High 5 for Friday!

Woooooaaaah...where did the week go? Happy Labor Day weekend everyone! Here's my High 5 for Friday:

World Tour Stories.com - a sailing blog written by a European couple who have simplified their lives by taking to the sea. I love to read about their adventures, especially this week as Labor Day is here & the summer seems to be coming to a close. And then there is the whole I'm-a-sailor-and-want-to-sail-away part. Total lifestyle envy. One day...

Welcome to our new office! Velocity Made Good (or VMG for short) is the company my husband & I recently started. We have moved from our living room to a temporary office space in DUMBO. We love it.

My bike - for the first time since I bought this awesome machine, I have a place & reason to ride regularly. Mr. B & I can bike together to the office...

...through Brooklyn Bridge Park. Not a shabby commute - this is from last night on the way home at the Kayak launch. My legs are aching in a good kind of way.

Last but not least - my handlettering project. Amanda at Wit & Whistle started a group Pinterest board for interested parties to practice & post their hand drawn type. Above is my week one. In preparation for my week two, I treated myself to a mechanical pencil, graph pad & new pilot pen. {squeal!!!}

Happy Weekend everyone! What's on your agenda? I have some wedding menus to finish up tonight. Remember these doily menus? I have another order to complete & ship to the UK! Yeah! Then off to the beach...

More Mug Magic

{from Simply Jess}

My girlfriend {and blog reader!!}, Aynsley, sent me this great mug idea today. See picture above...Chalkboard Mugs! Another fun way to make your morning...or afternoon...more interesting. I like the chalk marker...regular chalk sounds messy. I can imagine the mess you'd make of your message and/or your hand. It's the same with the dry erase markers, though I suppose. Gotta use the handle!

A quick internet search came up with a few places to buy them...like Amazon or Etsy. And of course, you could make one. I love the way both Wit & Whistle & The DIY Club have both used the chalkboard paint. Not your average paint job.

{I need more colors! Dry erase markers at Amazon}

For now I'm sticking to dry erase markers, but maybe for the holidays I'll expand to chalkboard paint. Chalkboard mugs would make great gifts with my homemade hot chocolate! Somehow I just know that the second I start painting anything with chalkboard paint, I'm going to cover everything in it.

Snowflakes in August

Last weekend we had a fun Christmas promotion at the Dekalb Market. Christmas in August!! To help decorate the shop, I made paper snowflakes. It was a labor of love, but the results were awesome!

Start with a square piece of paper...I used 8x8 inches. Fold according to instructions. Found here or here. Grab some sharp scissors & have some fun! My results:

The before & after : my triangle all cut up & read for unfolding. Drumroll...Amazing!

Again, my before & after. Those points were tough to make. Very easy to cut through the folds in the wrong place.

I love the spikes! I will definitely try some of this again.

Both tutorials that I mentioned were great, showing before & afters as I've done above. I found that to be a good inspiration & it gave me a little bit of an idea as to the shapes I would was making.  Mostly, though it was a surprise to see what I'd created. Also, they give some great ideas on both sites for designs, this one more for the beginner & this one more for someone handy with scissors.

For displaying them, we taped them up in the windows, but I seem to remember using paper clips as a kid to hang them on the tree. 

I think I'll make more when the holidays actually arrive!

High 5 for Friday!

I'm all about apps this week...

{from top left, clockwise}

1. Etsy app - how I love to browse with thee...

2. on the right is Google Chrome. It's literally changed my life this week.

3. Under that is the Square app. I check in on my sales from anywhere I have a cell signal.

4. Instagram - do you need a reason to love it? It's just awesome.

5. Last but not least - my twitter app. 

Press!

{check out my profile on Eleanor's blog}

My friend at the Dekalb Market, Alison, has a great bike shop for ladies. Her accessories, baskets & the like are all well chosen & express her amazing taste. Last week, she profiled me on her blog!

Read it here.

Super excited to be included! Thanks, Alison!

High 5 for Friday

I've posted 2 Fridays in a row! Wahoo!! Here we go, in no particular order...

My partner, my husband. Thanks for being my person.

My brother. Thanks for the chat today, dude. {fist bump!}

I've got cooking plans this weekend & I am PUMPED!!

Numbers 4 & 5 are kind of the same. I'm sorry to be unoriginal and say our boat again, but I'm gonna. Right now I've got white girl problems - work, work, work - which is a total blessing, but it makes these weekend boat trips that much better.

Ho Hum Beach. Yes, Bellport, you make my High 5 for Friday this week. It's quiet. It's gorgeous. It looks like it fell out of a Norman Rockwell painting. So glad to be spending the weekend here.

Have a great weekend! 

If you are interested in participating in High 5 for Friday, learn about it & join the link party @ From My Grey Desk, here.

New Products! Kinda...

Things move pretty quickly around the Batty household. As much as I'd like to claim that I strategically post about new products, that I am so organized and on top of marketing them & myself, the truth is...I'm scrambling.

So, here I am MONTHS after posting these on my Etsy shop, letting the public know about new products in my shop. Sometimes this is the way the cookie crumbles.

Voila! You're Cool & Smooches...

Originially designed for Valentine's Day, I decided why pigeon hole them? People need to send cards to say they care 365 days a year. They've been very popular at the Dekalb Market! {beaming!!}

Swing by An Etsy Artist Assembly @ the Dekalb Market if you're in downtown Brooklyn or check them out on my Etsy shop.

High 5 for Friday!

Greetings from Key West!! Here are my 5 for Friday...

Triton Knot sailing bracelets from Kiel James Patrick. One of my girlfriends told me about them recently. The closure is an anchor! Might have to have one...

Boatman Geller on Pinterest. I'm addicted...

{picture courtesy of The Gardens Hotel}

The Gardens Hotel. We are in Key West for a family wedding & this is where we are staying. It's a little oasis! Our room is in that white building behind all the beautiful tropical plants. See! Oasis...

My 13inch MacBook Pro. Bringing my work on the road is not exactly a vacation, but it does make me more relaxed, knowing that I can get small things done while I'm away from home.

Ft. Zachery Taylor, Truman Annex, Key West. One of the best spots in Key West. The beach has lots of coral on it, so getting in the water is uncomfortable, but worth it. Good family spot, plenty of breeze to keep you cool &  great snack bar. If you can't get down here, just open their website...I find it a mini-getaway the second the page loads.

Happy Weekend!! If you're in Brooklyn this weekend, there are some fun events going on at the Dekalb Market - a teen chef battle this afternoon, Contra dance party tonight & a Brasil Summerfest tomorrow! Sunday there is Pop-Up Yoga. How cool is that?

Dekalb Market turns 1!

This Saturday the Dekalb Market is celebrating their FIRST birthday! Come celebrate with free events - food tastings, live bands, a boucey house...even face painting. Plus, there will also be shopping specials from several of the vendors.

Come see us! An Etsy Artist Assembly will be open with it's usual cast of characters - air plants, pillows, lamps, photography (we have a new photographer!), leather goods, jewelry & plenty of cards & stationery.

Arts & Crafts :: Tshirt Necklace

We have season tickets to the NY Rangers. I don't think I've mentioned that. We are big hockey fans around here. Occasionally, we get free tee shirts on the way in to the game. Freebies are great, but the tshirts are ALWAYS HUGE.  What's a girl to do with it?

Thanks to Melissa Esplin of I Still Love You, now I know. Make a necklace! Pictures of mine below. For the how-to, visit I Still Love You here. Do not be intimidated by this project. It is super easy & quick. If you can braid, this necklace can be yours!

{I can wear it long...}

{...or twisted in half!}

Thanks to Mr. B who took these pictures. Check out my aloof model look...ha! I'm too cool for school.