an engagement session & a wedding...

This weekend, these two are getting MARRIED!! 

I am a bridesmaid in the wedding, and kind of a second photographer. I have been friends with Brittney since 2001 and I am so happy for her and Tanner. They are perfect for each other! I took these photos over a month ago... I can't believe the big day is here! So exciting!!

There has been a lot of planning and crafting over the past few months. I made the "love" banner (pictured above) and another banner for the "candy bar" at their reception that says "love is sweet". My sister and I decorated mason jars for the guests to drink from at the reception and take home with them. I designed the tags and printed them and gave them lacey corners to make them look "country" cute. I love the way they look tied on the jars, so I had to share a picture of them too! 

knitting | yellow lace slouchy hat

Well, I finished my second attempt at my slouchy yellow lace hat & I am happy to say it was successful!

The first time around I followed the pattern but the hat didn't end up being deep enough for me. I had a

 second skein of this pretty yarn, so I decided to try it again, making it deeper and now I am in love with 

the results. I still plan to tweak this pattern a little bit to get it exactly how I would like it, but in general 

it is such a pretty & easy pattern. Here is the original pattern that I used.

Also, I recently designed a cute new tote bag with a favorite Jane Austen quote printed on it! I bought a plain canvas bag from Hobby Lobby and then I printed my design on to iron-on transfer paper and after a bit of ironing I had a cute new tote for all of my current knitting projects. Easy! 

My new tote is very helpful because lately I have been going knitting once a week with a couple of ladies that I go to church with. They are both talented knitters, so I am excited to learn a few things from them & just be encouraged to knit more. One of my goals is to try more challenging projects... I think next up they will be teaching me the magic loop method... I already have a pattern in mind to try, from the book Lace One-Skein Wonders. I borrowed the book from one of the ladies & I love so many of the patterns in it. It is definitely a book I will be buying for myself soon!

The Jane Austen quote design that is on my tote bag is available as a print in my shop...

little succulents...

When I spotted these cute little succulents at the grocery store I had to buy them. I had the perfect little pots in mind to plant them in. I decided to paint the terra cotta pots to make them a bit more colorful & I love the way they look now! 

inspiration: easter eggs

I love Easter! I love the meaning most of all, but I also love the springy colors & of course, dying Easter eggs!

So, I thought I would share a few favorite Easter egg ideas that have inspired me this year!

There are so many ideas out there from Martha Stewart to Pinterest, but here are my three favorites...

I think my top favorite idea is naturally dyed Easter eggs! I think these colors are much prettier than what comes in the old dying kits & I am very curious about trying this out! {Click here to see more...}

I also love the way these farm fresh brown eggs look with just the white paint pen designs. 

You could really get creative, but still keep the eggs simple & pretty. {Click here to see more...}

And my last favorite pick... hand-painted floral patterns are so perfect on Easter eggs.

I love these bright, happy colors and nothing is more spring-y than flowers!!

{Click here to see more...}

And because it is spring & the flowers are starting to bloom... I thought I would share a link to an article that I recently read about flowers & the perfect love that they truly represent... 

{ Thoughts of Love, Hope and Purpose }

It was really worth the read for me, so maybe it would be for you too!

DIY dip-dyed t-shirt + a few snapshots...

I am so excited to share about this new dip-dyed t-shirt that I recently made! My favorite thing to wear is jeans & a t-shirt... So, I figured that this "DIY" would be a great way to make a plain t-shirt really fun & cute! I really enjoyed doing this project & I love the way my new shirt turned out! 

I am already excited to do it again, with other colors! :)

How I did it...

So, I bought a plain white t-shirt (cotton/ployester blend) & a bottle of Rit dye in "sunshine orange". I used a big, deep stainless steel lid to mix the dye & it was the perfect size. You can use a plastic storage tub or whatever you can find that will be big enough for the the shirt to be dipped into. To mix the dye, I followed the directions on the bottle. Directions may vary depending on the brand of dye you use. 

Once the dye was ready, I wet down my shirt with warm water. I put the shirt on a hanger to help keep it straight as I dipped it into the dye. The first dip went up to the highest place that I wanted the color to go & then I pulled it out of the dye right away, because this is the lightest shade. The next dip was halfway up & I left it in the dye for 3-4 minutes. The final dip for the bottom was the darkest shade of the shirt, so I left it in for 5-6 minutes. I wanted my color gradation to be subtle & well blended, so that's how I did it! You can play around with it depending on what you want your shirt to look like. If you want it darker you just need to leave it in the dye for longer. 

After I finished dying it, I hung it outside on a clothes line to let it dry & let the color soak in. You can lay it flat if you'd like. Once my shirt was dry, I washed it in warm water, with a little bit of detergent. If you use a washing machine, it is important that you wash it alone or with dark colors, because the dye will bleed on to other light clothes. 

(For more specific instructions refer to the tutorial on Wit & Whistle...)

Also, while I was at it, I dip-dyed a couple of canvas tote bags too!

They turned out great! So, I put one in my shop!!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

& Here are a few snapshots from lately...

Photos...

Yesterday, I went to lunch with my mom & sister to our favorite pizza place, Bambinos! They have a lunch buffet, with several different kinds of pizza, pasta & dessert pizza. It is all so amazing!! It's a good thing I don't go their very often... ha!

We also went shopping at Super Target, which I always love! My sister got me that Essie polish for an early birthday present... Yay! We also had to get some of their Peach Pear Italian Soda, love it!!

That mountain view is of Pikes Peak & it's actually from the restaurant window. So beautiful!

& The last picture is what I have written from the book of James, for Beth Moore's study Mercy Triumphs!

I am writing out chapter 5 right now, so I am almost finished! I have never written out a whole book of the Bible before, but I have really enjoyed doing it. Of course, I used multi-colored pens!

snapshots from my weekend...

...Bought beads & jewelry supplies to make a few necklaces... I love how they turned out!

...Got to see this sweet little girl!! :) This was the best photo I could get, still so cute!

& We had a bit of a family reunion at our favorite Chinese restaurant, for lunch. Fun!

...Currently reading Persuasion!  :)

...Made homemade pizza in a cast-iron skillet... a really great idea & so yummy!! 

(Saw it in the March issue of Martha Stewart Living)

...Went bowling with my family & bowled the best game of my life... 150!! 

WOW!! Still shocked & excited about that... haha!!

Yay for a fun weekend! 

Hope yours was fun too!!

:)

my first chevron bracelet...

since it's been so hot outside, my favorite thing to do is stay where it's nice & cool... making woven chevron bracelets! (it's my fun alternative to knitting, which i don't do a lot of during the summer...)

yesterday i finished my first bracelet & i love how it turned out!!

they are so easy to make... & the finished product is so cute! :)

now i have to start working on 2 more, for my best friends ever, my mom & sister

what colors would you choose for your bracelet?

friendship bracelets... from purl bee

i love that this trend is making a comeback! friendship bracelets are so colorful & easy to make!

all you need is your favorite colors of embroidery thread. i have been wanting to make one with

the chevron pattern & this DIY tutorial from purl bee helped me a lot...

{photos from the purl bee}

happy friday!

i just had to share this shot that i took this week of these beautiful flowers!

the amazing thing is that these are actually faux flowers....

they look so real to me... i am so excited about them!

i got them from joann's last week.

:) :)

anyway, i am so happy it is friday!!

i hope you all have a lovely weekend planned!

but don't stay away from my blog for too long...

tomorrow, i will be posting a very fun giveaway!!

yay!!

happy september!

this post is for my brother, who turns 25 years old today!!!! yay!!! i love my brother!! he is so much fun to hang out with! he makes everyone in my family laugh all the time! i am proud of the person he is & so thankful that he is my brother! happy birthday!!

something really cool about my brother is that he likes to do wood turning on a lathe. he handcrafts pens out of different kinds of woods... it is so amazing! yesterday i took photos of some of his handcrafted wooden pens & posted them for sale in my etsy shop.

they are uniquely designed by him, so you probably wouldn't find another one out there that would look exactly like his designs! they are a really great gift idea for husbands, fathers, etc. or even for recent graduates or for those who have just started back to school! :)

** these are ballpoint twist pens, made from different woods! these pens use cross style refills, which can be bought in most office supply stores. below each photo is the kind of wood used for the pen.

^ maple wood pen, with satin gold hardware

^ zebra wood pen, with copper hardware

^ red heart wood pen, with chrome hardware

^ purple heart wood pen, with chrome hardware

these pens are $10 each in my etsy shop!!

{click here to shop}