Monday, December 28, 2009

Eager for the new year

As this year draws to a close, I'm looking back and reflecting on all that I've done, but also looking ahead at all that I want to do. I've always been an idea person. I've never had difficulty coming up with ideas. In fact, I have a whole "vault" of ideas that are waiting for their moment to shine. Now that the holiday craziness is over, I'm really looking forward to peering into the vault, and deciding which ideas to focus on in the new year.

I've been living a very full life (perhaps at times a bit too full), and in the coming year I hope to really set some solid priorities, and focus on only the things that are most important to me. Which is difficult for me, as I am usually the type to want to do it all. But I realize that if I keep adding more and more to my plate, at some point the plate will shatter, no longer being able to hold the weight of everything I've put on it, and cause everything to come crashing down. What a mess that would be!

So my resolution for the new year is to simplify my life. Declutter. Focus. Live simply.
I'm feeling very upbeat and positive about the year to come, and am very much looking forward to it.

Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Theme Thursday: Midnight Carnival

Etsy has this really fun thing called Treasury, where you can curate a shopping gallery of items from Etsy sellers. It can be tricky to snag an opening to create a Treasury, as there is a very short time frame when they open up, so you have to be at the right place at the right time. I love making Treasuries, and often will drop whatever I'm working on if there's a chance that I can grab one. Fortunately I was in the right place at the right time this week! I had a lot of fun creating this Midnight Carnival collection, and thought I'd share it here for my Theme Thursday post. Here's a screen shot of it:

You can also view it on Etsy here. Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Has it really been...

a month since I last blogged? My, oh my, where did November go? Oh wait...now I remember: I published the winter issue of Modern Handmade Child, worked extra at the florist shop in preparation for our holiday open house and Thanksgiving, made new items for my Etsy shop (including 4 new hand sewn flower designs), finished up and launched the new EtsyKids website, and traveled for Thanksgiving, not to mention the every day craziness of being a mom to a 2 1/2 year old. No wonder November flew by! But I think I'm finally caught up with everything that got set to the side while I was in the midst of November chaos, and hope to get back on track with blogging too.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Trick or Treat!

This fall has been very hectic. I've stretched myself just about as far as I can, which means that often things don't get done until the last minute, because, well, I simply don't have time to get started on them early. I've known for quite some time now that I wanted to make my daughter a penguin costume for Halloween, as she has been obsessed with penguins since discovering Pingu. So when did I start this little project? Late last Tuesday night. When did I finish? Early Friday morning before work, so that she could wear it at daycare, as they were planning to do a costume parade with the kids. When I dropped her off with her costume in her bag, I thought, "Gosh, I hope this fits, because I never even tried it on her!"

Fortunately, it did fit her perfectly. And she got to wear it again for her first time trick-or-treating, which was loads of fun! She was a bit tentative at first, going out in the dark to walk around the block. But after the first couple of houses, she got the hang of it. She said "trick or treat" and "Happy Halloween" to everyone. In fact, she's still saying it. She has been talking about it all weekend, and even reenacting the trick-or-treating with her dolls. So cute!

EtsyKids: Santa's Sleigh Ride Team Holiday Sale


This holiday season, join the EtsyKids Team for a ride in Santa's Sleigh! Starting November 1st through Christmas Eve, participating shops will be sharing the holiday cheer with a shop sale of their choice. Santa will be traveling to each shop to take advantage of these great savings and you can come along and perhaps snag a deal of your own! To help Santa, and so he doesn't get lost, we'll be tracking his journey with a new blog post at each regional stop and highlighting the stores he's visiting.

This week, he's starting his journey in Canada. And those Canucks know how to craft. See for yourself...

Each of my one-of-a-kind hair accessories and finger puppets is 100% handmade. That means hand-cut (no craft punches or die cutters), hand-stitched (no glue), and designed by me.

I'm offering 1 free hair clip (5.00 value) with the purchase of any three clips Let's Shop!



Simple and stylish designs for everyday living.

I'm offering Buy 1 item take 10% off your order, buy 2 items take 15%, buy 3 or more and take 20% off your order (prior to shipping) Let's Shop!



Here you will find quilts, crayon bags, crayon rolls, tea wallets, coasters and eco friendly cloth napkins. Let me help you find the perfect gift!

I'm offering 10% off your total order (prior to shipping) Let's Shop!


Stay tuned, Santa will be visiting a new region on Thursday!

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reposted from: EtsyKids: Santa's Sleigh Ride Team Holiday Sale

Sunday, November 1, 2009

It's here! Hooray!!



The winter issue of Modern Handmade Child has arrived! I am so thrilled with this issue! It's filled to the brim with fantastic articles, crafts, and ideas for the winter and holiday season. So take a peek...I'm sure you'll love it!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Theme Thursday: Modern Handmade Child Staff

The past couple of weeks have been crazy busy for me, as we've been finishing up the next issue of Modern Handmade Child. This week, I thought I'd give a little shout out to a few of the talented ladies who are working with me on the mag:

Gretchen and I are the co-founders and editors of Modern Handmade Child. She's a very talented illustrator and designer, and her shop is filled with the most adorable artwork, like this print:

Oh Happy Day Print by Chichiboulie


Kristi is a writer for the dwell section, and her shop is full of all things cute and girly, such as this sweet little headband:

Dainty Blooms Headband by Zuzu Girl


Kim is a writer for the play section. She has a background in early education, and makes these wonderful little flipboards:

Educational Flipboard Games Set by Tootsie Bear


Rozzi does sewing tutorials for the magazine, and in her shop you will find sweet little outfits for your little sweet peas, like this darling bowling shirt:

Buster Bee Bowling Shirt by Rozzi's Sweet Peas


Nicole is a writer for the taste section. She makes boo boo cubes, paper party goods, and these fun redesigned crayons:

Lil Scribblers™ by Lil Boo & Co.


The newest addition to our team is Marissa, who will be writing for our 'wear' section. Her shop is full of super cute clothing for babies and toddlers, like these diaper covers:

Garden Lover Ruffle Diaper Cover by Rae Gun

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Painting

Little g loves to paint. And when she paints, boy, does she ever paint!

she paints the table...

she paints her chin...

she paints her hands...
Thank goodness for washable paints!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Customer Appreciation Pic - look at this cutie pie!


Ashley recently bought some of my felted flower hair elastics for her daughter, and sent me this pic. Isn't she the cutest?? I couldn't resist sharing the photo here. It's so fun to see my items being enjoyed by their recipients. :)

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Theme Thursday: Halloween, Part 2

Been a busy week, so this Thursday's theme is from my post on the Crafting in Color Blog:

If you don't fancy the traditional orange and black color combination for Halloween, perhaps something a little more vampire-esque would suit your taste. Bold reds against deliciously deep blacks make for a striking combination that's sure to quench your thirst for color.


Trick or Treat Candy Necklace from Dina Fragola






Tuesday, October 13, 2009

My little pumpkin's growing up!

This weekend my husband and I took little g to Pumpkin Land. Although she's still a bit young for some of the activities there, she was very excited to see the pumpkins, and play on the slide and swing. Looking at her standing next to my husband by the "How Tall This Fall?" board makes me realize just how much she has grown. At almost three feet tall, she's getting pretty close to half of his height (6'4"). It's hard to believe that not long ago she was still a tiny little baby. I'm pretty sure one day she will be taller than me...I guess then I really will be her "little momma"!

Friday, October 9, 2009

Flower Friday: A study of color, line, and texture

I love when we get a breather from the usual chaos of working at a flower shop, and I can take the time to create an arrangement that's more of an art piece than a bouquet. It's fun to get a chance to experiment, and try something completely different from the usual dozen roses or pick me up bouquet.

This piece is really a study of color, line, and texture. It all started with the sunflowers...we had a couple of sunflowers that were missing a few petals, so I plucked the rest of the petals out, which leaves you with a wonderful color combination of soft green and dark chocolate brown. I had seen sunflowers used this way at a floral design show before, and was amazed at how beautiful they looked without their petals. To compliment the centers of the sunflowers,
I chose a rich brown container, which unfortunately you can't really see in these pictures. I really wanted to stretch the limits of the small container I had picked out, so I opted for these incredible Japanese Fantail Pussy Willow branches that had been sitting around the shop. These are one of my favorite branches to use, because they create such beautiful lines. In order to really highlight the lines, I kept everything else in the arrangement low and close to the container. And remembering a bit of what I had learned from my class over the summer, I made sure to pay careful attention to how the lines looked from every angle.

I chose a Fatsia leaf to cover the base of the arrangement, and folded a couple fingers of it back to reveal the soft green underside which is a perfect match to the edges of the sunflowers. And lastly, I filled in with some beautiful golden Celosia, green Hanging Amaranthus, and some sort of dried pod (not sure what exactly it is), which made for an interesting combination of textures.

Overall, I was very happy with how this piece came out. And I'm looking forward to the next little breather, so that I can experiment more with floral design as art. :)

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Theme Thursday: Halloween cuties

Halloween is such a fun holiday...when else can you dress up like a chicken and not have people look at you like you're crazy? Ok, so maybe you will still get some strange looks, even on Halloween, if you dress up like a chicken. But your kids certainly won't get any strange looks wearing these Halloween cuties!




Friday, October 2, 2009

Friday Flower: Circus Rose

With it's bright yellow petals tipped in the most vibrant orange, Circus is an eye-poppingly beautiful rose. Just look at that color! Wowza!! It looks completely fabulous on its own, but it also looks gorgeous with other autumn flowers as in this bouquet:
Hand-tied bouquet of Circus Roses, Flame Calla Lilies, Red Mikado Spray Roses, Viking Poms, Hypericum Berries, and Seeded Eucalyptus


Such beautiful colors for this time of year...I love Autumn weddings. :)

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

It's the little things

My daughter's new favorite word is little. She always talks about her little doll, or her little cup, or her little toothbrush...you get the idea. Then the other day when we were getting ready to go down stairs, she took my hand and with her sweet little voice she said, "Come on little momma". I just about died from the cuteness of it. If anyone else called me "little momma", I'm not sure I'd be too pleased, but coming from her, it was just the sweetest thing. Soon enough she'll be all grown up and the days of her darling toddler vocabulary will be long gone. So for now, I will gladly keep the title of little momma, and will savor every silly little thing she says.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Friday Flower: Zinnia

Now that we are well into September, the Zinnia crops from our local growers are nearing their end. Farewell to the vibrant Zinnias of summer...I will miss you.

Theme Thursday: Autumn in Maine

Tuesday marked the first day of Autumn, which has always been my favorite season. The crisp air, the rich warm colors...what's not to love? And since I moved to Maine, I love it even more! There's no better place to be in the Autumn than in New England. And nobody knows it more than Maine artisans. Check out these beautiful Autumn inspired items from my fellow members of the Etsy Maine Team:


Carnelian and Brass Bracelet -- Rolling in Autumn from Folk Art Tree Fandangle



Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Not your typical 2 year old's dinner request

As I was preparing dinner tonight, I asked little g if she wanted peas or broccoli. Her reply? "I want both of 'ems". Really? In disbelief, got them both out, showed them to her and asked again. Same reply. Both peas and broccoli? What child is this? I thought 2 year olds were supposed to demand nothing but goldfish crackers for a week straight. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I thank my lucky stars that my daughter likes vegetables and will happily eat a bowl full of peas and a bowl full of broccoli for dinner. Now whether or not it will stay that way remains to be seen. But until she decides she wants "neither of 'ems", I'll keep serving her "both of 'ems".

Friday, September 18, 2009

Friday Flower: Felt?

My usual Friday featured flower post is going to be a little different today. I'm having a BOGO sale on all of my hair accessories this weekend, and I just found out that my hand sewn felt poppy hair clip is going to be featured in Etsy's Weekend Deals article today. Yippee!!

I'm super duper excited about this, as it is really great exposure. It's been a rough couple of weeks around here with the daycare crisis and all, so it was really nice to get some good news! So be on the lookout for the article on Etsy today, or go sign up to receive the Etsy Finds email, and get it right in your inbox! Now here's a little sampling of goodies that will be on sale in my Etsy shop all weekend long:




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