I realize that it has been a loooong time since I have written. I am making it a goal to post at least twice a month to update you on craft projects, DIYs, and recipes. Really. :)

With that said... it has been a CRAZY year! I had a baby, my hubby was traveling a lot this past year (which resulted in me getting in a funk and not wanting to be social), my hubby getting a new job so that he can be home with me and the little man, and so much more. I have basically quite my job as a professional domestic helper/ house manager to be a full time stay at home mom... which has been quite the adventure! I have to say that I LOVE being a mom of our little boy whose nickname is Mo. He is by far the best thing I have every created! God is so good! We have a healthy baby boy... after losing two babies two years ago... we have a gorgeous baby! Yeah, I am a bit excited.

Anywho... I have been working on so many projects so my goal is to start posting them and sharing my little DIY tips. This post will be mainly some update photos. I hope you enjoy them!

My little guy, Mo will be six months old next week! (One of these days I will share my birth experience. It was truly amazing!)

I have been wanting to make a Waldorf doll for years now. One my my very good friends' daughter just turned 1 and I thought it presented the perfect opportunity to make one for her. This little beauty was a blast to make! I can hardly wait to make Mo a little boy one!

I just had to make a silhouette of Mo. I was amazed at how much he resembles my hubby as a baby from the side!

I knit this little sweater before Mo was born. I used Amy Butler Rowan yarn (which is a dream to knit, BTW). Because he surprised us by being three weeks early this sweater was too big! But still super cute on him. By the time he fit into it it was was too hot for it. And now it is too small on him! Lol! Oh well! Guess I will have to knit him another! 

Giveways!

I just wanted to send you over to Oh, Hello Friend for some fab giveways! I love the clogs!

 

Influenster: Venus & Olay, Stash, Ghiredelli, Truvia, Kiss goodie pack!

So I have been meaning to blog about this for a while. I joined a group called Influenster.com in which I get products and then review them. Below are all the products that I received in my VoxBox (in other words... a great goodie box!!!!). Please note that the following products were complementary to test through Influenster's Vox Box program.



So... needless to say the chocolate did not last long. Although I am a dark chocolate lover... this was not bad! It was way better than some milk chocolates. I have tried Truvia and Stash teas before and really like them. The teas that were sent to me will be perfect for ice tea this spring and summer. And I will most likely sweeten it with the Truvia. :)

I loved the Venus & Olay razor! It is so convenient! No shave gel, no bumps or irritation. It is a dream for legs! Check it out at www.gillettevenus.com.

Product Details

• Venus’ five-bladed razors shave you close and adjust to women’s curves for a smooth and comfortable shave, even over tricky shaving areas like knees and ankles.
• Olay Moisture Bars contain skin-enhancing elements found in Olay products: Petrolatum helps lock in skin’s moisture for less dryness and Glycerin helps offer that goddess glow! Just wet the razor to release a light lather – no separate shave cream required.
• As with most Venus razors, new Venus & Olay also features a rounded, pivoting head designed for women’s curves, and a soft-grip ergonomic handle for confident control, even in wet and soapy environment

My sis and I had fun with the Kiss Nail Dress nail decor. I was pretty skeptical about them... but ended up really really liking them! They lasted for two week without looking awful! I will be getting some more of these.
I got so many complements on my toes after I using the Kiss decals. I took so many pictures on Instagram!

Anyway... I am having fun with this program and hope to be reviewing some more products soon! In the meantime, check Influenster.com out!

Spring is here!

We welcomed Spring today with a whoppin' 87 degrees here in Nashville! And what a glorious day! Last week my sis came to visit and we rent a decent sized tiller to get the garden ready for planting. Then yesterday I got two rows of raddishes, three of carrots, six of kale and three of spinach planted. It feels so good to dig in the dirt! Our two dogwoods that flank our front porch have started to bloom... just as spring got here!

Today Miranda, my sis, and I decided that the front door needed some spring cheer. She had seen a really fun idea in Midwest Living magazine and we decided to make our own rendition. We tried finding a cheap umbrella with a fun handle... but, alas... found none. So I cut a painted dowel rode, sharped one end and wrapped the other with some ribbon then started to build from there. Below is our inspiration and then our own. We could have made it a bit looser... but over all I am really quite pleased with the way it turned out! The little birds nest was one that a bird had built in a Christmas wreath a few years back that I had kept. I just liked it tooo much to throw it out.




Here is Miranda holding it whilst I position the various items. She was the hot glue queen though. :)



I found this little birdie on the wreath that had the birds nest. She is the perfect finish to the umbrella. So all in all we spent about $4 on this project. Pretty good I think!

Happy 1st day of Spring!

Isn't this pin cushion just one of the most beautiful ones you have ever seen?! My mom wanted to try needle felting so as a birthday present I sent her a starter kit and boy did she take off with it! She ended up making several of these little beauties and sold some. When I saw them I had to claim one for myself! :)

Anyway... just had to share! Hope you are having a wonderful week! I have great new photos to share with you. Just need to do a bit of editing then get them up!

Happy New Year! (Belated)

Happy New Year! I can hardly believe it has already come! Time goes much too quickly. My hubby and I had a rough ending to the year which resulted in very little creativity from me and very few posts.

I think that I may have teased you with some exciting new mystery projects. Some have been abandoned and other finished and put out of sight for the time being. We decided to start a family last year and were very excited about it. I became pregnant and sometime in July/August but did not know until I miscarried. It did not bother me too much since I did not know that I was with-child. Then we ended up getting prego soon after the miscarriage. This one I did know about and was super excited. I began knitting and crafting away for the little one. My sister even sent me a vintage bassinet that I hope to get painted.

Things were going ok until about week 8. I started to bleed and have abdominal pains. I took it easy but not much seemed to help. I knew in the back of my mind that I had lost the baby but did not want to admit it. I finally went in to get an ultrasound which just confirmed our fears: the baby did not have a heart beat. Our little one had died about three weeks before. I have never felt such pain and grief in my life. It completely took the wind out of my sails and all I could accomplish was the bare minimum. I had had such vivid dreams about our little girl and even what her name is (Ava Colette). The only thing that has really been able to give me comfort through this hard time is knowing that she is safe in the arms of Jesus... the best parent of all.

With all this said... I did not do much creative work in the later part of the year. Just recently I have felt my creative juices flowing and finally cleaned up my art/craft room. I prioritized some of the projects I had started last year and am slowly starting to work my way through them. Finally!

I have also been re-inspired to cook more. I was given some money for Christmas and was so thrilled to get two Cousances (precursor to Le Creuset) off ebay for under $150! I also ordered the Julia Child Mastering the art of French Cooking boxed set. They both came last week and I have been having so much fun with them! I will try to get some photos of my culinary creations the next few days. Nevertheless here are a couple of photos of my fab new items!

Cool Summer lunch

Hello all! I know it has been quite some time since I have written. Summer tends to lure me away from the computer.
Our summer has been grand this year. Our garden is flourishing and we even added a little patio grill area in the back corner. We have been enjoying sitting outside (albeit in the evenings) and looking contentedly at our back yard. Tomatoes have been coming on and we have been eating fresh greens for weeks. I have to say there is just nothing better at working sooo hard planting and cultivating a garden and eating the fruits of our labor. mmmmm! Summer veggies!
I thought I would share my lunch with you today. I wanted something light and summery with minimal work. So I started out making a cucumber and yogurt salad with dill and mini tomatoes. From there I added couscous, organic kale, organic heirloom "black" tomatoes, and herb roasted chickpeas. I was really very please how it all turned out. Very tasty and satisfying!

So here are the directions:



Cucumber Salad
Dice 1 medium cucumber and a handful of cherry and mini yellow pear tomatoes. Chop about 4-5 sprigs of fresh dill and sprinkle on top. Stir in about 1/4 cup plain yogurt (I used some that I had made). Mix well.





Herb roasted chickpeas
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. In a medium bowl add 1 can of organic chickpeas (that is what I had on hand... you could always cook your own for better flavor), about 2 tablespoons olive oil and some herb salt to taste. Combine and spread on cookie sheet. Bake at 425 until golden and slightly crispy (about 15 min.).

Make couscous up as instructed on bag/ box. Then arrange in a salad bowl as such.

Enjoy!

P.S. I have so many projects I want to show you! So stay tuned!