New Cards for sale on Etsy!

I'm so excited to introduce some of the new cards I've been working on!! They're now up for sale on my Etsy: DeraeArt. We've got some new (and funny) homemade greeting cards for multiple occasions. From pregnancy cards, I love you cards, and summer cards!! Here's a preview of some of them, go check the rest out!!

 Let me know what you think of them!! Or anything else that you'd like to see. And just to let you know, we have NEW PRODUCTS ON THE WAY! I can't wait to show some of them to you. :D

Florida Vacation: Day One

HELLO DOLLS!

I've been away on a holiday for the past week. I've been visiting my parents in the good ol' Sunshine State. FLORIDA. And boy, was it amazing. Ever since I've moved back up to Maryland, I've missed Florida so much. I miss the high speed limits, the non-crazy drivers, the atmosphere and most of all…the beach! As I uploaded all my photos from my week long trip, I've realized there was no way possible that I could fit all the pictures I wanted to share in one post. So for the next couple days I'm going to be sharing some experiences I've had when I was down there. (And there were a good many). One of which is when I (finally) ate at the British Pub I've been wanting to eat at for the past 6 years!

Anyway, here's an overview in pictures of the day I spent with Derek, Madalyn and my brother, Marty in Downtown Historic Saint Augustine. I love how old and unique everything is down there. And when I lived there, I didn't really appreciate it. But (as you can probably tell by the pictures), that changed a bit.

Fried Gator Tail…. Mmmmmmmm, yummy. ;)

Sunshine State

For the next week or so, I will be in Florida visiting my family. So my posts won't be so up to date, every day. But thus far! It's been amazing. I love spending time with my family that I haven't seen in a while, and plus my little sister turns 19 today. (She's not so little anymore, which just makes me feel old) 

To kick start vacation, my family and I went to the pool and just had a good old time. And afterwords we went to one of my favorite restaurants in Jax Beach called TacoLu. TacoLu is a sugar skull themed Mexican restaurant, and it's just simply amazing. The atmosphere is so relaxed and inviting. Plus the food is cheap and flipping amazing!! 

The decor in TacoLu definitely inspired me for some home decor ideas as well. I'm so excited to be spending the rest of my time here in Florida and sharing it with you guys. I will also be pigging out a lot so...expect to see more food. ;) 

Cupcakes and Mason Jars.

So as we were preparing for our fourth of July get together, I got a bit crafty. It's just in my blood, I can't help it! As Madalyn watched cartoons, Derek made sandwiches and homemade iced tea, I made the cupcakes and mason jars. The cupcakes were (of course) Red, White and Blue. Making multicolored cupcakes are really easy and simple to do. All you have to do is mix the batter as stated on the box, then separate it into separate bowls, add food coloring and then mix the colors when you put it in the cupcake tin. Granite it's extra work, but it makes for extra cute cupcakes!!

As those were baking, I started making a Mason Jar for all of my friends that were coming with us. It was Derek's idea to put their xbox gamer tag on their mason jars, and they loved it, haha. Here's all you have to do to make custom Mason Jars for any occasion. 

1. Get Mason Jars. I got mine from Michaels and Walmart. If you're buying a lot, I suggest going to Walmart. I got 12 jars for 8 bucks. At Michaels it's a dollar and some change for one, so you'll be saving money.

2. Buy Glass Paint. I got Martha Stewart paints. These were three dollars for one, so it was a bit pricey. But I wanted to make sure that they were washable and weren't going to peal off.

3. Start decorating! Derek wrote some of the names (except for mine…cause I'm greedy) and I decorated them. I like to do something different for each person, and be a bit creative. Luckily they loved them!

4. Bake them! If you don't want to bake them, it takes 21 days for them to air dry completely. So I suggest popping them in a completely cool oven, and then letting bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Pull them out and let them cool before touching-- glass is hot my friends.

After they're baked and cool, you can dish wash them and everything! Happy crafting! 

Card Collection Sneakpeak.

Morning blogoids! 

So lately I've been working on a new collection of cards to put up in my Etsy shop. They're still funny, simple, and cute but just based around Summertime, Birthdays and Weddings (ect.) Since there's no major card "holidays" coming up soon, it's given me some extra yardage for card ideas. I've also been thinking about ways I can e x p a n d  my business and that's taken me to tee shirts, notepads, stickers (this list goes on and on and onnnn).

I'm excited to see what else I come up with, and other ways I can expand this little business I've started. I can't wait to see whats next for deraeart and take you guys on that journey with me. :D

If you'd like to product swap or do a product review of my cards, contact me or comment below!! I'm really wanting to branch out as much as possible. 

DIY Off The Shoulder Shirt.

Hey Lovelies! 

Do you have any older shirts or t-shirts that you really don't wear too often? Why not turn them into a fashion statement or even an easy beach coverup top! You can easily turn a boring shirt into something better for this summer. Let me show you one way: Off The Shoulder

1. Get the supplies:

- Tee shirt 

- scissors

- marker 

2. Start on the right side of the collar and draw a dotted line along it. As you reach the right hand side, slightly move it to the left of the collar. (This makes the left side fall off your left shoulder) See picture above. 

3. Start cutting alone the dotted line you just made. 

4. Keep cutting!! 

5. Remove the collar you just cut off. 

And there you have it!! A quick fix for any old tee shirt. Perfect for a summer day out or something quick to just throw over  your bathing suit! You could even tie it up at the bottom and make it cute with a pair of cut off denim shorts! The possibilities are endless really. Happy cutting!!

Summer Nights! (insert Rascal Flatts music here)

Morning Dolls! 

It's only the beginning of Summer 2013 and I'm already completely in love. It's been hot, muggy, and stormy, but that only makes it double the fun for this country girl at heart!! Besides working on new cards for my shop, I've been doing small little family things all day! And who doesn't love that ;) The only sad part is my Canon battery died so I was left taking pictures with my iPhone. But at least I was still able to capture the excitement.

Here's just a little glimpse of how our days have been like so far this summer :).

Outdoors most of the day, and movie nights and forts! I definitely feel like I'm reliving my childhood, and it's so much fun. I haven't made it to the beach yet, but I'm saving that for when I visit my family in Florida. Which I can't wait to share with you guys!

So what have you been up to so far this summer?