Spring Fever - Part 2

In case you're reading from some part of the country other than The Great White North, let me offer you some clue about the weather in Minnesota... It's cold.  I don't just mean it's cold in the winter.  It's often cold during Spring and Fall and occasionally on some random July day just to make sure all Minnesotans are appreciating their summers.


Taking that into account, it's probably not a shock that at the end of April, no one around here is laying out in a swimsuit soaking up the rays de soleil.  HA!!  As a matter of fact, since the showers from this month are supposed to be bringing the flowers for next month, I am personally expecting a bumper crop.  Our weather today, for example, is joyous.



Mid-afternoon we have 41 glorious degrees with a high temperature expected of . . . oh.  This is the high.  YIPPEE!!!  Drizzle.  Well, I'm sure drizzle is nice depending on who you are....  And 82% humidity.  Yep, that's pretty wet.  I suppose that's what accounts for the drizzle falling from the sky.  Too bad some of that humidity can't take a hike in July.  But hey - check out Friday - 64 and mostly sunny!  If you're a weather optimist (trust me, if you live in Minnesota, you have no other option), you will actually see people in swimming suits, laying on towels or lounge chairs doing whatever they can to soak in that Vitamin D come Friday.  Actually, the whole weekend looks pretty good.  I will fully expect to see people jamming the lakes.  AHEM.... I wonder if my husband is reading this?  He was in the driveway with the Shop-Vac in the boat last night.  Something tells me "preparing to sell it" was the last thing on his mind...


With the long winters and sllloooooowwwww transitions into warmer weather, people tend to get a little stir crazy around these parts of the country.  Now, you can do two things with all that pent up frustration.  You can let your boredom and frustration turn you to a life of recklessness and crime (oh yeah, we've got plenty of places to keep those folks too) OR you can use the brain the Good Lord gave you and GET CREATIVE!!


As you saw in the first installment of my Spring Fever post, I am waiting for the FLOWERS!!  In the meantime, I am doing what I can to surround myself with my own blossoms and blooms.  My tulips outside have actually started coming out of the ground, but green is still just green.  HOWEVER - I do like green.  In an effort to do my part to keep the planet green (did you like that segue?), I added an "UPCYCLED" category to my Etsy shop.  I have added six necklaces made from recycled, repurposed, reused - whatever terminology you like to use - aluminum cans.  They weigh absolutely nothing and can be made from any soda, tea, fruit juice or beer can that has been kept in mint condition.  Here's a sneak peek:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildAppleDesign?section_id=8058841

To get to the UPCYCLED section of my Etsy Shop, CLICK HERE.


I also have added some lucite flower earrings to my shop this week, PERFECT gifts for Mother's Day.  More of those will be added to the shop soon as well, so stay tuned! Here's a look-see at some of those:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/WildAppleDesign?section_id=6471685

These floral earrings can be found in the EARRING section of my Etsy Shop, or by clicking HERE.


I will leave my eyes focused towards the REAL flowers blooming, while at the same time staying busy making all of these fun flowers for you.  As always, if you see something that you would like to customize, all you have to do is ask.  I absolutely LOVE making items that are exactly what you have been looking for.


Blessings,

Spring Fever - Part 1

In an effort to kick-start Spring, I'm writing a series of blog posts titled Spring Fever.


My hope is that with each of these posts, Spring will wake up, pay attention and COME TO STAY!!


Of course, along the way I would love to share a few fantastic finds, some creative tips and handy hints for embracing Spring in your neck of the woods. Chances are, you might already be seeing signs of Spring where you live. Here in Minnesota, we trudge through MANY months of frigid temperatures and deal with cRaZy amounts of snow each season. So when SPRING finally gets here, it's a reason to party!


My favorite part of Spring - by far - is flowers. Watching the bright green beginnings of tulips popping up, signifying the HOPE of another season in life, is SO exciting! Not to mention, that same bright green is such a welcome change from the yucky dirty brown leftover from last autumn's leaves and an entire winter's worth of sand that road crews put on our snowy, icy roads.


So, while I was patiently waiting for my REAL flowers to show up, I treated myself to some flowers that I could enjoy every day. That's right, I said flowers that you can enjoy EVERY DAY! Sorry folks, I haven't found the magical hybridization formula that allows fresh cut flowers to live forever. However, what I did find brings a smile to my face every time I see my computer! (How many of us can claim THAT?!?) Let me share:

What do you think? Pretty nice, huh?


These vinyl graphics are called Lirenda Floral and the vinyl decal is made by William and Cindy on Etsy.  To view all the fantastic decals they offer in their shop CLICK HERE.

My decal was only $12.99 - FREE SHIPPING FOLKS!!  It arrived in lightning speed time, which was wonderful considering it came all the way from California.  Instructions for application were included and were super-easy!  From start time to end time, I would say the entire decal (on two sheets, one per half) took me less than 15 minutes.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE immediate gratification!!

William and Cindy offer TONS of fabulous decals, in several color choices.  They even have full-color decals available too!  Had I not chosen the Lirenda Floral decal, I would have selected the Funkadelic Macbook Decal:

Gorgeous, huh?  Here's the thing - I don't even have a Macbook, but William and Cindy can adjust the decal to fit my 17-inch Dell laptop!  How custom-fabulous is that?  If there's one thing I love more than Etsy, it's the ability to make an item more special for customers by customizing it.  I LOVE it when a customer of mine custom orders something!

If I could offer a suggestion to those considering purchasing one of these fabulous decals, it would simply be to have a wide popsicle stick or Pampered Chef scraper on hand.  A credit card works well too, but I have done many of these decals throughout my house and unless the application tool is included with the kit, I have found that the Papmered Chef scraper (the little brown square ones you keep by your sink) works best.  By any means, don't let that deter you from buying a decal - THEY ROCK!!

SPECIAL OFFER FROM WILLIAM AND CINDY's ETSY SHOP:  Did you know if you buy one of the decals from this amazing shop and write a blog about it, they will refund HALF of your purchase price?  Considering my decal only cost $12.99 with FREE shipping, I am simply amazed at what my final cost is going to end up being. 

William.  Cindy.  I have to say, with the quality product you are producing and the highly competitive price even BEFORE the blog discount, you will definitely have me spreading the word about your shop far and wide!

To my readers, may Spring come quickly in your neighborhood!

Blessings,