Easy Stitchy Gift

The other day was my sister-in-law's birthday, so I thought that I'd stitch up a little gift for her. I love stitching dishtowels. There's something so nostalgic about embroidered dishtowels~ I just love them! Monica seemed genuinely excited about this little dishtowel. She kept saying it reminded her of her mom's stitched dishtowels that she grew up with. It really warmed my heart that she was so happy with it. In fact, she was so appreciative, it makes me want to stitch dishtowels for everyone in the world. Okay, maybe everyone in California. Well, maybe just everyone I know. That's still a lot of people to stitch for... but I would, if I could! It's so fun to choose patterns that remind me of the person I'm stitching for.

This was the first stitching I've done in a loooong time, but once I got goin' there was no stopping me! I think I'm warmed up now to create some Fabulous Mystery Gifts!

Hugs,

We Have A Winner!

Congratulations,

Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage!!

Sweet Claudia is the winner of my Blog Birthday Giveaway!! I was sooo excited when Haggie drew Claudia's name. I've always loved and identified with Claudia's cottage style, so I immediately knew exactly what I would like to make for her Fabulous Mystery Gift! Claudia, please send me an email with the address that you'd like me to send your gift to. Thanks so much~ and congrats!!

I would like to thank everyone who entered this giveaway. Oh my goodness, I wanted to send you all a gift! Your comments were all so kind and thoughtful. They meant the world to me, my sweet friends. In fact, they warmed my heart so much, that I just couldn't help myself... I let Haggie choose a second winner! I know, I know... I'm a pushover :)

Yes, we have two winners this year!! Okay, drum roll please...the second winner of a Fabulous Mystery Gift is...

Kathi, of Beautiful Mini Blessings!!

Kathi is a super talented miniaturist who I've been following forever. She loves beaches and has been creating an incredible miniature beach house and garage with the most fun details. Please visit her lovely blog~ you will love it! Kathi, please email me with your address and I will get started on your Fabulous Mystery Gift! Hmmmm... I'm thinking something with a beach theme... am I on the right track?! (giggle)

Both of my winners are going to be sooo fun to create for-- I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself! Congratulations, my friends!

Hugs,

Party On The Pink Porch!

Yes, there's a celebration starting on the porch of The Little Pink House~~ and you're invited! Meg has been busy decorating and preparing to celebrate Little Nest Studio's 2nd Blog Birthday!!

Meg had a little help with the prep~ all of her adorable party decor (including cake and table!) were made by a mother-daughter duo from a Club Little House swap a few years ago. I'm sorry to say, I couldn't find their names anywhere. I wish so much that I could, so that I could give them due credit!

Can you believe a sweet little girl made all of this?? It's so adorable! She even made party noise-makers to share with you! Meg and I love a party, and are so glad that you could make it to ours.


Two years... wow. Time is flyin', my sweet friends. It took me a while to jump in and start my own blog, but I'm so glad that I did. I love and adore my bloggie friends, near and far~ and I'm honored to have the chance to share my little world with you all. I know I've mentioned it before, but I love how Bloglandia brings the most creative, kind, and inspiring people together. I love that blogging makes me feel like-- in some small way-- the world is a cozier place. Thank you for that... thank you for letting me be a part of this happy little world.


Well, you know what having a blog birthday means... it's time for a giveaway!!! In Little Nest Studio tradition, the prize is a...

Fabulous Mystery Gift.

(Hey, I heard that laugh, Laurie!)

All that is required to enter this little 'ol giveaway is to leave a comment on this post. Yep, that's it. Just leave a comment on this post by 5pm PST, Sunday, May 29, 2011. Don't be scared. My Fabulous Mystery Gifts are... well, they're kinda' fabulous. ((giggle)). Okay, maybe not as fabulous as Oprah's Favorite Things giveaways... but pretty darn fun!!





Okay, leave me some comment love~~ and let's celebrate!!



**UPDATE**

Entries are closed, and Haggie has chosen a winner!! I will announce the winner tomorrow! Hooo-ray!!

Hugs,

Winner, Winner... (Better Than A) Chicken Dinner

I won! I won! I was the lucky winner of a $50 gift card from the fabulous Sasha at Saucy's Sprinkles (aka Bloggedy Blog Blog)!!! Saucy is celebrating five years of blogging. I'm happy to say I've been loyally reading her crazy-fun blog for at least three years or so. I lurve it.

Saucy is incredibly creative, so it was no surprise that my gift would arrive with such a lovely presentation. Check out that cute heart charm!! Saucy creates the most wonderful charm bracelets. (And many other wonderful things. I don't think she ever sleeps!) She's a very generous blogger and often shares fun tutorials, recipes, etc. She's nice like that.

Her blog is a huge source of inspiration for me... please be sure to visit her sometime! (Thank you so much, Sasha!! I'm sure that I will have loads of fun spending that generous gift card!)

Now, switching gears (no pun intended)--- I couldn't resist ordering this beach cruiser print on Etsy the other day. It's my dream bicycle... well, except it needs a nifty bell and fancy handlebar streamers! I just love this!

I love it when Etsy shop keepers send "little extras", don't you? Mary enclosed a sweet matching card/envelope! Sooo cute!

And... speaking of cute, this is what Hagrid is doing at this very moment. This is his get-off-the-computer-and-pay-attention-to-me look. He knows that I love his pretty smile.

Dang, is that a cute dog, or what? I know, I know... I'm a bit nutty about my dog. I'm very silly. I'm okay with it though. Besides, why even have a dog if you're not going to love, adore, and be crazy-nutty about them?!

Huh, Haggie... who's my sweet boy? You're my sweet boy... my sweet hagimus maximus... hansome boy... baby-boy-boo-boo-liscious.....

Hugs,

To Market, To Market...

Spring has sprung, and you know what that means... outdoor market shopping!!! Last week I hurt my back and was laid up pretty much all week. Laying around, especially in the spring, is not my thing. My doctor said that walking would be good for me, and that I can lift no more than ten pounds. Therefore, I went shopping for ten pounds of merchandise today.

A little sassy bird named Marsha told me about this fun outdoor sale today~ Heart & Garden. Let me tell you, it was a fun one! My favorite booth by far was by Old Soul Studio. Love, love, loved it. Jacque and James specialize in iron garden art. There was tons of inspiration... but I had to remember that I could only buy ten pounds. Hmmmm... what could I buy?

I was really groovin' to that hand made iron peace sign... and I looooove me some galvanized water cans...

I loved the simplicity and organic, but industrial feel of the items in this booth.

Hmmmm... ten pounds of vintage photos? Ne, but they sure were pretty...

Ten pounds of silver? Hmmmm... that urn was pretty too...

Okay, here's what I brought home... The beach sign, some abalone shells for my planter, and...

A groovy peace sign to hang on my back fence! I think I met my ten pounds of merchandise maximum at this sale... uhm...so I had to go to another sale too...

I went to a mini flea market today in the parking lot of The Elegant Dollhouse. I don't have any photos of the sale itself, but this is what I came home with. (By the way, you can get a lot of miniature items within a ten pound maximum...uh...but I didn't.) I found a new bathtub for The Little Pink House. I have one, but I've never really loved it. It seemed too thick. This one is still a little thick, but I'll see how it works out.

Isn't this sweet? A young girl made this. I thought that it would look cute on the porch of The Little Pink House.

Okay, and this was not a purchase. This was a very sweet gift from a very sweet friend that I met through Club Little House. Lynne (who continues to remain blogless, much to my dismay) and I met up and shopped at the mini flea, and then went out to lunch with her hubby and mum afterwards. I could not believe my eyes when I opened this thoughtful gift. This little lovely was made by Kim Saulter... yes, Kim Saulter, The-mini-food-sculptor-of-all-mini-food-sculptors! I've always dreamed of owning one of her amazing creations, so my jaw dropped when I saw this! Meg (The Lady of The Little Pink House) will absolutely love this! Thank you soooo much Lynne!

Well, it was a fun day of shopping/following doctor's orders. I think my back is feeling better already!

Hugs,

Happy Easter, Sweet Friends...

I love the colors of Spring, don't you? It always feels so good to bring out the soft, colorful Spring and Easter decorations after a grey winter season. This year, instead of buying something new-- I went shopping in my garage. Yes, I went shopping in my garage. I've been in my house for about a year and a half, but I still haven't finished unpacking. I have a lot of boxes. Seriously. I have a lot of boxes. I have a lot of boxes because I have a lot of stuff... but it's good stuff.

So... after going through my boxes of stuff, I decorated the house for Easter. I've taken a few snaps to share with you:

This sweet bunny is amazing~ he's about 18 inches tall, and reminds me of The Velveteen Rabbit. He's currently the Master of Easter Ceremonies on my mantle.

Here's a close-up... isn't he sweet? I love his Easter basket and his scraggly whiskers.

His little cousins are gracing the other side of the mantle...

I felt kinda' bad placing the one bunny in the glass jar. Every time I look at him, I get the feeling that he's trying to talk his buddy into breaking him out.

And last, but not least... this silly little fuzzy chick. I know, he's silly but he's just soooo cute! I wasn't sure how to display him, so I ended up hanging him with the garland around the fireplace. I'm really surprised that Hagrid hasn't discovered him. He's almost at eye-level, after all. Good boy, Haggie.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my little Spring & Easter Tour... May you all have a sweet & sunny Easter!

Hugs,

Little Bucket O' Fun

Hello Friends,

Yes, I'm still here. I've been kind of laying low in Bloglandia... mostly because I've been really, really busy this past little while. Thankfully, it's been a good kind of busy. I've been taking time for some fun and creative endeavors~ one of which has been joining Label Crew. My sweet and talented friends from Down Under (Suzi and Tracey) have inspired me to join up on these fun, monthly sewing projects. You know, you can only be jealous for so long, and then you've got to get in on the fun!

I talked my pal Lisa into joining also (didn't exactly have to twist her arm), and we got together to sew our first project, the Spring Pail. Each month Label Crew sends these fabulous fabric iron-on tags to embellish our project. Aren't they cute?!

I have to admit, my sewing skills have been a bit rusty but I think I'm going to love this monthly project! It's been really good for me to get out of my comfort zone. Getting out of my comfort zone has been one of my creative goals these past few months. (I hope to share more about that on another post.)

I've really felt a creative surge lately, and I'm so eager to stretch my creative wings. My wings have been wanting to stretch so many directions lately though~ has that ever happened to you?! It's almost overwhelming... but in a good way. Sometimes I feel like there is potential for something fun around every corner. I love that.

Is it because it's Spring, or is it just me?

Hugs,