My Cafe

I want my cafe menu to be simple but different instead of way too over the top where no one knows what to order. I want to have classic sandwiches with a twist or something different. I want to try different soups like home-style vegetable, parsnip & carrot, or loaded baked potato (made it in class and oh my it's delicious). I want to make in house pastries and desserts more than just the special cupcake or cookie (which nothing is wrong with that) but also seasonal cakes (pumpkin pound cake comes to mind) or tarts, muffins, rolls and turnovers. I want people to add shots of flavor to any drink and make it their own. Art and community are going to be an important part of the cafe. I can't wait until I can start getting real head way on this place!

-Amber

Vintage Finds: 8/20/11

I went to go shopping with my Mom this Saturday plus go visit the Grandparents. Coming down I saw all the yard sale signs and so wanted to stop but decided to stick to my destination. Well it just so happened some neighbors/fellow church goers were having a garage sale and oh the wonderful things they had in that garage. Here are are some of the goodies I got all for under $5 :)

These adorable mugs were .50 cents each

 

This awesome mushroom art for $2

 This turquoise skirt .50 cents

 This pastel aqua skirt .50 cents

And this awesome purple dress .50 cents.

Sorry for the crappy webcam pictures for the clothing but my camera stand doesn't have the bolt that holds the camera in it. I've been meaning to replace it but keep forgetting.

How was everyone's weekend?

-Amber

Winners of the Craft'n Bettie Giveaway!!

I'm excited to announce the winners of the Craft'n Bettie giveaway :)

I used Random.org to pick a random number (1-12) and counted the comments starting from the top. I'll be sending out messages to let the winners know. I wanted to say thanks for everyone who participated! This was really fun and I have a feeling I might do another one soon :)

-Amber

Last Day of the Giveaway!!

Today is the last day to enter the Craft'n Bettie Giveaway!! I know a few people that want to enter but don't have a way to follow the blog through Google so I created a page for The Owl's Den on Facebook so like it, then leave a comment on the giveaway post with a way to contact you if you win. This doesn't get you extra points if you follow both so pick one to enter then tweet or share on facebook/your blog for extra chances to win!

Good luck!! I'll post the winners on Monday :)

p.s: when you leave a comment on the post where it says 'profile' select name/url if you don't have any other way then post. You don't have to have url as long as it's your name :)
-Amber

Craft'n Bettie Giveaway!!

New items are going up on Etsy and as a celebration I'm giving away two, yes two pieces of jewelry!!!

The first piece up for grabs is the Lost and Found Necklace. The antique brass chain is 9 inches long and is made up of handmade feather charm, silver key charm with a brass locket. This item isn't in the etsy store and is one of a kind.

The next item up is a pair of Pistol Earrings in Moss Green. If you'd like a pair in purple feel free to check out the etsy store but so far this is the only pair in this color :)

It's really easy to enter all you have to do is subscribe to The Owl's Den blog and then go to Craft'n Bettie and tell me what your favorite item is or tell me about your favorite etsy store. Leave a comment and don't forget to leave a way to contact you!

Extra brownie points! (don't forget to leave in separate comments)

- Tweeting about the give-away with:

Win custom made jewelry from Craft'n Bettie to celebrate new items in the shop @amberupbeat http://theowlsden.blogspot.com

...or...

-Post about the giveaway on facebook, tumblr or your own blog!

This will be going on until Sunday and I'll announce the winners soon after. Good luck and check out the new items on Craft'n Bettie!

-Amber

D.I.Y | Chalkboard Necklace Hook

This DIY was inspired by Project Organize and I thought of the idea due to left overs from past projects . If you don't happen to have left overs it's a real easy project to supply and you can customize it to any size. 

What you'll need:

• Chalk paint (check acrylic paints in craft section)
• Long piece of wood (mine was 17 1/2" wide and 3/4" deep)
• Photo hangers
• Knobs
• Screw driver or Electric drill
• Screws or washers (depending on the type of knobs)
• Hammer
• Nails
• Sharpie and Pencil
• Ruler/Level
• Chalk

On the back side of the board draw a line in the middle of the board.

Take your knobs and figure how you want to place them. Mark where they will go on the board.

On the front side of the board paint on chalkboard paint and let dry.

If you have an electric drill feel free to drill holes in the marked areas. Because my knobs were extras I have to buy screws so I measured the depth of the board then gave a little leftover so it would go into the wooden knobs. Use the screws if you don't have a drill for the holes.

We're not done yet!

Take the photo hangers and use a ruler/leveler to make sure they're level with each other before nailing them in the back. 

Take ruler/level and mark (with pencil) where the nails will go to hang board. This helps make sure it hangs level and it marks where we put the photo hangers on the board.

Draw on it with chalk and then hang your necklaces on your new necklace hook. Hint: wet the chalk with a paper towel for smooth writing.

Now you have a fun way to hang and display your necklaces! You can also use this for hanging coats, belts, or even purchases. Hope you enjoyed this project.

-Amber

Vintage Finds: 8/6/11

I went  back to the same antique show that I had previously went to with my friend Desiree a few months ago. I was suppose to go with her again but just drive separately so Dustin could bring the truck. Everything worked out fine except for the fact I was thinking we were going Saturday instead of Sunday. I got mixed up but I found some good stuff. Take a peek at some of the goodies:

Antique dresser $120

We need to replace the wood in the drawers and buy new knobs but it's solid oak and beautiful!

Real agate pieces $8

Roman Empire Coins 200-300 AD (Dustin picked these up) $5

Vintage Owl Pin/Charm $10

Pyrex colored mixing bowls $35 for set

The show is open all weekend but it rained really bad Friday so there wasn't as many vendors out in the lot areas. They tend to have the cheaper stuff so I didn't get as much as I wanted. Also I didn't see the Pyrex lady's booth so no decorative Pyrex or Star Wars tumblers. I'm glad I found some great vintage items but so glad to be out of the humidity. Hope everyone has an eventful weekend!

-Amber

Check out my interview!

The lovely Bree at The Art of Being Cool did an interview about my thriftiness on her awesome blog. Go check out the post and her blog as well.

-Amber

D.I.Y | Trial and Tribulations of a Cat Planter

 Sometimes the simple projects you have planned don't turn out right. For example this cat planter I was going use to store my pens and pencils in. 

As cute as the cat was it was fading in little places with minor scratches

 

So the first time I did a light spay to cover the black and hours later did another. I was thinking it looked pretty good until... 

It started drying in these little wiggle lines. After it dried I took sandpaper hoping it'd help but it was a high grit so it didn't feather out like I wanted too. When  I went to respray it started doing the same thing again.

I'm not going to toss the project but this means I have to buy some smaller grit sandpaper and new spray paint or suck it up and do it in a white matte finish. I hate when this happens but sometimes projects fail :(

-Amber

Check in for a post tonight!

I'm going to be doing an In the Kitchen post with one of my favorite and easiest dishes to make :) Plus it's not expensive at all!

On a side note..how is everyone doing today? I'm good just taking it easy from a busy night and about to make some jewelry for Craft'n Bettie :) Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday.

-Amber