{boo}

Happy Halloween!

Not dress like a hoochie and claim it's a costume day

Not scare the bejessuz out of everyone with murdering, screaming, and sharp objects day

Not evil day so be mean all day.

Happy celebrate fall, candy corn, trick or treat, cozy up with loved ones, burn an autumn candle, excuse to eat a kit kat every hour day!

all photos via lillypie pinboard on pinterest

Care to follow each other's boards?I'm really craving to connect with more of my readers. Leave me a comment with your pinterest account name and I'll bebop right over!  Connect with me  here!

Linking up with my friend Jessica today.

Looking forward to trick or treating with the doggone cutest little puppy this evening. I. just. can't.wait!

little things {my backyard}

 We won't live here forever.  It's a small house.  We outgrow it a little more each season.  But we have a great backyard. I brought my camera along during one of our exploration walks this week.  I let Lilly explore and I snapped pictures of little things that I love. I felt silly at first, but looking back at my images I'm so glad that I have them. I'll enjoy remembering our first backyard one day when we've really outgrown this little home.

Linking up with miss lindsay again!

 and.....I shot  all of these pics on manual. WHOMP! A year later and I'm feeling like I'm getting the hang of it. :)  love to all, laura

october dusk {etsy treasures}

ara133photography

cozy autumn. 

pumpkins. frost. mittens.

the first bite of autumn is always exciting. i'm cuddled up on the couch this evening with my favorite chenille blanket  and a cup of freshly brewed spice coffee--feeling like heaven. the daughter is tucked in tight. the husband is fussing with his fantasy football team.

i love the  crisp autumn nights. 

while browsing etsy, i decided to find pretty treasures  that created a collection of items that remind me of october at dusk.  

Tag...You're It  and MoxieMandie

(LOVE these girls and happy to call them friends)

tradtions. cozy

oddities. crisp. early nights.

flushed cheeks. sweet. harsh

lil3birdy    lovelycrochet   Silent Roses   

 shimmer. bundle. whispering winds.

MaieDae    Denizgunes 

custom, custom

I do a lot of custom designs. Scuffles of my customers have great ideas and inspiration and simply need a set of hands to create their creative designs. I love being those hands. Over the next few weeks I'm going to show you my recent custom design works and the stories behind them. It's a fun way to show you what I've been up to and perhaps might inspire you for a design idea.

"I need a piece to pull everything together" is what Brooke needed. Her family pictures were coming up and she wanted a statement piece for her and coordinating piece for her little one. Not wanting matchy-matchy outfits--but coordinating color schemes, I was pumped to create something timeless, trendy, bold, and MULTI-functional.

photo credit

My color palette for the design-yummy plums, berries, and reds. I love the rich tones for fall.

I ended up making a beaded necklace featuring mauve rondelles with hammered antique bronze rings on cranberry satin ribbon.  The necklace is such a pretty deep color that will pop but not be over-powering over greys, mustards, mints, and ivories.

For the little one, mom wanted a brooch to add to a  cardigan for a whimsical touch. I love that idea. The brooches that we have adorning our own sweaters and jackets look cute and fresh on the little ones too! You mom's who love floral and ruffly accents but have little one's who REVOLT against headbands now have a new option! Of course more supervision is required, we don't need baby handling a bar pin. Yikes.

Once the family shoot is over, I wanted my gal to be able to wear the brooch in multiple ways. Going with a previous product idea--I created a back that has both brooch pin and hair clip.

She can clip the brooch to the necklace for a cozy fall piece.

She can adorn a sweater, cardigan, chunky sweater,  or jewel toned scarf with the brooch.

She can add a finishing touch to a messy updo with the clip.

She can wear the necklace alone or layered with a sentimental pendant--like a pretty customized necklace from Tag...You're It.

She can clip her brooch to a little ones coat or sweater.

She can clip back her daughter's hair with the sweet rosette.

She can breath easy knowing that these two pieces can really extend her fall accessories!

Named after my customers sweet daughter, the Reegan necklace and brooch pair can be purchased  from my shop!

Do you have a custom idea and you need created? I'd love working with you.

smattering of thoughts.

 Sitting down this afternoon with a latte and my thoughts. From the mouths of my 2nd graders,

" Your mind is about to be blowed."


I'm on fall break.
I really enjoy time off.
I feel refreshed and relaxed.
Why can't I channel this happy laura throughout the work week?
Why do I feel so bogged down and like I'm constantly treading to keep my head above water.
Last week was really rough.
I started praying at the same place in my commute to work.
That really has helped me remain consistent in prayer rather than shouting up random prayers during times of distress.
Thank goodness for the ladies in my small group.
They are wise sassy ladies and I love them dearly.
Speaking ,I need to start thinking of  a dessert for the bonfire on saturday.
Pretty sure I hate baking.
 I'm also a very messy person by nature--and baking tends to bring out the largest messes.
Ugh Mess.
If I wasn't married to an accountant I would consider taking out a loan to pay for a maid an  EXCELLENT investment. 
Maybe not a loan.
That wouldn't be very Dave Ramsey.
Ugh, Dave Ramsey makes my blood pressure rise.
Dang slogan---Debt is normal. Be weird.
Yea, weird.
I can't believe Lilly is still sleeping.
Having three hours to myself to do ABSOLUTELY nothing has been glorious.
and now my coffee is gone.
Panera's pumpkin spice latte is 1000000 better than starbucks. Test my theory. Do it.

It's the little things //pumpkins. cousins. time off//

Yay! Friday. Time to celebrate the little things this week that made me happy. I really enjoy reading lindsay's posts and everyone else's even if I'm a total slacker and don't participate myself.



This week I'm celebrating two glorious days off. I'm rested and rejuvenated and excited to sit down to write about what's makin' this gal happy.

{one} pumpkins. I mean really. How can a little vegetable be so flippin cute. I adore them and picked up a stash at the local orchard. I now have a cutie on my mantle, kitchen table,  school desk, entry hall, and dashboard of my car. All joking aside, if I could keep it from rolling I probably would. I love gourds!

{two} cousins.  especially pint sized ones who love their littlest cousin. even when she *insists* on holding hands at the pumpkin patch.

{three} a few days of rest. Working full time. Momma(ing). Wife(ing). and Lillypie(ing) gets to be overwhelming at times. Having these two days off has really lifted my spirits and given me a new HOORRAAHHH feeling. I can do this.

What two means {with a sprinkling of party pictures}

TWO

It means hearing "mommy" instead of Momma. 

It means twirling in the living room like a princess.

It means having your heart belong to daddy, elmo,and mickey all at once.

It means concentrating hard on your scribbles and pronouncing "I did dat!" when finished.

It means having your first favorite color and announcing that everything is "geen".

It means dramatic falls to the floor in protest.

It means loving mac and cheese one day and being repulsed by it the next.

It means fruit snacks. keep em coming. all day.

It means " no like".

It means hiding under the covers is the best game. Day or night.

It means telling people where to sit.

It means princess unnawares. :)

It means tickle fights---with retaliation.

It means saying big girls don't.....

It means shorter snuggles.

It means longer goodbyes.

It means irrational thinking.

It means "pwease and tink too's"

It means "I love you's" followed by "go aways". 

It means endless laughter.

It means silly plays.

It means a FULL HEART.

Show time. Booth Display. Warm and Fuzzies.

Well that was an unintentional break. Three weeks go fast especially when you are busy perfecting your SMEYESING. Fierce?

No. Seriously.

So I had a show. Mah first big one. and it was fun! and i loved it!and! and! and!

I really enjoyed meeting my customers.  They were really sweet and some made a special trip just to see me. I was beyond flattered.  I worked really hard to create a booth display that screamed lillypie without screaming at my customer. I really enjoyed creating a space and could probably go around setting up booths around town and be perfectly happy skipping and humming along.

I debuted a lot of new pieces at the sale and recieved some wonderful feedback. I really love the combination of heather seafoam and cranberry--and luckily so do my customers. I sold out of 10 designs while there and was doing a happy dance all the way home.  I was beyond nervous for this show. Putting myself and my designs that I think are pretty is one thing on the interwebs.  I'm still hidden. At a show, I'm sitting right there. Vulnerable. GULP.

Thank you to all my friends! I felt so supported and uplifted through your sweet comments and tweets. I'm loving this little handmade community I've stumbled upon. You're all so sweet. I'm smiling from ear to ear on my side of the screen.