Happy Memorial Day!

I hope you are enjoying a day in the sun and the start of summer!

(Image via Graphics Fairy)

Pop!

Oh my gosh, how good do these look? I was drooling before I even knew what they were. What are they, you say? Delightful treats from Pop-bar, a new design your own dessert place that has just opened in NYC. Basically, gelato on a stick that you can customize with whatever toppings your little heart desires!

They have yummy sorbet pops too! I think this may be my new favorite summer treat...can't wait to test it out! And so pretty too!!!

Tiling for Librarians

Seriously, how cool is this? I came across this project in the latest issue of ReadyMade Magazine - one of my faves, by the way (and FREE thanks to mycokerewards points, thanks Brian!)Oh how I wish I had a home in need of a small tiling project, along with a thousand scrabble tiles. Someday! Maybe I could do something similar with this table? Its still sitting on my terrace, awaiting a makeover.

Learn how to do it here, if you are interested.

Babies in Blue Jeans

This just made me laugh. Apparently Huggies, for a limited time, is selling jean diapers. This is both ridiculous and adorable. (Coupon at CVS if you and your child's rear are so inclined.)

Happy Birthday Sir!

Yesterday was Julie M's birthday (previously seen here). She was abroad so I will say happy birthday today, with these cat topped cupcakes. Her cats, my frosting. Homemade cupcakes. Win!

I Heart Ruffles

I finally got around to tackling the Ruffle Butt Onesie tutorial from Crap I've Made - thanks to an appropriate candidate being born recently. I can't wait to see it on the little lady!

So, mine is a lot fluffier than the original but I like it. You can never have enough ruffles, right?

I put a little flower on the front too with the extra fabric. It was a little annoying to work with the knit (ie, onesie from target) but it eventually worked thanks to a ballpoint needle.

Oooh baby girl clothes are just too cute!

A House for my Friend

I work my sewing machine so hard, I thought she deserves some love too.
I put together this simple machine cover over the weekend and I think it has a lot more pizazz than the white plastic one that came with it (and was wearing out too).

Plus its functional - it keeps her safe from dust when at rest. I didn't make a hole for the handle on top - I thought that would let in more dust, and when I carry it I can feel out the handle myself. I may add one or even a little flap I could open to carry, and close when storing it. Not sure about that part yet.

This was very easy to make - all I did was sew together some scraps after measuring my machine. It makes me happy every time I see it!

Quick Change

New for the shop!

Inspired by some new additions to the globe recently that I can't wait to meet soon, I put together this cute little changing pad and pouch set.

The pad is cushioned with fleece inside, and rolls out when baby needs a change. It folds up and fits in the coordinating pouch. You could probably tuck an extra diaper or two in there.

What do you think?

I'm Back!

Hi there! I'm back from my Miami family vacation - it was a blast! Lots of relaxing by all (like Rakia here) and its finally warm in the city now too. Yay!

Flower Power

Hello friends! Here is another girly craft I tried out - no sew fabric flowers from Made! A very cool blog that has done a whole series on celebrating mom/women - check it out if you haven't already.

This little bouquet was made using fabric scraps and chopsticks so it was basically free. I did burn the crap out of my fingers with the glue gun, so if you try it be careful!

This was my last one, and my favorite - I was able to make them fluffier by sort of folding back the fabric every so often instead of just wrapping it around. I will make more, I'm sure, but by the time I finished this one my poor digits couldn't take any more. Why must I suffer for my art?

Congratulations Lukey!

Today my little cousin Luke is graduating from the University of Miami! (Well, he's not little really, he is 22 and taller than me, by a little bit anyway, but in my head he is a baby still.)
I am so proud of you!
Here he is doing some sciencey robot project - not sure what it is but I'm impressed! I also like the plaid shirt. Who says the lab is no place for a fashionable gentleman? NOT ME!

In case you were wondering he is not just an egghead. (Although he's going for his PhD after this.) Look! He is also a cool dude that hangs out on the beach. He is not even glancing at those girls in bikinis. He will just drink his energy beverage and let them come to HIM!

Good work Luke! I am so happy to be celebrating your success with you today!

You say, why make a fabric postcard?

I say, why not? Also, because I joined the Fabric Postcard swap on swap-bot.

Here is my handiwork! I sewed a little modern flower design onto a longer piece of fabric, then made it into a little pocket by sewing up the sides. I slipped in a piece of cereal box cut down, then closed the whole thing up. Ta da!

I also glued blank card stock on the other side to write a note. I mailed it in a regular envelope so I suppose that lessens the PC impact, but it will get to my new friend in one piece! I like it. Hope she does too!!

See you later alligators!

Hi! I'm on a family vacation this week, so I won't be able to reply to your lovely comments and emails quickly. I do have a few posts lined up, though, so check back! I will return for real next week.

Have fun kids! I will be!

To My Mom

What could this be? Now that it is Monday I can share for you my Mother's Day gift to my own mom! Unroll it and....

Pow! A knitting needle roll! (Minus the needles, since I don't knit.) It has slots for many different sized needles and notions, and a little guard pocket on top to make sure they don't slide out. You could make it a crayon roll too with some minor adjustments. I used this tutorial which worked well, but there are many more out there - tipnut lists a bunch here if you would like to be overwhelmed by options.

I hope Mom likes it! Especially for our trip...

Happy Mothers Day!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Mothers' Day to my lovely Mom! You are so cool and I love you!!

I hope all of the other mothers out there have a delightful day too!

New Craft City!

Thanks to Craftypod and New Sheer Creations I am the proud owner of a new craft kit - handmade nylon flowers! I won the tulip kit and am so excited to try it out.

Look at how delicate and pretty! Can't wait to make a bouquet for my mom and maybe some other lovely ladies in my life! And since I'm a spaz without directions, it comes with a lovely book too!

It seems like DIY flowers in fabric, paper, and all sorts of other materials are so popular now - nylon looks very cool! I can't wait to try it out and share my creations with you. Plus, I have an awesome travel craft to take with me next week. Yay!

Thank you again, Diane from Craftypod, and New Sheer Creations - check them out if you have not already.

The Sunshine Award!

I am beyond thrilled to have received the Sunshine Award from Felicity, (an amazing artist/creative lady herself) - thank you so so much! Wow!


What is it, you may ask? Well, let me tell you.

"The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogging world."

Very cool, right?

As a recipient of this award, it is my duty to fulfill its requirements:

1. Put the logo on your blog within your post.
2. Pass the award on to 7 bloggers.
3. Link to the nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and the link to the person from whom you received this award.

I'm excited to share with you seven other awesome blogs that I love, and pass on some sunshine to these great people! In no particular order...

1) Jenn: Just Add Water, Silly: She is an amazing artist working with watercolor, and sharing some fun musings along the way. I love her writing!

2) Maria Isabel - Her Kaleidoscope Eye: She shares such pretty, sunny things, be it her own crafts, or inspiration from the outside world.

3) Kristy - A Crafty Pair: New to blogging, but not to creating, Kristy is a talented gal whose love of Lisa Frank even exceeds my own. Sometimes her mom joins in on the fun too!

4) Jennifer - Olive's Tree house: An Alaska girl with great style, creativity and resourcefulness!

5) Sam - Homewreck Seriously funny, Sam tries her luck with "classic" 1950s recipes - the more butter, the merrier!

6)Jennifer: Melon Farming Babe : A blog of her gardening adventures - makes me want to dig in the dirt!

7) Rachael: Talk 2 the Trees: An earthy, creative lady who shares her stunning photography, and other creations.

Thanks again to Felicity for this award, and to all of these other ladies for sharing their amazing skills! You all inspire me. I'm so glad to have found your blogs, via swap bot or pure luck!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 3rd Anniversary Honey! I love you so much!

I want to live on Butter Lane

I was lucky enough to visit Butter Lane with some great pals recently. I know everyone loves Magnolia, from its SATC fame, and Buttercup and Crumbs have some devout followers too. Can I just throw Butter Lane in the ring?

The cupcakes were unbelieveable, but the coolest part: you can mix and match whatever cake you want with any frosting! Yay! Bananna and Cream Cheese? Chocolate and Coconut? Sure! Rasberry Vanilla? Why not? Finally, freedom from cupcake tyranny!

I just think its neat. Does make for some difficult choices though...which is why three of us split a box of four (hence the above trisecting of the cakes. I probably should have taken a pretty picture before mangling them with a plastic knife. Alas, I did not.)

Other than the flavors above, we also had The Elvis - peanut butter frosting with marshmellows on top, and a bananna cake. Yum!

Weekend Wonders

Such a lovely weekend as temperatures reached 90 degrees in New York City. I spent Saturday biking around Brooklyn with Brian - we visited the newly expanded Brooklyn Bridge Park. You should definitely check it out if you're in town! An amazing view and a great way to while away an afternoon.

You know what I really like doing? Biking in a dress. True, some adjustments are needed to ensure that the whole world doesn't see your underpants or you get tangled up beyond repair, but if you can get it together it just makes me feel very feminine and powerful and free all at the same time. Or to put it more succinctly: wheeeeeee!!!!

*Thanks for the picture honey! (I stole it from your twitter.)

Search and Earn

Hi friends! I thought I'd share this cool site that I've been using for a few months with you: Swagbucks. Its a search engine where you earn points for searching, and then can redeem them for prizes or contests. I like to save them up and use them for $5 Amazon gift cards, which you can stack.



A few things - lots of ads come up in the searches, so if I'm looking for something, I generally have to look past the first few entries to get to the one I'm actually searching for, and bypass the retail sites that are set off by my keywords. If I'm looking for something more obscure, I'll head over to google.

Also, they only give you points once a day, so after I've claimed my bucks for that day, I'll use google. You can get more points if you refer friends - if you want to sign up, and use me as a referral, click here . Fridays are a good day to search because you can get bonus points.

I was debating whether or not to post about this - I don't want to seem like using my devoted readers for free stuff. No way! I value your readership way more than that. If you're not interested just skip this post, there is more craftiness on the way! But, I do love to let you know about great deals and freebies out there, and I've earned money to use on Amazon - where I'd be spending cash anyway - for free, just by searching as I normally would.

If you're interested, check it out! If not, carry on :)

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/emmanem

Tiling for Librarians

Seriously, how cool is this? I came across it in the latest issue of ReadyMade magazine - one of my favs (and free thanks to my coke rewards points, thanks Brian!) Oh how I wish I had a house in need of a small tile project, and thousands of tiles!


Maybe I could do it with this table? (Which is still sitting on my terrace, waiting to be redone, by the way.


You can see how to do it here.

Mad About Pink!

Such a fun surprise in the mail for me today! I was selected as the winner of a great giveaway from Mad About Pink, a cool blog I came across thanks to swapbot. You should check it out! She has great style, and stunning decorating ideas.

I was lucky enough to win one of her all natural handmade lipbalms. The cherry smells so good! And I love the little animals on the packages. Using an ecofriendly product makes me feel good, AND look good too! Check out her shop, she has the cutest little hair pins and jewelry too.

Thank you Jessica!