summer! summer! summer!

is the chant around the house during this, the last week of school for the boys and my last week of daily quiet until the end of august. they're all ready for long lazy days of do-nothing-ness, while i frantically try to get as much done as i can before the inevitable chaos begins.

but summertime is a happy time for me too, it means hot days spent in the sun, warm evenings dancing to my favorite band, the adventure of driving to new cities and spending time with old friends. i love the unexpected patterns that naturally arise out of our days at home, spending time with the boys doing whatever we please, and forgetting what time it is. the first few weeks are always an adjustment, but once i give in to it and take a few deep breaths, i realize how sublime it all really is.

i've been playing around with my serger the lately and have found a fun way to piece together scraps of cotton fabric (think old and gently used t-shirts) to create striped skirts and dresses. they're so soft and comfortable, i could practically sleep in my favorite one, if the nights weren't already so hot.  

so, without further ado...... the Up-Cycled T-shirt collection:

Up-cycling

so, with Earth Day quickly approaching i've been thinking more about up-cycled craft projects. goodness knows i end up with a bunch of leftover bits and pieces from projects and being the kind of girl who hates to throw away a perfectly good   (insert whatever crafty thing here)   it stands to reason that i end up with quite the horde of what others may see as junk. so here's a few uber-quick crafts i've been working on lately:


Pretty Tin Cans
 
-a take on the old soup-can-turned-pencil-holder except i used the cans left over from those yummy pirouette stick thingies that pepperidge farms makes (the other brands give you different sizes for the cans which is also nice for variety)


ok, so first i covered them with a coat of white primer. then i spray painted the base of the cans and a little bit up the sides. next i cut out scrapbook paper to fit each can and used medium matte gel to adhere the paper to the cans. finished them up with a top coat of the medium matte gel to seal everything and give it a nice sheen.

a few of the finished canisters

  

Scrappy Fabric Wreaths


-next i came across some wicker wreaths that i must have bought for who-knows-what project in the past and thought, "now what can i do with these???" 

 i looked around the studio and found a bunch of material scraps leftover from dresses and small projects.  after trimming them up into nice and neat 1" strips, i then cut them to the desired lengths (about 15" for the larger one, and 11" for the smaller) i folded them in half and just did a simple slip knot type of thing around the wreath, letting the little ends fan out along the outside.

 

see, i always knew that it's not bad to be a pack-rat, hahaha

like wearing a rainbow around my neck

that's how i describe my new necklace. it's soft and colorful, all of my favorite shades and seems to match at least half my wardrobe. made from baby cash-merino wool, it's not only luxurious but also pretty and versatile. it can be worn long or doubled (as shown in photo) and is the perfect accessory for Spring :)


i really love the simplicity of the design and how light it feels against my skin. if i'm gonna wear a chain around my throat it may as well be one made from YARN!

plus it matches my favorite set of felt bracelets!
...and then i realized i can wear it as a pretty headband too, crazy!

now, of course i had to make some more of these as well as some in different colors and yarn blends and they are listed on my  Etsy Shop.

shhhhh... all is quiet in the forest

silence

i never realized how much i would miss it until i had kids and then for last 10 yrs, finding a moment of stillness was something that i mostly dreamed about... well, at least when i stole a minute to dream, which wasn't very often either. now that all the kids are in school i cherish my quiet time alone in the house and most days i don't even turn on my itunes, instead reveling in the absolute lack of noise. 

now, you may think that with all this quietness, i would be super productive, the soft whir of my sewing machine or click-clack of the knitting needles softly breaking the monotony but being alone in the house brings with it a new set of distrctions, i.e. all the things i should be doing but don't really feel like doing, otherwise known as housework.  the list is ridiculously long and i find it so daunting that i try to ignore most of it and only focus on the things that need my immediate attention for survival.

soooooo, i have found myself making lists and taping them up on the walls of the studio in an effort to be somewhat organized and i'm not talking about little post-it size notes, i mean big-freaking-couldn't-miss-seeing-them-even-with-my-eyes-closed lists. hopefully it will help me stay on track.

i have managed to get a few projects finished though, commissioned pieces for friends and a new baby present for my oldest friend in the whole world who i have literally known since we were babies. i've also been working on getting groups signed up for our Earth Day festival in April and trying to get to Happy Healthy Cooks class between taking the kids to the dr's for strep throat, enlarged tonsils, ear aches, intestinal viruses, and now a heart murmur. between the 3 of them, i think i've spent more time in waiting rooms the last month and a half than i have in the last year, good thing knitting is portable!


so, without further ado, a few pictures of some of those projects:
(drumroll not necessary)

me want worms

this little phishy hat went to a new phan in Florida :)

welcome Michael!

 present for baby Ella  :)

inspiration comes in many forms, this time it came from a beautiful pop-up book

full view of nona's basketweave blanket

the original Strega Nona book 

by Tomie dePaola

Strega Nona pop-up book

(simply gorgeous) 

2 little pairs of matching pants

ah! love those bummy ruffles!

knitted basket weave stitch for the main body with crochet edging

 now that those are all finished and sent off i can start working on Ashton's birthday blanket (his request). gotta love a kid that wants mommy to make him a blanket for his birthday rather than buy some plastic action figure!

love and hugs to all of you on this Valentine's Day :)
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Mushrooms & Beehives

so, i know it's cliche to say that you get inspired by nature, but sometimes you just can't get past the literal truth of it. this past week i've been deep in the Quirky Forest, exploring some of my favorite natural themes and celebrating the simple shapes that i find so beautiful and funky.

mushrooms!

they make me want to dance around amidst the trees and invite

some crazy little forest friends to come out and play. can also be hung on your holiday tree to bring some creativity to your favorite indoor greenery :)





beehives!





what a sweet way to keep long hair up and out of the way
without the icky "hat head syndrome" that you get
with most winter hats. also good for those with dreads.



the Funky Beehive can also be worn as a cowl around the
neck. it stretches up high enough to cover your
mouth and nose on chilly winter mornings too!

RIOT Rooster Indie Craft Fair

cock-a-doodle-doo!

calling all lovers of indie crafts!

Friday, November 18th and Saturday, November 19th brings a return of Roanoke's favorite indie craft fair @ the h2o heater, 813 5th St. SW (5-9 on friday, 9-5 on saturday)

featuring handmade, upcycled, recycled, odd & useful gifts!

Red Rooster Coffee Roasters (mmmmmm....)
Renegade Printmakers
and oh so many more awesome local artists

music by: Another Roadside Attraction

best of all, it's free to stop by, browse, mingle with cool people, and enjoy the talents of local folks. maybe you'll even get a few holiday presents purchased and help support our creative community :)

the Quirky Forest will have handmade quilted bags, handknit purses, cabled cowls, felt bracelets, funky felt rings, and some new items that i've been working on including: felt mushroom ornaments and fabric "pennant-style" banners/bunting, perfect for setting that party atmosphere or for hanging in a child's room!

stop by and say hi, i would love to see you :)

it's not about surviving the storm, but learning to dance in the rain

halloween is quickly approaching and as i sit here and type this i can see the material for the boys' costumes peeking at me from a pile of fabric. and yet, i can't seem to motivate myself to start them. i easily have at least a dozen excuses but really there's only one and it's been a tough week.

sunday was the 6th anniversary of Piper's birth and I'd like to say that it gets easier each year, but that would be a lie and there's no point in trying to fool myself or anyone else for that matter. the realization that this is simply what it is has hit me hard but i refuse to be knocked down.

i learned how to dance in the rain again a few yrs back but there are always spells where the storm seems relentless and i worry about being washed away, when song lyrics make me cry, and every little thing is a reminder of what could have been had she been born healthy.

but i need to be hopeful and feel brave, so i'm gonna put on my red cape, bake some cookies, and watch for the storm clouds.