Upcycled JewelMint boxes

For those that don't know, I have a *slight* obsession with JewelMint. I did a review of them month's back after I placed my first order (http://sweetteetle.blogspot.com/2010/11/jewelmint-review.html). After that first order, I didn't stop and have since ordered countless items from them. Which brings me to this post. They package their jewelry in really nice boxes. So nice that I feel bad just throwing them away. But I have no use for stacks and stacks of boxes that say JewelMint on them. Finally, I got around to doing what I've been meaning to, turn them into even cuter boxes. :)

Here's what I started with. See?! Too nice to end up in the trash!

 

Ok the pic is terrible, but here's the finished product. Keep scrolling for individual pics. 

 

I had some random feather in my craft room and knew I had to use it on one of the boxes. 

 

Great for keepsakes from a baby's 1st year. 

 

I love skulls so there had to be one with them. Made the skulls more girly by adding flowers, dragonflies, and sparkles.  (Stupid ribbon looks crooked in the pic!)

 

Cherries and polka dots. 2 other faves. I'll probably use this one as a gift box.

I took out the inside packing that holds the jewelry and removed the name cards. I put solid cardstock on the inside of the box to cover the blue/green color. I think I'm going to use that area to write notes to the person I give it to or add favorite quotes to them. Haven't decided yet. I painted the edges of all of them black which next time I'll prob wait to do last so I can distress the edges of the paper too.

I've got about 100 more boxes that I can eventually cover. I'll use most as gift boxes in place of wrapping paper.

If you haven't signed up for JewelMint yet, please sign up using my link: http://jmnt.me/gq8lXy They often have Groupons or promos for new members so you can try it for a lower price.

Shoe comparison

When I joined Sole Society, I noticed right away that the Anouk shoe looks identical to the Steve Madden Haylow which I have in the gold glitter. So I decided to buy them to compare and, well, because I LOVED the coral color.

Rather than flood the FB wall with a bunch of pics of the 2 side by side, I decided to just do a quick blog post comparing them for anyone that's interested since the SM ones were brought up a few times.

The SM's run anywhere from $70-$95 depending on material. The glitter ones are more expensive than the patent and satin ones. The SS's run $50 or $40 if you buy before 3/31 and use promo code SS10.

Here's a side by side of both. Very similar. Small differences are that SS has elastic on both sides and SM has elastic on just the inner side. Not sure which I prefer. On one hand, it's nice to not see it on the outer part of the shoe, but on the other hand, having it on both sides makes it easier to get into. The platform is also more angled in the SS one than the SM's.

 

Back view. The SS is slightly higher and at more of an angle than the SM's

Top view. This is where I like the SS ones more. The straps are thinner and more delicate. I also like the more rounded toe on the SS.

 

Anouk on. 

SM on. The straps fit a little looser on the SMs

Top of Anouk on. The straps are a little loose around the toes, especially when just standing still. Don't think it will be a problem though.

 

SM's on. These fit better in the toes than the SS. 

Overall, they are both great shoes. The SS fit TTS. With the SM's, I went up a size because SM usually fits me small. I'd have been fine w/ only 1/2 size up I think but they didn't have my size in stock when I got them. If you like the color or would rather save the money, go with the SS Anouk since they give the same look. I can't decide which I like better. I love both colors equally, but since the SM are glitter and the SS are fuax suede, it's hard to compare since they are so different. I do like the toe shape and straps better on the SS, but the SM's are more fitted in the toes. The SS also have a type of fabric bottom which is interesting and I've never seen before.

Hope this post helps! If it does, and you haven't signed up for SS yet, please sign up through my referral link: http://www.solesociety.com/invite/CMincher989 After signing up, or if you are already a member, here's the direct link for SS Anouk  http://www.solesociety.com/product/539 (And don't forget SS10 for $10 off before 3/31)They come in the coral I showed and a really pretty royal blue. The SM's can be found on stevemadden.com and amazon.com, as well as a few other shoe sites. Let me know if you have any questions. :)

Baby shower decorations/gift

Since the baby shower is over, I can FINALLY post the pics of everything we made. It was soo hard not to share them, but I didn't want to run the risk of my friend seeing them. This post is going to be really picture heavy.

Banner over the gift table

 

cupcake tower

 

favors

And now on to part of my gift to her. Love how they turned out.

Sole Society

So ANOTHER shoe of the month club popped up the other day. Of course, me being the shoe obsessed girl that I am, HAD to try it out. They are slightly more expensive then their competitors ($50 instead of $40), but some of their items are real leather and they say their quality is better. The rest of the details are pretty much the same (free ship/exchange, referral bonuses, skip by the 5th, etc).

I chose 2 pairs of shoes to try them out so I could see how they compare. My love for SD has dwindled so I'm looking for a replacement for my fix. I still LOVE JF of course though. I went with Karla, an adorable polka dot peep toe bootie and Kayla, the sexy snakeskin pump.

These are the Karla. LOVE them.

 

They are adorable! 

 

The backs and heels are a faux suede. The polka dot is a light chiffon fabric over mesh.

Kayla. HOT!

 

Faux Snakeskin

 

Closeup

So, how does SS compare? So far, I am a BIG fan! I love both pairs as much as I thought I would and neither have any defects. I was definitely nervous about Kayla. After buying pump after pump from SD, I've come to expect "elf toe", "nippling", and "cellulite" on the toes. It's sad but true. However, the quality on these is amazing! There is none of the problems that are seen on SD. Which, in turn, means no more having to deal with exchanges. No reboxing and driving to UPS. No waiting a week or more for your credit to be available. No having your shoe sell out while waiting for your credit. And most of all no more disappointment when you get home and open your new purchase!

In my opinion, it's worth the extra $10 if you can afford it and I didn't even get ones that are real leather. The Karla is unique and fashion forward IMO and the Karla is a great sexy, but still basic pump. I can see both of these getting a lot of wear since they seem very comfy for the heel height.

As far as CS, I haven't really had to deal with them yet since both were great. I did send one email and got a somewhat sloppy response (bad grammar which drives me crazy when from a company). However, when I mentioned it on FB, a CS rep immediately messaged me asking me to forward the email so they could handle the problem. I also got a PM the next day from the director of member care apologizing and explaining things. All this, for something that was so minor, was very impressive.

I also LOVE that their FB reps actually seems to take the time to read what they are responding to. There's nothing worse IMO, than form responses that dance around the question without actually addressing people's questions. So far, they have been quick to help and actually respond with the answers needed.

Ok, so that was REALLY long winded, but hopefully it helps those of you that are hesitant about joining. It can't hurt to try it. There's no cost to sign up, but read the FAQs if you've never done a "of the month" club so that you understand how it works, most importantly the skipping by the 5th after your first purchase. If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

AND, if you are considering signing up, PLEASE use my referral link so that I can get points towards a free item. http://www.solesociety.com/invite/CMincher989 

You can also use promo code SS10 for $10 off your order right now. Not sure when it expires, but great deal!

Cutest Baby shower invites EVER!

Me and a friend are planning another friend's baby shower. This is the first one I've planned and so far it's been a ton of fun! She's having a little girl and doing a jungle theme. After looking around at shower invites and seeing how boring they were, I decided we should just make them because well, it's way more fun and soo much cuter.

We got together the other night and designed what has become my fave card so far. This card was somewhat hard for me because the mom to be isn't very into pink and these are for a baby girl, and I LOVE pink so it was super difficult to not just make the pinkest, girly card. I think we did a good job of toning down the pink, incorporating the theme, but still adding a small touch of pink/girlyness with the flowers and ruffly ribbon.

Here are the 3 variations in colors since we only had so much of each color paper.

I seriously LOVE them! We were giggling while putting the flowers on since they were so cute.

 

 

The inside has a cute giraffe stamp in the corner.

 

 And to finish it off we stamped the envelope with a lion :)

Originally we were going to do 1/2 monkeys and 1/2 giraffes, but the monkey was too cute so we ended up making more monkeys. Here's the giraffe though and since we'd already cut 14 of them, we found a new way to incorporate them into the shower decor. It's going to be super cute of course, but can't say yet in case the mom reads this. :)

Wedding gifts

Finally getting around to posting these. My cousin got married on Jan 1st and I decided at the last minute to make the gifts.

I've had this Love hanging/frame for awhile but hadn't gotten around to doing anything with it yet. I picked some paper that looked weddingish to start and mod podged it on.

 

The started adding rubons and stickers with their wedding date. 

 

I also used rhinestone accents in various places. I did each in groups of 5 because they have 5 kids. :)

Then I inked around the edges to give it a distressed look.

I also did another etched vase. It's hard to get a good pic of it, but it has their last name and their wedding date on it. Used vinyl and etching cream.

Christmas cards

Saturday is my first demo meeting since becoming a Stampin Up demonstrator. Since it's Christmas time, we're all doing a card swap. We're also each bringing a handmade gift using Stampin Up products for swap.


I LOVED the Candy Cane DSP from the holiday mini so I knew I had to use that for the cards. I love that the colors aren't the traditional red and green. The pinks and blues are so pretty. Since we had to make 16 cards, I ended up doing 8 one way and 8 another so I didn't run out of paper. I kept everything else pretty much the same though.

I actually used things I rarely use in these cards. I typically have a pattern that I do for all cards and always forget extras like punches and embossing. But, I thought the corner rounder on everything made it look so much better. And dasher just looks way better embossed. I do wish I'd sponged the background on the pink set now, but too late to change it. Seems too pale, but when I first did sponging on the red set, it was too busy so I skipped it.

 

I decided to make another set of glitter ornaments for the gift.I chose to go with traditional colors since it will match more people's decor. I used Green Galore and Real Red reinkers. This is a good way to use those retired colors! The snowflake is cut in the big shot out of the white decor elements vinyl.

 

Supply list for the cards:
Candy Cane DSP
Real Red cardstock
Blushing Bride cardstock
Light Pink gingham ribbon
Basic Gray taffeta ribbon
corner rounder punch
scallop trim border punch
silver embossing powder
Dasher stamp
Delightful Decorations stamp set (for Merry Christmas circle)
Northern Lights stamp set (snowflakes)
Baja Breeze ink