top eleven from 2011

It seems like everyone else is doing it, so here's my list of eleven best things about 2011 in no particular order...


Best new addition to our little family:

Tucker! Definitely one of the best things about 2011!

Best 2 week DIY kitchen remodel:

Still haven't gotten around to taking the "after" photos (because I still don't have everything on the walls yet, and the light fixture needs finishing), but we were able to do basically the whole kitchen from start to finish on our own in two weeks...with a 3 month old puppy!

Best birthday gift:

Tucker chewed off every single bud on my peony plant.  He knew that peonies are my favorite flower, so he got me some to enjoy for my birthday.

Best chenille baby quilt:

Me and my sewing machine were busy-busy this year, but I think I was most happy with how this quilt for a special little baby turned out.  I did have good  intentions about sharing the process, but obviously never got around to it.
I started with three different flannels (one yard of each) and one cotton baby print. I sandwiched them all together and sewed lots and lots of parallel lines half an inch apart diagonally across the whole thing.  Then I cut just the flannel layers between the stitch lines, put a satin binding on, and threw the whole thing in the wash.  All those strips of flannel frayed and krinkled up and created a soft chenille.
Here's the tutorial that inspired this crazy quilt.

Best summertime hang-out:
The back yard.  I get so excited getting all the patio furniture out in the spring, and so sad to have to put it away in the fall.  We eat as many meals on the patio as possible.  I'd have to say it's my favorite "room" in the house.

Best lunch of the summer:

Open faced tomato sammich.  Nothing beats a juicy tomato, still warm from the sun, on home made bread with mayo, salt and pepper :)

Best pink & orange & flamingo themed bachelorette weekend bash:
Another thing I was always meaning to share, but never got around to it.
I threw a bachelorette party for my best friend, Lindsay.  It was less of your typical "bachelorette party" and more of a "girls weekend" at Lake Chelan.  It was awesome and just what she wanted.  I went with pink & orange & flamingos as a theme, and of course there were lots of little details that all came together perfectly.

Best documentation of one of our many adventures:

In 2012 I really need to take a little more time to put some of the thousands of photos we take into little videos like this one.

Best use of paper + photos:

I haven't scrapbooked in a really, really long time.  I thought I would document our summer in a 4x6 format, easy enough.  I started with a basic mixed paper book from EliseJoy's Etsy shop, and added pages along the way.  I printed most of my pictures at home (until I got the the toner alignment in our printer off...then I made weekly trips to Costco), and I threw in all kinds of little memorabilia I gathered throughout the summer months, with some journaling.  It's thick, and random, and I love love love the way it turned out...and decided to go with the same format to journal my Christmas.

Best new business venture:
We've received so much support and encouragement from family & friends in going forward with a photography business.  We'll be making a push to grow more in 2012!

Best Christmas photo:

Everyone asked how we got the nose to stay on the dog...we practiced a few minutes every other day or so for maybe two weeks to get him used to it.  He also behaves pretty well when he knows he's going to be rewarded with treats.  Yes, I made the beard & the elf hat.  And the shutter opened and closed 180+ times to get this one good shot.

There you have it, it was a good year and hard to choose just 11 things.  I'm ready for the next year (even though I can't believe it's here already).
Goodbye 2011, hello 2012!