Design Doodles

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So as of today I have finished my last day of school ever. I do not actually become a graduate until August, but I no longer have any classes! I am so excited to be finished/incredibly nervous and anxious about moving back to Birmingham. I will be on the search for a job, and really dedicating time to my online shop. So, since I have the entire month of July to relax and be creative I thought I would offer some design services. I have never really done this before, but I figured It wouldn't hurt to ask.

If you are searching for a creative playful design for any of the following just shoot me an email.
cfontgomery23@gmail.com

business cards
letterheads
logo
blog title
blog buttons
personal signature

My prices are very low, and I love working with new people and clients. I have three years experience designing and working for an online advertising organization, as well as a creative studio. Mostly I design for my blog/etsy, class projects and work. If your looking for a revamp on your business or blog and want a creative approach
just send me an email. cfmontgomery23@gmail.com
Here are some examples of my work.

I'm graduated, and I still have a HUGE to do list. Now, just more time to finish these projects I guess. My day will consist of:
picking up supplies from hobby lobby
writing out graduation invitations
hemming two dresses
finishing sculpture robots to sell at Pepper Place
shipping items
gathering clothing for photoshoot on Friday
dishes...erg
begin online job search.(very daunting)

wish me luck! I hope everyone is having a splendid Wednesday.

DIY- Funky Light switch

I saw this light switch at a friends house last year, so I have been making different versions of it ever since. Yet my favorite version is still the cheezy Fuego love scenes. They are SO funny. The light switch just fits so perfectly on the picture...if you know what i'm sayin. Well here is what you will need:
Polyurethane
paint brush
light covers
cheezy love scenes
(you can get these from the
front of romance novels at the thrift store)
buttons or trinkets.
metal clips.
hot glue gun
sandpaper



1. Score the front of the light switch with some sandpaper.
2. Next cover the light switch in a light layer of glue and place the magazine cover over the front. Fold over the edges and clip them with the metal clips.
3. Hot glue the back of the folded paper so that it stays put.
4. Glue on your trinkets and buttons to the front of the light switch, then cover with two coats of polyurethane.

These are perfect for birthday gifts or prank gifts. You can really personalize them with different magazine clippings and vintage photographs. Hope you enjoy!

Thrift Store Finds

Check out all of the clocks I got at the thrift this weekend. I now have an instant collection of mini Baby Ben clocks. I am pretty sure some old woman had been collecting these little guys for months, and finally decided to just get rid of all of them. It can get a little annoying if you have all of them running in one room. The tic tocks will most certainly get to you. I had to take the batteries out of all but one of them. My favorite is the blue plastic vibrant clock right in front.

A word of advice. DO NOT use goo gone on plastic surfaces. The goo gone will eat the plastic up.
I hate those darn stickers from the thrift store!! I can't tell you how many drinking glasses I have that still have the thrift store stickers on them. All of my clocks still have the stickers on them, I just do not have the patience to scrape them off.

Does anyone know a good remedy to get VERY sticky stickers off of plastic?




Here is a beautiful quilt I found at an estate sale. It is only the raw quilted squares at the moment. I need to buy some material to sew to the back of the quilt. The design is amazing, so many colors! Has anyone made any quilts recently? I will be looking for some fabric and advice on how to turn this blanket into a beauty.

Pearl River Blues

I literally have 25lbs. of blueberries now stored in my fridge! Yesterday Gavin, and his little sister, and I went to pick blueberries at Pearl River Blues Farms. We visited Pearl River Blue's Farm last year and we absolutely loved it. The farm has over 3,000 blueberry bushes, chickens, a veggie and flower garden and wonderful friends. If you have never gone to a farm near you and picked either blueberries or strawberries I highly recommend it.

Pearl River is an organic farm so they don't spray the field with any pesticides or herbicides. You can eat as many berries as you want right off the bush. And did we ever. Gavin and I remembered not to eat a lot because we knew we would be filling our bellies with berries.
Right now is perfect blueberry picking season, so research a blueberry farm near you!

Gavin and I will freeze most of the berries and eat them year round. I'll post my favorite blueberry recipe tomorrow. It is so much fun getting to know farmers in your area, we even brought
home one dozen fresh eggs.

Has anyone else gone blueberry picking?

May I own this car.

Could I just maybe put a "for sale" sign on this car? She is quite the beauty. I spotted her a street over from my house. I could not resist getting out and snapping some pics.

Gavin and I are headed to New Orleans this weekend to visit his family. We are stopping by Pearl River Blues to pick some fresh blueberries. We went last year and have been waiting until the berries are ripe for picking this year. We hope to pick at least 3 lbs. and freeze them so we can have blueberries throughout the year.




Don't forget to stop by my shop and check out all the new items. Remember 15% of all purchases this month will be donated to The Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund.

What are you doing this weekend? Anyone fond of picking blueberries as well?

Save the Gulf- Ill try

I keep watching the news coverage on the oil spill and scanning through magazines of dirty pelicans and sea turtles and sometimes I feel so helpless. I don't really have the funds or extra time to donate to the disaster, but I figured I could spare a little through ETSY.

My boyfriend Gavin is from New Orleans, so we both pay close attention to whats happening in the gulf. We are going down to visit this weekend, it will probably be the first time visiting that we wont bring home a huge bag of fresh boiled crayfish or shrimp. We hope to even head to the coast to see some of the damage.

For the next month (June 24-July 24) I have decided to donate 15% of my sales on ETSY to The Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund. This does not sound like much, but its all I can really give right now. I'm hoping to raise at least 200$ in the next month to be donated. The 15% will be taken out of the final purchase and stored until I can donate the lump sum of raised fund in July.

How can you help? Simply purchase some lovely vintage
items from my shop, The Appleseed.

Or if you don't find something you like in my shop, check out all the ETSY sellers below who are also donating funds to the disaster.

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6.

1. Loopy Goth OOAK Art Doll Clarissa

2. Handmade vintage linen owl plushie

3.SAVE THE GULF COAST BOW

4. Ornamental Sun on Organic Alternative Apparel Scoop Neck tshirt

5. Yellow Vintage Bicycle On Gray Bodysuit Or Tee

6. High Lonesome blue grass inspired antique crazy quilt cuff all recycled from down de bayou

Shop Update - plenty of new items.

Plenty of items new in the shop today. I hope your having a splendid Wednesday. I am super excited for tonight's new show on Bravo
"Work of Art" which will feature artists in every medium of art including: painting, sculpture, photography, collage and industrial design.

Has anyone seen an episode yet? I just found out about it yesterday.
I am so excited!

DIY- a craft extravaganza

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Very soon I will be moving back home to Birmingham. I am excited/nervous/sad. I will be leaving my boyfriend here in Tuscaloosa while he finishes up his master's in Biology. Gavin is my number one supporter so its going to be a little tough without him. On the excited side, I will be moving to a larger city with tons of art, excitement, jobs and new friends. Actually I have very few friends in Birmingham so I'm very anxious to get to the city and explore. I will also be on the search for a job, gosh I'm already graduating from college, its seems so surreal.

Anywho, once I move back to town I will be a nanny for my younger cousin. I thought I would take this splendid opportunity to create as many crafts as I can with her. I soon plan to open a community craft/vintage/art collective shop downtown, so this will be the perfect opportunity to try out some young kid crafts. Here is a small list I have come up with. (with images) I will be posting DIY steps and pics to all of these endeavors upon completion.

1. Dream Shadow Box

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2. Photo Mobile

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3. Crochet pet rock (first I have to learn to crochet/sticth)
maybe we will just paint them...

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4. Pretty wire wall decor
SUPER excited about this one.

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5. Felt hair clips of course. because they
are always a huge hit with the ladies




What craft did you create recently? Do you have any pictures?

Truly Inspiring. One Dress

A truly inspiring story I found searching the web. It amazes me how such a creative mind, a little style, and one dress can make such a difference. Here is how Sheena a girl who grew up in India gave back to her community.

The Idea- The Uniform Project

Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade's boudoir.

The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums.

Uniform Project Picture Book from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.

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Tuesday Tale of Doris's tall hat

For those of you who are new to my blog every Tuesday I share a little story about where my thrift stores finds traveled from to make it into my home. It's a simple and unique way to appreciate other peoples trash, which have become my treasures. Today I will share with you the extraordinary fancy top hat I snatched from the thrift, which was previously owned by Dorris Steele.

but first Ill share some pretty finds...


Here are a few favorites:

Vintage Navy Blue Cocktail Hat

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Vintage Cocktail Hat in Turquoise

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Selima Salaun designs these beautiful hats in NYC. If only I could dress like this every day. I simply walked into the grocery in Alabama with my new found beauty, and I got so many funny looks. I loved it!

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There are some pristine replicas of vintage hats on ETSY. For a very reasonable price as well. I am so tempted to snatch one of these up. Gail of Creations by Gail designs hats from past eras, she even does custom orders if you need one for a special occasion or wedding. If I only had the occasion to wear them all to.



Dorris's Top Hat

It was not quite Sunday, yet Dorris had spent her entire Saturday evening displaying her hats on her bed in attempts to decide which hat would match her orange tequila lace pant suit. Dorris has quite the collection of hats, blue velvet hats for a winter day, silk red cocktail hats for outings with friend and delicate straw wide brimmed hats for trimming the garden. Dorris has become quite the spectacle at her church in Templar, TX. She has been a member of Sacred Heart Church for 16 years but only recently has she somehow seemed to double the congregation.

Dorris always attends the early service at church, she promptly arrives at 7:20 to get the best seat in the very front row before the service begins at 8:00.She also likes being the very first in line for communion...(for obvious reasons. One Sunday Dorris arrived wearing quite unusual attire. She was dressed head to toe in purple velvet,a large brimmed hat included, which seemed to resemble an overgrown eggplant. The next Sunday Dorris wore matching crimson red nickers and scarlet a scarlet red hat. And the next Sunday a striking lime green pencil skirt with spotted leggings and a lime bean like skinny top hat.

Word spreads quickly through Templar of such a scandal, and Dorris became the talk of the town. People would show up to the church just to sneak a peek of the elaborate and exotic prints and fabrics Dorris would be wearing.

Sadly, when Dorris passed away she sent one hat to each friend and relative she knew. The yellow and gold top hat which was sent to her niece in Birmingham, AL was no gift at all.Her cousin despised it upon first arrival, not evening giving it a chance in the mirror. The hat was quickly taken to the local donation spot...where it happened to fall right into my arms.

I plan to proudly wear this hat wherever I deem fit. The grocery store, movie nights with Gavin, potlucks, and strolls around the neighborhood. By the way Gavin fully supports the crazy hat.

Some pretty images because I felt that they were irresistible. Thank you weheartit, for I waste too many hours searching
through your stock.



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Do you have any favorite hats or unique accessories just dying for the occasion to wear them to? Well don't wait, just wear them to the grocery store and enjoy those funny looks.

Please do tell!