if i had a kitchen big enough to do this, i would in a heartbeat. sometimes renting is the pits. i would love to deck out mack's room with this idea, magnets, felt, chalk - she would be over the moon. easy, peasy and it would keep her busy & quiet for at least half an hour (i hope).
check out the happy home for this mom's how to of her activity wall. what a great idea! while you are there she also has a great tutorial on customizing one of those wooden letters we all seem to hang in our kid's rooms.
have any of you done something similar in your home?
before i had my daughter i worked in office administration. being a creative type working in an office environment had me finding unique and quirky ways to use my imagination to let's just say - liven things up. sometimes you can find art in the weirdest places - i still get a thrill from doing an excel spreadsheet, sick, i know.
when i spotted this great little tutorial from swirly thoughts, i instantly thought of my old job. i would have come trotting in with this and sent out all of our mail the next day in funky little envelopes. what a fun idea! i am definitely going to try this at home. i think it would make a mailman's day to see one of these suckers, and what mailman doesn't need cheering up in this weather - yuck!
we stopped and watched one of those moments today. the sky was dark and ominous and then out of nowhere, the sunshine warmed the sky and peeked out from the corner just as the wind blew those gorgeous branches across the thundery sky.
we decided to capture a pic of the tree and of us watching it. a few minutes later it started raining and then a few minutes after that it stopped and the sun came out again - that's island weather for you.
do you love snuggling your little one up in a hooded towel after a bath? we do and our daughter loves it. she loves being cuddled and swaddled just like when she was a baby. my hubby sometimes thinks otherwise though, he's still suffering from the shock of the time she pooed all over him (she was an infant) after he got caught up in how cute she looked in her little towel in his arms and forgot to put the diaper on right away. classic new parent mistake. worst part was, in my normal behaviour to this kind of incident, instead of helping him, i laughed hysterically and got a picture of the incident. i know, i know, but seriously, who wouldn't have done that? after all the things mothers have to go through, i needed to record one of the few times my husband actually had to suffer :)
here's the pic of "the incident":
(meanwhile jer is covered in baby poop)
if you want to try your hand at making your very own hooded bath towel head on over to make and takes for the tutorial. i want one big enough for me! do you think jer would swaddle me up in a hooded towel if i asked him nicely....
ahhhhh, the smell of clothes fresh off the line that were hung outside to dry. i love that smell. it reminds me of my omi, who whenever she can, hangs her clothes on the line in the backyard. there is nothing better than slipping into a bed covered in sheets that just came off the line - heavenly.
we live in an apartment - thus no clothesline. apartment therapy just posted a great idea on how to create your own clothesline inside your rental or apartment without too much fuss or moula. i think this is a wonderful idea. i can't stand those horrible drying racks that break and bend and take up wasted space when you aren't using them. why not have a try at hanging a line inside? may not smell like fresh air, but it will be a lot fresher than the dryer and more eco-friendly. click here for the tutorial.
"are we done the laundry yet mom?" her reaction to two loads of laundry, vacuuming and toy clean up (a normal day in our house). my response - "tell me about it".
diy.com has some great ideas for wall art. i got a kick out of the idea of using wall medallions from the hardware store and painting them for wall art! click here for the link.
elsa mora blows my mind, there doesn't seem to be anything this ultra talented woman can't do. her paper cutting is to die for and she is beyond creative in her other endeavors. you can buy her handmade goods at her etsy shop here.
now to top it off, she has a gorgeous book coming out entitled "blossom buddies: a garden variety" in which she has created the most breathtaking creatures out of flowers. it's stunning. you can get a longer sneak peak and more info about the wonderful elsa herself on her blog here and you can pre-order the book that is due out on april 15th here. could you imagine the time and patience it would have taken to bring these little guys to life? i hardly have the time to brush my teeth never mind whip up a miniature world of flower people - amazing!
this is where i found mackenzie's upsy daisy today. when i asked her why upsy daisy was in her crib she said "upsy daisy has time out". i nearly peed my pants. she wouldn't let upsy daisy out for a few minutes and then made upsy daisy apologize to me - supposedly upsy daisy hit me. i couldn't help but take a photo of it, upsy daisy just looked so alone and sad and yes, i know it's a plastic figurine, but hey - a time out's a time out, plastic or real.
anyone else got jars of beach glass and rocks? i do. they are in every room. we are beach junkies at our house and we love to collect little treasures and bring them home. it's our dream to live right on a beach (or as close to one as we can get) and this is our way of bringing the beach closer to us.
when i saw these pretty little beach glass earrings and realized they weren't that hard to make i just about swooned. you can find the tutorial here. now, i don't have one of those handy little dremel tools to drill into the beach glass, but i will be asking around to see if someone else does. my ears are just begging to be adorned by these beauties. i think i'll make mine in that sheer sea green color.
the snow has melted for most us, but that doesn't mean we have to put all of our lovely scarfs away! this crocheted one made me look twice this morning. i love the ladder look and it's just airy enough to be perfect for that spring chill. this pattern, called masculin, will be part of an upcoming book called crochet revolution! by chelsea norquay and camille labarre. the pattern is only available on ravelry and you can find it here.
the interesting part of the upcoming book is that it will be written and self-published by two teenagers, feature teen illustrators/photographers and include innovative crochet patterns that can be made on a budget with an eco-friendly focus. they mention the book will be available this fall. i give these two talented young ladies a big thumbs up for having the guts to get their own book going and for featuring talents from their age group. if this scarf has anything to say about the book - i am definitely looking forward to see what else these two ladies have in store for us. my crochet needles have been sorely neglected the last 6 months.
i cannot wait for amanda blake soule's new book - handmade home to come out. i talk about her on here often and was happy to see the sneak preview a few weeks ago in mothering magazine of one of the projects in her new book. these embroidered bookmarks are such a cute idea for the little reader in your house. i know i was a big time reader when i was young and loved finding neat bookmarks to use. this is a great way for kids to personalize something of their own and feel proud of it. if your child can't do the sewing you could always get them to do the drawing and you could embroider it on for them. i think that even if i drew something for my own bookmark, it would like a child had done it - my embroidery skills are that bad.
here's the link for project, it's a fun craft to do if you are having rainy, gloomy weather like we are.
oh my, is it easter yet? my waistline and teeth are not going to be able to handle all these goodies much longer! bakerella has some more of her easter wonders up on the site and these little guys look so cute i feel mean for wanting to eat them.
what easter goodies are you planning on making? anyone have any recipes they want to share?
i had seen the original tutorial by clevergirl.org a few weeks ago to transform a men's shirt into a dress and thought - wow, that's a great idea, but i couldn't resist posting this breezy, little seaside dress that the blog made posted. i absolutely adore the yellow casing she added to the waist and the finishing of the neckline. she even has a the little detail of her label on the side of the skirt - so cute. you can read about her process here.
i am itching to attack jer's old cast-offs that are just lazing in a bag in our closet whispering "sew me, sew me", man, i gotta get that quilt done so i can get the next gazillion projects i have waiting done. doesn't this dress make you want to go run in the sunshine barefoot? is summer here yet?
have any of you made anything like this? i would love to hear about it!
dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body - martha graham
i've got dance fever. i keep flipping through the dancer's book of ballet crafts (see previous post) and just seem to have ballet on the mind. mackenzie has been taking dance since she was 18 months and we love going. it's one of our favorite classes. i can't wait until we can get into the big time tutu wearing phase, so i couldn't resist checking out what etsy had to offer in the way of dance fever. so indulge, get that tutu or a pair of funky legwarmers, turn on the tunes and just dance - i'll join you!
do you like parmesan cheese? i do. next time your container of cheese is empty, don't recycle it, repurpose it. how about dressing that sucker up with some cute material, slapping on some buttons and voila - instant knitting needle holder. now that's my kind of way of taking care of the trash :) here's the link.
and before you can blink an eye - bam! noodle in the face!
"i said no pics mama" that will teach me for taking pics of her when she's not looking her best.
there may not be a lot of posts up today due to the fact that my hubby actually has a day off today :) this is a rare occasion in our household during this time of year because he is an accountant. life is hard in our house in the spring (insert sob story), so i am going to enjoy my hubby and my baby girl today and will see you all tomorrow morning for etsy monday in the mommyhood. have a wonderful weekend and watch out for rogue pasta noodles.
i was reading angry chicken last night, in the dark of course (earth hour) and saw her mention about goop. goop is a blog by none other than gwyneth paltrow. goop is essentially a blog of newsletters that's emailed out once a week, that share her recipes, her personal travel notes, advice, exercise tips, clothes and much more. all i can say is wow. there is a lot of interesting and wonderful things to be found in some of these newsletters. some of the recipes were to die for and i especially loved her latest newsletter for the section BE on parenting. qwyenth posed a great a question and some wonderful women shared their thoughts and wisdom, one of whom is Cynthia Bourgeault, who amongst other things, is a principal visiting teacher for the contemplative society here in victoria, bc.it's worth a read - click here to check it out.
speaking of gwyneth, um, have i mentioned my absolute adoration for "spain - on the road again"? love, love, love this show. i cannot get enough of it. it makes my whole soul hurt with longing to be in that convertible squashed between gwynnie and mario, travelling across spain - eating! please, gwen, if you ever read this, can i come? i won't make any noise, ok, well, maybe sometimes, but i promise to be quiet and stay in the background, i just really, really want to go to spain. what a life she has. the scenery enough would make me think i had died and gone to heaven.
i catch this show in the late hours of the night when my daughter decides not to sleep, or i can't sleep, one or the other, and then stay up even later because i can't bear to miss another minute of the deliciousness of this fabulously warmhearted and funny show. i then bore poor jeremy with my long winded memories of the episodes i catch on pbs late night and try to remember if it was real or if i was dreaming? it's that beautfiul. check it out. you can find the website here and if the show isn't enough to whet your appetite they have a book and dvd as well.
i'll take one of each please, from skinny laminx's new fabric line - the sevilla rock collection. my imagination and sewing machine are already off and running, dreaming of all the goodies i could make with this fabric. you can find heather moore's fabulous new line at her etsy store here, read more about heather on her blog or website. i'm personally drooling over the pillows in her etsy store - bring on the herds.
thimbleanna has a handy tutorial just in time for spring and the summer wedding season. i agree with her that these would make a wonderful bridesmaid gift. you can find my favorite kind of tutorial here - one with lots and lots of pics to show every step. i heart thee thimbleanna.
this post is dedicated to my mom. she is on the lookout for our newest family member of the canine variety and she loves dogs like the cutie-pie above. i think she should whip out some of my dad's old sweaters and a few of her own and make up this pet bed tutorial from the insanely talented jenny ryan, who is the author of sew darn cute and co-owner of the home ec department over on reform school. you can read more about jenny on her blog here.
p.s. i quilt has a tutorial for all of us who want an easier way to make a 9-patch quilt. the lovely, and sweet rachel griffiths blog is filled with quilting goodies and some recipes to boot. i also had to post this tutorial because rachel is a twilight fan, that is a two thumbs up in my book. anytime you wanna chat twilight rachel - send me an email :)
click over to carissa knits for a quick, easy tutorial for making your own knit ipod armband. this one would be a fun pattern to personalize and go to town with! so go on, deck out your arm - color co-ordinate with your workout gear, you know you wanna.
being a knitter who hates finishing work, these videos will be in my can't live without resource file. i hate seaming, especially when it comes to sweaters but i've finally decided to get over my fear. berroco has a series of how-to videos you can watch if you are like me and are a visual (aka can't figure it the hell out no matter what i do) learner. you can find the rest of berroco's videos here.
my heart just melted when i saw this little guy by beth doherty of gourmet amigurumi. her creations are making me want to seriously reevaluate my skills in the toy making department, or amigurumi making as it is called for this style of toy. check out beth's site here and her etsy site here. prepare your heartstrings if you take a peek at her flickr pool, they'll make you want them all to come home with you, kids or no kids. get yourself a free pattern for this little cro-bot shown above, here at craft. (via craft)
when deciding to start fit friday in the mommyhood, there was no doubt in my mind that i wanted to research how the heck michelle obama and kelly ripa get their arms to look so damn good. i know i am not alone in this sick curiosity. i have openly admitted on here before, that i watch regis just to stare at kelly's arms. now, with the addition of michelle obama, how are mom's supposed to keep up? what is their secret? trainers? home gyms? good dna? whatever it is - i am lacking it and i need to get it.
in this day and age the pressure on mom's to rebound back to their pre-baby weight has escalated along with what seems to be a heightened rise in celebrities having babies. the more photos we see of them out and about 4 weeks after birth in size 0 jeans and tight dresses, the more self-esteem and self-worth we lose. how come we don't look like that 6 months later? some of us never do get our pre-baby body back. i am still dealing with what i call "the friends mackenzie left behind" in my tummy. i've got 10 pounds to go and my daughter is turning 2 next month. for some, it just seems so easy, and for others, the trials never end.
what can we do about it? support each other. i have found talking to friends whose bodies i admire after giving birth helps me to understand that they usually aren't happy with themselves either. if only as women, we could all have a buddy system where we called one woman a day and said "you look fabulous, have you lost weight?". it's like a drug, you can't get enough of it. it will keep you going for days with a smile on your face and a strut in your walk. for now, i just rely on my spanx. yes, i sometimes wear spanx. they keep my so called "friends" under jiggle control.
with the struggles of balancing being a mother, a wife and having a career, where do we fit in exercise when we hardly have time to have a shower? how does michelle obama, the new lady of the white house, have the time with all that is going on in her world to exercise? she get's up at the crack of dawn. people magazine stated that she and the president get up at 5:30am and work out. she also told cnn that she fits in three 90 minute work outs a week with a personal trainer. not all of us could sustain getting up that early every week. i know i couldn't, you'd have to hook me up to an i.v. filled with caffeine to get me moving. it all comes down to finding the time that works for you, whether it's evening, kid's nap times, first thing in the morning, it's important to find what works in your crazy schedule and make it a priority.
both kelly and michelle are in the eye of the media, kelly daily. people like me love to hear about kelly's trials and tribulations of her exercise regimes and the goings on of her life. she is like a talking blog. i adore her. i do admit she sometimes looks too skinny, but the arms are just rock solid. kelly supplements her favorite sculpting class that uses your own body weight to build muscle at her favorite gym with running, the stability ball and boot camp moves. kelly, like michelle, does her workout early in the morning before her day starts at the regis show.
most personal trainers say arm exercises alone are not enough to get toned arms. you have to rid the body of fat first. both women have mentioned that they maintain healthy diets along with strength training and cardio fitness. trainers recommend strength training twice a week, using 5-8 pound weights and doing 12-15 repetitions working up to 2 sets, allowing days in between to allow your muscles to rest. you can hope to see results in 6-8 weeks.
so what moves can we take from their exercise routines? here's the top arm exercises to get some guns of your own:
spark people is one of my favorite resources for exercises and videos. click here for their fitness section. american council on exercises library also has a great link to the how to's of these exercises. click here for their library.
thankfully, fitness magazine has put together a michelle obama inspired workout. click here for the routine that goes from sun salutations to push ups. if you are curious about kelly ripa's trainers tips for leaning up, the video below should give you a good place to start.
do any of you have a favorite workout routine to keep your arms toned? what's your secret for staying motivated?
after writing this it seems achievable to reach for the goal of obama/ripa arms, but just in case, ask me in 6 weeks. oh, hey, by the way, you look fabulous - have you lost weight? :)
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if i had a kitchen big enough to do this, i would in a heartbeat. sometimes renting is the pits. i would love to deck out mack's room with this idea, magnets, felt, chalk - she would be over the moon. easy, peasy and it would keep her busy & quiet for at least half an hour (i hope).
have any of you done something similar in your home?
