Miss Persnickety

Blogging about #art #crafts #DIY #food #entertaining

[misspersnicks]

Get Noticed with Customized Branding for your Business

Well, as some of you know, I run a marketing company as my day job - lately, I have been getting requests from some of my readers about who does the design for my website, and social media. Well.... I do!

So I thought it was a good idea to launch some simple customizable logos to make it easier for other bloggers / online businesses who don't design to make their businesses look amazing.

Each logo can be customized with YOUR business name and you can choose from a selection of colours and also a texture to give you lots of branding options!

Buyers also receive black and white versions of their logos, icons for social media and lots of files to use from print to web!

Check out my shop for more details here! Until the end of September, my blog readers get 20% off their purchase - so visit today! Use promo code PERSNICKETY20!

Thanks for reading :)

[misspersnicks]

Floral Doodle Colouring Page & 3 ways to enjoy your art

I LOVE to doodle. Specifically flowers. There is something about their shapes and endless colours that intrigue me and keep me coming back time and time again to draw and colour them.

Recently I complete a large page of floral doodles!

I knew right away that I wanted to make it a colouring page for the website, so HERE YOU GO!

But I also knew I wanted to add watercolour, so first I started with digital watercolour - which resulted in a new product for my Society6 Shop.

Then I went ahead and used my pan of watercolours!

They are both great, but different looks completely - which is what I LOVE about digital and hand painted.

Which do you prefer? Show me what you create with the floral colouring page in the comments!

[misspersnicks]

Heat Wave - FREE Planner Printable

I LOVE FREE STUFF. Guessing you do too!

With all the new Etsy Store stock I am creating, I thought the blog deserved some love as well! As with all the printables in my Etsy store - each download comes with sizing for both the Erin Condren LifePlanner as well as the Mambi Happy Planner! 

Download either the JPG or the PDF file from the link below and print at 100% (do not scale or they won't fit) on either 8.5 x 11 sticker paper OR any paper and glue to your planner pages!

Works great with any journal, Filofax or planner you choose! Print and share with your friends!

Want more printable goodness? Check out my shop and help yourself to 20% off for the next week! Use promo code PERSNICKETY20 at checkout to save today!

new Etsy.Mini(13079428,'gallery',3,3,0,'https://www.etsy.com');

[misspersnicks]

Lalalabs & Memory Keeping in my Art Journal

Recently, I have been creating a lot of art kits for the Etsy Shop. Hand painted papers, and elements to help people start and create art journals. It started from having SO MUCH art sitting around that I had practised different colours and techniques on. I decided to make some kits up for the store and they are already selling! Woot!

Part of what I like about art journaling is taking some of the photos that sit on my phone and getting them printed and part of my creating! So that is where I found Lalalab. Here is what I have found out about this service:

They have an app - you can quickly grab the photos off your phone and upload them, add captions etc.

They have an old-school looking polaroid layout that I LOVE! This is what I used for my photos.

You can use emojis in the captions, which is fun

Shipping is super quick and reasonably priced - I paid $10.14 USD for 17 photos printed and shipped

They have a great affiliate / refer a friend program - you can give a friend $5 off their purchase (new customers only) and you get a $5 credit. Pretty good. If you are interested, head this a way and you can use my code PGBGRV41

So how did I use them? I will show you!

My supplies are a mix of my new "Get Creative" Art Kit and some washi and extra embellishments I had laying around the house. In this case, I actually cut the bottom of the "polaroid" off and used it as some text on the page - I like the end result!

So I will most definitely be using the service again - was quick, great quality and I like the fun options that you have to make your photos ready for art journaling, pocket journaling or any other memory keeping you might do!

Check out their website and see all their other products available to help you get creative and capture memories!

Note: This was not a sponsored post :)

[misspersnicks]

Cheap & Cheerful Decorating - Dollar Store Finds & loving 3M Picture Hanging Strips!

With summer, kids home, work being bonkers and launching my Etsy Shop - there has been little to no blogging around here! Well, today - I will make it up to you and let you know about what I have been working on!

We have lived in our place since December of 2015 and had a TERRIBLE habit of not hanging up ANYTHING. While my partner was away on a golf trip I took it upon myself to decorate the entire house.

With a small budget and a few pieces from our now combined homes, I made the front entrance, bedroom and master bath a little more fantastic.

I found these little beauties at the local Dollarama for just 3 dollars each! Amazing I know. So with these and a pack of those new 3M picture hanging strips, I went to work decorating the walls.

Click the photo for an affiliate link to Amazon to check them out!

Each picture hanging kit comes with a 2-piece hanging set - one piece sticks to the wall and one piece sticks to the back of the art or frame. They are joined with a sort of plastic velcro. The best thing about those strips is that you can place them on the back of the photo or artwork and then stick them right to the wall, then you grab the next one and place it as well. If you make a mistake you can detatch the two pieces and try again. In the photo of the bedroom, it took MANY tries to get those organized.

I have had a few comments about them from friends who wondered if they were from Pier One or somewhere similar. I have chosen to keep my $3 find to myself in most cases. Who needs to know right?

What's your favourite dollar store hack for decorating! I could use some more ideas!

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Creating Lists and De-Stashing Project Life

I love lists. They are quick, to the point and a huge part of how I keep work / home / blogging organized without losing my mind.

What you might not know is that it is also a quick and easy way to journal, or list off goals, ideas or future plans.

I was first introduced to this concept through the #30Lists Challenges - hosted by the lovely Amy @AmySchubert and Kam @CampfireChic. They were hosting semi-annual listing challenges where a set list of 30 prompts were available and you were to make a specific list for each day of the 30-day challenge. There are lots of topics like goal setting, favourite things and most memorable experiences. It is a quick and easy thing to stick to and you can get super creative with your stash if you choose to!

Here are some amazing #30Lists I have found online!

I decided to take some of the Project Life supplies I had on hand and start a July #30Lists Challenge for myself! The #30Lists website has a paid bundle of all the previous lists ($40) - 12 lists in total - so enough to do a YEAR of lists! The download includes the 12 lists plus access to blogs specific to each list full of forums, FAQs, printables and ideas. There is even a simple PDF of each list so you can just hit print and get started. Like I said - you can make this a simple journalling project OR use up some scrapbooking stash and do more - it is up to you!  Here is a link to the bundle if you are interested OR here is a link to the first challenge from March 2011 that is free!

Here is my #30Lists project for July!

Here are my project supplies if you are interested! (Note: contains affiliate links!)

Project Life Favourite Things Core Pack Project Life Chevron 6" x 8" Binder Project Life Inserts - Design 4 EK Success Flourish Punch Washi + Decorations Adhesive

I chose one grid card and one designed cards for each day of the challenge, plus I found one more card to use my punch on to decorate with. I have so many cards, that I was glad to be using up some stash!

With some washi, adhesive and some bits of this and that, I have my first two days ready to go. Using one card for each day with the prompt and then the other card to record my list for that day. My plan is to get all the 30 days completed this weekend, so all I have to do for each of the 30 days is write in my list! 

A great way to use up some extra Project Life stash and a nice way to journal with lists!

Anyone want to join me? Post your links below and I would love to follow along! I will be posting on my Instagram thoughout the #30Days under this hashtag! Follow along!

[misspersnicks]

Weekend Web Wanderlust

This weekend, we have a baseball tournament for the boy and are hosting a 7 girls sleepover birthday party for the girl. Yes, I am buying wine this evening so that we make it through....

To keep you occupied this weekend - here are some of my favourite links this week!

9 Easy Spice Blends - awesome infographic from Women's Health to make delicious spice blends

Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese - yum - yes please! 

25 ideas to Decorate your Walls from A Beautiful Mess

12 Simple but AWESOME Ikea DIY Hacks - love the rope mirror - very nautical

6 Sauces everyone should know how to make - homemade sriracha? YES!

12 unique lemonade recipes - amazing infographic below from Pottery Barn!

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Have a great weekend everyone!

[misspersnicks]

Free Planner Printables & Promo Code

Planner printables are all over the place these days, so I decided to launch a new line of them in the shop! 4 new sets were made available over the weekend and I plan to add one new set per week!

They are weekly sets for the Erin Condren LifePlanner and Happy Planner by Mambi - but can fit in any planner easily! Head to my Etsy store here!

I have a SALE on now - Buy any one planner printable and get the rest for 50% off - use promo code PLANNER50 to save today!

Here are some links to FREE planner printables you can download right now!

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New Product Launch & FREE PLANNER PRINTABLES

I am excited to launch some new products into my Etsy store! Decorative planner printables for both the Erin Condren Planner and the Happy Planner from Mambi. 

With the launch I am offering Buy One planner printable and get all other printables 50% off! Use promo code PLANNER50 this week to save!

Check out these great FREE printables from the blog - click images below!

[misspersnicks]

DIY Tropical Soothing Bath Soak

Okay, to start off with - I am not typically a bath kinda girl. Never have been... That being said, I don't mind indulging in a little self-care and relaxation. 

Being lucky enough to live near the beach and have decent temperatures on Vancouver Island (not tropical by any means), we had our share of water, sand and surf. While our temperatures are warming up, I could still use a quick trip to somewhere warm & sandy.

Seeing as that is not likely to happen anytime soon, I will transport myself there with a tropical, soothing bath soak instead :)

Here is the recipe!

DIY Soothing Tropical Bath Soak

Makes 5 cups - use one cup per bath :)

1 cup epsom salts

1 cup sea salt

1 cup coconut milk powder

1 cup ground whole oats - buy regular oats and grind them in your blender or coffee grinder

1 cup baking soda

zest from 3 limes - was about 2 tablespoons

50-60 drops of essential oil - I used a combination of coconut, mango and grapefruit

I chose not to go the traditional aromatherapy route, but if you want more of a "spa" type scent, simply use the same recipe and substitute one of these blends below with a top note (mine was grapefruit), a middle note (mine was mango) and a base note (mine was coconut).

Your blend should be 30% top note, 50% middle note and 20% base note. Here is a great infographic from the folks at Well.ca to help you choose your own soothing bath soak scent. Note - they are a great place to get essential oils at super reasonable prices!

The directions for the bath soak is pretty simple:

Get all your ingredients together.

Mix them up :)

Store in an air-tight container to maintain the scent.

Use 1 cup for each bath - I fill my bath 2/3 of the way and this makes it perfect!

I grabbed some cute bottles from the Dollar Store to fancy up the packaging - make sure you use a funnel (also Dollar Store) or you will end up with a MESS!

Voila - all packaged up and ready to share (or keep for yourself!).

Makes an excellent and unique hostess gift. Think about all the summer parties you will go to this season. Wouldn't this be a more fun idea than the obligatory bottle of wine? I am sure after cleaning up, the hostess would be thanking you!

Heading to a girls night out? Surprise them each with a small container or simple plastic baggies - one cup = one soothing tropical bath!  

Enjoy :)

[misspersnicks]

DIY Bling Ribbon Embellished Paper Clips

Who doesn't like a little bling in their life? I LOVE IT! 

With all the Pocket Letters I am working on lately, the need to find cute handmade embellishments had lead me to this quick and easy DIY. These cute little paperclips are easy to whip up in 30 mins and make a great add on to journals or for use as bookmarks!

Here is the very simple supply list - I made 24 of them.

Supplies:

24 x 2" paper clips

6 x 1.2m (4 feet) of 9.5mm (.375 inch) ribbon - this is a total of 7.2 metres or 24 feet if you are only doing one colour - I chose 6 different shades to create 4 clips of each colour

7.2 meters (24 feet) of contrasting BLING ribbon - I used a black ribbon with small thin rhinestones on it

One jewel of your choice per clip

Hot glue gun

Directions:

Cut the ribbons into 5" or so pieces. Each clip will have 2 coloured ribbons and one piece of the bling ribbon each. So you will have 24 pieces of bling ribbon and 8 of each of your 6 coloured ribbons. Feel free to mix and match them to make your own combinations!

Next take one set of ribbons - two coloured, one bling, one paper clip and one jewel. 

Make a slip knot through the larger of the two looped ends of the paper clip - thinking about how the paper clip will slide onto a page and making sure that the slip knot is on the other end.

Tighten the slip knot until you are happy with the look.

One dot of hot glue will keep the knot closed and also adhere the jewel.

Simple photo instructions follow!

What's your favourite little DIY goody? Share it below!

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(via 21 Creative Breakfast Toasts That are Boosting Your Energy Levels - AllDayChic)

[misspersnicks]

Weekend Web Wanderlust

The weekend is here... cocktail and sunshine anyone? With lots of kiddo sports lined up - I will be on a bit of tech break - forced... not by choice ;) To keep you busy - here are some of the things I loved online this week!

15 Frozen Treats from Food 52 - am I the only one who is intrigued by Sweet Corn & Black Pepper Icecream? Roasted strawberry milkshake? YES PLEASE!

Make a Summer Outdoor Room from Tatertots & Jello - getting some serious yard envy right now - we do have an overhanging deck - so this project is being added to the future projects list!

Felt Succulent Window Box DIY from the fab ladies at A Beautiful Mess - but seriously.... do they ever have a post I don't LOVE? Nope. 

13 Life Changing Events that Happened After I started a Blog from Chrystie at Living For Naptime - if you are a new or new-ish blogger this will give you heaps of inspiration!

15 Times Cross-Stitch Was Actually Incredibly Cool from Apartment Therapy - the washi tape artwork is super cute!

And a few links from around here at Miss Persnickety...

My May Wrap Up - catch all the posts from last month in one stop!

CONTEST ALERT - giving away 3 set of my new Digital Art Journal/Scrapbooking Kits and a promo code for my

New FREE printable for Happy Planner or Erin Condren LifePlanners - lots more printables here

That is it folks! Have a great weekend!

[misspersnicks]

Weekend Link Wanderlust

The weekend is here... cocktail and sunshine anyone? With lots of kiddo sports lined up - I will be on a bit of tech break - forced... not by choice ;) To keep you busy - here are some of the things I loved online this week!

15 Frozen Treats from Food 52 - am I the only one who is intrigued by Sweet Corn & Black Pepper Icecream? Roasted strawberry milkshake? YES PLEASE!

Make a Summer Outdoor Room from Tatertots & Jello - getting some serious yard envy right now - we do have an overhanging deck - so this project is being added to the future projects list!

Felt Succulent Window Box DIY from the fab ladies at A Beautiful Mess - but seriously.... do they ever have a post I don't LOVE? Nope. 

13 Life Changing Events that Happened After I started a Blog from Chrystie at Living For Naptime - if you are a new or new-ish blogger this will give you heaps of inspiration!

15 Times Cross-Stitch Was Actually Incredibly Cool from Apartment Therapy - the washi tape artwork is super cute!

And a few links from around here at Miss Persnickety...

My May Wrap Up - catch all the posts from last month in one stop!

CONTEST ALERT - giving away 3 set of my new Digital Art Journal/Scrapbooking Kits and a promo code for my

New FREE printable for Happy Planner or Erin Condren LifePlanners - lots more printables here

That is it folks! Have a great weekend!

[misspersnicks]

Hand Painted Tote Bags

With my new art area all set up - getting creative on the weekend is easy. On my last few trips to Michael's I have used my handy-dandy 50% off coupon to grab 3-packs of tote bags with the plan to decorate then with some new techniques I have been working on in my art journal and sketchbooks. Thought that they would make great little gifts here and there and would be easy to send to my family in Ontario! See more on the blog - http://www.misspersnickety.ca/blog/2016/5/29/handpainted-tote-bags

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In my ongoing efforts to be more creative and take some "me" time, I invested in a few more of the fabulous classes offered by Alisa Burke online. So far - I have taken 4 of her classes and really enjoy her teaching method! The most recent class I took was her Sketchbook Delight class. See more on the blog - http://www.misspersnickety.ca/blog/2016/5/31/more-online-art-classes-sketchbook-delight

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Contest Time - New Etsy Store Launch COUPON and GIVEAWAY

Well, it's official, I have launched my Etsy Store and I am having so much fun creating products for it! SO EXCITED in fact, that I am announcing two things!

ALL purchases until June 17th at 25% OFF with $5 minimum purchase! Use promo code Persnickety25 until June 17th here in the store! 

We are doing a GIVEAWAY!!! 3 sets of my new digital scrapbooking product - the Grunge Mixed Media - Art Journal / Scrapbooking Kit!

Enter below!

I will be giving away 3 sets of the kit to the readers with the 3 highest points! Contest ends on Friday, June 17th! Some entries are available daily, so make sure you keep entering!

Thanks for reading and good luck! Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway