1.30.2014

baby cupid...

had a surprise visit today from my mom...
 
she made me the cutest, hand knitted gift for valentine's day and i had to share it with all of you...
how about this little guy?
 
baby cupid... doesn't he just make you smile?
 
xo
angie


1.29.2014

taking the little steps...

so yesterday i spent the better part of the day working on a new blog header... i had limited resources to pull it together and a graphic designer i am not... but i'm pretty happy with how it turned out...
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  it's cheery... don't ya think?
 
now i just need to figure out how to resize it for an etsy banner... that's on my list for today...
 
that's my goal for this year... taking the little steps necessary to open up a shop...
 
i've been working on some inventory... i would like to offer hoops, hand towels, pillows, garlands/buntings, cute packaging kits and gift tags to start...
 
here's a little preview of the gift tags that i've been working on... being creative is messy...
 i still need to add some baker's twine...
i think they're fun... a cute addition to top off a little gift :)
 
anyhow... it's exciting and scary all at once... those who know me know that this is something that i've really wanted to do for a long time... i've always let fear {in the form of procrastination and self doubt} creep in... it paralyzes me into doing nothing... and then i start talking about it all over again... and then do nothing... a crazy cycle that i'm trying to break free from...
 
stay posted friends, this is the year!
thanks for sticking with me and encouraging me along the way!
 
xo
angie
 


1.26.2014

cupcake gift tags...

9 times out of 10, when it comes to wrapping packages {which is one of my favorite things to do} i omit the card and go with a cute gift tag instead...
 
marina has had a flurry of birthday parties lately and we've been busy tag making...
 
yesterday's loot was tucked into a cupcake gift bag that marina chose... so we decided to make a tag to coordinate with a few supplies we had on hand...
some washi tape, pom pom yarn, crepe paper, mini ball fringe, and tags punched from pink card stock {we used my creative memories tag maker... although craft/shipping tags would work just as well...}
 we just lined up some washi on a scrap of white paper and then cut out the cupcake liner shape and glued it onto the tag... added some white pom pom yarn icing and a mini ball fringe cherry with twisted crepe paper stem... then, threaded some bakers twine through...
 
and there ya have it... a cute cupcake tag...
what are your favorite go to supplies when it comes to gift wrapping?
xo
angie


1.21.2014

euro shams...

for as long as i can remember, i wanted euro pillows for our bed... there was something about the big, fluffiness of them that i found appealing... and they're square which is kind of fun...

once we finally decided on our new bedroom furniture... new bedding was in order... along with that bedding purchase was a euro pillow purchase... i was so excited about them... i went shopping right away and got to work making euro shams for said pillows...
i found a great linen-y fabric for the body of the sham... and cute fabric napkins {of all things} to do a square inset on the fronts... a white on white patterned fabric was chosen to do a shabby, bunchy ruffle around the edges...

wanna see how they turned out?
ummm... yeah... i never finished them... i was full speed ahead at the start... and must have been sidetracked along the way... see that photo up there of the sewing machine at work? i shared that on instagram sixty nine weeks ago... yep, you read that right... sixty nine weeks... with the caption "in the works... euro shams"...

 what in the world is my problem... it's ridiculous, really... i don't know why i do silly things like this... we're talking about a series of straight seams here... and i just stopped... and obviously i got accustomed to the plain white pillows because i've been taking them on and off of the bed day in and day out...

{the picture that you see right up there was taken today... naked euros front and center!}
this is what has been stored in one of my dresser drawers for way too long... 

the time has come people... i have to finish this project this week...

please hold me to it!

do you have any projects lingering that need completing? do share!

xo
angie


1.14.2014

valentine's day make and take...

this past saturday i hosted a valentine's day make and take at our home... similar to the one that i did before christmas... {you can check that out here if you missed it}
  
if i'm being honest, this would be my dream job... hosting gatherings, creating pretty things, bringing groups of ladies together to have a fun time all while getting to know one another over fabrics, papers, stamps, ribbons and such...
 
i really have so much fun putting it all together... to think about the tiny details... to pull the perfect supplies so that the options are endless once these girls start making...
 
since it was a valentine themed party there were lots of reds and pinks about...
i stocked up my cute display piece from ichabod's treasures with lots of pretty things... 
i had john write a valentine message on my chalkboard for me... {a skill that i'm completely lacking}
 i love to see it all come together...
 there was yarn for pom pom making...
 doilies, cupcake liners and mini poms for garland making...
glitter...
 crepe paper ruffles...
 feathers...
 lots of handpainted coffee filters for flower making...{talked about those here...}
paper medallions for decorating...
handknit dishcloths made by my gram... a cute piece of milk class and a tiny crochet heart were my gifts to the girls... {some of my favorite things!} 
the first project of the night was a pretty heart wall hanging...
hands busy creating...
the second project of the night was the garland you see hanging from my mantel...
there were a variety of things to choose from for the third project... some made cute valentine cards with cardstock, fun punches, and buttons...
 
others made pom pom flowers and sweet wands...
 and felt arrows for the hubbies... {a sweet message to be written on the back of the handmade tags...}
 such a creative group...
a big thank you to all of the girls for taking time out of their busy schedules to spend a night creating with me...
 
i had so much fun... looking forward to the next one already!
 
xo~
angie


1.07.2014

snowy days

oh... ohio... i try to love ya... but with the deep freeze you've got going on, i've about had it with you... i need some sunshine in my life... not ice on the insides of our bedroom  windows... 
we've been a bit locked down with the subzero temps... my girls have had an extended winter break... their last day of school was december 20th... we're working on 18 days off... ay yay yay... play dates, sleepovers, birthday parties, art projects, endless games of trouble, movie watching, staying up too late... and while the lazy mornings are nice, i think we need to get back to some kind of a routine over here...
 
so what else has been happening besides what i mentioned above... hmmm... let's see... i've been getting things ready for a valentine inspired evening of fun at my house this upcoming saturday... i'm really looking forward to that... lots of prep work for some cute projects...
that's 480 hand painted coffee filters... so thankful that maizie and marina were helpers on that venture...
 
i met an ig friend in real life... that was a lot of fun... hi debbie!!!
{more on that later...}
 
 other than that... undecorating, snuggling up just trying to stay warm... and a bonus tidbit... our pipes are frozen in our upstairs bathroom... so no hot showering here today :(
i'm just hoping they don't burst...
 
welp, i'm off to do something productive... and enjoy this cup of hot cocoa... {i've got a thing for marshmallows!}
what are your plans for the day? is it snowing in your neck of the woods?
 
xo-
angie

1.02.2014

it's fun to look back...

i wanted to share this little recap of our 2013 yesterday but couldn't figure out how to embed the video on here... thanks so much  to the sweet casey wiegand for emailing me back with the how to... xo





 


1.01.2014

one little word... 2014

happy new year!!!

it's that time again...
 
to choose my one little word for the new year... 2013 rang in with "FOCUS"... i tried... gave it my best go... sometimes i remembered... sometimes i lost it... but all in all, above anything, i like that my one little word made me think... made me consider my actions... made me focus on the moments...
 
so after much consideration for my word for this year... here she is... the multi-faceted "ENOUGH"...
 
i'm taking my one little word and reading her in two ways...
 
1. as in... ENOUGH is ENOUGH... stop talking, start doing,  stop being afraid, change something if it isn't working, don't dwell in the past and keep moving forward...
 
2. as in... i am ENOUGH... i struggle with this daily... {not organized enough, not on time enough, not working hard enough, not thin enough, not patient enough, not stylish enough, not doing enough... the list goes on and on... i think i need to be a little kinder to myself...}
 
so here's to my one little word and a new year...
 
may 2014 be a great one for all of us...
 
xo-
angie