Cabbages and Kings

Stuffed

2012-01-19T14:54:00.006-05:00

When I go to a baby shower I always make it a point to buy something off the person's registry and something special from me to that person. The gift varies from person to person, but in the future I think I've my go-to gift for all mom's to be:

a handmade one of a kind beastie/dragon that is totally baby friendly

Cabot

Claire

(my current personal favorite)

Nathan

If you think this seems like an impractical gift, sure it's not the extra bobby cover the mom-to-be was asking for, or one of 4 different sheet sets she wanted either. But it is something soft and snuggly with lots of different textures and patterns for that new bundle of joy to look at. I have a custom made flannel puppy dog and my son has hugged that little guy since he was about 2months old! You can find these dragons and more over at Pine Hill Forest.

(scroll through her sold olders for other beauties that other lucky people have already snatched up!)

Invitations

2012-01-18T10:11:00.003-05:00

So I meant for this to be posted last week, but that is what you get when you combine an active 11month old with a sick mom. Anyway, better late than never!

Anyway I am starting new in the card shop for 2012.

Wedding Invitations:

The Samantha Collection

The Caroline Collection

This has been something I've wanted to do for a little over a year now. I love invitations, and decided it was time to offer them along with my save the dates, calendars, and everyday greeting cards.

What do you think?

At first the Caroline Collection was my favorite, but now I think the Samantha Collection has taken over first place as my personal favorite :-)

Save That Date

2012-01-11T11:35:00.002-05:00

As promised, here are some photos of some of my new work for the card shop!

I decided I wanted to get more into the wedding swing of things, and started with these save the dates.

Woodsy Floral Save The Dates

Poppy Save The Dates

I love how they turned out, and hope to do more very soon. Do you have a favorite? I keep going back on forth on which is my favorite, but I think if I had to choose I would say the woodsy floral cards. :-)

Flickr Favorites - Shhh...

2012-01-10T10:50:00.004-05:00

"secrets are made to be found out with time"

-charles sanford

1. Valentine, 2. detail, 3. spring sailor girl, 4. Grey Bunny, 5. I'll travel with you, 6. VINTAGE BEADED TRIVET, 7. Sweethearts On Parade Necklace, 8. I'm here. :), 9. Flower party, 10. love is priceless..., 11. { thank you, flickr friends! }, 12. my favourite..., 13. teacupflowers314. Not available15. Not available16. Not available

Sorry I've been absent for so long! Things have been crazy, but slowly we are getting back to normal. I'll be getting back into the swing of things around here, with new work being posted tomorrow!

Sneak Peak

2011-12-17T13:07:00.004-05:00

Want a sneak peak of something new for the shop starting in January?

I would love to list them now, but I have a few minor details to work out yet. I've also decided not to list any work until after the holidays in general because I'm just enjoying time with my family, especially my sweet little WALKING baby boy.

He took his first steps today!

Best early Christmas present ever!

Now back to that sneak peak:

What do you think!?

Colors will be customizable, so that they will match any room :)

Flickr Favorites - That Time of Year

2011-12-13T12:13:00.003-05:00

1. a 'whatnot' gleeful tree..., 2. Day Three Hundred and Fifty One, 3. Untitled, 4. Taft

It's that time of year.

A time when I feel like I am racing against the clock everyday. With the holidays come a surge of holiday orders, putting up our small collection of holiday decorations, lots of baking, visiting family, and having family visit us.

Sorry to have neglected this little space, but every holiday season I have to pick and choose where to spend my time. This year my number one priority has been spending time with my little man. He's going to be 1 in two months and that has been hard to swallow. I feel like I only had him yesterday. Rest assured after the holidays I'll be back here with regular posting and lots of new work! For now I am just keeping up with sales, and spending time with the ones I love.

Want to see more flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Flickr Favorites - Art

2011-12-06T11:07:00.002-05:00

1. Organic shapes (porcelain), 2. Leaves, 3. Self-Preservation, 4. A Winter's Tale

"A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament."
Oscar Wilde

It's the first Tuesday of the Month so we have a them for our flickr favorites! If you couldn't guess, our theme this month is 'art.' A fitting theme from Miss Artmind I think! I could get lost on flickr browsing through all the lovely photographs of art. I tried to pick out a few of my current favorites for you to enjoy!

Mr. Reliable

2011-11-29T14:12:00.003-05:00

I'm back from a wonderful holiday break with some new artwork:

He's called 'A Reliable Friend' and comes in blue, pink, green, and orange.

These mix and match critters were some of the very first things I sold on etsy and I still love making them all these years later. I love seeing what color and animal combinations customers come up with. Even when I think something is not going to look good together, I get it printed out and more often than not I'm surprised at how much I like the grouping. I think these big guys are going to be a nice addition for the mix and match.

What do you think!?

Flickr Favorites - Time of Year

2011-11-22T11:04:00.004-05:00

1. Doily wall art, 2. New Year's Eve, 3. Untitled, 4. rust 30s british

It's that time of year again.

The holidays are upon us! It's time for baking, packing, and traveling to be with family and friends. And it's the first year I get to celebrate the holidays with my sweet son!

He has a thanksgiving outfit, and a Christmas outfit that I wish he could wear now. We don't do fancy outfits with him crawling and exploring every second of the day. For Thanksgiving he has a simple onesie which reads 'thankful for daddy' and matching brown and white striped cotton pants. Christmas will consist of a PJ set in gray with santa, trees, and reindeer all over them. And a matching Santa bib of course!

For now I must take care of the baking and packing part and wait another day for the traveling to see friends and family.

ps. Dear Artmind. I don't really like baking, but every year I find I enjoy it just a little more than the year before. This year I am going to attempt making a peppermint bark with toasted almonds. Wish me luck! :)

Want to see more flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Gift Wrap Alternative

2011-11-20T12:38:00.007-05:00

A bunch of new bags were recently added to Pine Hill Forest, and I am in love!

I love the different combinations of fabrics combined with the unique felted brooches and zipper pulls.

It got me thinking about the various uses for the bags. There is the obvious pencil case, makeup bag, purse organizer, etc. But what about using them as an alternative to gift wrap? I would love to see one of these bags peeking out the top of a stocking with a pair of pretty socks inside, or a new set of markers for a child who loves to draw. The possibilities really are endless, and instead of throwing paper away afterwards you'd have a beautiful bag to keep using!

Here are some of the recent additions which I love:

West Hills Horses Bag

Lindy Leaf Bag

You can check out these bags and more here.

Do you have a favorite?

Mine is definitely the Fresh Poppies Bag. I love the color combination, and the beautiful handmade felt zipper pull.

Flickr Favorites - Me Time

2011-11-15T12:26:00.004-05:00

1. It's not you, it's..., 2. Bunny birthday cake 2, 3. secret garden, 4. Rococo Knit Shawl - 100% Organic Fairtrade Cotton

This past week I made some space for 'me time.' Not much mind you. There is a not-so-little 9 month old boy who keeps me on my toes at all times. But still, I did something I haven't done since that little boy entered my life.

Knit.

And not only knit, but knit for ME.

I'm working on a shawl. It's simple, but beautiful.

And when it's completed I'm going to tackle the gorgeous Rococo Shawl (picture four). I recently discovered that the pattern is available on Etsy through AtelierTPK. I can't wait to start it! It's getting a little cold in the year to be using just a wrap, but I hope to have it done for spring time use.

Boy it feels good to knit again!

ps.

The bunny picture is for my son.

He is obsessed with rabbits and was laughing when I brought the picture up on my computer.

I think I found a first birthday cake idea :)

Want to see more flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

2011-11-02T12:21:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited to show off my newest alphabet print!

I made the original individual animal alphabet prints a few years ago, and have been adding to them ever since. I have seven letters that have more than one animal, and always wished I could use them in other projects.

So I decided to do another poster/print with the animal prints, but utilizing some of the animals that are not in the original animal alphabet print. I love how it turned out! I decided to go with a horizontal orientation as well, just to change it up some.

Here they are with the 123's print:

What do you think!?

Flickr Favorites - Food

2011-11-01T10:34:00.003-04:00

1. valentine's day to my baby, 2. Homemade Baby Food - Carrots, 3. Baby food, 4. Baby Food

The first Tuesday of every month is always a theme for our flickr favorites.

This month that theme was food! Great theme, right!?

I could have talked about my favorite foods, least favorite foods, or how in the last few years I've actually gotten somewhat decent at preparing food. The possibilities were endless!

But when you ask me about food these days it's usually in reference to what the little man is consuming. I never knew people were so passionate about how, and when, you should feed your child! I got a LOT of flack for choosing to formula feed our son, a choice that was made in the best interest of him and myself. It was a personal choice and one that to this day irritates the heck out of me that people try to 'scold' me for doing.

Fast forward to four months when I decided, along with his doctor, that we would start foods. Oh the horror! I had mom's from all over telling me how they waited until 6months, 9months even, and would never consider feeding their baby any food at 4months! I listened to these women, who have all raised healthy, happy children. And went on giving my little boy sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, etc.

And all was well until those carrots. By the third day of carrots we had a full body rash on our hands. In the back of my mind were all those nagging mom's telling me what I was doing was wrong. We took him back to the doctors and discovered that it's not an allergy so much as a food that flares his eczema. We were told to stop carrots, and retry them down the road.

And on we went. One new food after another. 19 Fruits, 12 Veggies, 3 meats, and a host of various wheats later our only other hiccup was pineapple. About a week ago (just shy of 9 months of age) we tried carrots again and had no problem!

We only recently, as in 3 days ago, introduced him to the little baby puffs to help him learn about solid foods and self feeding. While many people do this sooner, we did it when we felt it was time.

So to summarize:

1) Baby food does not taste as gross as I thought it would.

2) If you were expecting a post about my favorite foods it would be: eggplant, anything spicy, and italian food

3) Least favorites? Anything that can get mushy (think bread with condiments on it), sandwiches made on sliced bread in general, and peanut butter.

4) I've learned to take in advice from other parents, but at the end of the day I should trust myself. I've raised a happy, healthy little boy just like the other moms, and I am proud of that.

Want to see some other flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Flickr Favorites - Keeping Time

2011-10-25T12:58:00.002-04:00

1. Metronome, 2. Watches, 3. Calendar Card - February, 4. Vintage Retro Clock

Since I had my little boy life has been an evolving schedule.

When he was born our days were segmented into two hours time slots. Change Baby. Feed Baby. Have an hour to clean or sleep. Repeat.

As he grew the time in between feedings grew, and we are in a good groove. My child was born without the need for naps so fitting in time for work on etsy has been tricky. I'm lucky if he takes a 20 minute nap these days, so most work is done once the other half comes home and can take care of the wee one.

The main thing I had been focusing on was actually time related as well! Finishing the calendars for my card shop was my main goal. I went all out this year creating five different calendars. And because I am so happy with them, I decided to offer free shipping on them for this week only. You can read all about it here!

Want to see more flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

2012 Wall Calendar

2011-10-24T10:45:00.005-04:00

This year I made not one, but five different Wall Calendars for my card shop.

I decided to try out some new sizes and themes (all birds, all flowers, etc.) instead of just using a mix of images.

I am so pleased with how they turned out!

If you like them as well now is the time to get one. For one week only I'm offering free shipping to anywhere in the world on my 2012 Wall Calendars.

Here are your choices:

2012 Patterned Wall Calendar

2012 Wall Calendar - Mix

2012 Wall Calendar - Mix II

2012 Wall Calendar - Floral

2012 Wall Calendar - Birds

Click on any of the links above to go to my card shop to see more pictures of each calendar.

Enjoy!

Changes

2011-10-20T10:33:00.014-04:00

The other day I mentioned I was updating all the tags in my print shop. I've been going section by section and updating photos and tags. It's dull and tedious work, but necessary work none the less.

One thing I've really wanted to do amidst all the updating was edit the colors for my wild & woodland animal prints. As my shop has evolved I began using the same set of colors for my prints thus making them easier to mix and match. The Wild & Woodland prints mix and matched with each other, but not with anything else. So say you wanted to get a 123's print, and a hippo print they would not match.

But now, they do! Some of the color changes were minor, and others were not so minor. I really went back and forth about doing it, but in the end I felt it was a change for the better.

The Before Colors:

The After Colors:

All of the animal prints that were altered:

Livin' Large

A Hardy Fellow

Teeny, Tiny, Hoot

This is For You

Prickly, Bristly, and Full of Love

The Weather is Nice Up Here

Spike & Curly

Steady as We Go

The T-Rex, The Brontosaurus, The Triceratops, The Apatosaurus, & The Stegosaurus

Up Up and Away

What do you think of the change?

Do you have a favorite animal? (mine is the Rhino!)

Have any ideas for another animal that would look good with these wild and woodland critters?

Flickr Favorites - Tedious

2011-10-18T11:28:00.002-04:00

1. xoxo., 2. Spiral Staircase, 3. Math is teeeedious. [24/365], 4. Week 39/52: Imaginations come and sweep the shores of my mind

I've been spending the last couple of days updating the tags for the listings in my print shop, as well as updating some of the prints themselves (more on that, with photos, tomorrow). I feel like I am going blind from staring at the computer screen for hour after hour. But it is worth it. Some of these listings had the original tags I used, and desperately needed updating!

Speaking of which, I should be getting back to it while the baby boy naps.

Want to see more flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Ornament Love

2011-10-13T11:01:00.007-04:00

I'm so happy to see all the happy little ornaments back over at Pine Hill Forest. I love all of them and am happy to say a little collection of animals makes its home on my tree every year. We have a possum, squirrel set, some foxes, and one rabbit. I love looking at all the embroidery on the dresses and vests. It is something I wish I could do, but just do not have the patience for.

Here is the complete collection:

Happy Animal Ornaments

And my top three favorites:

The Owl Ornament II

The Opossum Ornament

The Piggy Ornament II

Do you have a favorite?!

Flickr Favorites - Common Things

2011-10-11T11:16:00.002-04:00

1. can the world stay this color all year round?, 2. I want to ride my bicycle, 3. Untitled, 4. 3/365 1.3.09, 5. words to say, 6. Untitled, 7. circles, 8. Hello Autumn I have been expecting you, 9. Free

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things"

- Henry Warn Beecher

Taking time to enjoy these last days of autumn before winter comes sweeping through! Lots of bike rides, walks in the woods with the dogs, and watching our little boy discover more and more every day.

Life is good.

Want to see more flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

(Another) New Birth Print

2011-10-07T12:10:00.003-04:00

This is actually more a rework of a birth print I already had, rather than a completely new birth print. Still, I love the new options and wanted to share it with you on here!

Originally I had designed a dinosaur birth print using only the stegosaurus. I liked it, but felt over time that the stegosaurus was too small on the print. After going back and forth for some time I ultimately decided I would be happier with a different layout. And while I was at it, why not offer more dinosaurs to choose from?!

The finished prints:

Dinosaur Birth Print

The stegosaurus is still my personal favorite, but I love offering up the option to have any of the four dinosaurs be on the print.

What do you think?!

New Birth Print

2011-10-06T13:48:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited to get back to sharing my new work with you!

After a super busy 2 months, things are finally slowing down around here. I couldn't be happier about that. I'm ready to get back to enjoying the quiet moments with family, instead of jam packed days leaving me wondering where time is going.

So back to the new work.

Today I have a brand new birth print to share with you!

Butterfly Birth Print

This print features a pretty little butterfly, and would be a lovely addition to any nursery or playroom don't you think?

This is not to be confused with my Butterflies Birth Print, which is a more modern take on the butterfly. I wanted this one to be a happy, cute, little animal since it has been a while since I could sit and draw a happy little critter.

What do you think?

Flickr Favorites - Bright

2011-10-04T10:57:00.002-04:00

1. Girl in Party Dress and Dancing Shoes on Dresser, 2. bracelet, 3. Juquila Mexican linen maxi dress, 4. Jewelry/Cosmetic Bloom. Darling Jardin Bleu.

It's the first Tuesday of the month so Miss Artmind has selected a theme for us to go with. She wanted to see a bright colorful group of pictures, and the ended asking if we like to wear said bright colors.

Yes. Yes I do.

There are a couple things I love when it comes to clothing.

1) Dresses

2) Color

Light, bright, dark, patterned, you name it. I own it and I love to wear it! If only the weather allowed for year round dress wearing!

Want to see more flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Flickr Favorites - sCAREd

2011-09-27T11:12:00.002-04:00

1. scared, 2. Scared, 3. Moltas -The Scared out of focus shoulder cat (tsoofsc), 4. Scared

So it feels like my whole scary illness thing happened a lifetime ago, but actually it's only been 2 months. That is definitely long enough to be able to put it behind oneself and get on with life. Which is just what I had been doing until I realized I have a doctor's appointment today with a specialist. An appointment which is going to inform me how the rest of my life will be.

Whenever I feel the butterflies in my stomach getting too strong I just pick up my sweet (big) baby boy and get some slobbery kisses. That makes everything better :)

want to see some more flickr favorites?

head on over here!

Flickr Favorites - Quilting

2011-09-20T11:16:00.003-04:00

1. Dream On Quilt, 2. Farmdale Quilt - B, 3. Floral Bouquet Quilt - on bed, 4. Community Kitchen Quilt

I do not quilt.

I have no desire to learn how to sew or quilt.

But I really want a queen sized quilt for my bed.

And so begins the long process of begging the one quilter in my life to make this for me. She makes beautiful quilts, but they are primarily baby quilts. I'm positive she can make a queen sized one, with some matching pillow cases of course, but all I've heard so far is N.O.

A little time and some designer fabric as a bribe and I'm pretty sure I'll get a beautiful hand made quilt to go on my bed with my almost finished queen sized hexagon blanket (that I made). Pictures of that once it's done :)

Want to see more flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Flickr Favorites - Chill Out

2011-09-13T12:51:00.003-04:00

1. Crocheted heart ornament, 2. Just chill out, 3. thinking along the same lines, 4. Bennett

Life has been chaotic these past few weeks.

I spent basically the entire month of August recovering from an illness which landed me in the hospital, and from which I am still dealing with the medical world until at least the end of this month.

My sweet boy has learned to crawl, stand up, and destroy everything he can lay his tiny little hands on. Never a dull moment around here. Never.

A feature on heartsy caused a big increase in sales, a happy increase I might add, challenging me to balance chasing after said wee one, writing customers back in a timely fashion, mailing packages, and taking care of two dogs and a home.

Throw in a major move for my little brother, who is currently using my home to store half of everything he owns, and my life is one big chaotic jumble!

I've never spent a night away from my baby boy before, but I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, a long weekend to relax, and unwind might be a good thing in the coming weeks :)

(Could I really relax without him near me though? Probably not!)

want to see more flickr favorites?

head on over here!

New Work

2011-09-09T10:55:00.006-04:00

I've been promising to show off some of my new work for ages now. Today I was finally able to sit down long enough to show off a new series!

This is the doggy crew, and I love them. Some were modeled after my own dogs as well as family members dogs. We all had a good laugh picking out who they were supposed to be. (light blue, purple, brown, and teal are our personal pets, names and all!)

You can find the entire collection in my shop here.

And here are some pictures:

Julie, Jack, & Franz

Daisy, Maggie, & Piper

Duke, Nicholi, & Seamus

Winston, Murphy & Maggie

Charlie, Maggie & Duke

And here they are all together:

What do you think!?

Do you have a favorite? I'm torn between Piper and Nicholi as my favorite, but that might be because they are my own two pups ;)

Flickr Favorites - Itty Bitty

2011-09-06T11:00:00.004-04:00

1. Red Riding Hood Papercut :), 2. Miniature X-Acto knife :), 3. itty bitty strings..., 4. Lovely infant foot with little white daisy

This is the first Tuesday of the month, so we get a theme to make our flickr favorites by. This month the theme was to create something teeny, tiny. The first two photos are from the same person. I just couldn't help but include both of them though! Elsita, has some of the most intricate paper cut designs I've ever seen. And that exacto knife!? What!? Once the little man goes down for his nap I'm going to investigate her shop in more detail. :)

Want to check out some other teeny tiny flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Flickr Favorites - Decorating

2011-08-30T10:38:00.002-04:00

1. Untitled, 2. Alice Through the Looking Glass..., 3. Untitled, 4. for the love of ercol...

I have been in decorators mode for the last week, as my brother prepares to move into a new apartment. He's going from a tiny studio apartment to a spacious 1 bedroom and there is a lot of furniture he's lacking*.

While helping him find what he needs I've been day dreaming about having a completely fresh palette of my own to decorate. I absolutely love being able to transform a blank space into something that is meaningful, and cozy. If only I had the time to do a little redecorating around here!

*the mosaic is what I love to use for redecorating. My brother is going with a manly red/grey/more grey theme. :)

Want to see some more flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Flickr Favorites - Never Ending

2011-08-23T10:58:00.004-04:00

1. [116:365] You've Got Butterflies? Well So Do I..., 2. spreading the love, 3. blackandwhite, 4. 031/365 ... Flu diaries day 2 : Tea anyone?

Still sick?

You bet I am. This has to be about the third flickr favorite I've made talking about how there is a lot I want to post, but just haven't because I've been under the weather.

Turns out I am more than under the weather. A week ago landed me in an emergency room and scared out of my wits. A week later I'm still sick, still scared, but on a month long road to recovery.

When I feel sad and sorry for myself I need only look at my sweet son and immediately there is a smile on my face. This is one of the hardest things I've ever endured, but I'll get through it knowing his smiling face is there to greet me every morning.

And I PROMISE to start showing off some of the work I've been doing these past few weeks.

Here's a Sneak Peak:

This is just a few of the calendars I will have for sale over in my card shop. I've always enjoyed making them, and this year I went to town creating a bunch of different sizes and styles.

I hope you like them!

Check out some more flickr favorites here.

Flickr Favorites - Don't Bring Me Down

2011-08-10T01:13:00.002-04:00

1. 042*/365 ... It was the best of times and the worst of times, 2. Under the Weather, 3. beau-tea-ful, 4. Sick

I believe it was a mere 7 days ago I said I was back in action on this blog of mine.

And it appears as though 7 days have gone by without my posting a single thing!

I forgot I was traveling to my hometown, getting my son's 6 months photos done (six months old! where has time gone!?), and taking my sweet puppy to get a tooth pulled (when he we rescued him he came with a full set of bad teeth, requiring constant care).

On top of all of this today happened.

It started off like any other day. I fed and changed my sweet baby boy, and got around to making a little breakfast for myself. Only, I didn't feel quite right, so I skipped breakfast. Fast forward to lunch where I manage to feed the sweet baby again, as well as get a little something in myself. Only now I'm feeling positively awful. Flu awful.

I found myself wide awake at 1 in the morning, and unsure what to do with myself, when I remembered I had once again missed a flickr favorites. Well I may be an hour late, but darn it, I still managed to get one in flu and all.

Here's hoping tomorrow (or later today rather) looks a little brighter.

Flickr Favorites - Where I've Been

2011-08-02T11:55:00.004-04:00

1. Yucatan beach, 2. Valldemossa - Mallorca island, 3. Where I've Never Been - Blue and Yellow, 4. Cycling through the rain

I wish I could say I've been away on vacation.

Honestly, I do.

Vacations are great. You can sleep in. Explore. Do Nothing. Take on Everything. Leave as a family of two, and discover when you return that you will be a family of three (Exactly what happened to us after our trip to Ireland last year).

The choice is yours on vacation!

But, I've actually been hard at work these last few weeks, and most definitely NOT on vacation. Early in July I was featured on Heartsy. This was awesome of course, and I loved every second of it! However it meant that 100% of my time was devoted to increased sales in my shop, and taking care of my sweet baby boy. I had to let some things go to the way side, and my poor blog was one of them. But things are calming down, and I am back! I have so much new work to share it's not even funny. Check back soon for a peak at what I've been up to!

Flowers

2011-07-18T10:38:00.003-04:00

I've created some new floral prints recently!

They are some of the very first things I ever listed on etsy, and are still some of my favorite prints in the shop!

Check them out:

Summer Song

Grow With Me - orange & grey

Heart(sy)!

2011-07-07T11:26:00.001-04:00

How cool is this!?

I am being featured today on Heartsy.

If you haven't heard of it before head on over and check it out. But be warned..it's very additcting!

bags, bags, bags!

2011-07-06T10:58:00.009-04:00

I'm loving all the new bags from Pine Hill Forest.

I'm loving them all so much I don't even think I can pick a favorite.

Well...actually I think I do have one favorite in the group below:

The Matryoshka Girl Zippered Pouch

The Patchwork Zippered Pouch

Mermaid Friends Zippered Pouch

The Lanterns Zippered Pouch

The Little Hedgehogs Zippered Pouch

The Birdie Zippered Pouch

The Honeycomb Zippered Pouch

Which one is your favorite?!

Flickr Favorites - Scared!

2011-07-05T23:05:00.003-04:00

1. I'm Not Scared!!!, 2. Ö_öh...look!someone dropped a quarter…♫ wildlife from bali ♫, 3. Ben's Lizard, 4. lagarto de bicicleta

I wish I could say I am fearless.

Unfortunately that is just not true.

I am absolutely afraid of frogs, salamanders, lizards. . .you know all those scaly, hopping, slithering type creatures! When someone asked me why on earth I was afraid of frogs as a kid I told them it was because I never knew what direction they would hop. What if it was towards me!?! And I still feel that way today.

Here's hoping I don't influence my little one with these fears!

Want to see other flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Flickr Favorites - First Smile

2011-06-28T10:56:00.005-04:00

1. .future cowgirl. {explored}, 2. the boy, 3. { sweet slumber } +1 sweet smile in comments, 4. Tinley..., 5. Sweet Smiles., 6. .sweet love., 7. Now smile for the camera..., 8. Big Smile...., 9. Is solace anywhere more comforting than in the arms of a sister.

My sweet baby boy is almost 5 months old.

Can you believe it? Because I sure can't.

I can remember back to when he was just a new little thing and the only time he would smile was in his sleep. It was the most adorable thing. Then one day he smiled at me, and that was the end of me. I am so hopelessly in love with this little boy! He smiles at me first thing in the morning, while he rolls around on the floor, while he eats his little half jar of baby food, in the tub, and of course when he's getting his little diaper changed. (the boy loves to be naked)

I hope he smiles at me forever :)

1. Eating Carrots 2. Eating his Burp Cloth 3. Eating Green Beans

Want to see more flickr favorites?

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Makeover

2011-06-27T10:44:00.006-04:00

my favorite combination of animal alphabet prints

When I first made my animal alphabet series of prints I was in love. It took me a long, long time to finish this series and when it was completed I was so excited to list them in the shop.

But as time has gone on I've stared at these prints I so adore and wished they had a more defined color palette. Having some free time this weekend, I decided to sit down and construct an animal alphabet series make-over.

Before:

After:

You will notice that there are some additional letters in the 'after' section. Over time I have added a second option to the more popular letters (a, u, n, & j currently). I am sooooo thrilled with the outcome!

What do you think?

Flickr Favorites - Collector

2011-06-21T11:29:00.004-04:00

1. Good morning, yogurt!, 2. favorite-bowls, 3. colorful bowl collection, 4. 3.17 - A treat for myself

I never thought about it much before, but I guess I am a collector.

The thought occurred to me last week after seeing ArtMind's flickr favorites about collecting little bits from nature.

My weakness is dinnerware.

I guess it started with my desire for our everyday dishes to all be handmade. We have a dozen dinner plates, 12 or more desert plates, and about 14 bowls of various shapes and sizes. They are all different in size shape and color and I love that. I look forward to opening up the cupboard door and picking out which colorful piece of dinnerware to use each day. And I long for the day when I can have glass front cabinet doors to showcase all of my unique pieces.

Then one day I saw a picture in a magazine.

(the third picture in my flickr favorites to be exact)

I found a new obsession.

Latte Bowls

These beauties called to me mainly because of how colorful they are. I found a small shop down at the Italian Market in Philadelphia which sold beautiful latte bowls. Tons of color choices on the outsides, and fresh white on the insides. Every time we made a trip down there I picked out one or two new bowls for the collection. Until the day they stopped carrying them. Apparently I was the only person around who had collected the pretty dishes, which wasn't reason enough to keep them in stock. Dang.

So I started collecting them at the well known store, Anthropologie. Their bowls come in a beautiful assortment of colors, but they don't have the pretty white insides. A minor detail I know, but one I've come to accept in my quest to obtain more and more latte bowls. They are just another reason to get those white glass front cabinets installed sooner rather than later :)

Want to see more flickr favorites?

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Bag Update

2011-06-20T13:39:00.007-04:00

What I use all of my custom zippered bags for!

Just thought I'd get out a quick post showing off the newest batch of bags from Pine Hill Forest. As usual I love them all, but definitely have a sure favorite this time around. I just can not get enough of the little yellow birdies sitting atop the chairs in the first bag pictured below. Too cute!!

Flower Garden

2011-06-20T13:35:00.004-04:00

It's been quite some time since I've made a floral print.

I'm so happy to have sat down and worked on this one over the past few weeks (time is somewhat limited these days with the little one), because I just love it! The different sizes and shapes of flowers reminded me of a flower garden in the summer time.

Space is limited in my house, but I'm thinking I need to find some room to get a set of the floral prints framed and up on the walls. This is my favorite combo right now:

Blocks

2011-06-20T13:30:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite series I've ever made has been the alphabet prints. A little while ago I had decided to make posters using the alphabet in addition to creating prints using each letter by itself. It really has been so much fun to do! The Block ABC's is my most recent creation.

The color schemes were done so that they combine well with the Animals and 123 prints that are also in my shop:

What do you think!?

Percy

2011-06-15T12:36:00.006-04:00

Percy is awesome!

Not only is he a really cute kangaroo plush, but he doubles as a tooth fairy pillow or gift card holder.

Someday when my baby starts to lose teeth (the teeth he still needs to have come in first!), he is definitely going to have his very own, one of a kind, kangaroo tooth fairy pillow :)

Check it out here!

percy with his polka dot pouch, and blue bow tie

cute button details on the legs

a back view

Flickr Favorites - Blooms

2011-06-13T21:58:00.003-04:00

1. Flower party, 2. Sweethearts On Parade Necklace, 3. I'm here. :), 4. Custom Order - Sun Shine Paper Mobile

I've been thinking that I need some fresh flowers around the house. I love the way a bunch of flowers can brighten up any space. Now all I need to do is find some free time to get out and get some!

want to see more flickr favorites?

head on over here!

It's in the Bag II

2011-06-08T09:51:00.008-04:00

Here we go again!

I just had to show off another batch of beautiful one of a kind zippered pouches from Pine Hill Forest. Each one is unique and it's quite hard for me to pick a favorite. But if I had to, I think I would have to go with that yellow polka dotted lovely shown two down from the top.

What's your favorite?

Flickr Favorites - Garden Party

2011-06-07T10:13:00.003-04:00

1. Countryside Wedding, 2. Vintage Blossoms, 3. traces, 4. Bench Monday/ Farm edition

As we do every month, this flickr favorites is a group theme. This month the them is: Garden Party

I do think it would be kind of lovely to sit outside on a beautiful table enjoying a meal with family and friends. I've done picnics before, but nothing as fancy as picture one. I think I might have to give it a try!

Want to see some more flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Love!

2011-06-02T13:09:00.004-04:00

I am in love with all of the fun items by Kate Clarke.

Everything is so bright and cheerful!

(and I really think I need the tea towels for my kitchen)

Screen printed linen tea towels

Screen printed coasters

Stalk print cushion in yellow/blue

Flickr Favorites - Home

2011-05-31T09:52:00.002-04:00

1. photo ideas - hold tight, 2. forgotten..., 3. Flag garland, 4. poppytalk green: gingerbread, 5. Untitled, 6. new bedroom with polkadot side tables, 7. little gallery in our bedroom, 8. house-pillows-grouping, 9. Queen of hearts, 10. My Sun Bird Nature Music Room, 11. new lamp for the nightstand, 12. My kitchen shelves, 13. mobile-314. Not available15. Not available16. Not available

After a long couple of weeks we are finally winding down.

We've gone to my hometown, to my husband's hometown, in the city, out of the city, you name it! I love being able to travel and experience lots of different things, but at the end of the day I am most excited to just be home. Home with my precious little baby boy, and two silly puppies. There is nothing better than that!

Want to see more flickr favorites?

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Flickr Favorites - Road Trippin'

2011-05-24T09:53:00.003-04:00

1. Let's Go Trippin', 2. When I look back..., 3. stinkin' pink, 4. road tripping!

What a week! I basically took a week off from life to get better from the worlds worst cold. I've now gone full force into packing mode because we are taking a mini road trip on Friday! It's not a huge road trip, but when you are cramming a 3 (almost 4!) month old in the backseat of a small car with two dogs, baby necessities, and luggage, it can be quite the ordeal!

We are going to visit some friends and family who live on the other side of the state. This will be their first time meeting our son in person. It is going to be so much fun, but boy is it a lot of work getting ready to leave!

Want to see some other flickr favorites?

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Numbers & Trees

2011-05-17T18:14:00.001-04:00

Why can't we combine the two!?

The weather has been so beautiful outside recently. All the trees are in bloom and there are birds and flowers everywhere! I've been enjoying soaking it all in so much so that I decided I needed to work on a bright summery print. And then I thought, why not include some numbers or letters on that print!? Well, the numbers won out and here is what I made:

I love The Numbers Tree print sooooooooo much!

What do you think!?

Flickr Favorites - Under the Weather

2011-05-17T05:22:00.004-04:00

1. Day 35/365: Under The Weather., 2. day 92 |mon,31 mar,08| sick., 3. August 11, 2010 | 223/365 - hot tea?, 4. sick

I'm Sick.

Really Sick.

I want to curl up in a ball, hibernate, and not emerge until I'm feeling 100% better. Unfortunately little man still needs fed and changed routinely. I guess the show must go on despite how I feel!

Want to check out some other flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Dudley & Homer

2011-05-12T11:11:00.000-04:00

Dudley and Homer are the latest members of the super cool Monster Crew! There isn't too much else to say, except that these little guys are quite possibly my favorite items up for sale in the shop. One day I hope you cover little Rohan's room in his favorite monsters. I just need to wait patiently for him to be old enough to pick them out!

Here are the new dudes:

Mr. Homer - this dude is rotund!

Mr. Dudley

What do you think?

Have a favorite?! (mine is franklin or ludo)

Flickr Favorites - Fabric

2011-05-09T21:18:00.006-04:00

1. fabric stack, 2. Handmade Bunting 11.5 feet/ 3.5 meters long Red summer, 3. bag, 4. Follow you heart cushion 2

Oh the wonders of fabric!

I could spend hours in a fabric shop looking at all the colors and patterns. Problem is I can't sew. Not that I haven't tried. Oh I have sat down at that frustrating machine more than once. My lines aren't straight, corners aren't pointed, and whatever is in my head never turns out the same in real life.

Thankfully I can dream it up and my mom can sew it. In exchange I knit and/or crochet whatever she asks for. Because as luck would have it she hates knitting and crocheting but loves the finished products!

I wonder what fun project I'll think up next. . .

. . .have any ideas?!

Never Enough!

2011-05-09T14:26:00.006-04:00

You know I can't help it. I love posting pictures of the fun bags my mom makes for her etsy shop. I have a case of sewers envy. Good thing she'll make things for me whenever I ask!

Here are three of the newest in her collection:

My very favorite actually sold before I had a chance to write up this post! But no worries my second favorite (and it was a very close second at that) is the gorgeous pink bag at the top made of Riley Blake's Summer Song fabrics. It's so summery and makes me want to get out and soak up that lovely sun! What's your favorite?!

House Pillows in my Home

2011-05-09T14:20:00.002-04:00

So a while ago I posted about a new obsession of mine.

The House Pillow. Remember?

I just loved the idea of filling the little love seat in our living room chock full of house pillows. I wanted them big, pastel, and whimsical. And here is what I got thanks to some help from a certain sewer that I know:

We made 6 pillows in all, and I love each and every one. Though, if I had to pick a favorite it would be the tall one in the back left corner with a blue roof and pink door and window! Don't you think that certain sewer should make these for her etsy shop? I do!

And wait until you see the banner she made for my little Rohan's nursery!

Oh. My. Gosh.

Pictures very soon!

123's

2011-05-03T14:40:00.006-04:00

I had so much fun working on alphabet prints I thought why not number prints too!? Much like my Animals & ABC's posters, these are designed with numbers and animals. They work great as a solo print or combined with the ABC posters as shown below:

What do you think!?

flickr Favorites - Shiny

2011-05-03T09:06:00.003-04:00

1. Untitled, 2. Gathering materials, 3. My Favourite Cup, 4. “Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.” ~ Langston Hughes

At the beginning of each month, Miss Artmind tells us of a theme to use in our next flickr favorites (should we we want to, of course!) I think they are quite fun and always play along! This week's theme was "something shiny."

The first thing I thought of was twinkling stars which shine at night, or the way silverware shines after it has been polished. After having more than a few cups of espresso from the husband's new birthday present I also immediately thought of the pretty shine on his new colorful espresso cups!

But my favorite shiny thing? That would most certainly have to be the beautiful shine on a fresh skein of yarn, or even sewing thread. I'm a crafter at heart after all :)

Want to see more shiny flickr favorites?

Head on over here!

Flickr Favorites - Hello Sunshine

2011-04-26T08:23:00.003-04:00

1. You are my sunshine.., 2. Hello summer, 3. Remember it, 4. Magic

Why hello sunshine.

Where have you been for last 6 months?

You have been greatly missed, but I am so glad you decided to come out in full force this week. We are all hoping you decide to stick around!

want to see some more flickr favorites?

head on over here!

It's in the Bag

2011-04-25T11:10:00.005-04:00

It's that time again.

Time to photograph and upload a bunch of fun new zippered pouches to the Pine Hill Forest shop!

Here a few of my new favorites:

Check out these and more, here!

flickr Favorites - busy busy bee

2011-04-18T21:24:00.004-04:00

1. Um ano de Pano p'ra Mangas, 2. Easter Eggs, 3. easter basket, 4. Marzipan Hearts 2, 5. sweet little cake table, 6. White Chocolates, 7. Easter Cupcakes, 8. Naturally dyed pastel Easter Eggs, 9. ..

This is a seriously busy time of year. There are 3 birthdays and Easter all within one week of each other, plus another birthday and Mother's Day right around the corner. All of which are celebrated 3hours away from our home. Thankfully cramming two dogs and a baby into our tiny civic over and over again never gets old!

ps. I decided the wee one was in fact too wee for a fancy outfit for Easter. Instead he's wearing blue and white striped pants with a bunny on the butt, and a white onesie with yellow and white striped sleeves and a little chick on the chest. You can be sure that it is the cutest thing ever. :)

Want to see some more flickr favorites?

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Combination

2011-04-18T09:58:00.006-04:00

There are two print sets in my shop that I just adore; the alphabet prints, and the custom birth prints.

Finally I came up with a way to combine the two:

(The colors are completely customizable too!)

What do you think?

Dinos

2011-04-11T11:33:00.004-04:00

I have had four dinosaurs in my shop for quite some time now.

Today it became five. Ladies and gentlemen, I present The Apatosaurus:

What do you think!?

Flickr Favorites - My Style

2011-04-06T11:46:00.003-04:00

1. IMG_2572-1, 2. tender books and oxford shoes, 3. day two hundred and eighty two, 4. 29/52: a girly day

Oh no!

Flickr Favorites are always on Tuesdays, but here it is on Wednesday and I am just getting to making mine. Honestly I am so sleep deprived because of the little bundle of joy I had 8 weeks ago that I thought today was Tuesday. I'm pretty sure Miss Artmind won't hold it against me ;)

Anyway, this week was a theme week where we were asked to make a fashionable flickr favorites mosaic. This is super easy for me. I live for the months when I can wear my summer dresses and rainbow flip flops!

The other thing that I recently can not live without is my initial ring which I had made on etsy from the lovely tinahdee. Mine is gold with a sterling silver disk on top with the letter 'R' for my baby Rohan. In fact I loved it so much I am getting this ring to go on top of it for mothers day.

Want to see some other flickr favorites?

Head on over here!