an everyday rule

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princess and the pea!

Is this, or is this not, the cutest thing you've ever seen?

It's a Princess and the Pea playset! I love and adore it! It came from dolittledesign's etsy shop and I just fell in love with it while looking for fabric!


See the tiny green pea? So precious!

One of my good friends from high school is expecting a baby girl in July, so I think I may need to get this for her! The Princess and the Pea is one of my favorite stories, so I think it would make such a lovely gift, along with a copy of the book!

So sweet. So, so sweet.

There are some really talented people out there in etsy land, and this is no exception!



PS. Look at Peter and Mrs. Rabbit! You may know that Peter Rabbit is my favorite story, and when I get a corgi, I want to call her Potter, after Beatrix Potter, of course!

hello little birdie!

As you may have heard, DC was hit with a whopper of a snowstorm this week. We have somewhere in the vicinity of two feet, and supposedly more on the way on Monday. The federal government was closed much of the week, so I had a few unexpected snow days!

I was mostly at Steve's, and was watching a few episodes of Law and Order: SVU and I noticed a gorgeous red cardinal on a branch outside the window. I thought of my parents, as they both like seeing birds outside their windows. I wouldn't call them bird watchers, but they do have a few cute bird houses and can recognize many different kinds of birds. So then I told Steve that I want a bird house for the lawn, and of course, turned to etsy!

I obviously need this one-




and this-





And isn't this cute?

Do you like bird houses? Does anything decorate your yard?

succulents

Look what I just bought from My Vintage Addiction's etsy shop!

Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I recently bought a few succulents at a local florist, but sadly, they didn't seem to like living in my kitchen. I decided to try again, and found some on etsy from one seller, and bought two, but then found this second shop and bought this lovely set of four small plants. I ordered it Friday and it arrived yesterday, coming to DC from California! It was packaged so well, she sent organic dirt and even labeled which dirt went into which container!

Succulents are nice, because they are so low maintence; you just water them once a week or so. I think they are a cousin to a cactus, but I could be wrong. I love them though, they are just the cutest. I have them in my little apartment next to my bamboo plant, just next to the window, so I hope they are happy there.

Check out her shop, if you are looking for a new plant :)

new and improved!

Happy Saturday!

Look at my new blog header! I lovelovelove it. It was made by Tiffany at Mira Designs and she was wonderful to work with! Along with doing blog/etsy banners, she also does invitations and other personalized greetings, so if you have a need for anything, go say hello to her!

Since I am so pleased with my pretty new blog, I've decided that my giveaway will have two winners! The first winner will still win the spices and the second winner will win a few spices (I won't say which ones!) and a few other goodies. Yes, a surprise prize! YAY! So, if you haven't entered yet, please do, and if you have, enter again and pass the word along :)

Last weekend, Steve and I went to IKEA to find a table for my sewing machine. I found just what I needed- it isn't huge, but works, and I found a pink chair! Fantastic. I managed to put them together myself last night and was quite pleased with myself. Of course, I sat down right away and stitched together a few things. I have no idea what they will become, but I have a few bags of scrap pieces, so I decided they should turn into something, right?

What do you think I should make next?

I am off to go blackberry picking at Great Country Farm out in Bluemont, VA. Across the way it Bluemont Vineyard, where there will be live music and food and wine specials on their strawberry and blackberry wine! We've been there several times before and there is a GORGEOUS view. They say that on a clear day, you can see the Washington Monument from their porch, which is around sixty miles away. I haven't seen it yet, but hopefully one of these days! This is also where we got our Christmas tree last year and went strawberry picking a few weeks ago. It's a great place, check it out if you live nearby!

What are your Saturday plans?

gezuar ditelindjen Majlinda!

On May 29, Majlinda, one of my darling Albanian babies, will celebrate her sixth birthday. I just packaged up this sweet girl to send to her- 

Her name is Little Miss Gingham and she came to me from ginghamworld's etsy shop. I had bought two of them a few months back, thinking what lovely birthday presents they'd be for both Majlinda and Inaete, and now the time has come for one to journey to Albania! Inaete's birthday isn't until September, so the other will stay with me until then. 

She's so adorable, about 18" tall and so bright and colorful! I hope Majlinda loves her and has a really wonderful birthday! 

Gëzuar ditëlindjen Majlinda!

fabric fun!

Okay, so I have this new bad habit of ordering fabrics from etsy. There are some really adorable fabrics out there! I'm currently loving Amy Butler. She has some fun, bright designs. 

Here are a few pics of the pieces I have, though they aren't great shots. 

At the booksale over the weekend, I picked up a few quilting books and I also borrowed a few from the library. They have some ideas and patterns. Maybe a tote bag? More potholders? I do want to do quilts too. I have a friend having a baby in September, so maybe by then, I will be good enough to make her a baby quilt- I know she'd love it!

What would you make?

potholders r us

Etsy has some really adorable fabrics, I've discovered. I just bought a few fat quarters and I can't wait for them to arrive! I am going home this weekend and plan to bring back my mother's old sewing machine with me, so I can make more potholders! Yay! I also want to try making a baby quilt. I've seen some really adorable ones that look somewhat easy (ha!) and I have a friend who is expecting a baby this fall (as far as I know, they don't know if it is a boy or girl yet), so maybe I will make her a quilt. I am excited.

Meanwhile, who wants a potholder? :)

I'm a winner!!!!

I'm so excited and I am just now posting about it!

So I know that many of you read Jamie's blog (if you don't you should!). She has the most adorable corgi named Edie who I may steal if I am ever in Chicago (just kidding!) and is just a super fun blogger. She loves etsy and dedicates part of her blog to highlighting people's shops. She asks them questions, they answer. I will admit that many of my etsy purchases have come from something she's recommended, like the stemless wine glasses made from recycled bottles. Love them. So does Steve!

When she highlights an etsy shop, she often does a giveaway and guess what? I WON!!! YAY! I never win things, so I was quite pleased about this! The hightlighted shop was Eliza and Axel. I had an email saying I was the winner, and look what I won---

It's the FLORA shirt, and isn't it adorable?! I love it and can't wait for it to arrive! So springy and fun  :)  To be honest, I can't remember which color I chose...but it comes in black, white and naked. Here is the link for the info, if you are interested-

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22932679

When it arrives, I will post another picture!

So thank you to Jamie, I can't wait to get this shirt in the mail! 

Maybe I should do a giveaway, since I just won?