A Fairy's Work Is Never Done

Hello, Sweet Friends. The garden fairies have been busy setting up house in their new little digs. They're almost ready for their housewarming, so please come back soon. They can't wait to show you around!

Hugs,

Happy Little Cottage

I love Etsy. I love that it's such a great way to shop for fun, unique homemade and handmade items. One of my favorite bloggers, Debbie from Happy Little Cottage, recently opened an etsy shop that totally reflects the style of her cheery, happy blog. I love her style, her choices in color and patterns, and now I know I love her craftsmanship!

Will you look at how cute she packages her pincushions!? I love this! She stitched the bag closed! So clever! If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know how I love creative, special packaging. Love. It.

Debbie's great style is easy to see in all the other charming sewn items in her shop. Please visit her etsy shop here~ you'll be so happy you did!

Hugs,

A Little Magpie Valentine's Cheer

Hello, Sweet Friends. It's Valentine's month, and I decided to treat myself to one new Valentine's Day decoration this year! (Okay, maybe two...) I've long been a fan of Laurie's whimsical creations over at her blog Magpie Ethel, and when I spotted this adorable vintage heart jello mold creation, I knew it was meant to be mine!

I love how Laurie works her magic with her vintage findings, found at various estate sales. She finds the greatest goodies and shares them on her blog each week. I eagerly await her "Estate Sale Friday" posts each week, and am never disappointed with her knack for finding unique and nostalgic vintage goodness!

I love this sweet little cupid heart, Laurie-- it will have a place of honor in my little home!

Hugs,

PS: Thanks for the extra little surprise~ that "Wanted" badge is so clever and cute!

A Fresh New Year

Happy New Year, Sweet Friends. I know, I'm a bit belated with my greetings. I think for once, instead of thinking, talking or writing about what I want to do in the new year, I've just been doing it. Imagine that! Me, actually doing something!
This adorable, giant-poof-of-a-pincushion was a fabulous Christmas gift from my fabulous friend Lisa-- and it's kind of become a springboard into the new year for me.

I love this giant pincushion more than words can say. It's in my favorite colors, and I love it so much I want an ottoman that looks just like it, for my living room. Wouldn't that be adorable?! Lisa so generously cut into one of her favorite fabric stashes to create it, like only a true friend would. I know this was not the easiest thing for her, so I love it all the more. (Thank you so much, sweet friend!)

Like I mentioned above, this giant-poof-of-a-pincushion has been a bit of a springboard into the new year for me. When you bring something new into your home, do you ever clean and tidy the house before finding a home for that item? Am I the only one that feels that way? I also feel that way about crafting. I want the house tidy, and then I feel like I can "treat" myself to some creativity. Needless to say, there wasn't a whole lot of crafting going on around here last year.

Without going into it, I'm really happy that last year is over. I'm really ready to move forward into this new year.

I've been cleanin' and stitchin'--- and it's been pure bliss for me. Creativity makes me happy. Simple, but true. I haven't been doing anything fancy, just sweet and simple stitching. Everything that I've been stitching has been gifts for friends and family. Creating for people I love adds a whole different level of joy for me. How 'bout you?

Well, my Sweet Friends-- stay tuned, and please come back soon to see what I've been up to!

Hugs,

Giggle

One for him...
One for me...

One for him...

One for me... ((giggle))

Am I the only one that sees the funny in this??

Hugs,

Welcome Muggles, Part I

Welcome! Welcome! I've been as busy as a house elf, preparing for Halloween~ Harry Potter Style! You may remember my Harry Potter Shrine from last year. Well, it's official... it's become out of control this year. I've always loved the magical details of the Harry Potter Series of books and films. I just can't help myself. Sooooo... now that I've worked my magic, I thought I'd show you my Harry Potter Inspired Halloween Decorations! I've split these posts so that it's not so overwhelming. Beware: lots of photos!

Yes, those are floating jack o' lanterns-- inspired by the floating pumpkin lanterns in the Hogwart's Grand Hall. I've dreamt of replicating them for several years, so I decided that this is the year to conjure up the spell. These are floating over my dining room table. Yes, they are floating. Those are not strings you see.

I love love love these flying keys!!! Those of you who are familiar with Harry Potter, can you spot the key with the broken wing?

These keys are flying around above some jars of candy, inspired by the Halloween Feast...

Here's another snap of the table.... do you notice anything special there from the first film? (No, there are no Bertie Botts All-Flavor Beans. I'm saving that for next year... I couldn't buy the whole lot...this time.)

Yes, it's a Chocolate Frog, like the one that Harry purchased from the trolley on the Hogwart's Express~ complete with trading card! Every chocolate frog contains a trading card with various Hogwart's professors on them. In the book, the subject in the photo moves. This one did too. (Read: holographic.) The card that I received was of Salazar Slytherin. On the back of the card it states, "One of the four celebrated Founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Salazar Slytherin was one of the first recorded Parselmouths, an accomplished Legilimens, and a notorious champion of pureblood supremacy." (Now is the time to boo and hiss.) In other words, he's not the nicest guy. Do you notice that little white note? It's from the person that I purchased this from. Notice, the note is sealed with "The Dark Mark" wax seal. I should have known. (Actually, it's very cool!)

Oh, and yes~ there really is a chocolate frog in that box! I heeded Ron Weesley's warning and held on to him so he wouldn't escape and jump out the window. Ahem.

Ooooh! It's starting to get dark...

Wooooooo! Look at those lanterns glow! Look at those keys fly!!

*SQUEEEEE* I can't even explain how excited I was to see these guys lit up!

I love how these floating jack o' lanterns turned out. I studied the lanterns in the film and duplicated the original spooky faces as closely as I could... but I did break down and add a smiley face in there.

Oh, and this guy showed up! (Hey Jack!) I guess everyone is welcome here, correct movie or not. Thank you, sweet muggle friends, for coming by to visit. I've been so excited to share all this Harry Potter goodness with you!

Next up: Welcome Muggles, Part II. Stay tuned!

Hugs,

PS: I'm sharing this with: Today's Creative Blog, Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tatertots & Jello, Funky Junk Interiors.

The "Fabulous Mystery Gifts" Revealed

Yes, it's finally time (well over time) to reveal The Fabulous Mystery Gifts that I promised to the lovely winners of my Blog Anniversary Giveaway back in (ahem) May. I mailed them out a little while back and wanted to make sure my winners recieved them before I revealed the great mystery. I love gift giving, and this was a really fun one for me because I was able to personalize these gifts to the winners. My first lovely winner was Claudia...

Claudia was so fun to create for-- we love a lot of the same things, colors, and all manner of sweet vintage goodness. We both even love coffee. Claudia had randomly mentioned that she had run out Peet's Coffee. Being that there's a Peet's practically around the corner, I couldn't resist picking up some to send to her!
Claudia is restoring/remodeling a darling dollhouse. (Oh my goodness, check out the porch floor. I love it!) These little goodies are a combination of things I created and found. I made the beach bag and the table/chair (depends on the scale you use) in some of her favorite colors. That print on the table and the tiny "McCoy" vase remind me so much of her wonderful vintage style!

I've also done some stitchin'~ a linen dishtowel with stitched blue birds, and embellished with rikrak. This pattern immediately came to mind when I was thinking of what to stitch because Claudia had chronicled the hatching of a sweet little bird family earlier this year. I appologize for the wonky angle of this photo, but I wanted you to be able to see a bit of the trim.

Okay, here's a better shot. I love this pattern so much, I may have to stitch one to hang here at The Little Nest!

Next, this is what my 2nd prize winner Kathi received. Have I ever mentioned that I love wrapping gifts? I love wrapping gifts! In fact, I made the simple little box cover that you see above. It was easy peasy, using a couple strips of paper, a scalloped circle punch, and a simple sweet polka dot Cath Kidston sticker. The stickers and outer box address labels that I used in these gifts all came from an adorable Cath Kidston sticker/label set. I was so excited to have something special to use them on! Kathi loves anything beach related and I loved having a beach theme to create around. This vintage mermaid embroidery pattern was so fun to stitch!

Thank you, Claudia and Kathi, for entering my lil' giveaway! Thanks also to all of you sweet friends that entered this year's blog anniversary giveaway. I sincerely appreciate that you've all taken a little time out of your day to visit my little corner of Bloglandia. I love this little world, and love the inspiration and creativity that you all so generously share each day.

Some of you may ask, "Where has Jill been?" or "Is Jill still blogging?!". Well, I'm still here. Life has been busy. Some good, some great, some... stressful. That's how life rolls, isn't it? Well, here's some little clues to what fun things I've been up to lately:

1. A little day of fun with friends...

2. A little magical yummy goodness, and a day in The City...

3. A little bit of fall decorating~ Oh, how I love Halloween!! In fact, I'm a bit nutty about it. Post to follow soon!!! I can't wait to share the "magical" fun!! (I've stepped it up this year. Oh yeah.)

I'll be back soon!!

Hugs,

Jill

The Beehive Tea Room

A few weeks ago I was out of town on business/fun with friends, and made a little unexpected discovery~ The Beehive Tea Room, in Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. My friend Deb and I were just taking a walk around the block of our hotel and I did a double take. (I think my heart even skipped a beat.) I went to the door to check the hours and take a peek. They were closed, but the owner, Lisa, came to the door and invited us in and ended up giving us a little tour. I'm so glad that she did!!This cozy, comfy tea room is a little gem in the heart of the city. When you walk in, you feel like you've stepped into a 1920-30's bohemian scene where artists and writers hang out. Lisa use to work in set design for film and television, and she definitely used her talent to create an incredibly inviting place to meet with friends, stop in for lunch, or just hang out and drink tea. That evening a book club was starting to gather in the lounge, and let me tell you-- I didn't read the book--but wow, I would have loved to have joined them!

These photos are from a couple days later, when my friends and I came back for lunch and tea. (I have no idea who those people in the photo are, but I really wanted a shot of this corner.) My awful photos just don't do it justice. There isn't a lot of natural light in The Willow Room, so I had to use a flash-- and well, you know how great that makes a photo look.

These rooms were vintage heaven... the furniture, the art and accessories... all of it! She hired an artist to paint the scenic murals. She told him that she wanted it to have the feel of a Maxwell Parrish painting. I think he did an incredible job!

This is the funky-fun hallway heading back to the front of the shop...

I love this cafe area in the front also. Lovelovelove those lanterns hanging from the ceiling. I tell you, this place has a magical feel to it. Again, my photos just don't do it justice!! Luckily, there's a pro out there who filmed a music video at the Beehive Tea Room, so you can enjoy a little bit of a "tour" also... oh, and the guy in the video is not so bad to look at either.

Although I'm not a food blogger, I've just got to mention that the food is great. I had the best quiche of my life here. I kid you not. Everything is made fresh-- including those wonderful warm scones that Lisa surprised us with! (Thank you sooo much, Lisa-- if you are reading this-- that was so thoughtful, and they were delish!) I sort of wish that I had taken photos of our food (like a good blogger), but I just wanted to be-in-the-moment with my friends. Oh, and I was hungry. Heehee.

So, if you somehow find yourself in downtown Salt Lake City, this is a great place to eat lunch and to drink from a great selection of tea. (They have other beverages also, if you aren't a tea drinker.) Give yourself time to enjoy the surroundings and to chat with your friends while they prepare everything fresh.

Seriously, if I lived or worked near downtown Salt Lake City, this would be my hangout. I'd buzz right back in a heartbeat.

Hugs,

PS: Be sure to check out their website for more details than I could fit in this post. Oh- and word has it, The Beehive Tea Room will be moving to Trolley Square, another historical location-- with very convenient parking and a beautiful new Whole Foods!

A Little Box Of Sunshine

A few months ago when we were experiencing our rainy season here, I was really craving spring. I wanted sunshine.... so I splurged and bought me some. I've always loved Elyse's blog, Cottage, and the sweet, enchanting "tinkered treasures" she creates. Soooo, I did it. I finally placed an order. So, how 'bout some "Show and Tell"??

First of all, look how sweet everything is wrapped. (You all know by now that I totally love great presentation!) Everything was so carefully wrapped, it felt like I was opening a birthday gift from a friend!

Just look at all this sweetness! I love Elyse's "signature colors"-- pink, aqua/blue... so soft and pretty! She even enclosed what I call a "cupcake ballerina", some blue flowers, and a book marker. Can I just tell you how much I love those ballerinas? I love those ballerinas. I had a ballerina birthday party when I was little, back in the (ahem) late sixties. (I was really, really little then. Not very old at all.) These ballerinas were on my birthday cake. After the birthday debut, we kept the ballerinas in my mom's green metal picnic basket where we stored all the cake decorating supplies. (For you metal basket collectors, it's the green "basket weave" one.) I think my mom still has that basket-- and those ballerinas. Anyway, those "cupcake ballerinas" always bring back sweet memories when I see them.

Okay, back to my box of sunshine... I love these tinkered clothes pins. I think they'd be so great clipped onto a bulletin board-- you know, the ones made out of a frame with the wires strung across. (Note to self: find frame, paint it, wire it.) I think they'd also be darling used to clip a gift tag onto a gift bag. Cutecutecute.

These little tinkered matchboxes are even sweeter in person-- I love the little ribbon/rose detail and the little sequin "drawer pull" (can't see it in this photo). And how cute is that little "wish ticket"?? I love to give earrings for gifts, and these little boxes are perfect! This little sweetie was a little stowaway! (Thank you so much, Elyse! I love unexpected "extras"!) I've named her Ellie, and she has found her home among the glittery goodness in my playroom. (Yes, I have a playroom, but that's for another post...) I think Ellie will be very happy among the sparkle and, uh, what I call crafty chaos. Anyway, I hope you've liked this sweet little box of sunshine~ please click on over to Elyse's lovely blog. It's a little ray of sunshine too!

Okay, so did I mention it was a rainy year? Yeah, I ordered some more sunshine. Sunshine was on sale that day. It was a sign. I knew that I had to have these bowls the moment I laid my eyes on them! I don't know what this style of printed enamel bowl is really called, but I love them. These ones are much smaller than I imagined that they would be, but they will be great for serving stuff... and snacks. I like pretty snacks. Now this really made my heart pitter-patter.... teacups, saucers, and dessert plates. I see another tea party in my future. I really love these teacups. I used every one of them within two days of receiving them. Loooooove. Them. They make me feel like a little girl playing tea party in her play house. Well, whatdayaknow...These cups also coordinate with my embroidery projects~~ all three of them. Yes, my dear-sweet-giveaway-winners (and my awesome swap partner)-- I have been stitchin' like a mad woman. The embroidery part is done, but my sewing machine decided to break down. (Great timing.) Okay, I have more excuses but I don't want to bore you with them. I am hoping to resolve the sewing machine problem in the next week, and then I'll be very close to shipping some stitchy goodness off to their new homes.

I can't wait to reveal what I've been up to!

Hugs,