chevron baby blanket

My sweet niece, Myla,  came into the world in September.  I love her so much already and loved her the instant I met her.  She is such a sweet baby and is such a little people person already.  She loves to lay on your chest, stare into your eyes, and giggle/flirt.  As I said, I love her.  
So when she was born, I wanted her to have a little blanket.  Kala (my sister in law) did her room in coral, gold, mint, and navy.  She did such a great job with it and it totally reflects Kala's awesome style.  I wanted the blanket to match her room so that it wasn't something Kala felt like she needed to keep in a drawer.  

 The act of making a baby blanket is so special to me.  The hours spent making each stitch - it feels like an act of praying over that baby and her life.  Knowing the blanket will keep her warm and bring her comfort - it's like getting to know her and take care of her before she was even here.

This is definitely a pattern I'll use again.  The blanket is perfect for a stroller or carseat - it's big enough to cover her and keep her warm but not so big that it takes up too much space. 

I really like the way this pattern lays - the way the blanket naturally ripples.  

I used this pattern from eat, knit & diy and highly recommend it if you want to make your own.  

burlap happy birthday banner

So a friend asked me to make a burlap happy birthday banner for her family.  She wanted something that was gender neutral, that she could use year after year, and that would go in any room.  This is what I came up with:

Each flag is about 5 inches x 4 inches and is two layers of burlap thick.  The letters are cut out of fabric and then stitched onto the burlap.  

I then stitched around each flag, trimmed up the fraying edges, strung the flags together with jute, and called it a day!  A little tip is to use some mod podge on the edges of the flags to keep them from fraying.  This is a banner that my friend wants to use year after year so I kept durability in mind.  

I'm loving this color combo and think I might need to make one for my own home! :)  
If you want me to make one for you, let me know! 
Oh, and now that I'm kinda addicted to making burlap banners (as if I needed another craft addiction), I'm thinking I'm going to make some for Christmas.  Anyone interested??

winnie the pooh halloween

Oh man.  Matt and I went back and forth so many times with what Jonathan should be for Halloween this year.  You see, this is the last year that we'll be able to pick his costume.  We wanted it to be something that reflected this stage and something he'd love. 
At first, we were going to do Mater.  Our boy loves him some Mater.  We were collecting supplies and getting ready to make it and then went to Disneyland for the weekend.  We took him on his favorite ride, Winnie the Pooh, and he got to meet Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore.  He gave them hugs, called them friends, and was seriously over the moon the whole time.  

While on the ride, Jonathan was sandwiched between Matt and I and pointed to each character, screamed their name, sang along to the music...he was in heaven.  I took one look at Matt over Jonathan's sweet fuzzy head and said, "Winnie the Pooh.  He has to be Pooh."  
You see, the thing is that he is so sweet.  He is a toddler and definitely all boy but he still seems so little and has such a sweet spirit.  I wanted to look back on this Halloween and remember him that way.  We'll have plenty to come where he can do all of the big boy stuff.  

So this post probably seems rather sappy for a Halloween post.  But really, it all felt like so much more to us.  We are trying to soak up this stage with our little guy and my momma heart can't handle the fact that he's getting so big! 

Yesterday I saw About Time and I loved it.  Go see it.  But the theme is totally about enjoying the everyday parts of life.  To see beauty all around you and soak up what matters.  It was beautiful.  And this is so where I am at.  Some things have been hard but I am soaking up this life.  This stage we are in, my amazing husband, my precious boy.  All of it.   

for the love of triangles

Triangles are all the rage right now and I for one am loving this trend.  It's the perfect combination of graphic and bold but still playful.  

These cards are the smallest size I have - 4 1/4" x 3 7/8".  The triangles are hand cut out of washi and glitter tape.  They are coral, navy, mint, and gold. And this color combo??  In love.  

Pure white card stock is mounted on navy card stock for a bright contrast. The card is paired with a kraft color card stock.  

These cards are perfect for any occasion - why not have a bunch on hand for birthdays, thank yous, and just plain old fun letter writing.  
Have a BEAUTIFUL day!  And why don't you play with some paper?!  

fall inspired stationery

So it's starting to kinda feel like fall here in Southern California.  We had a day of rain (eeeek!!!) and it's been chilly at night and in the morning.  AND, of course I'm sure you have all noticed, the best part of the fall.....the salted caramel mocha is back!!  LOVE.  
So in honor of this glorious season and in an effort to trick myself into believing it is actually fall, here is my new gold leaf stationery.  

I'm loving the gold leaf sewn onto the double washi tape stripe.  

The card is backed on kraft card stock and is paired with a kraft envelope.  It is A6 - 4 1/2" x 6 1/4". 

How cute would a little nameplate sewn onto the leaf be??  Look for it in my shop! 

{wrapping ideas} using fabric as ribbon

I've said it once, I'll say it again...gift giving is so fun for me.  One of my favorite parts is the wrapping. I'm always looking for ways to use what I have on hand and this week, my fabric scraps were calling to me.  Let me explain.   My church, Christian Assembly in Eagle Rock, has an outstanding Women's Bible Study. It has truly been life changing for me.  As a stay at home mom, I have found those moments of gathering to worship, learn, and spend time with out another to be such a highlight in my week.   I'm a part of a table of women who support one another, learn from one another, and really love one another well.  Our table leader (love you, Jacquie!) is the icing on the cake to such a great experience.  If not for her and her constant love and support, our table wouldn't be even close to the same.   In our session last week, we were discussing how to show love to our family, friends, and neighbors and I felt so convicted about the neighbors part.  We moved into our home almost a year ago and I barely know my neighbors at all.  I don't think I've even exchanged any words with most of them!  Although this is typical California culture with neighbors, it's not how I want to be!  Sure I love privacy as much as the next person (well, probably more) but I really feel like I want our home to be a place that radiates Jesus' love.  I especially want to model this for my little guy.   So last week Jonathan and I made pumpkin bread.  Well, I made it and he pretended to put spices in while playing with lots of flour.  And I made seven loaves of pumpkin bread and was ready to pass them out and then realized I didn't bake them long enough and the middles were all mush.  I dramatically dumped them each, one at a time, into our trash can.   That's it, I decided.  Done with this little project.  Or not.  The idea didn't leave my mind so I gathered supplies this week and made 4 loaves.  I kept one for us (and Jonathan has already finished it!) and Jonathan and I took the other three out yesterday.  We handed two out to neighbors and with no one else home, I gave the extra loaf to my brother and his wife who just brought home their sweet baby.   I'm not done though.  We are going to make more and keep passing them out until I've met more neighbors!   So here are my little loaves of pumpkin bread wrapped in fabric.  

 These were so inexpensive - I already had the Martha Stewart labels and Heather Bailey fabric on hand.  Win/win!   Have a great week, y'all.  And I'll just keep pretending it's fall over here.... 

congratulations cards

Ok I just have a few more cards to share with you that are new to the shop.  The first are these congratulations cards.  

You can buy these cards at my shop: www.elliebelliehandmade.etsy.com or email me at elliebelliehandmade@gmail.com.  I can also change the label to say anything you'd like - including your name.  

I'm also thinking about doing a little sale on Instagram soon....what do you think??  Happy Monday everyone!  

a little thank you

I owe a big thank you to my mom and dad for sitting me down after every Christmas and birthday and making me write thank you notes.  I'm not being sarcastic - I really am thankful.  I am so appreciative of this because I still to this day write thank you cards.  And unfortunately I think it's a lost art.  We move so fast from one thing to the next and we rarely sit down to pull out a nice card, grab our favorite pen (preferably an ink roller), summon our pretty hand writing, and jot a thank you note.  My grandma wrote not just thank cards but notes in general and I kept many of them.  What a special thing it is to have her sweet handwriting and kind words always.   So, am I making you feel like you need some thank you notes of your own yet?!?!?  Here you go!  

These little cuties are listed in my shop.  
Have a wonderful day!!  

coral, mint, gold & navy baby shower

Ok so my brother and his wife are having a baby.  A baby girl.  Like any day now.  CAN'T WAIT!! This will be the first baby girl in our family and we all couldn't be more excited.  Leggings, headbands, ruffles, RUFFLE BUTTS, need I say more?? 
To celebrate their transition, I helped her friends throw a baby shower for the happy couple.  Since it was a couples shower, we went more with a party theme and less of a baby theme.  
The baby's room is coral, mint, gold and navy so we knew these had to be the colors for the shower.   I don't have a ton of images right now but as I get more, I'll be sure to share them here.  Drumroll please..... 

Aren't those jars fun?  One of the girls had this idea and I just love how they turned out.  We took mason jars, spray painted them, and then painted them with a mod podge/glitter mixture.  Another friend did the flowers and they are to die for.  Flower arranging is one skill I don't have so I'm super impressed. 

Here's a view from my family room.  We had the whole party in the backyard.  We moved basically my whole house out there and then borrowed a bunch of furniture too.  That's one of my favorite things about living in Southern California - summer nights are a dream and I love summer night backyard parties.  Trying saying that four times fast.  

Here's my patio....obviously all patio furniture removed.  I love creating little seating areas for people to enjoy at parties.  

 The dessert table!  The parents-to-be LOVE sweets so we made this table a focal point.  

Ok there is so much more I want to share here so as I get pictures, I promise I'll post them here.  Oh and all of that fringe?? I have a ton left over so if anyone wants any, let me know.
All of these pictures are courtesy of Alexander Aquino Photography and Design.  He has such a great eye for photography and am so happy we have these!  You can view his website at www.alexanderaquinophotography.com. Thank you, Alex!

get it done

Get it done.  I seriously can't say that without thinking, "git r done!!"... especially because Mater is a favorite in our household.

This is the last item in the gold and grey product line...a notepad!  

This is a small notepad - 5" x 8".  It's perfect to tuck in a drawer, your purse, leave on the counter...you name it!  

As with all of my products, I'm happy to customize it to meet your needs.  A personalized notepad makes a great gift.