Pretty Paper Please

I was going through pictures on my phone over the weekend and realized I have done quite a few custom banners this summer for birthday parties, baby showers, engagement parties and so on.  They are such a fun and inexpensive way to create a personalized focal point at any event.

{"Chiefs Treats" was used at a fire chief's retirement party}

{One of the first banners I ever made.  Still one of my favorites}

{A preview of banner for a beach themed engagement party.}

{I loved this simple request for a birthday banner.  Not pictured is an add on of pennants with multi-color ice cream cones.}

{This cute cake topper is perfect of the ice-cream lover and mimicked the ice-cream that attached to the banner above}

(This mini banner hung on the high chair while a cute little girl enjoyed her first birthday cake}

Do you have a party coming up that needs a little something special?  Email me at julianne@juliannekelly.com, and I would be happy to create something unique for you. 

In efforts of "Keeping it Real Mondays" I thought I would share how much my sweet puppy loves paper.  Either she was mad at us for leaving her all day, or she really doesn't like Ballard Designs...

Thankful, Grateful and Honest

{Via Lara Casey ; if you haven't read her blog, you should}

Well this weekend was crazy to say the least.  It all began on Thursday when Michael came home from work.  I was grumpy, frustrated and in an awful mood.  My mind was filled with fear, doubt and uncertainty.  A few thoughts I had were...

"What if no one likes our booth?  It is SO different than the others"

"What if we don't sell anything?  All of this time and money will be wasted" 

"I am not equipped to run the finances of this business;  all of these legal documents with my name make me a little nervous."

If you didn't notice, the common themes of my worrying stemmed from approval of others and finances.  The start of our booth was kind of on a whim, and this was the first time I really thought about failure.  What if I fail?  I soon realized that I was tying to do everything on my own, instead of relying on God and trusting in his goodness. 

That night I begged the Lord to remove my fears, and give me clear direction.  I desperately needed Him to let me know that I was in the right place.  Now I smile and laugh at how clear and direct God can be.  Friday morning my Etsy shop blew up.  I had over 20 glasses ordered in 2 days, and not to mention another 12 ordered yesterday.  The booth had HUGE sales over the weekend, and the table that I refinished sold.  While we were restocking the booth on Sunday we received tons of complements, and several inquiries for interior design consulting and furniture painting.  The cherry on top was that we will be getting a RETURN on our taxes!!!  I think God made it pretty clear that I am right where I need to be.  When doubts and fears begin to creep in (because in all honesty, they will) this will be a time that I remember.  

God is faithful, and I am so grateful and thankful that I get to do what I love everyday.  

With all that being said, our booth has a new set-up since so many things sold.  Here is a look at the space...   

{Bailey is excited about all of the new accessories}

{This old workbench would make an amazing kitchen island}

Ready, Set, Random

Where has time gone? Is Thanksgiving really next week? I apologize for my lack of posts, but life has been a little bit crazy.  A little bit of good crazy and a little bit of bad crazy.

This is going to be random, but here is a little update on life via my iPhone pictures...

My little Etsy venture has been going well & I made my first sale over a month ago (along with many others since then).  If you are looking for a great christmas gift, or the perfect hostess gift for all those holiday parties head over to J.KellyEvents. 

{Adding some fun fabric to the back and then it will be posted on the etsy site}

We have some new lighting additions in the house.  The Ikea Ottava Pendant has been sitting on our living room floor for about three months and it is now hanging above the sink.  At the amazing price of $29.99 we could not pass it up & it really adds a nice design element to the kitchen.  It has a little bit of a restoration hardware feel.  I am considering putting an eddison bulb in it, but have not gotten around to it yet.

We found this amazing lantern from an antique store just down the road.  Just a little bit of rewiring and it will be good as new.

For a dose of cuteness this little pup is growing wayyyy to fast.  I swore I would never let my dogs get  in bed with me, but she is just the best little snuggle pup.  

{She takes over Michael's side of the bed when he gets up}

We've had some beautiful weather, and it was absolutely perfect for the Blue Angels show a few weeks back.

We had our first fire and Bailey was thoroughly amused.  She sat and stared the entire night, and only tried to walk into it a few times once.         

We are still getting things put away around here, but I am loving our "new to us" oriental rug.  The round room has proven challenging in finding the perfect furniture layout.  I like everything to be squared and in a round room that is a little difficult.  I am planning on selling the flax colored sofa and replacing it with two chairs and an ottoman.  

We have also been extremely busy in the yard.  The guys that pick up our yard trash must think we have a forest in the back yard because this is about the 5th massive pile that we have left them.  We are hoping to do some planting this weekend.  Yay for new bushes and flowers! 

{Bailey is a lover of leaves and sticks, so she was in heaven}

I Hope I did not loose too many of you in that random post!  Happy Tuesday!