easter/spring

man, easter is early this year. i need to hit up a fish fry before they're all over. omaha has some pretty rocking ones, i've been told.

the great thing about easter is that nearly all of the merchandise associated with the holiday is totally non-religious, so if you don't celebrate it, you can buy easter stuff to celebrate spring!

so, for your viewing enjoyment, here are some (secular) easter goodies. apparently with a rabbit theme. i guess i like rabbits.

a little hut offers templates for adorable gift boxes.

apak has really cool gocco cards.



i love these hand screenprinted bunnies by dog bone art.



essimar papel does beautiful things with paper.



these rabbits by she rides the lion would look great in an easter/spring basket. you could have a spring basket, right?

vaca!

hey all. i'm jetting off to warmer weather this evening to see my love. i'm so excited! (photo by mr. m)

i'll try to post while i'm gone (for a whole week!) but i can't make any promises!

oh, and i finished my mobile for the elsie marley mobile swap. actually, i finished it about two weeks ago, but i couldn't decide if i liked it. i let it hang in my house while i mulled it over.

i decided i do like it, and it's getting mailed off today! i hope you like it, swap partner! i can't wait to get mine.

check out some of the other mobiles in the swap here.

sugar for my sugars

happy v-day all!

or anti-v-day, if that's what you prefer to celebrate. i'm on the fence this year, as i have a sweetie, but we are unable to celebrate together because he is a couple of thousand miles away. (miss you lovie!)

i thought i would bring you something sweet for today, regardless of whether you love or hate the holiday.

so pardon me while i wipe the drool from my chin, because these treats from fat daddy are making me hungry! i love me some cake!

enjoy, and love to you from me!

friends

i have lovely friends. thanks all for your kind words of encouragement and support. you're the best!

anywho, my friends christopher and ellen sent me this great picture of their daughter, anika, cuddling up with one of monsters that she got for christmas. i'm so glad you love it, anika!


christopher has also put some new cards on his etsy site, porridge papers, just in time for valentine's day! check them out!





p.s. i'm totally going to take credit for the genius behind a couple of those cards - i'll eat anything on a stick, boob jobs, and my boyfriend sucks. muh ahh ahh ahh! and my boyfriend definitely does NOT suck. he is the bestest boyfriend ever!

100th post, filled with love!

oh my goodness. i just noticed that today is my 100th post! not too bad for only blogging for three and a half months, huh?

i also noticed the the loved/hated holiday that is valentines day is one month away. if you have someone you love to buy for, or send a note to, this post is for you.

remember, v-day isn't just for lovers, it's for friends and sisters and brothers and dads and moms and grandpas and grandmas too!


citrus tree has a cute puppy love card. who doesn't love the puppy love!

gotta love the pirate. corrabelle makes a cute pirate love card.



love this little owl card by maeve donohue.


you can't go wrong with chocolate. try these chocolatey pretzel goodies from nuts4candy.



french love earrings from picky picky.



i (of course) love these cards by susy jack.



and last, but certainly not my least favorite, is a lovely print from the black apple.

christmas loot

i had a rather successful haul this christmas, from a crafty perspective.

my lovely cousin kelli and her new (and great!) husband nick got me amy butler's fabulous in stitches book. there are some super great projects in it that i can't wait to try.


my grandpa (via my mom) gave me a neat felting book by gillian harris, complete feltmaking. i have wanted to try this, and now i'll know how!


my aunt teri mailed me (from florida) jenny hart's book, sublime stitching. i can't wait to lean to properly embroider! (i've been making it up so far...)


my baby sister, knowing all about my love affair with etsy, gave me some gorgeous fabrics. i'll have to think of something special to make with them. thanks lobo!

(from left: katrina kaye, pinkalmond supplies, and karaku tokyo)

those things are all so lovely, thank you so much everyone!

BUT, are you ready for the piece de resistance (from mom and dad)?



voila!

holy crapola! a computerized sewing machine! i had to get out the instruction manual just to load the bobbin and top thread. it may take some getting used to, but i think i may grow to like this machine.

i was a little torn, and still am, about getting a new machine, because the one i was working on was my grandmother's, who i never got a chance to know as she died right after i was born. i think i will still use the old machine (after it has a much needed tune-up) but will keep the new one too, for more precision work.

thanks mom and dad! you're the best!

holiday cheer

i just wanted to give all my lovely readers a big thanks, and say happy holidays! knowing people read my blog makes posting so much more fun!

hope you get lots to eat, and just the presents you asked for.

cheers to you!

p.s. - the lovely card you see is by empty george.

p.p.s. - remember the sexy turkey hat? check out this gem.

for the new year

mr. m says it is not even christmas yet and i shouldn't be talking about the new year, but if you want to have a fashionable calendar on your desk when you return to work, you need to order now!

here's a list of some truly lovely calendars.

enjoy!


cindy jaswal of cedarseven


don't press me (an omaha etsian!)



joom also has lovely pillows



linda and harriett (check out their cute piggy pattern!)



sure as blue's lovely objectification calendar



i love all of susy jack's work!



vanessa kimball has lots of lovely paper goods. (and a lovely blog!)

shop local!

etsy has a great feature up for the holidays (and after, i hope!). they ingeniously are giving shoppers the ability to view etsy sellers in their area, so they can pick up last minute gifts.

lovely idea.

i found some shops in lincoln and omaha that i love, and may have to contact for some last minute shopping, as i still have not made any of my gifts. ahhh!


honeysuckle of omaha makes really cool lamps from vintage slides. as a photographer, i love this idea!

we may as well stick with pictures for a minute, because fiery eyed photography of omaha has lovely holiday photo cards.

jenny hofer designs out of omaha makes super cute wallets.

elisabeth space of omaha makes gorgeous jewelry.


decidious soul of omaha also makes fabulous jewelry.

i have long admired the work of lincolnite aorta. super cool!



turns out that aorta's creator is multi-talented. she also sells delicious vintage jewelry through the shop automaton. color me impressed!


i always knew my towns were super talented! hooray nebraska!

amy carol gift tags

i love amy carol! i have her book and i read her blog, angry chicken. she does such great stuff, so i wasn't surprised when i loved these gift tags she posted on her site. she even included a pdf so you can print them out and put them on all your holiday gifts!

so hilarious!


hint - click on the picture to see it larger!

elfrida

i am so sad it is too late to ship things before the holidays, because i love the gift tags by elfrida.

here's what she says about them:

"Each pattern has been painstakingly designed by myself with love. With each design, I try to make each a unique piece, giving itself its own character. These tags are truly unique, requiring layers and layers to make."

lovely!

how about orange

i've been reading the how about orange blog for quite some time now. jessica, a talented graphic designer, posts some really lovely stuff, and often includes free tutorials. fabulous!

she recently posted these cute ornaments, and kindly included, you guessed it, free tutorials!

i love these made of foam, which could easily be adapted to my favorite medium, felt. get the template here.

i also love these paper ornaments she posted yesterday. love the orange! get the template here (and on her blog too, of course!)

toys

with all the controversy over toys filled with baby damaging lead, i thought i'd offer you some handmade alternatives to the factory messes china is importing these days. enjoy!

sleeping forest studios makes great, classic wooden toys. you know these toys are durable and will make kids use their imaginations.


mod mom furniture makes a great kids play table with a chalkboard finish and a detachable lazy susan to hold tools of play. a crafty kids dream!


story blox makes really cool twisterblox. they're handpainted wooden alphabet blocks with a tongue twister on one side. neat!


i love the whimsical stuffed animals made by two little banshees, especially the little bug. great fabrics!


how sweet is this little owl by chet and dot? so cuddly!


cheryl a. smith makes adorable finger puppets.


happy handmade shopping!

shop update

the holidays are getting ever closer! i'm about to have a crafting panic attack, as i have not started to make any gifts, and i have to go out of town next week for my real job.

since i will be out of town, that means i will be unable to mail orders from tuesday the 11th through sunday the 17th. so get you orders in this weekend if you want them to arrive by christmas! i hope to do a lot of mailing this monday!

i've added a couple of things to the shop. my favorite is a scarf i spent a couple of days (lazily) working on. i rather like how it turned out. the front is hand stitched with a blanket stitch. two of the little dots (one on either end) are lightly stuffed for some extra depth.

i also finally got around to making a christmas ornament. it's a sweet little felt bird. maybe i will make more on sunday...

and finally, i made three new iPod cozies, as well as a revisited design. check them out!

a little hut

i stumbled across the blog of a little hut this afternoon, and instantly bookmarked it.

i love the cut paper illustrations that are for sale in her shop. they have really great, clean lines and simple colors that marvelously show off the intricate work. fabulous!






i also love this idea for a gift tag. i have long wrapped gifts in craft paper, and i think this idea is better than using a plain old ribbon.

cute, don't you think?

let it snow (or ice)

we got a bit of winter weather last night. forecasters were calling for ice, and lots of it.

we woke up to about an eighth of an inch that melted by noon when temperatures got up into the 50s.

so much for an ice storm.

in honor of the (lack of) storm, i am bringing you a snow-themed post. hope it puts you in the holiday mood. enjoy!

an acrylic illustration by krisblues


snowflake earrings by chainchainchained


freezing rain earrings by brookemarton


a lovely horse print by NatureMandalas


snowflake toggle necklace by modernmama


cardinal christmas cards by ScotiaMade

holiday craft show!

*****UPDATE*****
turns out i may NOT be going to the craft show. it's supposed to ice something nasty tonight and tomorrow, and i wonder if it would be wise to drive on the interstate. i'll let you know by this evening for sure...
********************
hey all nebraskans out there in blogland.

i'll be at the christmas gift and craft show at the westside community center in omaha on saturday. stop by and say hello!

paper stars

you have to check out these stunningly intricate paper stars by clandestinearts. here's what she says about them:

"I'm making German Christmas Stars. These beautiful ornaments have their origins in the magical centuries-old Christmas markets of Germany. . . Each star is carefully folded from paper and special foils and cut by hand into intricate designs."

wow. color me impressed! i have a hard enough time making a symmetrical snowflake, and, although all snowflakes are supposed to be different, mine always end up looking lumpily similar.

clandestinearts muct have excelled in the scissor department in kindergarten. check out her work!

haru wreaths

i would love to have one of these fabulous paper wreaths by haru. stunning!

she uses vintage sheet music and paper from vintage books to create them. they would be great for the holiday season, but could totally be left up year-round. check it out!

let it snow

here's another stocking for what is quickly becoming a collection. they are so fun to make!

you could have all three! wouldn't they look nice on your mantle?