I found this cute little chair at the Sunday market by our house. When it rocks, it triggers a little music box. It was more for me than the kid, I think. Ulysses sits in it occasionally, but mostly I just like it. I’ve had some success at thrift sotres lately, too. Someone with cute taste in boy clothes must have just dropped everything off, because I found a ton of winter clothes in 4 and 5 to save for next year. I also found a few apothecary domes, which I’ve never found before.
And in case January gives you the sewing bug too, here are some tutorials I’ve been eyeing.
Felt hat: http://www.marthastewart.com/265998/felt-hat-how-to
Ball: http://laeroport.typepad.com/files/pentagon-baby-ball-tutorial.pdf
January 20th, 2012
I made this kitty for a friend of ours who turned two a few months back. She loves kitties. It had been a while since I made one of these, so it was fun to revisit the pattern and remember that I used to have so much time I could make loads of these. She had the most adorable birthday party.
See? Adorable. Her mom puts on the best parties! The kids were all so well behaved and everything was very well thought out, especially the timing: it was a morning party with waffles and chocolate milk and banana bread cake pops. Very fun and super cute.
January 12th, 2012
I have a few things to say about this Oliver + S coat. Ulysses has managed to wear his current coat through two winters now and it’s finally getting a bit snug, so I got it in my head to make him a coat. I’m not one for patterns, as I generally find that they tend not to cut corners and I’m not very good at following directions or reading thoroughly or these sorts of things. But alas, I decided a coat may not be the best thing to try to wing and it would be nice for it to appear slightly homemade, not horribly homemade, so I did some searching and it seemed all the clever crafty bloggers out there go for this pattern. It’s a great pattern. Although it’s a freaking TON of work, it’s really well written and easy enough to follow. This was one of those projects that I got a little obsessed over and really wanted. it. done. now sort of thing. So I kind of used up a few of our vacation days in a frenzied crafting haze with fabric on the table, little piles around the house and clippings and threads and scraps everywhere!
It comes out really polished looking and professional BUT a few things: the pattern called for FAR more fabric than I actually needed–almost twice as much!–and I splurged and bought nice fabric and not only could the project have cost almost half of what it did but now I have all this extra wool that is not enough to make another coat out of. I decided to insulate this one, which complicated things further and I wish I would have put some interfacing in the front panels. My other comment is that the shoulders are really too wide. I kept thinking that once I had the lining and hood installed they would be normal, but nope. I think it’s fine and he looks totally cute in it. Success!
January 4th, 2012
This was an embroidery project I finished a bit back. I started out making it for someone and then some part of the way through the project I started to feel a little selfish and had thoughts of keeping it for myself. But the Christmas spirit prevailed and I got myself in sorts, packaged it up and sent it on its way to my dearest sweetest friend who hopefully likes it and most certainly deserves it more than I!
And this is the gingerbread house decorated by two super cute toddler pals. They were beyond adorable making this. I was slightly worried that the project was a little old for them and that they’d be upset using the food to decorate instead of eat, but it worked out just right. I assembled the house a few hours before and set out the decorations in little trays and then put the frosting on right when we all sat down to decorate. They loved it! And they used the candy up first, so after they were done I let them have at the remaining (healthier) treats. We used dried apples, banana chips, pretzels, raisins, peanuts, chocolate rings, and hard candy.
December 31st, 2011
Things are getting a little crazy, but we’re doing our best to rise to the challenge! There are so many celebrations and traditions and birthdays around here, we are going to be partied out come January. I wanted to stop in and wish you a Merry Christmas! We’ve got presents under the tree and lots of Christmas music playing. Tonight we’re decorating a gingerbread house (Did you know Ikea sells them?) with one of Uly’s friends and let me tell you I am so excited to finally have a kid so I have an excuse to do these sorts of things, okay, and to share them with him. Wishing you and yours a blessed season.
December 20th, 2011
My sister-in-law had a birthday coming up and I really wanted to make a beach blanket for her even though it’s a bit of a sad gift to give in the fall; poor little thing will have to stay packed up until summer, which here in Seattle is a very very very long ways away. But I love our beach blanket so and I thought she might like one, too. I chose all pink fabrics because she’s that kind of girl (yay!). I used the beach blanket pattern, which is posted here for free.
And speaking of summer, we are all decked out for Christmas at our house. We did it right this year, too–a real tree (the very first one I’ve had since moving out of my mom’s house!), over 1,000 lights on the house (thank you hubby), and all sorts of decorations inside. I even picked up a gingerbread house and goodies to make with the little one, got my advent calendar all made and ready (in November no less), have the Christmas cards ready to go, and just two gifts left to buy (okay and a few to make still). Wowza are you impressed. We sat inside with a fire and ginger whoopie pies last night watching the lights and listening to Christmas music. We are serious about Christmas this year, people. Hoping you are getting in the spirit, too.
December 5th, 2011
I’ve got a lot of friends reproducing right now. This is for a sweet little boy born about a month ago. I used what I had on-hand again, which is so very satisfying. I would love to use all of my stash up so I can buy more!
The dark cloud of sickness that is life with a toddler is hovering over our house for what I assume will be the next 9 months–cheery, eh? Thankfully, today we all felt pretty healthy and I have been saying my prayers that we can have a healthy week and enjoy the time off we have with each other and family and time to spend relishing in all that we have to be thankful for (let it be health!). I hope you are doing the same with your loved ones, and staying warm and cozy with a big, full belly.
November 23rd, 2011
I kept sending Ulysses to school with plastic bags and saw this backpack and couldn’t resist trying to replicate it. I just eyeballed the pattern based off of her pictures (sorry! I’m not very good at following instructions!) and it turned out really well! I forgot the piping at the side seams, but other than that I think it got pretty close. I bought some of this Japanese train fabric and have been saving it. I managed to get the bag made just as he is starting to get into trains. It was so fun putting some real effort into a project and not half-a%^ing it, like I tried to do in the first place.
I set out to make a backpack but was convinced a tote bag would be better and made this, which I instantly tore apart after trying it on the little guy one time. Backpacks are much more suitable, let me tell you.
November 9th, 2011
I looked through a ton of costumes and narrowed them down to about half a dozen choices, from which Ulysses selected this chicken costume. He most definitely did not want to be an octopus, let me tell you. We talked about it for a couple of weeks and it’s surprising how many strangers asked him what he would be for Halloween, to which he would respond, “A CHICKEN!” and they would giggle.
So naturally I decided I would be a fox. We were quite the pair. And I still can’t get over how cute he was in that little chicken costume.
A friend and I worked super hard to pull of a somewhat last-minute Costume Carnival for about 60 people! We had carnival games–the pumpkin toss (thinking about posting a little tutorial for these; they were fun and easy to make), a fish-for-a-spider game, a craft station, a photo booth, and a cake walk. How do I love a cake walk! The dear woman in charge made sure there was a cake for each person that participated, too!
We also had a baked potato dinner, costume contest (with these for trophies), and this treat table for each kid to pack a bag on their way out (bag tutorial here), as if they hadn’t been spoiled enough already. It was a truly lovely evening and I’m hoping we can make it a tradition until our kids are so old it’s lame.
November 4th, 2011
I found the black and gray stripes shirt in a men’s extra large at the thrift store, I sewed it up to Uly’s size, and had the jersey to make the stripes on it already. I saw a similar shirt on Zulily one day and I really liked it but it only came in newborn size and it was expensive. So I improvised. I think I could have done the stripes a bit closer together–that’s where a little form would come in handy, but I really like how it turned out. He outgrew all of his clothes in late-August, so I’m hoping that it will still fit come next June.
Ryan and I are going to Palm Springs this week without the little one. I’m so nervous! He’ll be with his grandparents and of course will have the best time, but I’m so in love with that guy.
October 18th, 2011
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