{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

 

What I'm Most Proud of Accomplishing Prior to the BIG 3-0

      As many of you probably recall I made a "30 Before 30" list last year...well I'm officially 30 now- it feels great btw. Here are the 5 loveliest things I'm most proud of accomplishing from that list!

{1} Visit New Zealand: tick!

(in NZ they say "tick it off your list" instead of "check")

     Since my dear friend, Sarah, returned to her homeland over four years ago I had wanted to visit NZ. Last fall I was at the gym stretching when I got a Travelzoo email alert that flights were on sale. Right then & there I knew I had to pull the trigger-- & what a great decision it was to do so.  It was fantastic to meet her growing family & explore the land of Kiwis land with my favorite travel buddy (aka: the boyfriend).

{2} Develop Sea of Lovely Branding

     Thanks to my artsy sister, Jenna, the Sea of Lovely logo was born.  And after much fine-tuning-- & cursing at WORD while formatting labels-- I developed a labeling process that I'm quite proud of.

{3} See My Family More Often

My sisters & I all live in different states while mom & pop are still in the Motherland 

(aka: MT). I cherish the fact that I was able to make Thanksgiving dinner for my parents- barring the minor turkey mishap- & spend Christmas under the same roof 

with the entire Lechner clan.

Turkey Day weekend

Christmas Day chaos at the cabin

Mom & Dad came for my Dirty 30!

{4} Give Only Handmade Gifts

While I didn't finish my plans for handmade 2011 Christmas gifts I can report significant strides since the turn of 2012.  Sea of Lovely gifts are out in full force!

Look Whoooooo's 1?
Baby Adele & her new "Owlivia" 

{5} Live 5 Minutes from Work

While going through some significant life changes in 2011 I also found my 

beloved vintage apartment. Very few things make me happier than being able to 

run home at lunch to say hi to my Willis :)

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}...from Down Under!

As the Kiwis say, Kia Ora!
To get back into my blogging routine I want to share with you my favorite 5 pics from our holiday in New Zealand (in no particular order):

{1} Favorite Sunset Snap

Taken at Onemana, Waikato (here)

{2} The View from Hot Water Beach

Read about this unique beach!!!

{3} Mr. Levi & Miss Zoe 

we'll count these as one photo :)

So fun to meet my friend's littles!!

Featuring Owlivia that I made for Zoe :)

{4} US

{5} My Favorite Kiwi & Me :)

Meet Sarah, my soul sister from NZ.
We became fast friends while she was travel nursing in the the States.
 I'm hoping it won't be another 4 years before I see her & her lovely family again!!

cheers,

*lucy.

A Lesson in Swaddling

Meet my lovely friend, Kristin.

We met in nursing school & became fast friends. Now she's having a baby!

And since she'a an ED RN I knew exactly what I was going to sew her little...

{A SWADDLER}

photo cred: prudentbaby.com

A while back I was trolling Prudent Baby's blog for shower gift ideas & 

stumbled across this gem. 

Since I'm a pediatric nurse I thought Kris could use a lesson in swaddling :)

1.    Position babe in center of swaddler & start your burrito wrap

Don't judge, this is the only prop I could find as Willis wouldn't cooperate :)

2. Tuck the blanket into the gap                    

3. Tuck the strap in the other side of the gap

4. Tuck the other end of the strap up top & you’ll have one happy baby!

{that is swaddled with industrial strength}

To make this DIY Swaddler HERE

Happy Swaddling.

*lucy.

***

Update: Baby Jack (& mama) love the swaddler!!

{Best of Photo Loveliness from 2011}

Well boys & girls it's time to delve into 2012! I apologize for my blogging absence during the past few weeks & I promise to be back in action. Gotta start the New Year off, right?

2011 was a year of transition & self-reflection for this girl. And that is why I've decided to make the the first {5 Lovely Things on Monday} of 2012 my favorite snaps from 2011. Enjoy & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 {5} Meeting Mr. Jamisen

Getting a first glimpse at one of my bff's first babe.
The look on our faces reminds me of the quote:
"A new baby is like the beginning of all things, hope, a dream of possibilities."

{4} The Trifecta

This pic says it all.
These girls are most definitely my sisters from another Mr.

{3} Father & Son

Portraits of dads & their kiddos never get old-
especially when you've known the dad since they were 8yo!

{2} BF in the Belfry

Taken in the bell tower at my parents' cabin (or compound, rather)
You can see why I like this guy & the scenery isn't bad either ;)

{...drumroll, please...}

{5} Sista, Sista

This pics was taken on Easter Sunday 2011
in Gig Harbor. It may be my favorite
sister picture of all time.

CHEERS!

 xoxo

*lucy.

{So Much Loveliness in Orlando}

{I'm on vacation!}

SeaWorld, Florida

Clearwater Beach, FL

Yay for a week with girlfriends, 

warm weather & going to 

the happiest place on earth--

I love being a "big kid"

{Until next week...TTFN}

:)

*lucy.

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

{1} A Housewarming Party!

Cheers to good friends who came out last week 

to celebrate the start of my new chapter...

Thank you hostess, Stacy!

The Krauses even made an appearance :)

The ever-supportive bf 

A party wouldn't be complete without Will-Dawg!

{2} Kitchen Towels 

Embroidered with Love

Could this housewarming gift my bud Nicole
made for me be any cuter?!

{3} Abandoned Shelf

I'm not sure what's more lovely:
the shelf itself or the fact that when the boyfriend
spotted it in his new home's basement he knew I'd love it!

{4} Celebratory Candied Apples

At my clinic's monthly meeting my coworker Chris brought treats.
It was in honor of their "new" staff member Mara Lechner.
(In case you're out of the loop I've gone back to my maiden name:)

{5} I Am Thankful For...

via BH&G
I have wonderful people in my life &
 I am very thankful for each & every one of them.
Can you think of a better centerpiece at Thanksgiving Day?

cheers,

*lucy.

{5 Lovely Things on This Monday Evening}

          Moovin, moovin, moovin...I hate it.  And that would be why today's post is so late. Thankfully I had today off so I was able to create some semblance of order- at least in my bedroom. This is the first time I've lived solo & while I miss my roomies I am finding it very liberating.  Funny it took me until 29 to have my own place.  But didn't someone once say better late than never? ;) Anywho, I can't wait to finish what Jade calls "Maraizing" my new space.  Now let's get down to brass tacks...

{1} My Landing Pad

THANK GOD FOR GIRLFRIENDS!

 These past 6 months have been a whirlwind of emotions- not to mention transitions. I'm not sure I would've made it out this intact without my ladies Jade & Stacy.  I snapped this pic yesterday before heading to my apartment to spend my first night there because I loved the reflection in the window.  Something about it spoke to me; perhaps there is a lot of loveliness on the horizon...

{2} My New (really old) Pad

This archived pic is tacked above my mailbox.
1899...can you believe it?
If only these walls could talk...

{3} Canine Neighbors

Our complex is full of dogs, dogs with some serious character.  From the Pit bull who basically lays out his window to keep watch or the deaf Australian Cattle dog who not-so-gracefully shoves his snout out the window blinds whenever anyone walks by.  This crew is a hoot & seeing everyone out walking these pups inevitably reminds me of this scene from "101 Dalmatians". 

{4} A Good Alternative to Paint

This morning I was greeted by an FB post from my friend, Ellen, suggesting I could use removable wallpaper in my apartment. While I can paint here this could be very fun...once I save up enough $$

Photo cred goes to Jordan Ferney of Babble.com
who shows off this Sherwin Williams design

{5} Rediscovering Your Treasures

No picture necessary.

I've been pleasantly surprised to re-realize all of the awesome stuff I had boxed up!

sweet dreams,

lucy.

{5 Lovely Things on TUESDAY}

     Yes, it's true, I'm not getting around to this post until Tuesday. So sorry to disappoint. Truthfully, I have a great excuse as I was having a wonderful 4th of July weekend. This week's "lovely things" features "my long weekend in pictures". The PacificNW was simply stunning this holiday weekend. It is times like this that make you remember why you endure the very grey winters...

{1} Friday: Seattle International Beerfest

Crisp summer night at Seattle Center & sampling brew- yes, please!

{2} Sunday's Sunset at Happy Hour

on the water with good company-- even if he is a FB troll

typical...

photo cred: Aaron Cohn

{3} Impromptu Dance Party with Alayah

Taking a break from the Freedom Fair people watching
to fit in a few fist pumps & booty shakes

{4} A Gorgeous 4th of July Celebration with Delightful Peeps

{5} Watching the FIREWORKS from our front lawn after the sun went down!!

BTW this is a raw image- stunning.

I hope this finds you all well & recovering from the holiday weekend.

cheers,

*lucy