hello july.

i am partial to this month, seein' as how my birthday is the 21st and what not. 

july is also national ice cream month and anti-boredom month. 

ice cream is never boring.

check out this beautiful downloadable calendar from lisa rupp...

too cute right?

enjoy.

x's and o's.

textile fabrics.

i just found my new favorite fabric store. 

textile fabrics on franklin road. 

it's amazing!

they have the greatest selection and really helpful workers.

...not to mention any size and style button you can think of!

if you're ever in nashville and in need of fabric, you MUST go there. 

it's fabulous.

xoxo.

etsy faves.

it is hot as HELL here in lovely nashville...and the fantastic designers on etsy have created some of the most adorable swimsuits to keep you cool.

here are a few of my faves:

ladramaqueen

stepankalicious

harajuku

ladramaqueen

xoxo.

too adorable.

while looking at some of my favorite blogs, i ran across the following photos:

aren't they fricken' adorable!?!?

they're so cute they make me want to barf rainbows. 

happy father's day.

here's to you pops!

...and all the other papas out there as well.

enjoy your day.

now there's an idea.

like most creative individuals, some days i have too many creative juices a'flowin...and other days i can't bear to look at my sewing machine.

i guess its like crafter's writer's block. 

on the days when ideas are abound, i like to jot them down on an index card and store them in this little box.

it's an old recipe box that i found at a thrift store and embellished of course!

i keep it on my crafting table and when ideas are scarce, i look inside to get inspired. 

it actually works. 

..and i think its nice to look at. 

xoxo.

business time.

i just finished my business cards!

i am really pleased with the outcome. 

check it out...

ain't they grand?

there seems to be a bird theme going on : )

slowly, but surely its coming together.

my talented graphic designer friend robyn craxton is making me a beautiful banner for my etsy shop. 

i'd say...roughly two weeks and i should have the shop up and running.

then it's time to focus on spreading the word and shipping. 

busy. busy. busy. busy.

xoxo.

knitta please.

a recipe for you.

this is a very tasty dessert recipe from my mother. 

level of difficulty: really fricken' easy

**layered chocolate eclair dessert**

INGREDIENTS:

graham crackers

vanilla pudding (instant is fine)

1 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of cocoa 

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• in a basic rectangular baking dish, cover the bottom of the dish with whole graham crackers
• on top, put down a thin layer of vanilla pudding
• again, put down another layer of graham crackers
• again, put down another thin layer of vanilla pudding
• finally, put down another layer of graham crackers (for five total layers)
• take 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/4 cup milk, mix and boil for one minute
• to the mixture, add 1/4 cup butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract...mix and let cool for 30-40 seconds
• pour the mixture on top of the final layer of graham crackers
• refrigerate for a few hours, or until the icing layer has hardened
• enjoy!

for a fun and exciting way to organize and beautify your recipes, check out "COOKBOOKING: the delicious new way to scrapbook"

my good friend pattie wilkinson helped design most of the projects inside. it's adorable!

...and check out these cute little recipe cards from a designer on etsy...

happy cooking. 

songs on repeat in my head.

i love love love this song. once it gets in my head, it resides there for a while.

i also really love the movie "matilda". it puts me in a happy mood.

speaking of movies, i just watched this one last night:

i thoroughly enjoyed it. you would too.

xoxo.

my heart belongs to nashville.

i've lived my entire life in nashville, but recently i feel like i haven't experienced enough of this wonderful city. 

yesterday, i went to the farmer's market and purchased some tasty fruit from the talented farmer's in tennessee. i love that place.

my good friend hadley and i have been discussing going to the country music hall of fame. neither one of us has been and i'd really like to see the hatch show print shop. 

i try to avoid the nightlife scene in downtown nashville, because i'm not a big fan of the people that gather there, but the tackiness of it all can be pretty great. 

no matter where i go in this life, i know i'll find my way back here again...

etsy faves.

here are some of my favorite plushies from the talented crafters on etsy.

thehappyhoneybee

marjji

mummysam

ravenhill

stelabird

just pictures.

as i was cutting up fabric yesterday, the sun hit my craft table just right. 

i had to share some pictures. 

crazy for quilts.

for graduation, my friend michele muska was sweet enough to buy me a membership to the alliance for american quilts. 

i have always had a strong appreciation for the quilting arts, but attempting to actually make one always freaked me out. 

they seem so complex and geometrically precise. 

however, a "crazy quilt" is a type of quilt that uses very little precision and geometry. in fact, it's just random bits of scrap fabric sewn together and quilted. 

the AAQ recently held a contest for crazy quilts and i decided to try it out. 

the guidelines were a 16" x 16" crazy quilt consisting of three layers. 

this was the result:

it's not the greatest crazy quilt ever made, but i am quite pleased. it's my first successful attempt at quilting anything! 

now that i have gotten over my fear of quilting, i can't be stopped.

hey june.

happy june everyone!

a few facts:

-june is national adopt-a-cat month

-june is national iced tea month

-june is turkey lovers month

i woke up today with a kitty on my feet, i had a turkey sandwich for lunch and an ice cold glass of tea. 

i'd say i'm quite june-y.

each month the talented lisa rupp posts an ADORABLE downloadable calendar for all. 

it adds a lot to your cubicle or fridge :)

check out june...it's blue!

oh happy day...