Life is Good

I have no words that are great enough to explain the many blessings that my family received this weekend and I am still processing all of the prayers that were answered, so I'll be breif...

SHE IS HERE and God is so good, ALL the time!

Big Smiles

Friday! Friday!

Well, the weekend is here and baby is not. Surely, she will come this weekend and I can greet you on Monday with lots of beautiful pictures of our newest gift. This weekend I will be busy telling myself that I'm not in control. God is, and for that I am thankful!

There's lots of excitement on the way for The Pickled Poppy in June.

Here's a sneak preview...

*Shop Grand Re-Opening and I'm thinking GIVEAWAY!

*You will be seeing The Pickled Poppy on a several of other blogs!{YAY}

*A few new items that I am STOKED about and hopefully you will be tooooo!

*Getting ready for TheBigCrafty in July!

*Lots of DIY crafties, stitching tutorials, and my big kitchen re-do!

I am so excited to see where this summer takes us and I hope you'll join me on this adventure!

XOXO

It's Good to be Southern!

Sometimes I think I'm not thankful enough for the small things in life, like living in the South. I'm sure those of you who live in the South will understand what I mean. No matter where you live, I encourage you to think for a minute about why you like living where you do.

Photo Credit

Here's a list of things that make me happy and thankful that I live in the good ole South.

1.  Sweet Tea from Mason jars of course!!

2.  Lightnin' Bugs {saw my first one last night and it made me look forward to catching them with my my kids}

3.  Not being expected to put 'ing' on the end of words {although I do try to on my blog b/c of the teacher in me}

4.  Sayings like "well bless your heart"

5.  Manners{yes ma'am and no sir}

6.  Southern Living Magazine

7.  The slower pace

8.  Little country churches

9.  Blue grass music

10. You tell me????

Maybe I'm partial because I've never lived anywhere else...but I sure do love it here! I'm sure many of you enjoy these things on the list no matter where you live. If so, I want to hear about it! Feel free to leave a comment and share a few good things about where you live!!

Hoop Art

Confession...I never, ever thought I would think anything with an embroidery hoop would be cool but boy was I WRONG! The newest craze{at least to me}in DIY is Hoop Art!

What the heck is it you ask? Well it's where you take an embroidery hoop and add super cute embellishments to it and use it as art!

See here....



Photo Credit



Personally, I think it's adorable! I can't wait to try my own and don't worry when I do I'll be sure to share it with YOU! For now, here are some I found for you to purchase on etsy! Just click on the photo below and it will take you to the link.

Also, you can click here and here for more happy hooping!!

Cutie Booty DIY Craftie

It was brought to my attention that I have not stitched a thing for our soon to be newest addition. How that happened I do not know, but I felt a little guilty. Plus, I thought maybe that's what she's waiting on.{now 4 days late}

Today I'm going to share with you a fairly simple DIY project that any mama of a baby girl is sure to love!

You will need the following:

-scraps of fabric

-scissors

-onsie

-sewing machine {however, you can absolutely get by with a needle and thread}

First, cut strips of fabric. Mine are about an inch wide and I used pinking shears to prevent fraying but it's not a must. I cut 3 strips, but I decided to only use two for the ruffles.{the third is a special addition to the front}

Now here is where the sewing machine makes things faster but you can definitely use a needle and thread. It's basically the same method as the DIY fabric flowers, just with a machine. 

 

Adjust your machine to the longest stitch possible. Sew along the fabric but DO NOT backstitch/back tack at either end. Then do the same again leaving a space of about 1 cm. Be sure to leave long tails of thread at both ends.

Now, grab the top tails of thread ONLY. {If you pull on the bottom threads, the stitch will lock and you will not be able to gather your fabric.} Begin gathering/ruffling the fabric.

 

When you get it the right length for the onsie...cut the strings, fold the ends under and pin it in place. Do this for both sides of the fabric. 

 

Repeat for each strip of fabric.

Now all you need to do is make sure you pin the ruffles in place. I added a strip of ribbon on top of my fabric strips to hide the stitching. Now, using a coordinating thread sew the ruffles in place. {this time you should backstitch}

So cute, right?

With my leftover strip I made a fabric flower and sewed it to the front of the onsie just to jazz it up! You can click here for the fabric flower directions.{i do not recommend using a button b/c it may be a choking hazard}

 

And there you have it...a cutie booty onsie!!! 

Give it a try and share a picture with us below!

Oh yeah...please vote for me here so I can go to Oh SNAP!! for FREE!

 

Sew Excited!!!

I'm still slightly in shock after receiving an email yesterday saying that The Pickled Poppy was invited to be a vendor at TheBigCrafty!! {HUGE Smile}

For those of you who may have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about...TheBigCrafty is a super cool community bazaar in downtown Asheville, NC. There's plenty of local food, beer, music, and tons of indie artists and crafters.{like myself...can't believe I'm saying that}

So I hope all of you who can, will come out and support The Pickled Poppy's 1st{of many}craft fairs on Sunday July 10th!!

Click here and here for pictures of last years show!

Now if you will please excuse me, I have a ridiculous amount of stitching to do!!!{YAY!}

Drum Roll Please.....

And the winner of the Vintage Ruffled Wristlet is...{i know the suspense is killing you}...Erin Sabrinsky Strickler!!!!{YAY!!!} Congratulations and THANK YOU Erin for being a fan of The Pickled Poppy on facebook. Just email me with your address and I'll get it shipped out lickadee split.





Oh how I heart all of you for liking the FB page and for reading the blog! Soooo...to the rest of you I'm offering a very special 20% off your next order. {just as soon as the shop re-opens} There will be several new products for you to enjoy! Like...the ruffled wristlet, pleated pouch, diaper/wipe pouch, wallets, and a new tote/purse!!! My brain is swirling with other ideas as well, so let me know what YOU would like to see!!

I'll share the coupon code on the FB page! I have a good feeling about June!!

P.S. Please vote for me beginning today (I'm #13)!!

Big Things!!

Okay, lots going on! First of all...WAHOO!! We reached our goal of 100 likes on FB, actually we exceeded it! So, now I must keep my promise and GIVE AWAY the new Vintage Ruffled Wristlet.

So here's the deal...I'll be choosing a winner on Saturday morning! You must be a facebook fan to win! Don't forget about the additional ways to enter. {sharing on your page and tweeting} So check back here Saturday morning...I can't wait to see who wins!!

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Next, I would reeeally appreciate your votes for the Oh SNAP! conference contest that I blogged about on Monday! All you have to do to help me out is click here, and vote for me beginning Saturday morning through next Wednesday.{wow, a lots happening on Saturday}

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On a more personal note, today is my DUE DATE...and there's still no sign of baby! However, I should not be surprised b/c my other little sweet pea stayed an extra 10 days. So...we would certainly still appreciate your prayers for a healthy baby and smooth delivery!{BIG SMILE}

Enjoy your weekend and love on your family!

XOXO

Giveaway!!

So instead of resting and blog stalking yesterday during nap time...I decided I needed to stitch. Oh how I've missed it even though it's only been like a week. I was feeling so creative and I didn't want to let the moment pass! 

When I was finished I was sooo pleased with my newest treasure that I wanted to share it right then. However, the shop is closed until after baby{still no sign of her}so the only fair thing to do is to GIVE IT AWAY!!

Here's the catch. I'm not giving it away until the FB page reaches 100 'likes!' I know that probably doesn't sound like a lot, but to me it means so much. Once the goal has been reached then one lucky ducky FB fan will be the proud new owner of this...

The Vintage Ruffled Wristlet!!! Those ruffles are SWEEET, and just look at that red zipper.{Yipee}

All you have to do is 'like' The Pickled Poppy and then share it with your friends!! I'll link up to this page and you can just click share. Then all of your friends can 'like' it too!! It's a win for both of us.{big smile}

Leave a comment below or on the FB page letting me know that you 'like' The Pickled Poppy! For an additional entry, share this post on your facebook page, and or tweet about it! That's a total of up to 3 entries!

So go on...it's ready to ship!!

Not So Extreme Home Makeover

Back in December, the Good Lord blessed us with the perfect rental home. Our journey here has definitely had its ups and downs.

When I say perfect, I mean it's perfect for our family! Not perfectly stylish.{wink} The best part is the 20 acres it sits on!!! Yep, that's right...20! And if you knew how much the rent is you would cry when you pay your mortgage this month.{seriously}

I've been so busy with getting moved in, raising a two year old, working full time, being pregnant, and starting a new business that I have hardly had time to do one of my favorite things. Decorate!! So with baby almost here, I'm feeling a bit 'nesty."

In the middle of the night I had this idea of making over one room at a time and sharing it with YOU! The makeover will include several Saturday treasures, before and after posts, lots of DIY projects, and stitching!{of course} I believe I will begin in the kitchen. Here's where I got my inspiration. I heart the wall color with the red.

Before I start you must see what I'm working with. Keep in mind that the home was built in 1959{I think}and it's a rental! So there's only so much a girl can do!!

Ring! Ring! The 60's are calling!

It's going to be interesting to see what I can do with the mix of old yellow appliances and sink, new stainless dishwasher and stove top, and plain old cream colored fridge. Not to mention the red counter tops and the retro wooden cabinets. But...I'm going to do my best!!

First up...paint! However, just a neutral color.{sad face}No worries, I'm going to jazz it up with lots of color like the red an blue from the link above!!

Oh, and did I mention I only have 100 bucks to do it with???

Wish me luck!!

Link List

This rainy morning I had a thought in between building a tent in the living room and pretending to a baby, pacifier and all.{i love being at home}I thought I would share with you a list of things that I find fun, interesting, crafty, pretty, inspirational, etc..., as I stalk other blogs during nap time.{b/c I can't sew and rest at the same time} Soon, you will find this list on the right side of my blog. 

Get ready to click away!

Oh SNAP!!

So y'all know I've been looking for a blogging conference to attend, it was on my list of goals. Well...I've found it!!

SNAP is a three-day conference April 19-21, 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah! I know...I get to go to a super cool blogging conference AND visit a new place!!{Yipee}

You should join me! Together we will get to experience a creative blogging and social media conference featuring a long list of amazing bloggers that represent handmade, contemporary craft, "mind blowing events," and DIY!!! Oh and did I mention there's going to be a MARKET!{Oh how I love to shop}

So as you can tell I'm super excited and there's a chance for me to WIN an all inclusive ticket! That's where YOU come in. I am going to beg you to vote for me beginning this Saturday, May 21st- Wednesday, May 25th. All you have to do is click here and vote for me! I would be most appreciative.{sweet smile}

Salt Lake City HERE I COME!!

As Promised

Okay, I have no idea what's been going on with Blogger...but it's been killing my that my posts have been all jacked up! The DIY post was missing and is now labled with Wednesday's date but whatever, my new twitter thing on the right of the page is not there, and my handmade pledge badge was missing.......but whatever! I'm back now!!

Earlier in the week I promised a before and after project. Well, here it is!

My sister gave me this coffee table that has been down in her basement for a while.{obviously}

I thought it had some charm, but needed a little fixin' up! Soooo...of course I slapped some flat white paint on it. My living room is kind of dark because of some wood paneling{that's right...more to come on that later} so dark furniture just makes it look even darker. But I love the way the white kind of brightens it up and the wicker baskets are great for all kinds of things I need to 'put away' when company visits!{wink}

So there you go...paint is a magical thing! I hope you all have a great weekend! If you have time try out one of the DIY crafties like the painted jars or fabric flowers!

 

News

So I went to the doctor on Thursday and I was given strict orders to drink LOTS of water and rest, rest, rest! Which is not at all what I have been doing. So, in order to do that the shop will be closed until the end of May.{sad face} This will hopefully give me time to wait on baby, somewhat recover after baby, and do lots of loving on baby. When the shop does re-open, there will be lots of fun new items for sale!!! I will still be blogging from a resting position with water in hand! So, PLEASE don't forget about me!

We do appreciate your prayers and happy thoughts!

P.S. Before and after post in the morning, so grab your coffee and meet me back here bright and early!

XOXO

DIY Fabric Flowers

They're everywhere! Probably because they are so stinkin' cute. I'm talking about fabric flowers/rosettes.

So I thought today I would show you how easy they are to make!

Whatcha Need:

*needle

*thread

*scissors

*fabric

Cut a strip of fabric{one that will frey easily} about 1 inch wide and 36 inches long. If you want a smaller flower, then use a shorter piece of fabric or one that is not as wide.

Thread your needle{tie a knot in the end} and begin a running stitch along the bottom of the fabric piece.

Pull the fabric so that it bunches. Continue until you are at the other end of the fabric.

Shape the fabric into something that resembles a flower and tie off the thread.

Stitch a button in the center of the flower.

Voila! There you have a super duper cute fabric flower that you can do almost anything with!!

For example: stitch it onto a shirt or purse, use fabric glue to attach it to a pin back or a large safety pin, attach it to a headband or hair clip, etc...The possibilities are endless!!

Hope you love it!!