This web site has moved!

Hi everyone!  I've finally made the switch from blogger to wordpress!  Come on over and check me out at my new stomping grounds, www.adropofgoldensun.com!

Let's Go Camping!

Look who was featured in an Etsy treasury today!

I am dying to try some of those Smore's Ganache Cookies, from tookies.

I think I "need" that Hand Printed Organic Cotton Flour Sack Towel.

I want one of my camping friends to have a baby so that I can buy it those Organic Duo of Onesies.

And wouldn't you just love to get a whiff of the Campfire Perfume Oil?

Client love

I may not have "sponsors" but I do have some pretty fabulous design clients that I'd love to share with you!  In no particular order, here are a handful of clients that I've had the pleasure of doing business with recently.

www.2jackaroo.com 
For fabulous nursing covers, exquisite burp cloths (coming soon), breastfeeding pillows & more!

web site coming soon

Faced by the loss of their baby Aiden, Natasha has made it her mission to provide hope to families suffering the loss of a baby.

web site coming soon

Looking for a kick-butt one on one personal pilates class?  Barbara can show you all you need to know!

www.bellyelan.com

Only the BEST maternity store in the Southeast!

www.changeofspacecharlotte.com

The dynamic duo, Katie & Sue, will whip your space back into shape faster than you can say "go"!

www.greeniam.org

For a healthier lifestyle, home and beyond, Penny is your one stop shop for valuable information & lots of green goodies!

www.photographybyjamielea.com

Sure, there are lots of local photographers to choose from...  But I have yet to find one as talented, personable and as FUN as Jamie!

www.wholefoods4you.com

Faced with dietary needs that just aren't being met by your pantry or fridge?  Get to know Nicole, and she'll show you a whole new way of approaching your healthy lifestyle!

Teacher, teacher!

Get your Teacher Gift orders in early & minimize your end of year stress!

During the month of May, please take 15% off ALL orders, using the code TEACHER15.

Visit me on papernstitch this month!

Lots of great handmade goodness going on over at the curated galleries of papernstitch this month!  I am so excited to be a part of it again & to offer clients a 15% discount with code pns15.  * Please note, I am on vacation until May 9th, so will reopen shop on the 10th!

Here are just a few things I am coveting from the papernstitch galleries...

What do you have your eye on?

Feeling so VERY Martha...

The night before Easter, it dawned on me that I had forgotten one very important element of a successful Easter Brunch; fresh flowers!  So imagine how proud I was of myself, when I whipped up this little beauty...  My new blue ball mason jars, mixed with roses from the backyard.

It's so nice when the resourceful side of my brain works!

Hope you all had a lovely, fresh-flower filled Easter as well!

work & life & something for free!

Good morning readers, all loyal 10 of you!  Just a quick note to let you know that I have not forgotten about this little old blog of mine.  Actually, I think about it every day.  I want to write, I really do.  But work and life and other little things keep getting in the way.  And now it seems I am a poet too!

I have lots of stuff going on in/around other parts of the web these days.

I've been working on web sites, logos, brand development, photo shoot arrangements, custom stationery requests & several fun giveaways! 

I've also been focusing a lot more time and energy on my other professional responsibilities, All About Baby Charlotte, which is coming up in 10 short days, and ELAN Card, my other incredible venture.  Lots of great things in store for both All About Baby and ELAN Card.  Very excited!

The house has been keeping me busy, as I re-do this room & re-do that.  Craigslist buying AND selling.  Lots of it.  Interested in some new furnishings?  I could probably help you.  We're getting a boatload of new (to us) furniture this weekend between the load that my family is bringing down from NY tomorrow and the new IKEA sofa that we're getting on Saturday.

My kids.  Of course life is never simple with three little boys who always seem to be coming and going.  Harrison is battling a cold, his first "bad" cold.  Speaking of Harrison, today marks the 1 yr anniversary of his surgery and week-long stay in the hospital.  Crazy how time flies, right?

So all that to say, I haven't had time to focus on blogging.  Wish it wasn't so... I hope to be back on track next week!

In the meantime, how about a freebie?  Here's my Springtime Soiree note card, non personalized, for your printing pleasure!  Just grab some nice card stock from your nearest office or craft store & print as many as you'd like!

little splurges

Although I am completely submerged in the world of handmade, etsy & blogging on a daily basis, I rarely make purchases for myself...  I have a bad habit of always trying to create things I want, before I spend money on it.  

I've finally started saying no.  No to myself, no to others.  I cannot do it all, and I've decided that I need to start treating myself once in a while, on just some little things...  If not for anything but my sanity's sake.

So here's a few things that I've recently purchased, for none other than myself!

I just bought this this morning, from another local etsy artist.  Can not WAIT to get it!

I haven't had a wall calendar like this in years, and my beat up dry erase calendar had seen better days.  So I picked up this little beauty for half price at our local Paper Source store the other day!

I purchased one of these adorable petal pushers a while back from The Pleated Poppy, but I love it so much, I'm about to get another one, as soon  as the shop is restocked! 

Now, it's YOUR turn!  What little splurge have you treated yourself to lately?  

You can link to your own blog post or post a comment below.

it's party time!

A fabulous giveaway is going on over at Macaroni Kid South Charlotte this week & next!  

It's for a $100 birthday party (or baby shower) prize pack, from a drop of golden sun design studio!  Awesome, right?

The winner gets all of the following:

24 party invitations

24 thank you notes

60 small round sticker labels 

(can be used as return address labels, goodie bag stickers, anything else you wish to customize!!!)

12 circle cupcake picks

ALL made to match your party theme!  Winner gets to choose from any of my existing illustrations as the basis for the party theme & I will create the entire custom package from scratch!

Here are some parties I've done...

Colin's 6th Birthday : Camouflage Army Party

Harrison's 1st Birthday : Elephant Parade Party

Ryan's 4th Birthday : Lighthouse Party

Some other parties lacking photos of the whole shebang, but here's an idea.

Airplane Party

Baby Shower Made to Match Nursery!

Tanya's Bumblebee Baby Shower

 See, I can turn any design into a celebration!  

Please email me if you've got something in mind.  I always love custom requests as well.

who inspires me?

Well, I just unexpectedly received a wonderful comment/shout out from my dearest (sort of) ex writing partner, Dana, at BabyElan {daily}.  Thank you so much Dana!  You are truly an inspiration & I will never understand how you manage to do it all, no matter how well I know you!

Isn't she cute with that little bitty baby belly?

I've thought about this a lot recently, about who inspires me.  Not in my "real" world, but in my virtual world; fellow small business owners, online magazines, bloggers, indie designers...  While Dana wrote a beautiful piece about who/what/where she gets her inspiration, mine is a bit smaller. 

I add to my Google Reader list daily.  Lots of random stuff attracts my attention, so I subscribe for the RSS feed...  Do I read each and every one daily?  I would love to, if only I had the time.  I don't.  So on a typical day, these are my "must" reads (the rest can wait for a lazy Saturday morning):

Lisa Leonard Designs Blog - not only is her jewelry absolutely fabulous and unique, but her character is so charming & somehow relaxing.  She surrounds herself with love & finds (and shares with us) beauty in the most unexpected places...  And I adore her What I Wore Wednesday posts - she has the best style!

The Pleated Poppy Blog - It is through Lisa, that I found Lindsey.  Lindsey is a do it all mama icon!  From homeschooling & getting crafty with her kids, to running a thriving business, to maintaining a spectacular & stylish home, I wish that I could achieve half of what she does in one day.  Although, I loved reading her post & seeing her photos where she clearly illustrates that despite what her readers believe, she does not do it all!

Young House Love - Oh where to begin?  The adorable young couple behind this blog, John & Sherri, never cease to amaze me (along with a bazillion other fans across the virtual land)!  Their home is their business.  They write about their love of turning a house into a home & if you like their style, you will love their blog!

oh my! handmade goodness - This inspirational blog is a must read for any small indie business just starting out.  With tips and advice culminated from artists & business owners world-wide, anyone trying to make it on his/her own will likely find something special here.  I've received so much practical advice from my daily reads of oh my! handmade & I reference past posts on a very regular basis!

Design Mom - Another mom that tops my idol list, Gabrielle Blair of Design Mom.  Though she's been blogging for years, it was really just this year that I "got into" reading her daily blog posts & other feature articles.  She writes about everything from mid-century modern interior design to creating homemade Christmas presents with her kids to what it's like to pack up a family of 6 (yes, SIX) kids & move to France!

Others that are a close second to my top 5:

Infarrantly Creative

Positively Splendid

take heart

Centsational Girl

Nesting Place

Copy Cat Chic

Yes, I love home & design blogs... with a little frugality in the mix.  What blogs do you read?  Are there any that you think I might love?  Do share.