high quality. handmade. high fashion. minx shop has luxuriously wearable dresses, shirts, skirts, and accessories, all handmade by a lovely gal in pittsburgh, anna-marie, or better known as minx. a self taught designer inspired by vintage pieces and nature, her work is eclectic and unexpected. her pretty sets and beautiful photography help to draw you in, and you’ll get lost finding all the detail in each of her pieces. visit her blog, collected reverie, for more fabulous fashion.

wrap up: {clothing} {design} {fashion} {handmade} {indie} {nature} {vintage}

gotta love this gal that lives just up the road from me in boulder, colorado! sarah rose storm of taken by storm captures the beauty in this area brilliantly, and helps to make the long and dark winter come alive.  as a newbie to etsy, her work is a must-browse, full of vibrant colors and captivating shots. visit her second shop, created by storm, to see her nature inspired original watercolor paintings.

wrap up: {art} {colorado} {handmade} {photography} {sarah rose storm} {taken by storm} {watercolor}

in addition to our crafty christmas, we also had a very handmade holiday! above are all the gifts that we either gave or received, that we purchased from our favorite handmade marketplace, etsy!

1: the perfect key necklace for my sister (she’s a realtor)

2: all of my friends got a print from my favorite artist, katie daisy

3: with these two cosmetic bags, i now travel in style.

4: i love this beautiful shoulder bag- the construction is flawless and the fabric is so pretty!

5: i gave this french rolling pin to my mom, it has so much character and feels perfect in your hands.

6: gave by yours truly to my mister: a grey bearded beanie. oh yes, i did!

7: wool dryer balls to prevent static and decrease dry time

8: handmade trout flies; a gift from my mom to her favorite fly-fishing son-in-law

9: 2 nesting batter bowls for the best cook ever (my mom)

in addition to buying handmade, i also gave some things handmade by me! i made simple fleece throws for the whole family, personalized with colors and a little applique fitting to each of them. i also made bath bombs for all the gals (recipe found in ghtr’s celebrate magazine) and also crafted some head bands and hair accessories for the girls.

did you  have a handmade holiday? did you give and receive handmade gifts, or make some of your own gifts? please, do share!

this year, we had a very crafty christmas (my favorite kind). we gave and received lots of art inspired gifts, and here are a few that i thought might interest you. i’ve had so much fun browsing these books and can’t wait to get started painting a bit more with my new art supplies (thanks, mom!).

1: dr. ph. martin’s radiant concentrated watercolor sets

2: martin universal design mijello glass palette

3: tabletop artist by urban outfitters

4: print and pattern by bowie style

5: the little book of letterpress by charlotte rivers

6: crafting a meaningful home by meg mateo ilasco

7: digital textile design by melanie bowles

did you  have a crafty christmas? what is your favorite artsy-inspired gift?

wrap up: {art} {books} {christmas} {crafty} {gifts} {painting} {supplies} {watercolor}

my parent’s front yard, christmas day 2010

what is it about a new year that gets you thinking about changes? i like to think that my eagerness to make changes is not because of the resolutions hype, but because it’s only natural to feel like it’s a new beginning. a fresh slate. a natural time to reflect and what worked in the previous year, and what didn’t. so naturally, i’ve been giving much thought to this next year, the goals that i have and things that i want to do differently. i read just yesterday that if you fail to plan you plan to fail. so alas, i’m planning! there are several things i’ve been reflecting upon, here are just a few.

goals for 2011:

- get focused. because i find myself doing so many things that don’t directly pertain to my big picture. it’s time to dive head first into the dreams that i have, and see if i can accomplish them.

- start saying no. at least a bit more frequently to the things that consume my time but don’t feed my goals.  this will only be a way to feed and support my goal #1.

- get on top of our finances. make a plan and name every dollar before the month begins (as i’m ultra-motivated by my latest read, total money makeover).

- put God first. in my time, my day, our finances, and in every way.

- start painting more.

- learn adobe illustrator. just learn it, bonnie!

- be better at communication. it seems now that all of my dear friends are spread out across the states, from boston to bend. it’s my number one goal to stay on top of being there for each of them and growing our relationships.

- get my read on. that’s right, start going through the stack of books i’ve collected that i want to read.

and here are some BIG events coming up in 2011!

- we’ll be moving to santa ynez, california with my husband’s job come march/april!

- david will be doing an iron man on may 9th in st. george utah (that’s my crazy amazing husband)!

- we hope (finger’s crossed) to get another doggie, so toaster has a friend. we have our sights set on getting a belgian tervuren, as that was my first dog!

now it’s your turn!

what are your goals for 2011? any big events coming up?

wrap up: {events} {goals} {new years} {resolutions}

hello friends! haphaphappy new year!  before we get to any resolutions, i must share with you our white christmas! it’s true, though we have had no snow yet in colorado, my hometown in north carolina got more than i’ve seen in years. it started snowing around 6 am christmas morning and didn’t stop for at least 48 hours. we got 16 inches! i couldn’t believe it, and though i wasn’t sure our christmas could get any better, the snow just made it magical.

we had so much fun with our families and feel so blessed to be so close with each of them. christmas morning started with a roaring fire and pumpkin waffles at david’s parent’s house and then ended up with homemade hot chocolate and yummy mac and cheese at my parent’s house- plus lots of gift giving at each. we return today feeling incredibly blessed and thankful.

how was your christmas? was it white?

wrap up: {christmas} {family} {snow} {white}

{reindeer}

hello lovelies, and merry christmas eve eve! we are going home to roost as we speak and are about 13 hours into our drive. i’m pretty sure i married a machine, as dear david has been driving the entire time and as we’re sitting here at startbucks, he says, ‘i think i’ll be good after a coffee and a pumpkin scone’. i am so thankful for him! he’s just as wide eyed and bushy tailed as ever..

as we’ll be spending time with family over the next week, i plan to take my annual blogging break, but will return to you monday, january 3rd! i wish each of you a very lovely christmas full of family, friends and good food. our hometown has a 70% chance of snow for both saturday and sunday, so i have my fingers crossed that we will have a white christmas. if we do, i’ll be sure to share!

until then, make sure to browse the pages of celebrate magazine and get a little crafty! if you find time for any of the projects, make sure to share you pictures with us in the celebrate flickr group. and though i’ll be taking a break from the blogosphere, i’ll always been tweeting away on twitter if you would like to follow the ghtr happenings there.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Luke 2:9-12

merry christmas! love, bonnie