Wouldn't ya know?

I'm not the only one with embroidery on the brain. A Print a Day (wildly fabulous and talented) decided to venture out into embroidery pattern design. I LOVE LOVE LOVE her first free pattern. Check it out here.

Needle & Thread

This past month we had birthdays/holidays galore at my house. June is always a bit nutty between end of the school year and all the birthdays. I turned to my trusty needle and {embroidery} thread to make some personalized gifts.

For one of my favorite friends, I made a family tree.
I embroidered all her family names on the green polka dot fabric.
I embroidered the family name sign for the tree.
I cut out the tree, heart and leaves.
Then top stitched (via sewing maching) them all to the
plaid fabric. A layer at a time.
I framed it in an 11x14 frame.
I love the way it turned out (if I do say so myself).
I chose to blur the names here for {obvious} privacy reasons.
Hopefully you still get the jist of it:

It combined my love of sewing and embroidery.

I also made some gifts for my teachers at my photography workshop.
I asked them to take pictures of their gifts for me because I ran out of time
and didn't get to take them myself before I gave them to Kim & Jennifer.
I used Elsie's camera pattern & put their logos on the lens.
They were just a tad different from each other based
on what I knew of them from their blogs.
Kim was nice enough to send me some pictures:

She sure knows how to rock a camera.
Thanks to her I have a new profile pic!
(the one up there on the left sidebar <----------)
{I'll post the picture of Jennifer's gift when I get one from her}

If you are as crazy into embroidery as I am, here are a few ideas/patterns:
Wild Olive is fabulous.
She has a downloadable workshop each month.
I particularly love the month of April.
And she has a flickr acct with free patterns here.
Felt aquarium magnets from The Purl Bee
Tangarang's woodland creatures
Lollychops has a great embroidery pattern section

One Red Robin's little bear pattern
And for the basics- Embroidery 101 at Instructables

Or take a look at my old embroidery posts-
over ther ----------> on the right sidebar under needle arts.

{Have you done any embroidery projects lately?
Care to share?}

Pillow Genius

After a great getaway, I'm back and getting into the groove. Over 500 posts in my Bloglines later and I'm ready to share some favorites. Here's a post I started before I left (and ran out of time to finish):

Who would've thought? A whole post about pillows?
There are some COOL ideas.

Amazing Mae's road trip pillowcase

Maya*Made's child's travel pillow

Another road trip pillow by the Creative Juices of Ariel

Moda Bakeshop's Sweet n Shabby pillow cover

My Mama Made It's sweater pillow Erica's tote bag pillows on Design*Sponge

Kelly & Olive's how to make a ruffled pillow

Taking a break

Hello all. I'm sitting in my mother-in-law's beautiful river home typing via dial up. I thought I might be able to blog a bit but based on how long it took me just to get to this page, I won't.
Instead we'll be floating down the river, watching fireworks and playing {lots of} games.
So have a fabulous 4th of July. And I'll be back after the weekend.

Oops

I did it again. I forgot to pick the winner yesterday.
I just can't seem to get it together lately. In my defense I am packing up to head on a 10ish hour drive today so my brain is a bit frazzled. Anyway, on with the good news......


Here's the proof of the winner

Which means this is the lucky girl!

Email me Audie so I can get you in touch with the
fabulous Lindsay. I know she'll take care of you! ;)
And everyone else- hurry over to the shop and get
some adorable stuff with the discount.
(refer to the giveaway post)

Thank you SO much Linds!

4th of July ideas

There are so many great 4th of July ideas out there. I decided to highlight the ones I haven't seen as much. Here are my favorites:

4th of July wreath by Pampering Beki

Joy's Hope's 4th of July outfit (LOVE)

Katherine Marie's red, white & blue post

Old fashioned 4th of July crafts from Create My Event

Kids 4th of July crafts from The Crafty Crow

How to photograph fireworks from Digital Photography School

4th of July dessert round up by Hostess with the Mostess

Flag etiquette from The Finer Things

And check out my 4th of July post from last year for more ideas.

Introducing

{This is a sticky post. Scroll down for new posts.}

Hello 30dayers. I want to introduce you to my friend Lindsay. She's the one that I got to meet up with in AZ last week. Not only is she super fun to be around, a wonderful friend but she's got the best style of anyone I know. She created a company called Banner Boutique that sells one of a kind hair accessories for girls and women. All of her products are adorable!!
Here's just a small sampling of what she has in her shop:


and isn't this so cute and clever?:

Today Banner Boutique is offering a
$50 gift certificate to one 30 day reader!!!
(that's you)
You get (1) entry for leaving a comment of your favorite find
over at the shop.
and then you can do any of these things for additional entries:
(pretty please post a separate comment for each addditional entry you do)
+ 1 entry for posting about the giveaway on your blog
+ 1 entry for putting a button on your blog:

+1 entry for tweeting about it
+ 1 entry for announcing it on Facebook
+1 entry for emailing your friends about the giveaway,
just bcc me on it, please.

Not to mention, during the giveaway,
Lindsay is offering a discount for those
who purchase and put the
code 30days in the *notes to seller*
when checking out:
10% off orders over $20
15% off orders over $35
20% off orders over $60.00

So if you'd rather just go ahead and purchase
now you can do that and get a deal!

This giveaway will run for one week.
I will pick the winner on Tues, June 30th.
Good luck!
{And a big thanks Lindsay!}

I know, I know, I know

I said boy stuff. But I can't help myself- just look at what my fabulous sister created:
no instructions or tutorial (yet- pretty please Jess??)....
but I just had to share. I'm dying over the cuteness factor.
And she's my sister- guess what I'll be requesting for my birthday?????
and here's the kicker-
it only cost her $3.
She repurposed a $3 thrift store cardigan
and used fabric scraps she had on hand.
{What have you repurposed lately?}

Summer crafty series; creative car week

{where we end up after the 10 hour drive}

So what do you do when you have a 10 hour-ish (give or take an extra potty break or a speeding ticket on the way) drive to beautiful southern Oregon? You dread it. And then you get busy trying to create something to entertain the kids after they've watched 3 straight Pixar movies in a row.

Here's solution number 1:
custom car books
I have 2 out of 3 almost done with less than a week to go
(which is WAY good for this procrastinator)
I gathered pictures on my computer and
using PSE7, I created this fun, interactive book.

For my 3 year old I did some tracing, matching and coloring.
For my 7 year old I did cursive tracing, favorites and car games.
Only my 9 year old to go- he's the tricky one. ;)
Laminated them up.
Next I will bind them at Kinko's.
I'm bringing along dry erase markers from them to trace
and color on their books (and erase and repeat, I hope).
{Click on pictures to enlarge} the 3 year old's the 7 year old's

I also plan to make cool car bags to organize all their junk stuff for the trip.
Think crayon roll/journal keeper/tote bag.
Of course I will post about it when they are done.

To join in on the Brassy Apple's fun series go here.
And check out other creative car ideas here.
Thanks for hosting this Meg!

In a funk

Hey there! For some reason this summer thing is killing my creative mojo. I have a few things to post later today....but wanted to take care of some business first.
If your name is Victoria & you won the My Tiny Star giveaway, please email me. If I don't hear from you by the end of today I'll be picking a new winner. And that would be sad.
Hope all of you are enjoying summer!! I'll be back in a bit.......

More for the girls

I promise I'll post some boy stuff soon-
I do have 2 boys myself. I know how hard it is
to find good boy stuff.
But I got one girl. Thank heavens for the girly girl I got.
Here are some cute cute cute ideas:
Beach party dress & top pattern and

Gymboree style top from Fiddlehead
Girls dress from man's shirt by the Idea Room

My Measuring Tape's panel dress

Pillowcase skirt from Renaissance

Little Birdie Secrets easy ruffle skirt
Oliver + S lazy days skirt pattern

Say Yes to Hoboken's cute flower belt

Homemade by Jill's flower headband

P.s. I'll be participating in Meg's crafty summer series again this week.
It's creativity for the car. Check out her cute I Spy Book.
I'll be back later with my idea. Join in on the fun!

Ooooopsss

Another week gone...just poof....
We got back from AZ and had one day before I
took my kids to visit my parents to celebrate my Mom's bday.
We're back and have less than 2 weeks before we're gone again.
(and tomorrow is my DH's bday and Sunday is Father's Day....
yah...life is not slowing down around here)

Anyway, I wanted to announce the winner from
Shelby Evan's giveaway:

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:14
Timestamp: 2009-06-19 04:25:40 UTC

That makes Clements Family the winner:
"Love them all...especially the ring!
I am a follower, and have your button!"

Email Me so I can get you your prize.

Thanks so much Shelby!
And go run to get something from her shop.
The prices are great and the product fabulous. ;)

Bejeweled

{This giveaway is now closed.}
I think by now you all know I'm a sucker for jewelry. So when I happened upon this shop, I contacted Shelby immediately. 'Please, pretty please, can you give something away? I know my readers would love your shop like I do.' Luckily, Shelby agreed.
{Thank you Shelby!}

Just take a peak at what her shop offers:

The possibilities on this one are endless:

Up for grabs this week:

This adorable set of stacked rings.
Wouldn't it look cute on your finger?
(or make a great gift too?)

To win the rings, visit Shelby's shop
and play by the rules:
comment on your favorite piece from her shop.
Easy as that.

I will pick the winner on Thurs, June 18th.

P.s. If you want extra entries, do one (or two, or all) of these things:
*tweet about it
*announce it on facebook
*become a follower of my blog
(if you are already a follower-THANKS!-
and still make a comment so you can get the extra entry)
*add my new button
<---------over there on the left sidebar *blog about it As always- no pressure- you don't have to do any extra ones if you don't want to- but if you do, leave a separate comment to let me know you did otherwise it won't count. Thanks!

Fun & Feminine

Some days you just gotta enjoy being a girl!

My Mama Made It's ruffle shirt redo &
ruffle skirt tutorial

Sis Boom's Rosettes

Ruffly headband from Heart of Light

How to make a floral fascinator from Craft Stylish
Vintage Earrings by Grosgrain

{What makes you feel girly?}

{Trip Recap}

I'm baaaacckkkk. And what a whirlind of a trip. The Mr. & I headed out Friday-midday and returned in time to watch the Lakers come out victorious. Josh and I got to spend time with my Ontie & Greg- who fed us well and made us feel super welcome {thank you Lisa & Greg!}.
I attended the Create Better Images Workshop with the amazing Jennifer Bowen & Kim Jarman. It was fun, informative and well worth the trip. To top it off, one of my favorite friends, Lindsay, and her fam were used as the family models for our shoot. It was great to catch up with her and see how big her kiddos have gotten since they moved away (boo) almost 2 years ago!

Here are some of my favorite shots of the day:

C was all about his cars the entire time

Lindsay makes adorable hair accessories here



Our "couple" shoot:
(they aren't a couple- Cristi's husband was out of town)

See you on the flip side

This week has some how gotten away from me. Couldn't possibly have to do with my kids being out of school and preparing for a weekend getaway? This time it's just me and the Mr...
I think I failed to mention on this blog that about a month ago my giveaway karma (???) came back to me in a major way. I was the lucky winner of a photography workshop. I am beyond excited (and a bit nervous). We head out today for a road trip with a stop at my aunt's house. While I'm learning how to take better pictures Josh will be playing with his cousin. It's a win-win situation.
So I'll be out of the "office" until Sunday but there will be a suprise waiting for you while I'm away. So check back in.
Have a great weekend!

Winner{s}

It's time to pick the lucky TWO for My Tiny Star giveaway.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:36
3
Timestamp: 2009-06-12 05:46:30 UTC

# 36victoria said...
so talented! I also love the thinking bench, me and ellie, and the favorite things series.

and
#3 Aurora said...
I LOVE the Oliver Owl pattern...I REALLY hope I win that. It's too cute!!!!

So you two lucky ladies, please email me so I can put you in touch with Star. Congrats!!
And thanks to Star for the great giveaway{s}!

Star Light, Star Bright

{This giveaway is now closed.}

Awhile back I stumbled upon the adorable shop My Tiny Star. I fell in love with Star's art. It's beautiful. Just take a look for yourself:

Isn't it amazing? The girl in the white dress reminds me of my
daughter- I love it!
Star has a blog as well:

Today Star is giving away 2 prizes!
First she's giving away one print of your choice.And second her Oliver Owl PDF pattern :

How cute is that?
And you can make as many as you want!

To win, play by the rules:
Visit My Tiny Star
Come back and tell me your favorites.
-Leave your comment on this post.
For an extra entry you can:
*tweet about it
*announce it on facebook
*become a follower of my blog
(if you are already a follower-THANKS!-
and still make a comment so you can get the extra entry)
*add my new button
<---------over there on the left sidebar *blog about it You don't have to do any extra ones if you don't want to- but if you do, leave a separate comment to let me know you didotherwise it won't count..... I'll announce the 2 winners on Thursday, June 11th.
Good luck!

Just a reminder:
you still have time to get in on the pettiskirt promo!

A quilting we will go

I have only attempted to quilt once-
under direct supervision from a pro (my friend Amanda)-
but I'd love to learn more/do more.......
it's on the list......
do I really need another obsession?
Don't answer that.
Here are some favorite finds:

Old Red Barn's quilt along
Oh Fransson's quilt along
Sew Mama Sew's doll quilt sew along

V & Co's baby girl quilt Paintbox Blocks &
Rick Rack Patchwork Blocks
by Oh Fransson
Finn's quilt by Chickpea Studio

How to make your own fabric labels
by remember your karma

Here are some other good resources:
Crazy Mom Quilts has a list mile long of quilt tutorials
check it out
Moda Bakeshop is another must read for quilting (I love this Princess Pea quilt on there)
Sew Mama Sew's quilt month
from last year has amazing posts too

And here's and old quilt post of mine that has some great links.

Traveling with kiddos

We are in full blown summer mode around my house.
Soon we'll be packing up and hitting the road.
I found some great tips for traveling with your kids:

Make & Take's packing for a trip with the kids
and check out her other related posts:
traveling with kids in the car
busy bags

House on Hill Road's clever kids packing list
Mommy Monsters, Inc tips for traveling with kids
Getting road trip ready video found via Tip Junkie
Kids neck pillow from Make It and Love It

Here are some free printables to check out:
Family Fun's travel games section
Travel games for kids at Kids Turn Central
Mom's Minivan printables
Best Westerns Fun on the Road

{What tips do you have for traveling with kids?}