In My Bag

There was a while where "what's in my bag" posts were all the rage, and I ate them up. I just love seeing what people haul around on a daily basis. Right now I've got a collection of things living in my purse that I'm absolutely smitten with, so I thought I'd share.

I got these Gia Sunnies from Ascot + Hart as a birthday gift for myself and I love how they make me feel like a rock star.

I use the Blue Leather Credit Card Case to hold gift cards that I am constantly forgetting to use.

The wallet is from Stash Co. and it's one of my favorite things. I've been following Stash Co.'s growth for years now and I absolutely love their products. I'd been eyeing this wallet for a while, and when it went on sale I couldn't resist any longer.

Lint rollers are saviors for people who own cats. I found this adorable one at H&M, and it's the perfect size for my purse. Though the pink one is sold out online they have a blue one with a snakeskin print that I kind of want to get.

Tide Stick. I can't talk about how important Tide Sticks are when you are incredibly, incurably clumsy like I am. I spill something almost daily, and being pregnant has not made that happen any less! As long as I use the Tide Stick right away, no one need's to know that I had pizza for lunch.

I got this pin in the shape of Voldemort's Wand at the Warner Brother's Studio in London. I'm not a Slytherin at heart but there's something about that wand that I think is really cool.

Lip balm, tissues, and phone chargers are things every purse need, but why can't they be pretty at the same time? I love the cute little tubs of balm from Eos, and these pocket sized Kleenex are so lovely. The charger was just a cute one I found in a gas station.

I love my field notes journals and use them daily. The Lunacy Edition is a special favorite of mine, it comes with werewolf facts and a wonderful light gray dot grid. I use it as a bullet journal, and it holds my goals, to do lists, etc. I'll do a post about all of it later.

This notebook is a very old one from Studio C. I don't think it's in print anymore, but they still have an adorable collection you should check out. I use this notebook to jot down ideas for the blog. It's basically my go to for scheduling, ideas, and everything else I need to run this blog.

My bag is from Nine West, bought in 2015, and the gorgeous tassel attached came from my Stash Co. wallet.

And just to keep it real, things not pictured:
- Tylenol
- feminine hygiene stuff
- Tums
- receipts, so many of them
- Harry Potter stamps
- gum
- broken pencils
- the key to a lock that has been changed + corresponding key chain
- monster/skull band-aids
- work schedule
- sonogram pictures
- Skittles

Etsy Shop Update

With a little one on the way and my life not looking like it's going to get any less hectic anytime soon, I've found myself looking at options for money making that are a bit more passive. That's when I found a few articles that talked about a part of Etsy I was always afraid to approach before... digital downloads.

A lot of the products I sell at farmer's markets are one of a kind. 30 minutes can go into a card that sells for five dollars. And while that isn't exactly time wasted, it does seem as if I could do a bit more with my creativity. So I had a "duh" moment and started scanning in my cards. I've now got quite a few listed on my Etsy shop (JesLesemannHughesArt) and I'm so excited to share them here!

I hope to add more cards as time goes on, and then possibly expand what I sell, but baby steps. For now, I'm just excited to have some creative juices flowing.

Mood Board #1

Right now my wish is to park an Airstream in the back yard, renovate it with a super beachy vibe, and then take it on the road, wearing comfy worn out clothes and painting abstract landscapes the whole time. Dream life, yeah? I asked my husband if we could do it and he seemed a bit apprehensive. What, you don't want to birth/raise a newborn in a space that's smaller than our living room? Silly.

These jeans look like the kind of jeans you'd wear during lazy days around the house, which are my favorite kind of jeans. (Buy similar here.) (Or just go to a thrift store, buy some mom jeans, bleach them, and wear them every day. For style purposes. Or because comfy jeans can easily become a uniform.)

This tee was from Billabong like three years ago.

That bag is an old one from Bluma Project, but all of their bags have the same beachy feel.

Love love love these sunglasses from Ascot + Hart, but that could just be because they're called Gia.

Sometimes I want to give into the teenager part of me that just needs to cover her walls with beautiful pictures.

This. House. Tour. Is. Amazing. It's the house of one of the aforementioned Ascot + Hart owners, and it is described as "California meets Texas" which I guess really fits in with my tastes. I love how eclectic, casual, kid friendly, and fun it all is.

I cannot get enough of Mavis the Airstream. Jason & Sheena, the people who remodeled this little beauty, have such excellent taste. Everything is light, flowy, airy, and perfect. It's calming just to look at the pictures, I can't even imagine what it would be like to spend time in their little slice of heaven. Their Instagram is super inspiring too.

This keychain is so very cute.

The last photo is from the Instagram of one of my all time favorite artists Teil Duncan Henley. She switches up her subjects every once and a while but always has the same style and color pallet and I just can't get enough of it.


Other things that fit this vibe:

This scarf from Block Shop.
Everything about this outfit.
This girl power shirt.
This whole stinkin pin board of beachy locks.

DIY Recycled Spaceship Console

I'm not going to give a step by step description of how to make this because I thought figuring out what to use and where was half the fun. I am going to give you a GIANT supplies list and a .pdf of most of the graphics I used, though, so I'm not abandoning you completely.

This year's summer reading theme is space centered at my library, and we really wanted to have some interactive play stations to enhance the children's experience. I found some awesome space consoles that looked easy enough to DIY, so I gave it a shot using what various supplies we had around the library. And by various, I mean I used anything I could get my hands on.

The trick to really making this work is to make sure that the bottom of your structure is hollow. A long, thin box works best: I used two banker box lids taped together. Having some space at the bottom gives you a place to have things hanging out underneath, and a place to hide your hot glue globs and massive amounts of duct tape.

Supplies:

contact paper, metallic contact paper, butcher paper

cardboard boxes and hot glue

packing tape and duct tape

ribbon spools, marker lids, water bottle lids, beads

 colored paper, baby food jars, Easter eggs

 brads, game controller parts, a number pad

 glue sticks, and used up tape rolls

To make these knobs (that turn... ooooo, fancy) I used the bottom half of a glue stick and stuck on a bunch of beads.

Lots of bottle caps went into making buttons. I put a big wooden bead at the bottom of these which hid the hot glue and made them look more like buttons. All of the meters in this project have working dials. To make the needles durable but still movable I covered both sides in contact tape then attached the needle with a brad at the bottom.

I think the joysticks might be the most loved part of this whole setup. I made them by tearing apart an old game controller (a PC one who's buttons kept sticking, to be specific) and then attaching the joysticks and the hardware that goes with them. I made them more impressive by gluing on, you guessed it, more bottle caps.

These meters were created by covering used duct tape rolls with paper then taping in the meter graphic. The needles were covered with lots of tape then attached with a brad (that looks like a screw, how cool is that?).

The two big dials were created with a used ribbon spool with a thin marker cap inserted inside. The top of the marker cap was glued to a water bottle lid, and the bottom came out through the cardboard. The blue, green, and orange switch slide along tracks so they can be adjusted to sit at different levels.

I'm happy with the way this project turned out, and it's a hit with the kids. They always take at least a few minutes to pretend to blast off into space. I'm also slightly impressed by the durability. We've had this sitting out for two weeks and only one thing needs to be re-glued.

If you want to decorate your own spaceship,
click here to download the .pdf of the graphics I used on my console.

INVITES + INSPIRATION: 4th of July

When I think of the 4th of July I think of sparklers and bonfires, fireworks and picnics. The movie Sandlot is my go-to for the 4th of July. There's something about that retro charm that is perfect for this holiday. My ideal Independence Day party would be spent enjoying cool breezes and roasting hot dogs, watching movies outside while eating ice cream and then enjoying fireworks cuddled up with the ones I love.

1. Root Beer Floats from By Stephanie Lynn

2. Sparkler Inspiration found on Tumblr

3. DIY Tabletop S'mores Roaster from Polka Dot Chair

4. Blanket Inspiration found on The Junk Drunk

5. Beverage Cart Inspiration found on Taste of Home

6. Fireworks Blooms from Martha Stewart

1. Can Game Inspiration from Evite.com

2. DIY Bottle Ring Toss Game from Everyday Dishes

3.  4th of July Tic Tac Toe from Hey Let's Make Stuff

4. Bean Bag Toss Game from Chica and Jo

5. How to Make Giant Wooden Dominoes from eHow

6. Croquet Inspiration from Inspiring Pretty

Last year I made some sparkler packets to sell at the town's farmer's market on the 4th. They were such a cute idea that I knew had to make up a template to share for the holiday this year.

To download the .pdf including these templates, CLICK HERE.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Ten Things

Ten things this week could also be called "giant list of sold out things." Sorry. They're pretty, though!

1. Vintage Indie Round Circle Cat Eye Sunglasses from ZeroUV

2. Willowvane Sprinkles Mug, 12 oz

3. Make the World Suck Less Tee by 55hi's

4. Tanya Taylor Peggy Striped Crepe-Jersy Pencil Skirt

5.  Black Python Flats from Rothys

While I was searching for that Make the World Suck Less Tee, (which I couldn't really find... blah) I browsed through the 55hi's website, and man, their cards are awesome! I especially love their shot glass card and the money cards.

I recently found an Etsy shop that sells teas based on characters. It's called Malfoy Tea Emporium, and I couldn't resist getting teas based off two of my favorite characters, Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, and Rhysand from the Court of Thornes and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. They smell so yummy!

Ice cream rolled tacos are a colorful treat trend that I hope makes it to my area sometime in the future. For now, I'll just have to gaze at Sweet Cup's Instagram feed and dream.

There is something about this loft featured on Berenice Big that I can not tear my eyes away from. I think it's the neon light. Or maybe it's the black walls. Or that bird hiding in the corner. Whatever it is, I want to re-create it, pronto.

Speaking of rooms I'd never want to leave, can we talk about this sunroom re-do featured on A Beautiful Mess? Those pillows. The floors. That painting corner. The lighting! Sigh.

DIY Scratch Off Map

I love the concept of scratch off maps because I love the checklist aspect. There's just something about being able to look at the map and realize that you've been to all those places that seems so inspiring to me. And if you look at my map, there are so many places left to go! I can't wait to scratch off different states with my family.

Supplies:

2 Identical Maps

Watercolors

Acrylic Paint

Paint Brush

Crayon

Contact Paper

Graphite Pencil (2b works well)

Washi or Painter's Tape

Scissors

Step One: Print your maps. 

I went online and found a free map of the United States then printed two copies. It's important that these maps are exactly the same so make sure to print two right away!

Step Two: Paint your map.

I chose to use watercolors to paint the map. I really wanted to create a rainbow effect, and I knew I would be able to see through the finished result. I had printed my maps on thin paper, which worked okay, but putting it on an actual watercolor paper would have has a much smoother finished product.

This is the step where you can get creative. I've seen really pretty versions of this that are gold underneath, and it would be super easy to modify this tutorial and substitute gold paint for the watercolors. You could also put in pictures, doodle on all the states, the possibilities are kind of limitless!

Step Three: Put on the contact paper.

Contact paper is a beast to use, but a little patience will go a long way. While you are waiting for the paint to dry, cut the paper to be a tad bit bigger than the actual map. Now slowly peel the contact paper off, and lay it on your table sticky side up. Carefully place the map so the colorful side is down,  sticking to the contact paper. Flip it over and use a straight edge (like a credit card) to smooth out all the creases and bubbles.

Step Four: Coloring time!

This step will see a bit tedious, but it is key if you want to be able to easily scratch off your map. Basically, anywhere you cover with wax will make it a hundred times easier to scratch off the paint. So try to color the whole map, staying in the lines as much as possible.

Step Five: Paint.

Now it's time to paint over everything you just did. This is kind of scary to do, I'm not going to lie, but the end result is worth it! Try to paint close to the edges, but make sure you can still see where the paper ends. You're going to need to be able to line it up with your second map. This step should take about two coats. If you paint isn't working with you, try to add a bit of water.

I used black paint because I like the idea of a bold contrast, but any color should work as long as you pick the right paint and paint enough layers that you can't see the map underneath.

Step Six: Make your second map into tracing paper.

This is a trick I've used since high school when I've wanted to transfer lines to a new sheet of paper. While your paint is drying, flip your second map upside down and use a graphite pencil to heavily color over where the lines are on the other side. As you can see by the picture, you want to make sure you have a thick line. You'll be transferring this graphite directly onto your scratch off map.

Step Seven: Line it up.

Once your painted map is completely dry (about an hour should do it) use washi tape or painter's tape to tape the map you made into tracing paper directly above the painted map. Make sure your corners match as exactly as you can make them line up. You can't actually see the map you're tracing onto, so this little attention to detail is super important

Step Eight: Transfer.

Now it's time to trace those lines! Use a pen or pencil to directly trace around the lines of your map. If you did step six right, the graphite on the underside of the map should transfer, and you should be able to pull the map you are tracing up a bit and see lines beneath it. When you pull the map up, try to leave on as much tape as possible so your papers don't shift. Leave the tape on until you've transferred every single line. If you pull it up and find that you've missed a spot, you can use a pencil to draw the missing line.

Step Nine: Trim and frame. 

Measure out the size of the map you want (I printed my map one 8.5x11 paper, but wanted an 8x10 map), and trim it. scratch off the places you've been to and put it in a frame! I had to put mine behind glass because, as you can see, it's a little wrinkly. 

That's it! You're all done! Now it's time to get travelin so you can scratch off more of that map!