August Kit and Journaling Class Details

The August Paper Kit from Red Velvet Kit Club is up for sale in our Etsy shop for non-subscribers. We are excited to have Jen Geigley as our GD. She contributed her talent to the kit in the form of these fabulous mid-century modern tags. LOVE THEM!



In other news...the response to the art journaling class has been OUTSTANDING! Thank you to everyone who has signed up or wanted to really bad but can't. THANKS! Each of you have contributed to our best friends, Katy and Adam, bringing their first son home from Ethiopia later this month. We are all so excited that its drawing closer and this will only make the last part of the process easier on that sweet new family.

Its not too late to sign up if you're still thinking about it. We'll be accepting spots until August 6th at midnight. The cost is now $30.00 and slots can be purchased HERE. I can't wait to get this class started and see what lovely things come from it.

Happy early weekend. I'm off to the garage sales for a short break before kit packing resumes. PonyParty is being featured in the Etsy mailing list today! It goes out to some 13,000 subscribers daily so I'm excited about the potential new customers coming that way. And I didn't get to share last week but Design*Sponge posted about the makeover I did on Sebastian's shelving unit. Thanks so much lovely, inspiring, generous internet connections!

On a random personal note...I've watched Feist sing '1, 2, 3, 4' on Sesame Street about 30 times this week. Sebastian is in love.

August Online Art Journaling Class!!!

Slots are now available for my online art journaling class for August 7th-18th and beyond. You can get yours HERE.

Slots will be available for purchase until July 31st for $25. After that time, I'll offer another 10 slots for $30.00. Your purchase also enters your name into a drawing to win over $100 worth of Love, Elsie product. The winner will be announced during the week of August 11th.

Whatever else you may have planned for August will still happen. This can fill in the blanks! See Etsy Shop for details.

Eeeny, Meenie, Miney, Mo...

Blogger Marcy said...

Just last week I picked up some locker baskets and a globe!!! I've been looking for those for so long!!

So, Blogger Marcy Penner is the winner. HA. Even your name rhymes. Send me your addy and your three favorite things from the shop and I'll surprise you with one of them! Oh, and has anyone seen the photography of her kids on her blog? So beautiful.

Its been a deliriously long week, ya'all. Make that two months. But, I keep telling Brett how happy I am to be here, in this town, in this house, in this 'job'. Well, now its 'jobs'. Bring on the tired eyes, the weary mind, the short temper...I digress. I've been fortunate to have a patient AND good-looking husband.

I went to a flea market with my Katy friend this afternoon and bought the COOLEST lamp (which I'm keeping) and the second coolest carafes (which I'm selling in the shop next week). I've never seen these before.



On to more fun! I'm teaching an online journaling/mini class that starts August 7th. I'll be putting up more details on Sunday but the cost is $25 and I'll be selling slots in my RVA Etsy shop (Sunday). Its going to include eight tutorials, access to a TON of my old art journals, and a few other surprises which may or may not include an appearance from a dear friend of mine who happens to now be about 1 mile away. And she scrapbooks. And she has great sunglasses. And she makes the best chili ever. EVER. So, check back on Sunday!

Ta!

R

Grand Opening!

Welcome to PonyParty.

I'll be updating the shop every day for the rest of the week and will take a break on the weekends. A girl's got to go shopping sometime, right? Thanks for all of your excitement and suspense. I hope it was worth the wait. If you don't see something you MUST HAVE today, check back with us later. I've been saving some special items for later this week once the shop is well under way. Many of you have asked about the colored lotus bowl set and I'm still talking Brett into letting go of them. IF I do put them up, I'll let you know in advance.

To celebrate our Grand Opening, I'll be doing a few give aways. All you have to do is list your favorite thrift store finds in the comments section below before Saturday and you'll get a chance to win one of three thrifted items of your choice. ALSO, if you mention our store and link up to us on your blog this week, let me know and I'll give you %20 off your first purchase. Make sure to e-mail your blog post URL and full name to our new shop address. Aponyparty (@) gmail (dot) com.

Back to work. You guys are the best!

~Rachel

Its So Close...

Its so dark in here that little bugs are walking across my monitor. I'm keeping them company. I've been on the couch, which I love having, all day with my ruler and a steady stream of iTunes listing items in my vintage shop. I want to make sure its nice and full for the Grand Opening so I'm not giving away the shop name just yet but I DID make my first sale tonight whilst listing! I have a good feeling that I'll be ready to unveil on Wednesday mid morning so check back soon.

We had a great time in Arkansas on Sunday despite leaving the house without any extra diapers, wipes, a change of clothing or the pacifier needed for naptime. Sebastian played with the chickens and picked out their eggs for us to take home. Brett's grandparents know how to keep a boy from wanting to go home! Lots of ice cream and bubbles seem to do it for him.





And don't you know you're supposed to wear pink flats to see chickens!

See you Wednesday!!!

A Lovely, Happy, Melty Kind of Weekend

No more long distance phone calls for us.

I just spent the day with two of my favorite people in the whole world. The best part is that I can do it all over again next week!

Katy and her mom have been providing us with easy entertainment and farmer's market produce this week. They love a good treasure hunt and have taught Sebastian how to sign for 'train'.

Elsie knows the best sushi restaurants in town and also indulges me in visits to local flea markets and coffee shops.

I was pinching myself this afternoon after a full day with these two incredible friends to make sure all this goodness was real. I haven't been so excited about living somewhere in a long time. I love it here. I love being so close to people who have known me for as long as it matters. Close to the art and culture of an exciting downtown atmosphere. Close to easy, Midwestern people and the comfort of balmy evenings full of lightning bugs and the sound of pick-up trucks. We belong here.

Sebastian and I have discovered a park only two blocks from our doorstep. Ironically, Elsie and I did an art camp there for the neighborhood children about four summers ago. Happy memories met us on the swings.

We found a couch today. We sold our table. We're still gathering and sending out and making it just right. Soon we'll have something pretty to show you.

Off to Arkansas to see Brett's grandparents and peruse the local flea markets.

Have a lovely Sunday.
~R

Coming Soon!

I'm opening a vintage store to share my finds with those who appreciate them. Its officially opening next week as I get all the information organized and stored and added to the shop so I'll be back with a Grand Opening announcement soon!

I've been inspired by the insides of people's homes on flickr and apartmenttherapy.com since we've been creating our own home environment on a budget and some of the greatest resources have been second hand. Seeing how others have used items with great potential and given them a makeover have helped fill space in my home without sacrificing aesthetics. Wandering through so many flea markets, thrift stores, and front yards on a Saturday morning has been a small thrill these last few weeks because I'm discovering bits and pieces that are bright and cheerful and ready to make their debut in my store.

I hope some of you are as excited to see them as I was.

We broke 100,000!

I offer you each an award of loveliness.

I enjoy that you all stop in from day to day or time to time. It probably means more to me than it should but I appreciate it, nevertheless. Your comments are special and your interest in art/sewing/scrapbooking/kids, etc. is what makes this online place a place that I want to come back to again and again.

I made something yesterday that I posted about HERE.

Here is a shot of another Craigslist score.

And one for the ladies...


Our mice are moving out, the mosquitos were sprayed, and we have pretty flowers on our porch.

Its getting better.

~Rachel

Please keep arms and legs in the cart at all times.

Monday afternoon, we'll land in Springfield (again) and embrace a messy, lovely home and an extended to-do list. I've got big plans for the rest of July so WATCH OUT WORLD!

We left our house a mess on the 2nd of July, got in the car on a whim, and drove to Oklahoma to surprise my parents and grandma who weren't expecting us until the next day. Part of the need to dash was to escape the chaos that our sweet house was in. I had forgotten how out of sorts you can feel when you can't find your drinking glasses, that brown skirt that goes with everything, or the small drill bit that you need to hang anything on your plaster walls. We had packed so well and even remembered to put the bedding, trash bags and interior shower curtain in the same box so we wouldn't have to dig for hours upon arrival. However, the piles and piles and piles of stuff made me terribly anxious. I needed order. I needed it right away.

We weren't able to get into our home until 9 p.m. on the night of July 1st but with the help of some great friends, we cleared enough space out of our bedroom where everything had been stacked and stored for two weeks so that we could climb into bed. That night was Sebastian's first night in his own room and his toddler bed. What should've been a welcome change of pace had me awake with worry most of the night. What if he fell out of bed? What if he woke up and didn't know where to find us? I was a mess.

We all got up at 6:30 the next morning and dragged ourselves through the to do list. Brett ran errands with Sebastian while I unpacked more boxes. We both felt like dropping dead by noon. If ever there was a time to get a babysitter, it was this day.

As cranky as I was on the 2nd, I am thrilled that we have this space to make our own. I'll post pictures of corners of our home as they are put in place this month but first on our to-do list is getting the July kits sent out. After supplies for July are ordered, I've got plans for an online class for the end of the month! (More details to follow.) THEN, another surprise for the first week of August! There will be a lot of action in the working half of our dining room so I'm sure that will be the first space to be sorted out.

Thank you to everyone who is still reading the sporadic posts on this blog. I appreciate each comment and all the well wishes in our new town. I can't wait to bring you a visual representation of our new life in the coming weeks.

Oh, and I'd LOVE to hear your moving stories. How long did it take you to unpack? How long did it take until you loved your space? How many times did you rearrange that first month?

~Rachel

Happy Birthday, Baby!

This man turns two today. He couldn't be any more my favorite small person in the whole world and I'm thankful every day that he's mine.

We're packing the day full of family time and celebrations in Oklahoma. We are officially moved into our unpacked house but we'll save that for another post.

Happy Fourth of July to you all, American and British alike!

(thanks, KT, for this great photo!)

Reattached

We gave up finding the camera cord and bought another one. There's nothing like an empty camera and a full cache of photos unless you are more excited about what is in the photos, which I am. I'm LOVING the flea markets in the Midwest!
If looking at pictures of thrifted items gives you the itch to leave work early and hit up your local second-hand store, don't blame me when your boss asks you to see him in his office tomorrow morning. I'll deny it all.




One of my favorites so far.


I have a few more exciting before/after pictures in the works so once they are all completely finished, I'll show you how I spruced up some old pieces for our new home. If you'd like to see a few more pics from the summer of thrifting, look here.

Today's task list includes finishing two sets of lined curtains and trying not to inhale spray paint while messing with more candlesticks. I spent the better portion of an hour last night going through my flickr favorites to remind myself of some ideas that popped in my head while looking at other people's rooms. I then spent the better portion of another hour lying in bed imagining how I could arrange Sebastian's bed between two bookcases when I should have been sleeping. Too much visual stimulation for Rachel. I do recommend revisiting flickr favorites when you're in a creative rut, though. It never fails to trigger something.

A few other favorites:

*the new Coldplay album.
*woodgrain contact paper
*pink spray paint
*garage sales
*puffy clouds
*tall ceilings
*farmer's markets
*my staple gun
*firework stands
*gas stations
*ice water
*thunderstorms
*sparkly lightning bugs
*wrinkly swim toes
*late night movies
*big ideas

What is making life special right now?

~R

One Week To Go

We've been on a pseudo-vacation since we arrived to Missouri. We've managed to score some incredible flea market finds in our down time and Brett's family have been fabulous to let us take over the corner of their basement and Jamie's room until we'll finally be able to move in to our cute little house in Springfield.

I've been stalking this blog over the last few months for design inspiration for our new home. Along with flickr's many groups and a few other well-managed sites, I've been able to recognize and hone in on my tendency toward mid-century modern design. Throw in some color and a few new pieces and I'm a happy renter.

Brett and I celebrated our sixth year of marriage today (6/22) by getting in the car and driving to a local college town to peruse the flea markets. I love that my husband knows that an afternoon roaming through old stuff tops a fancy dinner for two, etc., etc. We stopped in at this place called 'Itchy's Flea Market' and two hours later came out with two Eames-era chairs and a small trunk full of teal, brown and yellow colored items for the new house. Once that missing camera cord is located, you shall see for yourself. We talked about what we'd done on our past anniversaries, what we'd like to work on in the future and how much we'd changed since we met. It was one of the loveliest summer afternoons we've had together in awhile.

Most of my spare time has been thinking about our house, the move, the details of switching cities and starting over in a new place but now that we're close to 'landing', I'm starting to think about new projects and enterprises for the leftover summer months. I'm ready for my work space to be available again. I think all this home design inspiration has steadily been building a new style that will leak into art journal and scrapbook pages.

I'm ready for fresh paint and old papers and untouched fabric and sketchbook dreams. I'm ready for indoor tents and lemonade story time and movie night with old friends on our couch. (But not until late July because our couch was back ordered!) I'm ready for the steady hum of a new dryer and the rhythm of toddler activities and a chance to light all the candles and turn on the music after he's gone to sleep. Home, sweet and lovely, home.

One more week!

In the meantime, I'd love to hear how you're filling your summer days. Tell me, tell me.

~R

Our Little Detour

Brett, Sebastian and I arrived safely to Missouri on Tuesday after visiting with both sets of my grandparents along the way. We thought we passed our 'pods' along the way but it turns out that this company and others like it have hit a record high this summer as far as business goes so our pods were a little late getting on the road. Oh well. It's been great to let someone else do the dirty work.

My grandma once called us Gypsies. Its never been more true than this week. The post where I shared our status with the original apartment can be found here. Long story short, we found out a few hours later that the apartment wouldn't be ours. With only 24 hours until our pods would arrive to be filled, we gathered ourselves and made new plans. We're thankful for the way things have turned out even better in round two even though we have been through the ringer emotionally with the not knowing and moving forward anyway. We have the most understanding and supportive families that have allowed us to go through this without trying to fix it or tell us we're being ridiculous. Our friends have been fabulous with helping us pick up the pieces and forge ahead. For all of the ways this attempt at a new start have soured, we are learning how fortunate we are to have our people.

We've been staying with family in the Midwest until our place to land is ready for us. It could be any day or the end of the month but we're making the most of the pause. If I was able to upload pictures of my flea market finds, I would show you the old, teal, school chair I found in SoCal, the ornate plastic frame from a junk shop in Seminole, the vintage sheets, blue frames, yellow dishes from Goodwill in Jeff City, the incredible set of metal chairs, vintage quilt, egg basket, flour sifter and etched mirror from an antique store in the same town and finally, the set of molded, plywood chairs that got away in Springfield. Oh, I will keep that story with me for awhile.

We will be back but not this week. I hope Father's Day is a sweet one.

The Night Before the Last Night

The pods came and now they are full.
Everything we own fits into two 8' x 6' x 7' boxes.
My skin is sticky and smells like summertime.
I think Sebastian knows we're leaving. On a totally unrelated note, he managed to take his diaper off after I put him down for his nap and slept in the nude. The boy is a month away from his third year of life starting up and just this week he has shown me how independent he is. He wants to do everything by himself. It took me about three days to realize I needed to nurture that.

I can't wait to put stuff in our new space.
Pictures along the way to tell the tales. Elsie sent me a grown-ups version of those road trip books our parents gave us to keep us quiet in the back seat. Sebastian has a new stash of books himself.
Here's to iced coffee, bathroom breaks, Garrison Keeler audio books, sleepy boys, tired motels, breakfast burritos, distant thunderstorms, catching up, not knowing, finding out, trail mix, bare feet, and a few unnecessary stops at flea markets along the way.


Here we go...

Living In Between Boxes

If our computer crashes for the third time before next February for the same reason as the last two times, Apple will replace it. Am I hoping for another crash? Well...

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law's car was hit by lightning as they were driving in a thunderstorm between Arkansas and Missouri.

I've eaten two bags of M&M's this week.

Most of our belongings are in boxes and the pods are coming in two days but we do not have an official apartment to move into. We like to live dangerously.

The RVKC kits have been added to the Etsy store.

I hope all are well.

~R~

EDITED: Just to take out some of the semblance of irresponsibility in the above information on our move, we have been waiting to hear back for a specific place for over a month but the application has been stalled for a variety of unusual reasons such as: previous landlords MIA, current apartment managers resigning and new ones starting over a week later, and the original application getting lost and not having that communicated until two weeks after having sent it in. Its a cute little place, though, so we are being patient. We have it on good word that its only a waiting game now and that once the background check goes through, we're in. So, we're hoping that will happen this week. We're showing up in Springfield on Tuesday, regardless. Thanks to many lovely friends, we are more than covered if we need a place to stay in the meantime. (THANKS, Katy, Elsie and Jeremy!)
And my in laws made it out unscathed. The car managed to get home, too.