live . craft . learn

buon compleanno, bama!

it's my bama's birthday today. we're two peas in a pod, her and i. she's the best grandmother i could have ever asked for, and luckily i didn't have to ask. we were supposed to head down to her house to spend the afternoon eating grilled cheeses and eating birthday cake, but alas, ben is sick again and i just needed to keep him home as the breathing treatments are on over drive right now. ugh! i'm hoping we can nip it in the bud real quick because i definitely don't want to see the inside of a hospital room for quite some time!

have the best day bama, ti amo per sempre.

in other news... did you see this? jj finally announced the girls who will be joining us as fashionistas. 16 new girls added to the list. each of them inspire me to no end and were already on my favorites list, can you believe that? check the f-girl links over there ---------> cause i added all the new names and they deserve some extra special love!!

happy wednesday!

five years

dear maddie bean...

the moment you came into my life you changed it forever. you are my maddie bean. my little girl who is five, today, you are my love child. you fill my heart with joy and laughter and giggles and love. you make me proud. you teach me how to cherish and appreciate something new everyday. you show me how to slow down and cherish the little things, the things i often forget to notice. i adore every second that we have together. you are perfect and sweet and loving and kind and the best big sister bubba could ever have.

happy birthday sweet girl, i love you more than i could ever express in words.
xo
mama

happy holidays!!

from the crazy half of my family to yours!

thank you my sweet friends for laughing with me, crafting with me, dreaming and growing and saying hello! i am blessed to know all of you and appreciate all of the comments, love and support you have shown me this year!

{{hugs}} & {{smooches}} !!

1.0

i wasn't going to post today because i have too much to do... but after getting sucked into the vortex that is my blog roll {dude... do i really have 218 blog feeds book marked now!?!} i found this after catching up on this girl's life {yet another blog and girl i adore}.

happy 5 days left til the magic begins!
xoxo

oh my!

you, rae, are too good to me! i love them SO much!!
thank yous & giant internet {{smooches}}!!

in eight days!

my mother {nonna to the littles} started my obsession with all things vintage christmas when i was very, very, very young. every year she puts out an amazing display of vintage and antique santa's on her mantel, i swear there are over 50. big, little, fat, old and even a few that look quite drunk! it's one of my most favorite things to see on christmas day, especially since i always try to figure out which new ones have been added.

but this year, we're having everyone over at our house on christmas, so i decided that a little christmas vignette to add to her collection was in order. it's been a rough year for her emotionally and i thought santa riding in on a wine country balloon {we do live in sonoma county, california after all... } dropping secret presents from the sky would be a perfect addition to her collection.

the santa ornament and bottle brush tree are vintage, found on my junking travels this year. but add to that snow {which we do not get but i always long for..} lots and lots and lots of snow. and bright colors. and ribbons with presents and buttons. lots and lots of buttons.

it should definitely help brighten her spirits, don't you think?

and i would like to add that she has been told very firmly that there is to be no peeking at this here blog until after the 25th. because peeking is NOT allowed!.

happy monday!!

merry christmas to me

i found these monday morning at my most favorite thrift store. a set of vintage 12 days of christmas themed shiny brite ornaments. there are only two missing {the 2nd and 10th days} and they are in immaculate condition with the exception of two that have hairline scratches. *swoon*

don't you just love it when the thrifting gods lead you right to vintage gold!

 

 

vintage crafting kits

i've been going through my vintage crafting bits and i pulled together a few mini kits full of these wonderful vintage elements and listed them this morning on etsy. please note there is a limited supply and once they're gone, they're gone.

 

also, i'm still taking signups for my online soldering 101 class in january. if you have ever wanted to learn how to solder with an iron {and make some fun projects while you learn} make sure you check out the original post and then email me privately so i can add you to the roster. it will be 4 weeks, for $20 and i'll be sending out the supply list on december 27th {my mama's birthday!}. class starts january 7th!

and sarah just shared this with me and i just had to add it... SO fabulous!!

xo

the stockings were hung ....

and handmade with care, which is just one of the things i adore most about the felt stockings i made for all four of us. mike's, maddies and mine were made the first year we celebrated christmas with the bean {2003}, while ben's was made two years ago right after he turned one. i was a little sad that he didn't have a stocking his first year, but considering he was only 4 weeks old on christmas i was amazed anyone got presents, let alone that we decorated for the holidays at all.

i can vividly recall sitting on our couch, each evening, in our old, old, old house {we moved 3 times in the last four years before we moved here in 2005... ugh!}. my sweet kitty curled up on the blanket next to me, a fire blazing, some random holiday program on the tv and the tree a glow with sparly lights.

i thought long and hard about the theme for each stocking. mike would get a snowman because i always think of them as being steadfast and true. mine would be a christmas tree because they are the pinnacle of what i think of when the thought of christmas crosses my mind.

sweet baby maddie was a gingerbread girl. mostly because i was so i love with her sweet little spirit. and when ben's was made two years later i immediately thought of rudolph. the guiding light that cemented us as a family of four.

funny thing is that the spelling is wrong on the stockings for both maddie and i. guess i've got a little more stitching to finish.

happy wednesday!
xo

with scraps of fabric

trees seem to be a big crafting theme this winter. every one seems to be making some, and of course i had to. i've had a pile of these antique industrial sewing bobbins sitting around for a few months and finally realized that they were the perfect accessory for all of those fabric scrap strips i have. i made up about 15 and put 10 in my etsy shop {in case you need some too!}.