Spring DIY Banner Kits Were a Real Hit!

 Hello + Hello!

How is everyone?

I hope you are well!

I just wanted to stop in here & share a little bit

 about what I did this past rainy & dreary weekend...

 

>>>>>--------------->

 

Honestly, I'd been craving some sit down crafty time for quite a while now.

So,

I decided to take some time out and make up a cheery

Spring banner with some vintage

 Contact Paper.

 I've had these rolls squirreled away

from my thrifting adventures

for quite awhile now...

and it suddenly seemed like the right time to use them!

 I had so much fun making the banner for myself,

that I made a bunch of

DIY Kits and sold them in my

Trisha Brink Design Shop

on Instagram.

They were a huge hit!

Each kit simply contained just the right amount of

vintage papers & string

(along with instructions)

to make these adorable banners

which total about 3 yards in length.

It doesn't take rocket science to figure out how to make these.

Finding the right combination of prints and colors is the difficult part;

and I simply lucked out.

I figured I'd spread the luck around

being it was St. Patty's Day weekend and all.

(wink, wink)

 

Pretty sweet huh?

I had so much fun making these....

I may have to come up with other kits soon!

Just in case anyone is interested in making their own garland...

I have a few kits left.

They can be purchased from me for $6.00 each

with free shipping within the USA!

(Just contact me via email at trishabrinkdesign@comcast.net

& I can send you an invoice via PayPal.)

 

>>>>>--------------->

 

So...

sometimes you don't need to make huge

leaps and bounds on a rainy dreary weekend.

Sometimes you simply need to

get crafty and create your own sun shiny cheer!

 

Cheers,

T.

xx

When Life Gets Tough...

My photography using Rhonna Designs App & Waterlogue App
 

Hello + Hello.

How has it been for you folks today?

Sincerely, I hope you are well.

 

>>>>>>--------------->

 

But, honestly?

Life's been a little bit frustrating for me lately...

...I find myself doing a lot of heavy sighing

 &

cranky "grrrr...." -ing.

I truly don't like to be a downer AT ALL.

But the reality of things is that some days you just don't

get to have things the way that you want them to be.

So,

rather than be a fakey-fakey

I'm simply being honest;

life can be tough.

Even still....

when life sends me murky waters,

shark infested waters,

swimmers itch,

red tide,

rapids,

stinging jelly fish

or worse...

PROBLEMS!!!

Welllll....

I choose to

JUST KEEP SWIMMING.

 

>>>>>--------------->

 

Want to know why?

Even though my son is battling a lot of medical issues right now, even though I am more than a

little bit frustrated with some things at work...

it is magical to know I can keep my head above water

&

SWIM

because Christ gives me strength to do so.

(Phillipians 4:13)

 

>>>>>-------------->

 

So,

if you are experiencing frustrating

shark infested murky waters right now in your life...

give Jesus a chance

&

SWIM!

xx

T.



It's That Time Again: Hooray...it's Instasale Time!

Hello + Hello!

I know....I know....

Where have I been all month???

Well, frankly....

I've been trying to hold my life together by a thread....thank heavens it's a strong thread.

Life has been SO BUSY lately here in the Brink household!

We were off camping as a family for some R&R during the 4th of July weekend.

Immediately afterward I was off to

Atlanta's America's Mart buying for our shop

Grandiflora.

That alone has been MORE than enough to keep me busy.

&

most recently

I've been prepping for a rather big

"event"

which will be taking place later this year

(Exciting....but extremely stressful work has ensued for this event. It's turning out to be

a love/hate relationship; but more on that later....)

Couple all those things with the day to day living of a working wife & mommy....

& you have a delirious life!

I am not complaining one bit mind you....

just trying to excuse my profound lack of blogging this past month.

So,

now that I've got that explained away....

(wink, wink)

>>>>>--------------->

Well,

now the good Lord has given me a tiny little window of opportunity to do something that I enjoy doing so much!

Yay!

It's

INSTASALE TIME!

I am so excited to announce another instasale over at my IG feed called

Trisha Brink Design Shop

I hope you will join me over there if you have the time.

Until then....

I'm gonna head out and try to snatch up a few rays of sunshine while it's

still relatively easy to do!

Cheers my dears,

T.

xx

 

 



Girly -VS- Tomboy? Which One Wins in Your Life?

Hello + Hello!

How have you folks been lately?

Did you have a wonderful weekend like me?

I enjoyed my weekend to the fullest....and it was all pretty simple stuff really.

I was happy to be able to prep for a little

Instasale over on my Instagram Shop Feed.

It was a pretty "girly" line-up too!

I must admit....I like a little pink in my life...but living with all boys in the house

dictates how much of it I'm able to decorate with.

So,

having an Instasale allows me to play with the pink stuff for a while....

and then find happy homes for it in the end.

It was a successful sale, and I'm happy to say most of the items found new homes.

>>>>>--------------->

On the other flip side of my weekend however....

I had some fairly

"tom-boy-ish"

adventures!

 

Yes, that's my bloody hand.

I was practicing my archery skillz

shooting bow (target practice) with my sons and husband on Friday night,

& I ended up getting a little scratch/cut from the fletching (feathers)

on the arrow.

Oh yes....I am a woman of many talents!

Then....

>>>>>--------------->

It was off to the fishing derby at our local park!

 Where Elliot (and his older brother Tristan) promptly caught his (their) limit.

 

I calmly sat (in my incredibly adorable and girly chair)

and watched as their dad did most of the work

(thanks hunny! xo)

 

The best part about the fishing derby this year???

 

 

Not only did the boys limit out...

but all the other little kids around us who caught their limits

decided they didn't like to

"eat fish....eiuwww!"

SO....

since the fish were dead by that point anyway,

they gave them to us and my handsome hubby smoked them all!
We are enjoying smoked fresh trout....a lot!

And last but not least,

after much other doings and goings....

we ended the weekend with a friendly visit from our local

ice cream truck;

the Sugar Shack!

Mmmm.....mmmmm!

 

So,

girly, tomboy or otherwise.....

my weekend was fun & filled

with all good things for girls & boys!

Hoping yours was too?

>>>>>--------------->

Have a great new week everyone!

T.

xx



A Rainy Memorial Day Weekend...Time to Fire up the Tacky Lights!

 Hello + Hello!

I hope your Memorial Day weekend was lovely?

We had a very relaxing weekend, working on this and that....

but sadly...it rained. the. whole. weekend. long.

Boo-hoo.

Oh well, I got to spend a little time admiring the drippity drops

from the front porch.

 I decided to fire up the fun little find I got out thrifting the other day......

 Yes that's right....tacky trailer lights!

(this one's for you mom! ha ha ha!!!)

My dad always thought these little party lantern lights were the tackiest thing around

when we were kids in the 70's.

We had a trailer in a campground we used to visit, &

dad always made fun of people who had them.

My mom and I are of the less "worried what people think of us" version of folks.

SO.....

my hubby and I hung them up last night to give it a try.

We laughed pretty hard....but left them up for the night.

 We'll see if I'm brave enough to leave them lit in our respectable neighborhood....

Hey... a little granny/grampy trailer park chic never hurt anyone....right?

Now....

where are my lawn flamingoes?

 

>>>>>---------------->

 

T.

xx

Instasale This Thursday: Why My Son is an Awesome Buyer For YOU!

Above: Typical fun finds for you at Trisha Brink Design Shop on Instagram

Hello + Hello!

Wanted to drop in and let you all in on my upcoming

Instasale this Thursday May 23rd @ 4PM PST  (7PM EST)

If you are an Instagram user, you  have probably seen similar sales.

I have now had two instasales at my

Trisha Brink Design Shop on Instagram

&

am loving how they work!

A sampling of previous fun finds in our Instasales.

 

It is a lot of effort, time consuming & exhausting

(to be utterly truthful)

but also very rewarding.

I've spent a lot of time getting to know so many lovely

shoppers & shop keepers on

Instagram; they are simply wonderful folks just like all of you!

 

>>>>>--------------->

BUT

THE REAL REASON I DO INSTASALES IS...

As you know, I often end up down at

Children's Hospital in Seattle with my oldest son Tristan

for his rare Autoimmune Rheumetalogical disease called

Linear Schleroderma en coup de Sabre.

Finding treasures to sell online has been a pastime for he and I for quite some time now.

We hunt them down on our Seattle trips as a team (the kid has eagle eyes!).

Then I have the pleasure of

photographing them and listing the items.

I also handle the invoicing and packaging.

Tristan very much helps me with the shipping as well as Elliot his younger brother.

Elliot & Tristan...my little vintage hunters.

 

We work together to do this business;

I truly believe they are really learning something from all of this!

We use the profits we gain to do two things:

pay for our trips down to Seattle (gas, food etc...) and the bills we incur from

various medical appointments and procedures he needs

(which aren't covered by our medical insurance).

And secondly,

we donate to local charities who feed/clothe the homeless.

We often see folks on our trip along the side of the road who are holding signs

for money or help.

I've been taught not to give out money to these people...but instead to give to the local

homeless shelters where they can truly get the help they need.

We are blessed to have a meager but wonderful home with a husband/father who supports us

everyday. But I'm not taking that for granted....and I know things happen. That's why I hope to teach my sons the pleasure of tithing as I learn more about it myself.

It has been a rewarding adventure for us all,

one that I don't plan to stop anytime soon.

We are an entrepreneurial family...and our gifts are from God.

We want to honor our shoppers with fun finds, great service & most of all

honor God with the gifts he provides for us through these instasales.

We hope you will join us this

Thursday evening at 4pm PST for our next installment of

Trisha & Tristan's finds

via

Trisha Brink Design Shop on Instagram.

See you there!

T.

xx

 



I'm Sharing 9 Moments With You Today

 Hello + Hello!

I just wanted to stop in today to say hello to you...how was your weekend?

Was it fun & cheerful? Relaxing and easy? Did you get a lot accomplished?

Well,

I finally had one of those stay at home weekends with no major things planned...

....other than the fact that I had sick kids to tend to this past week/weekend...

it was good.

As you know I'm always on the go with my

Droid &  Instagram, so I captured a few snaps from my everyday life to share here today...

As you can see in these photos,

it's been a little discombobulated around here the last few weeks with work at Grandiflora, gardening,

5 parties for various reasons, photo shoots & illness in the house.

One of the most fun things I was able to do,

 was go thrifting for a morning while running other errands.

I had a great haul, & am planning another

Instasale at my Trisha Brink Design Shop on Instagram!

(Stay tuned for the dates.)

Whew!

May always seems to be a little more than haywire around here for our family.

It really is sort of a shame to be so busy when the weather finally starts to cooperate.

I am just waiting for my seasonal allergies to kick in and really

get me all worked up!

(sigh.....)

Well,

I know this has been a rambling post today,

but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone in the crazy-ness we call life.

Sometimes we are so busy we can't see the big picture

& so....

I'm trying to pause today to see all the blessings I've had this week....

and take note that although it hasn't been fun to have sick kids....

I need to see that it could also be SO MUCH WORSE & isn't.

I am truly blessed.

Hope you are feeling blessed today too!

Cheers,

T.

xx

P.S.

If you're the praying type, please say a little prayer for me and my son

as we venture to Seattle Children's Hospital tomorrow for another

check-up about his

Linear Schleroderma en coup de Sabre.

Thanks my friends.

 

 

Insta S A L E Sunday at 5pm PST

 Hello + Hello!

How are you all this fine day?

I hope you are well!

I've been a busy little bee this past week working very hard on

capturing snaps of all the lovely items I'll be selling over on

Instagram

tomorrow evening.

I wanted to make sure that if you were at all inclined to vintage awesomeness,

that you may want to toodle on over.

(NOTE: you will need an instagram account and a paypal account set up to purchase,

 however you don't need either if you'd just like to follow along.)

You can find my regular

Instagram Account over here.

But to follow or attend the Instasale

YOU WILL NEED TO COME OVER HERE.

If you are interested in possibly making a purchase,

please read over my shop policies below.

Otherwise you can scroll further below to find a few photos of items which will be

featured in the sale.

 

 

 

Well,

of course these are just a few of the photos of the 35+ items

I'll be Instasaling.

So,

it's better if you just follow me along over there to see them all!

Thanks for stopping by here today,

as always I appreciate your support!

Cheers,

T.

xx

 

 



Going Out On Another Limb: My New Instagram Instasale SHOP!

Hello + Hello!

&

so how are all you lovelies this fine new week?

I hope you are well?

WELL....

I'm just dandy!

It's admittedly been quite some time since I've been here at the blog hasn't it?!

(hangs head in shame)

Well....

let me tell you, it's been an eventful few weeks!

I've been painting my living room and dining room...

working hard at Grandiflora...

playing hard with my hubby whilst grandpa & grandma had the two littles during spring break....

WHEW!

It's been pretty crazy around here!

 

>>>>>--------------->

 

BUT...

Just in case you thought life couldn't get more dull for me,

I've decided to add just one more thing to the list:

AN INSTASALE SHOP

on

Instagram!

 

Yes, I know...yet another thing.

However, in my defense...I can make this fun shop however much work as I want to.

That's the beauty of an instasale on Instagram.

1. Set up an Instagram account.

2. Take photos of said item/s liked by all your Instagram peers.

3. Set up a Pay Pal account.

4. Work it baby...work it!

LOL!!!

 

I'm excited to see how it all turns out myself.

How about you?

Have you shopped from an Instagrammer's Instasale?

I'd love to hear about it!

For those of you who aren't quite sure what it is...well...

it's kinda like Etsy...but it's much less work for the lister,

which in turn makes the items cost a bit less.

(I think that's pretty great.)

All you need is an iphone or Android, an Instagram account & a PayPal account.

What could be easier?

 

I'll have to get busy on all those fun vintage, handcrafted & décor accessories filling my

storage areas first. There are more treasures than I can count just waiting to fill up that shop!

 

So...

I hope you can come and join me over there.

 

Stay tuned for very first instasale coming soon!

 

(find the instashop at trishabrinkdesignshop HERE)



The 32 Things I've Been Doing Since We Last Spoke

 

 Hello + Hello!

How have you all been lately?

Long time no speak...

yeah, I know....my bad.

Quite honestly I needed a little break from the internet/blogging,

but...just for a bit.

I guess I should've given a warning...but you know...it just didn't happen.

WHAT DID HAPPEN HOWEVER

was a bunch of stuff!

Whew...have I been a busy little bee.

In addition to my normal everyday job at

Grandiflora

this is what I've been up to while not

mothering...or wifey-ing

(is that a word?)

Ha ha ha!

 

>>>>>--------------->

 

Anyway...here goes:

Above you'll see that I painted a dresser for my son's room.
I also did a bit of fun painting for Etsy & Grandiflora items.

Next, I ripped up a neat old butterfly book and went a little

crazy with the gold and white washi tape!

I love how it turned out!

Then I started on some projects I can't reveal yet....at least not fully.

Isn't blanket stitching just the most relaxing thing?

I tried my hand at making a grocery tote from vintage sheeting....

it was actually going quite well

( I don't sew....no....frankly....I don't like to sew...not enough patience.)

until the machine decided to be stupid and I almost

threw it through a window!

(Well not really....but I thought it sounded like a good idea at the time.)

Needless to say,

I may be calling up one of my seamstress friends to finish it for me?

 I feel that I've been surrounded by books and magazines lately as well.

Truly I've not had the chance to really enjoy all of these lookers yet...

but everyday I savor a page or two!

I have been out picking and thrifting for finds lately.

Most of them go to one of my Etsy shops....but a few I either keep,

or send into Grandiflora.

I love shipping out orders from Etsy

&

washing and caring for the sweet vintage items.

A couple of other things I've been up to in my silly life are:

taking care of the t-shirt ninjas that seem to have invaded my life...

they demand fresh Asian food...mainly Spring Rolls.

I roll my eyes every time they get their swords out!

 

Our Chickens seem to have forgotten what a nesting box is....

or maybe they are practicing for Easter?

Again,

more photography for Etsy of this lovely vintage wallpaper.

Found a funny old photo strip pic of

hubby and I in 1992!

( Buah ha ha!)

Another chair that needs a little help...son picked it out for me.

(Frankly was pretty impressed with his selection!)

And....last but not least,

the new glasses arrived.

It's been mostly rainy lately....so it seems all I've been up to is

using the front of my shirt as a windshield wiper.

But there was a day or two when I was able to pull out the

new prescription sunglasses!

Whoo hooo!

 

>>>>>--------------->

 

Well,

I hope you're all enjoying your early Spring?

And....

that you're going to have an excellent weekend!

I hope to see you back again sooner rather than later...

but here is to a much needed break.

Cheers my friends!

T.

xx

The 14 Things That Made Me Smile This Week

 

 

 Hello + Hello!

Dropping by again to share a few things that made me smile this past week...

14 things to be exact.

Personally, I enjoyed a bunch of junking this past week.

Treasures were everywhere!

I was able to find an antique shell encrusted box for my bathroom cabinet;

it was labelled 1930, Paris. Pretty amazing huh?

It has old mirrors that are losing their silvering on the sides,

& it's in perfect shape....for only $3.00!

Whoo+hoo!

I found a vintage granny square afghan in disrepair, so I decided to disect it...

now I'm waiting on the inspiration I need to decide what to do with the pieces!?

I found hoards of good vintage fabrics & items for my Etsy shops too!

Now that I've washed them all, I need to figure out which ones are staying and which ones are going to need to find a new home.

I treated myself to a few cheap thrills too!

I bought a new necklace with colorful beads from my own shop

Grandiflora

&

some sweet little primroses for my window sill.

($2.00 well spent!)

Other than that,

we've been trying to keep up with our chickens & their

egg production!

Whew!

>>>>>--------------->

While I was at work this past week....

I took a few snaps of the new items that keep pouring in from our

January buying trip to Atlanta.

New jewelry, scarves & purses showed up;

as well as new votive cups, flower pots & candles too!

I love to do the displays when I get the chance to.

Taking the photos for the shop is also pretty fun.

But,

going to market & buying all this product has to top the list.

Grandiflora

could never be accused of being a boring place to

own, or work at!

We have LOTS of fun there together as a family,

 and with

our employees who are basically our friends too!

 

>>>>>--------------->

 

Hope your week was just as fun as mine,

&

I wish you a wonderful weekend filled with joy!!!

Cheers,

T.

xx

The 7 Things I'll Share Today

 Hello + Hello!

Having a quicky stop-in to say

Hey!

&

To share 7 things from my week so far...

Above,

you'll see the photos I snapped via

Instagram

while I was at the

Northwest Flower And Garden Show in Seattle

I enjoyed the garden/room from

Wight's Nursery in Lynnwood, Washington

the best by far!

Although the gardens were very nice...they just didn't have that

"WOW!!!"

factor that they had 8 years ago or so.

BUT....

the new vintage collection area was absolutely beautiful!!

(Only a couple of snaps turned out from that area...so I'm only able to share 2 here.)

Last but not least...

I bought myself a new pair of Atlas Nitrile gloves in

PINK!

So, my mission was complete.

It was a fun day spent with my mom, sisters & nieces having alot of fun together.

We also junked our way down to the show...

more on that tomorrow.

>>>>>--------------->

&

While I was away.........

My sweet hubby was studying his new book

(from the library)

which is all about knots.

This man can master new knots & braids like nobody's business!

He actually whipped this fun little bracelet out for me in no time flat!

I love that guy.

Well....

that's it for today.

Stay tuned for more things I'd like to share

tomorrow!

Cheers,

T.

xx

Make Happy Hearts to Warm Your Winter Weary Soul DIY

Hello + Hello!

How have you been over the weekend?

I hope you are well?

I've been better than I was this past week...but still not great.

I tell you the stomach flu is really hanging on in our family...icky!

I was only gone from home for 2 hours but I was physically exhausted when I came home!!

The bad part was that I was mentally

WIDE AWAKE!

SO.....

I got some craft on!

If you are itching to make a little something fun this dreary winter, may I suggest these?

Here's the scoop.....they are super easy & you'll love it!

1. Grab some collapsed scrap cereal, pizza or granola bar boxes or similar light weight cardboard from the recycle bin.

2. Fold a piece in half and cut out "half" a heart on the fold. Unfold and lay flat.

3. Glue the heart to a piece of decorative vintage wallpaper with Mod Pod or watered down white school glue. ( Some of these wallpapers can be found at my shops on Etsy, at either Ollie Bollen or Wesley Asher by the yard if you are interested.)

4. If you plan to hang the hearts so you see both sides (like in a window etc.) just cover the backside the same way and allow to dry.

5. Last, punch holes in the top of the hearts and string with yarn or ribbons & hang...it's that easy!

 I'm thinking of making more to give away....these just turned out too cute!

I must be gettin' my craft mojo back after this long flu.

YAY!!!!

Until next time my friends, 

.....lot's of love!!!

T.

xx



Coming Back To "Life" in 2013

Hello + Hello

How are you all this 3rd day of the New Year?

I hope you are better off than I am.

Last post was on New Year's Eve afternoon....

and

THEN

it

HAPPENED....

...I was sadly unfortunate enough to get the tummy flu from my little boys.

Ick.

As I was stirred awake by the fireworks going off around our home at

midnight,

I knew....it had come for me.

It hasn't happened often that I've missed a

New Year's Eve,

but this was one of those years where we were all in bed by 9:30.

(if you know what a night owl I am, you know that this is unheard of!!!)

So,

without dwelling on this too long....

I wanted to bring you a little bit of wintery goodness from some

Instagram Favorites

from the last week or so.

I hope you are spared the crud this season.

( We even had flu shots!!)

&

now...

it's back to my ginger-ale and

Pinterest

where I am trying to find follower #1400.

Will you come and join me over there?

I've been finding some great stuff lately,

&

adding some of my own things too!

Have a great weekend my friends...

stay healthy!

T.

xx

P.S.

Instagram Photo Collage Above:

Cute mug I got from our employee & friend Colleen from

Botanikal

Sign is from our shop

 Grandiflora

Jewelry is in my very own bathroom.

&

Sweetie Pie Snowman Stepping Stone was made for me

by my talented big sister

La Von

(Also my business partner at Grandiflora)

 

 

 

 

 



72 December Instagram Favorites

 Hello + Hello

&

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to drop by my blog and say hi!

I've been a busy girl this past month with all that has to happen with owning a retail shop during the holiday season.

But,

I've always got my Droid with me wherever I go....

and therefore am able to capture little daily lovelies.

Here are just a few of my favorites...

yes...72 is a few.

LOL!!!

It's been a fun December so far with lots of crafting, baking, decorating & much much more!

I hope you are enjoying your

Christmas time as much as I have been.

So excited to go to Church tonight for our

Christmas Eve Service!!

I love EVERYTHING about gathering with those who love Jesus!!

Hoping you're well, and a Merry Christmas Eve to YOU!

Trish

xx