{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

     My oh my, where have I been?! Two words: GRAD SCHOOL.  Therefore, NO time for crafting- let along blogging... BOO!  So last week, while finishing my last paper of the quarter, I broke down & had to sew.  Now I'm in full on Handmade Holiday mode!  In addition, I realized that being back in school makes me even more excited for Christmas and winter break.

So here are my {5 Lovely Things} on this Monday eve.

{1. My Sister's Chic Mommy Tote}

aka: diaper bag

the glowing mama-2-be & her snazzy diaper bag!

{2. Bring on the Treats}

I found this yummy recipe on EverydayFood.  

It's everything a cookie should be: airy, minty, buttery, with just a bit of chocolate!

photo cred: Everyday Food

{3. Fabric Ornaments}

I threw this pattern from Sew It All in my "to do" binder last holiday season & 

decided I would actually use it this year. These "Have A Ball" ornaments are 

super sweet & kid friendly!

{4. 101 Handmade Ornaments}

Get in on the handmade holiday spirit courtesy of everythingetsy.com

am especially excited to try this tutorial
by jessica jane!!

{5. The Giving Spirit}

Check out glassbaby & use the code "rivkin" & 10% of your purchase 

goes to the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research, 

which is a program very near to my heart.

photo cred: glassbaby

salute!

*lucy

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

My first experience at Seattle's Urban Craft Uprising was fabulous! 

Tons of creative entrepreneurs in one place-- talk about inspiring. 

I'm so ready to crank out some hand-made Christmas gifts before 

I board a plane for sunny Florida later this week :)

Without further adieu these were my favorite 5 vendors:

{1} Redboots Design

Operating out of Bellingham, WA this crew uses funky screen prints 

to decorate your clothes & your home.

photo cred: Redboots Design
Whales are one of Red Boot's reoccuring themes.
Check out their Etsy store here.

{2} Old School Stationers

Representing P-town, these fellas practice the age-old art of using a letterpress.

I was impressed.

photo cred: Old School Stationers
Buy there stuff here.

{3} The Bowl Maker

Cary Lane's whimsical characters & fine-crafted pottery 

makes eating cereal fun for all ages :)

Her website is still in the works so check out where you can see her shows!

photo cred: cary lane

{4} Bella Sisters

photo cred: Bella Sisters

Recycled jackets decorated to make someone love them all over again. 

Find your perfect jacket here.

{5} Rachel's Map Paintings

photo cred: Rachel Austin

A description of her work won't do it justice;

check out her Etsy store!

Cheers,

*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 Monday}

Let the DIYing for my new apartment begin!! Ahhh...where to start?! These gems have me well on my way to my first project.

{1} A New Neighborhood Favorite

Last Tuesday after a long day's work I headed to the grocery store. What I didn't expect to stumble across that dreary evening was a shop I hadn't explored in Northern Tacoma.

Que: The Design Cottage

There I met the friendly owner, Diane, who was full of creative ideas,
inspiration, blog read suggestions &...
{wait for it}

{2} CHALK PAINT!!!
I might be in love.

Go here to learn about Annie Sloan's amazing paint!

How did I not know this stuff existed?! Thank you, Diane, so much for opening my eyes to the endless possibilities of refinishing & distressing furniture!!
This paint basically covers anything=

refinish/paint furniture without the tedious prep work!

{3} My Latest "IT" Color

Meet ARLES: the perfect vintage yellow.

{4} Tutorials.

So I got this awesome new product. How do I use it? Any tricks of the trade?
Any no-no's? help.

I really like the how-to videos below by DIY extraordinaires of
Perfectly Imperfect & Miss Mustard Seed:

Waxes from Miss MustardSeed on Vimeo.


{5} The Piece.
I've got this great new product & have an idea how to use it...where do I start?
Trolling Craigslist of course!! And that is how I found these great vintage chairs that will look perfect distressed with Chalk Paint!

I cannot wait to give these guys a face-& seat-lift!

Stay Tuned...

Sweet Dreams,

*lucy.

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

{Time to get your monogram on!}

I didn't used to be fan of initials on things but something in me has shifted.  

And today's post starts with a project done by one of my sisters.  

It's in our blood to be crafty, artistic & sew.

{1} Give Me a 'K'

Impressive work, Kali!

{2} 'P' is for Pumpkin

While hunting for fall decor ideas I stumbled across this!
Photo & tutorial cred goes to: The Butlers

{3} Fancy, Cheap & Easy DIY

Totally going to make this part of my mantel montage!
Photo & tutorial cred: Craftastical!

{4} 'M' is for ME.

Chevrons in my favorite "now" colorscheme: check.
Available on ETSY from prettymod's shop

{5} Alphabet by Anthro.

Perfect for a little's room...or anyone's room, really :)
Available here

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

          I hope this dreary Monday eve finds you comfy in your warm home. Today I want to share some fun products that may intrigue you. After all, on these blustery days it can be fun to online shop- right?

{1} Ridiculously Comfy FlipFlops!!

Randomly I found these at a "crunchy" health food & supplement store

& I'm not exagerrating about how comfortable they are.  Not to mention their

commendable mission to be eco-friendly & give back.
Props to FeelGoodz.

{2} A Water Bottle that Doesn't Perspire!

Scored my Hydro Flask @ the Puyallup Fair. It does all that it promises, no joke.

Another company that makes a point to give back.
Better yet, they're homegrown in the NW- Bend, OR.

{3} Is Purple the New Neutral?!
If it is, I'm totally ok with it. IKEA recently released their new
ISALA line & it couldn't be cuter!

{4} LARK by Amy Butler
Her new line, Lark, inspired by Maxime de la Falaise is now available for pre-order!

Boho-chic, yet sophisticated.
love.

{5} What a Hoot
It's been decided I've inherited my great grandma's fondness for owls.

Find these Treetop Friends & much more by Skip Hop on Amazon.com

These "birdie balls" made me do a double-take...
how hard do they look to make?? ;)

Ok, it's most definitely time to curl up & enjoy the sound of the pouring rain...

sweet dreams,

*lucy

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

     The weather here continues to be amazing & I could not be happier. I hope you all savor today's lovely things because there will be none next week. :( Yours truly will not have blogging access as I will be a volunteer nurse at Camp Leo!!

{1} Best Breakfast EVER.

If you haven't eaten at Babblin' Babs Bistro,

you haven't had- in my opinion- the most phenomenal breakfast in the Pacific NW

Chocolate Waffles with a side of Sweet Potato Hash
photo cred: Aaron Cohn 

Polynesian-inspired Torta with Jambon, tropical marmalade, spicy custard & toasted coconut
photo cred: me

{2} Custom Fabric Labels

Thank you Heather of Just.Lovely.Things 

for providing a free tutorial on how to make them!

Jenna: take note, I need these.

{3} FIESTA goodness

Must.start.saving.

Meet FIESTA's 75th Anniversary soup tureen
in their new color "marigold" 

{4} Pot DIY

Why hadn't I thought of this? 

Thank you Erin of Sunshine & Carousels for sharing your DIYs!

So easy & green :)

{5} Estate Sale Find

On a whim the boyfriend & I wandered into an 

estate sale Sunday where I found this gem for $0.55:

Stay tuned for how I use this vintage light fixture in a future post!

<3

lucy

{5 Lovely Things on Monday}

This post goes out to all of my savvy sistas!!

There is so much loveliness on the internet & I very much appreciate when my friends & family share their discoveries with me.  With that being said, I hope you enjoy the below finds as much as I did!!

{1} ModCloth

Thanks to Nicole Geffrey my next paycheck is in jeopardy...
Check out ModCloth's website & creative blog for a very fun collection of
 Mod Retro Vintage Clothing. Think Urban Outfitters meets Anthro= perfection.

Now if only I could pull off a fascinator like this...

***

{2} Elle Apparel

My bestie Ellen Krause pointed me to this lovely blog.
She has a ton of free skirt tutorials I want to try (in all my free time).
How fun is this Pinwheel Skirt?

***


{3} Designing Women

Lindsey Utter posted a link on FB to GOOD design's article about 25 inspiring females
designers & illustrators. Check it out- GIRL POWER :)

***


{4} Sweet Something Designs


While conjuring ideas for a fireplace makeover another Krause lady (Mary)
pointed me to Michelle Edward's blog. And while this project is no longer on my "to-do" list I adore trolling through Michelle's great Before & After projects. My favorite is her hutch makeover!!

before 

after

***

{5} FREE TUTORIALS!
Who doesn't love a good freebie, right?
Naturally, my frugal sister Jenna pointed me towards a collection of free tutorials.
On my 30 Before 30 List I want to refinish a piece of furniture & I'm thinking this how-to could be the means to checking that off my list!!

A special thanks to all my ladies that made this post possible-- YOU ROCK.
♥lucy