The sweat shop.

Yes folks, this is where it all happens....some say magic...my husband says forced labor. Deep in the depths of my very own basement is my craft area (where 'it' happens!) Glamorous? maybe not, but considering the circumstances I am kinda proud of my little sweat shop. I can only move up from here...right? :)

(an old dvd rack we weren't using--heck, why not make it a fabric rack!)

There it is my friends....now, don't be jealous if you can help yourself :P

A couple newbies...

I have been MIA a little bit this week and SO much has happened. I think pictures speak louder than words so here are a few memories of a wonderful week/weekend!

(A much needed girls slumber party weekend -- beach, haircuts, ice cream, fire works, baby shower, food, fun!)

(They had a sweet baby shower for me and we all made onsies for my little guy!)


(While at the lake, I snapped a quick pic of these sweet little ducks)

(Check out this amazing rainbow! We witnessed this while paddle boating on Lake Harriet!)

(Paddle boat ride on Lake Harriet with the hubs!)

I know that was just a few, but I tell you, it was a GREAT weekend!

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Just a quick glimpse at my newest creations! It just dawned on me that I get a ton of compliments of how I display my jewelry, and so I thought I'd try my hand at selling them. Let me know what you think! There are plenty more to come :)



Check them out in my shop :)

Bruised but not broken

Well, my first 'craft show' has come and gone and well.....I may have left a little bit of my pride and dignity there, but I am feeling a bit better now. It was in a sweet little town not to far from the cities and was run by the cutest little boutique! The owner wanted to build sense of community in the "bedroom" town (I just learned what that means.) and so she has thrown together this little market every weekend to help the process. It sounds like it has been a slow process, but her intentions are so admirable! On Saturday it was myself (and my mom!) along with 4 other vendors....so not a lot to draw a crowd in. Actually, I think about 5 people crossed my table. The day was not a total loss though, one of the other vendors bought a pocket mirror AND the boutique took a ton of my stuff to put on consignment! So, now it is 'out there' and maybe I'll have some luck with the locals :) Plus it was a nice sunny day and not too bad in the shade. Here is a peak and my set up. I know it is not the most professional looking, but hey...I'm a newbie :) I'll take any tips that come my way though!

(My mom..a.k.a. my biggest supporter)

(It was a great location...cute little gazebo in the background! Sunny skies...till the Tornado later that night!)

(Ok, I just had to throw this in...isn't this just pitiful?! This is what I have to face every time I leave him. It is just sick the turmoil I am left with!)

And so, nothing to brag about here. I will still create until it kills me and someday.....I'll find just that right creation that people HAVE to have--or maybe one that pays the bills :) So, off to the drawing board!

Goodnight friends!

Jumping in the pool!

So, I know no one is nearly as excited about this as I am.....but if you remember a few posts back I had an interview with the Minneapolis school district to be added to the pool of school counselors (to later pick from for specific jobs)..WELL.....I just got the call and out of 25 people interviewed, I am one of the ten that have been chosen for the pool! :) yay!!!!! Now, there are 5 positions to fill, so all I need to worry about is making them see past my baby bump (my due date is really poor planning for school!--September!) and really leaving a lasting impression. Hopefully I will be called for interviews soon!

:) This made my day!!!

What I've been up to

So, in excitement over both the nursery prep and my upcoming craft show (first ever!) -- I have been pretty busy. Here are the latest pictures of the nursery. Now, it is not nearly as decorated as it could be yet, but that is what baby showers are for right? :) So here it is with all the 'essentials' and a few cute things.

(The four small pics above the changing table are really special to me because thanks to my grandpa--they are prints from the ACTUAL negatives from NASA and the moon landing. They are the real deal and I hope my son appreciates them as much as I do!--Also, it is not in the room yet, but thanks to my other grandfather our little guy's room will also have an authentic autograph and photograph of THE Babe Ruth!)

Now what else have I been up to? Oh yes! Crafting! My bff's mom gave me a little gift the other day because she thought I could teach myself how to make them and sell them in my upcoming craft show. (plus I am a self proclaimed kleenex addict). Here are some pics of my newest creations: Kleenex pouches! (I discovered they can also be used for sanitary napkins, travel wipes, ipods, etc.) I made them out of vintage and non vintage fabric. They are super easy to make and look at how cute they are. Just toss one in your purse and no one has to know that you are a kleenex whore like me :P

(These are some of my person faves!)

Just showing how they are 'two-toned' I love the combo of the yellow and green! They are either backed with this great yellow or else a pea soup kinda green--sounds kind of ugly I know, but I promise their cute:)

Here I am just showing a glimpse of the inside and how they "work"

So, what do you think? I am not sure I'm gonna put them up on Etsy--we'll see how they do at the craft show this Saturday. But hey, if YOU see one you like let me know! They are quite cute and only $3.00 and I'll send them free of any shipping charges just because I like you :)

So with that, any advice for Saturday? I am pretty excited for the craft show, but also a bit nervous, I have no idea what to expect! Any advice is appreciated!

Ok, I think this has gone on long enough and now my stomach is growling, so time to settle down to some comfort food and relax the night away after a couple of hard working days!

P.S. Check out my shop and the 'Christmas in July' sale I am having--it's worth it I promise :)

www.etsy.com/shop/lauralilarson

Nesting....

So, as promised--I am posting some pictures of my soon to be nursery for my little man! Her are some before shots (sadly I forgot to snap a few when it was the office, but oh well).







Now, it is not finished yet...but I managed to get the worst part done with so tomorrow when the hubster can help me we can just do the rolling and then the fun part--decorating! :) Here are a few pics of where it is at now, If you can't tell the paint is a light blue color. (I wore a mask so I didn't inhale any 'toxic' fumes for baby)




I am so ecstatic to have this process started! I can't wait to see it all finished and ready for baby--crazy! Well, this little mama has been hard at work so I'm gonna take a little cat nap and then a birthday celebration for my bro-in-law!

Home Sweet Home

Its just a lazy Sunday afternoon here in the city, so I just thought I would blog about and post some more personal pictures of my "treasures" :) In this case I am talking about the treasures and spaces around my home that I just love. You know-- those things and spaces in your home that just make you smile? Well, here are some of mine!

First off is my special re-purposed chair. I got the chair off craigslist and foot stool at the antique store. I painted the footstool to match the chair and the recovered both cushions with a great yellow paisley (umm, yes, by now you should know I like paisley) fabric. To top it off is a sweet pillow I got on sale :)
Next, is a great architectural touch to my home. These great little nooks house my collection of milky white vases found at a thrift store. I love them!

Next is a great bench my sister wasn't using, so I snatched it up and made it a quaint little window seat :)



One of my BFF's inspired me to do this. she has something similar in her home!




I found this chair on craigslist for $5! What a steal, I thought it was perfect the way it was so I didn't even do anything to it. On it is my new (old) handmade blanket I got at the thrift store for $3! Great finds make me happy! (and yes, those are my ratty old slippers--I may be the only person who wears slippers during the summer).



Here is a view of my dresser with some of my faves like well, the dresser itself! It was actually my moms and she passed it down to me. I like how rustic and detailed it is. Then there is a cool little ring/trinket holder that was my grandmas, some pictures and a great Owl bank (another thing I love--owls!).


Here is another treasure I found on craigslist that I cleaned up a bit and painted yellow to put over our bed as a kind of bringing the outdoors in type of feel :) Also note the great duvet cover I got from Urban Outfitters! love that store!

Cutest dog ever!....no? I think he is pretty handsome if I do say so myself!



Let's see, last but not least is my desk! I sit at this desk about 0-2% of the day, but hey, it looks good. It was a pale natural wood that I painted red and added some fun knobs and decals on. One very special thing sitting on it is my grandpa's old radio. He is now passed, but I still have it on the station that he used to sit and listen to the Twins on. If you look really closely you can see a picture of my husband and I the day we got engaged--yes those are homemade engagement photos! Maybe I'll share that story another day!

So--there you have it folks! A little glimpse into my home and the things about it that make me happy and enjoy just chillaxin at home!

What things about your home make you happy?

Hip Hip--Hooray!

Today was a reminder to me that people actually do still shop in my shop :) A sweet gal just purchased two of my personal faves and I am so excited :) It has been awhile let me tell you! Out of my excitement and pure gratification that my shop is still getting a little love, I am sending her a free vintage map pocket mirror----shhhhh :) yay!









Now, off for some tubing fun--lets see how this whale of a 7 month pregnant body of mine does in the water. Sure to make some waves! :)

Round one....

TOMORROW I have, what I feel like I have been waiting for FOREVER! Tomorrow is the first round of interviews to become a Minneapolis School Counselor! I am both thrilled and scared out of my mind. This is 'it'. I have confidence in myself, but still interviews---does anyone really like interviews?
So, that is my exciting news, which will hopefully be soon followed by more interviews to land me a job this fall (despite the bun in the oven!) My mum and dad have faith at least, here is what my dad wrote me to encourage me: "I'll be praying for you on my noon walk. Just remember, there is a bigger God than the god of school counseling and He has your life all planned out." awwww.... :)
It is always funny what you find on the internet in search of helping you prepare for something. I found this handy dandy interview guide....perhaps I should be studying it? I'll be sure to bring my pie charts and enthusiasm! Research, organize, execute....research, organize, execute....research, organize, execute.....

All dressed up and no where to go

Well, I was all ready for my first craft fair....however because of the holiday weekend the venue contacted me and let me know that virtually no other vendors would be there, but I could still come if I wanted to. I chose to not go, a bit bummed, but am scheduled to give it another try on the 17th...so until then!

In other news, we went in for our third ultrasound today to see how baby is doing (some questionable things were found on previous ones) and baby is doing fine, however he still has fluid built up in his kidneys which they will need to check again in another 6 weeks....waiting is not fun! I am not so worried though (at least not as worried as I was in the past about things they found), it sounds like it could disappear or he could grow out of it with time, so only time will tell. All I can do is wait and pray for my little boy to grow healthy and strong! He sure is growing though, I am at 28 weeks and his head is measuring at 31! yikes! He's got the "Larson Dome" as my hubby says.

My goals this week: get started on the nursery! So much to do...and my husband is NOT motivated to help. "The baby isn't coming yet, why do we need to get started now?"-- I will get my way one way or another :) Isn't it time for me to starting this 'nesting' phase anyways??

Hopefully my next post will have pictures of my forming nursery, ahh, I can smell the paint now! (well, I won't really inhale it in because of well, er, the baby, but you get my drift!)

FIRST craft fair EVER!

So this Saturday, I will be attending and participating in my first real craft vendor event. I have no idea what it will be like, it could very well potentially be a flop, but I am hoping for the best. I am not sure if the holiday weekend will help traffic or hurt it. It is in Becker, MN, which is about an hour drive for me and is held at what seems like a really cool and quaint boutique. They set up their Saturdays to be a farmers marker, flea market, craft fair, entertainment stop all rolled into one--sounds pretty cool to me! Plus.....its FREE to be a part of, so I had to take the opportunity. Nothing to lose right?! Lets hope not! Now lets go through my checklist and see if I got everything I need for this event.

Table - check
Inventory- check
Business cards- check
Chairs- check
Money box- check
$- check
Bags for purchases- need to buy
Sunscreen- check
my mom :) - check
Table cloth and set up to make it look perty- check

ok....you out there who are not craft fair virgins, do I need anything else? I'm sure there is something I'm forgetting--help!

It should be an interesting experience and I hope to come back with my pride/dignity as well as some moolah! :)