Before's and After's

Before: 

After:

Before:

After:

This little one-year-old (seriously- how did that happen so fast?!?)  had a rockin' rainbow birthday.  I'll just voluntarily admit that the cake inspired the whole party theme, it's true- but how awesome is it?  That's right- the cake that inspired the color scheme, goodie bags, rainbow Jell-o, and of course, the super spectacular rainbow cardi.   

Because I was too busy party hosting, I didn't grab many pictures- I only managed to get this one of Elise in her sweater (I'll try to get more soon):

However, we did get in a mini photo shoot before the party and were able to get some great 1-year shots, including this one-

And unfortunately, International Craft Day was a little forgotten this year- maybe I need to rethink the date for the future.

Extra Special Birthday Gift

First of all, thanks to all of you for the birthday wishes last week. We rolled in my 28th year in style, complete with a trip to the French Laundry- yum! Before dinner, I opened gifts; one of which I want to share with you here.

I have mentioned the Knitter's Rule on my blog before. It seems I finally dropped enough hints to get one for my birthday :) By this time, many of you have seen products by KaratStix in some venue. I'm pretty sure she has been featured in every knitting magazine I look through.

What I didn't know was all her products can be personalized. Imagine my surprise when

1.) I finally received the super stylish needle gauge I'd been hoping for for months,

and

2.) My Knitter's Rule had carved images of my very own designs!

Take a look at this close up pic, anything look familiar?

I was absolutely giddy when I saw my slippers, Breckenridge Cowl, and FPK logo on my new needle gauge. If this wasn't enough, it came with a bonus gift! The holes for the large needles are saved and turned into stitch markers:

How clever is that?

If you haven't checked out her products, you can buy directly from her Etsy shop. And great news for all you LYS owners- Karen wholesales these beauties as well! I know I will be recommending them to every LYS that I frequent. You can find more info on her website.

So if you were to order a personalized needle gauge, do you have anything special you would put on?

A Birthday Wish

Rumor has it that today is my 28th birthday. Boy, they just sneak up on you, don't they?! As a gift to you, I went on a mission at my parents house to uncover pictures from birthdays past. Here's what I came up with. This first picture is at my fourth birthday. Take note of the shiny, puffy sleeved, lavender dress. I loved this dress. I remember it well- the look of it, the feel of it, and how I used to pretend I was a rich girl from Little House on the Prairie when I wore it (no joke).

That's right, folks! Apparently 1988 was the year of the bow. Notice both me and my sister rocking the 'large bow on headband' look. This is not the only trend I found while scouring old pictures. I also peeped some nice one piece 'sun suits' (tank top and shorts attached- all in the same cotton material, did you wear these?), jelly shoes, and Pound Puppies (I totally forgot about those). It's always fun to look back and have a blast from the past moment on your birthday!

My wish this year? Finish this darn blanket! Things were going along swimmingly until I got to the lace edging. There I was, thinking I was almost finished, not suspecting at all that the short rows would take me hours to complete. I have about 3 feet left- down to the home stretch. Problem is, that interprets to a few hours of work and my attention is waning.

My other birthday wish (am I allowed to have two?)... is to see my nieces sing Happy Birthday to me.*

*Ahem....SKYPE....cough cough- you know who you are- make this happen (I'll be waiting) :)