Little Nest Studio

Valentine Swap, Part 2

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hello, Sweet Friends. I've been so excited to share Part 2 of this Valentine Heart Swap, hosted by the marvelous Marsha of The Tattered Chick!

**(Please click HERE if you missed Part 1~ believe me, you don't want to miss it!)

Kate, from the blog Crazy Purple Mom was the recipient of this little valentine heart that I created. As you can guess, her favorite color is purple, so I decided to created a heart in a soft shade of periwinkle/lavender. I love periwinkle. I've always thought of it as the perfect shade of purplie-blue. (Yes, another new vocabulary word for you all!)

This was my first real attempt at stitching with felt, and I loved it. I may be hooked. I wish that I could stitch a valentine heart for each of you! I've always been inspired by the beautiful and whimsical stitched felt creations of Elizabeth and Paulette, and have always wanted to try my hand at it. This heart swap was the perfect opportunity to stretch my stitchin' wings! I sent this little heart in the felt envelope above, addressed to Kate...

... and even sealed the envelope with a tiny stitched "xox"! I stitched the back of the heart with a little flower, a "J", and a little stitched heart. As they say, "love is in the details"-- right?

This was also one of my first attempts at beading. Don't you love these little pearl beads? They're so teeny tiny-- it took a bit of time to get the hang of handling them. I thoroughly enjoyed creating this sweet little valentine, and hope that it makes Kate's heart happy. I know that having the opportunity to stitch it for her made my heart happy!
Happy Valentine's Day, Sweet Friends!

Hugs,

PS: Please visit Marsha's blog for links to see a fun variety of hearts from this Valentine's Day Swap!

Valentine Swap, Part 1

2012-02-13T22:31:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I took a leap and decided to join Marsha's Valentine Swap. I knew who I was to create a heart for, however I did not know who I was going to receive a heart from. Little did I know that I would receive an envelope all the way from The Netherlands~ from the lovely Lisette from Liszha's Scrappy World! She created this adorable polka dot pink stitched heart, and I love it! And as if that wasn't sweet enough, she included even more wonderful goodies:

Isn't this fun??!! Lisette is so generous~ and so creative!
I instantly fell in love with this adorable dangly heart key fob! She used my current favorite color combination-- pink, red, and turquoise. Looking at all the little details, it's so evident that she made this with me in mind.

Lisette is also a very talented paper crafter. She created this absolutely gorgeous tag for me using a variety of materials-- it's so beautiful! I've always admired people that can bring together several elements and materials so perfectly. It's a skill that does not come naturally to me, so I'm always so in awe of people who seem to have a natural knack for it.

Oh-- and she included this rubber stamp and some fun, sparklie di-cut tags also! This was such a fun envelope to open, so full of fun surprises! Thank you so much, Lisette, for the beautiful heart and all these wonderful, thoughtful goodies!

Hugs,

PS: Please don't forget to come back tomorrow for Part 2~ I can't wait to share the heart that I created for Kate!

A Little Magpie Valentine's Cheer

2012-02-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hello, Sweet Friends. It's Valentine's month, and I decided to treat myself to one new Valentine's Day decoration this year! (Okay, maybe two...) I've long been a fan of Laurie's whimsical creations over at her blog Magpie Ethel, and when I spotted this adorable vintage heart jello mold creation, I knew it was meant to be mine!

I love how Laurie works her magic with her vintage findings, found at various estate sales. She finds the greatest goodies and shares them on her blog each week. I eagerly await her "Estate Sale Friday" posts each week, and am never disappointed with her knack for finding unique and nostalgic vintage goodness!

I love this sweet little cupid heart, Laurie-- it will have a place of honor in my little home!

Hugs,

PS: Thanks for the extra little surprise~ that "Wanted" badge is so clever and cute!

Cookie Factory

2012-02-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

Hello, Sweet Friends. It's been a cookie factory around here! Last weekend I baked one of my favorite cookies-- sugar cookies!! I never was able to get my fix at Christmas, so with Valentine's Day around the corner, I figured I could break out the rolling pin, and have at it.

Yeah... and it's an excuse to break out the sprinkles too. I love these jimmies-- don't the colors just make you happy? Color in the winter makes me happy. Making things in the winter makes me happy too, so this was the perfect combination of happy.

This recipe has been in the family ever since my sister-in-law, Monica, joined the family and shared it with the rest of us. I'm so glad she joined the family. The girl can bake, and these are the best sugar cookies ever. They are rolled out thick and they're really cake-ety. (Yes, that's a real word. At least among my friends, it is. It's usually used in a sentence as in "Mmmm... I love chocolatey cake-ety".)
I don't usually do tutorials or recipes on my blog, but I know that you are going to ask for this fabulous recipe. Therefore, I will share it with you. Yes, I will take the time to type a recipe out. I guess it is less tedious than having to write it out, so I won't complain. Here it is:

Yummy Cake-ety Sugar Cookies

(This recipe is easy to roll out and makes wonderful Valentine and Christmas cookies!)

1 Cup Shortening*

2 Cups Sugar

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 to 5 cups flour

* In some countries shortening is called "white vegetable fat", in case the word "shortening" sounds foreign to you. Yes, it's that ingredient that I try to avoid thinking about when I'm eating one of these yummy cookies! (Thanks Susan, for asking! I wondered if anything in the recipe would be "lost in translation" for my friends abroad!)

Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs one at a time. Add sour cream and vanilla. Add in dry ingredients. Refrigerate for about one hour. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut in desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges. Bake on ungreased baking sheet. (I bake them on parchment paper.) Let cookies cool, then frost and decorate!

These are a fun cookie to decorate~ the possibilities are limitless! I made this batch of cookies to bring to Lisa's Creativi-Tea, so I decided to back stitch them! Yes, those are jimmies. No, it was not as tedious as it looks, but I would only go to the trouble for something special. It helps to have a friend come over and help. Beverages help. My friend Kathy and I often get together on Friday nights for an "Artist Date". We try to do something or go somewhere creatively inspiring to kick-off the weekend. Sometimes we go to an art gallery. Sometimes we play with clay. Sometimes we go vintage shopping. Sometimes we get pedicures. We try to go to restaurants we haven't been to-- or sometimes we just "picnic". We love our "picnics". Our picnics are simple and usually consist of yummy cheeses, fruit, olives, a good crusty bread, and beverages. Our picnics involve no cooking, and we can get right to playing.

Since I made part of this batch as a hostess gift for Lisa (and Sean, her hubby who loves sugar cookies), I made a little tag for the container. I made a "belly wrap" for the container using shelf liner that I bought to line my dresser drawers and shelves. It worked out great because I could just slice a strip to the length I needed. Then I just used a simple di-cut, and some of my Cath Kidston labels to embellish. Viola! Ready to gift.

I also used part of the batch of cookies to give to my sweet next door neighbors to thank them for helping me out when I locked myself out of the house. I used my special valentine sprinkles for these. Damn, I love sprinkles. Lovelovelove them!

Well, I hope this post wasn't too long and rambly. (Yes, that is a real word-- in my vocabulary!). I'm trying to be better this year about posting about projects and the crafty shenanigans that I've been up to. I hope that you can try out this cookie recipe sometime, and enjoy it's yummy, cake-ety goodness for yourself!
Hugs,

Coffee Time

2012-01-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

Hello, Sweet Friends. I've been doing a lot of stitching these past couple of weeks and thought I'd show you what I've been up to. This is a dishtowel that I stitched up for my friend's 88Th birthday! (Yes-- 88 years old and amazing!) Jeanette's favorite color is blue and she loves her coffee, so this is what I came up with. I used a whimsical vintage pattern and added the words "coffee time".

My friend Jeanette is very dear to me. We were next door neighbors when I lived in my little apartment, and we became really great friends. Now that I think of it, I bet she was quite entertained by my shenanigans. I always had something crazy going on out on the front patio... outrageous multi-dimentional pumpkin carving for contests at work, silly outdoor decorations for every holiday, growing sunflowers and building gnome gardens with the neighbor kids. Oh, and the baby possums that use to come up on the porch to eat the cat food! Yeah, never a dull moment.

Anyway, when her birthday rolled around I wanted to stitch something up for her that she could use, so I stitched this up for her. Don't you love the rick rack trim? I love rick rack. I lovelovelove it. It makes me happy. So does dingle-berry trim. (That's what I've always called pom pom trim.) I now wish that I had stitched "Rosie The Riveter" on the towel. Jeanette was a "Rosie" back in the day. She worked on airplanes, and she looked just like "Rosie The Riveter"-- absolutely adorable!

This is just a quick snapshot of how I wrapped her dishtowel. It was a quickie-- as always-- right before I ran out the door. I even managed to make a little gift tag to coordinate with the polka dot tissue. I love making tags. They're usually quick, easy, and not as overwhelming to create vs a card.

I've been busy all weekend cleaning, purging, and organizing my studio. I've never completely moved into this house. I still have boxes full of stuff. Boxes in the studio, boxes in the guest room, boxes in the garage-- so many boxes! Well, I've had it with boxes. I'm so ready to be done with boxes.
Well, in the midst of working in my studio-- which is also a sun room-- I locked myself out of my house. In my pajamas. In my socks. In the dark. In the rain.

Good times. Thank goodness I was wearing a bra.

Oh, and thank goodness I was able to get my gate open, as opposed to climbing the fence. That would not have been pretty. Seriously. It would not have been pretty. I walked through the muddy yard over to the house next door. My sweet neighbors helped me find a locksmith and saved the day.

Long story short, the locksmith and I were greeted by a happy, shaggy, Hagrid about one hour later, when the door was opened. He was oblivious to the adventure that I had been on, but seemed happy to see me. Haggie can sit, shake, high-five, and stay-- but somehow I forgot to teach him how to unlock a door.

Hugs,

A Fresh New Year

2012-01-13T09:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, Sweet Friends. I know, I'm a bit belated with my greetings. I think for once, instead of thinking, talking or writing about what I want to do in the new year, I've just been doing it. Imagine that! Me, actually doing something!
This adorable, giant-poof-of-a-pincushion was a fabulous Christmas gift from my fabulous friend Lisa-- and it's kind of become a springboard into the new year for me.

I love this giant pincushion more than words can say. It's in my favorite colors, and I love it so much I want an ottoman that looks just like it, for my living room. Wouldn't that be adorable?! Lisa so generously cut into one of her favorite fabric stashes to create it, like only a true friend would. I know this was not the easiest thing for her, so I love it all the more. (Thank you so much, sweet friend!)

Like I mentioned above, this giant-poof-of-a-pincushion has been a bit of a springboard into the new year for me. When you bring something new into your home, do you ever clean and tidy the house before finding a home for that item? Am I the only one that feels that way? I also feel that way about crafting. I want the house tidy, and then I feel like I can "treat" myself to some creativity. Needless to say, there wasn't a whole lot of crafting going on around here last year.

Without going into it, I'm really happy that last year is over. I'm really ready to move forward into this new year.

I've been cleanin' and stitchin'--- and it's been pure bliss for me. Creativity makes me happy. Simple, but true. I haven't been doing anything fancy, just sweet and simple stitching. Everything that I've been stitching has been gifts for friends and family. Creating for people I love adds a whole different level of joy for me. How 'bout you?

Well, my Sweet Friends-- stay tuned, and please come back soon to see what I've been up to!

Hugs,

Merry! Merry!

2011-12-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas, Sweet Friends!

Hugs,

Cozy Movie Time

2011-12-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season is snuggle in and watch Christmas movies. I change into my jammies, put the kettle on, choose a film to watch, and cozy in! I like a wide variety of Christmas films, everything from "White Christmas" to "Elf".

This sweet little angel sits near the DVDs. I received her in a Christmas craft swap many, many years ago. She's probably the only item from that swap (including the item I made) that have. I still love her.

If this isn't a "reality shot", I don't know what one is. I pile the blankets on my sofa when I cozy in. The pillows get moved around. In fact, that "love" pillow needs to move so Haggie can snuggle in on his side of the sofa. Yes, that spoiled boy has his own side of the sofa. Life is good!

Hugs,

Sweet & Sparklie Christmas Kitchen

2011-12-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is... the end of my Christmas Home Tour! I saved the kitchen for last and I hope you have fun visiting. My kitchen has a "Christmas Sweets" theme going on here. It all started with the chandy a couple of years ago. I didn't have a tree to display my cake/cupcake ornaments near the kitchen, so I hung them on the little chandy above the sink! I love them up there. As my collection grew, I ran out of space on the chandy, so I "borrowed" the idea hanging them in the window from the fabulous Elyse. I wrapped a tension rod with ribbon and hung my ornies on pink polka dot ribbon with clips. It was the perfect solution, and I love the added sparkle in my kitchen!

The aqua and pink pastry/ice cream decorations fit naturally into the color scheme of my kitchen. I even found some candy canes in pastel colors. The gingerbread man sink sponge came from HomeGoods. I think he adds to the whimsy going on in here.

I have this spice rack of sprinkles and the straw canister out all year. I just change the colors and sprinkles out to match the current season. I served milk with paper straws last weekend when I baked a chocolate cake and my family loved them. It was nostalgic for the adults, and fun and new for the younger family members!

I love sprinkles... and have a pretty extensive, obsessive collection. I don't display them all at once. I would really love to have the space to do that like Saucy. Her sprinkle shelves are something that legends are made of. Seriously.

If you turn around from the sink in my tiny kitchen, this is what you see. I don't decorate for Christmas much over here except for the towels and vintage apron hanging on the oven door.

I love this new addition to my Christmas towels. It was one of the amazing gifts I received for my birthday from my dear friend Lisa. (I'm saving the rest of the gift for another post and I can't wait to share it with you!) I love the stitching on this adorable towel. It had me at the rickrack and pom pom trim! I grew up calling pom pom trim "dingle berries"... do any of you call them that? Just curious.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my little Christmas kitchen. My kitchen is small, but it's perfect for me... especially when decorated with sparklie sweets!

Hugs,

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas... WHERE?

2011-12-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, you know that when it comes to decorating my home for Christmas I do try to keep it tasteful-- but there is just one room that I allow myself to let loose... The Bathroom. Okay, that was a really bad play on words. Really bad. What I'm really trying to say is that I let loose and decorate the guest bathroom for Christmas with things that are, well, a little more on the silly side. I'm talking about licensed products. You know, those funky fun little plastic decorations reminiscent of the Christmas specials on TV that we grew up loving. Yeah, I love them.
The decorations in the photo above are reminiscent of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and The Muppets. I've always loved that sad little tree in the Charlie Brown special. That may have been the very first movie ever that I teared up watching. I especially loved how Linus' blanket was placed around the tree as a tree skirt. So sweet.
The little guy below the tree is Beaker, from The Muppets. I really have no idea what is "Christmas" about him, but I couldn't resist how his little mouth moves when he sings "Ode to Joy". When I have company visiting and they are in the bathroom, I can usually hear Beaker singing behind the door. It's hilarious!

This little retro silver tree is covered with ornaments depicting scenes from the movies "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and "The Christmas Story". All the ornaments have a button you can push for dialog or music from the movies. Although my siblings and I grew up watching "Charlie Brown","The Grinch", and all the claymation films at Christmas, we added these two movies to our family tradition as soon as they came along. It's just not Christmas in our family until Cousin Eddy drives up in his Aarrr...Veee. As always, my brothers will continue to quote the movies throughout the duration of the holiday. Yay.

Okay, so this is not a licensed decoration, but when you have a beachy bathroom, there must be a Santa mermaid... so here she is. This little vignette is just above the toilet and isn't it lovely? The aqua glass ornaments are from Anthropology. Hey- I needed just a wee bit of style in here, right?

What? What did you ask? Ohhhh... that bottle on the right is this. (And yes, it really works!)
Hugs,

Welcome To My Little Christmas Nest...

2011-12-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's no secret now that I love to decorate for Christmas. Did you know that I like to decorate outside as well?

No, I do not do outdoor lights like The Griswold's, but I do have a flamingo. It's pretty special. It has a hat. It's head moves. It's cord is carefully covered with strategically placed leaves. It's strongly secured to the ground with a cinder block. Yeah, I'm classy that way. Haggie seems quite smitten by her, doesn't he?

Every Christmas I hang my outdoor lighted garlands. They're battery timed, so I put them up there and they do the rest, like clockwork. Easy peasy. The wreath on the courtyard gate is the same. For the window and door, I purchase a fresh cut wreath from Costco. They're such a good deal, it's a no brainer. Although I have an artificial tree, I love the smell of fresh cut pine-- so this is how I get my fix!

Okay, this is my favorite Christmas decorating tip: visit your local Christmas tree lot and ask them if they have any branches they want to get rid of. Some people like to trim the bottom branches off their tree before they leave the lot. The guy at the tree lot I went to keeps a "free, help yourself" pile. I get free greens, and he doesn't have to cart them to the dump. It's a win-win. I like to snuggle the pine greens into my existing planters.

Even the fairy garden gets a little fluffed up with pine.

The front door to my little nest. Welcome! Please come in...

This is just inside the entry of my house, hence the picnic basket full of shoes. I love this old vintage dresser. It has lots of storage, and what little nest doesn't need more of that? I use to store my shoes in there when I came in the door, so they wouldn't be piled all over. However, I eventually found that I wanted to use the prime real estate in those drawers for other things.

A few of my favorite little things... I've always loved pine greens with red roses. Can you imagine how great this would smell if they were real?!

I love The Polar Express, and so I went nuts when I saw this Polar Express bell. It's an ornament, but I like to place it near the book. I love the story, and the graphics of the book and animation. One year I went to the 3-D version of the film at the Imax Theater downtown with friends. I loved the snowflakes...

I have this little Christmas pennant hanging on my lamp. My fabulous friend Debra made it, and I love it!

Okay, I know that you've seen this room(s) before, but I just need you to note the size of this room. Okay, now picture it with twelve people, a baby, and a large dog. That is what this room was like the other night when I had my family over. My family is much larger than twelve people, but not everyone lives near. Last night was the first time I've ever had my family over for a holiday celebration. I've always lived in tiny apartments, so it was impossible. It was really fun and special to have them over to my place during a holiday season... finally. I baked a bundt. (Isn't that just so retro/vintage? Hee hee! It was chocolate and I served it with toppings!)

Haggie loved that everyone came over just to see him. He was able to show off his new Christmas light bulb squeaky toy, and let my niece's adorable six month old baby boy sit on his back like a baby monkey on a pig's back. (We changed the words to the song... "baby Brennan, baby Brennan, riding on Haggie's back... Baby Brennan!) Ah, good times had by all at The Little Nest!

Hugs,

Christmas Tea For Two

2011-12-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays, Sweet Friends!

The other day my friend Lisa and I went over to the beautiful city of San Francisco to take in the Christmas magic. Well, we were not disappointed! S.F. is such a beautiful city, and at Christmas it's even more magical. The homes display sparklie Christmas trees in their front windows, cable cars are dressed for the season with garlands and bows (and hosting partying passengers dressed like elves and Santa singing Christmas carols!), and the shops are adorned with beautiful displays.

Lisa and I have wanted to visit The Crown and Crumpet for Christmas Tea for a while now, so we made our way over to Ghirardelli Square for a lovely afternoon tea. The C&C didn't disappoint. It was decked out in all it's sparklie, whimsical glory!

Unfortunately, I'm having difficulty loading photos from the fun day onto my computer... but fortunately, I can link you over to Lisa's Blog to view her amazing photos and let her tell you about our wonderful day! Click on over to HERE, my friends!

Hugs,

PS: I purchased the ornament above at The Crown and Crumpet to remember the special day. My photo loading issues must be related to the memory card. This photo was taken with a new memory card and loaded just fine. Ah, technology...

A Cozy Christmas Cottage

2011-12-13T22:21:00.000-08:00

Okay, so my home is not a "real cottage", but it's little, and it's cozy. I find that if I refer to it as a cottage it makes me feel like this 1044 sq. ft. home is small-but-charming, not just... well, small. (Did that even begin to sound like it makes sense?!)
Today I'm joining Claudia over at Mockingbird Hill Cottage for "Defending The Small House, No. 5: Christmas Decorating in a Small House". Please click on over to her blog to check out her beautiful cottage and some fun links to more!

First of all, I've got to tell you... these are not very good photos. These were my "practice photos". I'm having trouble loading the final photos that I shot today. I've taken multiple photos all over the house, at several different times of the day because I've got such strange lighting and angles to contend with here.

Above is my dining room, which shares a double-sided (hello, 1988) fireplace with the living room. My house is kind of funny... if you were to stand at that window in the back of the photo and look toward the fireplace, you would be able to see the living room, dining room, kitchen, entry, and hallway... all at the same time. Oh, and if the door is open in the hallway, you could see into the guest room also!

I've made some changes since the time I took these photos. The chairs around the table now have pine boughs tied to them with red ribbon. Oh, how I wish I could load those photos!

I really haven't purchased any new decorations this year except that little jar of flowers on the left, and the fresh cut pine garlands and wreaths. The house smells soooo good! Don't you love the smell of fresh cut pine?! Oh-- and I know... the table runner and topper need to be pressed. Meh...I don't feel like it, and I have other things I'd rather do. And I have too much stuff piled on my ironing board anyway.

This little snow scene jar is one of my favorite little decorations! I've had it for years, and it's been displayed in my 680 sq.ft. apartment, the duplex, and now my little home. I have a little thing for snow scenes with little white churches or cottages in them. This sweet scene was created by the amazing Ruth at The Homestead, in Old Town Elk Grove. She hand created the little glittery white paper church, and embellished the vintage jar with vintage findings. I actually purchased this from her long before she even had her own store. Ruth is one of the most creative people I know. Her store is so darling--and so is she and her husband (of over 50 years!)Bob. Cute cute cute!

This is my fireplace mantle. The silver and red mercury glass is back this year. The silver never really left. I just add red pieces for Christmas/Valentine's, and aqua for Spring/Summer. This year I added the pine garland. I think it would be really pretty with some snow on it, don't you? Maybe next year...

This is a view from the living room side of the fireplace. I absolutely love this bunting and table runner (on coffee table) made from vintage Christmas tablecloths by the fabulous Amy from Into Vintage. Don't you just love the candy stripe binding?!

This photo was taken from my favorite cozy spot on the sofa. The chair in the corner was discovered at a consignment store and slip covered by moi. The coffee table was purchased at a garage sale. I wanted something that's not fussy... and that I could put my feet on. I'm all about cozy comfort here.

Okay, check out the pillows here... the snowman pillow was purchased in San Diego (actually, on Coronado) years ago when I vacationed with girlfriends one Christmas. Oh, the fun and crazy memories we made there... don't you love things that bring back fun or special memories?

Okay, now check out the red snowflake pillow. It use to have pom pom trim around all of the edges... until I adopted a little fluffy puppy about four years ago. The dog-who-shall-not-be-named nibbled the pom pom trim down to nubs. For some reason, I just can't part with that pillow though, or even repair it. At least I didn't save his baby teeth, eh?

Well, thanks so much for stopping by to visit! I've enjoyed sharing a little bit of the Christmas cheer around here. Hopefully I'll be able to download more photos soon. Yes, there's more... the kitchen, the bathroom (yes, that is what I said), the entry, and the front courtyard. I do love a little bit of merry Christmas around here. Now that I'm pretty much finished decorating, I'm looking forward to having family over this weekend-- and hopefully finishing my Christmas shopping! I hope that you, too, are enjoying this fun and festive season! Merry! Merry!

Hugs,

Giggle

2011-12-10T10:53:00.001-08:00

One for him...
One for me...

One for him...

One for me... ((giggle))

Am I the only one that sees the funny in this??

Hugs,

I Am Thankful For...

2011-11-24T13:39:00.000-08:00

... you!

Wishing you many, many sweet blessings this Thanksgiving Day.

Hugs,

Are You Going?

2011-11-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Meg seems to be anticipating the opening of the film "Breaking Dawn, Part I" these days. It looks like she's been reading all her Twilight books to refresh her memory of the stories.

She loves her Twilight books... they're usually sitting on her bedside table. I didn't have time to reread the books, and they haven't been sitting on my bedside table...

But, they've been sitting on my "Twilight Shrine"! Is this funny, or what? I just thought that I would get some extra use out of my white pumpkins before I pack them away for the year. The candy boxes crack me up... they're so hokey I just had to put them in there. Hey, do you notice anything that reminds you of "Where's Waldo"? Haggie just had to get in this shot. He's for Team Jacob, of course!
Hugs,

It's My Day...

2011-11-14T00:05:00.000-08:00

... and I love cake!

Hugs,

For Me?! Squeeeeeee!

2011-11-06T10:13:00.000-08:00

Have you ever received a gift-- a really special gift-- from a very special friend? You know that friend. She's the one that just knows you so well that the gift touches your heart from the first glance?

My friend Joyce is that friend. We've been friends for about twenty years. We made it through our 20's together, our 30's together... and now we're navigating our 40's. We've been there for each other through thick and thin, joys and silliness, loves and losses. She's that kind of friend.

We met each other through one of our loves... paper crafting. Through the years we've seen each other's creative styles grow and change. From the early years of the rubber stamping craze, we've stretched our creative wings through various style and color combo obsessions. Through crazy pop-up dimensional creations... to simply elegant. This gift box would be in that simply elegant category. Don't you love it? My favorite color and details... lovelovelove.

This month is my birthday. Yes, I said month. My friends know that I do not object to celebrating all month long. He he. Well, my month kicked off to a start yesterday with my favorite sushi dinner, and an early surprise birthday gift! My dear friend Joyce created the beautiful gift box above, and gave me this absolutely beautiful necklace.

The moment I opened the box my breath was taken away...

A beautiful dragonfly... the keeper of dreams... created with vintage silver spoons. Joyce has always known of my affinity for dragonflies. She's also always known how selective (a nice word for "picky") I am about dragonflies. My house is not full of them. I don't tell people I have a thing for them for a good reason. Years ago, a friend of mine use to (past tense) love black & white cows. Needless to say, she was inundated with black & white cows, lovingly presented to her by her dear, well-meaning friends. So basically, only a few of my close friends know about my dragonfly thing. I have always wanted to keep my love for them special.

Well, this beautiful dragonfly is special. Super special. It's the perfect combination of my favorites: dragonfly, silver, and vintage. Looooooove this. So much.

Thank you so much, Joyce... I love this special gift, from first glance to forever. Just like our friendship. xox

Hugs,

Reality Shot Thursday...

2011-10-26T13:15:00.001-07:00

Welcome to "Reality Shot Thursday", hosted by the fabulous Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage! Just keepin' it real here in Bloglandia, by posting a glimpse at the little, un-styled, un-fluffed images that are normally not included in our posts.

This image above is a snapshot of the "reality before the magic" as I was creating my floating pumpkins that were in a previous post. There's a lot going on in this photo... carving tools, the light that goes inside the pumpkin, glue (to fix "Jack's" broken tooth), graph paper with sketches of the jack o' lantern faces, plastic bags from the craft supplies purchased for the project... you get the idea. There's even a newly purchased Dash & Albert rug that I had thrown on the table the other day when I came home from shopping.

Thanks for stopping by for a little dose of reality~~ hope I didn't ruin the magic!

Hugs,

Welcome Muggles, Part II

2011-10-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome! Welcome to my Harry Potter Shrine! (Yeah... I'm cool like that. He he. Hey- please just let me indulge in my Harry Potter nerdiness, okay?) You may remember my shrine from last year... well, it's out of control this year. Halloween is the perfect time of the year to indulge in a bit of Harry Potter goodness. I'm not one to leave this collection out all year, but I do love it at Halloween time. I guess it's my version of "grown up" Halloween decor... not too scary, too gory, or too juvenile. Yeah, yeah... I know these decorations are based off of a book series written for children, but it's such a wonderful, imaginative world.

This shrine is situated near the entry of my house. I've got a lot going on here, so how about a little tour? (Warning: Lots of photos and hyperlinks for your viewing pleasure.)

J.K. Rowling's books are so descriptive, imaginative, and amazing that it wasn't difficult to gather ideas and inspiration. In the above photo is the Sorting Hat that is introduced in the first novel when the children are being sorted into their houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The sorting hat in the book speaks, and so does this one! If you come by to visit me in October, you can count on being sorted as soon as you walk in the door.

These are some of my favorite props... The Marauder's Map, Hermione's wand, and Harry's iconic spectacles. I have to admit, I got goosebumps the first time I opened the Marauder's Map. It's folded, and opens up just like the one in the film... minus the magic. (Bummer!) I would have tinkled my panties if there were footprints on it that appeared and moved, like the "real" map. The wand is hand carved mahogany. Isn't it beautiful? I purchased it from a "wand shop" at the Renaissance Faire that I went to recently. The wand vendor was fun... he really played up the part and presented the wand just as spectacularly as Ollivander himself would have...well, almost.

Here, we have Hagrid's lantern, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix named Fawkes (a fabulous gift from my fellow Potter-lovin' friend Lisa), and a beautiful gold foiled ticket for the Hogwarts Express... departing at Platform 9-3/4, of course!

Here, we have a ticket for the Knight Bus. Hmmmm... I guess I need a shrunken head to go with this, like the one hanging near the driver of the bus. Maybe next year...

This is the flying winged key with the broken wing, as written about in the first book. Actually, I've changed this to a silver key since this photo was taken. It's actually supposed to be a silver key with bright blue wings. (That's if you're die-hard-into-details. I'm sure I don't have all the details perfect, so please go easy on me.) Anyway...I was so excited to find skeleton keys at Michael's. All I had to do was create a pattern for the wings, trace them onto vellum paper, cut them out, fold them, and glue them to the key. How's that for a tutorial?

This is just another gratuitous shot of the flying keys over my dining room table, because... well, I just can't get over myself. He he. I really, really love how these turned out.

These lovely spectacles are Luna Lovegood's "spectrespecs"...they allegedly allow her to see wrackspurts.

... and this is Luna! She's one of my favorite characters in the books. She's sort of a kindred spirit. She's also the best dressed character, in my humble opinion. She knows how to accessorize, that's for sure. She created her own dirigible plum (radish) earrings and her butterbeer cork necklace. (She claims that her butterbeer cork necklace repels nargles.) I love her quirkiness!

And last, but not least... you can see Hedwig (Harry's owl) in his cage and Harry's "beginner broom". (Better view of the broom in photo #2.) It looks just like the one in the first film, when the first year students are learning how to fly their brooms for the first time. According to the lady I bought it from, this broom came from England. Hmmm... could it be? Oh, and no-- I didn't buy it in a back alley or an old, spooky pub. I bought it at a vintage fair a couple of years ago.

Oh, and how could I forget my favorite? Hagrid felt that it was only proper that he was included in the photo. Dang, that's a cute dog.

Well, thank you for touring my Harry Potter Shrine. I hope you enjoyed it! I'm looking forward to having a few close friends over this weekend. After all-- having gone to all the effort to display all these Harry Potter Halloween decorations, I might as well celebrate the magic!

Hugs,

PS: I'm partying with Tatertots & Jello, Fairly Fabulous Blog!, The Girl Creative, Get Your Craft On

Welcome Muggles, Part I

2011-10-15T19:13:00.001-07:00

Welcome! Welcome! I've been as busy as a house elf, preparing for Halloween~ Harry Potter Style! You may remember my Harry Potter Shrine from last year. Well, it's official... it's become out of control this year. I've always loved the magical details of the Harry Potter Series of books and films. I just can't help myself. Sooooo... now that I've worked my magic, I thought I'd show you my Harry Potter Inspired Halloween Decorations! I've split these posts so that it's not so overwhelming. Beware: lots of photos!

Yes, those are floating jack o' lanterns-- inspired by the floating pumpkin lanterns in the Hogwart's Grand Hall. I've dreamt of replicating them for several years, so I decided that this is the year to conjure up the spell. These are floating over my dining room table. Yes, they are floating. Those are not strings you see.

I love love love these flying keys!!! Those of you who are familiar with Harry Potter, can you spot the key with the broken wing?

These keys are flying around above some jars of candy, inspired by the Halloween Feast...

Here's another snap of the table.... do you notice anything special there from the first film? (No, there are no Bertie Botts All-Flavor Beans. I'm saving that for next year... I couldn't buy the whole lot...this time.)

Yes, it's a Chocolate Frog, like the one that Harry purchased from the trolley on the Hogwart's Express~ complete with trading card! Every chocolate frog contains a trading card with various Hogwart's professors on them. In the book, the subject in the photo moves. This one did too. (Read: holographic.) The card that I received was of Salazar Slytherin. On the back of the card it states, "One of the four celebrated Founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Salazar Slytherin was one of the first recorded Parselmouths, an accomplished Legilimens, and a notorious champion of pureblood supremacy." (Now is the time to boo and hiss.) In other words, he's not the nicest guy. Do you notice that little white note? It's from the person that I purchased this from. Notice, the note is sealed with "The Dark Mark" wax seal. I should have known. (Actually, it's very cool!)

Oh, and yes~ there really is a chocolate frog in that box! I heeded Ron Weesley's warning and held on to him so he wouldn't escape and jump out the window. Ahem.

Ooooh! It's starting to get dark...

Wooooooo! Look at those lanterns glow! Look at those keys fly!!

*SQUEEEEE* I can't even explain how excited I was to see these guys lit up!

I love how these floating jack o' lanterns turned out. I studied the lanterns in the film and duplicated the original spooky faces as closely as I could... but I did break down and add a smiley face in there.

Oh, and this guy showed up! (Hey Jack!) I guess everyone is welcome here, correct movie or not. Thank you, sweet muggle friends, for coming by to visit. I've been so excited to share all this Harry Potter goodness with you!

Next up: Welcome Muggles, Part II. Stay tuned!

Hugs,

PS: I'm sharing this with: Today's Creative Blog, Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors.

Halloween Under Construction

2011-10-07T12:39:00.001-07:00

Busy as a house elf over here... stay tuned!

Hugs,

iRemember

2011-10-07T00:14:00.000-07:00

I remember visiting a friend studying computer science at UC Davis back in the mid 1980's. In her tiny dorm room sat this funny little box with a screen. She seemed so excited about it. I could tell it was kind of a big deal. Being the non-techi that I was, I thought "Well, I guess it's better than a typewriter." Oh, how little I knew. I didn't know that the man behind the box was changing the world in a big way.
I have a confession to make. I'm still not a techi. I don't own a Mac. I don't own an iPhone. I don't own an iPad. I don't even own an iPod.
But I do have a little blog. A little blog that has enabled me to connect with amazing people around the world in a way that I never dreamed.
Thank you, Steve Jobs~ the visionary, the man behind the funny little box with a screen... you changed my little world in a big way.

The "Fabulous Mystery Gifts" Revealed

2011-09-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's finally time (well over time) to reveal The Fabulous Mystery Gifts that I promised to the lovely winners of my Blog Anniversary Giveaway back in (ahem) May. I mailed them out a little while back and wanted to make sure my winners recieved them before I revealed the great mystery. I love gift giving, and this was a really fun one for me because I was able to personalize these gifts to the winners. My first lovely winner was Claudia...

Claudia was so fun to create for-- we love a lot of the same things, colors, and all manner of sweet vintage goodness. We both even love coffee. Claudia had randomly mentioned that she had run out Peet's Coffee. Being that there's a Peet's practically around the corner, I couldn't resist picking up some to send to her!
Claudia is restoring/remodeling a darling dollhouse. (Oh my goodness, check out the porch floor. I love it!) These little goodies are a combination of things I created and found. I made the beach bag and the table/chair (depends on the scale you use) in some of her favorite colors. That print on the table and the tiny "McCoy" vase remind me so much of her wonderful vintage style!

I've also done some stitchin'~ a linen dishtowel with stitched blue birds, and embellished with rikrak. This pattern immediately came to mind when I was thinking of what to stitch because Claudia had chronicled the hatching of a sweet little bird family earlier this year. I appologize for the wonky angle of this photo, but I wanted you to be able to see a bit of the trim.

Okay, here's a better shot. I love this pattern so much, I may have to stitch one to hang here at The Little Nest!

Next, this is what my 2nd prize winner Kathi received. Have I ever mentioned that I love wrapping gifts? I love wrapping gifts! In fact, I made the simple little box cover that you see above. It was easy peasy, using a couple strips of paper, a scalloped circle punch, and a simple sweet polka dot Cath Kidston sticker. The stickers and outer box address labels that I used in these gifts all came from an adorable Cath Kidston sticker/label set. I was so excited to have something special to use them on! Kathi loves anything beach related and I loved having a beach theme to create around. This vintage mermaid embroidery pattern was so fun to stitch!

Thank you, Claudia and Kathi, for entering my lil' giveaway! Thanks also to all of you sweet friends that entered this year's blog anniversary giveaway. I sincerely appreciate that you've all taken a little time out of your day to visit my little corner of Bloglandia. I love this little world, and love the inspiration and creativity that you all so generously share each day.

Some of you may ask, "Where has Jill been?" or "Is Jill still blogging?!". Well, I'm still here. Life has been busy. Some good, some great, some... stressful. That's how life rolls, isn't it? Well, here's some little clues to what fun things I've been up to lately:

1. A little day of fun with friends...

2. A little magical yummy goodness, and a day in The City...

3. A little bit of fall decorating~ Oh, how I love Halloween!! In fact, I'm a bit nutty about it. Post to follow soon!!! I can't wait to share the "magical" fun!! (I've stepped it up this year. Oh yeah.)

I'll be back soon!!

Hugs,

Jill

One Small Place of Enchantment

2011-09-04T14:44:00.000-07:00

I've had this picture forever... as in for.ever. I love it, and it's followed me to each little place I've lived in. I love the saying, and I love that the girl in the picture kinda' reminds me of me. (Curly hair, double chin, and all...) It's one of those little decorative things that I've had forever, but don't get tired of seeing. Except, for one thing...
That old hunter green marbled frame and beige matting with green trim! I liked it back in the nineties, but now... it's just tired. Sooooo, because I love the picture itself-- I thought I'd bring it up into the 21st century.

No, I was not crafty. I did not paint the frame. It needed more than that, so I purchased a new frame and mat~ in white. Simply white. Holy Moly!! What a change! I have always loved this Mary Engelbreit picture, but wow-- I really love it now.

I really love how it looks in my current bathroom... my "one small place of enchantment to turn to." Everyone must have one-- a small place of enchantment to go to when you need to decompress, or simply escape your woes. Do you?

Hmmm... okay, where's that bubble bath?

Hugs,

The Beehive Tea Room

2011-08-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was out of town on business/fun with friends, and made a little unexpected discovery~ The Beehive Tea Room, in Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. My friend Deb and I were just taking a walk around the block of our hotel and I did a double take. (I think my heart even skipped a beat.) I went to the door to check the hours and take a peek. They were closed, but the owner, Lisa, came to the door and invited us in and ended up giving us a little tour. I'm so glad that she did!!This cozy, comfy tea room is a little gem in the heart of the city. When you walk in, you feel like you've stepped into a 1920-30's bohemian scene where artists and writers hang out. Lisa use to work in set design for film and television, and she definitely used her talent to create an incredibly inviting place to meet with friends, stop in for lunch, or just hang out and drink tea. That evening a book club was starting to gather in the lounge, and let me tell you-- I didn't read the book--but wow, I would have loved to have joined them!

These photos are from a couple days later, when my friends and I came back for lunch and tea. (I have no idea who those people in the photo are, but I really wanted a shot of this corner.) My awful photos just don't do it justice. There isn't a lot of natural light in The Willow Room, so I had to use a flash-- and well, you know how great that makes a photo look.

These rooms were vintage heaven... the furniture, the art and accessories... all of it! She hired an artist to paint the scenic murals. She told him that she wanted it to have the feel of a Maxwell Parrish painting. I think he did an incredible job!

This is the funky-fun hallway heading back to the front of the shop...

I love this cafe area in the front also. Lovelovelove those lanterns hanging from the ceiling. I tell you, this place has a magical feel to it. Again, my photos just don't do it justice!! Luckily, there's a pro out there who filmed a music video at the Beehive Tea Room, so you can enjoy a little bit of a "tour" also... oh, and the guy in the video is not so bad to look at either.

Although I'm not a food blogger, I've just got to mention that the food is great. I had the best quiche of my life here. I kid you not. Everything is made fresh-- including those wonderful warm scones that Lisa surprised us with! (Thank you sooo much, Lisa-- if you are reading this-- that was so thoughtful, and they were delish!) I sort of wish that I had taken photos of our food (like a good blogger), but I just wanted to be-in-the-moment with my friends. Oh, and I was hungry. Heehee.

So, if you somehow find yourself in downtown Salt Lake City, this is a great place to eat lunch and to drink from a great selection of tea. (They have other beverages also, if you aren't a tea drinker.) Give yourself time to enjoy the surroundings and to chat with your friends while they prepare everything fresh.

Seriously, if I lived or worked near downtown Salt Lake City, this would be my hangout. I'd buzz right back in a heartbeat.

Hugs,

PS: Be sure to check out their website for more details than I could fit in this post. Oh- and word has it, The Beehive Tea Room will be moving to Trolley Square, another historical location-- with very convenient parking and a beautiful new Whole Foods!

A Little Box Of Sunshine

2011-08-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

A few months ago when we were experiencing our rainy season here, I was really craving spring. I wanted sunshine.... so I splurged and bought me some. I've always loved Elyse's blog, Cottage, and the sweet, enchanting "tinkered treasures" she creates. Soooo, I did it. I finally placed an order. So, how 'bout some "Show and Tell"??

First of all, look how sweet everything is wrapped. (You all know by now that I totally love great presentation!) Everything was so carefully wrapped, it felt like I was opening a birthday gift from a friend!

Just look at all this sweetness! I love Elyse's "signature colors"-- pink, aqua/blue... so soft and pretty! She even enclosed what I call a "cupcake ballerina", some blue flowers, and a book marker. Can I just tell you how much I love those ballerinas? I love those ballerinas. I had a ballerina birthday party when I was little, back in the (ahem) late sixties. (I was really, really little then. Not very old at all.) These ballerinas were on my birthday cake. After the birthday debut, we kept the ballerinas in my mom's green metal picnic basket where we stored all the cake decorating supplies. (For you metal basket collectors, it's the green "basket weave" one.) I think my mom still has that basket-- and those ballerinas. Anyway, those "cupcake ballerinas" always bring back sweet memories when I see them.

Okay, back to my box of sunshine... I love these tinkered clothes pins. I think they'd be so great clipped onto a bulletin board-- you know, the ones made out of a frame with the wires strung across. (Note to self: find frame, paint it, wire it.) I think they'd also be darling used to clip a gift tag onto a gift bag. Cutecutecute.

These little tinkered matchboxes are even sweeter in person-- I love the little ribbon/rose detail and the little sequin "drawer pull" (can't see it in this photo). And how cute is that little "wish ticket"?? I love to give earrings for gifts, and these little boxes are perfect! This little sweetie was a little stowaway! (Thank you so much, Elyse! I love unexpected "extras"!) I've named her Ellie, and she has found her home among the glittery goodness in my playroom. (Yes, I have a playroom, but that's for another post...) I think Ellie will be very happy among the sparkle and, uh, what I call crafty chaos. Anyway, I hope you've liked this sweet little box of sunshine~ please click on over to Elyse's lovely blog. It's a little ray of sunshine too!

Okay, so did I mention it was a rainy year? Yeah, I ordered some more sunshine. Sunshine was on sale that day. It was a sign. I knew that I had to have these bowls the moment I laid my eyes on them! I don't know what this style of printed enamel bowl is really called, but I love them. These ones are much smaller than I imagined that they would be, but they will be great for serving stuff... and snacks. I like pretty snacks. Now this really made my heart pitter-patter.... teacups, saucers, and dessert plates. I see another tea party in my future. I really love these teacups. I used every one of them within two days of receiving them. Loooooove. Them. They make me feel like a little girl playing tea party in her play house. Well, whatdayaknow...These cups also coordinate with my embroidery projects~~ all three of them. Yes, my dear-sweet-giveaway-winners (and my awesome swap partner)-- I have been stitchin' like a mad woman. The embroidery part is done, but my sewing machine decided to break down. (Great timing.) Okay, I have more excuses but I don't want to bore you with them. I am hoping to resolve the sewing machine problem in the next week, and then I'll be very close to shipping some stitchy goodness off to their new homes.

I can't wait to reveal what I've been up to!

Hugs,

Glory Be

2011-07-02T08:36:00.001-07:00

Okay, is this not the cutest version of an American flag that you've ever seen?? Well, I think it is. I absolutely love the vintage linens used to create this-- the chenille, the table clothes--it's genius! This beauty was created by Amy of Into Vintage-- she has one of my favorite etsy shops of all time. (You may remember the adorable Christmas bunting and table runner that I purchased from her shop.) Amy knows how to work her magic with those (priceless-to-me-I-just-can't-cut-into-it-myself) vintage fabrics. She's a Vintage Fabric Whisperer. I'm kinda' a big fan of hers.

Well, look at all this wonderful vintage goodness! Amy is also very thoughtful and generous- she snuck some super fun extra goodies in for me-- is that so cool, or what?? I think I must have squealed out loud as I opened this box. Everything was packaged so special-- I loooove that. Check out that embroidered sachet tied to the wrapped package. Love, love, love sweet details.

Oh my goodness, she sent me one of her wonderful embellished dishtowels. It's hanging in my kitchen at this moment and I love it. (It dries really fast!)

Oh!! Looky at these!! Ahhhh!! I LOVE these! These are fabric covered magnets, and they couldn't match my kitchen any more perfectly! Check out that packaging. Love. It.

They coordinate perfectly with my magnetic kitchen timer from Anthro--- so cute! Thank you so much, Amy. I love my flag pillow so much, and ohmygoodness I love all the sweet extras you included. It was such a lovely surprise! (And soooo generous and thoughtful!)

Well, I hope that you all have a fun and safe weekend celebrating Independence Day here in the good 'ol U.S.A.-- don't forget to pull out your flags-- no matter what form they come in!

Hugs,

Easy Stitchy Gift

2011-05-31T18:55:00.000-07:00

The other day was my sister-in-law's birthday, so I thought that I'd stitch up a little gift for her. I love stitching dishtowels. There's something so nostalgic about embroidered dishtowels~ I just love them! Monica seemed genuinely excited about this little dishtowel. She kept saying it reminded her of her mom's stitched dishtowels that she grew up with. It really warmed my heart that she was so happy with it. In fact, she was so appreciative, it makes me want to stitch dishtowels for everyone in the world. Okay, maybe everyone in California. Well, maybe just everyone I know. That's still a lot of people to stitch for... but I would, if I could! It's so fun to choose patterns that remind me of the person I'm stitching for.

This was the first stitching I've done in a loooong time, but once I got goin' there was no stopping me! I think I'm warmed up now to create some Fabulous Mystery Gifts!

Hugs,

We Have A Winner!

2011-05-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations,

Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage!!

Sweet Claudia is the winner of my Blog Birthday Giveaway!! I was sooo excited when Haggie drew Claudia's name. I've always loved and identified with Claudia's cottage style, so I immediately knew exactly what I would like to make for her Fabulous Mystery Gift! Claudia, please send me an email with the address that you'd like me to send your gift to. Thanks so much~ and congrats!!

I would like to thank everyone who entered this giveaway. Oh my goodness, I wanted to send you all a gift! Your comments were all so kind and thoughtful. They meant the world to me, my sweet friends. In fact, they warmed my heart so much, that I just couldn't help myself... I let Haggie choose a second winner! I know, I know... I'm a pushover :)

Yes, we have two winners this year!! Okay, drum roll please...the second winner of a Fabulous Mystery Gift is...

Kathi, of Beautiful Mini Blessings!!

Kathi is a super talented miniaturist who I've been following forever. She loves beaches and has been creating an incredible miniature beach house and garage with the most fun details. Please visit her lovely blog~ you will love it! Kathi, please email me with your address and I will get started on your Fabulous Mystery Gift! Hmmmm... I'm thinking something with a beach theme... am I on the right track?! (giggle)

Both of my winners are going to be sooo fun to create for-- I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself! Congratulations, my friends!

Hugs,

Party On The Pink Porch!

2011-05-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, there's a celebration starting on the porch of The Little Pink House~~ and you're invited! Meg has been busy decorating and preparing to celebrate Little Nest Studio's 2nd Blog Birthday!!

Meg had a little help with the prep~ all of her adorable party decor (including cake and table!) were made by a mother-daughter duo from a Club Little House swap a few years ago. I'm sorry to say, I couldn't find their names anywhere. I wish so much that I could, so that I could give them due credit!

Can you believe a sweet little girl made all of this?? It's so adorable! She even made party noise-makers to share with you! Meg and I love a party, and are so glad that you could make it to ours.

Two years... wow. Time is flyin', my sweet friends. It took me a while to jump in and start my own blog, but I'm so glad that I did. I love and adore my bloggie friends, near and far~ and I'm honored to have the chance to share my little world with you all. I know I've mentioned it before, but I love how Bloglandia brings the most creative, kind, and inspiring people together. I love that blogging makes me feel like-- in some small way-- the world is a cozier place. Thank you for that... thank you for letting me be a part of this happy little world.

Well, you know what having a blog birthday means... it's time for a giveaway!!! In Little Nest Studio tradition, the prize is a...

Fabulous Mystery Gift.

(Hey, I heard that laugh, Laurie!)

All that is required to enter this little 'ol giveaway is to leave a comment on this post. Yep, that's it. Just leave a comment on this post by 5pm PST, Sunday, May 29, 2011. Don't be scared. My Fabulous Mystery Gifts are... well, they're kinda' fabulous. ((giggle)). Okay, maybe not as fabulous as Oprah's Favorite Things giveaways... but pretty darn fun!!

Okay, leave me some comment love~~ and let's celebrate!!

**UPDATE**

Entries are closed, and Haggie has chosen a winner!! I will announce the winner tomorrow! Hooo-ray!!

Hugs,

Winner, Winner... (Better Than A) Chicken Dinner

2011-05-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

I won! I won! I was the lucky winner of a $50 gift card from the fabulous Sasha at Saucy's Sprinkles (aka Bloggedy Blog Blog)!!! Saucy is celebrating five years of blogging. I'm happy to say I've been loyally reading her crazy-fun blog for at least three years or so. I lurve it.

Saucy is incredibly creative, so it was no surprise that my gift would arrive with such a lovely presentation. Check out that cute heart charm!! Saucy creates the most wonderful charm bracelets. (And many other wonderful things. I don't think she ever sleeps!) She's a very generous blogger and often shares fun tutorials, recipes, etc. She's nice like that.

Her blog is a huge source of inspiration for me... please be sure to visit her sometime! (Thank you so much, Sasha!! I'm sure that I will have loads of fun spending that generous gift card!)

Now, switching gears (no pun intended)--- I couldn't resist ordering this beach cruiser print on Etsy the other day. It's my dream bicycle... well, except it needs a nifty bell and fancy handlebar streamers! I just love this!

I love it when Etsy shop keepers send "little extras", don't you? Mary enclosed a sweet matching card/envelope! Sooo cute!

And... speaking of cute, this is what Hagrid is doing at this very moment. This is his get-off-the-computer-and-pay-attention-to-me look. He knows that I love his pretty smile.

Dang, is that a cute dog, or what? I know, I know... I'm a bit nutty about my dog. I'm very silly. I'm okay with it though. Besides, why even have a dog if you're not going to love, adore, and be crazy-nutty about them?!

Huh, Haggie... who's my sweet boy? You're my sweet boy... my sweet hagimus maximus... hansome boy... baby-boy-boo-boo-liscious.....

Hugs,

To Market, To Market...

2011-05-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung, and you know what that means... outdoor market shopping!!! Last week I hurt my back and was laid up pretty much all week. Laying around, especially in the spring, is not my thing. My doctor said that walking would be good for me, and that I can lift no more than ten pounds. Therefore, I went shopping for ten pounds of merchandise today.

A little sassy bird named Marsha told me about this fun outdoor sale today~ Heart & Garden. Let me tell you, it was a fun one! My favorite booth by far was by Old Soul Studio. Love, love, loved it. Jacque and James specialize in iron garden art. There was tons of inspiration... but I had to remember that I could only buy ten pounds. Hmmmm... what could I buy?

I was really groovin' to that hand made iron peace sign... and I looooove me some galvanized water cans...

I loved the simplicity and organic, but industrial feel of the items in this booth.

Hmmmm... ten pounds of vintage photos? Ne, but they sure were pretty...

Ten pounds of silver? Hmmmm... that urn was pretty too...

Okay, here's what I brought home... The beach sign, some abalone shells for my planter, and...

A groovy peace sign to hang on my back fence! I think I met my ten pounds of merchandise maximum at this sale... uhm...so I had to go to another sale too...

I went to a mini flea market today in the parking lot of The Elegant Dollhouse. I don't have any photos of the sale itself, but this is what I came home with. (By the way, you can get a lot of miniature items within a ten pound maximum...uh...but I didn't.) I found a new bathtub for The Little Pink House. I have one, but I've never really loved it. It seemed too thick. This one is still a little thick, but I'll see how it works out.

Isn't this sweet? A young girl made this. I thought that it would look cute on the porch of The Little Pink House.

Okay, and this was not a purchase. This was a very sweet gift from a very sweet friend that I met through Club Little House. Lynne (who continues to remain blogless, much to my dismay) and I met up and shopped at the mini flea, and then went out to lunch with her hubby and mum afterwards. I could not believe my eyes when I opened this thoughtful gift. This little lovely was made by Kim Saulter... yes, Kim Saulter, The-mini-food-sculptor-of-all-mini-food-sculptors! I've always dreamed of owning one of her amazing creations, so my jaw dropped when I saw this! Meg (The Lady of The Little Pink House) will absolutely love this! Thank you soooo much Lynne!

Well, it was a fun day of shopping/following doctor's orders. I think my back is feeling better already!

Hugs,

Happy Easter, Sweet Friends...

2011-04-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

I love the colors of Spring, don't you? It always feels so good to bring out the soft, colorful Spring and Easter decorations after a grey winter season. This year, instead of buying something new-- I went shopping in my garage. Yes, I went shopping in my garage. I've been in my house for about a year and a half, but I still haven't finished unpacking. I have a lot of boxes. Seriously. I have a lot of boxes. I have a lot of boxes because I have a lot of stuff... but it's good stuff.

So... after going through my boxes of stuff, I decorated the house for Easter. I've taken a few snaps to share with you:

This sweet bunny is amazing~ he's about 18 inches tall, and reminds me of The Velveteen Rabbit. He's currently the Master of Easter Ceremonies on my mantle.

Here's a close-up... isn't he sweet? I love his Easter basket and his scraggly whiskers.

His little cousins are gracing the other side of the mantle...

I felt kinda' bad placing the one bunny in the glass jar. Every time I look at him, I get the feeling that he's trying to talk his buddy into breaking him out.

And last, but not least... this silly little fuzzy chick. I know, he's silly but he's just soooo cute! I wasn't sure how to display him, so I ended up hanging him with the garland around the fireplace. I'm really surprised that Hagrid hasn't discovered him. He's almost at eye-level, after all. Good boy, Haggie.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my little Spring & Easter Tour... May you all have a sweet & sunny Easter!

Hugs,

Little Bucket O' Fun

2011-04-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,

Yes, I'm still here. I've been kind of laying low in Bloglandia... mostly because I've been really, really busy this past little while. Thankfully, it's been a good kind of busy. I've been taking time for some fun and creative endeavors~ one of which has been joining Label Crew. My sweet and talented friends from Down Under (Suzi and Tracey) have inspired me to join up on these fun, monthly sewing projects. You know, you can only be jealous for so long, and then you've got to get in on the fun!

I talked my pal Lisa into joining also (didn't exactly have to twist her arm), and we got together to sew our first project, the Spring Pail. Each month Label Crew sends these fabulous fabric iron-on tags to embellish our project. Aren't they cute?!

I have to admit, my sewing skills have been a bit rusty but I think I'm going to love this monthly project! It's been really good for me to get out of my comfort zone. Getting out of my comfort zone has been one of my creative goals these past few months. (I hope to share more about that on another post.)

I've really felt a creative surge lately, and I'm so eager to stretch my creative wings. My wings have been wanting to stretch so many directions lately though~ has that ever happened to you?! It's almost overwhelming... but in a good way. Sometimes I feel like there is potential for something fun around every corner. I love that.

Is it because it's Spring, or is it just me?

Hugs,

A Little Bit of Spring Sweetness

2011-03-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Although it's been raining all week, spring is starting to show up around here... blossoms on the trees, spring bulb flowers coming up... and I finally get to pull my favorite white blouses out of the back of the closet. (Friends that know me in real life are probably laughing, because they know that I loooove my white blouses!)

I don't really wear a lot of jewelry~ but when I do, you know that I really, really love it. My friend Lisa made this darling flower pin for me for Valentine's Day. Isn't it the absolute sweetest?! I'm always so touched when I receive a handmade gift from a dear friend.

Oh, and I've been wearing it a lot... because I really, really love it! XOXO

Hugs,

Reaching Out..

2011-03-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been a week since the quake and tsunami hit Japan... I think I've kind of been a little overwhelmed by it all. I feel like I've been in a fog, trying to process the images on my television screen, the words on the radio. My heart is heavy. Many of you don't know this, but back in 1987, 1988 I lived in Northern Japan. I lived in the coastal cities of Akita, Aomori, Sakata... and Sendai.

Sendai was especially hit hard by the tsunami last week. The damage and loss of lives is devastating to me. The country of Japan, it's beautiful culture, and it's gracious people are very real and very dear to my heart.

I know that like me, many of you may be looking for a way to help those in need. Here are some ideas I've come across:

* The Japanese Red Cross, Unicef, Save the Children, and International Medical Corps have set up a special designation for disaster relief efforts in Japan. To donate, click here. I donated to the Japanese Red Cross. Don't shy away from the dollar to yen conversion, they'll give you an example~ super easy!

* If you are local (Sacramento/Vacaville, California area) and feeling crafty, there's a great little grassroots group of women called "Binky Patrol" who are making quilts for the children of Japan. Northern Japan is extremely cold this time of the year, this I know! I love the idea of sending quilted hugs to these beautiful children who are experiencing a huge transition in their lives right now.

There are two project days planned in Vacaville~ March 23rd and March 27th. This group of women is amazing. When Katrina hit, they sent about 350 quilts. That's a lot of stitchin'! They say "Many hands make light work" so if you would like more information on these project days, or info on how to donate supplies (fabric, batting, etc.), please leave your email address in the comments section and I'll email more information to you.

* Last, but not least... please say a prayer today. God doesn't have a website or a link, but I believe He'll receive your message without fail.

Hugs,

What's Cookin'?

2011-03-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

* Please excuse the bad quality of these photos. I didn't have my camera with me (What? A blogger without a camera on her?!), so I used my ancient cell phone.

Hello, Sweet Friends!

Yes, I'm still here... and kind of sorry that I haven't been contributing to Bloglandia much these days. Let's just say(brace yourselves), between a heavy and demanding caseload at work, a week or so of stomach flu, stressing about the squirrels making a luxury condo of my attic, about passing out when I found out my traffic citation for making an illegal u-turn and not having my proof of insurance on me that day was going to total to more than my house payment (no joke), and just being plain tired, blah blah blah-- I just haven't felt inspired. Wow. Was that the run-on sentence of all run-ons, or what??

Honestly, I just haven't felt that I've had anything blog-worthy to write about. I'm trying to ease back into creativity now, and I think I may just get my groove back sometime soon. Thank goodness for you bloggy friends. Although I haven't felt like writing, I have been reading here and there. You've all kept my spirits up, and my heart and mind distracted. Thank you, sweet friends.

(Oh, and sorry for blurting out all this personal stuff. I usually keep my personal stuff under wraps. This is suppose to be my happy place, after all.)

So.... switching gears! I've been wanting to share these photos! Isn't this stove just the cutest?? I get really, really sentimental about these old stoves with a griddle. When I saw this I almost hugged it. Seriously, I did.

You see, this stove reminds me of one of the sweetest men to ever walk this earth. His name was Earl. His wife's name was Pearl. (Really!) Earl and Pearl were the grandparents of my dear friend Debra. (You might remember Deb from The Wild West Tour 2010)

Grandpa Earl quietly cooked his famous pancakes on a stove so similar to this. For years(maybe even decades), he lovingly flipped those pancakes on his stove for his kids, his grand kids, great grand kids, and any friends that happened to be sitting in his kitchen on a weekend morning. He was about 90 years old when I last had the honor of sitting at his kitchen table to devour a plate of his famous fluffy pancakes. It seems like only yesterday.

That stove was Grandpa Earl's pride and joy. He kept it all shined up like a Rolls Royce. He once told me that he even had it re-chromed (or was it re-enameled?) one year. So, when I came across this stove recently, I immediately thought of Grandpa Earl and his shiny stove. I thought about how wonderful it would be to have a beauty like this...

...and then I looked at the price tag.

Grandpa Earl would not believe it!! He'd probably shake his head, and maybe say it's not in as good of shape as his stove. Or not, because he was so dang sweet. All I know is that my heart dropped when I saw that price tag. I knew that the stove was valuable, and yes, it was in fairly good condition. Then I thought about Grandpa Earl's stove and how wonderful it still is, still cookin' in his own daughter's kitchen now. I wondered how much that stove, so full of love and sweet memories, was worth. I guess a person could put a nice hefty fair price on it, but to me...

it's priceless.

Hugs,

Happy Valentine's Day, Sweet Friends!

2011-02-14T06:14:00.000-08:00

Hugs,

Will You Bee My Honey?

2011-02-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

The other day I was surfing EBay and Etsy and started looking at honey pots. I had seen a bumble bee pot years ago that I really loved. This time I found this little cutie!

Isn't that the cutest, sweetest little bumble bee face ever? Seriously.

This is her with her lid off(Ooh la la! pardon!)... she even came with the "stinger" spoon. So many of these loose their spoons, so I was so happy that she still had hers.

I thought you'd like to see how teensy she really is! She really is tiny~ I wonder if she was meant to be an individual mini honey pot for a place setting. Wouldn't a spring tea party with these at each place setting be darling??

She's so tiny, she fits in the palm of my hand. She's such a little honey-sweetie... and thankfully, she doesn't sting!

Hugs,

Meg's New Ride

2011-02-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

Yes, Meg has a new ride... her new Vespa. Well, it isn't actually new-new. She's had it for a few months now. My friend, Lisa, received one for her birthday. When I found out it was in 1:12 scale I went extra nutty over it! I knew that Meg must have one!

I think Meg likes it, although she needs a basket to put her flowers in when she makes her runs to the nursery!

Hugs,

Sweet Stitches...

2011-01-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

For quite a while I've admired the stunningly beautiful stitched creations of Paulette of the lovely blog, "Beedeebabee". Her designs are sweet, and her stitching is simply amazing. The first time I held one of her creations (that belonged to a friend of mine) my heart skipped a beat. I was awestruck. Each creation is so small and so perfect. I told myself then and there that someday, when just the right item "spoke to me", I would place an order. Well, that day came. Ready for some show n' tell, friends?

Goodness, this little pillow is so beautiful I can hardly believe it. Each little thread is stitched with such care. I love the beading around the edges, and the rosette... sigh...

This sweet little heart pin measures only two and a half inches across. I love every little detail of this piece, especially the scalloped stitches.

This photo is pretty darn good (if I do say so myself~ hee hee) but it doesn't do it justice. Every stitch is so delicate.

I've always loved Paulette's heart creations, but this sweet little bluebird is what especially "spoke to me"~ Is it not the sweetest thing you've ever seen?? I have a little "thing" for bluebirds. They make me happy.

I love each little flower, and the string of hearts is such a sweet detail. Paulette is incredibly in tune with details. Thank you so much for creating these little lovelies, Paulette. You are truly just as sweet as your creations!

Hugs,

New Year Wishes...

2010-12-30T22:30:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a Happy New Year~ May this year bring you much happiness, good health, prosperity, and love!

Hugs,

Wishing You And Yours...

2010-12-21T22:31:00.001-08:00

... A Very Merry Christmas, And A Blessed New Year Full Of Peace And Joy!

Hugs,

Cozied In And Wrapping Things Up...

2010-12-19T20:01:00.000-08:00

This weekend really didn't go as planned due to being a bit (well, more than a bit) under-the-weather. In fact, I'd have to say I've lost a full day~ during a very busy week! There are so many rainy days when I'm headed out the door on my way to work and wish that I could just stay home- cozy on the sofa- watching movies or reading a good book. Well, Saturday I had that opportunity! So, since I had quarantined myself to the house, I decided (between cups of hot tea and snoozing) to take some photos of my cozy little nest...

I added a string of white lights (that have since been straightened out!) to my gift garland. I think it gives it a little more sparkle. I really love how it glows in the evenings.

Darn, I wish I had taken this photo before the Christmas cards went out! How cute is he?? He was cracking me up. He just kept sitting there waiting for me to take more photos. He's so funny! Hagrid's been such a good boy this weekend~ my constant companion, looking over me.

Today I've been feeling somewhat better, thank goodness. I've been able to get most of my gifts wrapped. These are the adorable tags I've been using. They are actually "Vintage Christmas" postcards by Cavallini & Co. I just sliced each pre-glittered postcard into four strips... and viola! Festive gift tags, ready to be punched and strung with baker's twine. I love the vintage style graphics. Love. Them.

My favorite is this sweet little pink church...

The bottom of my tree is starting to fill in with sparklie-giftie-goodness!

I hope as we enter this new week we can all take time to enjoy the simple gifts of the season~xoxo

Hugs,

My New Gift Garland

2010-12-17T08:49:00.001-08:00

Inspired by the fabulous-I-could-hardly-breath e-magazine, Inspired Ideas, I decided to tackle one of the projects that I fell completely in love with... The Gift Garland. I took the project in a little bit different direction with the color scheme, using the colors I decorate with at Christmas~ red, silver, and sparkle. Okay, sparkle isn't really considered a color, but it's a crucial element for my decor, you know.

After scouring through my pantry to find the right sized boxes, I found some boxes of various sizes and shapes. I didn't quite have enough for the project, so I resorted to purchasing things in small boxes... like chocolate. And jell-o. Hey! Jell-o is cheap!

So munching on chocolate, I got to work on laying out the boxes in the order I would hang them. After that was completed, I moved on to the fun part~ wrapping and embellishing the boxes! I love wrapping gifts. I always have. I love making a present look special... even if the gift itself is kind of modest.

Here's the completed garland in all it's glory. In person, it's very shiny and sparklie! I'm really pleased with it, but I think I need to embellish it more on each end where it hooks to the fireplace. I love how the original creator, Analise Sled embellished with round ornaments. I'm going to keep my eyes on the lookout for some red/silver ornies to add onto the garland. I think it would finish it off nicely. One thing that I did differently on this project was connect the gifts onto the garland using twine instead of hot glue. I just wanted to be able to disassemble this garland for easy storage after Christmas. I actually tried Velcro, but I just couldn't get the packages to hang the right way.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed seeing the new addition to my Christmas decor extravaganza. I'm enjoying this festive season and have been so inspired and blown-away by the wonderful Christmas creations out there in Bloglandia. I feel like now that I have this project out of the way I can just focus on enjoying Christmas itself... after all, it's countdown time! I hope that you, too can take time to enjoy and savor the season!

Hugs,

Dear Santa, If I Were Just Three Years Old...

2010-12-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

...this is what I'd love for Christmas!!

...oh! I love this too!

... or maybe this!

...oooooh! This is sooo sweet!... ahhhh, and love this too!! Okay, I'm sounding kinda' greedy, but are these just so stinkin' cute, or what?? It makes me wish that I was three again... or that my nieces still were! I found this HERE... along with a ton of other absolutely enchanting, adorable kiddie-goodness... and no, they did not pay me to advertise. I just love this all so much I need to tell somebody!

Hugs,

I'm The Happiest Christmas Tree... Ho Ho Ho... Hee Hee Hee!

2010-12-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

Hidy-ho my friends! I've been busy as a Christmas elf, decking the halls around here. One of the first things I did was set up the Christmas tree. I have a special place in my heart for real Christmas trees, but last year I broke down and purchased a fake tree. My living room is teensy, and I needed a skinny tree. I must say, my favorite thing about this tree is that I don't have to string the lights on every year. Let's take a peek at what's hanging on my tree...

I've collected sparklie, red, and silver ornaments throughout the years. Although there is a color scheme, there's still a lot of variety going on. I like continuity, but I don't want my tree to look like a "Department Store Tree". This year I added a little green to the collection with my Shiny Bright reproduction ornaments and garlands. I love how the Shiny Brights add some whimsy to the tree.

This little guy is a new addition...

... As is this glittery little cluster of 'shrooms.

And yes, this is one of my favorite ornaments... my little glittery can of Diet Coke! I'm a bit of a Diet Coke junkie. Yeah, yeah... I know it's not healthy stuff. I love me some Diet Coke though.

This is a little peek into my living room. Some of you had expressed interest in seeing photos of my living room. It's a tiny living room, but it's just right for me. You may have noticed the blankets on my sofa. Hagrid is allowed on the sofa, so although it's slipcovered, it still needs that extra protection. The things we do for those fur babies...

This is what the other side of the room looks like. Yes, that's a television smack dab in the middle of my living room. It seems that I never see televisions in bloggers' living rooms. Maybe they hide them, I don't know. Maybe they don't have them. I didn't have one for a long time. I'm glad to have one now though~ I love to snuggle in and watch good movies. I watched "The Holiday" last night. Love. That. Movie. I bought the dvd, just so I could look at Iris' cute little cottage over and over.

This is a close up of my pillows. I just purchased this wonderful patchwork pillow this year and love it! It's made of vintage tablecloth fabric-- by the fabulously talented Amy of the blog Into Vintage.

Sorry about the shadows... natural lighting + unprofessional photographer = shadows. I love this simple little chair. I found it at a consignment shop and sewed slipcovers for the cushions. It was my first and only attempt at creating slipcovers. I think they turned out okay, for a first attempt. Check it out~ I made piping!

This table runner was also created by Amy. I looooove her creations. I purchased this and the bunting over my fireplace last year, but this is the first year I've used it. I love the whimsical, festive spirit they have added to my home.

There's the bunting... love. It. May I just say, Amy's quality of construction on every item is outstanding? Well, I will. That girlie can sew. Like, seriously sew. I really admire her incredible talent. I really love how her creations have warmed up my home this Christmas.

Just a little closer view of my mercury glass sparklie goodness. I just added red mercury glass to the regular mix, along with white lights and a pine garland. I love how the white lights intensify the sparkle. My favorite thing is to come home and turn on the tree lights and these lights on the mantel. I love having my home aglow with little lights.

I hope that you have all had a chance to do some Christmas nesting. It really doesn't take much to add a little Christmas spirit to your home. Heck, I thought about cutting out a bunch of paper snowflakes and stringing them around the house like Will Farrell in the movie "Elf". (I looooved that!) Well, maybe next year...

Hugs,

Christmas Nesting in Process...

2010-11-29T19:03:00.000-08:00

It's been busy around here since I returned from spending a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family. Actually, it's been busy around here for several weeks, but now (after a good house-cleaning) I'm finally able to do some of the "fun stuff". I usually try to decorate just before I go to Thanksgiving, so that I can come home to a festive "Christmas House". That just didn't happen this year~ but I'm catching up now!

I love "Christmas Nesting" here in my little home. I've always loved decking the halls~ even when I was living in a teensy tiny studio apartment. It doesn't take much to bring a festive spirit in. It's amazing what a strand of white lights can do for a tiny-but-charming little apartment. Why, oh why didn't I take photos back then?? I have such sweet memories of that silly, endearing little apartment!

Anyway, I'm hoping to share some photos of my "Christmas House" after I'm more fully nested~ please stop by and visit again soon!

Hugs,

Thanksgiving Greetings...

2010-11-24T18:55:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving Day...

Hugs,

Well, Zippity Aye and Heido Ho...

2010-11-14T13:14:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday! So in honor of this fabulous day, I thought I'd make you some cakepops! I saw these on Bakerella's blog probably more than a year ago, and I've always wanted to try making them. By the way, Bakerella has come out with a cookbook focused on these fun little morsels. It looks like a good one, and it's on my wishlist!

I wish that I could actually send these to all of you. I've been preparing these goodies to give to some friends that I'm spending the day with~ a great excuse to use my new colorful baker's twine! Yeah! I love baker's twine, and it comes in so many fun colors now.

This is what they look like in the inside. I took a bite of that one piece... I couldn't help myself! It's okay though 'cuz it's my birthday.

All wrapped and ready for gifting! I hope that they will like them...

I made a chocolate covered version also... as you can see, one of these things is not like the others! (Can you hear that Sesame Street tune in your head?) Apparently, it helps to get the cake/frosting/chocolate proportions correct, or this will happen!

Yummmmmm!!! I hope you are all having a fun, fall weekend... I'm off to go celebrate now!

Hugs,

Holiday Inspiration... I Just Can't Help Myself!

2010-11-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

The fabulous, sweet, and inspiring Amy Powers has published her Holiday Issue of Inspired Ideas (an e-magazine), and I couldn't be more excited!! Amy's blog, Inspire Co., was the very first blog that I ever, ever read... ever. She was the incredible springboard for meeting my miniaturist, stitchy and crafty bloggie friends.

My world has never been the same since.

I love her sweet, whimsical style, and I always leave her blog with a happy heart. This e-magazine is no exception. Every craft project is so fun, that I could hardly breathe as I looked at each page. Well, I did breathe, because a person has to breathe in order to squeal.

So, go ahead... take a peek. It will make your heart happy.

Hugs,

Halloween Yummy Time

2010-10-29T16:15:00.001-07:00

I always get into the baking mood around Halloween. I have my favorite things that I like to bake for Halloween, but this year I went a different direction after seeing these adorable candy corn cupcakes on a few blogs. This is my version~

I decided to bake these to bring along to a Halloween party tonight. I don't like to show up for a Halloween party empty handed. Besides, I needed to make up for the fact that my costume was, uhm... just a hat.

This is a better snap of the actual cupcake. It was difficult to get a really good shot that showed the colors of the cupcake. I just tweeked a box mix to make it yummier (add sour cream), and then split the batter. I mixed in orange coloring to one bowl, and yellow to the other. Next, you fill the bottom of the white paper cupcake cup with about a tablespoon of yellow batter. Add about a tablespoon of orange batter on top. Bake and cool. I frosted the cupcakes with a mock whip cream frosting, but you can use whatever white frosting you prefer. It just needs to be white, to carry on the yellow-orange-white look of a candy corn. Garnish cupcake frosting with a candy corn and... viola! You've got a cute, simple Harvest/Halloween cupcake! (I have fallen in love with these gummy candy corns from Target, so that's what I used.)

Last weekend I brought these simple, yummy oatmeal cookies to a Halloween party. The recipe is no big secret~ it's printed on the inside of the lid on the Quaker Oats box. They're called "Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies". They are soft and chewy, just the way I like them. I added craisins, raisins, and golden raisins to this batch. I love walnuts in them also, but left them out for this party batch.

Just a little show n' tell here... no photo styling here folks. I've totally enjoyed having these pumpkin trees in my kitchen window. I found them at Trader Joe's and I love, love, love them! I sorted through all the bouquets in the store to find the perfect batch. I like when they have a few green "pumpkins" on them.

Well, I've got to get going. I hope that you have a wonderful Halloween weekend~ stay safe and have fun!!

Hugs,

Dot. The world's smallest stop-motion animation character shot on a Noki...

2010-10-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, my miniaturist friends~ you've got to check this out!

I. Love. This.

Fall Nesting...

2010-10-17T11:27:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you, but fall has always been my favorite season. I love how the light changes, the air is crisp, and I start feeling the anticipation of all the upcoming holidays. I also love the nesting. My mom has always loved decorating for fall and the holidays-- and I think she passed that love onto me. So, this past week I've been doing some fall nesting... both inside and outside my home. In this post I'll be showing you what I've done inside...

Do you love this combination of flowers, or what?? I love love love Trader Joe's for flowers. They always have fun, interesting combinations. This combo just makes me warm and happy inside.

This is my little dining room. My little nest is... little. But it's mine, and I have learned that whether you have a little 200 square foot studio apartment (my first place) or a grand mansion (no thank you- too much for one person) you can make it home. My home was built in the 1980's and it has some quirky architecture- hence the double-sided fireplace. One side is in the dining room, the other is in the living room (that's "lounge" for you friends across the pond).

I got a little crafty with my white pumpkins that are shown on the left side of the mantle. It was a really easy project. So easy, that a tutorial isn't really necessary. All you need is some white faux pumpkins (if you can't find white, paint an orange one white), glue, black glitter, and some bling (I used Designer Jewels by Stampin' Up). Paint and glitter the stem of the pumpkin, and adhere the jewels (instructions included) and viola!

... a little gothic glam! I'm sorry this isn't a great photo. It really does look better in person, as does everything in the post. I just don't have the lighting and the photography skills to get a better photo. The architecture of my funky little house does not lend itself to good photostyling. It seemed like every angle had too many distractions in the background. Oh well, this ain't a magazine shoot. Fifi, where are you?

This is the other side of my funky mantle. I kept the slightly gothic glam look going... and yes, that is a shrine to the Twilight Series there.

I do love me some Twilight... and mercury glass. The silver mercury glass is there year-round. I just change out color accessories throughout the year. I add red mercury glass at Christmas, turqoise/aqua in the spring/summer. It's kind of a strange area to decorate. If my style was mediterranean, I could through some large scale pottery up there, but that's not my style.

This is my tiny entry-- which is actually in the dining room. (Did I mention that my house is little?) Oops. I should have tucked that lamp cord in. Oh well. Okay, back to the photo-- this is my Harry Potter shrine. I needed some kind of dresser scarf/runner so I just bought some burlap, cut it to size, and unravelled the ends to make a more interesting edge.

Yes, this is a Sorting Hat. You can really see the face of the hat in this photo--- you've just gotta' love it! I have friends who have actually sat the hat on their head to "get sorted". (Hello, Lisa!) The hat actually talks. I'm not joking! It talks and moves it's mouth, just like the one in the movie.

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed this little peak into my little nest. I also hope that you've had a chance to do some fall nesting of your own. Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Road Trip: The Wild West Tour 2010

2010-10-09T20:08:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Road Trip: The Wild West Tour 2010! Disclosure: Long post, lots of nature.

Anyway, recently I flew to Boise, Idaho to visit one of my dearest friends, Debra. We've known each other since- well, since I was born. Our mothers were best friends when we were growing up. Deb suggested we take a road trip up to Yellowstone, and I was all for it. I'd never been there and thought it would be fun to just go for it. I'm trying to be more spontaneous. Yep, I am. So here we are, hitting the road after a stop at Starbucks. We had our coffee, Cher blasting, and we were ready for adventure!

First attraction: Craters of the Moon, Idaho. It's all volcanic rock, and yes- it looks like the moon.

Here's Deb at Craters of the Moon. She's very excited to be at Craters of the Moon.

She was so excited, that she did the moonwalk at Craters of the Moon. Oh, Michael would be so proud.

Next stop: Arco, Idaho. The picture says it all. I'm not being snarky. It's a very, very small town, and this is it's claim to fame... atomic power.

Hillside at Arco, Idaho. Hey- I see an '84. That's the year I graduated from high school.

Okay, I couldn't resist. It's a potato truck, and people sorting potatoes. Idaho is famous for their potatoes.

We stopped at Lower Mesa Falls...

...and Upper Mesa Falls. It was really beautiful.

This is a lovely... rock formation. It reminded us of, uh... nature. Yes, uh...nature.

Another beautiful shot of Mesa Falls...

Next... we drove through part of Montana. This was a surprise for me. When I saw the "Welcome to Montana" sign, I said, "Oh my gawd, Deb-- we're in MONTANA!" I did not know that we were going to Montana. I thought Yellowstone was in Wyoming. Well, apparently West Yellowstone is in Montana. I did not know this. My first thought was... "Montana... where are you Tristan? Sigh..." (Reference: film Legends of the Fall)

The above photo is of a bison. It will from now on be known as a totanka. (Reference: film Dances with Wolves.) This was my first totanka.

I was surprised to notice that his hair-do is very similar to my Hagrid's hair-do. I think I have a new nickname for Haggie now... Totanka Boo Boo.

Oh, Tristan... where are you?

More totankas. Near the cars. Look how HUGE they are. I think this is the most cars we saw on roads in the park at one time. The park was empty. We were told that normally, this time of the year they have about three inches of snow. We were so lucky! I never even had to wear a coat. The weather was absolutely perfect for us!

Bye-bye, Totanka!

This is the beautiful, historic Old Faithful Inn. It really is beautiful. The lobby is stunning, with all the lodge pine wood beams, and the huge fireplace. We didn't stay there, but we had a wonderful dinner there. We stayed at The Snow Lodge, right next door.

We parked the car at the lodge, and took a little walk down to the geo-thermal pools. I'd never seen anything like it. It was bubbling hot. I felt a little urge to throw some spaghetti noodles into the "big pot". But I didn't. (I must have been getting hungry.)

Okay, no trip to Yellowstone is complete without seeing "Old Faithful". This geyser erupts about every 70 minutes. Here it goes...

... and goes...

And here it is, in all it's full glory. Everyone went, "Ooooooh! Ahhhhh!" I noticed that it sounds pretty much the same in all languages. There were people from all over the world standing there together for this fabulous nature experience. I love being in locations where you hear the various languages of people from other countries. I think it makes the world feel a little cozier.

This quote was on the wall in the newly opened Old Faithful Visitors Center. I thought it was kinda' cool.

We drove towards Yellowstone Lake, and crossed the Continental Divide. I'm still not sure what it is. I think I'll google it...

Here we are, at Yellowstone Lake. It's a very peaceful lake. The surroundings seemed so surreal to me... like a big science experiment... but in nature.

More thermal pools, but with streams leading down to the freshwater lake.

The colors and formations were amazing...

I'd never seen anything like this before...

I felt kind of like I was on another planet. This is so different from the Sierra's.

Isn't this color amazing? This looks like a tropical ocean to me.

Each pool was very unique... lots of different colors.

Then we got back on the road again. Now we're headed for...

... and here we are!

This was my first sighting of The Grand Tetons once we entered the park. It really is a gorgeous mountain range.

The colors were changing into all their fall glory. Lots of gold Aspen trees...

Getting closer... we arrived close to sunset. It was absolutely beautiful. We stopped by Jackson Lodge and ate outside on the patio. We had a great view... and then we were off to Jackson Lake.

This is one of my favorite photos. I love the reflection. Do you see the cowboy? I couldn't exactly ask him to move out of my picture, so I worked him in. I like to think he's a real Wyoming cowboy. For all I know, he's some guy visiting from Los Angeles and bought a cowboy hat. I'm just going to believe he's a Wyoming cowboy though.

Here he is again... Tristan, is that you??

We saw lots of these fences... lots of beautiful ranches too.

Moose sighting!! My first moose sighting! It was a bit of an ordeal to get this photo. The other photos looked a lot like those hokey photos of Big Foot. Oops. I mean this photo.

I snapped this photo as we crossed the river. That moose is HUGE. And that tourist is STUPID. Hello, have you heard of a telephoto lens? Zoom?

Obviously, he did not see the signs about approaching the wildlife.

Next stop: Jackson Hole, Wyoming. If you've ever been here, you probably recognized this arch immediately. There's one on each corner of Town Square. They're made out of...

Anteliers! I'm not sure what kind, but it was kind of cool. By the way, no animals were harmed in the making of these arches-- that I know of, anyway. Apparently the animals just shed them at some point.

This is the famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson. I wish that I had been able to get a photo of it at night. It's much more fun at night, with all the lights on and everything.

This is inside The Cowboy Bar. Yes, the bar stools are saddles. I did not sit on one. I should have. I could have yelled, "Yee-haw! Giddy-up little... whatever!" Or perhaps sung "Rawhide". But I didn't. Deb must have had the forsight to keep me off of them.

Later, we left Jackson and returned to Idaho...

Idaho really does have it's beautiful areas. I loved how the trees were changing color.

This is the Snake River. It seemed like it wound it's way around us the whole way home.

When we returned to Boise, we met up with Deb's daughter, Chelsey, and had a late lunch at the restaurant that she works at-- Locavore. The food is totally awesome. I wish we had one in my 'hood. If you ever go, tell Chelse-Woman I sent you. (Look for the stunning red-head.)

After lunch, it was off to the airport! Let's see, five states in five days... California, Idaho, Montana (bonus!), Wyoming, and Oregon (layover in Portland... does that count??). I had a great time, saw some beautiful nature... and I'm now glad to be home.

Home, sweet home.

If you've made it to the end of this post, I'm stunned and amazed. Thanks for hangin' in there. Next up: Fall decorations!

Hugs,

A Little Bit of Lovely...

2010-09-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

I've been enchanted by the designs of the very lovely, talented Tamar for quite a little while now, and finally took the plunge and purchased a couple of my favorite pieces. To be honest, the reason that I didn't order sooner was because I couldn't choose just a couple favorites-- everything is so wonderful! Finally, I made a decision-- above is a photo of my "Bella" necklace... inspired by the colors of the Mediterranean. I love it so much, I've been wearing it almost everyday since it arrived!

I also treated myself to these little lovelies... the "Lacy" earrings. I. Love. Them. They make my heart sing.

If you would like to check out the rest of Tamar's beautiful creations on Etsy, please click here. Oh, she has a lovely blog also... you will find lots of wonderful photos--and a warm, creative, family-centered lifestyle.

Go ahead... treat yourself to a little lovely!

Hugs,

PS: All photos courtesy of Tamar... I wish my photography was this great!

Happy Birthday, Hagrid!

2010-09-03T18:14:00.001-07:00

From the moment I met Haggie, it was true love...

He's been my constant companion for almost three years now....

Lots of goofy smiles...

Lots of laughter and good times...

Oh, and there's been frustrations too... but in the end, even those have made me smile too! Happy 3rd birthday, Hagrid... I love you, sweet boy!

Hugs,

Tea For Two

2010-08-31T22:43:00.001-07:00

In a few weeks, I'm having some friends over for a tea party-- so I decided to do a little trial run on a smaller scale. I invited my dear bloggy buddy, Lisa over for tea and an afternoon of stitchin'. (We both love to embroider, and met through Stitchalong.)

I had so much fun preparing for this little tea get-together! I finally had the opportunity to set the table with some of my vintage Spode china and my candlewick creamer & sugar. I must admit, I felt like a little girl playing tea party. I even told Lisa that I felt like Anne of Green Gables preparing to have tea with her kindred spirit friend, Diana! (Those of you who have read the book, remember how excited Anne was?!) I experimented with a fun variety of finger sandwich combinations, and Lisa baked those wonderfully yummy apple spice scones. There were warm crumpets, and various sweets too. (Well, yeah-- of course! Gotta' have some sweets!)

It was fun to "fancy up" the table, but so fun to feel casual and unfussy at the same time. Lisa taught me how to make a "proper pot of tea", and it was wonderful!! (Thanks so much, Lisa!)

Oh, how I wish that I could have all my bloggy friends over for tea... wouldn't that be fun?!

Hugs,

Everyday Holds a Miracle

2010-08-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

My friend Kelee, from the inspiring blog, The Katillac Shack is hosting a Magnificent Miracle Party this weekend. Kelee has collaborated with Guidepost to do a room makeover for a wonderful woman named Colette. Colette is fighting breast cancer, and has been in need of a peaceful, healing space to uplift her during her healing process.

Kelee (and her design angels) have created a beautiful, healing, peaceful bedroom for her. Please visit Kelee's blog to learn more about Colette and view the inspiring reveal video. For each comment left there, $1 will be donated for the next makeover for someone in need.

Hugs,

PS: The angel in the photo above floats above my bed under a glittery white paper moon...

Dog Days of Summer

2010-08-24T18:05:00.001-07:00

So what do you do for your dog when it's 106 degrees outside? You make him a GIANT ice cube! A little while back I purchased this nifty "Kool Dogz" ice treat maker from Fetchdog.com. Haggie loves it! He just kept licking, and licking, and licking...

...and licking, and licking!! The "bowl" is made so that it stakes into the ground, so you avoid that slippity-slidey-dirty-grassy-slide-around-the-lawn-mess. Plus, the bowl catches the melted part, giving him ice cold drinking water. I love that it's also designed so that you can freeze treats and toys in the ice!

Here, Haggie's come up for air... don'tcha just love that big black gum drop nose?! He really enjoyed this fun treat.

Now, how about a summer treat for me?

Mmmmm... a fresh, heirloom tomato salad! This is my favorite summer salad. No big recipe, just slice up your favorite heirloom tomatoes (I used Green Zebra and Purple Russian that I grew, and one red unknown heirloom from the store). Then add sliced red onion, chopped basil, and blue cheese crumbles. Drizzle a little balsamic vinegar and some olive oil on top. Maybe sprinkle some fresh ground pepper and salt, and yummmmm! It's an easy, great salad!

I hope you are all staying cool, and enjoying the good things that summer brings!

Hugs,

Fabulous Mystery Gift Revealed

2010-08-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, those of you who follow my little world were probably wondering what the heck happened with that Fabulous Mystery Gift that I started back in the beginning of June. Yes. June. Well, it's kind of a crazy story. I had a bit of crafty drama. Simply put: grandiose idea, limited skills.

However, I did finish. Then I wrapped it. Then I sent it. Sooooo.... what was this fabulous mystery gift that I sent to Laurie at the fabulous blog, Magpie Ethel??

This! I started out creating an embroidered dish towel in my favorite color combo. That went smoothly. Then I embellished it with rickrack and pompom trim. That went smoothly. Well, then I decided that this towel just wasn't enough, so I decided to make the little house shown above in the left corner. This little house was going to be a pincushion. Yes, the roof was going to be a brilliant pincushion. It was going to be the pincushion of all pincushions, so cute that you would see it, gasp, and say, "Ohmygosh, that is the cutest pincushion I've ever seen. Jill is amazing." Well, you might not say the "Jill is amazing" part, but you get my drift.

Anyway, the brilliant project did not go as planned. Plan A did not work. Neither did Plan B. What you see is Plan E. I'm not joking here, friends. (I counted the attempts when I was cleaning up the debris.) After many attempts, resorting to the use of duct tape-- and yes, some bloodshed (darn those new scissors!)-- this is the result. It's not a pincushion, but it's cute. It's a .... doo-dad, knick-knacky thing. Yep, that's what it is.

Poor Laurie-- she waited so patiently as I worked on this project-- and then walked away from this project-- then worked on this project. She endured sneak peak teasing, and even lame excuses. Thankfully, Laurie is a sweetie... click on over and check out her post.

Thanks so much for being the sweetie you are, Laurie. Next giveaway, I really should have the prize ready prior to the drawing, with photo to prove it's existence.

However, it wouldn't be a Fabulous Mystery Gift-- and I love surprises.

Hugs,

A Lovely Day In The City By The Bay

2010-08-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

Recently, Lisa (of A Cuppa Tea With Me) and I went to San Francisco for the Renegade Craft Fair! Give me any excuse to go to The City, and I'm so there! I love, love, love San Francisco.

This craft fair was held at Fort Mason down near the Presidio/Marina District. It was HUGE!!! Now, let me explain-- this wasn't "your granny's craft fair." It was very artsy and edgy. Not all of it was "my thing" but it was fun to see such diverse arts and crafts-- and meet people that are passionate about their art.

There was lots to see-- and lots to do, also. There was a hands-on crafting area where you could sit down and "get your craft on"! We made these mini buntings, and picked up some fun "freebies."

I have to admit, there wasn't a lot that I saw that I "just had to have", but I did find this beautiful pressed clay bird. It's by artist Sara Paloma-- this postcard really shows what most of her work looks like. It's really stunningly beautiful.

The craft fair was really fun, but I think I was even more excited to move along to our next stop. Okay, are you ready to see the next stop that day?? ((Squeeeel!!))

The Crown & Crumpet!!! I've wanted to go to this tea salon for quite a while, so when Lisa suggested it I was thrilled! It's located in Ghirardelli Square-- easy to find, and there's underground parking. (Expensive, but it was worth it, after walking around the craft fair all day!)

There was so much to look at! I had seen it in magazines and on various blogs, but it's even more fun to see through your own eyes. We were really lucky to be able to make last minute reservations, but I do suggest to make your reservations ahead of time.

Lovely, lovely, lovely... everything was so lovely-- from the silver to the custom teacups. I wish that I would have taken a picture of the center of the saucer under the teacup. Each saucer had a different quote or saying-- so cute!

We ordered the "Tea for Two"-- I'll try to refrain from singing the song. (It always reminds me of Jessica Lange's performance in "Grey Gardens".)

Everything was so wonderful... so charming!

Lisa and I loved all the tea sandwiches-- the chicken pesto was one of my favorites.

This tier held wonderful warm scones and crumpets, all of which we slathered with clotted cream, jam or lemon curd... yum! The scones were such melt-in-your-mouth yummy goodness!

Oh, and there wasn't a crumb left on this tier when we were done! The shortbread was my favorite, with the little blueberry tart coming in second. Okay, the chocolate truffles were yummy too. Okay, everything was delish!

The "Tea for Two" included two large pots of tea. We chose "Marie Antoinette" (that choice was a no-brainer!) and the "After Seven Fifty-Nine". I enjoyed both of them, but I loved the Marie Antoinette tea the most.

Don't you love the pink and white checkerboard floor? I loved the fabrics, colors and charm of the whole place. It felt very Cath Kidston.

There was a little girl's birthday tea party going on while we there. Those girls were so adorable, all dressed up in their sweet party dresses. (Hey Lisa-- let's wear party dresses next time! Giggle!) Oh- can you see The sofa? (You can barely see it in this photo.) When I saw The sofa, I felt like I had arrived. That adorable sofa is in every photo feature that I've ever seen of this place!

Photo by Lisa Leggett

Just a few random photos...

The Sofa! Umm, there was someone sitting on it and I didn't want to be an obnoxious blogger person-- so this is the only significant shot I got of it. I touched it though. Kind of like my friend touched Elvis' bed in Graceland-- but I didn't get reprimanded.

This cabinet was full of all kinds of fun creations...

I thought my miniaturist friends would enjoy this. It's so "Castle in the Air" (a store in Berkley).

I loved these little felt creations. You've got to check out the felt Marie Antoinette that Lisa photographed.

More for my "mini friends"...

... and some more...

The gift shop was so fun. I felt like a kid in a candy store!

Photo by Lisa Leggett

Isn't this dress form adorable?!

Okay, with so much to choose from, what do you think I ended up bringing home with me?

This is what I brought home! I loved this little tea cup/snack tray set, and I had to bring home some of that wonderful Marie Antoinette tea. I fell in love with the light switch plate, the cupcake lip gloss, and the gnome necklace also! Too much fun!!

This is a close-up of the quote on the snack tray. Very sweet!

After we finished tea, we did some shopping and went down to the beach. The weather was wonderful-- I didn't even need a sweater. That's a fairly unusual thing in San Francisco!

It was so nice to kick back and relax at the end of the day. We gabbed and people-watched as we watched the sun edge down behind the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a wonderful day, well-spent with a wonderful friend! I'm so grateful that blogging has opened up the opportunity to discover special friends of like mind. Lisa, you are a kindred spirit! Anytime you want to go to The City, I am so there!!

Hugs,

Little Bits of Goodness

2010-08-06T23:36:00.001-07:00

My much anticipated miniature order from Susanna at the incredibly inspiring blog, Elamaa Koossa 1:12 has arrived from Finland!! Susanna's blog was the very first mini blog that I discovered. (She participated in Amy Powers' "Club Little House"-- my first experience with mini's.) Her blog really opened my imagination to the world of miniatures, and was my springboard for discovering other mini bloggers. See what you started, Susanna?!

Susanna is an incredibly talented miniaturist-- she has created everything you can imagine, from sculpted polymer clay soaps and realistic food to intricate plants and trees. She has an Etsy store, appropriately named Little Bits of Goodness. Please stop by and visit her fun blog and store to see her fabulous creations. Be prepared to be inspired!

I have long wanted to own one of her wonderful creations but oh, the decisions! (So much great stuff!) So one day, she posted about something that I knew I had to have. Decision easily made, right then, right there.

Okay, do you want to see what I ordered? I bet you do!

((Squeeeel!!)) Okay, doesn't this beautiful butterfly jar and net just take your breath away?! When she first posted it, I became totally obsessed. Must. Have. This. Magical. Pure magic. How does she get those butterflies to "float"?!! it's like she took a full size, real butterfly jar and sprinkled pixie dust... and poof! They're teensy tiny! I'm so in love with this, I don't even have words... And then, as if I wasn't in heaven already, there was more in the envelope....

All this!! ((Squeeeeel!!)) Really, I squeeled everytime I opened each item!!! It's like, Susanna had read the mini wishes in my mind!

Have I ever told you how much I love handwritten notes from my bloggy friends? I do. I really, really do. Those notes help me believe that my bloggy friends are real people, real friends. Those notes warm my heart. Susanna was so thoughtful to think of Meg. (She goes by Maggie also! Really, she does!)

Is this fountain not incredible??!! It looks like real water is trickling through it! Oh! And the bowl of brocolli-- the detail is so incredible. I have such a great respect for miniaturists that can work that polymer clay into such amazingly tiny detail. Meg will love that brocolli-- it will help her keep her "girlish figure". (Susanna must have noticed that Meg has nothing but sweets in her kitchen!) Oh! Do you see those little houses? They are so tiny! So cute!

((Squeeeel!)) Books! Beautiful books! Current, chic, relevant-to-today books!! The sewing books will be so wonderful for Meg's studio. (Yes, she has a studio-- still under construction!) The cookbooks-- LOVE them! The open book is one by Gordon Ramsey (so cool!), and the smaller one is by Alice Waters.

I love Alice Waters. I love everything she stands for-- fresh, clean, organic food-- and of course, bringing gardening and nutrition to children in inner-city schools. Google her. She's amazing. I had no idea that people in Finland know of her. (Duh!) I've always wanted to go to her restaurant in Berkley. I drove past Berkley last weekend, but it wasn't on the itinerary that day. (More on that weekend, next post!) Okay, and do you see that other book?

Small House Designs-- is that just so perfect for a coffee table in a miniature house?!! Sooo cool! Love. It.

((Squeeeel!!)) (See? There I go again...) Miniature Lush soaps!! Aren't they amazing?! I love how she totally nailed the design and textures. Love, love, love them! They look so real, I can practically smell the fragrances. Have you ever walked by a Lush store? The fragrances are so yummy! Meg is a happy girl-- and so am I!

Susanna, I can not even begin to express how grateful I am for your generosity and kindness. I absolutely love everything you so kindly sent to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you... my mini wishes have come true!

Hugs,