at last

Why is it that when you're redecorating or upgrading something, it always has to look worse before it looks better?  My room currently looks like a tornado blew through it (or at least, I'm guessing it would look like this.  Not too many tornadoes in California. :P), and making my room better seems like a lost cause.  But fear not, I will keep fighting... because what else am I going to do?  Leave it looking like this? :P

It feels like I have been working on this "doggie quilt" forever {meaning over a week. I'm impatient. :)}... but I finally managed to finish it this past weekend.  Success!  I only had the binding to do, but I was dreading actually doing it (not sure why now, since it seems like it took the least amount of time. Oh Mindy... you are such a silly thing.)

yay!

It's a strip quilt, so it was honestly the easiest thing I could do.  I love the light blue fabric with the dog prints on it, and the white polka dot fabric was a last-minute purchase when I thought the quilt was lacking something. :)

But wait... that's not the only thing I finished this week!  I also made myself some lovely rolled paper flowers using the tutorial from jones design company (they are different shades of yellow/orange/peach, and will make a lovely addition to my new shelves... once I install the shelves that are currently lying on my bed).

terrible photo... hopefully I can snap a better one once it's on the shelf.

And I even sewed myself a cute little envelope pillow following the tutorial from feeling lovesome.  I appliqued a little tree and owl on it, and although it's not the best (I'm still quite a novice at the art of applique), I love how it turned out. :)

a little closeup of the owl so you can see he's smiling! :)

I will be making many more pillows in the following weeks, but for now I'm putting all of my energy into Valentines Day crafts.  Only a week left! Why is it that I always come up with these wonderful Valentines plans, and they always take triple the time I had planned to finish them?  :P