just a little baby fever. part one

one thing that is for sure is that i have baby fever. the next promotion i want is to be called momma. my little niece Hannie made it all the more prominant.  when you have a baby come into the family it changes you. i realized nothing else matters. as long as the little baby is happy and healthy the world can go on living.  

soooo i'm NOT pregnant. but if you looked at my pinterest you'd know i have baby fever.  so i'd thought i'd share some pins. the ones that i plan on implamenting when i have a little bee of my own.
 
Lavender Duppioni Shoes by Gracious May.      JCrew Dress for her fancy side.
i can't figure out a way to justify getting
these but when i do, watch out!

  so if you wanna make these for me, er, i mean baby, i'd think i'd love you forever, seriously.

this one is on my to-make list.


these two will be for my baby girl on her baptism day.

sweet, simple, baptism blanket. for sure!

 

 

 all adorable & irresistable! agree?

o. my. gosh. adorable.



*i do not claim any of these pictures as my own and the following link is to my pinterest where you can link to the original post.* http://pinterest.com/trish23bsj/little-bee/

These are a few of my favorite things...

is the sound of music song stuck in your head after reading that title. yeah, me too. :)

too much, i shared too much and wasn't comfortable with it. and in the end, i have to feel comfortable with what i do here.  so i erased it. but the following are items that make me happy and i want to share with you.
onto the happy things.

i love mail!!! i love stamps!!! i love thank you notes, love letters, pen pals. i love postcards! i think writing a beautiful letter and putting it in an envelope with a stamp is a lost art. call me crazy but it is. i love getting and recieving invitations to partys. i would much rather get and send a letter in the mail than an evite.

these are the pretty invitations that i sent out today for my cousin's baby shower.  it didn't talk long and it is worth the extra effort to make the envelope pretty. i'm not going to lie, i hope a mailperson sorting the mail notices them and takes note of it, maybe even smile about it. i hope the people recieving the invite are excited to open it and proud to have it on their fridge until the event. maybe because i daydream about these things is why i go to the extra effort.  it is a way i show love. the effort and thought are ways that i show people i care. 

getting pretty mail totally makes my day and makes me feel like someone thought of me.

Trader Joe's Lavender Lotion. O. My. Gosh. it is calming. it is theraputic. it is comforting.

i highly recommend it.

i have loved coffee for a long time but not untill recently i learned how to make it myself.  before when i made it, it was bitter and hard to swallow. now i have learned what i like.  if you can't read that picture it says Internation Delight Irish Creme = Amazing!

highly recommend

what are some of your favorite things? anything that helps you keep the peace in your brain?

Blog Lovin'

so i thought today i would share some of my favorite blogs that i make sure to read on a daily basis.  i look to these blogs for inspiration for many things. i have not saught out blogs about God but they have just wandered into my path... and for that, i will never complain. but what attracted me about them were their spirit, creativity, willing to talk about things that people don't really like to talk about, & i feel like i could identify with each of them in some way.  lately, i have made it a goal of mine to surround myself with positive people, with happy people, with grateful people, with genuine people.  and that has even extended itself with the blogs i read.  i may not know these women but from what i do know they have heart and they are worth admiring.  maybe you won't connect with their blogs like i do, but if there is a chance that i can spread their positive energy to even one person i think that would be great! soo without further ado (and in no specific order)...

1. Under the Sycamore:  http://ashleyannphotography.com/blog/

 

i love her blog because she is SUPER creative, her house is to die for, she seems like a supermom, but most importantly, she adopted the cutest little girl from China.  and if you know me, you know that has been a dream of mine since i was a little girl.  Ashley, from Under the Sycamore, has opened my eyes to the ups and downs of adoptions, and adopting a little girl with a cleft palette.  reading her story has made me look further into adopting children with special needs and recognizing that shockingly not everyone is ok with having a child with special needs.  for me, that is a little hard to "wrap my brain around" but it's definitely up for discussion in my little family. i don't know what is in store for me or my better half, but it's opened my mind and opened up a new realm of prayer.  i'll let God help us decide if it's right for us. anyway, check out her blog & do yourself a favor & check out her house tour. eye candy to say the least!

2. Whatever by Meg: http://megduerksen.typepad.com/whatever/

alright, let's be serious. if you don't like rainbows, you & i are gonna have trouble being friends.  because i love them. they are happy. they make me happy. and Meg's blog is super happy and lovely and all sunshine and rainbows.  seriously, all rainbows, literally. Meg's blog is the blog you read when you need a pick me up or feel like being inspired. there are always happy things there. she radiates positivity. and i hate mentioning craft weekend, because i don't want to compete with anymore people in getting it but i'm a little too excited to keep it to myself. craft weekend is an artist dream. she has endless amounts of fabric, ribbon, paint, every art supply you could imagine. you pay (a reasonable amount, if you ask me) to go to her farm house and craft ALL WEEKEND, eat amazing food, go antique shopping, and you get a freaking good basket to take home. tell me you are not drooling right now. it is a random draw to get in and i am waiting to be called home. ha! no seriously, i can't wait.  Meg also is an advocate for Africia and helping those in need. She works to get those clean water who need it most. she is not afraid to talk about prayer, and her beliefs in God and I think that is admirable. check out her blog, you won't reget it!

3. Emily's Little World by Emily: http://www.emilys-little-world.blogspot.com/

no pic available

Emily's blog is just something you can connect with. through her writing you never feel alone. good or bad, happy or sad, she lays it out there like no one else and you realize you've had some of the same thoughts. she's real and authentic. she works hard to be her best and once you dive into her little world you just have to like her because she trys and it shows and she's good, and honest. not forgetting to mention, this girl makes me want to sew. everytime she makes something it is crazy awesome and makes me want to make 10 quilts all at once. her work is beautiful! she has 3 adorable kids and she is an awesome photographer! totally makes me want to steal a baby and take some amazing pictures like she does (ps. totally kidding about the stealing the baby part ha! :)). check out her blog to be inspired and another cool fact, she is from the lou and it doesn't get much better than that!

ok enough for now, more to come. cause i really do love a whole lotta blogs.

g'nite

I'm Back... & My First Quilt

i know. i know. i haven't blogged in a year. over a year. but instead of going into details and all that bologna i can sum it up rather quickly... i didn't know what to write about. lost the motivation.  i knew wanting to blog would come back around eventually but i wasn't sure when. anyway.

a lot has happened in the last year. james and i are still living in our condo. no dog. no babies. yet. but i do have a job.  in less than a year i found a job that i liked.... and was actually good at.  i work at joann's fabric and crafts.  i started out just working the cutting counter, register, then started working framing. i was good at it.  good enough to be promoted to education coordinator. i know. i'm as shocked as you are.

so in a nutshell, for the last year james and i have buried our heads in work. we want to move. so we have done a whole lotta nothing but work and of course i've made some time for crafting. 

i also accomplished one of my goals. i made my first quilt!!! my first quilt!

i started and finished 98% of it in like 12 hours. i started by saying, 

"oh i'll just start by cutting out the squares."

"yeah, i'm still bored, i'll just lay out the pattern and stack them."

"yep, that didn't take long. maybe i'll just sew the rows. no harm in continuing."

and a couple hours later i just kept continuing the whole process. everything is done except the binding.  i love it. it's so happy, and cheerful, a little bit of vintage, not too bright, not too bland, but just perfect. 

and i made it. 

i admit i'm a little overwhelmed with the binding part. i don't want to ruin it. but eventually i will do it because i can't wait to snuggle it.  

this was a big goal of mine that i accomplished and i'm so glad i can show it off.

  

i'll be back. i want a new look for this blog and i have some other things i've made that i would love to share.

peace.

My Art Space = Happy Place

 I am lucky enough to have a whole room to myself to create beautiful things. It took me forever to figure out that I am happiest when I'm in my art room making something for someone else or even for myself.

My aunt asked me to make a baptism card for her granddaughter. It was fun to come up with a design that I never made before.

I have made tons of art and decorated my whole house with it so there's a lot more to come. Stay tuned!

Favorite Find Of The Week

 Thrift shopping is the new black & I'm in love. I have a new obsession with going to Goodwill stores, random thrift shops (like St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store), and other shops that pride themselves on re-purposing items. I try not to buy new when there is so much out there that with a little bit of imagination and maybe a scrub down, it's like brand new. America is obsessed with mass producing items and half of them end up in the clearance aisle because that store bought too much. This is ruining our Earth... I won't go any further, you get the point. 
I love looking for items that "scream" they belong to me and it helps make my house that much more personable.  The hunt, the find, and the good price... why isn't everyone addicted to this? Tons of items are are gently used and some have never been used. There ARE some items that I would be scared to touch but guess what?! I don't have to. I wash and wipe down everything and then it's all mine.

I found this awesome 1950s(ish) orange juice pitcher. There was just something about it that was so happy. I love things with a lot of history and this screamed it. I picture a 1950s family eating pancakes on a Saturday morning with their fresh squeezed orange juice in this simple pitcher. I swear I was born in the wrong decade but instead I was born in the 1980s with the love of a 50s pitcher.    

               Wouldn't you rather have orange juice in my lovely pitcher instead of... cardboard. Yuck! Everything tastes better in a pretty glass and strawberries never hurt anything. 

I also found a beautiful sunshine yellow table cloth and some turquoise/green/white/yellow cloth napkins. Some awesome finds for this lucky girl!

Quote Of The Day

"I am on a journey...

with my work, my explorations, &

a few sad stories.

I travel with a suitcase full of

outrageous blessings.

I am on a quest for truth, beauty,

& a quiet joy.

I am an artist, a writer...

an explorer."