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So yes, we are well into January...and visions of pink and red are on the horizon with the holiday of love just around the corner...but I'm just a wee bit in denial that the Christmas season is indeed over (we finally took our tree down and put away our Christmas records *insert sad tear here*). But as I mentioned here, I do love me a new year and am ready to embark on some great new journeys! The future looks bright my friends!
And that future is starting strong (and busy!) with some super fun illustration jobs, preparation for ALT - did I mention I'm speaking?! - and so much more. But as my blog is also a bit of a journal I feel I can't move forward without documenting just a bit from our joyous Christmas day.
I'm sure I probably feel this way as it is the most recent event, but for some reason, this last Christmas really felt like the best one yet. Just something about it was simply perfect. Perhaps it is because it was one of the few years where we actually awoke in our own home and celebrated the morning with just our own little family. Or perhaps it was because of our perfect new little addition, baby M. Or perhaps it was because all I really wanted in the world was to spend one perfect day just with my dear family, completely focused on spending time with one another. Probably a bit of all the above. But whatever the reason...it was...well...perfect.
We spent Christmas Eve with Jon's parents and didn't get back to our place till late that night, so the boys actually slept in on Christmas morning, which was perfect. Jon made an amazing sausage and egg baked dish to keep our tummy's happy while settling down to open our gifts. I was on top of things this past year and had been collecting gifts for the boys throughout the year and I even had a lot of it wrapped before Christmas Eve. A record for me. It was oh so nice to embark on December knowing that most of the shopping was done (and ended up being oh so necessary as RSV made it's ugly rounds throughout our household). I did however have a number of last minute things to do, such as hand stamp these long john's for the boys Christmas PJ's. I seriously made them on Christmas Eve morning, willing them to dry in time for me to wrap them so that they could open them later that evening. It somehow managed to work out perfectly. And I laughed when A squealed in delight when opening his after his brother...proclaiming "yes! they are different!". Good thing I made two different stamp motif's. Who knew it was so important?
This year was also really great because I feel like the boys really got into the spirit of giving this year. Not only did we pick out gifts for each other but I had the boys really get involved with selecting gifts for my brother's family (we had his name this year). This meant that they had to think of their cousings, go to a store, pick out gifts for them, buy them and go home with no toys for themselves. I was seriously worried about Little O on this one as he's incredibly in love with toys (he feels like they are his friends that he develops deep bonds with). But you know what? He was amazing. He was head over heals in love with this snugly puppy dog that he knew from the beginning was to be for his 2 year old cousin. So throughout the store he played with it, cuddled it and befriended it, but all with the plan of giving him away. And it worked! He loved the idea of him going to his cousins house. He actually understood that this was a special thing he was doing for his little cousin. It was a gift. Amazing (and serious mom sigh of relief here).
Above are the wrapped gifts that they gave to me and I love how excited they were to give. Such sweet boys. Jon let them pick anything they wanted to give me (within reason and budget of course) and A picked out some lip gloss and Little O picked out a brush. So sweet. And it turns outs, just exactly what I needed. I had them pick something for Jon as well so they chose an Angry Birds game for him to play on the IPad (which of course they wanted to play with as well). They also got a few toys for their baby sister.
And OK, I got just a wee bit excited to embark upon the collection of beautiful handmade dolls for baby M. Yes she won't appreciate it for a while yet but I love the idea of telling her the story of her first Christmas and the special doll that she received then. And in truth, she was my little Christmas doll. Our family's favorite gift from 2012.
2012 was a wonderful year for us and we are so excited to embark on a new year with our little family of five. So so many exciting things for our future and I feel incredibly blessed to share it with those that I love and with all of you!
Happy Happy New Year Friends! I don't know about you but I'm ready to clean the slate and start this new year off on the right foot! Don't get me wrong, 2012 was great, full of wonderful opportunities and new additions (such as our very favorite, this little bug shown here) but I just love me some time to reevaluate, make some changes and get pumped to start up again. Don't you? And to do so we always choose a theme as a family for the year. I like to do this so that if some of my specific goals fall through the cracks, say oh about a couple weeks after I make them, then I always have a simple theme to fall back on...one that is easy to remember the entire year through...and one that will hopefully guide us through until the end of December.
I'm also big on alliteration. I find this helps me remember my theme even when it's July and starting fresh and goal making is not so much at the forefront of my mind.
Some past favorite themes have been:
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Relax (remember this one?! still a fond favorite)
- Creation and Compassion (tried to focus on creating more and consuming less and then reaching beyond myself and showing compassion to those around me)
- Friends, Family & Fun! (this one might seem like a no brainer but for a workaholic, creative hermit like myself I needed the reminder that the most important things in life are bonds you form with those around me. I needed the push to put my relationships in life first. And to have FUN doing it! Turned out really great.).
- Last year was all about Thriving...thinking this year might be a bit along those lines as well. Can't wait to nail it down!
What about you? Any resolutions? And what do you do to try to keep up on them after the will power to make it out the door to the gym subsides?
Friends the Christmas countdown is on! But if we act fast we do still have time to purchase a number of items online. Which is why I'm sharing with you a great gift guide from one of my dear friends (who just happens to have incredible taste and two crazy adorable boys) Lorraine Galvin.
Here's what Lorraine has to say about her picks.
1. Tree Hopper Jalopies: These look so cute! I love the natural wood and handmade feel of them.
2. Magna Tiles: I have been waiting for Christmas to buy these
because they are a little pricey. Warren plays with them at preschool
and a dear friend suggested that I get a set every Christmas to build a
collection. I've already ordered and wrapped these! I can't wait to see
what they create with them.
3. Animal Hand Tattoos. Warren loves these things and we've been
giving them to his friends for their birthdays. I love the designs- and
they are only $5.99 at World Market.
4. Jellycat Noodle Fox: My kids each love their Jellycat and sleep
with them every night. One has a blue elephant and another a giraffe.
I've been eyeing this Jellycat Noodle Fox for a while, I think it's so
cute! (I know Jellycats may seem like old news, but they are tried and true
with my kids. They sell them at Anthro too!)
5. This clothing line just launched and I'll admit I couldn't wait until
Christmas for my kids to wear their new Munkstown gear. Belts, pants,
and sweatshirts are available as well. Love! (psst...psst....Lorraine's sister in-law is one of the founder's of this new line and it's incredible. we are huge fans too!!)
6. I LOVE South and Summer's graphic prints. My favorite is the airplane and my kids favorite is the robot.
Thanks Lorraine!! I'm so excited to know about Jellycat's. They may be old news to some but I had never hear of them. Such great picks!
What about you guys? Have you finished all of your Christmas shopping yet?
Hi Friends and happy Monday. I can't tell you how happy I am to start another week. Baby M is out of the hospital and just about over her RSV. Not a fun stint...but we are happy and mostly healthy now and glad to be out of the woods.
I wanted to share with you our Christmas cards from last year (top image is the front of the card, bottom image is the back). We did them so last minute that I didn't have time to share them last year. It's fun to remember these times and what a happy year that was. It's crazy to look at these two little rascals and think that there was ever a time when it was just the two of them. Baby M has already melded a place within all of our hearts and we can't wait to share this season with our sweet little girl. And I can't deny that I'm just a wee bit excited to delve into dolls, doll houses and the like. OK, I'm down right giddy about it.
So what about you? Are you super on top of getting your Christmas cards out early? I think we have a picture for our 2012 cards, now I just need to nail down the design (or order some from a company?). One of these years I'll make the card top priority and go all out...but for now, it's lucky we even get them out to family and friends by the 25th. Oh well, maybe next year...
Hi Friends. Happy Cyber Monday. Have you been doing any online shopping?
I typically have a BOGO shop sale today but Baby M and are sitting here in the hospital as she has acquired a bad case of RSV so things have been a little stressful and shop sales are on hold for a bit. In the mean time I thought it might be fun, and a bit theraputic, to share with you a a gift guide that I've been dreaming up for our little darling girl.
It's full of fun finds from some of my favorite artisans and shops. Like this polar bear rug/blanket by my incredibly talented friend, Roxi Marj. I'm kind of obsessed with it and think that baby M has to have it as a tummy time/play mat. And once I discovered I was having a girl I knew that she would have to have a le train fantome Lumi doll as I've wanted one since...oh...like forever. But as this one will need to be a bit more of a keepsake, I think she'll also need a little Ozzie rabbit softee for her to snuggle and nibble on while she's still a wee babe. And of course she'll need a dollhouse and think this modern one will do the trick quite nicely. And I've wanted these geo blocks for like, forever. And well, I'm pretty sure baby M needs them. And I'm not sure whether or not she needs this sleep time hat more or if I do but either way...we both need to catch some zzz's. Here's hoping we're out of the hospital in the next day or so and in the clear...because we've got some holiday preparing to do!
a. sleepy time hat b. Ozzie the rabbit c. modern doll house d. roxi marj bear blanket e. lumi doll f. geo blocks
And for more holiday shopping fun check out Meta's gift guide for her daughter here. And for the rest of this week I'll be teaming up with One More Mushroom and Simply Radiant to share some of our wish lists for our kiddos as well as some of our favorite tried and true toys and gifts we own and love. So stay tuned!
I couldn't resist dressing up baby M this Halloween alongside her brothers. We decided that she also needed to be a creature of the night like her brothers so I made this simple "bat" costume (she was originally supposed to be a cat but I love hos this capelet looks like bat wings, so I had to go with that). I created the hood from the Oliver & S pattern and like the boys bunny hoods, I modified the ears. She of course slept the entire time her brothers were out trick-or-treating, but I'm happy we put together a costume of sorts none the less.
And now I'm off to see how I can help my east coast friends suffering from the aftermath of Sandy. My friend Mara shares a few ways we can pitch in and help out on her blog here. I'm still processing it all (as I'm sure everyone there is much much more) as I used to live in Red Hook where a lot of flooding occurred. Hope everyone stays safe and gets what they need.
I heart NYC.
As soon as little O turned one I decided it was time to follow in my mother's footsteps and start sewing our very own handmade Halloween costumes. So for the past three years, we have been trying to do just that. There is something special about a homespun costume - and for those of you who don't sew, it can easily be created from boxes, paper, and more found objects. I just think there is something special about creating and wearing something original and hand crafted.
For us we like to have our costumes later become great staples for our imaginative play costume box. So more often than not I like to sew them, so that they last and can be easily stored. Last year the boys asked to go as a pumpkin and Perry the Platypus. And let me tell you what. That platypus has been worn quite a number of friends and family members alike. It's probably been the number one requested dress up item in our home. And the pumpkin? Well, I love that one so much that I'm keeping it nice for baby M to wear again one year.
In 2010, the boys went as knights. We had a lot of tun with these and even themed Little O's 2nd birthday party around them. By basing these off of a vintage art smock, they were not only simple but easy for the little guys to wear...over...and over again.
That year I also decided to share a simple DIY ghost cloak that you can make from a sheet. And trust me, if you don't have a costume idea made up and ready yet, you can totally make this one the day before (or even the day of!) Halloween.
2009 was the year I began all of this sewing madness. I actually wanted to start sewing as soon as A was born but I think it took having number two for me to really be inspired. I kind of get into themes. And really you only have so many years before you can get your kids to theme your costumes. Or at least that's how it's played out in my house.
So in 2009 the boys went out as a sailor man and an octopus. I started the costume with a fringed white beard...that lasted for about three seconds (A wasn't into how it felt on his face).
So as much as I loved the beard (it still comes out for Santa Claus impressions) we nixed it for a simple, younger, sailorman costume.
And what's a better side kick for a sailorman than a squigly red octupus? I can't deny that I was seriously in love with how my little baby O looked in this costume and was proud to have created it completely on my own (no pattern). And I seriously can't wait until baby M can fit this, because I'm very sure that I've not had enough of it yet.
And this year? Well stayed tuned to find out! I mean I now have three costumes to create! So you'll just have to keep a drift to see if everything turns out as planned.
What are some of your favorite costumes from years gone by? And why? Any of them handmade? I'm still in awe of my friend Sarah's darling gumball costume, found on Inchmark, made for her daughter. Seriously so innovative. You can see more of what is inspiring me costume wise via my Hallow's Eve Pinterest board. And can you believe that the haunted holiday is upon us!? EEK!!
Sweet Baby M turned three weeks today and we are all head-over-heels smitten with her. I was hoping to have her birth story up on the blog last week but with four-year-old birthday parties, sleepless nights and grade school coughs and sniffles, things have been a bit "congested" around here. I do however have plans to share it this week if all goes well. I also have a slew of costume round-ups from years pasts to share as well as more Halloween fun!
Hope you have all been enjoying one of the most magical yet fleeting times of year. We've managed to have a few romps through the fall leaves (bringing baby M along for the fun...what a trooper) and have plans for pumpkin patches and cider sipping nights. Can't wait.
happy monday!
(baby M pictured above in our DIY hand stamped swaddle blanket. It's been soo great!)
Have you had a chance to peruse the November issue of Family Fun that recently hit the news stands? If so you might have seen our Tea Box Circus Train in it! A couple of months ago Family Fun asked us to share our circus train idea with their readers and we were thrilled. Have you made one yet? It's really a load of fun. Could be a fun Christmas craft for around the bottom of the tree, yes? Which could carry a few little gifts for good girls and boys. So many fun ideas!!
Did you guys see the adorable tutorial Liz put up for the this cute mini peplum top? You will die and want to make a closet full, like I do! There are so many cute options for this top. Thanks Liz!!
A big thank you to all of you that were able to make it out the the final Mer Mag + Gap Kids craft event this past weekend! Looking at all the photos of your little shining stars just makes me so happy. I simply love what they have created.
And if you missed this last Gap Kids craft, animal character badges, you and your little one can still make one at home.
Materials:
To make these animal character badges, you'll need the following:
- 2" circle punch (or you can just cut out the animal images in a 2" circle by hand)
- 2" wooden circular discs
- Assorted colors of wool or acrylic felt
- Pinking shears and scissors
- Pin back
- Hot or cool melt glue gun with glue
- Mod Podge and brush or 8.5x11 printable sticker paper
- Fine tip pens or colored pencils for coloring in the animals
- PDF download of the animal characters
Start by printing out the animal characters on 8.5x11 white paper or white sticker/label paper. Then punch out your animals with a 2" circle punch (or you can adapt this to whatever size of punch and wooden disk you have).
Now, together with you little one, you can cut out ribbon shapes out of corresponding colors of felt.
To create the circular background for the badge, place a piece of felt behind your 2" wooden disc. Now take your pinking sheers and cut out a circle shape using the wooden disc as a guide.
Now that you have all the felt "ribbon" elements of your badge complete, you can glue them all a top one another with hot glue.
Now for the fun part. Break out the fine tip pens or colored pencils and have your little artist color in their animal.
You can now adhere the illustration onto the wooden disc with Mod Podge (or if you printed it on sticker paper, just peel and stick).
You can now glue on your pin back to the back of the badge.
Now your new animal character badge is finished and ready to wear! Pin it on your little star and let them shine!
And I just have to share a recap of the darling Gap Kids animal character badge events. I really wish I could have made it out to all of these events but seeing these great photos is almost just as good. 
I completely love the colorful set up they had with all the different felt ribbons shapes alongside the rainbow of colored pencils. Just looking at this make me with to dive in and I can imagine our little creative friends felt the same way.
And just look at these little cuties working on their badges!
Just look at that focus. So so cute!
Love these color combos! and sisters! so perfect.
And this little darling...well doesn't she just melt your heart?!
It's been so fun to work with Gap and A Squared Events on these projects. And such an honor to work with you and your little ones! I've loved every minute of it.
And if you missed the previous two Gap Kids Shine On crafts, you can catch up on them here:
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