Squirrel and Fox

Headboard

2011-02-13T21:08:00.003-05:00

While surfing through my daily blog reads tonight I stumbled upon this cool headboard (so fitting with Valentine's Day tomorrow):

{image here} {project here}

A headboard is the next thing on my list of "wants/needs/to-do's" and this one is just my style - minus the word love. I'll probably just leave it blank... Luckily I was already planning on heading to the Lakewood Antique Market next weekend so I'll just add "random pieces of wood" to my list of things to look for, along with something to put my TV on and a bus or car seat for work...

Toodles,
Julia

Kudzu Antique Market

2011-02-07T21:33:00.013-05:00

Since I haven't had as much time to sew or do anything crafty lately I've gotten on a redecorating kick. By now, my roomies are used to coming home and finding new fabric on the dining room chairs, new pillows, new art above the mantel, etc.... My last two trips to Kudzu were in search of a new TV stand, which I'm still looking for, but I found a few other kooky, cool, fun items I thought I'd share with you.

1. Flour, coffee, sugar, and tea canisters. I almost scooped them up to replace the red-checked ones we have now, but left them because they would take up a bit too much space in our tiny, tiny kitchen.

2. Child sized stove, mixer, and blender(not pictured)! Where were these when I was growing up? I had to use my imagination...though I have to say, it's a little scary that the stove has an electrical outlet plug. Maybe it just made noises and lights go on? Anyone have one of these when you were growing up? Oh, and it says "Suzy Homemaker" on it. Ha!

3. Hoof ash tray...ewwww! Need I say more?

4. Super cute pie cabinet. I'd use it in a bathroom to store extra towels and glass jars filled with cotton balls, q-tips, and other pretty white things....a girl can dream of a bathroom that big, right?

5. Amazing, industrial furniture. The pictures don't do justice to the pieces, but they are incredible in person. The bike wheel artwork was massive - at least 5 feet wide. Clearly these aren't antiques...but gorgeous nonetheless. Definitely out of my budget, but not too insanely priced...something to save up for.

A few items came home with me that day, but I'll post pictures of them later. They've been added to the living room mantle, but I need something 'new' (to me) up there to tie into the vintage/homey feel of the room. I've had a cool print above it, but it's a little too modern for the room, so it'll be moved somewhere else in the house. I'm thinking about something along the lines of these pieces:

{Image from here} {Available here}

Enough for now. I'll be back soon with pictures from my trip to the big apple for the New York Gift Show. That city is a blast, but I'm always ready to come back home...

Julia

Wanting something pretty...

2011-01-19T21:48:00.006-05:00

...to put my TV on. Currently it's sitting on an old Ikea-like desk that I got from a friend. It's a light wood finish and it's got some crayon scribbles on top from the younger days of her cute daughter. I made a curtain to cover the cords that hang down the back, but I'm getting bored with it and want something new...different...cool...antique-y...

This is what it looks like now:

I was a little too lazy to hem the curtain to the correct length...but I also made it around midnight the night before I hosted my step-mom's baby shower, so I was a little rushed.

Anyways, last weekend I took a little trip to Kudzu Antique Market to look around and see if I could find anything. {I love Kudzu!} Here's the first piece I thought about:

The piece is massive! I have no idea what it was once used for, but it was old, on wheels...big, red, and beautiful! Unfortunately the price on it was a bit out of my budget (not sure what the budget was, but definitely out of it). It also didn't really have a good spot for a dvd player to reside, so I left it there for someone else to find.

This is what I really, really wanted to bring home that day:
I think it's an old school cart of some sorts...but I'm probably wrong. Painted green metal with a few rust spots, the doors open out and would be a great place to store books, dvd's, odds'n'ends, etc... I'm a sucker for old metal things {which explains my metal basket collection}. Unfortunately, this piece was even more outside my budget than the first one, so it stayed at Kudzu.

I wish I still had the Scoutmob deal for Kudzu. Maybe they'll do another one? Anyone have any suggestions on other places to look for cool pieces of furniture?

Julia

SNOW!!

2011-01-09T23:33:00.010-05:00

It snowed the day after Christmas in North Carolina and was pretty much the "perfect snow". It covered the ground, but didn't stick to the roads or sidewalks. That was the first white Christmas I remember...ever. Pretty cool thing to experience as a Southerner.

{tree at my grandmother's house}

{throwing snow in the air}

Now, it's snowing here in Georgia and we're all freaking out! The grocery store shelves are empty, restaurants only have frozen {read as fry-able} food left, and we're going into our third day off from work/school...except for me because I live a mile from work and can walk there. Anyways, the snow was absolutely gorgeous Sunday night when it was coming down. So light and powdery. The roomies and I went for a walk that night and it was so neat to only hear the snow falling.

{late night walk through the falling snow}

{snow building up on our back staircase}

{people sledding in the cemetary}

Snow Day 1 was filled with snowball fights, sledding, walking into town to the local pub, and snuggling up on the couch. Snow Day 2 involved working a little bit, going to the pub, working a little more, snuggling up on the couch at home. I'm hoping that Snow Day 3 gets back to normal. I can only take so much free time. Apparently I'm better at getting things done only when I have a million other things to do.

Oh, and cookie sheets work really well for sledding down driveways and hills, but be careful because they go really fast on ice and you might not be able to use them for cookies after you're done.

Happy Snowpocalypse!
Julia

Calendars

2011-01-06T23:29:00.005-05:00

This year I bought the Snow & Graham write on calendar for me and the roomies to use. The images for each month are so beautiful and the little squares on the bottom half will hopefully enable us to keep up with each others schedules.

...but this one has me totally rethinking that choice! Using chalkboard paint to make a calendar on your wall. Such a cool idea.

{image found here}

Roomies...how about it??

Julia

Pumpkin Waffles

2011-01-03T20:20:00.004-05:00

With a leftover can of pumpkin puree I was able to spice up my Saturday morning waffles and boy were they tasty! I used Aunt Jemima pancake/waffle mix and made a batch according to the directions. After that I added in about 1/2 a can of pumpkin puree, a tablespoon or so of cinnamon, and about a 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Mix it all together and you're good to go. The aroma of the cinnamon and brown sugar was so amazing. After the waffles were done I topped them with some leftover cranberry relish and they were good to go.

{Then I had a little too much fun editing the photo with the PictureShow iPhone app}

Enjoy!
Julia

Holiday Crafting

2010-12-13T20:10:00.007-05:00

All the blogs I've been looking at have some great holiday craft ideas, but this tutorial for felt ornaments from MADE is one of the only ones I've had time to try yet. It's simple, quick, and cheap. All the things we need in our life right now!

Here are the ornaments I've made so far.

K for my friend Katie and M for her cute pooch Mason.

All you need for the project is felt, embroidery floss, hot glue gun, thin ribbon, and some batting. -Cut two circles out of the felt.
-Cut out your letter and glue onto one circle.
-Sew a loop of ribbon onto the other circle of felt so that you can hang the ornament.
-Start sewing both circles together. Sew around 3/4 of the way, stuff the ornament and finish sewing the circle closed.

Easy as pie!

Julia

Fall

2010-11-29T22:14:00.005-05:00

The leaves have just started changing color over the past two weeks here in the south. I always forget how pretty they are against a blue sky. The red leaves on this tree were amazingly bright and vibrant.

{taken with hipstamatic}

Thanksgiving Dinner

2010-11-28T18:38:00.008-05:00

Oh man, I am still full from Thanksgiving dinner! Cooking for everyone wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Things ran pretty smoothly...nothing was burned, the food was hot, and it was all super tasty!

The table set with my regular dishes and some really cool, vintage glasses from my great grandfathers general store.

Fresh cranberries cooking down with sugar and the juice from two, fresh squeezed oranges. So simple and tasty and way better than anything canned. The fresh, tart taste was a great compliment to the heavy flavors of all the other dishes. And...while the cranberries were cooking down I could hear them pop open in the pot. :)

Caramelized onions for the stuffing. Mixed with chunks of Italian bread, fresh chives, and thyme. I forgot to take pictures of the other main dishes, but take my word that they were tasty. My 10 year old brother-cousin ate a few brussel sprouts, scarfed down turkey, stuffing, and rice, tried the sweet potato casserole {which he loved}, and then proclaimed that it was the best Thanksgiving ever {yay!} ... and he said all that before dessert!

Speaking of dessert...flourless, chocolate cake...mmmmmm. So tasty with a scoop of homemade whip cream, but soooo not good for you at all. I won't tell you how many sticks of butter are in the whole cake. Trust me, you don't want to know {but if you insist, here is the recipe}.

I hope you all had a lovely dinner with your friends and family. My day was quite relaxing and calm, even with all the cooking. I enjoyed spending the day with part of my family, missed the rest, but am thankful that I have them in my life.

Julia

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T14:50:00.003-05:00

I've got a lot of cooking to do today and tomorrow! I'm staying in town this year and having my dad, stepmom, stepmom's mom, cousin-brother, and baby brothers over for Thanksgiving dinner. It's my first time cooking the whole meal by myself, but I'm super excited about it! Here's the menu...which had to encompass vegetarians, meat eaters, and gluten free diets. That's a lot to think about for one meal!

Tofurky - no, it does not taste like turkey, but it does taste good in a fake meat way...
carmelized onion and herb stuffing {find it here}
roasted brussel sprouts
sweet potato casserole with gluten free cornflake and pecan topping
wild rice
cranberry relish
flourless chocolate cake {find it here}
cherry pie
vanilla ice cream with cranberry compote {find it here}

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Enjoy your day with family and friends!

Julia

ICE - Indie Craft Experience

2010-11-15T22:07:00.009-05:00

The Indie Craft Experience happens this weekend! I've missed it the past few years because of the craziness of work around the holidays, but this year I'm determined to make it. I can't wait to check out all the great handmade art, jewelry, hair accessories, clothes, paper goods, etc, etc.... Some of my favorite local artists will be there:

{Talulah B.} {Glak Love} {Mama Bath + Body} {June Shin} {Blue Eyed Freckle}

The Indie Craft Experience is happening this Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm at Ambient Plus Studio. $5 admission at the door. I'm also looking forward to trying out King of Pops. Haven't made it out to their popsicle cart on N. Highland/North Ave. yet, but definitely looking forward to trying out one of their tasty flavors...

Enjoy the week!
Julia

4 years!

2010-11-09T22:26:00.000-05:00

And Even More... Freezer Paper Stenciling

2010-11-04T20:24:00.005-04:00

I had to get a little crafty this weekend and make my little brothers some outfits! Simple freezer paper stenciling to make Halloween onesies:

And some monogrammed onesies since they have names now:

Freezer paper stenciling is soooo easy. I've used it on a couple different projects and need to start doing more with it. You can draw your own shapes or print out images to trace. After that, all you need is an iron and permanent fabric paint. Look here for full instructions.

Toodles,
Julia

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T17:29:00.006-04:00

{creepy, wart-covered pumpkins}

{pumpkin patch}

{pumpkin carving parties}

{my first pumpkin...that rotted in the GA humidity}

{second pumpkin with a little mustache}

So glad that the fall weather is finally here.
Hopefully it stays so that my pumpkins don't rot!

Julia

Halloween

2010-10-30T14:33:00.004-04:00

Here's my Morton Salt Girl costume! The yellow t-shirt is from Target and it happened to perfectly match the inner layer of a skirt I had on my donation pile, so out came the scissors. After cutting the outer layer off I sewed in some elastic and was set to go.
The yellow shoes were spray painted...and I have to tell you that I picked the WRONG shoes to try and spray paint. I don't know why I though fabric flats with little sequins on them would be easy to paint over. After about 7 coats of paint {that just kept seeping into the fabric} I just left them splotchy. Luckily you couldn't tell unless you got really close...

All in all a successful Halloween costume.

Hope you all have a good weekend!
Julia

2010-10-19T11:05:00.003-04:00

My little cousin/brother turned 10 years old on 10/10/2010....how cool is that?! For his birthday party my roomie and I made him a baseball themed birthday cake in the shape of a 10. We're pretty sure he loved it. :)

Toodles,
Julia

Halloween Costume

2010-10-13T17:57:00.006-04:00

My Halloween costumes have gotten a lot more inventive over the past years, but I took the lazy way out last year and was a cowgirl...boring! So, this year I'm putting last years idea into action...Morton Salt Girl here I come!

I've got the blond hair and the umbrella, so all I need are the yellow shoes and dress. For the shoes I'm going to spray paint these cheap, Target flats below. Spray painting shoes? Oh yes, it's nowhere near as scary as you may think. I did it two years ago when I needed gold boots for my She-Ra costume and it turned out really well! I found a good tutorial on MADE that explains how to paint your shoes.

As far as the dress goes...I'm trying to figure out the best/cheapest/easiest way to do it...so if you see and cute little yellow dresses out there, let me know! I'll probably see what I can find at the thrift store and merge a skirt and shirt together...can't wait to see how it turns out! I post pictures along the way.

Toodles,
Julia

Etsy Love

2010-10-03T22:09:00.008-04:00

I wanted to get my sister a little something to remind her of home while she's in Paris. I opted out of the "I Heart ATL" t-shirt because while she's over there she should probably pretend she's Canadian. What I found instead is something much more subtle, pretty, and doesn't scream "I'm American!".

Here it is:

Awww, it's the state of GA! I found the necklace on Etsy in a shop called tru.che. She does most of the states, as well as a bunch of countries, and can place the heart in various spots of the state/country. It's made from fine silver and handmade/hand-cut when you order it. Since I ordered a couple at once it was neat to see the slight variations in both necklaces. Here are some of the other states/countries:

{image here}

Aren't they sweet! Perfect for a going away present.

Yay for the Etsy!

Julia

In the Kitchen

2010-09-30T13:31:00.003-04:00

Now that the weather here in GA is finally starting to cool off I've been inspired to do some baking and cooking with "fall ingredients". First up on today's agenda are Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins. I found a recipe on Epicurious and plan on altering it just a bit - no raisins or pumpkin seeds and adding chocolate chips and walnuts. Why keep the healthy stuff when you can add chocolate to the recipe?!

I'm also really excited about this book: Canning For a New Generation, by Liana Krissoff. We had her in the store the other night to do a book signing and tasting with some of her homemade goodies and oh my gosh they were good! She is also super sweet and has the cutest little girl. I've already decided that my first canning attempt will be her recipe for Spiced Apple Butter. I'll also be making homemade biscuits to put the Apple Butter on.

Have a lovely afternoon,
Julia

Oh Orla, I love your work.

2010-09-28T22:23:00.009-04:00

{image here}

Can I please have this bus?? Why don't we have them in the US? Oh London and Orla Kiely...how I love you...

Speaking of, her fall line of bags is spectacular! I have a few of them on my wish list for sure. Maybe I'll win the lottery...but that means I would have to start playing and I don't really know how to pick numbers on lottery tickets. So maybe they'll just stay on my wish list.

This would be my weekend bag.
{get it here}

This would fit my laptop just perfectly.
{get it here}

This could would be a great fall handbag.
{get it here}

A girl can dream.

Goodnight.

Julia

Pop's 'stache

2010-09-24T18:32:00.006-04:00

Check it out!! How hilariously awesome is this product?!? It's a mustache that fits on your bottle of pop. {as a southerner it feels so weird to say pop! it's coke...} Anyways, I can see these being a great conversation starter at a party and oh the hilarity that would ensue when you bring out a camera. Check out the story behind the Pop's 'stache at flatlab design.

The scuba diver? Yes, please! Which one would you pick?

Julia

Au Revoir Sister

2010-09-19T16:00:00.010-04:00

My sister leaves for Paris tomorrow! {Sad face}

{photo from the last time we were both in Paris}

I'm going to miss my little sister soooo much! It's amazing how much more you start to like your siblings as you get older. There were times when we were younger when I thought we'd never get along. I used to jump out from behind doors and scare her {over, and over, and over again}. She used to pick at me while I was reading, just for the fun of "pushing my buttons". I used to be so annoyed that she like the same music as me. She used to get so frustrated that I wouldn't listen to her, but most of the time it was because I was reading and didn't realize she was talking to me. We really used to get on each others nerves...but then one day I went to college...and then we became friends. Our relationship has only gotten better since then and she has been a great support system for me - especially this summer.

This summer has come at me with panic attacks and anxiety, a breakup, and the death of a great boss - all in a the course of a month and a half. She's been there through it all {along with so many other great friends/family members}, so while I'm so excited for her, it's hard to think that one of my greatest support systems will now be 9 hours and a really expensive plane ride away. I'm sure I'll make it through because I know I can't rely solely on her, but I sure have appreciated the wise words and hugs she's given me this summer.

I love you sister!

-Julia

The weekend begins

2010-09-18T14:26:00.007-04:00

Late night swim with some friends. Rooftop pool in downtown Atlanta. Nice cool breeze, warm water. Good stories and good company. Good way to start the weekend. Julia

From Tank to Table

2010-09-16T11:29:00.005-04:00

We know about the whole farm-to-table idea that everyone is jumping on, but this might just be the next big idea. Why head down to the farmer's market for some fish for dinner when you can pop out your back door? How much fun would your kids have going out in the backyard to "fish" for dinner?!?! Check out the article here.

{Brian Barth "fishing" out of the fish tank in his backyard.}
{Photo from here.}

I'll probably skip this bandwagon since I don't eat fish...but those of you who do should give it a try!

Julia

Cute Babies

2010-09-15T21:51:00.005-04:00

This little man is the cutest baby I know right now. I got to babysit the other morning while his momma was at an school function with his big sister. We played some and then he took a nap in my arms while I watched Regis and Kelly.

So, so sweet.

So easy going.

Beautiful smile.

He's going to have some competition soon - my baby brothers are on their way in the next few days and I'm soooo excited. Yay for babies!

Julia

National Sewing Month

2010-09-09T22:52:00.005-04:00

Guess what?! It's National Sewing Month...who knew?

In honor of National Sewing Month...I'm going to try and sew a lot. We'll see what I actually get done though because life is CRAZY right now, and I mean crazier than I could have imagined a few months ago...

The past week I've been sewing pillowcases for the ConKerr Cancer project. The idea is to make pillowcases for sick children in hospitals across the U.S. with the hope that a colorful pillowcase for their bed will brighten their day...and night. :)

Here's what I've made so far and here is where to get directions and dimensions if you want to make your own pillowcases.

They are sooo easy to make and it's a really good way to use up any extra fabric you have lying around. I highly recommend sewing up some pillowcases if you have the time. :)

I'm also inspired to make some pillow cases for myself now too....

Happy Sewing!
Julia

Here Comes the Bride

2010-09-06T13:30:00.005-04:00

Did you have a good labor day? I did! Two of my good friends from high school got married this weekend. Here they are:

These are the friends that I've been making wedding stuff for: garter's, "Mrs. To-Be" tank tops, and sewing some table runners {see picture below}. Their wedding was so beautiful and so much fun! They held it at the Trolley Barn in Inman Park. The weather was great, the setting was gorgeous, the food was tasty, and the band was soo good!

I got to see my doublemint twin, Laura {apparently we looked alike in high school}, and her fiancee Charlie along with some other good friends from back in the day.

And of course I have to give a shout out to my hot date for the wedding. Always fun to have a sidekick to save you on the dance floor and take trips to the bathroom with. ;)

Love you Schmane!

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend.
Julia

Just sewing away...

2010-08-29T22:24:00.007-04:00

I found some navy canvas in my stash the other day {forgot that I had it}, so I figured I'd make some more little pouches from it. I love pouches of any sort and this canvas worked really well because it's so sturdy.

For the last pouch I got to experiment with some of the "fancy" stitches on my machine. It has about 40 different ones, but I've only used a few so far.

Hope you had a good weekend. Back to the daily grind tomorrow.

Julia

Fab Friday

2010-08-27T14:59:00.000-04:00

Wedding Bells

2010-08-26T10:47:00.003-04:00

Two of my good friends from high school are getting married over Labor Day weekend. Yay! I've been helping with the "crafty" side of their wedding...making silly bachelorette weekend crafts, sewing table runners, and making a garter {my first ever}!

Here is attempt #1:

I was pleased, but I have to say that while the construction of the garter wasn't hard, the sizing was a little tricky because the bride-to-be is in DC...and I am not. So, on to attempt #2 today. Only a few changes to the design to bring in something blue and increase the optimal shooting distance for the groom. :)

Toodles,
Julia

Keep Calm and Rock On

2010-08-23T22:48:00.001-04:00

{In memory of my boss Marc}

Oh How Fun!

2010-08-18T23:02:00.008-04:00

Have you heard of Whipstitch? It's my new favorite craft/sewing store!! It's kind of like a boutique craft store. They've got great fabrics, patterns, sewing supplies, sewing books, and the store itself is super cute!

They have sewing classes, workshops, and fun events like....

Woo! A craft swap! I've never been to one, but it sounds fun. :) The craft swap starts this Saturday at 1pm. Make sure you pick up your craft swap kit before Saturday. I know that I've got loads of unused crafting supplies that I'm getting bored with, so I'm excited to see what "new" stuff I'll get from the craft swap.

Anyone else heading over there Saturday?

See you then,
Julia

Elephantine Jewelry

2010-08-15T14:38:00.004-04:00

I found a new favorite on Etsy today! Elephantine Jewelry by Rachel Blakley. Her pieces are dainty, sweet, and feminine. Just the thing I like! Her prices are also really reasonable and she does a really good job photographing her jewelry.

Here are two of my favorites:

{photo from Elephantine}

and:

{photo from Elephantine}

So, so pretty. Just the type of jewelry you could wear everyday or use to dress up an outfit. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Julia

Kids...

2010-08-03T21:55:00.003-04:00

...also do the darndest things. So these little things are miniature, light-up snow globes...with monkeys. They usually sit on a shelf turned off. However, when five year olds roam the store they sometimes line them up on the ground and turn them all on. It put a smile on my face. :)

Night, Julia

Handmade Coffee Sleeve

2010-07-26T23:21:00.006-04:00

I try to be as friendly to the environment as I possibly can, so when I know I'm going to buy coffee somewhere, I take a reusable mug. If I forget...I always have a coffee sleeve in my purse to use. {instead of the cardboard coffee sleeve}

The first coffee sleeve I started using was this one. I really like it a lot and mine has served me well...but I wanted one with a little more color {mine is gray} - something to help brighten my morning. So, I figured I'd make my own.

{Espresso, Yes!}

I found the fabric above at one of my new favorite places in Atlanta - Whipstitch Fabrics. I bought it before I knew what I would do with it, but it ended up being the perfect fabric for this little project. I layered 4 different pieces of fabric, all cut to the same size and shape to make the coffee sleeve. The middle layers were leftover flannel the outer and inner layers were both the coffee fabric. After sewing the layers together I added a piece of velcro to both ends as a means to close or keep it around the cup.

{See the velcro on the left side?}

I thought about sewing the ends together, but realized that if I added velcro it could be reversible! After the first one was made, I realized how incredibly easy they are to make, so I made 10 more! {or something like 10}

These will definitely be making an appearance around the holidays as stocking stuffers. They were fun and easy to make and who doesn't want to help the environment out? :)

Nighty night,
Julia

Just a few...

2010-07-25T23:03:00.009-04:00

...photos from the past few weeks. Let's start out with some super cute animal plates. I love, love, love going into Anthro... such awesome visual inspiration and stimulation. I'm a sucker for their home decor sections.

{Ecureuil Plate $24}

How awesome is this plate rack?!?!? Wouldn't this be sooooo cool sitting in a corner of a dining room?! {Specifically my dining room} For a couple thousands it could have been mine...oh well. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to come across another one in a thrift/antique store.

Meeting up with a friend at Bakeshop so that she could experience how awesome their food is. Mmmmm....tomato soup and the salad of the day.

...and when it's been one of those weeks, sometimes all you need for dinner is an ice cream sundae with friends. As Rachel Ray would say: "YUM-O!"

{Bananas, chocolate ice cream, caramel, hot fudge, walnuts, cherries, cool whip}

I want this lamp real bad. It currently exists in my hair salon. I'm sure I don't want to know how much it costs, so I'll just have to be content looking at it whenever I'm in to get my hair cut. {ask for Adrienne, she's the bee's knees}

Hope you had a lovely weekend,
Julia

Bugs. Ewwwwww.

2010-07-20T23:14:00.004-04:00

So...remember that wreath I made?

Well, I'm going to have to take it down soon because it's being eaten!!

{by roaches...EWWW}

I hate roaches. Ew, ew, ew...they are so disgusting. As clean as the roomies and I try to be, we just can't get rid of the roaches in the summer! They go away in the fall and winter, but come right back in the summertime. Grrr...stupid roaches. I'm going to have to throw my wreath away.

Anyways, on a prettier note - there's a boutique warehouse sale at Atlantic Station this weekend. Check it out!

Toodles,
Julia

4th of July fun

2010-07-12T20:47:00.009-04:00

Yes, I do realize it's about a week after the 4th...but I still had to show you the apron I made that was "4th of July" themed. I found this fabric in my mom's huge stash and thought I could make something fun with it. The apron pattern I used is from One-Yard Wonders which is my favorite new tutorial/project book.

Can you see the upside down 1176 and little George Washingtons? Hahaha. Too funny.

I also made a little pouch with the same fabric and some red jersey from an old t-shirt. I still have a bunch of the fabric left...maybe I'll save it for next year and make a 4th of July outfit...

Another thing I love about seeing family over holidays is little cousins that will play with your hair...

and keep playing with your hair...

and are still playing with your hair 20 minutes later...

She's such a cutie...and it's so nice to have your hair brushed and played with for half an hour. :)

Night,
Julia

More Freezer Paper Stenciling

2010-07-10T00:06:00.008-04:00

I should be in Miami this weekend with my good friend Chloe, celebrating her upcoming wedding...but alas I'm not. {sad face} So, in place of myself, my bestie from HS and I have sent along a little bachelorette package. Just a few of the normal/raunchy bachelorette items along with some special handmade items!

The first project was a freezer paper stenciled tank top:

I sent along some instructions for the other gals there to make her wear it out one night. I can't wait to see photos! {Chloe, you better be wearing it!} As a last minute joke I threw together a simple veil for her to put in her hair and wear out at the same time. I figured the veil would be a good choice over the "Bride Sash" that you sometimes see at bachelorette shindigs.

Please excuse the hot mess that is my hair. I had it up in a ponytail and didn't realize I would be doing a photo shoot that day. I took one of those hair combs you can get at CVS, etc. and sewed some tulle and lace to the comb - couldn't have been easier. I'm really hoping that the girls make Chloe wear this one out, but I have a feeling this might go a little overboard on the embarrassment factor. {as a side note, I do not want anything like this for my bachelorette party, just FYI friends}

Chloe, I hope you have an amazing weekend and I can't wait to celebrate with you and Andrew on your wedding weekend. You are both awesome people and I'm so happy to have both of you in my life. :)

Love,
Julia

BAKESHOP

2010-07-06T23:44:00.007-04:00

This has got to be one of my favorite "new" places in Atlanta. Bakeshop is right in Midtown at Peachtree and 8th {Next to Little Azio and Noodle}. The setting is exactly how I want my kitchen to be set up one day. Industrial kitchen meets cozy farmhouse - all merged into one.

{Photo using Hipstamatic}

For the most part I've been in for coffee and pastries in the morning when I'm down at my BF's place. The croissants are amazing, the coffee is strong and the smell of fresh bread hits your nose right as you walk in...ahhhh. Lucky for me, they had a coupon floating around so I got to try out lunch with my sister, mom, and two of my mom's friends from high school. {they meet up every summer for a ladies weekend, so cute!} Anyways, lunch for me was a half salad/half soup combo. Mixed greens with peaches, goat cheese, and candied pecans and tomato bisque. Perfect proportions, super-duper tasty!

{Photo using Hipstamatic}

Other items from our lunch included a curried chicken salad sandwich, crabcake sandwich, quiche, a red velvet cupcake and a whoopie pie. All of which was very, very tasty!

{Photo using Hipstamatic}

Check it out and let me know what you think. I have a feeling you might get as hooked as I am. You may even see me there sometime this week. :)

Toodles,
Julia

Freezer Paper Stenciling

2010-07-05T18:44:00.010-04:00

Happy 4th of July everyone! I hope you all had a lovely weekend with friends and family.

Ready for a new project? Freezer paper stenciling it is! I've used it for another baby project, but you could use it for 'adult/older kid' projects as well. It's kind of like faux screen printing. I found directions for this project from Dana at Made. She has lots of cute ideas about what and how to stencil, so check out her tutorial.

To get started you need a few things:
freezer paper {it must be freezer paper, not wax paper or parchment paper}
an iron
permanent fabric paint
sponges or paint brushes
a blank canvas {I used baby onesies}

Step 1: Draw an image on your freezer paper while keeping in mind how big the image is in relation to your canvas.

Step 2: Cut out the 'inside' of the image. Whatever you cut out is going to be the image on your blank canvas. Make sense? You can use an exacto blade or scissors - whatever you have on hand.

Step 3: Iron your stencil onto your canvas. Make sure that all the edges of the image stick securely to your canvas. If any of them do not stick properly you will not have a clean line on your image.

Step 4: Start painting! Using sponges or brushes apply one coat to your image and let dry. For larger areas of painting or a darker canvas you will most likely need to do two or more coats of paint. {make sure you put a piece of cardboard between any layers so that paint does not seep through}

Step 5: After the paint is dry peel the stencil away from your canvas.
Step 6 and 7: {no images} Lay a scrap piece of fabric or a dishcloth over your image and iron for about a minute. Move the iron around every 30 seconds so that you don't burn the fabric. After you've ironed the image throw the item in the wash {if it's washable} turned inside out in cold water. Dry on a low heat and then iron. The image should be much softer than it was prior to washing.

Here is how the octopus onesie turned out - I can't wait to see it on one of my
little brothers-to-be!

My sister, roommate, and I made a couple different little onesies that day, including this one for another cute baby in our lives. :)

Have a lovely evening!
Julia

I LOVE Thrift Stores

2010-06-30T17:25:00.004-04:00

OH MY Gosh.... you won't believe what I found at the thrift store today!

Are you wondering if that is an Orla Kiely bag?
Well you're right!

Are you wondering if it's been used before?
Nope, it hasn't! {practically brand new}

Are you wondering how much I paid for it?
$12.99 - steal of the year

Thank you Last Chance Thrift Store and thank you to the person that had no idea what your bag was worth!! You have no idea how exciting it was for me to find such a good deal today! I usually get overwhelmed at Last Chance since you have to dig through so much crap to find anything good...but today satisfied all the times I've left empty handed.

Yay for good finds at the thrift store and yay for Eclipse! {don't tell me anything, I have to wait til my roommate can go with me tomorrow}

Toodles!
Julia

Handmade

2010-06-30T00:51:00.006-04:00

Hey! Guess what?! I made a little label for the pouches I make. I'm sure I'll change it up soon, (once I learn more about Adobe Illustrator) but for now I'm really digging it.

Stop by the store and check them out. I'll be adding more soon (as in tomorrow).

Night,
Julia

Door Decorations

2010-06-29T00:34:00.005-04:00

Okay...I really, really hate to admit this...but here it goes:

Up until a week ago, my front door was still "decorated" with the Christmas/Holiday wreath I put up in December. {I'm so ashamed} At first I was too lazy to take it down, but it still smelled like pine so I figured it was okay if I left it up a little after the holidays...or maybe into Febuary/March/April/May/June...I know, that's soooo bad!! I don't know how my roommates put up with it.

However, as of a week ago, it is no longer hanging on my door. {Yay!} In it's place is this wreath that I made using this easy tutorial from MADE.

All you need is a wreath form, a hot glue gun, a bag of dried beans/acorns, and a can of spray paint. I used pinto and navy beans for my wreath...but I HIGHLY recommend using the largest beans/acorns you can find. I didn't quite think through the project to realize that small beans would take a lot longer to glue to a wreath than large ones.

So, after a couple episodes of True Blood, a bag of glue sticks, some burned fingers, and half a can of spray paint in buttercream, I had a lovely spring/summertime wreath.

Have a lovely day tomorrow and enjoy the summer weather!
Julia

Kudzu Antique Market

2010-06-23T19:56:00.008-04:00

I love walking through the Kudzu Antique Market here in Decatur.

I love old/vintage/dusty/rusty/antique items.

I love a quiet hour to myself.

I love (and always end up buying) metal baskets.

I love the crazy things you find in antique stores.

Have a great evening!
Julia

Etsy Craft Party at Youngblood Gallery

2010-06-21T22:36:00.011-04:00

I dragged my sister out Friday night for the Etsy Craft Party at Youngblood Gallery and Boutique. We had lots of fun, got some new ideas for crafts...but left before we finished anything because it was a little hot inside. Best part of the night though were the homemade chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies...yuuuuummmmmmm!!! (If you made them - please send me the recipe)

Anyways, here are some pics. I think my favorite part were the name tags. I might have filled out my sisters, but she loves me so it's ok.

A table for handmade cards and paper garlands.

Next up, Robot planters made from old cans and terrariums in old light bulbs.

Finally, time for some sewing. Fabric pennants/banners...and a pic of my sis.

How cool is the photo on the left?! I had my sis take some pics while we were sewing and that one came straight from my iPhone. Cool, cool...

That's my sister - she's a cutie pa-tootie. :)

Have ya'll been to Youngblood Gallery and Boutique before? It's such a cool place! They have some really awesome art in there. Most of it is work from local artists, all handmade, and you might just see some work from a guy you went to high school with. (Mike Germon) It's definitely a good spot to head for gifts. They have a good bit of "guy stuff" there (like really nice looking duct tape wallets!), and we all know how hard it is to shop for the guys in our lives.

Tata for now,
Julia

Etsy Craft Party

2010-06-17T10:01:00.003-04:00

Hey Hey crafty people! Anyone heading over to Youngblood Gallery & Boutique tomorrow for the Etsy Craft Party?

Just curious. :)

Good luck staying cool today,
Julia

Summer

2010-06-16T23:41:00.011-04:00

I'm a little late on this...but anyone make it to the Virginia Highlands Summerfest two weekends ago? I had a lovely time walking around that Sunday with my roommate and found some pretty cool stuff. Unfortunately I was lazy this year and didn't take cards for the stuff I really liked/took pics of, so I have no idea who these artists are. :( I know, bad Julia.

I think my favorite was the necklace with the bird outline. It is so dainty and sweet, but graphic at the same time. Along with great art, free food samples, and good times with my roommate...I was so excited to wear a new dress that I made the night before! I have a bad habit of starting projects with less than 24 hours before I want to use/wear the project. This dress is a perfect example because I started it at 11pm the night before!

How do you like it? I'm pretty pleased. I didn't use a pattern, so there is a little more fabric in the dress than is necessary, but overall it was pretty easy to make. It's basically two big rectangles of fabric that were sewn together and gathered with elastic. I was pleased that it actually stayed up/in place. I'm not always a big fan of strapless dresses because I hate wearing strapless bras (so uncomfy!).

Have a lovely evening!
Julia

Sneak Peek

2010-06-16T00:40:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to give you a sneak peak at part of my next project! I'm 3/4 of the way done with it and should be able to show you the completed thing tomorrow. I can't wait to finish it -- it's going to be so unbelievably cute!

(Photos taken with my Nikon Coolpix...I need a new camera)

So these little guys are a bird pattern I got from a blog/store called Spool. They made the most adorable bird mobile using sticks and brightly colored birds! I really like the bright colored fabrics they used for their mobile, but I wanted to stick with a solid top and a patterned base.

(Photos taken with my Nikon Coolpix)

For the eyes I simply tied a French Knot with embroidery floss. Don't know the French Knot? Here's a good tutorial.

Come back soon and I should have the finished project for you!

Toodles,
Julia

Time for a change

2010-06-14T12:21:00.003-04:00

After recently acquiring Adobe Illustrator, I decided to make my own blog banner. It's totally simple, I know, but I actually have NO idea how to use Illustrator, so I've been learning as I play around with it. I'm hoping with a little help from the lovely Lauren from here, I'll be able to make some fancier things.

In the meantime, let me know what you think! I'd love some feedback.

Happy Monday!
Julia

Road Trip - Part 2

2010-06-10T20:55:00.016-04:00

Alright, we left off with Hidden Falls in the Tetons. After hiking two different hikes in the Tetons we headed to the condo we rented in Jackson. It was soo nice! Especially after we had been camping in the snow, hiking in the snow, and riding in cars for about 4 days. My pictures of the condo don't really do it any justice, so I'll just show you our view out the back porch. Absolutely amazing!

View right before sunset.

Views the next morning. I wish my back door looked out onto that.

Beginning the hike up Angel's Landing in Zion National Park.

Crazy switchback staircase in the hike.

We hiked to the top of that, but it was part hiking and part rock climbing.

Pretty views from the top.

On the way back down.

After Zion, we went to Vegas. My pictures of Vegas are kind of boring, so we'll move on to San Francisco. Unfortunately we only had about half a day in San Francisco, but I go to see the Bridge and have a Ghiradelli Sundae. Yum-my!

Me and the BF at the Golden Gate bridge.

Well, that's the end of our road trip! Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Let me know if you need any road trip suggestions or tips! I feel like a pro, now that I've done it twice. Like I said before, if you haven't been on a cross country road trip, I highly suggest and recommend it!

Toodles!
Julia

Stuffed Owl Tutorial

2010-06-08T20:04:00.011-04:00

I found a really cute tutorial on Make It and Love It and thought I would try my own version of it. Instead of re-purposing an old scarf as in the tutorial, I used leftover flannel from some baby blankets I made recently.

So, without delay...here's how to do it!

1. Draw your pattern and trace it onto two pieces of fabric. After it's traced, cut out your shape leaving an extra half inch for seam allowance.

2. Pin together your edges.

3. Sew around your pattern line and leave a 2 inch hole on the bottom so that you can turn it right side out. (Sorry, no picture for this one)

4. Next, start stuffing your shape. I used polyester fiber stuffing. Make sure you poke the stuffing into the ears/corners.

5. Pin together the hole and use a hidden stitch to close the opening. Don't know how to do a hidden stitch? Learn it here.

6. Now it's time to give your owl some character! Cut out eyes, a beak, and wings from a sheet of felt. You could use a different fabric, but keep in mind that felt does not fray and other materials might.

7. Now it's time to sew on the wings, beak, and eyes. I used embroidery thread because I wanted the stitches to be seen, but you could also use regular thread if you want to hide the stitches. Don't forget to hide the knots of your thread under the felt pieces.

After you sew on your wings, beak and eyes...you're done!

(Please excuse the random thread next to the beak on the brown owl.
Didn't see that until after I'd taken the pictures)

Aren't they cute?! They look so cute with the blankets I've made using the same flannel. Hopefully my soon to be little brothers will enjoy them as they grow up.

Let me know if you have any questions about the tutorial or how to make these little guys. You certainly don't have to do an owl. You could do any simple animal shape.

Hope you had a lovely day! I'll be back tomorrow to show you a dress I made this past weekend.

Toodles,
Julia

Road Trip - Part 1

2010-06-06T00:03:00.019-04:00

A few weeks ago I headed off on a cross country road trip with my boyfriend and two friends. If you ever have the chance to take a trip across the country I highly recommend it. It's amazing to see how the country changes as you head from one side to the other! Here are some photos from our trip. I hope you enjoy!

Badlands, South Dakota

First wildlife sighting inside the Badlands.

More Badlands - really cool to see the layers in the land.

Mount Rushmore

Camping near Jenny Lake in the Tetons, Wyoming.

Chopping up some firewood.

S'mores...mmmmmmm.....

We went to bed with it raining and woke up to snow on the campsite.

Hiking through the snow in the Tetons.

More hiking through the snow.

Hidden Falls

I'll leave you with these for now. More to come tomorrow.

Hope everyone has had a good weekend!! Mine was filled with lots crafting, sun, a cute little baby, and catching up on Season 2 of Tru Blood. Haha. :)

Toodles,
Julia

Fabric

2010-06-03T23:35:00.007-04:00

I was looking through Harts Fabric's online store and came across some really cool fabrics. I can think of a couple different projects I would use these fabrics for.

For a tote bag:

Echino Matroyshkas Doll Fabric

For throw pillows:

Japanese Flying Bird Fabric in Fuscia

For a makeup/jewelry pouch:

Japanese Kokka Animal Fabric in Teal by Etsuko Furuya

For an apron:

Perky Flower Fabric in Cream

For napkins or placemats:

Camera Fabric by Echino

Definitely go check the site out. They have lots of great stuff and while I haven't ordered from them yet, I keep coming back to check it out, so I'm sure I'll get something soon.

Good night!
J Squirrel

Before and After

2010-06-01T20:24:00.000-04:00

Did everyone have a good Memorial Day weekend? I hope so. Mine was filled with lots and lots of traveling. I'll share more about that with you later, but for now I need to catch ya'll up with some before and after refashioning/crafting I've been doing the past few weeks.

First up is last years pair of Target sandals. I wanted to jazz them up a bit so I added some pre-made fashion trim (I think that's what you call it) to them with a little hot glue. I then used an exacto blade to trim the edges and I now have a sparkly new pair of sandals!
Next up is one of my boyfriends dress shirts that I rescued from the thrift store bag. Please excuse the awful iphone picture, but here is the shirt as it was: I took off the sleeves, took in the sides, sewed up the arm holes, added a ruffle around the collar and made the shirt all the same length. That evening I was also working on a black dress I never wear, so I took the belt loops and sash from that dress and added them to the shirt. Here is the final product:

I've really been having fun with all the sewing/refashioning/crafting I've been doing recently. There are so many great blogs out there to get ideas and inspiration from. I wish I could get paid to sew and craft all day...maybe I'll have to look into that a little more...

Have a great evening! I have some more projects to show you soon. I'm going to be a big sister again to twin boys and it's been a great excuse to make cute baby things!

Toodles,
J Squirrel

Road Trip!

2010-05-19T12:59:00.013-04:00

I need to be packing! I'm so sleepy though and have no motivation. It's hard to pack for a road trip when you are limited on space in the car. Especially when you have to pack for camping/hiking/some nice outfits/sitting in the car/cold weather. That's a lot. There's going to be a lot of re-wearing stinky hiking clothes. :)

Our route this time (we've done the cross country road trip before) is going to be:
Atlanta to...
Independence, MO to...
Mount Rushmore and Badlands, SD to...
Yellowstone National Park, WY to...
Grand Tetons, WY to...
Jackson Hole, WY to...
The Salt Flats, UT/West Wendover, NV to...
Yosemite National Park, CA to...
our ending destination of San Francisco

I'll leave my bf and his buddies out there and fly back for a summer in Atlanta.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of our last road trip across the US.

Entering Estes Park, CO
*short brown hair, can you believe it? big change from the long blond hair I have now*

Hiking through Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
*so, so pretty and Boulder, CO is a really cool city*

Arches National Park in Moab, UT
*this was my favorite part of the trip, this park is gorgeous*

Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Hoover Dam, AZ

Las Vegas, NV
*everyone should go to Vegas once in their lifetime*

Los Angeles, CA

Santa Monica, CA

Cross country road trips are lots of fun. If you ever get the chance to drive across the country I highly recommend it. I'll be out of touch for the next two weeks while I'm out of town, but I'll be back with lots of pictures and stories to share!

Toodles,
J Squirrel

Lady Gaga Cover

2010-05-13T23:06:00.003-04:00

I'm sure you guys have seen this...but if you don't, check it out. Sooo good!

Maybe he can play at my wedding? Oh wait, I'm not getting married yet. Boyfriend, that's not a dig at you. :)

Nighty Night,
J Squirrel

Happy Birthday...to me!

2010-05-07T19:37:00.008-04:00

Well, yesterday was my birthday...and it was a lovely day! Warm, sunny, no clouds in the sky. I don't know what it is...but it is always nice on my birthday. My mom and I were talking about it recently and we can't remember any year where it was cloudy, too cold, rainy, or anything but nice. It's kind of weird...but awesome at the same time!

I started out the day at work with a visit from 6 day old Balin. :) Oh, I just want to eat him up! He's sooo cute! Look at those socks. So big. Hehe.

Balin

I then left around lunchtime to meet up with two of my BF's for a birthday lunch at Sun in my Belly. If you live in Atlanta/Decatur and haven't been, it's fabulous and you must go!

BF's Jane and Sam

Me and "my" flowers

Aren't those pretty flowers?! Jane and Sam "got" them for me....and by that I mean that they told me to pose with the flowers on the table and pretend that they got them for me. Ha! Such good friends.

On another note...I made the skirt that I wore on my birthday! What do you think?

I followed a pattern for it which was a bit harder than I thought it would be. I'm happy with how it turned out though. After lunch I ran some errands, took a nap, then went out for dinner with my boyfriend. He kind of looks like wolverine.

He took me out to Leon's. Such a yummy place and one of our regular spots to hang out in Decatur. Try the french fries, chickpea salad, the veggieloaf, and the Peruvian Punch. Yum, yum, yum. (Oh, and I didn't eat all of that last night)

All in all, it was a lovely way to celebrate my birthday and I'll be celebrating til the end of this weekend. Thanks to all my friends and family that love me. I love you all too.

J Squirrel

Glāk Love

2010-05-07T19:05:00.008-04:00

J Fox and I are loving our personalized necklaces we just got from Angelyn of Glāk Love. She's a local artist here in Atlanta and makes these awesome necklaces from film negatives. Some of the negatives she uses are up to 25 years old!

(Photos from my Hipstamatic iPhone App)

Each necklace is individually cut from different film negatives which makes them truly unique pieces of art. In my squirrel, I can see part of a person standing against a brick wall. J Fox has the Sistine Chapel in the nose of her fox. Cool, huh?! While J Fox and I both have larger pieces of film negatives in our necklaces, Angelyn also creates beautiful, dainty necklaces like this one:

(Photo by Dorn Brothers Photography)

Such a sweet necklace. Check out her Etsy store for more of her necklaces and photo boxes. If you're a local you should stop by Heliotrope on May 28th for an art show with Angelyn, her Glak Love Necklaces and photo boxes. The art show is in conjunction with Fab Friday and the Decatur Art Walk. It should be a fun, fun evening in Decatur!

Toodles, J Squirrel

Modern Fiber Lab

2010-05-03T23:06:00.006-04:00

I am absolutely, most positively, loving these necklaces and bracelets right now! I found out about them earlier this year at the craft fair that was up in the Cobb Galleria. (Can't remember what it was called) The artist is Sonya Yong James and her company is called Modern Fiber Lab. Her booth was the first one that stood out to me because she had these great wooden walls...think office cubicles made of birch, with modern, interlocking hinges. The bright colors in her work just popped off the light color of the wood and drew me in.

These necklaces and bracelets are hand embroidered felt mixed with sterling silver pieces.

This last one is a bracelet.

Not only does she make this really cool jewelry, but she also makes gorgeous throws, vessels, and art pieces from felt. I would have loved to walk away with one of her pieces, but unfortunately she's just a bit out of my price range...maybe she'll have a sale? A girl can hope.

In the meantime check out her work on Etsy.

Toodles,
J Squirrel

Baby Balin

2010-05-02T21:56:00.005-04:00

My friend Michelle had an adorable little baby boy this past Friday. He's soooo precious! He's got blond fuzz on the top of his head and his skin is so, so soft. I've taken care of a lot of kiddos in my lifetime, but I always forget how tiny they are when they're newborns. I tried explaining my excitement about holding little Balin to my boyfriend, but I'm not sure he gets it. I might have been squealing a bit on the phone when telling him, so maybe he just didn't hear me...or maybe it's because he's a boy. Either way, Little Balin you are adorable and I can't wait to hold you again!

Congratulations Michelle and Happy Birthday!

Love you!
J Squirrel

Hipstamatic App

2010-05-01T15:37:00.007-04:00

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. I've been having fun playing with my new iphone app: Hipstamatic. The app adds a filter to your iPhone camera which makes the photos look like they were taken back in the 1960's with a cheap camera. I like old stuff, so the old photo look is appealing to me. :) You can change the lens, add different flashes, and use different films to get different looks for your photos. Pretty cool stuff for only $1.99.

It's been an exciting and busy weekend for me (more on that later), so for now I'll leave you with a few photos from the Atlanta Botanical garden.

Toodles,
J Squirrel

Daily Drop Cap

2010-04-26T21:06:00.004-04:00

I ran across Daily Drop Cap this past week. Have you heard about it? It's a blog/website run by typographer/illustrator Jessica Hische. Each workday she posts a new initial cap that she has designed/hand-crafted just for the enjoyment of her readers. The extra cool thing is that she gives you the html code so that anyone can use them in their blogs.

ust in case you want to see some examples.

ere are a few of my favorites.

wesome, right?!

Thanks to Jessica for sharing her creativity with everyone. Hope you find some good initials to use in your blogging life. :)

J Squirrel

Crafting Live

2010-04-25T22:28:00.010-04:00

That's right, we're crafting *live*. While looking over my daily craft blogs I found a quick project my roommate and I could do while flipping between the Braves game and 16 and Pregnant on MTV....yeah, the two shows don't really go together...

Anyways...recycled t-shirt bangles from Little Blue Boo!

1 cut strips of knit/jersey

2 braid strips together

3 sew ends together once braid is long enough to fit your wrist

4 tie a piece of coordinating fabric around edges to hide stitches

Ta-da! Fun, recycled bracelets. Make a lot. We think it's better to have more than one together. :) Please excuse the fuzzy iphone pics...and the computer camera photo...

Nighty night Everybody!
J Squirrel and Allie

Wottle Bottle

2010-04-22T23:34:00.003-04:00

I think we all know that I LOVE Orla Kiely. I was checking out her site again this evening to come up with some birthday present suggestions for my friends and family. Apparently I'm a "hard person to shop for". Soooo, I'm drooling over some of her leather bags (holy, moly they are expensive!) and then I click over to the kitchen section. What do I find?

A Wottle Bottle!!

And it's only 8 pounds (UK dollars, not lbs.) I immediately add it to my cart and start checking out...but, then comes the shipping...
35 pounds!!!!!

What?? No way! There is NO WAY that it costs that much to send a lightweight plastic bottle from the UK to Georgia. Trust me, I know shipping rates. It's kind of what I do.

So, what did I do next?

What every good shopper/retail-aholic does. I "ebay-ed" it. Found "it" brand new for about $10. I'm a little curious to see if it's real...hoping it is, but won't be disappointed if it's not.

I'll let you know how my search for the Wottle Bottle comes out. Part of me wants it just because of the name. Wottle bottle. Hehe. :)

Have a lovely evening!
J Squirrel

Craft Day

2010-04-21T23:27:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago I hosted a craft day for some friends. The goal being that each friend would leave with a new shirt stemming from this nautical bib top tutorial from Made by Lex. I forgot to take pictures...but Catherine of Asian Cajuns has a lovely little post written up about our crafting morning.

Here is the shirt Catherine made:

AND...
here is the shirt that I made:

I started with a scoop neck shirt and added on a 'bib' with two layers of pleated fabric. It was a super quick shirt to make and the scariest part was sewing knit onto knit! I've got the hang of it now! :)

The thing I like the most about our shirts is that they end up being in the same color family. Mine are gray/black and Catherine's light/dark pink. I'm a fan of working with like colors at the moment. When you do that, you can tell that there is something going on with the shirts, but it's not super obvious and the texture is what really clues you in that it's more than just a plain shirt.

Another craft day is in the works. This time focusing on jazzing up a pair of old summer sandals. I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Night,
J Squirrel

Birthday Cake

2010-04-12T23:14:00.006-04:00

Happy Birthday Boyfriend!

Ok, so his birthday was yesterday, but Friday I surprised him with a cake! Not just any old cake...a cakewich! A cake that looks like a sandwich. Here is the idea/tool I used:

Here was my implementation:
It's a white cake with peanut butter frosting and nutella! Yum-O! For the peanut butter frosting I mixed buttercream frosting with some peanut butter. It was so tasty and fed way more people than I thought it would. I would recommend using a pound cake mix if you decide to try it out. My cake started cracking because I didn't get the bottom of the top layer flat enough and the cake wasn't strong enough to hold it's own weight.

It was super easy to make. I highly recommend that you try it out. They give you a recipe to use, but I think the next cake I do will be a mixed layers, ice cream cake...mmmmmm...

Night night!
J Squirrel

Easter Skirt

2010-04-09T16:24:00.005-04:00

Easter has come and gone, but my Easter skirt will last a long time! I had the grand idea to make myself a new skirt just a few days before Easter. I based "my design" off the Paperbag Skirt from Made by Lex. I'll say "my design" because I saw the one she made and had to figure out how to make it myself since she didn't give instructions or a pattern. :) My skirt ended up a little different than hers, but I was quite pleased with it. So, here is the Paper Bag skirt from Made By Lex: And here is my version worn on a sunny Easter day in GA: I tried not to copy the whole outfit...but the white tank top looked the best with the skirt. I changed it up by wearing cute magenta, peep toe heels. :) My skirt is made out of a Linen Chambray...I have no idea what that means. It looks like linen, but doesn't wrinkle as easily as linen does which is nice.

The one thing I couldn't figure out was how she got the paper bag effect around the waist. I tried cinching the waist with the belt/tie, but it never ended up looking nice and even...so I ended up sewing big pleats into the skirt. Not quite the same, but it won't fall off if the tie comes undone. :) The only thing I still need to do is add a lining, but for now I'm waiting to find a cute cotton fabric to use.

So, what do you all think? I was quite pleased with it! I'm so happy I found the Made by Lex blog. She's gives me such good inspiration for sewing and crafting. :) Hope you're all having a great weekend. I'll have a fun birthday cake to show you tomorrow.

Til next time, J Squirrel

In the bathroom

2010-04-04T21:58:00.004-04:00

How absolutely fantastic are these shower curtains?!?!?!!
I am totally in love with them both and just wished they did not cost so much at Anthropologie. I have half a mind to try making my own....

I'll let you know if that project gets off the ground.
Nighty night,
J Squirrel

Peasant Blouse

2010-04-01T23:43:00.003-04:00

Found the idea for this shirt on Made by Lex. The shirt used to be a man's dress shirt, but after an hour of ripping out seams, cutting, sewing, and threading elastic...a lovely peasant blouse is what was left. :)I was a tad bit impatient and went ahead and wore my shirt one day without ironing it...and I think I even see a thread still hanging off the sleeve...

Soon I'll have pictures of my latest project. A paper bag skirt that I'm going to wear for Easter. No, it's not made out of a paper bag. You'll see where it gets the name when I show you the picture. :)

Toodles,
J Squirrel

Post Office

2010-03-30T18:12:00.003-04:00

So, I was standing in line at the post office today and heard this...growl/grunt/guttural sound. I didn't want to look back in case it was a person doing it...didn't want to stare, etc. The sound kept going on and then this guy pipes up with "He's irritable." So of course I then have to turn around and look. What do I see? Boxes with holes. Animal carrier boxes, with holes.

You can mail animals?!?!?!

I of course had to ask the guy what kind of animals he was mailing. One box had white carrier pigeons that were being shipped off to use in a wedding, and the other box with the "irritable" creature turned out to be a pigeon as well. As it turns out, the "irritable" pigeon was actually quite friendly and was being shipped off to a pigeon rescue farm/place in Massachusetts. He was found in a cougar trap and was being used for bait, but some girl found him and kept him fed for a week until she could find the cougar trap owner and get the bird out of there.

I didn't think I'd learn so much at the post office today.

Also, you can ship ladybugs, newborn chicks, and bees at the post office.

Toodles,
J Squirrel

Boot Camp

2010-03-29T21:12:00.004-04:00

Nothing like a good boot camp workout at Core Body this morning to start the week off the right way. It's at a reasonable time, 9:30, that's the only way I can make it. Here's a small rundown if you want to try it out at home. Good Luck!

...and good night...

Jumping jacks
Mountain climbers
Burpees
Single leg step ups
Single leg step overs
Single leg lunges
Squats
Squat jumps
Box jumps
Chest press
Chest flies
Pushups
Bench dips
Military press
Bicep curls
Single arm dumbbell pulls
Shoulder stability

Fab Friday

2010-03-25T20:21:00.002-04:00

Clothing Refashions

2010-03-23T19:54:00.009-04:00

More sewing this past week!

This is an Old Navy top J Fox gave me to work on. I added the teal swirls to the shirt. They cover the front as you see them and carry over onto the back. I cut the teal jersey into thin strips and just started winding and sewing it to the shirt.

Here are some tops I worked on this weekend with my cousin. One for her and one for my aunt.

We used blue t-shirts from Hershey World for the base of the shirt and added ruffles and pleats with old t-shirts. I really like the pleated shirt...probably going to work with big pleats like that some more. :)

Hope you all had a great weekend!
J Squirrel

Before and After

2010-03-18T20:51:00.011-04:00

Made by Lex has a great tutorial on how to create a dress out of a t-shirt and extra fabric. So, here are the before and after pics of dresses I made for two cute kiddos I know. :)

Dress #1 started as a Halloween shirt from Old Navy and leftover batik (I think it was batik) fabric from my a dress my sister made.

Afterwards, a fun summer dress for a 4 year old with ruffles and a sash.

Dress #2 started with a lime green shirt from The Landing, wherever that is, and some old school floral fabric from my mom's collection.

An hour or so later and here is what I came up with.

Sorry for the weird arm coming out from the side of the picture. I thought that having my roommate holding up the dress would show it off better...but it just looks kind of creepy.

With each dress I shortened the length of the shirt, gathered the skirt, added ruffles to the bottom of the dress, and put in little belt/sash loops. To the shirts I used the extra fabric to make ruffles to cover the images on the shirt. Mom and daughters were very excited to give me a shirt and have it come back as a summer dress.

Happy Crafting!
J Squirrel

Local Wisdom brings the fox out of the hole....

2010-03-15T23:21:00.007-04:00

So you may have noticed that I've been hibernating for most of the winter (and by hibernating I mean traveling to and fro to other temperatures and time zones) but gratefully, all the while, J Squirrel has so magnificently held down the fort, getting crafty and sharing her inspiring creations and thoughts with you all here in cyberspace.

Well since Spring is nearly here (it can't come soon enough in my opinion!) I thought I would come out of my foxhole and share with you a card line that I am currently obsessed with!

Kathleen started making collage cards several years ago and started Local Wisdom Cards in Vermont in 2001. Her cards are now featured in over 700 shops around the globe, as well as Etsy.com where you will find her entire inventory, and may purchase them directly through her!

Here is a sampling; these are some of my favorites:

Check out Kathleen's fun collection for yourself, and let us know what you think. You may decide to not give away a single one but rather frame them all, and I say this out of personal experience!

Until next time (or until the sun decides to show himself for more than a few hours!)

~ J Fox

Roller Derby

2010-03-14T22:48:00.003-04:00

Oh geez...why did I wait til just now to go see the Atlanta Roller Girls?? Have you been? Do you know what I'm talking about? Roller derby is so much fun! (cue my boyfriend making fun of how much I say the word 'fun') Anyways, it's awesome! The place was jam packed. We sat on the floor with our Solo cups of beer and craned our necks over fans to see girls skate, bump, trip, fall, and sling each other around.

The Dirty South Derby team was playing some team from St. Louis. I don't remember their name...but all that matters is that the Atlanta team won. :) We actually had a pretty good grasp on how the sport is played from watching the movie Whip It, but there were a few things we had to learn as the bout/match went on. The crowd was really into the bout/match- lots of cheering, chants, boos, clapping, shouting. Everything that makes a sporting event more exciting to watch. Plus, the people watching is great! There are all sorts of people that come to these matches. There was a storm trooper at the bout last night! I missed a few really good parts of the bout because I was too distracted by people in the audience. Whoops!

If you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it. The next match/bout isn't until April but buy your tickets early, grab some friends, a cooler of beer and have a good time.

Adios,
J Squirrel

The Before Picture

2010-03-11T23:09:00.004-05:00

I have been SOOOOOOOO inspired to sew recently. Made by Lex has changed my outlook on life! Ok, that's a little dramatic, but she's definitely got my creative juices flowing. Check out her refashions section. She's so great at taking expensive clothing items and showing you how to make them yourself. Here's the first shirt I've started working on:

It's a women's XL Gap button down that I picked up at the thrift store for $4.99. I've started working on it the other night. Taking off the cuffs, sleeves, collar, resizing it...realizing that I wasn't sure how to put sleeves back on...haha! I think I know how to do that part now. :) Stay tuned for how it turns out.

Night,
J Squirrel

Good Morning!

2010-03-08T23:37:00.006-05:00

This is what I've been waking up too...or should I say this is what has been waking me up every morning before my alarm is supposed to go off. Hard to be mad with a cute, blurry face like this though. :) No, I'm not trying to simulate a my 'don't have my glasses on' morning vision, my phone just can't catch a good picture of her when she's moving about so quickly.

She has the cutest little routine going on in the mornings. She wakes up, patters over to my side of the bed, puts her feet up, nudges me with her nose, and licks my arm. I pet her for a few minutes and say "Taisy, go lie down" and she does. We sleep for another hour then get up for breakfast.

Pets are great. :)

Night,
J Squirrel

Sewing Experiments

2010-03-02T22:56:00.006-05:00

I've been practicing sewing on knit fabrics this week! It's pretty tricky, but with the right needle for my sewing machine I'm getting the hang of it. I got my inspiration for these projects from Homemade by Jill and Little Birdie Secrets. Ruffles and flowers will be a lovely addition to my spring/summer wardrobe.

So, ruffles first. Jill explains really well how to make them, so follow her directions here. I couldn't get the zig-zag stitch to work on knit, so I used a flowy zig-zag stitch instead. The first shirt I ruffled was an old plain, white fitted t-shirt from target. I cut off the sleeves and hemmed the edges to make a "tank top" then added ruffles. Here is what I came up with:

Please excuse my roommate's messy room behind me and a fuzzy iPhone pic. :) In all there are three sets of ruffles on the shirt. Hopefully you can't tell where they start and end.

The next shirt I refashioned is a tank top from Old Navy that's about three years old. It was headed to the thrift store, but I figured it would be a good one to experiment with. I cut off the sleeve of a cheap shirt from Target to make the ruffle and sewed it right onto the neckline:

Once again, sorry for the random bathroom mirror shot. This is what happens when your roommates aren't home to take pictures of your creations. I thought about doing ruffles all along the neckline, but I thought it might be a little heavy since the ruffle is a deeper magenta than the shirt. I'm pleased with how it came out. :)

The last shirt I refashioned is the exact same shirt as the pink one, but in teal and I added "flowers". For this one I took another cheap shirt from Target to make the flowers following Little Birdie Secrets instructions. She wasn't as clear as to how she sewed the flowers on, so I had to do a little guess work with that. I don't have as many flowers on my shirt, but I think it turned out well. I can always go back and add more later. Here is is:

Well, what do you think?? I'm pleased with my refashioned clothes so far. If you live close by and want me to experiment on your old clothes, just let me know. :)

Sleep well,
J Squirrel

Snow

2010-03-02T12:19:00.002-05:00

What is going on Atlanta?? It's supposed to be warm and spring-like now. With hope that spring is on it's way, here are 5 things we love about Atlanta in the warm weather:

1. Fro-yo from The Yogurt Tap! (we actually like this anytime, but it's especially good in warm weather)

2. Margaritas on the patio at Raging Burrito

3. A lightweight summer dress with flip flops and shades.

4. Piedmont park. Laying out on a blanket in the sun with a book and a friend.

5. Festivals! Decatur Arts Festival, Inman Park, Dogwood Festival, Candler Park Fest, and all the rest.

What are your favorite things about warm weather?

Thinking warm thoughts...
J Fox and J Squirrel

The Bachelor

2010-03-01T21:31:00.002-05:00

Anyone else watching?

"Epic fail Jake, Vienna is lame sauce." -Allie

Hahahaha. Allie is my roomate and she's pretty funny sometimes.

J Squirrel

Sewing

2010-02-24T12:15:00.006-05:00

One of my goals for the year is to make an article of clothing for myself. I made my homecoming dress in 10th grade, but I bet my mom did a lot of it...I was also stick thin so I basically sewed two flat pieces of fabric together and had a dress. It's a little more complicated when you've got a few curves to account for.

Instead of jumping right into a big sewing project I'm going to start out refashioning clothes first. One of the blogs I look at has some great tutorials/ideas for refashioning clothes. Homemade By Jill is more of a "crafty mom blog", but she's really good at giving instructions and printable patterns for the projects she does and she's been doing cool stuff with her clothes recently.

Check out her shirt to dress refashion, the ruffle t-shirt she made, and the maternity shirt refashion. She makes me so excited to start sewing and refashioning clothes!

Have a great day!
J Squirrel

*I patched my boyfriend's jeans the other day. 5 patches later and there are still holes in them. Now the crafting bug has bitten him and he wants to get some cool fabric to patch the rest of his jeans. :)

Things I loved about the weekend...

2010-02-14T22:36:00.003-05:00

1. Snow - so pretty! Here's the little snowman I made. He was about 10 inches tall and melted by the next morning. Oh well!
2. Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting from 3 Wishes Bakery. Sooo tasty!

3. Spending some quality time with my roomies in the snow and watching movies in our nice, warm living room.

4. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. I've really been into young adult literature lately and this movie was a good adaptation from the book by Rick Riordan. Enjoyable if you haven't read the books and close enough to the book for those that have read it.

5. Brunch at Sun in My Belly. French toast with bananas foster. Tasty, tasty. AND with the Scoutmob app for my iphone our meal was 40% off. Have you checked out Scoutmob yet?? It's great! My BF and I see no reason in going anywhere without a Scoutmob deal.

Hope you had a lovely weekend. Happy Valentine's Day!

J Squirrel

Snow!

2010-02-11T23:09:00.003-05:00

Let it snow, let it snow!!

- Decatur in the snow -

I hope there is snow in the morning.

- Agnes Scott College -

Who's with me?
J Squirrel

Bento Box Lunch

2010-02-04T23:08:00.007-05:00

I made my first bento box lunch! Yay! Please excuse the random assortment of food. I don't have much in my fridge right now and I've been too lazy to go to the store. :) For those that don't know, bento means: "a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine" ...according to good ol' Wikipedia.

I used my Wonder Bread sandwich box because I wanted something a little more special than just any old tupperware container. I used the red silicone cupcake mold to form my "rice balls" and then used it to seperate the olives from the rest of my food. Sliced cheese and some broccoli spears and my lunch is all set!

Afterwards, I started looking for bento boxes online. We sell some in the store by Shinzi Katoh, but I found a site that has some super cute ones for a little less dinero...

They range from cute:

Images from Jlist.com

To wack-a-doodle:

Image from Jlist.com

Lunch is going to be so much more fun now! There are lots of little accessories you can get for bento box lunches. Mini sauce bottles, rice molds, sandwich/bread cutters - all sorts of stuff.

Happy eating!
J Squirrel

Recipe for a Happy New Year

2010-02-02T08:34:00.004-05:00

"To each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work, hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest, prayer, meditation, and one well selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkle of play, and a large cupful of good humor."
-Anonymous

I found this quote in a Pottery Barn magazine and recently remembered where I had written it down. After googling the first few words I found a site that told me it's a "New Year's Quote". I'm only a month late. :) Enjoy!

J Squirrel

Decatur for Haiti - Feb. 1st

2010-01-31T22:43:00.005-05:00

A portion of proceeds made tomorrow at the shops and restaurants below will benefit Haiti and the American Red Cross. Head out tomorrow if you can and help Decatur raise some money!

Brick Store, Cakes and Ale, Chick-fil-a, Fleet Feet, Fresche, The Grange, Heliotrope
Hairwerks, Iberian Pig, Little Shop of Stories, Matador Cantina
Mingei, Nectar, Palate, Pimbili African Artworks, Peggy's Boutique, Saba
Steinbecks, Twains and UJoint

Hope to see you around town tomorrow!

J Squirrel

Sucker for Packaging

2010-01-25T20:41:00.004-05:00

Damn you coca-cola. I try not to drink any sodas, but of course you had to come out with a super cute 7.5 ounce can to tempt me. Being in the retail world the past two years has really increased my susceptibility to cute packaging.

Luckily I had too much stuff in my hands at Target, otherwise you would have come home with me.

Anybody else a sucker for packaging?

J Squirrel

Ecojot e-cards

2010-01-19T21:16:00.003-05:00

So, so cute!

Send your friends some online love with these cute e-cards from ecojot. I just sent one to a friend and I hope she enjoys it!

-J Squirrel

Splurge

2010-01-18T22:34:00.003-05:00

For about a year or so I have been drooling over Orla Kiely handbags. I went crazy for the line of home accessories she did for Target and was just waiting for moment when I could justify spending a large chunk of change on a handbag. Last week, that time came and after a LONG, HARD, and TIRING week of work at the January Gift Show, I thought I deserved a treat. :)

I absolutely love my new bag!! My boyfriend can attest to how excited I was to find the bag at Star Provisions after my last day of work at the mart. My feet were aching from wearing heels, I was tired and grumpy, but it all went away when I saw the whole wall full of Orla Kiely handbags and wallets. *sigh* It makes me happy to think about it again...

Orla Kiely is known for her graphic patterns and the thing I love most about this bag is that it's her signature stem print, but each leaf is "scribbled". It tones down the big stem print and softens the whole look of the bag.

Check back soon for another posts about handbags. J Fox and I are putting together a small handbag guide to aid a lovely reader. :)

Good Night,
J Squirrel

If the forests had strip clubs...

2010-01-12T16:59:00.005-05:00

Image from Headline Shirts

And if there was controversy in the neighborhood...this is what the papers would say:

As part of his effort to keep the forest a family place, Mayor Brownbear announced a plan to clean up the notorious Nutpacking District, a stretch of hollow trees known for its "exotic squirrel" clubs. Under the mayor's proposal, clubs that allow heavy petting would hereby be prohibited from selling birdseed. And all clubs would have to close by the time the owls come out.

"It's outrageous," said club promoter Jimmy Acorn, who owns both The Bushy Tail and Woodchuck's. "The real losers in this are the flying squirrels, who are nocturnal. Now where are they supposed to go to see a little fur?"

But the mayor can count on support from the conservative group Focus on the Forest, which helped pass a previous law defining marriage as between one deer and one doe.

You can find this t-shirt and more at Headline Shirts.

Enjoy the humor!
J Fox and J Squirrel

Yum-O

2010-01-06T20:00:00.004-05:00

Mmmm...nothing like a nice big helping of fried okra from Zesto's to make the tiredness from the day go away. Crispy and salty...just the way I like them.

:)
J Squirrel

New Year Resolutions

2010-01-04T22:32:00.003-05:00

Well...it's the new year...and we've been thinking that we might need to make a few resolutions. We're not real traditional gals so we're going to skip over the traditional resolutions like eating healthier, exercising more, blah, blah, blah. Who can actually stick to those anyways?? J Fox has about a 50% success rate with her resolutions whereas I have trouble just coming up with them.

So, with that in mind...here is what we have come up with for the year

J Fox-
1. Go through and complete a 10-step rehab for Etsy addiction (3 hours at a time on the same website is not healthy- no matter how awesome Etsy is)
2. Learn enough to "get by" in another language

J Squirrel-
1. Improve my sewing skills and make an article of clothing
2. Contain my Yogurt Tap consumption to once a week - not because it's unhealthy...just because I don't need to go every day... (The coconut today was so tasty though!)

*My roommate thinks my #2 resolution is a "lofty goal" and J Fox says she "guarantees" that I will fail...haters.

What resolutions are you making for the new year?

Good luck!
J Fox and J Squirrel

Oh Etsy, how we love thee...

2009-12-30T21:18:00.001-05:00

Let us count the ways...

1. Cardboard Rocket
2. Team Edward Pillow
3. Bubble Wall Decal (check out the rest of the wall decals...there are LOTS of great ones)
4. The Hooded Missy
5. Freak Out and Eat Cake Fridge Magnet
6. Bird Charm Necklace
That's enough for now. I'm sure we'll be back with more later.

Toodles,
J Squirrel

2009-12-30T21:15:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year!

Hope you all have a lovely evening.

Lovely thoughts to all of you,
J Fox and J Squirrel

Christmas Gifts

2009-12-21T22:50:00.004-05:00

Just thought I'd let you guys see the T-shirts we made as Christmas presents for our bosses. We kind of think they are awesome. :) (Hopefully they did as well!)

Marc on a sky blue American Apparel T-shirt

Tommy on a Spearmint Green American Apparel T-shirt

What do you think? We had our resident artist, John, create the images and then we printed them out on iron transfer paper and ironed them on. It was pretty easy and the shirts look great. It's inspired me to decorate more t-shirts/bags/etc with iron on transfers, so I'll let you guys know what I come up with. Have you guys ever used iron on transfers before? Any helpful tips?

Until next time,
J Squirrel

Awesome Sale

2009-12-12T23:53:00.002-05:00

Squash Blossom on the Decatur Square is doing 50% off all Le Sport Sac items!! What a good deal! They have a bunch of different styles and patterns left. Soooo super cute. I really resisted the urge to get a new bag the other day when I was in there...but I don't know how much longer I can hold out...

How about you guys go check it out and buy it all before I do. Thanks!

J Squirrel

It's Christmas time...

2009-12-09T23:56:00.007-05:00

My roommates and I got a Christmas tree! We're such grownups now. We got him from a the First Christian Church in Decatur. They won out because they advertised FREE delivery for people in Decatur. We like free and we really like not getting pine needles and sap in/all over our car (we got a little heated talking about whose car the tree was going in...).

Isn't he so pretty?! We haven't named him (or did we...Allie, Jane??), but we definitely know that the tree is a he and that he will not listen to us and stand up straight! Here he is all decorated.
Can you tell he kind of leans? Oh well.

Next on the schedule is making wreaths and garland out of leftover branches that Lowe's will give you for free. Wish us luck!

Night,
J Squirrel

Artsy Friends

2009-12-07T23:35:00.003-05:00

We like having artsy friends...especially ones named John that can create/design/make new blog headers for us! Do you guys like it?? I'm sure you do. We think it's the cat's meow. :)

John is a pretty creative guy. He's come up with some really cool ideas/projects. Go to google and type in: pops stache. It's one of the projects he's working on, but you can also heck out his portfolio thing to look at more of his work.

Stay warm!
J Squirrel and J Fox

Squirrel and Fox

Headboard

Kudzu Antique Market

Wanting something pretty...

SNOW!!

Calendars

Pumpkin Waffles

Holiday Crafting

Fall

Thanksgiving Dinner

Happy Thanksgiving!

ICE - Indie Craft Experience

4 years!

And Even More... Freezer Paper Stenciling

Happy Halloween!!

Halloween

Halloween Costume

Etsy Love

In the Kitchen

Oh Orla, I love your work.

Pop's 'stache

Au Revoir Sister

The weekend begins

From Tank to Table

Cute Babies

National Sewing Month

Here Comes the Bride

Just sewing away...

Fab Friday

Wedding Bells

Keep Calm and Rock On

Oh How Fun!

Elephantine Jewelry

Kids...

Handmade Coffee Sleeve

Just a few...

Bugs. Ewwwwww.

4th of July fun

More Freezer Paper Stenciling

BAKESHOP

Freezer Paper Stenciling

I LOVE Thrift Stores

Handmade

Door Decorations

Kudzu Antique Market

Etsy Craft Party at Youngblood Gallery

Etsy Craft Party

Summer

Sneak Peek

Time for a change

Road Trip - Part 2

Stuffed Owl Tutorial

Road Trip - Part 1

Fabric

Before and After

Road Trip!

Lady Gaga Cover

Happy Birthday...to me!

Glāk Love

Modern Fiber Lab

Baby Balin

Hipstamatic App

Daily Drop Cap

Crafting *Live*

Wottle Bottle

Craft Day

Birthday Cake

Easter Skirt

In the bathroom

Peasant Blouse

Post Office

Boot Camp

Fab Friday

Clothing Refashions

Before and After

Local Wisdom brings the fox out of the hole....

Roller Derby

The Before Picture

Good Morning!

Sewing Experiments

Crafting Live