birthday gifts

Sorry everyone for not posting like I should. I guess I've let the summer get the best of me. I've been having way too much fun swimming, enjoying the sunshine, gardening and now watching my deck get built. I'll most definitely post pictures of the finished product, hopefully sooner than later.

My birthday is in a week and I'm so excited for a few things. Is it silly that I order my own gifts? Who knows better than yourself what you want right?

I'm getting these two books.

The first is mostly for eye candy, plus I love baking, hence the nickname, Muffin. I love these ladies blog, The FarmChicks , so why not get the book .



The other one is to help me take my Etsy Shop to the next level, since I really have no idea what I'm doing. I'm hoping to learn a lot from this book , plus it has really good reviews. I also love the cover. It was designed by Emily of Inside A Black Apple .



Third, I'm getting some of these from Sparkling Shamrock. I'm getting the 1/4 inch ones though. I want to make garden markers like these and also see what other types of surfaces they work on. I'm hoping leather and clay to mention just a few!



What types of things do you enjoy getting on your birthday? Do you have any traditions? Mine is to eat lime jello cake . It's sooooo good!!!

rejected patterns

I know what you're thinking....where have I been? Well, I've been super busy designing! But, because of all of my hard work, I thought I'd show you some of the rejects, you know, the ones that didn't make the cut for the projects I was working on. Tell me what you think.

These patterns were for a bold floral calendar I'm working on, I still like them, but ended up going a totally different direction. I drew all of these with a Wacom Tablet by hand, so they aren't as refined as some of my other patterns.

















These patterns are a little more sophisticated, but still fun!

char's bedroom

I got a little carried away and went all out on this one. Well, it was raining and I couldn't go outside and work has been a little slow. I really wanted to get this bedding done ASAP. So, on Tuesday, Char and I went to the Cotton Shop and got all the coordinating fabrics. Then over the past three days I have been busy sewing. I made 2 pillow cases, one with an owl on it. Two smaller pillows, one with a tree on it. And a long legged owl, I named Penny. I don't know why, but it just seemed fitting. (Penny is also the name of my little sister.)





Char absolutely loves it. I got the toddler bed at a garage sale for only $10! And the comforter is actually a Pottery Barn Kids sleeping bag that I took the zipper out of and made into a quilt for Char. It had an embroidered name on it, but I just picked that out and tada! Brand new for only $20! Can't beat that! I found the mirror at a Thrift Store in Canon City, Colorado for only $8. Pretend it's painted white. I still have yet to do that...



I also made a coordinating pennant. I've been wanting to make one for a while now, and now was my chance. I had so much fun doing it. I know that Char will enjoy it for years to come!



And, here's the curly haired wonder. Isn't she the cutest!

green kitchen

I've been getting requests to see more pictures of my kitchen, so here ya go... I have wanted a green kitchen since I could remember. I found this strainer at Ross and fell in love with it. I only paid $8 bucks for it. Not bad.



I made the curtains from IKEA fabric. I just cut the fabric in half and then added rice to the bottom in a type of pocket to keep it hanging straight. As you can see, one curtain is shorter than the other. That's because I forgot to wash the fabric before I made the panels. Then my daughter decided to spill orange juice on it and I had to wash it, and it shrunk. I guess I should wash the other 3 panels, but that would mean taking out all the rice and then having to put it back in again, and who has time for that?



I painted the electrical box with chalkboard paint. It was this ugly gray thing, and now we use it to leave messages to each other.



The chairs I found at Target. I couldn't believe that they were the same color as my walls. If you like the paint color, it is Behr Scotland Isle 410D-5D. It's kind of an asparagus green. Whenever I see my kitchen, I just smile. It's my happy space! Do you have a happy space in your house that you'd like to share with us? Just leave a comment and a link.

lilacs

I'm enjoying the lilacs from my side yard. This is our first Spring in this house. I had no idea what I had hiding in my garden. I also have had daffodils and tulips. I love flowers!

New Baby Book

I have a New Baby Book now available in my Etsy Shop. It's similar to my other one, but this one is $10 cheaper because of the way it is printed. It also has a new layout.

Each book is custom made to fit you. You choose the cover, the book cloth and ribbon color, and inside paper. Plus the babies name goes into the book several times, as well as yours, if you like.


Ribbon color is your choice.


Cover paper choice and book cloth color are custom to fit your style.


Each book is bound together with two book screws.


After this title page is another page featuring the babies name.


Genealogy page featuring the babies name.


There are a total of 80 pages, each one featuring your little one.


A miniature envelope for your babies first haircut.

Feel free to email me if you have any other questions regarding this custom made book.

Easter Dress

For Easter, I decided to make Char's dress. I had so much fun making it, and it only took me like 3 hours. Not bad...

The dress is patterned after the knot dress by Sandi Henderson, but I didn't have a pattern. And Char wouldn't let me measure it up to her...But I was lucky, it fit this time, unlike the last time where the dress ended up way too big.

Here are some of the details on the dress.

And here's the hair flower that matches.