These Days...

...have been full.

Not quite busy, just full. A bit of a step forward from our quiet, country time with my Grandparents you might say : )

Days full of...

{Reading} Lots of books on U.S. History,

different American authors and their lives,

and...

{Memorizing} our country's presidents names, how long they were in office,

and who their vice presidents were.

{Studying} all of the above and beginning to study for another exam.

Yes, time is precious and not a thing to be squandered.

{Cleaning} Spring cleaning to be exact. We shampooed the upstairs carpet and re-arranged our bedroom furniture for the first time in four years--

that's right, we've re-arranged our living room 500 times since we moved in

(including the piano)...not sure why we left the bedrooms out of the fun.

{Organizing} closets. Mine has been lacking since I turned half of it into my creative centre. Now I can safely walk to that side of the closet

and think of all the wonderful things, waiting to be made.

{Planning} Meticulously planning my time. Between studying, living, and a new venture.

Oh, yes, exciting news is just around the corner and I can't wait to share it with you!

Stay tuned!

{More Studying} Two big exams, only a few weeks apart--need I say more?

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Also, I'd like to introduce another lovely space on this blog

(Right below "The Daily Inspiration").

The Daily Lit is a recent, fun find that brings wonderful novels right to your inbox.

It's very free and will send you scheduled installments of books on your list by email.

I got my first installment of Eight Classic Short Stories, especially for the summer time.

Hope this is something you can add to your morning coffee!

Here Comes the Sun

It's the end of May and it already feels like summer here in Houston!
As much as I love the chilly months, it must be said that each new season brings something enjoyable--and I think the same can be said about the seasons in our lives.

Right now I am so content in my stage of life.

I love living at home and being able to spend my time with my family,

being able to learn about so many different things, have the abilities to go certain places and do things that I may not be able to do later and that I certainly was not able to do five years ago.

I love the pace of life that we have in my family and how busy I am

(although, at times it can be difficult to manage).

I think that may be one of the reasons that I like change:

because it bring so many new and different challenges and advantages.

Yes, there is adjusting and sometimes a bit of trial that takes place--

but in many ways it is a benefit and spurs on a growth and a patience

that really couldn't have taken place before.

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Also, here are some neat ideas for your quiet summer moments--

I hope you'll have time to try some of these,

enjoy!

Decoupaged Boxes

~ a great way to decorate anything from craft boxes to a collage frame, to a tin bucket!~

Lace Luminarias

~a fun and easy way to brighten up an outdoor party.~

Signature Plates

~this is a neat wedding gift or a housewarming/hostess gift!~

Design*Sponge

~this is one of my favorite art blogs!

A great place to look around for fun inspirations, DIY's, and even recipes!~

Spoons and Almonds

:: Design*Sponge ::

For the past few weeks we have been experimenting with my Grandma's new BlendTec--and we love it! There are so many fun possibilities that you can do! My favorites have been ice cream and making our own almond flour (our newest gluten-free staple).

Last week I made peanut butter ice cream (So yummy!), avacado, and mango ice cream.

We're pretty happy that our parents are back in the States now; although we won't see them until the end of the week (for sweet Dominic's birthday party!), it's nice to know we're all in the same time zone now!

Please check out Christa Taylor's blog, Empowered Traditionalist, if you haven't already. There are cute ideas, links, and great thoughts; it's always something interesting!

Recently, she's posted some neat fashion/creative blog links, enjoy!

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And what's with the spoon picture you ask?

Well, I thought it would be a cute, rustic house-warming gift or a children's toy idea

--how cute are those little faces!

{Happy Tuesday}

I really like colorful dishes and particularly the robin's egg blue in this one; it's one of my favorite colors! I can just imagine it in a kitchen with black, cream, and a buttery yellow.

The way these dishes are on display is so neat, and reminds me a bit of the French Country style (I'd love to have one of those industrial sink heads, they're so helpful!)

Grouping photos like this is something my Mom and I would love to do in the stairwell at our house. I usually see it with frames of the same color, but I kind of like the simple, thin frames idea too, we'll see :)

And this one? Well, I thought it was a really neat picture; it captures the tone of our stay with our Grandparents so far. Just very tranquil and sweet.

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Also, here is a great book for anyone even thinking about selling their handmade goods!

A sweet friend told me about The Handmade Market Place a while ago, and I was so encouraged and full of ideas after I read it! Kari gives practical, encouraging advice on most everything regarding marketing and selling your goods. There are also some great resources and blog links that are helpful and informative.

I hope this is something you will add to your creative library!

{Picture Credit: I'm quite certain all of these came from Oh, Hello Friend}

Sew Sweet+ London

::Yes, it is the chair again, I saw it at Anthro a while ago.

If you see it just sit in it, don't look at the price--too sad::

I've come across another great blog link!

This one came from Soule Mama, on her book list, and I was attracted to it because of the great refurbished cardigan on the cover. Sewing Bits and Pieces looks like a fun book to give ideas for all of those scrap pieces of fabric you have in your possession. I can only imagine what cute things you could do with the projects!

The author, Sandi Henderson, also has a website (with a free projects page!) and a blog called Portabello Pixie. Both have cute designs and

I'm looking forward to getting ideas and projects from her!

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In other news, we are getting ready for my Mom to meet my Dad in the UK.

He is there on business and will be until the end of May. Thankfully Mom will be able to spend the next two weeks with him. Us girls will be staying with our grandparents in the hill country of Burnet, Texas. In addition to a crash course in Spanish, we'll be busy cooking, sewing, knitting, walking, and studying. I'm enjoying the pleasures of living "out in the country":

fresh wildflowers every day,

being able to look across the street and see nothing but wildflowers and pecan trees,

hearing the windchimes,

and beautiful sunsets.

Now, I'm not saying it's perfect!

After all, who wants to miss important phone calls on account of the spotty service?

At any rate, I am so excited for my Mom. England is so lovely and they are staying in such a sweet little hotel! Although London is very expensive, I'm sure Mom will have no lack of things to do. They don't charge you to walk around; she could even feed the birds by St. Pauls--

it's only tuppence a bag...

Inspiration {Mother's Day}

{Martha Stewart}

Paper flowers to decorate

{MarthaStewart}

blueberry blintzes (!!!)

{MarthaStewart}

Ah, simple eggs and toast, a wonderful thing to see in the morning.

This is an easy peasy way to make breakfast special,

who knew cookie cutter's could make such a difference?

{photo courtesy of Martha Stewart}

Here is a lovely tutorial on making floral paper cut out cards; these would be great particularly for Mother's Day and all the year round when you want to send a special note to someone.

Here is another fun website for vintage type cards, enjoy!

I hope these have inspired you to do something extra special to show your mother, sister, or grandmother how you love them.

Sew Liberated

:: I really like this arrangement ::

So, as I've finished my morning oats with fruit and contemplating a cup of tea, I'm looking at this week on the calender and hoping that with all of the studying, visiting with family (!!!), and general business, I can make time to visit this great new blog find:

Sew Liberated

The book by the same name is on my wish list, along with a few others.

Just perusing through the blog, I've seen many great resources and projects!

I love the patterns and colors she choses.

Also, for those of you looking to reupholster something, create window treatments, or just like to collect home decor fabric, Joann's is having a great 50% off of all home decor fabrics!

Whether this morning you woke up to a pale sunrise or just the alarm clock, I hope it was a good start to your week and that you're able to enjoy a chair and a cup of hot tea sometime!

::p.s. If anyone has tried reproducing the above floral arrangement, let me know!

I just think it's so cute and would go perfectly with an outdoor meal and some lemonade.

Spring: Cleaning and Arranging

I've started my re-upholstery project at last!

It is a simple, swivel chair that had hundreds of staples; now I'm working on pinning and cutting fabric, very exciting (!!). Although I must say that I am now eyeing other chairs in our house, it was pretty fun to pull out all of those staples :)

And, in case you were wondering, my lace cardigan is coming along! Although I am finding that this is a project that I cannot multi-task with unfortunately. But I can listen to things while knitting it! Only please do not talk to me, the answer may come back in pattern form.

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Well, I was looking across some older projects and I thought of a great company that sells very cute yarns and patterns:

Spud and Chloe

There is an especially cute sweater/hat set called Baby Bartlett--check it out. It's so very adorable.

Speaking of adorable, this Bubble dress from Amanda Soule, would look just yummy on my niece Mia, she has the little squishy arms to pull it off :)