That Red Bow Tho.

All who know me (and those who just happen to take a glance in to my every day) know that without a doubt, I have a thing for Hello Kitty.  She is, hands down, my favorite feline and has been since I was 5 years old.  (If only I kept my little Hello Kitty knick knacks from then!) 

The red bow tho... classic Hello Kitty.  

Maybe that's why I enjoy crocheting these pretties so much!

Sew Excited....

I've been practicing my sewing and embroidery skills since spring and I'm happy with my results.  It's "sew" (see what I did there?) exciting to hone in and fine tune a new skill.  Pincushions and hoop fun 

ready for upcoming fall and holiday shows!

Happy Crafting!

Pincushion Love.

A cute little pincushion to hold all those cute little pins....I need to make more of these. =)

Happy Wednesday!

Bee yourself ♥

"Bee" yourself.  It's the only way to bee.

Happy Crafting!

Holiday Shopping? Yes Please =)

After a two week hiatus, Lovenote Crafts is now open for your holiday shopping pleasure! 

 Stop on by and peruse the goods!

Happy Crafting!

What are you doing on September 28th? =)

Well, let me help you decide =)  How about some shopping at the Fall Penelope Lane Boutique?  Yes, it's going to be awesome.  Yes, it's going to be fun.  Yes, there's going to be so much handmade goodness that you're not going to know what to do with yourself.  

Check it out!  There will be 60+ vendors there (including your truly) who are dedicated to promoting the love of handmade.  Come one and come all.  It's going to be a blast.

I hope to see you there! =)

Happy Crafting!

Ephesians 4:1-3

I work in an environment where I feel blessed to have a tiny pinky of influence (sometimes a full out hand!) in how individuals navigate their education, career, and life goals.  As is always the case, these things are not done or experienced in a vacuum.  Many factors come in to decisions whether they be relatively life changing or miniscule.  One thing I know for sure is that this is where God has called me to be, to use the gifts He has given me to help others on their journey through life as they navigate their way through our education system.

You've heard that saying, "It's a two way street."  Yes, indeed it is.  There is a lot to be learned from those we meet, those we help.  Our assistance to these folks may be concrete, self-evident, obvious.  But in the same light, they also help us grow in immeasurable ways.  In my particular instance--teaching me understanding through their experiences and patience as they navigate a path that may be unfamiliar.  I value these very much to the core of my being. 

God has His way of putting us in situations to help us realize and oftentimes reaffirm that yes, this is what we're called to do, no matter how difficult or tiring some days may become. He's quick you know.  He gets me when I feel like I'm losing steam and then *boom*--He wakes me up!

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

Ephesians 4:1-3 

Amen to that.  Whether it be at work, at home, at school, with friends, with family, at Michael's or Joann's navigating the sale items (had to throw in the crafty reference), this is true in all aspects of my life.  I do my best, I make my  mistakes, but I strive daily to pray with a fervor that reflects humility, gentleness, patience, love, and most of all, faith in God's calling for me and my family.  

Happy Blessed Day!

 

 

DIY: Sweet Little Ruffle Pillow

My sister is about to enter her 3rd year of med school in  Washintgon, DC.  (I miss her--she's my shopping/crafting/coffee & tea drinking buddy.)  While I was chatting with her the other night, I got the sense she was kind of homesick so I wanted to send her a little care package from home to help her get through the long days of rotations and sleepless nights.

 I found an old pretty pillowcase at my mom's house that she has had forever.  I thought it would be nice to send my sister something that really came from home.  Enter in this sweet little ruffle pillow.

Granted, I've never made a pillow before, but I thought I'd give it a shot. The pillowcase was pretty long (must have been for a body pillow or something) and so I just trimmed it to make it more like a mini pillowcase, but a pillow...made from a pillowcase....you'll see below! =)
(Disclaimer: My sewing technique is not very good, but I think I did alright!  Please comment below if you have any questions on my "technique" LOL!)

Supplies:
pillowcase (you'll trim this down to the size pillow you want); ruffle trim (enough for all 4 edges of the pillow); poly-fill; scissors; Fabric-Tac & pins (not pictured)

Had to get in a shot of my handy dandy sewing machine. =)

Lay your pillowcase flat and cut it to size (cutting through both layers).  I cut mine to about 14" x 16".

Cut all around until you've trimmed any excess fabric.

Turn your two pieces inside out making sure all sides match up as much as possible and then pin the corners.  This helps keep the pieces in place for sewing.

Sew the two longest sides together and one short side together, leaving about a 1/2 inch edge.  Remember to keep one short side open.

Turn your fabric outside in so that the "right" side is out.

Stuff your pillow with the poly-fill making it as fat as you'd like.  Use your hand to even out the fill so that your pillow isn't too lumpy.

Pin the open side closed.  This makes it a bit easier to sew.

Sew the open side shut making sure the poly-fill is nice and snug inside the pillow (this is about 13" x 15").

(Optional step: dab a bit of glue along the flaps of the side you just sewed to help them stay flat.  This will help when you add the ruffle trim.)

Using the Fabric-Tac, line your ruffles with a thin line of glue (to about 6 inches to start--don't add glue to your whole piece just yet).

Place your ruffles along the edge of the pillow (along the seams) adding glue and pressing down on the ruffles as you go (glue side down).  Another option is, instead of adding glue to your ruffles, you can also dab the glue along the seams of the pillow and then press your ruffles in to them.  I think this gives you more control over the glue and placement of the ruffles (I'm kind of OCD that way!)

The ruffles should lay like this, covering the seams of the pillow.

When done, the pillow should look something like this (not bad, huh?)

I decided to add a button to the pillow to give it a little bit more character.  I used a button making kit to make the button out of a piece of the ruffle.  I then sewed it through the front of the pillow to the back to give it that "pressed in" look.

Here's the package I sent to my sister: Chuao Chocolate in Rocky Road (soooo good and perfect for National Chocolate Day which was on July 28th), a hoop that I made using crochet flowers (the first hoop I've ever embroidered!), and of course, the sweet little ruffle pillow.

I spoke with my sister tonight right after she opened up the package and she talked in that high-pitched, happy/crying voice of hers when she receives a care package from family.  Needless to say, she loved her package and is probably nestling her head in her pillow while savoring her Rocky Road chocolate as she clutches her hoop to her heart--just kidding about that part, but really, she is probably doing all that as I type this.  Love my sister.

Happy Crafting!

Five Friday Favorites

Wonderfully inspired by my creative friend, April, over at The Quirky Craftyneer, I've also decided to do a weekly "something" to help me keep up with blogging.  She has "Throwback Thursday" where she brings back oldies but goodies to share with her blog readers.  (Check out her blog--she''s awesomely creative with her Project Life layouts!)

My weekly "something" will be "Five Friday Favorites", stuff I've seen, pinned, tried, etc. that made my week all the more interesting and fun. :)  Here we go!

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{ Favorite Etsy Item:  WhatParty }

Link to Picky Ducks

Hilarious!  I came across this item doing a search for embroidery hoop decorations and busted out in laughter just imagining two ducks talking and complaining.  I'm thinking about it now and it's still making me laugh.  Sometimes I wonder what animals would be thinking when they come across humans....

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{ Favorite Pin: Ruffled Pillows }

Link to ruffled pillows pin

I can only pretty much sew straight lines and a zig zag here and there, but how awesome would it be to make a ruffled pillow or pillow with a pretty bow?  {swoon}  I'd totally love to do that, but for now, I'll just gaze as ideas of pretty pillows dance in my head.

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{ Favorite Fact: Dothraki Language and UC San Diego }

Photo credit: www.popcults.com / www.libraries.ucsd.edu

I haven't seen HBO's "Game of Thrones" before, but I have heard of this "Dothraki" language that is spoken in the series.  The person, David J. Peterson, who created that language was a linguistics graduate from UC San Diego, my alma mater.  Reading about how he creates these fictional languages is fascinating to me.  Plus, he is a UCSD grad--Go Tritons!  Woot!

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{ Favorite Photo: My littlest little on this hot May day}

Yes, Ms. C is ready for the warm summer days.  But for now, she's concentrating on the blueberry waffle she left on her brother's booster seat.

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{ Favorite Quote: God's Plans }

#TRUTH

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend and as always....

Happy Crafting!

That's How I Roll.

I tend to cart some craft items with me wherever I go, usually some yarn and a crochet hook.  (Easy and portable!)  I also tend to use my lunch hour to do some crafting (quick bite to eat and then hook/yarn it is).  With craft fair season up and running, I like to keep as much stock available as possible in case I come across a fair that I want to participate in.  So, this is how my desk looked like like during today's lunch hour.

Crochet rose blooms are my favorite spring craft along with those itty bitty crochet flowers in the bottom right corner.  I don't know what I'm going to do with those yet, but they're just so cute (and easy) to make.

Well, that's how I roll...a ball of yarn, that is!

Happy Crafting!

Hello Thursday: Trifecta of Hello Kitty Favorites

I'd like to introduce to you a Trifecta of Hello Kitty Favorites:  Hello Kitty coffee/tea maker, Hello Kitty water cooler, and Hello Kitty candy tin.  I purchased these little diddies about 10 years ago--the water cooler from Target and the coffee/tea maker from Ebay.  The tin was a gift from my good friend Rosemary of Vintage Sugar and Finding Mickey, another fellow collector of Hello Kitty and all things vintage (check out her blogs--she's awesome!) =)

What I love about the water cooler--mini sized, perfect for a corner in my office, and it dispenses cold AND hot water!  Cool, right?  The coffee tea/maker does exactly that--makes both coffee AND tea.  Super convenient!  The Hello Kitty tin is simply cute--perfect for holding the right amount of candy.  (As you can see I have almost all the major holidays in there LOL).

Nothing special about what goes in to these appliances.  It's the pleasure of using these things (that actually work!) to perform such everyday, ordinary routines.  Having that mid-morning coffee (or tea) craving, then drinking some cold water to wash out your system and finally, having that nice little mint to get rid of coffee breath are made all the more enjoyable with these pink treasures.

...now off to make myself a cup of tea...=)

Happy Hello Kitty!

Stamp. Cut. Repeat.

There is something about creating something with your hands that I find very therapeutic.  Something as simple as doodling pretty swirls or crocheting a flower can be very relaxing.  After a long day of work (and in the time I wait for hubs to pick me up), I take some time to craft a bit and

 start the transition from counselor to wife and mom. =)  

Stamp. Cut. Repeat. Easy "therapy" = Relaxed mommy.

Happy Crafting!

Baby legwarmer coffee cozy--woot!

My littlest little loves those little baby legwarmers, but we always lose them....everywhere.  There's always one or two lying here and there, but the matching pair always seems to disappear somewhere....never to be found again.  So what to do with the lone legwarmer?  Make it into the cutest coffee cozy ever.  When I say "make", I really mean slip-it-onto-your-Starbuck's-grande-coffee-cup-or-over-your-mason-jar and you're-set.   I've seen this done with socks, but this is by far the easiest to me because it's no-sew! =)

The baby legwarmers are the perfect size to squoosh, stretch, ruche, and clean (just toss in the wash).  The ribbed ends hug the container in just the right way so that the container 

doesn't slip out of your hand.

 Find yourself some baby legwarmers and have fun rocking your itty-bitty legwarmer coffee cup/mason jar cozies! Your beverage containers will never be the same. =)

(...off to find more pair-less baby legwarmers!)

Happy Crafting!

A Happy New Year with Hello Kitty & Talking Bacon

Happy New Year!  Being home from work for two and half weeks for the Christmas holiday was amazing.  A quick trip to Vegas (where we sat through a time share presentation to get $50), putting up more decorations around our house than we normally do (yay for Target sales!), wrapping presents (I got pretty crafty with these), eating so much yummy junk (um, almost every day of the vacation and especially on New Year's Eve with my bro's famous meatball sandwiches), witnessing the gyrations of our Filipino PSY at the annual family-and-friends-Christmas-party (yes, you know you have "that" uncle too), shopping and dinners with my sister (whom I'm so proud of!), loving my parents (thanks for the fridge!), loving my in-laws (thanks for the gift of your time!), watching my kids sleep (they are growing up so fast), experiencing my littlest little turning one and spending lazy nights watching tv with my hubs.....all of this created a memorable and very much a blessed time for us.

Christmas had it's share of Hello Kitty including, but not limited to (note: these are stock photos): 

 

♥ a new Hello Kitty rice cooker (from myself to myself)♥ 

 

♥ a Hello Kitty cupcake maker (from my bro & sis-in-law)♥ 

♥ a Hello Kitty key necklace (from my lovely sis)♥

But the most hilarious gift was Talking Bacon from a dear friend to my littlest little:

♥ Talking Bacon--genious!  You press a button and it says, "I'm Bacon".  (yes you are...delicious!)♥ 

I didn't do much crafting, but did more brainstorming for fun stuff to add to my shop in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned for cute lovelies including more crocheted hearts, flowers and sweater clips (these were best sellers over the holiday!) as well as cotton & crochet hair bows, resin rose hair pins, felt & lace hair pins, embroidery hoop art, and my favorite, fabric tape and gift tags (for all your gifting and crafting needs). It's going to be an explosion of cuteness! ♥

I hope you had a blessed Christmas with your family and friends.  Here's to a wonderful New Year!

Happy Crafting!