blogging business

1. I missed my 100th post.  Yes, it was quite a while back and I'm just now realizing it but that once-in-a-lifetime post just blew right by me.  I had grand intentions of hosting a giveaway to celebrate but it's a little late now as I'm pretty sure this is my one hundred fifty something post.  Instead I'm looking forward to my blogiversary, which is in a couple of weeks on February 22nd.  Check back here on 2-22-11 for a giveaway to celebrate!  The prize will definitely be something handcrafted and it will probably something whipped up on the ol' Huskystar.  I have some ideas for what I'd like to create but I'm open to suggestions.  Please keep in mind that I consider myself a beginning sewist as my skills are nothing to write home about so don't suggest I give away anything tufted, pleated, ruffled, or beaded.  
2. Maintenance of the tiny hummingbird - I've cleaned up and added to my list of lovely links on my sidebar (see right column) so check out some of my favorite online reads.  Do me a favor and leave a comment today - tell me what your favorite blog is and why I should read it, too.  I love learning about new places to find inspiration around the blogosphere.  Thanks for checking in today!
{the tiny hummingbird word collage courtesy of wordle, which I was prompted to use for the tiny hummingbird by karissa}

inspired

(image of stylist Sabrina Linn's entryway)

I'm loving this entryway inspiration board that was featured online at Canadian House & Home in September.  What a great idea to fill the space that welcomes you and your guests into your home with pretty things.  

(image of designer Joel Bray's DIY inspiration board )

Since Matt and I revamped the blue room I've been meaning to put up an inspiration board similar to the one above - something framed with ribbons and pins to hold all my treasured magazine clippings, photos, and bits of ephemera in place.  I think Joel Bray's how-to video is just the thing I need to get me started.  Anyone else planning on tackling a project this weekend?  

via Black Eiffel via oh happy day

tied & true

Denyse Schmidt was the first modern quilter I had ever heard of.  I borrowed her book from my local library when I wanted to make my second quilt, the one I made for my cousin's sweet little girl, Leah.  Pretty soon I noticed Denyse Schmidt popping up all over the place - here at Burke Decor, here, here, and here at The Land of Nod - and now I've found her at Pottery Barn, too.  It is my belief that one can never have too many quilts... I only wish there were more seasons in the year to require so many sets of bedding.  If you're in the market for a new spread, consider this pretty quilt which showcases Denyse's trademark style, a blend of the eclectic and the traditional. 

Matt, you said you wanted a new quilt, right?

Ezra's Goldfish

Since I began my affair with fabric I've come to realize that Heather Ross is one of my favorite designers.  Her whimsical hand drawn prints are the perfect addition to any project, bringing just the right amount of fun and playfulness.  My mom feels similarly and was so enamored of her goldfish in bags that she spent all night on eBay one day last summer trying to outbid everyone.

She succeeded but didn't know what to do with the little guys.  We both read Film in the Fridge and soon after my mom's purchase we saw this post and emailed it to each other, exclaiming over the great way to use the fabric.

When Matt and I announced that we were expecting Ezra my mom sent Ashley a message asking if she could use her goldfish squared baby quilts as inspiration for a quilt for our baby.  

She gave permission and my mom got to work.  The quilt ended up serving as inspiration for the colors of Ezra's nursery (more on that another time) and I love how it ties everything together.   

I'm looking forward to this summer when Ezra and I can get outside and he can enjoy our backyard from the comfort of his goldfish quilt.  For now we'll just have to enjoy using it indoors.

My mom's friend Kim hand stitched the stripey binding.  

Great job, Mom!

makes scents

image via Creature Comforts

Once again I'm swooning, this time over a combination of candles and, you guessed it - packaging.  With names like Velvet as Night and Score from the End Credits, Lollia's new line of boutique candles are enough to make anyone feel faint.  Some other favorites include Sleeping under the Stars, Sunspots on a Photograph, and Ezra's current favorite, Staring at the Ceiling.  Cue laughter from anyone who's spent any amount of time with an infant lately.  Now to convince Matt that we need a $30 candle. 

via Creature Comforts

P.S. Did you know you can find tons of free printables and downloads from Creature Comforts author Ez right here?

words of wisdom

Like many other well-intentioned Americans, I, too, would like to eat healthier this year; however, my desire isn't prompted by a need to get in shape, lower my cholesterol, or even to lose those remaining nine pounds of baby weight.  I didn't make a New Year's resolution and I don't have a particular goal in mind, but I want to develop better eating habits because this is the first year that I am solely responsible for the well-being of another individual.  

Word of Wisdom Living is the perfect place for me to start.  Author Skip Hellewell is suggesting 52 healthy changes.  That's right, one for each week of the year.  Last week's healthy change is about breakfast cereal, and I was happy to learn that my beloved Quaker Oats are up to snuff.  Check out healthy change number one here and find number two right here.  So far my changes include limiting myself to one hot chocolate or decaf spiced chai per week (easy, since I don't drink them too often anyway), and refraining from buying fried foods, which means no more restaurant fries.  I can't wait to make more healthy changes throughout the year with the help of Word of Wisdom.  Do you have any healthy changes in place this year?     


via Brooke

pretty packaging

If Matt thought I was obsessed with buying tea already then he should brace himself in case I ever find these in a store.  I have recently been accused of making purchases at the grocery store based on packaging alone and I find myself guilty.  Who can resist when gorgeous boxes like these are staring back at you from the shelf?!  And in case you were wondering, these were designed by Stuart Kolakovic for Marks & Spencer.  Lucky for us, the calming and reviving infusions can be purchased here.  On that note, have a great weekend!  I hope it's filled with moments that call for a hot cuppa shared with friends.
via Creature Comforts  

for the love of all things mini

Just before Christmas I saw this incredible kitchen appliance in the Williams-Sonoma catalog.  

For weeks I dreamed about mini apple pie, mini chicken pot pie, mini beef & cheddar pie, and every other mini pie imaginable.  I would serve them at my next dinner party, Ezra's first birthday, and for breakfast if I could come up with an appropriate breakfast food pie.  I would throw a party devoted to pie and pie alone.   

On the Monday after Christmas my mom and I went to the mall to take advantage of the sales at Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel and to check out the pie maker in person.  Much to my dismay, the salesperson informed us that it was sold out!  Now I'm waiting to hear if they receive a new shipment.  Has anyone used one?  Better yet, does anyone have one that they want to let me have borrow?  

a quilt for Fiona

Our friends Pasha and Olga just welcomed their baby girl, Fiona Piper, into the world on December 31st.  She's a little Russian doll so it's fitting that this quilt I made for her features matryoshka dolls.

I used fabrics from fabricworm and a pattern called Simple Stripes from the author of Diary of a Quilter.

P.S. If you love matryoshka dolls, check out the round up here at Prudent Baby.

pounding mill press

Quite possible the coolest way to use the United States Postal Service, because who doesn't love wearing 3D glasses to read a secret message?  Perfect for save the dates for a funky couple.  From Pounding Mill Press.  

Two Months!

The face that brightens not just my Monday morning but every morning.  Matt took some casual photos of Ezra on January 1st, the day our little guy turned two months old.  Thanks again to my friend Keri of Quaint & Quirky for the month stickers.

I can't wait to watch Ezra over the next ten months as he grows in comparison to his stuffed animals, and um, his stuffed ugly doll.  Check out the difference already from last month!  

As you can see, there was much less crying this time around.  Let's hope Ezra only becomes a more willing subject for his parents as he gets older!

yet another calendar, and yep, it's free

You've already learned about my love for calendars.  Well, be still my beating heart because Ez over at Creature Comforts has a free, printable 2011 calendar right here.  Be sure to let me know if you've found any 2011 gems in your travels around the blogosphere, and enjoy the weekend!

hello from ezra!

I wanted to share Ezra's birth announcement here because I love it so much.  I decided to use minted and I'm glad I did because I found out that they have great customer service.  The first order of cards were much darker than the original images so I emailed customer service and received a reply the next day.  They apologized for the printing and offered to do a reprint right away.  Of course I accepted and was very happy with the result.  However, as much as I like the design of the card, the photos are the best... thanks, Matt!  And welcome, Ezra!  We're so happy you're here!

a quilt for Jacob

Even though Ezra is only 10 weeks old he already has a little cousin, Jacob, who is 7 weeks old.  I made this quilt (the pattern can be found here at Oh, Fransson!) out of fabrics Jacob's mom, Becky, and I picked out together before our boys were born.  Becky loved Alexander Henry's 2D Zoo so we found some fabrics at Joann and local fabric store Just Fabrics to coordinate with it.    

I didn't know what to do with the back and eventually decided to go with piecing together some 2D Zoo and Teeny Tiny 2D Zoo as a surprise for Becky.

The binding is Kona Grass Green.

My mom hand sewed a label out of Kona Ash so I could personalize the quilt for little Jacob.

I gave the quilt to Becky at her shower which was at 1149 Restaurant in Warwick.  I think she was pleased with how it turned out!

There were lots of fun fabric scraps left over so I made a stack of burp cloths out of cloth diapers.  Becky has been putting them to good use - I've seen them over her shoulder, on Jacob's changing table, and hanging out of her diaper bag.  It's always nice to see things I've made in use so I'm glad that Ezra and I get to spend a lot of time with Jacob and Becky.  We're excited to see the boys grow up together!   

ming makes cupcakes

Have you seen these amazing cupcakes?  Ming wanted to have some go-to cake recipes and baking cupcakes was the perfect way for her to experiment.  I would like to begin a similar project, maybe when Ezra is a little older and can join in the fun.  What do you think?  Should we tackle cake, too?  Or would cookies be a better option?  I can't decide now, that image of the peanut butter cupcake with peanut butter frosting and chocolate ganache is too distracting.

tazza with Elsa

Since Ezra has been here I haven't gone out to lunch or breakfast unassisted like I used to.  That's not to say that Ezra hasn't been to any restaurants because he has.  He's actually patronized three restaurants to be exact.  There just haven't been as many opportunities to go out to eat with an infant due to their very demanding schedules.  So since I don't know when I have my next lunch date with a friend, I will reminisce about one that took place a few months ago...

My friend Elsa and I visited tazza on Westminster Street in downtown Providence for lunch a while back, just to catch up.  Elsa usually lives in Boston but moved back to RI for a couple of months while she was making some decisions about her career.  She's decided to take a transfer to California next month so I'm glad we got to spend some time together before she leaves!

Anyway, back to the food!  I thoroughly enjoyed the chicken salad wrap which included cranberries and walnuts.  I have to admit that the pickle on the side was one of my favorite parts.  I don't know why I like pickles so much.  (Geoff's has the best ones in town.)  

Now that Elsa is moving to Cali it looks like Matt and I have an excuse to fly across the country.  No doubt Elsa will find some where cool for us to eat lunch.