Thursday, March 29, 2012

10 things.

{one}
my sister stayed with us Sunday-Wednesday,
and it was a nice little break from the normal routine.
We went walking, watched the first season of Downton Abbey,
traced/cut lots of circle for new bloom brooches,
did some sewing {I finished my quilt, she sewed a skirt},
played games, and more. :)

{two}
We're having a few of the mister's coworkers over for dinner tonight,
and I'm going to try this no-bake nutella cheesecake recipe for dessert.
It sounds amazing, so hopefully it will turn out!

{three}
I finished the last Hunger Games book yesterday.
I have very mixed feelings.
Mockingjay was not a winner for me.

{four}
International Delight's Cinnabon creamer is pretty yummy!

{five}
I really appreciate all the comments left here on the blog lately.
I haven't had the time to respond to most of them,
but know that I appreciate you!

{six}
There are not one, but TWO alligators in the small lake behind our building.
Pretty cool & kinda creepy all at the same time. ;)

{seven}
I finished my very first quilt!
I promise to post more about it once I get some good photos...
It turned out beautifully & I'm in love with it.
{if you follow me on Instagram, you've already had a peek at it!}

{eight}
I have so much prep work & sewing to do for this craft fair.
I'm excited, I just have to stay focused on getting things finished.
Not always my strongest suit.

{nine}
I feel like I need to schedule a "reading time" for myself during the day,
so I can actually finish all these books I have waiting for me.
Saying that makes me feel like I'm in kindergarten. ;)

{ten}
It's time for me to close the computer & start other things...
I'm planning on going for a walk & then tackling my cleaning list.
Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

messy creativity.

I'm definitely not the neatest person in the world.
I like our home to be clean & organized, but if I'm working on a project?
It can get pretty messy pretty fast.

Case in point...
That is what our dining room table looks like today.
I'm prepping products for an upcoming craft fair,
and I have a LOT to do in the next month or so.
Fortunately I have a very sweet husband who doesn't complain. ;)

Friday, March 23, 2012

deleting my Pinterest account...

dear Pinterest, I really loved you.
You were perfect for keeping track of tutorials,
recipes, wish lists and just plain gorgeous inspiration.
But I decided to delete my account today.


I read this post a couple of weeks ago,
and it opened my eyes to the problems that could come up
when using Pinterest the way that I {and many others!} do.
I didn't pin my own photos {I thought that would be too much self-promotion,
which is frowned upon}, and then I find out that you aren't supposed to pin photos
unless you own them or have permission from the owner.
Oh. Oops.

However, I didn't actually decide to delete my account until I saw this post this morning.
Retta shared this website, and that's when I decided to go ahead & delete.
It's a website that will allow you to get your Pinterest boards printed in a book or a poster.
I'm not an expert, but I know that's not right. They aren't your pictures!
To me, pinning something pretty so you can go back to it later is a lot different
than pinning it so you can get a pretty book/poster printed.

I'd encourage you to read through the posts I linked to.
If you want to keep your Pinterest account/boards, that is totally fine!
I think you have to make your own decisions about it.
But, it is good to be informed, to know the issues that could come up because of it.

So Pinterest, I hope someone comes up with a solution someday soon,
because I will really miss having you as a resource.
But until then, I'll just be utilizing my bookmarks bar a lot more than I used to.

P.S. Ashley from After Nine to Five posted about this today, too,
if you'd like to read her take on it.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

this inspired me.

So... yesterday I talked about not feeling inspired & not posting as much.
{thank you for your sweet comments, by the way!}

And, then I read this post from the lovely Pioneer Woman. She said {and I quote},
"Whether you write a sixteen-paragraph essay about the cosmic implications of a free market system, a one-paragraph description of what happens to your soul when you walk into your godforsaken laundry room, or a simple photo and caption, consider your blog a precious bloom that requires daily nurturing."


Hmmm. Okay. That makes sense. This inspired me.
Even though I may not have something brilliant to share each & every day,
I still have something to share.

Sometimes I forget that tagline up there in my header:
"capturing joy in ordinary life"
Even if I don't have a great DIY project going on,
a yummy recipe to cook, a brilliant business tip, etc, etc, etc,
I can still share the joy I've found in my ordinary life.
& that is something worth blogging about.
Wouldn't you agree?

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

just a few thoughts.

I love blogging. {really}
I love blogging more when I feel inspired to share.
& I'm really not feeling very inspired this week.

Most of that has to do with the fact that I'm busy.
I like to get my blogging done in the morning,
and if my mornings are busy,
I don't make the time to do it later.
{and I'm not great at scheduling posts ahead of time

So, please, bear with me if I don't post every day.
Or every other day.
I don't want to blog just to fill up empty space,
no one needs that.

I've been dreaming of some new ideas.
Finding joy in the simple things.
I hope to share soon...

In the meantime,
what do you do when you're feeling uninspired? 

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

new goodies in the shop + a Facebook page

there is a lovely little rainbow of new yoyo hair pins now available in the shop!
wouldn't these be perfect to dress up your hair for Spring?

also, Petunia Blooms has a Facebook page...
would you consider stopping by & "liking" us?
I'm dreaming up some Facebook-only promotions,
and I know you won't want to miss it! ;)

Monday, March 12, 2012

organize your earrings {a DIY project}

I don't know about you, but lately I've felt the urge to clean out my closets & drawers.
Our church is having it's annual yard sale at the end of the month,
so it's good motivation to donate things I no longer need.
Spring cleaning time, I suppose!

Giving things away also inspires me to organize the things I keep.
I really like to be organized, but realistically? Nothing stays neat for long.

an example...my earrings.
{obviously you can see why this situation is not ideal...those earrings never stay matched up!}

Sooo, I finally made a fun little stand to keep all my earrings organized.
{a little disclaimer :: I'm sure there are a billion tutorials for this kind of thing
all over the internet, but I wanted to share my own & what I like about it.}

but I wanted mine to be able to stand up on its own...
I used a Floatframe I picked up at Michael's.
These come with a metal stand that pops into the base of the frame,
so it doesn't interfere with the empty space where you'll put your earrings.
{I used a coupon to get mine, so it wasn't very expensive.}
You'll also need some plastic canvas with small holes
(should be near the embroidery section),
a sharpie, scissors & a hot glue gun.

Open up your frame & remove the glass.
Use the glass as a template to trace & cut
a piece of plastic canvas to the appropriate size.
Use the hot glue gun around the edges of the inside of the frame
& then carefully press the plastic canvas into place.
Be careful not to burn yourself! You could use a spoon or fork to
press it in so the hot glue doesn't get on your fingers.
{no pictures of this step; I was too busy trying to
get the canvas in before the glue dried!}

Re-assemble your frame pieces,
attach your earrings any way you'd like,
and there you go!
This is a much better solution than dumping them onto a dish. ;) 
& it cost less than $10 & took only a few minutes to put together!

Hoping this little project inspires you today...
what is your favorite way to organize your jewelry?

Friday, March 9, 2012

stuff from this week.

holding hands with my love on the way to church on Sunday

got to take a trip to my favorite Jo-Ann's
{we now live an hour away from where we grew up,
and this Jo-Ann's is much better then the one
that's closer to us - love this store!}

i have a perfectly good sewing space upstairs,
but i still set up my machine on a dining room chair in the living room this week. ;)

i've really been enjoying my quilting class!
still working on the "homework" for the week, cutting & piecing blocks.

& yet another project i'm crocheting...

i always try to eat breakfast, because otherwise
i starve waiting for my husband to come home for lunch!
this was a super yummy breakfast, peanut butter toast, apple slice & coffee.

i have a major crush on Fred Astaire.
if you've never listened to his music or seen him dance, you're missing out.

look at these pretty new yoyo hair pins!
they will hopefully be up in the shop soon.


my husband is so silly. and strange. i love him anyway. ;)


working/blogging from Starbucks today!

I hope your week was a great one,
and have a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

currently loving...

{psst! Hannah is closing up shop,
so you can get a 40% discount with the code CLOSEOUT}




{although I don't know how I would choose which color/design!}

and the adorable hair wraps from Little Penelope Lane

what are you really loving right now?

lollipops

Monday, March 5, 2012

projects on my list.

It seems like I always have an astounding amount of projects that I'd like to finish...
and there's just never enough time for everything.
{please tell me I'm not the only one like this!}

I've had the supplies for this oilcloth makeup bag since last summer,
so maybe I'll actually get around to making it before this summer.

I think this sweet ombre heart embroidery would be a perfect gift.
Add a name for a baby girl?
Stitch a special date for a wedding or anniversary?

this tutorial for a simple square top is a more recent find,
but I definitely want to make one {or a few}.
I think it would be great for our hot Florida summers!

Between all of the projects on my list, sewing for the shop,
taking care of my husband & our home,
and the quilting class I started last week, I stay pretty busy!
I feel very blessed that H doesn't seem to mind my crazy creative process
& the projects that get spread all over the living room. ;)

What are you working on this week?
Any inspiring projects? Please share!

Friday, March 2, 2012

if we were having coffee...

{found here}

If we were having coffee this morning,
I might not talk much.
I've been sick since Sunday,
and it's gone from headaches & nasty sinuses,
to congestion & no voice, to an awful cough.
Not much fun at all. :(

But I could tell you that I have a
sweet husband who doesn't mind taking care of me
& makes sure I take my medicine.

I could tell you about the quilting class I started this week.
About the pretty fabrics I chose for the top,
and how excited I am to work on this project.

I might tell you about how I don't have any friends here in this city.
{we moved an hour away from our families & friends
for a job after we got married in October}
I'm thankful for the friend I do have who lives closer,
but I would like to meet some ladies & make friends here.
I might also tell you about how shy I am,
and how I don't feel very comfortable meeting new people.
So we'll see how that goes.

I could tell you about my struggle with picking out clothes,
and not feeling comfortable in my outfits.
That I'm trying to work through The No Brainer Wardrobe
and apply the things I've learned so I can feel confident about my style.
I might ask you how you would describe your style,
what your favorite "go to" outfit is.

We could talk about our ideas for blogging,
projects we'd like to try,
the latest pins that have inspired us.

But mostly I'd probably tell you about how happy I am.
Life isn't perfect, but it's still pretty wonderful.

What would you want to share with
me if we had coffee together?

{joining in with Alissa today}