happy tuesday// links

Howdy folks! 

This week I am making a list and working to schedule everything in so I can be ready for when I open shop again on June 18th. So far I've been busy cutting out patterns for clutches rather like these, planning which knits to put in the shop, and other projects (care to see some of my inspirations?).
Today is dedicated to sewing and nursing a Little Friend who is feeling a little poorly; she came by after lunch feeling ill and we've laid her up on the sofa with fresh mint tea and Little Women (as a matter of fact, I've got to scurry and finish so I can sit with her!). What makes you feel more comfortable when you feel ill?
As I've gotten older I rarely get any kind of malady, save for the occasional 24-hour flu bug, so when I do get ill it's rather a novelty.

Also this week I've decided to make more time for reading and am making a summer book list; though I love reading any and all sorts of books, it's hard for me to make the time for it (there always seems to be something else more useful to be doing!), but not this summer. Lately I've come across a few wonderful books and will hopefully make it a priority to read them. Here's what I have so far...

This Momentary Marriage by John Piper~first inspired by this tear-jerking video.
When the Darkness Will Not Lift also by John Piper
Psychobabble by Richard Ganz, about the failure of modern psychology and the Biblical alternative

This post could be longer but as I said, I have a Little Friend who needs me to watch Little Women with her and I love that sort of thing. :)

What are your summer plans?

announcement// happy vacation

The Etsy shop is on vacation! There are a few things I've been wanting to do with the shop and have now decided to take the time to do them. Thanks so much for your patience as I continually learn new things and grow in this area! Recently I was blessed to have the insight and advice of a fellow Etsian and artist so now I have a lovely "Let's Do This" list to be working on.
I'm also working on some custom orders and new shop items which take away from the time I would have been spending on my shop (were it still active and not on vacation mode). I can't wait to show you the new items when I return to Etsy on Monday, June 18th!! In the meantime, I'll be busy with sewing, knitting (once my wrists feel better!), living life, painting, and (today) making blueberry pie.
How about you?

Do any of you live in a "blueberry season" climate? I do! There may not be any apple picking around but we can pick fresh blueberries this month. Last year we were able to get nearly fifty pounds of blueberries and I hope we can get about that much this year (lasted us a good six months). Mostly we flash freeze and package them, then toss them into our daily smoothies or yoghurt; today, however, we'll depart from the text and make this delicious recipe.

What are your plans for the week?

heading west & a sneak peek

This past week has brought me back to the canvas and paint pens! A few months ago, I had painted this particular canvas some cheery shades of blue and yellow but due to my lack of inspiration I stored it in the closet. Has that ever happened to you? You start off on a project and get all excited about it only to come to the middle and realize you can't envision the finished product? Hm, maybe that's just me. ;)

As I said, this past week has brought it out again and I'm just putting the finishing touches on it; when I revisited the project, I knew that I wanted to put either a scripture verse or a line from a favorite hymn; well, after some debating I went with Hebrews 6:19. Somehow it seemed fitting to put a verse that had to do with the sea and I love that this verse has to do with something as cheerful as hope.
I'm not totally done with it yet but be expecting it in the shop soon!

In other news, I'm heading out west this coming week! Soon we'll be driving off into the sunset, going as far west as you can while still in Texas to visit family and friends; it'll be a grand time and I'm thinking/hoping there will be quite a bit of hiking involved. I'm looking forward to the dryer climate. ;)
All that to say that this space will be a wee quiet until the 21st of this month but don't throw this blog off entirely! I'm looking forward to introducing some new shop items and maybe even a diy project (gotta finish it first though ;) So, until next time, happy friday and happy trails.

p.s. I've update the shop profile! Take a look.

new shop items//posies

vintage upcycled fabric posey--bright floral craze

It's no secret that I love estate sale shopping.

The thrill of the chase is so fun and it makes for a really entertaining weekend at times. 

Well, one fine Saturday we girlies went to an estate sale, after walking through my usual rooms (kitchen, dining room etc) I made my way to the bedroom closet, and there I found it. Behind the granny sweaters and 80's cast-offs, there was the mumu; bright, cheerful, and nearly sliding off the hanger, it was there.

$4 later I was the happy owner and as soon as I got home I promptly pulled out the seam ripper and got to work on the gargantuan material. After cutting and singeing I sewed these bright beauties together (surviving with only one burn!) and now I present them to you. 

What do you think?

vintage upcycled fabric posey--peachy keen 

Personally, I think they'd make a great addition to your Mother's Day gift package.

Just say'in...

At any rate, I've been making some marvelous knitting discoveries (as you may have seen from this board); already I've added this bonnet pattern and this knitted top to my project list. Now the knitted top is kind of a really big deal for me, I've seen many knitted tops gone wrong in my short lifetime and I don't want to be that person walking around with an ill-fitted fiber top (perhaps you've seen sometime like that before). 

However, this seems like a pretty fool-proof pattern, and my hopes are high.

More on that later.

happy pinterest weekend

 

Happy Friday, ladies and gents.
What grand schemes do you have for the weekend?
For myself, the next few days will hold much laughter, stories, pillow talk, and good eats; yes, you guessed it, this is Sister Slumber Party Weekend! You know there are four girls in my family, well, we have a set of friends who are four sisters also (did that make sense?)! Though we have much in common (faith, convictions, interests, mutual affection for particular romantic comedies etc) we've only been together once as a group. So, in March we all marked our calendars for this weekend and are all meeting at mi casa for a weekend together. Yes, it's going to be marvelous (photos to come).

So, to start this weekend on the blog I thought I would share with you some of my favorite pins from my pinterest board (feel free to follow along!). Mostly I use it as a way to keep and organize the photos and ideas that inspire me; there is a craft board and I am thus far successful in actually using the pins that I post!
The above pin is taken from one of my favorite songs from this band; it's a shame they haven't done a concert in my city, ah well, youtube is almost as nice. ; )

If I lived in a climate that allowed it, I'd probably be dressed like this all most of the time; cardigans, sweaters, and cowls are so great.

Happy weekend everyone! Oh, and don't forget about this great giveaway--there's still time!
Perhaps sharing pins on Friday will become a tradition, what say you?

new products//hi there may

vintage 1969 pink floral recipe holder 

Today I wanted to formally introduce you to the new products in the shop. When I was listing them I was reminded of how hard it is to sell my vintage finds; there's something wonderful about walking into an older home and looking for fun, unique things. I love piecing the previous owner's life together, just using their earthly goods, trying to picture what their life was like and what they found beautiful.

vintage fabric piece--maple leaf pattern 

Also, don't forget about the fun giveaway going on at namaste by day! You still have five more days to skip hop over there and enter!

baby hat and bootie set--coffee and cream 

What are your goals this fine May?
Though we've just begun, I already have a few big ticket items knocked off the list--budgeting! Now the task is to faithfully plug in all of my personal/business spending and keep things looking tidy!
I'd also like to send out a few sample packages to different brick-and-mortar shops in my area and see about upping the number of items in the shop.

vintage scarf 1980s bright floral pattern

I'm also wanting to get some bigger craft projects finished; handmade spoon rings and felt flower wreath are in order, as well as some linen/burlap market bags and chalkpaint signs--what about you?

review & giveaway!

{Five Strand Boho Braided Headband}

Pardon the cheesy opening but I must ask, do you know what time it is?
That's right, it's time for another giveaway!

I'm very happy to announce today that I am giving away this new item over at
namaste by day 
I know, I'm so excited too,
so stop waiting in anticipation and skip hop over to this blog post to read the review, get to know Gina better, and enter into the giveaway!

As a side note, I wanted to share these fun links I've come across this week,

//Today I'll be gifting the yummy results from this Carmel Cake recipe, 

nothing says 'thank you' like homemade delicacies! 

//Lately I've been in a Brandi Carlile mood, this one has been a favorite--any other Brandi Carlile fans?

//So, so, so excited about this weekend and the sweet house guests we're having! More on this later but just know that there will be much to blog about on Monday! I'm also looking forward to using some of the recipes and ideas from this pinterest board.

//Speaking of pinterest, I've really been enjoying the pins coming from this board--how many other pinterest addicts pinners do we have here?