I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. Mine has been great with lots of laughter, gift giving, and memory making. I can't wait for 2011 and all the exciting things it's going to bring. Thanks so much to all my readers, and loyal customers who help my business grow. I couldn't do it without you!
Love, emmy-ray
This year I got really ambitious and decided to try a little experiment. Homemade doggie treats that I could give not only to my own pups, but also as little extra gifts to friends and family with furry friends of their own. I have to say I am really pleased with the results, and everyone has been loving them!
Biscuit Recipe: 1 1/2 cups plain Quaker Oats, 1 3/4 cups wheat flour, 1 tsp olive oil (or vegetable oil), 1 cup warm water, 1/3 cup natural peanut butter.
These treats are great because they're natural, and so inexpensive compared to buying at the pet store or doggie bakery. You could even eat one, although I wouldn't recommend it as they basically taste like super dry multi-grain bread.
I also decided to dip mine in some melted carob chips, a chocolate substitute that's dog friendly, and add a little bit of decoration to make them more festive. This is totally optional, trust me they like the cookies either way!
I got these at Whole Foods, and melted them in a chocolate candy maker. You can also melt them in a microwave or double boiler. I found the instructions online. Just search for "Doggie Treat Carob Icing"
It was two little nuggets birthdays a week ago, and as usual with all the Christmas hub-bub we didn't get around to doing anything to celebrate. So I made them a big bone cookie cake (with cream-cheese and banana filling). Not to brag, but they kinda love it.
Merry Christmas to you and your furry little nuggets!
love, emmy-ray
My fashionista friend Jessie is always a source of style inspiration, and in her latest video for her online series "Style Spice" she's also a handmaker of things. I just had to share this great holiday gift idea, plus as she mentions in the video, if you've already got your shopping done, you can make a fun accessory for yourself. Enjoy!
Find out more about Jessie here:
blog: The Concrete Catwalk, store: The Spice Rack, website: Style&Pepper
love, emmy-ray
I stumbled across the blog of Norwegian interior designer and photographer Kjerstis Lykke the other day via a photo on Tumblr.
This was the image I saw, what a great way to use this Martha Stewart Craft Punch!
I was immediately enchanted with the look and feel of her home, and photos of her travels. Everything has a cool white glow, so you can almost feel the crisp Norwegian air when you look at her images. Plus from what I can tell the entire interior of her house is white. I'm nuts about color, but have always been drawn to interiors in shades of all white and grey. I think in the right house it's a beautiful thing. Visit Kjerstis' blog and see all of her amazing pics.
All photos courtesy of Kjerstis Lykke's blog.
love, emmy-ray
I was contacted months ago by one of my old friends from college. Her sister is getting married in January and she wanted to commission a pair of metal wedding crowns that they could wear during their ceremony. I got in touch with the bride and we came up with a design. This was my first time making anything of this nature, but it was much easier than I thought, and I was very happy with the results:
Copper has such a warm, glowing quality. I think I'm going to make some bangles like this for my "Spring" line.
The bride was very happy with the results, minus the fact that I made them a bit too big (I'll be sure to ask for head measurements next time). I hope that they add a little touch of handmade uniqueness to their wedding day.
love, emmy-ray
As a fairly new wedding florist (at two years in the business I'm a baby), I'm not always busy, especially during the "off season" for weddings. So it gives me plenty of time to work on proposals and find inspiration, and one of my go to sources for the later is the lovely duo at bash please. They've been featured on almost every wedding website out there, and for good reason. Get a load of all this loveliness:
There's a fun mix of ribbons in this bouquet.
Dahlias, peonies, and confetti, doesn't get much better than that.
So cute, I love working with succulents.
This last bouquet, OMG!
We spent the day yesterday in rural Missouri visiting some of Matt's family. Although it wasn't a joyous occasion we were gathered for, it's always good to see them all. I also love visiting the farm. It's so different from the city, there's just something about it that I really enjoy.
The farm house has so many amazing antiques. Furniture, books, and photos. This one is of Matt's grandmother and her twin sister.
love, emmy-ray
Lonny Magazine always has amazing layouts and interior design inspiration, but I'm especially loving all the sophisticated Christmas decoration ideas in their holiday issue. I'm usually of the mind that the kitschier the better, but it doesn't hurt to show a little restraint once in awhile right? Especially when you can create table scapes like these:
One word...classy
love, emmy-ray
It's no secret that I love color, the brighter the better for me. So when I saw this wedding shoot with La Partie Events I couldn't help but do a post about it. These are all the colors that I used in my own wedding two years ago, with a little pop of royal blue as an accent (as if you need an accent with all these vibrant shades).
These dahlias, I DIE!
This runner and bouquet are so lovely. Although the flowers are traditional, the graduated shades of dark red to orange with all the colors in between make these modern and fresh feeling. Check out La Partie Events online for lots of wedding inspiration.
Happy Friday everyone!
love, emmy-ray
I've been working on a few Christmas projects using felt and I'm totally obsessed. It's easy to work with, comes in such fun colors, and the texture is so yummy in this cold winter weather. Here are a few Etsy finds with felt that I'm loving:
Two Egg Cup Pincushions from rosekepler
Red Rose Necklace from Crafts2Cherish
This super adorable needle felted owl from chocolatebean
Felt can be sophisticated, check out this cluster necklace from ciaoNINA.
Felt sushi take out set by Tatestastees
Apple Slice Necklace by thefeltedpair. So cute!
And my personal favorite the Starlette Crown from Giant Dwarf
Hope you had fun looking at all these lovely goodies, I know I did.
love, emmy-ray
Hello lovelies. The Honeypot this weekend was so much fun! I didn't take a lot of pictures, but I did take lots of video, which I'll be sharing with you soon. My favorite part about doing shows is meeting all kinds of great people customers, and other artists, crafters, and indie business owners.
I've been in the studio this week making all kinds of Holiday goodness, including some fun new products: bracelets and cufflinks. That's right something for the guys from emmy-ray. The best part about both these products? Their completely customizable in different colors, and patters, and you could even put your own designs inside. They're great for the holidays, or another option is gifts for your wedding party (bridesmaids and groomsmen alike):
I'm so excited about the cufflinks. They'd be perfect for any guy (or gal).
If you'd like to learn more about customizing your own cufflinks or bracelets just send me an e-mail: emily@emmy-ray.com or leave a comment.
love, emmy-ray
One of my new goals is to keep up with my blogging. After all, what's the point of having one if you're not going to use it? So as a regular feature I'm going to be doing "Floral Fridays" Not only will it serve as inspiration for me, but who else wouldn't enjoy looking at some beautiful flowers once a week?
This week, one of my all time favorite floral shops Saipua. If you're a floral enthusiast you absolutely must follow the blog. I have to say the one and only time I wish I lived in New York is when I see beautiful pictures of all the flowers that are readily available at the markets there. Jealous much?
love, emmy-ray
I tried to use the Thanksgiving break to catch up on some blog reading (Google reader is back at 1000+, what a surprise). I came across this delightful tutorial from doe-c-doe and simply had to share. I of course want to give credit where credit it due, so please pop on over to her blog to see the complete how to. And if you're an embroidery enthusiast you simply must follow her stitching adventures!
Happy crafting!
love, emmy-ray
This weekend is my last holiday event of the year, and I'm also helping put it together. It's the Holiday Honeypot Shop, and I'm very excited. I hope it goes off without a hitch. We have an awesome group of vendors, an amazing event space, and some sweet tunes. This year I've made a promise to myself to buy most of my gifts local and hand made to help support other artists and designers like myself, and I've been eyeing a few products from the vendors that will be in attendance.
If you're a local Kansas Citian, please come check it out, and help us make this event a success! See the website for a complete list of vendors and a peek at all their lovely wares: Honeypot Shop Blog
Hello lovelies. Monday again, and I have to admit all I've been doing since Thanksgiving is slugging around the house with Matt and the pups. This year was our first time hosting a joint dinner with our families. It was a lot of work, but fortunately went off without a hitch. I love almost every holiday, but this is one of my favorites because it's all about two of my many favorite things: food and family.
How did you celebrate the holiday?
I embroidered felt leaves into napkins rings that were also place cards for everyone in our family. My mom kept calling me "Martha" because of all my little DIY, crafty additions.
Our take on the old Normal Rockwell classic
For a centerpiece I sewed a runner with fabric from bon bon atelier, put red roses and berries in mason jars, and used coordinating candles to finish everything off. I kept the table linens simple with a vintage white lace number over a solid rust color. The dishes were all white, and the napkins added a pop of color.
An uninvited guest snuck his way to the table side.
Hope you had a fantastic holiday, and a super lazy weekend. I know we did..
love, emmy-ray
