Crocheted Flower Hot Pads

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Lately, I haven't really been wanting to sit in front of my sewing table for more than an hour. I decided it was time to dust off my crochet hooks and try to make some of these. When I first saw these months ago, I was too scared to try them because they looked so complicated. But, they could not be easier to make!



It felt good to get back into crocheting. I hadn't made anything since this market tote. Crocheting is just as soothing as sewing, except you can take it anywhere with you. Yesterday, I sat down on my living room couch and watched a Reba marathon while I made a bunch of these flowers.



I also wanted to share this little treasure with you. I've always kept a journal since I was in elementary school but having a baby has made it a little difficult for me to keep up with one. This journal is called One Line A Day- A Five Year Memory Book and it allows you only a few lines to write in each day. For example, one page with hold everything you wrote on the 17th of May for five years. So easy to keep up with and it's interesting to see what you were doing a year ago today.





I got it online at Barnes & Noble but I've also seen it on Amazon.com, if you're interested.

I've assigned partners to the Swap this morning so please check your emails if you signed up and gave me all your info this week. If you didn't receive any notice from me, it's because I couldn't find a way to get in contact with you. I checked profiles and there were no blog links or email addresses visible. So sorry! But don't worry, I will be holding another swap closer to fall so next time please include you email address in your comment if it is not on your profile! Thanks to everyone who showed interest. I know it'll be a lot of fun and I can't wait to see what you all create!

Linking up here.

It's Been Awhile

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I haven't done much sewing this month because I've been reading and "spring cleaning" (which has leaked into summer). But yesterday I just had a craving so I whipped up a cute handbag.



I used fabrics from Momo for Moda's "It's a Hoot" line, which I've used before here and here, among other scrappy projects.



I got the pattern for this cute bag from this book that I bought at Hobby Lobby.



Just made a few adjustments to accommodate my half yard fabrics that I had left. I took off about 2 inches from all the measurements that were given. I also added fusible interfacing.



Among the things I love about this purse is that you can wear the handles two different ways, depending on if you want to wear it on your shoulder or just carry in your hand.





I'm listing this bag in my shop tonight. About the swap that I mentioned in my last post, I was so happy and surprised to receive quite a few responses for it. I'm going to email each of you to see if you are interested in signing up officially so that I can assign all of you swap partners. I'm so excited! If some of you are still interested in signing up, please leave a comment including your email address. I will leave the sign up open until Wednesday July 27th before I assign partners. Thank you all for your interest!

Linking up here.

Swap Anyone?

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I was so bummed a few weeks ago when I realized I'd missed out on the Craftaholics Anonymous Handmade Gift Exchange. I love swaps! Especially having to do with handmade things. So I'm hoping somebody out there would possibly be interested in doing a swap with me?? Anyone?
*crickets chirping*

I love this idea because I enjoy making things for others more than I do for myself and I would love to receive something I wouldn't normally make (or have the confidence to try to make). Like a super cute pin cushion!





Love is in the details! I just don't have the patience for this kind of stuff but I would love to have one! And kitchen stuff is always good. Love mug rugs and pot holders (which I've yet to try)






Other things I love:

- FABRIC
- mugs
- home decor
- frames
- books
- zipper pouches
- craft/sewing supplies

But these are not requirements, I assure you. Just throwing out some cute ideas. Surprise me! And I promise I'll be a good swap partner! I'll throw in lots of extra goodies and I'm totally flexible with the deadline. I'd like to do this often so please comment or email me if you're interested!!

Just Call Me Katniss

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Hi friends! Just wanted to drop by and let you all know that I'm still here, alive and well! I apologize for not returning emails or replying to your lovely comments but I promise you, they have not gone unnoticed.

This past week, I have been alternating back and forth between being a 27 year old wife and mom on vacation to being a 17 year old girl stuck in a love triangle and experiencing the adventure of a lifetime. So, as you can see, blogging has been a bit impossible for me.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm referring to "The Hunger Games". Yep, I have been sucked into the madness!



I think I broke my own reading record with this series. I read the first book in 24 hours and finished the other two within four days. I could not put it down! Even after I'd forced myself to put the book away at night, I'd lie awake in bed thinking about it! Needless to say, there were several precious hours of sleep lost this past week but all worth it. I was sad when I came to the last page and realized that it was all over and I wouldn't be able to escape into the world of Panem anymore. BUT!!! I cheered up a little when I found out there is a movie in the making and the release date will be March 23, 2012. So, if you have not read these books yet and you enjoy an occasional dose of teen fiction, you must read them!

Besides reading, my vacation was a lot of fun. I didn't get to take a lot of pictures because I kept forgetting to take out my camera (I would take out my book instead) but I did manage to get a few shots of AJ on the beach right before sunset.







Ah yes, that's my sexy little stud. Hope you guys enjoy the rest of your week!

Zipit Giveaway Winner

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Sorry about the delay in announcing the winner of the Zipit Giveaway. We literally just walked in the front door from our little beach getaway. I'm so exhausted and ready to just lay on the couch and watch True Blood in the comfort of my own home!

Random.org chose lucky number 2:

Stephanie @ Toastie Studio

Congratulations Stephanie! I'll contact you later tonight for your info. Thanks again to Jennie from Zipit for this generous giveaway!

AJ's Room: Before & After

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Hi friends! I hope you all are having a great week so far! Mine has been very productive. I mentioned in a couple of previous posts that I am in the process of painting and "re-doing" some rooms in my house. First on the list was my son's room.

When we were pregnant, Adrian and I had the idea of having a Lakers themed baby shower. Somehow, that idea trickled down to his nursery too. As AJ grew, we turned his crib into a toddler bed but pretty much kept everything else as is. He had a play room in our loft and sleeps with us in our room so he never spent any time in his own room. We decided it was time to turn it into a more appealing space for him so it wouldn't be just a wasted room in our home.

Our initial thought was to have a CARS themed room. This is his absolute favorite movie. He goes through his Toy Story and Rango phases but always comes back to CARS. As we started planning though, we decided it would be pretty expensive to buy CARS themed decor and chances are, he could very well have a new "all time favorite" two or three years down the road. It was more practical to have a neutral theme and just add little details of the things he loves.

So, here's the before:



And here is the now:



I say the "now" because it's not quite the "after" yet. I still want to add a few things and I have some projects I'm working on for it.

For the walls, we chose a Martha Stewart color called "Faded Ink" and had the paint technician at Home Depot make a custom match for us using Behr paint with primer. We were able to cover up the loud yellow with only ONE coat of paint. Thanks Behr!



It was quite a challenge trying to squeeze all his toys into this tiny room but somehow we pulled through. Most of the big pieces are out, with the exception of a few. His little grill, R/C trucks, and giant tub of toys are in his closet. These curtains are temporary (new ones are on the list of projects I'm working on).



My favorite part are these cubbies that we got at Target. It's perfect for his ever growing collection of books and the baskets hold his smaller toys. That little firetruck basket holds his crayon rolls and his coloring books and puzzles are in the basket above his dresser.



Unfortunately, one of the bigger pieces that didn't fit in his room was his wooden train table that he LOVES. We aren't getting rid of it though, it's still sitting in the loft for now until we decide what to do with it. Now we are in the process of moving my craft room into the loft. My current craft room will then be turned back into our guest room. Theeeen we can get to repainting the entire downstairs! It's a lot of work, but at least I know we have a great little helper!



All this work will have to wait until next week though. We are heading to the beach tomorrow! Hope you all have a splendid weekend and don't forget, tomorrow is the last day to enter the Zipit Giveaway!

Linking up here.

Log Cabin Pillow

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A few days ago, I won this Zoo Alphabet Soup Fabric Bundle by Riley Blake from Life In The Thrifty Lane.



I chose this bundle because we are in the process of "re-doing" my son's room (more on that later). We decided to just stick with a neutral theme and throw in little boy charms as we go along. This bundle was a perfect start. I made AJ an adorable log cabin pillow.



I used a fat quarter to make an envelope closure for the back. I left the selvage as the hem cause I like the way it looks.





The pillow case ended up measuring 17.5" by 17.5" so I need to go buy a 17" pillow form sometime this week. Right now, it's stuffed with an 18" pillow form that I had on hand.



AJ loves it!





He had me sitting with him for hours last night pointing out animals and asking me what each of them ate. I forget what elephants eat? Do they really eat peanuts or is that just in cartoons? I don't know...

Don't forget to enter the Zipit Giveaway where you can with a $30 Gift Certificate to Zipit Zippers. Giveaway ends July 16th at midnight.



Linking up here.

Giveaway with Zipit Zippers

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**GIVEAWAY CLOSED**

What?? Another giveaway?!!



Yep, that's right! And this one comes from Zipit Zippers, one of my favorite etsy shops of all times. I have been buying all my zippers from Jennie (who by the way is the sweetest girl ever!!) since I discovered her shop. Here's a little bit about Jennie and her family in her own words.

"I'm a 32 year old mother of 4 living in Wisconsin. My husband and I both work from home selling zippers and custom buttons on Etsy. We've been selling on Etsy full time since 2009 and are so happy to be able to work from home and spend the time with each other and our family. When we aren't busy "etsying" we enjoy hiking, gardening, traveling and rock hounding. We hope to someday sell enough zippers to be able to move to a cozy little home on the ocean where we can snorkel and eat fresh fish, crab, and lobster every day."

Talk about living life! She's fulfilling my dream already! I would love to have a home-based business with my husband and enjoy eachother everyday. Jennie deserves every bit of it. Her business is thriving in success and she works hard at keeping her customers satisfied!

Now, let's get to the juicy stuff! Zipit offers a huge variety of zippers in every size and color your little heart desires at incredibly affordable prices.






And what are zippers without some cute zipper pulls??





As if that weren't enough, Zipit also carries Japanese Fabric!!




So, ready to find out what you'd be getting if you won?

Jennie is generously offering $30 credit for ANYTHING in her store. If you check out her prices, you know you can get quite a bit of loot with $30!

What do you have to do to win?? Simple.

Mandatory Entry: Be a follower of my blog and leave me a comment letting me know that you are. (1 entry)

Extra Entries:
- Go to Zipit and let me know what you would want to spend your $30 on if you won. (1 entry)

- Heart Zipit on Etsy (1 entry)

- Follow Zipit, the blog (1 entry)

- Follow Zipit on Twitter (1 entry)

Giveaway will end next Saturday, July 16th at midnight and I will announce the winner on Sunday. Good luck!

Big Country Giveaway Winner

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The lucky winner of the beautiful elephant market tote and rosette necklace from Big Country was...


Leslie @ The Mommy Therapy

Congratulations Leslie! I can honestly say that I am so jealous right now!! Any chance you might be bribed into a trade??!! I will be emailing you for your snail mail deets so I can forward them to Angela. Thanks again to everyone who entered!

Five Feature Friday- #4

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I was blown away by all the amazing creations I saw online this week. Let's jump right to the features.

I am loving the reverse applique on this beautiful pillow that I found at Maureen Cracknell Handmade. Look at all the hand-stitched goodness!



These kidlets are so fun and bright! Fussy Cut made them as gifts and they're going on my list of things to make for CHRISTMAS!! You can find the free tutorial here.



Look at these gorgeous His and Hers nightstands from Sugar Tot Designs. There's a simple elegance to them that makes them simply perfect.



We can never have enough books! Frugal with a Flourish shared this amazing wall of books that she put in her Lil Man's nursery. What a great way to get your child into reading!



And angelahuse offers this unique take on an iPad case. Purse/clutch frames are my latest obsession. I must learn how to make these!



If you were featured this week, please feel free to grab a button from my sidebar for your blog! Keep doing what you're doing! You are an inspiration to us all!



And as always, please take the time to check out these ladies' blogs or etsy shops and drop them a line. It always feels good to get some well deserved praise for your hard work! Have a great weekend!