Etsy Spotlight at Dream Green DIY

 

While Carrie is in NYC with the Better Homes & Gardens Stylemaker Workshop and Party (how fabulous!),  I'm over at her blog, Dream Green DIY, sharing about how I opened my etsy shop and some of my best tips for treasure hunting! Check it out!

Easiest Monogram Ever + First Day of Preschool

You know what's not cute? Those pre-fab iron-on letter patches you can buy at Michael's/AC Moore/Joann's. They come in one font and one font only, Varsity. I know this because on the day before Grady was headed to Preschool, I went searching for something to add to his plain navy blue backpack. They make alphabet packs of iron-on letters that are pretty decent, but I was looking for something a little larger. Then I remembered something my good friend Martha taught me, iron-on denim patches are cheap and can be cut into any shape you want. Plus, denim is totally in, right?

  

So easy, right? Yes, this is what I was doing at 11 p.m. the night before he headed to Preschool.

I posted it to Instagram with this caption, A little late night monogramming before G's first day of preschool tomorrow. I may never be the planned and organized mom, but he will surely know how much I care about him.  But my friend Steph said it best when she commiserated, I'm not always organized...but I can pull an all-nighter like none other. :)

The things we moms do.

And then, how did this happen?

My baby grew up before my eyes as he marched right into his Preschool class and

never looked back. It's a weird mix of emotions to be a mom sometimes.

I want him to be independent, but I want him to need me.

I want him to grow and learn, but I want him to stay my baby.

It's hard to be a working mom, even just part-time.

But it's less hard when there is a preschool in the same building and

you know your child is in good hands.

I feel like I'm gonna blink and these photos are going to be playing in his senior slideshow. 

life lately

You know what I'm impressed by? Blogs run by moms with children.

I only have one child and I can hardly find the time to blog!

I miss being able to share projects and life with you guys!

But I am able to share little snippets of my life and projects I'm working on through Instagram,

so feel free to follow me @shelbygoodman.

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According to my iPhone, this is what summer has looked like so far:

Celebrating our 5 year anniversary with a little getaway sans Grady.

Yard saling. Always.

Making way for new treasures

Spending my 28th birthday with this sweet boy by my side.

Attempting 10 hour road trips

Adjusting to a toddler

Visiting family in Indiana

Watching my little brother get married

Exploring town with this one

Trip to the National Zoo

Fresh flowers from the garden

 Celebrating my Grady Boy's first birthday

 Experiencing firsts with him

(first ice cream)

(First trip to the beach)

 Working on new and exciting endeavors

 Meeting new family members

Hope your summer has been full of fun, family and fabulous experiences!

Find me on IG, I'd love to connect with you!

BIG, FAT, EXCITING NEWS!

I've been working on a brand identity that's near and dear to my heart,

a shop called Pastiche at Main.

Pastiche at Main is under the ownership and direction of a sweet friend of mine, Haley Pavao, who had a dream of opening a shop where lots of creative people could come together and share one shop roof. It's tagline is "a hodgepodge of local creatives" and that's exactly what it will be - a beautiful collaboration of people with different talents and skills under one shop name, Pastiche at Main.

And I am oh so excited to announce that Honeysuckle will be one of those creative shops under that roof! A little piece of my dream is coming true through Haley's dream!

"I have a dream of owning my own shop one day. It would be tucked into a picturesque street somewhere lined with buildings full of character. The front would be all windows. I would offer coffee and biscotti, always. I would chat and make friends with people who come into my shop. It would be filled with all sorts of beautiful and unique things. Some vintage, some not. One whole wall would hold my stationary line. It would be the kinds of shop that was always new and surprising. You would walk in and wouldn't be able to help but smile.

But until that day, I'm carving out a little niche for myself here in cyberspace."

This has been my etsy profile for quite some time. And yeah, so the shop isn't technically mine.

And don't hold Haley to offering you biscotti. But everything else is there - a beautiful location in character-filled downtown Lynchburg, big glass front doors and windows, and a shop filled with beautiful and unique things. {Check out the facebook page for a preview of what kinds of things you'll see in Pastiche!}

Honeysuckle will be featuring art prints and invitations {and taking custom designs!}, fun vintage finds {finally room for some bigger pieces!} and even some handmade items!

As I start this new chapter, I've decided to combine Shelby Goodman Designs & The Honeysuckle Shop under one cohesive name: honeysuckle, designs & things. Pretty self explanatory - one part design and one part things. I like the ambiguity in the word 'things' because it doesn't tie me down, but for now those things are mostly unique vintage finds.

I have the hardest time branding myself. I'm always getting new ideas or finding new fonts I like and I want to change things up. So, for this new chapter, I decided to use my own handwriting & drawing for my brand - you can't very well get sick of your own handwriting, can you?

And I'm really liking the idea of have a full name logo with a tagline and then a clean and simple shorthand version of that logo. It works.

And to all you un-local honeysuckle shop fans, don't worry. My etsy store will remain open and will be gaining expanded invitation & art print sections and will still feature one-of-a-kind vintage items!

Thanks for getting excited along with me and being a part of the journey!

Grady: ONE YEAR + A Year in Review

Happy 1st Birthday to my sweet Grady Boy! 

Born July 23, 2012 at 10:53 p.m.

My dear, sweet 1-year old Grady,

We made it, baby - a whole year! My goodness, what a year! This is my first go-around at motherhood and I'm so glad I got to do it with you, Grady Boy.
You've changed me. I've learned so much about myself this year. I've learned what it means to truly put someone else's needs before my own. To make sacrifices and to give without getting. You taught me about love - the kind that makes you feel like your heart might explode it's so full. And about joy - true joy, that's there even in the really hard days.
You have become my little buddy. My sidekick. And you are insanely cute, to boot. Your cheeks are irresistible to me - I must kiss them a thousand times a day. Sometimes I look at you and I can't believe you're mine. You make me laugh. A lot. Watching you explore the world as a walking boy is my favorite. You have a newfound confidence that is so exciting. You enjoy and embrace other people and I love watching your little personality develop. I can't wait to experience each new year with you. You are my very best.

I love you.

A year in review:

As if I wasn't emotional enough today, then there's this video of the day Grady was born to turn me into a total wreck.

Grady's Birthday from Shelby Goodman on Vimeo.