handmade bag.

i was so inspired by christine's holiday buckets, i decided that one of my new year's goals would be to sew a bag for my knitting needles and yarn.

i fell in love with this fabric at ikea almost five years ago, but had previously never figured out what to do with it. so, i got to work, and i am so pleased with the way it turned out.

i followed this simple tutorial, (although i made it a little bigger) and then just added the handles and two buttons for decoration. (the buttons aren't easy to see in these photos, but they are at the base of each handle).

the only thing i would do differently next time is to use some interfacing. i didn't have any, so the bag flops a little bit. but i love it anyway!

p.s. thank you to a special family member who provided indispensable moral support during the making of this bag.

i'm still in my pajamas.

this morning i woke up in a terrible mood. does that ever happen to you?

luckily, simon went out in the snow and came home with breakfast crepes! he also got us a s'more dessert crepe. heaven.

my plan for the rest of the day = not showering. drinking tea. watching comedy. reading. knitting. and putting together a puzzle.

yes, we're pretending that we're snowed in. even though we're not. :) happy weekend!

(photo credit: broken skyline)

dreaming of a craft room.

january can often feel like a blah month, so let's indulge in some good, old-fashioned daydreaming, shall we? :)

i would love to have a craft room/office some day... a place to sew, knit, write, wrap presents, and store all of my craft supplies in adorable containers. as of this moment, i do all creative things in our living room, as it's the only space big enough! but someday, my friends... some day. and then i will invite you all over for tea and crafting projects.

here are some of my favorite, inspirational images:

so, now i'm curious, do you have a craft room or a designated space to get your creative juices flowing? i'd love to see pictures! xo.

(photo credits: pinterest)

scarves, snow and a new friend.

last week i had the pleasure of meeting up with hanna from ever green knits. she recently completed a beautiful "vermont shawl" and asked me to photograph it. despite the fact that it was a freezing day, (and even snowed a little) we had tons of fun.

here are a couple of my favorites:

hanna's hair was beautifully braided, and i love the contrast of the pink scarf against her jacket. she also made a green one, which we decided would look lovely against this old, rustic barn.

i love the little snow flakes. what a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. thank you, hanna!

p.s. if you're interested in my photography or styling services, please feel free to send me an email to naturallynina [at] gmail.com. my rates are very reasonable and i love working with bloggers, artists, etsy-sellers and entrepreneurs. :)

loopty loop.

wow, gorgeous yarn like this makes me wish i was better at knitting. leg warmers would be pretty cozy right about now.

do you knit? what's your secret? i always seem to end up with holes.

(photo credit: .elsie cake)