Puppies are awesome and things to come...

Especially when they are yours. Well, I actually share this little guy with the rest of the fam, but sometimes I pretend that he is all mine. He puts up with my moods and plays along when I want to have a photo shoot. Ok, he is not really a puppy any more but that is fine with me. :)

Things to come:

Estate sale goodies
Tutorial on building your own jewelry displays for art shows
Book Review
Spring Fashion

Are you excited?

P.S. I ate a whole box of Kraft Mac & Cheese for dinner last night-complete with a half of stick of REAL butter. I do not recommend this as it seems like such a good idea to start with-then-not so much.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May the green beer go down easy and you don't get pinched!

Top left to right:
1. St. Patrick's Day Cupcake Toppers by VintagePaperParade
2. The Emerald Isle by thatjewelrygirl
3. Vintage 70's green maxi dress by Moonthong


Bottom left to right:
4. Green Clover Necklace by ShihoYamashita
5. Ireland handspun shetland farm wool by cosymakes
6. Eirinn Go Brach - St. Patrick's Day Postcards (Set of 10) by pinksnail

*Another* sneak peek...

Here are a few more pieces I have been working on. You will find these and more like them in my booth at the Druid City Arts Festival on March 27th! Please be sure to stop by!

Remember that most of my pieces are one of a kind, but I am happy to try and re-create or collaborate with you if you see something that catches your eye!

Yes, please.

Totally loving this dress. Classic shape with a modern twist and an over sized chevron pattern. I could see this with black gladiator sandals at the beach or some rockin' heels for a night on the town. I will take one please, thanks.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Spring

Please excuse the crappy photo montage-images were quite small to begin with...

Happy Monday! I hope yall had a lovely weekend!

The weather 'round here has been less than pleasant lately and has me itching to visit somewhere tropical. Seriously March-do you want to play Winter with your cold winds and dreary skies or do you want to play nice and bring on Spring so I don't look silly wearing 13 layers of bright colors just to keep warm? I am going to need you to pull through on this one.

While I wait for March to decide-I will be heading to Target tonight to pick up some wonderful spring inspired pieces from Liberty of London, who debuted their collaboration with Target on March 14th.

I have heard most items have already sold out! Better hurry and get to your local Tar-jay to see what is left!!!

Finally Friday

And thank god for that! Here's to a peek of sunshine in what is supposed to be a rainy weekend.

P.S. Shot this picture from my iPhone using an AWESOME new app-ShakeIt Photo. It takes pics and turns them into Polaroids right on your screen! You have to "shake it like a Polaroid picture" first to see the image. Seriously worth every penny of the 99 cents I paid for it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Let's Plan a Wedding-Teal

I found out over the weekend that one of my best friends became engaged!!! This totally got my wheels turning because I LOVE to plan weddings, wedding parties, ect... No, I don't actually do this for my 9-5, nor have I ever actually planned a wedding for anyone. I sometimes secretly wish I could do this for a living because there are so many things you can do with a wedding-I don't EVER think I could get tired of it.

Now for the fun part-I get to play imaginary dress up and wedding planner here on this blog! I hope to eventually make "Lets Plan a Wedding" a monthly thing at Katie Company up until my friend and her fiance get married. It also helps that my friend is built like a super-model so pretty much thing I "dress her up in" will look phenomenal.

I hope she utilizes ETSY and other websites where she can find unique, handmade pieces to complete her big day! They have everything from wedding dresses, wedding day jewelry, invitations, and decorations. Seriously, I am all about unique, one of a kind, ain't nothin' like no one has ever seen before weddings.

1. Teal and Aqua Statement Bib Necklace by frankideas $50.00

2. Nautical Floral Wedding Invitation Suite- DIY Printable by BeanSproutStudio $35.00

3. Silk tricotine goddess gown J.Crew $450.00

4. The Good-Feeling Dress Mod Cloth $87.99

Oh my ottoman...

Cube Storage Ottoman - Black Toile Floral

Hello lovelies-Hope you all had a great weekend!

We celebrated my little sisters birthday on Sunday and I just HAD to share the incredible deal I stumbled upon for her birthday. See, Mary Keeley had been wanting an ottoman or chair to go at her desk/vanity. We we strolling through Target one day and found said ottoman above for $59.99. Perfect size, perfect pattern, perfect storage. Perfect.

So me, being the sneaky sister that I am, go back a few days later to pick up the ottoman. Prepared to pay full price I carry the present up to the register. It rings up.......$14.99!!!! I kid you not. I casually walk out congratulating myself of finding THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY. Of course I go back the next day and check to see if there is a sale sign-and there is not. Is this a secret sale only in the Super Target in Tuscaloosa, AL? Who knows?! All I know is the sale gods were smiling at me that day.

Seriously-go check it out. There are lots of options to choose from and you never know,you (and your wallet) might be as lucky as me!

P.S. I will post pictures the ottoman in her natural habitat later so stay tuned!!!

Druid City Art Festival-March 27, 2010

Yippee! Just got the word that I will have a booth at the Druid City Art Festival! The festival is endorsed by the State of Alabama Board of Tourism and sponsored in part by the City of Tuscaloosa and Creative Campus of the University of Alabama. It will be Saturday, March 27th in the City Fest Parking Lot (downtown next to RBC Bank and Temerson Square) and best of all...FREE ADMISSION! Of course you are more than welcome to purchase tickets to the "After Party" sponsored by the local bars in the area to hear more great music!

The festival will feature local and regional musicians and artists as well have have activities for children and some yummy goodies. Hopefully the weather will be as nice as it is here today so everyone can enjoy a lovely Spring day outside supporting a really great initiative. All proceeds from DCAF will go to support the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa’s Grant program! I hope to see all of you there!

You can join the Druid City Art Festival Facebook Page to get updates on the festival or you can go to the Creative Campus website to learn more.

You're late! For a very important date!

If you don't know that Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland 3D opens in theaters TODAY then, yes, you are late. Or living under a rock...

To celebrate, I have gathered a few of my favorite "Wonderland" goodies from over at Etsy. Take a peek, you know you are curiouser and curiouser... (insert the Cheshire Cat's silly grin)

1. Alice and Flamingo Pillow Cover by Nuka

2. Alice Blank Card Set by TheWhimsicalPaperie

3. Set of 10 Alice in Wonderland Tags by Petitepaperie

4. LIMITED EDITION Alice in Wonderland Pin Topper Set 60/100 by GigiMinor

5.The White Rabbit Charm Necklace by Factorygirlashli

For a good cause...

I recently donated this sweet little number to the Mitchell's Place Junior Council's "Pre-Oscar Party" Silent Auction. This is such a great organization made up of young professionals in their 20's and 30's whose goal is to increase the awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder and provide support for Mitchell's Place within the Birmingham, AL community.

This is the second annual "Pre-Oscar Party" and with a Vintage Hollywood Cocktail theme, how can you not have fun raising money for a great cause!

{Sneak Peek}

For your viewing pleasure...

Here are a few things I have been working on lately. All of my necklaces are made from recycled materials such from the fabric, vintage buttons and beads.

Rainy Day Blues

photo by: Kristybee via Etsy $25.00

It is such a cold and rainy day here that it took all the strength I could muster to get out of bed this morning. If only rainy days at my house looked as beautiful as New England.

It is days like today that I wish I could stay home and craft all day in my sweats. In fact I think when I get home from the 9-5, that is exactly what I will do! Well that and upload some new product photos on my computer to submit for an art show coming up here in my hometown...

Art show you say? I see that I have intrigued you. More details to come on this later...

Blog and Business Workshop

image: here

Marta over at Marta Writes has just created the wonderful, marvelous Blog and Business Workshop! OMG. It's like she knew I was debuting this blog tonight!

If you have just started a blog or business, or THINKING about doing either then you need to participate in the free workshop! Take a look over here to check out the agenda. So. Awesome. Workshop starts tonight and last until March 6.

Marta, you rock!

About Me

Hi!

My name is Katie McAllister, affectionately known to my friends and family as “Katie Mac”. I was born, raised... and I am still living in Sweet Home Alabama. Coming from a musician/photographer father and a mother who is a folk artist, I have always been creating things. I remember telling people when they asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up that I "just wanted to do something with color".

After taking EVERY art class I could in high school, I enrolled in the University of Alabama where I graduated with a degree in Graphic Design. After slaving away at my 9-5 (gotta pay them bills...), I spend my nights and weekends enthralled in the creative side of life.

I enjoy "piddling" around my house, decorating and re-decorating. I LOVE the DIY mentality and have been know---more often than not---to say "I can totally make that". And I usually do. I am obsessed with great packaging, simple graphics and anything antique. I love making things for my family and friends to enjoy/wear/use.

I dabble in everything from screen-printing, painting, sewing, and most recently jewelry making.

Also, I love Mexican food and I could eat it every day for the rest of my life. Fo Sho.

XOXO,

Katie Mac

Hi there!

Welcome to my blog!

As I dive head first into blogging for the second time, I sometimes wonder... "What am I getting myself into?" I started a blog about 2 years ago entitled "Navy & Gray". Being that those were my two favorite colors at the time I thought it would be a great name! Turns out I was just getting my little feet wet in the blogging world. After about a year I decided to take a sabbatical from blogging to find my blog "voice"-if you will. Let's just say-I think I have found it.

With that said, I welcome you. Here you will find out what goes on inside my crafty/ADD/Diet Coke addicted head. Follow me through my journey in life filled with beautiful things and handmade goodness and doing what I love.

I am so inspired by all the wonderful, talented bloggers out there and hope that I might offer some inspiration to some of you.

Enjoy!

P.S. Please bear with me. Some formatting and colors are subject to change while I work on getting this little guy looking the way I want.