cork earrings :: diy :: jewelry

do you love wine as much as i do? if so, you probably have a bucket of corks sitting around your house. let's put them to a fashionably good use today, shall we?

to make your cork earrings, just slice each cork with a smooth edged knife. try to make as even as possible, but a little imperfection is ok because it adds to the character of your creation! you can then paint or stamp (as seen above) directly onto the cork slices. once you are happy with your design, just grab your e-6000 and glue onto a flat earring stud found at the hobby store.

then, wear these artsy fartsy beauties to the winery and be the envy of every wine lover there.

xoxo

confessions of a junky :: art studio photography

junkidy junk junk. i really love junk. some would say [my husband] that i have a problem. i can't help it... i literally feel a rush of anxiety run through me when i stumble upon a box of old tools, a grandpa's garage, or something of the like. i justify my obsesh with the art of creating fobots for the shop.

but then... i took it to another level last weekend when i found myself creating backdrops to photograph my junk. i set up scenes. i was doing this in the middle of the night. i was giddy.

and you know what? i'm not ashamed. i love my junkidy junk junk. and the photos... i think they're weird. and that's what i like about them.

i'm weird. you're weird. isn't that the best thing ever?

xoxo

instagram :: photography

hey friends! do you instagram? if so, let's share photos. i just joined and i'm super excited to explore my new phone & tablet photography skills ( i know, i know, i'm way behind the trend here ). follow me: http://instagram.com/cassandra_pence

o, and urban sass has a page too! http://instagram.com/urbansassafras

xoxo

tp snowman :: kid projects

remember when we were kids and had "snow days"?! this meant, the snow was so plentiful that the buses simply couldn't pick us all up. we would wake up late, eat cereal on the couch while watching cartoons and then our parents would kick us out to go play in the snow. well... that doesn't seem to happen much anymore. instead, my kids have "cold days". meaning... it's too cold to go outside! days off school have become really boring. it's too cold to even walk to the car and drive somewhere to do something. brrrrr

if you have experienced this over the last couple months, and/or are experiencing it this weekend (as we are), i have a little project for you and the kiddos that will at least pull them away from the tv for a little while. the greatest thing about this project is that you have pretty much everything already in your house somewhere! so, show the kids this list:

• tp roll
• white paint
• paint brushes
• cotton balls or craft puffs
• pipe cleaners
• googly eyes (optional)
• ribbon
• buttons
• glue
• hole punch

then, make them find all of these items in your house. don't tell them what you are going to do with these things. the anticipation will be heightened and they'll excitedly go about your silly scavenger hunt.

after everything is gathered, sit down and make a little tp snowman. you can share your childhood stories of "snow days" while they craft away.  and, of course, you'll be helping them make their own memories of "cold days".

happy weekend friends. xoxo

bokeh fun :: diy photography

do you play with bokeh styling much? i haven't in a while and snuck outside the night before we took down our holiday lights. i'm glad i did... i'll use them for backgrounds and layering through-out the year.

if you don't know how to get the shape effects see this great tutorial by apartment therapy.

xoxo

prism photography :: photography diy

love a good sun flare & blur? me too! and i've found a great way to accomplish this effect INDOOR without using photoshop. simply use a prism like this one. here are the details:

1. set up your shot
2. manually focus
3. using your free hand, place the prism in front of your lens
4. as you move it up/down, left/right you will see you image distortion and beautiful "sun flares"

easy right? well, whatcha waiting for?... go experiment! 

fruit water :: diy

lately, i've been trying to drink more water. you know, for all the skin benefits, weight management assistance, etc, etc. the list goes on and on about how fantastic water is for us...

but, most of the time, i don't really want water to drink. i'd much rather prefer coffee or wine. i've always viewed water as something i drink only when i'm thirsty from working out, a hot summer day or sickness. not something i drink as a luxury to enjoy.

so, as a proactive effort to chug a bit more water through-out the day, instead of grabbing for that afternoon coffee, i've been adding a little fruit to my water. herbs too! i prepare these every couple of days and that way, i'm more apt to grab a pre-made refreshing water, instead of making a cup of joe. there are countless combinations you can try with fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs. here are the three pictured above:

1. strawberry & mint
2. cucumber & basil
3. lemon & blueberry

o, and p.s. because i use fresh fruits & veggies, these are filled with natural vitamins as well. bam! i bet even your kiddos would like it. 

studio tour :: art studio photography

over the weekend, the shop girls helped me cleaned up the ridiculous mess i call my art studio. located in the back of the shop, over the holidays, this room became the dumping ground for 1/2 finished projects. seriously, you couldn't even walk into it. seriously.

last sunday night, my sparkly cousin and i spent the evening crafting & drinking wine by candlelight to celebrate what a giant day of organizing we had. i didn't even care that i had to wake up early with my boys the next day, because there is an adrenaline rush that comes with a fresh art room... don't you think?

loves to my ol' sparkly. xoxo

mirror makeover :: diy :: home decor

what do you think of my recent mirror makeover?! i found the mirror at salvation army and knew it had some potential. plus, also, i had an old anthropologie necklace made of fabric flowers that i stopped wearing a couple years ago. it was time to cut it up and put to a new decorative use. by adding the small book page flowers, the busy-ness of the fabric patterns are broken up a bit.

i think this would be darling in a bathroom or girl's room. where would you put it?

xoxo

derby car :: projects with kids

"the monster" has his first pinewood derby tomorrow! he is out-of-this-world excited! in fact, i'm pretty sure it's the only reason why he joined cub scouts in the first place. when he found out that there was a parent/sibling division, i couldn't say "no" to his little face as he pleaded with me to do a car.

and so, began the stress of figuring out how to make a race car out of a block of wood... while simultaneously teaching my son to use a saw and not loose a finger. after a couple of failed attempts to hook up with a friend of a friend who has said "saw", we opted for the pre-cut version that you can buy at the hobby store. relief!

once "bump" saw the fancy race car pictures, he too wanted to make a derby car and enter the race. our finished (and in "bump's" case, mostly finished) cars are above. although we used the pre-cut blocks, all other details were chosen and attached by each of us to create our original cars. i was proud of myself for not jumping in and trying to do the boys' cars for them (as i'm sure many parents do). by making my own car, i was able to work along side of them and teach them instead. i am also incredibly proud of "the monster" because i think his car turned out pretty good!

anyway, the race is tomorrow. i'm sure we won't win any prizes, but if we do i'll be sure to brag about it on here next week. xoxo