happy new year!

Well, almost. But I thought I should give you at least a few hours to prepare. Aren't these the cutest? Fortunately for me I happened to buy marshmallows at whole foods tonight and I bet I could locate some pretty glitter & skewers somewhere in our kitchen. Now where can I get my hands on some edible pens in the next 24 hours? Hmmmm...

Designs and photos courtesy of the decorated cookie. Visit her lovely blog for complete instructions.

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so very happy

Tomorrow morning I will board a six hour flight cross country to our cold & rainy home with two young children, several hundred stressed out strangers, and heightened security measures. And this...will be my motto. Aqua blue & white 8x10 print by Studio Mela on Etsy.

is it spring yet?

think kookie

y living

lucy & michael


tee pee for me

Eight nights of Hanukkah? Check.
Christmas? Check.
Two week vacation cross country with two kids? Check.
Can I curl up and go to sleep now? Please? Any one of these small tents will do. Just toss in a few pillows for me and let me hibernate for the rest of winter, ok? I promise to keep blogging in between my sweet dreams...

sweet tooth

So get this, these super fancy Christmas cakes are not only edible...they are gluten free too! No, I didn't make them (hangs head in shame) but I found them...here on Torie Jayne's beautiful little blog. Doesn't that count for something? Torie Jayne did make them. And I don't even need to taste them to tell you that they're fabulous.

style me pretty

Something about this talented lady just makes me want to throw a party. A big one! Anyone have an upcoming event that wants some help... please?

The above styling is all courtesy of Rebecca Thuss, an award winning photo-stylist, creative director, wedding designer and crafter... and I found her here. What fabulous inspiration. Absolutely lovely.

ruffles!

Big or small, who can resist a few ruffles? Sweet, feminine & just plain fun.
All images courtesy of Etsy and these fine shops...
1.sweetheart ruffle skirt 2.broach 3.diaper cover 4.handbag 5.scarf 6.pillow 7.pettiskirt 8.clutch 9.blue dress

it was only a matter of time

And speaking of wooden children's toys, check this one out. It's a wooden mobile phone by Japanese company, Chigo. I'm just not sure if it's adorable or ridiculous. Or maybe a little of both...

pretty little blocks

lena and lovely


the hello baby store


burlap and blue

Last night, while watching a Hallmark Christmas movie about giving ("watching" is used loosely here as my father and I were reading while my mother did the actual "watching"), my father had a revelation of sorts. This year he should use the piles of wood scraps in his shop to make Christmas gifts for less fortunate children. But what would he make? We tossed around a few ideas like planes, trains & automobiles but the missed the most glaringly obvious one...until now. Blocks.

So dad, here's the proposition. You make the blocks & I'll help with the pretty little designs. Deal? We've got a year...think we can do it?

The images of the sweet blocks above were taken from three different Etsy shops, all credited under their photos, and all absolutely adorable. I'd definitely give them a look if you're in the market for a handmade toddler gift. It's one I would have loved to receive!

fatboy

Is it becoming strikingly clear that I'm on vacation as things like refrigerators, cookie cutters & bean bags grab start to my attention?

These fatboy junior beanbags are not new on the market but their cool factor has not waned. I'd like one in each color please. Yes, I only have two kids. So?

Princess and the pea image above is from bebe babble.

kid made modern

I haven't actually purchased this book. Yet. But you can bet I will.
From the Ammo Books website...

Designer Todd Oldham shares his love and admiration of mid-century design ideas and translates them into creative, colorful, and thoughtful projects for kids. From a cardboard box fort inspired by architect Luis Barragn to window decorations made from painted paper inspired by designer Russell Wright, these projects are sure to delight kids and adults alike.

One part design primer and two parts handmade fun, Kid Made Modern introduces kids to mid-century design heroes with 52 playful, simple-to-make craft projects. This delightful book features inexpensive, often recycled, and easily accessible materials with clear photography and easy-to-follow steps.

the big chill

Yup. These retro kitchen appliances by Big Chill actually make me want to renovate our three year old kitchen. I can't but if I could...well, you get the picture. Refrigerators, stoves & dishwashers available in a variety of sassy colors.

love at first sight

I think Cox & Cox could be my most favorite new shop ever...today.
I'm experiencing some serious shop assortment envy here. Fabulously adorable.

better late than never?

Six days before Christmas I stumble upon these fabulous cookie cutters? And they ship from Europe? The jigsaw puzzle pieces are my absolute favorite. But of course they are, because they are sold out.
Well, there's always next year.

we have arrived

After a time crunched GPS moment while avoiding a major traffic jam on the way to the airport... a brutal migraine moment at the airport...and a slight THREE hour airplane diversion to the wrong airport...

We have arrived!

There is no sun. There is only rain. Lots and lots of rain. Our view looks a lot less like what I posted last night and a lot more like this:



But never the less. I am on VACATION!

Thanks to all these fine Etsy folks for their lovely vacation inspiration...
1.vintage Samsonite suitcase 2.kimono robe 3.map necklace 4.leather passport case 5.leather carry on 6.vintage luggage tag 7.vintage shades 8.cami dress

on vacation

With mixed emotion I closed the shop today for a much needed vacation. I'll miss my little shop but I know it will all be there when I return for the new year. I'm bound to be popping in here every now and then, however, because even though 85 and sunny can stop me from shipping it's highly unlikely that it can keep me off line. Duh! Wishing you and yours an equally relaxing holiday season and thanking you all for one pretty awesome year. So long for now...

for the girl who has {almost} everything...

Still shopping for the girl that has almost everything? And no, despite rumors amongst family members, I am not that girl. See, I do not have any of these lovely things so it just couldn't possibly be....
1.flower lidded vessel 2.vintage necklace 3.snuggle up top 4.stack of rings

from our home to yours...

We celebrate a wide array of holidays in our house, Hanukkah being one of them. Tonight we began our commemoration with a trip to the San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker with dear friends, then returned home to light the very first candle on the Menorah. It was a busy, yet absolutely lovely day. And now, we rest. Wishing you and yours a Happy Hanukkah and a peaceful weekend.

it's all about me

Do you have that one person that is just impossible to buy for? And every year it's the same thing. Nothing you find seems to be right and you are always slightly disappointed when you can tell that you didn't get it right...again. Yeah, me too. And I started my evening off tonight shopping for her...I did, I really did. But somehow I ended up with a page full of fabulous vintage favorites that she wouldn't appreciate in a million years. But I do. Sidetracked while shopping with intent. Story of my life. Alas, it's all about me and the fine Etsy vintage shops that supplied the lovely images you see above...

1.green apples 2.square trays 3.flower broaches 4.gold handbag 5.bowling pins 6.milk glass 7.coffee carafe 8.mirrored tray

stocking stuffers!

What? What's that you say? You haven't started stuffing the stockings yet? Oh my. What will you do? Oh right, lucky you! I have some fabulous ideas for you tonight. And wouldn't you know they all come from the same place? One stop shopping at zuzu girl handmade!

But seriously, we still have lots of little lovelies looking for homes for the holidays. We've even added a special SALE section this week. We'll be open until Wednesday morning, December 16th to ship these pretty little things and then we're taking a long overdue vacation. We hope you are too!

jen's closet

Welcome Jen's Closet to our newly formed flickr group "it's beautiful here!". These are just a few little lovelies that you will find in her vintage shop on Etsy. I can just picture myself curled up with that fabulous lavender set sipping hot tea on a cold day like today. Beautiful!

If you'd like to chat with Jen you can find her where I did...on twitter! Oooh, and she has a second vintage shop that specializes in milk glass... and it's beautiful there too.

If you'd like to join our *beautiful* flickr group please do. We'd love to have you!

all wrapped up!

Oh how I adore sweet, simple & PRACTICAL! This photo was taken by Shauna from lemon drop studio. She posted it on her flickr page with the following explaination...

I think we have all of our holiday shopping done except for our own kiddo! This year we are wrapping in kraft paper and decorating with ribbons that we already have at home.

I was so inspired that I just returned from a whirlwind morning of shopping with two big rolls of kraft paper. Cause y'all know I've got plenty of ribbon to work through too! Cards and gift tags will all be handmade as well. Now I just need to get off the computer and get to wrapping...

shroomin' snow covered bird house

This sweet little decorative bird house is courtesy of A Forest Frolic. I found it here, on her flickr page. It's not yet available in her lovely Etsy shop...but shouldn't it be?

moustache envy?

Can someone please explain to me exactly when the obsession with the moustache started? Seriously, I feel like I can't turn my head without running into one. Was there a movie I missed? Or a book series? Sixty-nine pages of them alone when you search by "mustache" on Etsy. That's more than 4x the amount of listings you get when you search by "fairy princess wand". Hmmmm, maybe if I adhere a fake stache to the dowels on my princess wands they'd be on trend?

Here are the links to the creative moustache selling shops above...
1.ipod case 2.bandaids 3.hand towels 4.coffee mug 5.ring 6.felt stache 7.notecards 8.hand mirror 9.glass 10.necklace 11.keychain 12.set of (6) mugs 13.the amazing fake moustache

just for fun

I can't tell you the last time I actually walked into an urban outfitters store. My best guess is Soho, 1998. But every now and then I get their catalog in the mail and enjoy the read. Yesterday, the book dropped in our home and I was amazed by the cover. It almost looked like an anthro book. Almost. But the garland display was stunning so I went on line to see how they made it. And get this. They are out of stock. The very day the booked dropped they are out of the cover item. Big fat FAIL. That would not have made for a pretty biz review in my previous life.

Regardless, being the avid consumer that I am, I continued to peruse the sight. And you know what? They've got some pretty clever stuff. Pictured above, and listed here, were just a few of the things that made me smile.... 1.potty desk caddy 2.balloon animals 3.keep calm bandaids 4.ouija board keychain 5.buddha peace bank 6.crosly alarm clock 7.turquoise chopper headphones 8.retro calculator 9.lomo camera

hot for teacher

Don't forget your teachers this holiday season! Gift cards are great, but so are super cute & functional handmade gifts. Here are some of my Etsy favorites made from the hearts of these fine folks...

1.unravel me 2.berd and bee 3.lemon drop studio 4.space dog studios 5.by order of the crown 6.disconsolator

jingle bells, jingle bells...

We were so inspired by lori marie's lovely glitter bells that we made some of our own. Mind you now, that the creative whimsy of a three & six year old is hard to contain so our bells are not quite as refined as lori's...but oh were they fun to make! Those are hers above. And here...are ours...

i {heart} Etsy

My latest treasury is up! You can find it here. And I wouldn't be at all upset if you gave it lots and lots of clicks when you visited!

In case you don't get to it before 8:44pm on 12/3 and it's gone, these are the lovely shops that are included...
1.strawberry anarchy 2.piano bench designs 3.the funky felter 4.somethings hiding here 5.miss mosh 6.zuppa artista 7.i love hearts 8.joo joo land 9.i sew cute 10.jennifer ramos 11.betsy 3 12.beehive kitchenware