crafting in february

 i feel like i've been crafting a lot lately & it really makes me happy. i've missed just sitting & crafting for a couple of hours. valentine's day gave me the excuse to make a few handmade cards : )

i was lucky to have some pompom wire on hand to add to my valentines. i also used the app called over to create the cards!

 lizzie, my mom, & i celebrated galentine's day together with brunch on february 13th. the one rule was that we had to come with handmade galentine cards ;)

 my mom blew both lizzie & i away with her handmade cards! (the ones she is holding in the photo aren't hers but ours)

i also made a card for miguel using a photo that he had sent me found somewhere on instagram. it was perfect because he loves squirrels & i think kitties are awesome. i added some corny wordage & that was that ;)

 he seemed to like it ;) hehe. he brought me home some valentine flowers & we cooked dinner together. we had never deep fried anything before, but everything turned out pretty well!

my shop had it's first etsy order! so i made some quick thank you notes with over & wrapped up the order all pretty : )

i've also been writing letters & getting packages together. i would really like to get some sort of zine made. i'm not quite sure about what kind of zine yet, but i would like to have something that i can trade for other zines. if any of you are zine makers, please let me know! i would like to network with you : )

one last thing - i booked my ticket to thailand! soon i'll be seeing my sister for a whole two weeks! yay!

link love:

• i visited my pastor's home last night to drop of some of my famous peanut butter cookies for his birthday & him & his wife have two energetic boys with toys around like they were having some serious fun. when i have kids, i think this collection of tips will be quite useful.
• i am in love with this kitchen. (i probably wouldn't want it for myself, but i am in love with it just the same.)
• these towels just seem so cool & stylish. i want one. or many ;)
• i have a package of gnocchi in the cupboard & i think i'll be making this recipe with it soon.
• i'm on kind of an air plant kick & am looking for a project for my arts & crafts group. this project might be a possibility for next month.
• loved these scarf styles from a cup of jo!
• i'll be making a trip to this new gallery/vintage shop/coffee shop/workshop in the near future!

love day

happy valentine's day! hope you have a day of love :)

the boyfriend & i are cooking this & this together for dinner. date night in tonight!

two years

 miguel & i celebrated two years together on february 6th! we spent the day together, beginning to end. he had to get to campus early to work on an architecture project, so we picked up breakfast at starbucks on the way.

 miguel's second class was cancelled so he surprised me with ramen!

 we have a trip that we will be taking soon for our two year anniversary when we both have days off of work. so for the actual day, miguel had the cute idea to reenact our very first date ;)

now, i didn't realize we were on our first date when were. it kind of just happened. he had asked me to go to target with him to help him pick out christmas gifts for his nieces. then he asked me if i was hungry & we went to california pizza kitchen. after dinner he said he wanted to do something else with me, so we went to a movie. & that was that.

& that is just what we did to celebrate! a trip to target, dinner at california pizza kitchen, & monuments men. we bought each other candles from target ;) it was overall a really cute night.

here's to many more anniversaries!

rain

it's been raining lately! this makes mostly really happy as i love the rain & the way it makes me feel (cozy). what i am discovering i don't love about the rain is driving in it. i had to drive the hour back home from miguel's in rain & fog so bad that i could barely see the car in front of me. not fun.

but what i do love is my grapefruit spoon ;)

also, i love euphorbia lactea cristata. when i went to a canning workshop (& made some cans & jellies!), a lady had this one with her. i loved how it looked. she called it a mutant plant because it was grafted. i wanted one. so, when i was at home depot this past week with my parents, my mom found one! so below with the yellow background is my new mutant plant : )

 i was at home depot picking up supplies for my arts & crafts project meeting that lizzie & i teach. we made sea creature magnets using this diy project from design sponge. unfortunately the silver paint didn't dry right, but the gold turned out great! plus it was so simple.

i have another app to share with you! paperless post has an app that i think is pretty awesome. it has a ton of paperless greetings that you can send out: invites, birthday cards, valentines day cards, etc. they even have a pretty fulfilling free section : ) i made this card for miguel, just for fun. (we celebrated two years together on thursday! but more on that in another post.)

i also want to share this brilliant amelie inspired video that rachel rector made to kickstart her campaign. i've been following rachel's blog since 2010 & it has been neat to watch her love of making lingerie grow.

that's all for tonight. stay warm & cozy in this rain!

ending january

 january was a pretty good month. i've been trying to enjoy the little things in life. i've been doing alright with my resolutions. could be doing better, but i'm not discouraged. i'm trying & that's what counts. i've been using the app called lift to help me stay on track by counting each day i "check in" to a specific goal like "morning walk" or "drink more water". although i've been forgetting to actually count my successes with the app, i still recommend it.

i've been cherishing the time spent with my parents as i know that once i get a job & eventually move out, i'll be seeing them less & less. sunday breakfast & exploring is always fun : )

 i spent this past week at miguel's. it wasn't planned, but it was a nice surprise. miguel just switched his major from accounting to architecture & i couldn't be more excited. while he was good at accounting, architecture was more of his passion. i think it is a good change for him & he is actually thrilled for this semester.

while miguel was in class, i spent most of my time on campus with him but in the library, watching parenthood (just got addicted to this show!), applying to jobs & reading old books i never finished & anthology issue 12 with a spread of katie's lovely home.

 when miguel wasn't in class, we were out eating bento box & bibimbap & going to architecture events like documentary film screenings & gallery openings.

when we weren't out & about, we were home having heart-to-hearts & watching the office. we are on the last season now & are trying to figure out what we will watch next. any suggestions?

this week is our two year anniversary & we have a mini trip in the works. we won't be taking our trip until march, but it's exciting to plan : )

& that is the end of january! i'll leave you with some love.

also, happy february!

link love:

• loving this californian scandinavian style house!
• air plants rock
• my favorite vegan pasta dish
• i want to stay here

diy bean bag tutorial

 last month i was invited to two little boys' (brothers) birthday party. on the invitation was the following request: simple, recycled, or used gifts are welcome but not expected. we value your presence more than presents. cute & awesome right? anyways, being short on cash lately, i thought, "yes! this is perfect. i'll make them something!" & thus i began my pinterest search for handmade toys. i found a couple of ideas, but didn't trust my painting or sewing skills to that extent. then my mom had an idea of sewing simple bean bags & i thought, "easy enough!"

 all i did was find some scratch fabric i had (including some old jeans) & use pinking shears to cut out 4 inch square pieces. i used cute transportation flannel for one side of both sets & the jean & red gingham for the backs (so the boys can easily tell whose is whose).

 i then zig-zag sewed around three sides to form a "pocket", added 1/3 cup of beans from the cupboard, & sewed the pocket shut.

 i thought they turned out really cute. i had some jean left over & decided to sew little bags to store the bean bags in. such a simple gift & i had such fun making it. it felt good to be crafting again!