that one time

A quick photo post is better than nothing, eh?

Last weekend Curt & I hopped a plane to Grand Rapids to see his sister compete in a statewide volleyball tournament. 

I happened to surprise my grandparents with a quick visit. This silly lady kept telling me she thought she was dreaming :) 

I rarely miss an opportunity to eat at my favorite joints while home, and this little family trip to Yesterdog did not disappoint! 

Wednesday was Curt's 28th birthday. We celebrated by working all day and partying for a minute before falling asleep on the couch that night. His requested cake was Cake Batter ice cream with Oreos mixed in, a layer of fudge, yellow cake, chocolate ganache, and Oreo crumbs on the side. It was delicious! 

My garden gave me a couple more strawberries this week and they were delicious! I can't believe how much better strawberries are from the garden rather than the store. 

My harvest: The last of the lettuce (had to dig them up, they're bolting), carrots, and said strawberry.

I've also been taking a few photos of my feet recently... don't know what that's about ... 

And lastly: I got some new "toys" at work in the form of new sprinkles to put on cake pops. It's heavenly. 

This weekend Curt and I will actually have a chance to stay home and relax. I plan on altering a pair of pants to make them skinny and hopefully red. What are you weekend plans? 

PS: Anna Maria posted some more info about her gorgeous booth if you'd like a closer look! I can't wait for people to get their hands on this new line, it's fabulous!

Spring

Spring is here in Nashville (well, it feels more like summer) and there is an extra spring in my step because of it. Work has been busy, as has my sewing machine, but you'll forgive me if I have very little to prove it. I feel like there's so much to do and sew little time to tell you about it. If you are on Twitter, follow me there because I keep that very updated.

I've been working on some more treats for my shop, so keep checking there and don't forget to tell your friends! 

This spring Curt is in and out as he travels around playing bass on a tour, which is good for him and good for me, because it gives me lots of undivided sewing time! So, while my iPod Shuffle loads up and charges, here are a few quick snapshots of the last couple weeks. Then it's off to my new garden!

New garden! Designed and built by yours truly.

{charming baby quilt}

{mini granny square pillow}

{ribbon bags for a certain special lady}

{frankensocks}

{pleats, pleats, and more pleats..and a little kahlua}

Enjoy the season where you are, however it may be! 

15 february 2012

It's Wednesday! February 15! Valentine's Day is done and over and I couldn't be happier. Sounds a little sad, I realize, but I have spent the last week fulfilling over 50 Valentine cake orders. I kept my focus on today - the day I can forget about heart shaped cakes until next year. The truth is, I should really be looking forward to tomorrow, because today I have to fill in all those glaring blank spots in the cake display. Tomorrow - tomorrow I can really relax.

Furthermore, today is not only the midpoint of the week, but of the month as well. If you're on Instagram (I'm bdanderson on there), you may have noticed a lot of people playing along with the February photo a day prompts. Here's the first half of my month:

That last photo is the little cake I made for Curt for Valentine's Day. It's the same flavor as all those heart cakes {I definitely wanted to sample the cake - strawberry ice cream + chocolate shavings with red velvet cake, and chocolate ganache top. It was yum} He got me a box of Hot Tamales {my favorite} and a pretty red rose which found itself in an old maple syrup bottle now residing on my bedside. 

Not only was he so sweet to think of me, but he also got gift cards for ice cream for our moms and sisters! Yep, he's a keeper! 

How's your February going so far? Can you believe it is already half over?! Spring is just around the corner and I can't wait - it's been nothing but rain and cold here for weeks. Here's looking forward to a warm and sunny rest of the month! 

DIY Round-Up

I have been feeling really inspired to do something other than sew lately and I think I'll take this week(end) as an opportunity to check some of these DIYs off my Pinterest list. Maybe it's the nice weather, changing seasons, or an urge to get to decorating our new home. Whatever it is, I'm running with it.

I thought the ombre trend was on its way out, but it's been popping up again and I am dying* to make some ombre pillows. While I have the dye out I'd like to do some yarn as well, probably with Kool-aid again. And maybe my hair.

Macramé seems like such a granny thing, but I love granny things and I think it makes plants look really hip. Definitely on my list because I've been wanting to add more plants to our house anyway, now they won't take up valuable counter/table/windowsill space.

I bought some washi tape to do this:





But I am also loving some of these crafts:










This table above reminds me, I would also like to use contact paper to make a chevron design on our coffee table. I'm not crazy, I think it will work.


I AM crazy about decorating for Valentine's day and I will be making some of these:





As well as some giant pinwheel/accordion/fan things. 


Sounds like a fun & crafty week to me. What are your plans? 

*haha, get it? dying/dyeing. it's punny.

2012

Happy New Year! I hope the first days of 2012 are treating you well!

We lucked out this year and got to spend the holiday week with both our families. We were spoiled rotten by our parents, sisters, and families and have lots of goodies to unpack in the coming days.

2011 brought a very big change for me and Curt - we bought our first home in August and have been slowly moving in ever since. We hope 2012 will bring even more blessings our way! Like any good New Year's post, how about some resolutions?

**Become more green - I have grandiose plans to plant a garden this spring, start composting, make & utilize cloth napkins, eat lots of fresh food, and work on naturalizing my beauty regimen**

**Learn how to use my new serger :) :) **

**Stock up and sell in the shop**

**Work on more mini quilts as a method for trying new techniques and designs**

**With the help of my new shelf, make lots of pretty things from my fabric stash**

**Learn how to knit socks two-at-a-time, toe-up via this Christmas present**

**Keep a happy and tidy home**

**God willing, fill that empty bedroom with a screaming, pooping, demanding, bundle of joy**

**Stay in touch with friends via avenues other than Facebook**

**Start and keep a daily account of our life through something like this**

**Collect more of these**

**Hang more decorations on our blank walls**

Am I being overly ambitious? I don't think so :) What are your hopes and plans for 2012? Whatever they may be, I hope you all have a happy and healthy new year! 

inspiring me this weekend

Here are a few pictures inspiring me this weekend, pulled from my Pinterest boards.

First, this sunny bathroom:

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It looks like a small bathroom but you'd never know with all that happiness floating around in there. On my list: adding small plants to the bathroom and making a t-shirt rug.

The hot weather seems like it is here to stay in Nashville, causing me to wear my hair up all the time!

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These braids are way cuter than a regular old ponytail, right?

Don't you love this breezy color scheme?

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I would love to make a quilt along those lines.

This tray would also make an amazing quilt:

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I love the colors!

Speaking of quilts ...

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I'm dying to make this quilt with Anna Maria's new Loulouthi line! I need to get my hands on some fat quarters :)

And I've had a quilt like this in my mind for quite some time now:

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Except the bowties in the corners of the blocks instead of in the middle. It would be a great scrap buster! I like the use of different color neutrals in this one versus just one solid background color. 

Hope you can also find some inspiration on this long weekend. Curt & I are off to see a movie at the dollar (+fifty cents) theater and then grill some hot dogs for dinner :)

Happy Memorial Day!