some assembly required

more like 'all assembly required'! 

this is what's goin' on around here right now as i gather all the items for baby sister's bridesmaid cards. oh! if you think you're on the list, stop reading now! good thing middle sissy gave up the interwebs for lent.

last time we chatted, we were thinking of one of these ideas. 

well, after wasting time doing research on pinterest, the design has morphed into something that will resemble this.

cute little envelopes for sweet sentiments and such. yummy washi tape to hold everything together. stickers, ribbon, punches, paint swatches, doilies.

the workshop's been abuzz. i've been printing, cutting, scoring, folding, gluing, taping, stringing, punching. no surface is safe. and, i'm just about done puttin' it all together to ship off to baby sister, so i get at least a little element of surprise! ha!

here's the most amazing thing: i only had to buy the doilies to make those (in the words of sweet p) so, so tiny envelopes. and, i got them at the $ store! can you believe? i had everthin' else floatin' around in the workshop. ok, maybe it's not that unbelievable, but i was pretty amazed i found so much cute stuff in baby sister's colors. (um, do you see that true love ribbon? adorbs!)

once baby sister puts them all together, i'll be back with a look at the finished product. i kept a few pieces secret, so y'all didn't see it all.

my stipulation for making these was that baby sister had to assemble them herself. i hope she bought the big jug of sangria - she's gonna need it!

initially (a tutorial)

wanna do the easiest tutorial ever? like seriously, easiest ever? that's the spirit! let's get started.

letters, initials, words, words, words are all the rage these days, and i've got my fair share adorning the casita. frankly, when i walk by the letter aisle at the joann's, michaels, hobby lobby persuasion, i'm hard pressed to resist dumping a few in the basket.

so, next time you're at one of the ol' crafter supply shops, don't resist the urge. pick up one or forty letters.

bring those bad boys home, and give them some color. if it isn't obv by now, black is my signature culuh. (my culuhs are blush and bashful).

then, find something around the casita with a sweet design you can use as a stencil. like, oh, i don't know, the mat from the front door. what? there's inspiration everywhere, i tell ya!

then, give those bad boys another shot of color. silver? my otha signature culuh.

and, they's done! let 'em dry, then hang 'em. or, prop 'em on a shelf or desk. or string 'em from twine over the beddy bye. you decide.

see how easy that was? hardest part is waitin' for 'em to dry. and, aren't they just the cutest things you ever done seen? mmhmm. thought so. of course, i could do it for ya, if you need me to.

and, i've since used that doormat on numerous other projects. poor thing's so confused as to its lot in life.

what y'all been workin' on? got any cool tutorials for moi?

Slumber Art-y Tutorial

my mom found some small wooden plaques that she sent to me. every time i'd see them, i'd wonder what i could use them to make. then, it came to me - the guest room needed a cute little door sign, and since a guest was coming, i went to work. the fact that i'd just bought chalkboard spray paint was a total bonus!

here's whatcha need (plaque/canvas/cardboard, spray paint, stick on letters):

choose a fun word (i chose sleep), and stick the letters on your plaque/canvas where you want them

spray paint over the letters (while chatting on speaker phone with your sister)

wait a little bit, then peel off the letters

ok, now, to be honest, my paint seeped a little under the letters, so make sure to stick those suckers down. because of that, i filled in the letters with silver, and it turned out super cute!

we're done! so, hang it up wherever you like (foam tape on the back sticks it directly to the door)

since i used chalkboard spray paint, i can leave a cute-c (inside joke!) message for my guests! so, come visit!!

i'm linking up over at the lettered cottage!

Rosita Says...RELAX

see what i did there with the title? see it? (eyebrow raising) see it? well, if you don't love 80s music as much as i do, then maybe you didn't see what i did there. anyhoodiddledeedee...

BABY SISTER COMES TOMARREE!! yippee!!! so exciting!!!! it'll be so much fun to have someone to boss around again. i.can't.wait. y'all, it gets lonely up in here sometimes. and, the workshop could use some help. she can be my intern, yea, that's it. bah - who'm i kidding? we'll prolly pretend to work in the mornin' and then head out to read books at the beach. (i told you august was for relaxin' - hence the post title)

if things are sparse around here the next few weeks, it's because we're doing a little of this:

Source: ashlynstallings.blogspot.com via Raeann on Pinterest

and, a little of this:

Source: everythingfab.com via Raeann on Pinterest

mixed with a little of this:

Source: google.com via {JennySue} on Pinterest

and, definitely some of this:

Source: thecherryblossomgirl.com via Britt on Pinterest

we'll prolly do some cookin':

Source: nytimes.com via Raeann on Pinterest

and some bakin' (mmmm...bacon):

Source: chocolateandcarrots.com via Raeann on Pinterest

and, i'm guessin' there'll be a whole lotta craftin' going on:

Source: honestlywtf.com via Raeann on Pinterest

it's gonna be great! i'll be sure and document it all so you can see what fun it was! oh, and we'll chat about my obsession with pinterest (where all these here images came from) soon.

Gifts for Every Occasion

in honor of baby sister's birthday today, this post is full of gift-y things you can order from rosita designs. and, they work for every occasion - birthday, mother's day, wedding, just because. you get the idea.

pretty much, if you have something to celebrate, we can work together to create an invite and maybe decorations, and then i can whip up a gift for you to give. (insert smiley-face here) if you are interested in ordering something, email me. some items are in stock (hair flowers, cards, canvases). and, you know, i'm all about the custom.

for the new babies or kiddos birthdays

for the fashionistas

for the writers on your list

good for everyone

and, promise, these items will be added to the website soon.

Canvas the Area

back when i had my open house, i dappled in some mixed media art on canvas. i had some out for sale, and a few sold, but what i really hoped would happen, did - custom orders. and, now it's a common item shipped out of the workshop. i've made them for wedding, birthday and just-for-me gifts, baby rooms, dining rooms.

i LUUUUUV these. LUV. it's pure get-yer-hands-dirty, handmade goodness. and, i can live for days on the high i get when i deliver one, they open it, their eyes light up, and they say I LUV IT! buuuut, the process is super nerve-wracking for me. (cuz i'm a nutjob.) ask mr. man. poor guy's constantly called to the workshop to talk me off the ledge and have (one-sided) conversations like this:

'do you think this should go here, or here? i'm really nervous they'll hate it. it's going on a wall in their house. they trust me to do something they're going to like. does it look like a third grader made it? what if they hate it. they're going to hate it.'

my sweet cousin LOVES horses and barrel racing, so her mama ordered this to match her lime green and zebra print room. (note to self: work zebra print into decor somehow)

this order was for mother's day. a sweet quote mixed with the colors of mama's house.

a bare dining room wall, a list of favorite lyrics and a cool idea led to this triptych. (that's for carrie.) talk about nervous nelly. i mean, it's going on their dining room wall! everyone who comes to their house will see it! a few deets: the door to the house is a map of ohio, where mama's from; mama, daddy, and 3 kiddos = 5 birds in the tree; 3 windows for 3 kiddos.

 

she collects hearts, and she's crazy creative, so she ordered some artwork for her craft room. only criteria: use reds and lots of hearts. success? we'll let her weigh in...

i used their invitation and maps to tie the couple's love of travel into this 'lovebird' wedding gift.

still with me? the possibilities are endless, really. i'll make one for you - order up! don't worry, i'll add them to the website soon - that project is underway.

Hearts & Crafts

I'm sure you noticed Valentine's Day was the next holiday (you probably noticed that before Christmas, if you were strolling through Target or Wal-Mart at that time).

Anyway, I'm taking orders for Valentine's Day cards.

Maybe you didn't get to Holiday or New Year Cards.
Maybe you're having a baby (girl, please!) and want to send out cute as can be love inspired cards.
Maybe you're tired of your kids sending licensed character Valentine's to their classmates.
Maybe you just got engaged, and think Valentine's Day would be the perfect reason to get out your save the date in February.
Maybe... Well, you get the idea.

........................................

So, I decided to do a handmade Christmas this year. I did buy the fam presents, but once I got started with the handmade stuff, I couldn't stop! I spend some time (ok, a lot of time) surfing crafty blogs, and see all these cool things people make, and always think "Hey, I can do that!"

Well, this year, I quit saying that, and started doing. And, the best part is the joy on everyone's faces when they realize that you made something just for them with your own hands.

In addition to all the things in this collage, I made some awesome flash cards for Sweet P, the sweetest little stuffed owl to match Sweet P's bedding, and an advent calendar out of Christmas socks (which I will NEVER do again - I think that thing took me, all totaled up, about 20 hours to make).  I unfortunately don't have pics of those yet because they're on the fam's cams. hehe

Oh, and if you'd like any of these for yourself or gifts, I could whip them up for you. Just, let me know.