wish they all could be california girls

can hardly contain the excitement that in just 2 weeks I'll be packing up the boys and heading home to san diego for 17 glorious days!! the beach, the fam, the mexican food, the friends!
and maybe even disneyland? (the boys have never been!!)
oh august 3rd, could you just hurry up and get here?

don't you think i need one of these to celebrate?

via tru.che

via my lavaliere

via keep calm shop

via aheirloom

ahh.... 

a few thoughts for the weekend

sometimes i take a look around and wonder whose life this is.

the other day a local customer came to my house to pick up some supplies i was selling. i answered the door dripping wet and half dressed (read: not really half dressed, just still in the process of trying to find something cute to wear. which means i was disheveled and not feeling cute at all). when i handed her the package she looked at me and said "so, are YOU the one behind Allora Handmade?" in disbelief.

i wanted to laugh out loud because, certainly, at that moment, and after a hectic morning, i  did not match my product image nor was i putting my best foot forward. "i know it's hard to believe, but i do clean up pretty nice." i wanted to say. instead i just spit out an embarrassed,"yeeeesss?"

what a thrill to see my lovelies on a real mannequin in a real store. (shade's local designer accessory market)

she proceeded to ask me questions about how i had sold so many items and what she should do to get the word out for her new shop as though i was some sort of an expert. again, i wanted to laugh but tried to keep it together and appear somewhat professional. i know that this past year i have been very blessed. there's no doubt about that. but, what started as a cross-your-fingers and hope we can pay rent next month last-ditch effort has now bloomed into a busy, thriving business. and it almost feels like an accident. don't get me wrong, i've put a lot of long hours into this budding beauty, but the hardest part is finding the hours in the day to meet the demand - not finding a way to get the word out. as i gave her a few tips, things that seemed so intuitive to me, i realized that they aren't actually intuitive to every one. 

so before i share my tips, any shop owners out there? what about you? what is your go-to for spreading the word and bringing in new customers? 

pattern obsession: chevron stripes

i know i'm a little late to the party, but is anyone else as obsessed with chevron stripes as i am lately? usually my eye is drawn to organic patterns, so i don't know what's gotten into me. somehow i've become a lover of geometric patterns. some zig-zag-ed eye candy for you:

found here

diy project found here

via meohmymama

would these floors make you crazy? not sure i could deal, but i looove the look. didn't 9 by design have some wood similar to this on the exterior of one of their places?

via apartment therapy

via kellyandolive

some etsy love:

from whit & whistle

from whitney rae paper

if you're really ambitious, here's a tutorial to make your own chevron stripes:

(in case you're wondering, i'm not that ambitious.)

found here

thanks for letting me confess my undying love. you may proceed.

*** don't forget to enter the giveaway here!***

new and fresh.

happy thursday everyone!

so many things to share, but my jumbled mind just can't spit it all out. maybe a list will help:

1) if you are using a feed reader, hop out and check out my new blog design. what do you think of allora-licious? i'm in love with it and with my designers (dear, sweet husband of mine did the graphics and talented generous sis helped with the rest! thanks guys!) we also added tabs at the top so you can find me on twitter, facebook, etc. etc. yay!

2) if you haven't been to the shop lately you will want to check.it.out.stat. things are looking a little different with the addition of some sweet baby faces. that's right - this week i am launching a new line of Allora Handmade...  Allora Baby! even though i don't have any girls of my own, i just can't resist these tiny little blooms. check it out here. 

3) can't have a product launch without a GIVEAWAY! so head on over to 30days to pick up some lovelies for your favorite little lassies.

4) i am excited to change up this blog a little bit and add more of me and my life. would love to hear what you all want to know and have a good old fashioned q&a. whaddya think?

have a happy thursday! and don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Happy Birthday to Allora Handmade

I simply can not believe that this weekend will mark the one year anniversary of Allora Handmade! It feels like I've been at this my whole life, yet at the same time it has absolutely flown by.
Well, to thank all of you for taking me on this incredible journey, this week only I am having a HUGE sale! That's right... everything in the shop is BUY 3 GET 1 FREE! Everything! So, if you bought 4 necklaces, you could save up to $37! Wow!
All you have to do is purchase the 4 items you want and then put Happy Birthday or Happy Anniversary or tell me how much you love me (I kid, I kid) and I will refund you the price of the 4th item (of equal or less value). This offer does not apply to custom orders.
Now go shop and get yourself some lovely lovelies!
And THANK YOU!

love me some becky earl!

ever heard of the amazing and talented Becky Earl? the one who made me look like a rockstar? well, she's back at it, and today is hosting a giveaway for allora handmade on her blog.

oh, and you may find out why (once again) I am missing in action...

what, you've never heard of the queen bee market? well get with it! (can't keep up with me? me either...)

words cannot express...

how incredibly grateful and overwhelmed I have been since early wednesday morning. my heart and my tearducts have been overflowing. when i decided to host a benefit for jonathan's birthday, i had no idea what i was in for. so much love, generosity, and support has been poured out in our direction that i am simply in awe. thank you.

thank you for making this week one of the best i have ever had.

thank you for helping little insignificant me do something truly amazing.

thank you for taking on a cause that may not impact your life daily, but certainly impacts the lives of those closest to me.

thank you for your friendship and for your encouragement.

when i started allora handmade, i had no idea what a blessing it would be and i am so thankful for the opportunity to give in a way that was otherwise impossible.

do you want to hear what we did this week? drumroll please....

with your help, we raised over $1300 for Autism Speaks.

can you believe it? i know. AWESOME.

my sister has been in tears. what a blessing for her to feel supported through you in one of the biggest challenges she has ever had to face. and though J may not know of your willingness to contribute to a cause that will affect his life, his family will. so, thank you.

i can't think of a better way to start off the year. i feel as though my heart has been changed, and my mind has been opened to the possibilities that are out there as long as i am up for the challenge. i hope that 2010 will be a year of change and growth and giving. i know that it will be an amazing year if i can learn to look outward instead of inward and give more of myself, my time, and my talents.

thank you. thank you. thank you for making that possible. those words just don't do it justice!!

BIG NEWS!

Hello friends! I am so excited to announce a really cool benefit going on in my shop today through friday.

I love how December is so full of the spirit of giving. The feelings I had this season have helped me to make a goal in 2010 to give more: of myself, of my time, of my talents, and my resources. My first opportunity starts today! January 14th is my nephew, Jonathan's 10th birthday. He was diagnosed 8 years ago with Autism, and that diagnosis has drastically changed the life of my sister and all the rest of our family - in so many ways.

Every Christmas and birthday I struggle with what to get him that he will really enjoy.Since buying gifts for Jonathan is so difficult, this year for his birthday I am having an Autism Awareness benefit sale in my shop. The shop is loaded up, and from today, January 13th through Friday the 15th, I will donate 100% of the proceeds to Autism Speaks. I figure the best gift I can give him (and his family) is a chunk of change to help solve the puzzle that is autism.

Here is where I need your help. I would love to shout it from the rooftops, but my corner of the blogosphere is only so big. If you are willing to post about the benefit and the opportunity to help out my nephew and millions of others (the statistic is now 1 in 70 boys are diagnosed with autism in the U.S.) I would greatly appreciate it.

Here are the details:

• 100 % of the proceeds for the 13th, 14th, and 15th will go to Austim Speaks
• For every $10 you spend in the shop, you will be entered to win $40 towards a purchase at Allora Handmade ( So, if you spend $50, that's 5 entries).
• I will not be taking custom orders during the benefit so as to get purchases out the door as soon as possible.

I think that's all. If you have any questions, please let me know. It means so much to me to be able to use my time and talents to be able to give back to a cause that is so close to my heart. Happy shopping!

coming up...

hope you all had a happy holiday season! it sure was nice to close down the shop for a minute and catch my breath, but i certainly have missed you all as well as my little creative outlet! just wanted to tune in and make sure you check back in on wednesday for some exciting new things, a chance to give, and a chance to receive... and that's all i'm going to say for now!

curiosity piqued?

see you wednesday!

giveaway!!

hop on over to simply modern mom today for an allora handmade giveaway!