Kate Spade Inspired Canvas (DIY)

First gift...drumroll please........

My first recipient is one of my best friends, a trendy young lady with equisite taste in all departments. This girl shares my love of Kate Spade, so I wanted to come up with something cute that she would enjoy. I searched through pages of Kate Spade merchandise hoping to find a cute makeup bag or something along those lines that was in my price range, but I unfortunately could not. What I did find was a lot of inspiration for cute home decor, and let's be honest, home accents are one of those things that everybody wants but nobody wants to buy because you just keep buying more. "Oh this throw pillow matches the curtains!" 

Kate Spade Pearl Place Vase

 I was going to try to recreate this exact vase, but I actually found something kind of cool that I could put my own twist into.

  I ordered this Cosmo Cricket- Just Add Watercolor Block for THREE BUCKS from Amazon. I'm not completely satisfied with the outcome, so I may either A) Order a new one and start over, or B) Try to salvage it by going over it with more colors. Either way, I'm going to have one gift completely wrapped and out of the way for under $5. This same brand also has quite a few other styles and designs for equally low prices, so if you're just a tad crafty like me, you can hand make these for everyone OR just paint a bunch and stick 'em around your own house for a bubbly vibe!

Though I said I'm not quite satisfied with the outcome, that is solely because of MY paint job. These little blocks are great quality canvas, it was packaged well and totally protected, and they have a couple of holes in the back for hanging portrait & landscape!  This has been such an easy and fun project, one that I want to repeat again and again and again for the sake of experimenting with colors!

Gaining a Following? Doing a Giveaway?

     As I have mentioned before, I really stalled on writing this blog. I gave myself a lot of time to do my research and really think this one through. My reason for doing so was that I wanted this to be meaningful, and I wanted to be able to build an audience. Meaningful posts mean nothing when I'm the only person reading them.
   I worry about posting too much, because if I share all my good stuff now, it'll be lost in the archives to never be seen. If I save it for a time when people will actually be seeing and following it, it'll be useful BUT, don't I have to indulge in the good stuff in order to gain followers? I've read so many articles on how to have more followers- use a variety of words, share your blog with social media, blah blah blah, but I don't want 50 followers and one reader. One thing I read that could actually benefit my readers, followers, and I, is having a giveaway....
      THAT'S RIGHT, a GIVEAWAY. Something free just for following and supporting me, my posts, and my art. There is only ONE way you can be eligible to win, follow me. Follow my posts, share me if you want the big bang to happen sooner, because as soon as I hit 50 followers OR 500 page views, I will be giving away a CUSTOM piece of art. I have a lot of templates that I will be showcasing in due time, but I'm also willing to do something pretty one-of-a-kind. I will ship to you at NO cost, as a big thank you.


Now that the important stuff is out there... Here's a bit of "fluff."

      I have such enormous aspirations, and no real thoughts on channelling them. Once upon a time, I wanted to sell clothing. I wanted to start off pushing my "upcycled" skirts and rompers made of sarongs out into the world, and then move on to making some REAL clothing. I wanted to start this HUGE empire all by making "business casual" clothing items that were available (and wearable) to young women everywhere. I was crazy about this idea, until I realized that my only real options were opening stores on EBay and Etsy, and hoping that they would gain traffic. It seemed like a pretty good idea, but I was afraid I wouldn't get the exposure needed to really profit, and quite frankly, I couldn't afford the hobby and then the time I'd be spending waiting around for a payout...

    Next, I decided I wanted to sell my art. Art is something I LOVE to make, and something that has been a huge part of me for as long as I can remember. I have collected a lot of art supplies over the years, which has made it a moderately inexpensive hobby. THIS is something that I can afford to do, no matter how long it takes me to sell....

    Though I can make due, I still want to sell things so.. I started the blog.

I wanted the blog to do two things:
1) Tie into my shops- To allow my buyers to get an inside look on who they're supporting, what other art I have done, what else I am capable of
2) Showcase my "shop" to my readers
       I know not every reader ever will be a buyer, or will even appreciate my work, but the more readers, the more opportunities for all of us to benefit. I hope to be successful enough to offer monthly giveaways some day.

Potentially my next project- Expect a tutorial

Nothing Comes Free, But How About Cheap?

Made using only materials listed below

Is anything in life free AND useful anymore? 

       I think I'm the only person on planet earth who isn't excited about the constant advertising of websites promising free cosmetics or skincare products. I have enough skin brightening serum, illuminating primer samples, and teeny tiny bottles of moisturizer that have all come from some distribution center of a new up & coming product that nobody has heard of yet. 

    Though I don't want any shot-sized shampoo,  I thought it would be productive to search for something I could actually put a good use to... free art supplies. I figured I would find a lot of options, considering the fact that being a self-reliant amateur artist isn't easy. I assumed some multibillion dollar company would be a little considerate of those of us eating Spaghetti-O's and Ramen on a regular basis. 

   I searched, and to my surprise, there really weren't any mind blowing offers for anything at all. I scrolled through pages of blue links, and eventually, I found one website advertising free art samples, but there was no option to choose what I wanted. I filled it out anyway, and if I receive anything, I (of course) will be sure to post the details. 

       In beginning this search, I was desperately hoping to find a canvas from some new foreign company, maybe something that was 100% organic, anything, as long as it was free. I typically find myself spending anywhere from 8-16$ for a 12x12 canvas at the craft store, and then selling my time consuming paintings for roughly 20$. That gives me a maximum of (let's say) 6$ when you consider all materials used. I do have a few options aside from the typical stretched canvas, such as canvas panel (which I don't absolutely love,) and weighted paper. Because I use watercolor pencils, I have to use a very heavy paper so I typically go with Canson watercolor paper, and even with that, I have to be very careful of using sharp pencils on wet paper. 

   Ultimately, canvas is my best option for any work I plan on distributing. I got lucky enough in my hunt to find a pack of canvases that are highly rated AND low priced, so I will be ordering them immediately. In the mean time, I will be exploring for any art-supply giveaways or anything of that kind of nature to share with all of you 

NEXT WEEK, I have something special for my low budget beauties. I will be giving a (cheap) makeup routine for a flawless looking complexion.  My three step method costs me about 10$ a month! 

Made using only materials listed above. 

Living A Not So "Splurgy" Life

       Welcome! My name is Kiersten and I am a virgin to blogging and basically everything internet-related so hang in there- I'll get better! I set out to write a blog months ago, and have spent an extensive amount of time Googling and watching other blogs. I've had many topics I've wanted to write about, from fashion, art, to organization, to cooking, to beauty- I've basically wanted to share my opinion on EVERYTHING I encounter on a daily basis. I thought long and hard on what of these things meant the most to me, or what of these things could help the most readers, and I realized, all of these things are a huge part of many people's day to day lives, so I added one more important thing that really ties it all together...MONEY. 

     The thought of finances became the binding of the book when I realized that ANYONE can benefit from tips, pointers, links, photos, and whatever else based around ways to save money while eating well, looking cute, making (semi) cool things, and having a well kept home. My blog will be stories, DIY projects, and many links to products I love and use. Another very important thing about this blog is that I am 100% willing to answer any questions, and take suggestions from my readers! 

So now that you know about what you'll be reading, I'll fill you in on some things about your writer! 

   I am a 20 year old Leo, trying to live a Champagne lifestyle on a tap water budget. I have a deeply rooted obsession for Kate Spade, and if I could turn my living room into a walk-in closet, I would. I make art (or try to) and I love trying new recipes. I'm the kind of person who can keep themselves occupied all day making things, be it a DIY sewing project, or gluten free blackbean brownies. I have a craving for creation, and the occasional appreciation of my work is my greatest thrill. I love nature, I love animals, and I love being lazy. I'm just your average 20 year old trying to make it in the real world..