Hine: felt creatures

I love these little felt creatures (and camera cases) created by Hine (hee-neh), a Japanese illustrator/puppet stop-motion video artist/crafter who lives in Vancouver, Canada. So cute!

Think happy, be happy

I came across a poster with this mantra on it the other day, and decided to make my own little version. I believe that we are what we think. So think happy!

Painting

This is a (pre-framed) painting my sister asked me to do as a wedding gift for one of her girlfriends. She wanted something reminiscent of the marshes we all grew up on in Sackville, NB. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out considering I normally work on much larger canvases.

I've been enjoying working with a palette knife a lot lately. This is a textured triptych painting of a Newfoundland landscape I made a while ago for our living room.

I would really like to do some more paintings, and perhaps even try to see if I can somehow sell them either online or locally. Anyone have any suggestions? Must. Get. Motivated.

DIY Origami Heart

For a sweet do-it-yourself Valentine, check out this easy tutorial to see how to make these little origami hearts. (The tutorial is for "money hearts", but I just used a piece of paper cut to 9" x 4")

I opted for simple white paper, but they would be cute made out of double-sided coloured/print paper, with a little love note written inside, or strung up on a string for decoration.
{via Eat Drink Chic}

Amigurumi and other cute things

Eeeep! Amigurumi means "crocheted stuff doll" in Japanese, and I am in love with these cuties found on Shanalogic. I really want the little catcus! Also loving this cute bunny tote and foxy ipod case. Tons of cute gift ideas on this site.

I would like to learn how to crochet so I can make these cuties myself. If you are interested in free amigurumi patterns (including the cactus one) check this out.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
(optional addition: chopped green pepper or other veggie)
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 14 1/2-ounce can diced peeled tomatoes with juices
1 cup whipping cream
1 pound penne pasta (or pasta of choice. I used brown rice pasta)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method
Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until golden brown and tender, about 7 minutes. Add sausage and sauté until golden brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 7 minutes. Drain any excess drippings from skillet. Add wine to skillet and boil until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and simmer 3 minutes.

Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. (Sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta; transfer to large bowl.

Bring sauce to simmer. Pour sauce over pasta. Add 3/4 cup cheese and toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons parsley.

{via epicurious}

What the heck is a diaper cake?

I know- it sounds gross. I got a lot of weird looks when I first told people I was attempting to make a "diaper cake" for a friend's baby shower. It didn't occur to me that you might envision an unappetizing cake with a lot of chocolate diarrhea-like icing, instead of a centerpiece/gift made of diapers.

I am getting to that stage in life where all my friends are getting married, and now starting to having babies. I am sure this is the first of many baby showers to come, so I thought I would try to master a "diaper cake".

It was actually a lot easier to make than I had expected. To make the cake, diapers are arranged in a spiral pattern around a round object (like baby lotion bottle) and stacked in tiers to look like a multi-tiered cake. It helps to have an extra set of hands to hold the diapers steady when you tie them in place. I then wrapped each layer in a receiving blanket to look like icing and finished it off with a nice ribbon. Other finishing touches included toys, clothing, and roses made of baby facecloths.  There are plenty of online tutorials that provide tips (if you actually care!)

It is a fun, creative way to present a practical gift!

I heart shoes!

Found these awesome Nine West shoes on clearance!!  Cute and retro –  swoon!

Crazy Love

I got a kick out of these Valentine's cards by Up Up Creative. The fart one is my fav!

Colour and Pattern

Love these delightful, soft patterned pieces by designer Donna Wilson... too bad they are way out of my budget! Can be found on The Future Perfect website, which has lots of other cool things as well.
{via ohjoy!}

Cute as a Button!

Eeeee! This is unbelievably adorable! My hubby often likes to say that I am "cute as a button", to which I always reply with an eye-roll: "ya, because buttons are just SOO cute!"... in this case they actually are! I loooove this Valentines idea. See the Worlds Smallest Postal Service here.
{found via Designmom}

Valentine Love: Day 2

{via fffound}

Valentine Love: Missed Connections

 

"Messages in bottles, smoke signals, letters written in the sand; the modern equivalents are the funny, sad, beautiful, hopeful, hopeless, poetic posts on Missed Connections. Every day hundreds of strangers reach out to other strangers on the strength of a glance, a smile or a blue hat. Their messages have the lifespan of a butterfly. "

Such a cute idea! Artist Sophie Blackall's Missed Connections project is an ongoing series of paintings based on real, anonymous messages posted online by lovelorn strangers. Perhaps someone wrote in about you? Check it out here.