flickr group for snowflakes & sparkles swap!

By now, all of you should have sent your swap boxes and hopefully received them from your partners already!! I created a flickr group so that we all can share our goodies, so please go join and post your swap photos!! I want to thank you all for participating, and I am excited to see what you all sent and received!!

PS.

If you are interested in sewing, my next swap will be an apron swap.. I will not be introducing it until after the holidays are over, but stay tuned, it is going to be SO fun! :) xo!

new items up!

I've got some new, super-cute Christmas items up in

my shop!!!

Go sneak a peek, be a doll, and buy something you'll LOVE!! xoxox!

thanksgiving photos!

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday!! We had a relaxing day, watching the parade, preparing food, and watching movies!! And I wanted to share some photos of our yummy family dinner last night! My momma set the most gorgeous table, in the photo above!!
Here is my dad, my mom, and my sister Mallory!! :)

My dad carving the turkey! Of which I did not eat, hehe! ;) My veggie food was fab!!

Me and my little bug, Andrew! Forgive the solemn look on his face haha... he was quite the stinker at dinner though... a day without a nap was getting to him by dinnertime and crankiness had taken over!!

And last but not least, my grandma and I.. she is visiting from Spokane, Washington and we were so happy to have her here to celebrate with us! :)

We went shopping this morning and had so much fun poking around the stores... a day to get inspired to come home and make my own gifts for sure though!! What is with all those steep price tags?! Eek!! Fabric will be going a long way for me this year, and I couldn't be happier to sew most of my Christmas gifts in the next few weeks! :) Then we went to see Four Christmases this afternoon, which was seriously hilarious. Although, is there ever a Reese Witherspoon or Vince Vaughn movie I don't like??? :) I highly recommend it for a fun holiday movie!! Well I sincerely hope that each and every one of you was blessed to spend a nice holiday with loved ones yesterday, and that you enjoyed it to its fullest!!! Now I am off to snuggle up in bed and read "The Host"!! xoxox!

happy thanksgiving!

This is what I will be attempting to make for the first time! Yum-o!! Pumpkin pies, my favorite thing about Thanksgiving dinner! (Or Thanksgiving dessert, to be exact!)

This year, I am so very thankful that I can spend my Thanksgiving with my lovely family, including my grandma who is here for the week... I am thankful that I get to stay home and enjoy the day, watching the Macy's Thansgiving Day Parade in my cozy pajamas while it is chilly and rainy outside... I am thankful that I get to help create a yummy dinner to share with the people I love... and I am especially thankful that I am a vegetarian. ;) Those big ol' turkeys in the freezer today at the grocery store were creeping me out, eek! I'll be enjoying the veggie-friendly sides tomorrow night, thank goodness!!

I want to wish every one of you a safe and happy holiday... I hope you all enjoy a fabulous Thanksgiving full of family, good food, and blessings!!! xo!

when company comes to visit...

....Andrew gets to camp out in his "igloo"!! :) He has set up his whole igloo tent with a cozy little bed on my bedroom floor, since my grandma is here to visit for Thanksgiving! At least he isn't hogging MY bed this time haha!!

Now I am off to craft, to sew, to finish up some swaps, etc, etc, etc......!! xo!

free surprise!

...to the 50th sale in my Etsy shop!!

I have almost made it to my 50th sale in my shop, and am so excited! Whoever purchases the 50th item will be sent a surprise extra gift with their purchase!!

Go buy up so I can make room for the fabulous things I've got ready to list in the next few days, yay!! The fabulous little paper goods need a good home...

pink and red flower tags

sweet holiday wishes card

gorgeous glittery winter card

sew-crazy!!

This year, I am trying to make most of my Christmas presents, and that means a LOT of sewing! I have loved all of my recent sewing projects, and am really looking forward to making some more things for family and friends. I was browsing through Etsy and found some fabulous fabrics and patterns, and I had to share them!! Also, does anyone else have any favorite fabric sites, patterns, sewing blogs, etc... any helpful hints to this sewing girl??! :) Or any hints as to what else to make for Andrew? I am planning on making him a puppet theatre that I saw in a book, which I think he will love. I am also going to make him a quilt out of some flannel he got a while back that he just couldn't put down in the fabric store haha! I think he probably forgot all about it, so there is my cue to make something he will LOVE :) The fabric up top is one of my favorites at the moment... for some reason, yellow is calling to me this season!

And oh my gosssshhhh, this blue tree fabric is a necessity. I bought it in green, but I think I might need the blue as well. So whimsical and cute!! This may not make it into a gift for someone, I might use this all for myself haha!! :)

I am dying to make one of these Amy Butler gumdrop pillows... or a whole pile of them!! The pattern is available on Etsy, and I am considering trying it out... has anyone else made these?? Easy, hard? I am thinking even it they are hard to make, that they are well-worth it, the cuteness is just undeniable!!! :)

And I just found this other Amy Butler pattern as well... I am in love with this cute little top!!! It could be made in so many funky little fabrics, and tied up with a cute bow or belt! LOVE it... I might have to whip one or two of these up for myself haha!! Don't you love how making Christmas presents has morphed into making myself a bunch of cute things???? ;)

Any other fun sewing tips?!

Hope everyone enjoyed a relaxing weekend! xo!

what I thought about TWILIGHT! :)

So I was there in full force at midnight last night to see Twilight. We got there around 10:30pm and waited until 12:01am, which was probably a mistake on my part. I was sooooo tired. And this morning is even worse. I think I may be getting too old for midnight movies.... someone remind me of that when Harry Potter comes out this summer. :)

Anyways, first of all let me say that the right actors were definitely chosen in this film. Edward and Bella are exactly like I imagine them in my mind while I am reading these books.
And, Edward is freaking hot. Yum! Vampire! ;)

Overall, the movie was GOOD. But, and I hate that there has to be a but, BUT.... as a hardcore fan of the book, it isn't quite as good. As to be expected, right?? There are amazing parts in the movie, and then some that completely fall flat. (Meadow scene, anyone??? Totally sucks in the movie, which made me want to cry. And Edward's "sparkle" is little more than him looking kinda shiny in the sunlight. Not what I had in my mind.) Then there are some parts that are SO laughable, even when I was trying not to think it was funny! (Example: biology class on Bella's first day... the look on Edward's face made me crack up... but that is a serious part in the book, and I didn't want to be sitting there laughing!!!)


Another thing I have to slightly criticize is how fast the movie moves through the story. Nothing is fully developed, Edward and Bella's romance is not fully dived into, and the whole James storyline at the ending is so fast and slightly confusing. Had I never read the book, it might have been hard to keep up. BUT had I never read the book, I may not be nit-picking like I am.


I feel like I am coming across like I didn't like the movie, which is totally untrue. It was amazing to see Bella and Edward come to life on the movie screen and to see this story come to life. I really did enjoy it, and I feel like given the two hours a movie devotes to a story, they packed in all they could.


One great thing about the movie is they really do focus on the EYES. The red eyes, the black versus golden eyes of Edward and his family, then comparing them to Bella and the kids at school.. there is definitely a difference between the vampires and the regular people.


The movie ended really strong, completely opening it up for the second book to be introduced. Victoria and James are frightening, which is definitely how it should be... I was a little wary of that cute red-haried girl playing Victoria. She was on "What About Brian" and I loved her, and I couldn't imagine her being scary. Well, she did it. Those red eyes were freaky.


So go see it,
let me know what you think,
whether or not you have read the book, etc!
I am dying to know what non-twilighters think of it...
leave me a comment with your thoughts!


Now I need a nap. :)


And PS. Team Edward!!!
What was with all the "Team Jacob" people at the movies???? Jacob was totally creepy, I don't know how I'm going to deal with New Moon haha!!!

OME, twilight TONITE!!!! :)

Oh my Edward, it is TWILIGHT time tonite at midnight!!!!! :) I have been patiently (ok, maybe not so patiently!!) waiting for this movie and I can't believe it is finally here!!! I will be headed to the theatre tonite with my sister Mallory and my super friend Nikole!! CAN'T WAIT!!!

Any other Twilighters seeing the movie at midnight??? When are you all going to see it?! EEEEK! I will be back with my review of it tomorrow! xo!

cupcakes and "i do's"!

A few weeks ago, a friend of ours from high school got married and I made all the cupcake favors for her wedding. (And am just now posting about it, I know, I know!) But they turned out so cute, I had to share! :)
The wedding was so cute and it was nice to get dressed up and enjoy a fun wedding! And I got to go with my sister, which was super fun!! :)
Me! It was SO hot at the wedding, but I did feel cute haha!!! :)

My sister Mallory... she made that red skirt, it was so cute!!

Christina and Jake, bride and groom!!! (And a baby-boy to be on the way, yay!!!)

Mallory and I snapping photos at the wedding!!! :)

*More random photos coming soon..... in between preparing to send ALL my freaking swap boxes haha. I really know no limit when it comes to swaps, do I????? Ah! But it is so fun, and totally worth it!! :) xo!

halloween is over???!! :)

Alright, so I am probably the worst person ever about uploading photos off my camera. As you can see, I am just now getting around to posting Halloween pictures. Humor me though, I've got to blog about our Halloween party, along with trick-or-treating!! :)

I run a playgroup for Andrew and a ton of little kids, so I threw a costume party on the 30th for all the kids and parents. It turned out to be so much fun, and it was so festive!! :)
My little "pumpkin patch" cupcakes that I made! :)

Of course I dressed up along with Andrew the "skunk"!! I made his skunk costume which he loved, and I was a "dust bunny"! :)

Mr. Stinky Minky Skunk!!

Then on Halloween night we had our good friend Amanda come out trick-or-treating with us, and it was baby Jake's (or the little dinosaur haha!!) first Halloween! :)

My sister dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood... I was over the costume by then and just donned my bat headband, of which you cannot see in this photo haha!! :)

Andrew and his dad, out trick-or-treating!

Smile!! Getting lots of candy was definitely a wonderful time for my little sugar monster :)

Home at last, a piece of candy already in his mouth haha!! We had a great Halloween and I am glad I finally got to share all the pictures!!! :) xo!

working on partners!

I am still in the process of assigning partners for the Merry Christmas Children's Book Swap! Do not worry if you haven't received an email- I haven't begun to send out the partners! I have been inflicted with an ongoing headache these past two days, I have to finish an art history paper tonight, and I just haven't gotten around to finishing. But I will get them out as soon as I can... keep an eye out for an email from me! :) Hope everyone enjoyed a fabulous weekend.. xo!!

UPDATE:

Swap partners are done and emailed out! Contact me at hollyndevlin@gmail.com if you did not receive an email and partner from me tonight!! Have fun swapping with the kiddos! :)

still sad. still hating NBC.

Alright, I still haven't gotten over the cancellation of my favorite show. So I am sulking. Still. BUT I did find a fabulous picture of Victory Ford's perfect pink dress, so Happy Pink Saturday! (Even though I am not too happy at the current moment in time, boo!) On Lipstick Jungle, Victory is a fashion designer and she is my super-style icon at the moment. I want to be just like her. :) Isn't she the cutest???

To all of my swappers:

*Snowflakes & Sparkles girls... hope you are working on your boxes! Get them out to your partners in the next week and a half, preferably before Thanksgiving! I was a goof and forgot about that when I came up with the deadline to mail the packages, so try to mail them out before then. If you have had no contact with your partner, let me know!!! I want to be assured that everyone has a responsible partner and receives a great swap box, so please let me know if that has not happened. I will not put up with people not following through!

*The kid's book swap sign ups are now CLOSED and I will email partners out by Sunday night. If you haven't heard from me then, contact me.

oh no, I hate you NBC!

Tonight I planned to enjoy a cozy evening at home, watching one of my favorite shoes, Lipstick Jungle....
....and nibble on my new favorite snack, the candy cane "oreos" that Trader Joe's is now carrying for the holidays....

...BUT as I was scoping out these pictures for my Friday Faves post just now, I stumbled across something AWFUL and SAD!!!! (At least in my own little world!!!)
Lipstick Jungle
is being
CANCELLED!!!!!

I don't know how many of you watch this show, but it is seriously awesome. It is about three best friends who are successful businesswomen, absolutely gorgeous, and who have the perfect wardrobes and shoes, not to mention hot, stud-muffin boyfriends! (Read: Kirby. Yum.) WOO! It is really one of my favorite shows, and while I googled "lipstick jungle" to get a cute photo to put on my blog, I found THIS instead. :( :( BOO HOO. I will be sobbing as I watch the last few episodes.

Is there anything we can do to get stupid NBC to change their minds???

(A la Jericho of last season... was anyone else desperate enough to send peanuts to CBS after Jericho was cancelled??? Well, I was that nuts... pun, of course, intended. And what was so crazy, is that is WORKED. CBS brought Jericho back for 7 more episodes, and then gave it the final axe. Ugh. I hate network TV.)

Anyways, if you don't already watch Lipstick Jungle, tune in, tell a friend, watch and enjoy!! Friday nights at 10pm, go watch! You will love it. I promise. And maybe NBC will change it's ridiculous mind. Or maybe we can flood NBC with.......um, lipstick???? :)

new items and $1 sale still going on!

I have been LIVING in my craft room these past few days. And that means that Andrew has been too! I have been making card after card, and it is so sweet to watch Andrew do the same. He has been cutting out shapes, sticking stickers, tying on pieces of ribbon... he has been making the cutest little cards right alongside me! So it has provided me with lots of time to get Etsy things done!! I have had two big custom orders, so that has taken up most of my creative time, but I've also got a few new things up in my shop! (And lots more to come!!!) I am taking holiday custom orders now, so if you need some cute and special Thanksgiving, Christmas, or general holiday cards, please contact me through Etsy! :)

Also, my "One Dollar Sale" is still going on in the shop- I have added a few things to the mix, so buy up while you can!!!

Autumn Leaf tags!

Vintage crown tags!

Back to creating now...... :)

omg, red and aqua!

Or should I say OME???! (Oh my Edward! That's for you Twilight fans hehe!!) For the Red and Aqua swap I participated in recently, my fabulous partner Sarah sent me a whole box full of fun goodies!! She is a fellow obsessive Twilight fan, just like me, so we instantly were friends! Above, she made the most perfect book plates for all of my prized Twilight books... sooooo cute!!! :)
Cute little book plates for Andrew also.. he loves swaps just as much as I do!! :) And the cutest strawberry coasters!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this keychain with an old key on it... I think my sister was trying to snag it from me! ;)

Other little goodies... love it ALL!!!! :)

And last but certainly not least, the cutest vintage apron!! And it is reversible! I LOVE aprons, so this made my day!! (Forgive the workout clothes and sunglasses atop my head- Andrew and I were headed out for a walk hehe!!)

I want to thank you Sarah SO much, I love it all!!!! :) PS. Your box is finally on it's way- let me know when you get it!!