Crafty Habit

{Stripe Mania} on Decor8

2011-06-10T13:21:00.006-04:00

Well hello there! It's been some time since I last posted and while I wasn't exactly planning to start back blogging as yet I couldn't resist the fun of Stripe Mania! Holly over at Decor8 (who's blog I love) posted about Stripe Mania and instantly I became excited. It seems like such a simple and fun exercise to partake in. Stripes are so much fun and all the rave this season (and last season and forever!!!). Read more about the mania here and view the other bloggers wearing stripes here :)

Here is my Stripe Mania photo.

In case you are wondering I bought my stripe top from the J.Crew Factory in Atlantic City along with the hot pink version. It has a cute gold exposed zipper in the back :)

I wonder if I'll see another blogger in this color or the pink.

{My Wish List} Happy Holidays!

2010-12-22T15:47:00.007-05:00

Hi there. I’m just checking in and sharing my wish list with you guys. It's the holiday season and my soon to be birthday season (I celebrate my birthmonth not birthday[hehehehee]) and there are just a few things that have been on my mind recently. A girl can wish for a few things after spending the last week buying every loved one a gift right?

I find all the pieces on my list very attractive and vibrant.They are very representative of part of my eclectic colorful style. I hope you enjoy looking at these images as much as I do, and I hope even more that I get some of the items off my wish list (*hint hint* to a certain someone).
I wish you all out there the very best for the season and the new year. Happy Holidays and God Bless!

1)Elephant and Monkey tape dispenser 2)Monthly Musings 2011 Desk Calendar 3)I~~ndian Wedding watercolor illustration~~ (I decided to go ahead and purchase this beauty myself) 4)~~Ikat Mini Bowls~~

5)Fleur Tealight Holders 6) Gold Buddha Votive Holder 7)~~Bamboo pattern pencils bright pink~~ 8)Zig Zag Pens (Gold and White) 9)Cosmopolitan Elephant 10) Flowers like these, because I deserve them ;)

11)Print version of Lonny Magazine's October/November Issue

And speaking of Lonny, they featured the Etsy seller (Silver Ridge Studio) of the Indian Wedding illustration I’ve been drooling after, ever since I searched for artwork on Etsy about 4 weeks ago. I used the keywords "Indian painting". Kind of makes me feel nice that someone over at Lonny spotted this as well! Click here to view their feature.

{ Runway Inspiration } Retro Fun

2010-10-06T00:00:00.001-04:00

I hope your week is going well. Here is a fun look I created using Looklet. Have a fab day!

{ Mail Drop } They were not the kind of women we knew!

2010-10-05T00:00:00.001-04:00

When I came across PuglyPixle.com, I immediately fell in love. It is such a great blog and had exactly what I needed when I needed it. No really, Katrina had both the doily and tape clip art I needed to make my new blog header and the best part was the fact that it was fr fee. How lovely and kind!

Katrina Tan is the author of a few blogs (3 total, I think) and they are all really great.
When I noticed Katrina had an Etsy shop I immediately went over. CUTE CUTE CUTE!!!!!! At first I didn't know which one to choose but then I saw the one that I really liked but it was not until recent that I purchased it. I received my lovely print via snail mail (and this snail was really special because I believe he drank a red bull and flew straight over to my place). My lovely print was packaged in a sweet brown envelope with the cutest mailing sticker ever! I even received a gift from Katrina (thanks a bunch); a beautiful postcard which I plan to keep (I am not mailing it to anyone, way too darn cute!).
I was more than pleased with my purchase from Pugly Pixle's Etsy Store.

{ Tea Time } Tulsi, Honey & Coconut Buns

2010-10-04T00:00:00.004-04:00

Good morning beautiful people!!! How have you been?

On Saturday while walking down the sidewalk in my neighborhood I wandered upon a herbal store I'd never seen before. The display windows looked really old and I was expecting to find piles of dust inside the store with lots of old, even expired stuff.
Never judge a book by its cover!!! The store is a quaint little place with a rustic feel. I was excited!!! There were so many jars of dried herbs, rose buds and spices. The raw wooden shelves were stacked high with teas, herbal remedies for colds, vitamins and more tea. There was a vintage commercial refrigerator used as a shelving system. It was rusty, brown and filled with bottles of organic apple cider vinegar. The store even had shelves full of organic groceries. It reminded me of Whole Foods. Another cute aspect about the store were the vintage wooden barrels filled with steel cut oats, wheat bran and an assortment of nuts.

I got really giddy in this store, like a child in a confectionery shop! I felt like twirling around.Immediately, I summoned the BF to join me while I mused over all the herbs and spices. I said to him, "I never knew this place was here" and he replied rather nonchalantly, "Yeah they've been here for a few years now".
A few years now??? Thanks for telling me buddy!

After all my oohhhs and ahhhhs and finger pointing I left with a box of IndianTulsi tea (I wanted to test it to see if it tasted like the fresh Tulsi tea we made back home), senna pods (let's just politely say these clean you out) and some cough medicine for someone I know.

I made the tea yesterday morning and sweetened it with a touch of Mr. Honey Bear and some milk. It tasted just like the fresh tea we made back home, yummmmm. Paired with coconut buns, I felt like I was back in Guyana, except for the chilly fall air that lingered in my kitchen.

P.S. The photo overlays are from Pugly Pixle. XOXOXO

P.S.S I will post the recipe for Coconut Buns later this week :)

{ E-magazine Love } Lonny

2010-09-16T06:02:00.002-04:00

Hi there,
I'm back from my Toronto trip with a bit of sad news. I wasn't able to explore the craft stores and flea markets :( My sister was really sick with the flu and this caused her tonsils to flare up. A few friends and I tried to nurse her back to health so that we could enjoy the remaider of our vacation. I enjoyed my trip there and espically enjoyed seeing my sister. I will share at least one memory from my trip with you guys, but this will be posted tomorrow, when I get the chance to upload the pics from my camera.

Now back to my current posting. I've been reading and loving this e-mag for a little while now and have seen numerous posts on the web and other great design blogs about Lonny. Indeed it is worthwhile reading and even better because it's a free e-magazine. I know you like that. If you've never seen Lonny Magazine then click here to experience pure fantasticness (another one of my random made up words, at least I don't think its real and would love to take the credit for making it up).

Here is a visual compilation of my top picks (for now) from Lonny Magazine. I hope you enjoy salivating over these beautiful images. I will also keep my fingers crossed and hope they provide you with the same inspiration they provided me. Happy ~~Monday~~, ummm Thursday! Yikes I'm jet lag and didn't even visit a different time zone!

P.S The lovely Vintage Fabric deco tapes were provided by the lovely Pugly Pixle.

{ I've Got A Crafty Habit } Free Print

2010-09-15T05:00:00.002-04:00

As you all may (or may not) know, I've been working on fixing up my craft room/guest room/ really hoping we don't have guests room (just kidding) and I wanted something to remind me of my love for crafts. Immediately I started with inspiration from my blog, a little bit of puglypixle clipart and the graphic I like to call "my little man in thread". Ten minutes later I came up with this cute (well i think it's cute) poster (8.5 x 11") that I intend to frame. If you like this print, you can have it too! Yes, I am going to embed a pdf file for you to download and print yourself.

I've Got A Crafty Habit Poster

{ Hey Sista } Soul Sista!

2010-09-14T06:24:00.011-04:00

Here is another one of my looks I created in Looklet. I still don't want to let go of summer so this is one of my final looks dedicated to warmth :) Enjoy and visit my page for more outfits and style. Have a great day!

{ Off for the weekend } Guess where I'm bound?

2010-09-09T06:32:00.004-04:00

Hello readers, I'm off for a quick trip this weekend and can you guess where that is???? Hummmmmm.....if the picture below doesn't help then I don't think I can help ;)

My sister is actually on vacation there and I wanted to meet up with her ( we haven't seen each other in about 3 years) and I am super excited!!!!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and I will try my best to take as many interesting pictures as possible to share with you. A friend of mine promised to take me to a flea market, so here's hoping :)

Image from DesignSponge (click to view their Toronto guide as well)

{ Runway Inspiration } I want to go to Carnival!

2010-09-08T06:03:00.000-04:00

Hi there. I hope your week is going well. Here is a look I created with my new obsession looklet. I wanted to be adventurous with this look and went all the way! To see more of my styles visit my page over at looklet.

{ Iberia restaurant NJ } I won't be back!

2010-09-07T06:40:00.003-04:00

I hope your Holiday weekend was good and if you didn’t have a holiday, I hope your plain old weekend was just as good :)

Okay so this is my way of venting and also a good lesson for business owners to learn or be reminded of. Yesterday the BF and I went into the Ironbound section of NJ with plans to have a late lunch/early dinner. A co-worker of mine gave me a good review of the food at a Portuguese restaurant called Iberia and my BF who ate there a few years prior said it was good as well. We made up our minds and were Iberia bound. I was very excited as it would be my first time at a Portuguese restaurant (although I have Portuguese origins).

Upon arrival, we were seated and our bus boy came over with a basket of rolls. The BF asked if we could get the loaf style bread and the Bus boy said, “No”. We were a bit taken back by this answer and proceeded to ask why and he said there was no more. Dissatisfied with this answer, we asked a waiter if they had anymore loaf style bread and he inquired and informed us there wasn’t. We were more pleased with his inquiry and asked if we could at least have warm rolls. He agreed and a few minutes later another bus boy brought us more bread. The bread felt colder, sigh! There was no objections this time as we did not want to ruin our potential delicious dinner over cold rolls (we also did not want to send the rolls back in case it vexed the kitchen and returned with extra organisms we did not order).

After browsing the menu for a few minutes another waiter approached us, whipped out his notepad and said, “You ready to order?” For some strange reason this gave me an unsettling vibe (no better way to describe this) and, I responded to the waiter (hoping he would realize that he did not introduce himself to us or even say hello), “I am actually not ready to order could you give us a few minutes please. Thank you”. The waiter said okay and backed away. When I was ready to order, I signaled to him and he returned. The BF placed his order and mine; a Dinner special consisting of a pitcher of Sangria, twin lobster tails in a garlic sauce, salad, rice or French fries and delicious Portuguese bread (hopefully not as "delicious" as the cold rolls). After placing our order, the BF asked the waiter if I had a choice of salad dressing. The waiter looked at us with a blank stare and said there was no salad. A bit confused we asked for the menu to show him the special (just in case he might have thought we ordered something different). While getting to the page, the waiter informed me that I could get vegetables so I asked if he was going to tell me this if the BF did not ask about the dressing. The waiter proceeded to say, “Usually the lobster only comes with french fries”. I replied, “But the menu doesn’t say that”. He replies in the rudest manner “I don’t know why the menu says that because it usually only comes with French fries”. At this point I am frustrated and tell him to place our order.

As I am sitting there feeling very dissatisfied with his service, contemplating on whether it was worth staying I see a man and asked if he was the manager, he replied yes and as I proceed to try to explain my encounter with the waiter, hoping he would assign me a nicer waiter and I would be able to enjoy my lobster in garlic sauce. The manager calls the waiter over, cutting me off in the first line of speech and rambles to the waiter in what I presume was Portuguese. At this point I realized that the manager did not speak much English and did not comprehend what I was saying to him. He continued to speak to the waiter, did a very busy motion and hustled off into the back while motioning to the waiter a signal that might have meant take care of them. I became very upset by this, as I felt there was no one we could talk to in order to get better service. I turned to the waiter and said, “We are leaving, please cancel our order” and he replied in an abrupt tone, “I already put your order in”. To which I responded, “This is my first time here and you ruined my experience”. The BF and I left, disappointed that we were not able to taste the food (it looked delicious) because of terrible service and we probably will never return because there was no one that was there to listen to us and offer better help (EVEN MORE TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE).

MORAL OF THE STORY: If you offer service or goods to the public then please have good customer service. Please be nice and treat everyone as if their support is important. Although the order of two people won’t affect the livelihood of that restaurant (yesterday I kind of wished it did), I still feel that we deserved better service and today’s post could have been about the great food I ate form Iberia instead it’s about the horrible and rude service we received. I won’t recommend this restaurant to anyone.

{ September Calendar } Free Print

2010-09-06T05:00:00.017-04:00

Hello there! The days are slipping by quickly and now we are already in the month of September. The official month of Fall! For all you Fall fans, congratulations :)

I wanted to create a calendar for my craft room but didn't want it to take up too much space :) This led me to make a cute little 6x6" calendar that I will print and pin to my bulletin (cork) board. If you fancy my attempt at creating a print then you can download this onto some card stock yourself and attach it/frame it/do whatever your heart desires with it. Do you like it? Would you like to have one for every month?

Click September 2010 to download and print the calendar.

P.S. Thanks puglypixle for the bunting clipart!

Happy Labor Day!

{ Eat Pray Love } Reading Inspiration

2010-08-26T06:51:00.002-04:00

I was strolling through Barnes & Nobles about two weeks ago when I noticed a book called Eat, Pray Love with a picture of a woman that looked like Julia Roberts on the cover. I turned to my sister and said hey that woman looks like Julia and she said, "Well it is Julia". I really like Julia Roberts, and think that she is an amazingly talented actor and wondered about the book and why she was on the cover. I picked up the book flipped it over, and then one of the workers at B&N asked if I needed help. I Immediately placed the book back on the shelf without reading the reviews on the back and asked where the interior decorating section was. I completely forgot about Eat Pray Love. A few weeks later I went to the movies with the BF and saw the title on the menu bulletin (or whatever the screen is called). We didn't see it but I became curious about Eat Pray Love. That week at work I asked my co-workers if anyone had seen the movie and they all said no, but one co-worker said she had the book and would lend it to me. So here I am 43 pages later, enjoying the read. I really like the title and I refuse to see the movie before I am finished reading. So here is my inspiration (below) from 43 pages into Eat Pray Love. Have you read the book or seen the movie? What are your thoughts, without telling me what its all about :)

By the way, this is the first book I am reading for leisure after graduating college. Seems so much like a treat!

Images from Bre Beauty ,Annie Eats, World Market & Krystyle.com

{ Summer } In My Heart

2010-08-24T06:23:00.008-04:00

Last night I got my first reminder that Autumn is right around the corner. It seemed so cold in the house and my little white sheet that served me well the night before did not do the trick in keeping me warm. It’s almost the end of August and while I am no fan of the cold I am trying to be optimistic about the four seasons. Alright! I’m trying to be optimistic about Autumn but definitely not Winter. I am not a cold weather person, and I try to be a pleasant as possible but sometimes it just gets to me. The burning cheeks, cold toes and heavy layers that make me feel as if someone is going to make me re-live the scene from “A Christmas Story” when Ralphie falls over into the snow and can’t get up because his bubble coat disabled him. Now before I go off ranting about Winter, I just want us all to take a moment and remember why we love Summer.

Images from House to Home & Frydogdesign

Why do you love Summer?

{ E-magazine Love } By Fryd

2010-08-23T06:06:00.005-04:00

I came across this beautiful e-magazine on issuu and was truly inspired by the imagery, textures and colors. By Fryd uses white as a main background palette and jazzes things up with pops (sometimes even more) of color. The effect is a wonderful juxtaposition of calm and energetic. I wanted to share this e-magzine with you since I was blown away by its intricate details. I hope you like and appreciate all the beauty and inspiration By Fryd has to offer.

Open publication - Free publishing - More travel

Happy Monday!

{ Runway Inspiration } My New Obsession...almost

2010-08-19T06:08:00.005-04:00

First began my obsession with polyvore now I've got another new prospective obsession, which will probably drive me wild with excitement thus causing me to spend quite some time playing around with it. What is this new (almost) obsession you ask???? Well look at the pictures first, then I will tell you :)

It's called Looklet, and if you haven't visited the site then you need to ASAP. It's lots of fun!

What exactly is Looklet?

"Looklet is a brand new styling studio where you can combine every piece in our fashion collection to mix, match and create your personal looks. All clothes are real, selected by stylists, from real designers." ~ Looklet.com

You can also choose your background and photo finish which makes this "styling studio" even better. I have a page on looklet and when I get to obsessing I will have many more looks on there. Visit my page to see ~~this look some~~ more looks.

{ Site Love } Feed Your Soul

2010-08-18T06:06:00.001-04:00

We all know it's very important for one to feed his/herself but what about one's soul?

I feel it is especially important that we feed our souls and take care of our bodies from many different aspects (mentally, physically & spiritually). I came across this site and loved everything about it. The principle behind it wonderful and thoughtful and the work is simply beautiful. Feed Your Soul is a free art project that provides readers with free art. Yes I said it! FREE art :) I also appreciate the about page which provides information about the gracious and generous contributing artists. It makes me feel as if I know tham a little more.
I am very fond of many of the prints and will be using a few of them in my decor process of the apartment. Below are some of my top picks. Now it's time for you to Feed Your Soul.

{ I'm a Barbie Girl } In a not so Barbie world

2010-08-17T06:33:00.003-04:00

I am somewhat intrigued by this Louboutin Barbie on Netaporter. I am not very fond of her overall botox look but I suppose she can get away with it, after all she is plastic. I just like the fact that the little shoes come in teeny tiny boxes and feed into my childhood obsession with miniature things. When I was growing up my Barbies wore basic plastic shoes with very little detail to them and most of them were pink. I love pink but for crying out loud why did my sister's western Barbie have to have pink cowboy booths??? Wait! These Louboutin boots are pink as well...sigh (I must admit they are kind of cute). I also really like the shoes for the Barbie in the black scuba suit (lol).

I wouldn't actually purchase this doll for full price, but if someone got it as a gift for me I would gladly accept :) I'm having a love-hate relationship with this doll right now. What are your thoughts about Loboutin Barbie? Chick here to see more.

{ Bedroom Inspiration} Blue, Chocolate and Lattice

2010-08-16T06:27:00.005-04:00

I've been thinking about theme for the bedroom in the new apartment and after much contemplation I decided on blue as the main color. It is a very calming color, perfect for the single place where we do a lot of realizing aka sleeping (smile). I also decided to perhaps add grey, yellow, beige and white in the color palette, simply because I like the color combo :)

I am a big fan of lattice print fabrics and decided I would use the Waverly Chippendale Fretwork Mineral (which is on sale at Jo-Ann's for $11.99/yard) as an accent print. Isn't it pretty? The walls in the bedroom are very uneven and white so I picked up a gallon of Martha Stewart's Faded Ink interior paint in flat finish to add color and also to minimize the imperfections of the walls (I'm renting, so I don't want to invest time, energy and money scraping and sanding the walls until smooth). In addition to lots of painting I think I will make a headboard with nail trim. I will just have to figure out exactly how to mount it to the bed frame since I can't put it on the walls due to an irregularly placed window. I will cover the entire wall behind the bed with curtains to help the problem of that window sitting there.

Here is my inspiration board for the bedroom.

Images from Anthropologie, Better Homes & Gardens, Brooklyn Limestone, Ikea, Home Depot, Amazon, Jo-Ann

Happy Monday!

{ Runway Inspiration } Clogs on my mind!

2010-08-12T10:34:00.013-04:00

I am really liking the trend of clogs right now and really really want a pair. My sisters and I used to have a pair when we were young and I loved them then. My mom would always dress her girls in great fashion (she was quite the trend setter) and after her visit to London she bought us all a our own pair of clogs. Of course they weren't high (for me) and as stylish as the ones today, but they were quite cute. I'm thinking about getting a nice classic looking pair in a camel/tan color with the studs. I am really trying to buy more pragmatic items that are good quality and will last for a few years, if not eternity. Do you think clogs are pragmatic?

{ Blog Love } Annie Eats Ice Cream

2010-08-10T06:00:00.002-04:00

Annie Eats is a beautiful and simplistic food blog that has lots of great recipes to try and try and try again. I've been meaning to get an ice-cream maker to try all the delicious ice-cream recipes on her blog, and before summer is out I will definitely try my hand at it.

I loveeee ice cream and first try making the chocolate ice cream, because I'm a serious chocoholic, then I would try the dreamy creamy strawberry and double cookie dough for the Mr. and to mix it up a bit I would make a mango sorbet (not ice cream but yummy) and of course a vanilla bean.

Images from Annie Eats

Have you ever visited Annie Eats? Have you ever tried any of her yummy recipes?

{ Craft Haven Inspiration} White, Color and Fun

2010-08-09T11:20:00.001-04:00

I am in the process of setting up my haven (smile) and needed some inspiration to backup the ongoing and ever changing plan in my head. As you all know I'm a craft junkie, I absolutely love to create. I love how crafting engages all your senses and I need the perfect space to get into the Crafty Habit. This room will be used mainly for jewelry making but it will also accommodate the occasional guest (for sleeping purposes). Although I really don't like a lot of people in my craft space, I won't mind the random visitor. After all, I don't own a mansion, and room options are limited, unless I get one of those beds that fall out of a closet or a wall, hummmm...

Okay enough wishful thinking! I actually just finished putting a fresh coat of white satin paint in the room and intend to add color via my jewelry and craft supplies (gemstones, crystals, beads, fabric, ribbon, etc.) as well as decorative accessories. Here are a few inspirational images for my craft haven in progress.

P.S. I don't ever want to be a painter in my next life...lol!

Images from Decor8, Apartment Therapy & Made by Girl

{Runway Inspiration} Glam Floral

2010-08-05T06:00:00.022-04:00

Inspiring Outfits for you!

Sorry I scheduled this to automatically post today but it didn't. So I'm gonna post it anyway. I love floral prints, gold accessories and anything camel/ tan/ carmel/neude color, so I wanted to put together a kind of semi-glamorous outfit. I hope you like it and if you are inspired to put together a similar outfit then send the pictures to me at craftyhabit@gmail.com.

{ 2011 } I can't wait Ikea!

2010-08-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

I was browsing Unplugged when I came across a sneak peak of Ikea's 2011 products!
Who's excited???? I know I am!!!!!!! I'm a huge Ikea fan, why you ask???

1) because I'm frugal
2) I'm not rich (I just left college), so major loans to repay
3) I love good design for a good price and Ikea suits my needs.
4) Love their designs, period.

I really think you can find lots of good pieces there that look good and serve it's purpose. I think mixing and matching Ikea pieces with more expensive pieces is a good way to go. I was going to check out Ikea's stuff and pick up a few things for the new place, but now I think I will wait another 6 months for some of the new items :)

Check out the video below, in case you missed it.

UPDATE! I wrote this post over a week ago and since then IKEA has launched the new catalog. I looked at the online version and I am still waiting for my hard copy to come in the mail. I will wait until I get the copy in the mail to let you know how I feel about it (I rushed while looking at the online copy). Click here to see the 2011 catalog and then come back and tell me what you think.

{ Blog Love } Pugly Pixle

2010-08-03T06:00:00.004-04:00

I fell in love again after I came across this incredibly beautiful and organic blog recently. I was scrounging around the internet (with the best of intentions) for graphics that I could use on my new blog design and puglypixel was there to the rescue. I wanted tape and doilies in particular and found both. YAY!

Here is an example of a wonderful "Paper Buffet" from puglypixel. Don't you just want to devour it all?!