facebook!

I am really excited! If you haven't already guessed by the title of the post, little lovelies is now on facebook. 

I said when I started this blog I didn't want fb or twitter accounts. Well, I am sticking with half of that. I honestly just cannot get into twitter. I like have a panic attack when I see all those symbols and abbreviations. It's like a code that I don't get - I guess I am just super lame. Wanna know why I have a personal twitter account? To enter giveaways - ha!

Alas, I have had a change of heart on my social media ban for this blog. I am reeeeally excited for facebook because I love connecting with all of you. I would love to have a place to ask questions, get a response, maybe feature some of your projects, whatever. I just want it to be a less "formal" place where we can online hang out.

Does that sound good? If it does, please head on over to facebook and like little lovelies. Please? I even had a blog button made (check it out on the right side of my blog). Make me feel cool - I feel pretty lame with my current 4 likes - especially since two of them are my husband and I :)

You can also find me on Pinterest (need an invite? I have some - send me an email). 

Let's be fb (and pinterest) friends. It will be fun!

summer embroidery

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I was working on a simple embroidery piece. I finished it a week or so ago, but am just now getting around to photographing and posting it. 

For the banner, I used colors inspired by  sherbet. Isn't it so summery and serene?

I just sketched the pattern onto the cloth with a pencil and just filled in the flags as I went along. No real pattern - just some practice and relaxation. 

Happy (almost) summer!

overload

I am working on so much. Something for Sawyer, something for me, something to decorate our home, something for a guest post.

My craft room is exploding with projects and inspiration. 

What a lucky girl I am. 

  

Have a great week everyone. 

giveaway winner!

Ready to hear who the winner of this sweet prize is?

Chosen by random.org, the winner is:

ArtsyNina said...

New follower! Lovely blog :) And that little pin cushion is so stinkin' cute. Both the box and chair need to come to my house! LOL

Congratulations, Nina! I will be sending you an email. Thanks to everyone who entered, and most of all thanks to all of you for reading.

I am off for the night. Guess what I am doing? Watching Star Wars with my husband. For the first time ever. Considering the movie just started and I asked like five times "Is he a good guy or a bad guy?" it might be a long night. 

five things friday: books

It's finally Friday - and the Friday of a holiday weekend, which magnifies the awesomeness of Friday! Fridays are my favorite - I love the feeling of leaving the office on a Friday afternoon, all the hope and freedom of a whole weekend stretching before me. I literally walk outside, take a big gulp of fresh air, and heave a sigh of relief that I conquered another week. It's a good feeling. 

Onto five things...

Thanks to my new nook, I have really been reading a lot. It is nice to carry all my books that I am reading with me at once. So I thought for this week's five things I would share some of my favorite books. Sound good?

1. Harry Potter (all of them). Seriously, I don't even care if anyone thinks HP is stupid or makes fun of me or whatever. I l.o.v.e these books. I watch every day for my Hogwarts letter, but still nothing. What's up with that?

2. The Hunger Games series. I just finished these and oh, man, they are good. I thought I wouldn't be into them but I was wrong. I could not put them down. I read all three in a week. Read them. 

3. Love Walked In. This is one of my all time faves. I got it on the clearance rack at Borders a couple years ago and I have read it like three times. It is an unexpected, clever romantic book without being dirty or too sappy or mushy. It is just good. (There is also a sequel called Belong to Me, which is equally as good). 

4. Wuthering Heights. I had to put a classic on here because I do love the classics so much. I love this book because it is haunting. It is one of those stories that sticks with you. You keep thinking about it even after you put it down- a sign of a good book for me. 

5. All the other books I like. This is totally cheating, but it's my blog, so I get to break rules. I just can't put a definitive number on the books I love. So here are some others: Little Women, Memoirs of a Geisha, Little House on the Prairie (no I am not eight years old), Tuesdays With Morrie, and on and on. My favorites change so I can't really say what my one single fifth favorite is.
 

I am currently reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief. I also have Tina Fey's new book on my nook but haven't started it yet. I think there should be like 4 more hours in the day just for reading. Mandatory be quiet and read time - wouldn't that be nice?

What are you reading now? Got any recommendations? Share, please!

dusting off

It has been one of those weeks. Let down, overwhelmed, kind of just blah. Because of the week (and past couple weeks) that I have had, I have been laying low because I don't want to let my gloom slip into my blogging. I don't want to be a pity party blogger - I dislike that. 

So here I am, saying "Give me a minute, I'll be right back. Let me get it together." (Also eating ice cream and watching Glee, but who is asking?). 

I am picking myself up, dusting off, and getting on with it. After all, my problems are nothing compared to what is facing those who have gone through the terrible storms in St. Louis (my city), Joplin, the Midwest, and the South. Send a prayer for the families who have been struck by this. I can't even imagine the heartache and loss.

So, I will be back on the proverbial craft horse this weekend. I have like 11 projects I am working on (not exaggerating). Tomorrow I will have 5 things Friday. Saturday I will announce my giveaway winner, and hopefully this weekend and next week I will be able to get some projects posted - embroidery, a table runner, more embroidery, knitting, and other stuff.

On a high and unrelated note, I survived Sawyer's first bleeding injury. He tripped and fell head first into a toy, cutting a gash in his lip with his front tooth. Lots of blood and wooziness (on my part) later, he is fine, acting like nothing happened, and keeps playing with the chunk of skin hanging from his lip (GAG! Sorry I tooootally just grossed you all out). Here's to hundreds more injuries with my wild thing!

See you back here this weekend - it's gonna be a fun one!

sweet sunday afternoon

I cherish sweet Sunday afternoons. Long naps for Sawyer, quiet crafting time for me, and of course lots of playing . The perfect recharge for the long week ahead. 

Have a great week. 

five things friday: phone pics

Anyone else have like a million pictures on their phone? I have so many - mostly Sawyer of course, and while unloading them to my computer, I thought it would be fun to share them with you.

 

1. Sawyer at the playground in Disney World. One happy kiddo.

2. Shopping at Home Depot. Sunglasses? check. Sippy cup? check. Cool? check.

3. Playing guitar with daddy.

4. Dress up.

5. Anderson gave Sawyer his watch to play with in the car (i.e. to stop the thrashing that ensues when we try to buckle him in the carseat). Sawyer then proceeded to put it around his neck. He was very proud.

Happy Friday!

 

what's up

I feel kind of jumbled. Lots going on in my head, lots to do - just lots. Here is what I am up to and what I am thinking about.

Projects I am working on:

--I started a little embroidery piece. No pattern, nothing hard - no challenge really. Just something relaxing and enjoyable and peaceful. I will probably finish it up this weekend and share it with you.

--I also have an idea for a table runner that I want to get started on. I have a feeling it will take a few nights of work, but if it works out like I think it should work out in my head, then it is going to be awesome.

--I bought this cross stitch pattern and want to start on it. I am sharing my totally geeky side with you - I love Harry Potter and will proudly display tiny little Harry Potter cross stitch pieces in my home :)

source

Isn't it cute?! - it's Harry's friends. I love Hagrid's pink umbrella. Check out weelittlestitches for tons of cute, geeky, awesome patterns. I want to make all of them...

Random ramblings:

--Anderson is trying to get me to watch Star Wars. I have never seen one movie (to which my Brazilian husband asks me if I am even an Amercian?) and have never really cared to. Want to know how he is trying to convince me to watch them? By telling me it is like Harry Potter in space. Heh. Is that true?

--My epic battle with crochet wages on. I have read all of your tips, picked up the book again to keep trying, but have yet to start actually crocheting again. I am just regrouping for the next battle.

--Thanks so much for reading my little blog. I just want to tell you all that. It is so encouraging and fun and awesome that I am writing things, making things, asking questions and getting such great responses from all of you. It makes me happy. So thanks. You rock.

What is on your mind? Projects, Start Wars opinions, weekend plans? Share please!

a cry for help

This is an official cry for help. I have a crafting problem. I bounce back and forth between what I will label "genres" of crafts. One week I am all into knitting, the next I am into embroidery, then I burn myself out and move onto something else... on and on, eventually making it back into knitting. It's like a crop rotation only a lot more yarn and glue, less dirt and nothing like crop rotation.

That's not the problem though. The problem is that I want to learn a new craft - crochet. So I picked up a book on crochet, some crochet hooks and watched a ton of videos and got to work. I would like to say that I got it and I learned to crochet and I am happily working away on something totally adorable. NOT the case.

I can make a chain to start it all out. I can single crochet, double crochet, yo, slip, all that stuff. What I cannot do is put it all together to make it into something. I don't understand where you insert the hook, how many extra chains to make to start a new row, which stitch to stop at. My extremely analytical and mathematical accountant's brain needs to understand the why behind crochet.

First of all, do you understand my problem? Or am I crazy? (Yes.) But do you understand what I mean - when someone says if you want to make 5 double crochets than you need to chain 7 stitches, what does it all mean??

Second, if you know of any great tutorials or easy to follow videos, please share! You don't have to try to explain it to me, but if you know someone who does, direct me their way please.

That is all. I just want to make this:

Source: rufflesandstuff.com via Allison on Pinterest

(On another note, anyone have problems centering embedded Pinterest photos? Obviously I do.)

giveaway day!

It's a great time to be a follower of little lovelies, because I have an awesome giveaway for you!

When I started this little old blog in February, I didn't dream that I would already have over 300 followers. But I do. And it is so cool. I have received so much support and inspiration, and I am happy I had a dream and went for it. I am still dreaming, still making big huge goals for myself and I am happy to have all of my followers along for the ride. 

Want to see what the lovely prize is? EEEEeeeee! (that was me squealing in excitement, which I do actually do in real life. ha!)

A most adorable little pincushion and matching sewing box. And look, the cushion even lifts to store all your little goodies. Cuuu-ute!

Do you love it? Do you?!! I know I do - I am so excited!

Please read the rules carefully: 

1. Be a follower of this blog via Google Friend Connect (GFC) and leave one comment on this post. You can find the convenient follow button on the right hand side of my blog. 

2. That's it. Easy right? Be a follower, leave one comment. 

3. Open to continental US residents only because of shipping costs. Sorry, everyone else! My next giveaway will be open to everyone, promise!

4. The giveaway will end Friday, May 27, 2011 at 10:00pm Central time.

5. The winner will be chosen via Random.org and announced on Saturday, May 28, 2011.

6. If your email is not linked to your profile, please leave it in your comment.

Phew, I think that's it. Really the only rule is be a follower and leave one comment. I just have to say all the other stuff I guess.

tutorial: mini grad cards

First of all, don't forget to enter my sewing box and matching pin cushion giveaway here. Promise you, you want to win this :)

It's that time of year again - graduation season. I don't know about you, but every year we know of quite a few graduates. To save money, and to add a personal touch to what is usually a card full of money, I made these mini graduation cards. 

Here is what you will need to make these cute little cards:

•  3x6 pieces of card stock
• black and white card stock
• embroidery thread
• glue dots
• brads
• a template for your grad hats - I made mine by drawing a diamond for one piece. For the other piece I drew 3 lines - connected the top three lines with a straight line and connected the bottom three lines with curves.
• scissors
• stamp and black ink (not pictured)

 

1. Start by tracing and cutting out your hat pieces. 

2. Insert a brad in the middle of your diamond piece, but not too tight. You can see in the picture above that there is a bit of gap - you will need that gap to fit the thread for your tassel. 

3-6. Make the tassel for your hat by looping the embroidery thread around the brad, pulling it tight, and then cutting the threads to an even length.

7. Connect your two hat pieces with a glue dot. 

In my original card plan, there was no sentiment (which is why the stamping materials are not pictured in the supplies list). After I saw the cards I knew they needed something else. 

8. Stamp your sentiment on a piece of white card stock. 

9. Cut the sentiments into long strips.

10. Fold the strips into banners. 

Use glue dots to attach the hats and banners to the front of the cards and you are done! Simple, right? And I bet you have most, if not all, of the supplies on hand.

You can customize the cards to match school colors or to match your graduates favorite colors. Easy, fun, and personal - my favorite kind of project.

Linking Up: