Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Vacations, Vanilla Latte's, and New Homes…a Personal Post


This past week had already been quite the whirlwind week. In other words, it was "one of those weeks" that Mother's typically cringe at. 

Here it was in a nutshell:

1. Monday - Mason had to get two stitches…TWO! What's bad enough was that the day started out so wonderful; spending time at the park, effortless giggling, and eating like a champ. If you know me or my picky-eater son, him eating a lot is a BIG deal. But as he was heading up to take a nap (!) he slipped and cut himself on a wooden toy. Off to the ER we go! And RIGHT at nap time! *yaaaaay* 

2. We were planning on going to Mexico with friends & had been waiting to hear back from the travel agent. They went last year and the price they paid was perfect, so we wanted to go with them this summer for a, "one last adult trip before we all get pregs again and have no life" trip. Well…we heard back from the travel agent…the price went up $1,000….I'll let that sink in…IN ONE YEAR it went up $1,000! Whhhhaaaaattt? Sooooo guess who is no longer going to Mexico? *humph*

And because things tend to happen in threes:
3. I stepped on a small stone or something that is now imbedded in my foot and is hurting like crazy…awesome. Off to the Podiatrist I go! Whoop! 



As you probably can tell, I'm OVER last week! But these things happen. Like Mason's favorite movie song, I will just "let it go"(…ugh…did I really just quote a Disney movie?) So A-N-Yways, I'm just happy my son is happy & healthy (& OKAY from his fall, thank goodness). And that we are currently looking into other vacation options with our friends, and that I highly doubt I will lose my foot over whatever is happening to it at the moment. I'm feeling very grateful right now. 

So, besides blogging, I'm now looking at vacation rentals (30a it is!), sipping a vanilla latte, and looking at new homes on the local mls site…oh yeah, did I forget to mention we want to move this year to a bigger home? I'm sooooo excited about the possibility of moving! I love, love, love our current house…okay, maybe not 'love'…more like, I like, like, like our current house, but it's small. Like bungalow small. We want to start on baby #2 at some point, so we need a bigger home in an awesome school district…like yesterday…at a really good price. Wish us luck! 
Till next time! 

Thursday, January 22, 2015

A small hobby turned small business. 

    Almost 6 years ago I started making wreaths for fun. I was a newlywed and living in a new (small) city. My degree is Product Development & Merchandising, which jobs in that field here aren't necessarily in abundance. So I started working in a small (& adorable) boutique in town. It enabled me to also start making things on my own, for fun! Hence the wreaths. As random as it is, I really enjoyed making them. I made them for my home, family, friends, heck…I would have made one for the mailman if it wasn't awkward. So after about 5 years of making them one of my dear friends, Sarah, suggested I sell them & start a small business. I am so happy I listened to her because it has been SO much fun running my small "shop"! So I thought I would talk more about what I make so you can get a glimpse more into Maison & Mason

    All my wreaths and banners are handmade with love, by yours truly. They are custom made and I can do just about anything that you are dreaming of, or I can create one especially for you! 


My Burlap Wreaths are about 22" and $38.  


My bows are handmade and can be made with a lot of different patterns and colors. 
Bows have no extra cost with the burlap wreaths. 


Letters can be added to any wreath. Cost depends on design of letter. 
Basic are $48 (shown here).

 And script letters are $68 (these also take 2-4 weeks to complete). 


Stick wreaths are about 18" and are $24 with bow; $36 with custom flowers & letter. 


 Door Letter's are $26 (Custom colors)


Custom Burlap Banners are *new* to Maison & Mason! 
Pricing as follows:
1-3 Letters: $10
4-6 Letters: $14
7-9 Letters: $18
10-12 Letters: $22
13-15 Letters: $28

ORDERING
Ordering a wreath is so simple! Simply visit www.Facebook.com/MaisonAndMason to private message me or email me at MaisonAndMason@gmail.com

SHIPPING
*To ship a wreath runs anywhere between $12-$25. Depending on destination. 

*To ship a banner runs a straight $3. Additional banners add $1.00 per wreath. 

I'm also currently working on new projects and am SO excited to release them soon to Maison & Mason! Stay tuned!! 

Till next time!

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Coming Soon to Maison & Mason! 

Guess what I'm making?! My new DIY project is a new entertainment center. And I hope to have these for sale on Maison & Mason soon. Completely 100% handmade and 100% beautiful! 

Like all mothers, storage is always such an issue. I am a bit OCD and I like things organized. I believe this makes for a happier home, happier kids, and happier husband. Anyways, in my family room there are two large baskets…not great for easy accessibility. Especially when your child is the same size as said-basket. So I searched out a chic entertainment system for not an expensive price and just didn't like what I was finding, thus why I'm making my own. Also, the ones I did like were $1,000…yeah…no. 

Here is an idea of what it will resemble, but with modifications:


My shelf will be 6' long, about 30" tall, and about 1' out from the wall. The bottom will have 3" bar legs to allow consoles to be under the shelf (& more hidden from plain view.) The two bottom shelves will be then filled with standard wicker baskets OR tin basket with chalkboard hanging signs to indicate what each basket is for: cars, trains, legos, etc. This will make for easy clean-up as well! 

And on the very top I will plan to have two beautiful tall lamps and my tray with books, flowers, and picture frames. I'm very excited to re-do this area in my home. 

Here is a picture of the before:



The trunk will then be moved to my bedroom for storage and a new side table. Very excited about this as well! I can't wait to share the after picture! Here's to hoping it will happen by the end of February! 

Till next time!
Balloons, Banners, & Cake…always cake! 

My son just had his SECOND Birthday Party a few weeks ago…where has the time gone? This year my friend & I decided to do a joint party because her adorable little girl is only a few weeks or so older than Mason. Let me tell you, it was SO much fun! I had an absolute blast making the decorations. Like any wife & mother, I am on a budget. Which means the party was also on a budget. This was completely fine with me because I was able to be creative and make the decorations by hand! 

I thought I would share what I did for their party! The banners are NOW being sold in my shop! I can make them in ivory or natural burlap (I used natural for the party) and in two shapes (pennant or triangle). I used both shapes in their party decor for a little "extra" special touches. Also, the color of the font can be in just about any color one might desire! 

(See me website for details: www.Facebook.com/MaisonAndMason)

But the theme was a "Boots & Bows" party! So fun! 

Enjoy! 






Till next time!
Welcome to my new blog! So exciting! 

First, I'd like to apologize for my heinous grammar that will forever instill in this blog…it's quite obvious I didn't go to school to study anything related to grammar or writing. But I'm trying! Thank goodness for 'The Grammar Girl'…dot com. If it's bad at times, please forgive me!

Second, I pray that I can keep up with this blog…it's always so therapeutic for me to write about things. Especially with a very clingy, but very cute, two year old always at my feet. I recently started him in the 2x a week Mother's Morning Out program and so far, so good. (Fingers are still crossed.) This way I can concentrate on my business and my blog! 

My business is going really well! I'm very happy to announce that! Orders are still coming in, even after the Holiday rush, so I am very thankful for that! If you ever have a moment, I would love for you to check it out at www.Facebook.com/MaisonAndMason. I make wreaths, mainly, but I'm dabbling in a few other creative areas and can't wait to reveal them when they are done! SO very exciting for me! It is all based on home designs. 

And…last, but not least…I just revamped my logo. It was okay before (stress on the "okay"), but I feel now it reflects me SO much better! 
What do you think?



Oh yeah…my old one…eh! 
A little new business advice for you, don't make a "free" logo online. You will get this. It's totally worth the money to hire a graphic logo designer! TRUST me!


I'm so excited to see where this blog goes! It might always stay small, it might get larger! Who knows! But I'm happy I finally got it started! 

And because I'm a proud Mommy here is my beautiful son, Mason! Isn't he the sweetest!? His name is how I decided on my business name, 'Maison & Mason'. And the word, 'Maison,' is french for 'home'. 



Till next time!