she wanted it to go with everything

Here is another version of this bag that I made for my sister’s (belated!) birthday. I sort of leaked the details of what I was making her after she saw mine and commented on it. She had only one request: that it be “springy and go with everything”. So, that is what I tried to accomplish. I think I managed to pull in every possible color, right? A very roomy bag with straps that are just the right length for over your arm or over your shoulder. Happy Belated Birthday, sis!

school’s out

Yesterday was Henry’s last day of school and today was his school picnic. So now begins our summer break. We like to leave our summer days kind of open ended, without filling them up with too many weekly activities. Both boys are signed up for swimming lessons at the local pool, but other than that we are going to play it by ear. We have some fun places to visit around here that we don’t go to often during the school year, such as here and here. There will be lots of time spent at the lake also – fishing, swimming, kayaking and just general lazing about. Then there will also be the list of things tackle around the house – mainly painting, indoors and out. And there will be a few long weekend trips to visit people here and there. Happy days!

flea market finds

On Mother’s Day morning, after a delicious breakfast prepared by my husband, the whole lot of us took a short trip to the local flea market. I wasn’t terribly enthusiastic about it at first, until my husband volunteered to commandeer both boys while I shopped. The thought of taking a fast and wreckless three year old and a begging five year old through narrow, glassware-stacked aisles does not appeal to me. Daddy did a great job of visiting all of the non-breakable-type booths with them (they tried out many riding things and helped him sort through records). It was pouring down rain and we didn’t stay long, but here were a few things I picked up:

The woman I bought this from said it is Marimekko fabric that her mother had sewn into a log holder (it had two wooden dowel handles before I disassembled it). While I can always use a good log holder, I thought I could make it into a bag instead. I can’t find another example of this fabric anywhere on line…it looks like Marimekko to me…but if anyone knows for sure, please let me know. I’d love to know of a resource for finding out about out-of-print vintage textiles, especially Scandinavian.

I also bought this cute owl linoleum block print from her. It was in a crazy blue-stained oak frame which I’ve since removed. I’m going to re-frame it and hang it in our bedroom.

Lastly, I picked up this sweet little silhouette of a braided girl to add to my ever growing collection of silhouettes. She was hidden behind another silhouette I bought that was framed, and I ended up liking this one much more than the one on top.

first birthday

I am a firm believer in first birthday’s being just as much for the parents as the child…it’s also a milestone for the parents, who have just survived the first year. My dear little niece, Avery, and her parents just celebrated her first birthday with a much anticipated trip to Michigan and a big party filled with family and friends and lots of little ones running around. We all enjoyed every little bit of it, from the time my mom, sister, and I spent together getting ready for it, with Avery watching, to the gloppy first fistfuls of chocolate cake, to the grass-stained knees and juice-stained faces at the end of the day, collapsing into car seats for the ride home.  Here are some tidbits from the big day:

Birthday banner made using small paper plates, printed cardstock and string.

Birthday dress made for Avery.

Paper dot garland made with these cute circles from Elfrida, assembled by me and my very patient father. I was inspired by a garland made with self-adhesive dots from an old Martha Stewart Living issue (December/January 1996).

ahhhh

We had a great time out in the back yard yesterday…the boys were able to run around and not be on top of one another. Despite the piles of soggy leaves left to rake from last fall, fun was had. Every ball, bat, wagon and wheeled toy was used (if only for a few seconds each). All prehistoric beasts were hauled out of doors for a massive patio takeover. Even the sand table was opened up and played with, despite the lack of sand. Ahhh, Spring.

busy busy

Henry’s spring vacation from school was last week. We were busier during his vacation than on most school days. Play dates, out-of-town field trips and finally some outdoor time. I did manage to carve out a couple of hours, without kids, to finish these up for my niece’s birthday party. I printed and punched while my mom glued. I think my mom thought it was less fun than I did. There’s something very relaxing to me about doing something repetitive like punching paper. I also love to paint walls (in fact, I’m painting our bedroom this weekend).

I worked on Saturday, which pretty much takes over the weekend (I’m usually gone about 14 or 15 hours), so I didn’t get much sewing accomplished. Fred and I went to Ikea on Sunday (since the other half of us went to a hockey game) to check out their new fabric selection, but they were sold out of the one I really wanted. I ended up with coming home with more of this to use for bedroom curtains. I’ll post some pictures when they’re up!

a milestone, among other things

The boys went to bed by themselves three nights ago for the FIRST. TIME. EVER. They didn’t even attempt to leave their beds. There was a bit of crying and begging from both on the first night, but here we are, three nights later, and you’d think they’d been doing it for years! This is big – no, huge – for us. My husband claims he’ll gain an extra 8-10 hours per week of free time. I know, I know, they should have been doing it long before this. I think we were just so used to our routine, and no one wanted to rock the boat. Sleep is a very precious and fragile thing in this house. The boys share a bedroom and every night we read to them, and then one of us would stay in there until both were asleep. Usually my husband would be the one to stay (this allowed me to rebuild my sanity). He would fall asleep too, though, and not wake up for a couple of hours usually. Now, we still have our reading time, then we tuck them both in, turn on some music, check on them a couple of times, and (sigh) enjoy the silence.

The next milestone (that I know of) in our household will be Fred’s 3rd birthday. Every year I fret over what to do for the boys’ birthdays. I always want to make them some things, even though I know I am the one most excited about those presents. I’ll be sharing some of them with you as I make them. But before I start Fred’s things, I need to finish up start sewing some things for my sweet little niece, Avery. The only thing I actually have done so far is make this Kidlet wall pocket for her room, designed by JC Handmade. You can find her great tutorial here.

thanks, dad

My father was a biology teacher before he retired and has always been interested in botany. One day he stopped by my house with some botanical charts he’d RESCUED FROM THE TRASH. Can you believe that?! Someone tossed them out! He knew how great they were and that I’d love them. We’ve since taken a couple of them and “framed” them with strips of trim (the kind you can buy by the foot at any home store). We sandwiched the top and bottom of the chart between two strips on each end and secured them with screws. I then ran a length of ribbon through the “strip sandwich” and around the screws to hang it. Thanks, Dad.

“i have moves”

This is what we are told whenever Fred dons a mask or wields a (toy) sword. He then pivots and performs what looks like a cross between Tai Chi and modern dance. He is my entertainment tonight while making dinner.

I attempted to start cutting fabric today for some new things for the shop, but never got past the staring-at-piles stage. The morning was consumed by a trip to the dentist and an uneventful trip to the thrift store. Not that I need to buy anything else to cram into our little home, which is already bursting at the seams. I desperately need it to be just a tad warmer outside (by about 3o degrees or so) so that the backyard can again become an extension of our family room.

 

 

 

day one

This is day one of my blog. I’m sure I’ll cringe as I reread this at a later date, but here goes…

My name is Megan. I’m a 36 yr. old mother of two small ones living in Michigan. I work outside my home on a very part-time basis (about twice a month). Most of my time is spent caring for my five year old Henry, and my two year old, Freddy. Henry is in Montessori every weekday morning and Freddy is home with me all day. I love to make things and spend a a good amount of my (very limited) free time sewing. I find I’m most productive after my kids are both asleep for the night. I love doing patchwork, quilting (on a small scale, so far), clothing for kids, bags, purses, pillows…I could go on and on. I love thrifting for fabric and end up collecting lots of other things as a consequence.

I find there is not enough time in the day…oh, what I could do with an extra hour every day! So, why, you may wonder, am I starting a blog, which will take up even more of my time? Well, the short answer is this: to be able to share a bit of what I make with others, to give a little glimpse into the everyday chaos that is life with little ones underfoot, and to keep far-away family and friends up to date. (Was that a short answer?)

So, come back and visit often. I’ll be regularly posting about things I’ve made or am making, bits and pieces of our life, and things that inspire me.