Bling in the New Year!!!

Hey, you know what would go really well with that classy, snazzy outfit you got on for New Years Eve?

THESE!....

Happy New Years Y'all!!!

Happy holidays to you...

Just wanted to wish you all happy holidays & a Merrrrry Christmas!!

Last minute DIY...

This year doesn't feel much like Christmas for me. The crazy bright California sun doesn't help. I think it's even lightening my hair! Winter, where are you?

To keep my mind busy I've been making lots lately– knitting, embroidering, even some cross stitch, and now... bows! I really like making gifts, baked goods, or supporting handmade, but this year really was a holiday fail.  At least I made these super tute bows for my cousins. This easy bow project with templates came from Leafy Treetops. I like that they can easily slip onto a headband, hair clip, or even a skinny belt!

Had to share all these amazing gift tag printables & last minute DIY gifts from Creature Comforts, and all these great ideas for last minute gifts from Julie (aka Your Secret Admiral). The "cross stitch mug" is my favorite.

Are you guys making any gifts?! Let me live vicariously through you...

DIY Gift Tags...

I've been receiving a bunch of links from this post I did last year, so I thought it'd be nice to repost this simple DIY tutorial. I designed these cute gift tags for an in store event with Kate's Paperie, and the original post will link you to the downloadable template with all the designs and instructions. I hope these are a fun, easy project to make for the holidays.... Enjoy!

 Free template here  and original post with instructions here. 

Happy holidays....

Let's meet at Squam Lake...

Something very exciting to share: I'll be teaching at Squam Art Workshops next June!  My class will be making this customizable embroidered monogram piece....

SAW is a lakeside art retreat on Squam Lake in New Hampshire. I went last year and was so inspired by all the creativity and passionate makers around me. (Here's a post I really enjoyed writing about the experience + my flickr pics.) 

I'm looking forward to this and trying to convince either my mom or boyfriend to come with me, so we could get our own little cabin. Yes, cabins on the lake and just chilly enough to sit by the fire at night! Then, make all day...

The new SAW site is really pretty and I'm so jealous of anyone going to the retreat in Italy, especially if you're taking the photography class with Nikole Herriott! Her work + images are amazing. Oh, and I'm hoping to meet Ann Wood there! Eks, I love her little creatures and dream boats...

So, let's meet at Squam! OK? Ok.

i'm on the instagrams...

This is my grandfather, who has quite a collection of really old photobooth pictures, my favorite kind of old photograph...

I finally can join in the instagram party. Since I got an early Christmas gift (an iphone for me!) I've been facetiming with my boo in NY and taking pictures.  Best gift! I don't know half of the little functions on it, or even how to link you to follow me (?), but it's lot of fun to mess about with. Must admit I resisted the instagram, but after clicking on so many of my friends images via twitter I wanted to play too...

I'm @miniaturerhino on twitter if you wanna see more pictures of pictures, pretty light and little things like this....

p.s so happy to see a shout out for my boyfriend's work on The Shiny Squirrel in a post "A Few Things I Love" picked by an amazing blog (words, words, words) Even Cleveland . I so want to join her book club...

Sorrow & joy...

"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." — Khalil Gibran

Struggling for words here. What to share and what to keep? I'll say that there is deep sorrow within my family right now. We are losing a mother, a grandmother, a great grandmother, our matriarch.

I've never experienced something like this before, hospice. It hurts like an ache, sometimes dull and then sharp and throbbing pain. I might find myself standing in line at a store and then realize I'm sobbing. But we still laugh about silly things and enjoy our time together. So it goes. It feels right to be where I am, at home and surrounded by family and all these memories....

(click the images for more. I tried to add a little more backstory about each image on flickr too.)