spring has sprung!

to my great delight....... I was checking in on Lovely dovey... (mamma bird) and I thought maybe she was sitting a little funny??? so I drug out the ladder and zoom lens.... lifted the camera REALLY high.... and shot about 50 shots... I looked closely at one picture.... and thought I spied a FUZZY little head!!

zoom in my friends..... Mamma hatched a baby birdie! (swoon!) I can't tell but there was another fuzzy body next to it... I think there's 2 but not quite sure yet.....

Truly a nest happening!
xo,
amt

(edited a few hours later...... there are 2 babies!! they are adorable and quite big! I am surprised at how big they are... I guess they have been hatched for a while and I just did not know!)

stitchin' along......

The stitching continues in a very footloose and fancy free sort of way.....

Squares fourteen, fiveteen and sixteen:
14: a filler of vintage ric rac (from RUBYFLOY), ribbon (i like to call dingle balls) and velvet scallops :)
15: a mommy drink (because sometimes I just need to unwind...)
16: the peace sign (how I feel after I unwind :)

Squares seventeen, eighteen and nineteen:
17: button sun and rainbow
18. lucky shamrock button
19. a vintage shiny accent - I stitched a circle around it.... do you think it needs more?

Square twenty..... ( above 20 -you can see the faint makings of squirrel)
20: a snail :)

Squares twenty-one and twenty-two:
21: butterfly (don't be afraid to spread your wings and fly!)
22: tulle flower - not sure if I really like it? what do you think???
I am DANGEROUSLY close to "catching up " with the rest of those stitching ladies over at 39 squares

Presently - We are off on an adventure filled spring break with those non-stop energy filled boys.....my stitching is packed and right on top of all the things I don't really need to bring along...with me! I'll be looking for inspiration in those RED streaked rocks of Bryce, Zion and Arches.

Below is my attempt at a shabby flower...... One of my besties.... Linda... sent me a link to this great little vimeo... you should really check it out.... Very inspiring.... Linda is pretty inspiring herself!! you really need to go check out her tutorial on chiffon flowers.... I have all the supplies but I have yet to give it shot.... but you can bet I'll be posting my results soon :) On the shabby flower - I used some special gathering from a few friends... Ribbon from Katie and more ric rac from Nathalie.....


Nest update..... Lovely mamma dove is STILL providing me with my daily dose of patience... I really don't know how she does it... I don't have any new shots because she's hard to see BUT I check on her everyday and I absolutely LOVE to wake up to her "love dove" on the fence wall near by, He stands so valiantly tall and puffs out his chest feathers for her! Then I peek up to she her tail feathers ruffled slightly over the edge of the hanging planter. It's one of the sweetest things I have EVERY witnessed. In a moment of weakness, I gave her a worm...(it was a one time thing) I was super nervous about it because I did not want her to think I was invading her space... while technically I was invading .... so I decided from here on out.... I would let nature take it's course.... and allow her to feed herself on her own terms.... But I really wanted to give her something for all the joy she is giving to me..... like I said she is teaching me patience.....

I hope spring finds you with a HOP in your step.
;)
xo,
AMT

a flutter of fabric...

I had a real live "grown up" play-date yesterday....
A dear and very TALENTED Cortney came over to play yesterday.....

we had some fun..... cutting fabric butterflies.... we joined forces (and fabric) to make some delightful and flighty necklaces....


cortney's necklace...

It's gorgeous isn't it!! I really love how she put her's together.... it's just the right size!!
Anna's necklace....

While I am very in LOVE with these butterfly necklaces.... I am not sure I personally have enough style to actually pull one off? This one might be a gift to a very lucky birthday girl in my life. I am not over these butterflies... I plan to make one for me... but maybe a little smaller...

meanwhile.... I am still stitching!

squares nine and ten.....
#9 -a cup of coffee - yes - it's sumatra - extra bold (fairly traded and organic! - I'm hip aren't i?)
#10 - a moonlight night...

squares eleven, twelve, thirteen
#11 - a spring tree
#12 - Quinton
#13 - Marz
I made some additions to some of my squares.... I have been ohhhhhing and aweeeeing over the flicker site for all the girls stitching along... and getting some serious inspiration!! I'll post my changes soon. I'm in love with stitching! It's fun, fun, fun! Have you tried?
xo,
amt

stitchin' along......

I know I joined but I have not yet posted any of my squares.... :( here's a few to show that I really am stitchin along.....

square one....
cute bird making sweet music....

square two and three
french knot heart and cozy home

square five, six and seven (turn your head sideways.... I forgot to rotate!!)
bee charm, a tulip flower and last a sunflower that was meant to be a sun.... oh well!

square 8
a tiny crocheted flower secured on with a few stitches.

nest update.... Mama bird is soooooooo vigilant....(i am considering nominating her for mom of the year) I rarely see her fleeing the coop, she just sits and waits... sits and waits..... sits and waits.......(maybe she likes Jane Austen?) While she is providing warms to her baby eggs..... maybe she could take up crochet? This is the best shot I have got of her yet. We have no idea how many eggs there are.... as I said, she rarely leaves for us to get a peek at those little eggs.

that's all for now.... I need to get stitching I'm only on square 10!!! Not keeping up, as I had hoped... but I will get it done.... :)
xo,
anna

TTYL

Talk to ya later!!

I created this layout (lo) solely out of words.... it's probably the most difficult lo i have ever attempted.... I had to cut and re-cut and re-cut and re-cut these words and letters so they could all fit on a page.... It was a layout probably one year in the making... why because..... I was a little impatient to say the least. I had the story in my head for a while.... few months...... I finally wrote it down .... few months went by.....then I'd start cutting....a few months went by - I had to re-cut letters over and over. Then when I was finally ready to start putting it together..... I would have to re-cut again... and then when I was in the middle of gluing the letters down.... I would re-cut AGAIN!

SO it might look like a simple layout - but it's NOT! (argh)

here's maybe 1/3 of the leftover letters......... I'm not sure I am completely happy with the end result but I was so sick of looking at it... at that point I really did not care......

The story is about a "chat" session on facebook and my bff said... gotta go .... ttyl... I had no idea what the heck ttyl meant..... and it bugged me for a few days... finally i remembered how awesome GOOGLE is.... and my question was instantly answered. I thought it would be fun to make a layout with texting acronyms ... and well here it is.....like it or not!

ttyl,
amt

a day late.... a dollar short

BUT it always works itself out.... for this fly by the seat of her pants sort of gal.... I decided to join up with the "39 Squares" blog and stitch to my heart's content, boy, am I glad I did..... I forgot what wonderful fun stitching is...

my gathering - based on colors from the fabric!!

here is my grid!

my inspiration stitching books....

I know I won't be as dedicated as some of those stitching along, because I won't get to post everyday.... but the concept is so clever and good therapy!! - I VOW to carve out 5-15 minutes in my day to stitch a square....
meanwhile.... the boys have been beside themselves that the Olympics is over... They invented their version of LUGE..... no ice....but a hill and concrete will have to do! Go Team Tremblay!! (please Lord - no broken bones...please....)



Soaking up the sunshine while we can.... it was a fun, action packed weekend....

....hope yours was too!
xo,
amt

wkend happenings !

I am soooooooo excited I had to share the wonderful weekend happenings!

We have a NEST!! A bird nest... mama bird probably laid her eggs this past weekend... She settled in on Saturday.... while Daddy Bird gathered last minute provisions for the happy home! It's soooo exciting!

She dug her nest pretty deep inside the hanging planter basket.... so It' hard to get a good shot of her without breaking out the "extension ladder". You can just see her peeping through - she's a pigeon , grayish brown. EDITED..... It's a DOVE!!! I'm trying hard to give her some space.... but it's so difficult. I keep wanting to ask her if she wants some tea.... or maybe I should get her some worms instead? hum.....
The daddy bird is never far away..... It's so sweet!!


Meanwhile..... while we were at a rained out baseball practiced.... I was reminded to the AWESOMENESS of God's Beauty.

if you squint hard... you can make out a rainbow on the left hand side ... above the roof line. :)
Here's the little slugger.....

Here is his brother.... completely lost in a world all to himself. He's dressed up as a vampire.... (no, he has not read twilight!) He's just obsessed with halloween (remind you of anyone?) He calls himself Coffin, hahahaha, Coffin the Vampire and he's trying to get into character for the next halloween.

My boys pretty much planned next years halloween costumes the day after halloween. So far.... this one (Coffin) is sticking to his guns.... the other one - the "geico" kid.... he says he wants to be Santa for Halloween. We'll have to see how that plays out....... anyone know where I can get some vampire teeth?
Happy Monday!
xo,
amt