sneak peek // vol. 1

I love these bulletin boards above my desk. I spend a lot of time at our computer and they're mounted just above it. They are a great source of inspiration. I'm an avid Pinner, but need inspiration that I can touch as well. I'm really into textures. Do you use any sort of bulletin board/ mood board in your work space?

the creative process

For the past few months, I've been working on a wedding that I had the privilege of styling. Now that the planning is over and the wedding has happened, I have a lot of free time to work on other creative projects. I took the past few days off to relax, clear my mind, and get inspired. I ended up having a lot of fresh ideas for new products and am currently in the middle of developing them. I'm making sure to take the time to experiment and embrace the creative process. It's making the whole experience so much fun and rewarding. Have you given yourself time to be creative lately?

replay / vol. 5

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1. Cailen and my brother-in-law got married this weekend. It was an amazing wedding and she looked gorgeous!
2. I've been doing a lot of wedding prep for my cousin's wedding and that included planting 20 succulents.
3. I spruced up our new dining table with a little center piece arrangement.
4. I received these pretty postcards in the mail from Krista.
5. Made this garter for Cailen.
6. Patrick's bottom lip gets stuck like this sometimes and I love it.

san diego creatives video

This week we're on a little getaway in the desert. We're currently out near Palm Springs, but we will be there on Monday and staying at The Ace. We're celebrating Philip's birthday, our anniversary, and just needed to get away and relax! No work, no orders, no e-mails..well, I guess blogging is technically work, but I don't think of it that way ;)

Just wanted to stop by with a quick hello and to share this video. We had the privilege of working with Shaun of Boyte Creative. When I say "working with" I feel like I'm making our role sound a lot more involved than it was. The whole project was so much fun for us. Shaun came over to film and interview us a few days, but it was mostly hanging out with an awesome new friend. He wrote about our brief time together and basically explains how we were all supposed to be friends (the two of us, him, and his girlfriend Kelsey). Shaun and Kelsey are moving, so our friendship will grow in a different way than we would have thought. It was funny timing, but we now have friends that we'll get to know over e-mails, daily Instagram comments, and by keeping up with each other's blogs. We will hopefully get to take advantage of road trips to their new place in Colorado as well. We were honored to be apart of such an incredible project. We can't thank Shaun enough for creating this and to Kelsey for letting us steal Shaun in these very last days while they packed and searched for a new home in a new city.

Also, thank you to everyone who has already given so many sweet and encouraging comments upon watching this video. We couldn't do what we do without all of the love and support from everyone around us. Truly. It would be impossible without you all and we're so grateful that we're able to live out this little dream of ours.

-Philip and Chelsea

shop update / quality over quantity

I've listed this birdcage veil in the shop, along with the flower girl headband. This is the veil that I recently made for a friend. I was so happy with how it turned out and so was she (which of course is my ultimate goal). I'm hoping to keep my inventory pretty limited so that I can really focus on each piece and how they turn out. I'm extremely happy with what I have in there so far. That's much better than a bunch of things that I'm not in love with (which is what it was like for me before). Quality over quantity is definitely my goal.

Also, for the first time (maybe ever) I'm realizing that people are hiring me because they trust my taste / design style..whatever you would call it. That may seem like a no brainer, but I didn't fully understand that until recently. See, I have this problem with worrying about disappointing people. It's something that I dwell on the entire time that I am creating something. It really gets in the way of being confident in what I'm doing. Lately, I've been able to let that go and just create. It is so freeing! It hasn't just changed the outcome of what I'm making, but made the whole process so enjoyable for me. That's when I do my best work- when I enjoy and feel confident in what I'm doing. So thank you everyone who trusted me to make / design something them. It has been a huge encouragement for me and I appreciate it more than you know.

xo
Chelsea

giveaway.

I'm doing a giveaway over at See The Skyline's Blog. Enter to win the bundle which includes this barrete, a velvet bow barrete, and a foral broach. ♥

here to stay, is the new bird.

This was one of the first things I've made since re-opening the shop. I even photographed and listed it in the same day (That means I'm really excited)! I have a few more wreaths (I think about 5) that are already made. I hope to have time for taking pictures and adding more listings this weekend... For now, it's time to catch up on sleep.

details.

I had an event to go to last night, so I decided to make myself a little broach for my outfit. I really like how it turned out and I'm thinking about making some for the shop (minus the poor quality fabric of the pink one). What do you think?

Tomorrow, I'll share a full what I wore post and details of this lovely event. Hope you are having a good week. Tomorrow's Friday!

weekend recap // street fairs and organizing

Yesterday was the Adam's Avenue Street Fair. Tumbleweed's Odd Shop is on Adam's, so we stopped by for a quick visit and to stroll the fair. I could stay in there forever looking through all of the goodies that Beca, Doug, and Shawn have collected. Also, I got to see these one-of-a kind pair of sunglasses that Doug recently crafted. They are amazing up close!

After the fair, we went home to clean and organize. We got rid of a ton of stuff that we don't need (doesn't that always feel refreshing?!). We aren't even close to being finished, but it was a great start. We need to clear extra space in our house, because we are starting a huge project that is taking over the entire downstairs. Philip is going to be selling some of his work through fab.com at the end of next month. That means that the two of us are making book lamps and pendant lamps almost everyday until that weekend. This was part of the reason that I closed my shop this week. In fact, I'm going to keep it closed for a little while longer while until we get things in order. It's just insane around here and I don't have enough time to give full attention to the shop.

This morning we enjoyed the cold weather while sipping coffee at Influx. We stopped by for some coffee and to talk out our game plan for the next couple of months. It was a refreshing way to start the morning. Now back to organizing! How did you enjoy your weekend?

need a breather.

Doesn't this little breakfast look like heaven? A few things pop into my head when I look at this: refreshed. breathe. enjoy. healthy. sit. I need more of this in my life. I have hit a breaking point and can't add anything else to my plate. In fact, I need to take a step back to let myself breathe. I decided to take a week for myself. I am going to do a lot of thinking, resting, prioritizing, reading, sitting, and reconnecting with my husband.

I decided that, during this week, the shop will be closed. I have 2 orders to send out tomorrow and then I need a break from making anything. The shop will re-open on Monday, September 26th. When it does, I should have quite a few new listings: yarn wreaths, hair bows, and necklaces.

Goodnight.

shop update: chalkboards and lamps.

Philip and I both have some new listings in the shops. We have been working like crazy fulfilling orders and when we do get the chance, we try to update the shops. I had a custom order for these chalkboards + the woodland chalkboard. It was really fun making something new- especially because it was something that we made together. (Philip cut and sanded the wood for me.)

Philip has had a lot of e-mails asking when he's going to have more book lamps in the shop. He's been so busy fulfilling pendant lamp orders, that there hasn't been time to make any. Well, there was time to make one and it's in the shop now.

I have the day off from the cafe so I'm sending out some orders and working on new ones. Yay! AND it's my brother's birthday today, so maybe I'll even get to see my family for dinner tonight. What are your plans today?

mini photo shoot.

We needed to take some pictures of a new product tonight and Patrick needed to go on a walk. We took all of our stuff and our little pup down to the balboa trails. It was a nice little outing before we locked ourselves in the house to work the night away. We're still crazy busy. I actually forgot today was Monday. I thought it was Tuesday or Wednesday because we worked all weekend. Haha. How was your Monday?

PS..new product photos coming soon :)

custom order// shop updatae

I made this custom order this week for a bride. It is the same hairpiece that I made a while back. Do you remember Kristen's Bridal Hairpiece? This was the same, but this bride wanted 3 mini ones. I really loved how they turned out so I decided to list some in the shop.

coming soon.

Today is my day off from the cafe. I am working on orders like a crazy person! Just wanted to say hello + to show you something that I've been thinking up for a while now. This one isn't even finished, I was really excited to share it. I'll post more (and better) pictures when it's in the shop.

A couple of random things from last week/ this week:

Jake and I performed at Corner Cafe this past Friday. We had lots of fun and had so many great people there to listen and support us. It was amazing! (Our little Mary Jane was in the audience and watching her smile at Jake and I took away a lot of my stage fright. ♥ her)

I was introduced to this fantastic company and their products this week. I signed up and can't wait to place my first order!

I called my grandma and asked her to teach me how to make some of her famous recipes (that's good for you guys, because you know I'll be posting them) :)

I hadn't seen my little nephew in a while and when I saw him on Friday, I immediately spotted four little teeth! Too cute.

I am getting super anxious and want to start our dining room make over asap! We are planing on making our own table and this will be very helpful.

Hope you are enjoying your week so far!

shop update.

There are a couple of new headbands in the shop. Both are made with vintage lace appliques and detailed with pearl beads. The ribbon makes them very comfortable and easy to wear.

Lace Crown Headband:

Christine's Lace Headband:

shop update

There are two new items in the shop this morning: Twiggy Dessert Picks and Lynette's Paper Feather Hair Comb.

These dessert picks come as a set of six: 2 flag picks with button charms, 3 small flag picks, and 1 custom banner. This set would be great for engagement shoots or the dessert table at the wedding. You could use them in pies, cupcakes, or use a few on top of the cake.

This hair piece is very delicate. The paper feathers are made from the page cutouts for Philip's lamps. Dried baby's breath lays across the feathers with two small flowers on one end. There are small pearl beads inside each flower.

All of my paper pieces in the shop are now coated in a matte protective finish so that they are durable against any kind of moisture or liquid. Because if you're as clumsy as I am, you'd rather be safe than sorry.

shop update // new necklace

There's a new necklace in the shop: Jade's Key Necklace. It's made with a vintage key, white + mustard colored beads, and an antiqued brass chain. Philip has an old jar of keys above his desk. I forgot about it until today. I decided to steal some for more jewelry :)