hello, 2011!

Today is the last day of 2010.

Tomorrow is the first day of 2011.

Wow, time seems to fly!

There are some things that I definitely would like to accomplish in 2011.

And Mique posted this fabulous printable that I'm going to use for sure!

{Thanks, Mique!}

There are some things I'm determined to do, some that I'm

still deciding on, and of course, just for fun!

I'll be posting more on the things I'd like to accomplish in 2011 later.

In the meantime, I hope you & yours have a safe and happy New Year!

a {white} Christmas!

Yep, I had a very white, snowy Christmas!

It was quite lovely. My family & I went sledding, threw snowballs,

made a {very small} snowman...a great way to spend our holiday!

{a little background: I always thought that I hated snow, but then I realized that the last time I saw snow, I was only 7 years old. I think all I remember was being really cold!}

We made it home last night, and I'm very glad to be home.

My own bed to sleep in, all my various projects in easy reach,

a little warmer weather, and Target & Starbucks only 5 minutes aways! :)

There's still time to leave a comment here to win a special surprise from me to you.

I'll be announcing the winner on Monday.

Have a lovely day!

merry christmas! {& a giveaway}

{lovely photo via}

Because it's Christmastime,

and because I love all of you readers...

I wanted to give something away to one of you!

Of course, if I could, I'd give each and every one of you a gift,

but you know how it is. :)

I'll be putting together a special surprise gift,

which might include some Petunia Blooms lovelies.

I promise it'll be good!

To enter, just leave a comment.

Blog & tweet it for extra entries.

Merry Christmas!

{open to US only, please. the winner will be randomly chosen and announced January 3rd.}

{the holidays}

{source}

For as long as I can remember, Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year.

The music, the lights, decorating the tree, putting out the nativity, buying/making & wrapping up gifts, etc, etc.

My sisters and I would always tumble out of bed as early as possible.

Retrieve our stockings and wait {rather impatiently} until we could wake up our parents.

But before we open any gifts, we stop.

We read about the true reason for the wonderful Christmas season.

We give thanks for the many blessings we've been given.

And it's always made for a wonderful Christmas morning.

*****

We will be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning to spend Christmas with my grandparents.

There will be a special post going up on Christmas Eve, and then it'll be

pretty quiet around here until I get back.

I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful holiday!

{diy} a pennant banner

thanks so much for all the sweet birthday wishes yesterday! {{hugs}} to you all!

*****

Several years ago, my mom got a birthday banner that she puts up for every. single. birthday.

She loves it. Me? Not so much...

I should have snapped a picture of it, but just imagine

pink, purple, yellow and tootsie rolls. Not my style at all!

I decided that a new birthday banner was in order. So I made one myself!

I love these pennant-type banners :: I like the neutrality, with the ability to dress it up if you want to. It was really easy to put together, with just a little time and effort.

I used:

- kraft cardstock paper

{bought at Michael's in a pack of 50 for $3.99, used a coupon}

- letter stencils

{you could buy these, or make your own. i printed the letters

out on plain cardstock and cut them out very carefully to make the stencils.

this was the most time-consuming part!}

- a sharpie or other marker

- ribbon

- hole punch

-small silver brads

{i got these at Michael's a couple of years ago}

Once you've gathered your supplies, you'll need to cut out the pennant shapes.

I made my own template, and it's easy to customize the size you want.

I was able to cut 3 pennants out of one 8.5x11 sheet of cardstock.

If you aren't sure of the size, play around with it.

Next, trace out the letters onto the pennants.

I made 2 banners, "hurray" & "happy birthday".

Once I got the outlines traced, I filled them in with a black sharpie.

I used mini brads, so I ended up punching the holes with my paper piercer.

Then I just attached all of the pennants together.

The brads make it easy to fold up the banner to store it.

Last step!

Punch holes at each end of the banner and string some ribbon through for hanging.

See?

I love it!

And it's so easy to personalize for any occasion.

I used the instructions from Erin's blog for the paper "thing" {I'm not sure what it's called!} - I just added a '20' to the middle for fun!

Happy crafting!

{celebrating 20}

{via Martha Stewart}

This past Friday, the sweetheart, my family and a handful of

dear friends got together to celebrate 20 years.

It was one of the nicest birthdays I've had, I think.

No, 20 is not really that old {I know}, but saying that I'm 20 instead

of 19 makes me feel more "official", sort of.

I had a lovely time. :)

A couple of friends who live farther away came for dinner, and everyone else came over for some very yummy red velvet cupcakes. We went to see The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

It was very laid back, simple, but still fun.

I made a couple of pennant banners and a cake topper that I'll {hopefully} be sharing soon.

My sister made the cupcakes, and we used this delicious frosting.

Since my birthday is on Christmas Day, it was nice to take a separate day to celebrate.

Even with company coming over, I don't think I lifted a finger {many thanks to my sisters for all the work they did!}. Not having to clean up is a gift in and of itself!

How do you celebrate birthdays?

Do you have a favorite birthday memory?

{lovely finds} dishware

do tell - which of these sets do you like the best?

American Simplicity from Target

Vine Floral & Villa

{sunshine and carousels} - DIY gift toppers!

I just happened upon this lovely post from Erin {sunshine and carousels}, and I just had to share!

See all those gorgeous gifts?

{Wrapping presents is one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season, actually!}

For my gifts, I went for the simple look, "brown paper packages tied up with string".

Erin posted all sorts of lovely topper ideas, and I plan on making at least a few of them.

Be sure to read Erin's post for fabulous ideas & directions - I know you'll love it, too!

{wednesday wishlist}

I guest-posted this wishlist at Allora Handmade last week - if you missed it, enjoy!

*****

Hello! It's Jacky from The Sweetest Petunia, and I'm so excited to be here today. :)

{hey, it's me!}

It seems like lovely things are always catching my eye.

I had a terrible time paring down my favorites to my absolute favorites!

But here they are, the top 5 pretties on my wishlist right now...

{1} You're the Cream in my Coffee necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs

This necklace has been at the top of my list for quite awhile now - I'd choose the skinny tag with "happy" stamped on it.

{2} Westbury Self Inking Custom Stamp from NoteTrunk

Love this! I just can't decide if I'd personalize it with my address or my shop info...

{3} Mr. Darcy Proposal Mug from Brookish

Yes, I adore Austen & Mr. Darcy. This mug would be perfect for my morning coffee!

{4} Black Plum Lip Balm from Flourish

Doesn't this look yummy?!

{5} Jane Austen Silhouette top from DearLillie

I think I almost died when I saw this. And then I told my sweetheart all about it & sent him the link...

because I'd really love to make it mine!

What loveliness have you added to your wishlist lately?

Happy Wednesday!

{this week...}

{cowl by yarn plus yarn}

I am SO cold! It's 50* here {nothing compared to Miss Gussy's -5*, but still}, and I am not used to these temperatures. I'm bundling up in boots & scarves!

{via}

Most of my gifts are made/bought, but I need to finish wrapping!

I love the "brown paper packages tied up with string" look;

This year I went with kraft paper, burgundy & bronze ribbon, and reindeer gift tags.

{banner by LittleBirdsBoutique}

We're celebrating my birthday on Friday!

The sweetheart, some friends and I are going to see this movie, and eating some of these cupcakes.

I'm very, very excited. :)

What are you up to this week?

{lovely finds} for your hair

I love to dress up my curls with headbands and hairpins. Here are a few pretties to inspire you...

{for your hair}

merlot hairpins by miabeads

{I actually love that whole section in her shop!}

tess. antique purple headband by paisleelane

{I have my own Paislee Lane headband, and it's my favorite! So sweet & cute.}

min lou - rosette hairpins by lovestitched

creamy violet headband by prettylittleme

*****

Do you have a favorite hair accessory?

I love the easy simplicity of headbands, and I also have some cute flower

hairpins that I love. My only problem is that I wish I had more colors! :)

{a lovely mug}

Isn't it lovely?!

Many thanks to Shannon for sending this beautiful mug to me.

The colors are perfect {some of my favorites!}, and I'm going to love sipping my coffee from it!

(I participated in the Craftaholics Anonymous Handmade Gift Exchange.)

{cold hands, warm hearts}

 I was SO excited to be able to participate in the Cold Hands, Warm Hearts swap, hosted by the lovely Sandy a la Mode and Much Love, Illy {love them both!}. My sweet swap partner is Kate from Be merry, Kate.It was so fun to get her package in the mail, pink bubble wrap and all! 

She went me some cute raspberry gloves with grey trim...

a lovely new mug, a handy purse hanger, a recipe to try, 

nail polish {the pink is on my fingernails now!},

and a sweet handwritten note. Yay!

Kate, thank you so, SO much for the gift.

I love all of it, and I'm glad we were able to "meet"!

*****

You can also see the package I sent to Kate, right here.

Many thanks to Sandy & Ilene for hosting and organizing!

{current} favorite christmas song

I just love Christmas music.

I had to force myself to wait until after Thanksgiving to turn it on.

I got Bebo Norman's Christmas album this year,

and I absolutely adore this song, Come and Worship.

It's beautiful.

Enjoy!

creating a {mostly} handmade holiday

{source}

I love handmade. I really, really do.

So this year for Christmas, I decided that I wanted to make as many gifts as I could.

I'm almost done!

My gift list included an array of crocheted projects, sewing, and a little hot glue. :)

I found three ideas that would be so fun to give as gifts, just in case you need some ideas.

{a flower}

via Trey and Lucy

I made a few of these flowers {in a smaller size} into pins.

They're so lovely, and really, really easy.

I just hot-glued mine instead of sewing them.

{one-hour neckwarmer}

via good knits

If you know how to crochet, this is the perfect easy gift idea.

I've made three of these already!

{and many thanks to Lisa for sharing it with us!}

{ruffled pouch}

via life in grace

I haven't made this pouch {although I have made some other ruffled goodies for gifts},

but it looks so cute, and the step-by-step instructions look fairly simple.

Edie also hosted a {12 Days of Handmade Christmas} if you need more ideas!

What have you been making lately?

{lovely finds} knit

I'll be taking a break from {color love} for a little while, and instead, simply share some lovely finds every Friday. I hope you enjoy it!

*****

{knit}

knit slouchy hat by good knits

knitted yellow bag by NzL bags

cypress cowl in oatmeal by black haired broad designs

cable knit fingerless gloves by PLBCrafter

*****

have a lovely weekend!

{brrrr...}

source

{no, it's not quite that cold...*wink*}

I've lived in Florida my entire life.

I do love it, but I also love cold Christmases.

To me, it's not quite right to be able to wear shorts on Christmas Day...

I woke up this morning to 45*!

{and it feels like 37*}

Needless to say, this Florida girl is shivering.

But I'm excited to bundle up in scarves & sweaters, and I hope this weather lasts!

What's the weather like where you live?

{25 days}

{source}

I adore Christmastime.

It's my most favorite time of the year!

And Christmas is only 25 days away...

Oh, and my birthday also happens to be on Christmas day, so that's even more excitement!

I love listening to the classic Christmas tunes, decorating the tree, finding gifts for family & friends, wrapping up the gifts, baking holiday treats, and all of the other fun of the season.

What's your favorite part of Christmastime?

from the archives :: {easy as pie}

You may have had your fill of pies this Thanksgiving, but I thought I'd share this with you anyway. Enjoy!

*****

Apple Pie, that is!

Today I thought I'd share my "famous" apple pie recipe with y'all. It may only be famous with the people at my church, but I think it's still pretty good. And it's easy. Which makes it all the better!

When I first started baking pies, I jumped around to several different recipes. They were all pretty simple...but I kept losing the one I had used before and having to find a new one. Pretty pathetic, huh? This recipe (that I've actually hung on to) is kind of a revised version of one I found in the 12th edition Fannie Farmer cookbook. If you cared to know.

Moving on now...

The main thing I do when I make pies is cheat:

Yep, I use the pre-made stuff. And I haven't ever noticed a difference, so it must be pretty good. I've also started pre-baking the bottom crust, because I found that otherwise, it could be pretty raw underneath all the apple goodness. So, to start off, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the pie crust in your pie pan (8 or 9 inches), and pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes. Be sure to check on it fairly frequently to prevent burning. When it's lightly browned, take it out and leave it to cool while you move on to the filling.

Even though you pricked holes in the crust, they still might get a little bubbly. Don't worry, it's pretty easy to push the air out with a fork/spoon. Just be careful not to tear a hole in the crust! It doesn't have to be too pretty, cause it will be hidden by the filling.

Next, take 7 or 8 large, tart apples and peel, core and slice them. You can use and apple peeler/corer gadget, or just a good old fashioned knife. Whatever you have handy.

Now for the sugar and spice mixture. You'll need:

• 3/4 - 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. flour

Use a seperate, smallish bowl and mix all of that together.

Then pour that mixture over the apples, mixing as you go. You may not need all of the sugar/spice mixture, depending on how you like it.

Now pour the apple mixture into the pre-baked pie crust. If you like, you can also soften 2 Tbsp. of butter to dot all over it (before you put the top crust on).

How you do the top crust is perfectly up to you. You can just unroll it, place it over the apples, pinch the edges, cut some holes (decorative, perhaps?), and bake it that way. For apple pies, I usually do a woven top.

If you prefer a woven top, unroll the crust onto a large plate and cut it into similarly sized strips. Then lay over the top of the pie in different directions to give it that woven look.

Trim the edges and pinch it together.

Now all you have to do is bake! Bake it at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30-40 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on it; it's done when the apples are tender and the crust lightly browned. The edges of the crust sometimes tend to burn, so be careful!

You know the only thing I forgot? To take a picture of the finished pie. Whoops!

But it's as easy as that. If you have any questions, let me know!

Now it's your turn; do you have any easy recipes you love to make? It doesn't have to be a dessert. Tell me about it, I'd love to hear it!

*****

originally posted September 2009

hello & {blogiversary winners}!

Good morning, lovelies!

I hope your Thanksgiving holiday was just wonderful. :)

Unfortunately, almost all of my cousins were sick this year...fortunately I haven't caught anything {yet!}.

I do enjoy holidays, but I'm ready to get back to my normal "schedule".

*****

Finally, here are the {randomly chosen} winners from the blogiversary giveaways!

Mandipidy - ~Haley~

Moxie Mandie - Prudy

Designs by Jessie - Mandy [Mandipidy]

Hiya Luv Handmade - Ashley Hasty

Sandy a la Mode - Kai Mercado

Winners, please send me an email.

If I don't hear from you by the end of the week, I'll be choosing new winner, so don't delay!

*****

I'm hoping to return to "normal" blogging as of tomorrow...see you then!

{happy thanksgiving}

{source}

Today I will be baking apple pies, cleaning up, crafting Christmas gifts, trying desperately not to listen to Christmas music until Friday, and pondering all the blessings I have.

Hoping you & yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

*****

I'll be back on Monday to announce the giveaway winners!

it's almost thanksgiving {& a discount code!}

I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is this week.

Where has this year gone?!

To celebrate {and because of Etsy's new coupon code feature!},

use the code THANKSGIVING15 to take 15% off your order at Petunia Blooms!

This code will be good until Friday night, the 26th.

Happy shopping!

{hurray!}

The blogiversary giveaways have all been posted...

Mandipidy - $20 gift certificate

Moxie Mandie - $10 shop credit

Designs by Jessie - $30 gift certificate

Hiya Luv Handmade - special Sweetest Petunia necklace

Sandy a la Mode - lovely goodies

Take a minute & go enter!

Each giveaway will end one week after it was posted.

Since next week is a holiday, all winners will be post Monday, November 29th.

Have fun!

Sandy A La Mode {giveaway #5}

hello, my name is sandy and i blog over at sandy a la mode! in my spare time i love making accessories, passport covers and bows for my etsy shop. some of my favorite things are bubble tea, cupcakes, my canon 50d, dresses, ruffles, bows, event planning, and traveling.

I just love Sandy's shop. The hairpins are too adorable {someday I'm going to have to snag some for myself!}, and all the other accessories are fabulous!

{You can also keep up with Sandy on twitter.}

{giveaway!}

I'm jealous! I wish I could keep this for myself... :)

felt bow clip - this bow is made out of grey felt, is tied with black/white polka dot fabric tape, and secured onto an alligator clip. bow measures approximately 4.25 x 1.75 inches.

ring - white rose sits atop an antique brass filigree ring. rose measures approximately 1/2 inch in diameter and ring measures approximately 7/8 inch in diameter. ring is adjustable!

earrings - these large charcoal grey mums are set on top of stainless steel posts. mum measures approximately 3/5 inch in diameter.

hairpin - black vintage pearl button on a brass bobby pin. button measures at 3/4 inch in diameter and pin is approximately 2 inches long.

 

{to enter} visit Sandy A La Mode on etsy and leave comment with your favorite thing!

 

{extra entries} blog/tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment.

 

*****

This giveaway will end next Friday.

Winner will be randomly chosen & announced on Monday, the 29th.

 

Be sure to stop by and enter the other blogiversary giveaways!