Brand new products in the shop!!!!!

You guys, I'm so excited to finally announce that all the brand new home decor items that released in July are finally available in the online shop, including the amazing picture frames, the clocks, the pillows, and a whole bunch of awesome stuff for your home + office! I'm over the moon about these goodies and have spent a ridiculous amount of time integrating just about every piece into our home decor - so fun! Let me show you what we've just added to the shop!

 

I'm completely smitten with these canvas pillows! They're large (16" square) with removable covers for easy washing. I'm also really loving the slight detail of fringe around the images, giving them just a tad of dimension and more character. Limited quantities, available now. 

These artful picture frames make me so happy! They were inspired by one of my art journals full of textured + painted collage backgrounds. Each arrives with it's very own easel for displaying (also arrives ready to hang). The distressed metal flower + butterfly are gorgeous embellishments...Love!! Available here. 

 

We've got several more picture frames in the shop, including the above "hello courage" frame with metal distressed wings. Seriously, friends, these frames - all of them - are awesome + so well made (from wood). I'm thinking I'll be giving many of these away as awesome gifts for the upcoming holidays.  Available here. 

 

Totally love these too with their subtle but super cool metal embellishments, especially the metal birdie on the frame in the back. Everything is perfectly aged and distressed. Swoon! Available here. 

 

I just put this large frame (13x15) on the wall in our living room. Haven't put a photo in it yet, but I will soon. We've got a couple of these large frames available in different designs. Check em' out!

This is a large decorative stoneware container - really substantial with thick chunky sides. It's hard to see in this photo, but the stoneware has a crackled effect, giving the piece a lovely vintage quality. Really beautifully made....

OMG! Staplers! These metal + glass staplers are a show stopper. How cool are they? Because, you know, even staplers deserve a little love for all that they do for us! Available here. 

 

Likely one of my favorite products to come out of the first home decor launch, these working clocks are simply gorgeous. Again, perfectly aged and distressed, just enough to add a touch of sophistication and whimsy all at once. Swoon! Available here.  

It's a bit hard to tell in this photo, but this decorative wall basket is actually quite larger than it looks. Meant to hang on the wall, it can hold mail, cards, lists, and so much more. I love combining art with function and this is one of those star pieces that does just that. Available here.

Another one of my favorite new items, this is a set of three boxes made to look like books. They nest inside one another, each a different size. They open up to artful insides with lots of room to hold letters, photos, and more. I just love them. More photos over on the shop page.  Available now.

It's a coaster set - loving the winged holder. Each coaster displays a different image - made from resin and distressed to perfection. Another great gift....love, love these!

 

I'm going to hang these up in our entry way with scarves and bags and raincoats hanging down. Really love the shape of the hooks on these - super sweet. I know I must sound so silly going on and on, but man, I'm thrilled with how these products turned out.

 

 Compact Mirrors! I love that this one shown here says "fearless" - a gentle reminder to be brave.
We've got two different designs, available here.

Business Card holders! Made from metal and glass, these are sure to leave an impression. Besides, we think your business cards deserve an artful home. Also makes a fantastic gift.Three different designs: one, two, and three.

And finally, adorable pill boxes to brighten up our everyday accessories. I love that we're offering a pillbox with "love" on the front - what a great reminder to love and nourish our bodies with whatever it may need, medication + vitamins included.

There you have it. Whew - that's a lot of new goodness. All items have been added to the shop. I can't guarantee that I'll have more quantities added before the holidays, so if you see something you'd like to gift yourself or someone else, please scoop it up now! Big thanks to all of you for supporting the new home decor line - it's a really exciting thing to share with all of you. Truly. XO, Kelly Rae

lazy summer love

 

Oh, hello summer. Can't thank you enough for making me feel sooooo lazy - a feeling I absolutely treasure when it comes around to visit (which, sadly, is not often enough). You, dear lazy summer, have been so helpful in making sure I have some downtime to do nothing but lounge, lounge, lounge - your heat and sunshine have sort of insisted I relax as much a humanly possible while navigating the always ticking world of working and being a mom.  Just in the last couple of weeks, there was the Weepies concert (awesome), the Brandi Carlile concert (more awesome), the movies (including The Help - so good!), the books read, the magazines finally read after piling up for months, the visits with friends (including these two lovelies), the SUNSHINE, the occasional nap, the date nights, the junk shows, the furniture rearranging, the crafts. AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Life!

Holy smokes, I am sort of, kind of, feeling like I might be getting a true blue, real deal life after almost a whole year of constantly shifting in/out of new mama fog. Thank you summertime, thank you parents moving to OR, thank you permission to be lazy!

+++++++++++++++++++++++

ps: Huge thanks to the good folks over at Etsy for featuring an overview of my Pricing Tips for creative business' - loving the response! By the way,  the full, detailed discussion on tips + tricks for pricing works can be found in my ebooks.

my heart belongs to...

oh, man. when he crawls over and climbs on my legs and says "up" which currently sounds like "mup", or reaches over from his chair and tugs on my shirt. or when he responds to my soothing. or when he gives his kisses. or when he comes furiously crawling toward me, or waves hello with a smile when i walk in the room.....i just melt right there and then. and nothing seems to matter, even if just for a split second.

thanks, true. you so have my heart.

oh, man. when he reaches for my hand in the middle of a conversation. or when he sweetly makes my morning tea before i've even come downstairs, or when he touches my face, or when i watch him with our baby, or when beats me at scrabble, or pours me a glass of wine, or tells me i'm beautiful, or surprises me with big plans for our upcoming 10 year wedding anniversary.....i just melt, right there and then and nothing seems to matter, even if just for a split second.

thanks, john. you so have my heart.

Sponsor Spotlights: Fern Tree Studio, Andrea Scher, Gwynnie B Designs, Experimental Art + Louise Gale

I'm really enjoying these weekly sponsor spotlights where their creative talents and businesses are featured. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor (includes your ad on the sidebar + ongoing spotlights), please send me an email at kellyraeroberts@gmail.com for further information!
 Now accepting new sponsorship reservations for the holiday season (Oct/Nov/Dec).

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Mixed media artist and children's illustrator, Angela Traunig has a penchant for all things whimsical and silly. Wife and mother to a 2 year old little man, Angie somehow still finds time to create original works of art, prints, jewelry, greeting cards, bookmarks and a myriad of other things featuring her trademark 'knobby knee' Ferntree Studio characters. You can find her artwork here, and her lovely paper flowers here.

In her Ferntree Studio world, you will find humor, love, honesty and the 'Joy of an Art Filled Life.' Angela hopes to inspire other fledgling artists with her tenacity, creativity and belief that if "You put good things out into the world and just leave all the doors and windows open, sometimes something fantastic will slip back in."

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Join Andrea Scher for this fall’s session of Superhero Photo!

The Superhero Photo course is all about creating a new way into joy, gratitude, and appreciation. Andrea will guide you through 6 weeks of lessons, photo prompts and activities that will help you become a better photographer and to see your life through a different lens. We will hone our technical skills while opening our eyes to the beauty all around us.

In this course we will find ourselves in that sweet spot where creativity, play and aliveness intersect. I believe that when we are living in this rich space– where we are truly awake– we have more access to joy.

The Superhero Photo Fall Session begins Monday, September 19th. Register today with the coupon code KELLYRAE and you will get a little discount!

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It's almost the end of summer and things have been rocking here at the Gwynnie B Studio! There are new French pretties from my recent trip to Paris, as well as my big blow out End of Summer Sale. That's right: a sale! Scattered throughout the shop are lots of pretty necklaces, earrings and bracelets at reduced prices. Maybe you'll find a pretty or two you'd like to bring home? So please stop by my shop to check things out! And be sure to also stop by my Beautiful heART blog for studio musings, and all things pretty, of course.

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The Autumn 2011 experimental art e-course starts on Monday 12th September, and enrolment is now live!. As an online group we delve in to; painting, collage, photography, paper-sculpting and more. Techniques and prompts are designed for new artists and those artists who need fresh inspiration. Discover your passion, share ideas, and be in for a chance to win a free art book (on every course!) I share pdf, and web resources, and link to a wide range of artists. Access many tips and strategies for making unique art. As a trained tutor and artist working in the UK, I give feedback on creations you share on the course. The world is our art oyster, so to start creating your individual and wonderful art ideas: enroll here, see what previous participants have said here and see links to my art and blog. I look forward to seeing you on board if you decide to join us :) Amelia.

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Looking for some inspiration?

Do you believe in the universe? serendipity and synchronicity?

Louise Gale is offering this FREE e-book from the "Stories from the Universe" series

Sign up here.

Hi everyone, I'm Louise Gale - Artist and Creative Living Energy Coach from "Dream-Inspire-Create" I strongly believe that the universe sends us little messages constantly. For many years I didn’t really listen until the summer of 2009. May 2011 saw my first year anniversary of being out of the corporate world and the launch of my new website.

To celebrate, I asked 11 amazing women who had inspired me on my journey so far to guest post, telling a story of Synchronicity, Serendipity andfollowing their Intuition. Thank you to all the inspiring souls who are part of this series and to my creative community who have supported and grown with me.

Please pop over to sign up to my list to get your e-book of 37 pages of stories, images and lovely inspiration. Thank you Kelly Rae for also being part of this inspiring series.

rookie mom mistake

I made a rookie new mom mistake by putting shelves above a changing table! Of course, as soon as True was able, he was reaching for the frames and shelves. How come nobody said anything! It's taken awhile, but we've got a new, more childproof set up above the changing table.

Here's the new + improved:

Big sturdy wings with zero frames and shelves to reach for! The wings are from Creative Co-op - love!

We've been making quite a bit changes around here in our efforts to baby proof. I think we made it! The couch has been moved over and over again only to wind up back where it was in the beginning. Tables have been moved, shelving moved, bookshelves moved, lamps moved, and so much more. OMG!

More soon...

a birdcage before + after

Before + After

I've always wanted a junky birdcage so when John gifted this one to me last Christmas, I couldn't wait to get started crafting it up. It's taken almost nine months to get to this project (oh, hello, motherhood!) but so worth the wait :)

I used gel medium to adhere vintage wall paper to the rusty cage floor and sides, added a bit of lace, and then popped in a small plant and decorative ceramic bird.

Then I went a little crazy with birdie clips. Some of the clips are old/vintage glass birdies, while some are new (target!) and some handmade
.

I sort of love them - all the birdies clipped here and there and everywhere - a great way to display the collection.

Mom added the feather tail to the back - perfect.

I added a couple of birdie magnets and butterfly clips (from my online shop!). I just love this birdcage - a whimsical plant holder and place to display my birdie clip collection. It stands in our dining room by the window where it catches lots of sunlight and smiles as we walk past.

Sponsor Spotlights: Word Cellar, Jenny Shih, Jeanne Oliver, Susannah Conway, Sacred Cake + Lisa Ferrante

I'm really enjoying these weekly sponsor spotlights where their creative talents and businesses are featured. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor (includes your ad on the sidebar + ongoing spotlights), please send me an email at kellyraeroberts@gmail.com for further information!

 Now accepting new sponsorship reservations for the holiday season (Oct/Nov/Dec).

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Calling all writers and “wish-to-be” writers to The Word Cellar. Would you like gentle, useful feedback on your writing? What about personalized creative coaching? Let me (Jenna McGuiggan) be a supportive and honest guide along your writing journey. Here's how it works: You'll email me your work, I'll review it and then send you written comments on what's working, what could be improved, and suggestions on how to move forward. As your writing coach, I'll help you to follow your dreams and find creative clarity by asking questions, listening, and recommending books, resources, and creative practices. We'll meet via phone or Skype and can discuss anything related to writing or creativity. I'll serve as your sounding board, cheerleader, nurturer, and brainstorming partner. Whether you need one session or ongoing monthly support, let me know how I can help – and I'll design a custom package just for you and your writing wishes. Learn more or contact me.

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Are you ready to change the world with your great ideas?
Do you need a little help getting your ideas off the ground?
Get a FREE copy of the idea flight kit to get your ideas up and flying.
You’re changing the world. This kit will help. Get yours now.

Hi, I’m Jenny Shih. I work with right-brained, solo entrepreneurs who have world-changing ideas that they need to get out into the world. My clients come to me spinning, stagnant, or confused about their business. There’s lots going on in their head but not much is actually happening. They’re looking to get moving on their ideas and make things happen in their business. They want to get clear, set a strategy, and know that they can do great things in their business. We plan, we scheme, and we make stuff happen. Then, the magic starts to happen...Nothing should stop you if you want to change the world.
Get your free copy of the idea flight kit right here.

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My name is Jeanne. I am the owner and designer of Jeanne Oliver Designs. I have dreamed of designing fashion and accessories since I was a little girl. It is one of my biggest joys to be able to offer you my creations.

I grew up watching old movies. I was inspired by the styles and femininity of the past. Nothing seemed more glamourous to me than Vivien Leigh sweeping down a staircase, Grace Kelly wearing white gloves with a black cocktail dress or Audrey Hepburn outside of Tiffany's. Hours were spent designing my own creations and dreaming of wearing all the apparel my fingers could sketch. Today I have the honor of offering you collections of my clothing, bags, art, jewelry and vintage pieces that tell a story. Each piece full of attention to detail and design. My hope is that from the moment you receive an item from my shop that you know it is different from the attention to wrapping, fabrics, embellishments and vintage finds. Whether you are wearing one of my dresses, pieces of jewelry or carrying one of my bags ... I want you to feel beautiful and feminine. Welcome to my shop and I hope you enjoy your visit.

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The Unravelling e-course is an 8-week online class designed to help you heal the way you see your self and your world, using photography and journalling to access hidden thoughts & dreams and encourage personal realisations, all in the safe space of a like-minded community.

Photographer & writer Susannah Conway is your guide through this process, sharing her insights and wisdom gleaned from a four-year voyage through grief and healing. You don’t need any previous photography experience to do this course - all you need is a camera (iPhones are perfect for unravelling!), a journal & pen and an open heart.

Registration for the autumn Unravelling: Ways of Seeing My Self class opens TODAY at 11am EST/9am PST (class starts September 26th) — you can see what past participants have said about their Unravelling journeys over here (there are videos too :)

Give yourself permission to take a couple of hours out of your week to devote solely to YOU; this isn’t self-indulgence, this is nurturing, nourishing soul time - come join us for some autumn unravelling!

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You want the jewelry you wear to be meaningful and expressive. Affordable, but not mass produced. You want your jewelry to be like you…timeless and memorable. One of a kind. How about something a bit different? Something with a history. Something with a story.

At Sacred Cake you will find affordable heirloom quality vintage assemblage jewelry combined with timeless appeal. Whether it is for your wedding, graduation, first date, a gift, or for your everyday victories; look to Sacred Cake for personal service that you can always rely on to exceed your expectations and make you feel as special and as singular as you are.

There is only one you. There is only one Sacred Cake. Every piece tells a story. What will your story be?

*Kelly Rae readers receive free shipping & a special gift. Visit my etsy shop and enter the code “ONEOFAKIND” to receive your free shipping and your gift. I’d love for you to visit my blog for more simple projects, stories and inspiration.

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My name is Lisa Ferrante and I am a self taught mixed media artist. All my pieces are about love, maternal love, romantic love, self love and self empowerment. They are me exposed; each purges a powerful emotion, a profound realization, another step in my evolution as a woman. A customer recently wrote: “Lisa, your package brought me, my sister and my daughter to tears. Your generosity of spirit and kindness on top of the sheer beauty of the pieces filled us to overflowing with gratitude, love for art, artists and life! We all felt so aware that what we were celebrating was the supportive relationships between women and the amazing effects we can have on our worlds”.

Kelly Rae readers receive a free gift with purchase just write in “message to seller” Kelly Rae sent me! Browse my shop at chloeandsofiasmom.etsy.com for beautiful and inspirational prints and reproductions pieces for you and every woman you love. Or check out my blog at LisaFerrante.com And please check out the July/August issue of Somerset Studio Magazine to find out more about my life and art!

some thoughts on parenthood



We took this sweet video just after my parents moved here. As you can see, True thinks grandma is hilarious with her makeshift slipper puppet. I could watch this all day long. So joyful!

As True somehow approaches his first birthday, I'm thinking of our journey together - him, me, John, the grands, all of us. I'm thinking of the many days this last year, especially in the beginning, when I thought I would cry all day long from exhaustion, but also the days when I thought it just doesn't get any better than this, how everyday I couldn't wait to see him first thing in the morning. We're constantly trying to figure out how to be with him as much as we can while working while finding our personal space while staying close to our friends while living a somewhat well rounded life - not too hurried, not to stagnant, but just right, peaceful. What a journey it has been. In some ways it feels like life got very very narrow, yet here I stand with the widest heart I've ever known.

The layers of new parenthood run deep. The relentlessness of the entire experience is the thread that runs through all of those layers, challenging me at every edge to stay in the moment, to breathe easier, to lean in fully. I am learning the art of cozying up with the chaos that comes with never being on time, tasks taking weeks to complete vs hours, conversations playing out over email for well over a month that would normally take two days to complete, and on and on. You mamas out there know exactly what I'm talking about, right? Life is worlds different from before. The time management piece has been a huge adjustment. The letting it all go has been a huge adjustment. The living with changes that happen at lightening speed yet the slowness of the everyday has been a huge adjustment. The getting familiar with a new version of self and marriage has been a huge adjustment.

I often wonder why parents aren't talking about all of this all of the time?

It's such a strange land. I remember when True was first born, I felt so incredibly new, like I had just arrived for a permanent stay at a different planet where they speak a different language, live a whole different life, where I knew nothing and nobody - a place where I was afraid yet also comforted by the love I had for my new baby and the truth that everyone there had gone through what I was going through - a sisterhood of souls that had traveled through new mamahood. I've known from the beginning that I'd have to find my way to the new version of myself and this new life, one brave step at a time. It's such a odd experience - to feel brand new yet whole all at once. To feel love yet terror all at once. To feel confused yet deeply okay all at once.

Almost one year in, I can see how much courage it takes to be a parent, how terror and love dance with one another every second of everyday, how harnessing that energy and that relationship takes major effort, but how all of that is worth it. I can see now how living with a completely stripped heart takes practice, how it beats deeper now, how it has more and more to lose with each new day of new life with a sweet baby and how that alone can be scary enough to want to jump ship every now and again. I can see now how babies transform the whole family, how they can reset dynamics, and help forgive. I can see how love really is everywhere, how new life and new ways of seeing and believing are everywhere. I can see now how marriages deepen the second a baby is born yet stumble with sleep deprivation - and how partnerships ebb and flow, steady as the tide with the push and pull of understanding and connection. I can see now how crazy hard it is to work when all you want to do is snuggle. Yet I can also see and feel exactly how we can lose ourselves to too much togetherness and not enough space to remain who we really are. I can see now how precious every single moment is - how we really are building our stories with all of those moments. We have to make them count.

I'm learning the funny fact that what they say in those corny quotes + sayings are actually true:
That having a child really is like having your heart walking around outside of your body, that our children really are the ones teaching us and not the other way around, and that parenting really is the toughest but most rewarding job on the planet.

It feels like grace, like wide open spaces of grace. I'm so changed by this journey. Having baby True feels like the best Christmas Morning times a bazillion, every single day - so much giving and receiving and joy and celebration and wonder all mixed into the spirit of what really matters inside life's most special moments. I am so lucky. And I'm especially lucky to be doing all of this discovering with John and a sweet little boy named True that I'm sure was meant just for us. 

DIY lampshade using quilting scraps

So, I walked into our guest room the other day where my parents are currently staying until they move into the house they just bought. I noticed that my lamp got a makeover courtesy of my mom's super quick inspiration.

I thought it was soooo cute and soooo easy, I had to share the process with you:

She simply took three quilting scraps I had laying around (the same ones I used to give this candle a sweet little mat) and literally just dropped them over the old lampshade. No gluing, no sewing necessary. How cool and easy is that? The top two tiers needed a couple of pins to make the center hole smaller so that they would sit higher up on the shade and that was that.

That's my mom - she's always fluffing up anything she can get her hands on - even already cute lamp shades. Love that about her. 
ps: the original shade is still one of my faves - bought from this lovely etsy seller who makes adorable lamp shades. Cute shades are hard to find and I was delighted when I found her shop a couple of years ago.

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Now accepting new sponsorship reservations for the holiday season (Oct/Nov/Dec).

ps: The holidays are approaching. Can you believe it? I wanted to let you know that sponsorship for the holiday season (Oct, Nov, Dec) is filling up! It's first come, first serve, so if you're interested in becoming a sponsor (includes your ad on the blog sidebar + ongoing blog post spotlights), please send me an email at kellyraeroberts@gmail.com for further information! I'd love to feature your wares, crafts, services, and all around goodness here on the blog. Prices start at just $50 for some pretty ginormous exposure (over 5000 readers/day!). XO, Kelly Rae

sneak peek at studio space + TCC!

Big changes going on over here in my studio/biz life. Since moving in our home, all of the online shop inventory has been hanging out in our basement. The UPS man would deliver giant shipments such as this one and then it would all head down into our basement, get unpacked onto shelving, then shipped out to the lovely customers who place orders from the online shop. As business grows, the basement has been taken over with inventory, shipping supplies, and such. It was time to move it all out as we really need the basement for extra living space and creative/stuido space.

I have to say that moving it all out of my home and into a small warehouse space was a HUGE decision for me! It meant finding an affordable rental space, finding + hiring a second employee (Allie!), training that employee, paying rent elsewhere, setting up new printers (did I tell you my printer broke which meant I had to get a new one? LOVE IT - highly recommended for those of you looking to make stunning prints of your artwork!), and so much more - busy! It also meant giving up a bit of control as I wouldn't be so intimately involved in all the details that it takes to run the shop if it weren't being run out of my house.

It's been about a month since the big transition and I'm SO GLAD I went this route. Dani (my assistant who I could not live without) had to do a little gentle nudging to help me take the leap, but it was definitely a good move.

Since then, my mom has been helping me reclaim the basement as true living space, a play area for True, and a creative space for me. Above is a sneak peek at a corner of my creative space - more photos coming soon! The basement is quite large - a huge remodeling project (before/after photos coming soon!) we did before we moved in - so there is room for a big play area, a sweet little fort spot under the stairs, a family room, laundry room, and creative space.

We headed to the junk stores to see what goodies we could find and I brought home the above vintage child's table and chair for True's play area. How cute is that!? The bunny is actually fuzzy to touch. Love!

More before and after photos coming soon!

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ps: I wanted to mention that I'll be participating in The Creative Connection Event coming up in September. SOOOOOOO excited and very much looking forward to the classes, the panels, the people! I love love love that it's the only event that combines handcraft and food with blogging and business savvy - that's my kind of event!

I'll be a panelist (along with Heather Bailey, Kathy Hansen, and Linda Ellis for the topic of the nuts and bolts of launching a creative business. I'll also be one of the pitch slam experts (alongside other experts such Ingrid Liss of Demdaco, Margo Tantau of Hallmark, and more!) on the topic of becoming a designer for a gift company - perfect for those of you interested in licensing your designs to the gift industry!. And finally, I'll be singing books and participating in another breakfast panel of other women entrepreneurs (other panelists include Janine Vangool, Karen Walrond, Leigh Standley, Melody Ross and Susan Branch).

For those of you up for an adventure to Minnesota, come and join us! I'd love to meet you and perhaps see you in one of the handmade classes! It's been a long time since I've attended a retreat....I'm ready!

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E-course registration closes later TODAY! Want to know what all the fuss is about? Check out what you're saying over on this post!