Burgundy Rosette Necklace

This Mother's Day was more than just a celebration of Mothers--it was also my Mother's birthday, as well as my Aunt Ruth Ann's! I'll have to put up pictures of what I made for my mother later--when she's willing to model it :) --so for now, here is what we made for my aunt's birthday:

 

I just love these necklaces--I need to make myself one for sure! :)

My necklace was featured!!

Boho Earrings Featured at Sarahndipities!

My Boho-Chic earrings were featured again--this time at Sarahndipities! :)

I can't believe it--I was FEATURED by Tatertots and Jello!

When I first got into the world of online craft blogging, there was one blog that I was completely in love with--Tatertots and Jello--not only did it have the most creative name, but each post is filled with multitudes of great ideas! It's just wonderful. So today as I was browsing through my Monday sites I was shocked to discover that my necklace was featured by none other than Tatertots and Jello--now my life is complete. :)

Featured at the Tattered Tag!

What a perfect pick-me-up on such a rainy day... I was featured AGAIN on the Tattered Tag! (This time, for my Boho-Chic Earrings)

MOM

This is a short post, but how can I ever put into words what my mother means to me? She is everything and then some! She has taught me everything I know; I owe everything to her, from my creativity to my determination to my sewing skills to my understanding of how important family is. If there is one thing that stands above all else, the one thing I will always remember from my mother is how much she loves her family--how important they are to her--while others my prefer to party on the weekends, I find them best spent with my family, particularly with my mother. She is, above all else, my very BEST FRIEND! <3

Nothing could be more true. To the most amazing mother in the world: thank you for everything you do--Happy Birthday and Happy Mother's Day!!!

What's in a Name?

Ever since I was little, I knew all about my name and my heritage--I knew what my name meant, where it came from, where I came from, why it was important, etc. These kinds of things were very important to me. By the time I learned to read and write, I could draw out my family tree past my great-great grandparents--knowing who you are and where you come from has always been extremely important in my life. On a wall in our family home hangs several name plaques, each individually designed with a family member's name and the scriptural meaning of said name--this is one of my favorite features of our home--it just really makes you feel special to look at it, makes you feel important--equally individual and unique, yet belonging to something much bigger.

So... when my little niece was born, I wanted her to have an understanding of who she is, beginning with her beautiful name: Heather. The name Heather is of Middle-English origin, coming from the evergreen flowering plant that thrives on peaty barren lands, like in Scotland. Why is this significant? Well, for many reasons:

1. Heather is the name of my mother's first baby.
2. Our family is Scottish (ancestry).
3. Heather is purple (my sister's favorite color), and is a BEAUTIFUL flower.
4. Heather thrives on barren lands--my metaphorical interpretation: Heather will be awesome no matter what the circumstances of life throw at her.

So anyway... as her blessing was drawing near and she would officially be receiving this beautiful name, I wanted to do something special for her to incorporate some of these things. I haven't painted since my surgery, so taking on such a project was a bit intimidating--and took several tries and oodles of frustration--but eventually things worked out:

Percy the Purple Hippo

Yes, I love being an aunt--I finally have my own personal little someone to make special things for! As a kid I was never really a blanket person--I was more of a stuffed animal cuddler, so I decided to make my little niece her own little stuffed animal friend. Since my sister has always LOVED the color purple, I went with that--meet Percy, the purple hippo!

Percy was so named by my little brother, who ironically is always teasing about how much stuff we make my little niece (poor thing is becoming a bit spoiled, but what can you do); he came into the sewing room and saw this fuzzy little purple creature and suddenly fell in love--I think I may have to make him one soon--and quite fittingly named our new little friend Percy. Okay, my favorite part--don't you just love that little tail?!

And of course, since Percy was made for a little girl, he gets a big beautiful pink flowered bow! :)

I think my sister wants to keep Percy for herself--not that I blame her, he did turn out pretty cute (and oh so soft!) if I do say so myself. :)

Post Edit: Thank you to Dorene for reminding me--I had completely forgot to mention where I got the pattern!--while we were at the Sewing and Stitchery Expo, we had the opportunity to meet Carol, from Carol's Zoo, and I fell in love with the hippo. Carol's Zoo has the greatest stuffed animal patterns--some of them are only two pieces, so perfect and so easy! And they turn out so cute too. :)

Thank you to Eat... Craft... Sow... for featuring this project!

and to The Funky Polka Dot Giraffe!

Featured by Sugar Bee Crafts!!!

What a pleasant surprise! Today I was going going going since the moment I woke up--I didn't have a second to get online until just now (yes, my relaxation on Wednesdays is American Idol)--what a treat to discover my Pretty Pink Easter Necklace (that I made for my amazing aunt) was featured by one of my favorite crafting blogs, SUGAR BEE CRAFTS! Yay!!! I love this blog--if you haven't visited before, check it out now! :)

My Best Friend

Sometimes people will disappoint you, and sometimes you will try and try and try but you will disappoint people. No matter what you do you can't be everything to everyone all the time; essentially, sometimes life sucks, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it--for such moments, a good friend is more than a simple comfort--it becomes a necessity. Thank goodness I have such a friend:

"I talk to him when I'm lonesome like; and I'm sure he understands. When he looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands; then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught thereat. For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes, but never a friend like that." ~W. Dayton Wedgefarth

The One and Only Feature!

What an honor! Today I was the one and only feature over at Crafty Geordi (check it out HERE!)--seriously, I can't tell you how exciting that is for me! Thanks so much Christine--I am completely overwhelmed, that was so sweet of you--thank you thank you!