i've got sunshine....

on a cloudy day {ahem, gloomy, crazy stormy day in orange county, ca}!

love this print from etsy seller faroushe... she's been the featured seller on the front page of etsy the past few days, but i found her work about 6 months ago and love all of her quirky yet pretty items!  if you need a little sunshine for yourself you can find this print here.

i hope this helps brighten and warm up your day,

*b

{recipes} coconut cupcakes w/ lime buttercream frosting

a few months back we got a subscription of cooking light and i found this recipe for

coconut cupcakes w/ a lime buttercream frosting. . .  yummmm!

so i figured for my hubs' birthday i figured i'd attempt these - but rather than making full sized cupcakes i opted for mini - cupcakes {which is coming back to haunt me} .... the ones that are still lingering i think i need to thrown out now... but lets not talk about that!

i took the liberty of garnishing them with a little lime zest 

{sorry that's my restaurant background talking} =)

we couldn't get over this card he got for his bday... how awesome is that?  not awesome that it came from none other than his student loan lender... boo! but i though it'd look cute with his cupcakes {since i forgot to get candles}... bad wifey

 

wanna try these yourself?  find the recipe here

{things i dig} GeeZees custom canvas

i have been just dying to get caught up on blogging just so i could share this:

i have a crush on my new geezees canvas! 

below is the wedding photo i chose from our photog {memoriesbymichael.com} then i used photoshop to add the lyrics from our first dance song - Dave Matthews - "steady as we go" and our wedding date... then i sent it to stephanie and then the magic began!

and here's what came to us in the mail.... 

maybe i'm partial, but i think our canvas just rocks! =)

stephanie, the force behind geezees, was phenominal to work with! she's a fellow etsy wedding team member, but i found out about her business because i was the winner/recipient of a contest over at weddingbee.  even though this was a complimentary canvas,  her attention and communication throughout the process was fantastic!  since it was "freebee" she could've totally taken longer on my order, but she treated it as if it was just as much a priority as any of her paid orders!  being a fellow online vendor - that speaks volumes about her customer service... and i think when it comes to online business, customer service is so extremely important in making or breaking your online presence.  sometime it can be very difficult to build a following of loyal fans who will believe in you enough to refer you... and i most certainly would send anyone reading this her way! 

i can only hope that i will have a reason to visit her again for future canvas art projects! i know our canvas turned out beautifully and it will be a treasured piece of art in our home for years to come!

please check her out either on etsy, her website, or her blog!

{warning} gratuitous kitty photos

late last night the hubs called me into our study to take a peek and what our spazzy kitty was doing.... 

i walked in to see this:

i left out one of my shipping boxes and apparently the little goof-ball wants to travel somewhere.... priority mail =)

{this one's a little blurry, i took the flash off so as to not create her demon red eyes}

have a great monday everyone!

*b

{random photos}

while i was away today my hubs borrowed my camera to capture two unrelated photos...

the first - our spazzy ragdoll, misty - she loves it when we put her up in the cut out above our glass slider... getting her down is another story...

and my hubs thought i'd love to see this: two ducks were taking a sun bath right by our pool which is viewable from our balcony.  so cute, and i love that they supposedly mate for life!

cute cute

i hope everyone had a great day with mom!

{things i dig} my former prowler sunglasses

this is a really random post - seeing how i'm up being an insomniac... all bets are off! =)

last summer while i still had a quasi-expendable income i purchase the von zipper "prowler" glasses i'd had my eye on for some time... i loved them!  had them for all of two and a half months and they were lost and/or stolen from me at the pool in vegas.... which made me super bummed.

i had just the standard black ones pictured here:

and black's an odd color pick for me since i'm blonde, but i really did love them!

i'm just wondering... if i had it to do all over again, should i go with the standard black or change up for the black with grey satin stripes?  pictured below....
or should i choose the blonde's best accessory... tortoise shell??? 

tough decision... not like i wanna really shell out to buy another pair right now, since i have a perfectly functioning pair of electrics... but hey a girl can dream about the what if, right? =)

i have no idea how i'm so coherent at this time of night to write this... ok now back to bed

*random note: while most girls opt for A list designer sunglasses, my orange county, beachy upbringing automatically makes me prefer the surf brands, plus they're a few hundred dollas cheaper!*

{things i dig} pretty pretty on etsy: elizandaxel

lookie lookie what'll be mine in a few weeks - i found the etsy shop elizandaxel when a treasury they were featured in today popped up and i saw this....

the flora tee

since i'm notorious for living in a white, black or basic plain colored top, jeans, and flip flops... this will provide a pretty and feminine alternative to my basic "uniform" =)  when i snatched one earlier today i couldn't decide if i wanted black or white... but i think i'm leaning toward the white?? 

here's a full length shot - front and back of the shirt - love the dress form too!

oh how i wish i had all the time and creative talent in the world to make pretty tops like this to wear on a daily basis! hmmm.... 

{things i dig} Cupcake Social on etsy

i've been wanting to make some muffins or cupcakes lately...

... now theses goodies from Cupcake Social really make me want to!

pastel green tulip cupcake liners

and for a 13year old girls bday party! - animal print liners - CUTE!

sophisticated liners for an uptown fete

little red riding hood liners...

and wouldn't these be so cute for 4th of july cupcakes?

the shop also offers uber cute flags and pin-wheel topper for your cupcakes

- i'm really diggin' these pirate flags - yo ho, yo ho... well, you know how it goes!

{things i dig} looksy what i found...

Beach Grass Cottage's Etsy Shop - Beach Decor For Shore Lovers!

it's no secret i love the beach, all things nautical and i dig sandollars and finger starfish most of all!  look at these super fabulous mirrors i found in her shop, if only i could afford one .... sigh!

finger starfish mirror

shell mirrror

we're back.... again!

we just got back from a last minute trip to see a family friend of my hubs' family in tampa, fl.

it was a quick get away, but well worth it to be able to meet people who mean so much to my hubs, and now myself!  here's a photo below of the two families rallied in the restaurant Old Chicago near tampa. it was a great evening filled with chatting, reminiscing, and good times - we will cherish always!

we were joined by my MIL and bro & sis in law

while in tampa BIL coordinated us taking in a Yankees vs. Tigers spring training game - i love baseball and was glad for the opportunity, but i still love my Anaheim Angels... go halos!
above is a photo of general petraeus right after he threw out the first pitch... way better than a fly-over.

and below is a token hubs and i photo.... man those yankees have a nice spring training facility!

prior to the trip i had been going about a mile and minute and have needed a little creativity break, which has been great to get some other much needed tasks accomplished... but by this next weekend i'll be back up a running with some new goodies in store for ya'll.  

sneak peak: i'll be starting an item of the month beginning april 1st!

{things i dig} tinahdee on etsy

just found this fab fellow etsian on the front page of etsy this afternoon!  and look how darn cute these are!

they're stacking rings made from steel - with a cute copper disk that each stacked together spells out "love" - she say's you can also choose any other 4 letter word.... i'd stick to ones like - "hugs", "kiss", etc.... not the real 4 letter ones!

check out tinah's work and tell her i sent you!

b

{things i dig} .... organization

hey, it's tax season after all!... why not organize my business & personal tax system (which needs improvement anyway)  mind you i don't do much online shopping when it comes to Wal-Mart. rather, i prefer to walk into the mega store in all its overwhelming glory!  i believe that its way easier to wander aimlessly from aisle to aisle stumbling upon great finds rather than finding an item online then trying my darnest to hunt it down in person... i never seem to be sucessful at the hunt for a specific item in that store!  

but.... i did find this:

it's a bill filer, well, not really - it's a card filer, which would double for a handy bill filer for me!

there's a small file up front and standard sized files in the back, and i could stash some stamps in the cubbies along with my checkbook and some pens.  but i'm not really diggin' the color... maybe i'd cover in in a pretty fabric.....?

....i think is worth hunting for! maybe there will be a fluke and i'll actually find it without spending 15 minutes just trying to hunt down a friendly employee to track it down for me....  we shall see =)

things i love.... Newsprint Gift Boxes

just saw these last night, while looking for clever ways to pack up my jewelry orders... and i found these... they are super cute, ephemera style kraft boxes!  love them! i could even do this with my current boxes with some of my rubber stamps....hmmm... or if i get real lazy, i could cave and buy these! =)

newsprint gift boxes

and holy gift wrap... they have every wrapping option under the sun in this newsprint... oh joy!

things i love....

i just found this on sweet papery's blog and i just got the chills in a good way! =)

check it out: simple truth's

here's why:  

even before starting my jewelry business, i had a background in customer service, and since it's inception i'll be the first to admit that it's a challenge to have a "one woman show" (as JDVJewelry) is!  the challenge comes when you are the creative force designing everything, you're also the business manager coordinating payments and shipping time (for all you type A's out there, this isn't so easy for us creative types, we tend towards disorder) =), and then you're responsible to wear the customer service/PR/HR hat at all times too!

don't get me wrong, this is not a downside to owning and operating your own business, it's just some of the challenges that come your way.  i enjoy the challenge, but always wonder are my clients happy? and i love getting feedback saying that they love an item and never wanna take it off! i also love feedback about my packaging; i myself love opening shipments only to find that the company has taken the time to make my order look special, like a sweet gift.  so you'll see that i've just changed my packaging to be more fun to receive!  but in all, i love the challenge to, plain and simple, make those who choose to support me happy.  the video from sweet papery really made me think what i can be doing to make my clients' experience special!

if you have any suggestions, please feel free to comment, or if you have ideas that have worked for your business that you care to share... feel free!

*b

{i spy} LovMely

ok... super stoked, i just stumbled upon Mel's shop while browsing my local etsy designers in the orange county area. now i'm pretty low key fashion-wise ( think t-shirt, jeans, and flip flops) but i always love having something small on that is loud, colorful, or showy... and most of the time it's a piece of my jewelry...

but now i've found LovMely on Etsy, and her acessories are awesome! some of them are far more dramatic than what i can swing, but everything she makes is beautiful... for example:

the Jenna Headband - no way i could swing it, but i think it'd be great for the right lady!

i can wait, below i have these 3 beauties on their way to me as my bday present to myself!

Sarah Peacock Headband

Guinea Headband

Golden Peacock Headband

go check out her shop and tell her i sent you!


b

a clearly amazing idea

it's no secret i love to travel... i just don't get the opportunity to do so very often, but man if i did - this little card would come in handy!

forgive me if i'm behind the times - but an offer for a trial membership for a CLEAR card just appeared in my email from SPG. and if you've spend much time in the airports - as i recently have (unfortunately), this might be a worthwhile investment for any frequent travelers!

to my understanding, it's the equivalent of a Disney Fastpass for grown -ups! =)

no really, it's expected to get you through security screenings and to your gate in approxamately 5 minutes! at $199 it seems a little stiff, but that's a years membership and if you travel even once a month i bet it more than pays for itself in the form of stress and anxiety relief!

... now if only it would rescue your checked bags and bring them to you at the curb in 5 mintues too... that would make it the ultimate card!

pretty things: holly stalder

while killing time online a few weeks ago,

i stumbled upon a fabulous, fellow esty shop owner:

Holly Stalder - she's an independent designer here on the West Coast and she makes such pretty things, here are some of my favorites.

hopefully, soon this will be mine....

vintage-y black tank

wouldn't this make a great holiday dress?

gold tunic dress

and i'm a huge fan of anything eyelet...

 look at this cute shrug i found at her website 

hollystalder.com

oh and this... antique lace shrug

it's all so feminine and beautiful, i wish i could go on a shopping spree,

 but for now, i'll start with the tank and work up from there! =)

oh how brilliant...

i found this while sitting waiting during my jury duty day....

and this is when i start thinking, man i WISH i thought of this! i showed it to the hubs tonight and he took a confused look at what i was flashing in front of his face... then he lit up ...

(well maybe that was the computer screen)

and he said "i need one of these for you, where do i sign you up"

enough said

check it out: the little pink card

ps. but you better believe that i'll be making one for the hubs since i'm such a DIYer =)