Uplifting Quotes

I don't know how I manage spare time between taking care of a two years old, housework, full-time working, part time blogger, and Etsy owner. But somehow by God's grace I am doing it all. Our house sight is not always pretty looking. I am always striving to find ways that help improves the quality of life, either that be a better homemaker, better cook, and/or better wife/mom to my family.

Almost about a year ago, I made these quotes poster that I found encourage me and uplifting. One is by C.S Lewis.

The quote is taken from C.S Lewis book "Mere Christianity" - a short post on this quote is written here. 

And the other is a commitment to our household, a bible verse: As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15. I love this bible verse the most. It reminds me to make that constant commitment in everything that we do. 

How about you?... What quotes that you found interesting and strike you personally and that becomes your motto?

Live, love and be creative,

Ira

Valentine's Day Fun

Happy Valentine's day everyone! Let us celebrate the day with lots of heart and inspirations. A few inspirations that will keep your creativity going:

1. DIY Love birds // 2.Vday Card Printables and Box // 3. Free Valentine Printable // 4. Can you feel the love (Twirling Betty) // 5. Heart Robot cookies by Bake 350 // 6. Skip to my Lou - Sprinkles to my cupcake packaging DIY 7. DIY Valentine Banner // 8. DIY Printables for school lunch

Fun Pinterest Boards

Hi Everyone,

It's Friday, oddly it's the thirteen as well!... but don't let that worry you at all. Today I am going to show  you my Pinterest board. I have so much fun pinning lately. I have to share with you what I have been pinning. Come check out my Pinterest page.

Live Love and Be Creative Pinterest

What's so great about Pinterest is that, all the things that inspires me that I have seen on different blogs, just as long as they have pictures, I can pin them. All you have to do is drag the Pin It button to your browser's toolbar. These are collections of things that inspire me, or what I want to make one day or just simply to stare at, because they are so beautiful! :) 

Live Love and Be Creative Pinterest

If you need an invite, just let me know, shoot me an email and I will send you one! Start pinning everyone!

Ira. 

A Beautiful Mess Blog

I just came across this beautiful blog full of DIY projects, fashion tutorial photography, beauty and decor ideas. You're going to love this blog as much as I do. It's called A Beautiful Mess Blog. I came across this site, from Pinterest. Have you ever gone to that site yet?... it's full of inspiring images more than you could ever imagine. If you need an invite, just let me know. I will invite you to become a member of Pinterest.

Here are a few DIY things that you can find from A Beautiful Mess Blog -
Canvas Transfer // 5 ways I display photos in my house // Make your own floral suitcase

Hope you have a nice Thursday,

Ira

Thanksgiving is near!

How wonderful it is to enter the Holiday season. I am so excited when I see everyone just get so pumped up to decorate their house and crafting away to make the season meaningful.

My friend, Rachel Hey from The Art Bunny Blog is from UK and there's no Thanksgiving in U.K. So, I thought I'd give her a little Thanksgiving inspired post, and how everyone here in the United States celebrate and getting ready for their Thanksgiving week, also just some post about Fall season crafts.

Rachel, this post is for you.

Here in the U.S, we celebrate Thanksgiving. As for me, I love the idea of Giving Thanks, I think it should not be celebrated just once, but everyday. Here's a fun quote from One Happy Mama from her recent post: 30 days of gratitude day 17

Gratitude is when memory stored in the heart and not in the mind.

I think that is really true. You remember good things and collect them in your heart. I love that quote.

I am grateful for falling leaves and season change. Maya Made Blog post: Oak Stamp is cute. She made these stamps and print them on organic brown paper. She also suggested that you can print them on fabric too!.. what a great idea.

and few more falling leaves from Maya blog:

Food is a big part of Thanksgiving. The weather is getting colder, and all I want to do is stay at home and bake. Pumpkin is a big thing here during Fall season. But check out this fun craft from One Charming Party: Thanksgiving Place Card ideas - Faux Pumpkin Pie. How clever!

Okay, for real food - here's a good post from Bakerella - Pumpkin Pie Bites:

Food will not be the same without Turkey as well. Allrecipes has great ideas for Thanksgiving Turkey recipes. I love their how-to videos, they have all kinds of videos to show you how to thaw, brine, cook, smoke, carved turkeys.

Most important of all, Thanksgiving is alll about get together with friends and family!... Appreciate and love the people in your life.

Even though I did not grow up celebrating Thanksgiving, I wished that we have a giving thanks day in my country.

Here's one last inspiration graphic that you can actually download and frame at your living room as a reminder of the season. It is a Thanksgiving Subway Art by Eighteen25 blog.

Live, love, and be creative,

Ira

Fall Inspired Inspiration Board

You're going to love this wonderful Fall party decoration idea from Frog Prince Paperie. They are Thanksgiving Kid's Printable Party Pack - DIY Printable. Their design is very simple, yet festive and fun. I love the Fall and Thanksgiving approach on the table design.

You can also find them at their website and find lots of cool ideas for the season.

Their work was also featured in Southern Living magazine:

Find them at their Etsy Shop - with any holiday related or party related items.

Another fun Fall decoration this year that I saw from my google reader is Fall decoration for cakes and cupcakes by Andlespecialtysweets that you can purchase at her Etsy shop. She has AMAZING edible items. As you can see below image!

Another fun cake pops idea to start your Thanksgiving week by Laura's Party photos.

Talking about Cake Pops, you know the queen of cake pops don't you? Bakerella! This one is from 2008 Thanksgiving post: You'll want to Gobble this Right Up. It has step by step instructions on how to do those cake pops!

See you tomorrow for more Fall inspirations week!


Live, love and be creative,

Ira.

Decorating with Maps Inspiration Boards

Recently I just had a trip to Vancouver, Canada. It was such a wonderful break from all of the routine things. It was also Lucy's first international trip with mommy and daddy. The beauty of it, we didn't need to fly, just drive three hours north and we got into the border of Canada.

When we stopped by at the visitor center, they gave us free maps of downtown Vancouver and Richmond. Boy, that map really helps us get through to a lot of places. On the way back to Seattle, we stopped by at the visitor center again and get two new maps of Vancouver for my scrap booking purposes. With that, came the idea of decorating with maps for homes inspiration board.

Upcycled Vancouver Maps Heart shape by 42things

So if you have lots of old maps, don't throw them away just yet, you can use them to decorate your home or simply use them as scrapbook purposes.

01. Decorating Frames by inthewabe blog
02. Find your way home by littlewhitedog Etsy
03. Map coaster by Martha Stewart
04. Map Lamps by Artshades
05. Map Scrapbooks by Martha Stewart
06. Family Photos Throw Pillows by BHG
07. Bon Voyage Hoop
08. The Places we've been by Terrordome Etsy

Hope this inspiration board will inspires you.

Live, love and be creative,

Ira

Under the Sea Home and Decor Inspiration Board

Summer's almost over!... At least here in Seattle!.. We have had really nice hot days and I am really pleased with that! ;) To celebrate Summer and this week's giveaway (Beach Robe Pattern), I decided to dedicate this week's inspiration board to have something to do with beach, water, under the sea inspiration board for homes and Decor.

Let's set you off with this beautiful print by Krankykrab. Tracy Hopkins has the eye on creating wonderful illustrations that will help children to learn through art and activities. You can find this wonderful piece through her Etsy shop as well.

Now let's get started with the inspiration board:

01. Seaoats Eco Friendly Jellyfish handprinted wall hanging in Sand. // 02. Whales in Love Wedding cake topper Etsy find by Indigotwinweddings. // 03. Beach Burlap Doorstop by nextdoortoheaven. // 04. Beachy Wreath Classic by BeachyWreaths. // 05. Shell Candles how to by Martha Stewart. // 06. Ceramic Fish Tile by Karoart. // 07. Ocean Diorama by Martha Stewart.

Hope that will inspire your Summer to go out before the sun goes down. Make sure to enter our Beach Robe Pattern Giveaway this week.

See you soon,

Ira.

Simple Skirt Inspiration Board

Sewing can be pretty intimidating if you have never tried them out. However, if you have a sewing machine, you can do a very simple project like making skirts. I have gathered inspiration board to help you get started with simple sewing or non-sewing project - we'll start with Simple Skirt!

My favorite blog of all time, Dana from Made Blog, helped me starting my simple skirt project. She made everything look so easy!... and she's right! It was really easy!

Simple Skirt Tutorial Blog from Made Blog

Once you mastered the simple skirt tutorial and its techniques, you can jump to more complicated skirt pattern/design. Here are some other inspirations that will help you be creative in making simple skirts.

01. Scrappy Skirt How-to by Polka Dot Chair. // 02. Ruffled Skirt Tutorial by Grand Revival Design. // 03. Ruffle Waist Skirt Refashioned by Ruffles and Stuff // 04. Martha Stewart's Suede No Sew Skirt. // 05. Murphey's Layered Skirt by Ruffles and Stuff. // 06. Reversible Skirt Tutorial by Ruffles and Stuff. 07. Darling Skirt by A Little Sweetness.

Make sure to check these few tips: Ruffles and Stuff also have tutorial how to sew ruffles. Dana from Made have tutorial how to sew buttonholes, Gathered Pockets, and make your own bias tape.

I hope these skirts will inspire you to start sewing!

Live, love, and be creative,

Ira.

Posting Cute and Pretty Things!

Amy Atlas just posted a very cute thing that I just need to post it right away. Someone, please remind me to make this for Lucy's 1st year Birthday next year! HA!... At least I have it posted to remind me next year! Visit Amy Atlas Hot Air Balloon Guest Dessert Feature

Check out Grace Happens Blog: Baby Shower Brunch. How pretty the party setting is:

My other favorite thing that becomes a huge inspiration for me today is Photo Books by PinHole Press. Below are ideas from PinHole Press, things that you can make with your photos, such as Vacation Book (see below picture) by A Cup of Jo Blog - PinHole Press Vacation Book.

Photo Lemonade Bottle Label 

Hope you like these Cute and Pretty Things!

Live, Love and Be Creative,

Ira.

Pillow, How Unique! Inspiration Board

This week's inspiration board is Pillows!... Can you imagine how many creative ideas you can come up with just one word 'Pillow'? Originally this pillow is what inspired me to do pillows inspiration board this week:

Side Ruffles Pillow in Mustard Yellow/Light Gray Linen taken from JillyBeanCraft Etsy Shop

Want to see more? Some of these inspiration comes from Blog, Etsy Shop or other Shop Collections. 

01. Rose Pillow in Mustard Yellow Pure Wool. // 02. Sushi Pillows. //03. River Rock Pillow by Miasole. // 04. Silhouette Pillow tutorial by Dear Lillie // 05. Long Cotton Wood Tree Log Pillow by Chicsigdesign. // 06. Icon pillow collection // 07. Make Your Own Birch Log Kit by myimaginaryboyfriend. // 08. Like Pillow. // 09. Turning T-shirt into pillow tutorial by Ruffles and Stuff

That's all for this week's Pillow Inspiration theme. If you have any comments about what you want to see next time, feel free to let me know! See you next week for more Inspiration board. 

Live, Love, and Be Creative. 

Ira.

Recycling Objects into Pretty Little Things Inspiration Board

Since our Story-Monday here begins with Recycling subject, and how recycling can boost our creativity, I thought it would be fun to featured any objects recycled into pretty little things.

Here's a fun one: JAWS - a shark made of old fence.

Take a look at these fun projects.

01. Keep It Under Your Cap By Disney. // 02. sewing Kit made from Egg carton by Country Living // 03. Paper Flowers from How About Orange. // 04. Carton Wallet by Disney. // 05. Headboard made of oars and paddles from Nest full of Eggs.  

Live, Love and Be Creative, 

Ira

Summer Ice Cream Party and craft Inspiration Board

All the heat in the summer, it's getting nice out there. It's about high 77 degrees Fahrenheit in Seattle. I know for most of you, that's like winter!... But it makes me think of ice creams and ice teas!... Let me indulge you more with these thoughts.

Okay here's one from Bakerella, the Ice Cream Cone cakepops. She is a really amazing baker/crafter!... All of the creative ideas can be seen in her baking. 

Let me tell you something: Today is my Birthday! :) That's why I have been thinking about ice cream a lot today. If you see what I'm eating right now - you will tell me not to get Ice cream today -I have almond croissant on my left and black and white cookie from specialty on my right.  They are both my favorite treats. But don't let me discourage you from looking at below inspirations. You will love it!

Let's start with our Summer Ice Cream Inspiration board. 

01. Ice Cream Sunday Knitted Hat. // 02. How Sweet it is by Crafting Girl. // 03. No Melt Pops Invitations by Martha Stewart. //. 04.  Popsicle Ice Cream Party Complete invitation by InkSpotWorkshop. // 05.Tutorial: Ice Cream Cone Party Hat by the Sweet Peach Paperie. // 06. Summer Party Projects by Papernstitch.

Also- take a peep at these amazing ice cream recipes that I found at Martha Stewart, Pistachio Sundae, Marshmallow cookie sandwiches, affogato, and Tiramisu Sundaes, 

That's all Ice Cream inspiration for today, hope you enjoyed them. For more inspirations, check out the Inspiration Board Page.

Live, Love and Be Creative,

ira.

Accordion Book Ideas Inspiration Board

Do you have a lot of craft papers in your storage that you don't know what to do with it?... I might have a solution for you on how to utilize those papers. I recently stumbled on a beautiful accordion book made by Sarah Mitchell from Littlepaperbird. They have their own shop and website and has been featured in many wonderful blog, like Upon A Fold. Sarah Mitchell work is simply amazing. Just looking at her books, make me want to be a better artist!

Treasure Box from Littlepaperbird Etsy Shop

Here are few ideas to kick around with accordion book styles. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

1. Button accordion Book by Oh Sweet Babies. // 02. Baby Accordion Book by Good Stock Press and bindery. // 03. Envelope Accordion Book tutorial by Paper Source. // 04. Bookmaking with Children: Accordion Books with Pockets tutorial by Bird and Little Bird. // 05. Come for the Love by Coral Pheasants blog

Now do you have enough inspiration to handcraft those extra craft-papers lying around in your house?

Live, love and be creative,

Ira.

Silhouette Inspiration board

Hi everyone, did last week's flower fabric's inspiration board really get you going to create? It did for me. I will post you some of my flower fabric creation in later post. This week's inspiration board is all about Silhouette.

Photos and tutorial can be found here.

There are few ways to create silhouette. You can use Picnik.com or photoshop (see tutorial) to edit your photo, print them out and just cut them away. Or you can create a stencil and apply ink to fabric, check out this blog by MADE

01. Family Silhouette from Modest Maven blogs. // 02. Baby Bumblebee by The Shabby Chick Cottage Etsy Shop. // 03. Laundry Sign from How Does She? Blog. // 04. Fabric Silhouette by Besserina Blog

Hope you enjoy them.
Live Love and be Creative

Ira.

Flower Handmade Inspiration Board

This week inspiration board will focus on Flower handmade. I saw this beautifully handmade flower by Vamoose Blog.

Image is taken from here.

Isn't it pretty?

I love the color combination that Vamoose put together. You can also check out their shop, they are based in UK.

For those out there who just got engaged, you can definitely have a DIY flower decorations or accessories to add to your dress or bridal party dress.

Here is my inspiration board for this week.

01.Fabric Flower Tutorial by the House of Smiths.  // 02. No Sew Fabric Flower tutorial by Ruffles and Stuff.  // 03.How to make lovely fabric flower tutorial by Simply Vintage Girl.  // 04. Scrap Flower tutorial by pink suede shoe. // 05. Fabric Flower Tutorial by Cherry Street Cottage

Which one is your favorite... Please share your photos with me if you have made anything using the tutorial above. I would love to see what you came up with.

Live, love and be creative!

Ira.

My inspirations of the week

Last week I have been searching for creative inspirations just about from everywhere. Without realizing, the inspiration board that I found interesting last week was all tutorial of the following sewing projects.

Take a look at below picture- isn't it inspiring?

01. Enjoy the ride pillowcase // 02. Snuggy owl pillow // 03. Double-sided Headband by Happy together //04. Pippa-and-Rascall Softie doll

Live, love and be creative,

Ira