SouleMama

distractions are good

Hooray for Mailorder. No, really. The past week was kind of a rough one for me - full of deadlines, to do lists, sick babes, and other life and parenting challenges that resulted in a grumpy mama by the end of the week. So when Steve arrived home on Friday afternoon with the mail--and my big red mailorder envelope--I knew just what I needed to do to make all my troubles go away. I needed to make a bonnet. And make a bonnet I did, by golly. And when I was done, of course, all was right with the world once again. ;)

NOT moving on

I don't think anyone could possibly understand my excitement upon seeing this um, clown, I think, appear in my home yesterday. I thought there was a chance we were moving on perhaps past the Wizard of Oz.

But alas, just 20 minutes later, I arrived in the living room to find not one, but two Tin Woodmen (and empty rolls of tinfoil and duct tape). It appears as though we are most definitely remaining in the Land of Oz.

Corners of my Home

Ever tried photographing a window? Tricky, I tell ya. Tricky. But here's my attempt anyway for today's Corner of my Home. This is the windowsill over our kitchen sink, which I've always thought should be a spot full of a few favorite treasures. But upon thinking about it, I must admit that I spend much less time here than my sweet dish-washing husband does, and yet it's still full of 'my' things. Hmn..that doesn't seem fair, now does it? We'll have to see about changing that soon. The 'curtains' above are aprons from my great grandmothers collection (tied together, and 'tacked' up at the sides). It's all a bit cluttered, yes...but there aren't many high spots for things that break in our home. Click on the photo for the Flickr notes.

More Corners of my Home on Flickr.

on staying focused

My concept of time is often a bit skewed. I usually have to remind myself what month it is, let alone what day or time. Usually that's all okay, but sometimes it really hurts me. Like this week, when it suddenly occured to me that Ezra's birthday is not 'weeks away' as I had imagined it, but in fact, just 11 short days. And besides planning a birthday party (a tea party, I've been told), I need to, um, make his gifts. And as usual, my ideas and plans are much greater than the alloted time would ever realistically allow. And so, for the record, this is my gift project list:

#1. Most Likely To Be Completed. (but probably the least exciting for a three year old to receive)  Haiku cardigan from Knitty. I've made this sweater so many times before, so I think I know that it's possible to complete this one on time. I'm halfway there.

#2. Most Likely to Require a Matching Outfit. A knit blue dog from Handknit Holidays. I was actually almost done with this a few months ago (see the body and four limbs?!), but suddenly abandoned it. I need to finish the ears, and then, of course, make some clothes for him. And then something matching for Ez? Hmn... This one's gotta happen, but it's going to be a stretch.

#3. Most Likely to Make Me Crazy. But, oh, I really want to make this! A table playhouse, based loosely on one like this or this to fit over our dining room table. I might incorporate some of this fabric that my friend Rachael brought me from Ikea. I see lots of ponpom fringe happening here. (Or...if all else fails, I might convince the grandparents to go in on this with me instead. Hmnn...tempting).

Okay, time to focus. 11 days....11 days.....

Label This

SO..I've been silently having label stress for a while now (oh, it really hasn't been that bad), because I'm not terribly good at asking for help, from oh, say, most of YOU who have probably already figured this out. Long ago. But no matter, the label stress has been plaguing me for a while now. Last year I had some labels made, but I don't like them anymore because number 1. they're iron on, which means they eventually seem to come off, and number 2. there was a limited choice of type and color. I won't bore you with the many attempts I've tried (rubber stamps, fabric ink, yada yada). But then, last week in the middle of the night (as these things happen), I knew *just* what to do. I printed the type that I wanted onto a piece of paper. Then, I taped twill tape over where the type was on the paper, ran it through the printer again, and voila...labels! How easy is that? I'm not really sure how this would hold up in clothing that will be washed, but I'll be mostly using them on bags anyway. Now, please, someone tell me that this never occured to them, either, so I can feel much better.

I know, really crappy picture. But you get the idea, right? (Oh, and I used white stickers for 'tape' because tape is a fast disappearing commodity around this house. Even though I buy two rolls a week.)

Okay, and since you all know how much of a dork I am already, I feel no shame in showing you this next label I made, which will soon grace the next spring pants I make for my babes:

Just because it's true, and really now, who couldn't use an extra reminder that they're loved? Even on the tag of your pants.

Ah, the sun

We're coming upon my favorite season. Well, summer is really my favorite, but spring is the sign that summer is coming, so that makes it pretty cool too. And today? Today was very good. 56 degrees, I believe. So warm. So lovely. So amazing to be OUT for hours once again after winter hibernation.

I really was working and playing out there, but I couldn't resist a moment with the camera. Here are a few images from our day:

As I uploaded these, I was in shock that there were none of Calvin, but I'll take that as a reminder that he was having a fabulous time outside, busying himself about getting his outside projects in order.

**AND...a big bow and thank you for all your kind words about my skirt. So tickled that you like it as much as I do. And yes, yes...I hear the tutorial requests loud and clear! I'll try, I'll try!

oh, how I love this skirt

I saw this vintage fabric at a thrift store last week (for $1! Wahoo!), and immediately thought, "That needs to be a skirt." And since I'm not terribly patient, I made it that night. I got the shape by tracing my favorite old skirt and, ahem, adding an inch to the waistline. And since the elastic waist skirts just aren't working with my hips these days, I put a zipper in this one. And it wasn't nearly as terrible as I thought it would be. Fairly smooth, actually. Hooray for that. I see more skirt sewing in my future.

And an action shot just for fun. I loooove that the skirt twirls. I love skirts. I really love twirly skirts. And as much as I adore these boots, I do think this skirt warrants a new pair of shoes, don't you agree? Like these, or these! Ah, a girl can dream.

Weekend Thrifting Report

The spring rummage/yard sale season is almost upon us in this neck of the woods--I can feel it in my bones! Until then, the thrift stores are keeping me satisfied. Some finds from the week:

A yellow themed vintage linen pile. The chenille bedpread in the back has a bit of a stain on it, which relieved me of the agony of deciding to cut or not. I can now cut away with no worries! Also, some yellow tablecloths that will work for linings; and embroidered pillowcases, and handkerchiefs, and an oh-so yummy scarf that I can't wait to wear.

Sweaters for felting--either to become diaper covers or booties. And the red one to be unwound for the yarn. Half price clothing day makes me very happy (each of the sweaters were $1).

Vintage dresses, one for Mama and one for baby. I so adore the green fabric on that dress, and it will take great willpower for me to not cut it up before I can wear it this summer.

And a seriously funny vintage knit hat. Minus the ponpom on top, it looks just like the newboys I see all over now. Calvin thinks it makes a good munchkin hat (hence the facial expression), and Ezra is quite sad that he has to share it with Calvin (hence his facial expression.)

A few more...

Wow, I wish we had more sun so these would photograph better. These are some more bags for the batch to be sold locally (you Portland folk will have to wait a bit for more news on that one). They'll be going with the sets I already had made a bit ago. Of course, as soon as I said they were happening in 'twos', it stopped happening that way. Still, I hope there's something that connects them all--even if it's just the mix of vintage and new fabric on each one.

Last time I posted bags a few of you asked about patterns, and I can't remember if I answered that or not. I don't use patterns for my bags, generally I just start cutting-- not always the best strategy, but it usually works out okay. If you're thinking about making your first handbag, it's helpful to have a pattern as a guide. I like Amy Butler's bag patterns, particularly for beginners--her language is quite accessible. The Intown bag is a good start, I think. And there's also the great Super Eggplant tote tutorial that's quite helpful too.

Corners of my Home

Signs of Spring.

Besides a lack of snow on the ground, there aren't very many signs outside that spring is here. We haven't seen our first robin, and there are no flowers popping up yet. Soon. But inside, we've been spreading as many signs of spring as we can. These are the ones I noticed most this morning: an open sunporch door; the springtime 'tree' with shells from our first spring beach walk yesterday; mud gear at the ready; new (old) fabric, thinking about summer skirts; the pile of bird books--getting ready for spotting; and the farewell to down comforters, and hello to light spreads.

Ah...spring is coming. What's your favorite sign of spring? (I know, we're not all in the same part of the world/cycle of seasons. Let's just pretend for a moment.)

Many more corners of my Home here on Flickr.

i heart threadless

Really, I do. This shirt is the latest Threadless.com purchase to arrive at our home. I know this place is old news to a lot of you, but I had to post about it for anyone that hasn't checked it out yet. 'Cause we love shopping there (I'm slowly becoming a tee shirt girl. This is new.). And today there's the $10 a shirt sale going on. How cool is that? (Oh, but I will cry, cry, cry if they don't reprint 99 Luftballoons! Must. have.)

care for some tea?

My grandmother, Meme, was a dreamer, and a master of pretend play. The reality of her life was that she grew up very poor during the depression, in a large family, and saw much more than her fair share of tragedy. It's precisely that, I'm sure, that made her the dreamer she was. I adored being with her and all the dreaming we would do together-- we had secret names for each other (what? you think I'm telling? never!); had grand adventures to many places (including the 'seaside cruise' we went on in her backyard in the summer--which amounted to laying in lawn chairs, running a looooong extension cord from the house to prop a fan in front of us, closing our eyes and 'listening' to the boats in the harbor... All of this in the rural mountains of Maine, of course.); we had a tea party every day I was there; and of course, went on many a 'treasure hunt' at yard sales and junk shops.  On the summer of my 10th birthday, she decided our mission would be to find a real (as in, not a child's) tea set. Because every 10 year old girl needs her own tea set, right? Naturally. After a few days of hunting around, I came upon the tea set above at a shop, and I was sure that this was THE ONE. I think it surprised her--certainly it wasn't the 'fine china' that she had in mind, or that I was usually drawn to (we're talking about a child who already had a bavarian china collection at this point!), but - never one to get in the way of a child's dream - she bought this one for me anyway.

Mostly, it's sat in a box in some basement or another for the past 20 years. I've never been so sure that I love it, and haven't really had a place to keep it out anyway. I dug it up yesterday, as we're getting ready for Ezra's third birthday in two weeks and he wants a 'tea party'. I hadn't really looked at it in about 5 years and was surprised when I opened the box. Surprised that I think I kind of like it again. Or at the least, am very interested in figuring out what my 10 year old self loved about it. Today's goal is to find a spot for it so I can ponder just that. And so I can have a tea party with my little ones, perhaps on a breezy seaside cruise.

a post like any other

This post is full of what you've probably come to expect by now from SouleMama: silly matching baby-mama clothing, gratuitous (yet blurry) baby photos, and kids in dress up. Ah...such was our weekend.

I made that shirt again, this time with the rounded neck which does make it feel a bit less boxy. (I know it looks a bit like I'm wearing a sheet from grandma's closet, but I'm okay with that because that's exactly what it is-- a thrifted vintage sheet. And I looooove the color.) Then, because I adore this fabric so much, I had to make a matching kimono for the sweet babe (yes, that would be the sweet babe with a big black and blue on her forehead. But we're not going to talk about that, okay?).

Calvin's been working his way through the characters of the Wizard of Oz, and I really thought we'd seen everyone, until I came upon this scene in the living room. Why, of couse, Professor Marvel! You can see Dorothy chastising Toto here for eating Marvel's hotdog, "but Toto. That isn't polite! We haven't been asked yet.". Mind you, Ezra's never seen the movie, he's just getting 'direction' from Calvin...who's memorized every word of that book and soundtrack.

Dorothy (and Toto) have been spending a lot of time asleep in the poppy field this weekend. Not really sure what's up with that (I hope it doesn't mean impending illness), but what parent would question a child that wants to LAY DOWN for an hour at a time? Sweet dreams, Dorothy.

a headless shirt

Earlier in the week, I fell in love with a shirt Carol made--such a sweet print, and it screamed "SPRING" to me. She was kind enough to share the pattern info with me (Simplicity 4589 if you're interested), and I ran on over to JoAnn's to get it, along with this fabric (no time to wait for fancy schmancy fabric, I wanted it NOW). I have to tell you that I've never made a shirt for myself that I've then worn--I either don't finish the project, or it doesn't fit--I either can't even get it on or it's super frumpy. This one might just be the first that I wear. Still not convinced that I love it (feels a bit boxy), but I do like it. And it was such fun to whip up (have I mentioned my silly love of sewing gathers? Four spots to do that on this one little shirt. Wahoo.).

And one more for the full effect. Hmn...gotta wash that mirror soon.

the saddest face on earth

This just became one of my favorite pictures ever. Snapped tonight, as Adelaide decided that no, in fact, she does not like the bath. When I look at this, I can't decide if I want to cry, or laugh, or lick her. It definitely makes me want to kiss her. (which is just what I did, by the way, after the photo...promptly followed by removal from the tubbie--she smells delicious even without one.)

Not-So-Softie

I have HUGE admiration for those of you who are softie makers out there. Particularly, those working without a pattern, who are able to not only construct something so well, but also give it personality, character, and beauty. It is SO much more difficult than one would think without trying it, I believe. You have my utmost respect!! With that always on my mind, it's rare that I feel so moved to try to do the same, as I'm never very pleased with how they turn out. But for some reason (and thanks to this here blog as a record for proof of this fact), it seems as though every six months or so I forget what happened the last time I tried, and I do it again. This week, even though I had lots of other deadlines I should have been working on (or, perhaps, precisely for that reason), I was drawn to making something new. I love this sweet stuffed (from some japanese craft book--not sure which one) that I spotted on Flickr, and thought it would be easy enough to recreate myself. Right? Um, right.

And so here is my lame bunny (on the left), and the THREE bunnies-in-parts that it took to even get to the lame one. Besides the obvious construction issues (hello? one is missing an arm!), there's the issue of faces that I can NEVER manage to get. At all.

I tried giving Adelaide my bunny (after Calvin--who's usually supportive of all creative endeavors- whatever the outcome- laughed outloud at them!), and she went straight past it to the crumpled up piece of paper on the rug.

Expect to see another softie attempt here in about six months. Until then, I'm going to go make some pants for my kids.

Corners of my Home

Our sunporch sun.
This is a corner-of-sorts on our sunporch, right at the entrance to our home. Just about this time of year, I can start using that wee bit of additional space that the sunporch offers--cleaning out the piles of winter gear and mess, and once again setting it up and playing out there. I love it--it's amazing what just one little (very little), but oh-so-sunny and warm room can do for our spirits in the early spring months. The papier mache sun was made by local artist Nance Parker. And the hooks, as you can see, are holding MANY bags I've made (it keeps falling off the wall from being overloaded, but instead of taking a few off, I keep loading it with more. Hmn.).

Corners of My Home Flickr group here.

One Skein, One Bowl

I was in a bookstore last weekend--just browsing, of course. But I did manage to walk away with just one book (hey--I was impressed), and fittingly it was One Skein, by Leigh Radford (author of Alterknits...still on my wish list). I seem to have a short attention span with my knitting projects these days (currently, I have five going, all of which I rotate getting bored with and moving onto another...this is a big shift from my former start-to-finish kind of knitting style. Hmn.), and so of course this book really, really appealed to me. Or, it could have just been the amazing colors chosen for the book cover. Yummy, no?

Anyway...good stuff in here. Really good stuff. Lots of 'use your stash' stuff, which I love for many many reasons. Some great patterns--knitted rug (so drawn to making one of these, even though I have a crocheted version that I've never completed) and bath mat, baby bolero, hat, felted bowls and lots lots more (sorry...scanner and I weren't in the mood for cooperating today.)

I wanted to make something right away, and the felted bowls were calling to me most of all. Here's mine, using stash leftovers of Lamb's Pride bulky.

I see many, many, many more of these in my future. So fast, so seamless, and so satisfying.

Spring Pants

Last night as I was about to go to bed, I was browsing through the Growing Up Garnet Hill catalog and saw these pants that I really liked for Ezra (yes, I know they're 'girls' pants...whatever.). And since I generally try not to spend a lot of money on new kids pants when I can sew, and there are thrift stores and hand me downs to be had, I decided I'd make them. But it's because I'm insane--really and truly--that I got out of bed and made them at that moment. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my time sewing, with no interruptions, into the wee hours of the morning. I'm sure I'll pay for it dearly during the day today, but that's why there's coffee, right?

I used a thrifted cotton curtain for the pants (99cents. wahoo!), with some print fabric that Lisa sent (thank you!). I used a pair of his pants as a guide for the shape/sizing. It was a little risky hemming, and putting in the elastic back waistband without having him around, but fortunately, the sizing goddess was with me last night, as they fit quite well, (and not surprisingly, when I showed him, he exclaimed, "scarecrow pants!"):

Hooray for springtime pants! That means 'springtime' will follow, right? Make the clothes, and it will come?

A Happy Sight

Things always seem to find a way to happen just when you need it, don't they? Like last week, when our day was going in a less than stellar direction (I'll spare you the details)--all of us a little bit sick of being inside and playing with the same things we've been doing all winter, and starting to get 'at' each other. And then, miraculously, I looked out the window to see that the magical mail fairy had brought us some treats. Ah....

The big box was full of hand-me-down clothes for Adelaide from a friend (thank you, Erin!) which fortunately contained a pink tutu big enough to qualify as a Glinda costume for Ezra. Perfect. And then in the other box was this wonderful array of goodies from Wendy, as a 'just because'. And oh, how perfectly timed it was. Paints and canvases to keep the babes happy all afternoon, and fabric and magazines to keep the mama happy. THANK YOU so much, Wendy! Our day was saved.

And the next day, this lovely little surprise came in the mail from Jesica, as a thank you for the Malia of the Hawaiian Islands book I sent her (how cool is it that she remembered that from her own childhood?). The apron dress she made for Adelaide is just beautiful. Thank YOU, Jesica!

Creative Embroidery

I managed to get about 30 seconds in the adult stacks on a library trip last week, and this was the one book I grabbed. Creative Embroidery by Jean Nicholson, published in 1960. I opened it up immediately to this passage:
"in these days of mass production the assertion of one's individuality is very important....the desire to enrich an article or to make it more interesting, whatever it may be, should be strong enough to overcome any preliminary hesitation....anyone who has the creative ability necessary to perform the actual embroidery, and the desire to create something beautiful out of ordinary things, has the germ of an artist in her make-up. Often the materials themselves suggest a treatment, and really all that is necessary is to pause with a needle and thread in one hand and the material in the other. It is in that moment that the special qualities so valuable to the artist--awareness and inquisitiveness--are required......Perhaps you recall the charming design on the manhole cover just outside your front door. Another careful look at it, and then, with the aide of a dinner plate and pencil, a designe quite oringinal in it's employment can be made. All around us there are sources of inspiration...."

Right on.

She talks a lot about cut-outs for designs. Love these three...especially the middle one.

These remind me so much of the designs you would do with henna. The designs are all quite simple, really...but lovely and intricate to look at, I think.

I find both of these sets so beautiful.

These are napkin rings, but when I first saw them, I thought of wristbands. I might just have to make some as wristbands...

And this stuffed and embroidered cat? Oh my!

half a year

My wee one is six months old today. i'm amazed, i'm awestruck, i'm blessed, i'm in love, and i'm still a little bit sleepy. As time has a way of doing, these six months have flown, flown, flown right by--it feels like just yesterday that we were snuggling into bed for the first time as a family of FIVE, and she was just so itsy bitsy. I must say, that despite all my fears of having three children, particularly so close in age, and now that we've got a bit of time for perspective here--that the leap to three hasn't been as challenging as I envisioned. Really. The jump to two was a challenge-our whole world felt upside down. But three--really the challenges of three seem more logistical--bedrooms, cars, table chairs. That stuff I can handle. Three's been great--it's a lot, but it's good. There has been a valuable lesson in 'letting go' for me with three children--we're so clearly outnumbered by the little ones now that it makes no sense to get uptight about plans, and having things just so, or trying to do 'too much'. Letting go of some of that has made room for much more joy.

This not-so-little (oh, those rolls!) girl can completely melt my heart with just one joyous dimple-filled smile, or giggle, or coo. She's a big ball of love, really...and appears to be quite happy to be here. Every single time she wakes from a nap, there's a mad rush to the bedroom by her brothers who want to be the first to greet her. They both climb onto the bed and snuggle up with her, kissing her and telling her how much they love her. I'm sure than any hassle that comes from having two loud brothers around all the time is rewarded by the joy of always waking up to two beings that simply and quite purely want to love, love, love her to pieces--even if the hugs are a little too tight sometimes. And there's nothing more exciting for her to look at or play with than her brothers (or the cat), which I think explains why she's full-on crawling already at 6 months. She wants in on the fun. And she is the fun, too. Happy half birthday, my Adelaide! How about some sweet potato to celebrate?

Score, Part Two

Still no sun, but I'm forging ahead with bad lighting and a wee bit of flash anyway.

For the Mama. Love, love, love the handknit 'pocorn' seriously old-school sweater. Lemon. Yum. And then the brown ribbed sweater I adore as well, especially the brand name "Glamour Knits". Love it. And, oh, those long johns! I *know* had a pair just like these as a kid that were actually a hand me down from my mom. I don't know what will become of this--clothes for A? hope for me to fit into them someday? Hmmn..... Had to have them.

Seriously bad lighting. But can you see them? Vintage girls sized nightshirts. I saw these three together and the tears started flowing right there in the thrift shop (oh yes, thrifting can be a highly emotional experience for someone as sentimental as I!)...My Meme always had a drawer full of these and whenever we would visit we would wear these all day. All day. And I loved them. So many memories.

And last, some vintage treats for the babe. Besides the red shirt on the left (love), the others were made to be dolls clothes, I believe, quite some time ago based on the prints. I think I might be able to squeeze her sweet arms into some of them as shirts this summer, then off to the dolls clothes bag they go.

It's so much fun to share thrifting finds with someone who appreciates it, isn't it? Steve, who's such a dear about it, really, is quite 'trained' in saying the right things about the treasures I bring home--"wow", "oh, what a find!', "really? only a dollar?" and other false statements to please me. It's very kind of him, of course, but I do think the past year of me sharing some of it here on the blog has taken some pressure off him! So I'll thank you--from him--for the oohs and aahs.

Oh, almost forgot! The grand total. For part one, and today's combined: $14. Oh, the joy.

Oz Art

Full of empty promises, I am. There is no sun to be found around here for good photos today, so "Score, Part Two" will have to wait a bit, as will Corners of My Home this week. Instead, I bring you a touch of Oz. You might have noticed (ha!) the Wizard of Oz obsession over here, and that heads right on into the artwork that's created here too.  Here are my favorites from this week:

The Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Lion and Witches broomstick on the yellow brick road, by Ezra. I love this one so much that I had to sneakily snatch it away from him before he cut it up and retaped it (that's how he completes each piece of artwork!). You can see the scisors did get a little action.

On the yellow brick road, by Calvin. I know, Dorothy looks a little bit Annie-get-your-gun, but it's just the way he's doing arms/hands these days.

The Poppy Field, by Ezra. You can see the tape got to this one before I did.

There's No Place Like Home, by Calvin. I love, love, love this.

We're off to see the Wizard! (Okay, really we're just going to the library to get the next book in the Wizard of Oz series. This obsession isn't ending any time soon.)

Score

It's been a good thrifting week. So good that I'm going spread the goodness out over two posts. Here goes.

The fabric. I love that the linens at this place are 99cents. That makes me very very happy. This is an assortment of sheets, curtains, and bedspreads that will all have a new life as clothing or bags.

Also found in the linens department (my first stop always), are these vintage dishcloths. Um, I love.

I usually don't even look at the aprons, because really, how many can a girl need? But this fabric caught my eye. Love it. And I love that it's unfinished. Not sure if I'll actually finish it or cut up this delicious PINK fabric.

Second stop: the dishes. Some old glasses with silver rims (which match my current drinking glasses, which seem to break as fast as I bring new ones into the house), a great Hakerware oven plate and bowl (yummy mustard color), dishes to sort of match my sort of matching set of blue vintage dishes, two fun painted trays, and more fun yellow plastic bowls, all good for outdoor food, for sure. (good god, I just noticed the specks of food on the table in the back of the photo. we all have priorities. cleaning up isn't one of mine, apparently.)

Random rainbow goods. Old school suspenders which quite pleased my Ezra. A Susan Bates knitting row counter (I've never seen one with pegs like this before!). And an old Polaroid camera. I have no idea if I can even get film for this, but my littles are so fascinated with the 'magic camera' after a beach date last fall when mav showed them how it worked.

And my last stop (before rushing out the door because I've spent too much time there already), is always to the books. I found another old chapter book that I think the boys will love, and this FABULOUS big old book All About Ants. It's full of drawings and way more than I think I want to know about bugs, but still can't stop myself from looking. Oh! And the Jean Ray Laury Quilts and Coverlets book in the back was actually found by my friend Betsy at the same shop (Thanks, Betsy!).

That felt sooo good. Up next: Vintage clothing goodness. And the grand total price, because, really, that's part of the exciting thing about thrifting too, isn't it? The deals!

two by two

I mentioned last weekend that I'm working on some bags for a local shop. Instead of just cranking out a bunch of random bags, I'm wanting to put more meaning and intent into crafting each one (which is why they're taking a bit longer, of course), and trying to think of them more as a 'line' than a random assortment. So far, it's been working out to make them in pairs for some reason. This is the first completed 'set', both made with vintage linens.

And here's the beginning of the second 'pair' (the second bag being in my head still!). Also made from some vintage bits, but with quite a different feel (I hope) than the first set. I know they're very simple looking, but I'm hoping that they're of the good-simple feeling and not just the boring-simple feeling. Know what I mean?

'with a snip snip here and a snip snip there'

..."and a couple of tra la la's, that's how we laugh the day away in the merry old land of Oz." Oh god. Am I singing that again? We're so completely and utterly Wizard of Oz focused here that Steve and I--when the kids are in bed--will find ourselves humming, "If I only had a brain". Ack! It all started with reading the book, and then there were these silly coloring pages on the WIzard of Oz website that I printed off almost hourly by request, and the same website had video clips of the movie (that I think is too scary for MY 5 and 3 year old to see in full), and then grammie got a CD with all the songs and speaking parts too, and before I knew it--without having seen the movie--my kids know every line and every scene in the damn thing, and were acting it out all day long. Oh, how I miss the Sound of Music!

So, where was I? Oh yeah...the snip, snip. I'm not fond of kid haircuts--giving them, or taking them to have it done, and as a result, they can usually just barely see with all the hair in their eyes. Calvin and Ezra are working their way through playing all the roles in the cast, and having covered the scarecrow, tinman and dorothy, Calvin is now moving onto the munchkins. And so he needs a crewcut, right? Um, no. Mama drew the line there, but with great persistence and a teeny tiny nudge from Papa, I did agree to this:

 
Yeah, he looks happy, but I was just about in tears at this point. I LOOOOVed the long hair!

I found myself mumbling "hair grows" so many times today, and then remembering that that's just what I remember my mother saying when I shaved my head. Ah, it all comes full circle, doesn't it?

(Was this whole long post really just about my kid getting his hair cut? Oh my. Much more thrilling content tomorrow, I promise. I have no idea what, but I'll come up with something! Maybe even something crafty!)

almost ready

This project has been working it's way slowly to the top of the crafting list for a while now, but The Lady A (as Calvin calls her) demanded that it be done this weekend. SHE believes she is ready for food, and therefore needed a new high chair pad, of course. I made this one with pieces of that quilt I cut up to make chair cushions with a while back, so now when we all sit down to eat we're sitting on matching cushions. (Because we all know how important THAT is.)
I don't think we're going to make it much past the six month mark for food with this babe--she wants IN on it in a big way. And honestly, who could say 'no' to those cheeks?

the task at hand

I had some (rather unrealistic) lofty crafting goals for this weekend. Besides a whole bunch of other stuff, I had hoped to get at least four handbags made for a local shop. But most of my crafting time has been spent putzing around, troubleshooting my serger (again), getting organized and otherwise stalling.  With half my crafting time already spent, this one above is all I've got to show. Oh well, at least I really like it. The outer fabric is a vintage tablecloth that I chopped up (so fun), it's based on one I made just like it a year ago out of an old linen towel. Here's to more 'productivity' tomorrow.

breaking the spell

Perhaps admitting you have a problem really does get you most of the way to healing. Okay, we're just talking about knitting socks here. But really! I finished a pair of socks! Right on the heels (ha!) of my history of One Sock knitting post. Hooray! Hooray!

I cannot for the life of me remember what yarn this is (and where is that label that I tell every new knitter they should save? Hmn...), but I used the Classic Socks pattern by Yankee Knitter Designs. This is in the child size--just right for Ezra's feet for this spring and into next fall and winter, I believe (okay, and seriously--those knees?! There's no way those were getting cropped out of the sock photo). Calvin's next (I'm working my way up slowly to big people-sized socks), and I think I'm going to give two socks on circular needles a try. (Thanks to Joelene for the tip on that--I'll post more info after I try it). Someday, I might just have my very own pair handknit by me socks. Oooohhh.