This fish garland is made out of old newspaper, blue water color, old cereal boxes, and pictures of our family from last summer. We hung it last week in our dining room as a way to kick off summer vacation. I thought it would gear us up for water play, grassy sandwiches, and buckets filled…
yesterday
tidal
You would think that this piece of coral, which serves as the model for my vertical garland, would have some kind of wistful, summer adventure tale to back it up. But, no – I found it by peeking behind a bush in front of our house. There it was laying along side some other…
to market, to market
I’ve updated my shop with some new chicken necklaces and lots of story stones of all shapes and sizes. Some story stones are being sold in sets, and some alone. Since I am a total newbie at selling my wares, I am always open to suggestions. xo e
hook board
If ever Miss Mouse feels the need to tidy up, she now has her own special place to do so. If ever. I drew and cut the shapes with Chick by my side. She kept me in check by telling me when my designs looked nothing like what they were supposed to look like. This…
story theater: tutorial
Here is what I’m thinking about: long hot car rides, lazy afternoons on the porch, evenings in the backyard where dinner ends at 5:30 and the kids aren’t ready for bed until 8. This is what I was dreaming about in the middle of February, and even now when I think about endless summer days…
chicken
A big thanks to those of you who have recently sent notes, pictures, and links because you tried one of my projects, felt inspired by one, or simply liked it and wanted to tell me. Each comment is a connect the dots moment which motivates me to set more time aside to craft and create….
remembering
Tom’s grandfather passed away this evening. This post is in memory of an incredibly sweet man who never missed one of our girls’ birthday parties.
vertical
A few days ago, my four year old got her craft on and made this vertical garland. She went digging in the recycle bin for materials (how proud am I?) and decided to use a paper towel tube. After tearing it up into a bunch of medium sized pieces, she decorated them with colored…
tissue paper candle holder : remake
Those dried flower candle holders from a few days ago really are beautiful when lit up at night, but they didn’t satisfy my need for the candlelight and bright color combination I was originally aiming for. So, I tried it again, only this time I used Mod Podge with tissue paper and bits of paper…
School
Here are some shirts that I designed and printed for Chick’s school auction.
dried flower candle holder: remake
Chick and I have been spending time during Miss Mouse’s nap collecting flower petals, rocks, and other backyard treasures. The spring weather seems to be eliciting a new interest in building little homes, roads, baths, and rivers for tiny imaginary creatures (fairies, gnomes, etc.). I find her new play really exciting because it is…
hanging basket tutorial : remake
After staring at the most beautiful cluster of purple and white flowers that are blanketing our front lawn, I thought, “enough is enough,” and I decided then and there that I needed a small place to hang them inside. After some rummaging through the recycle bin, cutting, gluing, tying, and stamping, this little squarish basket…
around
Dear spring, Warm, sunny days and cool nights are the best. You’ll stay around for awhile, won’t ya? xo e
covered
This fancy little number is really just a plain old $1.09 composition book in disguise. I read about this technique in an old Martha Stewart Living magazine a couple of years ago, and finally decided to try it out. The key players in this project are the glue stick, book binding tape, x-acto knife, and…
spring stones
Here are Chick’s finished fabric collage stones. She made these while I worked on the story stones. I am so fascinated by the bright, sunny colors she chose. Don’t they look like Easter eggs? Chick cut up her own bits of fabric and then glued them onto the stones using Mod Podge. After they were…
necklaces
Here are my newest creations. The stamps are hand carved, the wood is hand painted with non-toxic paint and drilled, and then I’m using really nice Irish waxed linen for the cord. There will be some for sale in the shop soon. xo e
story starter game
Lately, I have been thinking about story telling and how it seems to be the gateway to highly imaginative and intricate play. I watch Chick create fantasy worlds where nothing but torn pieces of paper become the characters from the last play she saw or a chapter from a book, and it helps me to…
more story stones
Some birds and dinosaurs have joined the picnic. I was scheduled to have jury duty this morning at 8:00 a.m. sharp, but as I was closing the car door, a court guy leaned outside of the courthouse and told me it is canceled and that I should just go home. Tom was sure that he…
story telling stones: mouse picnic
After months and months of drawing pictures of mouse picnics with Chick, I decided that we should make a mouse picnic for her to play with. This project began with peaceful stone gathering and then turned into an excuse for indoor water play since all of the stones needed to be rinsed. The very very…
meow
I made this cat n’ yarn design months ago as a special order. Miss Sophie, our shy feline, was the inspiration for the shape and posture of this polka dotted friend. I used cotton fabric and wool felt for the applique, and the black tote is 100% organic cotton. This one is now for sale…