Hand Lettered Step Stools by PArtyhauser

Growing up, I envied a step stool given to my elder sister. Made by a family friend, it read, "This little stool is mine, I use it all the time, to reach the things I couldn’t and lots of things I shouldn’t." 

When she asked me to be her son’s Godmother, I knew I had the perfect gift for his christening, a step stool of his very own! I chose a portion of a baptismal prayer, “Surround this child with goodness, lead him in your light each day. Let him walk the path you’ve chosen, guide his steps along the way.” 

Since then, these stools have become a favorite gift of mine to give to the children in my life. The pine stools measure 14” long, 8”wide, and 7” high and are secured with square head screws by a quality craftsman. 

I hand letter each word with a paintbrush, making these stools more unique than any others on the market. 

The stools are then sealed, allowing them to stand the everyday wear and tear of the bathroom. They are not only a thoughtful, handmade gift; but also a keepsake. 

 

I am excited to debut a new set of colors for Summer 2013, including blush pink and sea green! Contact me if you would like a custom saying or monogrammed stool and keep your eyes on the shop for lots of exciting new handmade gifts!

Order a stool this weekend and you will receive free shipping! Think of it as my little Easter gift to you :)

Hoppy Easter Everyone!!!

Love.

Today is Valentine's Day and like many others, it has me thinking quite a bit about love. Not love in the sense of how I will acknowledge it to my husband on this February day, but love in the sense of its definition.

In the article, What Is Love? written for the Huffington Post by Sheryl Paul. She says:

“Love is action. Love is tolerance. Love is learning your partner's love language and then expressing love in a way that he can receive. Love is giving. Love is receiving. Love is plodding through the slow eddies of a relationship without jumping ship into another's churning rapids. Love is recognizing that it's not your partner's job to make you feel alive, fulfilled, or complete; that's your job. And it's only when you learn to become the source of your own aliveness and are living your life connected to the spark of genius that is everyone's birthright can you fully love another.”

I couldn’t agree more with this statement and others made within the article. Sheryl Paul points out that love is difficult to define but all definitions support some intrinsic true. And what I have begun to notice is that the definitions often somehow acknowledge the well-known bible verse from 1 Corinthians:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

Love is not always easy. But, love is love. It does not change between sexes, between ages, between relationships of friendships, family or marriage. Although there are different ways of expressing your love between all of these relationships, love always remains good, love always brings about goodness in others and most importantly, while other things in life may fall apart; while pain and joy come to us, through it all, love remains.

Valentine's Day is a day to acknowledge love and care. It began as a way to honor Saint Valentine who suffered imprisonment and execution for performing weddings for young soldiers. It began as way to honor Saint Valentine for fighting for love. In the spirit of Valentine's Day I would like to stand up for love. All love.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis say it best in this song with the help of Mary Lambert. 

Take a listen.

“A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are

And a certificate on paper isn’t gonna solve it all

But it’s a damn good place to start

No law is gonna change us

We have to change us

Whatever god you believe in

We come from the same one

Strip away the fear

Underneath it’s all the same love

About time that we raised up”

Today, we are taught from a small age to recognize love. To acknowledge the loved ones in our lives with cards, chocolate, flowers, jewelry, etc. So I ask, on a day where love is celebrated all around the world, shouldn’t all love be celebrated? Instead of spending money on material objects of affection, why not spend energy on spreading the love though our actions to our fellow neighbor? After all, it’s all the same love. 

Finding the Dress. Part I.

My Dress. A lovely Watters design modified by the even lovelier Trinh Nguyen of I Do Bridal and my imagination.  Photography by Mollie Wetta

This weekend marks the anniversary of a very special day to me, the day my husband got down on one knee. You may be noticing your Facebook feed is full of engagement announcements this time of year, and that makes sense since according to the 2011 American Wedding Study, the majority of proposals occur in December. So, this weekend seems like a great one to talk dresses!

Looking back at my childhood, I rarely remember imagining my wedding dress. I remember having a fake wedding and dressing up as a princess but I didn’t ever recall dwelling on a wedding dress. So, when my man popped the question, I didn’t have that perfect dress in mind just yet. Opening bridal magazines was so overwhelming. How to decide with so many lovely options out there? I love the classic look, the artsy look, the vintage look... you get the idea.

What ended up helping me find my dress was really thinking of what was most important to me. I wanted to be comfortable. I wanted to feel like a “real woman” not like a princess. I wanted the dress to fit the venue. Most importantly, I wanted the dress to fit my personality.

I ended up finding an awesome dress and then modifying it to fit my personality. I look back now and love the fact that I did this instead of buying off the rack. Doing it this way allowed me to match my dress to me and made me feel very original. I  recommend anyone to be adventurous and cut into a discontinued dress the way I did! Chances are you’ll end up with something lovely!

I’ll share all the details with you in the next post but until then, here are some swoon worthy dresses I found on my journey that I think you’ll love:

Tara Keely Style TK2053

Lazaro Style LZ3004

Blush Style 1104

This one is extra awesome because it's on Ruffled Recycle Your Wedding

Jim Hjelm Style JH8904

This Lazaro Gown Style LZ3910

Jim Hjelm Style JH8810

Lazaro Style LZ3908 

Happy Engagement Season! Stay tuned for the details on how I created my favorite dress ever in Part II coming soon!

Introducing...PARTYHAUSER!!!

Happy Wednesday Friends!

I hope you are all getting ready to do some serious eating and thanksgiving next week with friends and family. I can’t wait! There is nothing better than good people and good food.

Today, I am so excited to share some BIG news with you! I have embraced a dream of mine and opened up my own little shop on Etsy. For those of you who are not familiar with Etsy, it is similar to an online farmers market, a marketplace of all things handmade, vintage and unique. In a word, it is AMAZING!

Partyhauser is the name of shop and hand lettered painting and party pretties are the game of my shop. As I am just starting out, most listings are for custom paintings and gifts but I am hard at work on new listings.

Right now on Partyhauser you will find items that are ready to ship, like this 

Hand Painted KU Fight Song Painting:

Customizable to your favorite team!

Fun gifts that are completely customizable like this 

30Rocks Candy Bouquet:

Customizable to any age or color choice. 

And examples of Custom Lyric Paintings in various sizes, colors, and styles like these:

An Extra Large Pink Floyd Painting made for decor in our first house.

Side shot of the Extra Large.

A Small Pink Floyd Painting made as a Valentines Gift for the Husband.

Detail shot of a Shania Twain Song painted for wedding decor. This is especially awesome because it was the couple's song and it now hangs in their home.

I plan to list new items very often so visit often! Fun Hand painted Wedding Table Numbers and Step-stools are coming soon! And if you have any type of DIY project that you just don’t feel like doing yourself, send it my way! I’ll let you know if I can tackle it for you.

Have a happy Happy HAPPY Thanksgiving!!!

Love,

Partyhauser

Putting the Art into the Party since 2012 ;)

A.T.'s Truffle Fries

These delicious fries came into my life through my brother-in-law. They are easy and addictive, so watch out!

Gather desired amount of red potatoes, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and truffle oil:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice red potatoes into thin wedges:

Scatter on foil covered baking sheet and drizzle with desired amount of truffle oil:

Smile as you admire your drizzling skills:

Grind pepper:

Grind sea salt:

Place in oven and bake until desired crispiness is reached. 

We like them about a 30-minute crisp. 

For added fun, juggle while you wait:

Enjoy!

P.S. Sorry to my readers for the photo quality. These were taken with my old camera at my old house. Look forward to new camera and new house photos to come.

P.P.S. Thanks to A.T. for teaching us to make these and my handsome husband for his help in the kitchen.