Handmade Holiday

If you haven't seen it yet, go check out my Handmade Holiday Blogathon on my new blog! You'll find TONS of tutorials, recipes, gift ideas, advice, and more to give this holiday an awesome handmade touch. Enjoy! :D

Thursday Threads #30

Alex dressed himself so well this Saturday I had to devote this week’s Thursday Threads to him! I love his pairing of purple (bought to match a dress of mine) with brown (which he bought all on his own – and they look awesome)...

See it at my new location AJthePurple.com! :)

Thursday Threads #29

 I felt like doing a happy-go-lucky sort of pose today Probably because I got to do a lot of fun stuff with great people

Check out my new blog location --> AJthePurple.com

You Amaze Me, Pasta

NPR recently did a story on The Geometry of Pasta, a new book put together by designer Caz Hildebrand and chef Jacob Kenedy. What a beautiful combination! There are so many types of pasta, which work both graphically (she’s filled the book with black and white illustrations of pasta shapes) and, of course, as food. Every pasta pairs well with different types of sauces and preparations (he’s filled the book with recipes). There are over 1,000 types of pasta and that is amazing.



View more on my new website!

Thursday Threads #27

Cons for caffeinating myself at night:

• I get jittery
  
• I can't sleep
• Hyper AJ gets even stranger
  
• I sometimes annoy my husband (see above)

Pros for caffeinating myself at night:

• Thursday Threads get done on Thursday ;)

Overshirt from my mom's closet (haha)
Purple tank top - Old Navy
My fav pinstripe pants - The Gap
Gray flats - Blowfish

Etsy Finds: Texas

If you can say anything about Texas, you can say we're proud of our state. And as I pulled out my burnt orange to wear Saturday, I thought, It's time for a Texas Etsy Finds!

We'll begin with the capitol (and my town) - in this adorable cuff by vsc83:

View the full post

(AJ the Purple's blog has moved to AJthePurple.com!)

You Amaze Me, Stop Motion

There's something magical about stop motion. My first introduction to stop motion was in an architecture video. It was an amazing tool for seeing long-term effects in a short amount of time. It was also a really neat thing to watch. Then I saw this video:



What a cool way to pass the time! Read more

Last day to enter the giveaway!

LAST DAY TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!
Go see :)
xo

Happy Wednesday!

Just stopping in to say hi If you didn’t see, I uploaded a couple more color prints to my shop! I’m looking forward to starting some other projects this weekend, too.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway (at my new location AJthePurple.com) to win one of two great prize packages, each including a print of your choice! And have a great day

You Amaze Me, Ikea Hacker

If you haven’t heard of Ikea Hacker, you should go check it out. Occasionally I just go browse for a while. Some projects are simple and straightforward; some are sheer genius. Why have run-of-the-mill Ikea furniture when you can hack it into something extraordinary? Or, even better, why throw out your old Ikea furniture when you can remake it into something better?

Keep in mind, these are all produced from Ikea furniture. (Click on the photos to go to the blog posting.)

A coffee table turned into awesome nightstands:

 See the rest at AJthePurple.com - the new location! :)

Announcement and GIVEAWAY!

My new website AJthePurple.com is now up!

That's where I'll be from now on - don't miss out on You Amaze Me Sundays, Etsy Finds, Thursday Threads, and all my other design, art, and craft posts! Go check it out :D

While you're there, you can enter my giveaway!

There will be TWO winners - each gets a print of their choice and other goodies. I handmade some special items just for this! Don't miss out!

3 Things Friday

First I must say....Happy birthday to this beautiful lady!

 Have a great one, big sis! xoxoxo

Now I can move onto...

This week:
The good: I played soccer with my team for this first time since May :-)
The not-so-good: I've been having really bad headaches :-/
The best: My new website {http://ajthepurple.com} is up!!!

The official launch is tomorrow, but for you guys - take a sneak peek ;)
PS: By "official launch" I mean welcome post and giveaway :D
 

Thursday Threads #25

I love this dress. I chose this angle, though it's less flattering, so you can see the exposed zipper :) It actually makes my waist look really skinny - yay! Plus it has pockets (you know how much I love pockets). The front has really cute ruffles, which you can see a bit on the side. It's totally cute to dress up or down!

Contrast Shirt Dress - BCBGMAXAZRIA
Gray flats - Me Too

I love to draw

New monsters in the shop :D

They are slowly being added. Can I say again how excited I am that there are now color prints in my shop? Because I'm rather giddy over it ^_^ In addition to several new monsters, this week I'll be adding in more color prints in two sizes (8x10" and 5x7"). And I'm starting to put together some other additions for fall! I'm going to go dance now....=)

Etsy Finds: Fall 2010

These are what I want for the fall. Warm, cozy, classy...I want them all.

I would buy headphones just for this head phones hat by escaodesign:

I would wear these yellow oak leaf earrings by hitree all fall long:

And I would carry this Colorblocked bag by CamilleStar with me everywhere:

I obviously need this purple mug cozy by natalya1905:

And this yo yo headband by cocorosecouture is simply fall-tastic:

I'd feel fancy in these lovely lacey wrist warmers by hypericumfragile:

Isn't this ruffle front fleece jacket by cotylee just to die for?!

I want to cozy up in these knit slipper boots by HollyDoll:

And this fall wouldn't be complete without this gorgeous cape with tie by margerydaw0:

Writing this while listening to the sound of the rain falling seems wildly appropriate. I'm so excited for fall to come! And maybe some extra moolah so I can buy these beauties on Etsy! ;)

Happy Labor Day!

I hope you're having fun :D

xo

(photo source)

You Amaze Me, Barton Springs!

(source)

Yesterday we (hubby and friends) spent all afternoon at Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park. It's fed from natural springs and is 3 acres large. It's also an average of 68° (read: COLD). The only way we could get in was by jumping!

(source)

After a couple minutes we could feel our arms and legs again. We swam up and down the length of the pool, trying to avoid the grass and algae. So much fun! I can't believe that in 5 years of living in Austin this was my first time to swim at Barton Springs. It definitely won't be the last!

(source)

I think I'll go during the next full moon - everyone howls at the moon! I think that's an experience worth braving the cold water for :) I also still need to see the Barton Springs Salamander! It's endangered and only lives in Barton Springs and surrounding area. Neat :D

For your beautiful and fun environment, you amaze me, Barton Springs!

New look, new products!

You may have noticed my new blog banner (if not, scroll up, silly ;)), but did you notice my new shop banner? AJ the Purple has undergone a little makeover :D I've got a new logo:

I think it's pretty fun :) And with a new logo comes new banners :D I'm really excited! Soon, in addition to the new blog banner, I'll have a total blog makeover! But more on that later.

I'm also adding NEW things to the shop! I'm now selling COLOR prints!!! I'm so excited to be able to offer these now :D There are two already in the shop, with more coming this weekend. PLUS, I've drawn some new monsters. So keep an eye on my prints section!

 

Happy Saturday!

3 Things Friday

Happy September! (Yes, I realize it's the 3rd, but I've been busy!)
This week:
The good: I'm working on redesigning my portfolio and it's going to be AWESOME!
The not-so-good: My sister was in town briefly, but I didn't get to see her :(
The best: I finished two logos for two lovely ladies, and I'm so happy with them!

Pommes Frites is on vacation mode, but you should check out her shop & blog!
Assorted Musings offers wonderful goodies and insights in her shop & blog too!

Have a great weekend!!! xo

Thursday Threads #24

And now...back to our regularly scheduled programming! That's right - Tuesdays will be Etsy Finds, Thursdays will be Thursday Threads, Fridays are 3 Things, and Sundays there'll be You Amaze Me! Woohoo! And of course, other fun posts in between :D

I won't lie - I know this isn't the best look for me. But I still love it (and that's the point, right?). Jumpers are as easy to throw on as a dress, but I can sit however I want with no worries. It's like they had me in mind when they made them! ;)

Black romper -  New York & Company
Black sandals - Reefs
Red flower hair clip - from my bridal shower

Happy Thursday!

30 Days, Wrap Up

Day 29: What you live for.

 I live for the experience - living, learning, loving...


Day 30: Ways you believe you have grown over the past thirty days.

I think my drawing has improved. More importantly, I've learned a lot about how I draw. For instance, I'm much, much better at drawing when I'm inspired by and/or interested in what I'm drawing, and especially if I take the time to think about it before I start. It was a good month :) I'm very glad I did it!

Did anyone else complete the 30 days? How did you like it?

Etsy Finds: Constellations

Long-time readers may know that I'm obsessed with the sky. My favorite thing about camping is getting away from city lights so I can see the stars! So why has it taken me this long to do an Etsy Finds post about stars? Beats me :) But here we go!

I'll start things off with this gorgeous silkscreen print by christinetillman:

And I love this "Urban Constellation" photograph by Zyada:

I'd wear these funky Ursa Major earrings by chingchinjewellery:

Maybe I'd pair them with this awesome constellation t-shirt by nonfictiontees:

And add in this constellation army tag necklace by Markhed:

I'm in love with this mini Aurora Borealis oil painting by HonourYourPet:

I want to decorate my house with these paper German stars by KeriLouNewYork:

And I can't forget these adorable Starry Owl prints from boygirlparty:

I'm thinking I may have to add a star-themed line to my shop. Hmm....=)

You Amaze Me, Snorkeling!

We had sooo much fun on our vacation! One of our favorite activities was snorkeling :D I loved getting a glimpse of a completely different world. It's no wonder, with all the strange plants and animals, that centuries ago sailors brought back all kinds of crazy and magical stories!

On our snorkeling adventures...

There were stripey fish

And iridescent fish

Grazing blue tangs

And dancing parrot fish

We saw yellow coral

And purple coral!

But most of all

I loved swimming with

the sting rays!

Yay for snorkeling!

 

(See more of my photos in my Flickr stream)