Ikat Maxi Skirt made by...me. :)

i will be adding this skirt to my etsy shop soon. i thought i would give y'all a sneak peak. i was going to give it away but i went to get more fabric and they only had one yard left. not enough to make another skirt... don't worry. i have a back up plan. i will let you know about it soon. for now, i would love to hear some feedback on this skirt!

xoxo

p.s. the skirt was modeled by my friend jess steen. she is pretty much the coolest girl you will ever meet! i love her to death. we've only know each other for a couple of years but i definitely consider her to be one of my very very best friends! i am so grateful to have her in my life! i am designing her blog and am so excited for to get launched! keep your eye out for it!

OH.MY.GOODNESS!!!!!

i love seeing the items i have made being worn. especially by incredibly adorable little girls!

pic via {my babykins}

doesn't she make you so happy?

you will probably die after reading this...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!! i am still laughing uncontrollably over this picture! it is too funny and too true!

p.s. i heart bacon.

what's in a name?

i think the absolute hardest part of trying to start a business (can you really call my Etsy shop a "business", i don't know) is figuring out what to call it.

last year i had this fancy smancy idea of what i wanted to do with my etsy shop and where i wanted to take it. i settled on "dream catcher baby" as the name; my idea was to make all baby sleep related items (including dream catchers).

well, if you have visited my shop at all it has nothing to do with sleeping babies.

i finally found my "thing" and i am super happy and excited about it. but now i feel limited by the name. i have wanted to add adult items but i feel like the dream catcher "baby" wouldn't allow me to do it.

it's time to re-think and re-name my shop.

i don't mind too much. it will be a lot of work but i think i am ready. i have always usually embraced change.

so over the next few weeks i will be busy busy busy doing updates!

as i have been writing this post i have been getting more and more excited! wahooooo! i like being this kind of busy. it's exciting and keeps me on my toes. not that i need anything else to do that with kenny-boy around. hahaha. he's so cute.

i added something new to the old etsy shop! i am so in love with it! check it out----> {HERE}

i think its time for a cool giveaway...

soon.

*wink*

hehe!

wait...it's more like a "MUWAHAHAHAHAH"! 

i will post more about the giveaway on saturday. my friend is helping me model it {hint} on friday. here is a sneak peak....

 

i think it will be a super awesome giveaway! i am pretty excited. well...more details on Saturday!

**UPDATE** as a little more incentive to enter and share this giveaway i decided to add a bag of choffy as well. read more about choffy {here}. it's my personal favorite drink! 

i have been super busy sewing. like a mad woman. seriously. i made 8 dresses in the last 3 days. last night and today i had to tell myself out loud "you can do it!", "keep going jess", and "don't stop!". it was getting intense. i am so glad to be caught up and have a couple of days to play, relax, go to the park and watch Mad Men. 

my sister (rachelle) and her boyfriend, (cameron) came to stay with us this last weekend. it was super fun having them! here are some pictures of their visit.

 a flower we saw on our walk to the park. so pretty huh! i love love love spring!

 yes, my child's tummy is so big his shirts wont stay over it. hahaha! it's cute, okay!

 pretty sure mick has just as much fun as kenny does at the park.

 chaz. a.k.a. mr. popular. haha. 

 finally a picture of kenny and me! i have very few pictures of us.

 BAHAHAHAHA! this picture makes me laugh so hard! look at my little family running through the field!

 rachelle and cameron

 i remember this being a lot easier back in grade school. (i think i'm getting old...)

it was a pretty great weekend. the weather was a little dreary but it was fun having these two over! 

check out my etsy shop! i am selling only two more dresses for easter (they have to be ordered by sunday).

{HERE}

Cutest Cuties Contest!

Kenny made it to the voting round of the Cutest Cuties Contest! We're super excited. I didn't even know until today. Oh well...there are still a few days left to vote and we would definitely love your votes! 

To vote:
Go to Utah Valley Magazine's Facebook page {HERE}.
"Like" their page.
Click on the "Photos" link (on the left hand side under their profile picture).
Go to the album titled "Cutest Cuties: Newborns (2011)"
"Like" Kenny's picture {HERE} which looks like this...

Easy!

50 Way to Show Your Husband You Love Him via BusyBliss

i just got done reading {this} amazing blog post and i have to share it with you guys. it is so insightful and i am super excited to start doing more of these things. 

i want everyone to know just how much i love my husband! 

mick is my everything. 

kenny is my purpose.

they both are my world.

i am so grateful how my life has turned out. so much better than i imagined!

xoxo

50

so...ah, who would like to be my 50th blog follower?

p.s. this is what i looked like three years ago...feel free to point and laugh

my roommate and i were getting ready to go 80's dancing. we went often. i think my next post is going to have to be all about our outfits...yes. it's going to happen!

PNW

i am from the PNW. battle ground, washington to be exact. my favorite city that I have ever been to so far is portland. no...seattle. no...okay. they are tied for now. anyways, i am missing it so much right now it hurts. i want so badly to live there.


some of my fondest memories take place in the lovely PNW.

going to seattle with my brother tim is in my top 5 favorite memories of all time. it's right up there with my wedding day and birth of my child.

spending the day in portland with one of my very best friends, lizzy poo hatch/cabezas

driving through the rain forest and going to forks with liz and my brother. it was incredible! breath taking. (not forks...the drive through the rain forest was. hahaha)

hiking around battle ground lake with my sister and talking in a british accent the whole time

institute (an adult LDS class) and clark (vancouver's community college) during my senior year of high school

skipping my first class to go out to breakfast with my friends at fatty patty's (surprise mom!)

driving around with my brother. screaming at the top of our lungs. driving off of curbs. almost dying on the interstate. and yes...even that one time we got lost {here}

certain friends that i made. there are few that i have truly treasured their friendships...more than i think they will ever know. i guess i will name a few just because, jessica taylor, desiree hemstock, and kaitlin new (i wont mention the boys because that may be a little on the awkward/inappropriate side?? maybe??)

the mother's that were in my home ward. there is one mom in particular that i have admired so much. i always think of her when i try to be better mother to my kenny. {meagan allen}

lewisville park of course!

going to the portland temple with my mick. words cannot describe how much i loved being in there with him for the first time.


anyways...my heart will always belong to the PNW. it will always be the place i call home.

i cannot wait to go home in june for my brothers wedding. i wish that it could be a longer trip but i am so grateful that we will be there!

tim and i on our trip with liz through the incredible pnw

a week in phone pics...p.s. i really want an iphone.

1. we go to church to get some exercise. seriously. kenny will climb up and down the stairs the whole.freaking.time. 

2. um...really?

3. just trying on hats at target. this one was his favorite. hahaha! silly boy!

4. we LOVE LOVE LOVE our back yard! i love just being able to send kenny and chaz out back to play. they love it too!

5. again, loving the back yard! kenny and reagan are fbff's (forced best friends forever). 

6. kenny loved riding the four wheeler at grandma and grandpa's!

7. my dream kitchen. 

8. kenny and i got to go hand out with his cousin eve. she is 13 days older than kenny. they were totally buds!

9. i don't like chocolate but for some very strange reason i was craving these babies. i thought i was pregnant. hahaha, but i am not. it was just a menstrual craving. tmi? **

10. my newest creation. i feel like i should be naming these little lovelies! any suggestions for this pretty floral big bow dress?

it has been a good/emotional week (refer to picture #9. if you're wondering why it's been emotional. haha). i am excited to start a new week and am looking forward to some warm weather and my sister's visit this weekend! she is bringing her boyfriend! ooh la la! ;)

xoxo

**we are not trying to get preggers. it just isn't time for #2 yet. someday... i just thought i should clarify. ;)

Adventures in Old Navy

I buy most of Kenny's clothes at BabyGap and Old Navy. These two stores are pretty much my happy places. lol. I really do love shopping at BabyGap and Old Navy. LOVE!

I really like Old Navy because it seems like year round their colors are bright and inviting and it really is just a happy place. I also ALWAYS find amazing deals! 

Today was quite the adventure. I pulled up and right outside the front doors there was a couple being arrested for shop lifting. Crazy. 

Inside, I mostly chased Kenny around the store because all the shopping carts were missing.  I was able to find a good deal on a new church shirt and some summer sandals for him, which was exactly what I went there for. 

The best part of my Old Navy shopping trip was watching Kenny trying to figure out the headless mannequin. HAHAHA! Oh my it was so hilarious! I wish I would have taken a picture. He just stood there and stared at it and you could see by his facial expressions that he was just so confused. Definitely a little freaked out. 

Oh man, I sure do love that boy! He makes my whole life so much better! 

Here are a few of my favorite finds at Old Navy.

Etsy Success.

It is... 

Overwhelming. 

Exciting.

INSANE!

scary....?

i looked at my Etsy shop tonight and just started crying. i have never felt this kind of success before. i am actually overwhelmed because of all the orders i have. i need to go buy fabric, sew, package, and ship. it's a process. i simply enjoy and love it though! 

i am struggling with packaging. If you have any tips, suggestions, ideas...anything, i need some help. i am specifically looking for boxes i can ship clothing in.

so here i go about to get REAL personal with my sewing machine! 

please pray for me that i can complete these orders in a timely fashion and get them shipped soon! i want to continue my success by making my customers super happy with their finished product(s) and the speedy delivery!

xoxo jess

Reverie

i have been following {this} blog for quite some time now. 

i often look at the posts and just drool over the incredible talent of those photographers! as my heart would beat a bit harder i would think to myself..."this is what i need to be doing. i need to keep at it because someday, i will be featured on this blog."

well reverie is offering a sweet giveaway and i am pretty sure it is something that i really need to get me to the next step in my photography.

check it out here at www.reverie.com

enter if you would like, and if you win make sure to send me the prize! ;)

-----------------------------

i am craving a photo session. please spread the word.

jess swenson would like to take your picture!

$75.00 $60.00 (how about 20% off) a session

disc with high resolution, edited pictures

full rights to print

sweetly preserved memories

{mjswensonphotograpy.blogspot.com}

Happiness is...

...warm weather!

...biggest, chunkiest, squishiest legs

...baby kisses

...charmin ultra soft

...family guy

...homemade banana bread

...clean kitchens

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge

Whoa...

i cannot believe how busy i have become all of the sudden. i seriously have like a billion orders for that big bow dress! okay...not literally a billion but like 4. but i am also sewing like a mad woman for the Sew-vivor competition, and i offered to make my sister's bridesmaid dress (which i am actually super excited about!), and i am planning a yard/baby boutique sale tomorrow because i NEED room for my other stuff, and...i am a mom. which is obviously the best part of it all by far!

but seriously, kenny is so dang active! i try to keep the house clean but he will NOT have it! the other day i literally walked from one room to the next cleaning up his trail and i am pretty sure he was following me making sure that the rooms were messy just the way he liked them. after making a couple rounds i realized what was going on (i must have been in Auto-Pilot mode) and i just sat down of the floor and laughed because i was not going to win this battle. oh well.

i am adding something new to my shop, adult bow ties. yes. to match the baby bow ties. i have a pattern all ready to be used to make something amazing! i think i will make a little girls dress with a matching daddy bow tie. is anyone interested in trying out my new idea? for easter maybe?

anyway, i need to get busy sewing.

Kenny's Easter Bow Tie and a Picture Tutorial

I seriously flipped when I saw this amazing fabric! I immediately bought some despite how pricey it was. TWELVE buck a yard people! I have some amazing things in store with that little yard of fabric. You will see in a few weeks! This is the Kenny's Easter Bow Tie. Its so fantastic huh! I can't wait to have him wear it!

So I thought I would do a tutorial on how I take pictures of the items I sell. It's super easy. You just have to have really nice natural light!

I set up right next to my bedroom window. My bedroom has two amazingly big windows and it is definitely the most well lit (naturally) room in the house!

Okay, so you need natural light, a chair, a big piece of white poster board, and your camera.

Tape the poster board to the top of the chair. TAKE YOUR CAMERA OFF OF AUTO! Seriously. When I first bought my camera that was the first thing I did. I put it on Manual and forced myself to learn how to work the settings. Google was my bff for the first while.

I took these pictures around 11 am and these were the settings I used: ISO 200, 1/40, F4.5

Place your item on the seat of the chair and then...take a picture! Simple!

bet you didn't know...

...my favorite animal is a horse. specifically the brand, friesian. so incredible and beautiful. and i love horseback riding.

...i hate green beans but will always eat them because supposedly there are health benefits to eating them. yuck!

...one of my very favorite music artists is eminim

...i secretly played gears of war 3 and left for dead over the summer while mick was out working. 

...my favorite flavor of all time is coffee. 

...i cry every time there is turbulence on a plane. it makes everyone around me feel way awkward. sigh...i can't help it though.

...i am not a big fan of chick flicks. there are a few i like...love. but for the most part, really not my cup of tea

...speaking of tea, i love ice tea. especially in the summer!

...i hate gardening. 

...i prefer to put my pictures in albums than scrapbook. 

...i don't like chocolate or watermelon. this fact always makes people freak out. 

...i sew. oh wait, you actually knew that. haha!

i want to know new things about you! comment on this post with your blog address so i can learn more about you guys! 

Sew-vivor

So I have a best friend named Hannah. She's super awesome! We've been bff's since grade school. I love her a lot. We use to play barbies and dress up (she will always tell you about how we played barbies under my family's piano. it must have been a life changing experience for her or something. idk), we planned on getting married at the same time and having babies at the same time and growing old together practically, hahaha!

We actually did get married at the same time, 6 days apart is all. The downside is we couldn't go to each other's weddings because they were so close to each other and in different states. Fail.

We totally had babies like 5-6 months apart and now we live literally on the same street just like two blocks from each other. I can see her apartment from my front yard. Yeah, I would definitely say we're besties for life.

Anyways, Hannah has a big sister named Rachel. Rachel has a sweet blog called Family Ever After. Family Ever After is doing is incredible "Sew-vivor" competition. Almost 200 people entered. I. Me. Moi. made it to the TOP TEN of the competition!

WHAT?!?!

I could not believe it when she announced the top ten. The very first thing I did when i woke up was look at the top ten announcement. I was completely shocked! I remember looking through all the contestants and feeling way discouraged because there was some AMAZING talent entering. I really didn't think I had a chance. I decided I would sit out and just watch. Then the last day came and I thought to myself, "why not, i don't have anything to lose". So I entered my favorite project of the moment. I am so glad I did! After it sunk if I totally started crying like a baby! hahahaha! Embarrassing, I know!

This is going to be a super fun challenge for me! I will definitely be doing my ultimate best and challenging myself to take my sewing talent to a whole new level! No holding back. I told Rachel that I am officially in compete mode. I am ready!

Tostadas

This is probably my favorite meal of the moment. Mick really knows how to make Mexican food! I thought I would share the recipe with you guys!

ingredients:
-corn tortillas
-cooking oil
-beans
-lettuce
-Cacique Rancher Queso Fresco cheese {here}
-sour cream
-salsa

we like to make our own beans. mick puts them in a crockpot a few hours before we want to eat. SOOOO much better than canned! we mush them to make them "re-fried", but don't put lard in them, just a little salt.

we make sure everything is prepped and we begin the tortillas. for that just put a small amount of oil in a frying pan and warm it up on medium heat. fry the tortilla until light golden brown on each side.

now, put the ingredients on the tortilla in whatever order you like. this is how i do it:

tortilla, beans, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and then salsa.

EAT! ENJOY!

Sunny Sunday

seriously. i am aching for spring/summer! today has been such a beautiful day! kenny and i went for a little walk this afternoon. he collected a few sticks and leaves which was pretty fun for him. what a funny little man. 

doesn't he make your heart so happy?

i really like his squishy tummy.

a question for YOU!

i was just wondering what YOU, my readers, would like to see on my blog.

fashion?
more tutorials?
photography tips?
home decorating/organizing?
stories?
recipes?


anything???

i seriously would love to hear all your ideas and suggestions!

much love, jess

The "I am trying to be upset but I like the attention so I can't help but smile a little" face.

And the Photo Contest Winner is...

DINAH!!

Wahoo!!! Look at this adorable little guy surfing! So cool!

You guys should all go check out dinah's blog {here}. she has way cool fingernails! hehe! dinah is pretty much the coolest. i remember as a little 12 year old thinking she and a couple of the other girls in my church were SOOOO COOOL! they were older and so pretty and i could not wait to grow up to be like them. haha!

do you wanna hear a funny story...for my very first dance (at age 14...whoa, i cannot believe this has been 10 years!), dinah and this guy were in charge and they decided to do a "snowball" dance. is that what it's called where a boy and a girl start the dance off then they go and ask some one else to dance...until everyone is dancing. well, they picked me to start it off. it was my first dance ever and i had the whole room watching me. ugh...i was so embarrassed! lol. i survived though and went on to dance many dances in front of a large crowd! haha!

anyways, congrats dinah! we loved your picture! message me your address [jessicahunt88{at}gmail{dot}com] and i will get your print sent to you!

thank you to all who entered!! i am so grateful for the support and for you guys wanting to participate in the fun things i try to do here on my blog! there is more to come!

Chaz. The Pet of the Month. No big deal...

BAHA! whatever! it is so a big deal for us! we freaking love our pooch and even though i was the one who entered him in the pet of the month contest, and he won by a random select, we are so proud of him! he just makes us so happy all the time!

go {here} to see the post featuring OUR chaz!!

chaz is two now. we celebrated his birthday on the 19th of february. it was a good day. he got homemade doggy food. real chicken, rice, and veggies. he LOVED it! i can't believe our puppy is growing up! we have been discussing finding him a mate. lots of people have already claimed a chaz puppy. haha!