Sunday Giveaway

I have a terrible cold right now, and it is just about knocking me out of commission. No. Fun. Especially with a busy 2-year-old running circles around me. I hope it's short-lived!

Have you been to Kim's blog?



She's having some fabulous giveaways to celebrate her blogiversary...the giveaways will close later tonight.

If you want another chance at winning something from my Etsy store, you can go here.

Good luck!

And the Winners Are...

Thank you all for your kind words as I celebrated reaching 100 followers! It's nice to know that you enjoy what I write...and it makes me want to keep working at putting out new ideas and tutorials. YOU are what makes blogging worth it for me!

I chose the winners tonight via random.org. It's late, though, and I'm having trouble getting the little pictures of the actual integer-thing to upload, so you'll have to trust me that I didn't rig this...ha!

Are you ready?

The grand prize $20 credit to my Etsy store goes to......

Tony and Heather

*I actually know Heather in real life! She's got twins...I'm glad you won, Heather!

And, the 4 runners-up (you get to pick a set of notecards!) are...

Liz
Amber
Laura
and Heather

If you were a winner...email me to claim your prize!

Congrats!

Always these same colors...

This afternoon during Maren's nap I put together a fun little treasury at Etsy.

Go take a peak!

Antique Child's Toy Telephone from Bettys World 4U

Going once...

If you haven't entered my 100 followers giveaway yet, go here and get your name on the list!

There will be 5 winners, and you could be one of them. I'll choose the winner tomorrow night at 9 pm Mountain Time.

Dimensional Leaf Garland

Well hello there!

I have been in a bit of creative slump recently, and this weekend I broke out of it! There are fabulous garlands of all shapes and sizes out there in blogland. I wanted to make something simple, autumnal, and a bit whimsical for my home.

This is what I created:
This is a simple project, and you can adjust colors, sizes, length and really any other details to make your own version. Here's what you'll need:

• Some sort of stuffing
• Wood beads (or other large, chunky bead)
• Ribbon (Quite a long piece...just be sure to account for all the knots, leaves, and beads)
• Fabric scraps (I did use some regular cotton, but it was the trickiest to work with for this project. I preferred the heavier stuff like wool felt, corduroy, and denim.)

1. With wrong-sides of fabric together, cut out all your leaf shapes. Mine were between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 inches long and about 1 1/2 or 2 inches wide.

See...you should have 2 pieces cut from the same fabric that look like this when you 'open' them up:

I did not follow any sort of pattern. I wanted all my leaves to be somewhat varied. If you're a perfectionist-type-of-person, you could cut yourself a little pattern from some card stock or heavier paper. Here's my little collection all ready to be sewn:

2. Stitch around the individual leaves like this, leaving an opening on one side:

3. Stuff a bit of fluff into the leaf like this:
4. Finish stitching the leaf closed.

This is about how puffy you want the finished leaf:

This is what it looks like all stitched up:

5. Keep sewing all your leaves together until you have a nice little pile like this:

6. Arrange the leaves in the order you'd like them stitched together. Be sure your ribbon and beads are close at hand.

7. Leave about a 6-inch tail at one end of the ribbon, and start stitching the ribbon down the middle of the first leaf, being sure to back-stitch at the beginning and end. This is what the ribbon side will look like:

This is what the opposite side will look like:

8. Tie a knot near the end of the first leaf. Thread a bead onto the ribbon, and tie another knot to secure the bead in place.

9. Line up your second leaf as close to the last knot as possible, and stitch the leaf to the ribbon.

10. Continue stitching leaves, adding knots and beads until all your leaves are in place. Your garland will look something like this:

11. Walk all over your house with your new accessory until you find the perfect place to display your lovely creation. Sigh when you realize it is quite a difficult spot to photograph.

12. I love how it adds just a subtle bit of autumn to my front room. I'm already thinking of what sort of Christmas garland I could replace it with...Christmas is just around the corner, you know!
P.S. Do you like my nails? I LOVE this color for fall/winter...it's my new guilty pleasure...literally, that's what it's called: Guilty Pleasure from Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure line. You can buy it at Target.


Okay, back to the garland...I'm sharing it over at these fine places this week:

Friday Finds: October 8

It is finally starting to feel like autumn around here! I've been ready for the cooler weather for quite some time now. Today's finds are things to keep you cozy. I can't wait for it to be chilly enough to actually warrant a scarf, hat, and gloves! Enjoy~

Elegant Knit Wrap from tickled pink knits

Ribbed Warmer Circle Scarf from Swak Shop

Upcycled Felted Wool Mittens from Whimsie Dots

Chunky Knit Fingerless Gloves from The Beachcomber Studio

Fawn Felt Cloche from Tissage

Hand Knit Beret from The Bungaloe Market

You might actually win!

This giveaway is now closed.

Drum roll please..........

In celebration of reaching (and since exceeding!) 100 followers, I have decided to have a little giveaway. Since we're celebrating numbers here, I didn't want to just have one winner. SO, I decided to have five winners! The 'grand prize' (if you will...keep in mind I'm still a small operation here!) is a $20 credit to my Etsy store.

Four others of you will receive a package that looks like this:

With one of these inside:

BUT if you're lucky enough to win the big prize, you can pick up one of these too:

Sounds like fun, right?

Here's the rules....

1. Leave a comment for an entry.
2. Tell me you're a follower for another entry.
3.Place an order at my Etsy store for a third entry. (I do like to make a buck now and again!)

Easy, peasy. Technically, you can even win if you're still a lurker. Everyone can play! Be sure to include your email address so I know how to contact you if you win. I will post all FIVE winners here in a week. Next Thursday, October 14.

Have fun!

This must be my lucky day!

Hello again! Yes, I am posting multiple times today. I just couldn't contain my excitement over my fabulous thrift store finds this morning. This is a good day, indeed!

Here is my amazing little pile from this morning...
I loved that sweet The House at Pooh Corner book. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but it was too cute to pass up. I also picked up a vintage book on the history of Europe. It's got lots of great maps and cool pictures that I plan to tear out and use for something.

This is the third book:
It's an old songbook. I've been looking for some vintage music to use for my Christmas ornaments this year. I've made ornaments for friends and family for the past 3 years. *I hope to do a week of ornament tutorials sometime in November...stay tuned!

Aren't these shoes from Hanna Andersson to die for? Yeah, for $58 Maren would probably never own them...

BUT...look what I found at the thrift store this morning! Yes, Hanna Andersson clogs for $3.99! I could not believe my eyes. They're in great condition, and Maren was so excited about them. They're big for her now, but depending on how quickly her feet grow she'll be wearing them this winter or next fall.
So, are you feeling lucky today? I'm planning on having my giveaway post up sometime this evening!

One Hundred!

Good morning friends!

Wahoo! This morning I woke up to find that this little blog has 100 followers. Wow! I am jumping out of my skin in excitement and I think we need to celebrate!

I had no idea what to expect when I started this blog last spring. I wanted a place to share my projects, and I hoped to meet a few creative friends along the way. Let me tell you...I've had so much fun throughout the process! I know I have a LOT to learn, and I look forward to continuing this little journey. Thanks so much for joining with me, and for all of your sweet comments.

Check back later today for an awesome giveaway!

Getting Organized: Take One

Have you read any of the great organizing posts floating around the blogging world recently? The Nester is doing a series right now on "31 Days to a Less Messy Nest". Can I just say how inspired I've been? A few days ago she wrote about organizing drawers with baskets. Actually, my drawers are typically in decent shape. BUT, I have this cupboard in my kitchen-desk-area that has become a catch-all for Maren's crafts, games, napkins, and who-knows-what-else. Every time this door opened I cringed. It was bad.

See what I mean...

SO, this afternoon during Maren's nap, I set to work. I only used things I had around the house, which was a challenge for me. I'm a bit of a sucker for storage bins and boxes, and I tend to be a bit obsessive about having things match and fit perfectly into a space. I decided to forgo my typical need for symmetry, and get this space cleaned up.

Doesn't it look so much better?

The basket on the bottom shelf holds Maren's art supplies. The box with the glue sticks and paint in it came from the dollar spot at Target a while back. The three jars in the front are from my stash of cleaned-out food jars. I've been keeping glass ones instead of tossing them into recycling, and I have found great uses for these jars! Plus, they're 'free' to me at this point. And, I actually do like the look of glass jars for storage, even if they're different shapes and sizes. I also stacked the Play-Doh alongside the basket...it was a perfect fit!

I love cute little jars filled with fun things! I'm so thankful for a little girl to craft with me, and for an excuse to buy fluffy colored balls!

The second shelf holds a collection of colored pencils, markers, and crayons in a clear shoe-box. I've had this stuff forever, and just recently pulled the box out for Maren. Under the box are Maren's coloring books and paper. To the right is our Table Topics game, which I like to keep close to the table for nights when company comes over.

The third shelf holds a neat little fabric box I made a while back. It's currently home to my knitting projects. I made the box using this tutorial from jcaroline creative. This was my first one, and I messed it up a bit, but you'd never know it. It's perfectly functional for storage here!
I also have 2 more glass jars with pipe cleaners and bubbles for Maren. The top shelf holds our current favorite games. We do have a game cupboard in another part of the house, but we like to keep our favorites close to the kitchen table.

I'm so pleased with my little 30 minute project! I've got about 10 more places in need of mini-organization makeovers. I am finding (particularly now that a 2-year-old lives in our home!) that I need to feel free to work on small spaces in my efforts to keep a well-maintained home. Thinking of cleaning out an entire kitchen's worth of cabinets is way too daunting right now, but tackling a small space in a day seems quite manageable!

I have yet to decide what will get my attention next, but I'll be sure to share with you.

Happy Wednesday!

Friday Finds: October 1 {and a little trip}

Brett took the day off from work today and we enjoyed a family day in the mountains. We ate breakfast at our favorite little hole-in-the-wall breakfast place in Woodland Park, and drove over to Rampart Reservoir for a nice little walk. {Prior to having a child, we hiked, now we walk!}

Being outdoors in the autumn weather made me wish I was wearing this charming little necklace:

Rust Sleepy Owl and Berry Branch Necklace from Luna Shine Shine

Isn't it sweet? It's been in my favorites for a while now.

As for our morning, Maren threw many rocks to the fishes...{I didn't have the heart to tell her that fish do not eat rocks!}

We enjoyed nature with all of our senses...

I was blessed to witness my two favorites enjoying a special moment...

One of the locals taught Maren how to operate a fishing pole...

This little girl was thrilled beyond belief by all the wonderful sights...

And, Brett and I enjoyed a peaceful car ride home. Life is indeed great!
P.S. On the way home we made a little stop by the local running store for 2 pairs of new shoes...I'll tell you why sometime this week!