mr. monkeysuit

in the mood for

I am beginning to get my craft mojo back this week, starting off with a little painting.

It is Cissie's birthday in three weeks and I was very worried that I wasn't going to get around to making her something. A couple of days ago Cissie found Floyd's nesting doll set and has been obsessively playing with it ever since. He was never that interested in it. Of course I keep on hand a couple of blank sets (who does this??) so it was easy to sketch out what I wanted them to look like and get painting.

Like Floyd's I tried to link them to something about their character or interests. Cissie has loved tigers since she was born....no idea about that one. The pink snowsuit is from last year and the traditional Matryoshka is because she loves them......well at least until I give them to her at which point she will find them beyond boring.

While I was painting these Floyd came in and laughed out loud when he saw they baby ones together he thought they were so cool.

So I am definitely feeling more crafty after this activity and have even managed a bit of sewing. One thing I was not in the mood for though was cleaning the phone after I dropped it right smack in the middle of the paint.

Eh, we need a new one anyway.

back again

Gloucester was great. The kids loved every minute of it. The beach had this fantastic inlet that wound around and through the beach so there was shallow, warm water for the kids to splash in, rock-pool for crabs and 'surf'.

News by Gloucester teenagers. Sandcastles by Tristan. Food by Ned's. Gossip by Peabody award winning Nuala.

Cuteness by Floyd and Cissie.

Today I'll be catching up on laundry, emails and thank you's.

Tomorrow I'll be back with some crafty goodness.

kid art

When Floyd finished school for the year we were presented with a plethora of his art projects from the year. So enamored with them am I, that I have to share them with you here.

::pumpkin bowl

:: finger puppet (?)

:: bell

:: mouse

:: aquarium

They are tiny treasures aren't they? We currently have a display of his art work on our mantle and he is just so proud to have it all up there. Not as proud as I am though. Most exciting of all today for the first time Floyd drew a rocket ship and it really looks like a rocket ship. Actual representational drawing. Can you hear the giddiness in my voice? I have been waiting a long time for this.

big daddy

buying locally and in season

 

Ahh summer days. Strolling though the neighborhood, outings to surrounding countryside, lunch al fresco and wiling away afternoons in the garden. All that is great isn't it? But let's cut to the chase here. Summer has one thing that means no other season can compare.
Yard sales.

It has become something of a ritual for my closest friend and I to meet up in the morning at our local coffee shop with a list in hand, sans bebes (dumped on semi-willing husbands) and head out for a couple of hours to scour all the neighborhood has to offer.

We never come home empty handed, much to the chagrin of the aforementioned husbands, but it is not just the buying of things that we go for. It is the thrill of the hunt, the gossiping, the bargaining. It is absolute bliss and we always have a great time regardless of the haul.

But this year, after several years of buying things only to get rid of them a few months later, I have a very specific M.O. There are rules now::
1. I have to love it
2. or need it.
3. I can't buy it just because it is a bargain.
4. I can't buy something if I already have something very similar unless number 1. applies.
5. It has to fit either me, my kids or my house unless number 1. applies.

So I admit the rules are pretty loose and open to interpretation but I ask you what good system isn't?
Everybody needs a little wiggle room.

small books

I whipped up a bunch of these small books yesterday for the kids. Floyd is really into having his own little books now and you know whatever he is into, Cissie is too. They should really be called The Small Object books because all the embellishments I used on them were either free downloads or lovely little things my sweet and thoughtful husband put in my Christmas stocking. Love the small object, just love it...everything there is so cool.

The kids are pretty excited to have their own little books but I foresee them going through this stash way too quickly so I am not leaving them all out at once....besides I might need one or two for myself.

Amanda's book

I bought a copy of The Creative Family pretty much as soon as it came out. Like most bloggers I had long been anticipating the release of this book. It doesn't disappoint. It is filled with wonderful ideas for crafts and activities but much more than that it is filled with ways to make your life nicer, better and when I look through the book I can't help thinking, it is filled with ways to make your life calmer. It reminds you to slow down, go with the flow of what your children are doing and appreciate the moment. There are so many ideas in here that I knew about as a teacher but just simply forgot. Here's one crafty activity we pulled out of the book this week.

Making pictures with dried beans.

Floyd shows off this treasure map. (Yes, we are still stuck on pirates.)

After most of the boo (glue) was spread liberally over hands and table, Cissie got down to the serious business of pouring the beans from one pot to another....for about, oh, I don't know, half an hour.

The finished product.

I think it is testament to Amanda's gift for writing that we all feel in some way, we know her or share something in common with her. She has a way of drawing you in, making you feel at home and letting you be part of what she is doing. It's like we are all on a first name basis with her.
Perhaps that is why, when I look around blog-land, seeing her inspiration everywhere, stop by her blog and read all of our comments, I can feel a palpable wave of support as we watch her achieve so much. I feel like we are all cheering from the sidelines Go SouleMama Go!

Now that's what I call a swap

A fair while back I did a swap with Alex from Moonstitches. I think it is okay to say here that it took a long time for the swap to be completed but as I said to Alex, some things are so totally worth waiting for.

Five little owls all with some Liberty fabric tied onto them. We obviously share of a love of Liberty fabric.

Two beautiful Liberty scarves with one of my all time favorite prints.

Miss Bossy Boots instantly claimed one as a hat for herself. Lucky for me she has the attention span of a 20-month-old and after waving a few stickers in her face I was able to sneak it back into my possession.

Also in the package was some cute Japanese tea and candies that, alas never made it to the photo shot. One greedy partnership between the husband and the dog took care of all of that. (Yes the dog got some too, I am ashamed to admit it, but I still have the tea at least.)
The wonderful thing about this package was its timing. Alex was very apologetic about it taking longer than she'd hoped but actually the timing was spot on. In the midst of the chaos that was the month of March this ray of sunshine dropped into my letterbox. I was honestly having such a terrible day I almost cried at the sight of this gift because it was so well thought out and so perfect. Alex, thank you, really really thank you. I love it all. You are just like the gift itself,

pirate paaarrrrrrty

At last. Some piratical pictures. And then I'll get to telling you the delights of the party...

:: pirate invitations. Blank cards from Michael's, stamps from here.

:: the cake. Ok so I realize my doesn't look a lot like the one in the picture but it was 9pm and I was feeling more than a little crabby (I should have known then).

:: pirate pajamas though on the day he wore his shirt.

:: up close

:: the fabric is from Jo-anns and has been in my stash for over a year. This lady in the shop convinced me to buy it because it was only $2/ yard and truth be told I never thought I would use it. Floyd loves them.

:: I scanned and printed a bunch of these for the kids to color in and I made them some felt eye patches. We also had this game for them to play and of course the obligatory chocolate gold coins.

If you are looking there are a bunch of ideas for pirate parties here. Also I have a bunch of felt eye patches and some coloring-in pages left over so if you are having a pirate party - they're yours for the asking.

Right now lets get to it. The party. I am not showing any pictures of the chaos, the madness and the mayhem because I really don't need to re-live it and I am sure you have had similar experiences yourselves. The thing is, I am not sure that Floyd really enjoyed himself.
He has been talking about this party for about 11 months. He has been very specific about the kind of cake he wanted, the theme and who he wanted to invite but I could tell he was getting more than a little anxious about it weeks before the event.
I have to say I really did not enjoy it a great deal. It seemed kind of nuts; a load of frenzied kids running around, the crazy amount of gifts (more than half of which are still hidden - he has already forgotten about them) and the general overwhelming-ness of it all.
On his actual birthday we sat around as a family, opened a couple of presents and had some cupcakes on the porch and that was so much more fun for *everyone*. So I think I am done with kids parties (after only two of them!!) I think from now on it is going to be a family affair and maybe a trip to the zoo with one friend. I honestly think, though he wouldn't admit it, Floyd will enjoy it more.

welcome

A little while back I had a major spring clean of my sewing room and I got myself pretty darn organized thanks to a certain little someone. I thought I would share a few photos of what my favorite room in the house looks like.

:: my sewing table with my fancy new quilting machine

:: my  oppressively large fabric stash (there are reasons long and complicated as it why it is so large but who really wants to go there)

:: embroidery from pandora pocket (the shop)

:: computer table with wire clip thing from west elm to hold up bits of paper, postcards, photos and inspirational bits.

:: spools of thread and spools of ribbon

   

:: a chair my very good friend found in Goodwill for me and though she really didn't like it, she knew I would so she bought it for me. (How can you not love a friend like that?) The cushions need to be re-covered but for now an old quilt of mine does the trick.
:: Above the chair I was lucky enough to score myself a Keiko Minami print thanks to an ever-generous husband. (Now how can you not love a husband like that?)

:: of course my sewing room comes with the most important fixture of all....a couple of little helpers, who delight in undoing all Claire's hard work.

spring

Hello again and thank you, again. Tim is making steady progress and has been moved from ICU to a regular ward. He is talking, eating and trying to walk and we are praying for a full recovery, and although some things have not fallen into place yet, we are hopeful that they will.
Thank you for each and every kind message. This blogging community never ceases to amaze me. Your kindness, your creativity and your generosity are a constant source of support and inspiration. So one last time (for now), thank you!
Despite March being one of the worst months of my life (there was so much drama in our house and so many visits to ER, I honestly can not bear to relive it by retelling it) I managed to sneak in a bit of crafting or rather I took solace in it.
If there is one thing to take your mind of all the craziness it is making something. The concentration, the immersion, the single mindedness it takes is a great therapy.

:: practiced free motion quilting.....

:: ....for some new Easter place mats.

:: a new tree embroidery for Cissie's room.

 

:: making duvet covers from two flat sheets (who ever uses them?) and a Dritz snap fastener in about an hour and a half. 

:: And a whole bunch of pirate crafts, yet to be revealed.

Spring weather has finally arrived here. It was glorious yesterday and as we sat on the porch drinking wine with our very good friends it certainly felt like we'd turned the corner.
It is Floyd's fourth birthday today so cupcakes in the sunshine this afternoon is our highest priority.
Hope the sun is shining with you.

3 visitors

and 3 excuses for my absence.....

1. A little friend came along way to spend the week with us. Bliss. I miss my friends terribly. Luckily they have been very good about coming over to visit us and one way or another we get to see people pretty often. But it is a special joy to spend the week with this very crafty lady. She helped me spring clean my craft room and boy-oh-boy we blitzed the place. Two car loads to goodwill and another one on the way. The room feels positively lighter. We did quite a bit of crafting (though not as much as we'd have liked - see #2) and managed to update this old Ikea bookcase.

We covered the back board with a layer of mod-podge and fabric but you could use paper too.
Check out Orla Keily's version via decor8 .

Perfect for toys that need to be out of a certain little muppet's grasp.

2. 24 hour stomach flu. We all blamed Little Claire for being the carrier. Until her last day when it became perfectly she wasn't the carrier. Sorry love. Luckily it bought her an extra day with us.

3. One and a half feet of snow. And just like that we are sucked back into winter.
I don't mind though my craft room rocks and I am happy to be ensconced  in here like a crafty gnome.

Vintage craft book.

I promised some more info about this book when I made winter boy. I think this vintage craft book has been doing the rounds pretty steadily on the craft blog circuit because I see lots of things inspired by projects inside. The great thing about this book is that it is cheap and easily available Amazon. And when I say cheap, I mean a couple of dollars.
It has lots of different sections on doll making including basic doll making techniques, simple dolls, advanced dolls, clay dolls and of course softies. One word of warning, don't expect all the projects in there to be as cute as the following pictures. The projects range from adorable to weird to down right scary. Ahh the seventies.
Here we go then...

Simple cute squishies, perfect for baby presents. One thing I realize looking through these old books, is just how much better the fabric has become. I don't necessarily mean fabric designs (though I'd like to think things have become a little more, um, subtle) but the quality of it. Like fabric for making softies, is actually soft now and rather less flammable.

Cute door stops.

??

Winter boy pattern, which they call  'snug and cozy', clearly somethings were better in the seventies.

Mini softies. OOhhh these would be cute as present toppers/gift tag thingies.

And this last one for spring.  Because I am a firm believer that it is out there somewhere.
Just in case the Amazon link doesn't work the ISBN is 0806954485.
Happy crafting.

Happy Valentime's Day

Mr. Floyd calls it Valentime's Day, I never correct him. Just like how he always calls it goo instead of glue. I like it.
We started the day building a pirate ship.

But we had to take a break because we have to think about how to make the necessary modifications. It must have a gang plank. Floyd got this tool box for his birthday last year. What a great gift. He has loved it and loved it. We set up a small work bench in the kitchen for him and sometimes he likes to just sit and drill holes though bits of wood. Must be some kind of primal male instinct.
I must say he really is very responsible with it all and can manage all of the tools by himself pretty well now.
We moved on to making a gazillion valentime's cards for all his friends at school and then made some cookies to go with them. Floyd and Cissie both love being involved in cooking. It is just that I don't always love them being involved. Cissie ate quite a large amount of flour today and Floyd insisted we needed to use the barbecue tongs for the cookies. All in all though they came out delicious.
While the kids are napping I ate decorated them so they will have a nice little treat when they wake up .
Recipe from  Martha, pirate ship from Jo-anns.
Happy Valentime's day to all of you, from all of us...

We've been kind of busy

Too cold for anymore sledding so I'll try and get my act together and be back with some more red stuff later this week.

Well, well, well,

aren't you a great big bunch of lurkers? I had no idea you were all out there. Nothing like a prize to reveal who is reading. I am so delighted that you are, and now I have a whole new lot of blogs to get reading too.
Thank you so much for all your entries and all your well wishes. The room is still spinning but I am trying to embrace it. I will announce the winner tomorrow so there is still a little time to get your name in the hat for the prize.
In the meantime I thought I might just backtrack a bit.
In this post I mentioned how great a year it had been for my lovely Andy and I made a reference to an award. Well now I get to brag about it. He won an award from the Jerwood Foundation for the book he is currently working on.
So off he trotted to London last week to pick up his prize and he came back with a little something for me.

New fabrics from Liberty.

So cool. Really. All of it. The award, the fabric, my husband.

I'll be back tomorrow to announce another winner.

flea market find

I found this long before Christmas at our local flea market. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it but it was wayyyy expensive so after haggling long and hard with the owner for a good half hour and making a mad dash to the automated teller. It was mine. I knew it would fit in with Floyd's cafe so well and sure enough the kids love it. It has been their absolute favorite present, though they did not get it until some days after Christmas.

(Sorry for the very crooked photos- a little too much Christmas cheer)

When I bought it, it was in pretty bad shape. It had linoleum on the counter top part and needed a new lick of paint. Needless to say it was not me that fixed those particular ailments.
  But once it was filled with all manner of goodies from Casey's (thanks to this Soulemama post I think just about every blogger bought something from there.) and a few more bits and pieces it was ready for action.

This scale from Granny and Grandpa completed what is now Floyd and Cissie's general store, kitchen, cafe, Dr.'s office, fire station, etc. And I have to say they serve a pretty fine acorn pie. 

must not buy

I was doing my usual cruise online, after getting an email alert that Nordic Kids is having a sale. Claire first told me about them and I have been coveting stuff from them ever since. I am so in love with this little dress I just can't stand it.

So I did a little search on some of the brands they stock to see if there was a US distributor, alas there is not one that I have found but good lord, look what I found instead.

How flippin' cute are these. They are by Katvig  and I found them online here and here. Each of these shops has a whole bunch of great kids clothes.

Could someone please help me justify buying more clothes? Just one good reason, that's all I need. I am counting on your help ladies, and I think you know where I am coming from.  So dig deep and find me a reason.....please.

Happy New Year

A little new year's gift for the kiddos. One for Floyd and of course one for Cissie.

Felt crowns inspired by Soulemama and wands inspired by angry chicken. 

2007. Wow what a year. So very much has happened in our home, it has been amazing. A year filled with achievements where years of quiet plodding work finally came to fruition. Especially for Andy, but more about that in a minute.
This is the year Cissie learned both to walk and talk and has filled out hearts ever since with toddler delights such as furiously nodding her head whilst saying please, spontaneously saying the word wiggles, dancing her way through the whole year and belting out  "mooooo" every time we have yogurt (there was one evening where we ALL sat around the table mooing and laughing till our bellies hurt).
Floyd started school and started well. He has grown so much this year. So tall and so beautiful. My heart melts whenever I see his very first school photo. There he is, doing something without us, a whole life of his that I am not there for, so independent. I am at once so proud and so jealous.
And so utterly in love with my babies.
But this year has really been one for Andy.  So very much has happened for him and I am beyond proud. It goes into the realm of something entirely different. This year Andy got tenure, his green card, a fellowship, a very important book contract and now he has won a very prestigious award. 
(bragging details to follow in a few weeks)
I always knew in my heart what an incredibly talented, clever and funny man he was but what never ceases to amaze me is what a wonderful husband and father he is too. I love you Andy and I hope 2008 makes all your other dreams come true.
Happy New Year to everyone who has taken the time to read and join in with this space. I have loved being here, a part of this wonderful sharing community. Come on 2008!

How beautiful

This arrived for me the day after Christmas and I just can not believe how incredibly beautiful it is. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sarah. It is more stunning than I ever imagined, I was in awe when I opened the package, I just couldn't believe how perfectly it suits me.

And the fact that it came framed......well now I am just about in love.

I hope you all had wonderful, peaceful and fun holidays. Isn't amazing how quickly it all just flies by and there is weird mixture of relief and slight sadness when it is all over ? We had a lovely, lovely time and I am reminded time and again how incredibly lucky we are to have each other and what an amazing family I am blessed with.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Christmas stocking garland, made last year but funnily enough I like them more this year.

I got the idea from here but I used felt for mine and I made 25 because it is meant to be used as an advent calendar though this year it is neglectfully empty.

Stockings for the family, but I will be making myself a new one using this fabric because I realize that I am the only one with a red stocking, even the dog's stocking is more in keeping. (his is the green one)
Little Claire made Floyd the blue robot one two years ago so I made Andy and Frances ones to match but of course couldn't quite get to mine...lazy...lazy.
Speaking of lazy, here is a list of the things I have not done nor will be doing this Christmas:

cards - not bothering. Sorry if you were expecting one from me, just couldn't get to it this year. I will however be completely miffed if I don't receive a bumper load of them myself.

cooking turkey - no-one likes it in our house. We are having a different 'festival meat' (Andy's terminology) this year.

entertaining - no-one's invited (except for one or two peeps) and I won't be throwing our annual Boxing Day party.  I am deliriously happy at the thought of a quiet Christmas with my babies, building train tracks and having picnics on the living room floor...just heavenly.

freaking out about shopping / making presents - I've done most of it and what isn't done most likely won't happen so now I plan on just relaxing in front of the fire and driving Andy crazy with my relentless abuse of Christmas FM. Floyd knows *all* the words to jingle bell rock and boy oh boy you should hear his ending.
Hope you are all feeling the festive spirit.

Christmas shopping list

So, alright I am pretty late at getting round to this and also there have been so many rocking ideas put out there already BUT here are some more anyway.

I love just about everything at Three Potato Four. This cute glass and how adorable is this little lady. It is such a neat little shop and they frequently update it with original vintage finds.Love these toadstools from Nova. I want them for me as much as for the kids, how cute would they be on your mantle.

I am totally going crazy about these alphabet cards from Mahar Dry Goods. Wouldn't they be perfect for this empty wall.

Lordy, this set has me going a little nuts too but it has a price tag that makes me see reason.

And finally, I adore every single thing over at The Small Object, these tins, so cute. These stamps and these stickers all so cute and really perfect for stocking stuffers. *I SAID*, THEY WOULD BE REALLY PERFECT FOR STOCKING STUFFERS.
Just checking.

tick tock

Hey you. I totally finished. How is yours coming on....given the fact that you are five hours ahead I'm guessing your advent calendar might be a day late ;)

ta da.....

Nailed it, methinks. In fact it is even hanging on the wall.
Nothing like a bit of competition to motivate me. I loved making it so much, I am wondering if there is a job out there that involves cutting up small squares of fabric and gluing them to card. Next year I think we should swap one made with each of our favourite fabrics...CUTE! Or wait how about these, so CUTE.
L.C. can't wait to see yours.

gettin' ready

Take a deep breath and dive on in. There are a ton of photos in this post but I am so in love with this finished Christmas gift I can't help but put them all in.
I decided to do away with our old dolls house as it was just too fiddly for the kids (too many little bits and pieces for them to manipulate without it all tipping over....frustrating for me, let alone them). Anyway, I had this old Lundby dolls house in the attic (consignment sale $4) and I really thought it was the perfect size. Not too big, not too pokey but it was in a bad way (sorry no before shots). I sawed a hole in the damaged roof for more light and easy access to the people and furniture, then I re-wallpapered, added the best furniture in the world plus the loveliest dollies. I deliberately kept it sparse following the logic of less is more (extra space and sturdy furniture that won't get knocked over as soon as the first little hand goes diving in) and decided if they love it and play with it they can have more furniture for birthdays. And the best thing.....I have one present totally nailed and it isn't even December yet.
Here are the results.

Supplies :
Kathe Kruse dollhouse dolls from Blueberry Forest and Grannys
Furniture from Nova Natural Toys
Wallpaper by Lotta Jansdotter and Black Ink
Art work by Sukie

a few days in Cambridge

We had a great few days in Cambridge, MA over Halloween. It is such a nice place to visit and just hang out. The weather was lovely, we stayed in a hotel right by a very cool playground.   We spent an ordinate amount of time here. In fact we went there everyday at the request of certain little monkey.
I really liked the fact that it felt old there, with a strong sense of history and identity. It also felt very expensive there too.
We took a trip into Boston on our last day and went to the aquarium, which totally totally rocked. It was the best day out I have had in ages. They have the coolest huge tank right in the middle that you walk around in a spiral and then all these great exhibits around the side. There were some amazing jellyfish (pictures later this week) and anemones and Floyd's favorite......the penguins. Could we bring one home please ?
Hope you are all not too sick from the candy !
 

Dear Claire,

Sorry I missed your anniversary (by some considerable distance) but you have this to look forward to in the post.

Pretty ain't it.

Also I love your new kitchen but I thought it needed a finishing touch. So here are some linen tea towels and a crocheted dish cloth. All made by me...for you.

Look what I found for you from eBay,

and I thrifted this,

plus one of your favourite plates.

All I need to do now is get to the post office or in other words Merry Christmas.

from a friend

What a sweet gift. In return for the bib pattern.

vintage wooden spools, lovely buttons, a collection of buttons plus some cute fabric,

and some gorgeous vintage yo-yo's

Thank you so much Susanne.

Thank you to everyone else who sent a little something as a way of saying thank you. It 'warms the cockles' to know that you liked the pattern and I am going to get on with some more freebies for all you lovelies.

sunnier now

Thank you to those of you that left me comments. I am definitely feeling a bit sunnier now.  It is nice to know you all have those moments too.

This weekend we :

collected acorns - It is certainly one of my proudest moments to see *both* my kids scooping up acorn tops into our bag to take home for crafts. Andy laughed out loud when he saw Cissie joining in before Floyd. My little 14-month old craft cutie. She takes after me in so many ways....especially that stubborn streak.

built a post office - Floyd's delighted, at last we made him a little post office out of cardboard boxes, complete with stamps, envelopes, parcels and a post box.

strolled on a beach and let the wind blow away the cobwebs.

cooked a yummy roast dinner including apple crumble with a very dear friend. (Can you tell we've been apple picking recently?)

didn't buy this fabric from the newly revamped Kitty Craft. Managed to hold off but not. sure. for. how. long.

thrifted this cute scale for the aforementioned post office (subsequently to be used for weighing dollies in the 'baby center', I think Cissie will love having a day washing, drying, dressing, weighing and feeding her dollies before putting them to bed).

won a competition. Can you believe it? So cool. Thank you for choosing me!

Hope your weekend was as sunny. If anyone would like some acorn caps I have two small bags going, just leave a comment. If for some reason they are a surprisingly big hit, names will go into a hat.

Happy Monday.

blergh

That is kind of how I have been feeling this week. Not bad, but kind of not great either. Totally not hitting my groove, especially when it comes to crafting.