lucky linky Tuesday.

have you linked today???? link up and check out all the super cute projects!

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hoot.hoot.

I had a crazy fun weekend this weekend. Seriously, it was great. I know it was great for a couple of reasons...the main one being that I am completely dragging today. :) In the midst of all that crazy and fun-ness, I did manage to get a new project done (well I started and finished it in about a 24 hour period. On little to no sleep. Sweett!!) I saw this idea on Ravelry and decide that I could try and re-create it for myself. So I did. And I LOVE this so very much!!!!!

(It's supposed to be an owl hat, however I did not put ears on it. And my sweet Dad said it looked like a character on Sesame Street. Whatever Dad--it's cute. So there).So of course, I needed to find the cutest baby in all the land to be my baby model. That part was easy. Meet Grayden...my new little love. (Actually this was the first time I got to meet this sweet little ginger baby too.) Grady's parents are two of my very dear friends, Jason and Laura. Grady's got two older brothers who also hold a special place in my heart...Graham and Gibson. Grady was born a few months ago, but because J and Laura live a few hours away, this was the first time I got to meet him!! I'm head over heels for this little guy...and who wouldn't be?? Look at that sweet face!!

Or this sour.....eeerrr, I mean sweet face!! :)

Check it out here...I'm linking this bad boy up to the following:

Night Owl Crafting

Lucky Star Lane

a border="0" href="http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/search/label/Show%20Off%20Your%20Stuff%20Party" target="_blank">

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my first attempt at reupholstering!!

(please excuse the picture qualities on this....I took them with my phone and they aren't the best)

Soooo, this is my first attempt at reupholstering a chair....and I have to say that I LOVED it!! My old boss sold me this chair (before picture) as he was cleaning out his house for a move to D.C. I paid $25 for it and probably spent that much in fabric and piping for the new chair.

Basically, I just took off the old, country bumpkin fabric (one staple at a time, mind you) and used it as a pattern for the new fabric. It took me about a week to do and the finished product is so fun!! It's probably my favorite place to sit and read or sit and crochet in my apartment!!

hmmm...what else can I reupholster now?????

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what to do this weekend

Its the first full weekend of fall everyone!!!! So far this week in Indy, we've had record high temperatures (in the mid-90's) but it looks like it will be cooling off starting this weekend. Need to know what's going on?? I've got the scoop... :)

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition

09.25-01.16

The unsinkable ship sails into Indianapolis for a nearly four-month run. We all know how the story ends, but come and share in the Titantic experience for yourself. Get a boarding pass with a real passenger's name on it, experience life as a first-class or third-class patron, and find out your fate at the end. The exhibit includes 250 salvaged artifacts, including passengers' personal effects and items from the ship.

Details: through January 16; Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington Street; $18/adults or $15/children; www.indianamuseum.org

Cancer Sucks Party

09.24

This is the third year that KJ, co-host of the "Smiley Morning Show" has thrown this party to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Check in at 8pm for the silent auction and stick around for live music from Living Proof from 9pm to midnight.

Details: 7pm, Champps, 8711 River Crossing Blvd, free; (317) 574.0333

Rocky Ripple Festival in the Park

09.25

This year's festival encourages people to rider their bikes--Pedal & Park will provide 40 feet of bike racks, and Free Wheelin' Community bikes will offer light tune-ups. You'll also find artists, food, beer and music.

Details: 11am to 6pm; 840 W. 53rd Street; Free; www.rockyripple.org

Mallow Run RUN-Wine at the Line

09.25

This race starts and ends at a winery. Afterward, grab a spot on the lawn, eat pizza, sample wines, and listen to live blues.

Details: 4pm to 8pm; Mallow Run Winery, 6964 W. Whiteland Road, Bargersville; $25/registration; www.mallowrun.com

have fun this weekend!

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who needs tailgating gloves???

ok I have to admit, I'm rather proud of these fingerless gloves. First of all, it was the very first crochet pattern that I've ever created and drawn up on my own. Basically, I came up with these last winter because I would always have to take my gloves off to use my iPhone. Hence...FINGERLESS gloves!! Brillant, huh???

I did these for a friend because she wanted some in Colts colors for tailgating before Colts games. (fingerless gloves are PERFECT for holding your beverage and eating your hot dog...FYI). I found this perfect Colts blue yarn that has blue sparkles in it. These are so cute and so feminine...the little buttons on the side are just a fun little touch!

Maybe one of these days I'll actually post the instructions on here....I guess that means I have to write them down first, huh??

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homeless tailgaters.

Last Saturday was the Purdue football home opener...against Ball State. Needless to say, Purdue won! But Sarah and Lisa and I wanted to be on campus for all of the suPURDUEper festivities. We didn't have any tickets to the game, and we wanted to tailgate (because that's where all the fun happens anyway).

Trying to find parking on Purdue's campus is hard enough...but on a home football game day, it's darn near impossible. So how stoked were we when we spotted this spot on the street NEAR the stadium?? I will say that this may be the smallest parking spot that I have ever attempted to parallel park in....and I nailed it on the first try. Ah-mazing!

Have I mentioned that I'm a HUGE boilermaker fan....and a Purdue alumni? This is what I like to call a Boilermaker Special! Before the game starts, the Purdue Marching Band marches into Ross Ade and plays the Purdue fight song. This may have been Lisa's favorite part.....oh and the World's Largest Drum (hello....can you say three hot blondes??)


After much discussion, we decided that trying to find a parking pass and a spot to tailgate would be a huge freaking hassle. So we decided to just tailgate hop. Sarah and I both knew people tailgating so we figured we would just find a home base for our stuff (and awesome rolling cooler). Luckily, Sarah's family had an awesome tailgating spread so we left the cooler there and walked around the golf course and then over to Slayter Hill.

I don't like the Saints...but I love Drew Brees!

Love my princesses!! We're like a freaking little sorority.....Princess Brooke, Princess Kelby and Queen Tracey.

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just another Monday night

I love Subway Art! I love that Tatertots and Jello came up with this fantastic idea because I'm slightly obsessed with it! It's so easy and so creative and you can express so many different things with it! I'm working on some Halloween and Christmas Subway Art for my apartment. (And, if you'll remember...I created some for my dining room...)

Anyway, I live in Indy and LoVe the Colts (minus that game on Sunday...whew). So I made this Colts inspired subway art last night. I think I'm going to list it on our Etsy site or sell it at some craft shows this fall. Who in Indy doesn't love the Colts? And this would look so perfect in any game room, bar, or kids room! Love this!!

I am also slightly obsessed with the show "Glee" and I'm so stoked for the season premiere next week (I have a little crush on Puck. Obviously. He's a hottie). So I'm having a Glee party next week for the premiere. There will be more pictures to come (sorry for the bad quality of this one...I took it on my phone at my desk this morning before I mailed out the invites). I have so many Glee-inspired ideas up my sleeve for my party! Can NOT wait!!

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weekend of crafting

Hey all! Hope ya'll had a fantastic weekend! I was able to wrap-up a few projects, which always makes me happy!

The first was this blanket...

According to my notes on Ravelry, I started this bad boy on August 18th and finished this morning. I LOVE this color combination...turqouise, navy and white. I used a pretty shell stitch and love the results! I love big blankets (or "cuddles" as Big Dub calls them) and am completely in love with the size of this one. I'm going to try and post it on our Etsy site later today. Don't you just love those colors!?? Ahh, I do!!

Next on the Project-To-Do-List were these invitations for my sweet friend Amber and her babe Avery. Avery's turning the big 1 next month and Am let me have the creative control over the invites--the only stipulation was that they had a monkey on them somewhere. Here's the final result!! (and how cute is baby Avery?! love that little booger!)

Finally, I was able to get some headbands done. I had these two pink sparkly headbands that needed a girly touch. I love rosettes and I'm loving the way these turned out. I tried to fray them on purpose to give them a more weathered look. I think these would look absoutely adorable on the head of any little girl out there! :)

Hope everyone else had a great weekend!

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all Americans are New Yorkers...

where were you when it happened?

what were you doing when the world came crumbling around?

I was a junior at Purdue. I just gotten back from my 7:30am class (we got out a little early). I was getting ready to hop in the shower when I got an AOL instant message from my buddy Jack. All it said was "turn on your TV." I replied, "what channel?" Jack said, "It doesn't matter."

he was right.

I turned on the TV just in time to see the second plane hit.

I felt like I was watching a movie.

This can't be happening. This can't be real.

This is America. Who would do this?

I called my sister. I couldn't get a hold of her. She had broken her leg the week before (on my 20th birthday) and I knew she was hobbling around campus somewhere.

I called my mom. I couldn't get a hold of her. She worked in the Federal Building at that time. I was instantly worried. No one knew what was happening. The media was just as confused as anyone. I knew Federal Buildings were a target (think Oklahoma City). I couldn't reach my mom. Panic was sinking in.

I called my dad. I couldn't get a hold of him. Dad had left the week before (also on my 20th birthday) for a job in Canada. He's also a Fed. He was doing government work. I couldn't reach him. Where the heck was my family?

I remember not wanting to leave my TV. At this point, people from my hall had gathered in my room. We were completely mesmorized. It felt like a bad dream. I remember writing down the date in my planner...I didn't want to forget what had happened....like I could.

Finally got a hold of Burgess. I went to pick her up. We decided to get our gas tanks filled up, just in case the worst happened. We beat the crowds and got both cars topped off.

We felt completely helpless. We wanted to help. I remember us driving around campus. American flags were flying everywhere. Everyone walked around in a complete daze.

Mobile blood banks had been set up. We tried to give blood.

We wanted to help. We wanted to do what we could do.

Finally heard from Mom. Her building went on lock-down as soon as the first plane hit the towers. She went home and was watching TV too, waiting to hear from Dad. She told us to get gas. She told us to get a couple hundred dollars in cash out. She told us that home was home base. If anything happened, do whatever we could to get home.

Finally heard from Dad. They went on lock-down too. Planes were being diverted to Canada. They closed the borders. Dad couldn't get home if he wanted to. Contingency plans were being made just in case. In case the worst happened.

The night, Burgess and I went to a prayer service at church. We felt so helpless, but we knew the one thing we could do was pray. Pray. Pray and fly our flags high.

I've never been prouder to be an American than I was on September 11, 2001 and the days and weeks that followed.

I've never been as thankful for my freedom as I was on September 11, 2001 and the days and weeks that followed.

where were you when it happened?

"The planes were hijacked, the buildings fell, and thousands of lives were lost nearly a thousand miles from here. But the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were an attack on the heart of America. And standing here in the heartland of America, we say in one voice:

We will not give in to terrorists.

We will not rest until they are found and defeated.

We will this struggle: not for glory, nor wealth, nor power, but for justice, for freedom and for peace.

So help us God."

-Tom Harkin


God. Bless. America!

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you betcha!

Once upon a time (about three weeks ago), this boy and this girl made a little bet.

The bet was to see who would be in better shape by January, when the boy returned from war,
where the boy serves in the US Air Force.

While the boy is deployed (until January), the girl decided to join one of these.

Now she is working her butt off to lose 20 pounds in five months to beat the boy in this little bet. The winner gets a case of one of these...

The end. :)

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what to do this weekend.

09.12

Indianapolis Chinese Festival

Got ping pong skills? You could win a iPad at this year's Chinese Festival in downtown Indy. The third annual event is a feast for the senses--along with Chinese and Asian food, there will be a dragon/lion dance, Tai chi demonstrations, lantern ceremony, Peking Opera and dance, musci and martial arts.

Details: Noon to 8pm; Military Park, 601 W. New York Street; Free Admission; www.iacaonline.org

09.11
Two Wheels. One City.
What do you get when you combine beer and bicycles? A rolling good time, of course! INDYCOG and Sun King Brewery present this one-of-a-kind event to celebrate "all things bicycle." There will be bike competitions and demonstrations and food and drinks from West Coast Tacos, A Taste of Philly and Natural Born Juicers, among other local vendors. Got an old bike you don't use? Bring it down for the bicycle drive to benefit Freewheelin' Community Bikes.
Details: 3pm; City Market, 222 E. Market Street; Free Admission; www.theindycog.com

09.11
French Market
Bonjour. Oui Oui. Quelle heure est-til?? Our French language may need some work, but our taste for French cuisine is in full force. That's why we'll be heading to the 20th annual French Market for some quiche, escarot and crawfish etouffee. There will be some good ol' American food there too, along with music, artisan booths and more.
Details: Noon to 10pm; St. Joan of Arc Church, 4217 Central Avenue; Free Admission; www.sjoa.org

09.11
The Penrod Arts Fair
One of the country's biggest single-day art fairs showcases top-notch artists, great food from local restaurants and six stages of live performances on the IMA grounds.
Details: 9am to 5pm; Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road; $12/advance or $17/day of show; www.penrod.org

09.10-09.11
Indianapolis Greek Festival
The Mediterranean meets the Midwest in this 37th annual event. Sure, we all know that gyros and baklava are some of the food that makes Greece famous, but what about meze, dolmades and calamari?? Plus, pick up a few new dance moves from the Holy Trinity Hellenic Dance Troupe.
Details: 4pm to 11pm on Friday and noon to 11pm on Saturday; Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 3500 W. 106th Street, Carmel; $5/advance or $7/day of; www.indygreekfest.org

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birthday weekend!

I love Labor Day weekend!! No work on Monday. Short work week. And of course...my birthday!!! I turned the big 2-9 this year...what?? How do I only have one year left of my twenties?? I remember turning 20--mainly because it was a week before September 11. But how have 9 years flown by?? My life is not at all where I thought it would be nearing the end of this decade, but I've been on many great adventures and I can only hope that more are in store for me!

To kick off the birthday weekend festivities, me and the gang went to the Kings of Leon concert Friday night! I LOOOOOVVVEEEEE me some Kings of Leon!! They are so good live, and this has become a yearly tradition for the posse. Brian and Melissa came in from Nash-Vegas, and met Kyle, Michelle, Eric and I at Scotty's Brew-ha-ha for dinner/beer before the concert. Then it was off to Verizon for the show. Can you believe that Mel and I actually got cold that night??! We were in the pavilion...with some awesome seats of course...and there was a breeze that could cut you like a knife. Thank goodness Eric had enough sense to bring a jacket....that I wore the entire night! Glad you didn't get cold E!

me and my girl Mel

the boys....and me.

Saturday morning....my birthday...I woke up to my dog whining at me and my phone exploding with Facebook posts! (side note--I love me some Facebook birthdays. My phone was seriously blowing up all day with people writing "happy birthday" on my wall. Love it!)

I met Sister up at Keystone in the morning for some birthday shopping--I didn't buy much but I got seriously inspired at Anthropologie for some new fall projects. Wait for it. I'm sure you'll see them soon!

After shopping, Sister and I went for birthday lunch at Don Pablo's...my fav! I love spending time with my sister. We have so much fun together and I love our sister time! After lunch, we headed to yet another mall for manicures!! I love getting my nails done and this time, we had the new Chanel polish and our nails look fab!! In fact, I need to go invest the $23 in the new Chanel to touch up my nails.....I :heart: nailpolish. Especially dark colors. By the way, the weather Saturday was absolutely PERFECT! Cool. Windy. Sunny. Felt EXACTLY like fall and I loved every minute of it!

After Sister time, I headed over to the 'rents house to spend some QT time with Mom and Dad on my birthday. Love my parents! Love spending time with them. Love that they live close enough I can just pop over there for a couple of hours.

Birthday night started (and ended) at Brothers in BRip. I just wanted a low-key evening with some of my friends playing pool. Sarah and I kind of suck at pool, but it was a good evening.

me and Sarah....besties!

me and Sprinks!

Sunday morning, I went to early service at church with my parents (they always go to early service...I'm usually at third. Those early weekend mornings are not my favorite!) Then I headed up to Lafayette to spend the night at Sister's....and spend some QT with Big W!! I told him that we would build a tent in the living room and "camp" that night. So we got out the sheets and blankets (or "cuddles" as Big Dub calls them) and set up camp. We ended up sleeping there all night and Big Dub did a great job. Although, he did roll over and get in my face at 3:30am...."Aunt Kelbs. Aunt Kelbs. It's not time to get up yet." No Dub, it's not. I think asked him if he was awake, and he said "Kinda." haha! He ended up rolling back over and going to sleep. I was exhausted the next day, but I'm pretty sure camping in the living room may be a new Aunt Kelbs/W tradition. :)

All in all, it was a great weekend and I'm excited to start the last of year of my twenties!

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Super-hero Capes for Super-Little Boys (and their Bears)

Since Kelby did a Link Party earlier on little girl stuff she's made, I thought I'd join in on today's Link Party over at 733 ("What are Little Boys Made of?).  I made Big W a super-hero cape back around Valentine's Day.  I based it on a tutorial I found on MarthaStewart.com, and made it from satin, with a big "W" on the back.  Recently, Big W's two best "shriends" (his word) were turning four, and one was having a super-hero-themed birthday party, so I made each boy a cape as well.  THEN, Big W and I decided that his favorite stuffed "shriend," Bear, should have a cape, too.  So I made Bear "super" with leftover satin.  I LOVE these.  I am especially pleased with the two most recent capes because I used felt for the emblems on the back instead of satin, and I think they look so much sharper.  (Also, personal plug, for local readers, I will have some of these for sale at Two Tulips closer to Halloween.  For boys AND girls!)  Have a Super-Thursday!

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subway art! (again)

last night was a night of finishing up projects that I've been working on for awhile. I got my new Silhouette machine a few weeks ago, and one of the first projects I wanted to make was some Subway Art for my "dining room" (hello, I live in a one-bedroom apartment. I don't have a lot of room for a dining room). Anywho, I finally finished up both pieces last night and am LOVING the way they turned out. I'll get some better pictures of the actual pieces when it's not 11pm and I have some natural light to work with. (I already had the chandelier up, so I wanted to make two pieces to compliment it).

I wanted to make something that was very representative of me during this point in my life...so all of the words are things that describe me right now.

KMH--my initials (Kelby Miller Hicks)
aunt kelbs--my sweet nephew calls me this
sister
writer
friend
doll
yankee--my dog :)
american honey--my "jersey shore" name
beloved--my tattoo (and favorite Bible verse Song of Solomon 2:16)
rockstar--my style
pink
blonde bomber
virgo
princess--representing the 500 Princesses!
daughter
faith hope love
laugh
republican--heck yes!
passionate
runner
fashion
creative
cosmopolitan
chelbs--what everyone calls me!

I'm seriously so pleased with how these turned out! Love Subway Art!

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that's what little girls are made of...

My second Linky Party....I think I'm getting the hang of this! :)


So my best friend Ambra had her third baby...first girl...on Wednesday! Baby Brinley Nicholle came into the world weighing in at 6lbs 10oz. I'm heading up to the hospital today on my lunch to see her...and of course, I cannot go empty handed! So I whipped up a few things for baby Brin!



Crocheting is my love. Seriously, nothing soothes my soul more than taking a skein of yarn and making something so cute and so fun out of it. I made this Love Bird (with a rattle inside) for Brin...mainly because her mama's favorite color is purple! And even though it is finally September, fall and winter are right around the corner. Every little girl needs a girly hat!



Ahh!! Who does't love ruffles??!?!?!!? Even more to the point, who doesn't love a ruffly little baby's butt?? I can't wait to see Brin in these! So fun to make and super easy (got the jeans and the OshKosh onesie from Kohl's...and they were SUPER on sale!)

My little Brin will be the best dressed baby ever!!

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