Love, Natalie Blog

Pecan Pie

2009-11-25T01:31:48Z

My favorite Thanksgiving pie is Pecan. Um Um GOOD! My grandma has the easiest and best recipe she found in a newspaper years ago. Try it out if you can, your family will LOVE you;) Great, my stomach just started growling! *if you have only dark corn syrup available, that works too!

Thanksgiving will be a little different for my family this year. Monday, my Grandpa was admitted to the hospital in a lot of pain. Not sure what is going on but looks like I'll be bringing some turkey to his bed side. That is what got me thinking about my Grandma's delicious pie. With Thanksgiving canceled at her house, I looked up the recipe so I can make it for everyone.

Hopefully you all are not stuck in the long grocery lines. I was in and out of Trader Joes in 10 minutes today, guess I got lucky in the lines because my parking spot was no where near the store! It took longer to walk to the car!

Thankful.

2009-11-21T18:46:42Z

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love how its so much about family and friends, and most of all thankfulness. Christmas used to take the cake. Now that I'm not so much into waking up at 6am and rushing to the tree to see what packages look the most like a Barbie, I've realized since, there is much more to life than gifts. Now its more like a struggle to hop out of bed, get the coffee on, rush to get ready for the big day, travel 2 hours to a relatives house and get to the gifts when you get to them. Don't get me wrong, I love a good gift, but there is something about a holiday where its main center is the table surrounded with the people you love, who love you and lets not forget the dinner!

A little handmade Thanksgiving for you, here are some finds for the big day.

1. Recipe Cards by backyardINC

2. Acorn Bells/Ornaments (I thought how cute these would look as a garlend) by pinkbeeb0

3. Happy Thanksgiving Banner by Earmark

4. Chalk Cloth Charger by modernjune

Pretty things.

2009-11-17T18:49:04Z

Yesterday, when we were having high wind warnings and the clouds were black and full of rain, I took a look inside this little shop and it shined some light into my house. Nest Pretty Things, by Tamar is the prettiest shop filled with all sorts of treasures. With 226 items for you to dream about, your dream is not too far off with her affordable prices. Here are a few of my favorites $50.00 and under.

Not only is her shop pretty, her blog is nothing short! And her pieces come beautifully packaged and ready to give for the holidays.

Café Love, Natalie

2009-11-16T19:19:15Z

Back in my ETSY shop, reusable coffee and tea sleeves! I can't leave this post without filling you in on my coffee favorite right now. Trader Joes Wintry Blend. It has become a tradition around the holidays I look forward to every year. Its so special because it has spices ground with the coffee. We're talking red and green peppercorns, whole fresh cloves and cinnamon. Warms you right up! I love using it for my espresso machine. It comes pre-ground so I always grind it more for an espresso blend. I have to warn you, not everyone likes it, but to me its the perfect wintry treat. Especially today when I have to have every light on in my house because the clouds are so dark and the wind is howling.

The Illuminated Owl

2009-11-13T16:32:44Z

Hi you guys! Thank you for all of your thoughts and well wishes. I'm doing so much better and hoping to leave the house today. I'm going CRAZY! It just happens to be pouring sideways rain right now, the day I'm feeling great and want to get out! But on a good note, I can taste and smell which are senses I haven't had in awhile. And its funny when you get those senses back, how much more improved your life is. Smelling my cats litter box last night, not one of those improvements. Waking up to oatmeal and freshly brewed coffee this morning, improved!

I wanted to introduce you to an ETSY shop I absolutely love The Illuminated Owl. Her creations are whimsical and remind me of being out in the woods. Its so funny, because I was such a city girl growing up. You couldn't drag me to anywhere dirty or that resembled nature. That completely changed after I was forced on a family vacation to Alaska, where we roughed it, and I mean roughed it on a 4 day canoe trip through the Alaska wilderness. I was changed. There was something about waking up to Moose walking around your campground in the morning and otters swimming all around you. These creations by The Illuminated Owl remind me of why I love nature so much.

Elisabeth, the artist, tools, paints, stitches and burnishes the leather all by hand. Amazing work. I hope you get the chance to check out her shop.

Out of comish for a few!

2009-11-10T22:31:47Z

Oh man, I am in some pain, sore and half way out of it! Yesterday was my sinus surgery. Third one so should be a pro, but found out I'm not! The surgery went well but the aftermath is not that fun. I'll be taking a few days to recoup and recover. I hope to be back to normal and ready to create some new things very soon. xoxo-Natalie

Get Pampered!

2009-11-04T21:10:00Z

November 5th is my friend Arian's Grand Opening of The Sugar Shack, a full total skin and body care boutique. I highly recommend visiting the shack if you are in the Bellingham area. Its a fantastic shack with awesome products, beauty services, decor and of course people! Not to mention she is a new retailer for Love, Natalie.

What's plaid with vintage buttons?

2009-11-02T21:25:02Z

New neck warmers/cowls as promised! Thanks again to Brittany, the mom of the three fairy princesses, who kindly agreed to model for me. We had a fun country/urban photo shoot. Grass fields, an abandon farm and ally way were the back drops for the shots. I love how they turned out! For more details, check them out at my shop.

I love how these cowls turned out. The plaid and vintage buttons make them so classic yet modern at the same time. Warm and cozy too with a thick jersey material on the back side. Hope you like the new addition to Love, Natalie. Happy Fall!

McCheeks Mayhem

2009-10-29T17:52:42Z

I have to share with you McCheeks Mayhem's ceramic designs. Absolutley original and charming! The modern typography meets old fashion floral china motifs are what drew me to this talented designer. When old meets new, something special happens. McCheeks found that something.

To see more and read more about McCheeks Mayhem, visit her shop, blog, and website.

Inspiration, buttons.

2009-10-28T22:45:19Z

I spoke too soon in my last post. Even though I have been trying to pump up my immune system with Vitamins, I guess it wasn't enough to fight off the raw sore throat, cough, sniffles, cold. So, I'm taken it easy and ready to share some recent inspiration. At a local antique store, I found this little zip locked bag of buttons in an old shoe box full of mix matched notions and everything in between. These gold, vintage buttons have inspired me to create some plaid neck cowls. While they are on their way, here are some of the buttons in the zip lock that inspired me. Gold and plaid are seeming to go great together!

Come to think of it, these would also look too cute on coffee sleeves. Also coming! I know, you are wondering when! Answer is, just in time for the holidays! I have been so busy working on custom orders lately but its in my plans to be adding more and more to my little shop. Happy Wednesday to you, and hopefully you are not attached to a box of kleenex and some cough drops like I am!