i made this duvet using one of amy butler’s free patterns.  i think it turned out pretty well.  it cost around $60-$70 for the front fabric, and i used the back of our old duvet for the back (plus i have a bit leftover for some random little projects).  it was pretty easy, but cutting all those rectangles took for-ev-er.

i’m pretty much a sucker for gray + yellow.

that’s our teeny tiny bedroom.  mr. halloran is working on new bedside tables for us, so we’re getting a major upgrade shortly.

we had what felt like our first days of fall this weekend.  i’m not ready.  but a cozy duvet helps.

<3

into this:

all with my trusty pug by my side (angus sits behind me in our computer chair pretty much all the time when i’m in it).

today we’re off for a little grocery shopping at main market, a little coffee at our fave neighborhood joint the shop, a little wok shopping at the kitchen engine (where we hope to find a green pan that doesn’t flake off non-stick badness into our food, unlike our last one!), and hopefully a little sushi dinner with the fam.

have a nice saturday.

<3

sewing a bunch of these little rosettes (which take for. ev. er.  and make my hands hurt.)

and eating things like saltines with honey and peanut butter because mr. halloran is away and i don’t feel like cooking.

also, between friday and saturday night’s bedtime reading, i started and finished february’s book club book.

it.  was.  awful.  it was like reading a lifetime movie that had been turned into a book.  predictable, boring, far from a challenge.  thankfully, my little book club will redeem itself when we read one of my favorites, unaccustomed earth by jhumpa lahiri.  read that one instead.  not this one.  sheesh.  terrible.

off to pick up mr. halloran.  i missed him.

<3

i bet you are.

i made my sister a little cozy for her new kindle, which arrived in her mailbox today.

cute, no?

say hello to my new pillow cover made of muslin.  i still need a pillow form for it, but i think it looks pretty good by itself.

pattern is from rashida jones’ i <3 patchwork book, a gift from mr. halloran’s parents this christmas.  you can find her blog here.

<3

amana, i am still not impressed with you.  see photo below.

that little piece in my hand is one of the things that needed fixing in the dryer.  that box you see next to it is the monstrosity they used to ship this piece.  notice the “earth aware” packaging.  ha.  not very environmentally friendly if you ask me.

switching gears, look at this super sweet clutch that arrived from aPearantly sew.  and in one of my favorite color combos, no less.  love.  it.

and speaking of yellow and gray.  these little pieces are on my task list to turn into something super cute that is super secret.

<3

i’m one (very small) step closer to opening my little etsy shop.

here is my first creation.

i made several of these as bridesmaids gifts for our wedding, and i really dig them.  cute and functional.  i totally meant to add a strap, but forgot in the final steps.  whoops.  next time.  pattern is from noodlehead.  fabric is amy butler kaleidoscope dots from ahmelie, and old target curtain (aren’t i thrifty?).

in other news, i dusted off the bread machine for the first time in three years to make this little gem (not sure if it’s a gem, but it was the first entry in a google search for “bread machine herb bread,” we shall see).

mr. halloran is on the mountain skiing with the ski team (where i should be, but the weather is just gross).  here’s hoping there will be something edible waiting for him when he gets home.

<3  anna

check me out!

i’m not going to lie, i’m pretty proud of it.  and a little more than sad to see it go.  i guess i’ll just have to make another for myself

i’m home by myself this weekend (mr. halloran is in bend, or with the ski team), and i thought i would pass the time by making my first quilt.  remember that sweet little pile of fabric i brought home from the top stitch?  well, i finally turned it into something – a baby quilt for my former boss’ new little one.

check me out.

what you see above were christmas gifts from my mother in law.  what the goodness was i doing all this time cutting by hand and measuring with a yard stick????

almost done.  i just have to get some batting from the store and put the layers together!

when i talked to mr. halloran today and told him that i was having such a good time with this, he reminded me of a comment i made three years ago.  i told him i thought quilting was a dying art and that i had no interest in it.  well, what do you know – looks like i’m going to help keep it alive

Do I have the brown sugar pound cake cupcake with sparkly edible sprinkles (thanks Andrew!)?

Or the fresh-out-of-the-oven Cardamom Crumb Cake (thank you Toni for the cardamom!)?

Hm, I think both!

Today I finished a gift for one of my mom’s oldest friends who recently got re-married.  What do you make for someone you don’t know very well whose style you’re not sure of?  I don’t know either.  So I settled on quilted coasters with a selection of organic teas.

And the best for last… I won something pretty sweet today.  Actually lots of pretty sweet things.  One of the blogs I follow, Gussy Sews, offered a giveaway from each of her 12 sponsors and I totally won.  Things like gift certificates to Etsy shops and fat quarters and sweet handmade things.  I’m stoked.  A great start to my week.  And look at the cuteness that Gussy Sews sells:

That’s one of her iPad cases.  I’d buy an iPad just to have the case.  So sweet.  She’s totally cool too – cute, started an Etsy shop right after getting married recently, and turned it into a full time business.  <3

What a good day.