I had a chance to create some items for the Portland Quilt Show for Tim Holtz’s new fabric line Eclectic Elements. It’s a beautiful vintage collection, full of ephemera print fabrics and the most beautiful butterfly prints.  The bag I made was so fun to make, free-cut without a pattern, which is so normal for me now. And the altered Union Jack pillow was loosely inspired by a few I’ve seen on pinterest. The laundry pin bag I’ve made countless times for friends, I simply stitched random extra pieces from the line together and then added some hand stitched accents. Vintage, yet Modern, it’s so lovely and should be available sometime in June at your favorite retail fabric store.

I had a little project you can create for Easter with your kids up on the Websters Blog yesterday. Simple, fast and guaranteed to make all of those in laws smile when they get one in the mail.

xOx

My oh my, where have I been. It’s been almost two months and I just needed a break. There been so much going on offline that I just haven’t had a desire (or the time) to get online to share it all with you. tLm started a new school which we adore and we’re waiting til they have room for the bean and then they’ll be there together. (cross your fingers!). I’ve been focusing pretty intently on getting healthier than I’ve been for quite some time. Vegan eating, green smoothies, Jillians ripped in 30 and lots and lots of rest & downtime (further evidenced by my absence here).  We are starting some major home renovations and I’ve been doing lots of research & pricing on counter tops, patios, bathroom renos, carpet & wood flooring. It’s a full time job in itself with quite the learning curve but it’s beginning to all look doable, which is exciting.

In the meantime, although I’ve been absent here I’m on Instagram almost daily, so come find me and say hi!

Happy Monday, hope you’re well!
xOx

i’ve been enjoying a slow start to the new year. easy mornings with no screens.
long vacation to north tahoe & 4′ of snow
the little man started a new amazing school last week
and we’re just waiting for room for the bean, cross your fingers there’s an opening soon
i’m researching home school options until then, any tips or advice?
i’ve been designing again, which has been fun and feels good
missing seeing friends at CHA this winter, but enjoying being home instead
layouts above are for the mid-month JBS gallery update (just a few are left)
the exclusive papers by the crazy talented lisa are fantastic
as are the new subscriber perks
flea market update tomorrow too!

happy monday. happy 2013.
xOx

last sunday we finally had a chance to head out to our favorite farm to get two trees. one for me to decorate and one for them. 9 feet and 4.5. perfect little living trees from a sustainable farm that doesn’t charge too much and simply asks you to make a respectful cut so the growth can come back year after year. we never knew (until we visited this farm 4 years ago) that if you leave a little growth underneath your cut, ie a few branches or more then the tree will regrow from one of those braches. amazing right?

the last pic is my fav. this year, they called him stevie.

happy trees. happy family. happy thursday.
xOx

last week while i was over at my mom’s house i noticed some homemade silver bells that she had hanging on her hall tree in the dining room. i had noticed them in years past (and kinda remember making them in sunday school when i was little) but this year they really popped out and i wanted to create my own with my littles. since they were home monday and tuesday with the general winter icks we tackled them yesterday for a little restful project. simply made with items you already have in the house (or could easily save to use) i thought i’d share a quick tutorial in case you’re interested.

supplies needed : 5 egg cartons (this made two 4 strand garlands), tin foil, scissors, twine or thread, needle

time to complete : about 1/2 an hour

cut all of the egg cups apart using shears.

cut all of the pokey extra bits off of the individual egg cups until you have a simple round cup shaped edging

cut tin foil into square sheets and wrap over the cups and smooth down edges.

thread your egg bells onto twine or thread (i used bakers twine style yarn i already had & an upholstery needle). i made sure to use a different amount on each strand so that we would have different lengths when they were bundled together. tie together once you have 3-4 strands.

we made one longer strand than the other as i wasn’t counting the cups as i thread them.

i’m thrilled at the result and so happy we were able to make something with random household supplies and without having to spend a ton of money on “craft” supplies. the kids were excited that we had matching decor as their “nonna” too.

have a wonderful wednesday!
xOx

my sweet friend allison is designing two beautiful new lines for websters pages. papers, overlays & the most gorgeous ribbons. i was honored to make a layout for her big reveal this week. pop over to wP for a chance to win some crazy beautiful goodies.

happy tuesday!
xOx

random thoughts that keep popping in my head. eight year old boy birthdays. vintage floral patterns. gift card holders.

keeping it simple in december + beautiful designs = a fun month

make sure you check out the updates, or better yet, grab a kit!

happy monday

hanging the three stockings i made while i was pregnant with the bean (and then the one i made while pregnant with tLm) always makes me so happy. the mantle may look different each year, but these are always the same. that makes me feel good. this year i added a very full & very twinkled out garland instead of the usual display of vintage christmas items. this year, the simplicity in this room makes me feel very good too. still no tree, as we can never get it before tLm’s birthday and last weekend it was pouring. but we have a date to find a tree this sunday. i’m even thinking this year we *might* get two. i need it. we need it. this year is feeling perfect and simple and pleasant. i don’t feel rushed. i don’t feel crazy. i don’t feel like a scatter brained fool. i just feel content.

of course that all might change the week before, but for right now i’m gonna enjoy every minute of this holiday bliss i’m in.

hope you’re finding a few minutes, or days to be in the season too.

btw, i’ll have my gallery updates for JBS tomorrow ;)

xOx

it’s been a busy few weeks for us. car trip to los angeles. disneyland + california adventure for three days! someone saw her favorite dog doug. someone else discovered the thrill (look at his face!) of roller coasters. we rode my favorite ride (mr. toad) and saw the new radiator springs. amazing!! by the time thanksgiving rolled around the parental units were exhausted! we had good eats & laughed our butts off playing this with family. good cousin time with cousins. wine tasting on friday and then a long (and sometimes treacherous) drive home saturday with all the yahoo’s that were weaving up the 5 like maniacs. good grief! tLm turned 8 last week and got two of the best gift‘s ever. now it’s time for the holidays and i’ve been savoring it all (while enjoying my friend stephanie’s winter class) since i started decorating last friday.

looking forward to sharing some more holiday posts, my DD|JYC album and my JBS december gallery in the next few days, too.

hope you’re all enjoying the holiday season!
xOx