12.22.2010

Holiday Cheer

This is how I've felt all week...



I love the holidays, but the stress of buying the 'prefect gift' and making sure it's in the mail on time is never fun. Every year I tell myself I will do Christmas shopping in May or June or August, not November! And every year I fail to stay true to that promise. At least this year I have a good excuse: planning a wedding and honeymoon is time consuming! Maybe next year will be my year to be prepared and have the chance to truly enjoy the Holidays.... maybe...

12.19.2010

An apple a day

VikDesign :: 2011 An Apple A Day letterpress calendar
This is such a clever idea! Encouraging eating an apple a day,
ensuring you get at least one of your five fruits and veggies everyday!

The darker version is custom, and more expensive,
but more visually pleasing.

The graphics are simple and clear:
pick an apple, peel the sticker and stick it to the calendar!

I want one!

12.14.2010

Sick Day

I spent most of the weekend on the couch, with a nasty cold. I even took Monday off in hopes all I needed was extra rest. I'm still stuck with a sniffle, cough and feel as though I'm stuck in a fog, but I don't want to waste any more of my ETO (Earned Time Off) on being sick. I'm armed with a bottle of hand sanitizer, a box of Kleenex and a big bottle of water. I'm counting down the minutes until I can run home and be in my PJ's sipping a nice big mug of my new favorite tea:

Good Earth Tea :: Decaf Chai Tea
Unlike many other Chai tea's, this one is very subtle, exactly they way I like it!
And it's decaf, so I can sip it before going to bed guilt free!


AngelaIngram :: Tea Drinker's Sidekick
I need a mug like this, I'm always lacking a place to stash my used tea bag.
They usually end up on a piece of paper I find on the coffee table...


catfishcorner :: Ceramic Cat Dish
This is another cute alternative to my teabag issue.
He's welcoming my used teabag with open arms! Thank you Mr. Cute Kitty!


PillowsToDyeFor :: Solid Colored Organic Cotton Handkerchiefs
A couple years ago I took all the flannel scraps of fabric I had around the house
and sewed up a pile of hankies to keep in a drawer for future colds.
I'm so glad I did, they are so handy, and so much more gentle on the nose!


murdockdesign :: Linen Healthy Hanky
And these guys are so darn pretty! Definitely not your grandma's handkerchief!

12.08.2010

Bacon Cheeseburger w/ a side of ranch

DeLuxe Bar & Grill :: Burgerama!
Every Wednesday, burgers and fries just $4.99 with purchase of beverage.
I always order the Peppered bacon cheese burger, with a side of ranch dressing.
Yummmmmm... so delicious!


The Hamburger Bed
I want to make a Hamburger Bed so bad! I've got a sewing machine,
and lots of Joann's coupons. All I'd need is a round mattress and bed frame...
I'm pretty sure I could make this happen...


suzannemade :: Cheeseburger Necklace
Rockin' the burger bling!


feltlikeit :: The Cheeseburger Pillow
So comfy, so tasty!


newyorkcouture :: Limited Edition New York Couture BURGER Skirt
Everyone needs a Burger Skirt!

12.02.2010

Plus Size Dresses

As any plus size girl knows, buying a dress can be a royal pain in the ass. I often go to Lane Bryant or Torrid to try and find something to wear and am usually disappointed. I find that Lane Bryant trends tend to appeal to middle aged women, while Torrid is focused on a teens audience. Of course, being in my mid-twenties, I'm stuck in the middle, either looking like I'm still in high school, or already have kids in high school. Not sexy, no thank you! I know I'm on a journey to get fit and healthy, so I can hopefully get out of this frustrating shopping cycle and start shopping in regular stores again. But to be practical, it will be awhile (1 year? 2 years?) until that day comes, so in the mean time, I'd like to dress cute!

Jibri :: Plus Size Pale Yellow Spring Dress
This Etsy shop makes dresses up to size 24, and they are gorgeous!
All are handmade and you can contact the seller for special sizing requests.
This one would be prefect for Spring time.


Jibri :: Plus Size Aviator Sleeved Wrap Dress w/ side pockets
Wrap around dresses are so flattering on me,
and this one comes in a variety of colors.
Oh! And it has pockets! I think all dresses should have pockets...


IGIGI :: Swirls and Circles Dress
"Sexy, Sophisticated Plus Size Clothing in sizes 12-32"
This online store has a wide variety of dresses,
and while most are a little pricey, I think their quality allows for a good investment.
And they have a sale section too, which this one is from:


IGIGI :: Jackie 2-in-1 Dress
This looks like a great staple to have in your closet,
you can flip down the cuffs & turn the belt around for an all black dress,
or have the blue exposed like the photo shows, very cute!


IGIGI :: Christelle Wedding Dress
I wish I had discovered this site while I was shopping for my wedding dress.
This one is under $200 and is DARLING!
I kinda want to buy it just because...

11.30.2010

Soap!

While my husband and I were honeymooning in Paris, we found this amazing little boutique that sold as many flavors of soap as you can dream up! Here's a photo of the 'wall of soap':

My favorite scent was 'lait' or milk, it's what I'm currently using when I shower and I will be so sad when I use it all. The chances of me finding a bar of soap as wonderful as this one are slim to none, but I can sure try!

CottageGardenTherapi :: 6 Big 4oz Bars of Milk and Honey Soap
We may have a winner here, and it's a great deal:
$25 for 6 bars of soap! You can't beat that with a stick!
And I love the directions: "
GET DIRTY, MAKE SUDS, GET DIRTY, REPEAT!"


BonnieBath :: Celtic Sea Soap Gift Set with Bowl, Dish,
and Crochet Washcloth for Him or Her

This would make an amazing gift! I love the bowl in comes in too!


SpookyGrrrl :: Berries and Cream Soy Milk and Oatmeal
Skull and Crossbones Soap Set

The punk-rock girl in me is in love with this!
I used to collect anything and everything that had skull and crossbones on it,
especially if it was pink and smelled yummy.


JBSoaps :: Button Goats Milk Soap
Buttons! I love buttons!


LoveLeeSoaps :: Milk and Honey Gnome Soap
Who wouldn't want to wash themselves with a little gnome who smells like milk & honey?!
These guys are too cute for words!

11.28.2010

KMA SALE!

All this week, all items in my Etsy shop will be 25% off! This is a fantastic time to stock up on holiday gifts and gifts for your self too! And to say 'Thanks for reading and following my blog' I'm giving you a chance to save an ADDITIONAL 15% off all items in my shop! Just used the coupon code KMABLOG during check out. Who could pass up this killer opportunity to save some dough? So don't delay! Go forth, browse all the cute & adorable wallets and other crafts I've created, pick a few out and save some cold hard cash!

Wreaths

Here's a photo of the wreath I made last year using a straw wreath and some scraps of holiday fabric. I found it while the husband and I were purging things in our apartment. Instead of finding a proper home for it, tucked away, I decided it was (early) November already and safe to go ahead and hang it on our door!


I made a couple of these as Christmas presents last year, they're so easy to do!
I think my mom still has one I made back in high school.
Here's a close up:
ItzFitz :: Yarn Wreath
This is a cleaver and simple idea. I adore the felt flowers!


SweetSweetCircles :: Ruffled Wreath
More felt! This could easily be embellished or is just as pretty as is.


carenej77 :: Large Christmas Paper Ribbon Wreath



SucculentDesigns :: Living Succulent Centerpiece/Wreath
I love this! I know someone who may be getting one for Christmas this year...
I just wish I had more of a green thumb, or I'd try to make one myself.

11.24.2010

Postage Stamp Quilt: Part 1

I found this great tutorial to make this crazy, awesome quilt that you could buy for over $200 at LLBean.com. The quilt looks like you spent years sewing tiny squares together, but tutorial shows some great techniques to to make it a heck of a lot quicker! I decided on a color scheme of red, orange and yellow, I'm excited to see them all come together!

First things first: cut up a BUNCH of 1.5-inch strips.

Mix up all the strips!

And start sewing them together!
I've sewn about 6 of these 'strip blocks' together already. I'll be working on this quilt in between other projects throughout the holidays. More photos to come!

11.23.2010

Snowpocalypse 2010

It snowed in Seattle yesterday! I actually went to work in the morning for a few hours, and was grateful when our boss emailed the staff (all two of us who were in the office) that we would be closing at 12:30. I was also grateful that we live close enough to my job that I could just walk home, especially hearing about friends who were stuck on buses for 2 hours and others who were traveling on I-5 for 6 hours!

Here's a couple photos outside our window, taken in the afternoon, before it really started to come down:



After it got dark Mark and I went outside to peak around the corner, down the big hill that's on the other side of our building. We had been watching cars trying to go up and down the hill and our street all evening, slipping and sliding. The hill had at some been blocked, and our neighbors came out with sleds and laundry baskets to slide down the hill in/on! I wish I had brought my camera, but didn't want to risk dropping it in the snow.

This a video (taken on a street near our place) showing the stupidity of Seattlites who should've never tried to drive on the sheets of ice that covered our streets:


11.22.2010

Rag Quilt

I've been on a sewing kick recently. While browsing Etsy I came across a style of quilt I never new existed: Rag Quilts. They are so easy and simple! I loosely used this PDF tutorial (if you want more thorough instructions please see this link!). The last trip to the fabric store I picked up a ton of flannel (1 yard of 6 different solids/patterns & 2 yards of solid white, enough to make two 35"x56" baby blankets).

Here is my helper, John:

I cut 8-inch squares of each fabric.

One yard of fabric = 20 8-inch squares

6 of the 7 colors I chose for the blankets:

I decided not to make a pattern for the layout,
but instead just make sure there was a solid in between each pattern square.
(Each square is double the fabric.)

Then sewed an 'X' through each square of doubled fabric.

And then sewed each seam facing up on one side.

1/2" inseam, though you can make them any size you want,
just as long as its big enough to snip later on!
You'll see what I mean...

Close up:

Then you start to clip all the edges!
About 1/4" between each snip, to help the fraying process.

Beware, this takes a long time...

This is the finished blanket, before washing.
I'll post another photo when I get a chance to take it to the laundry mat,
apparently that's the best place to wash and dry this kind of quilt.

11.20.2010

Hello Kitty

I have a confession to make, I'm addicted to Hello Kitty. It's true, and yes, it's embarrassing. Lucky for me I found a man who shares this love for the iconic cat, we both are Hello Kitty debit card holders! I like telling people that I did not force my husband to get the debit card with a picture of Hello Kitty on it, but he saw that I had one and got one on his own accord! When we go out to eat and he pays, the waiter often hands me the card back without bothering to look at the name!

Sanrio has been driving a mobile shop across the U.S. in celebration of their 50th anniversary and they stopped in Seattle over Halloween weekend. Being a lover of games, I picked up this sweet item:

Amazon :: Hello Kitty Yahtzee Special Edition

And have since been dreaming of adding to our Hello Kitty Collection at home. These are some items on my wish list:

Perpetual Kid :: Hello Kitty Rainbow Lunch Box
There's a shop near our home that has this sitting in the window,
I drool over it every time I walk past it.


Perpetual Kid :: Hello Kitty Bandages
These are just cute! I actually have a coupon from
the mobile shop to pick up some HK bandaids from Target for free!


Sanrio :: Hello Kitty iPhone Cover
My poor iPhone has been abused over the past year or so,
I've dropped it more times than I'd care to admit.
I think it may be time for me to invest in a pretty little cover!


Sanrio :: Hello Kitty 2-Slice Wide Slot Toaster
I've always wanted toast with a picture of HK toasted into it!
That would cheer me up any morning!


Sanrio :: Hello Kitty Bowling Ball
A HK bowling ball?! I say hell YES!