that one time when I blogged

Which happens to be today.  I may have, well, forgot about my little bloggie friend for a few days.  Ok, no, I didn't forget, because I kept thinking about it, but was tied up with life's other adventures.  Ok, ok, enough excuses.  Here I am and I am excited to tell you all that I have been up to.

Besides battling a family of sicklies, myself included, we have been super busy.  There has been much housework to attend to in preparation for a couples shower I am soon to host in my home, lots of basketball to watch {and yes, my bracket is not looking too hot!}, and most excitingly, spring dresses to sew.

Yes, spring dresses.  It all started with a little field trip to my absolute favorite local {ok, maybe not so local, but 45 minute drive... not terrible} fabric store.  This place is like a dream and carries all of my faves.  From amy butler, to Joel, to Moda, Cloud 9, Heather Bailey... {squeal and jumping up and down in happiness.} I literally went for some good ole fashioned inspiration and walked out with a huge stack of loveliness.  And since that little trip, I have not left my craft room.

Inspired by ruffles and bows and mod, geometric fabrics... I am pleased with the way these dresses are shaping up.  And will soon be released for you to purchase in the shop.  Of course, I will keep you all updated with their release. 

Oh, and remember when I said my craft room was finished, and shared all about it on my friends blog?  I decided to go ahead and share it here with all of you!  I figure since, I have spent so much time in said room lately, you may as well see my happy place!  Check back tomorrow for a full craft room tour!

Have a lovely Monday friends!

11 little secrets about Your's Truly..

With the newest followers from my favorite things giveaway I am hosting,
{don't worry, you can still get in on the action here}
I thought you may want to get to know me a little bit better...

I mean sure, you stopped by because you want to win the loot,
and you probably really don't care too much about me or this blog!

BUT...
that is about to change there friends, because today I will reveal 11 little secrets about muah!

1.  I was a cheerleader in high school.  Not too many people believe me on this one! I am not sure if I should take offense or not!  What? I am not bright and bubbly anymore?

2.  I constantly forget how old I am.  Unless of course it is January and the only reason is that I will have just celebrated a birthday.  Seriously, I always have to turn to my husband and ask, "How old am I?"  Sad, I know!

3.  I have a really yucky habit.. a few actually.  The first,  I take a cup of water to bed every single night.  I usually only drink about 1 drink or said water, and by the end of the week, I may have a total of 5-6 mostly full glasses on my night stand.  {drives my husband crazy!}

4.  Yucky habit number 2.. I shed!  I know right, but let me explain.  I have very thick hair and with each shower I seriously lose enough hair to make a wig!  So, I put the hair on the shower wall.  And after a while, my shower wall starts to look like it is growing hair!  Impressive I know, and my husband totally loves it!  NOT!  Let me tell you why I choose the shower wall.  Because it clogs the drain if I don't!  See, I am helping my husband and the plumbing he will have to do.  Don't worry, I eventually clean it up and all is ok in the world. 

5.  I have a potty mouth!  I try to work on it!  I know it is not attractive but it's me!  So there!

6.  I am totally and utterly addicted to Dr. Pepper.  And I am currently trying to give it up or even just cut back!  I seriously think I may need a support group for this!  Yep, it's that bad.  And the fluff on my tummy can attest!

7.  I have weird allergies!  Banana's, avocado's, kiwi, melons, and NSAID's to name a few!  My lips swell up, I can't breathe.  It's rather embarrassing! 

8.  I hate popcorn!  My daughter knows this and just can't understand it.  She asks me at least once a week, "Mom, do you still hate popcorn?"  Yes child!  I hate popcorn!  I blame the the dorms from college and the fact that we lived off of burnt popcorn for 2 semesters!

9.  I have a terrible fear of flying.  Like for reals, it takes a few doses of xanax to even get me on the plane!  The last trip I took, I was bawling like a baby for months before the flight, all in anticipation of the plane ride.

10.  I play bunco once a month.  Everyone laughs when they hear this.  Bunco is not just for the ole' ladies.  We have a ton of fun, and drink way too much wine and beer, and my group is a blast!

11.  I am a Gorilla!  Let me explain.  My college's mascot is a Gorilla.  I think {and I could be wrong} that we are the only Gorillas in the United States.  Fact check please!


There you have it!  Thanks for stopping by my blog and I hope we can all be friends!

My favorite things giveaway

In celebration of January and the fact that it is my birthday month,
{yes, I consider the whole month of January mine}
I am thrilled to share the love with all of you!!!

There are some fab contributors for this giveaway.  Some of my favorite items, shops, blogs! 
I could ramble on and on, but instead, I will just get to business.

One lucky ducky will win all of these prizes!

 

This mustard yellow felt headband from much love, Illy

blog   |  twitter  |  shop



This rockin mustache ring from metal marvels

facebook  |  twitter  |  shop
 

This chunky cowl in oatmeal from the sweet flutter by hannah

blog  |  facebook  |  twitter

This sweet orange lip balm from my favorite Nourish Organics

facebook  |  twitter  |  shop

Your choice of one of these super adorbs note card sets from Pen and Paint {an $8.00 value set}

blog  |  facebook  |  twitter

Your choice of 1 Phone case by CalisCases

I'm in love with this one
twitter  |  shop

And I am throwing in a Starbucks Gift card valued at $15.00, because what does a night nurse love more than coffee??



via

How does one win all this loot?

First, must be a follower of this blog {mandatory}...!

Additional entries for each of the following, leave a comment for each that you do!
Head on over to Cali's twitter and become a follower.
Become a fan of Pen and Paint on facebook
Become a fan of Nourish Organics on facebook
Follow Hannah on twitter
Follow Metal Marvels on twitter
Follow Much love, Illy on twitter
Share this giveaway via facebook
Share this giveaway via twitter


For a total of 9 entries!  This giveaway will run until Kickoff!  of the super-bowl game that is!
 

What are you waiting for?? Ready, Set, Go!

grounded

First off,
Let me start by thanking everyone for the encouragement after posting about baby number 2.
It was nice to hear that other people are going through the same thing.
Sometimes, just knowing you are not alone makes all the difference.

And while I appreciate each comment, I haven't quite figured out how to respond to each comment.

I turned on the embedded comments, thinking that would allow me to reply right there.

Only to find out that when I do that, it notifies me, however, does not notify you that I replied.

So, no dice.

I have heard about disqus, but it does not work with Internet explorer and I am not sure how I feel about it.  

So, if you have a secret about replying to comments, please do share!

enough technical talk!

One of my goals this year, yes a goal, not a resolution, is to be more present.

I have decided that a goal seems easier to stick to than a resolution.

Present in my daily life, my husband's life, my daughter's life.

Sometimes, especially with my job, and the fact that most day's I am exhausted,

I find that I am engaging in entirely too much screen time.

I stare at my laptop, online shopping, fabric browsing, blog hopping, and now influence network forum reading... 

Not to mention the blog posting and photo editing, emailing, tweeting, facebooking, instagraming...

and Yes I love all of the above, but can not let it consume me.

Over the last few weeks, my house has been suffering, the dogs, my daughter and husband.

and here I am, so tired, sitting on the couch on my lap top or IPhone in a funk.

I thought a lot about the direction of this blog and the community it serves and I want to be a part of this, however, not at the expense of my family.

What does this mean?

For starters, I followed 50 wifey's example and put myself on a loose schedule.

Scheduled cleaning time, craft and blog time, cleaning time, Presley time, Phillip time.

and also developed my own cleaning schedule.  

At the moment, my cleaning sort of goes like this.

Spend 2 whole days and clean my bum off,

then over the next week or 2, I fall off the wagon and the house is a mess.

I have seen cleaning schedules all over the web, and took bits and pieces of several and devised my own.  

One that will work for me and my work schedule and my family.

But in order to even start this schedule, {how many times can one person use the word schedule in one post?  guilty...!} I had to start off fresh with a clean and organized house.

So, I grounded myself.  

No computer time, no screen time, no anything until my work is done. 

Finally, after 2 days of cleaning and organizing and laundry folding and a good ole fashioned floor scrubbing, I can finally sit down and treat myself to a little screen time.

And what's more, I can put myself on this "schedule" and see how it goes.

I am hoping for a tidier home, more efficient use of my time on the net, more actual conversation with my husband, more play time with my daughter. 

All helping me work towards my goal of being present!

Another post with no pictures, GAG!

Sorry about that friends...

I will make it up to you I swear! 

inspired + influenced

If I have said it once, I have said it a million times...
Not only is this blog a creative outlet for me to write what's on my mind, to share photo's of my family with my loved ones, to document my daughter as she grows up way too fast
but it is also given me a community,
an influence,
a want to be better.

And that is just what I have decided to do.
Thanks to influence by Raechel and Rebecca and Erin and Danielle I want to be a better version of me.
Use my blog and my shop to give back
Help those who need it and use my voice and talents to inspire others the way these ladies have inspired me.



Pocket Full of Lovelies has partnered with a local charity here in Kansas City in which 15% of all shop proceeds will directly go to. 

happy bottoms is an amazing cause and I get goosebumps thinking about how excited I am to be involved. 

Want to know more?  click on the happy bottoms logo over yonder ---------->>
and check out their site...
or just give me a minute and I will tell you everything you want to know.

tomorrow!
for now sleep tight friends!

bring it on 2013...

Today, as the Christmas decorations come down...
those sweet handmade ornaments put away...
the lovely Christmas cards of 2012 stored back...

I try not to be sad as I usually am after the Holidays.
Instead, I am trying to look ahead into 2013 with a new perspective.

Reflect and Reorganize
and most importantly set some attainable goals for the new year.

I mean sure, I'd like to lose 10 pounds,

and get more organized,

and keep a tidier house,

and get out of debt...

and while all these are goals, resolutions, whatever you choose to call them.
They are things that I can work towards, but can't be too hard on myself if I don't reach them
this year.

However, with the new year, I feel big things coming for ME and this BLOG and my SHOP.
I have dreamed and dreamed and planned and planned of where I want this to take me.
and I am going to follow my heart.

I love having this outlet to pour my heart out,
and my shop to keep me thinking creatively,
and those special people that encourage me and keep me going.

 

My goals for 2013

be present

follow my heart

simplify

love

have faith

stay positive

play the lottery... {just kidding, but a little money wouldn't hurt either}

and everything else should fall into place.

Here's to 2013, I can't wait to share all the BIG and EXCITING things that are soon to be happening!



source

yarn wreath + my little helper

I was super excited to do this post, one because I wanted a fun wreath for my vision of my Christmas mantle, and two because I am in love with my new camera and will take any excuse at shooting some pics...

and having the best assistant/wreath model around helps as well...

here goes...!

supplies:

yarn

wreath

felt

fabric

glue

scissors

I bought the el cheapo wreath from wally-wold...

You know, the straw one that's like 2.99 or something crazy like that.

And I am so lazy, I didn't even take off the plastic wrap.

Hey, it worked out just fine.

I left it on because said cheap wreath sheds straw like mad...

So, dab a little hot glue on the backside of your wreath, place your yarn over glue,

and get to wrapping...

no exact measurements.

Eyeball it,

and be prepared for a nice forearm workout.

<finished yarn wrapped wreath>

modeled by the cutest 3 year old in her Ariel night-gown

that turns her into a princess when she wears it.

Yes, it's true.

I ripped a strip of my red stripe ticking for the wreath holder...

cut several olive green felt leaves

and a handful of red circles...

pinch leaves and add hot glue at the base to give them some dimension

hot glue leaves on just so

and then your red circles over top like that...

{good descriptions or what}

just peak at the picture...

it's pretty stinkin easy!

finished product, ready for hanging...

mine went to my mantle

on my picture frame turned chalk board

and I think it fits nicely up  there!

I've been trying to dabble in the whole chalk art thing...

the secret?

Hello! a chalk pen.

did you know about them?

I have been trying to write with my daughter's big, fat sidewalk chalk

and then wondering why the heck mine looks like poo.

yes, chalk pen

I love you!

Mommy, take my picture..

this I have been hearing a lot lately

she gives the cheesiest smiles ever

and I want to have every single one on camera

you know, for when she is in high school and I need leverage...

the time will come...

no but for real...

I love this little face

and never, ever want to forget it!

the skinny

wreath // 2.99 wally

yarn // sale 2.99 each

felt // .39 each

there you go,

make a wreath!

and retire the fatty sidewalk chalks and get a pen.

I'm pretty sure I am going to start painting walls in chalkboard paint

because I am officially obsessed!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

It truly is the greatest time of the year...
I mean besides the cold, and the snow, it's not too bad.
Christmas has become a little nearer to my heart with this little sweetheart running around...

speaking of little sweethearts...
I had the opportunity to take place in an ornament swap hosted by the lovely Erin // Living in Yellow and the fab Jessah // Dreaming of Dimples.  I mean who doesn't love ornaments and meeting new bloggie buddies!  So of course, I signed up to participate. 

I found my swap mate, the sweet Hallie // Life: Oceanside and immediately starting stalking checking out her blog space.  I learned several things about Hallie, like her belief in gaurdian angels, the fact that she moved from Minnesota to Florida, hence the title Life: Oceanside, you clever little thing Hallie!  that she has a love for fur babies and a huge heart, and Oh! yea! she is engaged and planning her wedding.

I knew exactly what I wanted to get her for this #ornie {thanks Erin for dubbing this term} swap.  Hello, a bride-to-be, first year of marriage ornie!  Perfection.  I love to support handmade and so automatically went to search on etsy for the perfect gift that fit in my budget.  after much searching and stewing {I like to be a good gift giver}, I came up with this .  The store rocked my socks off and they were so great about gift wrapping and communication.  Win! Win! all the way around. 

So Merry Christmas Hallie, enjoy your wedding planning and your first year with your new hubby, and of course many years to come!  Congrats! you are a doll and I will be back to stalk say hi again!

But Wait! OH SNAP!  this is a swap right?  why yes it is.. and that means not only did I get to meet the lovely Hallie, but I got a lovely little package in the mail as well, from the super fun Eliza // Case Study.  Not only is she super awesome, but she shares with me the first half of my name, which hello, sweetness.

I fell in love with the colors and design of her blog, and of the lovely pictures she infuses in her posts!  It's a match {said in my best SNL target lady voice}.  And I was doing a happy dance at the mail box when the package came! 

*happy dance, happy dance*

 Upon arrival of Rudolph, {our #ornie} named by Presley, we had to do some picture taking to make him feel at home.  and showcase some of our best cheesey smiles possible...

Welcome home Rudolph.  He fits nicely with my decor and is glittery and has shaky legs {a term used to describe by yours truly PJ}.  Thanks Eliza... It has been so fun to make some new friends, Rudolph included, and really kicked my Christmas spirit into high gear. 


Oh and I'd like to apologize for being a totally lousy blogger lately. 

but Oh Wait! Hear me out!!
I can explain.  I am getting ready to launch my store opening and have been one busy worker bee getting things prepared.  Now that we are getting close to opening, I have some more free time on my hands to sit down and pour my heart out on my bloggie!  and I have a TON of awesomeness planned for December, so for reals, check back, especially if you love DIY projects and Christmas.  {hint, hint}.

Ok, my little reindeer, I have to run!  It's my weekend to work so I'm outta here!  Did anyone else see that full moon a few nights ago?  Yes, well think of me when you look at it because it's true what they say about the full moon and pregnant ladies popping out babies!  that's right, should be a good night!

thanks again to  Erin and  Jessah for putting on this little shin dig! 

sponsor

Sponsorship.  Advertising.  Guest posts. Giveaways

ALL very important tools to help you GROW your blog and business.
We all know this. 
Not only can it help increase traffic but it puts you out there to meet some of these incredible bloggers.
I have been dreaming big, goal setting, soul searching, reaching out for guidance and advice.

One goal of mine | to offer advertising on my blog.
After after a lot of research, I feel it is time.  It's calling my name. 

So without furthur ado...
Pocket Full Of Lovelies will now be offering Sponsorship...

Interested in sponsoring Pocket Full of Lovelies??
How about a product review by myself or my exceptionally sweet 3 year old?
Is guest posting your thing?
Or simply want a rockin good place for a giveaway?
You are in the right place my friend...

Questions?? Hit me up, m'kay?
pocketfulloflovelies@hotmail.com

What you can expect from ME and this here bloggie...
3-5 awesome posts per week wait, no I can't even promise that, but I'll sure try!
ok, ok, just kidding...
no really, here's the skinny.
all cash flow from said sponsorship, goes to help pay for more sponsorship
on higher traffic blogs, thus more exposure for my little lovelies... YOU!
let's work together and GROW, and rock out while we do! Sound good?

Let's talk Deets shall we???

All righty love bugs.. Let's do this!  Head on over and let's get this party started!

on bettering myself and being inspired

I found this cute little blog the other day, and decided today that I want to join Casey, in her{ what's on your heart} friday.  I have a lot on my heart today, and mostly its about bettering myself and continually being inspired, which oddly enough I have found lately through my blog and my biz.  sound strange?  let me explain.  

{source}



  I started my little hobby as simply that, a hobby, a past-time, a way to fulfill my desire to be crafty and creative and have a little something to enjoy.  as things progressed and people actually liked my stuff, my little biz grew and now, I find myself thinking about it constantly. I have this creative calling {sounds crazy I know} and this little voice in my head keeps telling me, go on, and so I do.  the little voice tells me, this is going to be big, stick with it, and I do.   I am inspired by the little lady in my life and everything I do, I do it for her.  sure, I have high hopes and dreams, I would love to be able to sew and blog full-time someday, to be a stay at home mom and work with her by my side. but for now, I must focus on who I really am and how to share it with you, through my designs and creativity, as well as my blog.  I like writing, and find myself enjoying this new blog avenue almost as much as designing and sewing.  I can share anything I want and not have to feel judged.  I can hide behind the balloons so to speak, and put it all out there and never have to see your faces, you know the faces of disapproval or disappointment, the faces that I don't want to see.  so in my mind, I see all smiles and approving faces. this keeps me going.






{source}

I must remember to stay positive
and try to look at the glass half full not empty.  I need to continue to stay inspired and let the beauty around me lead the way.  I need to continue to just be me...

I need to remember to put myself out there and conquer my fears. sometimes, I find myself worried about how others will perceive me and if they will like the things I blog or the things I make.  I need to have confidence in myself and my creativity.  the rest will follow in place.                                



{source}



                                                                         I need to follow my dreams and remember the sky's the limit.  and continue to build relationships. the creative community is truly an amazing one. I have people that I look up to greatly, people who inspire me daily, and people who mentor me without even knowing it.   I am excited to be that someone for others and to continue to be a part of this welcoming community.

{source}

and most of all, I need to remember, that I have an amazing support system, my husband, my friends and family.  this is all for fun and a way to track my family and my daughter's growth and my accomplisments and those that are closest to me give the fuel that I need to continue on and furthur inspire my creativity. 


{source}

so, a little deep today, but thanks to casey, it's whats on my heart and apparently I needed to get it off my chest.  if you haven't checked out casey's blog, you should. she is a beautiful women with a lovely family and offers insight that is appreciated.  and if your feeling deep today as well, link up for whats in your heart. 

to bettering ourselves and staying inspired!!

        

                

busy bee...

with having my laptop quit on me, I was able to get some much needed orginazing done.  first, my sewing space.  I had been so crazy lately that my space was, well, not working anymore.  I have a fairly small house and don't necessarily have a "craft room" so to speak, instead my entire living space downstairs becomes my "sewing space" and sometimes that can be overwhelming for the mister.  so... I reorganized and I vow to keep it that way. {ask me in a month for another picture to make sure I stuck with it mm'kay}

I organized all my fabrics by color and type, put all my sewing tools in a specified area, my shipping supplies and ready to ship orders have a bin, and all my notions, trims, ribbons, etc are organized in bins in the lower cabinets.  I think this is going to help me be more efficient and also, well, its so pretty to look at.  oh, and those 2 huge blue bins, those are chalk full of scraps, too pretty to throw away, scraps.  I need to find a good project to use them on... if you have a good scrap project, send it my way!!!

you know your a total geek when you get this excited about your fabric stash, isn't it just perdy??   {see this fabric in the right bottom corner??? this will become my very first quilt, and I can't wait to get started on it}

the other day, my bestie molly sent me a link to a "bloggie book."  it had great information on keeping your blog ideas organized and even had some printables for FREE.  so I hopped to it, bought a bright pink binder and printed off these awesome sheets, and voila, an organized blog book.  it has a place for me to write out my weeks posts, to-do lists, blog parties I want to attend, and even ideas for next week.  then I created tabs for projects, tutorials, ideas, inspiration and a whole stack of college ruled notebook paper to doodle and jot ideas down.  want to make your own blog book?? check out the awesome post here

and last order of business... probably the most important to continue my blogging and my "online" store, I bought a new laptop.  I love it...

my daugter always has a way of finding herself in my pics.. and wel,l she usually makes them sweeter... see those little monkey pajama legs in the screen? so funny!  so here's to more blogging, etsy-ing, pinning, twittering.. 

now, I just need a laptop bag. Im tryng to win one here, one of my favs, gussy, is celebrating all week long with awesome giveaways for her 1 year anniversary.  {inspired by this little lady} so check her out and enter to win, but if you win the laptop bag, you have to share, ok just kidding, well kind of!!

oh, and speaking of giveaways, you may just want to check back here tomorrow.. I may have a little something up my sleeve!!  have a lovely day friends!