snow. and a winner.

When we moved from California to Oklahoma, one thing we were kind of excited about was the fact that Oklahoma gets a real winter, with real snow.  Well, in the two and a half years that we have lived here, we haven't seen much of the white stuff.  Kind of disappointing.

Last week, however, the weathermen were calling for snow.  We heard anywhere from a snow/rain mix with barely an accumulation, to 6-7 inches. We've been teased, by the weathermen, with the "threat" of snow before only to be let down, so we didn't get our hopes too high this time around.  I told Travis "my hopes are up, but I'm expecting to be let down".  It's hard for me not to get excited about snow.  I come from the east coast.  I kind of miss it.  The snow, not New Jersey.

It was supposed to start snowing overnight.   We woke up to nothing.  But around 11 am, we started to see a few flakes.  Just to see snow fall is exciting.  It's magical.  Yes, I'm easily amused.  But so is Callan.  He enjoyed some time gazing out the window, driving his cars on the blinds.  By early afternoon, snow was starting to stick.

At times, the snow flakes were so big.  They were like pinches of white cotton candy falling from the sky.

We probably saw an inch, or so, and it was gone the following day, but it was fun while it lasted.  I love freshly fallen snow.  Especially at night.  The darkness isn't so dark when a blanket of white covers all that you see.  There's a spiritual metaphor there, but I'm trying to keep this post easy breezy.  Although I've definitely been thinking about it quite a bit lately.

I doubt we'll see any more snow this winter, so here's hoping next year sends us enough to at least build a snowman, even if only once.

Two more things.

Today I'm 33.  I'm kind of in denial.

And we have a give-away winner!  Go ahead, get excited.  This is fun stuff.

Congratulations, Leslie!!  Please convo me on etsy to claim your prize!

Thanks to all of you who entered and commented, shared, liked, and supported Paisley Sprouts - it means so very much to me!  As a thank you, feel free to use the coupon code: BIRTHDAYPARTY to save 10% off of any Paisley Sprouts purchase today!  TODAY ONLY.

Happy 3 day weekend!

oh hey, a give-away

It's been a long while since I've posted anything here on the blog.

I think about it often.

Writing a quick post, or throwing a few pictures up, but the truth is, pillow making keeps me really busy.  But that's not a complaint, at all!  I love this new direction I've taken.  In fact, this new direction has given me reason to celebrate.

I have over 350 followers on Instagram and have had over 50 sales since I opened my little etsy shop late last year.  When I first started listing these pillows, I thought, well if I sell a few, that'll be great...but then I started getting requests for custom orders and having pillows sell out within a few days of posting a batch of them.  Completely beyond my expectations.  So incredibly blessed.  I'm loving what I'm doing.  Like the saying goes, "Do what you love, love what you do."  That's totally what's going on right now.  Most of my "free time" is spent behind my sewing machine.  

Anyways, I have a few things to celebrate:

350+ followers on Instagram

50+ etsy shop sales

my birthday (February 16th)

Soooooooo, how about a GIVE AWAY?!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Go enter now!

You can enter right now until the clock strikes midnight on February 16.  Winner will be announced before noon on February 16th!

Good luck!

my birthday boy

I love this boy so much it makes my heart want to explode.

give-away winner!

Twenty-two people entered (63 total entries) the give-away that I posted up last Friday morning.  Today we have a winner...

Congratulations, Erin!!!!  I'll be contacting you today and your prizes will be sent out early next week!  

Thanks to everyone that played along, checked out my little shop, and left me feedback on what you like, color suggestions, and even pattern suggestions!  I've definitely considered some and already made some of them happen, so keep an eye out for some new pillows in the shop late next week! 

Have a wonderful weekend!

recipes & a reminder

Sometimes I get into a bit of a f.u.n.k in the kitchen.  I mean, I have to prepare three meals all before 3 pm, so I hate spending the majority of my day in the kitchen.  Especially when I'd much rather be doing something else, like playing with Callan or working on a project.  But we have to eat, so I suck it up.  I didn't say I don't complain about it (from time to time) though.

Meal planning is one of my least favorite things to do.  It stresses me out.  I have no idea why.  It takes me forever.  As if choosing a meal was such a tough decision.  Gah.  

Baked treats on the other hand... hey, that looks good, BAM!, made.  Like these cupcakes.  I was in the mood to bake yesterday so I flipped through a few pages of cupcake recipes on Annies-eats (Annies-eats NEVER fails).  We had a bit of eggnog left in the fridge, so I whipped up half a batch (six) of these eggnog cupcakes.

If you're a fan of eggnog, make these.  They're pretty darn delicious.  The buttercream frosting is fantastic.  I did leave the rum out of the recipe so Callan could enjoy these, too.  These would be great for a holiday get-together.  Or a Thursday afternoon.

He doesn't complain too much when I make frosting.  Beater licking, new favorite past-time.

I pulled this recipe for "best-ever chicken fajita chowder" out of a Taste of Home magazine from the February/March 2011 issue.  So it's been sitting around for nearly 2 years and I had yet to make it.  With "best-ever" in the name, you'd think I'd have made it a little sooner.  Well, I don't have another chicken fajita chowder to compare this one to, so this one really is "best-ever".  We ate it for two meals (dinner, two nights in a row), and then the rest went into the freezer.  I'd make it again.  I even wrote it out on a recipe card.  I only do that for keepers.

I'm not usually a huge meatball/loaf fan, but this is another one of those recipes I pulled from a magazine (Better Homes and Gardens, May 2012), and hadn't made yet.  Despite not being a meatball lover, these spicy apple-glazed meatballs are really good!  I did modify it slightly, though.  Just a teensy dash of cayenne pepper (versus the 1/4 tsp the recipe calls for) to the meat and to the glaze, and then I diced up half of an apple (that's what those cheese colored pieces are on the meatballs, in the picture below) and tossed it into the glaze as it thickened on the stove.  My little man is a ridiculously picky eater, and he downed several of these!  That makes them a keeper in my book.  Destined for a recipe card.

Please tell me I'm not the only one that has a stack of recipes pulled from magazines, and printed from websites, just sitting around...only a handful of them ever tried.  Have you tried any new recipes lately?  Maybe a recipe, or two, from that stack? 

Oh, and don't forget to enter the give-away!  Today is the last day, so head over and enter, if you haven't already!  The winner will be announced on Saturday!

behind the shop

There's something about whipping up a new pillow, tossing it on the sofa, and watching your room transform in the tiniest, happiest way.

My inspirations came from my love of quilts.  Beautiful, handmade quilts.  I love the process as much as I love the results.  Quilts take forever to make.  At least when you have a toddler, house projects, and daily chores in the way, I mean as your top priorities.  My pillows give me that quilt process satisfaction, and I'm pretty pleased by the way they turn out.  Plus they take a fraction of the time of standard quilts.

I came across this quilt, and fell in love.  The colors, the geometric pattern, the simplicity of the quilting.  Hence, my triangle pillows.

image via happy together

I wanted to find some large scale buffalo check fabric, in either red or green, so I could make some cozy pillows for the Christmas season, but couldn't find anything in the right color or within my price range.  So when I came across this quilt pattern, I knew this was the way I was going to have to go about it.  (Check out all the photos of this quilt, it's seriously gorgeous.)  I'm not complaining, though, because I really love how these pillows turn out.

image via craftyblossom

And then there's arrows/herringbone/chevron.  Hugely popular and the direction of the pillows that I'm working on now.  I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of in love with them.  (Do you know the difference between chevron and herringbone?  Go here for a quick design lesson.)

Arrows.  There are so many beautiful arrow designs.

print from penandpaint, on etsy

Chevron.

print from katygirl designs, on etsy

Another take on chevron (my favorite kind of chevron - chevron meets arrows).

print from fancythatdesignhouse, on etsy

Herringbone.

print from retromenagerie, on etsy

I'm a lover of herringbone.  One of my favorite patterns.  My dream is a rustic, wooden herringbone floor.  Dreamy, huh?

source

I want to create pillows that are family friendly, budget friendly, and beautiful.  And that's the goal of my shop.  It also gives me that creative outlet that I long for daily.  I love the added punch of color that a pillow, or two, can add to a room.  I love mixing and matching patterns in a space - it adds to a collected, and lived in feel.  I'm inspired every day and look forward to where that inspiration leads me.

"With quiet colors as a base, a room is easy to change and a pleasure to be in.  Add or remove a pattern, a color, something new or antique, a bit crazy or very classic.  Change anything, but enjoy."  (from page 110, "Love for Textures" [from Ikea])

{visit paisley sprouts, etsy shop, here}

thank you

I'm pretty overwhelmed by all of the feedback I got on Friday with the opening of my little etsy shop.  These were my shop stats when I went to bed on Friday night.

I had friends promoting (I swear I didn't pay them, or even ask them to!), many sweet comments were left, there was a load of "foot traffic" through the shop, and even a purchase was made!  (Huge thank you to Alison!  You totally made my day, just so ya know!)

I'm excited to get a few more pillows made (new colors and designs!) over the next week, or two, so keep an eye out.  And don't forget to enter the give-away on Friday's blog post.  It closes this Friday, so click here to enter, if you haven't already!

      

I'm so incredibly grateful for and touched by all of the support from my friends and family as I venture into this little handmade business.  Thank you, to all of you, who have sent me encouraging words and congratulations in the past few days - it means so very much to me!

Hugs to all of you!