Are You The Perfect Mom?

I took some dumb online quiz, because I am a born-procrastinator and will find any kind of excuse to put off emptying the dishwasher...

Are You The Perfect Mom?

Well I was curious so I answered all of the questions. This was what I got back:

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Your answer: No answer given

Arnold Schwarzenegger may be the "Governator," but he played a pregnant FATHER in the 1994 movie Junior. Oh, if only it were possible…
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What?? Okay nice little fact about the Governator, but seriously...

Now I have to empty the dishwasher. And I don't even know if I'm the perfect mom!!!

Buy Handmade: Holiday Gift #2

I posted before about how I took the handmade pledge and have been buying like crazy on Etsy for my holiday gifts. Here I go again! I am particularly fond of the cheerful holiday photos I am putting as my header photo for this little series. These are last year's Christmas pictures. Will and I sent out our first (and potentially last-- we are rubbish at getting holiday photos mailed out) Christmas cards, complete with a nice selection of photos of us looking cheesier than the Cleavers. Most of our friends got the joke, but some people said, "My what a beautiful family you are!" The vest actually hides the fact that I was 8 months pregnant with Annelie!! Don't worry, there are more photos to come!

In other news, my blog is looking a bit different, isn't it? After all of the craziness with Etsy's gift guide going on, I decided to host a gift guide of my own, where anyone who wants to be included can be. I posted a forum thread (here) and let people decide what they wanted featured and what category they wanted it in. Nice bit of promotion for other sellers, and I am all about that! You can also find some of my favorite shops tucked in amongst the other items. Like Pretty Girl Things, by Camille aka GorgeousRedhead. As if I haven't blogged her enough, here I go again! This time I am here to say I have bought from her shop and am ooohing and aaahhing because I love what I bought so much.

Too bad it isn't for me!!! The thing I love best about the holidays is finding wonderful and personal gifts to give to the people I love. The thing I hate most about the holidays is I usually want to keep them for myself...

I bought this pendant from Pretty Girl Things for my friend Starrlette (if you are reading this... well, here is your gift. You know I am awful with surprises, Starr!!). Starr is a very vampy Marilyn loving lady and this pendant is called the Starlett pendant. No kidding!

Well, I love it and so will Starr. And someday I will finally have some pocket money to shop for myself!

Here are some other wonderful finds from her shop which you can find at http://www.gorgeousredhead.etsy.com


Shop till you drop, ladies!

Buy Handmade: Holiday Gift #1

I took the handmade pledge this year and am having a blast holiday shopping on Etsy! I am too poor (sob!!) to buy something for everyone I know, so I will have to make a ton of gifts myself, but I have been shopping like crazy and I want to share everything with you!

Merry Christmas, Baby Annelie!!


This is Uma the Pig, Annelie's first stuffed animal. I can not believe that she is already nine and a half months and doesn't have her own stuffed animal yet, but Gracie has about a hundred so I didn't ever think to buy one for Annelie. Hopefully Uma will be her little lovey and her tea party companion for years to come.

I bought this little piggie from Bit of Whimsy Primitives which you can find on Etsy at http://www.bitofwhimsyprims.etsy.com

You can find a wonderful selection of darling little fabric and chenille loveys as well as patterns to make your own. In addition to buying Uma for Annelie, I bought the patterns to make these monkeys and this primitive rag doll. I can't wait to get started once the craziness of the holidays is over!!



I'll post more of my handmade holiday gifts soon!

Gracie's First Haircut

There has been a blank page in Gracie's baby book, entitled: "First Haircut" just waiting to be filled for two and a half years. Gracie's hair does not grow!!

Last night my heart pretty much stopped beating when I discovered her hiding with a pair of my scissors in her hand. Her eyes widened with surprise when she saw me, and she immediately threw the scissors down and said very sternly, "No touching Mommy's scissors!!!"

She certainly did not take her own advice, however. Entire clumps from the top of her head had already been removed. And because she ended up with what could only be described as a "Tennessee Waterfall" mullet, you know-- buzzed on top and flowing down the back-- I had to do some clean up snips.

Poor Gracie. She has been punished all day, as people confuse her with a boy. One little girl even went so far as to stomp her little feet and shout, "Yes you ARE A BOY!" Poor Gracie didn't know what to do except calmly say, "No, I'm not a boy. I'm a girl. I'm Gracie." She was horribly confused and spent the rest of the afternoon telling me that she was not a girl, she was a boy.

I am now in the process of making headbands with interchangeable clips so Gracie can cover up her little mess as best she can. She seems very happy with her "princess headband" at the moment.

Here is a little before and after:


I guess all I can do is smile. And hide the scissors.

For bad haircuts everywhere, here is a little tribute:

This note card by Studio Lolo just cracks me up. It is the perfect thing to give someone you know who is suffering from a bad haircut!

You can find this card at http://www.studiololo2.etsy.com

For when you really need to just cover it up, head on over to Boring Sidney and pick up one of these darling and daring hats. You are sure to distract others from your hair.

Especially if you are wearing this one.

You can find these gorgeous hats, cloches, and headdresses at http://www.boringsidney.etsy.com

And of course, when you want declare your bad hair day to the world, here is the perfect pin.

You can find this pin at http://www.dragonladydesigns.etsy.com

Enjoy.

Jewelry Hound

At the age of 13 months, Gracie discovered jewelry. She found a plastic beaded necklace in a box of old toys, and fell instantly in love. For about three months straight, Gracie only took the necklace off at naptime and bedtime. As soon as she woke up, she reached for the necklace and put it back on.

I have never been one for jewelry. I love it, and have seen so many necklaces and bracelets that I just adore, but I never remember to wear it. My daily jewelry is just my simple white gold wedding band, a simple pair of silver hoop earrings, and the thumb ring I put on the other day and can’t take off (it really hurts going past the knuckle), which I wore back in college for about four straight years—and only took off for my wedding. I never even remember to put on my diamond engagement ring, and really only wear it when I have time away from my kids.

I don’t know exactly where Gracie got her love for jewelry. My mom rarely wears it and I always forget to. Perhaps from my Grammy, who is almost never without rings the size of her fist and diamonds the size of Texas. She is the queen jewelry hound in our family!

A few years ago, I made a New Years resolution to wear a piece of jewelry every day. Shallow, I know, but I love the way jewelry makes me feel just a little bit more special than when I’m not wearing any at all. Maybe that’s why Gracie loves it so much. I still never remember to wear it, though (I actually make it a habit to break ALL of my resolutions. Does anyone ever really keep their resolutions for more than a couple of weeks?).

I heart jewelry on Etsy all the time. I even got a beautiful bracelet a few weeks ago. It is amethyst (my birthstone—usually I hate birthstone jewelry, but I love this bracelet) and peridot and is just beautiful! I am excited because I have a random collection of odd diamond earrings, some amethyst earrings, and a peridot and gold (ugh!! I hate gold) necklace, which I want to put together in a silver necklace to coordinate with the bracelet. How fun.

This bracelet was made by Autumn at http://www.designsbyautumn.etsy.com

Here is a sample of jewelry I just love on Etsy! I hope you can discover some new and fabulous finds!

I stumbled across Pretty Girl Things while chatting in the Etsy forums, and immediately left the thread in order to window shop in this FABULOUS shop. I think I hearted just about everything in there! I am a total girly girl and proud of it, and the pendants and charm necklaces I saw had me shivering in excitement. I am going to have one and it has to be soon (now if I can only steer my husband in the right direction!!). Here are some of her beautiful girl things. I’m selfishly not showing you my favorite necklace, because I want it for myself!

You can find this shop at http://www.gorgeousredhead.etsy.com

I love the pendants found in Kinichi River Designs. There is something about the swirly silver plated wire wrapped around beautiful stones that makes my fingers itchy to press the “add to cart” button!!

You can find these pendants and other fun pieces as well as little pets that will knock your socks off (I am so lame. Don’t know what I mean by that? Click here) at http://www.kinichiriver.etsy.com

I love how colorful and cute these necklaces are from Bijoujuju. They are the perfect casual piece to add some cute and spunky flair to any outfit!!

You can find these are http://www.bijoujuju.etsy.com

I Went to Mars and All I Got Was this Lousy Ring. That is the title for this ring which is the coolest ring creation I have ever seen!!

You can find this ring by Boulder Glass Monkey, as well as other very unique and very beautiful pieces of glass jewelry. They will definitely be amazing conversation pieces!! You can find this shop at http://www.boulderglassmonkey.etsy.com

I just love and adore the bracelets and necklaces by The Empty Nest. I have never seen anything like these before!!! I love personalized stuff, probably because there are never personalized license plates, pens or stationary for my name. I would love a bracelet like this one. Seriously, how cute are these?

You can find all of these and SOOOO much more at http://www.luv4sams.etsy.com

Lucky Girl Trading Company has dichroic glass pendants more shimmery than any I have ever seen before! I just love how they sparkle!!

You can find an amazing and HUGE selection of pendants and earrings at http://www.luckygirltrading.etsy.com. And be sure to check out her profile, because the story behind her shop is the sweetest I have ever read.

I am completely in love with this necklace titled, "Wait, Summer by Green Leaf and Owl.


You can find this shop at http://www.greenleafandowl.etsy.com.

I also love the amazingly gorgeous creations by Sma Bla. Here is one that I love, but you seriously have to check out the whole shop if you haven't before.


You can find it at http://www.smabla.etsy.com

I would love to show so much more, but this will have to be all for now. There is just too much jewelry to admire than my little blog can feature!! Happy shopping, everyone!!

Princess Keira's New Room

I finished the mural for Gracie's friend Keira, and I am so happy about how it turned out!! Poor Gracie and Annelie have institutional white walls here in our apartment (except for the very colorful areas in which Gracie has expressed her creativity with a pack of Crayolas and a sheet of stickers). I have been planning their bedroom for so long, in the hopes that someday we will have a house. We tend to move a lot, and sometimes, I don't think we will ever have a home of our own to decorate and paint!!!

In the meantime, I am getting it out in the bedrooms of Gracie's friends. Here are some pictures of Keira's new room. I figured between princesses, fairies, ballerinas, butterflies, flowers, pink and purple, Keira will be set for all of her future childhood interests. She is a very girly little two year old, so I think she will always love it.


I painted this 16 x 20 canvas for Keira's second birthday in May because she is completely obsessed with princesses. It is a shame I varnished it before taking pictures, so it is too shiny to see properly, but it is pretty cute and says, "Once upon a time in a land far away, there lived a beautiful girl named Princess Keira."

The flower fairy crown shown above covers the entire wall above Keira's crib. The afternoon sun shining through the bedroom windows made the photographs come out pretty awful so just note that the colors are a little nicer than shown. I love the metal princess sign Wendy (Keira's mom) bought for the wall and designed the crown around it.


Keira named this little fairy sitting next to her closet, "Princess Gracie." Wendy said Keira sat next to her and just smiled at her for several days because she was so happy to have a little fairy to look at. I love that! Sad that my pictures turned out blurry!


The top butterfly is next to the light switch by the bedroom door, and the little one is above Keira's tea party table.The flower garden is my favorite part. The lighting was so bad that I couldn't take a picture of the whole wall and the picture that is shown was before I finished it, but here are my favorite parts, especially the ballerina fairy. I filled the wall with flowers and leaves that are bigger than Keira, and added lady bugs, snails and a magical frog prince to keep her entertained! When she stands next to the wall, she looks like a little fairy inside an enchanted garden.

It think it really turned out sweet!!