...chocolate air...

nine.

I'm not going to write a long, gushing post about how Zach is growing up at the speed of light these days. Suffice it to say... he is. He really, really is.

I will say, however, that I love this kid. I love who he is becoming. We are so very proud of our boy.

We had a simple cute party for two turning-nine boys... more pictures and details on my friend Heidi's blog.

Star Wars, of course. Because what else is there nowadays? (Well, I guess there's also Harry Potter, Legos, and girls. That's right... girls. The speed of light, I tell you.)

 

dear so-and-so.

So a month or two ago I presented my family with an idea that had been stirring around in my brain for a while now. As I was clearing out all the things in my house, I thought, "As thrilling as it is to get nice gifts... I already have everything I need (and oh-so-much more!)." Now my family never goes too crazy at Christmas to begin with, to tell the truth. We don't try to outdo anyone or feel that children need mountains of toys in order to be happy. We have always exchanged names among the adults, and sometimes we even stuck to that. I love Christmas with my family! But I was feeling like that maybe we could do something more, something better.

 

So this year, the adults on my side of the family will not be exchanging gifts. (Bah, humbug... right?) But... we've decided to exchange letters instead. Each of us will write some sort of heartfelt thoughts to each other member of the family. These letters can be short or long, sentimental or funny, handwritten or typed. They can include drawings, photos, poetry, limericks, bad jokes... anything. Or just a quick "so glad you're in our family". As long as it is sincere.

We'll hand out these letters when we get together at Christmas (and mail them to my brother and nephew on missions). And I am stoked! Seriously.

We'll try different things other years, if all goes well. I would love for each year to end with us knowing each other a little better, and having some sort of family keepsake put together. Some other ideas: an ornament swap, put together a family cookbook, a service exchange, photographs for a family album, etc. I thought one year we could each write up our personal history, with their own information and memories, which we would copy and bind for each family group.

Zach and I wrote our first letters today (Thanks, Ollie!), and I have to say... I enjoyed it a little too much. I did a little rhyming today and ended up giggling like crazy.

If anyone has any other thoughts on creating family keepsakes/memories... I'm all ears. Just hit that comment button below. Thaaat's right... tap that little button and let's hear what you have to say!

rockin' robin.

Isn't he, though? Rockin', I mean. What a cool kid.

Fighting for truth, for justice, and for the chance to show off his slick moves.

And here we have... um... Catwoman. Created mostly to amuse myself.

And so help me... it really did.

Because, really, how could I resist?

 

part two: the other stuff.

One great thing we saw (but I wasn't allowed to photograph...wah) was the National Quilt Museum. It was awesome! I can't get over the creativity and craftsmanship of some people. Mike tolerated the museum quite well. And Zachary...well... although he claims to have enjoyed it, he did spend an inordinate amount of time rolling around on the floor groaning, "Exit...exit...exit!"

But there was certainly plenty for the boys to enjoy on our vacation as well.

We observed marine life up close:

 

 We saw war vehicles. We saw A LOT of war vehicles:

 

 

And various other unusual vehicles as well:

  

We experienced crafts and trades of the 1800s:

We saw Orlando Bloom:

(Okay, not really, but doesn't he look like him? Close enough.) 

There are of course a lot more photos, but as I doubt anyone is reading even this far... I'll spare you.

gifties.

So I had a crazy-busy weekend. And a crazy-busy week getting ready for it! In addition to the wedding, I had family in town to watch General Conference, and a baby shower for my sister-in-law.

I had put together a sweet little pink and green quilt top for my new little niece... and then the newest ultrasound revealed it to be a new little nephew. Back to the drawing board. So I came up with this quilt instead. I like the way the quilting turned out, especially on the back.

Then used a few of the same fabrics to dress up a onesie and make a teeny pair of pants to match. My first time making an elastic casing. For some reason I always thought that would be hard. Turns out... not so much. So here it is.

  
 
 

And after I saw Andrew admiring a couple of the fabrics in my stash, I couldn't help but throw together this little taggie blanket for him.

 

So I had a weekend full of inspiration, celebration, family, friends, babies, photos, and crafting too. So good.

really old projects.

A friend of mine was asking this week for some advice on art supplies for her artistic young daughter, and it got me thinking. File this under the category of "things I used to do in another life". When I was in high school, that is.

I'm kind of getting the itch to pick up a pencil again. Or watercolors, perhaps. Or pen and ink. Or... something. Hmmm.

girly.

So, I've actually had a pretty good crafting streak going on here lately, but unfortunately, most of it can't be posted just yet. So I'll settle for sharing a photo of a gift I put together a few months back for a sweet little friend of ours. I saw the idea for a doll's diaper bag ages ago, and never had an excuse to use it... so I jumped on the chance when we had a little girly birthday come up.

The doll was mine when I was a child. I thought he needed a new home, and a mommy to care for him properly. He's actually bald (oh, sorry... she's actually bald... this particular little girl only has girl babies). She's wearing a little bear hat that I knitted. I sewed up the wipes and diapers (made from a white t-shirt that was no longer in use), and everything else was purchased. I really wanted to make the diaper bag myself, but time was against me. C'est la vie.

There was one more diaper, but Zach confiscated it for his kitty. She has been wearing it ever since.

sing halleluia.

The quilt is done. I did not count up the hours spent on this, which I think is probably for the best.

Photo #1

...in which my semi-toothless child holds up the finished quilt proudly.

 

Photo #2

...in which said child claims exhaustion while revealing the backside of the quilt.

 

Photo #3

...in which you get a glimpse of the gorgeous fabric I used for the back. As a bonus, you get a glimpse of my wonky stitchwork.

 

Photo #4

...in which we see the quilt hanging prettily from a random tree. As if that would ever happen in real life.

 

Photo #5

...in which we see the twin-size quilt spead out on our king-size bed, since that's the only spot in the house that ever gets any sunlight.

 

Photo #6

...in which we see that the quilt, despite various imperfections, works for its intended purpose. Perfectly.

april showers.

_{(Okay, technically these showers took place in December and March... and blast it, looking at my calendar, I realize it's not even April anymore as I post this... but hey, I gotta have a title.)}

Rewind to December for a bit. A friend of mine was getting ready to have her baby, and I called dibs on throwing her shower. I had a few things to work around... like the Christmas tree in the living room. So I decided on a woodland/bird theme in red and white.

Kristin already had five children under the age of eight, and the baby's gender was unknown, hence the invitation. The back had the info, and said, "Come celebrate the newest egg in the nest!" (I love the little rooster boy!)

 

 

And for favors, I whipped up some super-quick ornaments and placed them on a little tree.

 

 

 

And now in three weeks my little sister Karen is due to have her first baby, and we are all way excited. Bursting to meet the new little one in the family. A few weeks ago we had a little lamb shower for her.

Karen made the little quilt in the second picture, and my mom made the cute little sock bouquet. We hung the clothesline to display any clothing she was given, and had jars set out for people to offer up their baby name suggestions.

 

 

 

 

 

(Now I'm humming "Shower the People You Love with Love". Oy. Stop me.)

hide and seek.

Okay, I've been holding this little project under wraps for a while now, waiting for the advent to start and not wanting to spoil the surprise for a certain friend of mine. But I got the all-clear, so here goes.

 

This is Ollie, a little elf who came straight from the North Pole to stay with us. See his elfy hat? And his jingly legs? And his official elf badge? I had a little too much fun making this guy. This was my first chance to make a doll (*ahem*) for my own family that wouldn't be completely snubbed by my son. And I jumped on it.

His entire body, as well as his hat, was created from recycled wool sweaters. His head is basically a Waldorf design that I found instructions for in the book The Children's Year. I twisted wool yarn into a rope and then stitched a few together to create the scarf. Sew on a few jingle bells, and voila! A festive little friend to join us for the holiday season.

The best thing, though, is that Ollie has a brother who has found a home, also. That's Pippin on the right. And the two of them have cooked up a fun holiday tradition. Every night (or maybe every day in Pip's case) in December, they play a game of hide-and-seek, and the kids get to do a search for them. And maybe, if we're lucky, they'll leave us a little note with an idea for a simple game or craft or activity that we can do together to brighten up our holiday.

They even have their own blog, where Kirsten and I will share our adventures with you. Please come see us... Pip and Ollie. And feel free to play along, if you like. I'd love to see some more elves make their way into other families' traditions.

talking turkey.

I hope you are all enjoying a lovely holiday weekend with your families. This post pretty much sums it up for me. Beautiful.

We are enjoying a few weeks of celebration, as we have a lot of family to celebrate with. Last weekend was spent with my side of the family. So fun. Here's Zach, playing some kind of game, in his new shirt he made. Pretty self-explanatory... t-shirt, acrylic paint, basic handprint turkey, happy kid.

 

I did some crafting with one of my sisters, creating garlands and placecards for the dinner. We cut the leaves out from these templates, and then folded them down the middle, and then again back the other way to create the other veins. We added some scrolls for the placecards, some string for the garland, and voila!

 

 

 

And yes... we really do have three Mikes. On my side alone.

Lastly, here's a fun shot of our hosts for the weekend, my sister and her husband, "Babylegs" Beasley.

proud.

 

To some of you this may seem like small potatoes, but to a non-seamstress like me, it's a Big. Honkin'. Deal.

I made a tote bag! It's even lined, which makes it reversible, although I prefer the pattern on the outside. And although the pictures don't do it justice, it's not even all wonky and distorted, as is typical with even the easiest of my sewing projects. This bag is the perfect size to fit in everything I need to take to church every week, so I'm really pleased with it.

 

Another reason to be proud of myself this week? I was honest with my son under the toughest of circumstances. Zach pulled a box of Girl Scout cookies out of the freezer and said in a hopeful way, "Um, Mom, can they give some of these to boys, too, or are they just for girls?"

And I did not say, "Oh, sorry, son... I guess these are all mine. You'll have to wait until the boy scouts come around selling cookies."

Now that's restraint, people.

beans. everywhere.

I thought I'd share the results of a cute little project that, quite honestly, I've been putting off for some time. And while, yes, I'm still sweeping up beans a week later, it was worth it.

I was remembering these turkeys we used to make every November in grade school, the ones that we glued beans all over to make the feathers. Anyone else remember those? Anyhow, I thought we could use the same method to make any kind of art we chose. So Zach drew a picture on cardboard, we filled in different areas with glue, and then he went to town gluing on one color at a time. I love how his rocket turned out. We may have to make some turkeys, after all.

 

We had a little friend with us that day, as her sister was having surgery (and doing well, from what I hear). She created with us, but went with something a little more abstract.

 

And, you know, after spending the day looking into this face, I am more sure than ever...

 

Man, I need a little girl.

punkin.

Pardon me while I try to recap my entire October, or at least anything mildly Halloweenish.

 

A few weeks back, Mike and I decided to surprise Zach with breakfast in bed... a whole pumpkin pie and a can of whipped cream. He was pretty excited about that once he woke up enough to enjoy it. He saved most of the pie, and had bites of it at every breakfast for a week.

 

That same week, we went apple-picking twice at a local farm, and we chose pumpkins for our fall decorating, and one to carve into a jack o'lantern. (Zach's design... he was going for a very scary face.) The animals at the farm were a huge hit with Zachary, as was filling bag after bag with fruit he won't even eat...

 

What? Don't you consider a blue mohawk to be standard apple orchard attire?! Huh. Maybe my son just has more style than you do.

And speaking of style... I present to you... the costume.

 

For those of you keen on the details... I shredded a pair of old jeans, hung a chain around his waist, applied a fake tattoo, and painted his face. The hair was done with a thick blue gel, and twisted into spikes that could poke somebody's eye out when they dried. (Yes, we were just practicing the hairdo on the day of the apple orchard.) The dog collar and wrist cuff were both cut from a $2 studded belt I picked up at a thrift store. I cut out a freezer-paper stencil for the shirt (yes, really, it took a few hours), ironed it onto one of Zach's undershirts, and spray-painted the rest of the shirt unevenly to give it a grunge look.

The boy was in seventh heaven, I tell you.

 

I love that little punk.

swapped.

Kristin just posted about the things we sent to them in the Miniswap a few months back, and it made me realize that I had never shared it myself.

I had so much fun with this swap. Kristin had mentioned that her Margaret likes playing school, and since that was one of my favorite things as a kid (and still kind of is... homeschooling is so fun!), I decided to make up a playing-school kit. We put it together almost entirely from things we had around the house.

This box had a lot of odds and ends for the teacher... office supplies, stickers, old rubber stamps, a jumprope for recess time, a school bell, etc.

You can't have a school with no chalkboard, so this slate was put in, along with a little bundle of chalk and a pointer that Zach made from a wooden dowel and a couple of spools. A few books for reading/writing.

I made this smock from a felted wool sweater, and am truthfully unsure of how it was meant to be used. School uniform? Teacher's apron? Art smock? Lunchtime apron? I guess it's multi-purpose.

Speaking of lunchtime... my favorite bit. A packed lunch. I actually squealed when I realized I could make this as part of the kit. The lunchbox itself is a tin with sticker labels on either side, which have pictures of Margaret apple-picking that I swiped from her mother's blog. The juice box was made from a wooden block, a dowel, and a bit of paint, and then I made a label for that on the computer, too. The apple was a thrift store find, and the cookies and sandwich were whipped up from more wool sweaters.

I am really happy with how the lunch turned out. I need to make some of these for myself for Zachary.

Kristin and Margaret were such great (and patient!) partners, and we loved putting this together for them. Thanks girls!

whales, iguanas, and dinos...

Oh, my!

When I think of the contents of a child's Easter basket, I usually think of the year that I was seven, and we got stuffed bunnies that looked real (well, we thought so, anyway), and the usual Mommy-made chocolate bunnies and jelly beans. Simple. Sweet. Eastery. I try to maintain that same feeling when we do our bunnying, and yet somehow, the child ended up with a dino puzzle, a stretchy rubber iguana, and a whale. I drew the line at Transformers though... they have no place in a bunny basket.

This whale was my creation. He was done in just a few hours, and I think he's adorable. (Thanks a million for the sewing machine help, Susan! But I still wimped out and hand-stitched the darn thing.) This is another felted sweater project. He was pretty simple, the same on both sides, about a foot long. I used the cuffs of the sweater to create the grooves on the underside of the jaw. One of his fins is a pocket, specially made to hold a little boy's tooth so it won't be lost before the tooth fairy can get to it. Soon, people. My boy has his first-ever wobbly tooth. And he couldn't be prouder.

His camera smile, by the way, is improving quite a bit. I'll be sad to see those baby teeth go...

swap received.

Okay, yes, I've been completely negligent. We actually received this gorgeous swap box over a week ago, while we were still flu-ish, but after spending the whole of last week just trying to get everything caught up, I am FINALLY blogging about it.

We gave our swap partners an odd list of things Zach was interested in, and they pulled it all together to create a nautical-themed box, that somehow incorporated pretty much all of his interests. Amazing. I'll start with my personal favorite, this little Sock and Glove rabbit. I've had this book for over a year, and still haven't created anything from it. (I think that's due to my sewing machine fear...) But Kristin had the book for what? two days?! and had this guy whipped up and in the mail. I mean, really.

Zach named him "Ahoy". I love his wee belly button, and that adorable scarf that matches a bag she stitched up for some seashells they sent.

And then there's this pirate mask... seriously, have you ever seen a cleverer little thing? Genius.

One of the things that amazed me about this package was how really talented Miss Margaret is!! The child is not yet five (!) but she went all out creating several things for the box, including this ocean puzzle she drew.

And all the rest of the loot. We have here a whale shirt that Zach wears every chance he gets, a pirate yoyo he's a bit obsessed with, a CD of whale songs (obviously a winner around here), and a few other cards/collages by the lovely Margaret, and the shells with their bag.

Kristin... you seriously rock. What an amazing package you two created for my boy. It made a really lousy week oh-so-much better. Thank you, thank you!! (And your box is soon on its way, I swear!)

wootie.

On a not-so-deep-and-personal note, I'll share a little project I put together while Zach and I were snuggled up on the couch with the flu last week. (After two weeks, by the way, we are finally getting our energy and appetites back. Gotta love cold-and-flu season.)

This is Wootie. I've been dying to make one of these turtles ever since Hillary first posted this adorableness. So I was thrilled to my toes when she started offering a pattern for them.

I think this would have come together more easily if I had been using wool craft felt, which is a more standard thickness than the felted wool sweaters that I used. But, well, he has character, so it's all good. The pattern on his shell has some sort of thick stripey cotton that I liked. And my favorite part? So quick and easy. This took longer to cut out than it did to stitch, I think. And that makes me happy.

sneak peek.

Mike and I both woke up feeling queasy today, so we've had rather a lazy day. Which is, of course, the perfect sort of day for a little handstitching. So here's a peek at a work-in-progress, which I'll share in full when it's done.

construction.

I finished constructing my mobile this morning for elsie marley's mobile swap. Way ahead of schedule, I might add. Mostly because the Miniswap is right on its tail...

I decided on a bird theme, which is apparently not original because almost everyone so far did birds. But I've been wanting to make one like this for a while, so I was glad that my recipient has similar tastes to mine. I drew little bird-related images and then embroidered them onto wool felt. Then I stuffed and blanket-stitched each bird closed, and hung with baker's twine. I'm happy with the embroidery, and also with the little guy "perched" on the branch. You can click on the images to see it bigger. Hope she likes it!!

This afternoon the three of us went out to build a snowman, which was going well until I accidently knocked off his head. So Mike decided to be a little creative, a la Calvin and Hobbes.