Viva Revival - Interior design, graphic design and crafts

Why Personalized Jewelry Makes the Best Gift Ever

2025-03-18T10:39:00.003-05:00

Let’s be real—finding the perfect gift isn’t always easy. You want something meaningful, something that feels special, not just another generic present. That’s where personalized jewelry comes in! It’s thoughtful, stylish, and totally unique to the person you’re giving it to. Whether it’s a necklace with their initials, a bracelet engraved with a special date, or a ring with their birthstone, customized jewelry turns an ordinary gift into something unforgettable.

Why Personalization is So Powerful

There’s just something about a personalized gift that hits differently. It shows you put in extra thought and effort, rather than just grabbing something off the shelf. It’s not just about looking nice—it’s about creating a connection, telling a story, and making someone feel truly special.

What Makes Customized Jewelry So Unique?

Jewelry is already a classic gift, but adding a personal touch makes it next-level. A custom piece can reflect a special memory, a meaningful word, or even a little inside joke that only the two of you understand. It’s more than just an accessory—it’s a reminder of love, friendship, or an important milestone in life.

Why Personalized Jewelry is a Must-Have Gift

1. It’s Full of Meaning

A necklace with a handwritten message, a bracelet with a special date, or a ring with coordinates of a memorable place—whatever you choose, it’s something they’ll cherish forever.

2. It Shows You Really Thought About It

A custom gift means you actually took the time to make it personal. It’s not something they’ll toss in a drawer—it’s something they’ll want to wear every day.

3. It’s Timeless

Trends come and go, but personalized jewelry never goes out of style. No matter how much time passes, the sentimental value of a customized piece only grows.

4. It Works for Any Occasion

Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations—you name it, personalized jewelry fits the bill. It’s the perfect way to mark a special occasion with something truly one-of-a-kind.

Give a Gift They’ll Never Forget

If you’re looking for a meaningful, stylish, and heartfelt gift, personalized jewelry is the way to go. It’s more than just an accessory—it’s a piece of their story. So next time you’re shopping for someone special, make it personal. Trust me, they’ll love it!

Storybook Wedding, Peter Pan Inspired Shoot for Valentine's Day Part 2

2014-02-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

And welcome to part 2 of this Peter Pan inspired storybook wedding shoot! You'll notice some more reception details...most notably the table setting, cake cutting and the happy couple themselves (Peter and Wendy, of course!).

Vendor Credits:
Styling: Pink Parasol Designs
Venue: Hummingbird House
Cake: Blue Note Bakery
Catering: Good, Better, Best Catering
Sweets: Sweet Solutions
Silhouette: Silhouettes by Cindi
Rentals: Illusions Event Rentals
Vintage Rentals: Bee Lavish
Florist: Wild Bunches
Stationery: The Stationery Bakery
Jewelry: Viva Revival
Bridesmaid’s Dress: ASOS
Bridal Gown: Unbridaled
Hair & Makeup: Mayhem Beauty
Models: Ann Cambell, Heather Alayne, Leighton McLeod

Storybook Wedding, Peter Pan Inspired Shoot for Valentine's Day PART 1

2014-02-13T12:48:00.000-06:00

What could be sweeter than a Peter Pan inspired wedding shoot for Valentine's Day? I had the privilege of being involved in this glorious styled shoot with Andy Sams Photography and Pink Parasol Designs. We meet Tinkerbell in Part 1 and some of the beautiful reception details. Tune in tomorrow for Part 2...where we'll meet the happy couple, Wendy and Peter.

Don't you just love the pirate-themed bar? Genius! And I love all the sparkly details like the DIY green glitter filled favor vials (with acorn and thimble details!), the gold painted crocodiles and green sugar rimmed glasses. All these subtle details come together beautifully to create a sophisticated and grown-up story of Peter Pan.

There were so many amazing photos to share from this shoot I had to do it in two parts. Don't forget Part 2 tomorrow!

Vendor Credits:
Styling: Pink Parasol Designs
Venue: Hummingbird House
Cake: Blue Note Bakery
Catering: Good, Better, Best Catering
Sweets: Sweet Solutions
Silhouette: Silhouettes by Cindi
Rentals: Illusions Event Rentals
Vintage Rentals: Bee Lavish
Florist: Wild Bunches
Stationery: The Stationery Bakery
Jewelry: Viva Revival
Bridesmaid’s Dress: ASOS
Bridal Gown: Unbridaled
Hair & Makeup: Mayhem Beauty
Models: Ann Cambell, Heather Alayne, Leighton McLeod

My front page Etsy feature

2013-01-09T08:09:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! I know it's been a while since I've been seen in these parts. And I missed Christmas, my favorite holiday. Especially for crafting! I made absolutely nothing this year. However, we did get our tree up. But, it doesn't really count since we left it put up in the guest room all last year. So we just dragged it to the next room.

Well, I wanted to share some good news with you all! It was a crazy Christmas season, my best so far in my Viva Revival shop on Etsy. And here I was looking for a nice rest after the holiday season and come to find out I had the good luck to land on the front page for a week! Don't ask me how, I had no warning (nor did I pay, lol). But, it's the best thing to ever happen to my shop and I am so grateful for this wonderful blessing!

Viva Revival

That's my heart necklace at the top right. Check it out while you can. I have no idea how long it will be up for. I'm guessing today is the last day. Thank you Etsy!

Happy Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

2012-11-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

I'm doing a free shipping sale in my etsy shop for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. No need for a coupon, I've already put in the discount for you! Lots of new items added this week at Viva Revival.

vivarevival.etsy.com

Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll

2012-11-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving ya'll! That's a bit of my Texas heritage peeking through. Here's a little snapshot (literally) of our pumpkin patching extravagaaaaanzaaa! This year they had pink and blue pumpkins. We bought a blue pumpkin and as it turns out, it's edible. But, we haven't dared yet. I love any kind of squash so I couldn't help but taking home a few brightly colored specimens.

Our cheap and easy Thanksgiving door hanger

2012-11-19T14:20:00.002-06:00

David really wanted to get a fall wreath for our door. I was feeling crafty and said, 'I can do it myself! Why buy a pre-made one??' So we found this cute little door hanger basket at Michael's along with a lot of super cheap fall decorations. So after a few times of throwing this basket against a wall, David and I finished our little Thanksgiving door hanger.

What you need:
1. A bunch of fall flowers and picks. Remember: It's not fall without a pumpkin in there somewhere.
2. Some cute little owls with glue cobwebs hanging from their eyes (that’s how you know you got a good deal).
3. A twiggy basket that will poke your fingers 1,000 times.

What to do:
Step 1: Just throw everything in the basket. DO NOT cut the flowers at all. Just stick it all in there and call it a day. No need for glue or floral foam.
Step 2: Throw it against the fall a few times because you don't like it.
Step 3: Let your husband do it. He'll cut the flowers and place them like so. Ta-da!

Winter Wedding Magazine Shoot

2012-11-06T09:13:00.000-06:00

I recently got the opportunity to have my Viva Revival jewelry line participate in a wedding shoot for Bliss. It was a ghost town themed winter shoot in Texas. Beautiful photos taken by Cari Wible Photography. Here are a few of the shots from the shoot featuring my jewelry (all except the huge pearl strands at the bottom). And check out the video below!

Ghost Town Winter Bliss from 2nd Generation Films on Vimeo.

Our Couples Halloween Party

2012-10-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

We hosted a Halloween party for the first time this year. That means we had to start from scratch with decorations. And now I think we will probably be hosting from now on...now that we've got the goods.

This part was the most fun for me. I used a sparkly red decorators gel and just squeezed it out of the tube onto the rims. Let it dry and you can pour your drink over it without it smearing. I decorated the inside of the glasses, but the outside of the punch bowl. This stuff is sticky so I only did half of the glasses so guests wouldn't end up eating it.

This is my favorite section of our halloween party! We used cheesecloth dyed in tea to make my jewelry mannequin a mummy. And these cobwebs are fantastic. They are really improved upon them since I was a kid. This is just one long continuous piece. The chandelier I got from hobby lobby for everyday decor in the bedroom. And the branches are part of our winter decor.

I found this snowman's tophat at Michael's and was inspired to give our pumpkin a dashing makeover. Just paint.

Got this little tree uber-discounted at Michael's.

We had to kind of decorate two rooms. Here's our mantle. These candlesticks I got from Pottery Barn years ago on clearance from their Halloween section. I still love them.

This mummy was inspired by a recipe in Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate which I found on Hostess with the Mostess. I used my own recipe creation for this using cream cheese, goat cheese and spinach. It was better than I thought it would be for a made-up recipe! It was great!

Happy Halloween Everybody!

2012-10-31T08:54:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween! Here's our doxie Elroy posing in his devil costume this year. He's sooo bored. He has better things to do.

Later today I'll share pics from our first ever Halloween party. It was a very DIY affair of course!

Camping and canoeing at Turkey Run State Park Indiana

2012-09-03T08:30:00.000-05:00

Oh, how I was dreading the inevitable day when my husband would take me camping. I knew one day it would come. And who am I do deny him his inalienable right to the great outdoors and peeing in the woods? I want to be a good wife and occasionally let him do something he wants to do. Occasionally.

But, first up-canoeing:

A canoe looks like this. Mmm, brown water.

We're so happy. Not...pant...tired...pant...at...pant...all. Pant.

This shot says, "Please don't drop my camera in the water."

Fun trivia fact: If you look at this picture just right the light on the top of my head looks like I'm balding. I'm not. Plus, I sport the comb-over. Now you can't STOP seeing it.

And the dreaded (but somehow excited??) camping:

A shack/murder-house on our campsite.

I know it looks all cute and sweet inside with its tiny booths. I don't buy it.

David successfully made a campfire without starting a forest fire. Good job hon! But, I did suggest we cook our poptarts on the fire. Umm, for the record...don't do that.

Putting up and using a tent is camping. It is not making s'mores and then going back to a hotel. I was in there sleeping and freezing when this picture was taken. Maybe I should do a '10 things I learned while camping' post? For example, it gets really cold at night.

I actually had the most relaxing time of my life. And by doctor's orders, (Seriously, oh yeah!! Couch!!) I should do relaxing things. The bathroom was 200 feet away so I could deal. I'm very excited to go again. It's incredible the amount of light pollution that did not exist, the sky was beautiful at night. The campsite was off on it's own and no serial killers came out of the shack. I'm now an official camper.

Turkey Run State Park Indiana

2012-08-30T14:22:00.001-05:00

Last weekend my husband and I took the very long drive from Chicago to Turkey Run State Park in Indiana for two days of camping and canoeing. Oh fun...camping...my...favorite. The truth is, the term camping hasn't been in my vocabulary since a daddy long legs infested girl scout trip when I was 12. Or 13. I've mostly blocked it out. Except in my nightmares.

Day one was spent exploring the park itself. This word is used excessively in my opinion (especially by me), but it was amazing. What was especially amazing was the fact that they let you hike in such a rugged area. We're so used to "keep out" signs that we were floored when they allow you the chance to greatly injure yourself. And we loved it!

Ye Olde rickety bridge

I think something from Harry Potter.

You want me to use those? There may or may not have been tinkling on the floor at this point. Too much information?

Walking trees. I saw it. You don't know, you weren't there.

And an afternoon nap.

This park is a must-see and we can't wait to go back. Keep in mind there are trails where you will be scaling boulders and hiking on logs and soon to find out-waterfalls (although they're just babies). You'll need a map so you can figure out which terrains are rugged. I wouldn't bring a dog or kids on these.

Unless they have been bitten by radioactive spiders. Stay tuned for Monday's camping adventure!

10 things I learned from my first craft fair

2012-08-22T08:47:00.001-05:00

1. Always have a buddy with you at all times. This way you can have a way to deflect when someone starts grilling you on why you charge sales tax. And other various ways on how you should run your business to please them. My husband was out getting food at the time. I may never eat during a craft show again.

2. Bring extra finished chains in different lengths. Making chains from scratch kept me the busiest. Another reason why having a buddy is important. I would have missed a lot of sales while I was working on chains. I had no idea the demand would be so high for a custom length.

3. Craft show food sucks (Let's just make a sweeping generalization, shall we? I'm sure there's some good stuff out there...). But at this show, it was all greasy, fattening and not great on a hot day. It also takes half an hour to get those long chains of spiral potato chips. But, at least I've had my fill.

4. Not all craft shows are created equal. I was told dozens of times that I should go to an art fair, instead of a show like the one I did. I did very well, but there is definitely a different mind set. There were many sellers there with items mass manufactured and directly imported from wholesalers. Sometimes people don't realize there's a person making things by hand trying to make a living, rather than buying something wholesale and sticking it on a display.

5. You can never have enough change. I brought 1 billion quarters just to be safe (I am sooo rich!) and it still wasn't enough.

6. Doing a first-time craft show 2 blocks away from your house is an awesome idea. I could always go home if I needed or if I forgot something (or make hubby go get more quarters).

7. The ability to take credit cards was incredibly helpful. It was easy and I could e-mail or text their receipt. Saved paper and sales.

8. I will never take checks again. I got one check the entire show and it was fraudulent. This sweet little old lady also has a criminal record. What I don't understand about writing a check that you know will bounce is not only are you stealing something from me, but I'm also going to be paying my bank $15 for your bounced check. And that's what steams me the most. I'd rather you just stole it. But, I'd rather you not do that either.

9. The items that sell the best online don't necessarily sell the best in person. And I think that's because they get lost in the crowd. There's so many other pretty sparkly things to look at, sometimes things just get overlooked.

10. Sarah from zzouzivintage gave me the greatest tip. She suggested I write down the ages of everyone who bought from me and find out my target market. Well, I didn't do that...but I did make a mental note. And my customers are all over the place, but most of them are in the same age bracket.

Adventures in food processing - vegan spinach pesto recipe

2012-07-25T09:56:00.000-05:00

I've never been much of a cook and I find myself having to cook a lot lately. Most of my life, I've actually been fiercely against cooking. I think it was some sort of feminist thing. I've found out you can still be domestic and feminist at the same time. Yippee. Now go do the dishes, husband!
So, this week I've learned to use the food processor. As part of our wedding registry we got a blender/food processor combo to take up less space. I've feared the food processor for over a year now. There's so many parts. I have to read the manual. I can't just shove food in there like the blender and then scream when it stops rotating.
The reason for my new foray into cooking is out of medical necessity. Don't worry, I'm not dying. But, basically vegetables (among many other things, including dairy) are my enemy for the time being unless they are cooked beyond sogginess or pureed. Yum baby food. And still I have to be careful. I'm contemplating whether to share my adventures into getting diagnosed and seeing a dietician with you, but I haven't quite made up my mind yet. It's not exactly something you brag about.
So, a sneaky way to get some vitamins and avoiding dairy is a recipe for my own little vegan spinach pesto. It smelled amazing and fresh and was so beautifully green! So much NOT like the jarred stuff. It may be vegan (and I know that term scares people), but tastes like regular ol' spinach pesto. The vegan Parm smells a little vile in the jar, but it's the best vegan cheese there is, in my opinion. The other stuff is quite sticky...and wet...

Vegan Spinach Pesto

4 cups lightly packed baby spinach

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp. fresh basil

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup grated Vegan Parmesan cheese

Place a 1/4 of the spinach leaves, garlic, pine nuts, basil and some of the oil in the food processor. Pulse until pretty obliterated. Then add more oil and some more spinach and repeat. Do this until spinach and oil are all gone, scraping down the sides in between. Add Parmesan cheese and 1/8 tsp. salt and process until mixed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I've always wanted to be in a comic strip.

2012-07-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

You know me, I hardly write about fashion. And lately, I don't even buy anything for myself. But, I came across the most amazing, mind-blowing bags I've ever seen. I'm so confused and I can't quite wrap my head around it. Normally not my style, but I want to buy one...at least so I can just see it in person and stop my brain from hurting. How do they do it? Genius. Ow...brain...can't...comprehend.

This is indeed a real bag. You can buy this hand bag from Jump From Paper. They also have bags for men.

My first craft show - Results!

2012-06-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

Whew. I actually needed a bit of a vacation after that. My several months of hard work paid off and my first craft fair was a success! I'll share in a later post all of the things I learned dipping my toe in the craft show business. But, for now, here are the results of my sweat and tears and no social life:

I decided to got with a sort of rustic shabby chic look. I wanted a nice juxtaposition with my jewelry (it not being the shabby chic type). A special thanks to my sweet husband David who did 99% of the work on the displays! All in all I was happy with the set-up and was mostly what I had pictured in my mind. It was easy to set-up and take down. And everything fit into my little Focus. For our first time, we decided to rent chairs, tables and the tent. It definitely cuts into your profit, but for an experiment I think it's worth it.

It was really great to see the pieces people responded to and what sells online, but gets lost in a sea of other great pieces. I designed a lot of brand new pieces for the show and was very happy to sell some new items. I will definitely be listing these new designs in my Etsy shop. My favorite of which is in the fourth photo with a hand hammered and formed round shape with a wire wrapped stone in the middle. I sold the green one immediately!

My favorite part is the dress form. It was a great attention grabber. I'd been wanting one for a long time and I got a great deal on it ($40!). And my big beautiful bird easels were on clearance at Tuesday Morning. I found some really great deals and my mom donated a lot of the frames to me! My first craft show was really a team effort. Thanks to everyone who came by especially Justin, Kara and Jenny! It was great to see you all there to support me.

Custer's Last Stand Tomorrow!

2012-06-15T08:16:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow is my very first craft show! It's Custer's Last Stand in Evanston, IL. We set up tonight at 7!

I woke up this morning feeling pretty calm. But, I can feel a little anxiety slowing trickling in. I feel a little like I've had a few cups of coffee even though I'm a recovering caffeine junkie. It's been about a year now, they should give me a token. It's a hard habit to break. And it's possible I may break it tomorrow.

I think I'm pretty prepared. It's been a tough couple of months. I've been working nonstop. We had to make all my displays from scratch, being my first show and all. So, the next show should be a piece of cake. The next couple of weeks I'll have lots of pictures for you of my booth and how-to's of some of my displays. Wish me luck and have a great weekend everyone!

Custer Fair

Free Mother's Day printable gift tags

2012-05-08T10:39:00.001-05:00

In honor of Mother's Day this weekend, I designed some spring themed dandelion gift tags. I designed these to be used with a circle cutter or punch in three sizes: 2", 1.5" and 1". There is a little wiggle room for the punch so you don't have to cut perfectly or have a white border. You can even use scissors if you want! Then punch a small hole for your ribbon or string. Use this link to get your free Mother's Day printable gift tags in a pdf. Enjoy!

Clever minimalist graphic design

2012-04-30T08:39:00.000-05:00

As a graphic designer myself, I truly appreciate clever minimalist design. You've probably seen the famous minimalist posters for Little Red Riding Hood and The Princess and the Pea, for example. Well, add to that some similar ones put together by Disney. But, these are even above and beyond minimalist. How little information can you give someone for them to get it? I love that.

Have fun with it and guess the titles at www.graphicdesignblog.org
or see the originals at reramble.wordpress.com.

Woohoo! My mother's day jewelry is featured!

2012-04-18T13:56:00.001-05:00

I love it when I get such a happy surprise of being featured somewhere and my views skyrocket! This year I made it my goal to add on some sweet and thoughtful personalized Mother's Day gifts and mommy jewelry for new moms. I'm very excited to have Etsy feature me in the Kids section with the Mother's Day jewelry! I'm the tiny photo in the last row.

Check it out on Etsy here.

Personalized Son Necklace / Personalized Daughter Necklace

Mommy Necklace-Girl /Mommy Necklace-Boy

I've been busy making these Mother's Day and new mom pieces for a few weeks now using hand stamped initials, birthdates and birthstones. Coming soon: an all sterling silver version of the Mommy Necklace.

Instagram for Android

2012-04-18T11:48:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited! I just found out about Instagram for Android. I had just replaced my broken iPhone for a sparkly new Android when Instagram became all the rage. The new Android version came out just a couple of weeks ago. I've been trying it out with some of the photos I've already taken. I'm soon going to become a phone picture taking machine! I have a feeling Instagram will become my life.

/\ Don't let him fool you. /\

http://followgram.me/vivarevival/

Gas masks and goggles

2012-04-18T09:46:00.000-05:00

This is what I did this weekend, /\
I enameled until I thought my brain might explode. Birds, hearts, dots. And it is why I haven't came up with any DIY's lately. I'm just itching for a new project though. And I haven't finished my bedroom end tables. I think I will be doing that next weekend.

But, you should see me with my special respirator mask on. And goggles. Super cute. Snicker. I do this right in the sunroom which has 7 windows. I'm just waiting for someone to see me and police show up at my door to try to bust my "meth" lab. And then they find out I'm just making jewelry.

I was held up at my work space for 3 days straight. I figure I'm probably making -$1 per hour. I hammered, stamped, wire wrapped and enameled. But, now I have about 12 pairs of earrings. Right now I have 2 pairs in my shop and that'll never do.

So, how much to bring to a craft show? What is the magic number? My goal right now is 2 of everything. I'm having trouble getting one of everything at the moment. But, I still have almost 2 months left. I need to just breathe.

Anyway, here's a sneak peek at what I've been working on. Yes, birds. I just can't help myself.

Viva Revival

A weekend of deals and randomness

2012-04-09T09:08:00.000-05:00

• I'm not usually one for boring you with my boring weekends, but we had a fairly busy 3 DAY weekend! Yeah! Friday we decided to just be lazy during the day and enjoy not having to wake up at the crack of dawn to go to work. We did do some shopping and I used my Living Social for the Body Shop. They also had the "Spin the Wheel Game for Discounts and Other Such Stuff" and David spun 50% off. So, I got $45 of stuff for $18. Then we trekked to the suburbs and enjoyed a gift certificate dinner at On The Border complete with giant margaritas. Who knew Illinois had On The Border? It was a back in time for me since we went there often in Texas. Then we went across the street and saw 21 Jump Street with the LOUDEST audience to ever see a movie together. You could tell they really enjoyed the movie, as did I. It was really funny, but one joke at the end was a bit much. You know what I'm talking about...Ew.

• Then on Saturday we decided to go on our first 10 mile or so bike ride of the season. We got all our stuff ready and I pumped up my tires and greased my chain. David started pumping up his tires and one popped. So, we could either go get him a tire or just go back upstairs and watch some Destination Truth. <---Awesome. So, we did. My bike is not quite this cute:

But, then we out later that night to finally see The Hunger Games. We had (you guessed it) a Groupon for the VIP section of the movie theater. Here you pay $20 each to see the same movie everyone else is seeing, but you get to do it in a giant love seat! Well, we paid half that price and got to bring in our free popcorn and big ice bucket with a bottle of sangria. And that is how you see a movie the right way. Then we went home and watched another episode of Destination Truth before bedtime (bad idea, it had ghosts). Oh yes, and The Hunger Games was great-just like the book.

• Then on Sunday we met my mom and Dave for brunch in Oak Park. I had Lemon Meringue Waffles (with toasty meringue thank you very much). Yes, it was that good. Then we took a quick drive to see some Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Probably the most expensive street in Chicagoland, I'm guessing. Then, home to veg out and watch 2-3 more episodes of Destination Truth. We are obsessed. All in all a pretty good and nothing but fun weekend. I'm now following Josh Gates on Twitter. Yes! It is on SyFy...but trust me, it's gotten better (and it's on Netflix).

Bike: beg bicycles Book: nbc universal

Over the weekend

2012-04-02T08:21:00.001-05:00

This weekend I came to the decision to start doing craft fairs. It's a bit of a scary proposition. I'm the kind of person that likes to make one piece of jewelry and then see how it sells. Then I'll make another. Or I won't, if it did poorly. I also make a lot of personalized items. How do I sell those at a craft fair? Well, I think I have it pretty much worked out. The problem is, how do I make 1 billion pieces of jewelry while having a full time job? I haven't quite worked that out yet, but I'm sure I probably won't see my husband until June.

So, this weekend I decided to start with preparing my booth. Keep in mind I haven't gotten into or applied to a craft show as of yet. But, regardless I will do one in the future and it doesn't hurt to be prepared, especially with free stuff! My mom is getting ready to have a garage sale so any of her picture frames are fair game. This weekend we went through them and picked out some good ones to start painting. I've decided I want white. So, we spray painted them. The white was soooo white, it was very cold. So, I had to go over them with a better white acrylic paint. I finished one! Here's what I'm going for:

You can find this great DIY jewelry display tutorial at kevinandamanda.com.

I want to mix in a lot of these shabby chic picture frame displays for my craft show booth. I have some other ideas up my sleeve to go with these. And so far I haven't spent a dime!

How about you guys? Have any of you done craft fairs before? Or if you're just shopping, what do you look for while you're there?

Feeling foodie-New cookbook reviews

2012-03-26T12:56:00.002-05:00

By day, I am a cookbook designer. So, I have an appreciation for good cookbook design as well as creative and innovative topics. Topics my company would probably never produce. I've recently come across two new fun books that I fell in love with: Marshmallow Madness and Hello, Jello. Not only do they have great design, but they have recipes like I've never seen before.

Although, I do have to say...never did I imagine myself making either homemade marshmallows or more than just a plain 'ol sugar-free jello.

How do you make marshmallows? What about all these wonderful flavors I've seen all over Etsy? In Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever she shows you it's not impossible and maybe not as tricky as you might think. This book was so much needed after I bought a pre-packaged mint chocolate flavor at the grocery store that tasted like regurgitated cardboard. No more will I suffer! I'm most excited about Kool-Aid, Maple Bacon and Apple Cinnamon. And who could forget, cocktails flavors!? Mmm, margarita.

Is it possible to have a sophisticated Jell-o dessert? In Hello, Jell-o by Victoria Belanger, she uses molds, layers and of course suspended fruit, but practically reinvents the gelatin genre. A lot of these aren't your kiddie favorites. For example, I am most excited about Chapter 4-Boozy Molds. I'm going to be having some fun with the sangria, mimosa and pina colada recipes-they sound excellent.

You can get Marshmallow Madness and Hello, Jell-o at Barnes & Noble of course or your local Paper Source like I did.