The Blush List 7/31

Here are a few happy and colorful finds to brighten your day....

Knitting // the beekeeper's quilt pattern by tiny owl knits

Crochet // Grannysquare Blanket N005 by Sandra Juto 

Etsy // Camera cookie gift box from manjar

Style // Anything found on the Wear Color tumblr. (Photos: Vanessa Jackman & Fancy Treehouse)

Art // girl with bow by hollandsworth 

Food // peach donuts glazed with white chocolate and pistachios recipe via Veggie Wedgie 

How was everyone's weekend? I need to stop being so surprised by it, but I was shockingly productive. There are lots of new things coming to the shop this week! You should also keep an eye out for a special birthday month giveaway this week too! ;-)

Have a lovely Sunday.

Weekend Plans: 7/30-7/31

Oh hello Weekend...it's nice to see you again. Here are a few things going on...

-It's time to wrap up July and get ready for August! My favorite month going to be busy and wonderful.
-Watch Season 5 of Psych...I'm almost caught up.
-I'm trying my best not to freak out that the words "London" and"next summer" are being said in hushed tones around here. (Oh and I received my first order from England this week!)
-Make some more bows with this beautifully colorful yarn that came in the mail today.
-Snap some pictures with an *early* birthday present from my parents...a Fujifilm Instax 210! I love it so much!

Now I'm about to pop in a Psych disc, have some ice cream and get crafty!

What are your plans for the weekend? I hope it's wonderful! :-)

Doodles

My brain has been whirring with all sorts of new ideas for the shop and blog. Feeling all of this inspiration is really exciting, but it also stresses me out a little. I'm the champion of turning good things into bad things...haha. 

Since I can't show you my haphazard drawings and notes for the shop, I wanted to show you one of my doodle pages. I imagine these pages are basically what my brain looks like from the inside....

"What is going on up there??" ;-) 

Finished Crochet Baby Blanket

Did you think I'd forgotten about this baby blanket for my friend's new (and probably shivering at this point) baby boy? ;-) 

I can't believe it took me so long to finish. To see just how long, you can find some progress pics here and here. 

I'm really happy with the finished product though. I didn't want the colors to be too baby-ish so that little Jonah can carry it around with him for years to come. For now, I take comfort that he can finally snuggle up in this blanket that was made just for him. 

Ok it's time to get serious. I really can't tackle anymore personal projects until...January. The fall knitting season is almost here! And hopefully, *fingers crossed*, I will be knitting like a mad woman for my first craft show in the fall!!

How was everyone's weekend? I hope you have a lovely Monday.

The Blush List

I love a good favorite things blog post. I always find something new to obsess over and I get to know my favorite bloggers' aesthetic a little bit more. So I decided to start up my own "blush list" and share what I find in all of my favorite things: knitting, crochet, Etsy, style, art and food. Enjoy! 

Knitting // Blues: Knitting with Sewing Thread via Annekata 

Crochet // I love this beautiful dress guard from Simeli via Here's Looking at me Kid.

Etsy // Cute and colorful. Dots, birds, and bunting teapot via Ninainvorm

Style // Lovely blue hair via Goth Reform School. I'm a little nervous about this, but in a few weeks I'm going to do something similar to my hair. Can you believe it? The girl who shrunk at the thought of wearing red lipstick in public is getting blue hair?! Talk about blogging for confidence...

Art // Intricate and inspiring Embroidered Illustrations by Jazmin Berakha



Food // Check out this scrumptious apple galette video from rachelchew on Vimeo.

I hope you found some inspiration and a smile or two somewhere in this post. Happy Sunday!

Blogging for Confidence #5 - Knitting in Public

Yesterday I left my house and general sense of security behind for the afternoon and took my first attempt at knitting in public. I even went to a new-to-me coffeehouse to make it an even bigger adventure. 

*Ahem*...clearly I am not an adventurous person...but you get the idea. 

I went in and ordered a chai tea and lemon scone. At least if I chickened out and didn't knit a stitch or take a single picture, I would have something yummy to comfort my shame. Somehow I managed to find a seat amongst a sea of laptops. I needed a spot where I could take ridiculous photo booth pictures and the smallest number of people would be aware of the strange blogger in their midst...(Exhibit A: see photo above). 

The tea and scone were insanely delicious! I hesitantly pulled out my big camera to take some photos of everything. Uh oh. Nervous again. I snapped my first picture thinking everyone in the quiet coffeehouse would look at me all at once, glaring from behind their books and laptop screens. Realistic, right?! HA! Shock of all shocks, no one seemed to notice or care about what I was doing in my own little corner. I finally pulled out my needles and started knitting away. Only one guy gave me a look when he got up to put up his plate, but other than that, I just sat knitting in peace. I only used my computer to take a few pictures and then quickly put it away so I wouldn't use it as a screen to hide behind. 

I'm not really sure why the thought of knitting in public makes me so nervous. I mean, I'm not ashamed of being a knitter! I even feel a little proud when I get the chance to tell someone that I knit. It's one of the few times in my life that I fully accept one of my oddities. So why wouldn't I want to go knitting all over town? No idea. I really enjoyed leaving the safety of my couch and the atmosphere of a coffee shop with other people, feeding off of each other's concentration. I think I finally understand all of the fuss about knitting in public! 

Oh dear...

Another successful challenge complete! I can't wait to go back to Crooked Tree, especially in the winter, and knit myself silly. 

Thanks for all of your sweet comments on my other Blogging for Confidence posts! They are so encouraging. I've also noticed that quite a few of you have grabbed one of the buttons and joined in on the challenge. That is so great! You can always put the links to your posts in the comments box or just send me an e-mail! 

Have a great day everyone. 

Knitting and Crochet Inspiration - Sit on Knit...

...Or crochet. It all looks incredibly comfortable though, doesn't it?

via HandMaid Liset

Floor cushion crochet - la casa decoto

Chairwear - Claire-Ann O'Brien

Knit stools - Claire-Ann O'Brien

Hand Knitted Cream Armchair Slip Cover - Biscuit Scout

a bit of 'lo and beholdness' continued... - dottie angel 

Puff Daddy Knitted Stool Pattern - Pickles 

I would love to incorporate knitting and crochet into the furniture in my home. The last picture of the "puff daddy" knitted stool is linked to the pattern and I am dying to give it a try! If only I had time for another personal project...

Weekend Plans 7/16-7/17

So I really enjoyed my weekend plans post from last week that I thought I would try and do a little layout for every weekend! Plus, it's easier for me to plan two days ahead than for the whole week. This is the plan:

-Sport minimal makeup and beach waves because of the 100 degree heat.

-Write a letter to my pen pal. 

-Photograph and list some new accessories in the shop.

-Keep re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! I was a bad fan and couldn't see the movie at the midnight showing, but I saw it yesterday and LOVED it. I'm such a Potter-nerd. 

-Take my Instax photo for the week. Oops! I haven't done it yet! 

I always love to hear what you guys are up to on the weekends! I hope you have a great and relaxing time! :)

Blogging for Confidence #4 - Dealing with Doubt

{hello jenuine}

If doubting and fear were Olympic sports, I would totally pull a "Michael Phelps" and win every medal. 

This was a "what am I doing with my life" kind of week. Here are just a few of the questions that have been running through my mind:

- Is the time I spend blogging taking away from my future?

- Is my Etsy shop just a waste of time and money?

- What do I really want to do in the "real world"?

- Where will I be a year from now?

- Blogging and Etsy weren't in the plan when I started college. So, what's the point of all this? 

- Which came first, the chicken or the egg?? (Ok...not that one...but still a puzzling issue.)

I broke down yesterday when all of these questions hit me at once. I can see myself graduating and walking across the stage a year from now, but what exactly will I be walking towards? That's why I love this print from Hello Jenuine. I can make plans for the future and then proceed to question everything in my life, or I can just do what I love and let the rest fall into place. 

What would I do without Etsy and blogging in my life? I really have no idea. I am so thankful to have two such powerful creative passions and I need shouldn't doubt something so positive. 

I love to knit. I love to blog. It seems like at least a few other people enjoy my passions too. No doubt about it. :-)

I guess this challenge wasn't as literal as wearing red lipstick and taking pictures in a yarn shop. However, being a girl that doesn't open up too often, I would say admitting my doubts and fears is quite a big step.

I don't want to go through life doubting every step I take. If I'm being honest, blogging and Etsy have brought a lot of questions into my life. But I know that they've both helped me get one step closer to understanding my strengths and gaining more confidence. However, I have no doubt that these creative experiences will ultimately help me decide what I want to do with my life and how I want to live it.  

*To see my previous Blogging for Confidence posts, click here. 

*Want to join the challenge? Grab a button! 

Have a great weekend everyone! :-)