Pretty Pretties

I've been a busy girl. In addition to obsessing about BlogHer, I've actually been making jewelry.

Today I actually listed some pieces:



Black Lace



Sunstone Circles

I also redid the pictures on these listings:



Pearl Clusters



Amethyst Circles

Bag It

I am currently obsessing about BlogHer. You've already heard me whine about what to wear. I won't go into that again, suffice it to say I am going to bring everything in my closet to Chicago with me.

I made a list of all of the things I need to take with me so I wouldn't forget anything important. One of the first things on my list was my laptop. Its a blogging conference so I'll need to have my laptop. But what am I going to carry it in?

I have the sleeve that came with it. It is very utilitarian and functional. In other words, it is black and ugly but it protects the laptop. But it doesn't have a handle so I'd have to carry it in something, a purse or bag.

Or I could find a new, snazzy carrying case. Yes that sounds much better. And during a quick perusal of Etsy I found these.

The Orangina from Mareri. It also comes in mustard, lime, midnight blue, periwinkle and lilac.



This beauty from Track and Field.


This great messenger bag from Sinem Inugur.


The Maiden Dove tote from majkatree.


Or I could just make one like the swanky suitcase bag by Jennifer Perkins on the Craftzine blog.

Do Clothes Make the Woman?

Or does the woman make the clothes? An age old conundrum that has me running in circles this week.

As I mentioned, I am going to the BlogHer conference next week and I'm kind of obsessing about it. What to do, who to meet, making sure I open my mouth when I meet them, and what is currently bothering me, what to wear.

When I was in the working world, I was confident wearing pretty much anything. I could dress up or dress down depending on my mood. But since I've been at home, comfort (and washability) is the key when getting dressed. In fact I gave away a lot of my "fancy" "dressy" clothes. I didn't need them because I had nowhere to wear them. Until now.

So now I am pulling everything out of my closet and pulling my hair out in the process. I have two vintage sundresses I want to wear during the day - one is hawaiian retro and the other is very 50s. I love them and I feel comfortable in them so they are in. I'll throw in capri pants and tops for the more casual times.

Footwear is a bit easier. Flats and sandals are all that I own so that is what I'm wearing. I'm tall, I don't need the height.

But the parties are killing me. Dress up or dress down? Fancy dresses or jeans and a nice top?

Or maybe I should just plan my wardrobe around the jewelry I'll be wearing. That might be easier.

Busy, Busy

In eight days I leave for the blogging conference, BlogHer. I will be meeting bloggers from all over the country. Bloggers who I read and "know". Bloggers who I read and admire. And bloggers who I have not yet discovered.

I am relatively new to the blogging game having only started But Why Mommy last May. Many (okay 99%) of the bloggers won't know who I am. I need/want to make a good impression.

In order to make said good impression, I am going to be very busy for the next few days. There are clothes and shoes to buy. Pedicures to be had. Business cards to order. But most importantly I want to make a good impression where it counts, here (and there). I also want to get my Etsy shop in good shape.

So over the next few days, I will be running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to make jewelry, post it here, get it in the store. I hope that you like what you see.

Wednesdays Are For Sharing - The Winner

Thanks to all those who participated in the giveaway. It's nice to have this kind of support for my new venture.

So I put all of the entries into the Random.org number generator and came up with the winner (drumroll, please):

#28 - The Fragrant Muse - Twitter

So Liz from the Fragrant Muse please contact me at butwhymommy @ gmail . com with your info so I can get you your lovely necklace.

I had fun doing this and I hope you did too. I may offer more drawings in the future if you are interested.

Camp Crafty

First a housekeeping note: Today is the last day to enter the necklace giveaway. The winner will be drawn using Random.org and will be announced sometime tomorrow. Don't forget to leave me a comment for all the ways you've entered.

Now back to our regularly scheduled post:

Because my daughter is too young for camp this summer, I decided to hold our own camp. We would do special activities and crafts to make the summer more fun. For our first craft, we decided to make a butterfly garden for her room.

The butterfly garden will essentially be paper butterflies hung on string from her ceiling. I am hoping to hang them over her bed like a mobile. When her fan blows it will look like the butterflies are flying.

Making the butterflies was so easy, I thought I'd share a little tutorial with you. All you will need is:

Paper
Crayons, pencils or paint to decorate the butterflies
Scissors
Yarn or string

I had Bunny color a picture on the paper to start off with. Because she is three, it was easier for her to do than to color on the butterflies themselves. However, if you want to decorate each butterfly individually you can do that too.

To make the butterfly, you fold the paper and draw a B on one side of the fold. Cut along the B.


And you've made a butterfly shape, easy peasy. If you've decided to decorate each butterfly do so now.


Next fold the butterfly like an accordion. The folds should be tighter in the middle and the edges should be left unfolded.



Then tie a string or yarn around the middle as tight as you like making sure that the edges (or wings) are not folded.


If you are planning on hanging the butterflies, leave one end of the string long enough to hang from the ceiling. If you just want to use them for decoration or play, you can cut both ends short.

That's it. A super easy and super fun project.

Looking Out, Looking Up

I've been sort of a Debbie Downer lately. A lot of things have gone wrong lately and I have been focusing on them too much. Its hard not to.

But the focus of this blog is to create and look for beauty in everyday life. I can plant a garden so I have pretty flowers to look at. I can pick up a paint brush or a pencil and doodle for a while. I can grab my wire and hook and make something.

Or I can look out the window



and admire the beauty all around me.