Planting Gardens

A week or so ago we were having some unseasonably warm weather here. The kind that makes you beak out the shorts and realize you dont have any sunscreen thats not expired!

We were able to get out and about every day during that nice weather, which was something everyone (mostly my sitr crazy 2 year old) really needed! We ate dinner on our patio every night, we to the park everyday at least once, went on evening walks around the neighborhood, played in the yard, met up to celebrate with old friends and planted spring flowers. It was a great week, made me so excited for summer!

During one of the days savanna and I planted some flower seeds and some bulbs in some hanging baskets that we found at the dollar store! (sometimes that place has GREAT finds!)

 At first she was just throwing them in

 But then she got a little more concerned with placing them just right!

 She was most excited about scooping the dirt with her princess cup

She doesnt enjoy having stuff on her hands, constantly wiping them off!

 we planted a few bulbs in each of the 4 baskets, and them sprinkled them with wildflower seed mix

Then we gave them a good soaking!

 watering her gardens has become her favorite daily activity!

 As I was hanging up the holders on the fence for her baskets she got a hold of the box with the rest of the wildflower seeds

  she just wanted to ensure that a few flowers would be GUARANTEED to bloom in this one! :)

This is just TWO days later...sava

Head First into MoeJean Designs

I've done it! I've jumped in head first! Sink or swim

Ive always been afraid of rejection, I think maybe that is why I've hesitated so long to launch. Afraid that no one will like my work, or that they wouldn't sell, or people will criticize. Well, being afraid of others never made anyone feel accomplished.

I get compliments daily when I wear my creations out and about, and I have even sold a few right off my own neck and the people that have purchased pieces from me at the several craft fairs and holiday shopping events I attended last year have all reported back that they get compliments.
So I decided to jump in and try out Etsy.com  as a platform to share my work.

Here are a few of the creations currently on my Etsy site

When looking for jewelry for my self I look for several things; uniqueness, affordability, durability and quality. So when making jelwery I strive for the same things.

I love wearing jewelry, and I like mine to be unique. When I started doing this I wanted the jewelry I made to be unique as well. I buy my beads and findings in small batches, and while I may make 2 similar pieces at the same time they will not be exactly the same.

I also like to have a large selection, be able to wear different pieces all the time, So Im also looking for Affordability. I know that in this ecomomy, most people are looking for afforablity! So if its treating yourself to a new piece to add to your collection or searching for the perfect gift I want to be within reach. When something you love is affordable, it allows you to have more of it.

As a mom to small children, one of whom still nurses and is carried around a lot, I'm looking for durability in beauty. Ive seen a lot of necklaces out there marketed to moms. Only a small few have caught my eye only to loose it in the price. I design my jewelry not only to be affordable but to be durable and made with the best quality materials available to me.

Im excited to share my creations with the world, to watch people enjoy the things I have made. I hope you will stop on over and check out my site MoeJeanDesigns check back often as I have spent much of this week potographing my work and will be adding new items daily! Not to mention the 1000 or so ideas I have for more necklaces and bracelets!

I would like to offer my readers a discount to celebrate the launch of my store, you will recieve 15%  off your order when you use the coupon code:  MOEMAMA threw the end of april.

I try as much as possible to shop local , and when we do go on vacation and I'm searching for souveneers I try to support the local economy there as well by searching for a unique reminder of my trip. My goal for this year is to get my jewlery into a few stores here locally. Im looking for local businesses-a gift shop, clothing shop, consignment store, boutique, feed store or tasting room Im really open to embracing any opportunities that may come my way.


As important as going local, I will also be trying to build my Etsy sales, but teaming up with other bloggers to promote, so If you are a blogger and intetested, please feel free to contact me! I have a few Ideas!

I can be reached via email at MOE JEAN DESIGNS @ GMAIL.COM

My Photo Wall

I have been wanting a photo wall in my home for just over 2 years. I had seen them on a few blogs, and was in love with the idea. We had just moved into a home that a great wall up a staircase and I had big plans for it! I started collecting pictures and frames for it and then I found out I was pregnant. A birth of another child meant that there would be more pictures to add. I pretty much put my project on the back burner, only getting prints as I found them free online. After Adam was born I was anxious to get going on it again, but really lacked the time for getting it together.  In January of this year we decided to move again! UGH. But the new house is perfect for us, and it has a GREAT wall for my project!

Not a great shot, but its all I have of the before. Its.A.BIG.wall.

But as soon as I saw this wall I was anxious to get started! I pulled out the baskets of picture frames I had all set aside and started painting!

I decided to paint them all flat black, and I just used the cheapest black spray paint they had at walmart. I think it was $.97 a can. Worked great! Next time I do a project with this much spray painting involved, I will invest in the sprayer that attaches to the can, my finger was sore for a week!

I spent the next week going threw all of the prints I had collected and matching them up to the frames, ordering more of Adam and more recent favorites of the kids.

I have so many wonderful shots of my kids that it was really hard to decide

Waiting to be hung

I spent several hours laying them out on the floor trying to find a good layout, because they were going UP the wall and not accross the wall it was harder to get a good Idea. I then started useing papers in the size of the frames and taping them to the wall to get a good idea.

I thought this was working great, my husband, however, didnt agree. And when it came time for him to start hanging them it ended up that we didnt place them where I had layed them out.

Here is part way threw. I should mention my husband informed me that he hates when I post pictures of him on the internet when he is wearing sweats and looking "like crap". I say "PSSSHHH"

Here is our "finished" project. (before I got the level out) There is plenty more room to add as the kids grow! There are a few white frames on there that I hadnt intended to use that I needed as fillers, but they will be painted black as well.

Im quite proud of this wall, and My photos of the photos dont really do it justice. Of the 35 photos that are on the wall, only 5 of them were taken by someone other than myself. Im also quite proud to say that this wall cost me less than $40 to accomplish. Most of the frames I either had on hand or collected from various garage sales and such. Of the few that I did purchase, I payed less than $1 a piece for on clearance. 

I got all of the prints free or deeply discounted from online promotions as they came about. I spent about $9 on spray paint!

This "j" is a little project I threw together at the last minute for the wall, I will share that soon as well!!