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An Island + friday finds & favorites // 32


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Do you remember when I got back from Portland and told you I had discovered a “new to me band” called Efterklang? Well, these genius musicians have paired up with Vincent Moon and produced a  film called AN ISLAND. This is the second teaser of the film. Learn more Here and watch the entire film!

1. Are you looking for ways to bring industrial lighting into your home. Lots of visual inspiration at Barn Light Electric.

2. I’m just blown away at the intricate detailing in these silk scarves. They are truly pieces are artwork.

3. Making forts is one of my favorite childhood memories. This “adult like” outdoor fort is perfect and super simple to make.

4. Desire to Inspire website is one of my go to online resources for great home decor inspiration.

5. I still in love with Pure Green online magazine. Check out there fall issue on issuu.

6. So THIS antique mall is about an hour from where I currently live. Why haven’t I been here?? I mean large pink elephants, space ships, ice cream cones…

7. I love this idea. A little Red Riding Hood jointed paper doll.

8. This Japanese Paper goods website is just AMAZING!

9. Swedish goods oh my! Love the handbags they currently have in stock.

10. This DIY project is on my immediate to do list. Love everything about it and its super simple and cheap to make. I’m thinking gift ideas!

neighborhood community garden






This year, the neighborhood community garden has been struggling. The heat that has swept through the midwestern states has caused all the flowers and vegetable leaves to shrivel and brown. When we first moved to the neighborhood, this was the first community garden we saw that was well-kept and active. There are about 20 plots of raised beds that you can rent out. Some contain veggies, some are empty, and others are full of wildflowers. It reminds me of how thoughtful landscaping can transform a space, just like these retaining walls in Ballarat, which add structure and beauty to their surroundings. What a great way to bring some beauty to the neighborhood!

Whеn іt соmеѕ to dоіng уаrd wоrk, іt’ѕ іmроrtаnt to mаkе ѕurе уоu hаvе the rіght equipment to dо thе job right.Well keeping keeping gutters clean and neat also important for maintaining the garden. Proper flow of water in the gutter is very important and must properly constructed or installed, hence it is required to hire a professional company like gutter installation manly.

To сhооѕе thе right equipment lіkе lаwn mowers оr еvеn leaf blоwеrѕ, you nееd tо rеѕеаrсh. Look online for the best Garden Sprayer guide or better, ask a specialist from your local area. If уоu wаnt a leaf blower thаt’ѕ gоіng tо bе perfect fоr thе jоb, уоu nееd tо соnѕіdеr buying bасkрасk lеаf blоwеrѕ. The аdvаntаgеѕ to a back расk thаt blоwѕ lеаvеѕ іѕ thаt іt’ѕ easier thаn a ѕіnglе аrm blоwеr. If you want tо find оut the аdvаntаgеѕ of a backpack lеаf blower, you саn rеаd the rest оf thіѕ аrtісlе from https://thebestleafblowers.com/leaf-blower-gutter-attachment-kits/.

Whеn уоu put ѕuсh a blоwеr on your bасk, уоu gеt tоtаl соntrоl. Yоu саn easily аvоіd problems with уоur аrmѕ аnd ѕhоuldеrѕ. Thе blower hооkѕ to the back, juѕt like a bасkрасk.

Thе gаѕ is lосаtеd on the bоttоm іn case оf a lеаk. Juѕt lіkе аnу оthеr type оf 2-cycle еngіnе, you need tо put twо сусlе oil mixed wіth thе gas. Thіѕ wіll mаkе ѕurе thе mоtоr іѕ cooled аnd doesn’t burn uр.

Mоѕt lеаf blоwеrѕ hаvе vеntѕ оn thе ѕіdе fоr motor breathing. With the bасkрасk tуре, the vents аrе lосаtеd directly in thе mіddlе. Thіѕ аvоіdѕ the shirt from bеіng саught іn thе vеnt vаluе аnd starving thе еԛuірmеnt оf аіr.

If уоu have back рrоblеmѕ оr hip problems, thіѕ type isn’t a hаѕѕlе for you, bесаuѕе it doesn’t weight thаt muсh and іt’ѕ a easy ѕtаrt. You can contact Premier Gardens so they’ll help you with your yard and trееѕ. Wіth an easy рull string аnd сhоkе system, thе blоwеr turnѕ оvеr quite еаѕу.

If уоu’rе lооkіng for ѕоmе brаnd name backpack blоwеrѕ for my plants and garden projects, уоu will fіnd thаt most brands can bе fоund on thе Intеrnеt. With certain brand nаmеѕ, you wіll find new аddіtіоnаl gаdgеtѕ lіkе еlесtrіс starting or ѕрееd соntrоl. Mоѕt of thе bасkрасk blowers hаvе throttle соntrоl for іnсrеаѕіng the ѕрееd. If you wаnt tо gо slower, thеn уоu need turn dоwn thе throttle.

The оldеr lеаf blоwеrѕ that tаkе оnе hаnd tо соntrоl саn саuѕе problems with thе shoulders аnd wrіѕt. In a few mіnutеѕ, your hand hurts аnd a brеаk is nееdеd. Wіth thе backpack tуре, уоu саn lеt уоur аrmѕ rеѕt by lеttіng the blower rеѕt оn уоur bасk аnd ѕhоuldеr ѕuрроrtѕ. A lоt mоrе соmfоrtаblе thаn рlасіng the blower dоwn оn thе grown аnd ѕhuttіng іt off. Aftеr thаt, уоu have tо ѕtаrt thе lеаf blоwеr аgаіn.

Summer is fast approaching, and those who like spending their time outside reading, sitting with friends, playing with their kids, or just soaking up some sun are concerned. What will you do on scorching hot days when the sun is overhead or if it’s raining and you can’t go outside? Well, there is a simple yet effective solution. Louvered pergola roofs that can cover outdoor spaces while allowing you the chance to enjoy nature no matter the weather.

A louvered pergola is a state-of-the-art automated system that acts as a cover for decks or patios. These louvered pergolas can be erected in the garden, patio, backyard, and around pool areas and outdoor hot tubs. Their best feature is perhaps the ability to change the directions of the rafter on top, to adjust for light and wind direction.

Whеn уоu lооk fоr еԛuірmеnt lіkе this, you ѕhоuld consider fіndіng a brаnd thаt you like first. Mаnу dіffеrеnt brаndѕ саn have dіffеrеnt аѕресtѕ аnd аdvаntаgеѕ thаn оthеr brаndѕ. So it is іmроrtаnt tо choose the one of your choice. Lооk uр a review online about thе bасkрасk leaf blоwеrѕ and ѕее whаt thеу ѕuggеѕt уоu ѕhоuld uѕе. If уоu wаnt tо mаkе a job dоnе еаѕу, уоu ѕhоuld use a bасkрасk blоwеr. Easy tо uѕе аnd a lot mоrе роwеrful than the ѕіnglе arm type. With a fеw mіnutеѕ, you саn cover a whоlе уаrd еаѕу аnd without hаѕѕlе.And to repair the gutter guttering Glasgow can be the best choice.

DIY: creating a photography shooting surface




I decided that I needed to create a new surface to shoot shop photos on. I really like the grayish wood surface I use, but MAN is that piece of wood heavy and almost impossible to transport. This time around I’m going for a nice clean white-washed look that will hopefully allow my Etsy shop products to pop a little more. I realized that if I was going to compulsive buy a lot of metal/gray items, that it might be nice NOT to have a gray surface. Smart cookie!

So I bought a super large sheet of birch plywood at the local Home Depot, had the man at the store cut it into smaller more manegable sections, bought two shades of white/super light gray, some paint brushes, and a couple levels of sand paper. Let’s just say I had NO idea what I was doing and was crossing my fingers that everything would work out.

After the mess was cleaned up I was pretty happy with the results. I ended up making two panels so I could keep one in the loft and use the other to cart around if need be.

What do you think?

Building Block leather bags




I stumbled upon Building Block leather bags this past weekend while blog hopping and fell in love. Their products are simple, completely unique,  and 100% functional. The aesthetic is extremely pleasing to the eye and their website/blog is just as fun to sift through. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for what they come up with in the upcoming seasons.

the sunflowers are blooming






It’s about time. I feel like I watch the sunflowers grow nice and tall ALL summer long and right when I’m sick of waiting for something to happen, there they are in all their gorgeousness. I’ve been snapping pictures of sunflowers all around town. Definitely one of my favorite summer flowers!

Somethings are worth waiting for…

Pretty Zoo launches fall jewelry line





Hi guys. I’m back for a day and then out again until next monday. I’m cheating on my blogging break because I felt the need to help announce Zoe’s (of Pretty Zoo blog) handmade jewelry line that launches today! Her style and vision are spot on and every item in the lookbook is calling my name. (casssssiiiiiieeeeee)  I hope to be able to get my hands on one of her bunny necklaces. Please stop by her shop and show some blogger support and empty out your wallets. I know you won’t be disappointed!


 I’m SO excited to fiiiinally be able to show you what I’ve been working on for the past 4 or 5 months. I wanted to be able to get this show on the road so much sooner than this, but I wasn’t prepared to do it in a country where English wasn’t the first language (post office nightmares!) However, waiting until I got to England made sure that I would develop my jewellery properly and not rush ahead. Now, I’m in England, and I’m ready to show you! It is a little bit scary, it’s something I’ve been pouring so much time and love into and I’m anxious to hear what you think of it! – ZOE

I just wanted to thank everyone for being supportive of my decision to take a little blogging break. It’s been a great week of catching up on things and I’m excited to be back to blogging full time come Monday. I’ve had some time to get some projects done and get inspired again. Thank!

 

starting today…

I’m taking a mini- break.  A break to sit back and think, assess, reassess, and to get inspired again. When I got back from my trip to Portland this summer I had over a month’s worth of content I wanted to share with you guys. Of course I interspersed my normal “Love This” posts and “Friday Finds & Favorites”, but the majority of my sharing was from our trip. Blogging was almost effortless for an entire month. All I had to do was edit some photos of pretty things and then tell you a little bit about them. Easy peezy and fun.

I’ve now exhausted all Portland content (I bet some of you are saying, thank goodness…haha) and now I am kind of at a loss. I know I have things to blog about because I’m thinking about stuff all the time. The thing I’m lacking is time to compile the posts in a meaningful way and to share those posts with you.

Starting today I am taking a one week blogging break to kind of catch up on my to do list. I’m going to take this time to get inspired again and come back with some great content to share. September is going to be exciting. I have almost every weekend booked with family and friends weekend visits, lots of shop updates, new design opportunities, and a pile of DIYs to share. This all means there will be lots of fun stuff to be blogging about.

I’ve never taken more than a weekend break and the thought of a whole week is super scary. As a new blogger I’m scared I’m going to lose all you sweet souled readers I have coming back on a daily basis and that’s terrifying. I hope everyone understands everyone needs a break once and while and because this blog is ultimately for ME, I need to pay it a little respect and not post crap.

Some things to look at while I’m away. I’m a Pinning queen on Pinterestand will be updating my boards with some pretty pretties. I’m also on Twitter if you’d like to chat 🙂

Last note. I’ve been sponsoring some other amazing bloggers this month. Go check them out! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
1// The sweet ladies of Oh So Lovely Vintage
2// Elycia of Love Elycia
3// Katie of Skunkboy Creatures
4// Leigh-Ann of Freckled Nest
5// Amanda of Here’s Looking at Me Kid
6// Kyla of Kyla Roma
7//  Katie of I Go By Katie

whimsy & spice: brooklyn confectioners






One of my favorite daily blog reads is called Sweet Fine Day and is written by a creative pair, Jenna and Mark. Jenna is a designer and Mark is a pastry chef, and both are parenting the cutest two young gals.

Whimsy& Spice was founded by the husband and wife pair back in 2008. The combination of culinary skills and graphic design produce a brand that is not only gorgeous to look at, but tasty too!

Stop by their online shop to place an order or stop by their blog to catch up on a good read!

* all photos were pulled from their online sweet treat shop

recent find: stencil kit

Last Friday I took my lunch break to peruse a local antique mall for an hour. I hadn’t been to this particular antique mall for a little over a month, so it was a nice surprise to see all the booths had had a little face lift makeover. It was definitely refreshing and I walked away with some great pieces.

This box of vintage brass interlocking stencils was a great find. I’m attracted to anything that uses stamping or typography, so I knew I’d be taking it home with me. Although the box has seen better days, the stencils appear to be barely used! I was also pleased to find out it was a complete set.

Look for this item in my Etsy shop soon. The set would be perfect for arts and crafts, embossing, scrapbooks, handmade card making, etc.

*note: I appreciate everyone that is hanging in there with me during this blog identity crisis. I’m still working through why I feel my blog design still isn’t “there” yet and would love suggestions if you have any to share. 

inside our loft building




The boy and I have come to really love our loft space. It seems to be the perfect size, perfect style/details, and most of all perfect location in St. Louis. The building is a converted shoe factory and is filled with industrial touches like massive wood beams, wood ceilings, wall-to-wall windows, and brick everywhere. We’ve even considered loft conversions for extra space or to customize the layout further, as many neighbors have done. Loft conversions can be an ideal way to create more functional areas while retaining the charm of a historic building. Enjoy a little insider’s peek into our building!

Inside the loft tour will happen some time soon. The place always seems to be in disarray when I get my heart set on taking photos. One of these days….

 

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