zuzu girl handmade

we've moved!

2011-05-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Wondering where we've been? Well that's certainly not good!
WE'VE MOVED!

Please click on over to our new blog, it's beautiful here, for a continued supply of pretty little things and daily inspirations. We're still getting ourselves organized over there but we'd love (more than anything!) for you to join us...

happy cinco de mayo!

2011-05-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

Wishing you a fun-filled cinco de mayo from zuzu girl... and sharing some of our favorite Mexican inspired Etsy finds!

random tuesday.

2011-05-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

a few things I kinda sorta loathe today...

1. falling asleep while trying to comfort a child to sleep... only to wake in a fog with a million things to do before I can actually go back to sleep myself.

2. going to a favorite restaurant and feeling the need to order something different off the menu... only to realize why you always order the same damn thing.

3. heartburn. especially when caused by #2.

4. foul mouthed young children. I mean way too young. and, kinda sorta, their parents.

5. coffee shop patrons that bring long lists. I lack patience. especially before my fix.

a few things that kinda make up for all the other things above...

1. a perfectly picked and ripened strawberry. just one will do it.

2. the blatant honesty of an innocent child. can't beat it. even if you don't want to hear what they have to say!

3. windows down. sun shining. and a sweet tuned cranked way up.

4. when someone holds the door open for you at a coffee shop, knowing damn well it means you will now be ahead of them in line.

5. snorty puppy stretches.

Oh, and this wooden spoon theater is super cute tonight...

dreamy...

2011-05-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

Absolutely loving this handbag.

Anyone know who makes it or how unaffordable it is so I can dream in more detail?

modern handmade child

2011-05-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

The summer issue of Modern Handmade Child went live today!

And, while I do have a vested interest in the magazine as one of the contributing editors, I do have to say that it's one of the best issues yet. Fun fashion, stylish decor, yummy recipes and plenty of do-it-yourself ideas for the long summer ahead. And, yes, it's all handmade.

Enjoy!

the ultimate sanctuary

2011-04-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Question of the day.

If I buy the kids a really cool teepee...

Can I ~~nap~~ play in it?

rickshaw design

somethings hiding in here

we heart it

flickr

heart garland

2011-04-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

Moral of the story?

Never throw away the paint swatch cards.

courtesy of oh! crafts

wordful wednesday

2011-04-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

original images and resources all available on pinterest

puppets + shoes?

2011-04-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight I attended a pre-school fundraiser. There was a puppet show for the kids at which time the parents could either... A. join their kids on the grass to watch (not happening. not that I don't adore my kids but puppets? not so much.) B. socialize quietly in the back with other parents (definitely did some of that) C. walk around and check out other women's shoes (turns out this was the fun part!)

So now I'm in a shoe groove. Figured I'd share a couple fun finds I stumbled upon while trying to find the blush colored steve madden serenite on line. So that you might groove too....

steve madden serenite. available at nordstroms & zappos.

(and highly recommended by two moms.)

madison harding rosemary. available at piperlime.

stuart weitzman x-ray. available at nordstroms.

topography sandals. available at anthropologie.

calabassas clogs. available at anthropologie.

monday love...

2011-04-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ah, Monday. I'm fully recovered from a tough battle with a nasty stomach bug. (Still not sure I actually won but at least I got up after the count!) And I'm now ready to greet a brand new sunshiny week.

Today I'm loving lots of things. Including these....

inspiring bedroom featured on homedit

branch bookcase featured on flickr

mid century goodness featured on houzz

dreamy yellow kitchen featured on urban style vibes

fringe moccasin boot by free people

(and it's probably a good thing it's sold out because as much as I wish, I really don't have the ankles to pull this off... sigh)

and... a choice by healthy & fit

dreamy...

2011-04-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

apartment therapy

style me pretty

green eyed monster

I wanna go there tomorrow.

Which one?

Don't care.

You pick.

Or I'd be happy to road trip to them all.

Dreamy...

home sweet home

2011-04-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

After sharing a few photos of a party I threw last weekend some of my facebook fans wanted to know more about the house. I had to wait until it was clean again to take some shots for you... but then I ran out of daylight. I'll try to get a few more nooks and crannies documented for you this weekend.

We will begin renovating the master bedroom and bath in the next month or so and I'll be sure to walk you through the before and after process. Trust me. The before is not pretty.

For the complete album, visit the zuzu girl facebook photo album entitled "zuzu girl house tour".

And now I'm going to go plant myself on the comfy sofa (not yet pictured) and celebrate the beginning of a long, relaxing weekend. I hope yours is simply delightful as well.

Ta-ta for now...

industrial wednesday

2011-04-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

Due credit for all these fabulous furniture pieces on this board on my pinterest page.

letter love

2011-04-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

inrednings blog

french by design

we made this

edies lab via etsy

Loving the big, bold letters popping up everywhere these days.

Metal, distressed wood, painted. Loving them all.

The bigger. The better.

I'm dreaming of a big ass letter for our house too.

And I know just the place to "find" one.

Are you there Dad? It's me, Kristi...

chevron

2011-04-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

Chevron. It's everywhere. And if you haven't already noticed that well, you clearly haven't been looking. From home decor to paper goods. Table top to apparel. It's not just a fabric anymore folks... And I love it!

diy monday

2011-04-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

Or Tuesday.

I am a night time blogger. Which is not a great thing when you live hours behind much of the world. But you can do this yourself any time you please. Cause it's super cute. And can't get much easier.

So go recycle some of those old t-shirts hanging out in the depths of your closet. Or steal some of his. He won't notice!

Detailed instructions and photos courtesy of method.

fabulous friday. (finally!)

2011-04-08T20:28:00.000-07:00

vintage card catalog craft storage by bits & bobbins

via apartment therapy

living room photo wall by tara whitney

mid-century storage cabinet by vintage avacado

and I quote...

2011-04-07T21:52:00.000-07:00

and it's love

retro stilleto

quote book

and tonight's all time favorite...

parada creations

change is good!

2011-04-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Let's cut right to the chase.

I'm closing my zuzu girl handmade Etsy shop.

Again.

There are a million and one reasons why this is a good thing. And a few reasons why it is not. But I'm convinced. Change is good.

I've got a few things up my sleeve. Which one will shake out is still to be determined but I just know it will be great. And I plan on hanging out to tell you what it is. See, I'm a serial shopper, stylist, merchandiser & blogger so I'm going nowhere. I just won't have anything to sell you personally. But now I may have a little more time to tell you where to find other good stuff or how to make it yourself. And that, my friends, is a good thing too!

I don't have an exact date yet for when our doors will shut but I can promise there won't be a fire sale. We love our merchandise far too much. But from here on out, all my fabulous facebook and blogger friends may use the coupon code "CHANGEISGOOD" for 20% off anything in the shop. Just in case you want to stock up for 2011 Christmas presents now. (Just imagine the sense of accomplishment you will feel!)

If you like our style, we hope you'll hang on with us even after the shop is closed. Follow our facebook page. Read our blog. Be inspired.

And anxiously await what we've got coming next...

not so mellow yellow

2011-04-06T23:20:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I've never been a huge fan of yellow. Never found anything wrong with it either. It's just one of those colors I never thought all that much about. Until recently. I find it appearing everywhere. And wow. Is it fun! Not sure I'm going to run out and paint my bedroom yellow but it's certainly got me thinking sunshiny thoughts...

diy pencil block

2011-04-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

Well, technically you can do it yourself. I actually emailed my handy (and very generous) father and asked him to do it for me but...

There are several varieties of these sold on Etsy. For a boatload of money. I fell in love with the concept but was determined not to pay that sort of money for a block of wood. And basically, that's all you need.

You can simply buy a 4x4 and sand it down or you can plane a piece of wood to your desired size, which is what my dad did. My pencil block is spray lacquered but you could paint of stain it any color you desire. Do this FIRST. If you try to paint it after the holes are drilled the paint will just drip down into the holes. Not pretty.

My dad put painters tape on one side of the wood and marked where the holes would go. He then drilled through tape. This helps eliminate any burrs or cracks around the holes. As far as drills go, a hand drill will work, but if you have a drill press that would (apparently) be a better option. I'm not terribly well informed on drills but this is what the pro told me!

Be sure to measure the items you want to place in the holes before drilling. You could use these blocks for pencils, markers, makeup brushes or even kitchen utensils. But I personally found the rainbow of pencils the most visually appealing. Now lets see how long they stay color blocked as photographed.

Happy crafting...

friday. finally!

2011-04-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

I've been busy working on a little side project this week so I've neglected my little old shop a bit. But, nevertheless, I'm excited about the inspiration I've found in the loveliest of places. All the links for the above products are archived on this pinterest inspiration board but thanks must go to the following folks for their divine images...

1. emma lamb crochet pillows

2. ohdeedoh books

3. paloma's nest hangers

4. design sponge online mobile

5. little home bird pillow

decorate

2011-03-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading any decor blogs at all lately you are aware that Holly Becker's book is finally available. Holly is the designer behind the popular blog decor 8. One of my personal favorite haunts.

The book is currently out in limited release. I picked mine up at Anthropologie this weekend. I was a little hesitant to drop $35 on a design book until I opened it. And it didn't take but a moment before I was sold. All 271 pages are truly inspirational. Beautiful from start to finish.

Two very discriminating thumbs up.

images via decor 8

signs, signs, everywhere the signs...

2011-03-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

sliding into april...

2011-03-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

March 28th. It's almost April. I love April. It's one of my two favorite months in Northern California. The sun comes out. The house heats up. And Spring is served.

As I sit and celebrate the sunshine I'm also having so much fun looking at these indoor slide photos on ohdeedoh. Why? Nah, not because they look super fun. Which I'm sure they are. But because if we had one of these slides in my house I'm quite confident that I would use it more than either of the children. I'm just giddy over the efficiency!