pretty things

one / two / three / four / five / six

yesterday was a stressful day. three kiddos who spend 90% of their time together have days when they do nothing but argue and fall out. resulting in one super stressed mama. today i'm longing for a little solitude. some peace and quiet and space of my own. thankfully my mr is off work this weekend, so hopefully i can grab an hour or two to myself.

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tutorial: pillowcase to dress

sorting through some of my fabric stash yesterday, kiki spied a pillowcase which she wanted. so i figured we could turn it into something to wear {since we have a shelf full of pillowcases to use actually on pillows already!} in less than half an hour she had a new dress {though now i have to make two more............}

step one. start by cutting open the closed end of your pillowcase {if you want to shorten the 

pillowcase for a younger child, just cut a thicker strip off!}

 step two. unpick the two side seams, at the end you've just cut open by around 3 inches.

 step three. sew a hem along the seams you've just unpicked 

{note, you can use a thread that blends in - kiki insisted on purple!}

 step four. fold over and pin a hem on the two sides at the end you cut off. make sure they are

 the same width, and wide enough for your ribbon to go through

step five. sew the two hems you've just pinned!

 

 step six. thread your ribbon through the hems, start at one side, thread through that hem, then 

back through the other side, tie a loose bow at the end so they don't pull out

 step seven. add some trimming or ricrac across the bottom of the dress.

step eight. find a child and make them model your creation ;)

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happiness is...

 'happiness is...' -  each week we'll meet two lovely ladies to find out what happiness is to them.... if you'd like to take part please drop me an email :)

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what makes you happiest?
Being with my boyfriend, be it out on an adventure or just snuggled up on the couch watching a movie. I'm just immediately calm, happy, comfortable, and my spirits are immediately lifted when I am with him. I really love this guy.

do you have a ‘happy place’?
Pinterest. For real, instead of imagining up a happy place in my mind, I head to pinterest.com when I'm feeling off and I get to see a visual reminder of things that I love, people, places, objects that make me happy. And I can pretend to go shopping, pinning things I like without having to actually buy anything ;) I immediately remember, all of these beautiful things are beautiful, but they are just things. And it's the creativity that goes into imagining up and making beautiful things that I am most passionate and excited about. Pinterest immediately gives me fresh inspiration and reminds me to keep forging ahead with happiness, positivity, and a playful spirit.

do you have a favourite happy song?
Mirrorball by Elbow is the happiest, most dreamy, comforting song. It sounds like love. I could listen to it on repeat for days.

what gets you past a bad day?
A good hug from my boyfriend, a nice chat on the phone with a far away friend, a care package in the mail from my family, getting cozy and comfy and watching a sweet movie, working from bed when I'm feeling off and always having a cup of hot chocolate sitting nearby, forging ahead even when I feel timid or scared because the best things happen when you push past your bad day to create something beautiful from it. I am super competitive with myself, so when I am having a bad day, I want to prove to myself that I can turn it around into something positive.

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what makes you happiest?  

Spending time with my husband and daughter, being creative, going on a spontaneous trip with my family

do you have a ‘happy place’?

 I don’t – not yet. February is the month that I’m giving our office/craft room a makeover and then I will!

do you have a favourite happy song?

 Anything by Colbie Caillat or Norah Jones.

what gets you past a bad day?  

A mug of chai, a good twitter conversation, cuddles with my daughter, and lots of deep breaths.

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what i wore: embracing messy hair

do you have those days when you can't be bothered to wash and style your hair? i know i do - and those days i just throw my hair up in a messy topknot and add a cute headband - it hides a multitude of sins! i was lucky enough to win a giveaway last month on tales of a tumbleweed - and one of my prizes was this gorgeous crocheted headband from susannah bean. the colour matches my hair perfectly and i just love the love heart!

i took these photos yesterday morning when i went down the woods to feed our rabbits and guinea pig. it looks beautiful but it was fuh-ree-zing! not only did the headband hide my roots it kept my ears warm ;)

{apologies for all the shut eye photos - the ones where i had my eyes open  looked terrible}

 

top - thrifted
vest - new look
cardigan - new look
leggings - primark
legwarmers - h&m
boots - thrifted
necklace - this enchanted pixie
headband - c/o susannah bean

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xl sponsor feature - bird in a tree creations

Tell us a little about you and your business.

My business is Bird in a Creations and it is pretty much in the fledgling stage. I think a little background on how I got here is in order! I find it very interesting to look back on the paths that the Universe has taken us down to lead us where we are now. When I was little, about 6 or 7, I used to love to make little books. I would write a story, illustrate it and make a cover out of old cardboard that I would cover with scraps of my moms fabric. I never did anything creative after that until I was about 23! I moved to Florida and needed a job! I somehow fell into working at a children's art museum. This sparked my creativity again working with so many talented teachers and children with great imaginations and no fear. I worked my way up to teaching art camps, running art birthday parties and a very successful mommy and me class. After about 5 years of working there I started my own little art business- Dragonfly Imports. I made decoupaged plant pots that I sold at craft fairs and to brides as wedding favors. That was rather short lived but I had a taste of making and selling my goods- which I loved! Fast forward to when I was 33, got married, had my first baby and 15 months later had my second baby. Life was great but something was missing! I yearned to create again, hence, Bird in a Tree Creations. I make soap, jewelry- but my great love is mixed media and assemblage. I look forward to filling my store with more of these lovlies!! 
 

Where did the name ‘Bird in a tree’ come from?

I wanted a name that had meaning to me. I was no longer the lone dragonfly. Then it popped into my head one day! I have a 4 year old named Willow and a 3 year old named Wren- Bird in a Tree Creations! 
 

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

In five years time I would like to have my own studio/gallery. I would like to offer kids art parties and have soulful art classes instructed by amazing women from around the world. This inspiring space would also be a gallery displaying art from women and children and be super accessible to all walks of life. (not a snooty art gallery!)

Who or what is your inspiration?

The women that inspire me the most are the awesome artful mommies out there in the world! They show me that having a family and filling your creative soul at the same time is totally possible! They give me the strength and encouragement to keep moving forward!

Asides from work, what else keeps you busy?

My girls! They are super full of energy! LOL We live in South Florida so we are lucky enough to have great weather all the time in which me and my girls love to go on walks and collect cool nature items.

What’s a crafty skill you’d like to learn but haven’t?

I have tried so many crafty things in search of my passion, so I don't really think there is anything out there (for now!) that I would like to learn. Although, I have never used a potters wheel or welded metals! Those would definitely be somethings I would try!

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this and that

yup - we bbq'd today!!! can you tell we're british?! it was sunny here, warm but not hot so we grabbed the opportunity! the weather here seems to be awful 80% off the time so we gotta enjoy every last bit of sunshine! also, we made a quick visit to my favourite charity shop today, and picked up a few bargains - including a cute owl teapot!! i was so happy to spy him - it's not often i find something as good as that!

you might remember last month i got tagged in the 11 things meme that's going around - well i got tagged again by the lovely kasey. i figured it'd be fun to answer here questions too - if you want to read the random facts about me you can see them here.

1. When is your birthday? march 29th {so ya better by my pressie quick ;p}
2. What is your favourite colour? right now, mustard or teal
3. Where do you go/what do you do when you are overwhelmed and need to clear your head? I sneak off down to our woods, where it's peaceful and i can enjoy the fresh air.
4. Who would you call if you needed help burying a body? [oh yeah I just asked who your shovel buddy is.] my mr!
5. What is your favourite movie and why do you like it so much? wizard of oz - it taught me that everything i need is already inside me.
6. If you had 15  minutes to go back in time and give the high school freshman version  of yourself a piece of advice - what would it be? don't judge yourself so harshly, you are as good as everyone else, and you do matter.
7. What is your favourite article of clothing in your closet or dresser? any one of my old band t-shirts
8. Your plans for the day have been cancelled [don't worry you weren't looking forward to it]. What are you going to do with the 8 hours you have just freed up? cripes! I wish!!! um.... sleep?? or just read all day! 8 hours to myself hasn't happened in almost 9 years!
9. Of all the DIY projects and crafty goodness you've created what is your current favourite? the heart sweater i made last weekend
10. You won a contest and were just given $1000...what do you do with it? take my family on a holiday somewhere hot and sunny
11. You're super well connected fairy godmother is paying you a visit and asks if there is anyone you are eager to meet. She loves connecting people so you need to come up with someone, fast, so as not to offend her. Who do you ask to meet and why? jean harlow {i'm presuming she can take me to dead people too!}- i'm a huge fan of hers and i would love to have met her

thanks kasey - they were super fun questions!!

one last thing - i was so thrilled with all your feedback on which glasses i should choose! i'm going to bite the bullet and make an appointment with my optician - looking forward to getting some new frames to rock ;) the folks from glassesusa.com contacted me with a special code to embed their virtual mirror here so you all could play dress up too!

p.s the winner of last weeks littlebird giveaway is Amanda from Elf House Delights - please email me to claim your prize!! and don't forget to enter to win a custom banner here!

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guest post: make your own cereal

Today I have a guest post from the lovely Ada who is going to show you how to make your own breakfast cereal! Ada is a freelance writer living in the woods of northern Minnesota. She spends her free time knitting, gardening, and cooking. Visit her at her blog: Of Woods and Words.

I think food should be a full sensory experience. Of course it should taste good, but it should also smell good, have a great texture and it should be pretty. Maybe that last requirement is why I have such a thing for putting food in jars.

Lately, I’ve been keeping a quart jar of homemade muesli on my counter for breakfast or a “pick-me-up” snack any time of the day. Muesli, a close cousin of granola, is quite common in Europe and never fails to remind me of time spent in English and Irish bed and breakfasts. I’ve been using my dehydrator to make granola for a year or so now, but as much as I like the granola, sometimes I’m not always up for the crunch-fest that is eating a bowl of granola or the hours of white noise that the dehydrator's motor makes while running. Muesli is just lightly toasted in the oven, so it doesn’t require nearly as much cooking time and is a much softer texture than granola.

I can't go down the cereal aisle at the grocery store without suffering sticker shock, so I'm happy to have developed an inexpensive muesli recipe. I also enjoy controlling exactly what’s in each batch. I usually just eat a bowl of muesli with some organic milk, but it's also yummy stirred into yogurt or used as a parfait topping.

The recipe is loosely based off of a Scandinavian Muesli recipe from Eating Well. Both my mother and I have taken turns adjusting it until it quite closely imitates the mueslis I remember so fondly from my travels. The recipe's vey flexible, so let your imagination and tastebuds dictate the make-up of your muesli batches.

The only uncommon ingredient in the mix is the rolled wheat flakes, which you should be able to find in the bulk section of any whole foods store. You could substitute rye flakes for the wheat flakes, if you're feeling particularly "crunchy," but I haven't tried that. Feel free to shake up what you use for dried fruit and nuts in the recipe; I think dates, apricots, cherries, blueberries and/or pecans would all be delicious additions. It's quite common for British muesli to have miniature corn flakes stirred into the mix, so you could throw a handful of those in when you stir in the raisins and brown sugar mixture.

Muesli

4 cups rolled oat

2 cups rolled wheat flakes

¼ cup flaked coconut

2/3 cup sliced almonds, chopped

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup raisins

Combine oats and wheat in a large roasting pan (such as two 9x13 pans or a brimmed pizza pan) and roast in a 350 degree oven for 8 – 9 minutes. Stir in coconut and almonds and return to oven for about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Remove oat mixture from oven and stir in raisins and brown sugar mixture. Allow to cool completely and store in a cool, dry place.Yield: 8 cups.

looks delicious - can't wait to try it out! Thanks Ada!

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a pixie giveaway

i have a fun giveaway lined up for you today! one of my sponsors, the lovely angie from lariats and lavender is offering a custom header, etsy banner or avatar for one lucky winner!! i love angie's illustriaions and she is such a sweetheart :)

this is a great way to get a custom made banner for your blog/shop - you can see some examples here and more of angie's artwork here.

enter below!

just do nothing.....

source

yeserday i did nothing. well.... not quite nothing. my bigger two girls were out, so it was just baya and i. we baked cakes, we played games, made puzzles, watched cinderella and just generally had fun. i don't think we've ever had that much time jsut the two of us. the computer was off, i ignored my iphone for most of the day, i didn't look at my to-do list. instead i did a couple of quick diy's that i hadn't planned - i made a doily garland for my kitchen and added a cute heart to an old sweater!

we get so caught up in the crazy hectic lifes that we lead, that we dont' give ourselves time to do 'nothing'. yesterday was one of the best days. my batteries feel fully recharged, my creativity is thriving for the down time and i'm ready to attack my to-do list this week!

i think i'll be scheduling in more 'do nothing' days from now on!

when was the last time you did nothing?

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