WIP Wednesday : Celebrating a Milestone

I am very happy to say I have finished all of C's presents for her birthday next month.. well, all but one present that has been plaguing me, but I will get to that another time.

Monday night K informed me that she no longer wanted her bed to be in our room but in her very own room, and she wanted to sleep there by herself 'every night from now on'. *GASP* Could it be?! I was completely floored and utterly unprepared. So I told her I would get her all set up in there by this weekend. What was I thinking?!
The lazuring has been finished for a week or so now (I plan on posting a tutorial ASAP), we put up our wooden light switch and outlet plates, but that's where it ended. The new floor (along with the baseboards) won't go in for a couple more months and we don't really have any furniture to put in there besides her bed. Eeeeeek! I have to somehow make it 'homey' for her by this weekend so that she will feel safe and secure sleeping in there.

So here I am, frantically trying to get things together to pull this off.



I luckily had enough money to get an unfinished nightstand so that she has something besides just her bed in there. She was really excited about that. I am in the process of sealing it right now with my favorite furniture wood finish 'Tried and True'. It's a completely natural and safe finish consisting of beeswax and linseed oil.
There are home/garden coupons you can find for all these supplies.



Next is her special embroidered pillow and a duvet cover for her wool comforter.
I hit a snag sewing together the pillow cover and need to fix that up.
I have four different fabrics to cut out for the patchwork top to the duvet but I am only halfway done cutting them so I need to speed it up. I have a question about my duvet cover for all of you quilt makers out there: Where, oh, where do I find fabric wide enough to cover the entire back of it? I need it to be about 67" wide or what else can I do to the back, with fabric not that wide? I'd really appreciate any help you could give me!!



I do have one tiny thing done for her room : a coaster. This way she can set drinks on her nightstand, if she wants. I used some scraps from the two fabrics I already cut for her duvet cover. She likes that it looks different on both sides, and I like the fact that she likes the fabric - I must be heading in the right direction. Phew!



Now back to work I go. Wish me luck!! What are you working on? I need more motivation.

Happy creating!

WIP Wednesday : Celebrating a Milestone

Bamboozled

You might remember the Princess and the Pea set I made for K last summer as a surprise on our road trip. Well, the other day I decided to throw the mattresses in the washer to give them a good cleaning. I figured since they were stuffed with bamboo they would be ok; alas, I was wrong. The bamboo balled up into little clumps making the mattresses much to lumpy for a princess. Funny, I thought using bamboo meant it would be machine washable (instead of my usual stuffing choice - wool)


Before (Picture taken in sunny Virginia)

I took advantage of the opportunity and with my little helpers made an assembly line to re-do the mattresses. I used a seam ripper to open them all up then I gave five to K and five to C. I showed them what to do and they both happily went to work pulling all of the stuffing out and then re-stuffing them with more bamboo (we will hand wash them from now on). Then we all went downstairs and sewed the mattresses closed again.


After (Picture taken in Oregon - what a difference!)

There was a slight problem with our mattress makeover... they ended up a lot fuller than last time, so the Princess couldn't get into bed. The girls and I quickly came up with a solution. We went out to our wonderful forest backyard and gathered some sturdy sticks. Then we brought them inside to dry out (it's always raining here). Once they were dry, we sawed or broke them to the right size, used some hemp cord to hold each piece in place and fashioned a ladder.



Another fun use of nature's bounty, and now the Princess can safely climb into a lump free bed to sleep uncomfortably on top of a pea. Peace is restored in our fairytale land.



Wishing you all a beautiful week!

Bamboozled

This Moment...

My computer crashed taking all my photos with it (luckily most were saved to an external hard drive this time, last time my computer crashed I lost all my photos from the first year of K's life - I was NOT happy to say the least). So as not to dwell in it I thought I would join Soulemama in 'this moment'.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

I had to do a series of photos instead of just one, these remind me of this photo from the Oregon Trail...







Have a great weekend everyone!!

This Moment...

WIP Wednesday : The Carpenter's Hammer Goes Tap,Tap,Tap

...Tapping the wood with a tap, tap, tap
A nail goes here with a tap, tap ,tap,
A nail goes there with a rap, rap, rap
And the saw goes see saw see
And the saw goes see saw see
As we saw the wood from a big oak tree
We saw and measure and hammer and sand
While we build a chair for me.

The girls and I have been singing this song the past few days while doing a little bit of woodworking. The weather has been beautiful and we couldn't stand being indoors.


Willow tree stump table in progress - This stump will be a table to go next to K's rocking chair in her room.

I have always admired tree stumps as tables and other furniture in Waldorf kindergarten classrooms. So simple and beautiful, really bringing the beauty of nature indoors, not to mention that you are recycling something tossed aside.
I never realized just how easy it is to A) Find stumps and B) Make them into tables. Rather silly to think about now, actually! My fabulous friend Marina posted a tutorial a while back and that was the final push I needed to do it myself. (Thank you, Marina!)

The girls and I peeled the bark off of the stump pictured above and I sawed off a couple of small random branches sticking out. Now we are waiting for my husband to saw the top to make it even. Then we just need to sand it and layer on the beeswax. I have seen websites showing the stumps painted afterwards but really, why would you want to cover the beauty of the wood's natural finish?



After starting that first stump I became a tad bit um, addicted. We took our little red wagon on a nature walk yesterday and I picked up a few more stumps.



I started to work on one right away but quickly learned you can't really pull the bark off of wet wood, so for now they are in the garage drying out. I am going through a bit of withdrawal waiting for them to dry. I have grand visions of a line of stump tables in various sizes under K's bedroom window, some in our living room and even some outside to create a sandbox for the girls and our husky (who loves to dig).


Large pieces of peeled off bark like the one above make great caves and tunnels for play

While I wait, I have been sawing our Christmas tree (yes, we still have it because I didn't want to just throw it away) into blocks for the girls. Seeing how we only have a hand saw, and I have no muscles - it's a slow process.



Also to keep my idle hands busy I picked up another knitting project for C's birthday. Did you see this in the spring edition of Petite Purls?! It is as if they were reading my mind! I wanted a doll sweater to match C's February baby sweater for her birthday but didn't want to deal with the math so I gave up on the idea. Then voila it appears! How could I not add this to my never ending birthday list?! I think (hope, pray!) that I have just enough yarn leftover from C's sweater to finish this up. I am on the last sleeve (modified the pattern and knitted in the round - notes on my ravelry page) but that ball of yarn is getting mighty small...


I hope this new season is inspiring you as much as it is me!
Happy creating!!

WIP Wednesday : The Carpenter's Hammer Goes Tap,Tap,Tap

The Root Children Arrived!

.:A photographic journey of our spring celebration weekend:.


Our root child announced spring's arrival in the morning


Run, baby, run!


The only picture I got of K, & just like the photo, she was a blur running back & forth the whole time


Hmmm, perhaps it's time to pack that coat away?


Our first spotted flower of spring


Mmmmm, honey sticks - so much better than candy!


Our Midnight in the jungle


Bounty


Forget searching for eggs, time to play!!


We brought spring inside with us by picking a few of our daffodils


A bouquet on our nature table picked by K (guarded by old father sliffslaff-Slibberslak)

*NOTE: Thank you everyone for the e-mails. K picked the trilliums out of our backyard (they are everywhere back there - how wonderful!),and we had no clue they were protected. We would never want to harm anything and had we known I would not have let her pick them. I sat down with her this morning and explained what I learned to her, so now we all know. Thank you all ,truly, for making us aware of this beautiful plant!!
Does anyone happen to know a website or good resource on the flowers/plants in Oregon so we can research what else is growing in our woods? Thanks again!*


Completed their snails (I embroidered the leaves to add just a bit more detail)


Completed knitted eggs (Apparently, in the past 15 years of not eating eggs - I have forgotten how they are shaped! I need to re-shape the wool inside of them a bit)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Happy spring!!

The Root Children Arrived!

Building Connections

Waiting for my helpers

It's so important to me to have the girls 'help out' with anything I may be doing around the house. This means slowing down and having more patience at my end. I admit things tend to take longer with helpers, and sometimes you have to go back behind them to fix up, but it is so very worth it. It is especially important to me on those days when they are so engaged in play I feel like I barely see them, even though we are in the same house the whole time.


K sanding

I want us to have a strong bond as a family and our girls to feel a strong connection with their home, knowing that they contributed in making it ours. I think working on things, even boring monotonous things, as a family helps with both of these.


C watching K and sanding

This connection is especially important to me for their bedroom, since that is their special room (although really every room in our house has at least one corner that is all theirs). So I am always trying to think of ways for them to help. I should be done with their bedroom walls this weekend, so I thought this would be the perfect time for them to help out.


C finishing the outlet plate

I bought some unfinished wood outlet and light switch plates to replace the plastic ones that were originally in there, so they needed to be finished. We sat down at their table yesterday and worked on them. First we sanded them until they were soft and smooth and then we finished them with some beeswax. Even C had a great time working on them. They got to do every step start to finish and can't wait to see them in their room.


K working on her outlet plate (Doesn't her smock make her look like a football player?!)

Not only that, working with the girls made the project fun and very worthwhile.
Now to think of what they can help with next in their room...

Wishing you all a sunny and beautiful Spring equinox this weekend. The Root Children will be visiting us Saturday and I hope they make it out to see all of you, as well! Happy weekending!!

Building Connections

WIP Wednesday : Preparing for Spring

I am really behind and trying to throw together some last minute gifts for my girls from the Root Children for this weekend. I don't know how I managed to completely forget about the Root Children's appearance day this year. I think I just got a bit too excited crafting for C's birthday.


Snail friends

I am keeping it pretty simple starting with some cute little knitted snails. I plan on making one for both of my girls. They are really fast and easy to make. I just have to add a leaf to the bottom of the one pictured above and knit up another one just like it quick. I have learned that my girls like to have the same exact thing as each other so I will knit the other one out of the same yarn.

I found the pattern for the snails on Linda's blog and I plan on knitting up a couple of her eggs for the girls, too. If you haven't checked out her blog before, please do! It's so uplifting and they are such an inspiring family.


School time

A very random WIP and a much less fun project - paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork but oh so worth it!!!!! I am finishing up the packet I received from K's future school, lots of question and things to sign, but I am not complaining. This is our dream finally coming true!! On a side note - I have to point out the 'First Aid Treatment' section. I actually jumped up and down when I read that.


K artwork

I have only had a couple of chances to work some more on one of K's 'new bedroom special surprises', but have made some progress nonetheless. I love the way she writes the 'K' in her name!


Hedgehog theme, anyone?

I think C has a theme to her birthday without evening trying - hedgehogs!! I am finishing up a dress that matches her birthday dress for her 'C baby'. I think this will bring a big smile to her face.

All right, seeing all of this reminds me I need to get back to work in my little elf shop!! Can't wait to see what you are all up to! Wishing you all a fun St. Patrick's Day.

Happy creating!

WIP Wednesday : Preparing for Spring

Blessed

End of winter nature table

Old King winter is in the process of moving his castle back to the North Pole while Mrs. Thaw is preparing for the arrival of spring. We only had one day of snow here in Oregon (We really thought it snowed more here *sigh*. We miss snow!), so our nature table has to represent this change for our girls right now.

We will pack away all of our winter things in just a few days to make room for our springtime items but before we did I had to share a very special King Winter puppet that has been presiding over our nature table.



My dear friend Tiffeni blessed us with him as part of a wonderful package back in January. I have mentioned Tiffeni quite a few times on here. We love her (K wants to fly back to Virginia to see her just about every other day), and I feel I owe so much to her for all of the inspiration and knowledge she has given me over the years, and still continues to give me. She made this King Winter herself many years ago either during her Waldorf teacher training or her first year teaching, (I can't remember which it was, now, I'll have to ask her again) and told me about all that went into him. I think we all know how significant handmade things are to me, so you can only imagine how my heart skipped a beat when I opened him up. Knowing the details of how he was made, the love put into him and the fact that she was the one to make him makes him so very, very special to us.

I have to share a couple of other things from the package, as well (that the girls did not instantly squirrel away on me as they did with other things from the package!)...



She also included her very first knitting project (from that same time period): a recorder case. Can I just gush about how honored we are to have something that special?! I threw away my first knitting project (a knitted pig) a couple of years ago and I wish I hadn't now. Something like that truly is something to hang on to.



Inside the case were two pentatonic recorders (along with sheet music, care instructions and supplies and other goodies). I can't wait for the girls to use these! Traditionally children in Waldorf schools learn to play the recorder around the age of seven (in first grade) so it will be a little while before they start, but I am hoping to teach myself in the meantime so I can help them when they get to that point. Plus, I just secretly want learn how to play myself. I have this silly dream of our family playing music together around the fire, like in the olden days. Eh, my dream makes me happy.


The BEST backpack ever

The last thing I was able to get a picture of was this fantastic backpack. Sadly, I could not get an action shot but maybe in the future. This bag is absolutely perfect for nature hikes, among many other things. K decided its the perfect papoose to put her babies in (her and C are a bit obsessed with papooses at the moment).

We were truly, truly blessed to receive such thoughtful gifts from such a dear friend, and even more blessed to know her and have her in our lives - even if from a distance now. Thank you Tiffeni and thank you everyone for letting me gush with you!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Blessed

Wool Felted Egg Tutorial

Apparently I dreamt that I posted this before because I can not find it anywhere! I am blaming this one on 'Mama-brain', that usually covers everything...

I was very blessed to be asked to join the Spring edition of Rhythm of the Home by the lovely Heather and Bernadette. I was honored and thrilled at the thought. I knew right away I wanted to share how our family celebrates the arrival of Spring with the appearance of the root children. It is such a special time of year for us, a time the girls look forward to the most.


Root Child waiting for the girls at the kitchen table

We used to put gifts from the Root Children in plastic Easter eggs but I really didn't like that idea. I am not a big fan of plastic, plus I really wanted these to look like they were handmade by the Root Children just for my girls. So I started making wet felted wool eggs, cut them open and put the presents inside of them, instead. They are so sweet to see scattered across our lawn, the girls love them and they are simple to make.
I am really happy to be able to share these with all of you.


Needle felting decorations on one of our eggs

To read the full story of how we celebrate with the Root Children and the wool felted egg instructions please go check out my article at Rhythm of the Home. You might want to grab a cup of tea and a nice cozy blanket before you do, though, you are going to want to read every single article in the current issue and the past one. It really is a spectacular resource.


C wet felting

Happy reading! I would love to see pictures of your eggs if you make some.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!!

Wool Felted Egg Tutorial

Wip Wednesday : Slow Going

Since I have been spending the past few nights curled up on the couch with a book, I haven't been creating a whole lot. I did, however, get a few more coats up on the girls bedroom walls. I just put up coat eight yesterday and although I said I would only do eight I think it might be ten or twelve now. It really just looks like it needs some more of the red to warm it up a tiny bit more.

Here are a few bits and pieces I am currently working on.


rrrrrrriiip it, rrripp it

C's slippers are getting much too tight on her little feet so it's time for new ones. I thought I would knit her up a quick pair for her birthday and use up some leftover sweater yarn in the process. Malabrigo yarn is notorious for felting, which is perfect for this project. I like to use the baby slipper pattern from 'The Children's Year' but make them huge so I can felt them. I use size 9 or 10 needles and then double up with two strands of worsted weight yarn. In the picture above I am using the shocking pink and floral colorways and LOVE how they look together. Unfortunately, I did not have enough of the floral colorway leftover so I had to rip that out and start over. So now, I am just knitting them with one strand of the shocking pink. Hopefully they will come out ok and be sized right after felting. *Fingers crossed*



Hedgie's surprise

I am getting closer to being done with C's birthday dress, but I am running into a couple of problems. You see, I haven't sewn in a zipper invisibly since about 1997 and I have managed to completely forget how. I know that I know how to do this, I used to do it all the time but it's just taking quite awhile for it all to come back to me. To add insult to injury Betty, ahem - my sewing machine, (What? You don't name your sewing machine?!) is acting feisty and picking fights with me. We'll see who wins in the end...
I am not 100% sure about the hedgie trim yet. C absolutely adores hedgehogs and I know she would love it but I am wondering if it looks too busy with the fabric, or if it is just the right amount of cuteness.


Warm and cozy for K

Whenever I get a free moment and K is with Daddy or deeply involved in play I try to work on a couple of surprises I have for her new bedroom. I am hoping to have them done around the time the walls are done (which at this rate will be next Autumn...) so it will all be put together nicely for her. *Secret motive* If her room looks nice, warm and inviting then maybe she'll actually want to sleep in it, at least for a few hours each night.

What are you working on? I need some inspiration to get of my butt and back to working on these projects.

Happy creating!

Wip Wednesday : Slow Going