Leslie Miles

Came across this new blog--it's filled with nothing but awesome photographs. Check it out.

painting with needle and thread

Call me old-fashioned but I really want to learn how to do embroidery. But not the old-timey embroidery that conjures up images of old ladies sitting straight-backed in front of a loom stitching classic samplers. I want to learn embroidery and give it a modern twist--use it to add sweet little embellishments to things and create some art.

Thankfully, good ol' Martha has a handy How-To that shares all the basics of embroidery and teaches the simple stitches.






all images from Martha Stewart

educational reading

I'm taking a break from my usual fictional novels and am planning to go through some more educational reads. I've always kind of thought it'd be cool to somehow turn my creative efforts into something more than just a hobby, so I'm interested to read these two books to get some insight and maybe some inspiration.

The Martha Rules: 10 Essentials for Achieving Success as you Start, Grow, or Manage a Business by Martha Stewart

I ordered this off of half.com the other day and it arrived yesterday!

Craft, Inc. : Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business
by Meg Mateo Ilasco

Not saying I'm going to be starting my own business anytime soon, but I don't see it as an impossibility and if nothing else, these reads will broaden my horizons!

perfectly pink

I really really like this Faille Maisy Jacket from J.Crew's new arrivals. It's the sweetest shade of pink and perfect for Spring! My $25 Rewards card won't make much of a dent in the price though... I'll wait for it to go on sale.

superbowl let down

Did anyone else think that the commercials during the Superbowl last night were a general let down? Only one or two were really memorable for me. My favorite was this clever Coca Cola ad:



The whimsy and the vibrant colors reminded me of the United Airlines commercials that played during the Olympics. And I love that they used music from Peter and the Wolf. I love that score.

I thought the funniest was the Monster.com moose commercial:



It was the only one that really had me laughing out loud.

Which Superbowl commercial was your favorite?

the weekend

I can feel myself getting sick. Woke up this morning with a scratchy throat and am not feeling so hot at the moment. Hopefully this doesn't ruin my weekend. I plan on stopping by the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival on Saturday. And of course the Superbowl is Sunday.

Enjoy the weekend!


photo from here

colored tape

I saw this colored masking tape on simplesong and loved it so much that consequently I may have made a compulsive purchase...


Free shipping though! Can't wait to use this...



tape and bottom image from Design Within Reach; top images by Suann from simplesong

baby betsy

I posted earlier about how much I like silhouettes. My affinity for them may have been sparked by receiving my own silhouette for Christmas. Apparently, my mom had ones made of my older sister and I when we were little and gave them as presents to my aunt. Well, my aunt gave them back to my sister and I this past Christmas, and I love having it. I didn't even know it existed until then! It's me when I was only ten months old...a baby Betsy.

key to my heart

I really like this diamond key pendant from Tiffanys. I also really like to dream about one day owning a piece of Tiffany's jewelry.

You know it costs a lot when they tell you to call customer service to inquire!

tea time!

Lately, I've been on a real green tea kick. I've been doing really good about not drinking Coke and have only been drinking water and green tea for a while now.  I'm a sweet-tea kinda girl though, so I have to add a few Sweet N' Lows to my cup.

According to Teavana, green tea has some good health benefits:

Green tea is very high in antioxidants that boost the immune system and may help to reduce the risk of cancer (polyphenols), particularly lung, colon and skin cancers. Green tea also contains EGCG complex, which is very good for metabolism. In addition, green tea helps to regulate your blood sugar, resist cavities and gingivitis, and it is good for your skin.

Now that I'm hooked on hot tea, I want to get a cool teapot and maybe even some nifty teacups. Anthropologie has some cute ones, although they're a little pricey.

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I think I'll just go find one for less at Home Goods!