week in pictures

 some scrap fabric and a bad hair day.

 new flats.

 new biz cards!

 fresh mani.

 puppy love.

 

life, people and happiness

I recently came across this amazing post by Julien Smith on 100 tips about life, people and happiness.

1. True wisdom and insight is always free.

2. Give your power over to no one.

3. Going into the unknown is how you expand what is known.

4. Get a library card.

5. Spend more time around people that both challenge and respect you.

6. Remain skeptical forever.

7. Fight for what matters.

8. There is a method that works. Find it.

9. Join a movement.

10. Drink your coffee black.

11. Never let anyone photoshop a picture of you. It creates a false sense of self-confidence.

12. Read more. Especially things you disagree with.

13. Get used to feeling stupid. It’s a sign of growth.

14. It’s easy for people to talk a good game, so watch how they behave instead.

15. Learn something from everyone.

16. Find things that inspire you and pursue them, even if there’s no money in it.

17. Starve if you have to, for as long as you need to.

18. Survive on a little just to prove you can do it.

19. Get one big success at an early age. It’ll help build your confidence for bigger things.

20. Do what you say you’ll do. No one is reliable anymore.

21. Be comfortable with abandonment, even of parts of your identity.

22. Learn a new language.

23. Eat more protein.

24. Keep people around you that will tell you the truth.

25. Genius gets you nowhere. Execution is everything.

26. If given the choice of equity or cash, always take cash.

27. Meet new people as often as possible. Offer to help them.

28. Don’t discriminate. Connect anyone in your network to anyone else.

29. If you can’t do a pull-up, you have a problem.

30. Nobody likes a know-it-all.

31. Get a passport. Fill it up with stamps no one has ever seen.

32. Quit your horrible job.

33. Read biographies. It’s like having access to the best mentors in history.

34. Go to bed, and wake up, early. No one will bother you, letting your best work emerge.

35. Scare yourself a little bit every day. It will expand your inner map.

36. Learn to climb trees.

37. Don’t buy a lot of stuff, and only buy the stuff you really love.

38. Be humble and curious.

39. Twitter followers don’t keep you warm at night.

40. Be as useful as you can in as many circumstances as possible.

41. Show up.

42. Repeat people’s names when you meet them.

43. Turn internet access off your phone. Wifi is fine.

44. Get a deck of Oblique Strategies cards. Use them.

45. Make your home a place where you feel safe.

46. Take people up on bets. Make more bets yourself.

47. Take cold showers. They’re better than coffee.

48. Learn to enjoy hunger.

49. Make everything either shorter, or longer, than it needs to be.

50. Always remember those who helped you. Deliver two or three times as much value back.

51. But also, help people who have never helped you, and can’t.

52. When you know that pain is temporary, it affects all of your decisions.

53. Get a tattoo. Don’t worry about regret.

54. Commit to things, regularly, that are far beyond your ability.

55. Meet with friends more often than you think you have to.

56. Learn to meditate. Go on a retreat if you have to.

57. Your stories are both more and less interesting than you think.

58. Learn to really listen.

59. Walk more.

60. Ugly is just a step on the way to beautiful.

61. Get to know your neighbours.

62. Don’t take anything personally, ever.

63. Consider avoiding school. Go to lots of conferences instead.

64. As soon as you can, buy some art.

65. Apologize more than you need to.

66. Find out if there will be food there.

67. A good haircut changes everything.

68. Read Man’s Search For Meaning.

69. Say no to projects you don’t care about.

70. Do things that are uncool. Later on, they usually end up becoming cool anyway.

71. Find your voice.

72. Have some manners.

73. Learn to play chess, go, and bridge. They’ll keep you from going senile.

74. Learn about the Tetrapharmakos.

75. Find ways to cheat the system– just don’t cheat people.

76. Be like Jesus, not like his followers. (This applies to all of them.)

77. At least once, date someone that’s out of your league.

78. Examine your jealousy. You’ll learn a lot about yourself.

79. Good connections are about people, not social networks.

80. Address small problems. They will become big problems.

81. Dress like a cooler version of yourself.

82. Yes, there is such a thing as bad press.

83. Add “adventurer” to your Twitter bio. Then, become one.

84. If the internet is the best thing in your life, you have a serious problem.

85. Give away your best work for free.

86. Find mentors. Just don’t call them that.

87. Actually write on your blog. Nobody cares if it’s hard.

88. Download Freedom. Use it for an hour every day.

89. Join a gym. Lift the heaviest you can. (This applies to girls too.)

90. Do some freewriting. It helps you think things through.

91. When you’re having supper with rich people, pick up the cheque.

92. Learn how to speak in public.

93. If you see someone who needs help, stop asking yourself if they need help. Instead, just help.

94. Bring a bottle of wine.

95. The best conversations are had side by side, not one in front of the other.

96. Protect your hearing. Trust me.

97. Do what’s most important first thing in the morning, before you check email.

98. Everyone feels like they’re not good enough. It’s not just you.

99. Courage is a learned skill.

100. Go to Iceland. It’s worth it.

new product- **ROSE LACE HEADBANDS**

my lace addiction has gotten a little out of hand, first a few revamped lace purses and then a lace iPhone cover.. i decided it was time to put some of my creative “lace energy” into some new products. today i’m sharing with you one of the new spring products- the lace rose headband. the headband is one of the most comfortable headbands i’ve worn and can be customized to fit you or a newborn.. maybe even a matching mommy and me set?!?!

i’m testing out storenvy, since big cartel hasn’t been fitting my needs lately (i’ll save the details for another post). you can check out the new location here, same great prices and a few new products- just a different address!

my week in pictures and what i’ve learned

i’ve learned that no matter how much i know i don’t need anymore fabric, i still find reasons to justify buying more.

 i’ve learned that you can never have too much washi tape, especially from target.

 i’ve learned that i really love lace, even if it means squeezing into a shoe that is four sizes too small.

 i’ve learned that time spent with b and my family is usually the highlight of my week.

..even if it means me whiffing at a golf ball multiple times.

 i’ve learned it’s impossible to take a picture of bailey without her eyes lighting up. oh well, still cute, right?

 i learned (ten years ago) that you can never have too many purses. especially if they involve sparkles.

 

oh.. just a skirt revamp tutorial gone wrong..

finding a maxi skirt when you are 6’3” is a hard task to accomplish. i decided to try and revamp a current dress that i had.. boy oh boy- did it not turn out as planned. here’s what i learned..

1) don’t pick a dress to cut up that doesn’t have very much stretch, unless you’re going to use elastic for the new waistband.

2) don’t attempt cutting up a dress that has a lot of stripes, unless you have a lot of patience to line everything up perfectly.

3) keep your dog out of the room when trying to pin on the carpet.

4) don’t freelance a new sewing project, unless you know what you’re doing

5) allow room for it to shrink in the dryer, otherwise it will turn out just as short as the skirts in the stores.

here’s the finished product, looks okay- right?

ehhh.. not so bad, but the waist band doesn’t function. unless i wear ten tank tops or gain a few pounds, it won’t stay on my hips. which would be a problem, especially at work. especially during a presentation when i stand up and there goes my skirt.

 

dondalee’s love

getting mail is the best, isn’t it? a few weeks ago i got a lovely package from dondi at dondalee’s.

her packaging is adorable and a perfect example of branding. everything coordinates and reflects her products.

i love these stamped jar cards! perfect for notes to friends or family. or writing your husband a note to change the laundry when he gets home (wink, wink).

my fridge is much happier now that i have these adorable garden magnets (pssss they’re on sale right now!). the ring makes me happy and reminds me of my lovely handmade friends.

what’s the best thing you’ve ever received in the mail? do you stalk usps tracking every twenty minutes when there’s something you’re expecting, too?

week in pictures

happy friday and easter weekend, everyone! today i’m working a half day and have monday off- which puts me in the best mood ever! i can’t wait to see my little niece and nephew, our parents, and focus on some sewing projects.

my pictures: a local restaurant is selling “lily lager” to support autism services at my workplace (yehaw, that’s my department!). first mod podge project i ever made, which sits at my desk and makes me happy. i should have gave up fabric shopping for lent. new chevron skirt (old navy online). bad hair day + scrap fabric = new headband. bailey girl. sneak peak. breakfasts lately (thanks b).

guest post: heart garland tutorial

Hey ya’ll!! I am Meesh from Finding Michelina!!  And I am beyond excited that Nicole is letting me guest post on her fabulous blog!!  What I am sharing with ya’ll today is a DIY on 2 types of banners and heart garland!! :)
Here is where I got my inspiration from:
And here is what I created!!
This heart garland was for my sister in law, she is a bridesmaid for her friend and this was decor for the shower!
 1. I used a heart hole punch I got from Joann Fabrics to punch out my million hearts, 2. I used a 1/18th size punch for the holes in each heart, 3. The ridiculous collection of hearts I had to string, 4. The string my sister in law chose, 5. I originally used jewelry wire and created my own collapsible needle, 6. Then mine failed and I bought a real one lol {jewelry section of craft stores}, 7. Started “sewing” the hearts together, 8. A small piece of the garland

This was the banner for the same bridal shower :) {I felt special, it got lots of love I guess lol}

 1. I used the template in the second pinterest picture above and cut one smaller, traced, cut repeat!, 2. Stenciled my letters on top, 3. Began to color them in {used a large art marker from AC Moore or any other marker you have!}, 4. Used glossy Mod Podgeover the letters to make them POP a bit

1. Trusty tombow!!, 2. Slap it all over the back of the smaller cut banner, 3. Place it on top of your larger banner piece, 4. Tombow across the top of your banner and add ribbon {cut to slightly longer length so that you can tombow the ends onto the back}, 5. Ribbon galore, 6. Then embellish with hearts

And this adorable yet simple banner was for my adorable sister in law {the other one!} who is an adorable preggo!!  We had her baby shower at my house Sunday and I created this with stencils and stamps {sorry forgot to take pics of that part! :( }

1. Cut out triangles to any size, 2. Stencil on the letters {using that art marker again!}, 3. Lay it out to prepare for step 4. MOD PODGE!
As you can see, I added a banner stamp that I have from Close To My Heart.
Sorry I was bad and forgot to take pics!!
So hope to see some of ya’ll over my way and hope you enjoyed my DIY’s and millions of pics!! <3
Thanks again Nicole for letting me hang out!!
Love Ya’ll!!
Meesh :)

lace iphone case tutorial

 

april facebook fest

i can’t believe it’s already april. the beginning of a new month means it’s time for another edition of facebook fest. if you’re new here, i created facebook fest last year as a networking tool for handmade business owners to connect with one another. it’s been such a success and a pleasure to meet such amazing people. i’ve discovered some of my favorite shops and blogs because of this event and can’t wait to discover more this week.

hosts: the lovely poppy | bip&bop | lillys n lollipops | polka dot pretties | my bella baby |

 

here’s how you can participate

-link up your facebook page below (no tutorials, giveaways, etc- please)

-”like” all hosts with your personal facebook page and comment on their wall. this guarantees at least six new fans!

-stop by and visit others who have linked up, i promise they are amazing and you’ll find some amazing new businesses to support

-share on your facebook page, this will generate more traffic = more visits for everyone