fab finds.....{jennasue designs}

i mentioned how excited i am about my inspired collection.
i am so in love with the designs!
honestly, i really had no idea i had that in me.
yes, they're simple - but so sweet!
and exactly what i had in mind for this collection.
just goes to show - even when you think you can't, give it a try.
ya never know what'll happen :-)

the creator of the font on my inspired pieces is a wonderful artist, jenna sue
as soon as i saw it, i knew it was perfect and i was even more thrilled to find out she does beautiful print work
i thought i'd share a few of my faves......



she's also the author of a blog full of fabulous design & diy projects!
so please stop by and show her some love!

find jenna sue:

etsy / web site / blog

fab finds......{iphone goodies!!}

okay, i realize that most of you already have an iphone.
but i just got mine so allow me to revel in it's new-ness :-)

i will disregard the daily visits to my local sprint store in an attempt to get my phone functioning properly.
i will ignore the fact that i'm on my second phone in less than 4 days.
and i won't even mention the countless phone hours logged with at least 10 separate sprint representatives, trouble shooters and technicians.
we won't mention the texts i receive in (at least) triplicate.
nor will we discuss the discrimination my phone shows toward any phone that is not an iphone.
and i'm certainly not gonna bring up the fact that my husband's iphone -
purchased from the same store, at the same time, with the same settings -
works without issue.
i won't even mention it.
really.

instead i'll share with you some really cool etsy finds for your iphone:


1, 2, 3, 4, 5

while i await my phone call from the sprint engineering department (seriously?!?!)
i'll dream of all the cute stuff i can buy for my phone....
as soon as i'm sure it's working properly!!

happy monday! :-)

fab finds....{spring}

this past friday notwithstanding, we've had perhaps the mildest winter in the history of new england.
so really, i've no reason to complain.
but these hints & teasers of warmer weather have me wishing for spring!

brighter colors, flirty dresses, beautiful flowers......


1, 2, 3, 4, 5

are you ready for spring? what's your favorite season?
let me know in the comments!

fab finds...{vintage}

i see so many of you posting your thrift finds, taking pics during your antiquing outings....
and i'm jealous :-)

there was a season in my life when i spent time searching for treasures at thrift stores, flea markets & antique shops.
there was joy in finding the perfect piece - and if it was a bargain, all the better!

for some reason i don't quite understand, that season has passed for me.
don't get me wrong, i still love a bargain and i pick up an occasional treasure here & there :-)
but vintage pieces just don't seem to fit into my life at the moment.
though that doesn't mean i don't appreciate - and miss - their beauty.


1, 2, 3, 4, 5

share with me - what's your most recent thrifted find?

fab finds....{journaling}

are you a fan of journaling?
i mentioned before the one i made (and i still plan to post my 'diy', i promise!!)

i haven't done much with it yet but it's always on my mind -
there's just something about fresh, colorful, empty pages. the possibilities are endless!

don't want to make your own? no problem! have a look at these journals and journaling tools:

1. journaling kit
2. journaling cards
3. leather bound journal
4. journaling workshop
5. 'junk' notebook

{fab finds...}

my best friend is having a baby and it's a girl! most of my friends have boys and those who have girls, i met once their littles were a bit too old for this.
i think we'll have fun playing dress up :-)


1, 2, 3, 4, 5

what do you think? care to share some "little girl" finds?

{fab finds...}

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

i've gone back & forth with the format of my fab finds post - themes, pinterest finds....but what makes the most sense to me is featuring great items i've found on etsy: giving a little support to the handmade community :-)

do you have any cool handmade finds? share them here!

enjoy & happy monday!

fab finds.....{workspace}

this weekend was spent cleaning & reorganizing the office/studio/workout room. HUGE undertaking, y'all. but i'm so glad it's done! it's difficult to create in chaos.

now that it's clean & organized, i'd like to 'pretty it up' a bit and really get the creative juices flowin'....here are a few ideas i found on pinterest:

i'm working on an inspirational board like this one...

Source: home-designing.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

this photo inspired me to tackle my own (you can check out the first here). i've finished 2 of the 3 file cabinets....

Source: piccadillymarket.blogspot.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

i love the adjustable wall shelving......gosh, what i could do in this room!

Source: hgtv.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

even just a few pops of color make all the difference (originally found on "skip to my lou")

Source: skiptomylou.org via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

i'm making progress but still have a bit more to work out - like choosing a color to repaint!

what did you do this weekend?

fab finds....{valentine goodies!}

today's 'fab finds' post will be a shameless self-promotion of my jewelry ;-)
not something i usually do unless i have something new to show you but hey - you might see something you like!

"loved"
the established date on this necklace is my wedding year but it would also be sweet for a daughter marking the year of her birth :-)

"sweetheart"
this one is customizable - name, nick name, initials, monogram....anything goes!

"love note"
this is one of my favorites - perfect for the woman who dreams of romance or loves poetry......

and of course, custom designs are ALWAYS a favorite of mine!

so tell your hubby, your fiance, your boyfriend, your mom, your dad..........heck, tell everybody! and also available are special designs for moms :-)

valentine's day: 4 weeks and counting! i'll be honest - i hated valentine's day until i met my husband. now i think it's great because i have someone to celebrate with.

so do you love valentine's day or do you think it's all commercial hype?

fab finds...{meal planning}

i've been doing some thinking about my "one little word" {growth} and the areas to which i'd like to apply it. one of the areas is as a homemaker.

i struggle ALOT with home management - things like keeping the house clean throughout the week instead of having to do one huge, day-long clean up; keeping the refrigerator & pantry stocked; staying on top of the various papers and files and important documents floating around the house........

i realize that i'll never be perfect. i am deserving of grace - i will never be 100% accomplished in every aspect of my life. but i should strive to improve.

with the coming of this new year, it seems like everywhere i go, i'm reading about meal planning. i may have given it a half-hearted attempt once or twice but i think its time to give it a real go. hopefully, meal planning won't end up as just some declaration floating out in cyberspace like this organizational plan did (but i haven't given up on it completely!!)

(of course now that i've made this decision, everything seems to be conspiring against me BUT i'm gonna keep trying!)

here are a few things i've found that i think will be helpful to me in this endeavor.

Source: mommytracked.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

i found tons and tons of printables (free!!) and this was one of my favorites. of course, my printer decided to quit working so i couldn't print it out.........

Source: bhg.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

Source: littlebiggirlstudio.blogspot.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

and just look at this beautiful organization!!!!

this weekend, i took a shot at it. it took me about 45 minutes to gather, review & choose all my recipes and then create my shopping list.

and lookee, lookee here:

not only did i set up a meal plan for the next 2 1/2 weeks, i set up a 'meal planning management center' (sounds official, doesn't it??) AND i cleaned out and organized the tupperware container.
woo hoo!!

so, what have you found that's inspiring you this week?

fab finds....{kindle fire apps}

like many others, one of my (favorite!!) christmas gifts was the kindle fire.

kindle fire, oh how i love thee! you must understand, i'm a technology-addicted gal. and, as of late, my smart phone has not been so smart. i've really been suffering, here. (boo hoo!)

i'm almost ashamed to admit that, despite the easy transfer of my books from my earlier version kindle, i've yet to open one! instead, i've been using my fire to make my life easier *grin*


one of my favorite apps is pulse, a news reading app. keeping up with my favorite blogs has never been easier!




another app i added to my fire is hootsuite. definitely not anything new but what i didn't realize is, not only does hootsuite allow me to update my status to twitter, facebook & my facebook page but it also lets me read (and respond to) all the updates on each. (duh! where've i been, right?) good thing cuz i wasn't incredibly fond of the android facebook app.




of course i added youversion, a bible reading app. it was previously installed on my phone but that tiny little screen combined with my phone's limited memory did not a pleasant experience make.





faith & i (my marketing assistant & niece) were in need of a shared calendar. we started out with the google calendar but i found that it wasn't compatible with my fire. there's a paid app that will allow you to synch with the google calendar but google didn't include a to-do list. sooo..........i went with cozi. i'm not hugely impressed with the layout or design but it does what i need it to do!



also on my fire is note everything. i haven't used it much (yet) but i like that it allows text notes, paint notes & voice notes. the paint notes was my primary reason for installation - i can doodle design ideas as they come to me :-)



and i'll admit to one guilty pleasure: where's my water. the cool thing about the amazon app store is that it offers one paid app free everyday. when this game came up, i installed it on my fire AND little man's tablet - one of his favorite christmas gifts ;-)



so what's your favorite app?

fab finds.....{delicious desserts!}

do you do any holiday baking? i usually do but not always very successfully. you see, my oven is evil. yup, you heard me. evil.

but lemme back up. see, i only bake once a year. it's always been a holiday tradition for me. but since i married and moved into hubby's family home..........well, i'm pretty sure this stove has it in for me. for example.....

we can cook a 30lb thanksgiving turkey in about 4 hours. no lie. but try to bake any kind of dessert with fruit in it. ain't happenin. done around the edges and undercooked in the center every.time. go figure.

needless to say, holiday baking has been a bit of a gamble. a bet i'm not necessarily willing to take this year.

so i've been looking for some alternative dessert recipes and here's what i've come up with:

Source: sweetpeaskitchen.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

made the same way you'd make rice crispy treats but with oreos.....not sure how that could EVER go wrong!!

Source: food.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

6 minute microwave caramels. add a bit of sea salt....yum!!

Source: marthastewart.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

rum balls...."served chilled, these balls are formed when a batch of brownies is broken into bits, flavored with dark rum, and rolled." this includes the brownie recipe but i am SO NOT above using store bought!

Source: sweetannas.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

homemade peanut butter cups. again, how could you go wrong!?!?

Source: chef-n-training.blogspot.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

no-bake cake batter truffles. need i say more?

obviously, i found these recipes on pinterest. while viewing my "good eats" pin board, i noticed several recipes i haven't tried yet but sound sooooo good. so i ask you:

are you making the recipes you pin? are they as good as you'd hoped?
(ps: if you need an invite to pinterest, just let me know in the comments!)

fab finds....{handmade holidays: handbags!}

those of you who know me know that my obsession with handbags is second only to my obsession with boots. as a matter of fact, the only reason hubby has been able to rein in my handbag obsession is because i'm hoping that if i buy less handbags, he'll let me buy more boots :-)

(insert evil laughter here)

if you're anything like me, maybe you'd like to add one of these beauties to your wishlist!

Source: etsy.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

all of these lovlies are crafted by members of the artisan group. there are more handbags & clutches & purses (oh my!) here.