Where Art Thou Spring?

Late last week and through this weekend we had beautiful weather here in Central New York, and it was such a huge tease. I even bought Julian a bunch of spring/sumer clothes and shoes from Old Navy because I cannot wait to be rid of snow. At this point it feels like snow will never go away and flip flops will never be an option ever again. But spring will come eventually!

So, I wanted to put together a little moodboard which gives you a taste of what I'm craving this spring!

Clockwise from top left: (links are in the numbers)

1. Love this little outfit for Julian.

2. This color looks great on everyone.

3. Katie Daisy's prints uplift my mood 100%!

4. Spring makes me want to start eating lighter and healthier. These tacos sound amazing!

5. I ordered these shoes for Julian and I can't wait for him to wear them!

6. I love these DIY lanterns as a fun permanent decoration for somewhere in our house.

7. Ahh tulips. I want to find a place to plant some this spring.

8. This outfit looks so cute and could be worn ona casual day or at work!

9. Pointy scallop flats in white? Screams spring and summer to me!

10. This would be a cute Easter treat to bring to the office or to use as little placecard holders at Easter dinner.

What things remind you of spring? Are you as sick of the cold as I am?

If I had a third bedroom

We've only been in our apartment for about 9 months, and I seriously can't believe how much stuff we've aquired. It's unreal. Moving here was a breeze even though we had random things in several places, but there wasn't much to move besides bigger furniture items. But when we eventuall move out of here... oh man. I'm not excited. We're actually going to have to get boxes and probably a bigger moving truck unless we want to make a milion trips.

But that's another worry for another time.

I am looking forward to the day that we have a 3rd bedroom that we can use as an office/guest bedroom (a.k.a. another bed for Dom to sleep in when I want a good nights sleep in our bed alone). I'm always Pinning office ideas because I think they can be so functional if you're a person that's on their computer a lot, like me. It really helps to have a separate place to work than on the couch or in bed. Plus, it could house all of my "projects" that seem to always be ongoing, and curently preventing me from eating dinner at our dining table. You can tell who wears the pants in our house- not Dom, not Julian, not me... the "projects".

Here is a basic moodboard of what I would do with a third bedroom:

Source list from left to right, top to bottom: 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.

Some things seem sort of random, but I guess overall I'm picturing lots of white and navy blue with punches of gold and turquoise. I love the acrylic trend that's going on right now, so the chair and wall shelf represent that. I'm also picturing a huge cork board for a hands-on pinboard for ideas and reminders. There are a few different fun fabrics that could be incorporated in lots of ways- pillows for the bed, curtains, maybe framed as wall art- and I'm really interested in learning more about mixing patterns and different fabrics to see what works in real life and what doesn't.

I'm "asking" for tht desk for Christmas, so if I get it I'm definitely going to make a little office corner in my bedroom to start out with.

Do you with you had a specific room in your house or apartment? I think my second wish would be for a cute little porch to decorate for holidays and to sit on in the summer.

Don't kill me for saying the C word...

It's never too early to start thinking about what you're going to get your loved ones for Christmas. I don't know about you, but right now I'm crunching numbers, making a budget and thinking about who gets/needs what. A few years ago I went crazy on some people's gifts (ahem, Dom) and then didn't have enough to get other people I love the things I wanted to get them, and I spent way too much in general. Now with a little one, he's top priority for the biggest and best gifts and largest part of the budget.

Since it's about time to start thinking and buying for others, I was thinking about the things I want this year, and I've come up with a little list of what I want this year. It feels sort of weird to make a list of things that I want- I feel like a child saying it- but honestly if you don't ask for anything that you really want, you will end up getting a bunch of things you don't need. So this is my "list".

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12

What are you asking Santa/loved ones for this year? Is there anything on my list that's similar to something you want?

My Fall Wishlist!

Well, there’s no denying it- fall is just around the corner! Can you believe September is less than a week away? All of my friends went back to school in the past few weeks, and high schoolers start school next week. Even though I don’t “go” to school (I’m enrolled in courses through the Art Institute of Pittsburgh), when school rolls around it just feels like fall to me. And I honestly couldn’t be happier! This summer wasn’t much fun. Between the crappy Upstate New York weather, the stress of planning Julian’s first birthday party, and my grandfather passing away on the Fourth of July, I didn’t get to do anything that I really wanted to do. Money was too tight to take even a day trip, so the only water-park experience we had was on Juli’s birthday when we went to the Seneca Lake Park for their awesome Splash Grounds.

I recently bagged up 75% of my fall/winter clothes and donated them because they’re just sooo old. Most of it was stuff I’ve had for years. Things just naturally start smelling a little funky after a few years. Besides, I’m so bored with my “style”, or lack thereof, and I need something a little more grown up, polished, and pretty. There are a few items I’m really dying to buy like a great pair of riding boots, some funky leopard print flats, a comfy pair of tailored black pants for work, a super cozy cardigan for both work and weekends, and lots of stylish accessories. (Do I see some DIY projects in my future?)

I put together a moodboard of sorts to capture the things I’m looking for this fall. I’m hoping to visit my best friend Morgan in a few weeks at the University at Buffalo and buy some of these things at the Galleria Mall.



Navy Blue Chunky Cowl. Leopard Print Flats. Black Leather Riding Boots. DIY Gold Tube Bead Bracelets. Skinny Black Ankle Pants. Drape Front Cardigan.

They’re all classic items that could be worn dozens of ways, so splurging on one or two of them wouldn’t feel too bad. (Hopefully Morgan can get that through to me.) I’d love to find cheaper versions of the boots and the sweater, though so I’ll be keeping my eye out for similar things!

I’m also really excited to start buying fall clothes for Julian. I went to our Outlet mall a few weekends ago and picked up a lot of cute basics and play clothes for him with his birthday money, but I’m still looking for good deals on sweaters, jeans, and a fall jacket or vest. I popped over to Gap’s website to find that they’re having a Labor Day sale, and now I might just be adding some things to my cart because I can’t live without them.



Quilted Puffer Vest. V-Neck Elbow Patch Sweater. High Top Sneakers. Hiker High Top Sneakers. Dark Wash Loose Fit Jeans. Contrast Striped Beanie. V-Neck Cardigan. Long Sleeve V-Neck Tee. Pullover Sweatshirt.

I’m dying to buy the puffer vest- it’s on sale and I have $10 off and Julian has a gift card. I might have to take a trip to Destiny USA to see how much I really like it. It would be such a steal!! I’m loving the high top shoes, and we’re definitely in the market for shoes now that Julian is walking everywhere. The only issue is the width of the shoe- Julian has fat feet so we have to be careful with shoes! I can’t wait to start buying jeans and sweaters for him, because last winter he was so chubby that he was confined to sweatpants and knit shirts. We’re still going to have to get him the loosest pairs of jeans possible because he has the biggest thunder thighs I’ve ever seen on a 1 year old.

What’s on your fall shopping list? Are you due for a major wardrobe upgrade? If not, you can donate to my fund! More clothes for me!!

Ok, just kidding!

My Etsy Shop & Giveaway!

Besides having recently started this blog, I am also relatively new on Etsy, too! I started my shop, The Littlest Print Shop last month, and I won’t lie- I expected it to take off quicker than it has. I’ve scoured the internet and Pinterest for tips and advice on creating a super successful shop, and I feel like I’ve followed the steps as best as I can! I’ve put myself out there on all the social media platforms that I have, and even approached women that fall into my target audience, and offered them coupon codes- and nothing! Sometimes not even so much as an “Ok, thanks!”
Darn you Facebook messenger for allowing me to see that someone has seen my message and just doesn’t want to reply.
I even went the extra mile and had these super cute business cards printed, so I could hand them out to the women I know through work.
                
Ok, so I’ll stop whining now and get on to more about my shop! I’ve been creating my own invitations and announcements for awhile now (my first was an invitation to my graduation party, and I’m embarrassed that I thought they were the bees knees), and people are always commending me for my talent and saying how great my work is. With some prods and words of encouragement from a few people- namely my Aunt Jen on one or two occasions- I opened up shop. I have no real experience with photography, and especially not product photography. It’s pretty difficult to take interesting pictures of pieces of paper, so I established the signature style of having the wood of my kitchen table as the backgrounds to my products.

When it came to pricing my products, I looked at similar items on Etsy that were big sellers. For now I’m offering the actual, printed invitations, and not digital files, so that’s what I looked at prices of. I also checked out Shutterfly and Tinyprints to see what they charge per invitation/announcement/card. Once I had my price per card, I figured in the time it would take me to edit a customized piece, and tacked that on. I estimated the cost of adding envelopes, and then I had my price. To me, it seems extremely fair, considering I’m not charging for shipping! Since I’m also a newbie, I didn’t feel right about charging an arm and a leg for my items. If the price doesn’t seem right, or I find that I’m not actually making anything, once I start selling, then I can reevaluate.
So, with all this information, I’d love to hear from any Etsy sellers, or even freelancers or non-virtual shop owners! What am I doing right and what am I doing wrong, and am I just impatient?!
I’m itching for a sale- not for the money, but for the excitement of having my work “out there”.

Lucky for you guys, I’m giving away 20 FREE Invitations or Announcements of your choice from my shop! This offer excludes envelopes, but does include shipping to wherever you are, within the US. All you have to do is:

• Comment on this post saying “I Love Etsy”
• Tell me if you’ve ever purchased from Etsy and if so, what did you like about that experience?
• Your email address

Because I’m not sure how large my readership is right now, I’ll keep this giveaway open until there are 10 comments on it. Once there are 10 comments, I’ll randomly select a winner. The winner will then be emailed by me and we can talk about your order from there!
Feel free to check out my shop before you enter this giveaway!