Amy Butler and Vacation
Well we are still on vacation. As you can see I haven’t posted in a while, some family that we have visited don’t have the internet. Sometimes I don’t realize how addicted I am to something until I don’t have it. Right now we are visiting my Mom in Wenatchee Washington. Jason and I owned a home here about 3 years ago and are thinking we want to move back. We have been looking at rentals, but so far nothing. We will know when we find the right one. So I guess what I am saying is that we will be putting our home on the market when we get back to Illinois.
Anyway, the vacation has been great. We traveled from Illinois, stopped in Mount Rushmore, then Montana to see my sister, then Sequim (the peninsula of Washington) to see my Dad and siblings, then here to Wenatchee. I was so thrilled to find that a fabric store in Wenatchee sold Amy Butler! I always had to look for it online. Well I got 4 yards and so far made one bag and matching wallet. Here are some pictures. 
This is me with my little brother Johnathan. Isn’t he adorable! We are at a private beach that we have been going to since I was little. It was so beautiful!
Here is my bag and wallet that I made with my Amy Butler fabric. I made the pattern myself, with newspaper. It was a first for me. A friend (Beki) once told me to just do it, as far as making my own patterns. So I did and I think it turned out great. I have even gotten really good at installing an inside zipper thanks to Creative Little Daisy!
Until Next Time!
xoxox
Hannah
Filed under Sewing Projects | Comment (1)Cross Country
Hello everyone! I apologize for not getting to everyones email, I will get to them very soon I promise. I mentioned before how busy I was and didn’t really adlib. I was busy working on my finals and getting ready for our big trip. We are driving from central Illinois to Washington state making a stop in South Dakota at Mount Rushmore (thats where we are today) and also stopping in Montana to see my sister. I will be posting pictures as our trip progresses. I tried to bring my sewing machine, but Jason said it wouldn’t fit in the car 
I am already having withdrawls ;)
Mount Rushmore was gorgeous, I had seen photos before but to to see it in person was amazing! Then we went to Rushmore Cave, we were actually inside the black hills. Now that was cool, literally, it was 58 degrees. The whole cave is made out of limestone. Very interesting.
From there we went to Deadwood which was a thorough disappointment. We loved the show on HBO, and were soooo excited to see a very old historic town. NOT! it was a complete modernized version with nothing but casinos. Totally ridiculous and a complete waste of time.
To make up for it we made it back to town in time to go to Bear Country! We got to drive through a wildlife preserve where bears, buffalo, reindeer, wolves, among many others run free. There must have been atleast 30 bears in one part, and they walked right up and rubbed against the side of our car. It was amazing. And just when I thought it was over, we got to see walk through a zoo type exhibit where there were baby bears! Now I hate to see animals caged up, but these were wild rescues. I think it is wonderful what they are doing. Here are some photos of Rushmore and the baby bears. I didn’t take any of the cave, it is so dark they don’t really turn out.
This is Mount Rushmore… hahah Obviously.
This is me with the Four Presidents way up there.
These are two tiny cubs hugging.. okay they were wrestling but isn’t it cute! They were so adorable! Their little growls were so cute, there were about 15 of them and they were rowdy!! I wanted to pick them up and cuddle. The caretaker came in and they ran over to her climbing up on her legs. She picked up the runt and kissed her. I want her job!
Another one of the baby cubs, aren’t they just adorable!
Well I am off to bed. 5am tomorrow we are off to Montana. I haven’t seen my nieces in 3 years and I can’t wait! We will be camping, well we are in a cabin, but still we are at a campground. I will be sure and post pictures. Hope everyone is doing well!
xoxo
Hannah
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Sewing Marathon
I mentioned in my last post that I had been busy sewing away for items I wanted to use on our trip. Well here are some pictures. I love how everything turned out. My new business cards showed up just in time too!!
Have a wonderful weekend!
xoxo
Hannah
Filed under Sewing Projects | Comments (4)
Looking back at where it all began.
I am a playing catch up trying to get several items finished that I want to take/wear on our trip. I had a marathon sewing day yesterday and can’t wait to show you what I finished, hoever it has been very gloomy here. I hope I the sun comes out soon so I can post pictures. When I am in my room sewing I zone out, I am in my own little world. Last night my mind drifted and I was thinking about the most wondeful, amazing woman my grandmother. In thinking about her I realized, that was where it all began. She has worked for the Serenity house for some like, 35 years. When I was little she would station me at the sewing machine and I would sew washclothes, towels and/or hankies, mending holes in them or sewing up the raw edges so they could be sold. I can’t help but smile every time I think of her, as a child I spent a lot time with her. Every where she went, I was there right by her side. We would spend hours in the garden, I was “digging for worms”, picking cherries for cherry pie, baking, working on the house, going for hikes and picnicing. At the end of the day no matter what, she always laid next to me in bed and read me a story. She has been a pillar in my life, I cannot wait to see her! 11 days and counting!
I just love this picture. I took it in July 2006 in Eugene Oregon when we took her on a road trip down the coast to see her girls.
xoxo
Hannah
Filed under About me | Comments (2)Herbs, Pots and Dirt Oh My
Things have been so hectic lately that I needed some… well time. I was supposed to be upstairs studying for my computer final, that didn’t last very long. It was such a beautiful day I just couldn’t spend it inside. My husband just shook his head, ah well it was worth it hahaha. So I spent the whole day outside puttering around. I trimmed my boxwood topiaries that flank my front door, I weeded every flower bed, I moved huge meteor landscaping rocks (will show what project those are related to in later post) and finally I got to plant my herbs. I have always wanted a herb garden. Until I get those rocks moved and a bed made for them they have to go into pots. Which is fine, they look beautiful on our veranda.
St. Johns Wort.
Chamomile, Delphina, the big pot has orange mint and spearmint. To the right I have a long pot filled with three different types of Thyme.
Sweet Woodruff.
The whole time I was working in the yard and potting my wonderful herbs I have been contemplating. Boutique or no Boutique? I have forever wanted to open a little shop of my own selling my jewelry, things I have sewn, and of course my bath and body products. We have been self employed for 6 years so we know the ropes of business, however our business is based online. Well I have gone back to school and wasn’t really thinking about a boutique right now, however doors open when you least expect it. I was at tea the other day at Circa 1860 and was talking to the owner Rhonda who (i am shortening this story) who called Kim who owns a wonderful boutique in town (she wasn’t available to speak at the time), so a couple of days later I stopped by her shop and introduced myself. Now I have to step back, there is this wonderful little building that is brick, over 100 years old and has a cute little shop with two huge windows, shutters, window boxes and it’s own entrance with a screen door. How adorable. It has just come available. While I was talking to Kim (owner of Tournesol boutique) I told her about the space. She was giddy, that is where she started 9 years ago. She had put the shutters and window boxes on. She and everyone I have spoken to says to go for it. It is fate that all of these people seem to cross my path? I put a call in this morning to ask about the space and I am currently waiting for a call back. I wonder….. what does my future hold??
xoxo
Hannah
Filed under In the garden | Comments (2)Playing Hookie!
Yes those are my feet. LOL. I woke up with a long list of things to do yesterday, but Jason had different plans. Our car had to go into the shop for some repairs before our big trip to Washington in two weeks and Jason wanted to drive the rental car…. *shaking my head* men! The truth is lately I have been feeling kind of down, I miss home. Home for me is on the west coast. I miss Washington and Oregon, the midwest is sometimes very difficult for me. Jason knows that I have a love for historical towns and the “feel” that they have, so he did his research and told me “we’re playing hookie”. What? I have purses to make, websites to finish, I have important things to do… nope not today. He surprised me by taking me to St. Charles Missouri a two hundred year old town right on the Mississippi. Oh my, it was adorable. Ten blocks of unique boutiques, overflowing flower pots, brick buildings covered in ivy, brick roads, gas lamp posts, verandas filled with people eating, the smell of hyacinths mixed with incense, I was in heaven. I didn’t want to come home, but he made me ;)
xoxo
Hannah
Filed under Random Thoughts, Traveling | Comments (2)
