Pinspiration Friday {And a Big Announcement!}

For this weeks Pinspiration Friday, please head on over to Chevron Stitches.

What is Chevron Stitches? Well, it is my new blog! The Little Willow Tree has been great, it’s been a great first year, but I have outgrown the vision I had for this blog a year ago and feel that my new blog is more of a representation of who I am and what my purpose is.

It is currently undergoing a major upgrade from the fun little template that is on there now to an amazing design that will soon be revealed. {Blog design by Lauren of The Perfect Pear Design} But I promise you that what I have in store for you over at Chevron Stitches will be better than what I have offered you here.

I have thought long and hard about the decision, to move to Blogger and change the name. I’ve prayed about it too. With some great advice and encouragement from some of my best bloggie buddies and a referral to the amazing Lauren for a blog design, I decided to take that jump. Most of what has held me back is the fear of losing followers and having to rebuild everything back up again. But much like The Little Willow Tree, it will take time and the risk of losing a few of you against continuing to blog that doesn’t leave me feeling fulfilled is a risk I don’t mind taking. But I hope that if you have me bookmarked, saved on your Blogroll or Google Reader, that you will follow me over to Blogger and follow Chevron Stitches.

A lot of the reason why I chose to make the move to Blogger is to make link ups and giveaways not only easier for me, but for you too! Blogger also allows me to customize my posts better as well as the overall look and feel of the blog entirely. Another reason is its all wrapped up and tied with a bow with my Google account so the sharing ability and social networking for myself and the blog are not all over the place. I’m a bit of an organizational freak so having everything in one place for me is amazing!

I really appreciate all that you, my readers, followers, have done for me. Your support in sharing, commenting, participating and giving me feedback has been amazing. I love you guys so much! You make my love for blogging that much more amazing and I want to have all of that with you all over at Chevron Stitches.

So lets add the new blog to your bookmarks, sit back and relax for a bit. The new blog design will be ready very soon and a big, really awesome, reveal will happen. You will not be disappointed! And in the meantime, I’ll be posting over there.

Thanks, again, for all your support!

Xoxo,

Happy Birthday Little Willow Tree!

My birthday is tomorrow. Big ol’ 28. Yup, I said it. My age. I’m not ashamed! But it’s not my  birthday we are celebrating here today, its The Little Willow Tree’s!!

One year ago today I sat down and wrote out the first post that would become what Little Willow Tree is today. And I am so proud of my little blog.

It’s neat to see the changes over the past year and how much I have grown. From the photos…

Then:

Now:

{Ok, so I could still use some improvement}

To page views over the year…

Wow! Pretty amazing if you ask me. 

{Thank you readers!!!}

I also noticed that I have done a lot more crafting and diy’s than sewing, which is essentially what the blog was all about when I first started. But it has grown into so much more than just my sewing adventures. My ‘diy’ tags are quickly catching up with my handmade tags…

Not to mention making my posts more legit by adding a signature, then changing it to something a little more me

So; when are we going to get the party started??

Right now!!

To celebrate the blog’s birthday, and mine as well, I want to give my readers a present. It’s to show you how much I appreciate you and what you have done for me and The Little Willow Tree. Cause let’s face it; I could blog and blog and blog all I want, but it wouldn’t be what it is today {and what it will be tomorrow} with out you! 

And because it’s a present, it’s a surprise… so no revealing what the present is here, nope. You’ll have to wait till it comes in the mail!

All you have to do is leave a comment wishing Little Willow Tree a Happy Birthday! The first 10 commenters will receive a present from me! I’m celebrating all week long!

Thank you for all of your support over the year and for helping me make this blog into something bigger than I had envisioned a year ago!

Happy Birthday Little Willow Tree! 

*Sunday I will email the first 10 people to comment to get your contact information*

P.S. A very big announcement is going to be made on December 1st so keep an eye peeled. You wont wanna miss it!!!

Pinspiration Friday

Hello! It’s Black Friday – who is out shopping? Not me! I have been at home recovering from way too much Thanksgiving dinner and making this Friday’s Pinspiration!

Today we made homemade playdoh!

I found this simple and amazing recipe on adelynSTONE…

And here is what was created!

I love that the ingredients are simple and with the Koolaid it smells so yummy! All the kids in the neighborhood wanted in on the fun too!

Be sure to head on over to adelynStone blog to see how this amazing Playdoh is made and good tips on how to store it. She also has a great DIY section where I have already found some other awesome stuff to make!

Movember Giveaway Winner{s}!

Congratulations to Heidi and Shannon! You both won the giveaway! I will be contacting you shortly via email to send out your necklaces.

Thank you for everyone who donated for a good cause and for your support!

Happy Movember

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

This is my favorite Holiday of the year! Today we will be heading over to Richard’s sister’s house for a yummy lunch then off to his parent’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. I’m happy, Thankful really, to not host Thanksgiving this year, but I did make my famous Cranberry Sauce!

I’ve had a week of thanks I’d like to share

I am thankful for

-Richard and Bey who will do everything else for me with baby when I need them to

-quiet time to myself in the mornings and at night

-recipes that take only 20 minutes to make

-Richard, who remembers to get me coffee when I run out

-the Ergo so I can hold baby all of the time and not get tired

-the activity bouncer to keep Oli entertained so I can get things done some days

-family {my little one, Richard’s, and mine}

What are you thankful for?

November LoveClub

Happy Birthday to me!

Well, not quite yet, but I got a lovely box in the mail from LoveClub and it’s just in time for my birthday next week.

Don’t know what LoveClub is? It’s a monthly subscription service. You can purchase your box each month by renewing your service or you can save money by purchasing your subscription in three, six, and twelve month increments. Once you sign up, you will receive a lovely box in the mail {I LOVE happy mail!} with goodies worth more than double the price of your subscription from small business. The goodies range from hair pretties to accessories to beauty products and art!

Here is what I got in my LoveClub box, which is my first one ever!

Never mind the junked up box. Our mail man put this box in our teeny tiny mailbox and we had to take everything out of the box first then fold the box to get it out! Thanks mail guy!

Can I just say that I am definitely reusing the tissue paper!

Handmade Escape included this darling bow ring

Poofy Cheeks hair ties. Love these things!

Just.Love.Ly Things glitter headband. Wearing this today for sure!

Three Bees Designs print. Can’t wait to hang this is my sewing space!

Gorgeous bracelet by Horse Feathers. Yup; wearing this today too!

No, Bow & Arrow; You are awesome!

I would definitely consider my first LoveClub box lovely Happy Mail!

{Happy Mail Day stamp by Yellow Heart Art}

I love everything in my box and I am excited to sign up for another month! Thank you LoveClub for being just awesome!

Special shout out to my girl Heidi @ Mustache Mama! Thank you for making this happen for me!

Thanksgiving Dinner Recipe Roundup {and More!}

With Thanksgiving tomorrow you may find yourself planning last minute recipes for dinner. Luckily, all I have to make is Cranberry Sauce and show up at Richard’s parent’s house. Here is a roundup of recipes for a full Thanksgiving dinner, just in case you have no idea what to make yet. {I know there are a few of you out there!}

Rosemary Roasted Turkey Recipe

Thanksgiving Stuffing

Southern Style Candied Yams

Irish Mashed Potatoes

Rich Gravy

Scalloped Corn

Green Bean Casserole

Cranberry Sauce

Homemade Dinner Rolls

Pumpkin Pie

Pistachio Fruit Salad

Are there any other traditional or non-traditional things you cook for your family?

What Thanksgiving family dinner isn’t complete without a wonderful table display? Here are some lovely ideas to decorate and set the table this Thanksgiving.

A little something for the adults

And we can’t forget about the kiddos!

How will you be spending your Thanksgiving? Will you be traveling? Are you hosting? Share with me!

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving full of Thanks and Love and Family!

DIY Homemade Deodorant

Who loves aluminum? Not me!

Plus, it’s bad for your body! {Has been linked to breast cancer in women}

And who wants to spend lots of money each year on chemicals that can hurt your body? Not me!

What’s aluminum in? Deodorant! So I am going to show you how to make your own deodorant at home that will last you just as long as your regular deodorant for a fraction of the cost. And you should already have all this in your home {especially if you’ve been making all of my other DIY stuff!}.

Materials:

2-3 tbsp of coconut oil

1/8 cup baking soda

1/8 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch

container

Procedure:

Mix dry ingredients together in container then slowly add coconut oil until you get a paste. You can either use as a paste or pop it in the refrigerator and it will get hard like your normal deodorant. Just take it out of the container and rub it on!

*Note:

Coconut oil has lots of antibacterial properties! Thats why it works so great for deodorant.

You can sub the coconut oil for shea butter or cocoa butter and add tea tree oil or another essential oil for the antibacterial property if you’re allergic to coconuts.

Great for men too!

You will not smell like coconuts all day, I promise!

Thread the Pages | A Book Club

I’ve been wanting to join a book club for a while now. I love to read and I love getting together with a bunch of ladies to talk about nerding out over books. A friend of mine put one together, but I found that I am just not able to commit to driving down the the meet ups, especially while nursing a baby and being a one vehicle family. So last night I decided to organize an online book club. It seems to make the most sense since it gives me and the members the flexibility of staying in and still be able to be a part of a club. Maybe while still wearing our jammies and enjoying our coffee and chatting online?

With a few social media posts and a lot of responses, my book club is born!

Thread the Pages Book Club.

Can I just say I am totally in love with the name!?

I’ve never organized a book club before so I researched some guidelines in having one. There were suggestions of having a themed book club, meeting at a different members house each month, how long the meetings should be, how to choose a book – wow! I didn’t realize how much organization came with forming a book club! But after reading the helpful tips coupled with having this an online club, I definitely have figured out how I would like the group to form. And I have such great ladies on board that gives the group diversity and fun!

The first book has been chosen and will be announced tomorrow. The first meeting will be scheduled after the holidays in January. If you would like to join, send me an email at willow.little@gmail.com. I would love to add you to the group!

Lets get our book on!

National Button Day

 

Today is National Button Day, so I got out my Busy with Buttons book, hit up Pinterest, and found come cool crafts and a sewn project to adorn with buttons.

Button Balloon Birthday card for Bry {her birthday is Tuesday!}

Button bracelet that Bry ended up confenscating

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A small little pin cushion for Bry to use in her new tent

The new addition to my sewing space! Which just so happens to be my favorite button craft today. I am definitely making more of these!

Did you celebrate National Button Day? Share your posts below!