mushroom huntin'

Have you ever been mushroom hunting?
Its somethin' us Kansan's do (enter hick accent here).
Both of my grandpas were into it when they could get around better.
And we used to go with them when we were kids.
The best part was eating them.
Batter & fry 'em!
{Seriously though, what ISN'T good when its battered & fried?}

Anyway,
I made this set for a sweet girl in my church
who is about to have her first babe and the gender is a surprise.
My hubby was TOTALLY making fun of me for putting
"shrooms"
on a baby gift.
I mean, yeah, I get it. Maybe not the best idea ever.
But this fabric was really cute!
Turns out the daddy-to-be of this little babe
has recently gotten into mushroom hunting!
Score for Chelsea! ;)

I kind of think this little woodland elf
needs one too! :)

Really though,

I just wanted to show this precious photo again. ;)

On another note,
I announced "Kris" as the winner of my giveaway
when really that's her hubby. :)
So,
congratulations ADRIENNE
- your goodies shipped today! -
Woo Hoo!

Have a great weekend. ;)

ties, jellybeans & fits.

Our Easter was spent the usual way.
Dressing the boys in clothes you know will be destroyed
in a matter of minutes.
Awesome service & message at church.
Eating amazing food all day.
And laughing {a lot} at the madness we call family gathers.

We began our weekend celebration
with jellybeans from Jaymin's preschool.
Along with meaning for each color.

Some egg coloring...

and some goodies Sunday morning.

I love Jett's face.
He's super stoked about Easter this year. :)

I love this face too.
Can he GET any cuter?
I know this is a random photo below
but I just loved the green grass.
It's very "spring". :)

Here is the whole lot of us.
If you can count, you will see that my parents have seven,
I repeat, SEVEN, grandkids.
And only half of us are married with kids.
They, no joke, asked for a break. :)
So here we are all posed and pretty...

...and this is what we're actually like.

The noise level at our family gathers usually reaches about 150 decibels. :)

And finally,
some pretty decent family photos
taken on a whim after church by
{who else?} miss Allyson. :)

Bye bye Jetty...
Just a little "behind the scenes" info on this photo...
my child was literally headbanging/bucking like a bronco
to get off my lap.
He was a fit throwin' fool on Sunday for some reason.
Its kind of a new thing we get the privilege of witnessing.
I have a hard time taking him seriously though.
Especially when he lays flat on his back on the floor at church
because I won't let him go into the next service that has already started.
Didn't he look like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy?
With his blond whispy hair, chubbiness, and shirt & tie.
That's what we were calling him all day. :)
Lately when we're at my parents' house
my dad just shakes his head and says, "that boy..."
Like, warning me about what lies ahead!
Yes, DAD, I already know!!

Although I have read beautiful quotes
and a lot of amazing scripture in the past few days
proclaiming that Jesus Christ is not only risen, He is Lord,
I find myself without any profound thoughts to share today.
It's like everyone else has taken the words right out of my mouth.
There is much to be said, so much in fact, I just can't say anything at all.
I am so unbelievably humbled to be called "His". That is enough.

Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed.

celebrate.

Today is a day to celebrate.
My sweet friend had her first baby last night.
I cannot WAIT to go see her this evening
and meet her precious baby girl.
And I definitely didn't want to show up empty handed
so I whipped up these little baby booties yesterday
(while she was in labor :) ).

Have a great weekend!
Oh. Was there something else I needed to share?...
Hmm...
What could it be...
Oh yeah! The WINNER of my giveaway!! ;)

Which iiiiiiiiiiiiissssss...

kris
"Precious baby things!
Jami - If I win, I'll share with your new papoose:)"

Congrats Kris!
And lucky you, Jami. ;)

Kris, just shoot me an email
with your address and we'll getcha fixed up!
(by Monday please ;) )

I just have to share real quick...
this was my favorite comment from the giveaway post

Allison:
"Of course I love everything
that your martha stewart barbie hands have ever made!!
But, that headband must be mine!! LOVE it!! {sung, of course :) }"

Seriously, this girl cracks me up.
I can actually HEAR her through this comment.
She seriously does SING her sentences when she's excited.
Lol!
And I love it.
I think I have even started doing the same thing.
Especially when we get together and talk about books.
We sing a lot of sentences when we talk about books. :)

If you didn't win feel free to browse through my shop
and let me know if there's anything I can do for you. :)

Happy Easter!!

milk & cookies anyone?

Its not really a secret around here that
I LOVE planning parties.
In fact, it's pretty much my dream job.
As long as I could hand pick the hours I worked,
have awesome clients every. single. time.
and a limitless budget. ;)
{See, dream job. As in, I am dreaming.} :)
No, actually, I think having a tight budget forces you to be more creative.
Which is how I've planned all of my own parties.

So, of course I did not say no when my sweet friend
asked me to help her plan the very special celebration
of her little boy's first birthday.

{Read more about WHY this birthday is such a big deal here.}

Here's the milk & cookies spread.
I'm drooling for an afternoon snack just looking at these photos...

A nurse from the hospital where my friend delivered her boys
made the incredible smash cake and cupcakes.

Skim, 1%, or chocolate? What? Is that a stupid question? ;)

One of our other awesome friends made the banner.
It turned out ADORABLE and perfect for the party!

For the party favors
we just trimmed the top of brown paper bags
with a wavy blade.
I made up these simple little stickers
and then we printed them and used a large scallop punch.

And, of course, the birthday boy
had to have a "smart cookie" tee from my shop.
I did however make his shirt a little more vintage looking
by using an off-white tee and a different font.
I really love it!
And so did the birthday boy...

...OBVIOUSLY. ;)

Love this girl and her fam!
Thanks A for letting me project my {often} pent up party planning energy
on this awesome occasion!! :)

{awesome photos courtesy of blink photography
the not-so-awesome ones are of course mine. ;) }

P.S.
Be sure to pop in on Thursday to see if you won my giveaway! :)

giveaway day!

Hello!

Giveaway day is here!

First up...
a baby girl outfit
size 3 mos.3 mos. onesie embellished with hand sewn pink rosettes
a matching skirt in a mod pink & gray floral print {love this print!}
& a coordinating gray blossom headband {with a pink pearl}

I think this may be my favorite headband yet!!

Next up,
a baby boy set
size 6 mos.
6 mos. onesie with a handpainted cassette {ahh...remember those??}
& a matching burp cloth {in some of my FAVORITE fabric!}

Also,
one of my "happy camper" tees
in size 2t
Perfect for those spring camping trips. :)

And finally,
how could I leave out the mamas?
I have something for you today too! :)

I have been feeling quite inspired by our glorious spring
{and all the luscious spring fashion everywhere! }
so I made a headband that I'm pretty sure I will be recreating for myself! :)

There you have it!

Random, right?
You can keep the goods for yourself
or split them up and give away for baby shower gifts!
One less thing to do. :)

SO.
If you want some free goodies just leave me a comment.
I'll leave the giveaway open for a week
{cause I don't get a ton of traffic on this blog}
- until 11:59pm Wednesday the 20th -
and announce the winner next Thursday!!

Have a great weekend!

Umm...wa-huuut??

Remember how I mentioned a giveaway??...
Well...
this isn't it. ;)

Check back on Thursday and I'll have the goods posted
and the comments open for entries. :)

But in honor of the randomness that will be this giveaway,
I have a random post for you today.

First up,
just a few headbands I made for a customer/friend
here recently.
I've been having way too much fun
making these and trying new things.

I think I'm going to name this first headband
"have your cake & eat it too" :)

{btw, I swear these photos get blurrier when I post them :( }

So,
I got an email today from
Top 25 Mom-Shops

saying this here blog had been nominated!
Wa-huuuut??
Yeah, that's what I said! ;)

So if you wanna vote for me
(or someone else, I promise, I won't mind...
only because I'd have no way of knowing, ha! ;) )
then click on this button!

See you back her on Thursday!!

How much is that floral blouse in the window?

Hello.

Well, I thought I would be "back"
and blogging regularly this week
but my to-do-list took a major hit while I was
"taking it easy".
Ugh, isn't that the way it always goes.
So unfortunately I've been consumed with other life stuff.

Anyway, I just want to thank everyone
who sent messages of love, hope & encouragement
to me and my family.
I can't tell you all how much they meant to me.
We are actually doing really well
and are hopeful for what the future holds for our family. :)

I'm sure you'll be glad to know
my post will be MUCH lighter today... :)

With spring officially in bloom around here,
I can't help but drool over the latest fashions that reflect it.
And I have never been one for window shopping...
I mean, what is the FUN in looking at things you WANT and cannot HAVE??
Plus, wasting all that walking and coming home empty handed?
It's a phenomenon I will never understand.
BUT, as things have been quite tight around here for oh,
...OUR ENTIRE MARRIAGE...
looking, and not buying, has become something I'm quite used to.
But I will admit to a little internet "window shopping" from time to time.

I feel like my style is forever being refined
as I continue to figure out who I am as a woman.
And this spring has "chelsea" written all over it...
Vintage, feminine, & a touch of country.
{can you marry fashion?}

Here are a few of my favorite finds...

Botanical Garden
Country Road

As much as of love shops like Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters,
and this ADORABLE internet boutique, Ruche,
{checkout their gorgeous spring lookbook}
I buy the vast majority of my clothing from Forever 21.
And I LOVE the thrill of finding stuff there that looks like it came from
those higher priced shops! :)

Botanical Garden:
1. Ruche
2. Anthropologie
3. Forever 21
4. Ruche
5. Forever 21 6. Anthropologie 7. Anthropologie
8. Anthropologie
9. Ruche
Country Road:
1. Anthropologie 2. Anthropologie
3. Ruche 4. Forever 21
5. Forever 21 6. Anthropologie
7. Ruche
8. Forever 21
9. Ruche

I need to brighten things up around here
so I'm working on a giveaway!!
Check back next week for more details!!

Happy {window} shopping! :)