sparkly red caps

Just thought I'd share a few photos of some new gnome & mushroom cake toppers I recently made for a custom order. The glitter on the caps was her idea for a wintry woodland party...and I simply love the added sparkle!
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happy weekend! :)

baby things {of the bird & owl variety}

Just a few of my favorite baby things so far...yes, it's beginning! ;)

First up, a very old Swedish postcard with owl illustration. I framed it within a pale green & white striped matte and white frame.

I think it's really sweet, but does anyone know Swedish?

"To du ar mig en ljus fogel"

I did this google translation thing and if accurate, it means something like:

To me you are a bright bird!

And speaking of "bright birds," secondly, this modern LED blue bird nightlight from Target. They also have an adorable mushroom one too...it was a tough choice.

Finally, my favorite little snapsuit/gown I've bought so far...I found it a cute, new little baby boutique here in Duluth. I also spotted this one and more sweet Baby Chai clothing online right here.
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P.S. Thank you for each of the sweet, encouraging comments left on my last post. It's such a joy to get such thoughtful, kind comments on my artwork!

five isn't enough...{+ customer cake photos}

Oftentimes 5 photos per Etsy listing just isn't enough for me...I hem and haw over which photos to use, which ones show my items at their best, highlight specific things like the details on the base of a cake topper or the pattern of paper I've chosen for the base. I try to figure out which lighting is best and yet still conveys the true colors of an item. I attempt to have a good variety of close-up shots and distance shots. And then of course there are all the different angles! I like to show my work from almost every possible angle...so with all that said, usually 5 photos just isn't enough. Sometimes I see shops on Etsy that will just use one photo to show their item...oh to have the confidence to allow one picture to stand alone and represent. Nope...can't do it! So what can I do when I have more photos that I maybe wanted to use but didn't have room for? Put them here on the blog. So, I present a new pair of Sweetheart Birds!

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And if you're still with me on this rambling post, thought I'd share a couple photos a customer sent me recently of some of my cake toppers she ordered for her wedding.

She used one set of bird toppers on their wedding cake...

...and after receiving them, ordered another pair to use as a little centerpiece on their "Love is Sweet, Take a Treat" bar. (A little hard to see but they are way up there at the top of the photo, in the center.) Its always fun for me to see how they were used!

hopeful sounds...

A new birdy cake topper has landed itself on a branch in my shop. I've gradually been working on a few new things for the shop...and I think this particular bird would be lovely upon a simple white frosted cake for a special lady or birthday girl.

I've had little songbirds on the mind today ever since this morning when I heard the sweet song of one just outside my window. It was only a short song...just a long high note followed by a steady low note. But that first hopeful sound of a bird singing caught my ear and reminded me that Spring will someday arrive...eventually...even though it seems on this dreary January day to be lightyears away. Sometimes I forget how quiet nature is in the wintertime. Until I hear that first birdsong and it awakens my mind to memories of warm Spring mornings, sleeping with the windows cracked, and hearing the birds of the forest begin their sweet songs early in the morning. I can't wait for those Spring mornings!

More birds, more soon! ~L

cravings

While down in the Cities last weekend, Hub and I had dinner at Cafe Latte. For weeks and weeks before this, I'd been craving a BIG slice of their Raspberry Creme Torte...and it didn't disappoint!

I would say that I really haven't had any strange pregnancy cravings...or really any cravings at all, besides maybe ice cream...and hot chocolate too? Since I've cut out coffee and tea, I've become a bit of a hot chocolate connoisseur. Which reminds me, Cafe Latte's hot chocolate is amazing too!

raspberry pink...

...baby booties for a precious new niece!

These were fairly quick to knit and I very loosely followed this cute pattern from The Purl Bee.
Much easier than the pair of socks I'm still trying to finish for myself. It is sooo cold here today, if only I could knit a pair of cozy booties like this for myself! ;)

surrounded by...

...fabric...lots of pretty fabrics!

I just love all the possibilities that a piece of fabric holds.

Although I'm still not entirely sure what I'm doing here, I think I'm making progress towards...something! ;)

quiet, fresh start...

The new year has been getting off to a quiet but good start for me. I actually didn't even make it until midnight on new year's eve, probably for the first time that I can recall. Hub was off work for a few days over new years and we accomplished A TON of cleaning out, getting rid of, organizing...and it felt so wonderful. It's nice to have a partner who is fully on board and sometimes the motivator as well behind getting things organized. I'm usually a bit like this every new year...where I need to totally clean up and organize my studio after the holiday craftiness and whatnot, but this year it extended to our basement, future baby room (the closet was packed with our stuff!), etc as well. I'm sure it's the sense of a new year that spurs me to do this, to start fresh, but perhaps this year with the addition of a baby to our home, we were even more inspired to get things in order. And as we were doing all this over a few days, I pondered how silly/amazing it is that we have to spend so much time dealing with "stuff!" Makes me long for more simplicity, less things... But now that my desk is finally clean and I know where everything is, I'm taking my time to ease back into creating too. I have a desire to sew something but haven't figured out just what yet. I'd like a project that I can work on for awhile...piecing together here and there...taking my time while learning more about sewing...and quietly easing into this wonderful fresh new year!

About my photo: Winter is getting a little long now though...I recently had to corral all my plants away from the chilly windows and put a bunch of them on my favorite white plant stand. I so enjoy seeing this greenery when outside everything is snow-covered!