Monthly Archives: January 2013

Kid Gifts: Target Art Supplies

31 Thursday Jan 2013

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GiftsArt supplies are one of my favorite gifts for kids.  I try to keep a supply on hand for birthday gifts and moments of desperation.  These Kid Made Modern art supplies by Todd Oldham for Target occupy a large section in our emergency party box.  The quality is great and I love the Kid Made Modern packaging and smart, thoughtful art kits.  This Construction Zone block of paper has lots of great colors and patterns and different weights of paper.  The Mini Colored Pencils are perfect for little hands and the colors are beautiful.  I recently added these paper tapes from the Target office section to our arsenal.  The tapes come in packs of four and are $4 per pack.  My kids can spend hours tearing and sticking paper tape (exhibit A here).  It is good to be prepared.

Flea Market Finds: Vintage Down Pillow

29 Tuesday Jan 2013

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PillowThis pillow is one of my favorite vintage finds in the kids’ room.  It is stuffed with feathers, covered in pretty vintage stripes, and the perfect size for a little head.  I throw the whole pillow in the washer and dryer as needed.  This vintage find is much nicer than most child-sized pillows I’ve seen, and it was only $10!  Etsy has some pretty examples here.  Sleep tight.

Welcome Home Daddy!

28 Monday Jan 2013

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DaddyWe missed you!

I have a new-found appreciation for single parents.  It is hard hard work with little break and it is totally exhausting.  We are so happy to have Daddy home again.  Ada worked on presents and built block towers for Daddy all week.  She had me write out the words ‘Welcome Home Daddy’ and copied the letters to made this big banner.  Josie helped work the glue stick for attaching the decorations.  We punched holes in the corners and threaded the papers on ribbons for hanging.  Ada gave a little squeal in her sleep when Chris told her he was home last night.  Happy girls, happy family.

Inspiration

25 Friday Jan 2013

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Instagram25Instagrams from the week:

*Gifts for Daddy

*Sleepy Jo

*Towers for Daddy (We miss Daddy!)

*Sleepy Jo

*Circus Tent from Recycled Umbrella

*Sleepy Jo

Have a great weekend!

DIY Knitted Hot Water Bottle Sweater

25 Friday Jan 2013

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WaterBottle1WaterBottle2We caught a family cold this week and this sweater-covered hot water bottle has been in heavy rotation.  Luckily the girls were angels when it was Mommy’s turn to be sick.  Yesterday Ada took Josie downstairs, made butter sandwiches for them both (yes butter, not peanut butter), swept up the crumbs and put them in the compost bin.  Sometimes four-year-olds can amaze you when you really need them to.

The hot water bottle’s knitted cover (or sweater as Josie calls it) keeps it toasty for most of the night but also buffers little tummies from too-hot rubber.  I modified this pattern from Garment House (formerly Green Olives Design).  (Elly’s pocket water bottle cover is even cuter).  The pattern is simple, quick and takes less than a ball of worsted weight yarn.  We used a simple loose stitch to close up the bottom and stitches can be undone for a good hand-washing.  A hot water bottle and a box of clementins are high on our list of cures for the common cold.

The Magic Garden

23 Wednesday Jan 2013

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MagicGarden1MagicGarden2MagicGarden3Do you remember these?  We used to get smaller versions when we were kids, but I’d never seen one quite so elaborate until I found this at Pearl River.  This Mystical Garden by Toysmith has cardboard trees, grass and a mountain to assemble before the mystery liquid is poured into the base.  (This assembly is best done by an adult).  Our crystals formed within the hour and were done growing within 10 hours.  The mountain really looked like it was growing snow and the trees bloomed cherry blossoms.  Kids should not touch the crystals or liquid, but these are pretty amazing to watch grow on a shelf.  The small price tag makes this Mystical Garden a fun party favor or add-on gift for kids.  Magic.

Flea Market Finds: Tall Plant Stand

22 Tuesday Jan 2013

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 Stand2Stand1I hope you all had a good Martin Luther King Day!  We were a bit under the weather here, but did manage to make it out to one of our favorite building salvage places: Build It Green.  We found this super-tall, 50 inch plant stand for $20.  Build It Green is an amazing, dusty place full of architectural salvage from New York City buildings.  Their mission is to keep building waste out of landfills, and promote recycling of salvaged materials.  The BIG warehouses hold an amazing array of tile, sinks, mantels, shelving, bathtubs…and we found five matching (!) radiators for the house.  The heavy cast iron radiators have been stacked in our downstairs room next to the clawfoot tub while they await their sandblasting and powder-coating.  That room is starting to look like our own salvage shop, but some day the pieces we find will all be put in their proper spots.  The plant stand is now holding up the geranium I took pity on and brought inside this frigid weekend.  We have been wanting more plants around here and this tall stand is the first of more to come.

Inspiration

18 Friday Jan 2013

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Instagram24Instagrams from the week:

*Sisters, Coloring

*New Clay

*Magic Garden

*Angel

*Dress-up

*Ada’s Shoes

Keeping House: Flowers

17 Thursday Jan 2013

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Flowers1Flowers2Fresh flowers make everything better, in my opinion.  These Casa Blanca lilies are one of my favorites.  Casa Blancas are fragrant and will last for more than a week.  We get ours for $5 a stem around here.  I like to buy lilies when their buds are closed and watch them open a little more each day.  Each Casa Blanca stem is so full of flowers that we often cut off singles to put in small vases for the bathrooms.  Our Bluebird of Happiness pitcher was an $8 flea market find.  To make your lilies last longer:

*Cut flower stems and place in water as soon as you get home.

*Be sure to add flower food to the water.  (Ask the florist for a couple of packets).

*Remove pollen anthers as soon as each bloom opens.  (If you miss picking one before it gets messy and fuzzy, use a pipe cleaner to dust pollen off of petals).

*Change water every four days.  Recut stems, add more flower food and be sure stems are submerged.

*Remove old blooms as they fade.

Enjoy!

Party! DIY Mini Felt Hats

16 Wednesday Jan 2013

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PartyAnimials1Hat3Hat2HatWe have been planning to make the animals some felt party hats for a while.  Now that the holidays are over and the weather is gloomy the animals are ready for a party.  We loved these paper party hats from Oh Happy Day!  We wanted to make our hats a little more durable for play so our version uses felt, glue and elastic thread.  Ada made the flag banner in the background with color chips and a hole punch.  To make your own Mini Felt Party Hats you will need:

*Card Stock or Paper for Pattern

*Assorted Felt

*Mini Pom Poms

*Scissors

*Needle and Thread

*Glue

*Elastic Thread (We used 9mm)

1. Using the pattern above, cut out felt shapes to fit your animals.

2. Stitch two straight edges of felt together.

3. Stitch pom pom on top and tie thread.  (I pushed the needle up through the top of the hat and then through the pom pom).

4. Using the needle, bring elastic thread through two sides of hat and tie knots inside.  Adjust per animal as needed.

5. Squirt glue inside hat, spreading evenly along the inside.  Allow hat to dry on its side, being careful not to squish the hat out of shape.  The glue will cause the felt to stiffen as it dries, making it more durable.

6. When hats are dry, dress the animals and bake a cake!