Happy Friday!

enjoy!

1. Rosy Denim Tie Dress, 2. lazy&busy, 3. Mirror Me, 4. Spring cleaning., 5. weekend sneak peek, 6. Untitled, 7. 21 april. 2 pm., 8. Flowers & Frills, 9. Two ways bag, 10. clothesline quilt from vintage linens, 11. 0422, 12. rhubarb blintzes, 13. Untitled, 14. Untitled, 15. Untitled, 16. fox pillow

these are two amazing mini quilts which you can find here.

i'm loving the blog elsie marley! this super creative

and talented mom of three keeps the projects coming!

Case of the Mondays

i woke up late today. i forgot to set my alarm. didn't make it to the gym. was rushed getting my quizzes (that i should have had copied already) done. got caught in a torrential downpour. in turn, had a bad hair day. had wet feet all day because i chose the wrong shoes. (womp womp...my life is SO hard...) needless to say, i definitely had a "case of the mondays".

wait, you had one of those days too?! you wanted to run home and get under the covers and go to sleep and not wake up til summer vacation!? good, well at least i'm not alone.

anyhoo, a little sunshine came in to pick me up on this rainy monday! and that little sunshine comes by the name Eugenia Kim for Target! i have long admired ms. kim's hats but have never brought myself to buying one. justifying it because even though i think i'm going to wear a hat that i buy all the time! it just never turns out that way and it would feel like a waste to spend a lot of money on something you hardly use.... man, i have way too much time on my hands. i can't believe i am spouting off to you all about hats. as if i were coming to you with all the hidden secrets of life!

anyway, i bought two!.... one, because i lllluuuurrrvvvv them! and two, because i just know how much my sister-in-law likes to make fun of me when i wear funky hats! just kidding...sort of. and two, because i was having a bad hair day. anyway, they're freaking adorable and i want them all! ok, not all, but some... gimme gimme. greedy consumer that i am!

hello, lover.



mike told me that he could not take me seriously while wearing this... more reason to wear it!



oh, and could someone please tell Target to stop hiring the best designers ever....!? i mean, the Liberty of London wares just about did me in. now Eugenia Kim? Zac Posen? and the Dwell Studio for Kids is to die for...

Sheesh.

Reusable Baggie Tutorial

tired of wasting money on plastic bags that you just end up throwing away? looking for a way to carry your kid's "binky" with out getting it all crudy in the bottom of your bag? want to do something good for the environment?

if you said yes to any of these things then you'll love this tutorial for a reusable snack baggie! depending on the size you make and the fabrics you use, this little bag can be extremely versatile. it's washable and environmentally friendly. so, dust off your sewing machine and break out your fabric stash! oh, and if you don't sew, or think this is too time consuming, let me know and i'll make you some at a reasonable price!

full tutorial after the jump!

Plywood floors?

sooo, back to flooring. let's just put it this way, the carpet in our living space was $1.38/sq ft. and we'll leave it at that. oh and have i mentioned i like wood floors? i told my dad i'd put some pictures on here of what i was thinking about doing to our house. so here you go dad (and anyone else that needs one more project to do...)

i found this room make-over on hindsvik.com. not only does this duo from canada have some fresh diy skills, they have a great online vintage shop. so be sure to check them out!

these particular floors are made with 3/8" douglass fir plywood with one good(finished) side. the plywood comes in 8'x4' sheets. they then cut the plywood into 12" wide planks and cut some to 4' long so that they could be staggered.

i love how simple and modern it looks. it has the look of expensive wood floors but the sheets of plywood are way cheaper than going for the real thing. this may have to be my summer project. and i think i like that idea. a lot. what do you think? should i do it?

Grow, get some food.

i'm no farmer, but my great-grandpa joe had a green thumb like no other so i feel obligated/justified in trying my hand at growing my family some food. i was fairly young to remember visiting his house, but i do remember hearing stories and could just imagine how his garden/vineyard would have been. my humble 6'x6' square might not be producing a meal, but i sure hope it enhances some of them...

i have high hopes for this little square filled with brussel sprouts, kale, eggplant, bell peppers, strawberries, etc. i hope that we can reap what i have sown and enjoy it with friends in the coming months. in the land of fast food, it's nice to watch your food develop over a natural timeline and enjoy it slowly with purpose and meaning.

and for added enjoyment i've included some little friends growing in pots on our front porch

and the prettiest flower of all..... in her new shirt of course!

Love your Mother.... Earth

happy earth day everyone!! i hope today is a special day where you take time out to appreciate all things that this beautiful earth has to offer!

every earth day the environmental club, which i co-sponsor, at the school i work at has a bake sale and all proceeds go to The Nature Conservancy. "The Nature Conservancy protects Earth's most important natural places — for you and future generations — through great science and smart partnerships." it's a great organization to donate to and we've been really happy to do a small part just by selling some baked goods!

anyway, i'm sure you'll get plenty of tips all day, so instead of bombarding you with any more of those i'm going to show you how to make TREE CUPCAKES!!

you'll need:

cake batter (store bought or homemade)
icing(preferably vanilla (because it can be dyed)
ice cream cones (18-24; preferably brown)
green food coloring

1. start with a box of cupcake mix or if you're feeling adventurous, make your own batter!

2. fill cupcake cones (found in the ice cream section, duh). the trick here is to make sure you don't overfill or under fill the cones. i use a 1/4 measuring cup and that seems to do the trick. or a large ice cream scooper, which makes clean up easier!

3. while the cupcakes bake i dye vanilla icing with green food coloring. this one happens to be called "leaf green"!

4. after blending the dye, i put the icing into a cake decorating thing-a-ma-jig. you can use a knife or spatula to spread the icing on, but the decorating tool adds cool texture! make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before putting the icing on. also, i put the icing in the fridge while i'm waiting. this makes it easier to use when you're ready.

5. i then place the freshly decorated cones in the refrigerator to ensure the icing stays put!

and voila!! there you have it, TREE CUPCAKES!

Modernist Dollhouse

it seems almost unfair that this house is cooler than mine! check out these photos and this article on the NYtimes.

Oh, happy day.

1. cloud cake, 2. pikku teepee, 3. a shell, 4. the choice

Sewing for summer!

zoe has enough clothes to fill the needs of a small village. but i still want to make things for her! these little tops come in so handy for the summer. they are easy to pull on and off and breezy for hot sticky days. i'd really like to partake in the kid's clothes week challenge over at elsie marley. whose rules are as follows...

On the second week of May (May 10-17) I challenge you to spend an hour each day working on clothes for your kid’s–or kids’–summer wardrobe. This challenge is great for those new to sewing and seasoned seamstresses alike–we all have trouble getting off the couch (or off the computer). Summer clothes are super easy and don’t take much time or fabric, so you might have a whole wardrobe by the time the week is up! edit to add: Sorry I didn’t mean to leave you southern hemisphere folks out–fall clothes are cute and easy too! You have three weeks to daydream about what to make and then after a lovely Mother’s Day where your children are beautiful and well behaved and give you very cute presents, you can sew some shorts or skirts or dresses or tank tops with some of that ridiculously cute fabric you have been saving.

anyway, i felt an itch and just had to make a little top for zoe this evening. i didn't use a pattern and the length ended up being a bit short, so i added a strip of pink fabric to the bottom which i think turned out just fine.

toddler peasant top

now, if only it weren't so late... i'd have her model it for you. maybe later. i really need to start taking pictures in the daylight.

Wood Floors

i squealed a little on the inside when i saw this post on decor8! i love love love the wood floors throughout these homes featured on bolig, which is an online magazine featuring my favorite....wait for it.... scandinavian interiors.

i mean look at the black shiny smeg! the original use of materials! the colors! the wood floors!

perfect little woodstove

love

i love the bedding here and the light wood floors

ok, i can dream...

Whoa baby!

ok, so i realize i just posted a bunch of pictures from flickr, but i just can't help myself and must post more!! i guess it's spring and it's time for a change. colors are brighter, the air is fresh, toddlers are climbing out of their cribs... oh, yes. miss zoe is a gymnast. the first day i found out she could climb out of her crib, i immediately took her back upstairs and made her show me how she did it. very gracefully she pulled herself up on the corner of her crib and gently slid down the side... and here is where these pictures come in....

1. Untitled, 2. Untitled, 3. Untitled, 4. play tent, 5. Art wall + new rug, 6. Untitled, 7. Sailing the high seas, 8. Untitled, 9. Untitled

so i've been in the mood to paint the house, as i mentioned before the outside, but also the inside. and since zoe has taken it upon herself to grow up over night, i started thinking of transitioning her room into more of a "big girl" room. meaning a bed. and maybe some new decor. preferably made by me. stupid-full-time-job-getting-in-the-way-of-my-hobbies!

anyhoo. here are some very inspiring spaces for big girls and boys, with a pleasing palate and some interesting elements... now let's see what i can do with this inspiration!

Inspiration: Home Ec.

i've been in a quilting/sewing mood lately and i must say that my skills are improving. everything i know about sewing is from a 6th grade home ec. class. so, i've taught myself the rest through trial and error (or youtube) along the way. it's a nice hobby and i hope to have some beautiful things to hand down to zoe one day. the first three pictures below are my favorites! i am loving modern quilts, with fun fabrics and sometimes not-so-traditional methods.

on another note, i'm dying to paint the exterior of the house, though i know that is a task that will involve a lot of planning and possibly professional help since a lot of siding needs to be replaced all together. i've always had a thing for houses stained/painted black. i know, i know, that sounds dark and depressing, but NO, check out some of these pics and you'll see it can actually be quite beautiful and really makes the house blend into the landscape. which i think is nice. plus the style of our house is weird and i think we could pull it off. maybe.

my favorite house ever on the right...

1. jungle zig zag stroller quilt, 2. hipster baby quilt., 3. pink zig zag quilt., 4. YIP 365.215 :: Tutorial Sneak Peak, 5. eames side chair, 6. new old bookcase - with books, 7. little gallery in our bedroom, 8. renovating the bedroom (office corner), 9. Studio corner, 10. Chosen . . ., 11. Untitled, 12. hotel les charmes, 13. cover6-6, 14. Bunny Love Reversible Jumper, 15. 1st Phase Porch, 16. for the boys, 17. Israel's nursery, 18. mobile-3, 19. Upcycled game table or..., 20. Home & Garden, 21. Black houses in Marken, 22. black house, silver caravan, 23. beautiful black house..., 24. living room, 25. the doors

1. black house with red, 2. black house, wood doors

To DYE for!

zoe and i got crafty today! normally i just buy the Paas egg kits, but i didn't feel like driving around town the day before easter. i had some fancy dyes that i bought awhile back and decided to try them out. i'm not sure if i did something wrong or what, but they turned out....mmm, ok? i guess. whatever, all zoe wants is to eat the hardboiled eggs anyway, so she doesn't really care what they look like, although she did say that they were "pretty" and "cool". so i guess that's a good thing.

inspired by martha's beautiful eggs, i decided to give it a go...

all set and ready to go

i used electrical tape, i think you are supposed to use waterproof vinyl tape, but i didn't have any. it sort of worked...



in their baths



swirl

one thing i can bet martha did not have at her side is a 22 month old (with a mullet at that)...



which made for an interesting, and very cute, egg-dying experience

she was happy to help!

and very pleased with the results!

they may not be magazine worthy, but they'll be fun to hide for zoe tomorrow!

Happy Easter!