Round Up! Some etsy faves

Today was supposed to be "tutorial tuesday"

But I got super excited about showing you all my arrow head necklace DIY yesterday that I totally lost track of days.

it happens.

So now tutorial tuesday moved to monday and friday faves moved to tuesday.

Are ya with me?

I know, my head hurts too.

Here are some of my favorite etsy round ups that is going to cause homegirl's paypal account to shrink down even more.

Think of you card by Julie Ann Art

So Julie is in my top 10 favorite people of all time. I got to meet her a few months back at a lil bloggy get together. She's super adorable & also has a potty mouth like me. Seriously, check out her shop, her cards are "the ish".

Mint Green Color Block Tote by Rouge and Whimsey

so erika added a TON of new modern purses to her shop, and I honestly have no clue which I want to buy next (and by "buy" I mean stealthily sending Bub links to erika's shop so he can get me one for our anniversary) (I'm super easy like that) (you are welcome bub)

Modern pioneer chevron earrings from Prairie Oats

it's funny, I am so not into dangle earrings at all, but these are speaking to me. They are saying "Leonora you need to rock these so fierce that your ears fall off"

Thanks earrings, I do rock things pretty fiercely don't I?

Dreamer Block by Bubblewrappd

I'm a HUGE on telling everyone to follow their dreams and goals. Andrea and I go way back (ok, by way back I mean, like, a year, but still...) I own so many of her blocks. The craftsmanship is amazeballs and her sayings rock. Also? Her prices are super reasonable, go shop there. Now. You have my permission.

Leather Mint Hex Nut Bracelet by Tinn Lily

I had no clue hardware could be so cute, consider my life changed from this moment on forever.

Porcelain Ring Dish by Tiffinstudio

no words. need.

Umm, I think you guys can see a common color theme starting to form here...what? I really like mint, ok? I think it's because its named after something edible and I really enjoy eating a ton.

What are some of your faves lately? Link 'em below!

xoxo

Leonora

How To Make an Arrow Head Necklace

Hey lovelies! It has been so long since I have sat down and crafted some stuff that was soley "just for fun" and was not for Yellow Heart Art. Now don't get me wrong, I tell Bubs all the time that I love Yellow Heart Art so much that I would do it for free. But sometimes its nice just making a lil bling bling for yo'self-ya know? This necklace is so easy to make and I have already gotten compliments on it from some chicks at sephora (and those sephora chicks know their shiz) (at least I am assuming they do, I mean they make people look pretty for a living...)

You Will Need:
• Beads (colors and amount up to how many "arrow heads" you want)
• Lobster Clasp
• Jump Rings
• Chain
• Eye pins
• Jewelry Pliers

Step 1: Take 1 set of beads and place on eye pin, leave room at the end to curl over the end of the eye pin.

Step 2: Take your round headed jewelry pliers and curl the ends of the eye pin. Don't close all the way just yet.

Step 3: Keep going till you have an even number of beads strung up on eye pins with the ends of the eye pins curled up.

Step 4: Take 2 sets of the same beads and link 2 open eye pins together so it forms a "V" shape

Step 5: Take your flat set jewelry piers and "clamp down" the end of the eye pin you curled to close it up. Repeat steps 4&5 to the rest of your sets till you have 3 "V"s

Step 6: Take one of your jump rings and open it up slightly with your jewelry pliers.

Step 7: Place the opened jump ring and link it through the last link on your jewelry chain. Take one end of your "V" beads and link that into the jump ring as well.

Step 8: Take your jewelry pliers and close up your jump ring. Repeat on the other side of your beads.

Step 9: Your beads should look like the pic above. This will be the bottom row of your arrow head necklace.

Step 10: repeats steps 7-8 with your next row of beads, this time looping your jump ring through one of the links on the chain at a higher point.

Step 11: Add your 3rd row using steps 7-8. Make sure they are evenly spaced by counting the number of links in between the 3 rows.

Step 12: I made my necklace about 24" long so I didn't need to do this step, but if your necklace is not long enough just open up one of the links on your chain, add a jump ring and a lobster clasp so you can get it round your neck.

 

Bada Bing.

can you dig it?

You can make as many rows as you want. Mix it up homegirl! I would love to see any necklaces you guys have made with this tutorial so be sure to link 'em below <3

xoxo

Leonora

pssst if ya dig my other necklace you can nab one here ;) thanks son of a sailor!

THE BIG REVEAL! Don't Want to Miss This Party!

**CURRENTLY APPLICATIONS FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED! YOU MAY STILL SIGN UP TO BE ON THE WAITING LIST IN CASE SOMEONE CAN NOT DO THIS SWAP ANYMORE, THANK YOU!!**

Whats up you guys! You have probably seen all the cryptic tweets from Ilene and Leonora in regards to what the 2 of us are brewing up.

Well, the wait is over, we want to invite all of you guys to our Summer Time Arm Party!

What is an Arm Party and how does one RSVP?
When the 2 of us think of summer one thought that came into our head was friendship bracelets. It brings you back to your elementary school days where being besties for life meant sporting some knotted up embroidery floss around your wrist.

We wanted to find a way for bloggers to get to meet new besties out there, and what better way to do that then host a fun Summer Time Arm Party Bracelet Swap!

Simply fill out the google document form by visiting the "Rules and Regulations" section at the bottom of this blog post to RSVP, we will hook you up with a partner where the 2 of you guys get to swap bracelets with each other! (before signing up PLEASE read entire blog post AND our "rules and regulations" section, open to a limited number of people, thanks guys!)

What Type Of Bracelets Can I Swap?
We want this to be fun and fashionable! We have compiled a TON of awesome DIY bracelet ideas below that are super easy to create and really affordable. Can't choose which bracelet to make? Thats ok, go nuts! Its a stinkin' PARTY! You can totally send your bracelet buddy more than one bracelet if you have the time and moola. You are not limited to these ideas at all, these are just suggestions :)

Worried you're not crafty enough to make some of these bracelets but still want to participate in the swap? Gurl we got you covered. We are encouraging everyone to try to make a bracelet, but if you want we are allowing participants to also buy a bracelet for their swapping partner if they are nervous about their crafting skills. We just ask that if you do buy a bracelet that it look awesome and not like a cracker jack toy ;)

 Gold Tube Bracelet DIY (photo credit and tutorial found here)

Jacked Up Friendship Bracelets (tutorial and photo credit found here)

Rhinestone and Leather Wrap Bracelet (tutorial and photo credit found here)

Leather Bow Bracelet DIY (photo credit and tutorial over here)

Fabric Rope Bracelet DIY (photo credit and tutorial over here)

Macrame Bracelet DIY (photo credit and tutorial over here)

Jersey Knit Bracelet DIY (tutorial and photo credit here)

Ok, We Swapped, Now What?
Now it's time for the party to start! When you get your bracelet from your partner you'll probably have the urge to squeal with delight and beg whoever is closest to you to quickly help you get your new arm bling on your wrist. We are asking that all bloggers who participate in this swap write up a blog post about it! You can make it an outfit shot post or make it a post strictly about the arm party swap. Either way please have the post up and running by August 21st so you can link up with Leonora and Ilene on our blogs!

Again the link will go live on August 21st so you all can see all the awesome bracelets that everyone got! We'll bring the chips, can you guys bring the dip?

RULES AND REGULATIONS
• This is only opened to US Residents
• First come first serve basis, we will only open the sign up process to the first 100 people
• You will have 1 week to register, if registration fills up before the week is up then registration will close.
• Once registration ends on July 20th we will then start to team up partners! You will get an email with your partner's information in it with in 2-5 business days. Please only contact us if AFTER the 5 business day mark you did not get a partner (by July 27th). You may not have gotten a parter if you were too late to register or our email might have went to spam. Please follow Ilene and Leonora's twitter accounts for tweet updates about the swap. We will make an announcement when all the names have been teamed up!
• We really really REALLY hope everyone plays nice in the sandbox, but if they don't please note that unfortunately Ilene and Leonora are not responsible for anyone's actions during this swap. We are also not responsible for any lost or damaged packages.
• Once you have your partner you will be given 2 WEEKS TO MAKE AND MAIL YOUR BRACELET.
• You will get the wrist size of your partner, we recommend making the bracelet *slightly* bigger than your partner's wrist so its not tight on them. Think about it, if their wrist is 7" around and you make the bracelet EXACTLY 7" thats gonna be a weee bit uncomfortable!
• All bracelets must be in the hands of your swapper by August 11th so that everyone has time to take pictures and write a blog post for our link up party on August 21st
• Once you get your bracelet please blog about it! Include any links to your partner's social media sites. Again you can incorporate your bracelet in an outfit post or just blog about the swap! When you do link up with Ilene and Leonora please link back to our blogs on your blog post and include our button in your post. Any blog posts that are linked to us that do not have anything to do with the swap will be deleted (giveaway posts or a link to your entire blog will also be deleted).
• Now let's have some fun! Wanna RSVP to our party??
• Click here to be directed to a google document for registration

DATES AND THINGS:
A broken up timeline of all the dates so you don't have to keep re-reading this blog post :)
• July 12th: Registration opens for our Summer Time Arm Party Swap
• July 20th: Registration officially closes (if filled up before the 20th it will close sooner)
• July 27th: Will receive partner on or before this date
• July 27th - August 10th: 2 week time frame to make and mail your bracelet(s) to your partner
• August 11th: Latest day your partner can get your bracelet
• August 21st: The day your blog post should be published and linked up to either Leonora or Ilene's blog, please link back to our blogs when making your post so people who are unfamiliar with the arm party swap know what it is!

Something That Has Been Bothering Me Lately

 creativity doesn't sleep by Yellow Heart Art

Ok I was really debating posting this post, but I've seen other fellow handmade shop owners tweeting about the same problem I am running into, so I figured what the heck I'll go for it.

We all are familiar with giveaways on everyone's blogs. We tweet about them and post them on our facebook walls. Usually more often then not when you participate in a giveaway you hope it drives more traffic to your shop or blog and you hope to reach a new crowd of people that you normally would not have reached on your own.

I love it when I see my product up for grabs on someone's blog. Its just so awesome getting to read everyone's comments hoping they get to win a little piece of my art for their home.

What I don't like is bloggers who I have never really communicated with or bloggers who have never made an attempt to get to know who I am sending me a "copy and paste" email asking if I can do a giveaway on their blog.

cringe.

This happens a lot. I see it more from bloggers who don't have a handmade shop and who just strictly have a blog. This is why it leaves a bad taste in my mouth (side note: the below information does NOT have to do with blogs I decide to sponsor and do giveaways with. This is strictly just about people who contact me who have never spoken to me before):

• Every time you ask a shop owner to donate a product for giveaway on your blog you need to realize that you are not the only person asking them. I get an email at least once a week from bloggers who I don't even know asking me this request.

• Asking me to give away my hard earned work is a big deal. You want me to cover cost of my materials, my time to make it, and any shipping fees that I need to cover to send my item to your winner. If I agreed to do a giveaway with every single person who contacted me I would probably be out hundreds of dollars in materials costs and shipping fees.

• When so many people ask me to do a giveaway I feel as though that they are just looking out for themselves. More often than not the first "mandatory" entry for a giveaway is "be a follower of my blog" ("my blog" as in the  blogger who is hosting the giveaway, not MY personal blog) don't get me wrong, when I CHOOSE to sponsor somebody else and they make "following their blog" mandatory that is totally fine because I decided that I wanted to work with them. I value the blogger I am working with and respect the fact that they want that to be a mandatory entry. But when a blogger comes up to ME and asks ME to give something of MINE away for FREE and THEN has that be a mandatory entry then I feel as though you are just using my work to get yourself more followers.

• Don't get me wrong, I know when you send out emails to shop owners you are pretty much saying the same thing so I am not TOTALLY against the ol "copy and paste" method, but I am against it when the first 2 words of your email to me is "Hey There!" or "Hi Friend!". If you are going to send me a copy and paste email at LEAST put in there the name of my shop and MY own name. I've had had bloggers email the SAME email once a month for 3 months, finally I had to call them out on it.

• I once had someone beg me to do a giveaway on their blog. I finally agreed to it just because I couldn't take the harassment anymore. When they hosted my giveaway they did not link to a single piece of any of my social media sites. The only way to enter the giveaway was to follow all of HER personal links. If you are asking someone to do a giveaway please include ALL their links to make it worth wild for you and the shop owner giving away something.

• In other people's defense I have had 2 people so far pay for my items to giveaway, and for those people I thank you for appreciating my hard earned work :)

• The only thing worse than asking me to give something away on your blog is asking me to give you one of my products so you can "review" it. Again, I have no problem with people reviewing my items, but I'd rather decide who I want to give my items to. Would you walk into Macy's and say to the sales clerk "hey, want to give me that sweater over there for free? I'll tell everyone on my blog how awesome it is".

All I'm saying is, the next time someone turns you down for giving away something on your blog just see it from THEIR side. I normally only do giveaways with blogs I sponsor or people in the community that I have cross paths with. I also sometimes donate products for a giveaway that is for a good cause. But please realize that the shop owner has to take care of all their materials and shipping fees.

Sorry guys, just HAD to get that off my chest.

UPDATED: Just to clarify, I am not upset with any handmade buds who I have grown friendships with over the years :) you guys can ask me till you're blue in the face haha! This post was more so directed at people who don't follow my blog, twitter, or facebook, do not know ANYTHING about me and have never attempted to make contact with me prior to asking me to give something away on their blog. When those people are constantly sending me a "copy and paste" email I just feel as though all they want to do is gain more blog followers for themselves. I know when my handmade friends ask me to give something away on their blog (whether it be just because, for a birthday, a blogiversary or maybe they think I'm awesome) then I know you guys are truly looking out for me and wanting to share me with your readers which I totally love! :)

SHOP NEWS: NEW ART LIMITED EDITION PRINT

If you guys have been following me on twitter you have seen me hinting about a deal I am going to run on our Facebook page.

AND HERE IT IS!

This print is a limited edition piece of art that will NOT be sold in my shop on etsy! You can only get it if you are a facebook fan.

Each print will be signed and numbered by me.

Oh wait, it gets better.

8x10 prints in my shop are sold at a retail value of $20.

This limited edition print is going for $7.50 on my facebook page! (Plus $2 for shipping)
Hey, why is this deal so frekkin good?
Because you guys have been SO GOOD to me!

Since January 2011 Yellow Heart Art has accomplished:
• over 600 sales on etsy
• a TON of freelance work!

 • We got accepted as a vendor to Renegade Craft Fair
• Featured in Every Day with Rachael Ray Magazine,  Etsy's Official emails, Etsy's facebook page, The Huffington Post, Apartment Therapy (.com), RUE Magazine and more!
• We have now exceeded 1,000 facebook fans and 1,000 twitter followers!

Basically, what I'm saying is, with out all of YOU GUYS getting the word out there about Yellow Heart Art no one would even know about us. So as a THANK YOU for you guys being so kick ass I decided to make a print that is only available to my awesome friends :)

Want one of these exclusive prints? Snatch one up here! BUT HURRY supplies are SUPER limited, its a first come first serve basis!

New Packaging Design and A New Project Teaser!

Some of you might have noticed a new look here at Yellow Heart Art. We have completely revamped and changed our branding (if you want to see the evolution of our branding come over yonder) (side note: Is yonder, like, so Shakespearean to say? Cause it makes me feel smart)

Our necklace packaging also got a "nip tuck" 

what do you guys think?

Scuse the super grainy photo, homegirl was running late to work and had to quickly snap a pic of this bad boy using her iphone and her laundry hamper as a background. Eat it MacGuyver.

Also, if you follow me on twitter you have seen some cryptic tweets lately about a project that me and this awesome lady ovah hea are working on. Stay tuned we will be announcing what we have up our sleeves (or wrists) super soon ;) Give ya a hint: Think summer camp activity, but for bloggers.

Also no blog post is complete with out one of my all time favorite pics of me and Ilene (spoiler alert, she's the awesome lady I'm working with on super duper top secret project) (isn't she the best?)

also some of you have asked about advertising! We now use passionfruit ads, which means you can advertise with yellow heart art whenever you want! No need to have to wait for the 1st of the month anymore. I know, I like having options too guys. Click Here for sponsor info!

Date Night Ideas For You and Yo Man!

I do find myself doin' that 'ol google search, the one where you type "ideas for date night" or see also "please help me keep my boyfriend entertained so he doesn't get bored and set something on fire to see how it will melt".
For all of you wondering why I am on the fence about having Kids its because I am already dating one--and he is a lot of frekkin work. (but he's worth it)

I've compiled a list of date night faves that Bubs and I have actually done. Sure. some are cheesy, but thats what happens when you're in love you get full of cheddah. 

Go Kayaking or Canoeing on a Lake

Bubs and I live on Long Island so we are literally surrounded by water, so for those of you that are land lock you might have to setting for bobbing up and down on a pool noodle in a kiddie pool. We like to hit up our local deli and bring sandwiches out on the canoe with us so we can eat them out on the lake. Its quite romantical.

Go to the gun range

It's true, I dig the gun range. I've only been once but let me tell ya, something about shotting a shot gun while wearing a little bow in your hair is kind of bad ass. Plus Bubs got to brag to his buds that his woman shot a gun and dug it. Yeah, its unconventional but just give it a shot! (Ha, "give it a shot"…I crack myself up) If you are really uncomfortable going to the gun range then try skeet shooting. It's that sport where you yell PULL! and then a clay disk comes flying in the air for you to shoot. The one thing I WOULD NEVER DO is go hunting, I think bambi deserves to live. Bambi I go your back girl (or boy, I'm really unsure what Bambi's sex is)

Get a couples massage
I wrote back in the day about my love for groupon and living social. They are ALWAYS posting deals on there for massages at 40% off. My only tip if you have never gotten one before is to go early in the morning before you shower and wear "loose" clothes. Bubs and I made this mistake before. You will get covered in massage oil, and although most of it gets absorb into your skin there is still some left over. The last thing you want is to slip into some skinny jeans while your legs are glistening from oil-super yuck.

Tandem Bike Rides or Ride the Bike Tails
There are places by us who rent out Tandem bikes to couples (those are the 2 seater bikes). Or you can do what Bubs and just go out on a nice bike ride somewhere and just relax. We usually end up at some ice cream parlor (weird…)

Crash a wedding
THIS HAS BEEN ON MY BUCKET LIST FOR FOREVER. It will happen. Bonus? You and your date get to get dressed up and eat free food. I mean really what more can a girl want

Feed the ducks!

Go to your local lake/pond, grab your stale bread and feed some ducks! They'll be your new best friends AND you can de-clutter your bread drawer. Win win?

Go on a picnic
This is one of my faves. We usually hit up our deli, get some sandwiches and set up a picnic at our local park. We also bring something with us like a frisbee or a football that we can toss around to keep us entertained.

Go on a photo excursion

I dont know how many of you guys are photographers out there, but sometimes when we're super bored we hop in the car and just drive around with our cameras. If something catches our eye we pull over and do a mini photo shoot. Its spontaneous, fun and you get some awesome photos out of it!

Batting Cages
I've actually never done this one yet but its on my to-do list. The batting cages are fairly inexpensive, and the best part is if you miss the ball you dont have to keep bending over to pick it up--which means you wont sweat on your date. I try not to over exert myself whenever possible (ha)

Go Karting
I don't care how old you are go-karting is the frekkin BOMB. It's fun to get a group of people to go and do mini go-kart races. 

Pick some fruit!

There is always some sort of fruit in season at some time. We usually go apple picking out in the hamptons and make some kick ass apple pie.

Visit the puppies at the pet store
Since bubs and I live in an apartment we unfortunately can not have any pets. So in order to make up for it we sometimes visit the local pet stores and play with the puppies who don't have homes yet. Its a win-win because it at least gets the puppies out of the crates for a while and we get to enjoy spending time with our "temporary pet" for the next 15 minutes.

Have a nurf gun/water gun battle
Come on, act like a kid! Go to walmart, get a nurf gun for 5 bucks and let the war begin.

What date night ideas do you guys love to do!