put a bow on it

i made this bright pink corduroy bow for miss k's little easter noggin. i can't lie, it wasn't even my idea. i had made my little guys each a bow tie for easter sunday and turns out they felt like their sister was being excluded from the fun. we can't allow that. so at about ten o'clock saturday evening this little beauty was created. i want to make about thirty more, all in corduroy, all in fun bright colors, all for my little darling and her sweet round head. i am officially in love with bows. it's my new 'put a bird on it'. and why shouldn't it be?

what do you think about bows?

christmas in our nest

i had two themes for decorating this year. simple and child friendly. scratch that. there were three. simple, child friendly and inexpensive. half of my decor stayed in boxes, we shopped all other rooms in the house, including the boys' toy bins. after pulling together what i already had i went ahead and spent a whopping twelve dollars on berry sprigs, miniature pines, dollar store foliage and one small box of red and green ornaments.



i really do enjoy the simplicity of it. i probably wont ever go back to crowded shelves and over achieving.



the boys love our little deer in the pickle jar. compliments of their animal figurine stash.



this glass vase sets on my counter year round and i have never seen it looking so happy as it does now. mister polar bear was another of the boys contributions and we have grown quite fond of having him in our dining room.



these are my favorite ornaments on our trees. they are the children's Christmas angels. they are in order oldest to youngest. i really just love them.



because i didn't have a wreathe to put above our mantle this year {and i didn't want to spend money on one} i went ahead and hand crafted this fine piece of artwork. it looks much better in person but the lighting in that room is terrible for photographing. i don't have a picture of the entire mantle but it is very simple. a few deer, a few plush trees i sewed a couple years back and an apothecary drawer. not even a stocking. we hang ours on Christmas Eve.

i am really looking forward to our Christmas morning. nothing beats the wonder i see on my boys' puffy morning faces each year. it's even better than being six again.

merry Christmas!

xoxo. ash

nursery progress::crib blanket

i finally sewed a blanket for the crib. it's one of those things that i've been going over and over again in my mind. trying to think of the best way to tackle it. i finally decided on monday evening that i was just going to have to go for it. i was relieved when it turned out almost just as i had hoped. my inspiration was the nimbus jersey duvet cover from anthropology. i am in love with it!

now i'm just working on the fun and colorful pieces that i want to add. i still have quite a ways to go in that room but every little step feels like a huge accomplishment at this point. i can't wait to see it finished.

mostly though i just can't wait to meet our little girl. i have dreams about her almost nightly and it gets me so anxious. in my dreams she is the most beautiful little girl i have ever laid eyes on. which i know is exactly what i will say when she is born.

happy wednesday!

xoxo.ash

a quote and a print

i scribble all over everything i touch. i can't help myself. this has driven teachers, the hubby, employers and the like crazy for years. sorry guys. lately i've been trying to take my scribbles a little step further and play around in photoshop with them.

i'm sure learning a lot along the way and i have way too much fun. wayyy too much.

here's some of my mums in print form with a quote i love. i call them mums anyways...what would you say they are? i'm thinking of where i could put this. on my nightstand perhaps. we shall see.

but while i mull this one over, YOU have a great wednesday!

xoxo. ash

a happy monday to you

mondays and i have a rather complicated relationship.

i love that my week is new and my to-do list still seems attainable...but i drag coming out of my sunday mindset. sunday is my day of rest. we attend church and i try to limit myself to only what is necessary and try to fit in things that i don't get to on a regular basis. for example, letters to my missionary brother, loading up on old conference talks, games with my boys and the occasional batch of cookies. yesterday was coconut chocolate chip cookie day. yummy.

the boys had one fresh from the oven with milk right before bed last night. they don't normally get treats before bed so they thought that was pretty special.



i had a few this morning as i thumbed through my new country living magazine. it always feels a little like my birthday or something when they come.

and just because i loved how it turned out, i thought i would share the bunting that i made for baby girl's nursery. p.s. i also finished binding her quilt and i am in love. i can't wait for her to try it out!



i also worked on another nursery project last weekend that i'm not ready to share yet, but i did have some excess fabric and made this little pillow cover to put in the shop. i kind of understand the rage over chevron patterns now. love it!



what's your take on mondays? love them, hate them, don't really care either way.

i'm all ears!

xoxo. ash

i had some fun this week

i took a break from crocheting this week and pulled out my sewing machine. i have a long list of projects that have been waiting for me. in the meantime i pulled out some fabrics and had a fun idea for a pillow using some crocheted flowers i had made a few weeks ago.

i think that it's perfect for the upcoming autumn season.

i love how it turned out and really thought about keeping it for myself. but alas! it's listed in my shop. and there's just the one so if you love it, go take a quick looksie!

happy weekend!

xoxo.ash

p.s. i had an ultrasound yesterday. it's still a girl! phew! and in case you're wondering i am twenty-six weeks along. i'm completely torn on if i want the next fourteen weeks to fly by or take their jolly sweet time.

lazy summer bones

the weather 'round these parts has been hot. hot hot hot. and humid to boot. so much different than the dry desert heat that we are use to. we keep inside for the most part these days. except for the times when we fill up the swimming pool or switch on the sprinklers. this is promptly followed by an ice-cold fun pop and a movie...in the house, a/c blasting, fan on high. and then we slip off to sleep. well most of us slip off to sleep. the five-year-old likes to prove himself and stay awake while the three-year-old and i sleep away our exhaustion.

this is where i found him after one such afternoon nap. i guess if i tried sleeping up there, i wouldn't be able to either. whether it be the uncomfortable wooden board or the sheer terror of falling off mid-dream. i just don't imagine i could.

i couldn't resist a little bit of picture text humor to the hubby at work.

"when did we get a cat?"

sometimes i feel so clever. and funny. bahaha!

aside from heat, water, fun pops, naps and feline tendencies, here is a little bit of what our summer days involve.

* lots of reading.
* lots of grilling.
* not a lot of cleaning.
* as much crochet as my hands can take.
* letters to and from the missionary uncle.
* playtime with our local cousin.
* kool-aid, kool-aid and more kool-aid.
* pb & j at least twice a day.
* lots and lots of talk of disney land. someday gage, someday...
* late night movies with popcorn.
* wishing that our mountains weren't quite so far away.

it's been a fun summer for us! it started out busy busy and now we are just unwinding and making this last month drag on as long as we can. because soon we'll have a soccer playing kindergartener in our midst!

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and i know it seems odd to talk about the summer heat and then jump to pom pom topped beanies...but so be it. here is another item that has been listed in my shop this week. i love them and can't wait for brisk enough weather to put some on my boys.

remember, free shipping until the end of the month, so now would be a great time to order for winter!

just click here if you'd like to take a look.



p.s. i will have a new little niece by the end of the week! i can't wait to meet her.

happy tuesday!

xoxo. ash

the shop is open::free shipping

well friends i am opening up shop again! it's something i have been stewing over for a few months now and i finally just decided to make the jump. i will be adding new items over the next few weeks so keep an eye open for updates.

i'm really excited to get going again!

my first listing is the strawberry fields beanie. i think it's precious! i made one for my little niece who should be arriving any day now and i just can't wait to see it on her little noggin.

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and now for the best part! with it being my re-opening i decided i wanted to do something special for my blog readers. so if you order this sweet hat anytime in the month of july you can use the coupon code HAPPYNEST0711 and receive free shipping!

i hope you'll stop by hazel.jayne. and take a look!

happy weekend!

xoxo.ash

a project and a tiny peek

i've been working on my girl stash since my first pregnancy. nothing big and fancy just little things here and there that i just thought i couldn't live without and if i never did have a girl, well then it wouldn't be much of a loss.

so this little bitty lamp i picked up at the dollar store in arizona a year or more ago. it was marked down and i want to say i paid two dollars for it. it had some ugly fabric on it but i loved the size and the white porcelain base.

today i finally gave it a facelift. i carefully pulled off all of the fabric so that i could save it as a guide. once it was all naked {photo above} i cut out my fabric, some debby mumm polka dots that i've had in my fabric stash, and whipped out my trusty glue gun. it was pretty simple and my one regret is that i didn't start with a wider trim. live and learn.



here she is all prettied up. sitting with the rest of the mess that is the future nursery. slowly but surely i will get there.



here is the crib that i got online a few months ago for a steal. it's pretty much exactly what i wanted::white and simple. and then there's the quilt that i need to bind. i'm looking for some pretty yellow fabric. any ideas?

and now for the best part of the room. prepare yourselves....



i call him beuford.

true story. a few days ago i asked the hubby what he wanted to do with his deer mount.

"i want to take it off the wall but i don't know where to put it." i encouraged.

"well why don't we just leave it in there? seriously."

ummm.

and that my friends is why the women are left to the decorating. can you imagine? i figure i'll cook him up a big dinner one of these nights and re-approach the subject. wish me luck!

xoxo. ash

happy little springtime + things for tiny people::post edit

my spring wreath is up!

i am quite genuinely loving this new season in texas. texas roadways definitely leave something to be desired but man are the views here gorgeous! i don't know that i've ever seen so many shades of green all packed in together. i almost feel like i should be on vacation somewhere. i love it!

i have been contemplating trying to get a garden started this year. yesterday gage told me it's very important that we have a garden. and i want my very own with watermelon and strawberries and other food for my friends.

my dilemma is that while i would love nothing more than to have a garden again, there is so much work involved and right now it feels like our lives couldn't be more hectic.

another thought i'm mulling over in my mind...cutting my hair! i feel like such a traitor just mentioning this because i have worked so hard to grow it out. and by work i mean, used a whole lot of self control. but hot dang! three days ago we had eighty-five degree weather which i would be loving in the mountains, but was struggling with here. because here we have this fabulous little wonder called humidity. i quite literally had to unstick my hair from my face and neck every five seconds until it finally went up in a messy bun. now i love me a messy bun. but all summer long? no bueno.

what would you do?

and in other news i have been crocheting up a storm as of late. here are a few of my projects. i can't wait to have photos with living, breathing, cuddly little souls inside.

my etsy shop is still closed but if you are interested in anything just email me. my email address is on my sidebar and i'd love to do a custom order for you!

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wishing you all a very happy spring!!

xo.ash

Post Edit::: today i thought i might better clarify on the crocheted goodies. they are infant photography props. i do not in anyway suggest that we start toting our little ones around in crocheted slings or bundling them in a cocoon to sleep. in fact i strongly advocate that we do not. and that's pretty much it. have a lovely day!

out of the attic

after a five month sabbatical i have finally dug my crochet and other crafting paraphernalia from the attic and am soooo ready to get my hands busy with them. i'm starting work on a super cute project and can't wait to see how it turns out! i'm seriously so excited!

yay!

just a boy his hat and some leaves

an easter greeting

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i have been seeing these fabric covered wreaths all over lately and finally decided to make one of my own for this happy spring season. i just love cheery colors. it would probably sit prettier on a home with a white door. but oh well.

today will be a fun day. there will be bbq-ing, easter egg hunting, egg decorating, conference watching and then of course mom's last minute effort to assemble easter baskets at ten o'clock tonight.

this year i haven't done a lot in the way of easter activities. it's been rather relaxing actually and even though the boys are small i hope they will take more away from this easter than just a fascination with that silly bunny who delivers them baskets full of sugar and pretty eggs.

i love easter and the love that it represents from our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. i feel so inadequate to receive such a gesture of forgiveness and unconditional love. it is hard to fathom the true reality of the resurrection sometimes. it is such a familiar story, but when you stop and really consider the magnificence of the miracle performed, it is amazing and overwhelming.

what a very special season this is.

happy easter to all of you!

shop hazel jayne

hello hello.

i have been busy at work making some cute new items for my etsy shop. some of them are posted and available while others are still a work in progress. i'm having a lot of fun coming up with new ideas and can't wait to share them all with you!

here are some of the items i have available now:::

cotton candy bloom headband

these little headbands are super sweet for little girls. the band is made with extra soft yarn so they are comfortable even for newborns.

simply sweet sugar and plum beanie

the flower embellishment is set on a double pronged alligator clip and can be used as a hair clip as well as an embellishment.

button up bloom headband

the newest of my crocheted headbands and my very favorite. it can be customized in practically any color you can think of. the back has a button closure which means you can take it off and put in on without messing up your hair!

crocheted pineapple bookmark

this is an item made by my mom who does beautiful crochet work. i just love them! they are the perfect gift for readers and i think they make lovely scripture markers.

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and of course i still have earrings and rings and i'm gearing up to add lots more for spring so look out!

remember, if you are local we can work it out where i don't have to ship and therefore free shipping! just email me at ashley.broomall{at}yahoo.com.

you can also connect with me on facebook.

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and i am super super excited for a new little project i want to take on. remind me to tell you about that tomorrow.


we're having a little flurry here so i think a cup of hot chocolate is in order.


good night.