needlepoint with my mommasita.

My mom was in town this past weekend, and it was so fun to sit down and spend our saturday afternoon working on creative projects together. There is no denying that my creative sensibilities come directly from my very talented mother..in fact, our handwriting is so similar it is scary. When we were little, my mom was able to work from home and support our family while my dad was in school designing needlepoint patterns. She did very well for herself, publishing her designs through a company called Cross Eyed Cricket. She actually designed her best selling samplers, #32 Alphabet, when she was pregnant with me. When I was studying abroad in France, me and my fiber loving peers would hit every sewing/ fabric/ notion store in every village we were in. One of my favorite memories was happening upon my mom's old design phamplets being sold in France! Of course I bought them.

Well, this weekend, we were both hard at work on new needlepoint projects. My mom is working on a stocking for her and Mike, by designer Mary Beale, who has greatly inspired my mom. She designed the sampler stockings my mom needlepointed for us years ago similar to the pattern above that my mom is now working on. There is something simply gorgeous to me about a sampler..I love the combinations of color, imagery, and lettering. What I love about Mary Beale's designs, is that they still have that very historical and colonial feeling to them..beautiful.

For my project, I am taking a rose fabric that I bought in Brimfield to inspire a small pillow. I'm picturing one rose in the middle with a big polka dot background, backed in the actual fabric.

What a fun weekend!

sigh..i love prints..so much.

I love love love my job and this video just sparked that feeling of when i first discovered textiles and prints were my passion. Jenna Lyons, J.Crew guru, and some of her designers visit Ratti in Lake Como, Italy, which is a fabric mill with thousands of archives of prints. It reminds me of getting to visit Prelle in Paris, one of the original silk manufacturers that produced things for Marie Antoinette. Watch this video and be inspired by the history of textiles!

thrifting finds: easter.

I love love buying kitschy holiday decorations. These little fuzzy easter ducks and bunnies were a perfect start to my Easter collection (only 50 cents at Nifty Thrifty)! Can't wait to display them!

cute!

check out this adorable baby in my owl shirt! love it! Found here.

oakland, ne.

Pictures on Main Street in Oakland, NE, the Swedish capital of Nebraska. I love this little swedish, farming, 1 restaurant, 1 store town.

the big house.

I was able to spend a relaxing weekend in Oakland, NE with my family. It was full of our usual festivities: playing Just Dance on the wii, lunch at Memories Cafe, shopping at Nifty Thirfty, hanging out with Grandma Ruth and Grandma Dee..added to that list now is visiting Mike doing work at the "Big House." After a series of wonderful happenings, my mom and step dad Mike were able to purchase a beautiful old historic home in Oakland after it was foreclosed on this past summer. Mike has taken on the challenges of restoring and gutting the house and it has been so fun to see the progress. I am so very happy that they will have this house for their "forever" home. I took some pictures over there this weekend...there are stunning details original to the house that I just love, one of them being the stenciling in the living room which was probably done around 1900. Can't wait for the all the memories we will have in this house! Make sure to check out my mom's blog which tracks the progress on the house: Our Big House On the Prairie.

lilly pulitzer: spring 2011.

Sigh..yet again, I am in awe of the beautiful creations of friend and print designer Paige Smith for Lilly Pulitzer's Spring 2011 line. It is the most fun thing to know right away which creations come from Paige's magical hand! I especially love the large canvases Paige painted with her prints for their Spring catalouge photo shoot. Her prints featured above are "First Impression," "It can Be Arranged," "Calendar Girl," and "Let them eat Cake." Always check out Lilly's great blog, A Colorful Blog, or Paige's blog, to see what's new!

get out of town: italy (seriously).

I can hardly believe I'm typing this... but I am traveling to Italy this summer with my best friend!! I hate to say it, but when Katie first planted the idea in my head, my first instinct was No. Too much money, missing meetings at work, too much money...I always think it is the most depressing thing to hear people say the one thing they wish they could do more is travel. There is a tone in their voice that makes it sound like it's something they'll never be able to do. But you just have to DO IT! Friends are too dear not to plan experiences like this, life moves too quickly, and money- shmoney...I see it as an investment for my life and in our friendship, what a blessing! And a HUGE thank you to my dad who happily donated a huge chunk of his airline miles to go towards my ticket!

get out of town: mexico.

I fell in love with these images by Scout & Catalogue on her recent trip to Mexico of Petite Hotel Hafa. This place is definitely bookmarked, possibly for a sister trip next summer! I have looked at these pictures multiple times..they make me happy on cold, minnesota mornings. I would also buy one of Scout & Catalogue's effortlessly chic scarfs to tromp around in...