Construction Zone

The problem with living in a house that is over 100 years old is that the work on the house is never done.  We bought this house believing that there was 20 years of work to do on it and that we would probably be here for 20 years.  Now we have been here for 5 (in two weeks!) and we are not so sure we want to be here for another 15.  So that 20 years of work?  We are trying to cram it into two.

 And you can never just do one thing.  We needed to have some sidewalk panels replaced - In Philadelphia, homeowners are responsible for the sidewalk that borders their property - and the end of our driveway repaired...  And why not replace the front steps that are starting to crumble?  Oh - and if we're replacing the front steps, this is probably the best time to replace the front door so that the steps can be finished without the old door in the way.

So the old door was pulled out yesterday.  And The Dad leaves town today for a work conference in Puerto Rico...  Which means we have fabulouly beautiful plywood in place of our front door until he comes back.  Ahhh...  Living in a construction site.  It will all be beautiful when it is done.  But it is never as easy as you first think it is going to be.

Our new door is slightly wider than the existing opening.  And the existing opening is made much more solidly than we expected.  So I see some serious wood planing in my future.  Hopefully we can get the new door in by the end of the week.  Until then, the kids are having a fun time drawing and writing on the plywood.

While the masonry crew is here, I am holed up in the house which is actually helping me get some work done!  I am participating the Philly Waldorf School Holiday Fair again in November - my first show in a year- and have really been able to get revved up in my studio.

I'm making some new things to add onto a smaller collection of my old favorites.  This show tends to be better for smaller gifty items.  I'm really liking this new pencil roll.  It needs a little tweaking but it is almost there!  Then back to my Treasure Totes (that made the Holiday Fair postcard!) and a larger version that I'm calling Library Bags.  It's funny how what I make evolves as my kids grow.  Two years ago, I made tons of the Treasure Totes.  They were the perfect size for my 4 and 6 year olds.  Now they are a little older and need something a little bigger (though they still use the Treasure Totes as their snack bags for school) so voila - the Library Bag is born.  What will I be making when the are 8 and 10?

The Timmy Plane

About a month ago, Ollie got it in his head that he wanted to make a plane with The Dad.  A plane, evidently, that was the size of a wagon - in which he could sit and be pulled down the block.  Ummm...  Let's draw up a plan first.

So Ollie did the drawings.  They scaled it down but maintained the necessary detail: a trunk, a crow's nest (doesn't everything have to have a crow's nest?).  The Dad wanted to make it about a foot long.  Ollie wanted his stuffed animals to be able to ride in it.

So the Timmy Plane was born.  The two of them disappeared out into the garage for a couple hours, scavenging scraps of wood and hardware.  Coming out only on a search for wheels - eventually re-purposed from an old garage sale skateboard. When it was all done, Ollie insisted that he needed to paint it.  I love the way it turned out.  And even more that he believes that we can make anything.  Just as comfortable in the garage as he is in my studio, he is a creator through and through.

The Halloween Costumes - The Snow Queen

Growing up, my mom made all our our Halloween costumes.  Every year, I think about what I can make but more often than not have ended up buying.  I think it's always a struggle finding the balance between cost and time...  and cost.

Last year, O wanted to be a puppy dog.  I figured I could easily build a costume off of a hoodie and sweatpants.  That I could find pretty cheap.  So we walked into Old Navy and right into their Halloween display.  Hmmm...  $20 for a super cute (and warm) monkey costume?  Or that much for the sweats plus whatever the rest of the materials would cost plus my time.  Honestly?  I bought the monkey costume but over a year later still kind of wished I had made what he wanted.

This year, E wanted to be a Snow Queen.  Complete with cape.  I told her we could put it together from most of what we had.  Plus some not-too-expensive extras and a handmade cape.  She really got into it.  The Snow Queen had to have long brown hair, though.  And tap shoes.

I was able to talk her out of the tap shoes and we went with standard Target silver glitter flats (like the ruby red slippers).  I also found an 'alluring' long brown wig that once worn looked a little more Lil' Abner than fancy fairy tale character, but...

And I made her a cape.  Which was much more expensive than I had planned but which I loved making and which we will have for a long time.

And while she looked nothing like the original costume she spied in a catalog, she loved it.  And I will always remember this one.

An Unscheduled Weekend

For the first time in what felt like a long time, we had a very unscheduled weekend last weekend.  And I was reminded of how important this is.  Especially with school in full swing and afternoon free play for the kids shrinking with the commute home from school, home work, and an earlier bedtime, it was wonderful to just let them be.

We found that it is easier for us to be creative in this free time, too.  I was able to steal away to the studio for a couple hours to finish this commissioned bunting.  A local school has an (amazing) annual used kids' clothing sale every year right around Halloween.  (It is here this weekend, October 30th and 31st) This year a friend asked me to make them a bunting that they could use as signage year after year.

I've made bunting before and really love the process of finding the prints to put together.  I hadn't appliqued letters on before, but had done enough applique on other things to know what I was doing.  The request was for a wool or felt binding, ( I used wool) which I wouldn't have thought of but I love the way that came out.  It adds a more classic feel to what is a mix of more contemporary fabrics.  And I must admit, laying the triangles out, rearranging the order, picking and choosing fabrics...  made me start itching to make a quilt.  Hmm...  we'll have to see what happens with that.

And, while I was up in the studio, The Dad and the kids were hard at work out in the yard.  As I said earlier, the yard is definitely growing as our family does.  And while I am constantly amazed at my children's creativity, I am also usually quite impressed with my husband's, too!

This weekend, they added two new elements to the yard:

A 'Bar' made out of some PVC pipe (filled with a wooden dowel for extra support) and lashed between two trees.

And a cargo net.

I love the repurposing of things, too.  This cargo net was originally purchased in pieces at Ax-Man and made into a retractable fence to keep the kids in the back yard and out of the driveway when we lived in Minneapolis.  It was three years age this week that we moved so it was beautifully ironic to me that The Dad decided to pull it out now.

I know...  A bit cheesy.  But they are growing so fast.  It's nice to have reminders of life when they were so little.

The Fort v.3.0

Our backyard is always changing.  The kids play out there, forget about it, rediscover it, and recreate it constantly.

Introduced way back here, you have also seen bits here and here. This is The Fort.

What began as a small fort with an attached sandbox has grown.  An upper level was added.  Some sides and a door.  A pulley.  A roof.  Some ladders. A trap door.

It has grown with the kids. I love that they have designed and drilled and hammered and helped. I can't imagine what will be added next.

The Fabric Covered Head Board - Take Two

A little over a year ago, The Dad built E a bed.  He did it over a weekend while I was away with the kids and surprised ALL of us with a great fabric covered headboard.  Unfortunately, we didn't get any great pictures of it.  I did at least get this:

It's a little hidden behind the pillows and multitude of stuffed animals, but it is there.  Pink batiked and embroidered fabric, taken from my stash, over a layer of cotton quilt batting and a piece of plywood.

I was very impressed.

Fast forward a year or so.  We have inherited a set of nice maple bunk beds and are setting those up for E, passing on her low dad-made platform bed to O.

Now, O is not really a pink swirly little kind of guy (unless he's running around in E's leotard and tutu).  I pulled a couple pieces of fabric from my stash for him to choose from (strongly discouraging his preference for the yellow flannel with monkeys) and ended up with this:

 So fun and so easy.  We actually did this one right over the other layers.  All done with fabric and a staple gun.  I think it took me longer to iron the fabric than to actually attach it!

Small Felt Crayon Roll

I've seen these crayon rolls floating around the web, mostly fabric ones in various Etsy sites. 

A friend showed me a felt one the other day that looked even easier. 

So after some hmming and hawing procrastination, I tried making one this weekend for a 4-year old's birthday. 

It still needs some tweaking, but I like it!  And really, pretty easy. 

I'd still like to try a fabric one, too.  Hopefully in time for Christmas.

Santa's workshop (also know as my studio) opens this week.  My shopping is done and now it's time for a little handmade mama love...

Finally - Some Coasters in the Living Room

Delivering my first 'shipment' to Art Star Gallery yesterday has me back in the studio inspired and motivated.  First up, before embarking on another batch of dresses and accessories: Coasters.  Our living room, full of wooden surfaces waiting to be damaged more than they already are, has been calling out for coasters for almost two years now.

I whipped up a small batch from the design in Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts.  Easy and quick, I think there may be many more in my future.  Especially since E tried to abscond with the first test-one as a dollhouse rug...

I'm seeing a set of coasters with a couple mugs and some of the best hot chocolate ever.  All wrapped up together nicely.  Christmas?  Anyone?

To Play Outside Alone...

 

It sounds crazy when I actually write it out, but for the first time today my kids went out and played in the yard alone.  Without me sitting on the steps with a book or magazine or on the enclosed porch with the door open.

We sat in the dining room talking with friends after brunch, turning around every once in a while to look out the window and make sure they were still there.  And...  They were.

You see, I'm not afraid someone is going to come into the yard and take them.  We live in the city, but on a somewhat secluded corner lot.  Bordered by two streets.  Two streets I am just beginning to trust my children not to wander into.

So today was the first step.

They didn't last too long.  They were soon calling for us to come and join them.  And to fix the pulley system, since The Dad, in building it, had not anticipated that they would try to fit a child into the basket. 

They pulley is the latest addition to The Fort.  Now with a second story and recycled slide.  Hours of fun, I tell you...  Hours of fun...

30 Days of Summer :: Day 28 :: A Little Fabric Tissue Case

 

Evidently, with the somewhat cooler weather, I've been a little more inspired to get back into the studio, even if just for some quick little projects.

I had bookmarked this Tissue Holder Tutorial way back when and finally tried it out last night.  I adapted/adjusted it a little bit and am excited to have one more homey piece to stick in E's backpack when she starts school...  If I can get her teddy bear to release it's new 'pillow'.

I'll be back in the studio for real after the weekend of the 19th and will have the shop re-opened by the end of September.  I'm really excited about some new things coming down the pike.

Thanks for checking in!

30 Days of Summer :: Day 17 :: The Lunchbox Napkin

I haven't had nearly enough studio time since The Dad began working from home. It's much more difficult to keep the kids quiet enough up on the third floor while he is on the phone.

But I did manage to get about 20 minutes the other day to whip up E's first Lunchbox Napkin.

I hope to make a handful of these (I don't do laundry as often as I should) in different fabrics for her to take to school in her lunchbox. The napkin is double-sided, so it's thick enough to be a good little mat to spread out her food, as well as absorbent enough for any little (?) mess she may make. I'm sure it will eventually be stained with blueberry juice or the like, but that's what napkins are for, right?

She's having a hard time getting ready for Kindergarten. She's anxious and worried with lots of questions. I forget what a huge transition it is, going into a big school that you've never been to before with a teacher you know nothing about.

I hope that this napkin will bring a little piece of home to her in the middle of the day.

And save some trees at the same time.

30 Days of Summer :: Day 11

A Peek into O's Room

Both kids' rooms are still a work in progress, but I'm excited about some of the little touches we've added recently.

Even more important, we've culled through toys and books to minimize the clutter which makes it oh-so-much easier to clean every day.

Right now I'm all about minimizing the extraneous and surrounding ourselves with beautiful (to us) things that we love.

Thanks for looking!

The Backyard: A Work in Progress

The night after The Dad and I moved into our new house, we stood out in the backyard, scanning and imagining. We had a great amount of space for an urban lot, secluded by hedges and feeling very residential in the middle of a city neighborhood. It was overgrown and unkempt and we knew we had our work cut out for us.

Fortunately, we had similar visions. A variety of 'elements' the kids could play on. Ones that blended into the landscape. That would grow with them and could be used for open-ended play. Things that would challenge them, but keep them safe... We have slowly but surely been building this little 'adventure playground'.

The newest addition is 'The Fort'. This is Phase I, the first level. Soon to be added is a slide, followed by a second level, and eventually some type of catwalk from there over to a yet-to-be built treehouse.
We also added a giant old shell that made it's way here from Martha's Vineyard (via a storage locker in Portsmouth, NH) filled with pea gravel as another little sensory spot. O has enjoyed transplanting the gravel into little piles all over the yard...
The wigwam has gone through various repairs and reconstructions but remains intact on the corner of our lot. Still with our old Christmas tree branches making it's roof.

We've also still got the double swing. We have begun pondering what will take it's place when the kids outgrow it, and I'm leaning towards this, but I think we still have another year of what reminds me of the Pirate Ship ride you see at amusement parks.

The zip line also went up this weekend, just in time for us to host the end-of-camp potluck in the yard last night. Over 50 people, half of them kids, spent a good couple hours out there without it feeling overcrowded and with no signs of boredom. We consider that a success!

Is she really 5 now?

We celebrated E's 5th birthday yesterday with a Wizard of Oz themed party.

A table decked out with three yards of this fabric as the table cloth, matching cups, napkins, and plates from Birthday Express, some repurposed yellow brick road pieces, and some fun jingly rainbow trees.

I even found Wizard of Oz confetti on Etsy!

I made my first, somewhat sorry, attempt at a doll cake. Can you see that the layers were slowly sliding to the side?

And the much promised Dorothy Dress. Which she is wearing for the second day in a row and has already requested to wear again tomorrow. Made a size or two too big so that it will fit for a long, long while.

"Am I really 5 now?", she said to me last night after the lights were out.

"Because I really still feel like I'm 4."
"I should be as big as Noah. That's how big real 5-year-olds are."
"Oh sweetie," I told her, "you have all year to grow as big as a 5 year old."

The Wall

Finally completed: The Climbing Wall

Before we moved from Minneapolis, I don't know if we had even found our new house yet, The Dad made a trip to Nicros for their annual clearance sale. He had heard that they sold imperfect climbing holds by the pound and was determined to stock up for the wall he would some day build for the kids.

Last fall he bought the lumber and stored it in the garage. I was skeptical (and not entirely supportive) and kept reminding him that we had lots of other projects to do before one that the kids wouldn't be able to use for a couple years.

I was so wrong.


He finished the wall on Valentine's Day and I am beyond impressed. 7 1/2 feet tall and 17 feet long with a hole configuration that will allow us to easily add new handholds as we want and move around the ones that are there.

It is beyond cool. Over the winter, The Dad has been slowly working on semi-finishing the basement, converting it into a 'rec room' type space. We still have a lot to do down there, but I think that this first element is a great preview of what the room will become!