Our House in the Middle of Our Street

Last post before leavin' on a jet plane! Stefan and I are going on a vacation back to British Columbia for the next week, so it will be quiet here. * In the meantime, check out one of my favorite hair items ever! I love feathers and have been adoring this site for awhile. When I saw this wonderful DIY from Promise Tangemen I ran with it! * I made a super long one for a friend, a medium size one for myself, and a shorter one (so just about anyone, minus the Pixie Cuts!) could participate if they wanted. I've always loved this look, and they are super fun & easy to make . An old t-shirt, twine, feathers, a clip of some sort, and super glue and you're done! Who wants it? The one I'm giving away measures about 12 inches total, and you put the piece underneath your head, clipped into the roots. It has three feathers, one brown & white speckled, a thin soft brown, and a beautiful white with rippled accents at the bottom. Leave a comment and your favorite vacation...

Today, the first day of summer, we celebrate Lukka's THIRD birthday! How is it possible that I have a three-year-old? I don't know either, but what I do know is that I need to check into finding Never Never Land, because this is about as old as I want him. * Last Tuesday, we had an early Jazz in June birthday celebration with family. We like to keep birthday's small, cheap, and special. The felt crown that I made him can now be seen all over blog land and etsy, but I just cut two matching strips out, put the "L" in the middle, and cinched it with cute sailboat material and elastic in the back. * If you haven't noticed...Lu has a new toy...a big bike! He took to this right away and has been riding it every.single.day. (Yes, we got him a helmet.) He's a natural, and him, dad, and Arjax even took a bikeride in the pouring rain yesterday! I think the legacy of bikers in our family will continue! Every birthday & Christmas, we give each child " S...

Happy Father's Day, Stefan. * You hold me for safety. You give me adventure and joy. You help me figure out new and exciting things. You carry me when I need it most. Throughout the year, you're our favorite dad. We love you! XO

photocredit Stefan has been kindly letting me for the past two months, catch up on all the movies I've wanted to see throughout the last year. The Blind Side won Sandra Bullock an Academy Award, along with the film winning a few other prestigious prizes. It was one I had wanted to see because I love true stories. Normally I would roll my eyes at anything starring Tim McGraw (I really dislike the country musician turned actor thing that seems to be happening a lot these days), but I do like Sandra Bullock, and I'd heard a lot of other people thought it was good. The story is about a boy who is homeless, but able to go to an expensive Southern prep school so that he can play for the football team. Sandra Bullock's character invites him into their home, first for the night, then to be a permanent part of their family, as they have come to love and respect him as their own child. This movie is so touching and although some cheesy dialogue aside, is a very well-balanced movie...

I must have seen this craft book, Creative Play for Your Toddler: Steiner Waldorf expertise and toy projects for 2-4s by Christopher Clouder and Janni Nicol on my recommends section on Amazon, though I can't remember exactly. I check out everything through InterLibraryLoan before I buy it, to see if I like it, and I loved this book. I did end up buying it because out of the 20+ projects, I will probably make 15 of them, and I get inspired visually. To have it on my shelf I can reference over and over, is what works for me. There are sewing, knitting, woodworking, and no-sew projects for any type of crafter. These projects are also gender neutral, a big plus! The book has a lot of information about Waldorf, of which I haven't read yet, but look forward to. photocredit I love that all of the projects are very simple, but encourage big imagination, something Waldorf theory holds very highly. (See my Waldorf post here .) I had wanted to make Lukka a fishing game for awhile sinc...

I love to go garage sale-ing and bargain hunting. My favorite, though, are estate sales. I always try to talk to the family a bit, since obviously someone just passed and is a friend or relative of those running the sale. The stuff I love to find is usually quirky, mid-century objects in need of a new home. The other day as I was driving back home with the kids, I noticed an Estate Sale sign and did a turn around to go find it. I told the kids we were going on a treasure hunt and Lu soaked that right up. I.scored.big. These pictures are just a small fraction of what I got, but almost everything was 25cents, 50cents, or $1....and I spent $39! The top picture shows an old sewing stool I'm going to make over, some embroidery hoops, a tiny fraction of the linens/fabric I got (!!! my favorite!!!), a mint condition embroidery pattern book from 1963 (hilarious), a suitcase, and two unused Avon collectibles--a Japanese fish oil holder & some button soaps. :) The next picture shows ...

Surprisingly I've been knitting quite a bit this summer. Even though it's so hot out and a fast-paced motion mixed with wool isn't always appealing, I've also been watching lots of movies. Thus, I need something to do during them! I've been wanting to knit something out of my favorite baby knitting book, " Vintage Baby Knits " by Kristen Rengren for a long time, I just couldn't settle on a project. When I ordered my sweet harmony needles for my birthday, I snagged a few cheap skeins of Wool of the Andes in Iris Heather off KnitPicks. I knew this color & amount would be perfect for a wool soaker for the lady! Although I loved making this, I'm sorry to say it doesn't fit her quite right. (Yes, I know the diaper is way up high on her back, not normal, for whatever reason I was in a hurry and didn't want to adjust it.) The sizing around the middle was perfect, but I should have knit one more inch or two for the 'bottom' ribb...