cozyblue

brain dump

we're in total summer mode here.  

lots of afternoons at the pool.  lots of this happening too:

lots of lazy days, relaxing at home, visiting playgrounds:

and parks,

dinner picnics:

working in the garden and admiring flowers:

and so much more.  

last week stig and i got to have a date night.  we celebrated our eight year anniversary with dinner and the movie 'UP' - it was great!

also last week, i took adella to the ballet!  we saw the recession blues, with the firecracker jazz band.  it was so much fun!  adella loved the dancers and really enjoyed  the whole experience of being there -- the fancy theater, the clapping after each act -- all of it was very exciting.  i need to remember to do it again soon (maybe the nutcracker at christmastime).

we are trying desperately to find a cheap, used (but still safe and with a lot of life left in it) minivan.  after stig's car accident a few weeks ago, the truck is still not driveable.  and we need more family space!  the four of us are getting pretty cramped in our camry.  so the search is on for an affordable minivan.  no luck yet, but we're working on it.

my sis is coming to visit!  she gets here in less than a week, and will be here for a whole week of fun, sun, and screaming kids.  yay!

adella's summer day camp at the arboretum starts the following week.  i think i blogged about it before -- it's the wet-n-wild camp.  i'm sure she'll have a blast splashing in the creeks and ponds, learning about bugs and fish and plants, playing games, crafting crafts, making friends, and being away all by herself all day long!  my girl is growing up right before my eyes.

and the week after that, we head to the beach!  i booked our campsite at james island park (check out the link - it looks awesome!)  650+ acres of trails, lakes, a water park, pool, playground, bikes and boats to rent, and so much more.  and, only 10 minutes from folly beach!  woo-hoo!  we can't wait.  we found a good deal on this jumbo giant tent, so we're very excited.

and i'm already looking ahead to september, when we're planning another fun family getaway...

not much happening with the shop lately.  it's open still, but kindof on the backburner for now, but one of these days i'm planning to have a big sale to get rid of some oldies, and hopefully find some time to make some new stuff.

meanwhile, there has been some more crafting for the family.  i've got some finished projects i need to photo, and a big stack of fabric waiting for me to get around to it.

...  i think that's it for now.

whew!  my brain feels a little lighter now.  hope you don't mind the brain dump.  that's a lot of random stuff, i know.  it's hard trying to play catch up on all the stuff we're up to!  i think we've got a pretty good combo of downtime/busytime, and most of it is fun.  

happy last day of june!  (already?!?)

drawing room

i finally got around to sorting through adella's crazy overflowing art box today.  call  me crazy but i cannot bear to part with any of her artwork!  what am i going to do?  eventually i suppose we'll have to build an addition or rent a storage unit to house all of her amazing drawings.  i kid, of course.  but seriously - we do have a huge box downstairs full of her papers, and the small box in the kitchen (the one i sorted through today) fills up quickly.  there's a wire clip going down the hallway, and i try to keep the drawings there rotated with my current faves.  the best plan i have right now is to take photos of everything, in case one day i decide to part with some of the originals.  i am uploading them all to a flickr set, and forgive me if there are some repeats -- i sometimes lose track of what's where.

check out the newest batch here!

new skirts + alabama stitch love

i may be about a year behind, but i finally jumped aboard the alabama stitch book craze.  i've had the book since it first came out, and knew right away that this reverse-applique skirt was one of the projects i wanted to make.  i finally got around to making it last week.

i love the way it turned out.  the raw edges, the crooked stitched-by-hand embroidered lines, the soft stretch of the fabric.  the fit is great.  i used 4 t-shirts for the fabric, plain old spray paint for the stencils, and embroidery floss for the outlines.  i haven't washed it yet, but i  am pretty sure the edges will roll a little more, giving more of an (intentional) unfinished look.

i also used the same pattern to make a second skirt.   i used some knit yardage from the fabric shop for this one, a plain and simple comfy skirt:

(photos courtesy of adella)

looking glass falls

the kids and i had an errand to run in brevard this morning (picking up a new GIANT tent for our summer beach vacation!).  while we were there, we took a little side trip to see some impressive waterfall action.  

looking glass falls is right inside pisgah national forest, and is nice and easy - just drive right up, park your car and walk down the sidewalk.  the kids were so antsy from sitting in the car - i was too, actually - so this was a perfect pit stop before we headed home.  

pretty!

summertime stuff

this morning :: a trip to the farmers market ::

this afternoon :: splashing in the pool ::

and here's to many more good summertime days!

new threads

remember the mushroom dress that i made adella last month?  well, here's another twist to that pattern...

using just the front and back pieces - no sleeves - and threading a ribbon through a casing for straps.  so easy.  and so cute!  can you guess what i used for the fabric?

yep - a vintage pillowcase!  adella loves it.  she says, "it's so soft and so fancy!"

for anyone interested, i used NewLook 6882 - a basic raglan dress - for both dresses.  and i know i'll be making more of these.  super-easy to adpt the pattern for long sleeves, add pockets, maybe a corduroy or denim for fall...

and for myself - a Simplicity 3835, Built By Wendy top, made from some soft green seersucker fabric.  it was also a super easy project, and the fit is pretty good.  the seersucker is light and airy so it's nice and comfy on these breezy spring days.  

adella helped me out with the photos, so the angle is a little off (accentuating the ol' hip area, you see).

the past several months i've cut way back on my shop craft-time.  i do what i can, but not too much.  i just do what i can do, really, without it becoming stressful.  i have been able to focus more on crafting for myself and the kids, the house, etc, and it's been really nice.  a good balance.    i've got a few more projects in the works now, and hopefully i'll be ready to show them to you soon!

last day

today was the last day of adella's waldorf co-op class.  we marked the occasion with a big potluck pizza party for all the families.  it was such fun.  

it has been a good year for adella, being involved in the class, and we are a little sad to see it end.  but we are really looking forward to summer vacation -- no schedules, more outside fun family time, hanging at the pool and playgrounds, and getting back to our old lazy days and playing around at home.

adella made these sweet little calling cards to give to her friends, so they can call us for playdates over the summer.

and i made this coffeecup cozy for adella's teacher, and packed it up with a white mocha and a gift card.  and incidentally, the coffeecup cozy was a super-simple and fun project.  more of these coming soon, for sure.  i made it from two cotton prints, and some wool felt sandwiched inside for insulation.  and a big shiny snap.

 

i think the timing was perfect for the end of the school year.  

so long, school.  hello, summer!

dehlia low on youtube!

hey folks - check this out.  stig's band, dehlia low, at their cd release party a couple months ago...

the sound isn't great (must have been a guy with a digital camera in the audience) but it still rocks!

rain hike!

did everyone have a nice memorial day?  is it really the end of the week already?  our memorial day was fun.  stig had the day off work (for those of you who may not know, stig got a new job and it is fantastic!  yay!) so we packed up the kids and the car and headed south on the parkway to one of our favorite hiking spots.  milemarker 419 - skinnydip falls.  

the weather was wet and foggy, but we decided to brave it anyway.  adella was all decked out in her stripes (yes she does dress herself...  how did you know?), backpack, and favorite headband, "to keep the rain off of my face."

not too many great pics because of the dark/wet and the no-flash rule i have for myself.  but the hike was really fun.  we got a short shower on the way in, and then made it to our spot by the river.

 we were there long enough to eat our picnic, throw many rocks into the water, and do a little exploring.  then it started to rain again, and this time it was NOT stopping.  after waiting to see if it would pass, we decided to high-tail it to the car.  about 5 minutes later we were completely drenched so it didn't matter quite as much.  (at this point, i wrapped my camera in a plastic bag and left it tucked away until we were dry.  no more pictures.  i wish i had snapped one of the beautiful blue robin eggshell i found...)  luckily, adella LOVES getting wet and muddy, so she didn't complain a bit.

and of course, when we emerged at the trailhead, the sun was just breaking through and the rain had stopped.  lovely.

it really was a good hike.  and quite an adventure!

you can see the rest of my pictures from our hike (and many more!) here on flickr.

aw shucks

apologies for the extremely cheesy post title.  but how could i resist that one?  i am such a sucker for puns.

these photos are from last week.  griffin got his first lesson in corn shucking from our official family corn shucker, adella.  

some B&W action

my sweet guy...  and some sweet photoshop actions that i've been fiddling around with.  somewhere along the way i lost a few really good shots, but managed to save these.  actions are fun, and these are cute!

just a few pics from our friday afternoon...

(i see someone peeking out the window...!)

cool crafts for a worthy cause

hey folks!  one of my best buds, and sister-in-craftiness,  crankypants amy, is hosting a fundraiser to raise money for a new playground at her son's elementary school.  there are online auctions and raffle tickets to buy, and some truly amazing handiwork to see.  i donated one of my crowns and an apron - and there are tons of other lovely items to see.  

the old playground had to be torn down due to toxic materials, and the school hasn;t had enough funds to build another one.  the kids have a pretty much empty field to play on now.  the new proposed structure costs $20,000, and so far with this fundraiser alone, amy has raised over $1,000!!  go amy!  so let's help her help the kids of vance elementary.  the fundraiser ends tomorrow - so this is your chance to go see, support a great cause, and maybe win some super-cute handmade stuff.

click here to go check it out  -  it's for the children!

february lady, in may

i can't believe it has taken me this long to post about this sweater, the february lady.  i planned to make it during february but life got in the way, so i cast on a few days before march began, and finished up right around april 1st.  but nevermind the details, this is about the sweater!

i love, love, love this sweater!!  knitting geeks will recognize it as the grown-up version of elizabeth zimmerman's february baby sweater.  chances are, you've seen it all over ravelry and any other knitting related blog.  it's a classic already.  and for good reason - this sweater rocks!  it's a fun knit, not too complicated but not boring - it shows off the yarn nicely, and it's gorgeous!

i used cascade 220 in a heathered green, and some nice chunky buttons to finish it off.  truth be told, i wish i had taken some better pictures of it, but here we are in may already and i just want to post it before i forget again.  so here it is!  

goodness, i love this sweater.

happy mother's day!!

i love you, mom!

happy mother's day - to all the moms i know - have a wonderful day!!