Butterflies at Frederik Meijer Gardens

Each year Frederik Meijer Gardens hosts the Butterflies are Blooming exhibit in their tropical conservatory. This year it is from March 1 to April 30, but the butterflies are certainly there now. After a meeting there earlier this week I was able to walk around the gardens and check it out. With only a handful of other visitors in the conservatory it was a great experience. Quiet and serene - I can only imagine what it is like during the official exhibit. For the first time I wanted a camera more than my little point-and-shoot, but I still think I got some great shots.

A Peek Into My Favorites: Wedding Guest Books

Wood Wedding Puzzle Guestbook by BellaPuzzelsToo

Some of you may be aware that I'm currently planning my wedding for the end of June. June 24th to be exact. I've been searching through Etsy lately to find a guest book alternative. There are so many options - I'm having a hard time making any kind of decision.

This puzzle is absolutely fabulous! The guests each sign a piece and in the end you have a beautiful piece of work. A great touch would be to have your "special letters" created in your wedding color for a nice pop.

Personalized Poster Thumb Prints Wedding Tree by FancyPrints

This poster is the epitome of personalization. Of course you get to have your names on it, your date, and your colors, but you get fingerprints! There is nothing more personalized than that. Guests sign the poster with a fingerprint and their name. After the big day it can be taken in right away to be matted and framed for the happy couple's home.

Custom Wedding Guestbook Box by ColettePaperie

This may be my favorite option so far. The couple is able to leave the traditional information but can also add a special message for the couple. It comes with everything but the pen! You'll have all the sheets you need, the beautiful wood box, and a sign.

Placemats & Magnets!

  

The last couple of weeks I've taken some time off from blogging. Two weeks to be exact. In the meantime I've managed to list a few new items in my shop including this picnic placemat set and a new set of kanzashi magnets. I absolutely adore these two latest listings. It wasn't until I got them up side by side that I even noticed they were practically the same color. Makes for a nice visual. I have been working hard lately making items, especially the magnets. I can't seem to keep hold of them, but that's a good thing! With a part-time job starting soon and market less than two months away, I'm going to stay plenty busy. Yay Spring! 

A Peek Into My Favorites: Vintage Wire Display

          

One of my favorite things to search for on Etsy is vintage display pieces. Lately when I go into my favorites I see all these vintage wire baskets spread throughout the pages. These are great, one-of-a-kind pieces, but that means by the time I get back to glancing at the ones in my favorites they've sold. Here are three "new" vintage wire pieces I happily added to my favorites today. These all would be great for craft shows or your everyday home decor.

Wrap It Up!

I'm that person who will be talking and, in the middle of a sentence, think of something else. Follow this with an interjection and a complete topic change and I'll forget what I was ever talking about in the first place. This is the perfect metaphor for my crafting as of late so I decided it's time to wrap up some projects. First, a couple of months ago, I started going through my moms scraps and remnants. Measuring and packaging fabrics that neither of us will be using. I would guesstimate that there are about 50 pieces bundled up right now into fat quarters, half yards, and other random sizes. Here is one small pile of remnants and another pile of scraps that I desperately need to tackle. This way, I could have my work space back.

 

The other project is taking all these kanzashi petals I have made and putting them together into flowers. The box where I store all the completed petals has become full with almost 100 of them. 

  

I need to finish both these tasks (which seem small on paper) before I let myself cut into my new fabric. I need to finish projects with that new fabric before I dive into my embroidery. Oh, what a list.