Hand make my life is moving!

Remember when I said there are lots of changes going on with the blog? Well here’s one of the big ones! Hand make my life is moving to a self hosted blog and as of today you can follow along at:

handmakemylife.com

In fact you can click on that link above and go finish reading this post on the new site!

Wow! May was an incredible month for Hand make my life (and in my life that my momma hand made for me). On the blog we had record high views and lots of new subscribers! Well, I’ll tell you what, I am stoked! I really couldn’t be happier.

As it’s going to be the sixth month mark for this little piece of the internet I thought I’d put something super special together to celebrate what this blog is all about with an entire month of hand made! You could almost call it madness.

I am so excited about this, oh my goodness. I have interviewed tons of amazing women who use their creative souls to take charge of their lives! And I am talking, some pretty amazing people. I am so honored to be able share their stories, experiences, as well as their advice with you through out the whole month with interviews every Tuesday and Thursday.

On top of all of that I have been scrambleing to put together more DIY projects and more summer recipes and I’ll be sharing these with you on Wednesdays and Fridays! So fun!

And I will be premiering a super nifty sponsorship campaign with tons of free spots for blog and shop button trades. But more on that later!

Don’t forget: if you are an e-mail or Bloglovin’ subscriber remember to resubscribe to the new blog so’s not to miss any of the great things happening in June! (The Bloglovin’ button to the side now lets you follow the new blog. —->)

I will be posting little reminders for everyone to find along the way and I will update this page with the new Bloglovin’ button for easy following. There will also be tons of new ways to follow, so look out for the way that suits you best!

Again! Thank you! I wouldn’t be here without you and I can’t wait for you to join me on the new blog!

10 things I love – Dream of the sea

1. This gorgeous photograph from WildWildernessPhotos on Etsy has got me yearning for salty shores. $45

2. I even miss hurricanes and the thunder storms of summer. Photo from MizXtina on Etsy. $25

3. How about a magical ocean accessory to wear out on the board walk. This starfish hair clip if from dreamsbythesea on Etsy. $25

4. Sweet mint green sea glass was used to make this stunning little necklace from  jennreeseSEVEN on Etsy. Perfect for an evening walk on the beach with my love and my favorite maxi. $29

5. I really have to get my hands on one of these fun high waist and cropped tube top suits from Nicolelebreux on Etsy. Bottoms $60 and top $45

6. I am so in love with Tumbleweeds. Aren’t these just the shades one need to be lounging down on the beach, with their inlaid turquoise and Mahogany veneer catching some rays in style. $145

7. These crochet beach shorts from katrinshine on Etsy are just the cutest things ever with their scalloped edge and their lacy design. $150

8. Every beachy lady needs a nice pair of sandals for hanging around the pool and I just love this pair. These handmade leather sandals with ribbon ties from GreekChicHandmades are the perfect bathing suit foot wear. $39

9. How about this gorgeous made to order crochet bikini in sweet mint green from Eleonoraesposito on Etsy? Yes Please. I can’t get enough crochet ever. $150

10. I am going to need a pretty big durable beach bag for carrying everything I need to the shores to hang out. How about this market style bag made of french linen with leather straps from Ikabags on Etsy? I love it and it looks so durable. Which is exactly what I need. $89

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I am a little under the weather today and taking time to stay hydrated and just relax and unwind, dreaming I was at the beach in the cool water. I think I put a little to much on my plate these last few weeks with all of the different projects I am working on. I’ve got to sit down and figure out a timetable to balance this madness. Although, I kind of love being super busy. It keeps me motivated and moving.

Will you be taking any beach trips this summer? I love the beach and would live by the ocean year round if I could.

Guest Posting on Apple Blue

Good morning Hand Make readers and welcome Apple Blue readers! I just wanted to pass the word along that I am guest posting over on Amanda’s blog Apple Blue this morning.

Be sure to stop by and show a little love on my fun Friday Tutorial Round Up. You wont want to miss it!  I’ll also be back later this afternoon with a fun little update!

Hillery

This weeks Etsy Finds – Postcards

With more and more snail mail coming and going from my humble abode I have been lusting more and more after some amazing stationary.

There really is nothing better than writing and receiving letters. E-mail, eh. They’re nice, but letters are so much better and my hope is that my writing improves with the practice. Here are just a few very darling little postcards I came across on Etsy this week.

This sweet little fox post card from Sophie Parker on Etsy.

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A great song and a lovely postcard from Here my Dear on Etsy.

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Love the contrast of white and bright bold colors in these whimsical postcards from Chipmonk Cheeks on Etsy.

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Pretty geometric postcards by mademoiselleyo on Etsy.

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Love this fun and funky letterpress post card by Rebecca Ann Rakstad on Etsy.

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I hope you all have a beautiful and lovely Thursday and that maybe you leave here  little bit inspired to send everyone you know a pretty little postcard!

Hillery

Top 10 Fashion Trends for summer

This top from Lulu’s is super versatile in that it can be worn tucked, untucked, belted, over a dress, and with jeans. Plus sheer is in!

Solid color crop tops like this one on Threadsence are a great addition to your wardrobe this season.

Love this taupey maxi by BB Dakota on Threadsence. A perfect neutral and would look great with a crop top or color pop accessories.

Here we go with a gorgeous and flowy green asymmetrical skirt from Threadsence.

Super simple tutorial with Alie from With an ie.

Mint jeans are the pastel trend of the century. They are everywhere and everyone wants a pair like the cute little skinny pedal pushers from Modcloth. The question is: do you?

Color blocking, different hues stacked one atop the other. Love this Kelly green blazer matched with the neon, pastel skinny pants from Lulu’s.

This is the perfect lace tank top from Lulu’s to pair with any and everything you own.

This How have you Vanilla Bean? Dress from Modcloth is really a perfect polka dot. It’s a neutral and would be great to match up with a bright polka dotted sweater (like this one) or one of this seasons pop color accessories.

This black and white stripe skirt from free people really fits the bill, you get your versatile maxi (simply pull up over your chest and belt for a simple summer dress.

So what is my number on tip for you? Invest in neutrals and save the trends for accessories and the occasional top or bottom, don’t fill your closet with trends.

My number two? Always quality jeans. I know I didn’t mention them in the trends, that’s because they are a staple closet item. I spend a good hour in the thrift store trying on every pair of jeans in my sizes till I find the right pair. Sometimes I don’t find it, but sometimes I get lucky! And the perfect pair of jeans for 7 bucks? Who could argue with that?

I hope you have fun with it and feel inspired. Remember, neutrals are your best friend, because they make everything look good.

Hillery

Thoughts on living creatively

Sometimes it can be hard to give into our passions and what we love because of our wiring to view success in life as something entirely separate of our creative passions. So in order to be successful at what we love, we have to forget all that we’ve been told and re-write the parameters to fit our creative souls.

1. I will appreciate my creative self and not attempt to weigh it against others. All beings express our-selves differently and there is a place in this universe for all of us.
2. I will stop thinking of success in number gains and begin thinking of it in joys gained.
3. I will remember not to take my day to day for granted, that life is the journey and that everyday is another mile in the direction we want to go.
4. I will except that even experts make mistakes and allow myself some wiggle room to work all the kinks out.
5. I will always allow myself to have a rest, taking time to clear my mind and recharge.

The warm weather is rolling in and this is the season for celebrating life, ourselves, and each other. Give into your passions a little more each day. You’ll be glad you did.

Hillery

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Early Morning in the Garden

After a night of little sleep, I went out into the garden in the early morning. I took some product shots and enjoyed the quite quiet morning before the world around me began to wake. I had a lovely little hour to myself out there.

I set up my tripod and got to work photographing my new pieces. I love working with a tripod, it’s fun and liberating. I have 12 new items I have got to get in the shop this week. I can’t wait to work on this week’s set. This is a pretty fun little project and I can only hope I can keep up this momentum. I am going to try the shots again this evening just before sunset when the sun is on the other side.

Here’s a little tour of the back garden behind our apartment/house (We live in the attic apartment of a house built in the 1800s, there are three other apartments).

(There is actually a little bit of feather on my nose, if you look closely you can see it)

We are very lucky to have such a space available to us. I am very much looking forward to the summer and lazy afternoons reading books and sipping on lemonade.

Are you feeling creative today?

I hope you had a beautiful weekend with lots of family time. Have a lovely Monday morning!

Hillery

Happy Birthday – My first Ukulele Song

In the spirit of creating new habits and working on conquering fears. I recorded a little video of myself last night. Yesterday, I received my birthday present from James and it is a brand new Lanikai Ukulele. I spent the day carrying it all around on our trip to the market and the dry goods store secretly wishing I could break out in song.

When we got home I did some research and found a great site for beginners. If you ever want to learn to play the ukulele this site www.ukeschool.com is the best ever. Someday I hope to be able to make a contribution, because I have been so incredible impressed so far. It’s almost as if I am taking an actual lesson, and the fellow is hilarious, so it’s just great.

So I sat me down and learned me the basics; and just over an hour later I was playing my first song, the birthday song.

With that I leave you to marvel in awe at my natural talent.

For those who might be interested, I am a lefty, although, I am playing the uke strung standard and flipped over to the left. The main reason for this is so’s not to limit myself musically. Technically, I should be able to pick up any standardly strung ukulele and simply flip it over. It’s pretty simple to learn as I am just inverting the fret board.

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s day to my beautiful and amazing mother.

I love you more than words Momma and I wish I could be down there with the whole family on this day to celebrate you and hug and kiss you to death.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Momma’s out there!

25 Before 26 – A Years worth of Goals

I decided to make my first ever __ before __ list this year (insert age you are and age you will be). I love setting goals and challenges for myself and I’ve always been good at short-term goals, just need to get better at the long-term. So here’s my little list of 25 things I want to do before I turn 26 next year.

I even left it in all of its messy glory as I felt I might be cheating rewriting it till it looked perfect, plus it’s just a list. Please forgive my spelling mistakes as hopefully they are not a reflection of my character. (:

I also forgot to edit these photos before uploading them. Ehhh, oh well. These were taken using the manual settings on our new camera with natural lighting. I am still learning. Today has been one of the busiest days of my life and writing this list and taking these photos was one of the finer, relaxed points of my morning.

That’s right, I’m lefty. Gazing out over brass snails into the black walnut tree.

Enjoying some savory un-roast sunflower seeds and raisins with a spot of tea to re-energize before moving on with my day.

My hope is that I can realistically complete most of the goals on this list in a years time. I am thinking of grouping them into long-term and short-term and then breaking the short-term into monthly to fit with my current goals and make the list a little less daunting. I tried to think realistically, but also challenge myself to go further.

It will be exciting to see a year from now what I was able to do and what might take me a bit more time. No harm in that, it’s all experience, gain, and learning.

Have you ever created a list like this? Been successful? If you’d like to, let me know what you think in the comments below.