Sunday, November 29, 2009

gift guide: crafty

even people who wouldn't classify themselves as "crafty" will love a thing or two on this list. i mean, who doesn't love a good afternoon of creating? ok, maybe some people would prefer sleeping, i've just gotten used to having less of that.

if she loves to sew then she's most likely heard of this lady and would love some of her flannel fabric. perfect for making little clothes, or quilts, or anything really.



{folksy flannel}

the gift that keeps on giving, enroll her in style school. for $60 you will sign her up for all of this.



she would surely treasure this handmade wreath with vintage ornaments.



{tinsel wreath}

a must-have.



{encyclopedia of crafts}

a myriad of fun supplies would be so inspiring. pom-poms, colored pencils, embellishments, fabric scraps, etc.



{pom-poms}

help me add to these lists...if you have something you would want or a suggestion feel free to leave me a comment and i'll post it!

© copyright homemade grits

Friday, November 27, 2009

gift guide: new mom


Hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving! I'm going to do a series of gift guides to help save you much needed time and worry. Whether you are snooping to get ideas for the new mother in your life or you are a new mother, here are some gifties sure to please!

With a new baby in the house, it's a wonder you can still remember your name, much less the date! For the Spanish lover, help keep everyone on track with this magnetic perpetual calendar. Not only do you never have to buy another calendar again, but there are other fun magnets to play with...scissors to remember your hair appointment, stethoscope for doctor appointments.





{$15}



This pad was a total lifesaver for us and would be a great stocking stuffer! I love how it reminds you to bring your brain...





{$7.50}



Every new mom needs some pampering. Love this rosemary and pine needled scented O'Tannenbaum artisan soap from loveyourmama.com.



{$9}



One of Oprah's favorite things, as well as yours truly. I love my Kashwere robe, it feels just like cashmere, yet it's washable! The ultimate gift in my opinion. Matilda loves snuggling with me when I have it on.





{$135}



Start a charm necklace complete with baby's first initial. Love the simplicity of this one.



{$38}

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

thankfulness

i'm thankful for you dear readers, for my amazing and healthy family, my darling friends, for a job i love, for my loving guinness, for a roof over our heads, for creative and inspiring people, for our loving and patient God i am most thankful. hope you all have a lovely day eating delicious food and spending time with your favorite people.

matilda will be wearing this tomorrow. it's a little big, so it might have darts in the back tomorrow! cheers!





made from some hand-me-down fabric from claire and an ill-fitting albeit lovely top passed down from jodi. thanks ladies!


© copyright homemade grits

Monday, November 23, 2009

and so it was

our weekend was jam packed. hope you had a good one. i have to say that this weekend will stand out as one of my favorites. we started saturday off with a girls trip to ice. apparently the word is out. it was jam-packed up in that piece. i loved running in to so many of my friends, but miss m was not feeling it, so i feel like i missed out on some great vendors, but here are my purchases:

i loved kilroy and maw's screen printed posters. three for $25, don't mind if i do! they don't have any of the posters i snatched up online, but let's just say one of them says, "i love a fine swine."



i bought a lovely hair clip from so she sews.

i was so excited to see the small object, urbnpop, fattycakes, blueeyed freckle, and ministry of tiny hats.

after the show, i anxiously awaited the much anticipated surprise overnight date with sam. he coordinated everything to arrange an evening alone for us and didn't tell a soul.

we started the evening off by checking in here.

next was dinner here.



i think i ordered the wrong thing, but the tiramusu was some of the best i've ever had. sam got the chicken with lemons and capers and it was delightful.

up next was the BIG surprise: radio city christmas spectacular! at the fox. i hadn't been to the fox in years and sam had never been. it was so fun and special because we never do anything like that and the show was incredible. the rockettes are out of this world. loved the costumes and the dance moves. every time they did the can can thing everyone cheered!



{image}

afterwards we headed over to the newly renovated livingston restaurant and bar at the georgian terrace for drinks. the retro glamour of the bar and killer food and drinks are already garnering attention. they were just named one of the best new restaurants by atlanta magazine.



{image}

the staff was a little less than friendly, and the football game was distracting, but the kobe sliders made up for it.

just wanted to brag on sam, i'm so thankful to have him in my life. the day and night were perfection. quality time can be hard to come by. next mystery date is in my hands...what to do?!

© copyright homemade grits

Friday, November 20, 2009

weekend how-to

here's a fun weekend project if you're in the market...

i made my first wreath yesterday. it's completely quirky, but maybe you're in to it. you can do your own spin. not a lot of rules here.



what you'll need:

a fat roll of yarn. i liked this ombre yarn in cinnamon hues. it gives a festive punch that doesn't feel trite.
garden wire
16" styrofoam wreath form
decorative touches (i used vintage game pieces and birds)
an ornament for the center
hot glue gun
pom poms


begin by wrapping garden wire around the form to make a loop to hang it on your door. make the loop top center.

next wrap the entire form in yarn. this is the most time consuming part of the project (er frustrating part cause my yarn kept getting in a knot. i digress).

next i attached these sweet birdies, available at your local craft store.



then i hot glued "noel" out of pompoms. you could also say peace, whatever floats your boat. i was inspired here. i also hot glued the game pieces (aren't they fantastic?).



i love pom poms.

lastly i hung an ornament (this was from rach, a lovely g) from the top with garden wire. voila!




© copyright homemade grits

handmade holidays

i'm kind of on a roll, so i'm gonna go with it. i've been busy collecting vintage christmas treasures, creating ornaments and wreaths, and doing a little sewing. i'm so excited for the christmas season and it doesn't take much at all to get me in the spirit. i was so inspired yesterday rummaging around and filtering through joanns.

i whipped up this bow scarf for matilda and i'm thinking about selling them...thoughts?



it's made from soft fleece and this super fun goose fabric. i wanted something really girly and fun, especially since people still ask how old "he" is. prettiest boy i ever saw. sheesh.



i've continued on the ornament path. here's a petite cupcake for my petite cupcake, lauren. she had me over for the most divine chili dinner. let me just tell you about the cornbread...it had pineapple in it. heaven!




© copyright homemade grits

ohdeedoh big color contest

my friend katie (you know, the one that makes the awesome headbands?) has made it to the semifinals in ohdeedoh's big color contest. i would really love for her to win (she's so talented), you'll love olivia's modern nursery. katie hand did almost every little detail.

feast your eyes:



now go ahead and vote for olivia's modern nursery!! click here!

© copyright homemade grits

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

vintage

my affair with vintage has been lifelong. i've always loved old things, imperfect pieces of furniture, anything sparkly with a story. i've tried to incorporate the old with the new in our home.



matilda with an old, loved bunny from our beloved mary.

i hope that matilda will inherit the same love for the old that both sam and i have. he favors military paraphernalia, while i prefer baubles. apples oranges.



all of these pieces have some sort of story, although some are only "vintage-inspired."



christmas is slowly making its way in to our home. isn't he delightful?? i found him at one of my favorite stores.



one of my newest treasures is this metal basket perfect for housing some of my crafty things.



matilda's winter coat, a purchase made by grammy before she was even conceived. i just love it.



i dream of owning a store that sells only vintage school supplies. i love them that much. this is sam's chicken. i wanted a lovely list of milk and eggs. here's to keeping it real. that old piggy bank was a gift from sam's father to his mother when they were engaged. they had to fill it up before they got married. isn't that sweet?



above most things i love vintage items for children. how great is this babar alphabet with yellow metal frame? this was a birthday gift to matilda from brittany. it's a treasure. there is also a collection of vintage ceramic wall hangings from jessica and her mama, and a collection of old band-aid tins from sam's parent's house.



i'm getting in to making ornaments. here's my first...

where are your go-to places for vintage treasures?

© copyright homemade grits

Monday, November 16, 2009

park date

a while back sam and matilda had a date. they went to the park and you can just see how excited matilda is to be there with her ole dad. i was melting as he handed over my camera full of these glorious shots. he really is the best. i loved having a peek of what their time together is like when i'm not around.









my blue eyed girl.


© copyright homemade grits

Saturday, November 14, 2009

weekend inspiration

who's ready for some holiday cheer? me me! here's a collection to get you in the spirit and hopefully inspire you as well.

gift wrapping ideas for kiddos or the young at heart:



{d*sponge}

who doesn't love a good pom pom? here are some sprinkled in a wreath. lovely!



{black eiffel scan of a marie claire}

support artists this season. so rewarding. love these sure-to-sell-out-available-on-monday christmas cards.



{the black apple}

the kids table need not be neglected. love this centerpiece!



{ohdeedoh}

i would use these as pillows! love these orla kiely clothed dachshunds!



{aliceapple}

and naptime is done. happy weekending!

© copyright homemade grits

Friday, November 13, 2009

I.C.E. and a GIVEAWAY

my beautiful friend katie is hosting a giveaway on her blog in honor of the upcoming winter i.c.e. her gorgeous headbands are up for grabs and it's a surprise! how fun. i'm getting so excited about christmas shopping there and seeing some old friends.



{head on over and tell katie i sent you!}

good luck!

© copyright homemade grits

Thursday, November 12, 2009

blogs i love: little green notebook

do i have a serious girl crush or what? not only do i love jenny's style, but i love her resourcefulness.

I love her daughters' room.



Love all of her pops of red. These are target frames she revamped:



How much do you love these faux croc shelves (psst it's contact paper) and these great martha-inspired frames?



check out this before and after:

before:



after:



i mean are you kidding me? gorge! gorge!


© copyright homemade grits

Sunday, November 8, 2009

purple and yellow

it's amazing that all of our baby friends are turning the big o-n-e. it seems like just yesterday they were all tiny and swaddled. our darling friend lindsey threw the most elaborate and adorable party for her daughter parker. the attention to detail is amazing.



beautiful little p with her purple tutu.



beautiful tiers of wheatgrass, housed gerber daisies and homemade pinwheels. i am in a sugar coma from all of the amazing sweets. cake pops, petit fours, cupcakes, and champagne all made their way to my mouth. yum.



a photobooth set up with mustaches, lips, and more!



me and my dear friend brit and til.



matilda and parker finally met!! i love this picture so much.

such a fun weekend getting ready for the party and having some late night crafting fun at this adorable house.

see the rest of the pictures here!


© copyright homemade grits