Just Jen

Fruity Fabric Fun

Get your Recommended Daily Intake of fruit with these fun prints!

  Metro Market by Robert Kaufman

Bite Me by Michael Miller

  In the Kitchen by Alexander Henry

The Littlest Mermaid

This weekend we traveled south to attend a 1st birthday party for one very sweet little girl. It was a splash party, so I thought it was only fitting that she have a special mermaid tee. She happened to be wearing an adorable tutu that matched perfectly. Move over Ariel!

And here's my little fish taking a premature dive in the pool - sans swimsuit.

 

 
 
  

Twilight Turtle

 
I love love this night light! The Twilight Turtle's body is like a stuffed animal, but the shell is hard plastic and perforated with little stars that project onto the ceiling and walls in a dark room when lit. We have so much fun pointing out the "Mmmm" and "Arrs" (that's Jack for moon and stars :). It says the stars are grouped into actual constellations - I'll take their word for it. I didn't pay that much attention in my college astronomy class, but I was able to pick out the Big Dipper (and may or may not have gotten a little over-excited when I finally found it). It projects in 3 different colors and has a 45 min. auto shut-off so you don't have to worry about turning it off after the little one falls asleep. 

It also comes as a sea turtle and an adorable ladybug, which we bought for my BFF's little sweetie who had a birthday last week. Happy Birthday, Avery!

Make This: Paper Lotus Flower

Find the tutorial here.

Friday Favorite - Microfiber Hair Towel

I have long, thick hair and probably always will. Every year about this time when the heat is almost unbearable, I threaten to cut it off, which results in loud and passionate protests from the husband. And he usually - ok always - wins that battle. I think what I hate most is blow drying my hair. The longer my hair is, the longer it takes, and the hotter I get. I almost need another shower by the time it's dry. What's a girl to do? Well, a couple of years ago, I bought a microfiber hair towel. Best purchase EVER. The package boasted it could cut my drying time in half. "We'll see," I thought. I am thrilled that I can now dry my hair in 4 minutes flat. And for a compulsive snooze button pusher, those four extra minutes are golden. I also recommend this for the mommy of a newborn who barely has time to squeeze in a shower much less blow drying her hair afterward. I doubt that it matters which brand you choose, but the microfiber magic is definitely key!

Temari Love

I have a growing list of crafts to "conquer" and Temari is near the top. It is a Japanese toy with a rich history and tradition which you can read all about here. There are different methods of construction, but basically a ball is wrapped tightly with a layer of thread and then embroidered. They can be simple or extremely complicated and the possibilities are endless! This Temari how-to book is currently hanging out on my wish list. 

Great examples of Temari are not hard to find - here are just a few that I came across:

 

By Shaina's Tamaris 

By julieandco

By ilikelemons     
  

What my desk is missing:

Thinking I would definitely be more productive with this little guy sitting on my desk. Yep, no doubt about it. 

Found at See Jane Work.

I really hate ants...

...but I really love this ant farm embroidery by Stitcher Scribbler (via Feeling Stitchy).

Wordle

Need a little mindless diversion? Try out Wordle. You just copy and paste text or even a URL of a website or blog with an RSS feed. Then you can customize the font, color, etc. I used my blog's URL, and this is what I got:

 

My Favorite Online Crochet Resource

Fall is right around the corner, which means I'll soon give in to the urge to crochet blankets and scarves. There's a handful of places online that are good resources for free patterns. My personal favorite is Lion Brand Yarn. You can set up a free account and store as many patterns as you like using their Pattern Finder.  

If your a beginner, they have a great how-to section as well as a Stitch Finder with detailed instructions for lots of fancy stitches. And, of course they've got all of you knitters covered too. I currently have this little blanket in the works for Jack. I love that I can pull up the pattern on my phone anytime I want (since the printout was surely lost long ago). Their mobile site is easy to work from. And they've got lots of great yarn to boot!