A Hue & Hum Christmas

Let me introduce myself, my husband, and our blog to you.  I'm an artist, Hum's a guitarist.  I met (and fell for) Hum when we were awkward teenagers in high school way back before I knew I wanted to be a hue and before he knew he wanted to be a hum.  We got married a couple years after that, and now that we're grown-ups (well, not really) we create art and music for a living.  I (Hue) am the pen and brush (literally) behind the Hue & Hum blog.  I paint for a living and am an aspiring artist.  Hum plays the electric guitar like nobody's business.  He plays in the band Fictionist who, believe it or not, recently got signed to Atlantic Records!... and yes, we were very excited.  

A couple of months ago Hum and I were playing a christmas carol called, "Were You There On that Christmas Night?", ever heard of it?  It's one of our favorites.  We were working on it for a different project, but we had so much fun we thought, "Heck.  We should record our own christmas album!". And so we did.  

Hum oversaw the production of the album.  He recorded guitars in our tiny bathroom at home, layered effects, and made sure everything sounded extra groovy.  I oversaw the album art and production, and it would be easy to argue that I had a little too much fun.  I felt like I was in 3rd grade again, I built a little diorama-like set up with fabric, cardboard, and ugly little plastic glittery snowflakes.  Here is a music video showing the in-process album artwork with the third track from the album, "Angels We Have Heard on High".  Enjoy.

Our blog is a place where I can document our art and music, talk about the creative process, show off our dog, and post ridiculous things because I like to use and abuse the privilege of being able to publish anything I want to on the world wide web.  We'd love to have you follow along with us, just don't say I didn't warn you.  

Thanks so much for sharing with us Caitlin! You all can pick up Hue & Hum Christmas via Hue's etsy shop. AND quess what!?  Here's a giveaway you can all win! Follow Hue & Hum on facebook for a free christmas download! 

xo.

Melisa

5 tips on Being More Optimistic

As some of you may know, I have a sister. She is by far one of the most upbeat and optimistic people I know. She has her own blog called Oh Happy Day, which is highly appropriate to her personality. Sometimes I struggle with being peppy and outgoing, as for the most part I tend to be a bit more introverted, so I thought I'd ask Adrienne to share a few tips on how to more optimistic^_^ 

1. Smile // Try being negative with a smile on. I bet you can't do it and look like you mean it. Every time I get frustrated, I smile. Though the "problem" might still be there, it's way easier to handle with a smile on. 

2. Breathe //  Yup, it's as simple as that. Deep breathing. I'm sure you've heard it before, but not only does it help you relax, relieve headaches, and strengthen abdominal muscles, it also helps clear and focus the mind. All the ingredients for a good time.

3. Thanksgiving // It's not just a holiday in November. Take time to think about the things you are thankful for on a daily basis--everything from your loved ones, to eating tasty food, to waking up without an alarm. Life is truly good when you think about it.

4. Dwelling // Just don't do it! The longer you dwell on a problem, the harder it will be to get over it. Give yourself time to mope about it, but then move on. I try to use the 10 percent rule in this situation. For example, if I got yelled at by a customer for 10 minutes because she was having a bad day and wanted to take it out on someone, I would spend 1 minute frustrated about the situation, maybe tell a co-worker or two, but them move on with my day.

5. The Bright Side // Trust me, there is a bright side to every situation. And usually, the bright side out weighs the dark side.  Say you're stuck in traffic...at least you can listen to your favorite band while you wait. Say your car a/c breaks...at least you can roll with the windows down and feel a lovely breeze on your face. Say you stepped in dog poop barefoot...at least you have a hilarious story to share that will crack anyone up. 

Love and light.

Adrienne

Guest DIY // Deer In A Bottle

Hello Pie N' The Sky readers! I'm Tara from Deer in a Bottle. Today, I'm happy to share with you a super easy DIY art project. 

In my tutorial, I will be making a chevron pattern (because who doesn't love chevron these days?). However, feel free to make any pattern you like. That's the best thing this tutorial, it can be customized to whatever design you choose!

1. For this project, you will need canvas, paint chip colors, a hole puncher, Mod Podge, and a dimensional adhesive such as Diamond Glaze. 

2. Choose up to three colors for your project. I chose three different shades of red.

3. Punch punch punch! You will probably need more circles than you think, so make sure you have a good collection. 

4. Mod Podge a small area of your canvas. Then, stick each circle onto the covered canvas. Although it can be tedious, I recommend Mod Podging each individual circle to make sure they are evenly lined up.

5. Once every circle is glued down, squeeze a small drop of Diamond Glaze onto the top of each piece. This will create a raised bubble over each of your circles.

6. Look at that! You are all finished and now you have a beautiful unique piece of art.


Wowza! SO cute; I can't wait to try this diy out! It seems so simply, a bit tedious, but the end result is such a fun piece. Thank you Tara for sharing with us! Y'all can expect a lot more diy's and home decor posts, as I am moving out on Monday!! eeep! I have lots to get done today, but I'll be back later with another diy^_^

xo.

Melisa

Guest Post // This + That

Hello!! So, I have talked lots and lots on my blog about my infamous move back home. Yep, I graduated [with a BA in design], moved back in with my parents and sister, and I re-did my room! That is the best part of moving: redecorating. I had so much fun choosing furniture, shopping, organizing, and such.

I basically chose brown and white as my colors because I always have a tranquil, peace theme going on and I wanted to recycle/re-use a lot of my things so I went with it. I got all new furniture from IKEA.

The collection I chose was MALM. I got the full bed, and a dresser that has 6 drawers [which I thought would be enough but I wish it had 2 more! Lol]. I mixed in some while floating shelves as night stands and the OFELIA blanket for a nice feminine touch on the bed.

The ‘love’ pillow is from urban as well as the peace sign one. The peace sign lamp is from PB teen. It adds such a nice light ambiance when its on at night. My boyfriend gave me the white lantern star that is hung above my bed, which is my favorite part of the room. He is so sweet. I fell in love with it at a store in Tampa, FL and he bought it for me right then and there.

I decided to not have a desk in the room. I have a separate workspace downstairs to separate sleep, leisure, and relaxation from work.

Enjoy the pictures! Let me know if you have any questions about where anything is from. You can visit me at This + That, for more posts like this.  You can also follow me on twitter at camborges. xoxo, Mila 

Thanks so much Mila! Isn't her room oh so cute?? I just love it all; so simple and pretty^_^

xo.

Melisa

Guest DIY // Lauren the Perfect Pear

Hi friends! I'm Lauren, and I love DIY, hopefully I can pass this love on over to you with this DIY! :)

you'll need: some yarn ( i recommend the non-fuzzy stuff ), glue gun, letters, and scissors

1: glue your yarn to the back and wrap yarn all around the letters. Make sure its not too tight so you cant get pictures on, but not too loose that it falls off! a nice balance.

2: Do the same thing to all your letters, don't worry that if back looks bad, no one will see it!

3: Print your pictures and slip them into the yarn. They'll stay nice and snug!

Voila! an interchangeable picture holder! happy crafting friends!

⎨BLOG⎬⎨SHOP⎬⎨TWITTER⎬

xo, Lauren

Guest Post // Rouge & Whimsy

Hi Pie N' the Sky readers, I'm Erika of Rouge & Whimsy. I am so excited for the opportunity to guest post for the lovely Melisa!

I make & sell pretty accessories in my Etsy shop and write about life, fashion and all things creative on my blog. Come stop by & say hi :)

My tidbit I'm sharing today is in regards to fashion. One of the things I love about fashion today is that it really is more about what looks good on you and what you feel comfortable in than what's "in." 

When I was in junior high I was concerned about what I wore but even more concerned about what other people thought of what I wore. Thankfully I've grown out of that (a little bit) and have much more freedom to wear things that I like! 

I used to worry a lot about if things matched. I had these turquoise tennis shoes and I would wear them only with my dark jeans and a solid shirt-- I especially liked to pair it with a matching turquoise shirt... a little over board now that I think about it. :) I never would be caught dead in an outfit that had black and brown and mixing patterns? Unforgivable.

Today those rules don't apply. Now, if you want, you can wear black and brown and if you're really daring, mix and match patterns to your pleasing.

If you want to start mixing patterns, try it with an accessory. I personally love stripes combined with florals.

Try a striped top with a floral scarf like I did here, or vice versa--a striped scarf with a floral top. If you're a little more brave, try going further with a striped cardigan and floral top, or even a striped skirt with floral shirt.

Or, as I did here, a polka-dotted pattern skirt with a striped top. 

In both cases, make sure that the items go at least a little bit together. Although my shirt is orange-y and the skirt is blue, both patterns have a lot of white in them which makes it less of a clash. Both items are also in the same color family--bright, cheerful hues. These two things make my outfit more coordinated. :)

If you are really feeling daring, try mixing two of the same prints together. I suggest two florals, and if you want it to mesh nicely, pair a small ditsy floral print with a larger floral pattern.

In this case, I paired a navy floral sundress with a more muted floral cardigan over it. There are similar colors in both prints and by adding a brown belt, the entire outfit is more cohesive. Rather than try and go all out with patterned shoes, I chose a simple purple wedge which picks up the colors in the dress and cardigan.

If you're mixing patterns in your clothes-- keep your accessories minimal. Unless, of course, you're really going for a statement! :) The final thing you need to remember? If you feel great in what you're wearing, than that's all the matters. Confidence over clothes any day. :)

Thanks for letting me stop by Melisa! 

xo Erika