Five Family Goals to Set for 2020

It is hard to believe that the newest decade will begin in just a few short days.  We've ended this last decade with a bang - I paid off both my student loans and my car, we got married, we got pregnant, we had the baby, we paid cash for a car, we moved to a suburb of Detroit, and I became an accidental stay at home mom (hopefully its just temporary!).  Typing that out, it seems like we jammed a lot into the last two years but honestly our family really formed over the last decade:

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I bought a 1997 Buick Regal in 2010 and started my last year of college.  I graduated college in 2011.  I moved in with  my BFF and started my first job.  I got another job.  My BFF got married. Zach and I met in 2011 (this post is about when we met but half of the pictures are missing!).  After being together for a short 4 months Zach left the military, moved back to Michigan, found a job and house.....and then I moved up there in August of 2012. I talk about my life over that last year in this post.  We stayed in the apartment above the garage at his parent's house for about a month-ish until we moved into the house.  We remodeled the house.  I got a job. We remodeled the house again. I bought a new car.  Zach got a new job & went to Korea. We said we'd try that job for a year since it involved a lot of travel.....Zach kept that job for about 6 years. We lost our dog. We got a new dog. I went to Korea. We drank too much in Japan.  We traveled the world.  We decided to settle down.  We went to Korea one last time with my BFF.  We planned a wedding.  I paid off my student loans.  We got married.  We got pregnant.  I paid off my car. We had the baby.  We paid cash for a bigger vehicle. We packed up the house we built this life in.  We moved to a suburb of Detroit.  And now we're patiently waiting to start the next decade.

That was the last decade in a nutshell and it was a ridiculous ride.  I'm a vastly different person than I was a decade ago and I'm doing (and planning) vastly different things.  While long term goals involve things like finding a new job, there are a few goals I want to set for 2020.  I hope they inspire you, too.

Give More  

Before I knew I'd have such a hard time breastfeeding I'd hoped to be able to donate breast milk.  Since having a hard time breastfeeding I've decided to focus on donating to organizations that support maternal mental health.  I hope to donate clothes, toys, etc to a second hand shop here supported by an organization that serves survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.  I hope to start an annual birthday tradition to give to organizations we care about.  I hope to pass this to Marcus as well - in honor of his first birthday we'll donate toys, money, or time to an organization we care about.  Then eventually I hope he'll choose an organization to support.  One of my biggest personal mantras (I'd guess you'd call it) is when you have, give.  It is the reason why I tip well.  It is the reason why I'm patient.  It is the way I try to live my life.

Start a College Fund

We actually just got the info in the mail from our financial adviser on starting a college fund.  Getting and paying on my student loans has really inspired me to start a fund to alleviate some of the burden of higher education.  Zach decided to join the military to pay for his schooling and that has been a blessing financially for us while he pursues his master's courses.  Seeing where the price of higher education is heading - like it's really scary - make me what to prepare him as best he can.  The best part of this fund is that it can go towards trade training as well!

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Eat Dinner at the Table

Marcus is going to be moving into solid foods here shortly so I want to make it a priority to eat at the table.  (We just put together this high chair and I can't wait to use it - he's getting so big!) Previously, Zach and I would eat where ever.  It was just us and it didn't really matter so we ate dinner in the living room off of the coffee table, ate breakfast in the bed, ate lunch at our desks if we were crafting and gaming.  I can say we probably ate around our table maybe a dozen times the 7 years we were in our first house.  We both grew up eating around the table and its important to us to build up a family relationship.  I also want to start some dinner time conversations so we all can be creative and share what we care about.

Practice Gratitude

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.  This is one of my newest mantras for 2020.  We aren't in the financial situation we'd like to be...but we prepared for where we are.  Zach had been looking for a new job since our wedding because we knew we'd be 'settling down'.  It just so happened that right after I pushed out Marcus he got a call for the job that had us move.  The possibility of our lives being uprooted in more ways than one was very real to us so we started to prepare.  I realize that saving, budgeting, etc is a privilege that a lot of people don't have and in our situation we are still able to give...which circles back to the first goal to give and trickles down to the next two.  With gratitude comes abundance.  I posted this quote on my Instagram in August 2018 and I hope to continue to live by this as we move into 2020.

Use Technology with Intention

I've been zoning out to the TV and Instagram for a while now.  Staying at home all day is lonely especially with a child that can't talk yet!  I know when he starts talking he's not gonna be quiet!  But things like Instagram have been a distraction rather than a productivity tool.  There's time I'm spending zoning out to Catfish during nap time that I could dedicate to my online endeavors - the blog or YouTube or Facebook - and to finding a job. Job hunting is discouraging!  I never thought I'd want to stay home with my kid but these past few months have been eye opening.  Using technology intentionally should be a way to refocus on finding the job I really love.

Over the course of this blog I've struggled a lot with goals.  I'd set them and then forget them.  I'd set too grand an expectation.  Eventually I started with something I called Four Simple Goals where I set out to get a few things done each month.  Then I set up a Vision Planner and started doing a word for each year and I think I've developed quite a good way of making my own progress.

I hope to be able to blend these goals with my word of the year for 2020: Harmony.  There's a lot that is new so I've got to find Harmony with it all!

If you'd like to learn more about my goal journey, click through some of the links above.  And if you'd like to discover how 2019 treated you and how you'd like to enter 2020 check out the past two years of January Journaling Jump Start.  Even though one was for 2017 into 2018 and the other for 2018 into 2019 you can totally do them for 2020!  Who knows...maybe I'll have a set of prompts for 2020, I just haven't had the time!

What are your personal and family goals for 2020?  How do you plan to take action on them?

xoxo, Moe

Make it Monday // Crafts I'm Currently Obsessed With

Way back when I first started the Make it Monday series on this blog it was a post about the things I would try to make that week.  It has since evolved into a post featuring my own DIY work and creations.  Today is a little bit of a throw back but it is 100% still in the holiday spirit - we are in the final stretch reaching up until Halloween!

I started work on my October Daily challenge which led me into a whole new world of crafting.  Since starting that (and admittedly slacking on it...whoops) I've fallen in love with some not so holiday specific crafts juiced up 100% for the holiday!

(Bettlejuice! Bettlejuice! Bettlejuice!)

The first are mini albums.  My own mini album is above but if you search the #OctoberDailyChallenge hash tag on Instagram you'll find a ton of these bad boys.  This little journal/mini album is perfect for my documenting needs right now - especially for a little challenge.  You can find the tutorial I did on a small journal like this using the Cinch here.

The second thing I am 100% dying over are bag flips.  How stinking awesome are these!  This is something I am very new to hearing of...but wouldn't these make the greatest planner swap bags at meetups?? Or even something cut just to send to a friend!  I am trying to figure out a way to incorporate these into a make & take for a December planner meet up (spoilers!).  The tutorial I love is from Serena Bee (ps follow her instagram if you want to be overloaded with inspiration.  But the bagflip above is from Lorrie of Lorrie's Story blog.  These are mad with lunch bags - or any sort of bag, you can even use a die cut to make one - where the end is flipped up to make a second pocket.  I really need to jump on makings some of these.  You can find inspiration for these on Instagram by searching for #bagflip though some entries are people misspelling 'back flip'.

I just can't get enough of all the crafty inspiration behind October Daily.  I admit that I've been slacking but the ideas are so creative.  The bag flip thing really has me thinking about making planner pockets!

Its the final countdown guys, are you ready?

Three Inspiring Blog Planning Notebooks

Blog planning is something that I find so fun to do.  The one reason why I love it is because it is so fluid.  Depending on the attitude you have towards your blog, you can plan away and stick to the plan or plan away and then move things around.  I'm more fluid in my planning because I know there is a thing called life that I have to live (bummer, right? Just kidding!) and sometimes things get thrown out the window.  I like to plan out the month with what I'd like to do and then if it happens great....if I live my life and something else happens, that's great too!  So here are three inspiring blog notebooks I found while searching Pinterest for some blogging inspiration.

This crazy old post from the blog A Beautiful Mess is super inspiring!

Why I Like It:

I love the creative fluidity of this notebook.  It's totally customizable because of the rings - you can move pages here and there.  This also adds to the fluidity for me.  I love the sticky note idea to sketch out an idea and move it around the notebook in the various stages of planning.  You can also color code your notes making it ever more organized.  I also l

the hand written tabs.  This takes creativity to another level.  I think in your planning you do have to be creative as well...that is where you can draw some inspiration when you're feeling uninspired.

This daily planner from Turquoise Home from her post on being an efficient blogger.

Why I Like It:

When I was unemployed a looong time ago I was working all day on my blog and my various shops.  If you're a blogger thinking of taking the plunge into full time blogging an hourly breakdown of your day can really keep you accountable.  This split page design has the hourly breakdown on the left and a to-do list on the right.  I found that the hardest part about not having a boss was having no one to be accountable to.  It was the realization that I had to be the one to set the schedule and then I also had to be the one to fulfill it.  I also like the to-do list because I often forgot to focus on social media so adding this as an important check mark means you're going to focus on it every day.

This amazing planner in a Moleskine from Andrea.  I first saw the photo above on her instagram account.  You can read about here blog planner here.

Why I Like It:

If you head over to her blog and read her post on her planner you'll get a lot more info that just this picture.  I like this blog planner because it is a place for all things blog.  She created an index so she'd be able to find everything that she puts in this notebook.  She also has the photo sizes for her photos at a quick glance at the front of the notebook.  Doing this means you'll always have your blog style guide at your finger tips.  You could also throw in any hex codes for colors and a list of fonts and standards for your blog planning.  I also like that she has a monthly calendar.  I plan my posts much like she does - map out the reoccurring posts for the month so you have a place to start.  On the opposite page is sort of like the bullet journal system (a concept I really want to get into!) with the dates and posts she's working on.  The black & white lover in me really finds inspiration in the simplicity and organization of this planner.

I am thinking of moving my blog planner out of my Filofax even though I really do love having all my planning all in one place.  I may just add some graph paper so I can do set up like Andrea's.  I've already started something like that for my YouTube channel planning.  I just love planning!

If you want to see more of my blog planning process you can read these posts: My Blog Planner (an old post from 2012!), My 2014 Blog Planner (my first ring binder type of planner), Functional Ways to Use Project Life Cards in your Planner, My Blogging Kit 2.0.

How do you blog?  Do you plan with pen and paper or just go with the flow?

xoxo, Moe

Boost Your Blog // When You Can't Find What You're Looking For

We all have our standard places we go for bloggy & creative inspiration.  Whether it be one of your favorite blogs, a website like pinterest, or flipping through a creative magazine we all know what gets our creative juices flowing.  But where do you turn when your normal well of inspiration suddenly dries up?  Where do you turn when your daily dose of inspiration just turns into the same old same old?  Whether you're looking to get creative with a DIY, looking to reorganize, or just need something new to spice up your life here are three places you can look when you can't find what you're looking for:

Instagram - Instagram is a great app for sharing your daily life through photos, documenting your cats, your Starbucks cups, & your dinner but did you know it can be a great source of inspiration?  See there are these things - I know you've heard of them - called hashtags and while for the most part they are for things like #yolo & #sorrynotsorry sometimes they are more helpful.  Looking for outfit or fashion inspiration? Navigate to the little explore button on the bottom of the app - it looks like a star - & search related hastags like #ootd, #fashion, #trends, #summer2013, #whatimwearing, etc.  Create new ones, search whatever the heck you like because you know it's got a hashtag!  Looking for make up storage inspiration? Search #organization, #makeup, #makeupcollection, etc - you know that's what I've been searching!

YouTube - Instead of watching hilarious cat videos on YouTube you could be putting your video watching skills to work to learn a new skill.  Learn how to rewire a lamp, create cool effects in photoshop, create a smokey eye look, build a tree house, plant a garden, to knit or crochet, etc, etc.  The best part about YouTube vids are the suggestions in the side bar.  You'll fall down a rabbit hole of inspiration & before you know it you'll be a master of a new skill.  You'll also find a lot of cool people who also learned the thing they are teaching you from YouTube.

Craftgawker (and Weddinggawker, and Dwellinggawker, and Foodgawker, and Stylegawker) - I know these sites are well known but for me I just found myself going back to them for inspiration.  Usually I head to Pinterest because it's social - I can see what my friends are pinning.  But since all the -gawkers are curated you get the best of the best.  I don't know about you but sometimes Pinterest just shows me a bunch of things that I'm not really into & pins that are, well, a bit lack luster.  But since the -gawker sites are curated you're getting quality tutorials, quality images, & quality inspiration.  I try to take it with a grain of salt though because it is curated so don't be intimidated by the seemingly perfect life the bloggers/etc in the links lead!

Where do you turn when you can't find that little inspiring spark you're looking for?

xoxo, Moe

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Wednesday Decor // Alphanumeric Decor

Our living room, office, spare bedroom & spare bath are sooooo closed to being finished.  Can you believe we've been working on this since October? I totally cant.  We've been living in a quarter of our house for over 4 months. Crazy!  This weekend we get the flooring installed & hopefully we'll put down the base boards.  Then, guess what? We can move the couch down from the dining room & actually start settling in!

We have a massive book case being built as well as working on building our desks (btw if you have any desk solutions for building your own, shoot them too me...I can't find any I like!).  Our desks are both going to be over 7 feet long.  That means tons of work space for both of us!  Mine is under a wonderful window & Zach's is along the wall next to the stairs.

Long story short, I've been really loving seeing letters, numbers, & words in decor so.  Here's some alphanumeric inspiration:

one // two // three // four

To make my workspace a bit more, well I'm gonna say professional but I really mean more five sixteenths related...I picked up a cardboard 5, a 1, & a 6 at Meijer the other day for a dollar each.  I also got gray paint (to match the blog background) for under a dollar.  I've seen somewhere before a little online shop selling your blog name printed & framed.....I wish I knew where I saw this but it was ages ago!  It was supposed to go on your office door as a fun little piece to give you more cred. You know, just all in good fun.

This struck me when I saw it & fell in love.  My desk area & studio are going to be an extension of Five Sixteenths so why wouldn't I make it the most five sixteenths I can?  So these little numbers will get painted & propped up or hung above my desk.

I can't wait to sort out all my things & get to making.  I've been very limited in my making abilities these past few months but have been able to start stocking the Five One Six shop.  These past few months I've had time to organize some ideas & think about some new products.  I can't wait to add more & more!  In fact, today you should look for an update to the pottery section.  I'll be adding a bunch of bowl collections....keep a look out!

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Have I Told You Lately // Life & Instagram

Instagram will still remain my favorite social network because I love being able to snap little pictures through my day.  They are there to share & there to remind me of my life over time.  So lately, this has been my life:

Lately I've been getting up around 7:30 or 8 in the morning to start my day.  I'm loving my Keurig & enjoying trying all the coffees that filled my stocking.  (Thank you Santa/Santas!)  Getting up each day at a certain time has really helped me keep a schedule & keep on track.  There was one morning last week were I woke up feeling horrible & once I was recovered, my whole day was off track.  I haven't moved to the 'putting clothes on everyday' stage yet mainly because it's cold here & I'm under my heated blanket no matter where I am in the house.

Lately, I've been enjoying the mornings this way.  Just me, my coffee, & my blog roll.  Others have said that in the morning it's best to ignore everything else & get all of your original ideas out before you go looking around in the world.  I like to wake up a bit, get the juices going, & see whats happening in the world I live in.  Mornings often involve blogs, twitter, current events, & a dose of the Colbert Report & the Daily Show.  Then I migrate into checking emails & getting started for the day.  

Lately, I've been hoping for more work to come my way either in the form of a new job or new freelance stuff.  I think January has started off strong & I'm thankful!

Lately, I've been moving to the dinning room table to get work done.  Since we don't have the office set up yet I've been sort of staying in bed to work.  Not the greatest for posture!  So I move to the dinning room table sometimes to focus & stretch.  I can also prop up my calendar and have actual work space.  I've been putting more though into packing 516VINTAGE orders & can't wait to get the printer set up.  I've also been contemplating attempting photos one more time now that I have a flash & now that the downstairs is almost done.  I might be able to snap some photos after the paint dries but before the flooring is installed.  Lately, I've also been working on the stationery shop but feeling a little nervous because it's a zazzle shop & not a real shop.  I'm afraid of sharing it too much for fear of negative judgement....like I'm not doing something right.  But it's an outlet for creativity right? I should try it right?

Lately, I've been pushing myself to do more promoting.  I've been trying to find ways to advertise more, trying to talk about my work more, trying to share it with more people, & trying not to be shy.  Mainly I'm trying not to feel judged.  A year ago I was terrified to say I designed blogs, but now...shoot I'll tell in one second.  I'm more confident now & I'd like to be that way with the Stationery Shop.

Lately, I've been trying to figure out a way to open the Five One Six shop.  That requires photography too but it also requires time.  Once I get somethings down pat in the Stationery Shop, I'll move on to the Five One Six shop.  I've realized that I sorta put each shop on a rotation.  First I concentrated on opening 516VINTAGE with photos, listing, & creating the shop.  Then I moved on to the design shop, adding options, creating new designs, & creating the STUDIO site.  Then it was onto the Stationery Shop: creating designs, coding, etc.  So I guess I'm right on track.  I like this sort of rotation because it makes it easy for me to have different creative outlets.  Same reason why I crocheted like 8 blankets but now am not crocheting any! I get tired of one thing & like to move on to the next.

What have you been up to lately? Anything new or exciting?

ps. Linking up to Life Lately over on The Weekend File

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What a Rip Off! 3 Simple Ways To Know if You're Copying Another Artist

It used to not bug me when I saw original artwork pinned to Pinterest boards named DIY or I Can Totally Do That or the like.  The reason it didn't bother me is because when I pinned these things on to my DIY board (I'll admit it, I did) I wasn't intending on flat out copying the original creator.  Often the pin was there to remind me that I liked that style, or it was there as a part of a group of things I'd pinned that were inspiring, or IT WAS AN ACTUAL DIY POST.  I didn't pin them there to turn around & say look what I made, it looks EXACTLY LIKE THE THING I PINNED HERE TOTALLY MADE BY ANOTHER ARTIST.

I've been seeing a lot of these Pinned It, Made It blog features around.  I love when people tell me that a tutorial worked or that they failed miserably at it.  I despise it when people say here's an artist's work I totally ripped off because that's just not nice.  I whole heartedly agree that it's fine to be inspired by others work & to create your own take on it but if you're finished product looks like something way too similar you need to reevaluate sweetheart.

So I've put together 3 ways you can know - a check list if you will - if you're flat our ripping off an artist

IS THIS AN ACUTAL DIY OR ARE YOU MAKING SOMETHING WITH OUT INSTRUCTIONS?

If the thing you are making requires you to come up with your own thought make sure it's your own thought.  There's no worry in coming up with something that looks nearly the same to get the idea down........but then go further, be original & make it your own.  If you're the one coming up with the instructions then you get to be as creative as you wish.  We can learn by copying, but that's not your original idea & you shouldn't take credit for DIYing something that someone already made & didn't tell you how to make.

IS THIS AN EXERCISE TO HELP YOU LEARN OR ARE YOU CREATING SOMETHING FOR PROFIT?

This may be a bit tricky.  In art school we often copied other works to get the hang of working with a new technique.  It could have been exploring new styles by making something similar to an artist's work existing work or learning a friends trusted technique.  If you're learning & want to share your process go ahead and tell us how you learned to do something or how you are learning to do something.  Say you really want to do more with your watercolor paintings so you begin to mimic the style of another artist you love.  Sharing with us that you learn by experimenting & showing us an example of something you were trying to replicate means your going farther than copying & that you're actually being creative with another technique.  Now if you flat out copy the paintings & begin selling them as your own, we've got a problem. This is what I mean when I say exercise vs. profit.  And, personally, I consider it for profit if you're posting your work just so others can see you made something exactly like someone else's work....you're promoting yourself & not the artist & not your growth as an artist.....you're not promoting your honesty I guess is what I'm getting at.  It's like your turning around & promoting your work over the original.

YOU ASK YOURSELF: DOES THIS LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THE IMAGE FROM PINTERST/ETSY/SOME OTHER WEBSITE? 

If you even consider asking yourself this or the answer is yes then you're ripping them off.  Even if the colors are different, proportions have changed, etc....if it still looks nearly exactly the same, you're ripping someone off.  Second part of this question: If the answer is yes, should I go around telling everyone that I ripped off this person & that I DIY'd something that the artist will not get credit for nor receive compensation for coming up with the design? The answer to that, personally, is no.  If you're going to rip someone off, please do it in secret.  For Pete's sake, don't copy in the first place but don't put you're credibility on the line by bragging about your copying

There is a difference between inspiration & copying.  If you're inspired by something you've created something with your own take, added originality to it, & it doesn't look exactly the same as (or like a composite of) original works.  If you're copying something, you've created an end product that is eerily similar to one that already exists & may even cause others to recognize it as being similar to someone else's work.

It has just been frustrating me lately that others have been taking the credit for creating something awesome when they themselves did not come up with the design.  These things that have bugged me have the eerily similar (if not just flat out exactly the same) property.  Please, just don't copy!

This is why I have a love-hate relationship with Pinterest.  It is great to gather ideas & use responsibly....but there are others out there, probably meaning well, who don't understand that copying undervalues the original work.  I'd love to know how you feel about this & if it's something that bugs you too!  

Have you encountered this Pinned it, Made it phenomenon?  How did it rub you?  Were you offended?

If you'd like to read more on this sort of topic, here's are a few articles that cover it:

Copying vs Inspired: Creating a Brand Identity on Yellow Heart Art

How to Kill a Business: Copycats on The Wonder Forest Blog

disclaimer: I, myself, have made soooooo many things it's hard to keep track.  However, if I have ever outright copied someone/something before & mentioned it, it was before I gained an understanding of the offensive nature of copying original works.  Becoming more & more involved in a creative field as an artist & less as just a crafter has made me  better understand the difference between inspiration & stealing and the importance of quality of character, honesty, & success.  So though I am confident I've never flat out stolen an idea, I fear I may have created something with the eerily similar property I discussed above.

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My 3 Favorite Places to Buy Yarn

I've mentioned before that I am not an idle person...I always have to be doing something with my hands.  Since being in Michigan, I've picked up my love of crocheting & knitting again and am getting a real work out.  I need to be careful & pace myself otherwise I'll end up with carpal tunnel and that will be no good!

Since I went to Renegade & met the wonderful (fellow crocheter) Susanah, I've fallen even more in love with yarn.  There is just something so inspiring about finding a fellow individual that loves the same thing as you do! Her designs have a great sense of direction & are just plain lovely!

I've been asked, & recently quite a few times, where the best places to get yarn are.  After I shared the above photo on instagram loads of IGer's shared a love of Red Heart yarn with me.  I remember when Red Heart yarn was under $2 & now it's close to $3.  I watch yarn prices like I watch gas prices (no joke!) & when there's a sale I grab it up!  But what about buying yarn just cuz you want to buy yarn? Where can you find affordable & unique skeins?  Here are my top 3 places to go for yarn besides the craft store:

Big Lot's - I remember the first Bit Lot's trip where I discovered they sold tiny skeins of yarn for $1.  I nearly fell over backward! It was at this point in time in 2011, that I'd just moved to Williamsburg & needed something crafty to sooth my itch to make.  I bough up about 10 or so skeins & set off to make one big granny square blanket.  I made sure to buy all the colors I needed up because, with those stores, you'll never know when it will be gone!  The hard part was that there was no dye lot.  I assume they were just ends of things wrapped together & sold.  So I sat in the aisle & pulled out all the skeins that looked to be about the same colors. Jack pot! I recently did this again when I first moved to Michigan & am working (in between other things) on a blanket for our new home!

Thrift Stores - This may seem a little gross, but you can get partially used or even unused skeins at some thrift stores.  My favorite one back home has grab bags of craft supplies & specific bags of yarn.  I've gotten unused skeins of yarn at like 4 for $2!  My only suggestion (it's what I do) is to either unravel the whole skien, wrap it around a chair's legs, tie a few strings around it, & wash it OR wash the item you've made with it very well.  This was a great penny pinching way for me to boost my stash for hat making.

Etsy & Craft Shows - While this isn't an affordable route, in my opinion it is the best one.  Why? Because you are supporting individuals with the same passions you have! And you can get super unique skeins you won't find anywhere else.  I've bought 2 skeins of hand spun yarn from craft show & have loved them each time.  I am working through the yarn in the picture above (bought at Renegade from Biggie) to make myself a hat specifically for the Michigan/Indiana Winter that's coming a long.

Crocheting & knitting are great hobbies to learn if you're like me and want to make, make, make.  They can be intricate & sometimes even mindless.  I like to make big crochet granny square blankets because I am doing something, I don't have to pay much attention to it, & I can still watch TV.  Sometimes the repetitiveness helps me think up new ideas & it always calms my nerves. 

If you want to learn either, I'd suggest hitting up YouTube.  There are some awesome tutorials out there!

Where do you find your favorite craft supplies?

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Fan Friday #70

It is the last day of August! Are you kidding me?  Zach & I are going to have a relaxing weekend at home for Labor Day.  I want to play with a few more of the fireworks so maybe we'll set off a few or even just mess around with sparklers.  We also have these colored smoke ones that I'd like to see in the daylight!

So, onto the things I'm loving this week:

Kinsey of Sincerely, Kinsey did this awesome Anthropologie rug knock off. Peep the tutorial here.  This is such a great Dorm DIY! I'd love to figure out a way to add the fringe!

This fall look.  Are you kidding? I can't wait for layers & boots & leggings.  Man.  Can't wait!

These pretty cool book ends that can totally be DIY'd.  Zach & I actually talked about painting a few dino figurines to look porcelain with another tutorial I found.  I love the idea of building little collections & I hope that this is something Zach & I will agree on continuing in the future!  I was inspired by this collection too.

Link Love

++I joined in the Blog Trends chat this past week & found some really cool photoshop actions through Brittany of My Daily Randomness (I also like her blog design!) who said she loved these actions.  This week's topic was on photos (better ones, sourcing, watermarking, etc).  It was pretty cool!  I hope I can remember to join next week!++

++Cool handmade baskets from Find Your Happy.  I just love the neon & natural feel.  I totally want a few of these large ones for storage!  Remember the craft room inspiration board? Totally subbing those baskets for these!++

++This cool & easy way to make a Twitter background with Colour Lovers.  I looove that website!++

I've been thinking about adding more blog designs to the shop & by more I mean better.  I think at the end of the year some of the older ones are going to retire & better ones are gonna enter.  As I make the switch over to storenvy, when things sell out they won't be renewed.  I am going to move some blog designs over to the new storefront but a lot of the new things will be added to etsy too.  I've decided to keep etsy as a design shop only.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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Make it Monday // Back to School DIY Round Up

The end of August & the beginning of September always means back to school for me.  I love collecting the perfect pens, notebooks, backpack, clothes, etc to start the year off right.  I also loved coming up with crazy awesome things to DIY to impress my friends in the new year.  The younger Moe prided herself on being seen as the most creative & totally came in second for the Most Artistic superlative in high school.  Can't believe I missed that!

To get you started for back to school, I thought I'd share with you a Back to School round up of DIY projects from the Five Sixteenths archives:

Floral Shorts DIY that can easily be used to spruce up last year's jeans // Floral Backpack + other wardrobe DIYs // Spruce up a thrift store purse to fit your current style // Make a Faux Enamel ring to match your favorite outfit // Color Block Moc DIY to spruce up last year's moccasins // DIY Nail Polish for your pretty fingers

Fabric Spine Notebook DIY perfect for a spiral bound notebook or planner //  DIY Woodgrain Laptop Decals from contact paper // Mini Notebook Contact Paper DIY for a memo book or planner

Easy Magnetic Memo Board //  Satellite Wall Art DIY if you're headed to school a far ways from home // Abstract Wall Art DIY // Chevron Wall Art DIY // Summer Memories Instax DIY

Even though I am over a year out of school, I still feel like I should be packing up & changing when August comes around.  I hope that you can try out some of these DIY's as you head back to school this fall.  I wish you the best year!

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Trend Tuesday // I Like Your Style

With the launch of the 516VINTAGE shop here in the next coming weeks (read the story here), I feel like I am struggling to get by with my other endeavors....the Five Sixteenths shop mainly.  I have a load of cool items, lovely handmade things....and no sales (well, some sales).  I've struggled with consistency, photo quality, etc.  I think, to sum it up, I struggle with a look.  For the vintage shop, I think we've got a look down & it was pretty simple: 516VINTAGE is about curating collections through story telling so, when taking pictures, I tried to tell a story.  Staging the photos was so fun & making little vignettes that put the items in a place made sense.  For the blog, I've got a pretty branded look - it's well designed yet playful & I really like how it looks over all and how it compliments my content.  But for Five Sixteenths shop......I struggle with coming up with a cohesive shop look.

Sneak Peek at the look of 516VINTAGE

Current look of Five Sixteenths

This is where my trips to the mall come in: I am constantly looking for color & design inspiration and while I soak it up, I don't seem to squeeze much of it out.  I am half writing this post because I love finding inspiration & half writing it so I'll remember and maybe do something about it.  Here's some shop love inspiration from around the web:

found via For the Makers on instagram

I am in love with this fall display from Anthropologie.  The earthy tones, deep pumpkins & purples makes me remember why I love fall so much! I think (and this was pointed out to me in art school) that I have a hard time because I try not to do what I'm inclined to do - I think it's stupid so I don't do it!  I think taking the shop's overall feel back to an earthy look would be wonderful.  Those big handmade flowers look lovely too.  Anthropologie & Free People inspire the heck outta me!  In fact, here's another one:

via Bleubird on Instagram

The sense of home & collection in Anthropologie is amazing! Love it!

I also want to seamlessly blend the blog design elements in the shop with the real, tangible things.  For this I look to the Red Velvet shop for some help.  I don't know how they do it but blending web & real life so effortlessly is something I admire!

via the Mandy Lynne blog

the Red Velvet Shop online

I've actually been taking the Dream Job E-Course offered through Red Velvet & have a better apreciation for the way their online shop looks now.  It's clean & simple and can grow with them.  This is something I really, really want to finally settle on!  I've actually tried to gear my logos/headers/etc towards this look of simple. Again inspired by the Red Velvet shop + Anthropologie's shop.  Sophisticated boho chic...i guess.

I am also digging the online sites like LibbyStory with painted elements & arty brush strokes.  Keeping with the arty-ness of the blog, that is what I want to translate into the Five Sixteenths shop:

LibbyStory Website

Another shop I dig online & in stores is Francesca's.  Again with the boho chic-ness.  Just an overall house, home, clothing, accessories, etc store where everything comes together in a seamless fashion.  I know that photos are half of it but I just can't get that consistency!

Francesca's Collections website

With going through the Dream Job E-Course & following the A Beautiful Mess blog every day I've gotten excited about a lot of things.  I really can't wait for Elsie to share more about her color story process because that just looks so fun & a great way to start thinking about colors.  I really need to focus on the style of the shop & hope that I can figure something out here soon.  I just have to remember to go my way & not lead into something else!!

Have any tips for branding or keeping things cohesive? let me know!

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Feature Sponsor Guest Post // Katie & Her New House

If you didn't know, Katie (last month's feature sponsor) & I used to be room mates.  Since we both just made big ol moves, I thought I'd give her some time to come up with her sponsor spot guest post.  Since moving is stressful enough, why would you want to be stressed about writing for someone else's blog??  So here she is to share a bit about what she's done in her new house.

Lately my husband and I decided to buy a house.  We found the perfect place for the two of us and our pup, put an offer and now its ours.  Funny how life can find a way to make things challenging: my husband got called for a temporary deployment the day after we signed all the papers.  It's been an interesting process, but so far it's been fun.  For me, the theme for August is "making a house our home"

After the hubs and I picked some paint colors for the bedroom (Gypsy Rouge and Smoked Oyster) I felt like the room needed something else.  Of course I haven't gotten around to unpacking the wall hangings, but I needed an easy accent to compliment my fine paint job.  (Well, I probably shouldn't quit my day job, but its a good enough paint job for me!)

I noticed all of the wall plugs and light switch covers were dingy and old.  Rather than spending $5 each to replace them all, I got a $4 can of hammered bronze spray paint, and went to town.  

So far, it's been a nice little touch.  I'm just about set up in the bedroom other than wall hangings.  Next stop, painting the bathroom and setting up the kitchen.  

You can connect with Katie on her blog or on twitter.  Her whole house is coming together rather nicely.  Look at little Cody there...so adorable!

My Old Craft Notebook // Things Found While Packing

So we've been in Michigan for nearly a week now & its been a hard trek.  I am attempting to switch my bank over, attempting to settle into the little apartment we are in for a month, & attempting to stay sane.  I've got a few blog design clients to keep my busy & help me learn new things.

Today I wanted to share with you my very, very old craft notebook that I found while packing up things from my parents' house.  I remember getting this notebook in a set of 2 from Costco.  Going to Costco used to be a cool thing for us when we were little.  We'd get to look at the book section & come away with something super cool.  I picked these notebooks because of the travel theme.  I remember printing things off from the computer, cutting them out, & pasting them in.  It was like primitive pinterest!

Here's a sneak peak & sorry for the grainy iphone photos!  I took these late at night with only my bedside lamp so they look really grainy! No sort of editing would have helped them I don't think!

The front cover is so cool! I am kinda sad I pasted a whole bunch of things in there.  I really would like to have this blank again! But then I'd probably consider it too precious to write in.  I am horrible with that!

My favorite part was finding old Twinkie Chan inspiration for crochet.  Man oh man did I love me some Twinkie Chan! I couldn't afford any of her work & now I want a scarf soooo bad just to say I have something from my idol!

Then I found little doodles at the end.  I don't know what these were for!  I think that little doodle under the cloud sorta thing & the cupcake next to the pie looking thing is supposed to be part of a vacuum.  I don't know why I was drawing these!

Looking back on this little inspiration book, I've realized how far I've come with my ideas.  This book was filled with things I wanted to replicate.  I sort of had the idea of if I can make it, I can sell it & just wanted to make what other people were making..they were having success right? But I realized that I wasn't that creative in crochet & needed to find a way of making something my own.  For a long while I just dabbled in any medium I could make something out of.  Now as I've grown I've found what I love to do & it deals with three things: Crochet, Pottery, & Blog Design.  I really would love for the pottery & crochet part of my shop to take off & have big plans for making & listing things for fall & winter.

I have a few new scarves I am going to add, some new hats too, I am working on making the look of my shop more cohesive, & I am toying with the idea of opening a separate shop for pottery & crocheted things.  I just need to work on cohesiveness.  This is the struggle I am having now: Making all my product photos look like they are from the same shop & being a bit unique.

I really like the backdrop of my pottery photos & love the rustic feel.  But that doesn't translate in to the blog designs that I do.  I've seen shops with multiple types of items have a totally cohesive look & I just can't seem to do it!

Anyway, I just wanted to share with you a peak into the high school me.  It's so weird to think that I was ever that young.  I look back & think it wasn't that long ago, then I find something like this & realize how young I was!

I wonder what I'll find out about my self now 10 years from now when I look back in the notebooks from today!

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Make it Monday // Polyvore Inspiration Board

Inspiration boards are a great way of giving readers a cohesive look into an outfit, a room of your home, a trip you're taking, etc.  Making inspiration boards sometimes becomes a bit of a daunting task if you don't have great software or great photoshop skills.  My favorite place, that I think you've probably heard of, for making outfit inspiration boards is Polyvore.  But did you know that you can also use it for other sorts of inspiration boards?  If you remember this post on Summer Party Essentials I used Polyvore for that board too!  I used Polyvore to make this inspiration board for my craft room:

Craft Room Essentials by fivesixteenthsblog on polyvore.com

Polyvore has a browser extension that lets you clip from most any website meaning that while you can clip clothes you can also clip housewares, cars, office supplies, etc.  So today I wanted to share with you how I use the options provided by Polyvore to create inspiration boards.  I say 'using the options provided' because in Polyvore's Terms (at least how I understand them) you aren't allowed to change the html or images Polyvore provides for you to post on your website.  But there are many text options, many pointer options, etc.  Here's how I used Polyvore to design my  craft room:

Start by going to Polyvore & creating a new set.  Use the search bar to find items you're interested in or click on My Items to find the items that you've clipped & start to add the items you like to your set.

You can choose a specific color, specific price range, only items from target, etc.  I started off by searching for storage, then organization, then baskets.  I found a lot of things I wanted to use so I added them to my set.

Once I was satisfied with the storage solutions I'd found I decided to add text by clicking on the A under Embellishments. I added text for the title, a subtitle, & a description of each solution.

I cloned & repositioned the text boxes in order to keep the size consistant.  Then added text at the bottom for visual balance.

Then I went back to the home page & selected the arrow under Embellishments category.  I added an arrow I liked then resized it, rotated it, & flipped it to face the way I wanted.  Positioning them around the layout added a level of interest & direction to the set.

Lastly make sure that the collage is taking up a lot of the white space so that it will be a large image for your blog.  You can select the entire collage by clicking & dragging the cursor over the entire collage.  From there you can resize the collage.  Once finished, hit the publish button & name your collage.  You'll be taken to the collages page where you can right click & get the code.

I tend to choose the last square under layout so that the individual names of the items used aren't shown because I like the design better.  If you have a certain width in mind, I like images on my blog to be 650px wide, you can put that custom width in the box.

Now go over to your blog platform & post the HTML in the HTML option of your post body.  Write up your post & you're set.

Polyvore is a cool site to play around with & it's easier to use than a photo program.  You can make sets & save them for later, you can join groups & be social, you can get loads of inspiration too.  It's a super cool way of making an inspiration board easily.

How do you use Polyvore?

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