Today’s Woman March 2014 Cover

You know what’s weird to say?  Well, Hey, I’m on the cover of a magazine!, for one thing. 

So (enter weird voice), I’m on the March 2014 cover of Today’s Woman magazine.

Yep.  No matter how many times I’ve said it this month, or talked about, or showed it off, it’s always weird.  But a good weird.  Like a weird and humbled kind of weird.  Know what I mean?

You may have seen the announcement if you follow me on Instagram, but I thought I should maybe blog about it too before the month is over and the issue leaves the newsstands.  Not because I’m a braggart by any means, but because holy amazeballs people, how cool is this dress I’m modeling??  I’ll be honest and tell you that I am still totally geeking out that I was asked to model this amazingly fun paper dress. 

The issue is all about repurposing, and the genius creatives at Today’s Woman made this fabulous dress out of their past magazine covers.  I can’t think of anything more perfect for me to wear on the cover of a magazine.

Most exciting is that I am featured among many other local reuse and repurpose artists.  These ladies have skill and artistry that is truly awe-inspiring.  Like my good friend Lynn Quire of Good Garbage who has dedicated the past year to opening Louisville’s first reuse store and creating a non-profit where children are given the opportunity to participate in reuse art classes and educators have access to free supplies for their classrooms.  I feel honored to be featured with such talented community influencers.

Oh, and hey look, I’m on the inside too, showing off one of my repurposed coffee sack totes.  Yes, this may be first time I’ve ever had my hair curled and worn fake lashes, and no, you’ll never catch me wearing so much makeup again.  This entire experience has been wonderful, and I’m so grateful for the staff at Today’s Woman for letting me be a part of their publication this month.

Happy repurposing, DIY’ers!

~julee~

 

You can see the full online version of March 2014 Today’s Woman here:

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Belle of Beechmont

Photo used c/o Benjamin Marcum Photography

No, I’m not the Belle of Beechmont, but the very awesome (and crazy adorable) Amy – who blogs all the happenings in our neighborhood – certainly is. 

So let me back up…The Louisville Bloggers group held a workshop a few months ago, and I was excited to meet a blogger who not only lives in my neighborhood, but a few houses down right on my street.  I’m telling you, bloggers are everywhere.  We’re multiplying. 

Amy asked to interview me for a new blogger series she’s starting on her blog, Meet Your Neighbor, and I thought, Do people really want to know more about me? Weird.   But I thought it would be fun to talk a little bit about not only why I craft, but also why I love the neighborhood we reside in.  Because it’s a pretty great place to live, although sometimes underappreciated in our city full of bigger, more affluent neighborhoods.

And then Amy brought along Benjamin Marcum, a professional photographer who also lives in our neighborhood, and he snapped some awkward photos of me in crafty action.  I don’t take serious photos well, but Ben rocked it and told me to be as goofy as I wanted to be.  And then I loved him for that, because goofy is what I’m all about, really.

You can read the interview on Belle of Beechmont HERE if you’re interested.  (And by IF, I mean, you totally ARE, right? So click to it…).  You can also find more information about Benjamin Marcum Photography on his Facebook page.

So, anything weird happen to you this week?

~julee~

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Maker Faire Louisville: Recap

Louisville Mini Maker Faire last weekend was a huge success and tons of fun!  Makers from all over Louisville were out showing off their talents.  Robots, roller coasters, exploding watermelons, Lego building, and remote controlled Colonel Sanders were in abundance as participants enjoyed using their imaginations to create, build, and empower. 

D.I.Y. Louisville members set up a booth to showcase art and craft demonstrations throughout the day.  Em Dash Designs hosted a tissue paper flower make and take, Craft E Magee showed participants how to make an easy iron on transfer with crayons, and I brought along metal stamping tools to make initial necklaces for those who stopped by our booth.

One of the most exciting demonstrations from our day came from Miss Happy Pink who graciously built and set up a tabletop screen print press and created a new print just for Maker Faire.  The print says, “I make Louisville better by ____.” and encouraged us all to think about how we positively impact our community.  Awesomeness.  We all loved taking our turn using the press.

So many of our members were participating in the faire volunteering, selling handmade wares, and working with kids to create art pieces from what would otherwise be considered junk.  Fellow D.I.Y. Louisville member Lynn from Good Garbage was one of the many event organizers who put heart and soul into making this event a reality for our city.  I am so grateful for their hard work.

Did you go to the Louisville Mini Maker Faire this year, or have you been to a Maker Faire in your city?  Share your experience with me in the comments below.  I hope to see more participants join us next year for an even bigger, better event!

Happy making, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Louisville Mini Maker Faire

The first ever Louisville Mini Maker Faire is happening on September 28, 2013!

Not sure what a Maker Faire is?  Well, it’s a family friendly faire that celebrates and epitomizes the do-it-yourself spirit, and encourages participants to join in the fun of creativity.  Makers are thinkers, innovators, doers.  Think ingenuity at its fullest.  Dale Doughtery, Founder of Make magazine, describes the Maker Movement as, “Fostering a participatory culture that invites and inspires creative communities of makers to come together and share what they make and do.”  Pretty awesome stuff, right?

The Maker Movement is generally heavy on technology and engineering, but when I heard Dale Doughtery speak earlier this year, he also emphasized that each of us are makers.  Those of us who make anything, are makers.  Cooks, homesteaders, knitters, painters, artisans, crafters – all makers. 

Indeed, D.I.Y. Louisville is itself a crafty makers group.

D.I.Y. Louisville will have a booth set up at the Louisville Mini Makers Faire presenting six various art and craft demonstrations throughout the day.  Many of our group members including Craft E Magee, Miss Happy Pink, Em Dash Designs, and artisan Robin Chard will join me as we share the talents that make up our group. 

For more information on the Louisville Mini Maker Faire, the maker movement, and maker faires in general,  check out the LMMF website makerfairelou.org.  You can also keep up with announcements and events on their Facebook and twitter feeds:  facebook.com/MakerFaireLou and @makerfairelou. 

I hope to see many of you at Louisville’s first Maker Faire!

~julee~

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Local Louisville: Pinot’s Palette

Craft E Magee and I were invited to Pinot’s Palette in St. Matthews this week to paint Louisville’s beautiful skyline as part of a Louisville Bloggers event.  When I received the invitation, I may have squealed with delight, as creating my own painting has been on my bucket list for quite a while. 

What was I waiting for?  Confession time:  I can tackle a sewing machine and a glue gun with the best of ‘em, but put a drawing instrument in my hands and I’m all fumbles.  In short, I have always been scared that my painting would end up looking like a toddlers unintelligible scribbles.  Friends, I can not draw.

Fortunately, at Pinot’s Palette, I didn’t need to worry about that.  Pinot’s Palette is a “paint and sip” studio and the class is designed to teach you how to create the evening’s painting in simplistic, easy to follow steps.  There was nothing scary about it.  Plus, there’s a wine bar if you feel you need a glass of vino to help kick the nerves down a notch.  Or, you can just keep the wine flowing until your painting looks good.  Whichever.

When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed and shown where to grab a smock and where to look for our names at our seats.  Everything we would need for our painting was laid out for us – canvas, paint palette, and brushes.  Then the fun began:  it was time to put paint to canvas.  As I said, everything was explained step-by-step and the artist-instructor gave everyone plenty of time to finish one step before moving on to the next.  There was an additional instructor walking out among the group to offer assistance if anyone got stuck and needed help during any part of the creative process.

Music was playing, everyone was laughing and having fun with their painting, and the atmosphere was easy-going and relaxed.

I love my finished Louisville Skyline painting.  It may not be perfect, the buildings may be slanted in the same weird way that my handwriting slants, but I feel very proud of it.

Pinot’s Palette has locations in many states and you can check out their website to see if there are any located near you.  If you are a Louisville local, I highly recommend checking out the class calendar at the St. Matthews location and signing up for your favorite painting.  I saw several hanging in their gallery that I would love to try my hand at now that I feel more confident.  Pinot’s Palette also offers private group parties – what a fun way to celebrate a birthday or bridal party!

Have you ever participated in a class at Pinot’s Palette or another “Paint and Sip” venue?  Would you like to give a class like this a try?   Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

Happy painting, DIY’ers!

~julee~

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Local Louisville: Bryant’s Blueberries

   

When my lovely friend Patty asked if I wanted to go blueberry picking with her this weekend, I excitedly jumped at the opportunity.  You-pick-it farms have always seemed charming but somewhat intimidating to this city girl, so this was an adventure for me.  Luckily,  Bryant’s Blueberries in Southern Indiana is having a bumper crop this season, which means we walked through rows and rows of blueberry bushes full of sweet berries – and there was absolutely nothing intimating about popping those little babies off and dropping them into your mouth basket. 

Now my dear friends I must ask you: What in the heck am I going to do with seven pounds of blueberries?  So far we’ve been eating them fresh by the fistfuls, but I need your favorite recipes, please!  I’m fearful of turning into Violet Beauregarde over here.

~julee~

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Pie in July at Whole Foods

Pie and summer picnics just kind of go hand-in-hand, right?  Right.  I love a warm picnic with scrumptious dessert, but here’s a  confession:  pie baking isn’t really my thing.

Turns out, I would rather enjoy the delicious  fruits of someone else’s pie-making labor.  You, too?  Cool, let’s be friends.

Lucky for us, Whole Foods is celebrating Pie in July with an amazing assortment of fruit pies, cream pies, and key lime pies for only $9.99 until July 14th.  Awesome!

In a dessert line-up, I will always choose chocolate.  So when Whole Foods offered to let me sample a pie from their bakery, I chose this decadent chocolate cream pie and invited Craft E Magee over for a picnic. 

  

It was hard to make a selection, but the chocolate cream pie did not disappoint.  So yummy.

Plan a picnic for this weekend and stop by your local Whole Foods and check out their selection of $9.99 Pie in July pies.  Let someone else do the baking for a change. 

Happy pie eating!

~julee~

*A sample product was gifted by Whole Foods.  All opinions are mine.

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Louisville Etsy Craft Party: Recap

Last week I joined forces with Emily of The Em Dash and Mary of Block Party Handmade Boutique to host the Louisville Etsy Craft Party as part of Etsy’s global crafting celebration.  Over 25 makers in Louisville came out to participate in the event and we had an amazing time.

We chose to decorate terra cotta pots as our project for the evening.  Using paint, chalkboard paint, jute, and fabric, the participants were able to create beautiful outdoor art for their potted plants.   Etsy also provided a fun-filled box of supplies from various Etsy sellers, plus fun “Craftivist” stickers to pass out to guests.

Check out The Em Dash for more details of the event plus the full instruction list for the many ways you can decorate your own terra cotta pots. 

It was a wonderful evening and so much fun meeting new creative friends in Louisville.  A big thank you to Block Party for sharing their space with us, and to everyone who came out to participate.

Emily and I are already planning for next year’s Etsy Craft Party!  We hope to see you there!

~julee~

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Louisville Bloggers Meet and Greet: Recap

Put together an assortment of bloggers, yummy refreshments, and awesome swag bags and you’ve pretty much got all the makings for a fantastic blogger meet up.  At least, this was my experience last week when I partnered with my friends Emily of The Em Dash and Amanda of The Hanger to host the first Louisville Bloggers Meet and Greet.

Our event was held at a local boutique,  The Hanger, which was the perfect spot for an intimate gathering.  Amanda, owner and fellow blogger, generously rearranged her shop to accommodate our group and contributed wine and door prizes for the guests.  The girl is a rock star.

Upon arrival, bloggers were asked to sign in and grab a name badge to introduce themselves and their blogs.  Emily designed these adorable badges as well as all of the graphics used for the event.  (Emily shares her free blogger meetup printables HERE.)

Before the event, we sent a Facebook message to the guests to bring business cards to share if they had them.  It’s a great icebreaker to introduce yourself and hand over a card, and it’s a nice way to put faces with blog names.  We supplied business card key rings for everyone to keep track of the cards they collected, and had a prize for the blogger who collected the most cards at the end of the evening.  We also provided blank cards that could be used by those that needed them.

We displayed these #loublogs hashtag signs throughout the venue to easily share pictures and updates of the evening on social media.

I can’t resist an excuse to create a photo booth; I’m completely predictable like that.  Mustaches for everyone! You can download free photo booth props here.

Our swag bag sponsors were amazing!  Every sponsor is a local, small business.  Gigantic thanks to:  LindsayLou Jewelry, Revelry Gallery, Miss Happy Pink, Good Garbage, Craft E Magee, The Hanger, Em Dash Designs, MoMo’s Creations, and Heine Brothers Coffee.

Hosting a social gathering with local bloggers has been a vision of mine for a while now, and I could not have pulled off this wonderful event were it not for my amazing co-hosts and all of the bloggers who attended.  It was a wonderful evening, and I am so happy to have made friends with ladies who are sharing amazing talent and insight through their blogs.  In addition to the bloggers already mentioned, I would also like to extend a special thanks to these Louisville Bloggers for making this event a success:

Erica – Blooming In First

Sarah – The Mint Julio

Dorothy – The Louisville St. Louisian

Christine – Bluegrass Blogger

Amber – The Pretty Gritty

Carrie – My Ordinary Fairytale

Christine – A Daisy On My Toe

Niki – The Hillville

Mary Margaret – Fly Away Fox

Kristen – K D Illustration

Therese – Get Party Chic

Kirsten – The Dupont Diaries

If you would like to learn more about Louisville Bloggers, you can follow the Facebook page here.  If you are a Louisville blogger and would like to join our group, you can send a request here.

Have you organized or attended a blogger event in your city?  I would love to hear your experiences!

~julee~

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Mia Bella Photography Senior Rep Program

It's not a secret that one of Mia Bella Photography's favorites is the high school senior. And she has just released the new 2014 Senior Rep program! Mia Bella is looking for some fabulous, outgoing seniors from the upcoming class of 2014 to be the next faces of Mia Bella Photography Seniors!

So if you're a junior right now, if selected, this program will reward you with FREE STUFF!! Here's a list of things you can get:

• A FREE 45-minute mini shoot!!
• 5-10 images to use on Facebook!
• A set of cute rep cards to hand out to friends!

Then when you refer three friends to Mia Bella and they have their senior shoot done, you will receive:

• A FREE FULL SENIOR SESSION! {A $100 value!}

Then when you refer 5-9 friends, you'll get a $50 VISA gift card and then at 10 friends you'll receive a $100 VISA gift card!!!

Applying is easy. It's online and all you have to do is click on this link: http://miabphotography.blogspot.com/ But you have to get your application in by April 30th, so hurry! *

http://www.miabphotography.com/

www.Facebook.com/MiaBPhotography

 

Do you have what it takes?

 

If you’re currently a senior* and not eligible for the senior rep program, don’t fret!   Current seniors who book in May or June receive a free 11X14 large art print valued at $60! 

Contact Mia Bella Photography today!

*Mia Bella provides photography services to the Louisville, KY area only.

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