Eclipse

As the sky darkened, we poked a pinhole into a sheet of white paper and held the crescent sun in our hands

And for a moment, beneath that strange sky, I was a child again.

what happened today, and what that (might) have to do with you

 Today we have two kid birthday parties to attend, and I wanted to wrap one of those presents with a pretty handmade bow. I knew Martha Stewart had featured several bow-making tutorials over the years, and I went online. The Martha Stewart website is super-informative and accessible, but my connection was very slow and there were, as it turned out, lots of bow-making tutorials. Pages full. As it took several minutes for each page to upload, I had another idea.
For several years now, I have been cutting interesting articles from magazines and pasting them into notebooks. Like my own paper pinterest board. A quick search brought me to the page I needed.

 What does this have to do with you? I don't know; I just thought if you don't already, you might decide to start your own tradition of filling notebooks with pages torn from magazines. And I don't only fill the pages with magazines. These notebooks are my inspiration catch-alls. I put everything in here: quotes, recipes, books I want to read, movies I want to watch. Lists I'll want to return to. Crafts. Things I deem beautiful. Want to see more pages?

 You might notice some pages seem to have themes--particularly the ones with Holiday crafts and pictures. This isn't premeditated--an attempt to streamline or be organized or anything like that. It's just that, in any given season, I'm flipping through that season's magazines. It all goes in, without much attempt at organization. I'm on my third notebook, and I didn't date the first, but it seems to have originated circa 2004.

Oh, and as for that Martha Stewart bow I wanted the template for?  

I decided to go in a different direction. 

But I'm glad I got to spend sometime with my notebooks first! Aren't you? 

Pretty New Projects

First, a little needle book. I got the inspiration to make this from the beautiful book Pretty Little Felts by Julie Collings. This is one of those books I checked out from the library, but ultimately bought because I knew I'd want to return to it again and again. 

The front and back covers are paper sewn onto felt. I got the images from Anna Corba's book Instant Memories: Travel.

The inside is just felt pieces I sewed in. "Why the buttons?" my daughter asked. Because they're pretty! Why else?

Also this month, I signed up for Teresa McFayden's online Color as a Verb Class. She was running a $25 sale, as she seems to do from time to time. If you get on her email list, you'll be notified of what classes are available and when they go on sale.

A while ago I bought this daybook on ebay. I gutted it and sewed in sketching paper. Here's what I've done for the class so far.

I love the bright colors. Copics are freakin pricey, but they're fun. What projects have you been working on recently?

Felt Rocket Ship Necklace. A tutorial, sort of.

     I love it when really fancy bloggers put tutorials on their craft blogs. I have made so so many things from blog tutorials. The Magic Onions is a great source for these. And recently, I wanted to make a felt daffodil for Liam's nature table at school, and I was able to find a tutorial thanks to a google search (here it is). I'm kind of crafty, but I don't post tutorials because I usually don't come up with things on my own. In fact, the impetus for this following craft came from a star necklace my daughter's kindergarten teacher made for each of her students.
     Alas, I am not a fancy blogger. If I were, I would scan some nice templates for you to cut out and pin to felt pieces. I'm hoping I can just describe this process. Today, we will be making FELT ROCKET SHIP NECKLACES.

     A boy in Liam's class had a birthday party recently, and the theme was *outer space*. The parents had the very good idea that everyone could bring a book for a book exchange. I think this is brilliant, because it ensures the birthday boy doesn't end up with 40 jumbo sticky hands, and you don't have to make party favors. (These parents did make party favors though--little rockets made out of dixie cups and paper cones--cute) At the last minute, I thought it might be nice to bring a little present. Something small, and something that the kind of parents who a: wouldn't know what to do with a whole pile of plastic motorcycle dudes and b: like books, might appreciate.
     So here's what you do. Start with the front of the rocket ship. Fold a palm-sized piece of felt in half and cut a triangle. You're only cutting half of the triangle. Do you know what I mean? So that when you open the felt piece, you have a nice symmetrical triangle. Good. Now take a pencil and copy the triangle onto a new piece of felt. Fold this piece in half, pencil markings out, and begin cutting, top to bottom, only this time, cut a wing on one side, and a take off thingy (???) on the bottom. (After having done some research, I believe this is called a body tube, but if this was a story I was writing, I'd probably have to call NASA or something. It is not the easiest information to get ahold of.)
     Does any of this make sense? Of course it does. You're smart. I don't mean to underestimate you.
     When you are done with all this, sew the two pieces together, but do not sew the nose cone! (I know! That one was easier to get ahold of.) This is going to be the opening. You see, the rocket is a little pouch you can store treasures in! Have your child finger knit you a necklace sized piece of yarn and sew it to the top. If you or your child does not know how to finger knit, I will direct you to a tutorial narrated by a CHILD who is far better at this than I. I have found my weakness, friends. I'm out.

Finger knitting tutorial:  http://eileensplace.blogspot.com/2010/01/finger-knitting-tutorial-guest-blogger.html

April, Enchanted

When I purchased a two night stay at the Enchanted April Bed and Breakfast through Living Social sometime last year, I just assumed the whole thing would work out. 'The whole thing' referring to the issue of childcare. The voucher was for two. Months later, and failing to come up with a solution, I tried to give the trip to my mom, who called the B&B and was able to get an extension, but who ultimately gave the trip back to me. I thought maybe Shane could take Tyler for his birthday. No, the voucher stated that the participants needed to be 21 or over. Finally, my friend Adrienne, mother of three, mentioned her need for a vacation. "Can you get away for two days?" I asked her.

and so it was that we spent Earth Day weekend eating amazing food, painting, looking through the extensive library of the Baroness who owns the B&B, and shrouding ourselves in frog song. 

The nights were spent drinking prosecco, hunting for frogs to kiss, star watching and talking late into the night while our feet wiggled beneath the softest sheets--they must have been egyptian cotton. And when it was all over, my loved ones were here to welcome me home. Oh yes. It was a beautiful Earth Day. I hope yours was beautiful too.

Come in! Come in!

I loved Shell Silverstein as a child. Do you remember his poem?

"If you are a dreamer come in

If you are a dreamer a wisher a liar

A hoper a pray-er a magic-bean-buyer

If you're a pretender com sit bymy fire

For we have some flax golden tales to spin

Come in!

Come in!

If you had come by our house today, you'd have been greeted by

Kids reading books fresh from the library on the porch

and a bowl-full of bunnies and eggs. Come in! Speaking of eggs, the kitchen is a little messy.

But in a good way. Come in!

In the backyard, we are making fairy houses and wet felted eggs. Come sit by the fire!

Tell me what you did today. Come in!