I just saw today that the finalists for the Softie Awards are officially posted. So many cool, inspiring designs to look at…

but my favorites out of all of them are these ultra-cute pieces by my dear friend Kayte Terry, aka Love Forever!

She gave me one of her charming little sewn cupcakes for my birthday this year — I just love the crafty food she concocts. Congratulations to Kayte and all the finalists! (and p.s. if you love the pear pincushion as much as I do, you can snap one up on etsy…)

On another crafty note, Adorn magazine and Velcro are sponsoring a very cool competition: just design an original craft or household project using Velcro, and you can win a Rowenta professional iron, an Adorn subscription, and $500 in cash — plus your project will be featured in the fall issue of the magazine! All the details are here, and the deadline is May 1, so you have plenty of time to come up with a great idea.