.open for business.

I finally got a few of my creations listed on Etsy! Click on the picture to go straight to my shop!

.hayley's hair.

It has been a week since I got my hair cut, and tonight I shed tears over it for the first time. I realized it's too short for me, I hate that I can't pull it back, and worst of all.... I feel like Hayley Mills from the old Parent Trap movie.

I haven't cried over my hair since I was 13, so I feel a little silly. Thankfully, the hubs is trying to be supportive and telling me it will grow back out. I can see in his eyes that he doesn't love it either, but thankfully he's being sweet and supportive.

I know in time it will grow out, but for now I might shed a few tears over its current state. Hopefully, one day I'll look back on this post and laugh, but for now...

"Let's get together. Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

.fifteen dollar dresser re-do.

I fixed ugly.

Despite the paneling on the sides of this poor little dresser and the all-around hideousness that made my husband's stomach turn when I brought that puppy home, thanks to its $15 price tag, I saw the potential for something better.

After a few coats of "Caboose Red" paint and new hardware, I would say this dresser will see a long life of storing office supplies in our house!




This was my first major furniture do-over, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

.independence day.

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays! Here's hoping yours is filled with family time, fireworks, grilled out grub and outdoor picnics!

All images from Country Living

.my 27th birthday.

Yes, that's right! Today is the day of my 27th birthday! What a wonderful day it's been so far!

I got to have an amazing lunch with my mom, brother, and sister-in-law at the FABULOUS Tea Room in downtown Rogers, Ar!

I ordered the tuna melt on sourdough with creamy potato soup. To. Die. For.

This is the room in which we ate our lunch. They call it the pink room, and the blue room is across the hall. This area is upstairs. Downstairs there are more tables as well as a gift shop and candle outlet. The whole thing is in an old brick building in downtown. Perfect!

And all the was just the beginning of my awesome birthday! After lunch, my mom, s.i.l., and myself walked down the street and around the corner to our favorite fabric shop. Since the fabric shop is moving into a different building, they were having a HUGE sale! I was able to buy stacks of fabric, most for anywhere from 50% - 85% off original prices!

My mom and I also stopped by one of our favorite flea markets and the local thrift store called Helping Hands. I made out like a bandit with major loot from this place too! Maybe I have birthday luck going on, but I think today was a pretty successful shopping day!

My loot: Triangle ruler for cutting quilt blocks (this was 85% off). Stacks of fabric (a lot of which you can't even see because it's folded together). Two sweet little Country Living magazines that I got for 10 cents a piece at Helping Hands. Floral print vintage glasses from Helping Hands (I got all 7 for $3.50!) The amazing book Wild at Heart. Oh, and see the table cloth everything is sitting on? Well, I got that at Helping Hands as well!

.fabric love.

.tulip vintage glasses.

.magazines for inspiration.

Honestly, this has been such a great birthday! Not to mention, my husband is on his way home right now from a 3-day business trip! I'm so glad he'll be home again. I'm a little nervous about debuting my new haircut to him. It's still weird to me, so I imagine it will take the hubs a while to get used to it!

.ode to target's chairs.

Dear Target,

I love your chairs. Mostly, your armless chairs, but there is one arm chair in particular that I also drool over.

Coincidentally, I am in the market for some new living room furniture. Right now all we have is a micro-suede dark green couch, a glass-top coffee table, and a tv on a stand.

Yes, I know. It is quite sad. And soooo not my style.


But these chairs, these are what I would consider "my style." I love all these colors; how could I ever pick just one!

I would love to own just one of these chairs... Make that two chairs. One for each side of the fire place. I could decorate a whole room around one of these. They inspire me!

But, alas, Target. My love for your chairs will most likely have to continue from afar.

A love that will never be conquered, never relinquished, yet, never reciprocated.

You see, Target, I am married. And the husband, well he wants leather furniture. Talk about a dilemma.

Yours always,

Martha

.felt pillows.

Who needs food? Sleep? Apparantly, not me. I've been spending all my time sewing with only minimal amounts of the afore mentioned -- just enough to keep me strong enough to continue with my sewing.

Ok, so that was a slight exaggeration. But I have been sewing an awful lot. Mainly, because I have so many ideas, I just can't allow myself to stop, but also because I really want to get my etsy shop open, and I'm determined to have plenty of inventory before I do so.

Besides pillowcase dresses and rag quilts, I plan on adding these to my shop:

Felt throw pillow slipcovers! These are 2 that I made today, but they won't all have birds on them.

Any feedback would be appreciated. Would you or anyone you know ever consider buying anything like this?