seriously, folks.
I’ve tried making about 15 different etsy banner’s for my lil’ shop using good old Microsoft word and paint. Looks good while I’m working on them on the computer and yes, I do resize to the correct height/width ratio etsy has instructed me to.
Why then, do they come out so blurry and blah looking once I’ve uploaded them to the site? Who wants to visit a shop that has a lousy header? Not me! At this point in the game, I’m not sure I have the resources (aka- time & money) to go and purchase photoshop or indesign. One day though, my friends, one day!

So I turn to google, type in ‘free photoshop like programs’ and find GIMP. Thank the good Lord! Can’t say it’s the most user friendly program, but after a couple hours of trial and error I think I ended up with a pretty good result. See for yourself:

My Awesome Etsy Banner

Thoughts? Suggestions?? I'm retarded and coudn't figure out how to embed the picture in the post so hopefully you clicked the link. Ha! I could put together a tutorial on this, so that may be my next post. Stay tuned!

Featured!

Holy smokes.

Only fitting that my first blog post comes on the day our wedding was featured on Green Wedding Shoes! I'm trying to get my act together and set up my etsy shop, but I need good photos of the products I'm going to sell...Luckily our photog, Matt Miller, from ourlaboroflove.com took some amazing ones. Can't wait to get all the images from him!

Wedding planning definitely got my creative juices flowing and I found that I really love trying my hand at all sorts of crafts. Of course I failed at a lot of them, but found that the ones involving my sewing machine turned out the best and were the most fun and rewarding to create. Since I'm still in denial that all of my planning is finally done, I figured I can keep it going by helping others create their perfect day through the little details.

However you've found me here, I'm glad you did! Please drop me a note or let me know if I can help you in any way! I love custom orders and if I am unable to make what you want, I bet I can help you find it! :)

Visit my etsy shop for my current listings: OatmealLaceDesign