Random Items from Amazon that I use Everyday

There are the items on Amazon that you already know you need, like blenders and printer ink, and then there are the ones you never knew you needed. I rounded up my favorite purchases that I use regularly and at this point feel like I couldn't live without!

If you know me, you know how much I love our magnetic screen door. We bought it as a temporary solution for our Halloween party two years ago so that we could leave the door open and let people easily go in and out, without letting a bunch of bugs in. I expected it to fall down after one night but its still in great shape and I love nice days when I can leave the door open and let the breeze in! It's wonderful. Maybe my favorite Amazon purchase ever.

For you Apple pencil users, this desktop charger/pencil stand is awesome. The charge lasts longer and it holds the cap so you won't lose it. I'd also recommend  a magnetic sleeve grip. 

Not only is this little desktop vacuum cleaner adorable, it works great for cleaning up small messes. If you're like me and you pretty much ALWAYS have pencil shavings, glitter, or little bits of stuffing scattered everywhere.. you need it.

If you take product photography for small items this portable light box is a must. It has an LED strip included so you just plug it in and you're set, no additional lights needed. I use it for my pin pictures and it works great. Also, if you need a tripod to record time lapse videos of your work from above, this is a good one. It clips to the side of your desk and can hold phones or small tablets.

I'm obsessed with this fisheye lens the clips over your phone camera. It also has a macro lens underneath. So fun!

Okay this is a little yuck but I'll tell you anyways. There are a TON of stray cats in our neighborhood (like 25+, no joke) and sometimes fleas sneak in our house through little holes around our kitchen sink plumbing.  We had an exterminator come out and that didn't help, nothing worked until we bought this flea trap from Amazon. It's a simple idea and you could DIY something similar, basically it's just a warm light and a sticky pad. Once we started using it and if we use it on a regular basis, we don't see any fleas at all. 

I've been using this purse everyday since 2015. I actually didn't realize it had been that long until I looked at my purchase history.. but dang, it's held up really well.

The Trtl neck support is a good alternative to regular travel pillows. It wraps around your neck like a scarf and supports your head to the front or side. You can cozy it up around your face which is nice because I don't want anyone to see if my mouth falls open while I'm asleep. Haha.

Those are my faves! And mostly all less than $30. Do you have any random Amazon purchases that you love?

My Studio: Inspiration

Studio McGee

I'm in the process of a much needed studio overhaul! It's exhausting because I have SO MUCH STUFF, and I'm somewhat of a hoarder when it comes to craft supplies, but I know that it will be 100% worth it in the end.

I'm so in love with the image above. White and bright with the gold pendants being the focal point of the room.

Ikea 

I also really love this natural wood with pops of black and white studio, so much so that I made the 3 1/2 hour trek to Ikea a few weekends ago to buy this Tarva storage system. 

Jelanie Shop, Apartment Therapy

My dad gave me a long table that is sturdy but not super nice, so it's perfect to use as my cutting table. The only problem is that I need it to be taller, so we're trying to think of solutions to add some height without having to buy a whole new table. I think the decorative cinder blocks or some sort of pallet construction would both look pretty great!

Left to right: Elsie Larson, Domino, SFgirlbybay, les petites emplettes

Something about white rooms with fun colors on the window trim really speaks to me. You get to have the bright white room, as well as a whimsical color pop without being too distracting. I'm definitely going to implement this in my studio, probably in the form of a muted mint. :)

In honor of full disclosure, I'll give you a little peek at my current mess of a studio.. (insert monkey covering his eyes emoji here!)

My husband Danny is the biggest supporter of my business, and he's always trying to help me come up with ways to be more organized and streamline my processes. He's making a giant 4x4 chalkboard for me so that I can write down my orders and kick my daily to-do's in the butt! I'll post more about it when it's all finished :)

Studio to-do list

• Clean, clean, clean!
• Raise table, buy barstools
• Paint window trim
• Organize shelves
• Make huge chalkboard
• Hang pendants

DIY Donut Wall Stencils

Most of the time I'm a ridiculous project planner and I think every project to death before I actually start on it. But I knew I wanted to do something fun with this wall, so it didn't take me long to decide that the kitchen would be the perfect place for some donut stencils!

I made two separate donut designs, one with a bite out of it and one without, then used an exacto knife to cut them out of a thick, glossy piece of poster board - the glossiness will help it hold it's shape against all of the handling and tracing. First I started with a bottom row of evenly spaced out donuts and I used chalk to measure and mark my next few rows. 

You'll need 4 or 5 paint pens to finish an entire wall this size. It may seem crazy to use paint pens for stenciling a wall, but I actually think it's less stressful than using a stencil with paint and worrying about the paint bleeding underneath and ruining your shape! It's a little time consuming but the end result makes it totally worth it. I know my lines aren't perfectly straight, and there's definitely a prettyyy obvious mistake around the doorway, but after staring at donuts for hours I'm surprised it came out looking as straight as it did! :)