SouleMama

coming soon :: going now

coming::

Look, look - Handmade Home! My early copies have just arrived, which means your copies are right around the corner!  The official publication date remains August 11th , but I'm guessing (not promising!) they might be headed your way a bit sooner than that even. You can find Handmade Home available for pre-order everywhere...including these spots:

Shambhala Publications
Amazon
Your local bookstore
And now, signed copies are ... in my Shop!

I'm very excited...and I have so much more to tell you about Handmade Home! SOON!

{last year, at camp}

going::

But first...we're headed North and into the woods for a happy stretch of days. We're hoping for sunshine and dockside action, but if not, we'll happily take cozy puzzles and card games. It's camp - restful and restorative, no matter the weather.

May your own weekend adventures - however near or far from home you may be - be full of good things, too!

reporting live, from the bathroom sink

Well, apparently you all have me figured out. Of course that little yellow desk from the flea market came home with me! I couldn't resist. (Not that the rest wasn't tempting too...the teacups would have come home too, except that I already have that whole set. There was one more thing, though, that made it home - you'll see it soon!)

So the table is home with me now - in my bathroom for the moment. Placed right next to my newly constructed shower curtain, the combination makes me feel like I got a little room do-over. Always a good feeling...especially when it's super affordable and mainly handmade.

I used a vintage bedspread that I had on my fabric shelves, added some strips of lace, a few doilies randomly scattered (ie. conveniently placed over the discolored age spots on the bedspread), and put a strip of buttonholes at the top for the curtain tabs. An easy, quick new shower curtain. (There's a regular, fabric shower liner on the other side to keep the water out.)

Might you have any ideas as to how tricky it might be to take a photograph of a hanging shower curtain in a not-so-large bathroom with a not-so-wide camera lens?

Well, it involves standing in one's bathroom sink, actually. (In wool tights, I might add - on July 1st. It's literally the darkest June we've had since 1903. But that's a whole other story the likes of which you're probably sick of hearing about from us New Englanders.)

Friends, never doubt my dedication to bringing you the latest news in my world of handmade. I'll stand in the bathroom sink for you.

scenes

Some sights from a weekend flea market adventure with friends in Arundel, Maine. The aisles and booths of which are so full of oh so many...

:: old 

:: funny

:: random

:: strange

:: beautiful

:: and lovely things. 

A few little treasures - just a few - sang out to come home with me (can you guess?). I love the song they sing.

24 hours of sunshine

I've lived in this New England climate for my entire life - long enough to know to take full advantage when the sun does shine. I think that's one reason I love the summer so much - it is so fully lived and soaked in and appreciated - by everyone I see.

And so - in the middle of the wettest, rainiest, grayest month of June I can remember, when the sun does appear for an oh-so-brief but beautiful, blissful, warm twenty-four hour respite?

Oh, we sure do squeeze a whole lot of summer in:

weekending

SouleMama Sponsor ~ IDA PEARLE ~

 

 Today's SouleMama Sponsor is Ida Pearle. Ida is a cut paper collage artist in New York City.  Ida sells her collages as both prints and cards. She offers Custom Name Prints (above), alphabet cards (see below) and is the author and illustrator of A Child's Day: An Alphabet of Play. You might also recognize Ida's work from the cover of Elizabeth Mitchell's You Are My Little Bird family album (you can see other album covers here).

All of Ida's creations can be seen on her website: www.idapearle.com.

Today's Giveaway is for a matted Custom Name Print (from her home page, click on "Custom Name Prints", from there choose any image from the alphabet series, add a name and customize skin tone and hair color). The winner will also receive a signed copy of Ida's book "A Child's Day: An Alphabet of Play." 

To enter, just leave a comment in this post! I'll close comments and announce the winner by Saturday, 12pm EST.

In addition, Ida is offering 20% off her sets of Alphabet Cards to all readers through the weekend. To get the discounted price, email Ida directly (ida@idapearle.com), with "SouleMama" in the heading. 

** ** **

Comments closed! The winner is...

yes please. So beautiful!
Posted by :: Sara Gallaugher

Congratulations, Sara! And, thank you, Ida!

** ** **

yellow!

The fairies of thrifting threw a little sunshine my way yesterday.

Yellow!

dress, reconstructed

Remember this dress? I posted about it here a few months ago. It turns out it really was too small (Heather's got great pattern errata up now, so if I made the dress again, we'd be all set). Adelaide just couldn't get it on and off easily..and so it sat. But, really. That fabric is just too pretty, and it feels just too good on the skin to be sitting in a closet waiting for who knows what. So a little reconstruction was in order.

I cut the bodice off and used the bottom skirt piece to create a new, simple elastic waist skirt, adding a strip of panel at the bottom to make it just a bit longer. All the fabrics are from Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks line. And for those of you counting, that one bundle of fabric has been made into:

this quilt
this chair cushion
now, this skirt

and I still have some pieces left. I am now totally sold on the idea of a stack of fabric like that.

But the skirt. Oh, she's quite pleased. Its great for running, jumping, twirling and all the other very important things three year old girls do....

...scaling fences included.

the cool days of June

{photo by Calvin}

We're in (the middle of) a long stretch of rain around these parts. A really long stretch. (I just read that temps in the Northeast are running 10 to 20 degrees below average. Yup, that sounds right.)

While the plants in the garden are slightly stunted, the rain coats and boots permanently waterlogged, and the beach bag neglected...we're taking comfort inside with soup, sweaters, games, dress up, and lots of reading - It's a different kind of June rhythm, to be sure.

But hey! (She says, mustering great optimism in an attempt to keep going with four-kids-and-a-puppy in the house all day in June) It's great knitting weather!

 

 

This week, I finished up my shawl, using the Textured Shawl Recipe (found on Ravelry), knit with three skeins of Malabrigo Worsted (azul profundo is the color, I believe). I love, love, love this stitch pattern - it made all those long rows of knitting entertaining, and I love how it feels to the touch.

It's warm and cozy and soft. And just right for, you know, the cool days of June.

a weekend - and a bag - for Papa

 
 
 
 

Despite the rain dampening all beach & boat plans, I'd say we did alright making a celebratory weekend for our special Papa. Chocolate cake, baseball, hammock hangouts, and rainy walks. Oh, and a little bit of handmade lovin' too. Art, poetry, a handmade baseball bat, and...a new yoga bag.

 

I made it to hold just exactly what goes with him to yoga ((he practices Bikram) - a rolled up yoga mat and towel, with pockets on the side for a water bottle, and another for keys and a wallet. It's reversible, and with linen and cotton, it's totally washable. I'm so happy to see him off to yoga now with a bag, instead of the bundle-it-all-under-the-arms strategy he's been employing for years (much to this "bag lady"s dismay).

Now....if these little monkeys giraffes can just let sweet Papa out the door, he'll be on his way to sweet, happy yoga bliss.

I hope your father's day and solstice weekend was lovely!