Darling Girl's Room!

A darling room for a darling girl!  I'm so happy with the way my daughter's room turned out.  It's light, bright and is perfect for a little girl.  

DIY Embroidery Hoops with stretched fabric

Stitched my daughter's nickname onto a piece of fabric.

je t'aime picture from Society6

Ikea kitchen is the BEST size!  Perfect for small rooms.  The bow hanger kite was another DIY project. Check my blog to see other pictures.   Eiffel Tower picture is from Etsy. 

Mitten Advent Calendar - Knitting DIY

So thrilled with the results of my DIY Advent Calendar.  My goal was to create an heirloom advent calendar that can be cherished for years to come.  I knitted 24 little mittens and then my dad cut a branch into little coins for the numbers.  I used a wood burner for all the numbers and tied them onto the mittens with bakers twine.

Still to come...I'm going to paint a little clothespin gold and will glue a gold star to it.  Each day the star will move along the advent calendar.  I'll have that finished for next year. ;)



For the mittens:  Mitten Pattern
For the star garland: Star Garland

Quandary Peak Mittens - Fun Knitting Project

I'm ready for a Colorado winter!  These 100% wool mittens will keep my hands super warm! I picked the pattern up at Fancy Tiger in Denver along with the wool yarn.  However, if you download from Ravelry you'll save a buck.   These were quick to knit up even with the fair isle design. 

Have fun!!

The Best of... Handmade Colorado

If there's a handmade market in the Denver area, chances are I will be there.  I love checking out the things that others are passionate about making.  I've purchased things along the way that I really love and would like to share them with you.  All of the vendors have an online presence if you're not in the Denver area.  These would make fantastic presents for Christmas, birthdays, housewarming etc. 

If you are in the Denver area, I highly recommend these three handmade markets:
1) Fancy Tiger's Holiday Handmade
2) Highland's Horseshoe Flea Market
3) Boulder's Firefly Market

For Farmer's Markets, I highly suggest Aspen, Steamboat Springs and Vail.


Food
Modern Gingham Preserves
Organic jams with interesting flavors.  Try the strawberry basil or Pluot, Cloves and Cinnamon...the latter is a perfect jam for fall!  
$10 per jam or 3 for $9.

Where to find: Boulder Firefly Market









Cider Fixins

The strawberry jam from Cider Fixins is outstanding.  Love spreading it on warm toast or mixing in with plain yogurt. 

Where to find: Steamboat Springs Farmer's Market


MM Local
"Eat local, all year long".  MM Local preserves our summer fruits and veggies so they can be eaten year round.  They also offer a Harvest Share program. 

Where to find: S Pearl St Farmer's market; (I think they have a presence at the majority of farmers markets in Denver).



Kids
Viola Studio
The capes are stunning.  Each is made with wool felt and appliqued with a cute and whimsy design.  The price tag is high, but they are fun to admire.  She has other designs besides the capes such as dolls and pillows. I purchased an owl pillow that comes with a knit baby owl. My daughter loves it!

Where to find: Vail and Aspen Farmer's Markets







Baby Grey Clementine
Cute headbands and barrettes for the precious little girl in your life. Great selection to choose from. 

Where to find: Horseshoe Flea Market in Denver 







Penni Olive
Adorable appliqued aprons for toddlers, tweens and some adult sizes. 

Where to buy: Denver Holiday Handmade and Boulder's Firefly Market.












Soap
The Naked Goat Company
Variety of items...jams, body butters, lip balms, soaps.  Their body soaps are so pretty they can be displayed or used! I purchased the lavender soap for $6.

Where to buy: Boulder Firefly Market







Other

C+M designs

Husband and wife team out of Boulder creates some stunning pieces.  I purchased a set of their laser cut coasters with four different designs.  

DIY A-frame Tent

My favorite craft project of the summer- an A-Frame tent! We spent many afternoons napping, reading, and playing in this tent.  I may love it more than my daughter does. :D  

Ta da!

Pillows in corresponding fabric.

The little lanterns were purchased from Pottery Barn and I added flameless tea lights so my daughter can play with it.

DIY Hair Bows

Little girls and hair bows go together like cake and ice-cream. Since these are so cute and easy to make, why not try with all sorts of colors so your little one will have a bow for every outfit! 

Supplies
18.5 in of main color ribbon  (1.5in wide)
few inches of contrasting ribbon for center knot  (5/8in or 7/8 in.  I like the 7/8in a little better)
few inches of wire
wire cutters
hot glue gun
hair clips or barretts


Cut an 18.5in strip of your main color. I used 100% polyester so that it was a little stiff and won't wrinkle too badly. 

Step 1 - Fold like so.
Make the bow as big or little as you'd like.

Step 2 - pinch the center together

and secure with wire.  

Moving on to the center knot...

Step 3 - fold like so.

Step 4 - Bring the cut end up
and through the opening.  

Step 5 - Make a pretty knot.  Don't pull too tightly.
A loose knot is best.  
Cut the ribbon about where my thumb is hitting. 

Wrap the center knot around the main bow and secure with hot glue.  Next, cut a narrow piece of your leftover main fabric and place inside the hair clip.  This will prevent the glue from gluing the barrett closed.  Glue the bottom of the clip fabric on top of the center knot seam. 

Finally...the finishing touch.  Cut the ends of the bow to the length of your desire and apply a small amount of "Fray Check" so the ribbon won't fray.  Place in your daughter's hair, and admire your handy work. 

"Hey Dottie" collection

AND REPEAT all of the above in all different colors!!!

Have fun crafting!!

Need a way to showcase the new collection of bows?  Why not try a kit bow hanger?!  Check out Ruffles and Stuff for step by step instructions on how to make this easy wire hanger kite. 

My thoughts on: Steam Espresso Bar and Trompeau Bakery

Looking for authentic French pastries and bread in Denver?  Well look no further than Trompeau Bakery on S. Broadway in Englewood.  As you take your first bite into a beautiful croissant, your mind will race back to Paris.  After a quick mental comparison, you will agree that this is the real deal.

They make beautiful croissants and also make filled varieties such as cinnamon and apple, lemon and blueberry, raspberry, walnut and on and on.

Trompeau is closed on Sundays and lines on Saturday morning will have you waiting anxiously for a glimpse of what's in store for you.   Our Saturday ritual became taking a short drive to Trompeau to pick up our goodies and return home for a beautiful breakfast.

As luck would have it though, a coffee shop called Steam Espresso Bar opened on S Pearl in Platte Park in May and they carry Trompeau bakery items.   So instead of a short drive, now these delights are within walking distance!!

Steam Espresso Bar is a well-designed establishment.  They are happy to see you and actually thanked me for coming in.  Apparently, I've become so accustomed to poor customer service and grumpy baristas (looking at you Stella's) that I was taken aback.  It's so amazing what a smile and a thank you does these days.

What Trompeau lacks in latte skills (sorry, but flaming hot milk is not acceptable), Steam completely excels.  I haven't tried their pour-over coffee but their lattes are just delish.

So if you're in the mood for a terrific latte, fantastic atmosphere, happy baristas, and delicious croissants, look no further than Steam Espresso Bar in Platte Park.

Brioche..soft and delicious

Steam's espresso...so good!

Two Steam lattes and a Trompeau croissant...la belle vie.