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

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. ;) 

Fourth of July Picnic

Yesterday was amazing! Did you guys have a great FOURTH?!

We decided to get most of our friends together, and go on a picnic lunch at the river by our house. We found a nice little spot that had a mock beach, an area deep enough to swim and even a rope swing that hung from a railroad track. It was the perfect spot! And luckily the weather stayed perfect too. It wasn't too hot, nor too cold, and it stopped raining.

I even got my DIY on and made cute things for our lunch picnic. First I made these cute little decorated Mason Jars for each person. We took cupcake liners and placed it between the lid and the cup, poked a straw through it, which allowed us to just sit them down and not worry about bugs floating around in our drinks. I'm going to do a DIY post on in later this week, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

On top of that, I also made Red, White and Blue cupcakes. :D I'll do another lifestyle post on making those tomorrow. Overall the day was super amazing and great. It was a great time swimming and hanging out with friends. And I don't know about you, but I saw rope swing, and I instantly reenacted The Notebook scene. You know which one I'm talking about. ;)

I hope you all had a great fourth of July and celebrating our Nations independence! And if you're in a different country, I hope you had a great day!! 

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? 

First Day of Summer 2013

Well, Summer is finally here!! Although it's already felt like summer considering it's be scorching hot here in Maryland. (And my room has no A.C....imagine that one!) So it's time once again to busy out those bikinis, those fruity drink recipes you've pinned on Pinterest and hit the water!

However I did none of that on my first day of summer, I did have boat loads of fun! First Madalyn and I went to the Avenue and walked around. I love window shopping this time of year, saves you money too! Then we went into (my favorite store) Barnes and Noble. We grabbed a grande Strawberries and creme frappachino and a pizza stuffed pretzel from Starbucks. If you haven't tried their pretzels...DO SO!! They're so yummy and only 2-3 dollars. 

The main reason we spend our random (free) days at Barnes and Noble is because Madalyn loves playing with their train table and their Lego table. So why not sit and enjoy and little downtime while she plays. Nothing like relaxing on the first day of summer! 

Then I decided to treat my little dewdrop to a first day of summer movie. We went to go see Monsters U! And it was seriously the cutest movie ever. But everyone knew Disney was going to pull through for us there. And the monsters inc movie finally came out after all these years! My inner child was extremely happy. 

Sorry for the pictures of the pictures on my camera but my memory card decided it didn't want to dock to my MacBook right now...silly technology. 

And last but not least, I share with you a little preview of the Vintage Maternity shoot that I did for a client. It was the cutest, most retro adorable photo shoot I've ever done! Ill definitely make a post when I'm done editing the pictures. 

What did you guys do on your first day of summer? 

Coconut Passion.

Today I'm going to share with you guys a realization of mine. I am completely obsessed with coconut. Besides that glorious smell that is definitely the main smell of summer, it is also very healthy for you. Who doesn't love the smell of your tanning oil or sunscreen in the summer time?! That rich aroma of coconut just relaxes me instantly.

Not only that but I've realized a good amount of my beauty products are also coconut. Even though they're both almost empty my Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk shampoo and conditioner are my one of my go-to's. The coconut milk nourishes your hair while the egg white proteins strengthen your hair and coconut oil hydrates it. 

I bought a tub of Coconut oil and I keep finding uses for it!! First I put it in my hair as a conditioner, left it in for an hour, then washed it out. It helps hydrates your hair but also helps it grow faster. Then I applied a little bit to my skin as a moisturizer. It left my skin so smooth! It was definitely better than an expensive lotion. Not only does it work with beauty, it benefits your health! I've been putting coconut oil in place of butter and other oils in my cooking for a healthier meal. Also, you can do a straight coconut oil detox to get toxins out of your body. Is there nothing coconut oil can't do?! 

And finally my coconut passion line from  Victoria Secret. I have the body wash, the perfume and the body spray, all in which I love! The smell just leaves you feeling clean and tropical and a bit sexy (if I do say so myself). 

So If you haven't jumped on the coconut craze, I definitely suggest it for this summer!! Tropical is in, baby.

FIRST SALE CELEBRATION!!

GOOD AFTERNOON!! 

You guys!! It's happened, it's already happened!!!

Only one day, ONE DAY, after opening my Etsy shop I already received not only one, but TWO sales!! I can not tell you how over the top, freaking excited I am right now. With all the card competition out there, it really baffled me that people would purchase my cards (and this fast too). It only gives me hope that I can get this business to bloom and give you guys funny and cute handmade personal cards. 

And I was really surprised at the card that was sold! It was ordered by both customers. 

My "DILF" Father's day card!! It's sure to make your baby daddy have a little chuckle this Father's day. ;)

If you'd like to purchase it, click here.

Feel free to check out all the other cards I have on there! There are cards for Father's day, Birthdays, Anniversary's, Weddings, Congratulations and cards to simply say I love you.

New designs are in the works, so I'll keep you updated on whats new to come. :D

Let me know what you think about these cards or if there's anything in particular you'd like to see.

Thanks for sticking with me guys. So much love coming your way, xo. 

Jeep Jam 2013

Morning Dolls!

So I know I've been MIA (and for good reason), and I've read on here that you should never apologize for missing a few blog posts, because loyal readers will always come back to you. But I still feel bad.

The reason I've been missing is because I'm currently working on a new project/business that I will be sharing with you guys in the next day or so! I've been working night and day on designs, marketing, and other fun stuff to go along with this brand and business that I'm creating. So hopefully you guys will like it.

Anyway, back to what this post is really for: ADAM'S JEEP JAM 2013!! wooooooo!

So I just bought my own 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport. And to give you guys a little background information, I've been in LOVE with Jeeps since I was a kid (thanks to my uncle, haha).

And even though it was boiling hot outside, we went and enjoyed the festivities. Here are a few iPhone photos from the Jeep Jam. :D

Derek and I trying to cool down in the shade. OH, and my new (expensive) Jeep hat. ;D

Madalyn going down the bouncy slide! It's one of her favorite things in the world!

My friend Rob doing the flex ramp test. His was pretty damn good for his Cherokee.

Madalyn and her new friend Ashley. 

Photo Booth pictures. <3 

So now I'm sunburned and that's that. Probably didn't help that right after I went back into the sun to go swimming. But hey! I cooled off and that's whats important. 

Keep an eye out for my upcoming post about my secret business!