A few weekends ago I felt silly so I followed Color Me Katie's lead and made some fun chalk footprints in my backyard. The rain washed them away last week, but they brightened up the backyard so much while they were there!

On Saturday I went to a huge neighborhood yard sale. There were over 100 houses participating! I got a little overwhelmed and it felt weird to drive from one cluster of sales to another, but they were too spaced out to walk (and how would you transport your treasures?!). I had spring cleaning on the mind so I was able to stay pretty focused, and when I saw this wood shelf I knew it would be perfect for storing my fabric. I was right, and with room for more!

It makes me smile every time I walk by…

I just finished up making four little coin purses out of felt and have posted them in my Etsy shop. It's so much fun working with felt because you don't have to finish every seam as you do with fabric.

Origami Coin Purse in Mustard

Coin Purse with Mustard Flowers

Coin Purse with Blue and Yellow Flowers

Origami Coin Purse in Mustard and Yellow

Take a look!

Yesterday it was pouring rain most of the day, but right when I got off of work the clouds had parted and there was the largest, brightest, most colorful rainbow I've ever seen. A double rainbow. Everyone around me driving home from work had huge smiles on their faces, and people had come out of houses to point and grin. I think the effect it had on people was almost more fun than having a cool rainbow to look at. I was grinning ear to ear all the way home.

Two weeks ago Jay and I celebrated our one year anniversary in Yosemite. I booked a cute little cabin as a surprise and planned out a route for us to go snowshoeing. I had never been to Yosemite before and was excited to make my first trip there while everything was coated in snow.

I wasn't able to keep things a secret for long, but it made planning for the trip that much more fun having someone to get excited with.

The drive there ended up being long and we were blasted with rain and snow, but once we got there everything was so peaceful and gorgeous it was easy to relax again. The entire valley was filled with clouds and rain, but everything cleared up for us the following morning.

We woke early and took a shuttle to the Badger Pass ski area to rent our snow shoes. We quickly made the trek out to Dewey Point (3.5 miles +) where we could view the entire valley from way-up-high. The clear blue sky acted as a backdrop to the most spectacular views. Mountain ranges stretched out as far as the eye could see, the sheer rock formations made such a dramatic statement with white snow accenting every last crag, and each tree branch had a perfect white fluffy covering.

For me snowshoeing was the perfect first exposure to Yosemite. I caught glimpses of what lies beneath the fields of smooth white snow, but having only seen small pieces I was able to appreciate each scene individually and didn't get lost in the splendor of beauty that Yosemite has to offer when fully exposed. I built a partial picture of things and can't wait to gradually fill in the blanks when the snow melts away.

I just posted two sweet little tote bags to my etsy site. They are both blue and white striped, one with lemon accents and one with lime accents. I was tempted to keep them for myself to use for the market, but I decided to share...

Last weekend I had one of those days where nothing seemed inspiring and every project I picked up seemed to go wrong. I just felt off. I was impatient with sewing, didn't feel like cleaning and wasn't feeling creative enough to start a new project. Once there was a brief break in the rain I decided to take Bella out for a walk in order to find some inspiration.

If there's one thing I can always count on it's that nature will always have something to give. Some bright flicker of color, interesting texture or captivating surprise is always awaiting. One of my favorite quotes is one by Frank Lloyd Wright, " Stay close to nature. It will never fail you." And nature didn't disappoint, I found just what I was looking for out in the fresh rain-filled air; a sense of peace and some much needed motivation. After returning I was awash with ideas and had plenty of energy to dive in to the projects I had wanted to work on earlier in the day. And of course, I took plenty of pictures on my walk to share…

This is my favorite shot from the day, Bella had just had her first haircut ever and there were droplets of misty rain all over her fur.

I made a long list of New Year's resolutions this year. I'm hoping that by having a few of the main items listed here, I'll be more likely to check in with myself at the beginning of next year to see how I did. I think this year I've managed to list things that are much more specific than I have in past years. I'm pretty sure that's a sign that I have more concrete goals and am not aspiring to generalities, which will in turn lead to me actually reaching my goals. I guess we'll see. And now, my list of resolutions for 2010:

• Turn off the lights when not in use.
• Work on my handwriting, script and calligraphy specifically.
• Shop at farmer's markets more.
• Learn how to use my old Leica camera correctly.
• Finish the quilt I started last year for my good friends' wedding before their 1 year anniversary.
• Finish all the books in my 'to read' pile.
• Walk Bella every morning.
• Be more patient.
• Plant a successful garden.
• Buy less in general, buy less items that are manufactured in other countries.
• Make a few skirts and at least one dress before spring time.
• Cut down on my overall sugar intake.
• Think about starting a ladies activity group where each meeting is hosted by someone who teaches a new skill/craft.
• Get a physical checkup.
• Balance my checkbook.
• Take a multivitamin and calicium every day.
• Take part in a craft fair as a vendor.
• Stay in better touch with friends and send surprise packages or letters.
• Make a few new friends.
• Learn how to screen print.
• Save up for and purchase a new computer.
• Add a new item to Etsy every two weeks.
• Blog at least once a week.
• Do more silly creative things that make me happy.
• Travel more.
• Be brave.

I think so far I've actually done pretty well. The small everyday things are easy to incorporate into your life and make into habits, it's the bigger things (most of which aren't listed here) that will be much more difficult. Wish me luck!

I planted ten paperwhite bulbs again this year and they are just starting to bloom. They should all be blooming just in time for Christmas, what perfect timing!

This year I bought them much later than I should have, but planted them at the exact right time. I had to dig around in the bottom of a bucket to scrounge up what was left at my local nursery after Thanksgiving. I was actually afraid they wouldn't grow at all, they were so sad and sickly looking. But here they are now, standing tall and looking healthy. They've been growing an average of 1/2" per day, which is astounding to think about.

I actually think they smell kind of stinky, but they are so pretty I keep planting them every year. If you are lacking a green thumb, you should definitely give these lovelies a try!

Thanksgiving isn't until tomorrow, but because I'll likely be too busy eating (everything but the turkey!) I thought I'd make a quick list of what I'm really thankful for today:

• My health, which is so easy to take for granted when you are healthy.
• A wonderful boyfriend who constantly amazes me and finds additional ways to make me feel loved and appreciated, there is always a huge feeling of being hugged inside of my heart because of him.
• A great job that I love, especially since so many do not even have a job period right now.
• Friends who each offer me different things that enrich my life every day, whether they mean to or not.
• A wonderful mom that I can always count on for advice, good food and friendship.
• All of the fantastic things that nature has to offer us; great food to eat, places to explore and more beauty than any one person can take in during a lifetime.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

This weekend I finished up a batch of wine gift bags to put in my Etsy store. I am vowing to never sew circles again. Not fun. But they turned out adorable and are so useful, so snatch 'em up and give them away with your favorite wine or bubbly! The holidays are just around the corner…

I've added a cute little drawstring bag to my Etsy shop. Perfect for wrapping a special gift or storing your whozits and whatzits galore! Take a look here.

I haven't really gotten excited about Halloween since the days of orange plastic pumpkins (or pillowcases!) and Trick-or-Treating. I'd have to say it ranks pretty low on my list of favorite holidays, but this year I'm actually getting into it.

I went to the pumpkin patch with J a few weeks ago and got a few awesome looking pumpkins. We went to a small local organic farm and were the first pumpkin customers of the season, meaning we got first dibs on the best pumpkins. We're going to carve them later this week and bake the pumpkin seeds using a few different seasonings for some yummy snacks.

I also made a batch of Halloween cards. I cut out squares of orange paper using pinking shears, then cut out pumpkin outlines using an exacto knife. The best part was coming up with different faces for each pumpkin. Sorry if you get one in the mail and this post ruined the surprise!

And the thing I'm really getting excited about are J and my costumes! Not going to say what they are, but I think they're going to turn out really spectacular. And they shouldn't require that much time to make, which makes them even better. I'll post some pictures when they're done!

I am so excited to have finally finished this quilt!

I've had two yards of two Amy Butler fabrics sitting around forever just begging to be a part of some crafting magic. I finally sat myself down and designed a quilt that would highlight their colors and patterns. I found a solid yellow fabric in just the right shade of yellow, and next thing I knew I had hundreds of triangles cut out. I am so thrilled with the result, I am especially happy with the fun zig-zag quilting. Check out this quilt and my other items at www.parallaxquilts.etsy.com. 

I'm all for rain when we haven't had any in a long time, but the storm we had on Tuesday was a bit much as far as gently easing into Winter. I was, of course, still wearing a skirt and refusing to believe that it's Fall. I don't know why I do that to myself. I know it's cold out – I try on a few pairs of pants even – but I can't bring myself to commit to warm clothing until it's absolutely necessary. I'm still holding out for those last few days of sunshine and making myself miserable during the first few cold ones.

When I got home from work I found my sweet innocent little cherry tree laying on the ground. Another victim of the wind. The landscapers let my landlords know they'd take care of it the next day for us. Knowing that it would be taken down soon did not make the chainsaws that woke me up at 12:45 a.m. any less frightening! I am pretty sure that my landscapers weren't working extreme overtime and that someone stole my fallen cherry tree. Why? Firewood, basket weaving materials – I've no idea. I will miss it though.