And the winner is....

Blythe from Blue Roses!  Rafflecopter randomly selected her as the winner, and she will be receiving this lovely prize package in the mail this week.

Congrats to Blythe, and thank you SO much to all those who entered and shared. If there was something you really had your eye on, check out links to all the contributors' shops in the sidebar. Keep an eye out for the next giveaway--it could be your lucky month! And, if you have a shop or blog and think you'd like to be involved, just shoot me an email at littlemotleyblog@gmail.com

Last Hour of Giveaway

If you haven't already entered my giveaway of lovely Etsy items and a Starbucks card, you have only 52 minutes left to do so! Click here and enjoy :)

Pastels

This is the VERY LAST DAY to enter my giveaway of lovely Etsy pieces and a Starbucks card--click here to enter :)!

I'm a bit in love with all the mints and lilacs floating around this spring. It is probably to make up for the fact that I refused to wear dresses or skirts period from age 7 to age 14. Anyway, while I've been in Connecticut I've been picking up a few hours at an old job of mine, ushering at a theater, and since I have to be pretty dressed up for it I decided to have fun.

 dress: modcloth, no longer available, shoes: lulu's, mojo moxy, tights: italian brand that I can't find again ANYWHERE which is very sad because these are getting so many holes, necklace: lulu's, earrings: courtesy of the lovely mia over at whimsical miscellany! my new favorites. 

I absolutely love these flower earrings! I'd been trying to find the perfect pair for ages and everything looked either a little too big or too small on me, and these are just right. I sound like Goldilocks. But in all seriousness, they are lovely, and come in a bunch more colors. Here is a detail:

Anyway, it has been a quiet week. Lots of running the dogs around, seeing family, job apps, and cooking. I think I am going on a steam train ride and to check out a new pastry shop with friends in the morning,  so that should be fun...I don't think I've been on the steam train since I was about 8! 

Bamboo Blossom's Birthday Giveaway!

I really wanted to write "bash" instead of giveaway, to make it alliterative, but that isn't what's happening. What is happening? I'm participating in the lovely Natasha of Bamboo Blossom's birthday giveaway! Enter to win a ton of cool prizes here, included one of my needle felted penguins in pink (even cold climate birds have to wear their spring pastels.) Enjoy! Natasha has a really awesome blog, and I'm sure you'll love reading it as much as I do :).

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Glitter image in header courtesy of Dream a Little Bigger

After you enter Natasha's giveaway, you can still enter my very first giveaway here. Who knows, maybe you'll get really lucky and win both of them!

Giveaway!!

I am having...

a first ever giveaway! Because I like to encourage buying handmade, the focus of this giveaway is on Etsy.  Several lovely sellers have contributed beautiful items, and the prizes are as follows:

1) A ladies' bow tie from Beaubow Ties

Emmie Rose is proving with her beautiful "Beau Ties" that the look is not just for men. She makes both men's and ladies' bow ties from a variety of fabrics, including vintage material in everything from floral to tie dye. Her ties are the perfect accent to an oxford and blazer, or even a delicate dress. The winner of the giveaway will receive a beau tie made with vintage 70s floral print, pictured above!

2) A miniature book necklace from Oh My Golly

                          

Brittany over at Oh My Golly press binds everything from full sized journals to books so small they dangle from necklaces and earrings, all in beautiful colors and textures. The winner of the giveaway will receive the dainty beige book necklace pictured above---perfect for those who like to jot down ideas on the go!

3) A macaron coin purse from Urban Pleat

     





Caitlin from Urban Pleat sews unique bags and purses in all sorts of bright, fun, colorful patterns! The giveaway winner will get one of her adorable macaron coin purses in a bold polka dot pattern. In addition to keeping change together, these pouches are perfect for making sure that jewelry doesn't get lost or broken in your purse. Use the code SPRINGPLEATS to get 10% off if you buy something during the giveaway!

4) Hair bow and earrings from Whimsical Miscellany

Mia, from Whimsical Miscellany, makes accessories with a nostalgic touch, from hair bows to earrings to bobby pins and head bands. The beautiful fabrics and prints she chooses create pieces with a decidedly vintage feel. The winner of the giveaway will receive one of Mia's classic mustard hair bows, as well as a pair of antique-style key earrings.


5) Embroidered Tree Pendant from Sew Happy Girls









     






Becky from Sew Happy Girls makes unique jewelry and cloth pieces with a definite touch of whimsy. Becky specializes in embroidered pendants, using thread, beads, and other dainty details to craft tiny images on each necklace. The winner of the giveaway will get one of her best-selling tree pendants, with a green and yellow tree set on a beautiful red background.

6) A needle felted baby penguin from Dear Moon

                                            

This little fellow is from my shop! He is about two inches tall, made of wool, and can generally stand on his own. If the winner would like to hang him from something, I'm happy to add a string before sending!

And finally,

7) A $5 Starbucks gift card, because you need somewhere to show off all your new accessories.

To enter, simply complete the tasks below! Two are required, and the rest are for extra entries. Enjoy :)

***NOTE: You must complete BOTH mandatory tasks for your entry to be counted. If you follow via google friend connect, please follow publicly--otherwise, I can't tell whether you followed or not!  I think this might be happening, because I can't seem to verify some of those entries, and I don't want anyone to miss out. And, to quote the lovely Kate from Scathingly Brilliant: "Please, none of this follow-and-leave as soon as the giveaway is over jazz...that's super rude!"

Good luck to all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday Wishlist

1) This dress by Fleet Collection (and just about everything else on their site):

2) This dress, available at faire jour (and again, about everything else they carry. It's a pretty new company, and they already have an amazing selection!):

3) This laptop case by bertie's closet. Actually, I wanted a different one they made, with coral wildflower fabric, but that one was on my wish list so long it no longer exists, so elephants it is. They have tons of adorable patterns.

4) This log cabin bed nook, from Brian Vanden Brink:

5) To go here, from Hang Out Point :

What are you pining for this week?

Make It Yourself Monday: Comfort Food Edition

So, since I can't seem to get any photos on my computer, I can't give a tutorial for any of my own recipes or projects right now. Instead, I'm going to share some awesome recipes from other bloggers, and my own pictures from when I made them! These are all really delicious, so enjoy.

1) Butternut Squash Gratin

This recipe, from the Etsy blog, is really fantastic as far as veggie comfort food. A couple notes: in order to make it just a little less healthy, I like to pour a teensy bit of cream over the bottom layers. I also think caramelizing the onions the slow, old-fashioned way, over low heat stirring constantly. Finally, I didn't have gruyere, but I liked it so much with the fontal I used that I did it that way a second time (a hint of parmesan is nice, too!)

2) Pumpkin and Fried Sage Flatbread

This meal, from foodiecrush, is an amazing and unexpected combination. My changes: I used traditional pizza dough rather than the pre-made naan, but I baked it with no toppings on it for a little while first, so it stayed crispy, since all the toppings are already cooked and don't need so long. I also didn't have chipotle, so I added a little cayenne and a hint of paprika to some honey instead, which worked just fine, especially if you don't like too much spice. Pecorino Romano is a good cheese substitute as well. 

3) No Time No Knead Bread

 If you have some sort of dutch-oven, this recipe from kitchn is...the best thing since sliced bread? (Sorry). It allows you to make crusty, flavorful, delicious bread at the last minute. I don't really have many notes here, although I do enjoy using cider vinegar in place of balsamic. I also don't have a microwave at home, so I usually increase the rise time to make up for it. A warm place helps too, though.

4) Morning Maple Muffins

From Taste of Home, this is one of the most perfect muffins I've ever tried. Light and maple-y and sweet without being too dessert-like. My only change here was to use brown sugar in the topping instead of white, just because I prefer the flavor.

I couldn't get a real outfit post today, because I was...substitute teaching! Hurrah! So instead, I'll leave you with this mediocre dressing room shot of my work clothes, and a giraffe from the Bronx Zoo gazing ambitiously at a skyscraper:

 shirt: j. crew factory, sweater: american apparel, belt: ???, skirt: forever 21, tights: ???, shoes: bass outlet

Eye on Etsy

As you can probably tell from the sidebar, I have an Etsy store. While my store is an occasionally updated hodgepodge of things, selling on Etsy has introduced me to some really amazing artists and sellers. I don't know any of these people personally, and they didn't ask me to write this or sponsor or anything...just some clever crafters who make beautiful things!

1) Northern Grain
I've mentioned Northern Grain in a previous post, and I had to write about them again here because I think their work is just gorgeous. They make beautiful stud earrings out of all sorts of different wood, as well as cuff links, kitchen supplies, other jewelry, and home decor. I've given a rolling pin and a pair of earrings they made as gifts, and both were beautifully done.

Amboyna Burl Wood Earrings

French Rolling pin, handmade of bird's eye maple

2) Handmade Miscellany

I made my first and only personal Etsy purchase from this shop because I just couldn't resist Ida's adorable hair bows! (She also makes other accessories, like clips, headbands, and earrings). The gorgeous fabric and colors go perfectly with retro or vintage inspired outfits. 

Large Floral Hair Bows

Mustard Hair Bow Clip

3) Take It With

I think this shop is so much fun--they make night lights, phone covers, and other tech/home items with images from favorite children's book, as well as modern films, shows, and books. I ordered my brother a Moonrise Kingdom night light for his apartment last Christmas, and it was just lovely (even for those of us too old to actually require a night light).

Charlotte's Web Night Light

Moonrise Kingdom Night Light

Hope you enjoy these finds! I really believe in supporting handmade, so I'd like to make this a regular thing to feature some of the wonderful things hiding on Etsy (and user-designed handmade sites)! Since I'm away, I've been repeating outfits from a small backpack, but posts will resume as usual shortly...along with some favorite shots from my big adventure at the Bronx Zoo. 

Wednesday Wishlist

Because I like alliteration and Friday Favorites has already gotten enough attention, I've decided Wednesdays are the perfect day to showcase some of the things that have caught my eye around the internet. Enjoy!

1) The oh-so-lovely Matilda dress by Dear Creatures

2) This watering can shower head, reblogged from The Cozy Old Farmhouse

3) These perfect summer sandals by Salt Water Sandals, available at ModCloth in a bunch of colors (the pastel pink is also lovely). They are leather, but totally made to go in and out of water, so you can go anywhere and still feel stylish! I also love the nostalgic design. 

4) The Secret Hemlock Treehouse by Joel Allen, reblogged from Archipile, for writing, escaping, and daydreaming.

5) And finally, to keep up with the rather outdoorsy theme, these beautiful polished wood studs by Etsy store NorthernGrain. I gave my cousin a pair for christmas, so I can safely say they are just as beautiful in person. 

What's on your wish-list this Wednesday?