lists <3

(photo by one of my most favorite photographers :D You should check him out :D)

Ok, lists, lists, lists. My most favaorite thing about lists, is crossing things off of them :) Like for real. So, I thought I would cross some items off of my October Goals List today: (I totally wish I knew how to do strikethrough on here?!)

1. Reach 185 followers on my blog (you can totally help me with that :D)
2. Find a cute Halloween costume for myself, Adam, and Catalina
3. Find my sister the perfect house warming gift (does a purse count??)
4. be the best Maid of Honor
5. Finish my sister's peacock quilt before her wedding (October 17)
6. Finish the give-a-way quilt (it's soooo almost done :D)
7. make plans for Adam's family to come and visit
8. send out loads of Happy Mail
9. re-paint our hallway
10. get curtains for the living room
11. crochet a granny square
12. get red highlights
13. Be a blessing to others as much as possible
14. Read two books
15. Be healthier
16. go to a pumpkin patch
17. carve a rad jack-o-lantern
18. wear my hair curly more :D

* A huge thank you to those recent followers who helped me reach my goal :) Wouldn't it be soooo awesome to have 200 by 2010? I would be the happiest blogger ever!!

* In other news, today I made a polaroid Welcome Banner (from Elsie's tutorial):

I'm in the process of re-doing the hallway ( #9 on my list) and entryway with a cute little "Welcome" theme. Pictures are a promise. P.S. I want to be an RVA girl someday :) Don't you?

* My home-skillet Jamie is having a week long blog party. You should definitely check it out.

* I have been reading Stephanie's blog for years and she is actually going to be on Oprah today!

Her story is amazing, if you aren't a reader yet, you must start.

* Ok, I am also soooo excited because I am getting a new phone tonight!!

Some of you may remember the Phone Tradgedy of September 2009. Yikes. I neeeeed a new phone and I have wanted a new one for over a year now! Exciting :)

Happy Wednesday friends
xoxo
janel

some people...

are weird right?  I totally saw this while driving home from Kansas City the other weekend.  This head is just "hanging" out in this person's back seat.  The weird part is that the guy driving the car looked like he could be 60 years old and and looked at us as though he had no clue why we were taking a picture of his car.  The even weirder part is the fact that the person in the backseat with this head had to be the sweetest looking grandma I have ever seen.

RANDOM!!  What is the most random thing that you have seen lately?  Im not sure anyone can top this one :)

Happy Tuesday, almost Wednesday :D

xoxo

janel

more

* More quilt squares from more of my favorite blog readers!!
Big thank yous to:
Chelsey :)

and Laura :)

* More journal pages completed in my Autumn Loves journal :D




* more reasons to keep on crocheting my granny squares <3 
(photos by Rachel)
* more cuteness from Miss Cake <3

* More reasons to cook :D

cutie recipe cards from here!
OK friends it is time for me to get more work done, more crocheting done, more quilting done, more water drinking done, and more time with cuddling with Indie Husband and Catalina :D

i love you MORE <3

janel

monday inspirations...

This Monday is just going to be a random mix of things I am loooving right now :)
* You don't have to be a baby to have a cute mobile right? I think that mobiles can be an awesome art piece in a corner of a room, above your creation station, on your patio, etc.
Here is a pretty mobile that I found browsing Etsy :D
The Bird Mobile

* I am also loooooving this print from this shop:

* This cuuuuute badger plushie found here:

* Crissy's gorgeous granny chic clutch :)

* This picture that Vivianna posted from her weekend:

* Turning a bowl of granny squares and balls of yarn into my favorite fall decoration thus far :D

happy happy happy happy monday <3
Create something pretty!
xoxo
janel

my hero <3

Katja's blog (here) has been my new favorite daily read lately. She is always creating such cutie things and I always feel inspired to make things after I check it out! In fact, she inspired me to knit a ton of hairbows a couple of weeks ago with her cutie tutorial.
Sooooooo, today, she posted an easy peasy tutorial on how to crochet a granny square!! and believe it or not...

I DID IT!!!

Check out my very first "official" granny square!!!

and here is one with two colors :)

You have nooooo idea what a great accomplishment this is for me. I seriously have had about 30 failed attempts in the last month.
Katja, I stinking loooooooooove you. You are my creative hero!! <3
This day will go down in history as the day my newest obsession began :)
Seriously, you have no idea how happy this makes me!!!
xoxo
janel

catalina...

or should I say, "Max!"

Tonight I made her little Halloween costume. She is going to be Max from Where The Wild Things Are. I think it's pretty much the cutest costume I have ever seen :)
What do you think??

today...

* I had another sick day.
* made about 20 unsuccessful granny squares :)
* ate lunch with my mom
* cleaned, cleaned, cleaned
* took a walk with my baby girl...catalina
* dreamt of having a real baby girl to take walks with
* collected pinecones while on my walk
* filled my pyrex with pinecones :)

* I decided to say "screw granny squares" and I created the Janel Circle. It is all the rage and you are all going to want one. Check it out.
A bit granny
A bit Blingy
All Janel


I think I will make more and put them in etsy!! I am already wearing mine.
* watched old episodes of Project Runway
* felt incredibly blessed to be living in such a beautiful home in this beautiful season.
* felt even more blessed when I layed out all of my quilt squares and reflected on the loveliness and generosity of my blog friends. (i love you<3)
* Now, I am off to work on my autumn journal. I was inspired by a lot of beautiful fall things on my walk.
Added: Here are the pages that I completed today :D



Have an awesome Friday.
P.S. go join in the ornament swap on Kimi's blog!! I was going to host one of these but I am even more excited that Kimi is hosting it. SHe is one of my very favorite friends for life :) Check her out and SIGN UP!!
xoxo
janel

jack-o-lantern inspo

So, one of my goals was to carve an aweosme pumpkin this year. Last year I had an Obama pumpkin and a Chanel pumpkin :) I have no pictures of them though. This year I am going to the queen of craft for my inspiration...Martha Stewart.
I browsed her website and here are some pretty pretties that are giving me great ideas:








I love love love the lacy looking ones :) The light green pumpkin is kind of dreamy!! I can not wait to hit the pumpkin patch in a couple of weeks!!
In other news, my sister and her fiance closed on there house and I was able to go and see it yesterday. It is amazingly perfect for them...Im a super proud big sister <3

ok...

This will be THE post that will document my trying to do a granny square again!! I will be documenting with my words and with photobooth. (I have been painting all day so I kind of look yucky btw)
Here I am, attempting it again...

This is me 20 minutes later after watching the video a bazillion times..

* Now, I am thinking maybe a video tutorial isn't the right thing for me so I searched for other tutorials and found this one

* After re-reading the whole thing a couple times, I am giving it a shot!!

Ok, it has been another 20 minutes and I actually have something coming off of this hook that actually looks like something!!!!

This is where I screamed to Adam because I was sooo excited. I also jumped up and did a little dance :)
It sooooo isn't right but I think I am least "getting it" better.
Now I am going to cut this off and put it in a journal and start all over again with my newly discovered skills and hope to actually get a square!!
This is progress I think :)

WTG!?

What the Granny?! I am serious! How come I don't get it? My friend Vivs (the queen of all things yarn) told me that it is easier to learn to crochet before you learn how to knit and not the other way around. I learned to knit like 10 years ago so I am sticking to that excuse. Whatever Vivs says, goes!
I mean come on. Here are pics of all of my friends' first tries at the granny square:
Rachel

Silje

Chelsey

Katja

Toni

and Becky

I mean, come on, really?!
I am using the same video tutorials and THIS is what my first one looked like:

KID YOU NOT!
Laura emailed me this picture yesterday and said that it made her think of me :)

I am sooooo obsessed now with this stupid granny square that when I actually DO learn, my house will probably look like this.
Help me!!!