winner winner

And the winner of my most recent giveaway is...

Becky!

Congrats, Beck! Send me an e-mail and let me know what colors you want me to use for your little custom made package.

In fact...why don't all of you who did a blog post on my Etsy shop send me an e-mail with your address and favorite color (karlaehlers (at) yahoo (dot) com)? I do love to make things, so I'll send each of you a little something. :) Thanks again for the shout outs on your blogs!

How's that for a little Christmas Eve present?

NOTE: I made these earrings for a friend a few months back and never got around to posting about them, so there you go!

ho hum

Remember how I used to blog? Yeah, I know it was a long time ago. These last couple of months have been crazy! Someday I will start posting again, and I hope that day is soon. :)

Let's start with this: I will commit to posting about my second giveaway before Christmas.

Deal? Deal!

shallie + jesse

Okay - so maybe I shouldn't get ahead of myself. I haven't posted many details about my sister in-law's wedding, now have I? And that was way back in October...a long time ago!

To make a long story short, I was Shallie's wedding planner and had a blast helping her plan the big day. I spent hours and hours thinking and brainstorming for it - so fun! Martha Stewart and Snippet and Ink were my main go-to websites. I can definitely see myself being one of those moms that just wants to plan their child's whole wedding for them.

We started planning back in June when she got engaged and used a special, private blog I set up (which is now public) to share ideas since we are in different states. It was stressful at times (those centerpieces were just about the death of me), but it all turned out fabulously. Shallie was such a beautiful bride and we are so happy to have Jesse in the family.

The bride and groom, with Shallie's cute little boat shoes peeking out. :)

Where forever started.

An Ehlers' wedding isn't complete without No. 1 making an appearance (family joke)

Jeffrey + Me

Wasabi - hilarious (a Jeff and Karla joke)

The centerpieces that almost brought me to tears, first tears of frustration, then finally tears of joy.

Blessed, blessed pumpkin cupcakes - YUM!

Paper lanterns...they make me so happy

Be sure to check out the wedding blog for more pictures and sourcing information for most everything we did. And definitely check out their engagement pics here, bridals here, and their wedding pics here from the real deal photographer, Eric Izlas. Amazing!

And by the way, I CERTAINLY can't take credit for everything. Becky and Rod were HUGE contributors - they are responsible for the incredible lighting. Mindy was also a major factor in all the inner tent beautifulness. Grandma Ehlers did a ton of baking. And of course, none of this would have been possible without my wonderful parents in-law, Mike and Lanette. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

back from paradise

We're back! Okay, so maybe we've been back for 2 and 1/2 weeks, but I've just been too busy doing other things to blog. :)

More details and fun pictures to follow!

aloha!

Just wanted to give a little shout out from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. That's right - Jeff and I are currently in HAWAII! We just got here today and are already having a blast!

And just a little update - I will be announcing the winner of the giveaway, but I need to figure out a little detail before I do. Until then...

Aloha!

happy election day!

Don't forget to get informed and vote today!

winner, announcement, and another giveaway

Thanks to random.org we have a winner! And that winner is...

Becca!

Congratulations, Becca! Send me an e-mail when you get a chance and I will send this happy package on its way.

And for those of you who want to get your hands on some handmade goodies, well I have some good news for you...

I opened an Etsy shop!

You can see my shop by clicking here or on the gallery pictures to the right. I have a few items listed and more on the way, including some pretty bags, handbound journals, and little bird pendants, so definitely stay tuned. I love creating handmade goodies and I'm glad to finally have them available to the public! Please feel free to spread the word. In fact...

How about another giveaway?

Here's the deal: you make a post about my Etsy shop on your blog and I'll enter you for a special *custom* giveaway, meaning you will get to tell me what colors you like and I will make 3 items especially for you. After you make the post on your blog, come back and make a comment on this post before Monday, November 2 at 11:59pm and you will be entered in the giveaway. Feel free to use any images from my Etsy shop for your post. :)

happy birthday, jeff!

A beautiful fall day

to celebrate a birthday.

Happy Birthday, Jeffrey!

giveaway time!

Finally - it's time for a giveaway! It's over two weeks late, but I hope you'll think it was worth the wait.

Here we have a lovely little handbound journal, small enough to carry around in your purse, scripture case, etc.

Next is a set of 12 little notecards.

Also included is a little chocolate brown wallet, perfect for carrying your credit cards in - I use mine all the time!

And last but not least is the cute little bird charm made from a Scrabble tile. Don't you love this paper?! I think I might be making another one of these for myself.

So, how do you enter to win? Just leave a comment on this post before Friday, October 23 at 11:59pm. Also, as a little bonus to everyone who has commented on my blog since I first announced the giveaway in September, once you comment on this post, I will enter your name again for each comment you have made since that time up until I made this post. I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting comments, so thank you! :)

here i am!

So, remember how I posted 7 days in a row and went MIA for over a week? Yeah, sorry about the absence. I would have posted sooner, but I've been planning and coordinating my sister in-law's wedding. In fact, I've been working with Shallie on wedding plans since June! The wedding was this past Saturday and it went beautifully! Here are a few pictures of some of the happy details.

And don't worry - I'll be doing another wedding post sometime in the near future. In addition, I am still planning to do the little giveaway I promised! That should be coming later this week, so stay tuned...

fruits of their labors

Someday I will have gardens. Plural. I need a flower garden for looking at and another for cutting - wouldn't it be phenomenal to have fresh flowers is your house every day? And of course I will have a food garden - tomatoes, peppers, zuchinni, squash, pumpkins. And maybe a little raspberry and/or strawberry patch to boot. As an apartment dweller, it's easy to dream big, especially when I haven't weeded for...well...a long time. We'll see how big my plans stay when I'm the one doing all the laboring.

In the meantime, I'm lucky to have friends who will share their bounteous crops with us. In the last couple of months we have been showered with the fruits of other people's labors: zuchinni (of course), tomatoes (roma, cherry, yellow, etc.), peppers, cucumbers, butternut squash, green beans, nectarines, raspberries, and even Asian pears (oh my - AMAZING!). This has led to some experimenting with new recipes, which I am pretty much always up for. I recently made Nectarine Raspberry Cobbler which was quite enjoyable (I substituted raspberries for blackberries and omitted the almonds). Now I want to try Peach Raspberry Cobbler - mmmm.

What do you/will you grow in your garden?

inspiration

Something I have noticed about designers - they always seem to keep beatiful things around them to inspire them. They don't have to be big or expensive - something as small as a vintage button or postage stamp sometimes does the trick.

Since I've made our spare room (aka Spare oom) into a craft room, I've have a place to lay out little knick knacks to keep me inspired. Pictured above is a beatiful card sent to me by Kacey. I ADORE the colors and the print. It's already been the source of inspiration for 2 other projects. Great taste, Kacey!

I also finally have room to put out finished products that haven't yet been put to use. That category includes these cute little containers Beth showed us how to make. Aren't navy and yellow lovely together? And yes - those are washed out tin cans, covered with pretty paper secured by double-sided tape. Beth is amazing!

What inspires you?

mr. petty

My dad is a pretty cool guy. He is the biology teacher at the only high school in my hometown, so most everyone knows him as "Mr. Petty" (in fact, Jeff still does and probably always will call him Mr. Petty. We sat by each other in his class for a semester). He is a bug expert extraordinaire - along with being a cornacopia of knowlegde in many other areas, too. He really has a passion for teaching and is great with kids of all ages.

To his credit, my dad was just highlighted on the local news station's "Head of the Class" segment for being a great teacher. You can watch him in action by clicking here.

I took a couple of classes from him and have some good memories. One of my best memories: One afternoon I walked into my dad's room, went to his refrigerator, and proceeded to polish off a bit of apple juice straight out of the jug. My dad came in and said, "Karla! Don't drink that!" I thought he was just upset that I didn't ask if I could have it, so I swallowed the last bit. After doing so, he exclaimed that there had been about 10 mold samples in that apple juice. UGH! Luckily I didn't get sick, but I still didn't feel well after knowing I had just downed someone's extra credit!

I'm sure many, many people out there still have fond memories of my dad's class, whether it be weed field trips, +10, word root quizes, , T time, putting your chair up like a Navy SEAL, charitable service, the plant room...the list goes on!

For those of you who had my dad, what is one of your best memories from his class?

yummy

One of the things I love best about fall is all the yummy comfort foods. There is just something about making a pumpkin cake, batch of cinnamon rolls, or loaf of bread when the weather is starting to cool that makes me happy. I love the homey and rich aromas that tell me fall is here and the holidays are just around the corner. Mmmmm!

One of my absolute favorite comfort foods is bread. I have enjoyed bread/grain products since I was little and am notorious for eating way too much. Whether it is Grandma's biscuits at Sunday dinner or the amazing rolls at Texhas Rhodehouse I just can't get enough! I have been trying some new bread recipes lately and was so excited to make the Apple-Honey Challah pictured above. It takes quite a bit of time when you factor in all the rising, but the taste of its delicious sweetness fresh out of the oven made it well worth it.

What are your favorite comfort foods?

good bye, summer

Summer is fun, but I find myself craving autumn before it arrives. One thing I will miss about summer is all the pretty flowers.

What will you miss about summer?

softie fun

Although softies can be a challenge to make, I was really excited to make this little guy for Angela and her soon to come baby. This picture doesn't do it justice, but this orange fabric is fab. I've been hoarding it for years (literally), which I have a habit of doing when I find fabric or paper that I like. It's nice to finally put it to good use so it isn't sitting on a shelf somewhere unappreciated. And don't you worry - I still have some left for another project!

What are your favorite baby shower gifts to give and/or get?

back in action

Here I am - back in blogging action! It's been a busy month - lots of driving, baking, creating, etc. I'm ready to get back to posting, so I'm committing to 7 blog posts in 7 days . Keep checking back because not only am I going to be sharing some fun stuff, but I'll also be doing a little giveaway at the end - oh yeah! Still not sure what it will be, but I'll come up with something.

As for the picture above, this is what the sky looked like as I pulled into Shelley over Labor Day weekend. I see an alligator in the clouds - what do you see?

amber waves

happy 5 years

to Jeffrey and me!

daisies

I'm not sure I will ever tire of taking pictures of flowers.

cookies 'n' cream fudge

Seriously, one of the best recipes ever. If you love Hershey's Cookies and Cream bars, you are going to la la la love this. Not only is the end product delicious, but it it practically* fool proof.

Enjoy!

Cookies 'n' Cream Fudge

INGREDIENTS
3 (6 ounce) packages white chocolate baking squares (I use white chocolate chips instead)
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups coarsely chopped chocolate creme-filled sandwich cookies (use fingers or knife to chop and throw away fine crumbs)

DIRECTIONS
In heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt white chocolate squares, sweetened condensed milk and salt. Remove from heat; stir in crushed cookies.
Spread evenly into wax-paper-lined 8-inch square pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm.
Turn fudge onto cutting board; peel off paper and cut into squares. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

For more tips/suggestions, read reviews at the following link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cookies-n-Creme-Fudge/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

*Please note that despite the simplicity of this recipe, it will not prevent you from forgetting to add 6 ounces of white chocolate chips and/or dropping the whole batch on the floor while pouring it into the pan. Don't worry - I did both of these things on the first batch I made yesterday. Apologies to those who won't get any fudge as a result. :)

monochrome

girls' camp beads

Per Angela's request, here is a picture of the different beads I made for Girls' Camp last month. Each girl has a necklace and they get beads for passing off certification requirements.

Each necklace also has a pendant. Here's the one I made for my necklace.