30days

party invites

2009-11-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

Brittany here from One Charming Party guest posting. Since we're celebrating Mique's birthday, I wanted to share with you a bunch of fun, unconventional invitation ideas that I've collected over the past year. These can be used for birthday cards, party invitations, or even adapted as holiday cards & presents. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!Wouldn't these fortune cookies be darling for a New Years Eve party invite? The full tutorial is over at For the Love of Paper.I've loved this Lemonhead baby shower invitation ever since I first saw it. Check it out over at Jordan Ferney's Oh Happy Day.A more youthful twist on the previous idea, I love the bubblegum that reveals "Happy Birthday!" What child wouldn't love a box full of gumballs? See the whole post at Inchmark. Remember this Candyland Party invitation made from an Altoid tin? This could easily be changed up to fit any theme or holiday. Love it! From Katherine Marie Photography.This is a fabulous idea that you could replicate (I love the little milk heart). Take everyday items and turn them into a sweet birthday or holiday message. Photograph it and send it out postcard style or tucked in a simple card. See them at Shoot the Messenger and more examples here.I've been dying for an excuse to make this card. It's perfect in its simplicity. Another darling idea from Inchmark.The accordion envelope card, a classic from Martha Stewart. Stick 8 envelopes together and fill with surprises for the eight nights of Hanukkah or fill 12 envelopes for the twelve days of Christmas.

This card is unbelievable and could really be a present too with a gift card, money or other surprise tucked inside the bag. Get the scoop and two more card ideas at Little Birdie Secrets.

Our Favorite Christmas Breakfast

2009-11-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

Hi there!! My name is Melissa Mortenson and I'm the girl behind the Polkadot Chair blog. Mique asked me to be a guest blogger, for her this week and I'm so excited to be here to share some things with you.

If you get a chance stop by my blog and say "hi"- I have lots of craft tutorials and project ideas there.

I don't usually post recipes, but I thought I would for Mique today since this one is unique. (plus a good friend of mine suggested it). Most of my recipes come from my Mom, friends or my favorite cookbooks, but this one I came up with myself, and it took lots and lots of tries to get just right. After a few failed attempts and some burned dishes, I finally nailed it.

I know what you are thinking... it's not even Thanksgiving yet, and this girl shows up with a Christmas post? Well it's never too early to start getting ready for Christmas, I think that's the key to a stress free (or at least less stress, Holiday). Plus this breakfast is good anytime of the year, not just Christmas.

I had always struggled with what to feed my family for breakfast on Christmas day. I usually have intentions of making cinnamon rolls the night before, or waking up and making a super fancy meal. However, I always get too busy for the cinnamon rolls the night before, and I'm usually super tired Christmas morning (due to my kids waking me up every hour all night!).

One of our favorite restaurants is The Original Pancake house, they have this dish called the Dutch baby, it's to die for! We don't have a restaurant in town, so I've been trying to find a dish that is close.

This one is NOT the same as the restaurant but a close second. It's the combination of a few different recipes, then changed to be made individually.

The best part!?!? Well you make it in the blender, so there is little mess, and it bakes in less than 15 min! The hardest part is cutting up all the fruit.

You will need individual baking dishes, ramekins won't work, you need something with short sides, like mini pie plates or petite au gratin pans.

Individual Puff Pancakes -

Yield 4 small or 3 large pancakes (depends on the size of your dish).

I doubled this recipe and it gave me enough for 6 dishes, my dishes are pretty large.

Preheat oven to 425

In blender mix:

1/2 c all purpose flour

1/2 c whole or 2 % milk

2 eggs

3 T sugar

1/2 t vanilla

1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice

pinch of lemon zest

pinch of salt

Place 1 T of butter in each baking dish. Place dishes in the oven for about 10 minutes until the butter melts and the dishes are hot.

Without removing the dishes from the oven, pour batter into each baking dish about 1/2" deep. Do not stir and mix in the butter. (just evenly divide your batter among your dishes).

Close oven and cook for 10 min. Check. Cook additional time if necessary. They go from done to burned fast.. so watch them.

The pancakes are done when they are lightly golden brown and puffed. (see photo). Serve immediately

Serve with: (this is the important part!)

fresh sliced strawberries

fresh sliced bananas

sifted powdered sugar

strawberry syrup

whip cream

happy birthday to mique!

2009-11-03T07:06:00.001-08:00

i must know my sister pretty well since hacking into her blog was that easy...

jessica here just making sure you all know to wish her a happy birthday!! i know she probably wouldn't tell you, so what's a sister for?

love you miq and i hope you have a happy, happy birthday! wish i could be there...

Organized chaos

2009-11-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

Are you getting sick of posts that are unorganized and have nothing to do with each other? Yeah, me too. Sorry about that. But here's what I've got for ya today:

*Happy late birthday to my favorite (and only, but still my very favorite) sister yesterday. She really deserves a present for putting up with me for all these years. Besides that she happens to be one talented, amazing girl and I'm lucky to call her my sister and friend. Wish I could've been with her to spoil her and tell her how much I love her in person.

*SYTYC kicked off today and I am amazed by the amount of people that voted. Incredible. I am dying to know if you guys know which one was mine. Leave me a little comment to let me know which one you think I did (pretty please?). Aren't you stunned at the amount of talent on there? Yeah, me too. Quite intimidating. If you haven't voted, get your buns over there to do so. The theme for this week is harvest.*And a big thanks for everyone who entered my giveaway. The winner is:
Melissa #52, who said... "I now follow you :)" Email me Melissa so we can get working on your card.
For everyone else, I'm adding more stuff to my little shop and hope you all like the new stuff. I'm still open to suggestions... :)

*I asked a few bloggers I admire to guest post this week for me- be on the lookout.

Typing out loud......

2009-10-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Loving Sandi Henderson's pinwheels

Some more random things to throw at you:
*First, a big fat thank you to everyone for de-lurking. I've started leaving comments back at your blogs. It's SO fun to get to know everyone.
*Second, I turned in my So You Think You're Crafty project pictures this morning. Missy is busy getting it all ready and voting will begin on Nov. 2nd. I'll probably post another reminder then as well. I'm seriously excited and nervous. It'll be especially interesting to see who votes for what since it's anonymous. I'm dying to know if my readers could spot my project. I think it's very "me" but I don't know if you all will agree.
*Third, thanks for everyone who has entered my shop giveaway. There's still time to enter if you haven't already. I am especially loving the feedback. I'll add more designs after the weekend. I kinda feel like most people will start thinking about holiday cards after Halloween is over. Am I right?
*Fourth, have a safe and Happy Halloween. I'll be back Sunday with a shout out to my sister who turns the big 3-0!!

All over the place

2009-10-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling it. The buzz of being busy. So I'm kinda all over the place. To further prove my point, here are some of my favorite ideas/posts/tutorials without any themes (only that I like them):

Scrapbook Lady's HUGE Halloween post
Grosgrain's ruffle link post

Little Jenny Ren's pinwheel bobby pin tutorial (HELLO adorable)
I loved watching Elizabeth Kartchner's tshirt tutorials online through KSL
Jordan's DIY bridesmaid gift boxes at Project Wedding can be used in SO many fun ways

I am making this with extra felt I have laying around

And while blog hopping a few days ago, I saw this post (amazing craft space pics worth clicking for on that post) at Create Studio and actually de-lurked. I'm asking you to do the same here. According to my analytics (which I occasionally check) there are people stopping by from all over the place. I'd love to get to know each of you bit better. So in the comments section, please answer these questions:
1. What's your name?
2. Where do you live?
3. What do you like to do in your free time?
4. If you are crafty, what do you like to craft the best?
5. Do you have a blog? Leave a link if you do! I want to come visit you.
6. What do you stink at?
7. What do you rock at?
Like Sarah, I will fill out my answers as an example:
1. What's your name? Mique (sounds like Mickey). Mique is my nickname.
2. Where do you live? in the Los Angeles area, California girl through and through
3. What do you like to do in your free time? Besides baking with my kids, anything creative- photography, sew, embroider, graphic design, and at the end of the day I just like to veg. I love to sit and watch TV. TV + crafts = pure bliss.
4. If you are crafty, what do you like to craft the best? sorta answered in #3
5. Do you have a blog? Yep, you're looking at her.
6. What do you stink at? I stink at doing laundry. STINK at it. Funny since I actually worked at the BYU laundry room while in college. *before you stop reading 30days thinking that I wear dirty clothes, I don't. We always have something clean. I just have piles and piles of it everywhere. I drives me and my whole family crazy.*
7. What do you rock at? Good at being on time, making huge messes and solving Wheel of Fortune puzzles. :)

Kick off

2009-10-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

Once again, I disappeared last week! It seems as though life just keeps getting busier and busier. I'm sure everyone reading feels the same way.
So...when life is busy....why not make it busier?
I decided to open a little Etsy shop. Yep, I did. It's full of digital holiday card designs. The idea is that I made the designs, you purchase and send me your picture(s) and then I send you the design back with your picture(s) and info. You then print them though Costco, Walmart, Snapfish, at home, wherever you want.
Since I just opened up I will be adding more designs and figuring things out- please be patient with me. :)
I also realize this might be a bit early for some of you to be thinking about holiday cards. But then there are those that have been planning for months. Either way, I'm ready when you are! :)

{Just a little sneak peak}

I decided to have a kick off celebration.

I want to give away one of my designs.
{if a lot of people enter, I'll give more than one away}
What do you have to do?
Just visit my shop & comment here
to let me know which one you like-
your feedback is super important to me.

***ETA: No worries if you aren't ready with your holiday
pictures. If you win, I'll make it for you when you're ready!!***

If you'd like extra entries,
you can do the following-
(pretty please?)
Make a separate comment
for each extra entry.

*blog about it
*announce it on facebook
*tweet about it
*become a 30days follower
(or let me know that you already are one)
*let me know what other kinds of designs
you'd like to see

For the duration of the giveaway,
all designs will be $10 instead of $15.
Just mention that you read 30days &
I'll hook you up! :)

You have from now until next Monday, Nov. 2nd
(which happens to be my birthday eve!).
Good luck & thanks for your support!

P.s. In case you are wondering-
Why "Jamboree?"
JAM are the initials of my family,

so I decided to call it Jamboree.
The definition of jamboree is:
a noisy celebration.
Perfect for me and my family!

SYTYC

2009-10-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I was contacted by Missy about a fun idea- take 10 crafters and have a "craft off" for 10 weeks based on So You Think You Can Dance and appropriately titled "So You Think You're Crafty." Wow- two of my loves- crafting and SYTYCD- all in one!!
Missy asked if I'd be willing to join in on the fun. 'Me? Are you sure you want me?' I was flattered but took a bit to decide if I'd actually join in on the fun. I agreed (how could I say no?) and then saw who my fellow crafters were- I went from flattered to flat out nervous.
To find out more about the adventure that awaits, click here. Missy even has a video to further explain the way it works.
The real fun begins on November 2nd- the first competition begins. I am crossing my fingers that I won't be the first one voted off. ;)

I feel like...........

2009-10-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

It's finally started turning into fall in SoCal. Making me want to bundle up and bake in my pjs with some good music (by far my new favorite) in the background and our fireplace going.

I'd love to get some of these:

and to go on a t-shirt making craze with these: Still Dottie j.crew inspired tshirt

Ruffles & Stuff's ruffle necklace shirt Make it and Love It's woman's ruffle shirt

The queen of refashions, My Mama Made It's latest shirts

{What do you feel like doing?}

p.s. Sorry for ditching 30days last week.
I was recovering from Craftapalooza!
It's done & went well. ;)

Drumroll please....

2009-10-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

I seriously wish I could just announce that all 407 of you won. Just be Oprah for a day and announce that everyone is a winner. But sadly I can't. Click to enlarge

If your name happens to be
Kendra or Michelle-
(and you have the right number :)
email me.
I will put you in touch with
the fabulous people at DownEast.

Thank you everyone for commenting,
sharing recipes, and following 30days.
More fun stuff coming soon.
Promise.

And a huge thank you to DownEast-
they are the best!
Go get your shop on.

Just one more day.....

2009-10-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

.....to enter the giveaway.
Tomorrow night I'll announce the winners.

In the meantime, here are some fun
Halloween paper crafts that have caught my eye:

Flags from Screen Prints Blog

My Mind's Eye Halloween Category

KI Memories' wicked Halloween craft party Holiday tree by Bean Talk Claudine Hellmuth's Halloween village

Spooky Haunted House by Designs by Dani

Enjoy!

More Inspiration

2009-10-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

To enter the DownEast giveaway, look here.

A while back I found the blog, Heart of Light. I fell in love with (do I say that too much? I guess I fall in love easily....hmm....).....Rachel's headbands and decided to give them a whirl. I adore them. Easy. Inexpensive. Cute. Can't do much better than that. I liked them so much that I offered to do them as a craft for Craftapalooza (Enrichment, Super Saturday but on a Tues). We shall see how that goes.
Anyway, I knew I wanted to make a necklace based on her ideas. But I wasn't exactly sure how it'd turn out. I just played around with some fall colors and ended up with this:

FYI- in person the colors are deep orange (think rust), mustardy yellow and green leaves. I added a fun little trim for the necklace.
It took me a total of about 1 hour to do it from start to finish. I think it would take a newbie a bit more time since I had already made headbands. But really, not bad at all.
And I feel more fall-like wearing it around my neck (still not really fall here in So Cal).

How do I follow that?

2009-10-05T22:28:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to so many of you LOVE DownEast as much as I do. Thanks for all your comments/entries. Always fun to read. Still loads of time to enter.
Since I don't have anything great to follow that up with, I thought I'd share some of my recent and unique favorite cookie recipes (you share with me, I share with you). One I just posted on my (sad, rarely updated) food blog, the other I made just today courtesy of Ammie (it was just too yummy not to share)- thank you Ammie! I think these are both great for fall.

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pumpkin seeds or chopped pecans ***didn't add as many pecans, not big nut lovers in my home (though I LOVE them)
chopped pumpkin seeds ***I didn't add these***
Cinnamon Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3-4 tablespoons milk

Directions
Heat oven to 350F degrees.Mix brown sugar, butter, and shortening in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and egg. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in pumpkin seeds.Drop dough by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet; flatten slightly.Bake 12-15 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in the center. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely on wire rack. Frost cookies with Cinnamon Frosting. Sprinkle with additional chopped pumpkin seeds(I didn't do this).
Cinnamon Frosting: Mix all ingredients until smooth and spreadable.

Orange Cranberry Drops
found here My kids LOVED them too- wasn't sure if they would since they had Craisins and orange flavoring; they were a hit.

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon orange extract ***note, I didn't have orange extract so I used almond extract, risky I know, but I love almond extract and they still tasted great***
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.Lightly grease cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, cream together the white sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Stir in the egg, orange juice, orange extract, and orange zest. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix into the orange mixture. Stir in the dried cranberries. Drop cookie dough by heaping teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, on the prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are starting to brown. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

I'll be back later with some crafty stuff.....

One for me, one for you.....

2009-10-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

**This giveaway is now closed.**

A couple of years ago one of my friends told me that I needed to find a DownEast store while I was visiting in Utah. While in college, I had gone to DownEast Outfitters but was unaware of their new(er) clothing line. I found the shop and was an immediate fan. Great basics, fun skirts and dresses, and all super affordable as well as modest. I hit the jackpot.
I recently opened up their fall catalog and fell in love. Every single item was calling my name. Seriously.
So what does this have to do with 30days? Well the people at DownEast Basics were kind enough to send me two items to write about. I ended up with the Wonderful World dress and the Curtsy Coat. Adorable. I tried to do a photoshoot with the products. But it resulted in me knowing that a)I will never be a model and b) that Josh will never be a photographer (thank you Joshie for trying to help).

Wonderful World Dress & Curtsy Coat
See told ya. I feel bad that I couldn't show
off the cute clothes better. :(
But I have to say I love them in
person and they are super comfy.
Either one is a perfect addition
to your fall wardrobe.

Not only did DownEast Basics send me these items,
but they are letting me give away one of each to my readers!!!
Here are some better pics to look at:

The rules are simple- check out their products online.
Come back to this post. Comment here what you love.
As always for additional entries you can do the following:
all in separate comments please, otherwise it just counts as one
*Blog about it
*Announce it on Facebook
*Become a DownEast facebook fan
you have to do this- they have coupon codes
and info specific to facebook
*Tweet about it
*Become a 30days follower
(if you are one, let me know & thanks;)
*and just for the fun of it-
your favorite cookie recipe
**ETA:Although I love hearing your favorite type of cookie,
I want recipes, pretty please? The entries that
just put what their favorite

type is won't count.***

If you announce, blog or tweet about it,

tell your friends to mention your name in their comment.
Each person that mentions your

name means one more for you!

I will pick two winners on Monday, October 12th.
(one winner will get the dress, the other the coat)
Oh and one more thing-
DownEast Basics is offering free shipping.
Just enter the code 30handmadedays
from 10/5 to 10/12 at11:59PM PT.

Thank you DownEast Basics!

Felt Friday

2009-10-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

Have you guys seen all the felty goodness lately?
Check these ideas out:
Ric Rac's one hour softie

Forest friends by Rice Babies LuBirdBaby's book felts

Felt cupcakes on Instructables

Bug Bites Play Food cookie tutorial

And if you look on my right sidebar,
I have lots of other felt posts.

Also-I have something exciting to post on Monday-
make sure you stop back by then.

Happy Weekend!

Oh and one more for you.....

2009-10-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

It shouldn't always be about the kids should it?
This is a project for me.
I haven't decided if I want to do fabric for the sewing
machine and paint the words or do it all paint

and add touches of fabric.
I'll post when I finish it.
(when I have time.....sigh.......)

More silos

2009-10-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

A few of you asked for more templates to make your own shirts. I'm attaching a boys file and a girls one. For now, the girls ones are pretty random and have notes on them. I'll add more again soon. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, refer to this post.

Enjoy!

Inspired

2009-09-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

I've been a fan of Lindsey's for awhile. Even did a product review (her stuff is great- check it out here). She started featuring her best friend Nicole a few months ago and I thought about selling my house and moving to their neck of the woods. Ok- so I like it where I am- but between the two of them, they are beyond talented.
Anyway, long ago I saw this post. LOVED it then. And then Just a Girl featured it last week. LOVED it again. They did a tutorial. Got me thinking.
And here's what I decided- I would make my own digital version, send it off to get it printed onto canvas- a big giant canvas (by that I mean I would save it as a jpg like I would any other picture and have it printed directly onto the canvas. Make sense?). Hang it on the wall. Done.
I have an online canvas place that I've used several times now. Inexpensive & good. Check them out here.
Here's my version:

So....what do ya think?
I'll post a pic of the finished product
when I get it back from the canvas people.

{I mainly used this kit from Shabby Miss Jenn}

p.s. I admittedly "reused" some of Nicole's rules.
I hope she doesn't mind. :)

Creative book displays

2009-09-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

We're looking a little sleepy at 6:30am
on a Saturday morning
(I'm on the left).

Back from my triathlon & I'm happy to report....I finished! It was insane but I am excited that I accomplished my goal.

On a totally unrelated note, I found a cute book shelf (first one listed below) and went on a book display hunt. I definitely want to do one or a few of these. How do you display your kids books?

DIY Sling Bookshelf by From the Same Nest

Raising Olives' rain gutter bookshelves or Shawn & Frank's rain gutter bookshelves

One More Moore's read book pouch

Hanging book display on Apartment Therapy Vermillion Rules' IKEA bookshelves

Girl version

2009-09-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

I had high hopes of many more posts this week. Time is just about out. I leave in a little more than 12 hours with some brave friends for my first triathlon. Am I crazy? Yes. Am I ready? No. Am I doing it anyway? Uh....yep I am.
Anyway, I did want to show a girl version of the mini boden shirt that I did for my daughter. I didn't really have a plan. But after searching online, I found this cute silhouette and knew I wanted to do a balloon. It's not totally how I envisioned. But it does look cuter in person. My almost midnight in my craft room shot will have to do for now. I have been wanting to use that vintage fabric (a pillowcase from Savers that I found while visiting my sister back in March) for awhile and thought it would look cute on this shirt as the balloon.
Hopefully these will inspire some of you to make your own. I went to ship off the skateboarder one to my nephew and my 3 year old threw a huge tantrum because he wanted it. Either my design was genius OR he was just being a 3 yr old and throwing a fit. ;)
Happy Weekend!

p.s. a few of you asked for more templates- I will get you more after I get back from my tri trip. promise.

make your own

2009-09-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I got a mini boden catalog with the cutest stuff in it (well it always has cute stuff). But I was not willing to pay $28 for a t-shirt for my crazy mud-hungry boys. But I decided I could make it.

This is one similar to the one in the catalog. But the one that I saw was in the summer catalog and it had a skateboarder on it.
My nephew's 2nd birthday is coming up and I thought he'd look dashing in a few Auntie M tshirts. If your name is Jessica and you are my sister who has a son turning 2 on Friday, look away NOW. {Don't worry, she's super honest and will actually look away.}

If you want to join in on the fun, here's what you'll need:
tshirt
freezer paper
fabric paint & sponge brush
Xacto knife
tape
fabric- scraps will work here

First I got some t-shirts. You could do this project with tshirts you have on hand. Stained ones would be the best because then you would feel really good that you rejuvenated something meant for the Goodwill bin.

Next I went to CS4 & downloaded some new skateboarder silhouette brushes. If you don't have CS4 you can just Google skateboarder silhouette and some images will pop up. Or you could download the images below. Whatever you decide, save and print a silhouette of a skateboarder.
Tape the silhoutte to a sheet of freezer paper. Make sure you tape to the flat side (shiny, slippery side down). I usually tape mine to a cutting board. It makes it easy peasy. Using an Xacto knife, carefully cut around the skateboarder.
When you are done cutting, take the skateboarder out and iron the negative image (not the skateboarder but the outline of the skateboarder) to the shirt. Paint inside the negative image with fabric paint. Let dry. Peel off.
Cut fabric into half pipe shape. I just eye balled it. At this point you could use some type of fusible web to the back of the half pipe to hold in place. Or you could pin. Or you could wing it.
Sew into place- topstitch it.
Ta-da. This could also be easily done with all fabric instead of fabric paint.
For you visual crafters (that's me), here you go:

Just in case you want some silhouettes:
(right click & save)
I have tons more if anyone is interested.

Enjoy!

Click to enlarge

2009-09-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

Inspiring Photo Walls

2009-09-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

First of all- thank you for the book suggestions and the recipes as well. I can't wait to try them out and share!! If you haven't entered the Shabby Apple giveaway, time is running out... later today the big winner will be announced. Hurry.

Onto this post- if you've followed me for a bit, you know my ~~obsession~~ love of photography. Sometimes it seems like a sickness more than a hobby. I think about it A LOT. Other times it's just ping ponging around in my silly brain- 'Oh that would be the perfect spot for a picture.' or 'Wow the lighting is so pretty right here. If only I had my camera.' I have yet to do anything serious about my love....I'm studying, learning and adding to my photography folder for now. But I am always on the hunt for inspiration. Lucky for me the www is full to the brim with it.

Even if you don't have the same addiction that I do,
chances are..you still love pictures.

{What do you do with your favorite pictures?}
Here are some amazing ways to display them:

Wall ideas from The Savy Photographer (new LOVE)
this picture is from Bree Huster Photography on that post
and she posts about how she did it here on her blog
(check her out too- fabulous)

Hang 8 frames on Sunset

Daily Digi's post- What to do with all these photos?

and look at Janet's clever idea using canvas.

The DIY Showoff's Photo Wall tutorial & Show & Tell

**edited to add- this photo wall is from Tricia at Boutelle Family Zoo,
but posted on The DIY Showoff**

How to hang a picture collage by Little Birdie Secrets

I have posted about this in the past-
here's some photo stuff

(with links to other photo posts)
and a wall art post.

Craft Book Review 3

2009-09-16T12:22:00.001-07:00

Still loving my local library and the crafty books I have checked out from there.

Sewing in No Time:59 Step by Step Weekend Projects Made Easy by Emma Hardy was a recent borrow. I have to say- I love the projects in this book. There are bathroom to-do's, bedroom projects, gifts and more. The fabrics are adorable. And really, it's true, they are weekend projects made easy. I also love that Emma writes how long each project will take to make (approximately).

Funky Felt Crafts by American Girl was another book I checked out. For some reason when I checked it out online (LOVE that!) I didn't realize it was an American Girl book. American Girl= book for girls and not necessarily older "girls," like me ;). But I found myself excited to do some of the felt projects in this book. The bonus is that my 7 year old daughter could do these projects too with some assistance from me. There are templates in the back and simple instructions. The basics of felt and embroidery are covered in there too. I especially love the food felt section.
The cinnamon rolls are easy and clever!

And here are 3 books that just came out or are
coming out soon that I can't wait to dig into:

Applique Your Way by Kayte Terry
One Yard Wonders by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins
and Bend the Rules with Fabric by Amy Karol

{Any other recent craft books finds out there?}

P.s. In case you didn't hear,

I'm giving away a dress courtesy of Shabby Apple.
Enter to win here.

Parlez vous crochet?

2009-09-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

I have a younger sister that is good at everything. Always has been. Always will be. I'm not bitter (not anymore anyway). I am lucky to have her as my sister. Anyway, one of the things she is very good at is crocheting. Not grandma crochet, but cool crochet. She taught me some basics and for whatever reason, I did not latch onto crocheting (at least not yet). I appreciate crochet all the more now since I don't have the knack for it. ;)

Lately a few crochet projects and patterns have jumped out at me and I thought I'd share:

Crochet crown &
I love the headband and sweater on this post too
from Happy Together

Crocheted toddler bracelet by Treasures for Tots

Arty Farty's crocheted peonies

Headband with flower pin by The Minor Fall, The Major Lift

The Adventures of Wondermommy's ice cream cone

Monster Crochet's Cherry ribbon tote, bat pattern & chrysanthemums
Jaybird Designs has some adorable patterns:
Girl cupcake scarf, Pretty little headband, Puff flower

Though she hasn't updated her blog in ages, Creative Yarn still has my favorite patterns for all you crocheters out there.
And check out this cool flickr group- Free Knit & Crochet Patterns.

Here are some of my old crochet posts.

And don't forget to enter the Shabby Apple giveaway
if you haven't already!