MommyCoddle

She sews

Christmas gift-giving was a real challenge for me this year. Even up to the last few days before the holiday I was scrambling for ideas.

I was feeling like my kids didn't really need anything. We have plenty of toys. The baby is drowning in three sisters worth of hand-me-downs. Their rooms are totally messy which makes me even less excited to go out and buy more "things" to add to that chaos. 

But my kids aren't quite at the age where they appreciate a hive of bees or a goat. 

Ideally I like to have one "winner" gift. Something that will thrill their socks off and then pepper the rest of the gift-giving with little things like books, underwear, chapstick and pencils. 

Finally at the very last minute this year, and thanks to an in-store phone call to my sister, inspiration arrived. 

For Mary, it was actually easy--she's been begging for an (inexpensive) digital camera since the first hint of holiday decorations started appearing on store shelves. (So that's like, what? October?) And for her slightly absent-minded personality, she's handled the responsibility impressively well. The camera still works AND she knows where it is. 

But Emma was a challenge. She wanted a horse-y Christmas and had things on her list like an indoor riding arena (Lord, help me.), and jockey silks. (They aren't cheap!)

She also had on this on her list at number 10: That Birdy will stay little forever.

Be still my heart. She immediately got extra points for that one. 

So, as I was standing in the local Feed Mill staring at hay racks and shedding blades, nothing was inspiring me. 

But in a desperate phone call to my sister and a "What are you getting your kids?" conversation, I hung up the phone with a plan. 

My girl was ready for her own sewing machine. 

If you've caught any of my whining around these parts, we've been without a sewing machine in this house for almost three years. I've been borrowing and begging which is no fun. And Emma loves to sew. 

Even with my majorly budget-minded Christmas, I was still able to get her a very basic, entry-level Singer. 

I've never really given Emma specific sewing lessons. She knows the basics and nothing more. But watching her navigate the creative sewing waters is exciting.

It's like when toddlers first learn to dance. The minute they start to bop to the beat, you don't whisk them off to dance classes. There is so much creativity and growth in them learning how to swing their hips and bend at the knees. They're way more creative and free without the boundaries of proper dancing technique. 

And I'm finding the same to be true with Emma's sewing. I know she knows enough to be safe. She knows that if she doesn't want her stitches to pull out she needs to do a little back-and-forth at the beginning and end. But otherwise, she is a blank slate behind the presser foot. The possibilities are endless. 

I know that eventually what she wants to make will get more complicated and some instruction will be required. 

But for now, my house is peppered with tiny hearts, miniature pouches and endless possibilities.

The dining room curtains and pleated skirts can wait....

sheep fabric

Last year, I doodled this sheep drawing into a notebook one afternoon while I was sitting at the table with the girls. I have always kind of loved it and wanted to turn it into something I could use. I thought about notecards, or a totebag, or putting it on the front of little onesies or tees for my kids, but I never really followed through with any of those ideas. 

A few weeks ago, this baby blanket idea reminded me of spoonflower so I decided it was finally time to move the sketch from my notebook onto something. 

After much anticipation, last week my own little piece of sheep fabric arrived in the mail. I'm beyond thrilled, especially because I have a soft spot for anything "sheep" and it is impossible to find sheep things that aren't completely "cartoon-goofy" or "cutesy precious."

The whole process on spoonflower was simple. I only ordered a fat quarter of quilters cotton and another swatch of a cotton canvas. If I eventually order more, I think I'll make the print a tiny bit smaller.

But eek! Overall, I LOVE it. Now of course, I'm faced with determining what project will be worthy of my little quarter of sheep print. 

B is for Birdy

First of all thank you for all your thoughts and hellos on my last post. It was enlightening and encouraging to hear all the different perspectives and ideas on blogging and commenting. Thank you to all who took a moment to say hello, but I also want to say again, that my post wasn't meant to focus on people commenting or not on my blog. But it was simply was me thinking out loud about how I've been feeling about blogging lately...

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I printed up these onesies for Birdy this weekend. I've had these old letterpress stamps kicking around my house for years and I've always kind of wondered if they would actually work for printing. I just never tried. 

And even though it is the end of May and I just turned up my heat, I know that eventually summer will arrive and Birdy will be pretty much living in onesies. So of course, I need to "cute them up" a bit. 

This project took me all of five minutes. 

I love the way it turned out. 

And I am seriously resisting the urge to put a big letter B on anything and everything. 

Birdy hasn't told me if she likes them or not. When I tried to get a photo of her she was screaming. She's such a baby. 

But every time I snap open her sleepers to reveal the big B on her chest, I feel like there's a super hero lurking underneath. 

Maybe I should make her a cape... 

sniff, sniff

A few weeks ago, two of my dear cousins came to town for a visit and stayed at my grandmother's house. On their last day, we sat together in my grandmother's bedroom on her boldly upholstered sofa, knitting, looking at old scrapbooks, reminiscing, and assessing the future. 

One of my favorite things in my grandmother's bedroom, aside from that great sofa, are the throw pillows that cover it. I've said it before but one of the things I love about my grandmother's house is that her handiwork is everywhere. And those pillows are no exception. Some were gifts, some made by her children and many made by her. 

To me, they are little gestures that carry so much love, care and effort. 

And during the time we spent in her bedroom that Sunday afternoon, I determined that I would make each of the girls a pillow of their own for Valentine's Day this year. 

When I was living on my grandmother's farm, she gifted me a small basket of her fabric scraps and many of those fabrics went into the girls' pillows. At the bottom of that basket, I also found a piece of the same fabric that upholsters her bedroom sofa--enough to back each of the girls pillows. 

As I ironed and stitched the fabrics together and appliqued a special design on the front of each pillow, for each girl, I said to my husband, "This fabric smells like her still." It made me teary, but happy.

And when those three little girls opened their presents Valentine's morning and pulled out the pillows, they clutched them and buried their noses in them. "This smells like Meemu!" And they recognized that fabric and knew bits of it were from her. 

It made all the effort and the sneaking-around sewing, and the borrowed sewing machine, and the stuck fingers, and the ripped out stitches and silly mistakes worth it.

to my husband : please don't read this post

It's probably dangerous to be posting about Christmas gifts, but this one is so simple and quick, I wanted to share it before the holidays. And it is the kind of thing I love to see hanging around my home. Yes, this gift is for Dan, but I think I love it just as much as I hope he will. 

We're on an extremely small budget for the holidays this year. I've had to be super-organized and super-creative. I've also had to figure out exactly what I want to get each person on my list, versus wandering aimlessly online and in shops, looking for something to catch my eye. 

Ironically, it has been somewhat liberating to be reigned in so tightly this year. In my mind I came up with a plan--one nice, squeal-worthy gift for each child and a few smaller, inexpensive gifts. But for Dan, I knew I wanted to give him a few things that were either handmade or "created" at home. 

In the past I made him these silhouettes of the girls, which he loved and immediately hung up in our apartment. And now they sit just at the top of our stairs, here at Thomas Run. (While taking this picture I realized that Elizabeth's silhouette desperately needs to be updated--her baby picture is quite boy-ish.) 

And this year, I wanted to do something similar--something to mark this year, these ages of our girls. 

When I was little I remember my handprints, made in paint, hanging on the family wall in our kitchen. And with that idea in mind, I decided to create a fabric version for Dan. 

I traced each of the girls hands and then machine-appliqued the handprint onto some linen fabric. With Mary and Emma, I had them write their own names inside of the handprint and I wrote Elizabeth's. Then I simply embroidered over their names with a split stitch and added the year in which the handprints were created.

I was pleasantly surprised to find these frames at the dollar store which fit perfectly. They are not a standard size, but are the type of frame where you'd add multiple photographs of different sizes into a matte board. I removed the matte and slid in the fabric handprints. 

All in all, the stitching and sewing could easily be completed in a day and the whole project cost me $3, since I only used fabrics and embroidery thread in my stash. 

And I think they'll be a pretty nice addition to our growing family wall.

In other shopping news a few things catching my eye, that I wanted to share while there's still time:

Stonz booties : Elizabeth received a pair of these last spring. And I can't tell you how wonderful they are. She is still wearing the same pair she received last year--they are warm, (especially with the sherpa liner), durable, easy to wash (even after an episode in the mud), they stay on, and they are so cute. 

Olive Juice : We've talked on here before about finding (or not finding, actually) classic, age-appropriate clothing for children. And I am completely smitten with this company. Their clothes are classic and well-made and have a touch of vintage charm that I really love. For some of us, the prices may be a little intimidating, but it is well worth your two seconds to sign up for their email list. They have frequent and wonderful sales. I've scored many good deals when they discount all items in their "outlet" to $10. Mary has this shirt. Emma has a dress from them, that I can't find online at the moment. And I absolutely love this, this, and this. Oh! And this, and these!

RosieHippo: I'm also excited about this gift that will be making it's way under our tree for Elizabeth. She'll also get a little set of these.

A few other handmades catching my eye : with our history, of course I kind of dig these fox pillows--is that strange? I secretly wish I could get one for each of the girls. I love the 2010 Tea Towel Calendar from Cicada Studio. And there is a lot of potential with these blank, unfinished wood cutouts....

Phew! That's enough links for one post....happy handmade, happy crafting, happy shopping.

sun, day 2

Good Morning, friends.

We are on day two of sunshine and I am soaking it in. It has been a wet, dreary fall so far and I'm learning to truly appreciate each sunny day, as if it were a gift.

Yesterday, I actually found myself out on the mower--mowing our grass in the middle of November. I have to say, I'm sad to see that job disappear for the winter. It is one of my favorite things--ipod on, children can't interrupt me, seeing the trail of accomplishment (mowed grass) behind me. And to top it off, the mower we use is one of those commercial zero-turn kinds. The kind that spins on a dime. I think you all know how much I enjoy a good power tool. And this, though much bigger, falls in the same category. And when you have as much grass to mow as we do, a little riding mower would take half a lifetime to get the job done.

Did I just write about riding mowers on my blog?? I'm turning into my husband....

Last week was a long one--Dan was home sick for two days, which always seems to throw everything off, even though we barely saw him emerge from the guest bedroom. And the girls and I were on house arrest the rest of the week, as my car was in need of brake repair. Let's just say, when it gets to the point of grinding, it's time to change the brakes. Thank goodness, my husband could do it, and save us the astronomical costs of repair.

Did I just talk about changing my car's brakes on my blog? I am turning into my husband...(I did refrain from talking about the frozen calipers [my new vocab from the weekend])....

We also had rain all week and by Friday the girls (and I) were suffering from a severe case of cabin fever. I could tell they had huge amounts of energy that needed to be expended, so I got them going on a project. I figured they could expend that energy in a creative form. Creative therapy, I like to call it.

So we pulled out the iron and ironing board and my big basket of fabric scraps and began cutting out triangles for what will eventually become a little flag banner to hang above the beds in their room. Each child had a job--Mary turns out to be an excellent iron-er. And Emma traced and cut out (with pinking shears) all the triangles.

Elizabeth "sorted" the scrap basket. And Ruby laid behind me and chewed up tiny bits of fabric scraps and paper. She's such a help.

Immediately, the mood of the house changed. The girls settled down and became engrossed with their jobs. Emma, who loves a good project, began to talk my ear off. I barely spoke through the whole project except to answer a few questions, or agree with the things she was sharing with me. It seemed like all that energy was coming out through her hands, and her mouth.

It was a great way to break the week's foul mood.

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In other news, the winner of Friday's Show & Tell giveaway is Emily Preston.

Emily, please send me an email (you'll find it on the About Molly page) and let me know you're mailing info. I'll get the book out to you asap.

local craft

Every year, the school that my little sister attends (and perhaps Emma will attend one day, too) holds a smARTS Week. Local artists, crafters, and teachers host a variety of classes and for those three days, regular schoolwork is put on hold while the students get up to their elbows in art. Classes cover the whole spectrum of interests from nature-journaling, cake decorating, flower arranging, gospel singing, sculpture, photography, glass fusing, pottery, and so much more. It's the kind of thing an adult could get mighty jealous of, (and I've been hinting around that I'd love to see a smARTS week for adults, too.)

Inspired by Jade's Craft Hope project, I threw out the idea of offering a quilting class to the students--having them create quilts that could be given to needy children in our community. The idea was a success. There were sewing machines available, the school's music teacher was also a quilter and things were set in place.

The original plan was for me to be on location, helping with the class, but when my babysitting fell through, I found myself as the behind-the-scenes help for the class.

The students in the quilting class created two quilt tops--in quite interesting color schemes :) --and they were sent home to me to add the batting and the backing, and then sent back for them to hand-tie the next day. Most of the students in the class had never sewn before and I was given some interesting quilt tops to work with. But with a little squaring up, some reinforcing of seams, and a bucketful of God-given patience, I was able to send back their quilts, tied up in bundles to be hand-tied and sent off to someone in need. 

I've always noticed in my sewing experiences that projects truly motivated by love and giving tend to go so smoothly for me. I'm constantly guilty of making silly mistakes, moving through my projects sloppily or quickly. Yet, when a project is inspired and driven by love and a giving heart, it seems that things always come together perfectly, as if my head and hands and heart are working together despite my shortcomings.

I love that about handmade work.

As I sat at my sewing machine, with the quilt draped across my lap, I noticed immediately the warmth it was providing in my very cold, farmhouse kitchen. And I could only think of the sweet little child whose lap and weary body these quilts would bring warmth to. The thought of that warms my heart.

dressing up the dresser

I've been on a bit of a mission lately. I'm capitalizing on this second trimester bliss--lots of energy, decent mobility before I get really huge and awkward and a strong desire to simplify everything around the house.

Yesterday, I bit the bullet and began my attack on Emma and Mary's bedroom. Their room has been going downhill lately. Swiftly downhill. To the point where I often don't even step foot into their bedroom because it overwhelms me. I tell them to throw their dirty laundry into their hallway, I retrieve it and look away. They make their beds each morning as part of our routine, but I haven't been cracking down much more than that.

Dan goes in their room each night to read and will often tell them that if he doesn't seem some improvement in their rooms when he gets home the next day there will be no horseback riding that week. But the girls' idea of room improvement is shoving things into random dresser drawers, under beds, and into toy baskets. That's not working.

It's not a new concept around here, but it's one that needs to be revisited more often:

Less is more.

Less toys means they play better. Less clothes means the laundry is more manageable, their dressers are tidy and there's a place for everything. Less "things" in their room, means less "things" on the floor, under beds, thrown into baskets.

So yesterday afternoon the three of us waded into their bedroom and began an attack. We cleaned out, reorganized, threw out, and gave away things from every corner of their room. Everything is gone from under beds. Every dresser drawer has been opened, folded and reorganized. Every book put back into place and many, many toys have found new "homes" out in the (storage) barn, or with another needier family.

I cut back their room to have just a few things : a small basket of schleich animals, with a fold-able wooden fence, a suitcase of dress-up clothes, a suitcase of doll clothes, and their books. But I'm thinking, once I get the downstairs toy situation under control, the suitcases will be moved there, instead.

It is amazing to me, what simplifying and organizing does for children's play. They could barely get through the last of the dusting and vacuuming before all three girls were belly down on the floor setting up elaborate scenes with their animals and fencing. The room felt lighter, happier and more peaceful. It was a space that they enjoyed.

Once we were completely finished, I gave them a tour of their room. We talked about what was in every drawer, where the Schleich toys went, how books go on the book shelf, where dirty laundry belongs. I pretended they were new children that were moving into my home who needed instruction on how we do things.

And then I gave them a quiz.

They ate it up.

As a treat, and because I had borrowed a sewing machine for another project, I secretly whipped out a little dresser scarf for each of the girls yesterday afternoon. Their bedside table tops are eye-sores. And this was one way to dress up the dresser and added a little touch of sweetness to their room. They were so excited.

About as excited as I was to have a sewing machine in my house again, even if it's only for a few days. When Emma found out I had it she said, "Good. Because I have sooo much sewing I need to get done." A girl after my own heart.

If you haven't heard, I've started an epidemic around blogland, introducing people to the inspiration that is tumblr. Each day a few new friends succumb to the disease. I love it. I have a few kids rooms posted on my tumblr from the past few days that are inspiring me lately--with the exception of the first one, with the bunk beds. I simply liked the beds, otherwise the room is a little too busy for my new simplifying mentality. :) So stop by, take a look around, be inspired. There is so much goodness out there to enjoy.

Show & Tell: Lotta Jansdotter Simple Sewing for Baby

I was so excited to get a copy of Lotta Jansdotter's most recent book called, Simple Sewing for Baby . If you've seen anything by Lotta Jansdotter--her other books, her website, you know her work has a simple, practical and stylish aesthetic. I have always been inspired by her simple designs and straight-forward approach to making things.

In the foreward, Lotta talks about the reasons that drove her to put together this craft book--the same reasons that I believe drive most of us to create handmade toys and clothes for our own children, and others:

I realized that there isn't all that much cool or original stuff for somebody who doesn't like pink or light blue and doesn't want bows or duckies plastered on everything. Okay, there are some things....but they will set you back an arm and a leg, and I just can't let myself spend that kind of money on something that will be used for only a few months."

Let me just say, the book is everything you'd expect it to be. Amazing projects, clear directions, beautiful photographs and illustrations. I often find myself picking up craft books, only to find that I'm interested in maybe two or three projects inside. But this is a book where I find myself wanting to try each project.

Whether you're expecting a baby, wishing for a baby, have a baby, have a friend with a baby, want to convince a friend to have a baby, or need a great shower gift--this book is lovely and inspired.

And you can pretty much guarantee that the first project on my sewing table, will be a pair of the simple bloomers. Maybe, if I can't convince a certain toddler to wear diapers and clothes, I can at least talk her into a cute pair of bloomers.

*The book has 24 projects for toddlers to newborns. Patterns are included in a front pocket inside the book.

And guess what? I have TWO copies to giveaway. Thank you, Chronicle Books! You know the drill--leave a comment, I'll pick the two random winners on Friday!

sewing that stays home

One thing I've always loved about my grandmother's house, is that her handiwork is everywhere--a framed picture of  a family tree made of thumbprinted "leaves" turned into masked raccoons, embroidered and appliqued pillows, cross stitch, oil paintings, curtains, laundry bags, down jackets.

And as I walked through her house a few weeks ago, I was struck that the majority of crafting I do, goes out the door. Though there's nothing wrong with that, I generally craft for gifts, for other people--pillows, knitting, appliqued tees. And accept for a few curtains, a knitted hat or a pillowcase dress here and there, not much of my hand work is around.

With this in mind, I've made a new resolution which I *hope* I can continue. I want to make the girls a yearly wall hanging, for each birthday (a little late this year) that illustrates a few significant events or interests from their past year.

I started with Emma--a horse jumping since this was the year of her first jumps (and falls). And a house-- we've moved into this house almost one year ago. (Is it ironic that it's a little crooked and pieced together with a few stitches?? I think not.)

I only used what I had on hand and most of the fabrics came out of my scrap basket. And a few of them have some special significance--a scrap from Emma's great grandmother, a bit from my own mother.

After I did all the stitching and zig-zagging (lots of zig-zagging), I went back and added some hand-stitching....her initials, the date, a little secret message in the corner, a few buttons, some little stitches here and there.

It felt a lot like scrapbooking with fabric...adding little elements here and there.

Yesterday I hung it from some willow branches, which I still need to trim back and eventually, once she stops shoving it in her bag and showing it people, I envision it hanging above her bed, until it's replaced by another year of growing.

That is, if I let her get any older....

work week progress

It's been a busy week so far--ferrying lunches and mid-morning snacks over to the "new" house, fitting in a load of laundry and a trip to the grocery store here and there. The girls are champing at the bit, knowing Dan is just around the corner, and yet so busy.

And of course I waited until the last minute to tackle a birthday present for my cousin (yes, when you're father comes from a family of 15, you have cousins the same age as your own children) whose little birthday get-together was tonight.

It was her turn for a pillow, just like I had done for her older brother a year or two ago. I think she knew it was coming, especially when she saw a soft, square gift, wrapped in paper. And she was happy. This project made me realize two things:

1. My fabric supply needs some replenishing--starting with the fact that I need some more solid colors and simple prints.

2. I love hand sewing. The minute I sat down in my rocking chair, flicked on the lamp beside me and began to stitch up the last little opening on the pillow, I felt so much busy-ness and stress and worry leave my mind and body. I need to make more time for this kind of simple sewing, or even knitting. It brings such peace. Isn't it a gift that we have these simple ways to unwind?

Dan and his brother have been doing some crafting of their own at the house this week--tearing out and replacing rotten logs, and laying down new floor. It has been so fascinating to see the old bones of the house. The progress is slow and there's always something that doesn't go as planned. But having the extra help here and the solid week of work is making things move along.

I intended to share some good mail in this post, too...but I think I'll call it quits for tonight. My book, journal and clean sheets are calling to me. And I need to coax my achy, sore, tired husband from the couch to the bed. The girls tucked him in before I took them to bed for the night--he has a pillow over his face and a blanket draped over his knees and ankles. I'm going to guess he'll be more comfortable in our bed.

More soon......good night, friends.

do something creative

 
Lori and I often email back and forth about homeschooling our children. (Well actually, I email with all my homeschooling woes and she emails back encouragement and ideas.) A few weeks ago in one of my emails she told me that there are a few tasks her boys are required to do each day, on their own. She and I have similar learners--independent learners. Generally, if wasn't Emma's idea, she's not too keen on working on it. It can make for quite a few battles when I try to do some concentrated work with her.

But this is all a series of learning, trying new things, adjusting, evaluating and getting to know my children better. I think I change my approach to homeschooling every other week, but so far, this simple little idea, at the suggestion of Lori, is working.

On a piece of cardstock, which I "laminated" (with packing tape), Emma has a series of tasks she must do every day. She slides the list into her notebook, traces the right side edge, dates the page, and puts a sticker beside every task as she completes it. It allows her to do things on her own time, at her own pace and I believe she feels like she is controlling some of her learning. My help is required for many of the tasks, but it still has an air of independence to it.

Of course, the two favorite things on her list are "play outside" and "do something creative". She wakes up ready to tackle both of these before breakfast has made its way into her stomach. This morning, we shoved bagels and cream cheese aside to break out the ironing board, wool felt and floss. `A la The Creative Family at Home, she's stitching up a wool felt cube for Elizabeth's birthday next week. It's been a great little project for her to work on and chill out in a comfy chair on this gray and damp afternoon. And the whole process of creativity brings a sense of peace and calm to our home. Even Mary has a square that she's filling with giant pink stitches.

I'm thankful for this little taste of quiet, busy hands on a Friday morning.

Happy Weekend, everyone. Wishing you lots of greening grass, warm sun and peace.

my life::up close:: 2/30

the birds and the bees

The birds:
I made cutting boards for my family two years ago in this sparrow shape and I've been wanting to do something else with it ever since. So last week when I had my sewing machine out, I tried a swallow-shaped pillow. However, I don't think they are going to work as a pillow. I haven't stuffed them yet, but I think they'll lose their shape and charm when stuffed. Now I'm thinking they'd make a great applique on a pillow....any other ideas?

My purpose for having out the machine was to make two of these friendly little turtles--a favorite homemade toy in our home, who are now wrapped up and safely on their way to a very, very, VERY patient family.

The bees:
Melissa sent me an email this week, asking me to blog about a very important project. The Great Sunflower Project is an effort to attract and count honeybees in personal and community gardens. If you sign up for the project they will send you a free packet of sunflower seeds to plant in your garden (or even a pot on your deck). All you need to do in return is take two bee counts (according to their simple instructions) and send in or fill out their online count. The whole count will take less than 30 minutes. I'm going to do it as a school project with Emma and Mary. I hope you'll join Melissa and me and be a part of this important project. (I'd love to know if you decide to join in!) Here is an article in the NYTimes about our honeybees in peril.

The birds and the bees:

First of all, no. I am not pregnant. But that doesn't stop me from getting inspiration from an amazing new book that April at Chronicle Books sent me last week. The book is called Nursery Style and it is by Serena Dugan and Lily Kanter of the California-based store, Serena and Lily. I love these kinds of books because I find so much inspiration and ideas packed into them. And I love paying attention to the little details--the artwork, the pillows, how the toys are put away, how an armoire is utilized, the curtains.

1. image 1, 2. image 2, 3. image 3, 4. image 4

Even though the book is aimed at nursery design, there are still so many great ideas in this book for anyone decorating a home with and for children.(stefani, I thought about you with those silhouettes in image 3. Can you do that?! :) So baby on the way or not, this book is full of beautifully designed living spaces, new ideas and fantastic tips and hints for decorating. And April, I want everything on page 74 and 75.

Happy Weekend everyone. Sign up for your bee count, read a good book and take it easy.
See you Monday.

"those hearts are nasty,

They taste like chalk!" My children weren't big fans of the little message heart candy that they dribbled all over the "valentine's cake". I gave them free reign with the decorating of the cake. I frost it and set it down on the kitchen table and walk away. It's great. So when they started biting in to the hard little candies, they weren't so excited about their decorating choices. Now we have a valentine's cake covered in potholes where little fingers have gone around removing the 'nasty' candies.

Another valentine gift that didn't go over so well was the gift I made for Dan. After seeing Blair's post, it was the push I needed to finally sit down and sew some of these rice bags that I've been meaning to make for quite some time.

I told Jennifer that I'd given up sewing for awhile, until life slowed down, but with some of her cute fabric staring at me, a little more time on my hands and some inspiration from Blair, I broke out (my friend's) sewing machine. (my machine is still out of commission...those darn knits!)

 

I think the rice bags would have been a hit, had I not gone the extra mile and put a little handful of dried lavender inside each bag.  That was the spoiler. I was simply trying to avoid that cooked rice smell. But now, the lavender smell was overpowering to Dan, enough that it sent him to bed clutching his stomach. We slept with a window open, if that tells you anything about how strong he thought the smell was. And I swear, the smell wasn't that strong, it's just that I also made a bag for each of the girls, myself and a friend. So I guess that adds up to a lot of lavender. And a whole heck of a lot of rice.

But nevertheless, my girls came through. They love them. We heat them up every night before bed--3 minutes each in the microwave. And they head off to slumberland with toasty warm toes.

(I altered Blair's pattern a little bit--I made the bag out of muslin and then sewed a separate cover with ties at one end. I figured there would mostly likely be a need to wash them in the future, knowing my children...)

And now that I have my sewing machine out, the requests are flying in from my children. The latest (and one that's sounds do-able) is a sleep bonnet/cap like Mary and Laura Ingalls wear in Little House on the Prairie. I can't really find any kind of pattern anywhere. Have any of you made one? I'm thinking just a circle with some elastic sewn in? Is that right? Help?? Anyone?

happy weekend everyone....see you on monday.

take and replace

"Take and replace." It's my new mantra with Emma and Mary these days as they deal with Elizabeth, who now wants to come crashing in on whatever they are doing. Playing with schleich animals? She wants to sit in the middle and suck on the giraffe. Drawing at your desk? She wants to stand up beside you and pull the papers down to shred. So I've taught them "take and replace." Take away what she has that you want. Replace it with something else she'll like.

Maybe that's what Martha Stewart is doing with the new special issue of Martha Stewart Good Things: Kids ? Take away MSKids, replace with MS Good Things? This special issue is good--full of some old favorites that I recognize from my MSKids back issues and some new things, too. Having the issue in hand makes me realize how much I miss Martha Stewart Kids. It makes me want to do something.... like write a letter to Martha or Jodi Levine. Or start a new blog--a petition begging them to bring it back!! There are other good children's magazines out there. Wondertime has filled the Kids-void for me, but it isn't as craft-heavy, which is what I loved about MS Kids...

I sat with the issue last night and went through and made a list of a few of the projects I want to try first--the button bracelets, wrapped pencils, decorated bobby pins. So much good stuff.

I've been an embroidering fool this weekend. I got started on an old bird drawing of emma's that I found which has wing bars. I got it all filled in with the colors she suggested, but then got a little stuck. I'm not sure what direction I want to go from here--a pale grey to fill in the other parts, leave them "blank"? But it made me glad I did a practice run before jumping in with the other sketch. I also need to use less strands of floss in the smaller areas like the beak and dark crown. This is all a fun learning process for me.

**my pictures look so blurry in typepad this morning. they're much better in flickr today. hmm.**

And this morning, just because I wanted something to work on while I drank my cup of coffee, I did this drawing I found buried in my sewing basket. Now Mary is begging for me to do something of hers, too. I'm going to have to make a trip to IKEA this weekend for some cheap frames, if this keeps up. They want to draw everything on fabric. Thank goodness for cheap, but simple muslin cloth.

And speaking of birds, check out these amazing felted birds I stumbled upon last night by Lauren Alane. Aren't they amazing? These kill me. She just updated her shop and sold out, but may be updating again this week, according to her blog. I wish I'd found them earlier. They would have made sweet little valentine gifts for the girls.

It's freezing cold here today. Although I remember, when I lived in Wisconsin, thinking these temperatures being what we called "relief". It's in the twenties. I remember being happy to see double digits again, back in my Wisconsin winter days. Brrr.

stay warm.....