Petals of Love

These phlox grow wild in our neighborhood park. 

I love the way the petals are shaped like hearts.

Petals of Love 

Never Too Much Love

While on vacation last week, Dale and I visited Jodie and her boyfriend Ken in Corvallis, Oregon. We went out to eat at one of the local hotspots where we ate incredible sandwiches on hearty bread, served with the house specialty -- beer battered French fries. Goodness!

Part of the fun of the joint is that each table is covered in blackboard. While waiting for your meal to be served, you get to draw with chalk all over the table. Dale drew animals that made the kids laugh. I ended up with ... hearts. They seem to pour out of me.

Never Too Much Love!

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Heart Cupcake Wreath

Another craft Jodie and I put together during her Spring Break was a wreath made of cupcake papers. Jodie made hers while she was at school. I liked it so much, I talked her into teaching me how to make one for our home. Here's a quick step-by-step.

We bought two packages of cupcake papers. I like this combination of polka dots and hearts. You turn the papers inside out so that the pretty design is on the inside of the cup.

Next you grab a floral wreath and a box of straight dressmaker's pins. Our wreath is about 12 inches, I think.

I then made an "O" of my thumb and forefinger on one hand, and pressed the cupcake paper into it with my other hand. This helps define the shape a bit better.

Then grab a pin, stick it through the center of the cupcake paper and into the wreath. We did an inside circle first, then a layer on the 'flat' surface, then a layer on the outside rim. I alternated the hearts with the polka dots and filled the wreath until it looked nice and fluffy.

Then I made a big bow out of some florist's ribbon that I had in my stash and hung the wreath by our front door.

It really is a fast, fun and pretty project -- made more fun because my daughter taught me how to create it.

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Hearty Case

As Jodie mentioned earlier, she and I had a bit of a sewing / embroidery lesson when she visited for Spring Break. While she made her polka dot pencil case, I made a simple white pencil case with a red heart detail at the closure.

Hearty Case & Wonky Heart Sachet

The lesson also included me teaching Jodie a few embroidery stitches: running stitch, overcast stitch, buttonhole stitch, chain stich, lazy daisy, and satin stitch. We started stitching on scraps of fabric, then ended up turning the scraps into scented sachets. So I have a Wonky Heart Sachet, too.

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Cupcake Wreath!

In case you were wondering, I'm really into springtime.

So I made this cute wreath made of cupcake liners in springtime colors!

I used a tutorial by Imperfect Homemaking for inspiration. (But the daisy was my idea!)

I think it turned out very cute! :)

Polka Pencils

Mom gave me a sewing lesson over spring break! The result? A cute polka dot pencil case.

It's adorable and functional.

My pencil case was just breaking down and now I have a place to house all my highlighters!

Street (He)Art

Found on my walk

in front of the house of our 

most untidy neighbor

bits of ripped paper stuck to the street

by the recent rain.

Gritty Heart

Even here,

wonder.

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