SALE, part 2!!!

Have you been enjoying the sale this morning? I'm looking forward to seeing what you've ordered and helping my sister send the goodies on their way to you!

If you missed the code this morning - or were waiting for the free shipping one instead? - here's the next one, and it's good until midnight (EST)!

CYBERFREESHIP

valid in the shop from now until midnight 

Enjoy! and happy shopping!

<3

SALE!!!

Here you go!

After whetting your appetite for a week, here's the sale code I've been promising:

CYBER30

 (valid in the shop from now until 12 EST)

and at noon I'll be listing the code you can use for free shipping until midnight! I'm posting it here and on the facebook page so as many of you can see it as possible, and I'd really love it if you could share it with your friends too - everyone loves a sale! :)

Snowflake and Christmas garlands

It's good on everything in the Etsy shop, so stock up on Christmas garlands and everything you'll need for your holiday celebrations : ) 

You can even use it on the new Garland collection (it's already a 20% savings - that's an amazing deal!)!

Enjoy and happy shopping! 

<3

announcing ...

Happy Sunday everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebrating your blessings! We celebrated by finally welcoming Baby (thank You, Lord!) into our family on Friday morning:

- Olivia Jane -

6:47 am

8 lbs, 4 oz, 20 1/2" long

Everything went really well! We delivered at home and it may have been our best birth yet - only 5 1/2 hours from when I woke up I was holding her in my arms. :)

I'll be adding lots more photos of our new darling on Instagram (you can follow me here). We love her so much already!

My sister is helping keep the shop up while I'm recovering and soaking in Olivia, so remember to stop by early tomorrow morning for your Cyber Monday coupon codes! The link will be here and on the facebook page so you won't miss it :)

thankful for ...

... you!

And so many other things :)

via

This year has been so crammed full of blessings! And even when things don't seem to be blessings, this year I've been learning that having a thankful heart helps to change my perception of them, helps me to see them as gifts in their own way. Because no matter what, God is good. He is many other things as well, but along with them all He is good. And so faithful.

And so this Thanksgiving I'm most thankful for His faithfulness. Blessings to you and your loved ones as you celebrate this Thanksgiving and the many blessings you enjoy!


<3

(and don't forget to come back Monday for the coupon code!)

her own blankie {and burp cloths, too!}

I've made up a baby blanket for both Emma Grace and Ian using the Scallop Quilt "pattern" from Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol, and so of course I wanted to make one for Baby, too. :)

I've been making up the "just for her" things in shades of gray and pink, and was able to find some lovely polka dot gray quilting flannel and pink and gray paisley cotton at JoAnn. I love how they complement each other, sweet and feminine without being too babyish.

I machine quilted a few of the center paisleys to provide a bit more definition. I love how it looks .... maybe I should quilt a few more of them? :)


Now, after having 2 babies, we have plenty of burp cloths. But there were some fabric scraps left over from the blankie .... and I had a few plain diapers left .... and Baby #3 needs to have something special, too, right?

This vintage lace was a gift from one of my lovely customers - who just happens to live in France. :) Fun!
I sewed it over some gray grosgrain, which I then layered over some pink satin to get the look I was going after.

And there you have it - a bit of a layette for Baby.


Remember to stop by the Facebook page next Monday morning to get the sale code!

And have a lovely, relaxing Thanksgiving!


<3

more knitting for Baby - a cuddly cocoon

So, the up side of Baby delaying is that I've been able to get some of the things I had planned for her finished. :) Such as this sweet Baby Bunting:

Specs: Button-Up Baby Wrap, free Ravelry pattern
size 19 needles
triple ply yarn
The yarn is similar to Bamboo & Ewe and quite yummy. :) 
A pair of vintage buttons - they seem to be similar to Bakelite, but I'm really not sure what their made of. Fun though!

And there you have it! It was a quick knit, and fun to see it make up. My first project on needles this large, too!


And remember to stop by the facebook page early Monday morning to get the coupon code for 30% off of the shop!

<3

weekly shop update

So, I've been trying to blog a bit more regularly here (have you noticed ;D?) and part of that has been keeping you updated on shop happenings once a week (-ish). :) So ..... this week there are a few things to cover!

The first is ........ next Monday (as in, a week from today) is Cyber Monday! (can you believe it's here already?!) And I'm having a bit of a sale for you! I'm going to try to make it a bit more fun than just having a standard sale though - there will be a time sensitive coupon code. And it will only be on my Facebook page. (but I'll alert you on Twitter and here, too, just in case you miss this)

From 7am 'till noon EST you'll have a chance to use the code to get 30% off of your order (maybe the best sale I've ever had!) and from noon until midnight you can get free shipping. Pretty great!

And the second bit of news is ....

... there is a new item in the shop! Or actually, a new package of items :)

We're now offering the 12 Months of Decorative Joy - a collection of gorgeous garland for each month of the year! I'm now offering the 12 months of gorgeous garlands collection! This is a set of 12 different garlands, each 10 feet long (for a whopping total of 120 feet!), that are in a variety of themes to span your year of decorating and celebrations.

You will receive one of each of:
- Snowflake Garland ( http://www.etsy.com/listing/91745386/snowflake-garland-10-feet-long)
- Romantic Red with a Single White Heart Garland (like this but in a 10 foot length: http://www.etsy.com/listing/85495701/romantic-paper-hearts-garland-red-with-a)
- St. Patrick's Day Garland (like this but in a 10-foot length: http://www.etsy.com/listing/93773728/st-patricks-day-garland-clover-shamrocks)
- Rabbits and Vintage Flowers Garland (like this but in a 10-foot length: http://www.etsy.com/listing/94843948/rabbits-and-vintage-flowers-bunny)
- Paper Lace Garland ( http://www.etsy.com/listing/69693850/paper-lace-garland-10-feet-long)
- Patriotic Stars Garland (like this but a 10-foot length: http://www.etsy.com/listing/75402152/stars-garland-red-white-and-blue)
- White Fabric Scallop Garland (like this but in a 10-foot length: http://www.etsy.com/listing/76165008/white-fabric-scallop-garland-8)
- Yellow Fabric Scallop Garland (like this but in a 10-foot length: http://www.etsy.com/listing/106121494/yellow-scallop-garland-12-lemon-fabric)
- Thanksgiving Paper Circles Garland (like this but in a 10-foot length: http://www.etsy.com/listing/112261762/thanksgiving-paper-circles-garland)
- Pumpkin Paper Doily Garland (like this but in a 10-foot length: http://www.etsy.com/listing/81643305/pumpkin-paper-doily-garland
- Christmas Paper Circles Garlands (like this but in a 10-foot length: http://www.etsy.com/listing/64038578/paper-circles-garland-red-crimson-white)
- Twinkle Stars Garland (like this but in a 10-foot length: http://www.etsy.com/listing/99419170/twinkle-stars-garland-glitter-stars-and)

Combined, they will provide you with a piece of garland or bunting for just about every occasion during the year!

And one of the best things about this set? Buying this collection gives a savings of almost 20% over buying the garlands individually (I know, wow!).

There you have it - two announcements. And how I wish that "Baby is here!" was topping the list :D All in His timing though....

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful Monday at the beginning of your Thanksgiving week! Anyone have super scrumptious plans? I'd love to hear about them!


<3

Emma Grace's Christmas dress (last year's version :D)

 Do any of you remember the dress that I made Em for Christmas 2010? It was so sweet that I decided to use the same pattern for last years' dress as well. :)

I had a large batch of gorgeous antique lace from my great aunt, and wanted to showcase it in this dress. It was so beautiful that I didn't want any florals or prints to compete with it, and chose a soft gray material.

The peasant pattern was, once again, super simple to work up. The most complicated part was adding the lace! In fact, so simple that I made it the afternoon of a Christmas party we were going to (and for which Em didn't have an outfit for - problem solved!).

To keep the focus on the lace, I just used a few pieces around the hem and the sleeves. They're so delicate and lovely!

It's a sweet dress that looks darling on her, and I'm kind of sad that it doesn't fit anymore. But, now I get to make another! :)

mmm, homemade granola

Yep, Baby Girl still hasn't arrived.  Which means that I'm really nesting now. Baking. Sewing. Knitting. (but not cleaning - somehow I haven't had a burning desire to get my 6-day-overdue belly bent over to clean things ...)
And yesterday? I made granola. (and a few other things :D)

 (this recipe is from a woman in my MOPS group - thank you Cathy! I tweaked it just a bit)

1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2/3 cup nuts, roughly chopped
2/3 cup raisins (I used a mix of craisins and raisins)
2 1/2 cups oatmeal

• combine sugar, honey and oil in a saucepan and cook until sugar melts and begins to boil. Add vanilla and cinnamon, remove from heat.
• combine oats, coconut, nuts and raisins in a large bowl. Add sugar mixture, and stir until oats are well coated. 
• Cover a jellyroll pan with foil (for easy cleanup) and spread oat mixture evenly in pan.
• bake at 325 for 30 minutes, stirring twice during baking.
• Store in an airtight container.

Once it's cooled, you could also stir in other things - chocolate chips, perhaps?
 

And I also finally got around to making curtains for our kitchen window :)

Two Cute Boutique

Have you heard of the Etsy shop Two Cute Boutique?

Last week she contacted me asking if I'd like to trade a couple of garlands for a crocheted hat ... and once I saw her shop I knew I had to say yes! It's just adorable!

She made up a cotton newborn size hat for Baby, including a detachable flower and headband so that I can mix and match with her different little outfits. So sweet!
If you'd like to get one (or more?) for your own little sweetheart you can find a gorgeous selection at this link here - enjoy!


<3

new items in the shop :)

Happy Monday everyone!

To kick off the week I've got some new things in the shop to show you .... more bags!
This time I had a bunch of fun styling some baby boy and girl themed ones. :)

It was fun to pull together all the baby things I've got in the shop right now - banners, "BABY" cupcake toppers and "IT'S A BOY/IT'S A GIRL" ones, too!

But all those extras weren't the focus of these photos, nope! The reason for these were the new pink and blue sets of bags - aren't they just so sweet?!

I hope you love them just as much as I do :D

have a wonderful Monday, and a wonderful week, too!


xo

Buymodernbaby

something fun that I stumbled upon this afternoon - a website called Buymodernbaby.com featured the Thanksgiving Circles Garland on their blog today!

Thank you so much for the feature! It brought a smile to my day : )

rainy day fun

I love Pinterest, but you know that by now :)
One of the wonderful things about it is that it's an endless source of ideas for things to do with your kids when you run out of ideas (and here I thought I was pretty creative - some of these mommies are amazing!).

I found this idea for our afternoon's "craft" one day just before I was about to make dinner, and the little ones were enthralled. They were so excited to get started that they forgot that mommy might need "help" over at the stove (the intended result - yay!). And then they asked to do it again an hour later! And they asked again the next day, and the next day. Good thing we buy our vinegar and baking soda in bulk : )

 The original instructions mention using eye droppers and food coloring along with the vinegar and baking soda. And that she would recommend larger dishes than the plates she used. So, we did!

 

knitting fail

So, I have this plan to make Emma Grace and Ian each something gray that will coordinate with the hat that I made for Baby, thinking ahead to maybe some Thanksgiving or Christmas sibling photos (with them all wearing some version of a mama-made!). Em's has yet to be made up, but I did get Ian's done! Yay! And then I tried it on him .....

 It looks perfect! Like it should fit with no problem, right?
Yeah, right. I used Petite Purls' Sleeveless top pattern, which I love, but had changed it up with the addition of some ribbed stripes. The final result was a lovely vest that was just a bit long (which I was going for - the little guy is growing so fast and I wanted it to fit until Easter!), but about a size too narrow. Oops!

Oh well. Next step, unravel it and try again. : )

I know I'll get it right soon!


<3

more knitting for Baby

The next installment in Baby's mommy-mades :)

I've had this pattern pinned on my knitting board for a while, and finally got it made up! It was the sweetest thing to work, and now I want to make another .... maybe after I get a few other things made up first, though?

 I knit it up using some lovely gray wool, and I have no idea which kind! The label has been off of it and missing almost since I brought it home :)

 The pink stripe is leftover from the little sweater I made her, and there's just enough left of that pink to do a matching hat with a stripe for Em (matching hats for the little girlies - how fun!).

 The pattern is a freebie called Bananahead Baby Hat and features a cuffed 2x2 rib brim with two little I-cords on the top to tie into a bow. :)

Now, it just needs a baby girl to arrive to fill it with chubby sweetness. You can come any time you're ready, Darling Babe!

decorating for fall

It's definitely getting nippy around here! A few weeks ago my nesting energy turned toward dusting and rearranging our "mantle" and bookshelves (side note - this shelf has been wonderful! We go it 3 years ago from Ikea and haven't regretted it once!). I dug out our Thanksgiving box to find our little straw and ceramic pumpkins and brought a few wispy branches in from the yard.

As I was arranging (and rearranging) I remembered that I just made up this fall colored garland for the shop, and then putting up that led to the idea of the "GIVE THANKS" banner ... :) Funny how my creative process works!

This cherub used to sit on my grandma's mantle and every time I see it my mind flashes an image of her living room ... so I'm not sure if I love the candle holder or the memories it holds!

The fat candle with the votives is my substitute for a fireplace this year. : ) I seem to enjoy making up "mock fireplaces" when I don't have access to the real thing (I've done it before, you know)!

In a week or so I'll add our pilgrims and turkeys to the table, bookshelves and windowsill. And maybe the little ones can find a few leaves for some crayon rubbings before they all disappear?


Have a lovely weekend staying cozy!
<3

knitting for Baby

 I've finally been getting some little mommy mades ready for Baby #3! One of the sweaters I had been wanting to make for her was the Puerperium sweater that I found on Pinterest, and when I found some sweet colored yarn to make it with it was only a matter of getting started (which is no small feat sometimes!).

 this little buddy is sooooooo excited to meet his baby sister :)

 I used "I Love This Cotton" in Rosy by Yarn Bee, knowing that it was heavier than what the pattern called for and would turn out just a bit bigger than the 0-6 weeks size the pattern was written for.
Well, it did turn out bigger. Probably about a 3-6 month size?
I'll let you exactly how much bigger once she's here to try it on. :)

 The buttons are vintage ones that I found at in a big jar at a yard sale a few years ago. They're wood look-a-likes, but probably out of some hard plastic.

This sweater is so soft and cozy! I can picture it with leggings over a long-sleeve onesie with her rolls of baby chubbiness ...... oh, can hardly wait!

If I have time before she arrives, I'm hoping to knit up another (with long sleeves) somewhat closer to a newborn size. It's such a sweet and easy pattern, and goes quite quickly (once you actually start .... :D)


<3