loving : a good read

i may or may not have purchased myself a little birthday present.

i did. heeee

i adore this book, cover to cover.

its full of inspiration, projects, and goals.

On page 19 i read my new 2012 motto:

"A new start enables us to go on our way encourages,

reinvigorated, and determined to dare and do."

-Gustave L. Weinss, 1920

every day is going to be a new start for me

and each day i will dare and do all my dreams and desires.

i think there's something so exciting and perfect about a new start.

i think that's why i love a new year or a new month so much.

but really, each day is a new start.

loving : crochet ring

i do adore this ring

i think it is the sweetest thing

so whimsical and magical.

i want to move right in!

loving : vintage fawn and deer

oh my

oh my

oh my

 this precious couple

neeeeeeds to come live with me

i know they would be so happy with me

Little Lady would coo over them

Little Man would want to eat them (or store them in his cheeks)

Handsome Man would look at them

and then look at me

and then remind himself that he fell in love with my whimsical insanity.

i see them perched on my dresser perhaps?

no... on Mantle?

with Henry perhaps?

sigh.

what is it about vintage brass figurines

that make my heart go a pitter-patter??

loving : Pan Am

i am absolutely obsessed

with a new TV show

ABCs

Pan Am

go watch it on hulu.

now.

go.

stop reading this.

loving : dottie angel goodness

this photo is making me oh, oh, oh so happy!

dottie angel is my muse.

she is everything wonderful.

click on photo for source

loving : DIY washi tape magnents

how sweet are these?

i am just so in love with washi tape

when i buy some for this other project 

i will definitely be making some washi tape magnents.

want to make some of your own?

you can find the tutorial

here

________________

in other news

home from my parents' house.

i loved spending time with them

and i know the chickies and i wore them out :)

Handsome Man is taking his series 7 exam

right as i type.

i have a prayer in my heart

and a prayer on my lips

hoping, hoping, hoping

that all goes well

and that he performs appropriately.

today is a day of laundry

and resting

since my massive self can't waddle around too much.

maybe i'll go watch some curious george

with my lovely Little Lady.

loving : DIY washi tape notebook project

saw this project

[ a washi tape notebook ]

and decided i shall most definitely do it

... when i have time ...

i need to stock up on some washi tape

because there are so many fun projects

that i can do with it

i browsed a shop

and picked out some of my favorites

i'm really loving orange and aqua.

such a summery combination

loving : vintage bird decor

i have always loved

the plastic and resin bird wall decor

from the 1960s.

sigh. so whimsical.

 [ + ]

 [ + ]

 [ + ]

[ + ]

the best part 

is you can repaint them

and make them your own style.
which i looooooove

loving : apron picture and crate paper products

i'm loving this picture

the colors, the patterns, the details

its making me very happy

and i need some happies

because the past 2 weeks have been rather tough

Little Lady had pink eye and a horrible cold

Little Man had an ear infection in each ear

Handsome Man caught strep throat.

and the momma?

i never get very ill

but i am exhausted

all the late nights

all-nighters

medicine runs

doctor visits

sicky snuggles

pots and pots of chicken soups

and cups of raspberry leaf tea.

i am done with all the sickies

so Mr. Universe better be done

or else ...

grrrrr

at least i have a new friend to keep me company.

friends and lovely

especially when they're pocket size

i am also loving me some crate paper products

sigh

these 3 collections make my heart all a flutter :

see all the lovely papers here 

so perfect for Little Man layouts, see them here 

and this one :

see them here 

i told myself that i cant buy anymore scrapbook supplies

until i use up all the papers i have

so i'm working up some projects

to use up my stash

and then i can refill it

ooohhh the perfection.

off to attend to the Little Lady.

xoxox

loving : larkmade suitcases

how i wish

Handsome Man and i could escape

just for a little bit

but i wish to be somewhere

just he and i

just us

i would pack my linens and necessities

into a lovely suitcase from lark

we'd take a plane, a train, a car, a bus

and go somewhere

quiet and calm

and we'd make it a little crazy

and we'd share secret smiles

and whisper our dreams together

and when we got tired of each other

we'd go back home

and snuggle our babies

and remember that its more fun

being 4 (almost 5)

instead of just 2.

but today

i just want to go away

with my lovely Handsome Man

and be just us

just 2

just like it used to be

once upon a time

when we first met

way back then

[ first date : an opera ]

"i think that possibly,

maybe i'm falling for you

yes,

there's a chance

that i've fallen quite hard over you."

- Landon Pigg -

loving : lace jewelry

if you love lace as much as i do

[ hard to imagine, but you might hehe ]

then check out the good cheer deal

at ohhellofriend

 find all the details of purchasing 

those stunning earrings

or the beautiful necklace

here

Dani does 2 new deals every week.

its so much fun for me to check 

on monday mornings

and see what goods are offered at a sweet deal.

the chickies and i are off to the grocery store today.

send me strong vibes

so i can have energy

to carry babies and groceries

up and down 3 flights of stairs

to our highly-perched nest.

sigh.

what will i do when this little whoosit is born?

we'll have to move :)

loving : He who broke the bands of death

my heart is full of gratitude

for He who gave me my life

and all whom i love.

and because of Him

i can be with my little loves

forever.

what a beautiful thing to ponder

and teach Little Lady.

"today is a special day"

"jesus gave us a present!"

"that's right."


[ picture source ]

loving : letters as decor

awoke this morning with a sniffle and a sneeze

and drat, the clouds have yet to leave me in sunshiney peace.

a roll of toilet paper and a stick of chapstick have been

my constant companions all day.

we are the best of friends.

but despite the yuckiness of the common cold

i had a rather productive day.

dishes washed, laundry done, errands waddled, packages mailed

i even dropped off Handsome Man's drycleaning

- don't believe him if he tries to tell you that it has taken me a year to do so -

i deserve a prize

- sneaks a bite of easter candy -

i am so, so, so utterly, deeply, madly, truly

in love

with letters used as decor.

for example, please view these lovely pieces of eyecandy

the alphabet wall [ via ohdeedoh ]

i have been snooping around the internet in search

for the perfect letters.

i want an R and an A

for our names

and hang them in our bedroom.

whilst browsing urbanoutfitters 

- thanks to my little sister for the birthday giftcard! -

i spotted these and fell in love

my heart pitter-pattered as i furiously clicked the mouse

to add them to my virtual shopping cart

and woe is me!

i discovered that A was back-ordered until july

... JULY!!!!!! ...

the nerve of some people.

in desperation, i found some alternates :

i like the first option better

- sneaks another bite of easter candy -

so i may wait until the horrid month of july

so far away ... and hot.

this weekend i will be sharing

some thrifty finds that 

the universe has so lovingly

gifted me with :)

sigh.

thank you universe

- could you by chance make next week the month of july?? -

- reaches for more easter candy and discovers it gone -

i must be going

it seems we have a candy thief in our midsts ...

loving/not loving : Limbo

sometimes life does not go as planned.

lemons instead of strawberries

... but since lemons are rather pretty ...

i think Handsome Man and i will survive

[ source ]

Limbo is a rather unfun place to be.

we've been in limbo for awhile now.

should we attend school

 here? or there?

should we live

there? or here?

[ source ]

and will Handsome Man get

that job that we would oh so love

and will we make a little extra money

to buy a few things that i don't need

but wouldn't complain about having ... heeee

[ source ] 

Limbo is a scary place

and rather exciting

all at once.

Scary because i prefer the security

of KNOWING

and being in control.

Exciting because i hold Handsome Man's hand

tightly in my own

and i know i am not alone

and we will stand together

and create our future together.

[ source ] 

and it will be beautiful.

our own little fairy tale.

swoooon

my eyes happened upon this blanket

and we began a fabulous love affair

[ dont worry, Handsome Man approves ]

i told myself

dearest self, you must make such a blanket

for Little Lady.

and so, after a rushed trip to the closest store

i filled my cart with some yarn

then happily bounced my way to the checkout.

upon my return to our highly-perched nest

i began a project

that  do believe

will take longer than i had originally anticipated.

a worthwhile endeavor, if i do say so myself.

so yesterday, amid all the gloom, rain, and snow

-yes, snow, blah-

i wiggled my trusty crochet hook

in between baby snuggles, loads of laundry, and an occasional Little Lady tantrum.

loving : buttons

Have I mentioned how much I adore, ADORE buttons? especially colorful and vintage ones?

They are just so whimsical and fun!

Here's some button images that I have been admiring lately. Enjoy :)

This is such a fun and easy project! I'm going to explore my stash of buttons and pick out some of my favorites and put one of these together this week.

How fun is this!! I want to make one of these only with bits and scraps of all my favorite vintage lace scraps that I have been hoarding.

This picture is so lovely. The colors are soft and pretty. I want every single button in it. sigh.

ooohhhhooohhh be still my heart!! [source]

I should do something like this for little lady's next birthday invitations. Wouldn't that be darling to get in the mail?

Have a lovely evening!

loving : granny square inspiration

 source 

 source

 source

 source 

source

 source 

 source 

 source 

source