monthly wrap-up: September

Can you believe that the month is over? I sure can't. There has been a lot happening over at the blog this month: big changes, insightful posts, and some new features. See a few of my favorites:

confession time: I'm a vintage lover
why I decided to close my etsy shop
my best swap yet, introducing Lovely Letters!
A welcome to a new beginning of the blog 

A few favorite blog post reads:
I loved this outfit post!
A vintage camera DIY? Yes, please!
This dreamy inspiration post was just beautiful!

A new blog I found and loved:

the Wonder List. This blog is so truthfully written and has some pretty inspiring posts! This one happens to be one of my favorites.

Friday Favorites

I have a pretty awesome edition of favorites, and I have to admit, the best so far. Check out this week's picks:

Leather Knot Bracelet

I love this bracelet. Seriously, this piece is amazing and while simple, it's stunning in it's own way. I have got to have this.

Beautiful Quotes

I love inspiring quotes. And this is just lovely. Just take a moment to soak it in a little...

Fields

This photo is so pretty, but in it's own way. It brings back memories of summer, popsicles, and photography with film. It's not the kind of photo that "wows" but amazing in it's own way. 

S'mores Bars

And now to make you drool... these delicious looking cookie bars. They look so good right now, don't they? Get the recipe here.

Fun Bookmarks

Another super cute item! I'm a huge bookworm. I love to read a good book, and this would look perfect in my next one! How adorable are those little red shoes?

currently...

1. The sky at sunset. Isn't is beautiful? // 2. little Ella yawning // 3. A delicious bite of a brownie // 4. A close-up of an ocean painting // 5. Guacamole! // 6. Typing away at my keyboard // 7. Picking some ripe tomatoes from my garden.

I haven't done anything super amazing this month so far, but planning on doing something fabulous this weekend. I really want to find a good book to curl up with.... this post was awesome inspiration. I hope I can take a look at some them this weekend. 

Happy Thursday!

Want to sponsor Modern Buttercup in October?

Next month is going to be a good one here at Modern Buttercup, and I have lots of awesome blog content planned! It's going to be all high-quality posts and maybe even a DIY or two! You don't want to miss out in October! And the best part? 

Yes, it's true -- next month is all ad swaps! I'm accepting ad swaps for medium and small ads. Since I'm still polishing my blog and making it beautiful, ad swaps are the way to go! Sponsorships for October are free. If you think your blog will be a good fit, feel free to send me an email! I'd love to have you!

See the ad sizes below (but disregard the prices!) 

5 things I love about Autumn

I love Autumn and it leads up to my favorite season, which happens to be Winter. Autumn is the introduction to cold weather, warm tea, and the start of the holiday season. It also gives me the excuse to listen to holiday music and not look like a weirdo. (Not many people listen to Christmas music in July) I've put together a small list of things I love about this season, being the list maker I am. See my 5 favorites below:

1. Reading a good book by the fireplace
2. Making a pumpkin-based recipes (I'm considering this delicious one)
3. Wearing cozy boots!
4. Starting on an embroidery project
5. Taking beautiful outdoor photos

It's not much of a list, but I love everything on it! 

What are your favorite things about Autumn?

new beginnings

The big day is finally here! It's time for the big blog reveal...

It's taken me quite a while to get to this point, with a bit of some CSS know-how, and lots of anticipation. You don't know how much I've waited for this moment! I know I've had plenty of blog "re-launches" in the past, but I have a feeling this is the one that'll stick and make a difference. I promise this will be the last big change I'll have for quite a while. Really!

I have a ton of posts planned and thrilled to have the chance to show them to you soon!

Lovely Letters: a swap!

I have an awesome surprise to share with you all, my lovely readers! I've put together another swap for you all! Lovely Letters. Lovely letters is a swap where you exchange snail mail with a pen pal we assign you. It's going to be a blast and even better because I'm co-hosting it with my friend Shell!

 image via: littlegirlbigcloset on Flickr

We'd love for you to take part in the exchange! If you're interested, this is how it will work:

1. You need to commit to sending 4 letters over an 8 week period. We will assign partners and you will share letters back and forth for the duration of the project. Only sign up if you can commit to sending the 4 letters, nobody wants to miss out on receiving some lovely letters!
2. Each fortnight we will post a new project which will tell you the theme of that fortnight's exchange.
3. At the end of the letter exchange, you have the option to take part in a package exchange too, just in time for Christmas! This part is optional, but so much fun!
4. The exchange is open internationally, we will try to pair you with someone in your area to keep postage costs to an absolute minimum for you.

How do I sign up?! Well... it's simple! Just fill in (and submit) this form. (Filling in the form is the only way we can accept your application) The form also has a section that allows you to enter a few words about yourself to ensure you are paired with someone who shares similar interests to you. The deadline for signing up is Thursday 27th September. We will allocate your partners via email over the next few days and launch the Lovely Letters on Tuesday 1st October with your first task.

At the end of Lovely Letters (probably at the same time as the final task), you can take part in an optional package exchange too. The package exchange is a chance for you to put together a special gift for someone (who will be allocated separate to your letter exchange partner) and receive one in return. The value of your package should be $20-$30 including packaging. Please express your interest in participating in the package exchange on the sign up form.

If you are participating in Lovely Letters, place a button on the sidebar of your blog. The large image is 300x125 and the small image is 125x125. You can resize the image to fit your sidebar by adjusting the width and height values in the code below after you copy it to your site. Just make sure you keep the proportions even :)

Large Button

<a href="http://www.kittyandbuck.com" target="_blank"><img width="300" src="http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p482/kittyandbuck/Lovely%20Letters%202012/LovelyLettersRectangeButton_zpsf3d12517.jpg" height="125"></a>

Small Button

<a href="http://www.kittyandbuck.com" target="_blank"><img width="125" src="http://i1152.photobucket.com/albums/p482/kittyandbuck/Lovely%20Letters%202012/LovelyLettersSquareButton_zps9ea761df.jpg" height="125"></a>
Spread the word to everyone you know! It would be awesome to have a lot of participants to spread the  lovely letters, and make lots of new friends! :)

a new direction

Lately here at the blog, it's been a bit mellow and the topics a bit scattered. I feel that while I've tried to give it my best effort, it's not quite working and it's not feeling quite "me".  I'm trying hard to make Modern Buttercup at it's full potential and making it's best. I'm fine-tuning my blog posts and making Modern Buttercup something I can be proud of.

The blog has had a pretty odd combination of things: nails, inspiration, design, lifestyle, kitties, and other random things. And I'm ready to make it what I want to really post about.
Style, simple DIYs, blogging tips, vintage inspiration, and my life.

As you can tell, I've already got some things in the works and changing things. Like my etsy shop. Or the new blog design I've got planned!

I know it seems that things have been changing a lot around here, but I can gladly say that once things have gone as planned, they won't change too drastically!

What do you think of this big change?

on my etsy shop and a new venture

I love Etsy, and my little graphic design business has been so busy! I work hard on the orders, and squeeze it into my daily schedule; trying to juggle it with everyday life and my blog --- which is a lot!

I feel that lately my blog has been on the backburner with all my effort trying to run the shop smoothly. And while I'm thrilled it's done so well, it's been almost a bit too much to handle. But no worries, I'm not done with graphic design forever, but for now, my Etsy shop is going to be down for a bit as I focus more on Modern Buttercup. I'm only going to do blog designs for now and focus on those, giving 110% on each design I do.

My design queue is currently open and I'm taking any blog design projects, big or small! Feel free to ask any questions you may have, I'd be more than happy to answer them!

See blog design rates below:

I'm also accepting orders for a la carte items like; blog headers, blog buttons, blog signatures, menu bars, or anything else I didn't mention already. Email me for quotes!

Double Exposure photography

My latest obsession right now is double exposure photography. I love the whimsical effect it has: the way it can make things look big or small, or how everything looks so dreamy. The altered look is just stunning! The photo variations are beautiful and I have yet to try out this photography technique. 

See some of these gorgeous photos below to see what I mean:

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

friday favorites

Galaxy Nails

I still have to try this awesome nail technique and it's been on my to do list forever. I plan on trying it soon when I have some spare time and when I do, I'll make sure to show them to you!

Cute Baby Hamsters

I'm a sucker for baby animals and this is clearly no exception! Seriously, how cute is this little hamster?

Custom cat totem

One of my favorite etsy shops offers a custom animal totem, and I thought it was just adorable! I mean, isn't that just so cute? I wonder how Ella would look in miniature.... 

Wise words

I thought this doodle was pretty good advice to live on.

An embroidery pattern I want to buy

When Mollie asked her Twitter followers what comes to mind when they think of Autumn, I jumped in and tweeted "Pumpkins, cute little black cats, tea, & fall leaves..." Hours later, I received a reply that she had used a few of my ideas in this pattern! I was so thrilled and it's awesome to see my little black kitty as a pattern. A pattern by Mollie. (Mollie is one of my all time favorite bloggers, so this was a huge deal to me) So far, this was September's highlight :) Buy this pattern here.

I'm a vintage lover

Confession time: I'm a vintage lover. I love vintage things and the charming look that goes with each piece - each having a story to tell. And I much rather prefer a cute little vintage camera over a modern one you'll find today.

This confession might sound a bit odd to you as this blog is called "Modern Buttercup" with emphasis on the modern part. But I'm a fan of beautiful modern things, like vintage things much more! It's hard to refrain yourself from blogging about a topic you love just because you know it won't suit your current blogging niche and name of the blog. Which is why I thought I'd tell you that I've decided to change the things I post about just a tad. Same topics: lifestyle & inspiration, but with a sprinkle of other things too, like I mentioned before. Exactly what new things? That's for you to find out -- and I guarantee you'll love it!

What do you think of this new change? I look forward to receiving your feedback in the comments below.

friday favorites: things I just love

Although this week has been a slow one here at Modern Buttercup, I promise you things will pick up again! Friday Favorites has been my favorite posting day and I definitely look forward to sharing them with you all. Check out this week's favorites:

Geo Rings

Did I mention that I'm a bit obsessed with geo-inspired stuff lately? And these cute modern rings take the cake!

White Peach-Lavendar Soda

This combo is so odd, yet it sounds so compelling! (Which is saying a lot, since I hate flower-flavored things) But as soda? This world just got a bit better...

Popsicle sponges
As weird as this might sound, this was my favorite pick this week. Yes, really. I loved the idea of this and thought I'd show off 2 pictures from the collection of popsicles/sponges. See more of this popsicle-sponge showcase here.

Vintage Office Supplies

I love stationary. And when it's vintage? Even more! I would have a field day with supplies like this. Check out this site that offers more awesomeness.

It's Paper, Dear

When I saw this post over at Scathingly Brilliant a few months ago, I loved the idea and got a bit jealous I hadn't thought of it earlier! It's Paper Dear is a stationary subscription that sends you lovely paper items like cute papers, a notebook, pen, and other goodies once a month! I really want this subscription and putting it at the top of my wishlist. It's times like this when I wish I had a pen pal around to send stuff to...