Erin Flett

Meet my new favorite Etsy shop: Erin Flett

Find more of her gorgeous pillows here.

Shop Update

I made these tags for a client last week.

I loved how they turned out, so they're part of my shop update this week.

Have a Happy Tuesday. I'm busy crafting it up with my sister and mom.

Hopefully I'll have lots of goods to show you next week.

Two Snow Bunnies & A Winner

I guess I took my own advice when I said to go do something crazy for the weekend. I have to say that my weekend was the most perfect ever. It involved my three favorite people, snow and some seriously cute rosy cheeks.

Two things about this picture:

1. Yes, Charlotte is wearing her brother's old snowsuit. I compensated for the overabundance of blue by throwing in a pink beanie.
2. Apparently my left hand has mutated into a cloven hoof.

Now for the winner of the Olive Jewelry Giveaway:

Congratulations, Comment #25: Jenni Johansen!

I will contact you for your info soon.

And a HUGE thanks to Whitney for sponsoring this great giveaway!

Have a Good Weekend

Have a great weekend. Do something crazy.

{Here's the lovely permanent mural Hudson drew on his bedroom door the night before Charlotte joined our family}.

Ghost of Sundance Past

Every year in January, I take a trip down memory lane. To all those times we went to Sundance with our friends. We saw some strange movies, some funny films, others more on the disturbing side. But always a memorable experience to have a night out at Sundance. My favorite short film we ever saw is West Bank Story. Watch it sometime.

And don't forget about the Olive Jewelry giveaway. You have until Sunday night to enter.

Giveaway: Olive Jewelry

I am so excited for today's giveaway!

Whitney at Olive Jewelry is offering a pair of Perfect Drop Earrings to one lucky reader.

And they really are perfect. Green Swarovski crystal and sterling silver; if they were mine, I'd wear them every day.

A note about the designer: This is one girl who knows a LOT about jewelry. Her design aesthetic is sweet, hip and absolutely perfect. Whitney and I go way back...back to our pre-etsy days; and she's always the one I would (and still do) turn to for jewelry advice.

How do you win, you ask??? Easy. You get one entry for each of the following:

1. Visit Olive Jewelry and leave a comment here about your favorite piece in the shop.
2. Tweet, blog, or otherwise promote the giveaway. Leave a separate comment here saying that you did.
3. Become a Facebook fan of Olive Jewelry. Leave an additional comment saying that you're a fan.

Remember: The winner will be randomly selected from comments left on this post; so leave a separate comment for each entry. The giveaway closes Sunday night, and the winner will be announced on Monday. Good luck!

{Photo courtesy of Olive Jewelry}

obsessed

I'm completely obsessed with these rings. It's love, I tell you.

I just ordered all the goods so I can make my own.

Next week I'm headed to Utah for a visit with my family. Everyone is so excited to hold the baby. I'm excited for them to hold the baby so I can use both hands. My to-do list of two-handed projects is filling up as we speak. But really, how cute are these rings???

image via nordstrom

Hearts for Haiti

Buy one of these cute heart items, and benefit Haiti disaster relief with your purchase.

Plush Heart Key Fob from Plushteam

Puppy Love Card from Cheryl Oz Design

Printable Valentine Mini Cards, from Posh Pixels

Felted Heart by green baboon designs

Where Your Treasure Lies necklace, by Beads in the Belfry

For other great items that benefit Haiti, click here or visit the Hearts for Haiti Etsy shop.

I'm also excited to announce that 100% of sales from my stitched hearts card will also go to Haiti disaster relief. So get out there, and get shopping.

Four

If you're wondering where I've been all week, Hudson turned four on Monday. (This picture is his birthday doughnut...he just couldn't wait long enough for us to do the candles). We celebrated all day; and now we're getting ready for his birthday party on Saturday. I'll be back next week with all the details.

Back Where it All Began

When it comes to Valentines, the best are the ones that look the most homemade. Maybe I'm just partial to good old fashioned homemade Valentines, because that's where it all began for me. See, a few (or more) years back, B and I were feeling a little silly on our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. We thought it would be fun to send some seriously homemade valentines to our families. Looking back, I'm probably the only one who thought it would be fun and B was just a good sport to participate. We had a great time cutting and gluing those monstrosities. And our families knew they were made with love.

As time went by and B was traveling often for his dental school interviews, I found myself home alone a lot. So again I drug out the paper and glue; this time a little more serious. A few more years down the road and I'm still here making stuff. It's funny how one silly activity led to something I truly enjoy.

So you guessed it. This week's shop update is full of hand-stitched valentines. And if you've always wondered why my valentine collections look a little more down-home than some of my other stuff, now you know.

Happy Friday

I wish you all the best of weekends.

I do believe that our weekend holds some delicious raspberry creme sandwich cookies, all thanks to Ms. Stewart. I've had a thing with homemade sandwich cookies lately. Perhaps I've just discovered the reason I can't lose the last of the baby weight. Interesting. Anyway, see you Monday.

Babysitter vs. Cleaning Lady

Charlotte pooped in the tub yesterday. Good thing she's cute. Her actions prompted a thorough cleaning of the kids' bathroom. As I knelt scrubbing the tub, I thought of a conversation I had recently with a friend. We were both lamenting the fact that we're perpetually behind on the housework. I half-jokingly mentioned that I should hire someone to clean my bathrooms so I'd have time for other things. To which, my friend replied, "No. You should hire someone to watch the kids so you can clean the bathrooms."

This exchange has caused me much thought.

Pay someone to play with the kids so I can clean the house, or pay someone to clean the house so I can play with the kids? OK, so hired help is not even remotely in the question; but if it were, I know which one I'd pick. And as for my friends who do have cleaning help, I fear I've completely misjudged your motives. Now I get it...and I admire your decision.

Baby Favorites

I've got so many new favorite baby products since the last time around. I sound like an old fogey talking about how far baby products have come since Hudson was born 4 years ago, but it's true. Some of these things weren't even around waaay back then.

aden + anais organic swaddling wrap

This is probably the most versatile baby item I own. It's the perfect size for swaddling; not as skimpy as some of those other swaddling wraps. Plus, it's lightweight and makes a great impromptu nursing cover. Charlotte doesn't like being swaddled anymore; but this blanket is one of her favorites. And it's great to throw over her car seat or stroller when she needs a little protection from the cold...or gross strangers.

Shining Stars Boutique

OK, so Charlotte currently does not have enough hair for these, but I'm just dying to clip them in the minute her hair is long enough. If she's anything like her mother, that will be right around her second birthday. :)

Bebe au Lait Nursing Covers

This one is huge for me. I'm horrible at semi-public nursing; and these were not around when Hudson was a baby. So he and I would invariably struggle with a receiving blanket draped over us. Poor guy sweating profusely underneath, and me in constant fear of flashing an innocent bystander. Nursing away from home is still not my favorite things; but it's so much easier with a great nursing cover.

Plush Toys by Bla Bla

How cute is this little kitty??? And her name is Bubbles. Perfect for our little Bubble. You guessed it, Hudson still calls her by the name he chose.

Tea Clothing

I know I've all ready professed my love for everything Tea. But seriously, this is the Cutest. Romper. Ever.

Haba Toys

Charlotte's just barely showing interest in grasping things; but this little froggy is ready and waiting to be played with. Plus, it's painted with water-based, non-toxic paint so I can rest easy when she starts putting all her toys in her mouth.

I'm sure I'll add to this list as we go...so stay tuned for more. Since I'm a little bit rusty at this new baby stuff, let me know if I'm missing out on anything.

Breakfast Inspiration

What is this mess, you ask? It's my new breakfast inspiration. I'm horrible at eating breakfast. (Unless grabbing a cookie and a Diet Coke on my way out the door counts.) When I'm stumbling around the kitchen in a groggy stupor, I want something easy and delicious that's not cold cereal. I've been over cold cereal since the 7th grade.

Oatmeal is the perfect solution. But I'm talking about old fashioned oatmeal. Not that pasty microwave junk with fruit flakes and powdery cream. Real, honest-to-goodness oatmeal. It only takes a few minutes to cook; and you only make a mess of one pan. And you can get as creative as you like. My current favorite additions are brown sugar, cherries, cranberries and pecans.

What did you eat for breakfast today? Really. I want to know.

Monday Shop Update

Hi folks, I hope you all had a nice weekend. Ours was great. Charlotte enjoyed her first trip to the city for little Saturday brunch; then she and I took a nice walk along Crissy Field while the guys played football. The perfect way to end our holiday break. Now Hudson heads back to preschool, and I'm getting back to work in the shop.

My poor little shop has been neglected for far, far too long. So I'm aiming to do a shop update once a week. This week's update is kind of a mini-update; but I'm still excited about it. One of my new items for the week is this limited-edition Tandem Bicycle card. I did a small print run of this vintage image in avocado green...so snap one up while they're still available.

I love, love, love this image. It may just make a return in red for Valentine's Day. Have you ever ridden a bicycle built for two?

Resolutions

A new year. A fresh start. I'm taking the same approach with my blog. I cleaned it up and simplified things a bit (I hope). I changed the name of my blog to simply "Christina Williams." Because that's who I am. You can still call me Chris. Or whatever else you like, for that matter. I'm just not that good at coming up with snappy names for things; so I'm going back to basics. As for my goals this year--since I've all ready got "The List" going, I'm going kind of light with my resolutions. For 2010 I resolve to:

• update my address book
• remember birthdays (and with more than a crappy, last-minute email)
• organize my home
• try a new recipe once a week

Those new additions, combined with "The List" should keep me pretty busy this year. How about you? Oh, and wouldn't this notebook just be perfect for keeping track of your New Years Resolutions?

Happy, Happy New Year!