|| I n s p i r i n g . H u e s || Mixture of Fall and Winter

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching and the winter holidays arriving just soon after, I was looking for a color pallete for my home that I could easily merge for both fall and winter festivities.  We all know with fall comes neutral colors and often bold colors (think red, orange, and navy).  I am wanting a very natural look for Christmas this year and decided on these colors to decorate our first tree in our new home.  With the Fall Meadow color, think a slightly shimmery gold color rather than yellow.

 

Color pallete by Elizabeth of Lima Green Designs

Image via: Pinterest

Color patches: Valspar 

|| L o c a l . I s . T h e . N e w . B l a c k || October Meet + Make

 

October Meet + Make with Sarah Hearts

 

A wonderful experience of crafting with fabulous ladies, chatting with an amazing host, and leaving with a drool worthy door mat has left me excited for what is to come next for Sarah Hearts and her wonderful Meet + Make events at West Elm Orlando.

 

Sarah hosted one of her best Meet + Make events to date.   With over 50 attendees equally excited, there was chatter in all corners, paint was being applied in beautiful patterns on door mats, spiked cider and lovely desserts were being passed around, and the beautiful products of West Elm that surrounded us made it a fabulous evening.   

 

I love attending Sarah's events not just for the crafting aspect, but meeting amazing people in the Orlando area.  If you are new to Orlando this is a wonderful way to meet others, make connections, and have fun while crafting.  All you simply have to do is purchase your ticket, show up, all the supplies are there for you ready to go, and all you have to do is be a little creative and have a blast! 

As Meet + Make is coming to an end, you are then handed an amazing swag bag that you see pictured at the beginning of this blog post.  Inside this swag bag you have sponsors (some that are even local) that have sprinkled and donated some of their handmade products.  Talk about being exposed to supporting locals, small businesses, and items made in the US!  Sarah gave me the wonderful opportunity to be a sponsor myself at this Meet + Make.  Here is a detailed view into my swag bag:

1. Pen and Paper Flowers: PNP Flowers provided an adorable polka dotted key chain that stated "Her dreams give her goosebumps".  A constant reminder to dream big!  I had the opportunity to meet Jessica (the gal behind PNP Flowers) at a previous Meet + Make and she was a wonderful individual to get to know and craft with!

2. Modernly Mae:  These flowers made out of felt and placed on wire stems are adorable! I currently have them on my fireplace mantle for fall.  I plan to order more to add to my vase because they are simply too fun not to have more!

3. Bright Light Paper: I can't get over these adorable fall cards!  Not only are they perfect to spread fall cheer, but they are hand drawn and painted by watercolor.  Time to send someone some snail mail!  Added bonus? Elizabeth (another one) was in attendance.  I got to meet this local with a wonderful business that also sponsored the Meet + Make.  How can you go wrong with two Elizabeth's at one event?

4. Thatch and Thistle: I. Can't. Get. Over. This. Company!!  Thatch and Thistle provided these geo triangle kraft stickers.  Their online shop offers supplies for beautiful packaging, wrapping, gift giving, and for your unique party supply needs.  I have a slight addiction to their products.

5. The Bannerie:  Oh my, oh my, oh my! How I LOVE this gold, glittery 'Fall Y'all' banner!  It is the perfect addition for my fall décor.  I already have an ongoing list of additional gold and glittery banners I need in my life for upcoming events.  Check this shop out!

6.  Sarah Hearts: Sarah provided these adorable stickers in the swag bag, but more importantly allowed this amazing event to happen!  Her blog is full of inspiration for many facets of your life, many DIY projects, and even designs a monthly wallpaper for your computer and phone!

7. Lima Green Designs: I was thrilled to sponsor another Meet + Make event.  These are my fall themed mini clothespins that are perfect for attaching tags to gifts, hanging pictures on twine, or even keeping your napkins closed at your holiday feast. 

Sarah, thank you for another great event at West Elm.  I am looking forward to another great event in December!

 

 

Now is your opportunity to join in on the fun!  There is probably already a waiting list, but get on it!  Sarah opened the sale of her tickets for her next

Meet + Make in December today.   Jump on this opportunity!

 

|| L o c a l . I s . T h e . N e w . B l a c k || Thanksgiving Invitations

 

Thanksgiving Invitations

 

 This Thanksgiving will be our first holiday in our new home.  I am slightly excited to say the least!  What better way to share our first holiday than bringing both sides of our families together.  To kick off the Thanksgiving preparation, I turned to a few vendors with amazing handmade and original products to create a unique invitation to send out to our families.

 

I enjoyed putting this invitation together so much that I wanted to share my findings with you.  It isn't too late to get yours out!  These invitations aren't just for Thanksgiving with family, but you can also create them for a unique Friendsgiving with friends that you call your family.

 



I found our invitations searching through Etsy.  Aren't familiar?  One click and you will be in handmade, custom, and unique gifting heaven. 

 

After much debate, I picked this invitation by Sweet Bee Design.  Tori was amazing to work with and offers so much more than holiday cards/invitations.  After purchasing the digital file, emailing her my custom information, I had my proof back in less than 24 hours.  Within a day of purchasing my file, I was already at Staples printing my custom invitations.

 

You can also find Sweet Bee Design on Facebook.

 

 

After printing the custom invitations, it was then time for my favorite part: decorating, I mean addressing,  the envelopes.  Being new homeowners I was thrilled to purchase an address stamp that will take us through the next couple of years of sending handwritten mail.  Yes, there is still such a thing in my household.

 

This beautiful, handcrafted stamp came all the way from Hawaii.  I also found this address stamp through Etsy by an amazing shop called foryoo.  This shop will also send you a proof of the stamp, and once confirmed, your custom stamp is created and shipped to you.  Coming from Hawaii it can take up to two weeks to receive. 

 

Foryoo is also on Facebook.

 

 

 

Addressing the envelopes to our loved ones was a thrill to write!  I wanted something eye catching, unique, and creative so that it made our family members smile when they received the invitation in the mail.  Need more ideas past this one?  Pinterest has boards dedicated to addressing envelopes in unique ways or simply tap into your creative side.

 

 

 

My final touch was a postage stamp with some fall flair.  I loved these stamps that I got at my local post office.  You can also get them online.  If you want even more options for fall stamps, you can check out the unique postage stamps available on Zazzle.

 

By creating custom invitations, it creates a unique twist on throwing a party, a get together, a celebration, and special announcements.  This is something you can also do with the upcoming Christmas and New Year season! 

|| D o . I t. Y o u r s e l f || Halloween Costume

 

 

I recently had the best time this past week with my family coming to Orlando to enjoy Disney for a few days.  What I wasn't prepared for was Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom.  This involved trick-or-treating among your favorite Disney characters and my little brother (21 years between us) begging me to dress up with him.

 

That is when I threw together a quick, last minute Halloween costume that can also be inexpensive if you already have some of these basic items! I went with a black cat simply because I already had a lot of black clothing!

 

Here is what you will need:

 

 

1. Grab a pair of black gym shorts if you aren't comfortable wearing only leggings.

2. I found cat ears at Target for about $5.  Although these are not the ones I wore (they aren't available online), these are adorable also.

3. and 7. You will need two spools of black tulle and black ribbon (if you want it to blend) to make your tulle skirt.  Here is an awesome tutorial that I used to make my skirt by The Hair Bow Company Blog : DIY Tulle Skirt .  **Tip: I cut my tulle in 24 inch strips to make the shorter tutu.

4.  Black Leggings: You may already have some but if not I bought mine at Target .  (Can you tell I love Target!?)

5.  I did not paint a cutesy black nose and whiskers on my face this night due to water rides, but I did find this make-up paint in the dollar section at target for future use. 

6.  Lastly, grab a black shirt, tank top, or long sleeved shirt to complete the look.  I found my tank top in my closet.  I also loved the look of this V-neck tee.  Keep it simple!

 

 

 

 I hope this helps for a last minute costume!

Happy Haunting!

 

 

 

 



|| E t s y. S h o p || Happy Haunting Card

Happy Haunting from Lima Green Designs!

 

With Halloween right around the corner, why not spread a little haunting cheer to friends and family?

These festive cards have eye catching tissue on the front in the vibrant hues of orange, black, and purple with a hint of sparkle that can also be fluffed for a wonderful 3D effect.  Make a co-worker's, a friend's, or a family member's day by dropping off a festive Halloween card wishing them a happy fall season or a Happy Halloween! 

 

 

Each card has a blank inside for you to add your own personal message and comes with a kraft envelope.

 

Happy Haunting!

 

Shop here {Lima Green Designs}

 

 

 



|| L o c a l. I s. T h e. N e w. B l a c k || West Elm

I discovered West Elm a few years ago and quickly swooned over their eclectic mix of home décor and furniture that made them unique for households everywhere.  It has become a staple for my home and my number one go to place for my household needs. 

Being an artisan and an individual that loves to support locals, I was thrilled when I found out that West Elm supports artisans and even hosts events for local artisans to mix and mingle. 

I discovered this upon moving to Orlando, FL and wanting to get out and meet people.  A fabulous blogger, Sarah Hearts, posted on social media about hosting a Meet & Make at the local West Elm here in Orlando.  I dove in head first and a month later met 55 other fabulous women and creatives that crafted the night away. 

Image Via: Sarah Hearts Blog

You can check out my first event here that Sarah hosted: December 2013 Meet + Make

 

 

 

You might say that combining Sarah Hearts, West Elm, artisans gathering socially, and creating a treasure to take home, made me come back again and again.  And that is exactly what I did.  Just take a look thanks to Sarah Hearts!

 

 

Image Via: Sarah Hearts Blog
You can find me in the pink shirt!

 

February 2014 Meet + Make: Valentine's Edition

 

June 2014 Meet + Make: Summer Edition  -- This event was extra special!  Lima Green Designs was one of the sponsors in the swag bag by providing a sunglasses case for each attendee. What a wonderful experience!



This Thursday will be another fabulous Meet + Make hosted by Sarah Hearts.  Lima Green Designs will be sponsoring again while mixing and mingling with fellow crafters. 

West Elm is a wonderful company that offers many opportunities to local businesses!  Lima Green Designs will be a part of a Holiday Shop this coming December (more on that soon) and West Elm Orlando LOVES local makers if you couldn't already tell.

They will soon be announcing the winner of a $25,000 grant offered to a small local business.  West Elm wants to see local businesses grow from the ground up! 

If you have not attended an event at your nearby West Elm, it is time to check their calendar and start supporting, start getting involved!  They are all unique and wonderful experiences that West Elm offers to locals.  Time to start creating, meeting, and making!

|| L o v e l y. H a n d m a d e. A b o d e || Front Door Makeover

 

 

 Every person that runs, walks, or drives by our home gets a front seat view of our front door.  Each visitor that we enjoy the company of walks through our front door.  I walk through my front door on a daily basis. Hmm, maybe the front door is the heart of the home rather than the kitchen.  It is what welcomes every gal and gent into our lovely handmade abode.

 

I was itching to change something to the front of our home within just a few hours and that is when I decided to paint the front door.  Buying a new door is not an option at this time due to the original stain glass window that gives our home so much character (and the price of the door I am in love with stops me in my tracks)!  A lot of people kept telling me that they love the red on the door.  Is it a bad choice of color for a door?  No, not at all!  Is it the color/style my husband and I are looking for with our front door? No, not at all!

 

My new project began. See how we transformed the look of our front door in just a few hours!

 

 

 

 

This is what we started with.  Yup, told you it was red, bold red. I looked on Houzz and Pinterest for inspiration,  attached 15 different color samples on the door, and finally picked our color: a shade of teal.

  

 As you can see in this picture from the sander on the ground, I briefly sanded our door.  I was focusing on the areas that showed a little bit of cracking or peeling paint.  I was also prepping the door for the primer. 

 

Out of all of my excitement, I forgot to snap a picture of the sanded door before applying the primer!

 

 

 



 

 

For those who were walking, driving, and running by {what is running? ;) }, I am sure they were hesitant of my color choice at this point.  Although the sanding helped the new color adhere better, the primer was also a wonderful step within this project.  With the door being the original bold red, I needed all the help I could get with painting over it.

 

I also purchased a product to mix in with the primer and the paint color: Floetrol.  I mixed a small amount of the Floetrol into my primer (and eventually my paint color).  This eliminates the brush and roller strokes in the paint.  This means a flawless door!

 

 

 

 

After the primer dried, I was finally onto my next and final step.  Little did I know that it would be 3 coats later until I was done!  After spending 30 minutes of walking back and forth between my front yard and my front door earlier that morning, I finally decided on Classic Teal by Valspar.
 

 

Image Courtesy of Valspar

 

I also mixed the Floetrol into the Valspar Classic Teal paint according to the directions on the bottle.  I am in love with the final result!  Please come visit me!  The color of the door in the images does not show the true and vibrant hue of teal that it truly is.

 

 

We also found this bench on sale of Lowes! Perfect to start our front door/porch area and to throw a couple of my Lima Green Designs pillows on. 

 

 

This one day project was a success and a drastic difference to our front door.  I would love to see some of your front door creations and to take joy in what inspires you. 

Until next time!

Elizabeth