The ladies who run the Cottage are very knowledgeable about all things ceramic, paint options and firing.  It’s a family business and the love for ceramics has been passed down along with the studio.  They offer many Saturday morning classes to help you learn the basics and get your creative juices flowing.

There are so many fun greenware and bisqueware figures and pottery from which to choose!  Items from platters to cake ball stands to garden gnomes to nativity scenes fill their shelves.  And I love that they have pieces that would appeal to boys as well – guitars and cars and sports-themed figures.  They also offer a wide array of paint types and colors to fulfill whatever color combinations you envision.  To top it off, the pieces they sell are so affordable that you can experiment with whatever your heart desires!

I decided to paint “A” and “Z” bookends for my shelves.  I couldn’t decide whether to paint them a bright color or something more sophisticated.  With the help of my creative friend, I decided on a glossy, almost mirror-like black paint.  We took our crafts back to my house to paint that crafty afternoon.  A few days later, I took it back to the studio and the Ceramic Cottage ladies fired it for me in their kiln to the right temperature.

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Here are a few tips that I have picked up along the way….so far (almost 7 months):

-Accessories are adorable on babies!  You have to start early or the child will not want to wear them.  If they have worn headbands and/or hats since they were born then they do not know any different.  But, if at 6 months you decide to try it most likely they will rip it right off.  Since Ellis was born in late October I started him with little beanies.  Of course the hospital has them and I just continued with the fun hats all through the winter.  Now that it’s spring I have moved to the straw fedoras and baseball caps.  Oh my…a baby in a hat is just so cute!  Plus it helps shield their heads from the sun…which is especially helpful when they don’t have much hair like Ellis!

-Another favorite accessory are sunglasses.  Beyond cute and they help protect the eyes which is really important when they are little.  Again you have to start early!!!  Ellis does pretty well with them.  He occasionally decides they are more fun to chew on but for the most part he keeps them on.

-Legwarmers are a great way to keep babies legs warm while keeping it easy to change diapers.  They come in all sorts of patterns and colors that are adorable for both girls and boys.

-Have fun with patterns and colors.  Bust out of the typical baby colors and get bold!  Most retailers have some great colors and patterns going on.  Don’t be afraid to mix and match.  Just like multiple patterns are popular in adult clothes, they are even more fun with baby clothes.  And just because an outfit comes all nicely put together with matching pants, shorts, hat, and shoes doesn’t mean you have to wear them all at the same time…remember to mix and match just like you personally would.  Not many adults would show up matching head to toe (well, except maybe Kim Kardashian) but you get what I mean!

-Layer when possible.  It’s hard to be a fun graphic onesie with a sweater, cardigan, or vest over it.  Super cute and easy.

When it comes to shopping for Ellis I hit up the sales.  Pretty much everything I buy is on sale.  If I see something at a great price I will pick it up for later when he is bigger.  No need to pass up a $5 sweater that will be perfect for next year.  My favorite places to buy clothes are Gap, Target, and H&M (would love to have one here in Tulsa!).  Both run sales all the time and have just adorable outfits.  I mean check out these little Gap babies….

images via GAP

Here are some favorite items available currently…

images via GAP, H&M, Target, & Tea Collection

Smocked Top Chambray One-Piece, Gap;  Hat, H&M; Denim Bubble Short, Target; Elephant Sunrise T, Tea Collection;  Sunglasses, H&M; Chambray Romper, Target;  Straw Fedora Hat, H&M; Ocean Jewel Wrap Romper, Tea Collection;  Boys Romper Neon Yellow, Target

And because I can’t resist a chance to show off my adorable Ellis, here are a few pics of some of the fun little outfits we have put together.

If you have a little cutie you want to show off post a pic on our Facebook page or tag us on Instagram (@prairiehive).  Happy shopping and baby styling!

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This image has filled up my Facebook feed this week, as friends near and far who either currently call our state home – or have in the past – show support for the tornado victims from earlier this week in both Moore and Shawnee, OK.  Many of us know someone who has been affected, in big ways or small.  The outpour of support continues to amaze me, as businesses, media, restaurants and merchants collect donations, money, and volunteer their time to help.

Many organizations are collecting water, sunscreen, gloves and other supplies to help volunteers who sift through the wreckage, but the overwhelming statement is that money is the best donation that can be made, since it can be spent immediately on what is needed, without coordinating logistics.

Here are some easy ways to donate cash:

Red Cross Disaster Relief or text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10.

Salvation Army Disaster Relief or text STORM to 80888 to contribute $10.

Feed the Children or text “Disaster” to 80888 to make a $10 donation.

In addition to these charitable organizations (please feel free to add more links in the comments section!), some of our favorite Okie artisans have created some wonderful goods with 100% of their profits going to tornado relief.  Some that we found have already sold out, raising more than $100,000 so far!

Here are a few more ways to help out, while buying something to show your ongoing support!

Bella Vita Hope for Moore Necklace, $35

Gleeful Peacock, Oklahoma Love, $20

Vintage Pearl, Love for Oklahoma, $48

Rustic Cuff, Oklahoma + Hope (and more designs), $48

Heart is Home, Oklahoma Necklace, Prices Vary

M. Paul Kirby, Oklahoma Wood

Recipe for Crazy, “After the Storm” Printable, $10

Joy’s Hope “Brave” Printable, $5

Shop Good, Moore Tornado Relief Tee, $25

The Okaysee + Terr and Leaf, Together We’ll Be OK Tee, $20 (Currently Sold Out, but check back next week!)

Must Stash + LivyLu, OK Together Tee, $20

Pippin & Pearl, “Dawn” Print, cards and iPhone covers, various prices

And there are so many more!  Feel free to add in the comments!

Shop, donate, and then donate some more!  These families have lost everything and it will take years to rebuild this community.  Take a moment to consider everything you have and do what you can.

The post oklahoma tornado relief appeared first on Prairie Hive.

Image of ‘The Outsiders’ via IMDB

We all love a summer movie night — especially at the drive-in. The best example of how much we REALLY love a good summer movie in Tulsa is the ultimate drive-in flick, “The Outsiders.” Filmed in Tulsa by Francis Ford Coppola in the 1980s, it not only features a bevy of  before-they-were-stars moments, but it was shot at one of Tulsa’s most famous pop culture icons, the Admiral Twin Drive-In.

After a nasty fire a few summers ago, we nearly lost this landmark, but thanks to support from the community, it’s been rebuilt and is back in business.

In fact, to kick off the summer season, the Admiral Twin is showing a classic double-feature this Thursday – “The Outsiders,” and another Coppola classic, “Rumble Fish.” The Admiral Twin seen onscreen at the Admiral Twin. Definitely a must-see this summer!

To celebrate summer and this great film created in our city, I came up with a few inspirations for your summer drive-in experience. Whether you’re feeling a retro-’50s vibe, or you want to experience a memorable date night, the drive-in is definitely where it’s at in Tulsa!

Image via Mod Cloth

Image via J Crew

Image via Nordstrom

Image via Etsy

Image via Gap

Image via BUILT

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We are so thrilled to share that Daniel and Brie’s home from our Spring Issue is in the running for the Apartment Therapy Small Cool 2013 contest!

Vote HERE and help this deserving couple win some great prizes for more home updates, AND get Tulsa a little love on an international stage (and some props to Prairie Hive wouldn’t hurt either!)!

If you haven’t seen the full home tour, check out our Spring issue for more pics and their amazing DIY story!

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It’s time for another giveaway from Ellen Medlock Studio!  This time, the winner will receive:  three 8 piece fat quarter sets, valued at $72, featuring Ellen’s “Natural Graffiti” fabric line.  For all you non-quilters out there,  a fat quarter is an 18”x22” square of fabric that quilter’s often use, but is also great for making fabric crafts.  The fabric pattern is shown below, along with a completed quilt!

In case you missed it, learn more about Ellen Medlock Studio in our Q&A.

To enter, just comment below on what you would make with the fabric squares!

The winner will be selected by random number next Wednesday, May 24.  Good luck!

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We have posted about jewelry storage before, but this time we are taking the show on the road to Tulsa’s Great Day Green Country to share some of our favorite ways to keep our pretty things organized.  I’m definitely an “out of sight, out of mind” person, so for me, keeping things easily accessible and in plain view is the best way to remember what I have and avoid a rut!

I discovered these jewelry display trays a few years ago and am completely sold.  They are inexpensive and you can organize your bigger necklaces by color, season, or whatever makes sense to you.  Best of all, they stack (shown at top) so if you are limited on space you can put two or three on top of each other and save room.  You can purchase these (and tons of other jewelry display/storage items) online at store fixture sites.

For smaller necklaces, a hanging display works best to keep them from getting tangled.  I used a frame with hooks mounted inside and a corkboard backing to add even more necklaces in between.  You can buy these, DIY them, or for an even easier option, use a corkboard and thumbtacks, like  Lisa did here.  Wire mesh in a frame also works well for earrings.  If you have even more space (and more jewelry), check out this entire DOOR used as a necklace display in one of Alayna’s previous posts!

For earrings, I think a good old lazy susan style holder is the best option.  It keeps TONS of earrings in very little space, and keeps them organized and from getting tangled together.  I found this one at Urban Outfitters (who randomly have some of the best/cutest jewelry storage around).  As I mentioned above, wire mesh is also a great option if you have more wall space than counter space available.

For rings, the cute little ring trees are great – if you only have a few skimpy little rings to accommodate.  When you start getting into chunkier pieces, those suckers will tip over with about 3 rings on them.  Ceramic egg trays are the perfect size for those monster cocktail rings, as are ice cube trays if you have an even larger collection.  Ice cube trays (and muffin tins, for that matter!) work great for pairs of earrings as well, so they can pull double duty on your shelf.

Speaking of things you find around the kitchen – a paper towel holder also makes a great bracelet stand.  It doesn’t take up much space and works especially well for those with lots of big chunky bangles.  Just stack them up and you have them all in sight for putting together the perfect outfit.

There are tons of great DIYs out there, as well as new uses for things around the house.  It all depends on what kind of space  you have (wall, drawer, or countertop), how “displayed” you want it to look (very, in my case), and what your budget is.  Let us know what your favorite ways are to contain your baubles!

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“Do More of What Makes You Awesome” wall print, mateoandtobias; University of Texas printed silk tie, Vineyard Vines; Soar bird necklace, BonnyJewelry; Call Your Mother 16×16 pillow, Alexandra Ferguson; Cuff and Sentiment Charms, Lenny & Eva

The post gift guide: graduation appeared first on Prairie Hive.

Image via DesignMom

So we sold our house.  Fast.  Like, it wasn’t even on the market fast.  So all the purging, pre-packing, and organizational type things that most people do before moving just didn’t happen for us.  If you want to read about a picture perfect move, complete with a timeline, checklist and perfectly packed boxes, go here, or here, or even here (this last one is INSANE).  If you want some reality, and some “it happened to me” tips – fresh from the trenches – keep reading.

Partner our frantic house search and move with maybe the busiest month on record for my husband and I, and you already get an extra dose of chaos.  Throw in a lost week of packing thanks to unforeseeable, ridiculously invasive and complicated repairs on the home we were selling – more chaos.  Then top it off with a one year old – you get the point.  Which leads me to my first tip:

Tip #1: Plan for chaos.  While you can’t ever know ahead of time what kind of chaos it may be, I haven’t had a move happen yet without a healthy dose.  After 4 house purchases/sales in my lifetime, here’s what I’ve learned: 1.) it always costs more than you think it will and 2.) it is always a massive pain in the ass.  My advice is to have an extra $3000-5000 saved up to cover it.  ”IT” could be structural repairs, extra closing costs, plumbing leaks, changing mortgage rates, or 4 extra hours from the mover.  Or all of the above.  I speak from experience.  If I’m wrong, then hey, you’ve got an extra $5K to spend on paint and furniture, no harm done, right?  Just be prepared, financially and emotionally.  For the emotional preparedness part, just have lots of wine on hand.

Next up, packing.  Sure, you can go by the timelines I linked to above – but when you’ve got to do it fast, cheap and with a small child hanging from your leg most of the time – here are some of my favorite tricks:

Tip #2 – Find a box fairy.  Surely you know someone else who just moved?  Hit them up.  Ask around, throw it out there constantly that you are moving.  People will come out of the woodwork with boxes they can’t wait to get out of their garage.  This is especially handy for those expensive wardrobe and dish boxes that make life so much easier.  Can’t find a donor?  When we ran a wardrobe box short, we ran to our local U-Haul store and discovered that they take back used boxes and give them away for free!  If you get there on the right day, you can hit the motherload – or I bet if you gave them your number they would call you when some show up – give it a try!

Tip #3 – Pad breakables with items you need to pack anyway.  T-shirts, towels, cloth napkins, tablecloths…you get the point.  They provide way better padding than paper or bubble wrap, are more eco-friendly, FREE, and then you can kill two birds with one stone.  Cloth napkins and washcloths are great between plates, tshirts work for vases, and towels can go between framed pieces of art, and so on…

Tip #4 – Use wine boxes for glasses, crystal, stemware.  While your at the liquor store stocking up on your emotional preparedness kit, grab some boxes. They already have the grids inside and with sturdier glasses you don’t even have to wrap them much.  Bonus points if you drank all the wine from the box first!

Tip #5 – Label, label, label those boxes.  Label on the top and at least one side, with the name of the room, along with a DETAILED list of what is inside (I better not see a “MISC” anywhere!).  Two moves ago I lost my flatware for 3 weeks because it got stuck in a random box at the last minute.  This move, it was the coffee grinder.  Cue Saturday morning screaming match over coffee, labeling practices and who put what where.  If you found a box fairy and aren’t using the boxes for the same items your predecessor did, heavily scratch out their labels.  Even if it seems reallllly obvious that you re-labeled it.  Trust me.

Tip #6 – Make an “OPEN FIRST” box for each room.  This should include anything you might need for at least 24 hours.  Don’t count on having time or energy to unpack anything that first night.  For kitchen, this could include: coffee accouterments (see above), flatware (see above again), a few plates, glasses, WINE, and anything else necessary to your existence.  For our sons room we packed his crib sheets, extra blanket, baby monitor, sound machine, and a few bedtime books to ease him into the new place a little better.  I would also recommend packing a suitcase with your PJs, toiletries and clothes for the next day.  I didn’t even want to think about opening a box at 10 pm after that 12 hour day of moving, so having the suitcase ready with everything I needed was fantastic.

In the new house: I think it will vary a little for each person/family how to best unpack.  We had painters start a few days after we moved in (Tip #7 – Paint and install any new flooring BEFORE you move in, if possible), so we couldn’t unpack everything right away.  We are over two weeks in and still have a couple of kitchen boxes hanging out, along with my entire office, closet, and anything decorative or unnecessary.  My goal was to get my son’s room finished as soon as possible to help him settle in, but it’s still lavender with boxes stacked up everywhere.  Luckily he’s so busy running around the new (bigger) place, that he’s been sleeping great (that kid amazes me!).

Did I mention to plan for chaos and take deep breaths?

What other “best practices” do you have for moving?  (Not that I plan to do it again anytime soon!)

Next up in the new house:  Adventures in Paint. Stay tuned.

The post manic moving: fast, cheap and easy moving and packing tips. appeared first on Prairie Hive.

I’m working on a new back-painted glass DIY and it’s not quite finished, so I thought I would take this chance to show you how I gather pattern inspiration from everyday sights. Stick with me as I show you how these Chicago snaps from a one-day walk around the city inspire a home décor item that will trigger happy memories daily.

Sometimes we get caught up in the details of trying to create the perfect piece of original art, décor, gifts and home projects that it keeps us from beginning. Or that could just be me and my gift of procrastination. But if that’s you too, I’ve outlined concrete steps to take to get things moving.

This is when I let my inspiration from the world drive my project. Although I feel in a perfect world that I would keep myself isolated and create my own patterns and designs, the reality is that you just cannot help but catalog tidbits of everything you come across in daily life. I am inspired by everything from a soup can label to the pattern of rust drips on a concrete wall, so filtering anything I’ve seen out of the creative process is completely out of the question.

Always drawn to the geometric patterns in nature and architecture, I tend to snap photos of anything that catches my eye. I may not know at the time in particular the detail that encourages me to stop so I make sure to capture a photo, even if it’s just a quick phone pic.

Here are the steps I take to harness those bits and turn them into something of my own.

• Gather: Photos, quick sketches and Pinterest saves of those items that have caught your eye. Often it’s those images that you are unsure of what draws you in that have the most potential.
• Ponder and Sketch: I like to get all the images/sketches in one area and just peruse over them. Some times I try to pick up on the similarities in the grouping, other times I enjoy focusing on the differences.
• Refine: By now you’ll have noticed a trend in what you are choosing to sketch repeatedly (or you’ll have clear ideas for a couple of different directions, save the extras for your next project!). Pick your favorite for the current project you have in mind and start mapping it out. This may require drawing somewhat to scale for the piece you have. I am back painting glass for a table top, so I know that I want some sort of border, center focus and geometric fill-in for the rest. I will pick the elements that fulfill those requirements and start working them out.
• Use: Now you’ve got a pattern that’s ready to go for your project. Depending on the finished product, your prep work will vary widely at this point. If you are back painting glass like me, draw to scale the pattern on a light background with easy-to-see marker. We’ll use it to put behind the glass and trace later on.

All of the photos you see here are from a family trip to Chicago to visit my sister-in-law a few years ago. I enjoy the process of creating something that isn’t quite souvenir, framed photo or memento to remember favorite occasions. While I love the photos from the trip, we have limited wall space, so I enjoy finding creative ways to trigger my happy memories and also liven up my home.

Stay tuned for the process and finished results of my glass table top. You can use these for protecting an old wood finish, setting hot food dishes on the dining room table, or even backsplash material!

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