Paddle Boarding

My cousin Amanda came down from Buffalo this past weekend to go wedding dress shopping with me and some of my other bridesmaids .. and I did say YES to a dress!! However when she comes to town I like to plan something a little different for us to try together.  We have stories upon stories of all the things that we have experienced together so I wanted to add one more especially as life is getting more hectic by the second.

I found a deal on Amazon Local (which I love so much more that Groupon or any other sites, its just seems easier and more informative ... so a shout out to them!!) for Paddle Boarding.  Down here in Sarasota its really popular and it was only $19 per person for two hours.  We invited some other friends ... Chelsea (another bridesmaid) her husband Dan and their sister Diana to come along too.

It was a beautiful morning, we took the 9am time slot because anything after 11 out in the Florida sun and we'd be toast.  The water was calm and there was a breeze, I was really happy because the weather during her visit so far (and even after) had been miserable ... rain rain rain.  It was a little nerve wreaking at first, you have to get used to balancing and rowing at the same time but after about 5 minutes I think we had it down.  I'm not going to lie though, sitting on it was a lot easier and you could go faster, but that defeated the purpose.   
Overall she said it was a lot calmer experience than some of our other adventures but something we both had fun with.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has been thinking about giving it a try or is looking for some fun new things to try.

Have you tried any new adventures lately?

Industrial Style Baskets

I have been on the look out for some industrial style wire baskets to use in my closet for some time now.  I have seen them a few different places but they either weren't the right size or the right price.  Much to my excitement I came across the perfect size wire baskets with the best price I've seen.  One problem .... They were shocking blue.  Luckily I remembered my handy friend Rust-Oleum "Oil Rubbed Bronze" Spray Paint.  This trusty  spray paint has created many a beautiful things in my home as well as saved me money and sanity always looking for that "perfect" piece.  Why not create it?

 

I found these at the Dollar General Store for $5 even better, that day everything with a little red dot was on additional clearance and I walked away with four baskets for $3.50 each.  Add in the cost of the spray paint, each basket cost me roughly $5.  I mean you just can't beat that!

It was a beautiful day so I set up shop outside and began to spray paint.  Make sure that when you are spraying these types of baskets you look at it from all angles.  With the original color being so bright it was easy for me to spot the areas that needed more paint.

So for $20 and about 20 min worth of work I now have great Industrial Style Baskets to help organize my closet.  For drying time sake I leave you with one of finished products below.  I plan to use them for scarves, clutches, belts, and other accessories.  

What would you use yours for? 

Holiday Decorating - Halloween

I often get frustrated when Christmas Decorations start showing up in stores in the beginning of September, if not sooner.  I mean whats the rush? Not to mention your skipping over two holidays that deserve some decorations too!  I know that Christmas is usually the most fun and the most decked out but I like to pay homage to Halloween and Thanksgiving (Fall) for a little while.  I decided quite a while ago I would decorate for Halloween on October 1st, Thanksgiving on November 1st and Christmas on December 1st.  That way each holiday gets a fair share.

Now having said that, I don't really go all out for Halloween.  In the future when I have children I'm sure I will do so for them but for now I just like to add a few pieces around the house for spooky sake.  One of the things I like to do is frame some of my Halloween Printables (Found Here) in already existing frames around my home.

During the after holiday clearance sales I picked up some little Halloween trinkets that weren't overtly "HALLOWEEN" and I like to put those in place of some of my everyday trinkets. 

Its a really easy and cheap way to put some touches of Halloween around your home.  What do you do for the Halloween Holiday? 

Finally ... My Herbs Are Back

Living in Florida has its pros and cons, as any state does I'm sure.  I love having fresh herbs at my fingertips so when we moved into our home I had my (soon-to-be) handy brother in-law build me a raised herb garden.  We had this perfect little spot on the side of our deck and I couldn't picture anything else going there.  Its right by the side door for easy access and it is on the side of the house that gets morning light.  Did you know herbs prefer morning light?

Back to that con of living in Florida, during the summer it rains ... a lot.  Every afternoon you can pretty much bet your life that there will be a thunder storm.  While herbs should be able to grow year round, mine drown in the summer months.  So after fighting soggy basil and cilantro soup I decided to scrap the whole thing mid July.

Now that we've approached mid September I think that I am ready to start replenishing my stock.  I cleaned out all the left over weeds and leaves and turned all the soil.  I did leave my rosemary though, it was hardy enough to make it through the weather, and on the right you'll see my pot of Aloe Vera.  Aloe seems to grow abundantly anywhere I put it, and it has come to the rescue many times for our visitors that forget how important sunblock is down here. (Its also great for breakouts, especially ones you couldn't keep your hands off.  Rub some aloe on the trouble area, let sit for an hour, and wash off.  Great healing power.)

I was planning to go to Home Depot to see what they had in stock, I just hadn't made it there quite yet.  Which I'm glad I didn't because last weekend my fiance and I decided to go to our local farmers market (Sarasota Farmers Market).  I honestly was going to see if the prices were better on the fruits and veggies than our local grocery store - they seemed about the same on most items.  When much to my surprise there was a tent there selling herbs! They even had their basil (my favorite) on sale for $2 a plant.  These plants looked much healthier and fuller than what I usually find at Home Depot.  I bought three Basil and two Cilantro (the herbs I use the most) for only $12!

I'm so excited to see the herb garden taking shape, I do need to get a few more plants, perhaps some parsley or chives would be good.  We also love jalapenos, which I usually start as small plants in the herb box and then move them to larger containers.  The guy at the farmers market said he should have some in a couple weeks.  So I will be checking back for sure!

What do you have in your herb garden?

Jumpin' In With Both Feet

I've decided recently that I'm a thinker and a dreamer, which is great because the things I love most in life have to do with my creative side.  However what I need to work on is being a doer, because as much as I love to think about things I'd like to do and dream about how I'd like things to look it does no good until I do them.  Cue: Wamp Designs.

My name is Jessica Sweeney and I love all things creative, from home decor, to DIY projects, to holiday and party decor.  I've spent the past couple of years creating things for my home, family and friends and often get told that I should start a blog or an Etsy shop.  So I have taken the plunge and decided to DO both!

THE BLOG: I'm not new to blogging, I dabbled a little in it a few years ago with a blog that - will remain nameless - for embarrassment sake and have read tons of blogs that I've found through your best friend and mine, Pinterest.  So I hope the learning curve to bring me up to date isn't too steep.  I want to share all the fun things that I create and think this is a great platform to do so.

THE SHOP: Etsy is quite a new idea to me but I have been working at it diligently.  My shop (Wamp Designs) focuses mainly on custom printables: Invitations, Holiday Decor, Party Decor, etc. I have had the great pleasure of having close friends that look to me for help when it comes to Bridal Showers, Baby Showers, Birthday Parties and so on.  So I figure if I can DO it for them I can DO it for anyone.

THE NAME: Wamp ... W - (ah) - MP .. What the heck is that right? Well the idea behind Wamp Designs (the blog and the shop) is to share beautiful things, so I went straight to the source of my most beautiful thing.

Please excuse the remote from an otherwise adorable picture.  Her real name is Lola but a nickname of Kitty Wampas turned Wampy turned to just plain Wamp stuck and hasn't left her since.  She is greatly loved by all, even the ones that get the sniffles around her so I thought the name would be fitting.  After all who wouldn't want their work to be beautiful and loved by all? 

So as I decided this morning that I am not longer going to think or dream about this blog that I'm actually going to DO it, I have competed my first post.  I feel quite accomplished! Next thing on my To DO list ... create a cute signature for these post.

Jessica 

Side Note: As you can see I have some previous posts on this site, I had secured the name a little while ago thinking I would use it as a living portfolio for my graphic design work, however decided to take a different route but thought it couldn't hurt just to leave a few things up ... so I did :)