Archives for January 2016

Quick and Easy Pompom Lampshade

One of these days I get tired of pompoms.

Is it today? NOT LIKELY.

One of my goals for 2016 is to quit taking my phone to bed. It’s so bad for you, but I have become so dependent on it. It’s the last thing I see before I go to bed, and the first thing I see when I wake up. That is sooooo not how I want o start my day! Anyway. Getting past this means giving myself an assortment of bedside reading options, which means a really good reading lamp. Not to bright, not too dark, and not too tall. I like a short and squatty, ambient lamp for reading light. And dontchaknow I found one at the thrift store, and dontchaknow it needed some dazzle dazzle to fit in with its new family. Enter pompoms.

It took ten minutes. You gotta see it for yourself over at IlovetoCreate!

Valentine Swap 2016

by aunt peaches

Update: Entrance to the annual valentine swap is now closed. Thank you to everyone who filled out the form – as of Feb 2nd, all addresses have been collected, shuffled, and sent back out. If you do not see your email, first *please check your spam filter*, and if that does not work, email me directly at valentines@auntpeaches.com. Please keep all contact to that email address only as it allows me a direct reply and it is very difficult for me to keep track of everyone’s info/inquiries over multiple social media platforms (I’m sure you understand). Thanks!

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It’s that time of year: THE VALENTINES EXCHANGE!

For the sixth year in a row, I am inviting my readers to participate in the biggest, most snazztastic valentine swap of all! Last year more than 600 folks participated from all around the world. That means more than 1,800 Valentines were exchanged between total strangers. Keeping track of all this can get dicey, so I’m making the sign up slightly different. The sign-up window is shorter and you will need to email me to request access to the signup form.

I know it’s a small hurdle but I want to ensure only the most dedicated Valentine makers will participate. All are welcome – but this is not for folks interested in getting some free cards. Long story short: Do not bother reading the rest of this post if you not equally enthused about making valentines as you are about receiving them. I have loved watching this swap expand every year, but I am okay with it getting smaller if it means all participants do just that: participate. Okay? Okay.

Now. Y’all ready for this?

I know what you are thinking….

Gee, I love the sound of this valentine swap. How does it work?

Well friend, I am glad you asked. This is the nitty-gritty: You send three handmade valentines to total strangers = You will receive three handmade valentines from total strangers.

That sounds fun! Where do I sign up? How do I exchange addresses?
Good question. Let me break it down:

– You send me an email and you will receive an automated response with a link to the form.

– You fill out the signup form before midnight CST on Jan 30.

– You receive an email from me before the end of the day on Feb 2nd with the addresses of three total strangers.

– You send one valentine to each address you receive, no later than Feb 8.

-You receive three valentines sometime before/around Valentines Day.

What sort of Valentines should I send?
Handmade! It could be a simple scrap of paper with a doodle from your kids, or a stitched up and sequined masterpiece. Adding some glitter or a buttons to a pre-existing valentines is OK too. Just as long as it has a handmade touch and can fit in an envelope, it’s game.

I’m in! What else do I need to know?

– This exchange is open to anyone, anywhere, any skill level. No one is expected to buy anything except stamps (heads up: people who read this blog are scattered around the world, so we all might need to double up on stamps).

– You are welcome to include a note inside your valentines with information about yourself, your blog/website/etsy business etc…but it is not required or expected.

– This is not an advertising opportunity. This is just a simple way to exchange random acts of kindness and send some love out into the world. No Debbie Downers, por favor.

– If you feel weird disclosing your name and address, I assure you I will not compile and use this information for any other purpose besides sending you valentines! PS: Please be sure to include your name. Some folks like to omit their name for privacy purposes and then the post office refuses deliver the cards, so just include your initials or nick name if you are uncomfortable with everyone getting up in your business.

HERE ARE SOME MORE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS...

I don’t like filling out forms, can’t I just reply in the comments or send you an email with my info?
Nope.

What happens if I get busy and can’t send a valentine? Can I back out at the last minute?
Good question. If you back out before Jan 30, no problem. Just send me an email (valentines@auntpeaches.com) — no harm, no foul. If you back out after Jan 30, that’s a problem. Your address will already be in circulation to three other people who will be sending cards to you. Those three people would be pretty peeved if they knew they were sending valentines to someone who was not holding up their end of the bargain, as would the three people who will not be getting your cards. So altogether, that’s six people who will be ticked at you. SIX. Do you really want to risk those kinds of karma points?

Is it okay to send my valentines after February 8? Or back out altogether?
No. It’s not okay. There will be 3 people who were assigned to receive your valentines and your lack of participation will ruin the swap for them. I am not okay with that. Also, people are very vocal about complaining to me about missing Valentines, so it is easy for me to figure it out who dropped the ball. And even if the recipient doesn’t know who didn’t send them a valentine, I will. And I’ll have your name and address.

*True story I like to share: There was one woman in Georgia who signed up for valentines two years in row and never sent any in return. Not one. When she didn’t respond to my emails – and there were multiple- I sent her an envelope of hair. Just hair. No return address. Just some trimmings I scooped off my hairdressers floor. I’m not sure if she ever traced it to me but I’m pretty sure that freaked her out. HEY GLORIA!

Can I share pictures of the lovely valentines I made and received?
Yes. I would love that! We would all love that. Please post them on any social media platform using hashtag #auntpeachesvalentineswap. If you aren’t into hashtags, post the picture on my Facebook page. In the past, some folks have even become friends with the person who received their valentines. It’s pretty swell!

Can I request certain countries or areas of folks I want to swap with?
Nope. All assignments are made at random. FYI, in recent years around 70% of participants were located in the United States, 10% Canada, 10% UK, the rest were scattered around the world. One year there were like 40 people in Bulgaria. It was pretty rad.

Can I skip the swap and exchange valentines with you instead?
No. As much as I would love that, you would end up with the short end of the stick because I would not likely send one back (Yeah, I’m a bad person)…and that would just give me something to feel guilty about, which something I would like to avoid. Instead, I suggest sending a Valentine to someone you love who is not expecting one. It will make their day!

Can you tell me if my Valentines were received and what they thought of them?
No. This is a hard one for many people to understand, but I need to ask you to respect this policy. I know we all love feedback on stuff we mad, but this is the nature of anonymous swaps; we rarely hear back from the other person. This is the gift of giving without expectation of return. Also: logistics are hard. With hundreds of participants x3 cards each, I’m not able to act as a go-between. This is another reason why I encourage everyone to post images on social media. But don’t get ticked if you don’t see yours posted – not everyone is so tech savvy.

Okay, I’m in! Let’s get this party started!
~~Send an email to~~ (THE SIGNUP WINDOW IS NOW CLOSED)

It’s an autoresponder so don’t worry about a text. Just use subject line “valentines” (or something) and within 90 seconds you will receive an email with a link to the signup form. If you don’t see it in your inbox – check your junk mail. I’m not publishing the link in this post because I want to be 100% sure your email account will recognize future emails from me (that has been a problem in the past and it will be important on February 2nd when you receive your three addresses).

If you are singing up on behalf of a friend or family member with the same address, please use a different name each time you fill it out. I will assume if one name appears twice it is an accidental duplicate. After you fill out the form you will receive an automated confirmation email.

AND JUST BECAUSE THIS POST ISN’T LONG ENOUGH…

A special request from me. And this is a little awkward so I hope my meaning here is clear: Please feel free to invite a friend to join the swap, but please do not share this post on social media or in mail exchange forums. This swap is open to everyone, but I do not want to facilitate one-way valentines for people who found out about it on Facebook or a Reddit forum and couldn’t be bothered to read directions. (Can you tell this has been a repeat problem in the past?)

I’ll be honest, I nearly cancelled the exchange this year because so many of last years participants complained they were missing Valentines. This makes me feel awful. Many, many hours were spent on a follow up emails, most of which went unanswered. I’m still confident the good outweighs the bad, and I want to do this again, but I need to be sure that I’m not setting people up for disappointment. I’m inviting participants who are invested and CANNOT WAIT TO SEND OUT THOSE VALENTINES! I want you to be just as excited to send as you are to receive. Sound good?

Awesome. ~~Send me an email:~~ (THE SIGN UP WINDOW IS NOW CLOSED)

PS: Here are some of the fantastic Valentines from the 2015 swap…

Window Dressing and a New Beginning

by aunt peaches 19 Comments

Welp. Tick another item off Ye Olde Dream list: I just went HOG WILD decorating a window. Lookahere folks!

Now. I have decorated many a window for work in my younger years, but it wasn’t for some cool place like Anthrologie, it was for an Aunt Edna style department store that made us follow corporate diagrams. So boring. And every time I’d finish setting something up I’d stand back and rework the whole thing in my head. Muchos frustratingos.

Anyway, so, last November, when Jaime and Paulette, the owners of one of my favorite local stores, Stumble & Relish, asked me if I’d like to come over after the holidays and help set up their window with WHATEVER I WANTED, you better bet I jumped at the chance!

And what was the theme? Valentines. So you know I was on this like white on rice.

The window at Stumble & Relish is narrow but crazy tall. Like Shaquille O’Neil tall. So you know what that means? Chandelier time.

It’s a pajacki!

You can see tutorial I made for another pajacki here. It’s surprisingly simple, especially when you have a basement full of wandering coffee filter flowers and hoola hoops. Don’t ask.

I have mentioned my love for Stumble & Relish before, so if you live in the Chicago area you might have gone by, but, if you were still thinking about it now is the time. Why?

Ahem…

They are the first to carry my pillows!

That’s right folks. I have a product line. We livin’ it fancy pants now. If you follow me on social media you know these have been in the works for ages. It was trickier than I expected, and there are more on the way, but I can’t even tell you how awesome it is to see this first batch with my own very eyes. And hands. Ooooooo it’s exciting!

You can purchase the pillows in person from Stumble & Relish right now for $48. I’ll be selling a *slightly* different version of the pillow covers (unstuffed) online in a few weeks, but this is the grand premier and the only place you can see them in person. So get it while the getting is good!

The actual pillows are 18″ square, cotton, but with a linen-looking finish. The front is a cropped segment of my painting “Bite Me Sheila” and the back is solid linen/almost-beige color. I had a few different samples made and I fielded a few friends for opinions, and the overwhelming conclusion was that doing these on a slightly off-white base makes them look a little more high end, and the colors on the front pair with more neutral surroundings. If your house is currently done up in neutrals but you want a punch of color, these will work nicely. These pillows play well with others!

Stumble & Relish is also selling three prints of floral paintings never seen before. These are all smaller, cropped versions of pre-paintings that never made it to the finish line, but are very similar to some of the more popular pieces in my popup shop from last fall. They are already framed (white frames + wide white mats = my favorite) and retail for $60.

Not sure if I’ll be selling more of these as I still need to figure a decent/affordable print provider, but, it’s in the soup.

PS: That’s my new favorite expression, “In the soup.” As in, the soup is cooking it just might take a while before it tastes right. Isn’t that a good expression? Yeah. I think so too.

So let’s get back to the important thing: THIS WINDOW.

I’m so excited! Sooooo excited!

Many thanks to Jaime and Paulette at Stumble & Relish for inviting me to share in the fun and for helping me reach the next steps in launching my dreams. The tiny little twinkle inside me that always dreamed of having a product line never thought it would happen, and now it has (sorta), and it is bizarre, absolutely bizarre, to drive down the street and look in a shop window and say THAT’S MINE! Annnnnnnnnd it’s in a window I got to help set up? Man!

The 11-year-old me, the one who begged for a mannequin for Christmas, is so proud of the 36 year-old me, it hurts. And I’m not going to lie, it feels really good.

Now I know what you are thinking: Did you get the mannequin?

You bet your ass I did.

Her name was Trixi. Great hair. Size 4. Hated shoes. My uncle named her after a Tijuana prostitute and she was the best dressed mannequin in the neighborhood. Obviously. This photo looks weird, but you have to remember that one of the ’80s greatest contributions to humanity was the movie Mannequin, staring hunkadelic Andrew McCarthy and Kim Catral before she lost her damn mind. Little girls nowadays have Frozen – I had Mannequin. And Mannequin 2: On the Move. No judgements! If you have never seen the movie, I’m not going to spoil it for you, but I will leave you with the music video montage courtesy of Starship, not-coincidently titled, Nothing’s Going To Stop Us Now, which is exactly how I’m feeling this week. Great things are coming! And all of this is thanks to you guys. Thank you for making this possible, and thanks for coming along for the ride.

Dream building: let’s do this!

Retro Yarn Art

by aunt peaches 2 Comments

My Christmas yarn binge is carrying into the new year with vengeance. Perhaps is the giant spools of cotton and wool staring at me, begging for purpose. Not sure, but I’m feeling mighty nostalgic these days which usually means one thing: Retro Craft Time. This is hen I like to spread out on the couch making stuff from old magazines, usually accompanied by reruns of long forgotten television shows. If you have never hosted your on personal Retro Craft Time (< and yes, the occasion warrants title case) I suggest starting with the Golden Girls and a project from an early ’80s McCall’s A cocktail couldn’t hurt either. Or chocolate. Your call.

Pink and green y’all. Pink and green!

Tell me this does not look like it as ripped from the set of *One Day at a Time.

*Brownie points to me for mentioning One Day at a Time in the course of a craft blog.

You can snag the full tutorial over at I Love to Create, or here is a teaser video right here!

Happy Monday: Frozen Hiatus Slow Thaw

by aunt peaches 44 Comments

Hello friends! Please forgive my recent hiatus. I went to California with plans to post regularly but the palm trees voodoo’d me into distraction. And by “distraction” I mean slothful consumption of sunshine and Dr. Pepper ice cream floats by the pool. Not to worry – ample details to follow!

Also. On the excuses front, there was a major meltdown on the backend of my site’s server. If you came here in the last two weeks and it was down or it looked like another site (yeah – that was weird, right?) I apologize. Finger crossed it’s fixed for good now but stranger things have happened. Then the fun part – I came back to Chicago to find a water pipe at my studio froze and exploded and it was horrible and I cried and the good times keep rolling.

But I digress. It’s Monday, it’s a new week, and Carson and Mrs. Hughes got married (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) on Downton Abbey last night so I’m going to be a happy camper IF IT KILLS ME.

Now. Let’s get back to the previously scheduled program of being awesome.

Ahem:

This 93-year-old granny models her granddaughter’ weavings like a champ!

Every color lego ever invented.

The pigment library to end all pigment libraries lives at Harvard, thus, I’ll be needing a reason to visit Boston asap. Thank you.

Ann of Green gables is coming back with thanks to one of the writers from breaking bad and i’m ready to LOSE MY MIND.

This is what I’m wearing through March. Save your judgements for your cold, puffy parka coat laughing in the corner.

Dogs with flower crowns. Need I say more?

Also! An update! Some of you asked if I’m doing another Valentine swap this year. The answer is YES, but I’m going to need to change up the format a little. I’ll be honest, nearly 10% of last year’s participants reported a problem with sending or receiving one or more Valentines and that is NOT COOL. For anyone. Especially my inbox. Most of this is the result of people who decide to pull out at the last minute, or people who didn’t take it seriously in the first place. I’m thinking if I add a small obstacle to make it harder to sign up (don’t hate me)…we can separate the wheat from the chaff. Sidenote: Is it chaff? Or shaff? Or maybe it’s shaft? I’m not sure but spellcheck says shaff is not a real word and chaff sounds vaguely farmish to me so I’m keeping it. The point being, as much as I would love the swap to keep growing in size, I would rather see it go small if it meant all those participating got what they signed up for.

Some people suggested a small entrance donation, while others suggested changing it to an ‘by invitation only’ basis for people who participated successfully in the past. Neither one of those sounds appealing to me right now, but I’m open to suggestion. Thoughts? Either way, I’m keeping the signup window short. Expect to see something something the last week of January. Holy cow I just typed that out and that is next week. Oufff.

Did I mention? Happy Monday!

Organizing in the New Year

by aunt peaches 9 Comments

Happy New Year!

It’s January 1 and like half the people I know, I am pledging to resolve to be more organized. I also resolved to live healthier but then I woke up and ate leftover potato chips with the Rose Parade so it’s not looking good. Let’s concentrate on the other stuff, shall we?

For me, the critical element to staying organized is to make ugly stuff look pretty. And while I love my art supplies, they are not exactly attractive mid-use. They always start out pretty but two weeks in the outsides get splattered and stained, half squeezed, totally-functional-but-unattractive. Time for something equally practical and pretty. Enter the drawer unit of my dreams….

If you have been to Michael’s in the last year you have seen these roller carts around. They usually retail for $80 but they are almost always on sale for $40…pair that with one of Michael’s 25% off any item (including sale items!) coupon, and it comes in $30 and change. That’s pretty swell for a storage unit.

I got it in a transparent white, but it also comes in pink and rainbow. I think it’s meant for scrapbooking supplies, but I like it for my studio to store paint, brushes, markers, office supplies, and receipts for all of the above (can you tell it’s year end and I have taxes on the brain?). And here is another thing on my mind: leftover Christmas trimmings.

I made these gift tags by slicing up a damaged watercolor painting (full tutorial next year y’all!) but I’m thinking any mail tags could be used for this.

I sliced off the tops, removed the string, and hung in between the knob and the drawer front.

So yeah. That was easy!

I could write the contents of the drawers on the tags but decided to match the match the artwork to the contents of the drawer…watercolor paint tag on the watercolor paint drawer, etc. This will not be obvious to anyone but me, but nobody is using it but me, so we’re cool.

So here we are. Fresh new year and I have a semi-cleanish studio. Not too shabby! If you are looking to jump start your organizing and don’t know where to begin, you can always take a look at some of the fun storage projects on Michaels.com or the other 49 makers’ ideas on The Glue String for tips on designing, organizing and decorating their favorite places. Happy New year!

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