And I just kind of needed this reminder today.

See you soon!

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From elegant weddings using large headbands to just dressing up an outfit, they are so whimsical and fun!

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A blog I've been following - Casey Wiegand - showcases some of her completely cute and awesome headbands from Etsy and other bloggers...and totally sweet mommy style...

And how completely adorable...

So how about some local love?

From Danae Moran of This Earthly Tent...lots of lace, vintage, and variety...

From Amber Parsons with Midwest Mud and Ambrosian Design (you can find some of her awesomeness at EcoChic off 45th St. Fargo...love that place!)...

I flippin' LOVE gardens!  Started last summer with some flowers and veggies and addicted since.  I most recently posted about current gardening happenings and mishaps here...:

Gardening may not be quite as fun (or eventful) if it wasn't for this guy - who turned 3 this week (click photo for a shout out post to the fantastic Hamilton Hot Pants):

I love the sustainability of gardening...from creating your own food to growing your own beautiful addition to the world...In our backyard we utilize a lasagna garden...of which you really should try sometime!  It's really effortless...I did a little diddy how-to on a Try it Tuesday:

You know...I also am realizing just how romantic gardens are, too.  They inspire you to stop and rest your eyes on something so magically beautiful and alive.  I'll be running out late someplace with Justin and I'll see a new flower that is blooming and I'll make him stop in his tracks and pay attention to the flower or smell it...and just for a moment you kind of relax and just enjoy...hhmmm...

 {photo credit for both above: I just love French gardens.  Not sure I have the patience to manicure one, though...}

Lastly, gardens, especially sculpture gardens, make me think of Justin. 

xoxo

We are our own worst critic...

and, oh man, how often do we waste time, inspiration, and self-worth on comparing ourselves to others!

Comparing yourself to others will only lead to jealousy, discouragement, and self-contempt.  There is really no point to it.  But it's so natural!  

My friend, Kristin, used this photo in her blog and you should really go read it (click photo).  It totally hit home with me the day she wrote it.  And she talks about, which I so totally fist-pump agree with, how as you want to grow in creativity and find yourself being inspired by other creative minds, you eventually begin to compare your work and creativity with others...and sometimes hit the point of giving up and feeling down right sucky.

I thought it was pretty awesome in church this weekend how a solution was thrown out there for comparing yourself to others.  This young, twenty-something spoke about how much of life we waste on comparing our finances, relationships, looks, intelligence, creativity, etc. to other people we think are better than us - or we ourselves are better than.  "At least I'm not like..."  

Divas and Dreams blog also summed it up quite awesomely:  "If you are like me and most creative people in this world, you know of people you admire and see as better, more qualified than you or as a competition (same level as you). Comparing your self to them does not encourage you (and me) to stretch our imagination and find alternate sources of inspiration. Of course it´s great if they inspire you and make you glow with passion and ideas, but if you feel terrible and "not good enough" then don’t watch their work! Go out and play and have fun instead, testing your own ideas, feel alive and creative."

We need to be who WE ARE.  We need to discover quite simply who that is.  Don't let the joy get sucked out of you by  paying so much more attention to others that you aren't really even living!

And I bought this for something like $3 at Savers:

She didn't post a tutorial so I tried to figure out this easiest way to make this happen by first cutting the dress straight above the seam from the skirt section.  I decided since I'm not awesome at cutting straight I'd keep the old seam there for guidance.

These are a bit dark (oof!...not doing it again...yet), but I pulled up the skirt to a dress height as I discovered I kind of liked that overall.  I pinned it tight to be able to keep it up while deciding what to do...

Tried it belted a few different ways...

 And then I found a piece of scrap elastic and pulled it around myself to dress height...

 

I put the elastic on the wrong side of the skirt and pinned the top of the skirt down over the elastic for a somewhat unprofessional way of getting elastic sewn in later!

I pulled out the elastic then to be able to then sew it down...

And when sewing, left about an inch of non-sewn top to fit the elastic in...

After putting a larger safety pin on the end of the elastic...

Worked to threw it through the new seam...

Until it pulled out the other end...

Not really shown...but then took the elastic edges together and decided to pull them out pretty far to allow me to sew them together with my sewing machine to hopefully have a nice strong stitch holding it together...

The finished elastic sewn in on the back...

A few different ways to wear it!

Someday...I will be that person who can smile slyly at the camera and look all perfect for the sake of blogs...but not today!  Yay cat props!

This all in all took a little over an hour because I kept pricking myself with the stupid pins...hence this will be easier if you don't drink wine and try to watch The Good Guys...

xoxo

*Also...while I was in the hospital with my mom and dad last week, I made this month's craft challenge!  You should totally try these because they are rather simple and fun...click the photo to follow the tutorial...and let me know if you try them so we can share some sweet photos!

{a braided hex nut bracelet - the gold one picture}