poppies for norah

Before Norah was born, I used some poppies from this post to make a headband for her. It was on one of those sleepless nights that I stayed up preparing our hospital bag. I took some elastic that I had in my sewing kit and carefully attached the bright red poppies to create it. I also sewed one bloom onto a side-snap onesie. My nesting instinct was in full gear with this project! She didn't end up wearing them at the hospital, but wore them one month later.

I love making things for my little girl - it reminds me of when my mom used to make clothing and ornate Halloween costumes for my sister and I. She is great at sewing, and I hope that I can have skills like that one day. Until then, my hand sewing will have to suffice!

loving me some mint!

I am on the lookout for mint these days, I just am loving the color, at this point it is definitely going into the nursery. Here are a few things that are full of minty goodness that I've been eyeing.

linky loves: stationery

Loving me some paper goods today! Just thought I'd post some of my favorite images from stationery and design sites. I just took another letterpress class this past weekend, so this is very appropriate. More updates from that to come. Happy Wednesday, all!

Images from:
MaeMae Paperie
Papered Together
EvaJuliet

toting cuteness

I love these silly little tote bags with Bubi Au Yeung's Treeson character on them, they are simply adorable! And let's not even mention the nerdy glasses tote. It is just too cute for words. I'd love to lug that to the library with me! They're just $13.95 each at Crazylabel.

simple slip ons

My search for the perfect slip-on sneaker continues, I must be mourning the old days of Keds. I was reminded of the comfy shoe search when this ad popped into my mailbox. J.Crew is carrying these sweet Bensimons for the under 12 set. Aren't these great? The colors are perfect! Modern, minimalist, and fun.

image via jcrew

friday photo: love on a string

photo by whisper graphics and purchase their apple green baker's twine here

shoe love

A little while ago I got these fun gladiator sandals from Piperlime - a friend calls them my "Jesus sandals" which is fine by me. They're fun and comfy! And since it's still pretty warm around here, so these babies are going to stick around for the anticipated heat wave next week. Stay cool!

friday photo: happy wonderful friday

This weekend is a long one, that's always nice. This photo is just what I want to be doing. :) Have a great one!
photo taken by zoom photography

sweet plaid

Loving this sweet and simple plaid shirt from Wiksten. Too bad her stock sells out like *snap* that!image from wikstenmade

toys with imagination round up

Here's the post that I've been waiting to do forever! So as I was looking at those fun felt letters on Etsy, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed my fabric and wooden toys as a child. I'd love that for my children as well - natural fibers and natural elements to spur on the imagination, no need for bells, whistles, and crazy toys that play songs and make noise.

Nothing is wrong with those toys of course, but I just remember those times when my sister and I would make up games with the simplest toys. We stayed at my grandparents house after school for 4 days out of the week, and all we had to play with were old Berkeley Farms milk crates and a few stuffed animals. It remains one of the outstanding memories of my childhood. Here are some natural and wooden toys that I really like:

From top: Wooden Car from Stillpoint Woodworks, Safari Set and Hippo Teether from Little Alouette, Muji New York City in a Bag from the MoMA Store, Carrie Kitchenette from ImagineThat Wood Shop.

felt toys

As a child, I had this beautiful handmade wall hanging on the back of my door, with 26 pockets on it. Each pocket had a hand-sewn alphabet letter on it, and inside was a stuffed felt item that began with that letter. A for apple, B for book, C for car, and so on. When I came across these felt letters at Etsy shop MiChiMa, it was just so nostalgic! I love the idea of bringing back what's old as new again. These are adorable for learning how to spell or even to hang as a mobile. Coming up, a post on wooden toys! Oh, to be a kid again.

images via michima

cute and whimsical cards

I love letterpress and the whimsy of it when it is applied so simply. So these two card companies are just a hoot! Check out Paper Medium with their super cute illustrations and funny little creatures. I like the little pop of color and the witty sayings - in the second image it says "We raise this toast in honor of your birthday." Toast? Get it? :)

Salt & Syrup is from Stockholm, and they make cards with simple graphic shapes of animals - with the name of the animal in French, Swedish and English. Very sweet.

Click to see them larger.

shower + travel + love

As the weather is getting warmer, it's definitely time for a party. I'm not always in a partying mood, but when I'm down it's good to have a get together with friends to remind you of the good things, the blessings. I am reminded of the wonderful time we had last September when we threw a bridal shower for one of my very best friends. She loves to travel so everything was travel themed - we set up vintage suitcases all over the house, we prepared food from different locations she'd been to, and even put up a big map for people to pin travel advice on. We collected toiletries from the guests to donate to a local homeless shelter, which is something she did when she was in high school, and we thought we'd bring it full circle.

And then we played the most hilarious game where she had to pick out photos of her fiance's body parts from a selection of pictures of random guys. That was topped off by a crepe bar. Seeing the smile on her face as she walked around that day was the best part of the whole thing though. Parties are such fun.

photos courtesy of jasmin canlas

best little buddy

I haven't introduced my dog on this blog yet, even though he's a big part of our lives. We rescued him almost a year ago from the HSSV and now he goes with us as many places as we can take him. He goes with me to work everyday, rides with us to visit my parents, and to the Saturday Farmers Market. My favorite time is sitting with him while we eat at a cafe outside, and he can watch the world go by. He makes life a little happier, and really causes me to appreciate the simple things. Warm sun, freshly cut grass, playing outside - oh, the life of a dog. Happy Friday, everyone!

yo, yo

I was browsing around one of my favorite Etsy shops, and saw these sweet hand-printed yo-yos. I mean, who doesn't love a little "walk the dog" or "around the world?"

by Something's Hiding in Here

cute as a button!

Ever since I was 11 or 12, I've loved baking. I think the first thing I ever baked was a batch of snickerdoodles with my cousins. From then on, I was in charge of baking the pumpkin pie and custard pies for Thanksgiving dinner every year. I even used to make sweet little leaf and turkey toppers out of leftover crust to jazz up the pies (example from this year below, done by my sis and I).

So when I came across Bake it Pretty and saw their adorable vintage button candy molds - it made me want to bake again. So cute and fun. Can you imagine a baby shower with the theme "Cute as a Button" and these candy buttons (I think I saw one with this theme in MSL)? Also, the toppers and muffin cups in their Etsy shop are great for a party. Love 'em!

images from bake it pretty blog

wonder boards: ice cream wedding

I got married over three years ago, but have always loved looking at inspiration boards for weddings. I created this one and just loved the poppy colors. It was inspired by ice cream, candy, and cakes! What a fun and delicious wedding this would be!


source list (from top left, clockwise): bakerella cupcake pops, yellow dress with sequin belt from nordstrom, nantaka joy thank you card, sketch ice cream shop invitations by passing-notes, sketch packaged marshmallows, bride and groom portrait by mel barlow and wedding dress by louise austrie, carnival dessert buffet and ribbon cake by rebecca thuss for martha stewart living