{ My MiNuTia }

It's a me, Mar-io!

Trick or Treaters on the loose! Hope you aren't frightend by life sized video game characters or blind refs:

This Mom is just glad he didn't want to be a scary creepy blood curdling googly eyed goblin this year.

Squash and Acorn Love

Perhaps you've seen these in blogland here and there. I'm so in love with them I can hardly stand it.

I've had the kit for a while, and lacked the time to make them. In fact, the kit was almost put away for next year. But in less two hours they were done. Yay! So glad I made them! They are my favorite Fall decor this year! Kim Hendricks (Olive Juice & Co.) did a fabulous job with this kit. Wonder what she has up her sleeve next? Can't wait to see! 
 

Another favorite for Fall are these felted acorns:

They come in lots and lots of colors.

I'm thinking about getting a few more. They came from here.  Aren't they adorable?
 

Just keepin it real

We went to my daughter's XC meet this past weekend. Six hour drive through the Fall countryside. Nice. Love this shot of the girls on the starting line. I was on my knees when I took it!

Here she is finishing up the 5K.

Now, waiting her turn in the shoot after the race. Not a "pretty" shot, but ya know what?

It's good to see young women being strong. Oh, she loves her lipgloss and glittered headbands... don't get me wrong there. But I'm a firm believer that strength is very beautiful. So is she.

Getting lost in the texture of these

A couple almost done projects to share. These are for my vendor table.

I've still got to do a few more things, like the back panels. The vintage linen (from a French convent even) is soooo fabulous to work with. It's thick and has this amazing texture...hard to see here I know I know! The fabrics are so rich----GAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
 

P.S. Thanks so much for all of the kind comments for my son in the post below! He was beaming when I showed him.

Oh and P.P.S. Best of luck to the XC Team at State!

Drake's over the top excited to go! The weather is supposed to be rainy and in the low 50's. I bought him snow pants today so he will warm! Those and the under armor (which I always confuse with Armor All) and he should be good to go.
 

Nurturing a young artist

Conversation last night between my eleven year old and me...

"I can't draw. I'm horrrrrrible, Mom. I'm not an artist and I never will be. Can't you just draw it for me?"

"No. You can draw, you just haven't really ever tried. Want to try?"

"It won't work. I know it." (silence) "Okay, I'll tryyyyyy."

Creature by creature, line by line, color by color...and an hour or so later:

"It's amazing! I can't believe I did this! Isn't it great? (runs around showing every family member) Will you put it on your blog?"

"Yes! Absolutely I will."

Thoughts stitched on linen

Been doing lots of prepping for Silver Bella Vendor Market! Creating wares to present there is pretty much the highlight of my day. Enjoy your weekend!

F o c u s

It's been so cold and rainy and dreery here all week! So my son is playing indoors more than outdoors. Which means at any given time there is a pile of these guys to be found, stepped on or in the dog's mouth. Their tiny guns and weapons, too!

They have been a classic toy for AJ for about 8 years. I just accept them as part of our family now. The other afternoon I saw them at war on his bed, which was reconstructed into their battlefield.

The light seemed to be just right, so I snapped a few photos. I know that someday they won't be around so much...he will outgrow them. I think he will, right? Do guys ever outgrow G.I. Joe? I hope not.

Most importantly, the word of the day for this girl...focus. While it is fun to lose focus once in a while, at the end of the day, it's even more rewarding when you keep it.
 

Semi Precious Creative Distractions

Do you love beads? And handmade jewelry? Uh-huh.

Last Spring,  Pam and Amy took me to The Santa Monica Flea Market. We had such high hopes for scoring great stuff. Well I did...they get to go there all the time! The weather was awful and kept away many of the good vendors. The only thing I bought was this vintage silver English fob:

I've been admiring it since, and determined to do something with it. Sassy guilted me into doing something with it when she was here, too. Last night that finally happened. I used to make lots of jewelry, then left it alone for a few years. I'm not going there again I'm pretty sure. It's good to try different things once in a while...shake things up a bit. Don't you think?

So just when I thought the need to make jewelry was out of my system and I could move forward with important things, look what came in the mail today:

Don't you just love these colors? I am forced to leave them along for a while, but soon....soon you little lovies...

New Provisions up!

A new relic kit just for you romantics out there!

The phrase on the back is so calming. It'd also be sweet with you and your hubby's initials on the back..hee hee. Wouldn't that be fun? Or as a handmade treasure for an upcoming wedding or anniversary, too.

Also new are these two button sets. Couldn't wait to show you.

These little cuties are a fresh and new type of embellishment. Pin to cards for a focal point, on bookmarks, dimensional collages, center of old flowers....you get the idea!

The second set have hanging swag style (my word) clips on them.

Yesterday, I attached one to a gift for a friend. She loved it.

You can find all of these on the website over here! 

It's cold and soon to be rainy today. My little guy doesn't have school so we're about to make minestrone soup in the crockpot for dinner. Enjoy your day!
 

Bursting with creativity around here

Some new and products coming soon to my website. I've been doing all sorts of things lately! I had hoped to have them up by now, but family life gets time consuming....you know how it is!

{crappy photo of my sewing basket}

I recently spiffed up a vintage sewing basket for myself...which I seem to tote here and there lately. Sass gave it to me a long time ago, and I finally decided to stop being in denial that I like to freehand stitch stuff. I stitch enough and have enough "stuff" to actually use it!!  :) So I've basically accepted my stitchiness.

More sporting events for us this weekend, which is typical for Fall. It really keeps us hopping. I'm thinking the bad weather might keep me away though. We'll see. It's really cold and blustery today and will be the next few days. Brrr.

If you have been waiting to purchase Silver Bella Vendor Faire tickets, you can get the details here and over here! ! If you are in the Omaha area, spread the word! Love to meet you there!