Insta Lovin'

{bakerella}

I'm an Instagram loving fool, so I flipped when I saw these cutey grahams from Bakerella! 
I've always wanted to make my own graham crackers, perfect for an upcoming camping trip where some serious smores making will be involved. 


Here's some recent Instagram photos & if you love Instagram too, we can connect @allisajacobs :)

my loves, summer picnicking

yum

new clutches, coming soon! 

 party! who hoo- you only turn one once!

 stitching up lots of Ms lately

 in-progress pile

colorful robots, a la mr. printables  (<--- must visit this site!) 

Happy Summer

{courtesy scout's honor co.}

Loving this statement! Every year seems like summer starts before I know it and ends with a bit of regret...of all the things not accomplished. This year, I'm promising myself to make  plans with friends ( I always think we have more time), embrace every drop of sunshine, and do something bold... at least for me! 


I shared this last year, but it's just too good not to share again....a summer wish list from Home Stories. Looking forward to making our own! 

Love - Printable Bunting

How cute is this?! 


Yesterday, we cheered for Luke's first birthday, though the celebration is tomorrow...lots of making and cooking going on around here! Wanted to share this sweet printable bunting I discovered at Ruffled Blog from Two Brunettes (love!) - you can select each letter to print...which means you can print out anything! Made one for Luke and am already looking for the next occasion that calls for adorable bunting! 


Happy Friday, 
xoxo


{update} 
Here's my version I made for Luke: 

happy wishes

Hooray! Celebrating one year with Baby Luke! 

His incredibly happy spirit brings such light to our lives.  So blessed to have this much sweetness and laughter! 




{etc}
We're hosting a little party for him this weekend...


Pinwheels a la Martha Stewart kits, I had found some cute tutorials, but wasn't sure I could pull them off and actually make them spin! Created these little favor bags with Luke's favorite animal crackers.  Hope to share more peeks into the party as we go. 

Color Me Happy: Red + Orange + Pink

Hello and happy Monday! 


Welcoming summer with this bright mix of red, orange, and pink (mostly) floral mood board. Lots of happy goodness here...


Block print design via Kate Spade Tumblr
Poppies from Most Lovely Things
Watercolor fabric via Fabric and Papers
Color block room design via Apartment Therapy 
Quilt from Calypso Barth




{etc....}


So much excitement around here lately...new job for the husband and a new truck! We've gone so long with one car between us, this weekend we went out and got a pick up truck... for me :)   We're so blessed and I feel like years of hard work is finally paying off.  


This week, I'm planning Luke's first birthday party - a backyard picnic (crossing my fingers for sunshine) with friends and family.  Hoping to share bits of fun stuff I've stumbled upon while gathering ideas but would love to hear of your favorite backyard games & activities....especially for the little ones.  


xoxo

Embracing Change

I really loved hearing all your thoughts on my "unfinished business" post, about so many incomplete projects and creative scatterings.... glad to hear I'm not the only one who struggles with this! I really appreciated the notion that this sort of starting and stopping and constant making is all part of the creative process. I think this creative chaos is a good thing. But maybe one that just needs a little direction :) 

Seemed timely that I visited The Academy yesterday to discuss embracing change - whether it's a monumental adjustment or shedding a bad habit, it's something to embrace. I found this quote from Alan Wilson Watts and thought that everything seems so much more possible if I consider it as joining the dance - rather than a struggle or obstacle. 

I created this poster as a reminder to post in my studio....if you hop over to The Academy you can grab yours too! (it's a free download ;) 

a few changes I'm embracing: 

• a new home
• my baby is turning one
• pursuing fabric design
• returning to an exercise routine
• officially working part time (in the studio)
• a new job for my husband

Unfinished Business

{purl bee}

Hello & happy Monday! 
I had so many ideas for posts this week....but sadly, so many went unfinished. And it sort of dawned on me, well more like I just acknowledged something I already knew - I have a huge problem of starting projects and not completing them.  Whether it be blog posts, quilts, new designs, home projects, cleaning...and on and on.  I thought about it and realized that my very first quilt in fourth grade went unfinished for months because after sewing gobs of squares I thought, holy heck - I can *make* things and went on to sew pillow cases, create jewelry, and embroider...all before returning to finally finish the quilt.


I still do this! I get started on something and then think of all the other things I could do or want to do and leave the original project behind. Thankfully, my husband is so forgiving of this. I'm sure it's bound to drive others crazy. The more I think of it, it makes me scattered and a feeling a little defeated. There's not much accomplishment in unfinished projects. 


If I look around now I've got the chevron wall hanging half completed, new bag designs sketched and prototypes sewn, fabric designs created and partially finished in photoshop, a cool banner for the boys in the works, gift ideas in my head - and it all makes for creative chaos! 


Anyone else work like this? I'd love to hear similar experiences...even if it just makes me feel better ;)  But, of course, if you've got tips or suggestions, I want to hear those too! Right now, I'm making it my goal to finish one thing before I move onto the next...we'll see how that goes, but maybe just being aware is the first step :) 


One project I've completed and feeling good about is this dresser for little man Jack: 


{AFTER}

{BEFORE} - A relic found in my mom's barn.....

Well, Hello June

I feel like I somehow fast-forwarded from January until now, June, because it's all a blur of home-buying, wedding season mania, Disneyland, and an almost one-year old walking all around our home...chasing the 4 year-old!! But, in any case, I'm so ready to shake of the spring showers (that are still continuing here in Portland) and jump feet first into summer. 

Found this super sweet June desktop calendar at the ever-lovely Going Home to Roost and thought it was a gorgeous way to start summer {go to her blog to download}. 

In between all the custom orders, I've been working on some new clutch designs....

What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

I also really appreciate all the super kind words & votes of encouragement on my post about pursuing fabric design. It's difficult + scary + exciting to learn something new, so I really value all the support. Looking forward to sharing some sketches and get some of my own patterns on my bags!! 

xo

Let's Do This - Venturing into Fabric Design

Happy June! I have no idea where this past week went, practically a blur of preschool mania & Via coffee packs....and pursuing my new venture - fabric design. 

Yep! After years of wishing and hoping I could create with my own fabric, I've decided to take the plunge and learn the ropes. It's something I've always had in my head - I could visualize the colors and designs, but unfortunately, my tech skills pretty much ended at power point presentations and computerized attendance charts (pretty handy as a teacher).... 

Here's my little design work space....hoping we can finish painting the house so I can turn my studio into a full on happy place of creative goodness complete with mood boards and such. But this will do :) 

What's the master plan? For now, I'm going to work on some designs with the idea of an actual collection. I'd like to be able to offer these to my customers for further customization of their clutches and bags. 

Beyond that, we'll see ;) 

Speaking of wedding orders....here's a lovely one I completed this week - all set for summer!

With design on my mind, I've been a photo-taking fool around town. 

Here: the stationery section of Target. 

And a little fabric appliquéd journal for a dear friend. I made gobs of these years ago and am always happy with how simple & happy they turn out! 


Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, 
xo