Who I Am Designs Jewelry

So, I've been making jewelry for about the past year in efforts to raise money for missions trips to Haiti. I just thought that I would share some of my creations with everyone ☺ I hope you enjoy!

Though I do not currently have online buying available, I hope to be able to do that very soon! As always, follow me on Pinterest and check out more jewelry on Facebook and this special Pinterest page here.

Valentine's Nerd

Hello, hello, my lovelies!

Valentine's Day is approaching quickly and I thought this year I would go a little overboard on my sweetie's gift. You see, I indulge his nerd side as often as I can, and I figured he would get a real kick out of this Star Wars themed gift. It is oh so much better than that standard box of mystery chocolate- you know the one (toothpaste flavor, oh yum!)

I originally picked up some Star Wars goodies in early January to hold until his birthday (March is just too far..), but I just couldn't resist giving them to him for Valentine's Day. He'll be so surprised! I think he'll love it, but according to him, he's loves everything I do that's personalized. Awwww... 

Below, I'll show you everything I put in his box. And when I say I like to indulge his nerd side, I also mean his childlike heart.. Very childlike heart. There are a few extra things I threw in for good measure, which you will see.

Things you will need:

- If it is Star Wars related, GET IT

- A nifty box to put all those treasures in

- Star Wars Valentines add to the overall appeal 

Yup, it really is that simple. And since it is themed, this gift can pretty much cost as little or as much as you want. It all depends on the contents.

Here we go..

I chose a sturdy container so that it could hold whatever I wanted to add. Dollar Tree has tons of options in many different colors. I picked red like Darth Vader's lightsaber. (This is coming from someone who, sadly, hasn't even successfully sat through any of the original films. Maybe that's what we'll do with the rest of the day..) 

When I was in my local Dirt Cheap, I came across lots of ten cent finds, including lots of Star Wars goodies. I didn't spend more than a dollar on any of the small items. What a great find!

There was a 100 piece puzzle, two small stuffed figures, a giant Yoda eraser, a Grad&Go play pack, a Darth Vader cup, and a full size play lightsaber! Can you say awesome? No worries, I got both of us covered: AWESOME! 

My only real splurge in the box was the Blu-Ray/DVD 6-disc combo pack of the three original films. I also got this really cool light-up candy lightsaber (which I've given him before and he loves).

I placed the Star Wars Valentines on each of the items in the box as a "corny yet cool" feature. My favorite is R2-D2: I bet you whistle at all the droids. Boom. I just love that.

It really came together great and may be one of the best themed gifts I've given him since the Zombie Survival Kit. That was a classic...

Now, amongst all the super Star Wars stuff, I put some cutesy/corny more traditional Valentines. My sweetheart likes dinosaurs, too, so I fashioned some little homemade things together for his gift including a hand-drawn dino picture and a card tied to a plastic T-rex from the Dollar Tree. 

There's also a little stuffed bear in there with the tagline: I love you "beary" much!

So, you've now seen this years Valentine's Day gift! You can follow me on Pinterest and LIKE my page on Facebook! Happy gifting! ♥

Book of Love: A Personalized Scrapbook

    I'm finally getting around to posting this (it took me long enough..), but this was part of my honey's Christmas present! I saw an idea similar to this one somewhere online, but it wasn't as detailed as I was hoping, so I wanted to put mine up ☺ 

    Some of you will be stepping out of your comfort zone on this one. It requires gutting an old book.. *GASP* The horror! I know, I know. I felt bad doing it, but honestly, no one in my household is going to read that Reader's Digest from the fifties. Now, if you make it past this stage, it's clean sailing.

   

    Here is what you'll need:

• An old book- think thrift shop find 
• Glue (and maybe tape)
• Photos 
• Scrapbook pages
• Stickers to decorate (I also used wooden shapes)
• A binder center or rings (I used rings)
• White 4X6 notecards

Ok, gut that book! Just make sure you only take out the pages, but leave the entire cover intact! It won't work if the cover gets ruined.

Next, cover the inside with pretty scrapbook paper.

 Poke the rings through the book's spine. If you decide to use a binder center instead, you will not be able to glue the ribbon down, ok? And you will need to used really strong glue to put it in place ☺ These will hold your pages inside. I used wooden shapes to decorate my inner covers and some of the pages I added. To cover the inside spine, I took a strip of thick ribbon and glued it down.

The pages were also made from scrapbook paper and I placed a white notecard on the pages I wanted to add text to.

Some pages were decorated with ribbon and stickers.

I used some of my favorite mushy quotes and special messages on some pages and glued pictures to the white backsides of other pages. Instead of typing anything, I hand wrote all of it so that it would be even more special.

Make your book as unique as you can ☺ The person who receives it will love all the work you put into it!

                                           Happy crafting!

Monogram Mania!

Everything!

Etsy.com

I don't know about you guys, but monogram is a staple here in the South. We monogram everything, and I do mean everything. So here is my first freebie post! It's for, you guessed it- monogrammed wallpapers! Is that too far? Eh, who cares! I'm also posting links to some of the most adorable monogrammed accessories I've seen floating about the web.

Also on Etsy.com

Monogram not your thing?

Try finding a fab background and adding a block of color with your favorite quote or song lyrics over it!

My current desktop!

Polka dots

Latest obsession? Lilly  Pulitzer!

Stripes

Not sure how to do it yourself? Open up "Paint" in your computers start menu under accessories and add text over this picture. Don't wanna d it yourself? I hear ya! Tell me what you want in the comments and I'd be happy to do it for you! Free, of course ☺ Leave me your email, too!

DIY Chandelier Earrings

I made these recently as a Christmas present I'll be giving to my best friend. They took a little time, but were well worth all the effort put into them!

Supplies you will need:
- 2 Earring chandeliers
- 2 Fishhook earwires
- 12 Headpins
- Small jump rings (if desired)
- 24 pearl beads
- 10 flower shaped glass beads (or other shapes)

These earrings are on the heavier side because I used glass beads. If you like lighter earrings, use plastic or even wooden beads!

{Will be posting a video soon!!!!!!! So stay tuned!!!! ☺}

Pass the headpins through a pearl bead, then the flower bead, then another pearl bead.

Use pliers to fold the cut headpin back against the top pearl bead.

Use the same technique for the pearl bead used in the top of the chandelier. Fold the headpin back, leaving room for the pearl to dangle. Cut the excess headpin and fold what remains back against the bead.

On the fishhook earwire, I had springs resting at the bottom, but I removed those a replaced them with yet anther pearl. So this is a cuter option than the spring!

Ta-da!

Finished product!

Here on this blog...

Hey y'all! I've added another link in the top tabs to my new Tumblr page, Anything Ridiculous. Check it out!

You'll find adorable pictures like these, and maybe even some of my own work ☺ I look forward to any and all feedback! So drop me a line in the comments!

 I've just got it started so there's not too much going on, but as time goes on, the Tumblr page will grow along with this blog. Thanks for following!

And remember to follow me on Pinterest and Facebook!

My First Newborn Session!

An old friend got in touch with me not too long ago and asked if I would be interested in doing her newborn's photos. Of course, I hopped on that like hungry wolves on a juicy steak! I've never had the chance to take newborn pictures, so this was very exciting for me. I've heard you have to have a lot of patience to do baby pictures and I finally found out firsthand. He was a little on the fussy side through most of it, but he was completely adorable and I enjoyed every minute of it ☺

 100% Boy!

 Fresh from Heaven

 Isn't he the cutest thing?! I so enjoyed taking these pictures and it was an excellent time to catch up with my friend. He is a beautiful little boy!
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