the birthday post

Happy Birthday to Me!, originally uploaded by varenia.

Celebrating birthdays always makes me feel so blessed, by family and love and abundance. The aquarians took over the household this weekend, and we had such a blast partying hard like a 5 year old. Or a 1 year old. Or a 3-in-two-months kid. Yes, we had to sing to dear Apple, too, who just couldn't quite grasp why both of her sibs got candle blowing time, and singing to, and she didn't. So we sang away. So sweet.

I can't quite grasp that my dear, handsome first-born is FIVE! That seems huge to me, full-fledged little boy-ness for sure. And of course, the little babe, precious Piper. Cheery and smiley and toddling around like a little duckling of a one-year-old. Divine.

In a way this is more of a New Year for me than January 1st, I feel like this young, growing family is shifting gears now, moving and morphing into something even more magical every day. I also have my new shop up and running, on Etsy, and I am sure that will prove a challenge and a creative outlet for me as well, something I am really embracing right now.

the birthday pinafore

the piper pinafore, originally uploaded by varenia.

i finally finished this darling (if i do say so myself... sorry, i'm so hard on myself when it comes to my sewing, but this one really makes me smile) dress-slash-pinafore for piper's first birthday. i love just about everything about it, including the fact that it's completely reversible to red and cream colored polka dots on the other side. you know how i am about polka dots.

and almost as exciting, the completion of this dress has prompted me to go ahead and open the etsy shop i've been pondering for quite some time. i've already set it up (there's a link in the sidebar directly to the shop), but am still working on getting my listings together. yay! to start it'll be primarily blankets and select pieces (like the pinafore) for babies and toddlers.

belated post

owl-dog in simple tote, originally uploaded by varenia.

i've been meaning to post a photo of the tote and owl-dog i crafted for a young friend's birthday, so here they are. they were a lot of fun to make, i got so attached to the softie i almost didn't want to let it go... :). luckily, my little friend will probably let me visit whenever i want.

i really, really heart heather ross

i just caught a sneak of the new fabrics coming out in may. good thing my birthday is in may, i know what i will be asking for! the mermaids are my absolute favorite, and i am seeing some new curtains for the living room, maybe in the seahorses, in a blue and brown colorway. yum yum.