Welcome Spring with a Giveaway!

There may still be a wee bit of snow clinging to the grass in the shady part of our yard, but Spring has officially begun! My flower bulbs are pushing their green leaves up, up, up, and there is one lone crocus that has defied the cold and bloomed in pretty purples. For me, the thing I look forward to most about Spring are our family jaunts along the river or in the woods, catching glimpses of wildlife and enjoying each others company.

What better way to celebrate the first day of Spring here on the blog than to give away a set of pretty felt floral hair pins from my shop? These sweet yellow hair flowers are up for grabs ($25 value).

To enter, please use the rafflecopter widget below. Qualified mandatory entries must include a comment on this blog post sharing how you welcome Spring! (Please include your email address for valid entry.) All other entries are not required. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway is open to US residents, 18 and older. Ends March 30, 2013 at midnight. Winner will be announced on this blog post April 1st. 

Good luck and Happy Spring!

DIY Spring Twig with Felt Blossoms

We are so blessed to have early Spring flowers in our garden. There is something so exciting about watching those fresh, new leaves push their way up through the ground. It's still a little too soon for them, so to tide myself over I made some faux blossoms for my kitchen.

SUPPLIES:

-salvaged twig or small branch
-bit of felt (I used two shades of yellow)
-scissors
-hot glue gun
-3 templates of varying sizes (large, medium, small) in the shape shown above, they will need to be sized according to the size of the branch  

1. Cut out three petals for each branch tip the twig has. My branch had five tips, so I cut out six large petals to cover two of the tips, and nine medium petals for the other three tips.

2. Put a line of hot glue along the bottom straight edge of the petal and wrap it around a branch tip. Layer the other two petals on in the same fashion to cover the tip of the branch.

 
3. Repeat until all of the branch tips are covered.

4. Cut out a handful of petals from the smallest template to glue along the twig at varying intervals. Check the branch for knots or budding spots- these are natural places to glue these small petals. Place only one petal in these spots.

  
5. Stick the branch in a jar and enjoy it!

This is such a fun and easy project! Literally any color can work for the felt blossoms (choose something that will match your decor). Have fun brightening up your space!

// Felt plants and owl available here; find floral print here.

Cute Graham Crackers and Lots of New Goodies.

Aren't these graham crackers the sweetest things ever? I love that they still have the break line down the center. Since I picked them up at the grocery store yesterday I've been eating just a few too many.

This wee bunny masked owl in the kitchen has been making me smile lately. The kids are just getting over being sick for the past week, so I haven't even thought about dyeing eggs or anything. Maybe next year. I did get a lot of sewing done though while I sitting on the couch with a feverish baby. Figured I may as well take advantage of the down-time! 

There is a new layered leaf design in shop in golden moss, oatmeal and burgundy, gray greens, yellow, and even pink! It is also available as a large style clip in the golden moss colorway. Also new are plush arrows in heathered ocean, bronze, and moss. And last but not least, check out the rainy day barrette- perfect for Spring!

// Please remember that these designs are my original work and may not be copied or reproduced without my permission.

Daffodils in the Garden and New Bows in the Shop.

The daffodils are blooming! Their happy little faces lined up along the garden wall look so lovely. I still don't have the garden entirely cleaned up from Winter, so there are still weeds and bits of trash floating around.

It's a bit odd to be experiencing all of this warm weather before the lilac trees bloom. The other day I actually got confused and became concerned that the lilacs had died since they hadn't bloomed before the 70 degree weather hit. Then I remembered that it's only March. They're covered in budding greenery now though, so as is well.

This year Spring meant that I needed a new pair of slip-ons. I decided to go with those beauties above from Aerosoles. Providentially, one of our local department stores had them on a great sale. I totally lucked out!
 

And if an awesome sale on the shoes one wants just when one wants them isn't sweet enough, look at that face! Of our three children Little Miss P looks the most like her mama.

Don't forget to stop by the shop and take a look at the new line of bow fascinator clips! For now they're available in Peony, Silver/Gold, Marigold, Sea, Raspberry, and White.

New Headband Design + Spring Pinwheel Clips.

 Golden Moss Leaf Laurel Headband

 

A new headband design hit the shop this week! The leaf laurel headband is now available in Golden Moss and Gray Greens. The base leaf is reminiscent of a bow or turban headband, and is layered with more hand stitched leaves. It looks so lovely when worn!

 Gray Greens Leaf Laurel Headband

 

New pinwheel clips are also available for Spring in Ginger, Sea, Pistachio, and Lavender. Don't forget, they make the perfect little addition to Easter baskets!

Ginger Pinwheel Clip

Sea Pinwheel Clip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pistachio Pinwheel Clip

Lavender Pinwheel Clip

Around the Garden.

I'm so excited to see my Pieris shrubs blooming this year! They've been in the ground for a couple of seasons, and I guess they're finally rooting well enough to show off a little.
 

A couple of years ago, while browsing the garden center in our local Lowe's, we came across a poor neglected Alberta Spruce that was mostly dead. We plunked down our fifty cents and took it home. After some care, watering, and pruning it really began to flourish. I was a little distressed to see that a small section of it was dead after this past Winter, but the rest of it is growing just fine, and right now it has lots of bright green new growth.

It was February when we bought our house. We could spot some garden edging under the snow, and there were two Hydrangea bushes in the back yard, but it was evident that whatever had been there was now neglected. As the snow thawed and Spring rolled around we saw lots of bulbs emerging here and there: Crocus, Daffodils, Hyacinth, and Tulips. The Hyacinths were planted in a spot where they obviously weren't happy, so I moved a few of the bulbs last year and they seem to be blooming a wee bit better now.

My mom has been kind enough to share some of her garden wealth with me as well. Two of her contributions for Spring have been small cuts of Cat Mint and a few pieces of Hens and Chicks. Cat Mint doesn't take long to take over the area it has been planted; it becomes all tangled and bushy, and sports beautiful purple flower all Summer long. And those couple succulents my mom started me on? Well, they're huge and beautiful, and their offshoots are taking over. I keep finding myself in need of new places to transplant them! But I love them.

Happy Spring! Soon the Lilac trees will be in bloom!