Love and Other Tidbits

This is my Birthday tree all decked out for Valentine's Day. I love how festive and pretty it is but I'm looking forward to taking it down so that I no longer have to live in fear that this little mischief maker will knock it down. Again.

Winnie only looks sweet and innocent. I can't believe February is half over. In a few weeks it will be Emma's birthday and then we are practically at Spring's door. I've mourned the lack of Winter, well really the lack of snow, this year but that won't keep me from getting excited about sunshine and open windows.

This morning I heard the birds singing and it gave me a little glimpse into what is to come. This Spring will be great because I've gotten most of the hard work done inside and I won't have to spend all of my time covered in dust and paint. I will finally get to work on the landscaping. I will instead be covered in dirt and mulch. Hmm. Now I'm rethinking my excitement.

These are pillows that my crafty-too-busy-to-blog-more-than-twice-a-year friend Melissa and I exchanged for Valentine's Day. Mine is the patchworky one on the left and hers is the dreamy, gorgeous piece of artwork on the right. It might just be my favorite Melissa creation yet. I probably think that with each new piece though. I'm so glad I've had her to push me to be creative these last two years when it was hard to muster up the energy during all of the chaos of my life. Thankfully I no longer have to be pushed.

Speaking of sewing, many of you have asked for recommendations for buying fabric. I'm not loyal to any one place but shop around for the best deal and buy what I love when I find it. For me it's more about finding fabric that appeals to me, Grand Revival/Tanya Whelan or Lecien for instance, than where I'm buying. I have recently purchased fabric from:

www.sewfabulousquiltshop.co
www.littlecherubsheirloom.com/store
as well as etsy and ebay

You local girls will want to check out a new fabric store I found in Indy called The French Seam. It's yummy. And dangerous.