a letter to you

dear friends,

we're coming to the end of the semester and husband is in desperate need for our home computer to be at his school office {since his old powerbook finally went kaput a couple months ago} so this is goodbye for the next two weeks. i'll be busy doing a few projects of my own {which i promise to share with you when i return}. in the meantime i will still check in on you once and a while {when i'm at the library or some other public place with computers} and will be checking my email at work. so you can always reach me if needed. but as always, i prefer a nice letter in the mail. if you'd like to become short-term {or even long-term} pen pals, email me and we'll exchange addresses.


until then,

and i'll see you soon. 

love, 
angelina la dawn 
angelinaladawn{at}gmail{dot}com

wooden pin

i got a bunch of wooden discs and pin backs at the store a few weeks ago and have been experimenting with them lately. so far this is one of my favorites:

it's a silhouette of mozart {from a stamp i made a few years ago for my senior recital}

i made a few others i like too, but they made their way into a couple may day baskets and i don't want to spoil the surprise :)

i make shirts

i make lots of shirts. usually for me, sometimes for friends, but husband has amassed quite a collection over the years. these are some of my favorites:

 {andrew bird}

{amos lee poster image}

{the black keys}

{a favorite new yorker cartoon}

{the shins. the oldest one of the bunch. i also dyed this shirt}

while the other shirts are all stenciled, this one is reverse appliqued. it was an experiment and i love how it turned out. definitely husband's favorite shirt.

 i don't know how it always happens, but i think he gets the best ones. good thing he always appreciates them!

nesting instincts

remember this nest i showed you a couple weeks ago?  you know, the one right outside my patio door?

it's in full bloom and it's not empty anymore!

it's currently home to this little momma. and i cannot wait to see her little ones hatch!

i feel pretty lucky to be so close to something so beautiful. with birds singing outside my window and this lovely family to watch, i think today will be the perfect day to finish up my may day packages :)

coming or going?

wow has it been a crazy week! 

crazy bad

and then crazy good

but mostly just crazy busy.

enjoy your friday friends, i know i will!

advice from my mom

today i'm guest posting over at auburn street. sarah has started an "advice from my mom" series that i'm so excited to be a part of! {cause i just love my momma}

so if you want to read advice from my mom {and sarah's too} then head over and check it out.

and if you want to contribute your own mom's advice, email sarah at helloauburnst@gmail.com

violin tote and giveaway winner!

i've been busy making new bags for my etsy shop update i'm planning. it won't be ready until the end of the month so i'm not showing anything off yet, but i did make myself a new tote bag.

i thought it was time to show of my musical nerdyness via tote. {the best way to go imho} i stenciled the violin and the appliqued it on. and stenciled the strings and "music" and then stitched over it.

and then i stenciled the bow, stitched the bow hair, and added a ruffle all around the top {cause it was looking kinda boring}

{detail shot of stitching and lining from my favorite vintage fabric}

 i like it!

and congrats to carma of carma sez for winning my very first giveaway!

school book positivity

looked over and saw this on one of hubby's school books yesterday.

{we all need a reminder sometimes}

today is your last chance to enter my giveaway! 

it closes tonight at midnight and the winner will be announced tomorrow. good luck!

mom love!

today is a special day.

it's my mom's birthday!

{yep, she's gorgeous}

besides my hubby, she knows me better than anyone else on the planet. she is my life-long mentor and role-model. when i was a little girl, i thought that if i grew up to be half as smart as her then i'd be doing alright.

even though she's always been one of my best friends, it's really cool to see how our relationship has changed as i've gotten older. like we choose to be friends now, not just a we're-mother-and-daughter-so-we-have-to-like-it sort of thing.

and if you think i'm crafty- you should see her!

happy birthday, mom!

vintage postcards and other paper products

i've got no finished products to show you yet, but i did pick up some awesome vintage postcards this week:

and of course, i can never pass up a good kansas postcard. so now i've got stacks :)

and then there are these- pure vintage goodness!

i also couldn't resist these awesomely old patterns. 25 cents for two!

i'm sure you'll all be shocked, but even though tomato is in my name- i don't {or didn't} have a tomato pin cushion of my own. {just a little one i made} but i'm proud to say i finally have one of my own. and it's huge! just what i needed :)

don't forget to enter the giveaway! ends sunday {april 18}

busy little sewing bee

i've been at my sewing machine all day. 

ok, most of the day.

and last weekend. 

 just makin stuff. nothing too fancy, but here's a little peek anyway:

violin music

i love the violin. 

i love playing it.

i love listening to it.

i love classical music, but even more than that, i love a band with a good string section.

like some of these randomly selected favorites

my very first giveaway!

oh friends, have i got something special for you!

the wonderful people at csn stores {popular for their kid beds, among other things} let me peruse their websites, and find something special just for you. and man, i really wish i could enter my own giveaway.

and since i just couldn't decide which one i like best, i'll let the winner choose between:

 this songbird mirror, 

how good would this look at your place? pretty damn good, i think. and unique. i like unique.

or
this owly pillow

{i i'm going bird-themed with this one}

official giveaway rules:

1) be a follower.

2) leave a comment with your email address and which item you'd like to take home with you if you win. pretty easy.

3) if you want an extra entry, just mention this giveaway on your blog {leave another comment with a link to your post}

giveaway closes sunday, april 18 and the winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on monday. 

good luck!

making my own dress...

i kept myself busy yesterday making this:

a dress! a spring dress! inspired by all those dresses at target with knit tops, wide elastic waist bands and cotton skirts. {with my own twist, of course} i can't bring myself to buy one when it seems so easy to make

as per usual, i used the trial and error method. fool proof! almost :) 

{i hate using patterns}

 i used an xl gray tshirt i got from a thrift store for the top. although it's not actually a dress. i went to sew the top and bottom together and decided i kinda like them separate.

cause now i can change the top if i want.

and i'm lazy.

i also decided to leave the edges of the tank raw, so after it's washed it'll curl up a little. and now that it's posted, i see that this is really just a photo of my right boob, but what the heck- it is my blog!

i love it! i love the waist-band material, and best of all, it's really comfy.

i've been working on a couple other things too, but not nearly as cool. i'll show them off later. and...

i've got something great planned for tomorrow, so make sure to come check it out! 

it's spring!

it's hard to stay down-in-the-dumps when there's all this spring-love surrounding you everywhere you look.

this nest? right outside our patio. i spent a wonderful day reading and eating in the shade, listening to the birds singing.

perfect.

just that kinda day

we all have them.

i'm a little homesick {you can't really beat a michigan summer}

little sister is in the hospital with complications from her ankle surgery and i can't be there {not that me being there would make her any better, but, you know...}

and it's raining. which usually i love, but today is sad enough without grey skies, and there's no thunder and lighting to go along with it {my favorite parts!}

ah well. nothing a little sew therapy can't solve.

photos here, here, here and here

apartment art: bedroom mini collages

this project started out as something completely different {as most crafty projects do} but i like how it turned out.
detail shots:


they're little wooden tiles {3 3/4'' X 3 3/4''} that were originally covered by bright flowery designs. cute, but not my style.


so i turned them into little mini collages. covered them with a healthy dose of modge podge.


and then added all kinds of other buttons and extras.

much more my style.

after they were done i had to figure out how to mount them. i decided to chop up some wine corks that i had and glued one on top and bottom. weird, but it totally works! the nail sticks into the top cork and they stand 1/2" off the wall.

 

i lined them up vertically and hung them next to the bedroom door frame.
and don't forget to sign up for the may day basket exchange! {one more week to sign up!}

bestie birthday package

i love it so much, i hung it on my door.

my lovely package from my bestie.
{how to describe it? accordion folding envelopes full of goodies, complete with a collage on the back} 

yes, i have the best friend in the world. i honestly have no idea how she did this, and how she made it so perfect, but it is!

i am one lucky girl.

{and in case you didn't know, today is her birthday! so make sure you go send her some birthday love, too!}

happy easter!

i hope you all have beautiful weather and a wonderful day!

{mine will definitely involve making more sharpie doodle eggs}

and there's more!

you thought my birthday posts were over? oh no. i haven't shown you all the awesome stuff i got yet! i hung up all my wonderful cards. {and no, i don't think it's excessive to have two banners in the same space}

"j" and "a" block letters, owl necklace, and earrings from the in-laws {i'm in love!}

ceramic frog {i heart frogs} and necklace {made by mom} from mom: 

birthday cupcake goodness from in-laws {i believe i have previously mentioned my affinity for cupcakes}

and what birthday is complete without a package from your bestie?!

{this is just a peek; more to come monday}

i am one lucky girl.

april fool's day fun

oh friends, i had a wonderful birthday! thank you for all your lovely wishes and comments yesterday :)

so, lets start at the beginning of the day, shall we?

i began my birthday day by scaring all my students with the most realistic fake mouse you've ever seen:

it was awesome!

and then i went home, decorated some cupcakes, and went back to school and had an april fool's day party, with all kinds of themed games {like word searches with no answers, and joker scavenger hunts} and of course prizes {like whoopee cushions, groucho marx glasses, and water-squirting rings for everyone!}

and what party is complete without snacks?

to drink: lemonade {or lemon jello}

it got lots of laughs.

to eat: mashed potatos:

peas, carrots and corn:

and chicken drum sticks!

yummy!

and then, if you can believe it, the day got better.

i came home from said awesome party, and hubby said he was taking me out to the lake for a little cook-out-birthday- picnic.

wonderful.

amazing.

perfect.

so i grab my jacket, a blanket, and my book and hop in the car {telling him what a wonderful idea it is} and then we get there, and all our friends are there, with cake, and all kinds of other goodies.

 it was awesome awesome awesome. and a wonderful birthday, indeed!

and, if i do say so myself, i have the most wonderful husband. {and he's dreamy to boot!}

born on april fools

it's my birthday! yay!

and being born on april fools means i always hear two things:

 1) did you ever think your birthday is just one big april fools day joke?

2) it totally suits you.

{i have no idea why}:

what can i say? it runs in the family!

me, dad, mom, little sis

{costumes made by mom}