Happy Love

Happy Lover's Day. May you share your love with those close to you.

These images are from a light painting expedition with my brothers down at the beach. Great fun!

'Potters' Wheel, Part One

This post was originally written in the fall but not posted. Since pottery was such great fun for us, I decided to turn our time into a few posts for ya'all. Here is Part One.

Have I shared with you how I temporarily lost my eldest to Harry Potter? Well, in a couple of short months he blew through the series and was completely hooked. He isn't a creepy warlock kid, he's just a boy who will stay up very late at night reading. He sneaks under the covers after 'lights out' with a flashlight to continue a chapter or more. His offenses could be much worse, I am aware.

That said, we had a potter's class in the fall and he was tickled as all get out about the "Potter's'" wheel connection. I am certain the sensation of throwing on a wheel would have appealed to him regardless of his HP preoccupation but it made for fun puns along the way.

And so, as I was saying, we've been working with pottery a bit. Our interest was heightened when we visited Portland and the kids spent two good days playing pottery in the backyard. Hours of hand forming, reminded us of how simple and rewarding clay, water and paint brush can be.

When we returned and settled into our school routine, the art for the semester was an easy pick. We had private lessons at a local ceramic studio. Throwing on the wheel and creating a bowl from a chunk of clay provided hands on learning at it's finest.

It was interesting how the task translated to each child a little differently and each bowl was perfectly unique as it came to it's desired form.

Next up: clay forming at home

Perpetual Calendar

I love this perpetual calendar! What a great way to capture the main events of the day. I try to record a daily journal and track what was big for that day; something funny someone said, an amazing life changing epiphany, or just something notable. Truthfully I can't stick with it. This may just be the streamlined approach I need.

So creatively simple and what a great gift idea. You can use postcards. pictures or anything that might be special for your recipient. There are so many possibilities.

Images and more DIY details from Design Sponge.
Found via The Violet Hours.

Archiving Christmas [Photo] Cards

There was a time, long ago, when I thought I wanted to be a scrapbooker. I'm crafty and I love all the supplies, but really I think it was more drawn to the archival aspect of the craft. My luke-warm commitment can most certainly be linked to my lack of patience for the detail that yields just one page. My visions far surpass my results. I peter out before I complete my grand plan. Not surprisingly, I have plenty of albums started but not too many completed.

My Christmas Album however, is a mark of pride. Not because the pages within it are awe inspiring but because it is filled with Christmas cards from our friends and family since the beginning of our marriage and theirs. Our 'peeps' shared the highlights of their lives and as we flip through the pages we go back to some of those forgotten moments.

Each year I start with our family photo card and letter and thoughtfully group together the photo cards we receive into a set of following pages.

It was a small enough project for me to accomplish in one sitting, and now, ten years later I truly appreciate the time I took to put those cards into the album. My style has changed significantly but that is part of the charm. Recording it, as it is 'now'.

When we are raising a family, building a career or just getting by, we don't often stop and cherish the moments. But over time, when we look back, we recall how much things have changed or how some of the most important things have remained the same. Pulling the album out each year and remembering the folks we have shared a season or more with helps make our micro world a little more macro.

As our family grew and the album reached it's capacity, so did my scrapbooking. Instead of adding a second volume to the collection, I now capture all our photos, hole punch them and add them to a ring--with our photo and letter leading the pack. It's the best I can do these days and while it may not have all the extra borders or stickers or labels, it is a doable means for me to still archive photos that we can bring out over the holidays and remember....

The simplicity and pureness of this level of archiving speaks to me and where I am now-a-days. I'm glad I did more when I had the time, but I'm just as happy with these too. The intent and results are the same. If you have made the effort to send us a photo card over the years, chances are good you are in our pages and we think of you each holiday.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

DIY Travel Pillow Cases

We hit the road in late September and had a fabulous time with a (new to us) pop up camper. I had surprises and treats revealed throughout our initiation trip. My most favorite? Our camper cases.

Nothing says 'home sweet home' (literally) like a set of family pillow cases.

P.S. You should know I can't draw worth beans. It's truly pathetic. These are traced, using a light box and a drawing Adrienne made for me to work from. I KNOW they are stick figures, but sketching is not my strong suite and I like her style. Besides, I made a new friend in the light box.

Playing Up [& Some Blog Love]

I naturally gravitate to creative doers. People who walk their talk and have dimension. I'm not much for being the big fish in a safe little pond--but rather love the inspiration and evolution that comes from trying something new; playing up.

I sometimes try to convince myself that this child-rearing season of my life appears to leave little room for that. But, that is so not the case. And that's reason number 2,539 that I love bloggers. My small, littel world is widened. My view expanded and my game is better for it. Unless they are shamelessly promoting something, bloggers are givers and teachers (or at least tutors). They know a good thing and want to share it.

I have a Google Reader filled with inspirational bloggers that meet different needs. Some offer great recipes, some are crafty, some I just enjoy their writing style, some are good homeschooling resources, and some are great designers. But my reader can fill up quite quickly if I don't tend to it regularly. And when I am as busy as this past month has had me, I don't get to every post. Honestly, I'm just not in the mood for that.

That said, there is a short list of well-known bloggers (I doubt these are new to you) that I quickly scan my Reader for a new post from. Tried and true, these gals break the moody reader mold for me. They are women who are mothers of 3+ (putting my little brood of 3 on easy street)--real life mommies who aren't posers. They post when they can and they almost always offer a useful tip. My favorites file is filled with posts saved from these ladies.

My short list of ladies who help my game:

Seleta

This mother of four offers great tips for fashion, decor and design. It's the simple and elegant details that make such a difference. She shares real life, doable, ways to make every day a little better (and she's budget sensitive=bonus!). I love how she can talk about great design and then share a DIY hallway makeover or some fun rainy day cupcakes. Maybe it's just where I am these days but I find her organization posts especially helpful. (Can you tell I'm gutting the closets and redoing the file cabinets and bookshelves?)

Darby

I love Darby's photography of her everyday with her kids as well as her documenting her home renovations. She's an inspirational mother and a not-too-shabby seamstress. I am waiting for her post on her girls' dresses (hint, hint). I am bound and determined to make Anna one this summer. Until then, I have no excuse for not whipping out one of these or this cozy number. She shares great recipes, these and these are also moving their way up my list. [In the bonus round: Darby's sister, Erika, has a great blog as well. She's a new mother and designer with great inspiration.]

Stephanie

In addition to her lovely french influences, I look forward to Stephanie's culinary posts and her simple how-to tips. Her site is complete eye candy and her recipes are flavorful and doable on a weeknight. She has a great modern sense of style that is so refreshing. I can spend some serious time scanning her archives.

Ree [& Heather]

This is an obvious pick for millions of people, literally. But I turn to Ree and her contributing writer, Heather, for my homeschooling motivation. I have lots of sites that provide very detailed lapbooks, or curriculum sharing posts, and they are quite helpful when I am working on those things. But it's easy to find homeschooling mamas that go over the top and I am cautious of burn out.

Ree and Heather compile resources that are just what I am looking for, like this post. These gals are seasoned and seemingly laid back with the right focus (in my book). I watch these homeschooling posts closely and often take a page out of their playbook.

Gabby

Oh Dear Gabby. We all know and love our favorite Design Mom. In truth I scan through most of the product promotions and go straight to the tips. She is so widely read and shares so much of her readers' tips that she has been a good resource for me finding new blogs to love and follow. Her innovation with Kirtsy and her progressive nature keep me checking back for what's next. My bookmarked posts from Gabby, though, are her projects with her kids. This mother of six celebrates her children's individuality and has some creative kiddos in the bunch. She provides a great launching pad for many fun projects.

I NEED inspiration as much as I need water. Whether I'm hankering for a new recipe or trying to develop my sewing or refinishing a table and chairs for the first time. Whatever 'it' is, I am continually inspired by these women who do it, with kids.

1. It's hard work being a mom.
2. The rut and trenches can suck you in if you let them.
3. Making something can be hard when you are some times just trying to get through the day.
4. Considering blogworthy is a level on top of that.
5. Finding the time to document the project and complete a post is the cherry on top.

My hat is off to these women who regularly inspire me and I appreciate that they take the time to share with us. If they can do it the same number of kids (or more) as me, then what in the hay hoo is stopping me?! I'm off to paint a table and chairs. Wish me luck!

DIY Father's Day Card

Perhaps it's the season of my life that prevents me from even imagining leisurely browsing a Paper Source rack or combing Etsy for the perfect greeting card. I don't mean a lovely set of letterpressed cards that I can tailor for multiple purposes, but rather that hunt for the perfect Father's Day card, or Mother's Day card, etc.

This stage of my life doesn't allow for such luxuries (cue the violins). I find it difficult and pressure-filled to browse for someone else to capture my sentiments to THAT person. It's probably a patience thing.

So, I end up making a lot of cards. Ironically, I often relay a very simple message that I probably could have easily found on a pre-made card. Oh, the complexities...

Anyway, for Valentine's Day I made this very simple card for my husband. If I hadn't used it then, I could certainly use it for Father's Day, hence my reason for sharing with you now...In the 11th hour of Dad's Day prep...

I simply found a map of the world and reduced it to the size of my heart punch. Affixed it to a lined backing and hand wrote my message (but you could easily print this in your favorite font if the charm of handwriting doesn't appeal to you).

You mean the world to me/us.

I must add, I have a dear friend, Adrienne, who designs greeting cards for fun (how great is that?!). I love her humor and have a few favorites of her 'pre-made' cards I keep on hand and give as often as possible (probably duplicating my recipients many times over). She has a Father's Day card out that will FOREVER be my favorite. More on that after the big Dad's Day reveal....

P.S. Apologies for the poor iPhone photo. Prepping for my big excursion in nature leaves me little time to play with exposures and settings. At least you get the idea...

Mom, I'm Bored Jar

I love Steph from Somewhat Simple's variation of an activity jar. You've probably seen or heard or even devised such a thing with your rugrats. You know for the nails on a chalkboard "Mom, I'm bored..." (Translation: "Entertain me now!") moments.

via Skip to My Lou

Well, this jar is filled with lots of fun things to do, BUT it also includes some chores or tasks that aren't as fun. So, it becomes a real test of desperation as to whether or not your sweet little dear wants to go there. They may pull the fro yo ticket or get to be the boss for a day card, but they might also get a chance to clean your base boards or wipe down all the doorknobs.

Making my own version now!

P.S. You may also like Steph's new blog Crazy Domestic.

Juice Box Boat [Races]

Summer is almost here and so is our camping trip. I've got some water babes in my crew so boating, boarding and tubing will occupy most of our time. But for the idle moments around camp or at the shore of the lake I'm thinking these juice box boats from Inchmark would be a fun craft.

I see boat races in our future....

Image via Inchmark.

It's A Wrap!

Good friend and now fellow blogger, Beth, has just posted the best tutorial for a reusable sandwich wrap. I saw these in person and begged her to teach a newbie seamstress like myself how-to. Her fantastic step-by-step instructions have me encouraged (Only 7 steps and $5!). I plan to whip a few of these out this weekend.

Pop on over to her blog, To Be Charmed, and check out some of her other great posts. You'll be adding her to your bookmarks, I am sure.

Butterfly Lapbook

Anna and I are having a good time at home learning and growing in confidence--both of us. One of the greatest advantages, in my eyes, to homeschooling is the opportunity for enrichment. We can take an interest or area of study and go deeper with it. Last week we wrapped up a unit on butterflies.

We conducted our own butterfly release (from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly). And we also put together our first lapbook. These are great ways, whether you are homeschooling or just looking for something to enhance your child's interests, or could even be pulled off for a rainy day(s) activity. There tons and tons of resources available. The homeschooling community I have found online is a generous group of (mostly) gals who share. You can consider most any topic and someone has likely developed a lapbook template (often free) for it. You can tailor for your student or even use it as inspiration and create something else more appropriate.

Our first lapbook should have included photos and documentation of our butterflies and their release but we skipped that. We followed components of this template pretty closely.

Anna loved the hands on artsy crafty synthesis of her learning. It was fun for her to share it over and over with anyone who would listen.

This week we are wrapping up a simple resurrection lapbook. Next up up is our study of Native Americans through the Courage of Sarah Noble. This will be a more involved study that we are both looking forward to.

Super Sleuth [Nancy Drew] Bags

The party prep continues. Since we will be solving a very important mystery, it's only fitting that each sleuth should have a customized trinket bag with their essential MacGyver-ish items.

I was inspired by these trinket bags [tutorial available] and think I may make them for any and everything possible. The fact that my kids love to collect things further spurs on my frenzy...An iPod bag, a bakugan bag, a rock bag, and adventure bag, a here's-all-the-little-things-that-have-gone-missing-bag...You see where this could really help out?

Anna carefully and very thoughtfully chose the fabric for each of her party guests' bags and personalized letters. I have to say, she expanded my thinking a bit. I hadn't considered some of the pairings she came up with.

Each bag includes basic sleuthing essentials:
: magnifying glass
: gum
: string
: pen/pencil
: paper clip
: notepad
: wooly willy suspect sketch
: flashlight

Naturally, we'll watch the Nancy Drew movie with Emma Roberts as a crash course on how to be a good detective.

Still more to come...

Past posts: Party invites here.

Our Valentines

We are almost finished with our Valentines. We like to exchange with our classmates as well as our neighborhood family. So, for Christopher and Parker, that means a lot of Valentines. Since Anna is only exchanging with the neighborhood, she opted to get a little more crafty.

Christopher is deep into Mad Libs right now (And don't think for a moment I'm not relishing in the chance to practice adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, pronouns....). So, it's only fitting that he would stuff some silly stories with pixie stix (Can't you see the rush now? Oh the sugar-induced giggles we are gifting.). Thanks to Gabby these are a synch to make (Tag printable here.)

Parker's very simple tags are affixed to a bag of sweet-tart conversation hearts. He likes a low profile but joneses hardcore for the sugar. We find this quite suitable for the 37 Valentines he is distributing.

Anna's gifting stems from some of her favorite things...Writing, crafting and good conversation. She stitched 'I love...' booklets together and stamped a Happy Valentines Day message on the inside. Our inspiration for the heartfelt hearts comes from the Purl Bee and these. I love that she considered each recipient as we made our color selections (not all hearts have to be red). Our packaging is finished off with some lovebird pencils and, of course, some conversation hearts.

I have a couple of crafty projects up my sleeves for my dear Valentine, but since he occasionally reads this here blog, I'll have to share those next week. Don't want to ruin the fun.

A little behind postscript 'making of' moment I have to share:

Anna was so excited to be able to stitch her own love booklets with the machine. She carefully considered her project and opted for a zig zag stitch--thought it gave her look a little more pizzaz. She was an attentive student through her orientation to sewing (Which is very funny coming from me--I barely know how to make a thing!). She did a fabulous job staying in control and completed all her books on her own.

Christopher noticed some good times underway and casually popped in to assess the situation. In spite of his reservations, curiosity won out and he wanted to give the ole sewing machine a whirl.

And so, my student became the teacher. Anna patiently explained the importance of control and speed and how the needle must be down....And Christopher happily stitched himself a bookmark.

Amazing how empowering a sewing machine can be on a Saturday night. [Having an Oh, how my life has changed moment.]

Art Ideas

One of our most favorite books ever is the Complete Booke of Art Ideas from Usborne. I am big fan of the Usborne series in general but this is a great book, especially for rainy (So Cal) days.

There is a great range of project ideas. Not all involve a ton of supplies and oodles of uninterrupted time (neither are plentiful at our house).

The step by step instructions are pretty easy to follow--even for a six year old. Great for gifts or a special creator in your life.

Gift Ideas and Some Stitchery

When it comes to gift giving for classmate, sometime it can be a challenge. You don't always know the child well and what really lights them up (and I am a fan of thoughtful gifts, even if they aren't for people close to you.). Do they already have that toy? What if they really hate legos? So, we tend towards gifts that are a little bit different and personalized, if possible. A good read or something creative are always my first choice.

Some of my go-to gift ideas:

: A favorite book with personalized book plates (so great for emerging readers like K and 1st graders)

: A favorite craft book with accompanying supplies

: A nice journal with personalized pencils

You get the drift.

One of our recent favorites was a little stamping kit and a homemade bag. Included in the very simple drawstring bag were fun birthday stamps, a personalized stamp with the birthday girl's name, a stitched book for stamping, gel pens and some stickers.

These bags are incredibly rudimentary but that's the level of seamstress I am right now (and I'm so ok with that that I am even posting it for you all to see. Baby steps, my friends.).

And since my little helper was somewhat fascinated with the process and allowed me to complete these, I whipped up a quick bag for him to stash his crayons in. It seemed like a win-win.

For The Love of Writing: Love Journals

One of my favorite gifts to bestow on new couples is a love journal. The beauty of the book is it's compilation of love letters to one another in one place and over time there is a wonderful story that evolves. My husband and I have one and while it isn't a daily journal by any means, it's fun to write a little something special to him and then hide it in his work bag or in his sock drawer, you get the picture. Then, he returns the treat, when I least expect it.

Since I have emerging writers who could certainly use a little encouragement and even a little trip down story lane, I decide to start the same thing with them. I just jazzed up some composition books and wrote a little something to get them started. The rules are simple.

1. They can write about anything they want to.
2. If they want me to write back or contribute to a story, they just have to leave their journal on my pillow.
3. There really aren't any rules.

I have some fun story starters that we can tap into if we need to. Initially I anticipate some love notes filling the pages of our books. It's supposed to be a gift for them but I am excited about what is to come from their sweet little minds and hearts.

Fairy Houses

Our cousin, Lauren, is visiting from Portland. She's older and wiser and knows a lot about fairies. In fact, she's even been to visit a fairy colony (in New Mexico). Upon learning of this fariy wisdom we thoroughly interviewed her and promptly embarked on building a fairy community of our own.

Our goal: To host the most hospitable home possible for fairies to flock to. (And don't forget, every time you laugh a new fairy is born. So, you must laugh a lot along the way.)

Begin with simple birdhouses

Coat with clear varnish

Pine cones make a perfect shingle roof

Leaves and flowers are essential fairy house materials

Pebbles and more leaves make for an awning and/or landing

Moss and bark also make a nice roof

Careful placement with hot glue needs careful cousin hands

And voila, complete homes

Since we are aiming for at least four star status we must have ladders

Thoughtful placement of each home was considered in our best tree

The amenities: A complete spa and recreation area (swing)


Finally a private invitation to the fairies.
"Please come and make a home here. Oh, how I want to see you.
I have a butterfly friend who wants to meet you."