Reincarnation of a Rustic Girl

Knitting...well kinda

2007-10-25T23:09:00.000-05:00

I know I'm the worst blogger ever...and I only blog for myself, to keep track of the exciting events in my life. Yes, count the number of posts on my blog, and you will see just how exciting my life is. No, really. I'm too busy soaking up every moment with my son that I can't get away long enough to think about what I want to write. This blog thing does require some brain power!
Anyway, I went to visit Leslie this week and finally learned how to knit!!!! Well, kinda. She sent me home with some homework to finish knitting...and I'll just say it didn't go so well. Sorry Leslie! Thank goodness I'm seeing her again soon. Hopefully she can fix my mess.
We had a fabulous Vegan lunch.
Roasted eggplant and tomato sandwiches, hearts of palm and garden tomato salad, and I left her with Tiramisu cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. mmmmmm...
Thank you Leslie and Libby for a fabulous afternoon!

Some sun for my Hunny and little Bunny

2007-09-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

Our house is a little blue this week. Ryan had minor hernia surgery and Finn picked up a virus at the hospital while waiting for his daddy :( I thought these pretty suns would brighten our day! Love you boys!!!

LIfestyle Change

2007-08-02T16:07:00.001-05:00

Soooo.... things have been a bit crazy around here for the past few months. Just after my last post Finn developed some food allergies and had a bad reaction to my breast milk. Poor little man lost about a pound and a half in just one weekend. YIKES! After much experimentation, we finally narrowed it down to dairy, egg, and chocolate allergies. Since I'm nursing him, I've had to completely change my diet and open my eyes to a new way of living. It was challenging at first, but it's become a labor of love. Thank GOD for vegan chefs! I've been known to have a super sweet tooth, and since just about every dessert has chocolate, butter, milk, or eggs in it...I was in dire straights for almost two months. That is... until I discovered the vegan way of life. Just about every vegan dessert I've made is just as good or even BETTER than the traditional recipe. These are my second attempt at vegan chocolate cupcakes with a ganache icing. The pansies are from my window boxes. :)

GO VEGANS! Thanks to you, Finn is doing great and he has a happy mom.

Funky lamps and Seven Random Things.

2007-05-21T15:22:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd share these lamps with you. Ryan made them for me out of resin vases that I bought a Zgallerie and shades from Target. The lamps that I wanted, already assembled, were over $500 each! YIKES. I could have ten of these lamps made for that price. They're pretty easy to make, especially if your not the one making them :) First, purchase your vase and shade. Then take your vase to your local hardware store and choose the right lamp wiring kit to fit the mouth of the vase. The kits range from about the size of a quarter to the size of the bottom of a coffee tin. Then drill a small hole at the very bottom of the back of the vase for the cord to come through. Wire it up and attach your shade!

Thanks Leslie for posting the "seven random things about you". I thought I'd join in the fun too.

Seven random things you might not know about me!

1. I wanted to be a choreographer ever since I can remember. shhhhh (still do). When I was little, I used to dance to a boom box all day long in the alley in front of our apartment, hoping to be discovered by Paula Abdul. YIKES!

2. I dropped out of high school when I was 17. We don't all fit into the same cookie cutter mold.

3. I met my husband when I was 15 and he was 20, and had no interest in him(at first)...Fourteen years later he's still my best friend!

4. I could sleep for 16 hours out of every day, but I only get about 4 to 5.

5. I don't own or use a cell phone.

6. I'm afraid to go into the Atlantic Ocean. The water is gray, who knows whats floating about in there!

7. I'm most afraid of slugs and snails. Wow, just seeing those words freak me out!!!!

Ma Ma's

2007-05-12T20:56:00.000-05:00

This is the picture I chose. I know that it wasn't one of the choices, but I think it's the one.
Happy Day to all Ma Ma's across the world. :)

Earth Angel

2007-05-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

Soooo I bought a set of angel wings and went kinda crazy with them! I got a new camera lens this week and went to town taking pictures of Finn. My little one was an "angel" all day. He slept through just about every shot until the end of the day, when dad came home. Then a little swim in the pool.

I could really use your help picking out one of these photos to use for part of a mother's day gift to my mom. Of course, I love all of the pictures, but I only need one to blow up and frame for my mom. Please help me choose! Just leave me a comment or an email. Thanks!

round and round...

2007-04-27T12:37:00.000-05:00

who would of thunk that circles could look so dang sweet on a wall. I first saw this idea at purlbee a while ago. Then my mom found two super extra large embroidery hoops at a thrift shop and bought them for me. She had no idea that I was already collecting hoops here and there for this project, but the universe aligned once again. :) Funny how things like that happen when you least expect it. Anyway, the only difference between my fabric portraits and the purlbee's is paint. I spray painted my hoops in coordinating colors with my fabrics. It gives them a bit more dimension and color punch. I have a ton of wood tones in the room already and wanted to break it up with more color. Purlsoho is an awesome fabric and then some store. You can purchase delightful fabrics here to use in this project or you can use what you have. I used a mixture of vintage fabrics and new fabrics from my collection. I'll be adding a few more hoops to this collection soon. I'm tempted to cover all of my walls in these!
Have a great weekend!

Under Pressure...

2007-04-26T14:08:00.000-05:00

My friend Leslie has convinced me that I need to start blogging again. Believe me it's been on my mind quite a bit lately. I have so much to share with you that I'm not sure where to begin. ??? I think it's best to start where I left off many months ago...with the antique sofa. Yes, it's complete and has found it's new home in my living room. I couldn't be more pleased with the final product! Thank you Hazel for your wonderful work on my dream sofa.
Also, does something look familiar in the first picture to all of you Rustic Roots shoppers ???? Hmmm... Look hard.
Yes, that's one of the old dressing room mirrors. I have it in my living room collaged with about seven other odd mirrors and frames. I'll get a picture of that later this week. My living room is super duper tiny and this mirror has seriously visually doubled the size. I decided to lean it against the wall vertically to give the room some height. If you have a small room with tall ceilings you could hang it on the wall horizontally to give the illusion of more space. Just make sure that your reflecting something visually pleasing, not the ceiling or the heater vent. Yikes! I've seen this mistake made too many times and it's such a simple fix.

More of the "little man"

2007-04-26T11:58:00.000-05:00

First of all I want to say THANK YOU to everyone that has sent us their well wishes. I'm sorry that I have not been able to respond to all of the emails that you've sent, but I'm sure you understand why. We've been overwhelmed by the love and support that everyone has shared with us this past month. Finnegan is more than a blessing in our lives and we are so thankful for him.
I remember telling many of you at the store that I would probably be bored the first three months home with him. WHAT was I thinking??? Life's been so full since he arrived and we can't believe how quick the days go by. He's growing faster than I expected and changes with every nap.
...and I just have to say that Ryan (Mr. Rustic Roots) is the BEST dad and husband that anyone could ask for! Thanks hunny!!!!

Little Man

2007-03-10T22:28:00.000-05:00

Welcome
Finnegan Ryan
Born March 3, 2007
7 pounds 14 oz.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!

2006-12-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

This is my dream sofa!!! After searching for years and years I'd finally found her. Those that know me well will tell you that I'd rather go without than settle on something that I just don't LOVE! This was love at first sight! I know it looks pretty shabby in this picture, but I'm picking her up from the upholsterer this weekend. The old gold velvet upholstery had a very funky scent that consumed our entire house when we brought it home. YIKES! This left me with no other choice but to have it professionally reupholstered. First, I painted the wood frame a creamy distressed white, and then I chose a raw linen for the fabric. I'll be sure to post the after pictures early next week. Oh Joy!!!

One Door Closes, and Another One Opens ...

2006-11-29T20:44:00.000-05:00

You all know the saying, when one door closes, another one opens... This is exactly where my life is right now. I'm closing a huge chapter in my life that has brought me so much knowledge, joy, growth, entertainment, friends, ups, downs, creativity, exploration, and oh I could go on... After four successful years operating and owning Rustic Roots Boutique in Oakmont, PA, we've decided to close the doors to our brick and mortar boutique and embark on a new journey, PARENTHOOD. I am finally pregnant with our first child, due March 3, 2007!!! As many of you know, we struggled to conceive ever since we opened Rustic Roots Boutique. Well it's finally our time, what a BLESSING!!! We want our child to be our first priority and feel that we're not able to balance owning and operating a growing boutique business and a new, precious little life. Rather than dreaming up new display ideas for the shop in my spare time, I want to dream up what new things I'll show our son that day or better yet, what he'll show us about life and the world around. Therefore, Rustic Roots Boutique is closing its doors December 30th, 2006. This was not an easy decision for us to make, especially since our business is better than its ever been, but we feel in our hearts that its the right decision. Sniff, Sniff. Not to worry though, we are only closing the doors on our brick and mortar store. After a brief break, we're going to bounce back this spring with a new handmade product line that we'll offer on the web and we will also host a series of Handmade bazaars.

We want to sincerely thank you all for your continued support through the years. You have made Rustic Roots the success it is today! We have made so many wonderful friends along the way and will miss watching your children grow and sharing in life's experiences with you you. We hope that you all continue to support this country's independent artists and designers, as they've been the building blocks for Rustic Roots.

While we try to remain humble as this chapter of our life closes, we have great anticipation for what's ahead.
Here's what you can look forward to in the future from us.
1. I'll be designing and creating my own line of apparel, handbags, jewelry, and accessories for launch this spring/summer. Most items are made from vintage fabrics, beads and buttons, and the found and unusual. I feel like I'm going back to my roots of where Rustic Roots got its start. Most of you already know that Rustic Roots began as a small home based business that created goods sold at local boutiques and Handmade Markets. I can't wait to get my hands creating again!!!
2. We're also hosting a series of Handmade bazaars that showcase independent designers and artists mostly based in Pittsburgh. Look forward to these events to start in late spring and continue through the year. We plan on hosting 3-4 a year and offering you antiques, jewelry, accessories, odds & ends, baby items, home decor, and much, much more!
3. Sometime in the spring I will launch a webshop for my creations. Not sure what the name will be yet, but I'll keep you updated.
4. Finally, check back here, http://rusticroots.blogspot.com/ for updates on everything happening in my life and work.