Thankful.

Friends, I'm so thankful for you! Even though I've been in and out as far as blogging goes, you all still check up with me on Twitter, which I absolutely appreciate. I'm still here! I'm still blogging. I'm still racking my brain about the DIRECTION this blog is going to take while I'm not getting "dressed" every day. Or even twice a week, at that.

I'm thinking about the recipes I've been making and the activities I've been doing with Little S... I know I have some mommy blog readers out there that would hopefully be interested in my moving that direction. I'll throw personal style in there whenever I have a shining opportunity. Crafting is becoming a big part of my life these days, too. So I'd love to share more of that with you. My Etsy shop is doing quite well, and of that, I'm proud. It's definitely helping with the never-ending stack of bills.

Speaking of the shop, enter the discount code HOLIDAYS11 at checkout between now and December 23 and get 20% off of your entire purchase! That's a good deal!

There's just so much going on right now. I look back at the last year and I've never let *anything* get between me and the keyboard to share my life with you. I've been blogging at least three times a week and mostly 5-6 times a week for two years and, well... life came at me fast over the past few months. Things are changing, life is happening, holidays are coming, family is of the utmost importance. Little S. is getting so big. She's taking herself potty and having full conversations. The other day, she came out of her room and said, "I'm so angry at Foofa! She is still in my bed and didn't take a nap ALL DAY!" Really, kid? And just now, as she was drawing on her chalk board (best Christmas gift I've ever thought of), she said, "I drew an airplane right beside the earth!" And heck if she didn't draw a circle with designs on it and an oval with wings beside it. What the heck? And who taught her the word "beside?"

So, while my entire world continues to spin at a rapid pace and as I try to keep up, I'm going to go make THIS delicious recipe: Revolutionary Mac & Cheese. The skim milk version, FYI. Big thanks to Collette for pinning it, because the Lord only knows how at a loss I was for dinner ideas when I got home. Add some broccoli and we've got a meal!

Holiday Time in the Shop!

Like most Etsy shop owners, I've been hard at work getting ready for the holidays! There are FIVE very special Christmas wreaths available in A Little Bit of This Etsy Shop today and I am excited to share a sneak peek with you!

Be Merry - $20.00

Gilded Holidays - $30.00

Sparkling Berries - $34.00

My personal favorite!

Winter Wonderland - $30.00

Perfect for a silvery blue Christmas!

Holly and Ivy - $34.00

And if you're all set for Christmas decorating but need a gift for your friend (or yourself!), check out the two newest rosette bib necklaces in the shop!

The Harper - $12.50

The Julia - $18.00

If you've been eyeing the Lindsay in Autumn wreath, it just went on sale from $22.50 to $18.50!

Shop Sunday

Each Sunday that I have new items in the shop, I'm going to post them here. I hope that's alright with all of you. My readers are the people that I love to share all of my exciting things with and opening and creating for my Etsy shop has been such a labor of love. It's time intensive, my fingers hurt, and my brain is fried from trying to come up with innovative ideas. Fabric rosettes are literally everywhere, and while I do make necklaces, earrings, and wreaths, I have also tried to create some items that are more unique to the sweet little world of fabric flowers. I hope you like the newest items and I'd love it if you'd share the shop with your friends!

First, I'll introduce to the embellished gift bag sets. Each set comes with three thick paper gift bags, embellished with handmade fabric rosettes. These are a great way to add some charm to birthday, shower, wedding, and just because gifts. And my friend, Jackie, made a great suggestion! How about customizing the gift bags for your personal, small, or home business? Giving to your clients with bags that coordinate with your logo and/or business card would be such a lovely personal touch. If you email or message me on Etsy, I'd love to work on a customized order with you. We can also tweak bag sizes and of course prices based on changes.

Brick & Honey Gift Bags (Set of 3)

Party at Tiffany's Gift Bags (Set of 3)

Ray of Light Gift Bags (Set of 3)

There are always the ever-popular fabric rosette necklaces. I place mine on satin ribbon so the length is adjustable and each necklace is super comfy. You all know I advocate a love of vibrant colors, so the newest items push the envelope with bright hues and a bit of individuality.

Candy Shoppe Rosette Necklace

Honeycomb Rosette Necklace

Sweet Tooth Rosette Necklace

Affixed to sterling silver posts, the new, teeny tiny, rosette stud earrings are probably one of my favorite items in the shop. I love how little they are! Fabric earrings are really different and so feminine. Like what you see and don't love the color choices? Send me a message and custom order your favorites!

Honeycomb Rosette Earrings

Raspberry Sorbet Rosette Earrings

Sea Mist Rosette Earrings

Sweet Cream Ribbon Rosette Earrings

Touch of Teal Rosette Earrings

And last, but definitely not least, I've added my very first yarn wreath to the shop. The upcoming holidays make up my most favorite time of year, so I tried to encompass the harvest, Thanksgiving, and Christmas into one all-season decoration. I'm pretty sure this wreath reminds me of the whole holiday vibe from now through Christmas, so I hope you like it, too! As always, message me for other colors!

Bringing in the Holidays Yarn & Rosette Wreath

That's it for this installment of Shop Sunday! I hope you like what you see and that you might spread the word so that my stay at home mom life becomes less of a scary and more of a super-exciting thing to come! Thanks for letting me share this with you. I'm SO IN LOVE with being creative, again!

Visit A Little Bit of This Etsy shop!

Etsy Shop Update

Hey, friends! I'm all out of outfits until the weekend, but my hands have been hard at work and my newest (and most favorite) item is now up in the shop! Please check out the very vibrant Go Green Tote in Technicolor Whimsy!

Ahem, you pretty much need to own this tote, right? Because your turnips and kale would look so cute hanging out of it at the farmer's market. Or... baby's diapers and wipes would be so beautifully hidden. Just sayin'...

Etsy Announcement

... FINALLY, right?!?!

I don't know how long I've been taunting that I'm opening an Etsy shop. A year? Maybe longer! I started with making elastic waistband skirts. And while I really enjoy doing that for myself, my daughter, and my friends, I feel very pressured with sewing projects when I'm working on something that I'm getting paid for. I need anxiety medicine to work with my sewing machine on a regular basis, so I decided that probably wasn't a good route for me to turn down. In lieu, I have decided to pursue the shabby-chic fabric flower kingdom. While I realize that rolled fabric flowers are everywhere, I really enjoy making them! Please check the shop often, because I will be making some items that are "common" fabric flower crafts, but I'm also bringing some new ideas to the green scene and I'm psyched!!! Creating flowers is stress relieving and I'm always pleased with the perfect imperfections of the flowers I make. I've seen some that are so sickeningly beautiful and sometimes I wish mine looked like that. But they don't. I love them- loose ends and all. I've made a few things for family and our home, but I made my very first item for sale and officially opened A Little Bit of This... Etsy shop!!!

My lone item looks kind of sad all by itself, but rest assured, I have more coming! I figured if I went ahead and stuck the wreath in the shop, I'd be able to move forward. Opening my shop (my own business, if you will) has been a long-time dream of mine and I'm praying and praying that it will *someday* be a source of income that will allow me to stay at home to raise our family, as you all know that's my major life goal. I know you're all waiting with bated breath, so here's the debut item in my brand spankin' new shop!

Lindsay in Autumn Wreath

I named the wreath for my best good friend in North Carolina, Linds. She's gotten me back into working with my creativity and has been inspirational in all walks of life! This one's for you, lady. I LOVE YOU! Thank you for supporting and encouraging me!!! I'm so ready for our fall extravacraftaganza!

Now, who's gonna go buy this baby?