ETSY INSPIRATION

I've been thinking about sewing children's coats for next fall/winter. I decided to look on Etsy for some inspiration. If you've never shopped on Etsy, do yourself a favor and try it. The community of talented artisans is incredible. You can find anything that you are looking for, and lots of things that you don't need, but just gotta have. Here are a few of the coats I found while looking for some inspiration.

Grey ruffle coat found here

Red ruffle coat found here
Double breasted coat found here

Bubble bottom coat found herePolka dot coat found here

They're all so fun, aren't they! The detail and craftsmanship (or craftswomanship!) is most definately enough to inspire me to give children's coats a try. Give Etsy a browse and find yourself some inspiration like I did. You won't be disappointed.

Terri

THE BABIES

Here they are in all their glory! We can't believe how much they are growing each day. Their beaks seem to get longer every hour! Mom is hardly ever there anymore and the babies probably aren't too far off of leaving the nest. We are afraid to get too close as we don't want to startle the babies and cause them to jump or fall out of the nest. I'm guessing that they will certainly be gone by next weekend. It's really been fun for us to watch the whole process of Mother Nature at work. Both my husband and I must each look at the nest half a dozen times each day. Think how much more time I will have for mundane chores like cleaning the house once I'm not spending my time bird watching! Hope you enjoyed your weedend!
Terri

IT'S A QUILT

So, I finished the quilt with a week to spare, and here it is. Each block is 10" square and it hangs about 6" over the side of a full size bed. I wasn't planning to make it that big, but somehow it developed a life of it's own and just kept growing. Just in case the front wasn't colorful enough, the polka dot that you see in the upper right hand corner is the flannel backing. I'm quite sure that this is enough color to wake up even the sleepiest of college students! I think everyone needs a special quilt to take with them when they leave home to go to college. Each time my niece wraps herself up in it, I hope she can feel the love that went in to making it for her. Do you have a special quilt that someone has lovingly made for you?
Terri

MEMORIAL WEEKEND

Well it's Monday evening and almost the end of Memorial weekend. I hope you were able to get out and enjoy some summer activities. We went to the Long Beach Flea Market. With 800 vendors and everything under the sun for sale, it's always worth the price of admission.We also entertained ourselves at the beach. I love seeing the sheer delight on children's faces as they splash in the water and try to get that sand castle built before the waves knock it down.

We finished up the weekend with a walk to Yogurtland. If you haven't tried it yet, you must. Fabulous frozen yogurt with all the toppings. Perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

Terri

MORE THAN FUZZ

For your viewing pleasure, there's two tiny little beaks sticking out of the top of the nest on the right side. How cute! If I remember correctly from the nest that we had last year, it shouldn't be too long before we start hearing the chirping. Somehow I don't think the chirping will drown out the barking of the neighbor's dog. A girl can dream though...



Terri

ADDING SOME SPARKLE

My daughter added a bit of sparkle and bling to her left hand when her fiance proposed to her at her 25th birthday party. Here's the card that I made them celebrating the "Big Event". Not sure if you can see it in the photo, but there's a Swarovski crystal on the girl's left hand. They've just decided on the reception venue so we are now in full WEDDING PLANNING mode! So many decisions and details. And of course, since I design wedding invitations for a living, I'm feeling the pressure to come up with something pretty spectacular. I love talking weddings with my brides at work, and now it's even more special planning with my own daughter! Dress shopping is the one thing that excites me the most. I can't imagine seeing her in a wedding dress for the first time. It's a moment that I know I will treasure.

Here's to all those treasured moments in life.
Terri

A LITTLE BIT OF FLUFF

I hope you can see this...we now have babies!! If you look very closely, you can see the fluff from the baby birds in the humming bird nest. We noticed it on Saturday and my husband took the photo quickly while the mom was away. Isn't the nest fascinating?! I think I read that the babies stay in the nest about 2 weeks. Can't wait to hear their little chirping noises. What's chirping in your back yard?
Terri