[Sponsor Feature] - Art By Britt.

Another on my recent sponsors is Britt from California.  She paints beautiful and inspiring images which usually combine text and bright colors with an abstract feel.  My favorite is the top image with the 2 coffee cups. So pretty!

Be sure to visit Britt's blog and see more of her beautiful art! She has also just welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world this month. Her name is Ellison, and I adore the name!

All the best to Britt and her family, keep up the beautiful painting! xo

have a fun halloween!

[mask by Lori Marie]

[Sponsor Feature] - Owl and Fawn Handmade.

 Owl and Fawn Handmade is an Etsy shop with cute crocheted hats and scarfs. The shop has hats in a variety of colors, perfect for fall/winter.

They look so cozy!  The hats are slouchy and will fit adults and kids alike. :)

Happy Opening Day to Red Velvet Shop!!

I have to give a big shout out to my friends in Springfield right now. Elsie, Emma, Jeremy, Rachel, and Elsie's family have worked so hard to put this beautiful shop together, and it opens TODAY!  I'm so proud of them for turning this space into their dream.  I was privileged to see the shop in progress when I visited last month, and I can only imagine what the finished product is like.  I am very inspired by the team work that went into this space.  Jeremy shows so much support to Elsie, and his passion for Red Velvet is evident.  (I hear he's got quite the charming 'Mens' section in the shop!)  Emma's Sweet Shoppe is the perfect compliment to the retail space, and I love that that they made Red Velvet house both of their passions... Vintage, Handmade, and Sweets!!

I wish I was there to celebrate the opening today, and enjoy a cupcake and some bubble tea with my pals, but my thoughts are with them.

**Cheers!**

to Red Velvet! XO

[Sponsor Feature] - Woolly Petals.

[burp cloths made by Kristin]

Woolly Petals is the blog of Interior Designer, Kristin.  She's a crafty Momma-to-be with great taste and talent! Take a look at her son's room, I love the paint!

Kristin sews, and stitches, and crochets, and posts of the many things she creates.  Check out her Etsy Shop as well, for some adorable stitched wall art.

Kristin also has a project going on called "From: Me To: You" which allows you to nominate someone to receive a handmade gift! So sweet! 

Thanks for sponsoring Create*Loves, Kristin, and all the best as you await your little one! XO

[Sponsor Feature] - KITTYROBOT.

Today I am featuring KITTYROBOT Etsy shop.

This is a bright, fun & cute shop full of handmade buttons and jewelry made of clay and resin. The buttons make the cutest embellishments whether you're a scrapbooker or crafter of any kind.  

I have earrings from Kittyrobot, and some super cute knitting needles with cupcakes on them that look so cute in my craft space.

Head over to the shop to see all the quirky cute items, and maybe you'll get some gift ideas for the crafter on your list! 

Shop owner, Jodie, is a sweetheart who shares a love of tattoos and Blythe dolls with me. You can read her blog here, and follow her on twitter, too! 

[Food File Etc.] - pretty kitchenware.

Orla Kiely's new kitchenware is gorgeous. Her patterns have the ability to bring any everyday item to life. Who wouldn't want their diaper bag to match their caserole dish??

If anyone is traveling to London anytime soon, if you could leave a bit of space in your suitcase to pick some up for me, that would be fabulous. Ok? Thanks. ;)

[Food File] - Another French Toast.

My non-dairy diet has been going great so far. It's only been a week and a half, but I'm getting the hang of it.  The thing I miss the most is cheese, but I can deal. I've had a lot of great suggestions for vegan alternatives via Twitter, so thank you!

I wanted to make French Toast for supper one evening, so I came up with a version that still worked for my diet, and Ryan said they tasted just as good as the real thing. :)

1/2 cup vanilla Almond Fresh almond milk
1/2 cup Silk for coffee "creamy soy milk"
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs (or egg replacement)
cinnamon & nutmeg - dashed
Vegan Becel - for the pan
6 slices whole wheat bread, french bread, or bread of your choice

Whisk almond milk, Silk, vanilla, and eggs in a bowl until frothy. Heat a frying pan, and add a small amount of Vegan Becel.  Dash a small amount of cinnamon and nutmeg on top of the egg mixture and place a slice of bread in the bowl for a few seconds, coating both sides.  Grill in pan until golden brown. Dash cinnamon and nutmeg on top of the egg mixture before each slice of bread. Serve with brown sugar or your favorite maple syrup. :)

Yum!

[Crochet] - Blankets.

I crocheted this blanket for baby Piper Scarlett. :)  It didn't take me very long, because it's nice and small. The perfect size for a carseat or stroller. I used a pima cotton yarn from Knit Picks, and I was really impressed with how it felt! The colors are beautiful too.

I love crocheting things for other people.

Here's the blanket that I made for Delilah.  This one took me 7 months to complete.... but let's just say it wasn't a huge priority. It's crocheted the same way as a granny square.. just bigger. A lot bigger. :)

It's just acrylic yarn, but still oh-so-cozy. :)
I'm working on a granny square blanket for Simon for this Christmas. He has asked for a green one. I'm making green squares and grey squares.  Hopefully it won't take 7 months to finish... ;)

Are you doing handmade this Christmas?

let's just pretend.

Let's just pretend that I had lots of free time to make my kids super cute halloween costumes, ok?

Not going to happen this year, but that's ok.

Do you dress up your kids? What will be they be this year?

[photo found here]

[Sponsor Feature] - The Perfect Pear.

Meet Lauren.

She's a tea drinking, crafting, crochet loving, blogger, and she would love it if you head over to her blog to say hello. :)

Lauren's blog is super cute. She posts DIY's, (like this cute Jewel Bib necklace)..

..as well as photos of her adventures, crafts, and the many things that inspire her. She likes Polyvore, too. I love this Pumpkin Patch set she created!

Nice to meet you, Lauren. Thanks for your sponsorship this month!

[Sponsor Feature] - Batzy Shop/Blog.

Victoria is the designer behind Batzy Shop.  She's a coffee loving, camera loving, DIY girl from Tijuana with a cute blog and equally cute etsy shop. Her blog has cute DIY projects like the headband pictured above, and how to customize your everyday items from headphones and jars, to pens and wallets.

You can find printable paper doll sets, custom digital portraits, and widget & banner design in her Etsy Shop.

A custom couple portrait would be a great gift idea for a friend! I think they're adorable!

Follow Victoria on Twitter as well.

My Current Hairspiration

Hair by Antoinette Beenders for Aveda

This is the cut/color/style that I am in LOVE with right now.  This style is inspired by Toyah Willcox,  from her 80's English punk band days.  It is part of the Sublime Collection for Aveda this year, and I have one of the stylists at my salon do the same color for me, I just love it!  It's a red base color, with copper highlights, and a dark red-violet color for the perimeter.  Perfect for this fall/winter.  

Where do you find your hair inspiration?

[Baby Loves] - Woodours.

Officially the CUTEST baby items I have seen in a while.

Don't you just LOVE him?? The dishes are adorable, and I'm so attracted to the patterns! Find these and more, here. 

[Look at my Nook] - October

I thought it would be a fun new feature to show you what I've been reading! I've never really been a reader, and I could probably count on both hands the number of books I've actually finished (sad!). I got my Nook E-Reader on my recent trip to Missouri, and I'm so happy I did!  It's a great tool, and so convenient.  It really makes reading more enjoyable for me.  So here's a look at what I've been reading this month:

I'm almost done Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I've enjoyed this book so far.  Even though I may not agree with everything she believes in, I think she's a great writer, and it's fun to follow her on her adventures in Italy, India, and Indonesia.  I love how she describes the pizza they had in Naples!!

Violet recommended this book to me, after mentioning my dairy-free interests. I'm looking forward to starting it soon.

This is a book that Ryan and I both want to read together, so once I'm finished Eat Pray Love, this is next on the list.  Ryan is a big fan of Rob Bell, and I think this is going to be a great read.

As a business owner, I've always got "branding on the brain".  This book has great ideas for small businesses, and inspires me to create a great brand for our salon.  It's always a work in progress.

What are YOU reading?