This is real...

real amazing...

I'm still not sure what it is about a knitted piece that speaks so strongly to me, the texture, the way the stitches look - intertwined & all connected, regardless of the reason I tend to get overly excited when I see amazing knitted goods. The plumper the better in my opinion. When I saw these pieces by Nanna van Blaaderen, I'm pretty sure I drooled...absolutely breathtaking! 

Everything about this is perfect - the knits, the braids, the photography! In love. You can read more about Nanna van Blaaderen's work here. Happy Tuesday! ♥

slightly obsessed...ukuleles

Okay so this is probably obvious but since receiving my fun Valentine's prize, I have been oh so obsessed with all things ukulele! I have been practicing in my free time & I am having so much fun with this little instrument. From a beginner/novice standpoint, I think the ukulele is very easy to learn & just a super fun instrument to play! I can't wait to get better...

Don't hate me for being a total girl about this but not only does the ukulele sound sweet & fun; it is just so cute! How could you resist?! Here are some fun ukulele things to get you obsessed as well...

from left to right:

1. Pyle Pro Ukulele

2. striped ukulele bag - cherijame

3. heart shaped felt picks - ukeonomics

4. sloth playing ukulele tote bag - typsygypsytees

5. ukulele ring - cabin no.7

6. blue denim ukulele bag - cherijame

Want to see some other things I am slightly obsessed with...chunky knits, paint chip diys, bicycles, vintage fans, vintage alarm clocks, polaroid cameras & heather grey! Happy Thursday!! ♥

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, friends!! This was one of my favorite holidays growing up (& still is). My mom always made it fun & special & now Creed & I try to as well. We normally don't get caught up in the present-giving side of the day, but this year the husband-extraordinaire surprised me with a ukulele!!! I was so shocked & thrilled when I opened it up! I have mentioned on a few occasions how I would love to learn to play & I think it's beyond sweet that he remembered. It's also a thoughtful gift because we can use it together - he's going to help teach me - I know the basics of guitar but this cute little uke is slightly different to play! I'm already learning a few tunes...I just love my valentine's cute face to pieces!! I am so thankful to have him as my partner in life. This is our 10th hearts day together & I am looking forward to many, many more!

Today is also the birthday of one special lil' pug - Miss Olive!! She turned 3 today & we gave her an apple slice with peanut butter icing for her bday cake! ha!! (happy birthday, my sassy lil' puglet)

Hope everyone enjoys this sweet little holiday! I think I'll go practice a bit on my ukulele, I need to name her....any suggestions?!?!  hugs & cheek pecks, meghan ♥

our weekend

This weekend we:
-made gigantic burritos & ate them all up
-watched lots of movies...Drive - *sigh* oh Ryan G, be still my heart, it was super intense but the whole time I kept waiting for him to say "hey girl...". We also watched Warrior & Restless. Warrior was the husbands choice, it was just the MMA version of Rocky. Restless was of course my choice...it was good, sad but good.
-went on another froyo date, this time we tried Aspen Leaf, it's in walking distance from our house & yummo. I foresee many spring & summer outings there...
-did I mention we had a snow storm?! That probably should've been first on the weekend list. We got a good 13 or so inches & it felt just as exciting as when I was 10 & woke up to that much snow!! I used being snowed in as an excuse to sleep in each morning, get extra snuggles & eat lots of cupcakes.
-I watched more Greys while I worked on some orders. Slight spoiler alert...but GEORGE!!! That's all I'll say but I was shocked & I cried my face off.
-got some supplies to make a birthday prize for a very special someone...I'll share if it turns out how I would like.

What did you do this weekend?!?! hugs & cheek pecks, Meghan ♥

Chevron Stripe Fridge DIY

You may remember my striped wall from our old house. Ohhhhh, how I loved those stripes! Well now that we are renting & unable to paint the walls, I wanted to incorporate some stripes into our new house & I did so by adding a little pizzaz to our boring black refrigerator! The kitchen is the first room you see when you walk in our apartment, so this adds a fun focal point when you first walk in the door! I love how it turned out!  It's so simple, very inexpensive & easily removed, here is how I did it: 

Supplies::
White Contact paper - I got mine at Target in the drawer liner section for a few bucks
Measuring tape & T square ruler
Scissors or X-acto knife

Instructions::
1. I measured the width of our fridge & included extra for the sides of the doors so I could wrap the stripes around.
2. I cut five pieces of contact paper to the desired width.
3. I decided I wanted 3 big peaks on the front so I drew a grid pattern with my t-square by dividing the contact paper into 6 squares across & 3 down. I connected the points of intersection to create the zig zag pattern.
4. I lined all 5 sheets of contact paper together & taped them down to the table so I could cut out all 5 at the same time. (I only ended up using 5 stripes for the fridge, this will make 10, I wanted extras just in case.)
5. I carefully cut out the chevron stripes with my straight edge & x-acto knife.

6. Once they were all cut out, I placed a marker on the mid-point of the front of our fridge & very gently applied each stripe.

& that's it!! Super easy, cheap & fun!!

I love how much big character it adds to my little kitchen & it's perfect for renters because the contact paper easily peels off & leaves no residue!! I would love to see photos if you try this too! Let me know if you have any questions. xoxo. meghan

12 goals in 2012

Last year I did a 20 goals in 2011 & although I didn't complete all of the goals on my list it was still a fun little reminder to step outside of my normal routine.  This year I thought I would make it even easier on myself & just shoot for 12 simple goals in 2012! 

Most of my goals are self explanatory but some may not be so here is the list with a little explanation. 

1. take a hot air balloon ride - one of my dreams since childhood! This will be the year I can feel it, also we now live in the vicinity of a big handful of hot air balloon tour companies & I see hot air balloons in the air daily. I got to see one take off a few weeks ago & my heart almost exploded....

2. start a quilt - this one is kind of funny if you know more about my details with my aforementioned job fiasco but nonetheless this will still be a goal of mine (& it has been for the past two years...so it's time to at least start one this year.)

3.  penpals & sending more snail mail - I have already been doing a great job with this goal, being this far away from all my friends & family makes this particular goal kind of fun! I know I love receiving snail mail from them so I can't wait to send more to them...

4. make more handmade gifts - I have been compiling a list of fun diy's & handmade gift ideas, I can't wait to put them to good use & to share some on here. (pinterest makes this goal so easy, add me if you have an account, my username is mpdesigns)

5. cook my moms famous lumpia - my parents lived in the Phillipines for awhile before I was born & my mom learned how to make filipino lumpia, which essentially is their version of an eggroll. If you know my family you know that this is a prized recipe. All of our friends & family that have had it, ask my mom to make it anytime they come visit. It takes time to make them, so we only have them on special occasions (& it's the most delicious meal you will ever have). She even changed the recipe slightly to make vegetarian ones for me years ago - BUT can you believe I've never tried to make them by myself?!?! I'm 28 & have lived away from home for far too long not to try these on my own....(I'm scared, mom, come help me). :)

6. do more outdoor workouts - there is no excuse for this one. There are great running/biking trails right outside of my front door.

7. road trip to surrounding areas - there are amazing places to take day trips to not only in Colorado but also Wyoming, etc. I'm making a list for this summer! 

8. join a group/club - I'm hoping this will help me make some new friends. If you are in the Boulder area & want to do a knitting, reading or craft night let me know! 

9. bike to the grocery store - there is a grocery store, coffee shop & yogurt shop in biking/walking distance from our house.  I can't wait to bike there in the spring/summer. I have to get a bike first...but baby steps.

10. bake a pie from scratch - I still have never done this, shame on me.

11. blog more - I want to get better about documenting our life but also I want to get better about commenting on all the blogs I love & read daily. 

12. make time for myself & my family - this one has been hard for me since I started working from home on my own small business. I have a hard time taking time off or working on projects for myself. I want to start making time to create new things & just get refreshed.

So that's that! Looking forward to accomplishing these goals in 2012. & I know I'm a little late on posting these, but at least I got it posted in January, even if it's the last day of the month!

hugs & cheek pecks, meghan

our weekend

This weekend we: 

-had a friday date night at Whole Foods, the salad/hot bar there is the best!

-had our first froyo date since moving here (we tried Spooners, soooo yummy!)

-watched a million episodes of Grey's Anatomy.  I never thought I would like that show, but they have all the past seasons on Netflix, I started from the beginning & now I can't get enough...I'm so hooked!!

-started a new knitting project for myself (a new cranberry red hat!)

-finished a bunch of knitting orders

-went on a looooong walk with my pups on Sunday & ended up at the little lake above. I'm pretty sure it will be one of my new favorite hideaways to ponder the universe & whatnot. The views were pretty breathtaking. Exploring my surroundings here in Colorado is my new favorite!

What did you do this weekend?! hugs & cheek pecks, Meghan ♥