Nona's Pearls of Wisdom

Little Champion

2012-01-31T18:01:00.000-08:00

My eldest, Samantha, competed in her very first spelling bee yesterday. We have been studying the list of words for months now, but the bee still seemed to come upon us unexpectedly!

There were six different schools participating, and each school had two representatives per grade. We drove Samantha and her classmate (as his parents sadly couldn't make it) to the bee, and it really worked out well. Samantha gets anxiety very badly, and so to have her friend in the car was a great distraction. I don't know if she didn't want to be embarrassed in front of her friend, or if she was just too distracted to be worried, but she was really calm the whole time! I think the prayers we said over them really helped too.

Here they are before the bee started.

These were their seats. All 12 were taken by the students...

Samantha spelled very well. She made it all the way to Round 14 before getting a word incorrect. Thankfully, at that point it was just her and one other boy. According to the rules, her competitor has to spell two words correctly to win. He spelled his first word correctly, but he missed the second.

So the bee continued!

Dave and I were on pins and needles.

During Round 16, the boy missed his word. Then Samantha spelled her word correctly.

Then she was given the winning word. "Stubborn". And I knew we had the victory. Sam and I had practiced this word over, and over, and over. So it came as no surprise that she spelled it correctly (with TWO bs).

I was so overjoyed and proud of my little girl! The look on her face when she won was absolutely priceless. She just couldn't stop grinning! And then when she heard that she got a trophy - that sent her over the moon.

Samantha's classmate did well too. He made it through Round 5, beating out four other kids.

Owlet Sweater and other knitting news

2012-01-26T17:21:00.000-08:00

I'm so addicted to knitting for my baby that I had to immediately begin this new sweater pattern for him the very night I finished the last sweater.

This one is called Owlet and it's by Kate Davies. I'm using Shine again because it's just the best yarn for baby sweaters that I've found.

Not sure if you can see in the photo, but there is a ring of owls with button eyes that are knitted into the yoke, back and sleeves of the sweater. Super cute.

I'm knitting the sweater in the 18-24 month size, and so far my only complaint is that it seems small. After discussing with another knitter who recently completed this project, she also had to go up (to the 9 months size) and her finished sweater is snug on her 3 month baby. So keep that in mind if you plan to knit one for someone you love!

Here's my progress as of Tuesday night:

and last night:

I have about 4 more inches before I can start the sleeves. Hoping to get to the owl bits by tomorrow!

In other news, I'm working on a new design - this time a sock! And simultaneously, I"m knitting a pair for my sweet husband. He has not received a finished pair of socks since January of 2010 (probably because his feet are so dang long!!!) but I've been promising him socks for a while now.

So... here we go. I'm 2/3 done with the first one, with a goal to finish both by Feb 10. Since this photo was taken, I've done another two inches on the foot. The yarn is Malabrigo sock, and the colors are just yummy - shades of brown, orange, and beige. They are much deeper and richer than in the photo - I just used my phone camera.

I've also got a few strawberry hats on my needles, as well as a name banner for Ruby, one for the baby, and 2 Valentine's days ones for Etsy (that I hope to post by Saturday). Additionally, there's one more new pattern that has been ripped out and redone about 5 times now, so I'm super close to having a viable, working design. Whew!

And that's what I've been doing this week. What are you up to?

Mara Shawl

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

I recently finished another big project that had been on the needles/in my yarn bowl since Christmas.

This is the Mara Shawl (free ravelry download) - knit in City Tweed by Knit Picks. I was excited to try out this tweed yarn, and was surprised by how soft it was! I think it would make a great fisherman style sweater, or mittens as well. The only downside is that it is handwash only. But it sure knits up beautifully.

I knit the shawl as a gift for my sweet mother-in-law, Marie. Doesn't it look great on her? She can wear it as shown, or use a shawl pin with it. :) It was a belated Christmas gift, but still well received.

Be sure to check back tomorrow. I"ll be posting pictures of a new sweater in progress for the baby boy! I might need to start looking into sweaters for our girls, so they don't get jealous of all the hand knits I'm doing for their brother! I just love knitting tiny things!

Nautical Baby Sweater

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

I was totally inspired by this sweater on this post and then again on this post on the Yarn Harlot's blog a few months ago. It is just SOOOO cute.

So I downloaded the pattern, Puerperium Cardigan from Ravelry, and then ordered my yarn - Shine Worsted from Knit Picks (cream and navy).

I've been plugging away at it for the last few weeks - in between MANY other projects. Then it sat in my yarn bowl for about a week, just needing buttons sewn on.

So, yesterday I got busy and within 30 minutes it was done! I'm sooooo happy with how it turned out. It's nautical (like our baby room theme), and it's soft, and it's comfy and cozy. I can't wait to see our little baby in it!

Here are a few detail shots:

And you know I had to "model" it on my 33 week baby bump. :)

Back to Routine - and some layouts

2012-01-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

Whew! There's nothing like dropping off your child at school after a week of snow days.

Don't get me wrong. We had a wonderful mini vacation - filled with snowball fights, long walks, card games, movies, playing kitchen, reading, and of course me playing referee between the sisters (and sometimes the dog) when they started bickering.

But this mama is ready to get back into the routine of real life. I'm ready to run errands, and catch up on chores, and knit peacefully for more than 2 minutes at a time, and BLOG!

Over the break I did have time to make a bunch of new Studio J layouts. I'm now completely caught up through October 2010 - with my goal of being caught up to present day before the baby comes (in 7 +/- weeks and counting). As a bonus, CTMH is having a sale this month for members - buy 9 layouts, get 1 free! So I got 2 of my 20 layouts for free. Woohoo!

Here are a few of my faves...

More Snow Pictures

2012-01-19T19:16:00.000-08:00

"Snow-pocalypse" has hit, and Seattle and the surrounding areas have officially SHUT DOWN. Even in rather minor snow falls (1-2") people in this area freak out, but with the 6-10" of accumulation that most people are reporting, our Governor actually declared a state of emergency! (Yes... I can hear all of you mid-westerners laughing at us. Ha Ha.)

Because of this, Samantha has been out of school all week, and we just heard that tomorrow is canceled as well. Thus, my lofty crafting goals have had a bit of a hit. Add to this that we've been house bound since Monday, and you can imagine that we are all starting to get a bit loony!

We went for a walk today, and we had to pull Ruby on the sled because her poor legs sunk to the knee and hip with every step.

Sister had to get in on the action too...

Amid all this, I did have time to make and post 2 new owl hats in my Etsy Shop...

Don't they look cute with the snowy backdrop? :) You can click the photo to be taken to the listing.

I'm hoping to post a few more pictures of finished objects (FOs) soon, but that means I have to hunker down and actually FINISH a few things.

Until then, I'm curling up with a mug of tea, my knitting, silly cop tv shows, and the view of swirling white out my window.

Snow Day

2012-01-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

It's snowing here in Seattle. Samantha had the day off yesterday because of MLKJ day, but today was also cancelled - more due to icy roads than snow. We are supposed to get another 5-8 inches today/tonight, so I'm expecting tomorrow to be cancelled again.

Oh well - assuming I can keep the kids occupied, it means lots of crafting time for me! And pajamas! Gotta love that. :)

We went for a walk in our neighborhood yesterday, and came across this bad boy. So thankful that someone else did all the work, and we could just enjoy taking pictures. :)

Kinda funny how in this picture you really can't tell I'm 8 months pregnant!

The girls played in our yard for a while. Until they got cold. And crabby. And whiny. It was fun while it lasted. And hot cocoa came to my rescue, thankfully.

Not to be outdone by our neighbors, Dave did help our girls create this little cutie...

(the "hair" was Sam's idea)

Math and Pregnancy

2012-01-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

So, in case you haven't heard, something happens to the brains of some pregnant women in which we tend to forget things and make functional errors that seem perfectly explainable and defensible (specifically mathematical ones in my case). Perhaps it is so we won't feel so supremely overwhelmed after the baby comes and we are awakened throughout the night. Or maybe it is because all of the blood and nutrients needed to grow a baby are taken into the uterus in direct proportion with our brains. Regardless, I've had some interesting "preggo brain" moments this weekend.

Last night in describing a banner I had made - I said that the phrase "DOG ROOM" had 8 letters and 9 spaces (including the one between the words). In my mind, dog room really did have 8 letters, and it wasn't until my father in law spelled it out that I realized my mistake.

And then this morning, as I was updating the yarn marathon information I was totally delighted to find that I was already nearly HALF WAY to reaching my first marathon. I bragged to Dave about this, but then started thinking back on my completed projects. A shawl, 2 pairs of gloves, 2 owl hats... really? That was enough yarn stretched out end to end to equal 26.2 miles??? Something was wrong.

I pulled out my calculator and started doing the math... okay - a mile is 5280 ft which equals 1760 yards. Then it hit me... I hadn't calculated a marathon, only a mile on my tracker. In the words of Homer Simpson - "DOH!"

So... I'm excited to announce that I've almost knit 1/2 a mile of yarn so far this year. And my tracker is now updated to the correct 46,112 yards needed to make a marathon.

And with that. I'm off to knit a little more....

Cupcakes in a Cone

2012-01-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

Sam gets to celebrate her birthday at school tomorrow, so as a special treat I made cupcakes in a cone today. These little gems are not only sweet - but take the mess out of cupcakes. And they are super easy!

We just mixed up the cake batter as normal, but put it into a container that pours easily.

Then we placed the ice cream cones (flat bottom cones) into mini muffin tins, and filled to just above the first line - about half way. We baked them for 18 minutes at 350 degrees.

Once they cooled they got frosted and sprinkled. YUMMY!

And I seriously have to thank my daughter for having a birthday because this preggo momma has been CRAVING chocolate cake in a baaaaad way for about a week. Don't tell her, but I had to sample one (or two) tonight. You know, just to make sure they were okay to take to school tomorrow. ;)

Sewing Again

2012-01-11T21:57:00.000-08:00

I promised Samantha ages ago that I would make her a banner for her new room. And since her birthday is just about upon us it was time to pull out my sewing machine! It hasn't seen much light since all the rush orders before Christmas, but it felt good to get back into sewing again tonight.

I wish the photo wasn't so blurry - because my new Ikea lamp shade is so super cute I had to show it off.

And my in-laws gave me this uber cute pin cushion for Christmas, so of course I had to show it off too. :)

And here's Sam's banner about 2/3 done. The letters are sewn on, the pennant triangles are finished, I just have to hand stitch the letters to the pennants and add the twill ribbon along the top. I'm super happy that her family party is the day after her real birthday (when she get's to open it), so I can hang it in the family room with some color coordinating balloons for her party. Won't that be cute?

I bought extra fabric and am making a few "love" banners too for my etsy shop. Wouldn't they be great for Valentine's day? Check back in about a week and I should have them listed.

Bubbah's Room - pt 2

2012-01-10T20:19:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy day of me trying to play catch up, so I don't have anything new craft wise to share.

However, Dave did put the finishing touches on the paint tonight, so we are one step closer to Bubbah's room being done. I'm trying to resist buying more stuff for his room, at least until payday. Here are some pictures. The paint looks darker now (8 pm) than in the daytime - and it's only on 2 of the walls - the other walls are light cream (as you can see in the 3rd photo), so I think the effect will be perfect with all the nautical stuff in place.

I'm feeling that nesting urge something fierce these days, so it's eating at me that his room isn't done. Seriously - our house has NEVER been this clean. I have no laundry to do, all my bathrooms are clean... heck - even my craft room and knitting areas are clean and organized.

The only thing not getting done is my design work, and working on my business. But I think it's because all this energy has me running around the house cleaning. I just haven't sat down much - and unfortunately work is mainly a sitting down type of activity.

But, the kids are finally in bed, and all is quiet. So off to work I go! Hopefully with something new to show off tomorrow.

Shopping for Bubbah

2012-01-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

Sam likes to call her little brother 'Bubbah', and Dave and I realized this weekend that we have less than 9 weeks (or so) to get ready for him. Unbelievably, the pregnancy has flown by and here we are in single digit weeks to wait.

So this weekend, we went shopping for Bubbah. I got some nice 3 month basics in solid colors (that would pair well with the sweaters I'm knitting for him). I figure we can always roll up the sleeves and legs if needed for a while.

And then we got some 0-3 month outfits too - so he has something that fits for the first few weeks. This one was just too cute...

I love the elephant one - random Nona fact: I've collected elephant figurines since I was 5 years old. And of course, by now you all know our family's affinity for football.

And finally, Samantha picked this set out for her brother. She was so excited about it, that we promised it could be his "coming home from the hospital" outfit. Aren't those bitty socks just the teeniest and cutest things you've ever seen?!?!

In other news, we've been working on Bubbah's room. I bought some paint, but when we opened the can it looked NOTHING like what I had pictured in my head (or really what it looked like on the paint chip card). I was going for a rich, dark, blue - a cross between a royal blue and navy - but dark like navy.

This just screamed "Marge Simpson's hair" blue to me.

Thankfully, when we took it back to the store, the guys were able to add more pigment to it, and come up with the actual color that I wanted. Whew! Want to know the funniest part - Samantha pointed out that the new color is "Seahawk" blue. So if he ever wants a football themed bedroom, it will be pretty easy to do.

Here is the room in progress. We're only painting 2 of the walls this dark color, and leaving the rest a creamy white. That way the color isn't overpowering. The room gets a lot of natural light, so we think this will be just perfect. Once we get it completely done, I'll post more pictures.

My Etsy Shop

2012-01-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,

Just a quick FYI - for the first time in a LONG time, I've got actual finished, knitted items up for sale in my etsy shop - not just knitting patterns! The images below are the 3 new items I posted this week.

Now that market season is done for a bit, I'm trying to bulk up on inventory, so a minimum of three new hand knits will be appearing weekly in my shop. These will include Owl Hats in a variety of sizes and colors, Cupcake Hats, Ladybug Hats, Bumble Bee Hats, Dinosaur Hats, Montmartre Gloves, and Freya Gauntlets, as well as knits in new designs that are currently in process.

Also, I've been busy working on fabric banners for the shop too! And they will appear in a variety of colors and themes, and most of them will be able to be personalized.

I hope that you will take a moment to check out my shop! Also, keep in mind that you can always get a quick view of the most recently listed items by clicking the "etsy shop" tab at the top of my blog.

New Pattern Sneak Peek

2012-01-05T15:50:00.000-08:00

Pattern A may have beaten me last night, but I got back on the proverbial horse last night and Pattern B just flew. I finished my first prototype, and have just a few little tweaking touches and another prototype to knit up. Then I'll have a brand new pattern to share! Woohoo!

Here's a sneak peek. You also get a free dog nose and 30 week belly shot in there.

And in case that wasn't enough, here's another belly shot. I can't help making faces when I take self portraits. I'm such a goof ball!

ADD Knitter

2012-01-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

It's a new year, so that means lots of new knitting projects are on the needles (simultaneously of course) or in queue. Here's some photographic evidence that they are getting worked on, albeit slowly, as the knitting urge always takes some time off after the craziness of Christmas order fulfillment.

First up are a pair of birthday socks for Samantha. Purple and Pink are her current favorite colors, and Knit Picks just happened to have a self striping colorway that beautifully exemplifies those colors. (Mixed Berries in the Felici Sock Yarn, and the cuff, heel and toe are in Stroll sock yarn - color Rouge). The pattern is my own - just a simple sock.

These are an actual finished object! Woohoo. They were started last May while on a short weekend Mother's Day vacation and sat for several months. They are Cookie A.'s "Monkey Sock" pattern and the Felici yarn again, though I can't remember the color and I'm feeling too lazy to look it up.

I'm hoping that 2012 will be the year of finished socks for me. Dave bought me a spot in Cookie A's sock club, and I have a whole bin of sock yarn stashed that needs to be knit through. My goal is 12 pairs of socks by December. So far I've finished 2 pairs during the last week of December (they don't count), but Sam's pair will be the first finished ones for this year.

Next up: The Christmas Shawl. I started this shawl for my MIL two days before Christmas. Thankfully she was okay with getting an IOU since it wasn't complete. In fact, she seemed relieved (since upon opening the package her initial observation was a pattern and yarn to knit it herself!). The pattern is Mara, and the yarn is KP City Tweed in Snowshoe. It's quite lovely yarn - very soft and snuggly. I only have another 4.5 inches to go, but the pattern just doubled itself, and each row is taking about 30 minutes to complete. I'm averaging 1-2 rows a day. Probably another week or so before this one is done.

This UFO (unfinished object for the non-knitters) is my current favorite - and I have to divvy out time to spend on it only AFTER working on my other projects. It is the Puerperium Cardigan knit in KP Shine (navy and cream) for our little baby boy. I'm about 1/2 way done with the body, then just have to whip up the sleeves, and add some cute buttons.

The last, and certainly the least is this project. My arch nemesis of today. A new pattern. It looks so lovely in my brain. But after spending over 4 hours on it today, I'm just feeling beaten. Maybe we will battle again tomorrow, but for now it can just sit in a zip lock bag and stew.

New Layouts

2012-01-03T08:51:00.000-08:00

One of my goals to accomplish before the baby comes is to get caught up on my scrapbooking. Over the break I was able to create another 20 layouts (using the marvelous Studio J) and am now completely done through June 2010. This feels pretty amazing!

Here are a few of my favorite layouts from that batch... It amazes me how much the kids have grown - even in just one year!

A Birthday Room

2012-01-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

My darling Samantha's birthday is coming up soon, and this year we wanted to do something extra special for her. With the new baby coming, we were already decorating one room. And then I got bit by the nesting bug and wanted to redo Ruby's room. So of course we couldn't leave out Sam.

And if anyone needed a room makeover, it was Samantha. Her current set up was NOT working for her (or us). She was constantly living in messy chaos - papers everywhere, bins full of toys, clothes, and garbage. I swore she was going to end up a hoarder. I'm sure every mother of a six year old has said that at some point in time, but I was truly starting to believe it.

Additionally, Samantha needed a space that not only reflected her tastes now - but one that would grow with her as she got older and more mature. She needed a creative work space (because clay and markers should not be played with on CARPET!). She needed organization. And she needed a beautiful place that would make her feel comfortable, peaceful, and proud to call it "hers".

In the end, I feel like we were able to capture all of those things for her! And to be completely honest, I'm really, really jealous of her room. :) I never had a space so cool when I was growing up. Thus far Samantha has truly taken ownership and has kept her space immaculate. I only hope that she continues to appreciate the room we have created for her, and will enjoy it for years and years to come.

Of course, I can't talk about all of this without showing off the pictures!

Here are a few "before" shots. I forgot to take them until after her clothes and bed were moved to the baby's room. Additionally, I had already removed 3 big boxes of stuff for goodwill, and 2 large sacks of garbage. I'm sure you can probably imagine the full effect though.... UGH!

Here are the "after" images. Ikea came to our rescue for the loft bed/desk combo, desk char, new arm chair, most of the artwork, and shelves. The bookcase is from Target (a few years ago) as are the balloon shades (current). The dresser is an antique I picked up at a local show. The paint is Sherwin Williams - SW6857 "Pink Moment".

I love how open Samantha's room looks now. The loft bed adds so much space. We even had room for a reading corner.

I picked up some clear bins from Target and labeled them. Now there is no excuse for clothes to be mixed in with art supplies, or balls and papers to be mixed in with baby doll clothes. Additionally, having better organization keeps everything off the floor.

Pretty touches for less than $10!

I think she's a happy girl.

Knitting Marathon

2012-01-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a safe and blessed evening last night. We kept it simple this year - chips and salsa, a little Kinect Dance Central 2, and a movie - When Harry Met Sally.

Do you have resolutions this year? Any goals or things you'd like to achieve? I made a list this year. It's not something I always do, but I thought that with a new baby coming, it would be good to make some business and personal goals. That way, things don't fall completely by the wayside in the chaos of midnight feedings, sleepless nights, and the sibling adjustment/rivalry that will likely ensue for at least a few weeks.

Here's my list. It's a little frightening posting it so publicly, but maybe that will help me have a little accountability. I think I may take a page out of my friend Sparkle's book, and also post monthly progress on my goals.

Personal:
-Read through the whole Bible this year
-Keep my crafting areas clean and organized
-Clean each bathroom 1x a week
-Knit 10 rows on a sock/day (this equals 12 new pairs of socks in 2012!)
-Send out Birthday cards (on time) to family

Business:
-Knit 3 items per week for market/shows/wholesale
-Post 3 new items to etsy each week
-Design 1 new knitting pattern a month
-Design 1 new paper craft patter a month
-Blog 4-5x per week

I even downloaded a "chore chart" app on my iPhone to help keep track of my progress! Hehe.. I get little starts for completing a chore - and have created a rewards system for earning a certain number of stars. It's childish - but you know I'm going to be working hard to earn those lattes, pedicures, and massages this year!
The app is called "Chore Pad" and there's a free version, but it limits you to 1 user and only 4 chores. The full version is $1.99 and you can add everyone in the family and unlimited numbers of chores.

There's one more fun thing that I'm starting this year. People often ask how much I knit, how many things I can knit in a day, how long I spend knitting every day, etc. I've never officially kept track of this, and was really curious too. So.... I created a "2012 Knitting Marathon" ticker. Every time I knit I will log the number of yards of yarn I've gone through in my ticker. I'm also going to keep track of the number of items I've knit. I think it's going to be really fun to see the visual tracking of this.

You can see my ticker below - or check it out on the right side of my blog. :)

If you want to make your own ticker tracker - then you can find great ones to personalize HERE.

I'd love to hear what your goals/resolutions are. Feel free to comment if you'd like to share!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T13:18:00.000-08:00

I've been home from Mexico for a while now, but with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, I decided to take a break from blogging and just enjoy my family. Now that 2012 is upon us, however, it's time to kick things back into high gear, and get blogging again! Woohoo!

While I contemplate the direction I'd like my blog to go in the coming year, I'll just end this year by saying THANK YOU to all of my faithful readers, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! May it be filled with the Lord's blessings, peace, love and joy.

with love,

Nona - and my family (Dave, Samantha, Ruby, Baby, and Harley)

I was bound for Mexico..

2011-12-06T05:46:00.001-08:00

I'm leaving momentarily for a week in Mexcio - WOOHOO!!!

I had hoped to predate a few entries to post while I was away, but alas - time got away from me. Instead, check out a few of my favorite reads... I have them listed along the right side of my blog.

Have a great week! See ya'll later. :)

Funny

2011-12-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

I'm working a big show this whole weekend, so not much time to blog, but I HAD to share this...

My favorite Knitting Blogger - the Yarn Harlot (aka Stephanie McPhee) has been posting a shopping guide for knitters geared toward the Non-Knitters in their lives.

Day 1 is HILARIOUS and can be read HERE.

And also, her suggestions for gifts are dead on. So far this one is my favorite: (Click photo to go to the etsy site)

Oh... and these are some mittens she knitted for her daughter recently that I absolutely love, and find pretty stinkin' cute...

Normal cute mittens - right?

Wrong! Instant antlers!!!

Find the pattern HERE

My Birthday Week

2011-12-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

For all the crazy busy activities crammed into this week, I have to say it's been pretty amazing. I've felt so blessed by my friends, my family, and most importantly, my sweet husband. And really, turning 30 has not been nearly as traumatic as I thought it would be.

My birthday week began on Thanksgiving, when we celebrated with family. My father-in-law's birthday was on Thanksgiving day this year (and my SIL's was just the week before), so we all shared one delicious cake and birthday song. Notice the 3 sets of candles. My mom is just so creative (she made the cake).

Our celebrating continued Tuesday, when Dave took me out for a fantastic dinner at Demitris, this great Tapas Bar in downtown Edmonds. We were joined by my closest friends, and ate and laughed the evening away. I took a few pictures before we left the house...

(Here's a mandatory 6 months preggo shot)

Of course, as we were leaving for the restaurant, Dave and I had our obligatory "should we bring the nice camera or rely on the iPhone camera" conversation. He won this time with his "why would you take pictures at your own party" defense, and wouldn't you know, all of the iPhone pictures were dark and blurry. So, those two shots are what we've got. Haha... But we had a really nice time, and it was fun having an evening out with our friends.

My actual birthday (Nov 30) was spent quietly with just our immediate family. I was showered with amazing gifts, and then we had dinner at my favorite sushi place. Don't worry - I only ate cooked dishes!

My girls helped me open gifts...

This one was my definite favorite - and quite timely...

...because last night, Dave took me to my very first NFL game! It was SOOO much fun, and probably the best game of the entire season. My beloved Seahawks totally smashed the Eagles and it was incredible to see it all live. I have brag on "my man" - Marshawn Lynch did his job well - 2 touchdowns! The whole team played incredibly well, and I can't wait to see them play again soon.

And I'll brag on my other man - my REAL man. Dave, you outdid yourself this year sweetheart! I had a fantastic birthday, and I owe it all to you for being best hubby on the planet. :)

Contest!

2011-11-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! How would you like to win $80 to spend on your holiday shopping?!?!?

Check out the details below, and then be sure to view all the awesome bloggers participating!

You're bound to find some great inspiration and information!

Enter to WIN $80 CASH during the Black Friday Cash Giveaway, hosted by And Then There Were 4...!

Entry is super easy. Just follow the instructions and you are entered to win! But please be honest. I will check to make sure winner has not been cheating. You may only enter on ONE blog.

Giveaway is open to anyone Worldwide and ends November 30th (MY BIRTHDAY!!!) at 11:59 EST.

Participating bloggers:

And Then There Were 4...

Diva Locks

The Pistachio Project

What Mama Wants

Being Frugal and Making It Work

First Time Mom

My PB&J

Nona's Pearls of Wisdom

Mommy 2 Nanny 3 Doggy 1

Freya's Bazaar

2011-11-23T13:08:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I participated in another great show. :) My dear friend Freya (who was the inspiration AND the model for my Freya Gauntlets - see picture below), hosted a fantastic bazaar in her home. She served her world famous scones, cookies, appetizers, cider, and chai tea. She also invited her artsy friends to come and set up a market space in her back yard.

Her home is extremely cozy and decorated in such a way that you just want to kick off your shoes, relax on her sofa, and stay forever. It came as no surprise that over 100 people came to enjoy the festivities! She even played her cello for us! Part of the proceeds from each of the vendors are going toward her cello lessons, so we were all anxious to hear her play. I'm amazed at her skill level - she's only been playing a year, but sounds amazing!

This is a photo of her fireplace... (LOVE!)

I was so sad to have forgotten my camera for the event. Everything was set up so beautifully!

One attendee (Kathleen) did snap a few pictures and posted them to facebook...

This is Petra - one of the artists (photo courtesy Kathleen from facebook). She makes gorgeous jewelry and you can view her facebook page HERE.

Here is some of her work (photos courtesy of her facebook business page):

Debbie is another artist that worked at the show. She uses vintage jewelry, coins and beads (some over 150 years old) and re-purposes them into gorgeous works of art. You can click HERE to see her facebook page.

Here are some of her pieces (photos taken from her facebook page):

Esther is another knitter, and she had her hand knits for sale at the show as well. They were lovely! I have one photo of them (courtesy of Kathleen from facebook). She doesn't have a website that I know of.

Esther's daughter-in-law did massage and I hear she was fantastic! Her name is Karina Sprinkle and you can view her business page HERE.

And Wendi was there as well. Click HERE to visit her Etsy page. I've posted Wendi's jewelry and accessories before. They are fun, whimsical, and perfect for every occasion.

(Photos courtesy of her etsy site)

We all had such a wonderful time! It was a blessing to be among friends and fellow art lovers. It was a magical and blessed event. I can't wait to do it again next year!

My latest knits

2011-11-17T07:50:00.000-08:00

The pictures aren't the best quality since I've been snapping them with my phone, but I thought I'd share some of my latest knits for upcoming shows and the shop (Retro Pony in Winthrop) that now sells my goodies. Yup, yup! I've been busy.

New Owl Hats:

Freya Gauntlets:

Mustard - in progress

Montmartre Gloves:

If you were considering placing an order for Christmas, please be aware that I need to have that order in ASAP!! I won't be taking any more orders after Dec 6th, for delivery before Christmas. Also, I may stop taking orders earlier than that should I get flooded in the next few days.

For pricing and ordering info - email me directly at nonapearl@firebin.net.

More Items Just Listed

2011-11-16T16:54:00.000-08:00

I've just listed 60 more stamp sets to the "ctmh clearance" tab. They are all used and only $5 a set! That includes shipping too. (Canadians, please add $1 to each item to cover the extra shipping costs).

Thanks for looking!

CTMH Clearance

2011-11-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

I've started listing the products that I have for sale that are left over from my big show last weekend. Click on the "CTMH Clearance" tab at the top of my blog to view them.

So far I've listed pre-cut, pre-stamped sets of Christmas cards (in packs of 10), and all of the new acrylic stamp sets available. As time allows, I will add the used stamp sets and embellishments. I won't be listing paper as there isn't any left. If you saw something else you liked in the previous photos, please feel free to email me about that.

All items will be first come, first served. I will not "hold" anything - you will need to submit payment via Paypal within 24 hours of my sending an invoice, or I will re-list the item. I cannot accept any other forms of payment at this time.

To claim any items, please email me directly at nonapearl@firebin.net. It will help immensely if, when making your request, you use the item number on the stamp set (ie... D1457 Jubilation) displayed on the upper right corner of each stamp set envelope.

Thanks so much! Happy shopping!

The Show

2011-11-14T05:56:00.000-08:00

I've been off the radar for a few weeks, as preparation for a few big events has been consuming most of my waking thoughts and actions (besides parenting and the normal house-wifey stuff that goes along with that).

Saturday was the first of those scheduled big events - it was a "Christmas Card Workshop and Mega Scrapbook Sale" and it was phenomenal!

Since resigning as a CTMH consultant in April, many of my former customers have been begging me to teach classes again. While I can't commit to doing monthly events, I thought I'd throw them a special Christmas Card workshop, as it was one of the most well attended events in previous years. In addition, I had hundreds of stamp sets to clear out, and dozens and dozens of paper packs, embellishments, and more to sell off.

So the stage was set, and my sweet husband even made a few loves of his famous bread (along with yummy spinach artichoke dip and salmon dip), and a fantastic group of ladies came out for carols, cards, and stocking up on everything paper-crafty.

Here are photos of my "classroom" all set up. The 4 tables in the middle of the room held the workshop cards, and the outer edges of the room had all the goodies up for grabs.

Pre-made cards for sale, and an empty spot for the bread.

New and used stamp sets for sale:

Everything on this table was $2

Everything on this table was $1

Some miscellaneous items for sale:

A small collection of Nona Pearl Creations items for sale...

The card workshop tables:

These were the cards I designed for the workshop. I charged $1 a card, and people could make as few or as many as they liked.

I have quite a few stamp sets and other things left over. I think I may start a new tab on the blog for the leftovers if people are interested. It seems faster and easier than ebay. Look for the tab to go live in a day or two, and for things to be added periodically as I have time.

Now I'm off to knit, as there are still 2 more big shows to gear up for! The next one is this coming Friday and Saturday! Have a great week!

Mr. Rogers Sweater

2011-11-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

Over the busy weekend I managed to find a few spare minutes to finish up our baby's sweater! It turned out so cute. I think it looks a little bit like something Mr. Rogers would wear, but how adorable is an "old man sweater" on a baby?!?

Here's a close up of the buttons. Close To My Heart came through for me again! Aren't they just darling? They are from the basic pack.

I was shopping at Old Navy yesterday for our family Christmas photo outfits, and came across this. We are really getting into football around here, so I think it is just perfect! It might even look good paired with his sweater!

Baby Room

2011-10-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

Now that we know we are having a boy, I'm so excited to start decorating the nursery! I've wanted to do a nautical theme for that room ever since we found out I was pregnant, and had even planned to go ahead with it if we were having a girl. (We have plenty of pink, purple, and princess stuff - I needed a change!) But it is so much more exciting to be planning for a boy, and not have to worry about making it "feminine nautical".

So I've been googling images for inspiration. Here's what I've found so far... I've linked each photo back to the blog/site where I've found it, so click to view the original posts.

It's a....

2011-10-27T12:49:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty exciting weekend! Not only was Ruffles and Rust an amazing show, but we received some very fun news on Sunday.

You see... after church, Dave and I went to a little doctor's appointment for the 20 week ultrasound.

While we were there, we saw our little one's hands, and fingers, and legs and toes. We saw the heartbeat, brain, head, face, chest, and lots of great movement. We even got to see baby wave and suck on its tiny fingers!

There was one more thing we saw - the gender!

To make things more exciting when revealing the news to friends and family, my mom baked us a "gender surprise" cake - complete with special colored icing in the middle. As we cut the cake, the sex of our baby was revealed! This was so much fun, that I just had to repeat it this morning with my Bible Study group.

My mom was gracious enough to bake cupcakes this time, with colorful filling as the surprise.

And now that all of our local loved ones have heard the news, it's time to share with you!

It's a BOY!!!!

We are so thrilled to announce that a little boy will be joining our family in March. Now I don't have to return those darling Gymboree outfits I splurged on, and I can start knitting little boy things in earnest.

We couldn't be more excited! We hope you enjoyed the surprise.

Fabric Banners

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

For the past few months I've been busy making banners to sell. They are so much fun to make, and look super cute hanging in kids rooms, in kitchens, over a fireplace, or really anywhere!

I just posted these to my Etsy shop...

And these are a few I've made as custom orders. I love to match the fabric to people's specific decor - like for nurseries. I've done a few for teacher's classrooms too. I posted those a few weeks back in September. :)

This one is hard to see. It says "Dog Room" and was for a sweet woman who was giving it to her sister. Her sister runs a doggy daycare. My favorite part was the little dog icon in the center. He turned out so cute!

If you are interested in ordering a custom banner - just send me an email and we can chat.

nonapearl@firebin.net

Ruffles and Rust Weekend

2011-10-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

On Friday and Saturday, my friend Wendi and I set up a spectacular booth at "Ruffles and Rust - a vintage show to inspire". We had such a great time meeting people and selling our crafts.

While we don't sell antiques - we do decorate our space in antiques, and so we fit in to the show pretty well. I've been scrounging blogs for photos to share. I forgot to bring my camera, and neither Wendi nor I had the presence of mind to take photos of our booth. Sigh...

But here are some photos of other people's booths. :) I came home with a few treasures, but for the most part used self control. It was an incredible experience, and I did come home with TONS of great ideas for decorating my home. I can't wait to get started! This week is all about "purging" so that I can have space to make things look fresh and new. And I can't WAIT to get started on our nursery!

These are the few pictures that Wendi got on her phone:

John Bob's space is always a favorite:

Here are photos that Sweet Savannah got:

And these ones I found on Auntie's Finding Joy blog:

Baby Sweater

2011-10-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

I had my big Ruffles and Rust show this weekend (more about that later), but on Thursday night I decided that I'd had enough of knitting for shows and I NEEDED, yes needed, to knit something for our little baby.

I decided on this pattern because I already had yarn available. It is called Baby Sophisticate by Linden Down, and for Ravelry members it can be found here.

Here are a few "in progress" pictures.

As of last night, I've finished the back and am ready to pick up the sleeves. Unfortunately I can't find my size 8 DPN for the sleeves, but trust me... I will! And then I will post pictures of this cute little sweater all done in green, perfect for our little boy or girl. :)

Applesauce

2011-10-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'll be posting more pictures soon, but had to share these first, and the fantastic recipe!

Over the weekend we visited some dear friends in Olympia, and we came home with a huge box of apples and pears from their trees. I've been craving applesauce lately, so Samantha and I decided to whip up some homemade applesauce with our fruit.

I got the recipe from Epicurious here. We made a double batch, and we mixed up the fruit a little bit for added flavor. We used 11 apples and 3 pears from the Babcock's trees, and 2 honey crisp apples.

We peeled and cut them, then added them and 2 Tbsps lemon juice, 1 cup of sugar (could probably cut back to 1/2 cup-3/4 cup), 2 cups of cider, and 2 cinnamon sticks to a large pot.

I let Sam taste the cider out of the measuring cup. My mom used to let me do that when we baked together. There's just something about drinking yummy stuff out of measuring cups that makes it feel really special.

The we brought the fruit mixture to a boil, and let it simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes. We took it off the heat to cool, removed the cinnamon sticks, then mashed it up. We left quite a few big fruit chunks, rather than having it be completely smooth. Then we dug in. It was SO, so, so good.

It was so good, I actually made myself a little sick on it last night. And I just devoured another small bowl of it before writing this post. I might need to have have a tiny smidge more. :)

Green and Orange Stockings

2011-10-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I finished another 8 stockings, this time in greens and yellow/oranges. Only 6 are pictured because I grabbed one of each color and added it to our "family stocking stash". So these 6 will be for sale at my upcoming show.

Today I'm working on new Christmas themed fabric banners, and blue stockings. I also have some knitting to get done.

Hope you day is going well! We had an awesome weekend, full of pumpkin patches, visiting friends, and great food. I'll try to post some of those pictures soon.

Winner!

2011-10-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to BEV (commentor #3) who is my 200,000 hits contest winner (according to the random number generator).

Bev wins her choice of 30 assorted greeting cards or 30 festive Christmas/Winter cards made by me! Bev, please email me at nonapearl@firebin.net with your choice and your mailing address.

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments, and your sweet and kind words. They touched me dearly!

I look forward to posting lots of great stuff in the coming days, weeks, months, and hopefully years! Thank you for being faithful readers, even when I am not the most faithful blogger.

You are all a blessing to me!
-Nona

The Bump

2011-10-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

I've had a few requests for baby bump pictures, so now that I've popped a little, I thought I'd oblige...

With as *starving* and *tired* as I've been the past few days, I'm sure the bump is getting bigger by the minute.

That said, I'm off to bed! G'night!

ps... only 34 more hits until the big 200K and 30 card winner is chosen. Be sure to leave a comment on that post (scroll down a few days) if you haven't already.

Stockings - Simple Photo Tutorial

2011-10-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

As promised, I have a mini "how to" with photos for the stockings I made over the weekend. I had a LOT of help from this 3 part series of videos on YouTube, so if my directions aren't clear enough be sure to check them out.

First, I took an old stocking from our Christmas stash that had a nice size and shape. I traced it on butcher paper - leaving 1/4" for seam allowance. Then I cut it out.

I had purchased a collection of fat eighths from the fabric store, because I wanted the quilted look. These were great because they had 8 different fabrics, in a nice gradation of colors from dark to light. I used 4 fabrics per stocking. I cut the 9"x21" pieces down to 4.5"x21". If you were making a stocking from 1 fabric for the outside, and 1 fabric for the lining, then you would only need about 1/2 yard of each (depending on the finished stocking size).

The next step was piecing the fabrics together (I did 2 sets - one for the front and back), then I pressed the seams. I placed the 2 panels of fabrics right sides in, and used my pattern to cut out stocking shapes. I was able to get 2 stockings from each set of panels. I also cut out interfacing and a lining using the pattern. The lining I cut 4.5" longer in the top part of the stocking to create a nice cuff. Before sewing the stocking outsides together, I ironed on the interfacing.

This photo was taken after I sewed the stocking together, clipped the rounded edges, and turned it. I pressed it lightly and then sewed on the tab made from excess fabric.

I sewed the lining - leaving a 4" gap on the back of the leg. Leaving it right sides in, I put the stocking (already turned) inside. Then sewed the lining to the stocking outside by lining up the raw edges at the top. Then I pulled the stocking out of the gap, turned the lining right sides out, and sewed up the gap. (don't forget to clip those rounded edges!) When I put the lining back into stocking, the excess 4.5" creates a nice cuff. Finally, I stitched around the top of the cuff to create a nice finished edge. And that was all there was to it!

Here are the other 4 colors that I purchased to make more stockings. Today I cut out the yellow and green fabrics. Can't wait to see how they all look sewn up!

Sewing Stockings

2011-10-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Last December I started knitting stockings for our family. I finished two of them, then put them aside, because it wasn't Christmas anymore. I figured that I'd finish the other 2 this year. February and March and April came and went, and I did nothing with the stockings. Then May hit and I had to start getting my inventory up for markets. Then June - September came, and went. Still nothing happened with the stockings.

Now we are in October - and I'm in my busiest knitting part of the year (for Christmas shows). I did pull out the stockings, and sadly, decided that they were ugly, I didn't want to knit (now) 3 more of them, and the yarn would be better used for owl hats!

Yikes!

So I went on an etsy prowl for stockings, thinking I could purchase them. I did find some very beautiful ones. But at $50 a pop, that comes to $250 for stockings for our family!

Double Yikes!

As this is transpiring, the nutty, creative part of my brain piped up and said - "Nona - you are sewing now. The stockings you love don't look "that" hard. Why don't YOU make them?!?!" :) And for once, this part of my brain wasn't over stepping, or getting bigger than my ability (although this does often happen).

I popped over to YouTube for some instructional inspiration. Then off to the fabric store I went to gather supplies. I came home with some "trial" fabric, and within 2 hours, had whipped out my first stocking! It was so cute! And best off all, with the supplies I purchased, I was able to make 4 stockings, not just one with that fabric.

So back to the fabric store I went to get supplies in a few more colors. And as of this morning, I have finished 8 stockings! Whoohooo!!! I'm going to keep working on them this week in the other colors. I decided that we'll keep one of each color for our family, and then sell the extras. Hopefully I'll have a nice assortment finished by the 22nd for my next big show. And hopefully people will want to buy them!

Here are photos of the finished ones. :) Tomorrow, I'll post the process. It's not quite step-by-step, but enough to get the idea of how I made them.

You might be wondering about names/personalization. At this point I don't have a way to machine embroider them. Our family isn't going to put names on ours. That way, every year the kids can pick a different color and no one has to complain that "they always get stuck with the ugly yellow one". It would be totally possible to hand embroider a name on, but I want to keep the price low, and can't do that if I have to personalize them.

PS... Don't forget to leave a message on THIS POST to enter to win 30 cards! I'm less than 300 hits away from 200,000 hits, and that is when I'll pick a winner! I'm guessing this will happen tomorrow - Wednesday at the very latest.

Baby Shopping!

2011-10-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

I need to make a confession. I just bought some clothes for the baby.

The thing is, we don't know the sex yet, and won't for at least 2-3 weeks.

And I only bought boy clothes.

'Cuz we really want a boy this time. All of us. Even Samantha wants a little brother.

And my gymbucks were about to expire - and my girls REALLY don't need any more clothes - maybe ever. We are literally drowning in girl clothes.

But now I'm feeling a little guilty. What if I just jinxed my chance at getting a boy since I bought the clothes!?!

Now, don't start with me. I know that the baby is what he or she is. And I can't change that by purchasing clothes. And we will love him/her regardless. But I can't help feeling a little silly about it.

I guess I should just show you what I bought. After all - a little girl could wear it too. We just might have to endure a ton of "what a cute boy you have" comments when we go out in public. Well... the "my name is handsome" one might not work so well on a girl. But about 12 of my friends are pregnant right now. So I guess I could give them the clothes if we don't get a boy. I guess. If that was my only other option.

Anyway... here's what I got! The skunk hoodie kills me!

October Template of the Month - Mischief

2011-10-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Are you feeling a little mischievous? How about a little spooky? It won't be long until all the neighborhood rug-rats (mine included) will descend upon us in search of treats!

Do you know what you're doing with your Halloween photos this year? How about making a delightfully creepy mini album for them? Better yet - how about making TWO - one to keep, and one to give to grandma!

My latest template is here and it features the Mischief papers, Midnight felt shapes, and Newsprint Rub-ons from Close To My Heart. Best of all, you can make 2 mini albums with just 1 pack of Mischief papers!

The Mini Albums have 10 pages, and 3 pull out tags for additional photos. The template includes 7 full color pages of cutting diagrams, photos of each page, and detailed assembly instructions.

Here are some detailed shots of the inside of the album:

Purchase this fantastic template for only $5!

Please note: templates and licenses are sold separately!

Are you a paper-crafting teacher? Limited Teacher's Licenses can be purchased for only $10 more. Click on the "Mischief" template below (or other desired license) and then click "add to cart".

200,000 Hits

2011-10-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

I'm so amazed! As of today, I have 250 followers and am just under 1000 hits away from 200,000!!!!

Thank you all for your continued support and love. You have no idea how much it means to me to have all of you "cyber" friends out there.

Sometimes I feel like I'm just jabbering away into the proverbial wind. But to know that there are people who faithfully read what I have to say, enjoy seeing my latest crafting projects, and genuinely care about my family means the world to me. It's humbling, and inspiring at the same time!

So, to say thank you, I'm going to do a little giveaway! Post a comment here, and once my hit counter reaches 200,000, I will randomly select 1 person to win 30 handmade cards! (That's a $90 value!) The winner can select either general themed cards (an assortment of birthday, thank you, thinking of you) or they can select Christmas cards!

Please just one entry per person! But feel free to tell your friends. :)

Look What I'm Playing with Today...

2011-09-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm working on my template for October, and I'm playing with

this...

and this...

I can't wait to show you the finished project(s)!

September's Template - Typeset

2011-09-28T12:39:00.001-07:00

Well, my September Template has finally made it's (delayed) arrival! Thank you all so much for your patience.

September was a very busy month for me - my oldest went back to school, I was knitting and sewing for the market during the week, then working at the market every Saturday, I published 2 new knitting patterns, and I cut into my "work time" by about 4 hours every night. (Pregnancy makes me VERY tired.)

But, now I'm back and I have a FANASTIC template to share with you all. :) It's one that I'm most proud of, and I hope that you all enjoy. If you are frugal, or enjoy teaching to groups, you will love this template too. The cutting is simple and fast, and there is very little waste with the paper you cut, but LOTS of leftovers! In fact, just by supplementing a few sheets of cardstock, you can make BOTH projects (cards and mini album with box) TWICE with one paper packet!

Check it out!

And here's some close ups of the details:

With this template you can make:

An accordion fold "Year in Review" mini album with matching box

8 cards (2 each in 4 designs)

This template can be purchased for only $5 by clicking here -->

NOTE: Templates and Licenses are sold separately!

A limited teacher's license can by purchased for only $10 by clicking on the Typeset name,

(or other desired license name) and then clicking "add to cart"

To read about Teacher's Licences and what they allow,

click on the "Nona's Papercraft Templates" tab above. It is all outlined there.

You can also see all of my other available templates on that page as well.

New Template for you TOMORROW!

2011-09-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

Look what I finished this morning!?!? Yup - it's the prototype for a BRAND NEW TEMPLATE! WOOOHOOO!!!!!!!

I'm super proud of this one. It is JAM PACKED with a two HUGE workshop projects, and best of all - you only need 1/2 a paper packet to make BOTH!

Once nap time comes I'll be working on the template. Hoping to have it 100% ready to go by tomorrow morning! Keep checking back. You are NOT going to want to miss out on this one. :)

Presenting Latisha Hale Photography

2011-09-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

My sweet cousin Latisha has recently started her own photography business, and I had to share some of her images with you! Latisha is a sweet, kind, and patient person, and she is a fantastic photographer. If you are in the greater Seattle area, and would like to book a photography session with her, you can find more info here on her facebook page!

Here is my favorite image of hers (yes, it might have something to do with the baby modeling one of my hats!)

Here are some other fantastic images that Latisha has taken!

Featured!

2011-09-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!
Look at this - two posts two days in a row. I'm on a roll. :)

I was honored to be featured on the Studio J blog yesterday. They showcased my Slip 'N' Slide layout that was posted here a few weeks back. You can see the post by clicking HERE. Additionally, did you know that they feature great Studio J artwork pretty much daily over there? It's a great blog to for digital inspiration. So many great ideas are being posted, and with Studio J, replicating them with your own photos is easy as pie!

As a refresher, here is the layout:

Hope you have a great day!

New SJ Feature

2011-09-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite new features of Studio J is the template "No Limits". For a long time, I've been both a SJ digi scrapper, and a photoshop digi scrapper. I've had my layouts from SJ printed through Close To My Heart, and the photoshop layouts printed through Costco, or other printing services.

But I've always been much more satisfied with the printing quality of the CTMH pages. That's where No Limits comes in! It's a totally blank canvas, and I can load whatever jpg files I want into it. So now, I can take my photoshop layouts, save them as a jpg, and then load them into the No Limits SJ template. Voila! All of my digital scrapping needs printed in one convenient place!

Check out this layout that is coming with my next SJ order. I got the idea from a scrapbook magazine over 6 years ago! Unfortunately, Samantha was already a few months old, so I didn't have the opportunity to do it with her. But when we adopted Ruby, I jumped at the chance to put together this photo op every month. It's harder to do then I thought it would be. We often had to take 30 or more photos just to get 1 usable shot, but in the end it was totally worth it. :) I love seeing the growth progression of our sweet baby girl. I hope to do a similar series of photos with our new baby coming this spring.

You should be able to see a larger image if you click on the photo.

2 New Patterns

2011-09-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

I have two new patterns up this morning on Knit Picks! Both feature yarn just released in the latest catalog!

The first is in Swish Bulky - not a new yarn to Knit Picks, but definitely a new color! I just love the bright red in this Serrano colorway. It was *perfect* for my strawberry hat. And I've included sizes from infant to adult - so the whole family can sport one! You can find the pattern HERE.

The second pattern features brand new "Biggo" yarn. It is super soft, and the ply and weight remind me of the Misti or Baby Grande Alpaca. So yummy! Biggo is actually 50% merino, and 50% nylon, but it is fantastic, and just the right yarn for "next to the skin" winter projects.

I was so honored that my sweet hubby Dave would model for this pattern. And I was even more flattered when he asked if he could keep the cowl! Dave is very sensitive to wool - or any material that is itchy or scratchy or wispy or... you get the idea. So to have finally found a yarn that he enjoys wearing is fantastic. You can find my Rainier Cabled Cowl HERE.

Itching for Baby Sweaters!

2011-09-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

I still have a goodly amount of knitting to do for my last two markets, and for upcoming Christmas shows. But I'm just ITCHING to start knitting for our baby!

I was reading Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's blog (she is better known as the Yarn Harlot) and she has been cranking out baby knits for her friend Jen, who's baby is due imminently. For the past week, she has been making a new woolie a day, and has promised to continue until said baby arrives.

While all the knits have been adorable, this one is stuck in my brain.

I really must knit this sweater. I think I might go nuts if I can't start it! So I guess it is bad for my sanity, but a VERY good thing that I don't have the right yarn in my stash to make it or I would ignore all the other earthly duties today and just get going on it. (And I have a lot of earthly duties today...)

That said... I'm going to let my brain obsess on this, and go clean my kitchen, living room, bathroom, and desk. And then pay bills. Because I'm hosting knitting club tonight, and I don't want them to see how I really live. Then maybe, just maybe, I might order some yarn to start this sweater...

Maternity Silliness

2011-09-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

I did the market today, so I'm too zonked to post anything serious. But I bought my first maternity shirts this week, and thought I'd share. They are pretty silly... Apparently, Cafe Press is my new favorite store.

This one was for me.

And this one was for my geeky husband and daughter. (I'll admit, it made me chuckle too).

Here are a few others that I liked (but will have to wait on for now...)

Winner!

2011-09-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

We reached 100 likes on my blog's facebook page! YAY!

Because of that, I'd like to offer one lucky fan a collection of 10 handmade greeting cards - this is a $30 value!

Using the random number generator (and Facebook's list of fans in whatever order they put them in), the winner is: Christi Malone Priemer

Christi - please email me at nonapearl@firebin.net or send me a message on facebook with your address, and I will mail out your cards.

Thanks everyone! I'll be doing another drawing for something special at 200 fans, so be sure to check out my facebook page HERE and click "like" to become a fan. You'll also be updated every time I post to my blog!

New Template in the Works

2011-09-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Don't lose hope! A new template is in the works and coming soon! :) See my box of new product from CTMH? Templates are on the brain, just dealing with limited amounts of time, and I want to produce the best templates possible for you all.

Cheers!

I have a secret...

2011-09-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

I need to confess, I've been keeping a secret from you all for the past few months. It's a pretty big one, and so I'd like to announce it today. :)

Here is a photo of our little bean (as Samantha likes to call him/her) at 8 weeks. That was a while ago... I just hit my second trimester, and things are going really well now. The first trimester had it's ups and downs, along with a few scares, and lots of hormones, nausea, and exhaustion. But through much prayer, the Lord has gotten us through!

You may have noticed a lull in my blogging. I used to blog between 11 pm and 2 am, but these days I'm in bed by 10. Hopefully these coming weeks will mean more energy! I could use it. But for now, we are content knowing that sometime in March a new little one will be joining our family. All the rest can wait.

A few more layouts...

2011-08-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more of the pages I've made recently using Studio J. They are all from 2009, back when my girls were MUCH smaller. Enjoy! The last 4 layouts use *NEW* papers from the Autumn/Winter Idea Book. I used Dreamin' for the Father's Day layout, Elemental on the painting pages, Roxy for the gymnastics one, and the pumpkin farm pages were done in Mischief.

New Studio J Layouts

2011-08-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Last week I hit a wall creatively with my knitting, and I just needed to take a break. I decided it was a good time to catch up on some scrapbooking. I tried putting together all the pages created for our 2009 family albums, but there were too many gaps. I had scrapbooked the Samantha's family birthday photos, but not her party photos. I had done most of Feb-June, but once Summer hit, and we adopted Ruby, there were gaping holes in our family history except for the pages I had scrapped of her.

So, I played catch up. And it felt great! I created 20 layouts (40 pages) in just 2 days (about 6 hours total). And now, I'm proud to say, that 2009 is complete!

Here are some of my favorites... If you click on the photos, you should be able to see them larger. I can't believe how much Sam has grown in 2 years!

I will post a few more this week. :)

Winner!

2011-08-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

Amy randomly selected a winner of this week's contest! Congratulations Jessica! Send me an email at nonapearl@firebin.net and I will give you Amy's contact info so that you can get your 25% coupon!

Everyone else - you can still get Amy's beautiful jewelry at her Etsy shop Sweet Silver.

Have a great weekend!

Knitting Outlet

2011-08-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

I've felt creatively uninspired lately, and I think it's because all of my creative energy has been spent on making stuff for other people. Market season is tough in that way. I make all kinds of cool stuff, and then it goes to live with someone else. Not that I'm complaining - obviously getting paid to be creative is pretty awesome in and of itself. But every now and then, I need to make something just for me.

So I decided to revisit my Monkey socks. This pattern is by Cookie A. and is universally one of the most knitted sock pattern ever. I can see why! This is my first pair of monkeys, and the pattern is simple and easy to remember, but still interesting enough that I haven't gotten bored with it.

I'm knitting my monkeys in Knit Picks Felici Self-Striping sock yarn, in the "Afternoon" colorway. I'm also knitting them two at a time - so that I don't succumb to the mind numbing horrors of "single sock syndrome".

And here's a tip for those that like to knit socks 2 at a time... Stuff the yarn ball in the cuff of each sock before stashing in your work bag. This will keep the ends from tangling and causing major headaches later.

All for now. I actually have to return to the market knitting and designing process today (after 2 days off). However, taking that break has brought some much needed rest and rejuvenation. And I'm ready to tackle some new challenges. In the meantime... perhaps just a few more rows on the Monkeys? Yeah... I can swing that.

Sweet Silver

2011-08-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Amy is a loving wife, and busy mom of two young boys. She works part time, and then somehow finds the time in the evenings to make jewelry too. Amy has been hard at work over the last year designing and creating amazing pieces, and I just had to take a minute and show off her work to you all!

Here is a link to her Etsy shopSweet Silver. I've also included some photos of her beautiful creations below. Amy really enjoys making custom pieces for people, so if you are looking for a thoughtful gift for that "hard to shop for" mom, aunt, cousin, wife, or friend, look no further. My favorite of her necklaces are the ones with the initials. Think of how cute that would be for a mommy (with her children's initials), or for a newlywed couple.

After you've browsed through her photos, be sure to read below for how to win 25% off your choice of one of Amy's necklaces, earrings, or bracelets, and a great offer to EVERYONE who shops with Amy thru midnight on Saturday (8/27).

Lovebirds (front)

Lovebirds (back)

(my personal favorites!) Teardrops Necklace Front:

Teardrops Necklace Back:

Arctic Ice Earrings:

Fruit Salad Necklace:

Grape Candy Earrings:

Isn't her stuff sooooo cute? How would you like to get one of her pieces (your choice) for 25% off???

Earn drawing entries in the following ways (1 entry per way). Amy will draw a winner on Friday and we will announce it here on my blog and also on her facebook page. Here's how to enter:

Like Amy's Sweet Silver Facebook Page (then post here telling us you did)

Add Amy's Sweet Silver shop to your favorites on Etsy (then post here telling us you did)

Purchase one of Amy's creations (post here telling everyone which one)

Put a link to Amy's facebook page or etsy shop on your facebook page or blog (and post here with your link)

In addtion, Amy has agreed to offer FREE SHIPPING on any of her creations to EVERYONE who place orders in her etsy shop thru midnight on Saturday (8/27)! You will need to enter the coupon code NPBLOGFREESHIP to receive free shipping. Don't delay, get your free shipping today! (And get a jump on Christmas shopping while you're at it!).

Personalized Banners

2011-08-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

You may remember at the start of the summer I began making fabric banners to sell at the market. If you've forgotten, you can read about it here.

Well, the first week I started selling them, a local teacher asked if I could personalize 2 banners for her classroom. She gave me colors to match when selecting fabric, and asked if the banners could say "READ" and "IMAGINE".

Of course I jumped at the challenge. I purchased the fabric, and then contemplated how to go about doing the lettering. I experimented with cutting felt shapes using metal dies and my cuttlebug, and found that it works REALLY well! Woohoo... I ended up using the diesel alphabet by sizzix, and the scallop circles from nestibilities. Here is a photo after I stitched the letters to the circle. (Please ignore the massive amount of leg showing. I WAS wearing shorts - I promise.)

The next step was sewing the letters onto the fabric banner. I finished the banners at around 9 pm and had to give them to the teacher the next morning at the market, so I wasn't able to get really good pictures, unfortunately. But hopefully you'll get the idea!

Here they are pinned, and ready to be sewn on. Then I sewed the triangles together using twill tape.

It was hard to fit the whole "IMAGINE" banner into one photo. It's about 6' long. The two blue fabrics on this one are different, even though you can't see it well in the photo. One is a navy and cream stripe, and the other is a medium blue with small dark blue flowers.

I'm going to make one for each of my girl's rooms next! If you are interested in having a banner made, please email me directly for pricing and more information. nonapearl@firebin.net

Featured

2011-08-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

If you don't get Knit Pick's weekly emails, then you might have missed this today: (Click photo to see the real ad)

See that little pattern on the bottom right? :) That would be my latest! Woohoo!!! And I'd like to give a shout out to my friend Emily for modeling. Thanks Em! She gives killer massages, and specializes in pampering women (especially pregnant women) at her spa Tranquil Haven. I encourage you to check her out and book an appointment if you are local. I had the lavender massage on Monday and it was UH-mazing.

My new pattern is for sale here at Knit Picks, and will be up in my Etsy and Ravelry shop by the end of the week. And if you don't know how to knit, yes, I do take custom orders. Just email me at nonapearl@firebin.net.

My blog - on Facebook

2011-08-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
Just a quick bit of news! In addition to following me here (by clicking the "follow" link in the right hand sidebar), you can now "like" my blog on Facebook!

Keep track of all of my latest posts, see updates that you might miss if you only check my blog here, and best of all get another chance at blog candy!

My first contest went fast - I gave away 5 handmade cards to one of the first 25 people to like my blog on Facebook Next, I'm going for 100. Then I'll draw a winner to receive 10 handmade cards! Woohoo!

Click the link below to be taken to the Facebook page, and "like" it! It's as easy as that. :)

Go to the "Nona's Pearls of Wisdom" blog page

Also, one quick note about Facebook. I've set up this blog page for EVERYONE, so feel free to tell as many people as you like to "like" it. It will be a completely public page. However, if you find and friend me on Facebook, and I don't know you personally, don't be surprised if your request is denied. I keep my personal Facebook page private, and limit my friends to actual "real life" friends. Thanks for understanding!

Pillowcase Dress

2011-08-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

I've been sewing again, and boy is it fun!

I wanted to try my hand at making a pillowcase dress, but I didn't have any pillowcases to spare. So I got 3/4 yard of this adorable strawberry fabric, and made my own pillowcase. Then I went to work adding armholes and a casing for the ribbon at the neckline. It was SUPER easy, and fast.

Best of all, it fits BOTH my girls - as a dress for Ruby, and as a tunic/short dress for Samantha.

WINNERS!

2011-08-13T17:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry I'm a little late posting this. My sweet husband randomly selected the three following ladies as winners of my latest contest!

Nancy Mulder

Maureen Osullivan

Jeanie "B"

You three lovely ladies have all won one FREE template (of your choosing)!!!

Congratulations!

Please go to my Scrapbook Templates Tab above and browse through the listed templates, then email your choice to me at nonapearl@firebin.net.

Thank you all so much for participating. I will have a new template and contest up soon.

August Template and Contest!

2011-08-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

My latest template is finally here! I hope you will enjoy using the new Dreamin' papers, fall stamps, and exclusive CTMH Cricut Cartridge!

With this template, you will be lead in making 25 cards - 5 cards each in 5 different designs!

Best of all, this template can be used with ANY of the new style paper packs just released by CTMH. Mix up your paper and stamps and inks to create tons of different looks, all with one simple template.

I want to get the word out! So my contest this month will go a little differently!

I'm giving away 3 free templates!

3 lucky winners will each get their choice of 1 of any of my templates. Contest runs Aug 5 - 12th. I'll select a winner next Friday at 5 pm and post the winning names that evening.

Get separate entries into this drawing by doing the following:

-Add a comment to this post

-blog, tweet, and/or post to facebook a link to this page

(post a comment for each one you do)

-purchase a kit template (1 entry for each purchase)

- purchase a teacher's license (1 entry for each purchase)

This template can be purchased for only $5 by clicking here -

To purchase a Limited Teacher's License for this template, select the "Dreamin' Template" below (or other desired kit for which you would like a License).

Note: Licenses and Templates are sold separately.

To read more about what you can do with a Limited Teacher's License, or to see my other Templates for sale, just click on the "Nona's Papercraft Templates" tab at the top of this blog.

And here's a sneak peek at what you'll find in the Dreamin' 25 Card Workshop Template:

You'll need a few CTMH supplies to make these cards, including the Dreamin' Level 2 papers, and Cricut Art Philosophy Collection. Order them from YOUR Close To My Heart consultant. If you don't have a consultant, consider shopping from Christine David! She is my consultant, and close friend. (And she's offering a great special on the cricut this month!)

Sewing Project #2 - Baby Blocks

2011-08-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've been dying to try out another of the patterns from Georgia Leigh's Puking Pastilles etsy shop. My cousin Jill is having a baby shower in the coming weeks, so I thought the graduated baby blocks would be perfect!

I admit, the fusible interfacing step frightened me, and sewing the corners absolutely TERRIFIED me, but I gave it a good ol' college try. There was no need for fear...these guys are easy, and SO FUN!

Fusing was cake...

I used a quilting ruler to make sure my edges were nice and straight - and I enlarged the blocks just a smidge. I took this photo after adding the interfacing

One corner/set of 3 blocks done. I had to redo the second set, because I messed up the "mirror image" part - even after double checking twice. Thank you seam ripper! You are my friend.

And, voila! A finished, soft, jingly, baby block! (Per Georgia's advice, I added a kitty bell toy to the center, so it makes a nice little sound. Gotta cater to all the senses we can, right?!)

Now I just have to make the medium and small sized blocks. No problemo!

We Have A Winner!

2011-08-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

Before I debut a new Template Kit for August... (YES, there is a new template in the works. And YES, it does feature *new* CTMH papers and stamps and cricut cartridges)...

...I'd like to announce the WINNER of my Fanfare Template pre-cut paper kit.

Using a totally scientific, random, number guessing system (wherin Dave, my husband, guessed a number between X and Y, where X, Y, and all numbers in between, corresponded with numbers assigned to each entrant's name) the winner is....

LORA WRIGHT

Congratulations Lora. Please email me at nonapearl@firebin.net with your snail mail address, and I'll get your kit off to you.

Thank you to all who participated this month. Just a few more days wait for the new template kit!

Sewing 101

2011-07-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

First, let me thank you so much for your prayers! This week is much better than last week.

The market is in full swing now, so I'm spending the majority of my time knitting. However, my trusty ol' sewing maching that I blogged about here, was becoming much too finicky, and my list of sewing projects kept getting longer and longer. The solution? A new sewing machine! Woohoo!

So over the last week I've really been enjoying my new machine. The only problem is that what I know about sewing (especially sewing from a pattern) could fit in one paragraph, on one page, of a ginormous book. So off to YouTube I went, in search of some good Sewing 101 classes.

I happened upon Georgia Leigh's Puking Pastilles channel/etsy shop, and instantly fell in love with her videos and patterns. She assumes you know nothing (which I do), and starts at the VERY beginning (which I needed), then walks you through making her adorable Ankle Biters Toddler pants pattern, step by step.

So of course I had to buy the pattern. Ruby's birthday is next week, and I thought it would be a perfect little gift for her! So I printed the PDF pattern, ironed my fabric, and got to work!

Voila! In less than 2 hours I had the cutest little pair of pants all done! And Ruby loves them. I couldn't wait for her birthday to try them on her, so she wore them today. It was such a fun experience - so later this week I'm moving on to Georgia Leigh's Graduated Baby Block Pattern. :) You can find all of her patterns here in her brand new Etsy shop!

Vacation Photos!

2011-07-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

I've been busy scrapbooking via Studio J this week. Here are some of my favorite pages from a few of the trips we've taken since May. If you click the photos, you should be able to see them larger.

We went to Long Beach, WA for Mother's Day weekend.

These pictures were taken on our trip to Cannon Beach, Oregon in June.

4th of July with friends.

A few pages from our Anniversary trip to San Diego in July.

Personal Trials

2011-07-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm not really feeling like blogging today. I'm struggling with something very difficult and I'm trying with all my heart to just trust the Lord through this trial.

One of my favorite people in the world (Kathleen W.) recently gave me this amazing devotional called "Jesus Calling". It has been such a powerful daily reminder of God's grace and love, and on days like today, it always speaks directly to my heart.

Today's entry was no different. It truly met me where I was at, and was exactly what I know God wanted me to hear. I hope I'm not violating any copyright laws... I think Sarah Young would understand if she knew I was posting. So in hopes that perhaps you need to hear it too, here is today's devotional:

July 19

"Bring Me all your feelings, even the ones you wish you didn't have. Fear and anxiety still plague you. Feelings per se are not sinful, but they can be temptations to sin. Blazing missiles of fear fly at you day and night; these attacks from the evil one come at you relentlessly. Use your shield of faith to extinguish those flaming arrows. Affirm your trust in Me, regardless of how you feel. If you persist, your feelings will eventually fall in line with your faith.

Do not hide from your fear or pretend it isn't there. Anxiety that you hid in the recesses of your heart will give birth to fear; a monstrous stepchild. Bring you anxieties out into the Light of My Presence, where we can deal with them together. Concentrate on trusting Me, and fearfulness will gradually lose its foothold within you."

Ephesians 6:16

"...above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."

1John 1:5-7

"This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

Isaiah 12:2

"Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid;

‘For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and He also has become my salvation."

I've been featured!

2011-07-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a quick break from the California posts to bring you some exciting news! My blog has been featured on http://pocketchange.become.com/ in their "best of the web @ home" series.

You can check out my snippet here!

Pocketchange.become.com is a website all about becoming the person you want to be. They offers beauty tips, shopping guides, home beautifying advice, and general information about everything you can imagine. Some of the different areas of their website include: "Be Heeled" (for shoe lovers!), "Be-loved Pets", "Be Green", "Be Suave", "Be in Style", and "B is for Baby".

Here is the intro on their main page:

Welcome to the Pocket Change Shopping Blog, blog central on Become.com. If you’re looking for shopping advice from the latest in organic products to proper pet diets to pinstripe tuxedos, trends & beyond, check out our niche blogs. Planning a trip? Find out what our customers deem the best car vacuum options. Giving a gift? Track down the cheapest good quality wine glasses set. Visit our shopping blogs for shopping tips, gift ideas, 2011 hot products, reviews & buying guides that'll help you get the best deals around!

I hope you will visit the Pocketchange website and check out all they have to offer!

California Trip - Saturday Excursions

2011-07-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

We lazed in bed Saturday morning... well, until we had to feed the parking meter! But, without kids, even 8 am seems like sleeping in. After getting ready for the day, we ate that scrumptious breakfast I posted about yesterday, and then we packed up, checked out, and headed off for some San Diego adventure.

Our first stop was at the Ocean Beach Pier - the longest concrete pier in the western US (the longest "non-concrete" pier is the one in Santa Cruz). It was a gorgeous, sunny day, so we thought the 1971 feet walk down and back would do us good - and burn some of those calories from our previous meals! The pier was built for fishermen, and we saw plenty of folks out trying to catch their lunch!

We were just about at the T-shaped end of the pier in this photo. You can see the cafe mid way, and the coastline is where the pier starts. Incredible!

We saw a few birds, like this juvenile seagull that flew overhead, and even pelicans.

San Diego coastline

Lots of surfers out! We saw them catch a few waves. Dave and I decided that the next time we went to a surf town, we definitely want to take surfing lessons. It looks like a blast.

After walking the pier, we were thirsty and ready for some air conditioning. We made a quick pit stop at Starbucks to refuel, then spent the rest of the morning visiting the dozens of antique shops that lined the streets of downtown Ocean Beach.

Several of the vendors at the largest shop had such inspiring displays. Obviously I couldn't buy anything since we were flying home, but I found so many cool things! Here's a look at my faves...

Then we passed this shop. Vignettes Antiques. OMGoodness. I wanted EVERYTHING!!! Literally EVERYTHING. It was amazing. Unfortunately, they don't allow photography inside, but you can see some of the wonderful treasures on their website here. I sneaked a few pictures of the outside.

Soon, it was lunch time, and we headed back to downtown San Diego to patronize the very highly recommended Cafe Chloe. Their ambiance, service, and incredible French cuisine did not disappoint. It was simply fantastic! Click here to go to their website, and view the menu. We enjoyed the Saturday brunch fare.

Lavender Lemonade

Our appetizer: tarte flambée - flatbread with bacon, caramelized onions, & crème fraiche

Dave's lunch: steak & frites with port butter and salad

My lunch: macaroni, pancetta & french blue gratin

Needless to say, we rolled back to our car satisfied, ready to die happy, and thinking we'd never need or want to eat again. Should you find yourself in San Diego, RUN, don't walk to Cafe Chloe and have a meal. It will be one of the best in your life. I promise.

I'll share the rest of the events from Saturday in tomorrow's post.

California Trip - Fri Dinner and Sat Breakfast

2011-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

My husband could be considered a "foodie". He cooks every day, reads about cooking, watches shows about cooking, blogs about cooking, and generally has food on the brain pretty constantly. I, on the other hand, just really enjoy eating, without giving much of a second thought to preparation, plating, texture etc. I just want my food to taste good. Dave does credit me with having a very sensitive and distinguished pallet, so I'm his official "taster" when he's cooking. But that's where my "expertise" ends.

All that to say, when we travel we like to EAT, and Dave especially likes to eat well. No voluntary McD's for him! And when we aren't traveling with our kids, which we weren't last weekend, we make sure to live it up when it comes to our meals.

Our first meal in downtown San Diego was at Royal India. It was given 4.5 stars by yelp - the highest of any Indian cuisine in town.

Did I mention Dave is a homebrewer too? Yes. He's amazing. :) He enjoyed the house pale ale while browsing the menu.

We started with the stuffed lettuce leaves. Chicken, tomatoes, and peppers were simmered in Indian spices and then served on a bed of romaine. While tasty, the cumin overpowered the more delicate seasonings, and they reminded me of the tacos we make at home.

For our entree, Dave ordered the butter chicken curry (on the right), and I ordered the pineapple coconut chicken curry (on the left). While the butter chicken curry was lacking, the coconut curry blew us out of the water. It was fabulous. There were large chunks of pineapple that brought incredible sweetness to the dish, but was balanced by a delicate but very present coconut flavor. The chicken was tender and moist, and added a savory element to a very sweet dish.

Overall, we would have given Royal India 3 stars - not the 4.5 that yelp did. The service was good, not great, and the food was tasty, but only the coconut curry was excellent. Additionally, the prices were pretty high. We had a coupon, and still felt like we paid more that what it was worth. To their credit, we are pretty spoiled by Clay Pit at home (if you are in the Mill Creek, WA area you MUST try it!), and we've yet to eat at an Indian place that is better. Regardless, we waddled back to our hotel room pretty well stuffed.

The next morning, our B&B served a beautiful and delicious breakfast. I really can't say enough about the service, hospitality, and amazing food at the Britt Scripps Inn. You can't go wrong staying here!

Breakfast began with a pineapple, coconut scone (YUM), with fresh fruit (double YUM) and sweet whipped cream (triple YUM).

We then had a selection of 4 entrees to choose from. Dave and I both got 2 eggs cooked any way, with apple sausage, and roasted red potatoes. I'm a traditionalist and ordered scrambled eggs. Dave with with over easy. It was so good!

After all that food, we figured we could use some exercise, so we drove to the beach and walked the pier, and then did some antiquing, but I'll post more about that tomorrow!

California Trip - Our B&B

2011-07-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

To celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary, Dave and I made a quick trip without the kids to California over the weekend. We are so thankful to Dave's parents for watching the girls and allowing us this opportunity to get away. It was amazing - SO peaceful and relaxing!

We left Friday morning, and after quite the adventure at getting our rental car at Hertz, AND a bazillion hours stuck in traffic, we made it to San Diego. Our first stop was at our Bed and Breakfast - Britt Scripps Inn. It was AMAZING! The building is a historical landmark, and the Inn has been restored and updated but still has wonderful charm and historical elegance. It was just the place we wanted to stay - and so far from the "mainstream".

Here are some photos of the grounds.

Perfect little spot for a small wedding, don't you think?

The interior of the house was also beautiful. There was a sitting room where they hold a wine and cheese hour every night. (We were heading to dinner so we didn't stay, and I didn't get photos because other couples were there). The Inn also has an amazing staircase with full wall of stained glass behind.

This is the dining room where our breakfast was served.

Here are pictures of our room... We were in the Golden Oak room on the main floor. It was small, but so nice. I loved the light fixtures especially.

The bathroom alone was spectacular. As odd as it sounds, I wanted to just hang out in there. It was so pretty! And that shower - wow. To DIE for... Even the heated towel rack was great.

Tomorrow, I'll share more photos of our trip! I feel like the B&B deserved a post all to itself. If you are in San Diego and want to stay you can see their website here. It was spectacular, and we definitely want to visit again.

Knitting and Dreaming

2011-07-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a lot of market knitting right now. Actually - ALL of the knitting I'm doing right now is for market, and my "personal" knitting stash has been put on hold for a few months. But a girl can still dream... can't she?

Here are a few projects I'm dying to work on. Many of them I even already have yarn for. Perhaps it will inspire you to knit a little this summer? Then maybe I can live vicariously through you. :)

Note: to view some of the links (or to purchase these patterns) you will need to be a member of Ravelry.com (an awesome knitting/crochet community that is free to join).

1. Aestlight Shawl, by Gudrun Johnston. This has been on my "to knit" list for over a year...

I have yarn for this one - Dream in Color Starry in Cocoa Kiss (with flecks of woven knit in for beautiful shimmer.)

2. French Press Felted Slippers by Melynda Bernardi. I have these 1/2 done, but I can't remember the modifications I made for the first, so I'm going to have to rip them out and remake them both. Wouldn't they make excellent Christmas gifts though??? So pretty...

3. Giotto Socks by Anna Bell. The Yarn Harlot just finished a pair of these and I've been smitten ever since. I was thinking of doing them in some pretty purple "Socks that Rock" yarn from Blue Moon.

4. Kindle Death by Christina Cartwright - this one is just plain cool. :)

5. Mitts with Pints On by Spilly Jane. this is another pattern I already have the yarn for. As a home brewer, I think Dave needs a pair of beer mittens. :)

6. Of course that means I need a pair of mittens with cupcakes on them! Also by Spilly Jane - the Cupcake Mittens.

7. Spring Garden Tee by Alana Dakos. This is another pattern I've had for over a year. I have the yarn for both a size for Samantha and Ruby.

8. Elijah by Ysolda Teague - serious cuteness factor here...

9. Leaflet by Cecily Glowick MacDonald. I saw this one on the Knitty.com fall preview. Stunning... is it not?

10. Ribbed Baby Jacket by Debbie Bliss - so cute, and perfect for a baby boy or girl by just changing up the yarn color. So many babies on the way among my friends. I think this would be a perfect gift sweater.

There you have it. 10 amazing summer knitting projects. Have at it! :) I'll be knitting gloves and hats for market. Hehe...

Fabric Pennant Banners

2011-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've been deathly afraid of sewing machines for DECADES. (I think it has something to do with a few sewing projects going horribly wrong as a child.) Anyway, about 2 years ago, stitching on paper became all the rage, so I had a sit down tutorial with my mom and started stitching on my scrapbooks and cards. It went well. No fingers were lost, no hair was torn out, projects got compliments... all in all success in my book. So my mom loaned me (pretty much permanently) her sewing machine.

This bad boy is over 30 years old now. It has a lovely old, machinery and oil smell, and it makes a delightful clackity clack when it stitches. It even has a sweet little hum after it's been plugged in.

The only bad thing...

I've been terrified to use it again!

After paper crafting with it for about a year, I tucked it in the corner with great hopes of doing more. Ruby came along, and it continued to sit. We moved, and it sat. Life happened, and it just patiently, quietly, waited for me in the corner of my craft room.

Then, inspiration hit. I found the most gorgeous fabric and I had to do something with it! But it was fabric. And I'd only ever sewn on paper. YIKES! However, the love of this fabric, and the flooding of ideas took over, and I just had to pull out my old, lovely, Brother sewing machine.

It took a few tries to get it threaded, and a few more to get a bobbin wound and reloaded (there's no automatic anything on this puppy). But I made my first pennant triangle for the banner. Then I made another, and another, and another. I was on a roll!

And surprisingly, I was smitten too. All those fears, and past comments that I "hated sewing" or that I was crafty with everything but fabric just seemed to melt away. Believe it or not, I was having FUN!

So, many hours later, I have two lovely fabric pennant banners finished, and a stack of fabric ready to make an additional 10 or so. Perhaps I'll even share a tutorial - so long as you accomplished sewers and quilters don't point out all the mistakes I'm making. Haha! I'm just sewing by the seat of my pants here, so I'm sure that I'm breaking a few rules.

Here are pictures of my banners. They are double sided - 3 different fabrics on each side. 12 pennant triangles total and about 2 1/2 yards long. I made one in blues/golds, and one in purple/pink floral and golds. They need to be steamed, but I'm so happy with how they turned out!

Close up of the "boyish" fabric:

Close up of the "girly" fabrics:

First Market

2011-07-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

My first market of the summer was a resounding success! :) Wendi and I had SO much fun, people came out to shop, and the sun cooperated and it was a BEAUTIFUL, sunny day! It couldn't have gone better.

It took us a little longer to set up than anticipated (primarily because I had to run home and get something I'd forgotten), so I only got half of our booth photographed, but here are some pictures!

July's Kit Template and Contest!

2011-07-01T03:13:00.000-07:00

I hope you will enjoy my latest kit template featuring the Fanfare Level 1 kit and My Creations Banner!

With this template you will be lead in making a fully embellished Pennant Banner (with up to 8 triangular panels), 2 adorable cupcakes that can be used as place card holders, card holders, or photo holders, and 4 cards.

Additionally, the first 20 people who purchase this kit template will be entered to win a pre-cut, ready to assemble kit complete with all papers pre-cut, a new My Creations Banner, and most of the supplies needed for the cupcakes (foam ball and cup not included as they are bulky to ship). Earn one entry for purchasing the Fanfare Kit, one entry for every other kit or license you purchase, and earn an additional entry if you promote my kit template on facebook, your blog, or twitter (post a comment if you do this!). I will announce the winner as soon as the 20th Fanfare Kit Template is purchased. Act quickly, last month this happened in the first few days!

This template can be purchased for only $5 by clicking here -

To purchase a Limited Teacher's License for this template, select the "Fanfare Kit" below (or other desired kit for which you would like a License)

Kit Template:

Wreaths!

2011-06-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

You may remember this wreath from this post.

Since then I've gone a little wreath crazy. I've got wreaths and ideas for wreaths coming out my ears!

Here are a few I just finished (and will be up for sale at market this weekend!)

This one features folded book pages, coiled paper roses with faux pearls, and a pennant sign that means "welcome" in french. I used the CTMH alphabet stamp set "Party Pennants" that you can order here from my friend and consultant Christine. The base for this wreath is 8".

This wreath is also an 8" one, and I just used crumpled and twisted book pages.

This one is probably my favorite - and Samantha insists that I can't possibly sell it (so I think it is her favorite too). It is over 18" across and is made from rolled book pages. The stamp is from the You and Me collection and can be found here. I also used burlap and vintage ruffle for the center, and finished it with faux pearls.

Betcha can't guess what this wreath is made out of! Would you believe Coffee Filters!?!?! I can see you all running to costco now for the industrial sized pack. Hehe. Yes indeed. I used almost 200 filters for this 12" wreath base. It measures closer to 15" now. I used the pennant alphabet again, and some chipboard letters drowned in black glitter. The birds are punched from the SU! bird punch.

I hope you enjoyed seeing all my wreaths! Back to work I go...

Market Week

2011-06-27T16:24:00.000-07:00

I'll be doing my best to update daily this week, but I'm just days away from my first market of the season, and I've got more things to do than time to do it in! Yahoo! It's crunch time baby.

Wendi came over yesterday and we did a mock-booth set up. We each rent a 10x10 space at the market for the weeks we both plan to be there. Then we set up a "double wide" shop and co-mingle all of our creations throughout. Last year we set up the booth differently every time, and while it created a fun new look, it really drove me crazy. Packing and unpacking everything was an adventure, and it was hard to keep track of what props we needed from week to week. I'm very "type A" and I'm totally anxiety ridden without a plan, so this year, Wendi and I decided to set up early, take photos, and then pack each table's props and linens in their own separate bins. (FYI - I'm also very much in love with bins).

We obviously don't have our products out, but here's an idea of what our space will look like come Saturday! EEEEEK! I'm so excited. I think it looks so cute, even without our creations. Additionally, we've decided to sell some of our display pieces from week to week so we can keep buying new ones (without making our husbands crazy).

I'll post new pictures next week so you can see the totally finished (and totally cute) results. :)

More Freya Gauntlets

2011-06-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

Another new product for market this year are my Freya Gauntlets. I've shown them a few times, but these are new colors. I also have a beautiful royal blue pair and an olive green pair just about done. The gauntlets are like fingerless gloves in that they come to the first knuckle on the hand, but there isn't any thumb - so in that way they are more like long, fitted sleeves. They fit to just below the elbow.

These are knit up in Andean Silk, an amazing blend of 55% super fine alpaca, 23% silk, and 22% merino wool by Knit Picks. They are so incredibly soft, but also warm and luxurious feeling.

Altered Clothespins

2011-06-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick look at a new offering for this year's market. Altered Clothespins!

One of my newest hat and glove displays is a really cool window frame (I'm holding it) and lattice screen (seen behind me). I got these from the Painted Lady in Centralia.

I plan to run clothes line on these and use decorated clothespins to hang my accessories. I thought that if people saw the clothespins, they might want sets for themselves! So I have been making extra and then packaging the up with some vintage lace and burlap.

The pictures are a bit glaring from the cellophane, but I think you can get the idea. I was even able to use antique lace on some of the clothespins! They turned out really neat. :)

Ollie Owl Hats

2011-06-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Market is less than 2 weeks away! This week I'm going to take a break from the vintage stuff, and show you some of my new items that I'll be selling!

First up is a whole new slew of Ollie Owl hats. I'll have them in many other colors, but as I work on knitting through my yarn stash, I happened upon lots of shades of brown yarn in balls just the right size for a baby or toddler sized hat.

Ollie is knit in a super soft 100% merino wool, and his eyes and beak are cut from high quality wool felt and are hand stitched to the hat. Sizes include infant (approx 0-2 years), toddler (2-4 years), and child (4-6 years), although every child's head is different so the age ranges are estimations. All of my baby hats are $36 (plus shipping).

If you are a knitter, and would like to purchase the pattern to make your own flock of Ollie Owl hats, check it out here (if you are a Ravelry member) or in my Etsy shop. Patterns are for personal use only.

New Paint? New Bed? New Room?

2011-06-18T22:10:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks, I've gone antiquing, scoured tons of blogs, and poured through magazines galore. I'm so smitten with the "flea market chic" look. It's terrible (in a really wonderful and exciting way) because I have so many ideas just spinning around in my head, and not enough time to make them a reality.

For instance, Dave and I have been living in our new home for a year now, and our bedroom is still plain, boring, and has nothing going for it - except this truly fabulous sofa that I got at an estate sale (along with a truly horrendous bedroom set).

Well, then Mrs. Emily Jones had to go inspire me with this incredible bedroom make over. I had originally thought of doing a dark purple accent wall in my bedroom - but after seeing her post, I'm all over a dark navy blue wall instead. (Click on the photo to be taken to her post).

Then Janee had to go and post a montage of awesome beds on her blog... so of course I'm now on the lookout for new linens, pillows, end tables, and of course a bed frame. (Click the photo to be taken to her post - she has even more photos there).

Yes... so now I've now begun scouring the interwebs and local shops for a rustic, vintage-esque, french-ish, cool, bed frame Because in the almost 11 years that we've been married (anniversary = July 8th) Dave and I have never bought a bed frame. There was always something else out there that we thought we "needed" or wanted more. Oooh - and I think I need a chandelier too. I had one in our old house in Ruby's room, but Dave made me leave it when we moved. (He said it was because we had to leave the fixture in place since the new owners had seen it in the walk through. I think it really was because it was a bugger to install and he didn't want to have to re-install a new fixture.) But I digress...

Here are some of the images I've fallen in love with... and who knows... maybe the navy wall will stay a white wall. Hmmm... so many possibilities!

Just look at those birdcages... and the night stand... and the wall paper... and the dress form! Swoon.

Yes please. I'll take it.

WOW! Could that brick wall be any more fabulous?

Smitten...

I'll be sure to post before and after pictures if I can get my act together.

Inspiration

2011-06-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

Dave approached me today and said he wanted to create a small outdoor herb garden (so he can cook with fresh herbs).

I had just seen this bit of loveliness on the Ruffles and Rust Square facebook page and got totally inspired!

So I asked my sweet hubby if we could set up two chairs on our deck for his herb garden, and he readily agreed! Have I told you how much I love this man?!?! Most guys would have said I was crazy, or silly, or would have demanded "why should my herb garden look all girly?", but not my hub. He's amazing. And he loves me. And he lets me do silly, frilly, things like this to our house.

He did however draw the line at driving to Snohomish to pick up this already functioning chair garden. Sigh. I'll update soon when I find the perfect chairs for our herb project. ;) Maybe I can sneak out there and pick it up when he's not looking. Hehe.

Speaking of Hat Display...

2011-06-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Leaving the sad fate of the drying rack/hat display behind from yesterday, I'm back to my junking posts. Today we are going to talk about the items I picked up that I plan to use for Market and Photography display.

Let's refresh your memory of my haul from a few Saturdays ago..

First up is this beauty - sturdy, paint chipped to perfection, and elegant without being presumptuous. This candlestick holder is going to make a fabulous hat display.

See???

And what about these locker baskets? They may not be "true vintage" but they look it. And because they are new, I can haul them back and forth, from show to show, and not worry about a handle falling off, or someone bending the wire. I like that a lot - especially since last year's market season ruined my most favorite vintage suitcase.

Not only are the baskets great for holding stuff...

...but they also make super photography props for my etsy shop too!

These are my "Freya Gauntlets". I'm hoping to get a few pairs up in my Etsy shop by the end of the week.

And lest you forget what they look like on an actual person.... Here is my friend Freya modeling my Freyas. These photos were taken by the FABULOUS Jeni Nelson.

Fun, fun, fun.

Wanted:

2011-06-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

While browsing online tonight, I found something that I ~~want very badly~~ NEED!

I truly, honestly believe that I can't live without it, now that I know it exists. Yes, I am being a bit of a drama queen, but you have no idea how insanely happy owning this object would make me. I have been constantly on the lookout for cute, vintage (or vintage looking), baby hat display props for over a year. This fits the bill in every single way....

...Except one.

It's out of stock.

What's that sound you hear? Oh, just me singing an utterly mournful lamenting song.

So fellow blog readers, can you help me out? If you happen to own one of these babies and would like to part with it - or you've seen one in a shop that is about the same size (11 1/2"d x 18" tall) please, please, please let me know!!!

That is all for today. Thank you.

Graduate!

2011-06-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

I promise to get back to the junking posts soon, but we've had a pretty big week and I wanted to acknowledge my Kindergarten graduate!

Her class performed the "Peter Rabbit" play - she played Mother Rabbit - and all of the kids did a fantastic job. Everyone remembered their lines, and I have to say that both little Peter and Mother Rabbit stole the show. :)

Congrats Samantha! I'm super proud of you!!!

Singing...

New 1st Graders - ready for summer!

My little girl is growing up!

Our little family

Proud parents

Sam and her teacher.

What a great year! We can't wait for next year!!!

Bonus Template for June

2011-06-10T01:25:00.000-07:00

I'm interrupting the regularly scheduled junking post to bring you a new BONUS template for June.

This month Close To My Heart has decided to continue selling the "You and Me" kit through the end of June (or while supplies last) as a fund raiser. A portion of the cost of each kit sold will support victims of the recent severe storms that have hit the midwestern and southern states. The value of the kits exceeds $34.95, but they have put them it sale for just $15!

I may not be a consultant any longer, but I admire what the company is trying to do, and I wanted to do my part as well. So, I've designed this bonus template featuring the "You and Me" kit. With this kit, my template and a few additional supplies, you can make 2 complete mini album binders with 10 pages each!

Additionally, I will donate $1 from each "You and Me" template sold to the same charity that CTMH is donating to - the American Red Cross. I will also donate $2 from the sale of each "You and Me" limited teacher's license.

These albums make a great teacher's, graduation or father's day gifts, or special mementos for birthday celebrations or summer parties. And best of all, using just one You and Me kit (and a few additional supplies) you can make BOTH albums!

Here is a quick look at some of the details of the pages inside the mini albums:

To purchase the Template for creating these 2 albums click here -

To purchase a Limited Teacher's License for this template, select the kit below.