Flickr Favorites - Refresh

1. Untitled, 2. pinwheel..., 3. crochet, 4. book storage

Lately I have had this desire to change.

I want to redo rooms in the house, give my wardrobe a facelift, crochet brand new afghans for the sofas. . .you get the idea. I have no idea why this sudden urge has come over me!

The clothes could be attributed to the fact that I am growing outwards at an alarming rate, and my ever changing shape has me wanting something new to compliment it. As for the rooms in my house, all of which I loved a mere week ago? Maybe it's the changing of the seasons, or my crazy pregnancy hormones. One can never be sure why I want to do anything these days. Perhaps I'll settle for rearranging some furniture to see if that satisfies my urge for change!

Want to look at other flickr favorites?

Head on over to Artmind's blog and sign up!

Flickr Favorites - Senses

1. Untitled, 2. pale knitting, 3. haru no maboroshi #1, 4. Summer 2006(Vintage)

This week is theme week for flickr favorite's players. Miss Artmind posed the question:

" what touches your senses, gives you goosebumps, makes you all gooey inside..."

Initially I thought this was going to be a very difficult challenge to put to pictures. Because like Artmind I am a pretty sensitive person. Going for a walk in the woods, waking up to the smell of an ocean breeze, or something as small as walking into my kitchen with fresh cut flowers on the table can lift my spirits, make me smile. When I see something or somebody who touches me it alters my way of thinking, reminds me not to be too self-absorbed. I love those moments, and I hope I never lose that.

The Monster Crew Expands

I love my monsters.

I never get tired of dreaming up new guys to add to my monster crew. They are always so much fun to put together, and besides, who doesn't love a friendly monster!?

Today I have added two more to the crew:

Ludo

Stewart

Like all of my prints, you can find these in my etsy shop.

Here is a mass picture of every monster in the crew:

Enjoy!

Flickr Favorites

1. "vintage button soup", 2. Pile of crochet motifs, 3. crazy bright vintage button bouquet, 4. Orange Ranunculus

I was having a hard time coming up with an idea for my flickr favorites this week.

Then it occurred to me.

These little mosaics I make every Tuesday are called "flickr favorites." Why not actually sit down and go through all of the pictures I have marked as favorites and make a mosaic around some of them!?

So here you have it, a flickr favorites of some of my saved favorites on flickr! I think I could make about 90 billion flickr favorites like this. I forget about all the lovely things I add to my favorites on that addictive little website!

(And as a side note, my favorite picture is of that Orange Ranunculus - love those flowers!)

Want to check out some more flickr favorites?

Head on over to Artmind's blog and look around!

Nursery Update

Well now that we know it's a boy I decided to add a few boy touches to a room that was looking, frankly, a bit girly.

I hunted all over etsy, and so far this is what we've got:

1. The Hirsute Hedgehog and The Happy Bear prints by John W Golden

2. Another beautiful quilt by my mom, of Pine Hill Forest

3. Cute Deer Pillow by Olive

4. Do it yourself Long Dog in brown by June Craft

5. Helicopter Decals by janeymacpress

6. Not an Etsy purchase, but couldn't resist showing the crochet blanket I made for the room once more!

Well that is what we have so far folks! Not up yet, but will be as soon as I decide where to put them are a retro weiner dog print in orange by June Craft and a light blue hippo print by yours truly!

Quilts

(detail from the quilt)

The first thing I received when I found out I was pregnant was a handmade quilt from my mom. It did not come as a surprise as I specifically asked her to make one for me to match the colors and pillows (pillows that she made) in our bedroom. I wanted it because this little dude is coming in February which I consider the coldest month of the year for us. I thought it might be nice to have to snuggle him in during those midnight feedings.

I gave her no direction, just requested she use the same fabric and colors we had picked out for the accent pillows many months before hand. I heard no more about the quilt until she was ready to put her favorite touch on it. A few pieces of velvet ribbon. She wondered about what colors I wanted. Not knowing the sex of our little one yet, I chose cream and green.

And with that choice made I received my quilt:

(quilt hung up on my bedroom wall)

Isn't it lovely!!!?

I need to figure out the best way to photograph a quilt because this picture isn't even doing it a bit of justice. I admire it sitting draped over the chair in our bedroom every morning when I wake up, and every night before I go to sleep. I can't wait to use it, and pray the little one doesn't get too many gooey messes on it! (wishful thinking I am sure) I love it so much I immediately told her she should be selling these in her shop along side her plush animals. No word yet on if she will, but thankfully I know that at least I can get one of these beauties whenever I want!

Details

1. Whit's Knits: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Booties

What an exciting day Monday, September 20th, was!

I had been getting more and more anxious for it to arrive with each passing day, resorting to drawing lines on my pretty calendar for each day I made it through. It was a constant reminder that time was indeed rolling along even when it felt like it wasn't.

The morning started with a routine visit to the transplant clinic for my husband. It was the big removing-of-staples visit, and we were there bright and early! Once all of that was finished we decided to spend some time walking around Old(e) City. I love it there. There are so many beautiful sites and sounds. Rarely do we actually have the time to just stroll through the old buildings, or down the little cobble stone streets. This was all short lived by my urgent need to eat though!

After a lovely lunch (he had a burger, I had a calamari salad) we strolled through some pretty streets on our way back to the car. The time was really getting close.

Time to finally see the baby that is.

We arrived 20minutes early, and I expected to sit and wait the eternity that was required of me. However we were both (very pleasantly) surprised when they called my name after 5 minutes (yes!). At this point the husband was looking a little pale, and I wondered if he'd make it through the exam. This was his first time "seeing" the baby and he was all kinds of nervous about that fact.

When our wonderful technician started the first thing we saw was a little head and belly. Then I thought I saw cute little hands. "Nope!" the technician told me. Confused I asked her what I was looking at then. She responded with a chuckle that it appeared my little one had it's legs up in the air with both feet hanging out by his/her face (at this point she would not tell me the sex. She explained she always did that part last. boo!). So a little perplexed but amused, I tried to tell my brain to register the little grey images as feet and not hands.

As though the baby knew I was struggling to get a good grasp on what I was seeing, I saw little hands reach out and play with those little feet! And then I saw the same little hands play with a teeny tiny little mouth. And then I saw a spine. The technician made a small comment about this being a very "active" baby and told me that s/he had flipped to facing my spine. Within a minute or two s/he was back to facing outwards towards my belly. This went on and on, and while I watched I sort of wished I could feel that twirling happening inside my belly.

The technician clicked away, taking all sorts of measurements while I sat content to watch. After 45minutes (and with feet still up by his/her face) she informed me she was ready to make the gender call. Here we go, in seconds I know I am going to hear her say "Girl"

"It looks like a little boy!" she proudly proclaimed. I just sat there wide eyed. Next thing I see her do is zoom in so close to the baby parts it's all a sea of grey, and she begins to circle the 'jewels.' I look over at my husband who is just as shocked as me (I'm not lying when I say we really thought this was a girl.) The technician wrapped up what she was doing, I'm smiling and in shock, and she tells me to wait for the doctor to come in to tell me what he thinks of the measurements.

I snap out of my shocked state and remember to be nervous over the health of the baby. The doctor comes in right away and informs me everything looks good, and to have a happy and healthy 4.5months. Back to gender shock.

We walked to the car and I kept saying, "we're having a little boy. we're having a son."

By the time we got to the car we couldn't even stop containing our excitement.

Since then we've tried in vain to come up with a name or two we like. That is proving problematic. Anyone have any boy names they want to share? (we're going for unique, but not 'moon beam' unique) Until we come up with a permanent name, we're calling him Axel Lee. This started after hearing that a couple from a TV Show we happen to love named their little baby boy this a few weeks ago. Also Lee is my husbands name. He is the opposite in appearance to what comes to mind when you say "Axel." It's a pretty fitting nickname for our little man until we come up with something more permanent. :)

Seriously, send me boy names!

We've got nothin'