wednesday wishlist

I love Halloween. I love costumes and dressing up. But I refuse to buy store-bought costumes and we all know how much work it can be to put together a great costume. Plus when you tend to be a creative perfectionist, procrastinator and control freak, it can really be exhausting. I have been sewing my Halloween costume the last couple days. Actually two costumes. I do not really sew. Especially without a pattern. But with my lovely moms help, the costumes are complete. She has since informed me that next year she is going out of town for the month of October. I say that's ok, because I'm staying home next year. Until 12 months from now and I forget all about how much work this all was. My wishlist this week is inspired by my Halloween costume.


















































































1 Teatime with Wolfie print - Tascha.etsy.com
2 Little Red ponytail holders - sweetfairyboutique.etsy.com
3 Hooded Capelet for Chickenpants, A Little Red Riding Hood - absolutelysmall.etsy.com
4 Little Red Ridinghood Gets Even, bad girl print - nancyfarmer.etsy.com
5 Organic Cotton Little Red Riding Hood Pencil Pouch - rohmer.etsy.com
6 Hey There Little Red Riding Hood print - printspace.etsy.com

new earrings

I have a lot of new earrings in the shop... and a necklace or two. Check them out! STELLA+HODGE.etsy.com.

w7 Collective - November sale is approaching!

STELLA+HODGE is super excited to be participating in the w7 Collective! Time to get started on your holiday shopping. Their November sale is approaching, if you are local you should definitely plan on stopping by! There will be lots of great pieces from local artists and etsy sellers. I've been working on tons of new stuff. You should definitely check it out, its a fun event! w7 Collective.com

log bowls

These bowls are gorgeous. I love the contrast of natural log texture and high gloss vibrant color. Designed by artist, Doha Chebib. Each bowl is made by hand using reclaimed trees. You can see them on loyalloot.com, which is a collective of local artists based out of Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. You can buy them at goodeggshop.com.

paper and ribbon flowers

I have decided that if and when I ever get married. I am having paper flowers. And it isn't because I'm cheap or weird. Anyone who knows me, knows I get totally geeked out with paper. The color. The texture. The pattern. Wall paper. Wrapping paper. Any paper! Think about it, paper flowers are always in season and will last forever. They are inexpensive and creative. And they are totally elegant and gorgeous. Anyone who thinks this seems goofy. Take a look at these paper bouquets and tell me that real flowers would be any more beautiful. Didn't think so.

I crossed paths with these photos on the ever inspiring marthastewartweddings.com. They have many beautiful ideas and examples with directions. The first three photos are made from paper and the bottom bouquet is made from ribbons.

wednesday wishlist

One of the hardest things is staying organized. I have a lot of stuff and am constantly trying to find ways to eliminate the clutter. Let's face it, creative people are known for having a lot of stuff, whether it be supplies, things we've created or little tidbits of inspiration. But there are so many cute options out there to help us! From storage solutions to writing down lists. These are some of my favorites.

1-2 In Touch Clutch -DownstairsDesigns.etsy.com

3 Bear To Do List -boygirlparty.etsy.com

4 Business card file with vintage record album covers - FreestyleGifts.etsy.com

5-6 Fabric covered accordion file - WatermelonWishes.etsy.com

7 Birch wood pattern desktop calendar - nightowlpapergoods.etsy.com

8 Large fabric storage bins - sewingmomma.etsy.com

needle felted animals

Needle felting is one of those crafts that I completely appreciate because I have no idea how people do it. These tiny little critters are amazing. I love how they can end up so sweet and adorable or totally kooky and weird. All still equally cute. These are some of my favorites.





















Linen the Jacabob (and other friends) - KitLane.etsy.com
Needle Felted Dreamy Bunny - 5erg.etsy.com
Tiny Chimpanzee Necklace - motleymutton.etsy.com
Family Row of Birds In a Nest - gotcrowcreations.etsy.com
Yellow bear with crystals in paws, brooch - ememem.etsy.com
Needle felted mouse - bearcreekdesign.etsy.com
Halloween Kooky Cat by Maria Pahls - mrcrowsgarden.etsy.com

adorable wreaths

This shop is seriously on my list of absolute favorites. KnockKnocking.etsy.com is like a little land of fairytales. Agnes, from Austin Texas, creates these wreaths and it's like each one tells a little story. The unique trinkets and details are beautiful and whimsical. And the color palettes she creates are luscious. Some of these are available in her shop right now and some are past creations. Gone to live somewhere and adorn doors with hospitality and beauty. She is also busy working, with many more new ones on the way. I can't wait to see those too! Visit her blog too, that is equally adorable KnockKnocking.blogspot.com

TV's tufted headboards

I am totally jealous of the gorgeous colorful tufted headboards that keep popping up on TV shows. Some day I will have one. I first fell in love the the Draper's headboard on Mad Men (which btw is the best show on TV!) The set and costume design on that show is the most amazing I have ever seen. Now this season I am drooling over Rebecca and Justin's bed on Brothers & Sisters. I absolutely love this one. I love that it also has the foot board. And the jewel-tone green is amazing. It is probably good I do not have a bed as gorgeous as these lucky TV characters. I would probably never get out of it. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

wednesday wishlist

Since here we are, on October 14 and we have already had snow and freezing temps here in Minnesota. I think winter has arrived. Dear, 2 weeks of fall. It was great to see you and I'm so sorry you had to leave so soon. But with the colder weather, it makes me appreciate the crisp beauty of things. Especially birch trees.

clockwise:
Autumn forest clasp clutch purse - jenniferladd.etsy.com
Birch necklace - maggiejs.etsy.com
Fall birch trees card - Papavier.etsy.com
1963 Paint by Number Masterpiece - SurrenderDorothy.etsy.com
Birch dessert plates, with customized initials - RustDesigns.com
Birch Screen printed Wool Log Pillow - myimaginaryboyfriend.etsy.com
Birch Tree Forest Decal Set - HutchMe.etsy.com

identity refresher

I don't know about you, but after you look at the same banners, business cards and packaging alllllll the time. Sometimes its good to do a little identity makeover. I was getting tired of green, so I switched up my Stella color palette and had some new business cards printed. I had three cards printed. One a regular business card. One that I use to write my thank messages on the back with each order. And one that, once cut down, turns into my earring cards and hang tags. I bought orange accent buttons and eyelets. And all three cards have a different coordinating orange pattern on the back that matches up with Stella's dress, of course.

Also, for another surprise check out my blog banner. Trick or treat!

america's favorite cities 2009 - go twin cities!

Travel + Leisure magazine has named America's favorite cities. The Twin Cities made #10. Cities are rated on their culture, shopping, restaurants, nightlife, people and more. Minneapolis/St. Paul was rated #1 for intelligence! And made the top 5 for theater, friendliness, public parks, cleanliness and safety. Pretty impressive overall, but we didn't rank so well with winter travel and weather... shocking ;) Check out how your city ranked. See the results here America's favorite cities 2009.

iphonemania

I stumbled across these totally fun magnets for all you iphone users out there. Seriously. They are so cute. They are made from polymer clay and the spot-on detail is unreal. Makes a great gift for the iphone user on your Christmas list. You can find them at bearduck.etsy.com.

wednesday wishlist

I'm totally head over heels for tin jewelry right now. I just love knowing that each unique piece is recycled from some totally random item. Was it a tin someone collected buttons in? A tin that was a gift full of sweets? Or just vintage packaging someone's grandmother held onto for many years. I love how the illustrations are cropped and you only get an abstract piece of that history. Bits of type. Gorgeous patterns. Vintage details. Here are some of my favorites and where to find them on etsy.





























1-2 - fofum.etsy.com
3-5 - christineterrell.etsy.com
6-8 - theflyingtrapeze.etsy.com
9-11 - littleblackrabbit.etsy.com

easy and fun locket tutorial!!

In wandering around on the web I found this project on marthastewart.com. This is a super fun and easy project that she had on her show a while back. I wanted to try it. So I'm sharing photos of the locket that I made along with the steps I followed and where to buy the supplies. Its hard to live up to Martha and her amazing team, but I was pretty impressed with how it turned out.































1 Purchase a large locket that has a recessed area on the front.
2 Arrange your accents however you want them
3 Sand the center where you will be decorating the locket. Wipe away the dust. This will give the materials something to adhere to.
4 Pour colored nail polish into the center of the locket.
5 You can use the nail polish brush to move the polish to the sides. Don't fill it too full, because you will need room for your accents.
6 While polish is still wet, using a tweezers, place all your accents on the locket. Let dry overnight. You can use a cotton swab and nail polish remover to clean up any little smudges if you get any on the accents or sides of the locket.

Be creative choosing your accents and charms. The possibilities are endless, especially on etsy. But I've compiled a list below of where I got my supplies in case that helps. Enjoy! Happy crafting

locket - WanWanCorner.etsy.com they have a great selection of lockets. The antique brass one I used also comes in silver
flower - WanWanCorner.etsy.com
butterfly - findingme.etsy.com I got mine here, but there are many other places on etsy with similar butterfly charms.
filigree leaf - halolo.etsy.com This was a three petal leaf that I snipped apart to arrange differently

shop, swap, and blog

I'm thrilled to participate in this swap. I came across this on the last day to enter and thought it sounded super fun. Pattie from mystructuredchaos.blogspot.com, had an idea to do a shop swap and blog. Basically this is where you send your partner something from your shop, packaged up all cute along with some info, and they in turn blog about the experience! I love this kind of thing. It's like a fun little crafty grab bag.

I got matched up with my partner and am totally excited to pick out what item to send her and see what I get in return. I will be posting pics, Stay tuned!

NEW jewelry!!

I have a lot of new jewelry pieces in my shop. I'm working on more too. Lots of new earrings are on their way as well as some new products. What do you think...have a favorite?