We've finally had our first really warm day! The temps were in the 70s and spring is definitely in the air. I caught the first little buds beginning to appear and the children have officially donned their warm weather footwear...yay!!!



I'm so excited! Every spring I feel a rush of hope, inspiration & motivation, and this year is no different. I plan on cleaning closets, washing windows, doing projects with the kids, finishing my quilt, working on my photography, scrapbooking (digitally!) and spending lots of time outdoors...

Ahhh...new beginnings...

So, I got all my fabric squares ready for this first quilt o'mine and realized...hmm...directions say 40 10"x10" squares" - I have 24 10"x10" squares...note to self: always read the ENTIRE listing before you purchase...soooo, needless to say, I had to cut more squares. Well, I enlisted the help of my 4-year-old and we cut more squares (I didn't have any other Nicey Jane prints, but I think we did OK). Then he laid them all out for me...not sure if this is the pattern I will go with, but I think he did a pretty darn good job.



Now, on to the strip cutting & sewing...yay!!!

Now...drum roll please...here it is! My first giveaway! The prize for this time around is this little tote bag & the 3 fabric flower brooches attached to it (these are removable & look adorable on just about anything...;))



This REVERSIBLE tote is made with both Sandi Henderson & Tina Givens fabrics and measures approximately 16" tall x 14" wide...perfect for holding all of your necessities while shopping, at the beach, or on a trip to the library.
Wouldn't you just love to own it???

Now, here's all you have to do to be entered:
*Leave a comment after this post and tell me about your ideal spring day...

You can earn additional chances to win by:
*Subscribing to my newsletter and then leaving a comment to let me know you did so;
*Following my blog and then leaving a comment letting me know you did so;
*Blogging about this giveaway and letting me know you did.

If you are already a subscriber or follower, pls. leave a comment letting me know...thanks!

This contest will run through Friday, April 2 & the winner will be picked at random from all comments received (I will number them all with 1 being the first comment rec'd and so on - then I will head over to random.org and have a number selected) as soon as I wake up Saturday, April 3 and the winner will be notified by email.

Thanks so much!!! And good luck!

I got an email today from Anthropoligie...my ALL TIME favorite store...letting me know that their spring collection is in. Uh-oh. I think I hear the sound of my credit card trying to bury itself deeper in my purse...you can run but you can't hide, little guy...I'm coming for you...

For those of you that have never been to Anthropologie, I highly recommend you seek one out and go there (or at least pay a visit to their website). I, thank goodness, am fortunate enough to be able to frequent one that is just minutes from my Mom's house. If you do go, make sure you have enough time to browse - this is not just a "run-in, run-out, I have to get the kids from school"-type store. This place is a playground for the eyes (and can provide an entirely boot-camp-like workout for your wallet).

New things I've suddenly realized I can't live without...



Gorgeous wallpaper & soap tins...

OK...I never thought I would do this. I had no interest in it. It didn't seem like fun. It seemed like too much work...(WAY too much work). It didn't seem like it moved quickly enough (I like to start and finish a project in the same night).

But I've decided to take the plunge...and since I've made my decision, I can think about hardly anything else. My kids are lucky they're still getting fed...(on an almost regular basis, even).

I'm going to make a quilt. That's right...I said it. A quilt. And not a little "this may or may not cover one of K's dolls" quilts. An honest-to-goodness, "honey, can you grab me the quilt, I'm cold" quilt.

I've picked my fabric and found an easy beginner pattern (we'll see...;))(here's the pattern). A darling etsy-quilter-mommy friend of mine, Jenny, led me to an easy binding tutorial (here). I found a site that sells a walking foot for my machine (I guess I need one of these...) and I'm not too busy with my shop right now...soooooo, I suppose I have no more excuses...

Here's my fabric...Nicey Jane from Heather Bailey...got it at Quilt Taffy on ebay.



Beautiful prints, huh?

Now this is the pattern...from Melissa Mortenson of the polkadot chair



Don't you love it?!?!?!
OK...so here's a question - anyone want to proceed on this journey with me? Leave a comment or send me a note - I know I'll need as much encouragement as I can get (smile).

I'll keep you updated on my progress!

A few days ago D & I took the kids to the park...it was beautiful - the weather was in the 60s, the park was quiet, the sun was shining & the kids were happy...


Today, it's 30 degrees outside and there's snow on the ground. Amazing how quickly things change...

A week or so ago I made a purchase I have been dying to make for months now...don't ask me why I needed these - I just NEEDED them - a lot of them. Here they are:



Are these not the most wonderful cups you've ever seen??? They are from papertreats on etsy and they are fantastic! The entire shop is filled with little goodies like these (baker's twine, paper tags, etc.) that I could spend hours just drooling over. For these ice cream cups I'm thinking favor containers at the kids' parties, button storage on my sewing table, crayon holders for the kids' crafts, the list goes on forever! And, I have to tell you, when my boxes o' cups arrived, I was so thrilled! This is how they were packaged...


Almost too pretty to open...I love love love details like this. I think that's why I love the cups themselves so much, too - they are just so small and so...perfect...so detailed. I'm in love...

I adore these hand-stamped metal necklaces...I love the idea that no two are ever the same and that you can make them as personal as you like. The Rusted Chain is running a giveaway on Oh My! Handmade Goodness for a $30.00 gift certificate & two lucky people could win! Click here and enter for a chance to win! Good luck!

Today was a great day...not only is the weather getting noticably warmer around here (I think it reached the mid-40s today!), but I also re-connected with a grade-school friend! Although we had talked here and there through facebook over the past few months, we hadn't seen in each other in over 20 years - until today! She owns her own salon in a nearby suburb and I spent my afternoon in foils, coffee in hand, chatting with Charice about everything! What a great way to spend the day...and I got great color and a new-do to boot! Just perfect...
Now it's time to sit down at my machine and finish up a few orders I've been working on...love love love these triple-ruffle denims that I'm making for the most beautiful little darlin' - these are always in my shop and are definitely a wardrobe staple.

This beautiful photo was taken by Beth Miller of emillerphotography.com - isn't it wonderful? I would love to be able to take photos half as well as the amazing photographers I've been so priveleged to work with...but, alas, no such luck...maybe someday...

I recently had the honor of working with fabric designer, Franchelle Contreras . Her new line, South Hampton, for Henry Glass is a mix of bold bright beautiful colors and timeless prints...just beautiful. I designed a few pieces with the fabrics and asked my amazing photographer, Amy Tripple ,to shoot some photos of the designs. I could not be happier with the results...everything turned out so beautifully. Thank you both, Franchelle & Amy!!!
Franchelle's new line, Sonoma, is due out this spring - I can't wait!!!

Well, the first signs of spring are starting to appear...the snow is (slowly) melting (the kids poor snowman is starting to list...), the sun is feeling warmer, the days are getting longer & I'm itchin' to do some major SPRING CLEANING! I started off the day emptying K's room, rearranging it and putting everything back together. It was theraputic, really...now it's time to move on to the closets and the boys' room...then maybe the pantry and the basement! Whoa...I'd better slow down - I'm starting to get dizzy...
Anyway, during my frenzied cleaning I came across one of K's Christmas gifts that had been lost since, well, since the day after Christmas, and I decided to display it in her room...I hung this sweet little bird (from The Land of Nod) from the ceiling and it looks so darling. I hope she listens to his little chirp as often as she can... btw, The Land of Nod is THE best kids shop, the vintage signs from the boys' room are from there, too - awesome.

Well, here we are just 17 days before the start of spring...yay! I have to say I'm really getting tired of winter - although in the midwest the winter can last through May...just the idea of opening up the house and putting boots away and signing the kids up for summer camp makes me giddy!

I've started a couple of new projects that will be added to the shop in the next few weeks - keep an eye out!