Gone Antiquing

Went antiquing this weekend at two great antique shops here on the South side of Indy. There are so many great antique shops around here - I just can't get enough of them. We got a lot of fun stuff for just over $20.

The Hubby got this great retro wind up clock for his office that I am re-designing this week. And I found a fun scarf with different clocks on it...Not sure if I'm going to wear it or cut it up and use it in some type of sewing project.

Here's another find that the Hubby discovered...a fun jar with red decals on it of an old business in Indianapolis and some colorful old-fashioned clothes pins that I'm going to use to hang different inspirational items around my studio.


I got these brightly colored bird prints to hang in my studio. I think they're going to be a bright addition to the walls.

I got these notions for 25 cents a piece. I love the red rick-rack and the 100% silk ribbon.

I got to add to my collection of teacups. These bright yellow flowers are absolutely wonderful. They have that 1970s feel to them, but they also have a contemporary graphic flare.

And last, but not least, I found some vintage postcards that I'm going to use in some of my print collages and possibly use for gift tags. My Hubby found this great woodblock stationary. It has a fun woodland feel to it and just makes me happy.

I'm a Little Teapot

My In-Laws got me a tea kettle for my birthday. Oh how excited I was. Now I can easily boil water and poor it into my tea infuser. And my Hubby bought me some fresh loose leaf Earl Grey tea from Teavana, so I am in tea heaven.


I also made another visit to Clemetine's and she got some new fabric in that I just had to have.

Check out the cute teapots, silverware and happy kitchen fabric? Can you say ADORABLE? I'm thinking about making an apron with it and getting some more of the blue silverware stuff to make napkins. Believe it or not, the Hubby was super-excited about that print and said, "You need to get some more of that so we can have some fun napkins." He's so great! AND he gave me permission to get more fabric.

The bottom three fabrics in the stack are Amy Butler and Tula Pink. Cami was having a huge 75% off sale on her Tula Pink stuff b/c she's getting in some new fabric soon and she's trying to get rid of the old. So if you live on the South side of Indy, get yourself down to Clemetine's and help Cami get the stuff out of her shop. It's an incredible deal!

Happy

Daffodils make me happy. I picked some up the other day at Trader Joe's and now my studio is filled with the happy little tune of Spring. If you listen carefully, you can hear them singing...

I also took some photos of the new towels that my Hubby got me from Anthropologie. They're big enough to be cute table cloths for our breakfast-nook table.

Give-Away Goodness

Calamity Kim is having a give-away.

Look at all of the wonderful things you could win!

Jason & Katie's Wedding

About a month ago I had the privilege of photographing Jason and Katie's wedding. It was the first time I had ever shot a wedding, so I was kind of nervous. But I think they came out pretty good. Here are few of my favorite shots. You can view more of my favorites on my Flickr page.

It's an Addiction, Really

The beautiful curse of the sewer/quilter is the need to always add to their stash. I'm convinced it really is a disease that has plagued me and I'm calling it Stash-i-tous. And ya know what? I hope a cure is never found.

Here are the Top 6 Symptoms that you might have this amazing illness:

1. Hearing the words Fat Quarter makes you salivate.
2. You buy fabric on impulse with no plan of how you're going to use it.
3. You never walk out of a fabric store empty-handed.
4. You spend hours staring at or reorganizing your stash, just to remind you of the beauty you own.
5. You find it hard to use your fabric out of fear that you might "spoil" your stash.
6. You've had to include a "fabric fund" in your monthly budget. ("Amen to that!" says my Hubby)
   

I recently fed this addiction this past weekend. At Clementine's I bought 2 fat quarters of Jay McCarroll fabric: Garden Friends and Woodland Wonderland. I don't have anything like it in my stash, so I thought, what the heck? I might as well indulge.


And I found this incredibly fun summer time print called "Juicy" by Alexander Henry at Joann Fabrics.


P.S. I'm thinking about opening an Etsy Shop and selling some of my paintings, prints, & fun sewing projects. What chy'all think about that? Should I do it?

Baggu Grosgrain Guest GIVEAWAY

Baggu Grosgrain Guest GIVEAWAY!!!!

I love these grocery totes. Such a stylish way to be Green.

Overalls and Mailboxes

Picture this:
A little blond-headed girl wearing bib overalls is going to the hardware store with her Dad. As they enter the store, she takes a deep breath and breathes in that wonderful aroma that only a hardware store possesses. It's overwhelming. As she walks around with her Dad, she is intrigued by the various sizes of nails, the beautifully decorated mailboxes, and the nice old man working behind the service counter. It's amazing.

*Sigh*

What a memory. Ya see, that little girl is me, and when I was younger, that's how I spent many a Saturday morning. My Dad and I would jump in the truck and head to Thacker's, the local hardware store. It was a perfect Daddy-Daughter Date. Once my little brother got old enough, he came with us and I was able to show him the enchantment of the nails and mailboxes. But no matter how old we got, I'll always remember it as a Daddy-Daughter moment.

And today, I get to celebrate my Dad, or Diddy, as I call him, because it's his Birthday. So Happy Birthday Diddy! I love you so much. Don't worry, we'll get to celebrate when you come up to visit in a couple of weeks!

My Playdate with Kate

My dear friend Kate and I had a fun sewing lesson yesterday. She too, has fallen in love with all of the bright and beautiful fabric lines that are out there and wants to get into sewing. So her first project was a throw pillow for her bed. Of course, we went down to Clementine's to pick out the fabric. I'm convinced Cami has the gift of creating an atmosphere that makes people just fall in love with beautiful fabric. Here are some fun photos of the lesson in progress...


Kate chose one of Amy Butler's Nigella prints, which is hilarious because I just made a throw pillow with the same stuff. Amy, apparently this stuff has a sign on it that says, "Make me a throw pillow, please!"


It was a delightful morning filled with chatting, drinking Starbucks, and googling over the most beautiful fabric in the world.

Oh...One last thing that I forgot to share...I got a job!! It's a 3 month internship at Willow Marketing. Once the internship is over, I will have an evaluation, which could lead to another internship opportunity or the possibility of a full-time job. I am soo stinking excited!!!! (Hence the large amount of exclamation points).

And to celebrate, my amazingly wonderful Hubby bought me a gift from Anthropologie and Papyrus. AND he took me out to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Stir Crazy. He's just so good to me.



What better day could you ask for?

Muntedkowhai Necklace GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Muntedkowhai%Necklace GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Generations

I was looking through some older photos the other day for a school project and I stumbled upon the photos I took in Amsterdam back in 2005. Many of them are framed and scattered around our home, but I love finding the ones that haven't been printed that just say so many things.

Like this one...Taken on the beach of the North Sea. Two generations so far from each other. It almost looks like they're helping each other walk.

Lil' Bro

Today my Lil' Bro turns the big Twenty-One.

*Sigh*
It seems like only yesterday that we looked like this...
And now we're all "growed up."
When did that whole thing happen?

Another Celebration Give-Away

There's a give-away going on over at Simply This That & The Other.
You could win 6 fun prizes to celebrate her 703rd blog post.
So head over there and enter for your chance to win.

My Mom Says I'm Out of Control

And I would have to agree with her.
But it's a good out of control...if that's possible? I just keep sewing and sewing and sewing.

My Hubby and I were talking a while ago about how I wanted to make a new pillow case for our over-sized throw pillow on our couch. So, the other day, I made one. No pattern. No real plan. Just had some beautiful Amy Butler Nigella home decor fabric that I wanted to use and that was the perfect color for our living room. I just love it! So here it is...

The front has an off-centered block surrounded with white sashing and since I didn't have a zipper for the closure, I used ribbon to make pretty bows that would seal it closed.


It was a quick project and I enjoyed making it...and the Hubby loves cuddling with while watching TV.

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P.S. There's a One Year Blogiversary Give-Away going on over at Park City Girl. Enter for your chance to win this bag!

New Books! New Books! La-La-La-La-La-La!

Sam's Club is always a dangerous place for the Hubby and I to go to, but where else can you buy 30 rolls of toilet paper and 5lbs of frozen broccoli and not break the bank? And who would have ever thought that the Hubby would find three amazing Birthday presents for me? No - It's still not my Birthday (not until April 27th in case you were wondering). BUT - one of the things he bought me is a seasonal item and we were afraid that Sam's would run out or stop selling it before my Birthday. So here it is:

It's a patio vegetable garden and I am sooo excited! This will be the first year that I actually attempt to grow fresh produce and I needed somewhere to do it on our porch. At first I was going to use some of my other planters and containers and not get as many flowers this year, but Dustin found this and thought I would love it. And oh was he right! I'm going to be able to grow tomatos, green beans, parsley, basil, lettuce, and possible strawberries. Oh happy day!

The next two presents just make my little sewing heart full of joy. There are some books that I've had my eye on for a while and Sam's had two of them for a great discounted price. They are Last Minute Patchwork Gifts & Weekend Sewing.


Not only are these books filled with beautiful projects, but they are designed so beautifully. I can't wait to start making some of these projects. Perhaps they will help me figure out a fun pattern for my Anna Maria Horner quilt.