sweet stars

i think i will make these lovely cupcakes from the blog inchmark for the 4th! i just got a star shaped cookie cutter and have been looking for a way to use it. mmmm!

necklaces

i made some necklaces for the renegade! they will be in the shop soon too.

i also have been makeing some mini bow tie hair clips. i am LOVING the gold one.

4th of july wreath DIY

for my 4th of July decor this year i made a yarn wrapped wreath. i chose to wrap it with red & white acrylic yarn (any yarn would work for this project.) i crocheted some blue rosettes to garnish the wreath.

you will need:

a foam wreath form from the craft store- i got the 14" size
modgepodge or craft bond glue
foam craft brush
yarn
to embellish, you could make rosettes, flowers or stars. Or you can go minimalist and have no embellishment.

step 1: brush thin layer of glue on a 2" section of the wreath form.

step 2: wrap yarn tightly around the 2" section (you will want your yarn ball small enough to fit through the middle of the wreath.)

repeat steps 1 & 2 until wreath is complete. make sure the end piece of yarn is glued and tucked under a few rows of yarn.

switch colors in the back of middle of your wreath, so that it is less visible. cut first color and tie to the second color. wrap the yarn over the knot, to hide the strings and the knot.

i wanted to make the flowers removable, so i attached them to the wreath with wire. if you plan on leaving the embellishments on permanently, then apply with hot glue.

i love this wreath. i think i will make one for every holiday! i will probably use this same wreathe for Christmas & v-day, but change up the blue flowers.

things i think are rad

i have been searching etsy lately and here are some things that i think are RAD.

i would love to stick these fluffy cloud magnets up on my fridge! SWEET. made by mo

VINTAGE GLOBES. i have decided that i must have a vintage globe. if i can't find one on my own in the next few months i may resort to buying one online. this adorable globe tin can be bought at fancy lamb

diffraction fiber has amazing whimsical pillows, but i pretty much dig everything in their shop.

scentsy giveaway

check out this 4th of july scentsy giveaway! it ends on the 27th... so run, don't walk, over and enter.

it's friday! oh my!

hello my dear virtual friends. i have some apologies to make....i have been neglecting you....sorry. bryan and i set out on a mission to replace my trusted station

wagon with a newer and more gas efficient vehicle. i really don't like the process of searching for a car and this search has been especially discouraging. maybe next week things will be back to normal...i am not holding my breath.

on a high note, i have gotten quite a few things ready for the renegade craft fair. i am double excited to reveal a few thing that will be NEW for that particular event. my s

ister-in-law myleka, will be coming to LA for it and i cannot tell you haw excited i am to have her and her capable hands helping me :)!

i told her i would make her a crocheted cushion for her new house. seeking inspiration i went on etsy and found a few beautiful crocheted cushions. i also found some extremely disturbing, anatomical crocheted pillows...kind of made me laugh. anyway...here are a few favorites:

these first 2 are made by emma lamb

the above two are pincushions made by namolio

these are made by murano & tagua

lovely! i will let you know what i come up with!

last week

last week's list of happenings.

1. we looked for a new car

which is an activity i would rather not be a part of...but in the end it will be worth it:).

2. dae jang keum

it was our first time having traditional korean barbeque and it was oh, so tasty. we enjoyed the meal with a couple of friends from bryan's work, bryan calo & jennifer. jennifer ordered for us in korean, which was totally rad.

it was also fun to have a more interactive dining experience. penelope behaved herself pretty well for having gone car shopping for the better part of the day.

thank yous to bryan calo for the photos

4. the zoo

we went to the zoo with tira and her boys. we had a blast riding the skifari and checking out polar bear plunge for the first time.

5. library

we joined the summer reading program and went to our usual story/song time at our neighborhood's branch of the library.

6. our pool

i think that's enough said for that event..oh, and our swimming buddies were very fun to have over:)!

3. YW party

we had a pool party with my young women

action shot

for the papa's

here's what we made for penelope's papa sparks & papa white.

penelope and i made some cards based off of this tie bag tutorial from papercrave.

i also made them each a monogrammed, stamped tie tacks.

thank you dad & kerry for being wonderful fathers and grandfathers! we love you!

happy fathers' day

i am so grateful for fathers. bryan and i both have wonderful fathers who have been great examples throughout our lives. i feel so blessed, i know that i am who i am because my dad is who he is! i know that penelope will be blessed in the same way, because she has an amazing dad. bryan, you rock our world and we love you!

thanks to all the fathers who have helped me and my family

now for some pictures:

father's day 2010!

penelope LOVES her daddy

bryan on the day he became a daddy

my dad and me dancing at my wedding

bryan with his dad and grandpa sparks

cheers to our fathers!

a designer's take on the world cup

i have been pretty excited about the world cup lately and i thought i would share this SUPER cool site. a friend of mine, austin taylor has a website devoted to the 2010 world cup called austin taylor: world cup 2010. austin is a great graphic designer and is a minimalist...as you can see.

it is aesthetically pleasing, informative AND up to date on the turn out of all the matches. loving it. check it out AND have a beautiful weekend!