The Vintage Pearl

Have you visited The Vintage Pearl? I just discovered this wonderful site today, and I will definitely be going back. Everything item on their site has a wonderful handmade look to it, and all customized items are handstamped. I could spend thousands in their store and still have more on my wish list.

I saw this adorable Peas In A Pod necklace on NieNie. (If you haven't read her blog, you simply must. It's fabulous. Full of inspiration, happy stories, and adorable photos.)

And this Dainty Drops necklace.. I will definitely be buying one. What a perfect way to feel more connected to my little girl.

This T-shirt! Definitely bookmarked. So cute. Who wouldn't want one? Maybe I can get away with more photo-taking when I'm wearing this ;-)

I'm also deeply in love with this Messy Nest necklace. Sooo cute!! I love the idea of the eggs representing children.

Crocheted Baby Gifts from Mom

I've mentioned that I inherited my sewing capabilities from my Mom. Well what I didn't get from her is the ability to crochet. I've tried to learn a couple times, and it's just not my cup of tea. My mom, however, has this amazing natural talent. It's like she was born with a crochet hook or something. She is always working on a crocheted baby blanket for someone we know. Usually someone from church. There is always someone pregnant there ;-)

So when she found out that she was going to be a Grandma, she got right to work making all sorts of gifts. This little one is going to be spoiled rotten! I thought I would share some of them with you gals. She amazes me every day at the things she is able to whip up.

This first one is an adorable set of booties and the tiniest little crocheted hat. I love the little flower! It's the perfect touch, don't you think? She also made a matching set of black booties in a slightly larger size. I can't wait to see what they look like with a pair of tiny white socks.

Today she surprised me at work with this adorable little sweater. I absolutely love it! She must have been listening when I talked about how we didn't have any newborn size jackets.. The detail in the pattern is so cute and feminine, I love it!

She also made some super cute beanies. I found a pattern on Etsy for this incredibly adorable owl beanie. They are all over on Etsy, and so stinkin' cute! I knew I absolutely had to have one for her newborn pictures. I bought the pattern and asked (aka begged) my Mom to make one for me. The whipped up this purple one that same night as a 'sizing sample.' And she finished the actual owl hat the very next day. It's so cute I can't stand it!!!!

And of course, she made a couple blankets as well. This first one was one of my baby shower gifts. It's nice and heavy. I love it. Our little girl is going to be so toasty warm in this!! I can't wait to wrap her up in it. The second one is very special. It's her blessing (aka Christening) blanket. This one will definitely be a special heirloom piece. It's much more delicate, and absolutely stunning. I love the pattern she chose.

So there you have it! I little peak into the kind of talent I was raised with. ;-) Love ya Mom!!! You're going to be one of the best Grandmas ever!!

Birthday Gift

I made this gift for my MIL's cousin last week. Now that she finally has it, I can share it with you. Her daughter is part of a cheerleading team and she is one of the most supportive parents that I have ever seen. I made this keyfob and zipper pouch to help her show her team spirit.

Lola the Owl @ Gingercake

Lately, I have picked up a little obsession with owls. Not the realistic kind, but the cute cartoon kind. I have found several things to add to my baby room, and it has only fueled the fire. When I stumbled upon these cutie pies at Gingercake, I decided that I had to make them. You can buy the pattern for "Lola the Owl" by clicking here. OR You can buy the pattern for "Max the Owl" by clicking here. Both patterns are only $6 each, and super duper easy! All of the stitching for the pockets, face, and wings, is just a zigzag stitch. No folding and ironing. And it's a simple straight stitch to join the front and back pieces. I whipped these gals out in 30 minutes each. (It actually took longer than that to stuff them, but the sewing was really fast). These two purple girls are gifts for some twins coming into the family soon. I plan on making another one for my little girl, and I'm also going to try making "Max the Owl" too!

Baby Stuff!!

Saturday, my Mom took me to Baby's R Us for some shopping =] We finally have our stroller and carseat! Woohoo!

Feb 19th

Sunday (Today) I finally finished a project that I started a few weeks ago. These adorable stuffed owls for some babies on their way soon. Aren't they cute??

Feb 20th

Embellished Baby Name

A couple weeks ago, I made some letters for my friend's nursery. She absolutely loved them and couldn't stop raving about them. I posted a sneak peak photo for one of my Project 365 photos on February 3rd. I didn't think to take step-by-step photos to show you any type of tutorial.. sorry =/ But I'm still going to post about them!

Terrible picture.. I finished them at 1am so give me a break! Haha

Supplies Needed:
-Wooden or MDF Letters
-White Paint (or another color coordinating with the paper)
-Decorative Paper (Large enough pieces to cover entire letters)
-Adhesive (Rubber Cement or Gluesticks work best)
-Misc. Embellishments (Stickers, Glitter, etc)
-Hot Glue Gun and Glue Refills
-Ribbon for Hanging

Instructions:
I started with some simple unfinished letters. You can use wood if you like, I used MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) It's much cheaper. It's kind of like a mix between cardboard and wood. You can buy them at any craft store, or you can buy them here.

I painted mine white, so the edges would look nice. I just used basic acrylic paint, nothing fancy. You'll want to paint the entire front of the letters, including the edges, just in case your paper ends up being semi-transparent.

Once your paint has dried, it's time to glue on the paper. You can lay the letters down and trace them onto the paper if you like. I think it's easier to do it my way though: Apply your adhesive to the front of your letter (I used rubber cement), flip the letter over and press it onto your paper. Once the glue has dried, trace the edges of your letter with an X-acto Knife. You may need to do some extra trimming once you flip your letters back over.

At this point, you can embellish however you like! I applied some stickers that I found in the scrapbooking department of the craft store. I also traced some of the paper's designs with glitter glue.


To hang the letters, you can use several different options. Many letters will come with attachments on the back for hanging. I used a hot glue gun and attached some ribbon to hang these ones.


I also have a set of simple black wooden letters that my husband bought me. I glued some pink ribbon and tied some bows to dress them up a bit.

If you need some inspiration, there are thousands of photos online of different letters that other people have made. I just googled "baby nursery wall letters" to find these examples.

Addison Letters found at Beauty and the Bump. 

Emma Letters found at Kids Decorating Ideas. 

Valerie Letters found at Kate's Art House. 

Joseph Letters found at ZeeBree Art.

Lila Letters found at Meet Me in the Baby's Room.

Purple and Pins

Feb 6th

Today was a nice lazy day at home. I finished one of two gifts for my cousin. She is having twin girls around the same time I'm having my little girl. I finished several other crafts this week. I can't wait until they all get their gifts, so I can share them on here. I'm so impatient! Haha