Wordless Wednesday: No More Pictures

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

"No more pictures, Momma!"

"Okay...CHEESE!"

For more Wordless Wednesday, check out 5 Minutes for Mom today.

Five Question Friday: Embarrassing Moments & Oprah

Friday is here at last! Are you excited for the weekend? I can't wait for Saturday...I'm having lunch at my favorite French restaurant with two close friends I haven't seen in months. Yippee!! Bring on the real french onion soup and flaky pastries!

Happy 5 Question Friday!

1. Did you pass your driver's test on the first try?

Yep. The instructor actually said, "I shouldn't be passing you because you really need more driving practice, but I'm going to do it anyway." Har! He was right, though. I had a fender bender in my high school parking lot a few weeks later.

2. What is your most embarrassing moment?

Is it bad that I can't come up with anything? I'm just not the type that embarrasses easily. Not that I don't have plenty of lame moments I probably should be embarrassed of! (And it helps to have a really poor long-term memory!) 

I guess I figure that whatever I do, somebody else has been there before or had it worse, so it's really not a big deal. And if you do something stupid in front of strangers, you probably never see them again. Hopefully!

3. What TV show would you like to be on- Oprah, Biggest Loser, or What Not to Wear?

Wow...this is a toughie. Oprah would be awesome! But, I'd get a free wardrobe on What Not to Wear. Can I choose to be on an Oprah's favorite things episode? People in the audience on those episodes seem like their having the time of their lives! "Everybody gets humpback whales!!!" (Dane Cook) 

It would be an amazing time.

4. Would you ever get plastic surgery and what kind?

I guess would consider a tummy tuck after I'm done having children. I've bounced back fine so far, but you never know what could happen after #3, or even #4!!

5. What are your favorite jeans to wear?

I have two pairs of jeans from Old Navy that fit me perfectly. I'm not one of those "jeans as an investment" types. I don't think I've spent over $30 on a pair since college! I much prefer skirts anyway.  So comfy. 

Want to read more about 5 Question Friday? Go to My Little Life, and enjoy! Hope your weekend is terrific!

On the Way for April

Hello Dear Reader!

Hope the week is going well for you. :)

I'm excited to give you a little sneak peek on a side project I've been working on these last few weeks: a sister store for Fancybelle Boutique...

 

Fancybelle Bridal will feature birdcage veils, bridal garters, hair adornments, shoe clips and personalized hand-stamped jewelry. Yes, hand-stamped jewelry! I will be collaborating with my husband Ben, a professional sheet metal worker and welder, in creating necklaces made from copper and sterling silver.  He really is quite talented with metal, and loves to make me copper roses for Valentine's Day. 

Custom jewelry with mothers in mind will also be featured at my main shop, Fancybelle Boutique. I bought my first hand-stamped necklace personalized with my kids' names from a fellow Etsian about a year ago...yes, I know my daughter wasn't born yet, but we picked her name out super early! I loved the necklace so much that I gifted it to my sister and bought another for myself. Then one for my mom. It's an addiction!

Collaboration is the name of the game lately, because I'm also working on producing several PDF knitting patterns with my sister. She's been a graphic designer for over 10 years and has experience in designing sewing, crafting and knitting books. I have a few of the books she made and I love hearing the stories behind how they were made. My sis actually met Nancy from Sewing with Nancy on PBS! Maybe not a big deal to everyone, but I was thrilled. :)

So many fun things coming up in April...I hope you get a chance to drop by soon!

Wordless Wednesday: Sisterly Love

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

That's my sister and I, circa 1979...feel the love! She's my talented sibling who made the adorable mouse mobile I featured a few weeks ago. I think she and my daughter look so much alike...

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out 5 Minutes for Mom today. :) 

New Isabella Embellished Purses

Wondering what crafty things I've been up to lately? I've been thoroughly enjoying myself knitting these new Isabella bags for my shop, Fancybelle Boutique.

Each, at one time, was going to the The One that I was keeping for myself, or my daughter! Ha.

Raspberry Pink, made with chunky alpaca and flowers in organic cotton.

Dove Gray, flowers are made from brushed baby alpaca and organic cotton.

Double Pink for toddlers and little girls, with a ruffle ribbon.

Flowers, flowers, flowers! Each is accented with vintage buttons.

White and Dove Gray, flowers in alpaca and wool. 

If you'd like to see more photos, please check out my store page. :)

Hope you're having a terrific Tuesday!

Bedroom Re-Do Part IV

Oooh, I'm so close I can almost taste it!

Check out part of my cute new bookcase...

Ah, amour...our gorgeous August wedding:

All that's left to complete my bedroom makeover is new curtains. Sounds like no big deal, right? But...what goes with this?

My grandmother's wedding quilt is such a standout, but now the room is becoming entirely too brown and tan. (Accomplices: an abundance of wood furniture and tan walls.) And it's surprisingly difficult to find the perfect curtains...trust me, I've visited several retail shops and websites but I'm suddenly overwhelmed by choices. (From "10 Things I Hate About You": can you just be "whelmed"?)

I briefly considered sewing my own, but it's cost prohibitive because I want floor-length, fully-lined curtains. If you're going to do it, I say do it right. Hmmm...I'm almost convincing myself to sew again. Better run the numbers once more and unconvince myself.

Happy Friday Follow everyone. :)

Wordless Wednesday: Could Ya Move Over?

"Umm, Momma...you're blocking a particularly dramatic episode of Caillou!"

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out 5 Minutes for Mom today. :)

Five Question Friday: Computers & College

Yay! Is it just me or has it been an especially long week? I'm so looking forward to this weekend! Hopefully we'll be going on a short shopping trip to IKEA...I need to score a new desk chair and check out their curtain selection for my bedroom makeover. :) 

Happy 5QF!

1. How much time do you spend on the computer a day?

More now that ever, since my spine surgery. I need to take time to lie down throughout the day, so when I don't feel like knitting, I'm online. Usually I check my email upon wakening, then again when Lucy Belle takes her morning nap...then it's computer time again either during naps or after the kids hit the hay for the night. Probably 3 hours/day...whew, that's too much, but still less than when I was working full-time. :)

2. Will you pay for your children's college or raise them to pay for their own way?

I once had a friend tell me that she'd never have more children than she could afford to support through college. 

I completely disagree. It's my expectation that my kids would pay their own way, just like I did. But, more importantly, I don't think college as I experienced it will be what my kids will experience in another 15+ years. I just don't think the expense of a college education is sustainable, especially with the yearly tuition increases that are common now.  Something's gotta give!

And what if my son or daughter decides to become a truck driver instead of an accountant? Or a self-taught musician instead of chemist? There's no telling what the future holds.

3. Have you ever been in a car accident?

Yes, several. The most recent was the day before New Years Eve, the first year I lived in Minneapolis, and I was rear-ended at a stoplight. Terrible whiplash. Boo!

4. What is your favorite book?

"Crocodile on the Sandbank" by Elizabeth Peters. I love so many books, but this one I can read over and over again...I never tire of it! Thank you Amy, for introducing me to this book. :)

5. Do you make your bed everyday?

Absolutely. It's one of my things. It just doesn't feel right to leave it undone!  

Hope you have a fabulous weekend and that we finally see some sun again around here! Want to read more about 5 Question Friday? Head over to Mama M.'s blog to read more.

And it's my second week participating in Friday Follow...so much fun. :)

Itty Bitty Mouse Mobile

We've never been so happy to have a mouse in the house!

I just had share the gorgeous mouse mobile my talented sister made from Susan B. Anderson's Itty Bitty Nursery book. It was a year in the making--originally meant to be a baby gift for my daughter Lucy Belle...then a Christmas gift...and then a "better get this done before she's walking" gift.

I hope you enjoy the cuteness as much as we do!

"I love my sweet little mice!"

Wordless Wednesday: 9 Months

"I'm 9 months old today and suddenly mobile. Are you ready, Momma?"

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out 5 Minutes for Mom today and enjoy!

Five Question Friday: Guilty Pleasures

Happy Friday! It's Five Question time again! Hope you had a terrific week, and that there are plenty of fun weekend activities awaiting you. :)

1. What's your guilty pleasure?

Ummm...watching "The Bachelor/The Bachelorette".  I've seen literally every season of it and I'll probably even watch Jason and Molly's televised wedding next week. The show itself is such a flawed method of finding "true love", much less a spouse, but I get sucked in every season...even if I previously renewed my yearly vow of never wasting my time on it again. Give in to the cheese!!

2. What is your favorite TV series?

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Wordless Wednesday: National Craft Month--Clips

Fully lined hair clips I made yesterday for my daughter. 

A matching hair pin for me!

For more Wordless Wednesday, head over to 5 Minutes for Mom and enjoy...

Tackle it Tuesday: Bedroom Re-Do Part III

I finally figured out a new furniture arrangement for my bedroom--a big step for me. :) I'm a little spatially challenged, to say the least. But floorplanner.com helped a ton. Now I just need to mobilize my helpers (husband, sister) to do the heavy lifting for me.

This Tuesday, I tackled my first sewing project since my spinal fusion surgery a month ago. But first, I had to re-organize all of my sewing supplies and sift through my fabric collection...just so I could remember which supplies I had available. Yep, it's been that long. Hello, Amy Butler. Hello, Alexander Henry. Nice to see you guys again.

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