the real buttercups soon to come

While loading them into a drawstring bag, I realized I never showed off the finished product. Still pleased & looking for the next similar project...

I saw a robin on our clothesline yesterday and LAUGHED OUT LOUD.
Welcome, friend spring!

crochet

Margaret Ooman's blog, resurrection fern, is gorgeous. Rich with photography of the north woods she lives in, and the poetry of her son and her life. Her craft centers on fiber arts, particularly crochet, and her crocheted stones are emerging iconic. The blog is rich in tutorials, and her instructions for a crocheted acorn necklace were my introduction to her work. I've found I can crochet a bit while holding the sleepy babe (peek at these new photos of him by my talented friend Becci), so have been dabbling a bit myself. I've learned that I need to learn something other than the chain stitch and single and double crochet, but have been able to improvise, babe in hand, and stretch that a bit to some new projects.
Raindrops for a certain little girl's birthday. They were done on a whim (though what else is inspiration but a whim that works?) and I admit they're pretty pointless, but my daughters want them for their own, so they'll probably work for the target demographic.
Trying my own stones (also photo at top). They need some work, but are decidedly addictive. I bought the old textile factory spool at a street fair antique booth.
An acorn container. For fairies, of course.
Trying an acorn necklace with a stay-in band on top. Because ours tend to jump ;|.

My next Maggie Ooman project: to copy the eggs she sent to her friend, shown at the end of this post. Far from shores, I had to do the cheap (cheep!?) trick & bought some yellow-y smooth stones at Dollar Tree yesterday. Chicks coming up for Easter baskets!

green girl

I found this treat on Audrey's social studies test this week. Good girl.

Paper use at the school drives me crazy. They could cut their consumption in half in a blink...

back?

I spent an hour and a half in the pottery studio last night and it was so refreshing. I worked just a little bit this summer (the results on my shelf pictured above), but in a fit of birthday new beginnings have decided to try for a shop update (re-opening!) in time for Easter.

I cleaned (eek, they've missed me: it was a disaster) and just threw 4 mug bases, but came home so invigorated and cheerful. Hopefully cheerful enough that the husband noticed and will be eager to enable the continuing habit. Weirdly, my overarching feeling was just competence; it was great to have complete control of that little window of time and spend it doing something I'm skilled at. Which is not always true of the life with little ones I consciously chose but am so often daunted by.

still shining in 2009

By popular request, superstar tees will be available for one last anniversary printing this month, in preparation for the big "new birthday" on April 23rd. Everyone's invited to the party to celebrate that Friday (4/24); watch Marian's blog!

The anniversary tee will add a "still shining in 2009" phrase on the bottom, and is offered at our cost; no fundraising this time.

Details & ordering information are here, on Marian's blog:

http://imacraftartist.blogspot.com/2009/03/still-shining-in-2009.html

Thanks for all of your support this year. It's been a doozy.

crafty birthday to me :)

I invited a couple of my crafty friends to an impromptu birthday party. They came with their kids after school and we made flower children peg dolls to welcome Spring, who is surely just around the corner. They came with lovely detail presents: wee jade plant, a shaped birdseed cake to hang on our porch, a hand-beaded bracelet. So sweet. Another couple of friends brought me a most delicious breakfast: 2 kinds of muffins, homemade wheat bread, a quiche full of everything, and the sort of fruit salad that even includes starfruit. So very kind.
My mom taught me the love of a handmade gift, and hers this year was fantastic. So masterfully sewn. I pretend sometimes that I'm as capable as her, but then I get put to shame... A reversible apron, in my favorite aqua & greens, with a scallopped hem and ric-rac slant pockets on both sides. I tried to catch the best details in this quick photo (no one around to document me wearing it). With accessories to match, of course: citrus juicer & crocheted dishcloth.
A hedgehog hat for Reuben from my sister Camie (modeled by her Mykita). My birthday gift for her last week was also actually for her kid. We're both just thinking that way lately (all sorts of baby on the brain).

Thirty five. Yup.
not too old. ? Well-wishers were split between "sheesh--old, V!" (my younger siblings, mostly) and "young 'un!" (everyone else, older!) but I look really wrinkly in the mornings lately. At night, I look good. That's probably why I'm a night owl 8>: just to stare at myself in the mirror when my skin is smoother.

Audrey, my pattern girl, pointed out that this year my birthday is both a square root & a multiplication problem: 3 x 3 = 9. Which obviously makes me especially cool this year.

for my valentines

I did a bit of felt sewing for each child for Valentine's Day. This horse had been hanging around our house unfinished for nearly a year (pattern from this book, Feltcraft), so I added the last details to give to Marian, my horse lover. I wanted something practical, if I could, and decided on a guitar pick case for Audrey. Even though I started with a lavender felt base, I meant to make it Valentine-y, but in the end just went with the star instead, because it's her signature shape these days. The other side has a flap that buttons down with a yellow button and elastic loop. Reuben's love robot is my attempt to be boy-y. I wanted a case for his immunization record, so it didn't just look like one of the other folded bits of paper that always end up crowding every bag in this house. I had a "helpful technology" theme idea in my head that linked little robots with vaccines...but Nathan just gave me an eye-roll for that. It's a bit of a stretch :O. The other side has "Reuben the Wilde" in green.

This photo was just from yesterday, but I wanted to show off Reuben's V-day wear: an "I Stole Mommy's Heart" shirt. Sure 'nuff! Plus, M is wearing her heart socks, so it fits the theme :).