it's 2015 already?

i thought i'd pop in and say happy new year before it's too late!
my holidays were busy and festive, and bffbf and i rang in the new year at disneyland.  it was my first visit there ever, and i was surprised to find just how much i LOVE the place.   i will most definitely need to pay it another visit, and soon!

here is a glimpse at the nye countdown and fireworks display.  it was such a fun night.

i also wanted to share the only handmade gift i made for christmas this past year.  my mom requested that i make her a hand towel that she can tie to her oven handle.  she had been using the same one for probably at least a decade, and it was time for a replacement.  

i made her new (more modern looking) hand towel with some white terry cloth, marimekko fabric, and lime grosgrain ribbon that i had in my craft cabinet.   the construction was very simple.  you can't tell from the image, but i made each side a double layer of terry cloth for extra absorbancy.

unfortunately, i didn't take many pictures so i'm not writing a full tutorial on this one, but it would be pretty easy to replicate just from the ones i'm posting.    

here is the final product--oddly, this may possibly be the very first gift i've ever given my mother that she actually liked!

how were your holidays?

button covered everything

we now have these hippo and alligator magnets alongside my kiwi bird magnets holding up all our other wedding invitations, baby announcements, greeting cards, and other random items on the fridge.  i originally entertained the idea of making a large number of these, but quickly realized the linen fibers were too thick for these button covers, and as a result I wound up with many frayed edges and some very sore thumbs.

since i already had dug out a bunch of fabric and button cover supplies, i went ahead and made these ridiculously large paper clips as well.   i once again went with my kiwi bird parade fabric  (since a single bird fits so nicely on these buttons) and some marimekko fabric.  

then i decided to make a set of thumbtacks with some of my linen hedgehog fabric that also proved very difficult to use-- plus a bunch of other japanese fabric quarters that my mom bought for me many years ago.

although i technically don't really need them, i brought a tin of these to the office and randomly stuck them into my cubicle walls.  i also keep a few of the paper clips on my desk for good measure. 

whatever makes the work day better, right?

thinking of you easel card

nothing like a handmade card to make your day brighter.   i just received this card out of the blue from a dear, personal friend back in texas- thescrappybug on etsy.

i feel so special.

i am always so impressed with her paper craftiness.

i wasn't smart enough to figure out on my own that it was an easel card.  

it's the little things in life.  really.