Kirsten's Creations

Friday Favorites

2012-02-10T20:57:00.002-06:00

Favorite Instagram from this week:

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Kirsten on Pinterest

Favorite pin from this week: Had to go with the watermelon death star in honor of the Star Wars re-release today. Looking forward to seeing them all with Lachlan in the theater!

Favorite recipe I tried this week: Salmon and Brussels Sprouts with Ginger-Scallion Sauce
Sounds fancy, but it was very easy to prepare! A great weeknight dinner, and my family even ate and enjoyed it (score!). The Dinner, A Love Story blog is one of my new favorites.

Favorite way to relax this week: I have been so sick this week with some yucky virus, and the kids have been sick, too. We haven't left the house much and I've been taking downtime when I can get it. I started watching Downton Abbey and I love it! Definitely lives up to the hype. I also have a couple embroidery projects in the works. It makes me feel like I'm "getting something done" when I don't have the energy to tackle anything else on the to-do list. Hoping for a full recovery this weekend so we can get back to life as usual!

Project Life - week 5

2012-02-06T10:25:00.002-06:00

Hello, week 5! This week I did less journaling, and just let the photos speak for themselves. Love that speech bubble card from the PL Cobalt digital kit. Also love how the Everyday papers by Robyn work so well with the Cobalt kit.

Here's something great about working with the digital page templates - I liked the layout of template B, but I had 3 horizontal and 3 vertical photos I wanted to include from this week. So I just rotated the template 90 degrees in PSE and used it for my 2nd page of the spread! Easy!

I covered the faces of Lachlan's classmates in the bottom corner to protect their privacy. They won't have a giant orange rectangle over their faces in the final album. Had to include that photo from their "beach day" at Preucil on Friday. Fun stuff.

Better get back to my sick kiddos. Kenley is getting over another ear infection, and Lachlan is hopefully at the end of a long (or back to back?) cold. Sometimes it feels like we'll never all be healthy at the same time!

Supplies:
Cobalt Edition Full Collection
Project Life - The Templates
Banner Labels No. 1 by Katie Pertiet
Everyday Papers by Robyn Meierotto
Tiny Templates #1
This One Brushes and Stamps
Labeled Journalers #4
Love You, free download from Ali E.

Friday Favorites

2012-02-03T11:33:00.004-06:00

Favorite Instagram photo from this week:

Favorite treat on the run:
The Bean Shack. Sometimes a mocha with whipped cream is just what the dr. ordered. Love how convenient this drive-through spot is, they're very friendly and make a great cup!

Favorite meal this week:
At Baroncini's. Fancy schmancy and delicious. Highly recommended.

Favorite Inspiration:
Ali Edwards weekly newsletter, "52 Creative Lifts". I know, I mention her all the time on my blog. She's a scrapbooking superstar! But her newsletter is inspiring for all kinds of creative types. I enjoyed all the links she provided this week. If you have some time to get lost in the internet this weekend, check it out.

Source: factorydirectcraft.com via Kirsten on Pinterest

Favorite Pin:
I've been collecting glass jars for awhile now, and I think I may have found the project I want to use them for...

February Photo Challenges

2012-02-01T21:30:00.002-06:00

If you're on Instagram, perhaps you've seen these daily photo challenges? I decided to join in on the one above. But then I came across the one below, and couldn't resist participating in that challenge, as well. Should be fun motivation to take photos in February. You should join me in one or both!

Resolutions 2012: January check-in

2012-02-01T14:35:00.005-06:00

Kenley, sorting the clothes she pulled from her dresser

I decided to do a monthly post on the blog to keep a record of my progress on my new year's resolutions. I only want to do this to keep myself accountable, and hopefully to see growth and progress in all these areas at the end of the year.

Monthly:

read (at least) one book per month: I read 3 books this month - the Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy. I blazed through them in the first couple weeks of the year. They're along the same lines of Hunger Games (not as compelling, but I did enjoy them). Zombies and a love triangle, what more could you want?

I also joined Good Reads to keep track of my reading this year. Kirsten W. is my user name, if you want to find me there.

complete (at least) one Pinterest project: see my last post about the Cake Stand/Soap Stand

Weekly:

Make a meal plan: Didn't do very well on this one, but I am making some progress in getting organized. I'm using an app I have on my Mac called Yummy Soup. Instead of just using random recipes that catch my eye from around the web (like I usually do), I'm importing the recipes I use into the app. It is time consuming on the front end, but I'm hoping that eventually it will make it easier for me to remember and find our favorite recipes. It also has a function that allows me to choose meals for each day of the week and make a shopping list.

Create a weekly digital Project Life spread: Done! 4 weeks this month. Love, love, love it.

Daily:

Make an entry in my daily journal: Not great at remembering to do this every day, but I've been catching up every time I get a few days behind, so I call that a success. Sometimes I write a little synopsis of our day, other days I write about just one moment I want to remember from that day.

Exercise and drink more water: Boo. I did awful in this area. Didn't even make it to all of my Friday morning yoga classes, due to sickness. Time to re-commit and make it a priority. And actually visit the move "Move More, Eat Well" classroom and start the assignments.

Thanks for reading! How was your January?

January Pinterest project: Cake Stand/Soap Stand

2012-01-31T16:41:00.003-06:00

Inspiration, pinned from Rachel Hall (originally from Natalme)

Here's my first project as part of a resolution to make (at least) one project per month inspired by Pinterest. I can hardly call this a project, since it consisted of me: 1) cleaning up my kitchen counter and sink, 2) grabbing this glass cake stand from upstairs in my art loft, then 3) arranging our soaps and lotion on the cake stand. It is certainly not as cute as the inspiration photo, but I like the fancy/whimsy it adds to the kitchen.

Project Life - week 4

2012-01-30T12:02:00.003-06:00

Loved playing with my digital supplies on this week's Project Life! I've settled in to a weekly pattern. I download my photos and select photos for the project on Saturday night. Then I work in Photoshop Elements to make the pages off and on through Sunday. Then it seems I need a few minutes to finish them up and post them here on Monday mornings while Lachlan is at preschool.

Supplies:
Cobalt Edition Full Collection
Project Life - The Templates
Banner Labels No. 1 by Katie Pertiet
Everyday Papers by Robyn Meierotto
Borderline Journal Brushes
Paislee press cards

Friday Favorites

2012-01-27T12:41:00.003-06:00

Lots of bloggers I read post Friday link lists or round-ups of some kind. It seems to be a popular way to share some favorites from around the web and life in general.

A few of my favorite Friday favorite posters:
Design Mom
Iowa Girl Eats
Shutterbean

Favorite Instagram photo from this week (and favorite winter accessory, from Hey Jen Renee's shop)

Favorite new list-making tool:
Teux Deux (found via the Pioneer Woman)

Favorite recipe tried this week:
Blueberry Gingerbread pancakes. Lachlan requested blueberry pancakes on one of his sick days this week, and these were a tasty treat! (I made half the recipe for the 3 of us. But next time I'll make the whole recipe and freeze the extras!)

Favorite lucky break:
more than half of my preschool class was out sick with a stomach bug yesterday, plus two other teachers, and I think I actually avoided it (knock on wood).

Favorite purchases:
Some seriously cute finds at Old Navy, including this Hello Kitty shirt for K, a Curious George shirt for K, a Batman bathing suit for L, and a retro Star Wars lunchbox for L. Plus lots of good clearance deals on cozy pants and leggings for K.

Source: lehiwrights.blogspot.com via Kirsten on Pinterest

Favorite Pin:
Gotta make it happen on our kitchen counter soon.

Have a great weekend!

brother and sister

2012-01-26T18:17:00.001-06:00

brother and sister a video by Kirsten W on Flickr.

This is representative of how Lachlan and Kenley play together right now. She giggles whenever he pays her any attention. He uses her like a personal assistant. She says "thank you" over and over. It doesn't usually last long. But it always makes me smile!

Project Life - Week 3

2012-01-23T13:48:00.007-06:00

Hmm, it appears that my blog has become "all Project Life, all the time". I promise I'll be back this week with a couple things unrelated to Project Life (all though isn't everything related to Project Life?)

I enjoyed using Cathy Zielske's new "Tiny Templates" this week. They work great for putting my Instagram photos into the pages, and for getting multiple photos from one event included. We had a pretty quiet week, since I was down and out with a cold, and the wintry weather enouraged us to stay home. I used the journaling cards to tell more in depth stories about a few days - rather than creating a "weekly roundup" list like I did last week. I love how flexible it can be - and that I can decide which page layouts I want to use as I look back at the photos I collected over the seven days. Definitely still loving this project, and also feeling inspired to get back to paper scrapping soon. I have a stack of photos and a January Studio Calico kit calling my name!

Supplies:
Cobalt Edition Full Collection
Project Life - The Templates
Tiny Templates #1
This One Brushes and Stamps
Labeled Journalers #4

see all the pages on Flickr

Project Life - week 2

2012-01-15T21:13:00.002-06:00

Kept it simple this week. I wrote the journaling in a list format and left the rest of the two page spread to photos. I narrowed down my week of Instagram photos to just four so that I could use the Template Design E.

I realized that since I am selecting photos weekly, this project is helping me keep my digital photos edited and organized. A nice perk that I had not anticipated!

Supplies:
Cobalt Edition Full Collection
Project Life - The Templates

Project Life - week 1

2012-01-09T22:23:00.003-06:00

I finished my first 3 pages for my 2012 digital Project Life book today! Even though there are so many inspirational paper versions on the web right now, I think digital is going to be the right choice for me. I don't have to worry about printing photos or keeping my supplies organized (other than in a folder on my MacBook). Once I get better at manuvering in Photoshop Elements, the pages will come together even quicker than they did this week.
I am not planning to include a photo-a-day on my pages. Instead, I'm considering them a week-at-a-glance. I'm hoping to make my pages on Sundays, then post them here on the blog Mondays. At the end of the year, I'll have the layouts printed in a photo book - most likely through Blurb. Let me know if you're also doing Project Life! I think it is a great idea and a fun and easy way to capture all those little moments we would otherwise forget.

Supplies:
Cobalt Edition Full Collection
Project Life - The Templates
Borderline Journal Brushes

December Daily, phew!

2012-01-07T20:31:00.002-06:00

It was difficult to get motivated to finish this mini-album, now that Christmas is a couple weeks behind us, and especially with the strange spring-like weather we've been having! I'm glad that I made myself do it. It's fat (I had to switch out the rings that came with the album for big-daddy 2" rings) and full of fun December memories.
The end of the album is more photos and less words and embellishments, but that's fine with me. I know I'll be so happy to pull it out of a Christmas decoration box in December.
You can read more about the album here. The spread below was definitely inspired by Elise.
If you'd like to see the whole album, check out the set on Flickr. I didn't photograph the covers, because I kind of hate the weird fabric + tape thing I did to them. I also left out a spread featuring a photo of my preschool students, and another featuring an envelope with our home address and our Christmas card. Thanks for looking! Now on to Project Life week 1!

Lachlan at 3 1/2

2012-01-03T18:00:00.002-06:00

My blog was a little "Kenley-heavy" last year, since I updated with her monthly photos and changes post. Mr. Lachlan as been growing and changing, too! So I wanted to write a little bit about what he is like at 3 1/2.
Your creative play is fun be part of and entertaining to observe. Just today, we played pirate ship, Star Wars, trash dump, Bluebird Diner, and Batman within the span of a few hours. You also enjoy board games and card games, and you’re getting better at following the rules and sequence. We’ve been playing Crazy 8’s and the Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game.
You (we) just gave up on your afternoon naps a couple weeks ago. We still try to work in some quiet time, but the lack of nap often results in early evening crankiness. A couple days a week you still crash in the late afternoon and sleep until I wake you for dinner. The good news is that you are sleeping until a decent hour in the morning again – 6:30 or 6:45 am.
You have very little patience for your sister now that she is able to get into your space and toys so easily. You do love playing chase with her and the two of you get the craziest giggles and belly laughs going as you run circles around the couch. Every now and then you’ll have a sweet moment and bring her something she wants or just give her a big hug and kiss.
We’re still amazed by your great memory, and the way you bring up events that happened months ago. You’ve starting using your memory to recite movie lines and re-enact favorite scenes. Many times a day you choose a movie or show, then assign each of us a character to act out. I’m usually Princess Leia, and Kenley is often Darth Vader.
You love to make plans for playtime or for how the schedule of our day will go. You get so frustrated and upset when everyone won't go along with your plans. I can sure remember that frustration from my own childhood. We usually encounter at least one or two big crying meltdowns per day, and although I know it is just you being 3 and trying to exert your independence, it can be very upsetting. I have to remind myself that you are "just" 3 sometimes, because you are so sharp and capable most of the time.
Your favorite foods are Mac and Cheese with hot dogs, and spaghetti with sauce. Pretty standard fare for a 3 year old. But you also love spicy tuna sushi and baked salmon. Really, you are a great eater and try all kinds of different foods. I hope that willingness to try new things continues in the years ahead.
You attend preschool five mornings a week, and you love it. You have always been a social guy, so you love been around the other 18 children in your class. You enjoy music class, love all your teachers, and have a couple special friends. I hear that you're getting better at sitting for storytime and keeping your hands to yourself at playtime, both of which were a struggle for a few months. I love that I get to see you experience school on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I am at preschool - but that you also get a chance to experience it on your own on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Your dad and I lay in bed at night giggling over all the funny observations you make and things you say. We love you so much!

Kenley at 18 months

2012-01-03T17:08:00.003-06:00

It is delightful to watch you explore the world on foot, becoming more confident (and quicker!) every day. I see you solving problems and figuring out cause and effect throughout your daily adventures.You're also starting to play more creatively. You feed your babies and stuffed animals, work on "projects" and set up the Fisher Price people in all kinds of arrangements.

You love your stuffed puppy and your babies so much. There’s some new competition now, since you received a stuffed Scooby Doo, a pink baby sock monkey, and a couple special baby dolls for Christmas. Luckily, you have plenty of hugs and love to go around.

You have a very clear “no” and shake your whole body back and forth to make your point clear. You also have a strong nod yes. We definitely know what you mean!

Now that you are mobile, you love to try and do whatever Lachlan is doing. You also get pretty jealous if I am reading to him or cuddling with him. You do love your bath time together, you giggle like crazy when he chases you around, and you light up when he pays you special attention. When Lachlan is in need of a warning, we count to three to give him a chance to shape up. You have picked up on that, and shout “two!” after Bill or I says “one…”. You’ve also started to enjoy Lachlan’s favorite shows, and can say Curious George, Scooby Doo, and Gabba Gabba.
We are in the process of transitioning from two naps to one midday nap. It hasn't been very successful yet, so right now you take two naps some days and one on others. You usually sleep 8 pm - 6:30 am, but recently you've been up at least once in the night due to teething and an ear infection. Dada has been putting you to bed almost every night. You enjoy having that special time with him. You also still need your paci to help you fall asleep, and you search one out whenever you are sleepy.
The love affair you have with your winter coat is pretty hilarious. I have to hide it if I don’t want you begging to wear it 24-7. You also enjoy wearing a hat and shoes most of the time.

You’re talking up a storm and imitating just about everything we say. We have a few favorite words that are especially cute – like “applesauce”, “baby”, “puppy”, "sleepy", the extended “hiii”, and all the names of your aunts and uncles. Yesterday you put your shoe on your hand and said, "puppet". Right before Christmas, you surprised me by asking to get out of the bath and sit on the potty (we have a small one in the bathroom). Then you surprised me even more by peeing and pooping on it for the first time! You used it again over the next few days, but have since been resistant to sitting on it. You do love to read our potty books, and to put your animals on the potty. I'm not pushing it at all right now, but it does seem that as a 2nd child and and girl, you may pick up on the idea a little earlier than your brother did.

Oh, yes, and the crayon story. A couple weeks ago I noticed that you were depositing a crayon from our art table into the nearby heating vent. "Hmm, I wonder how many are down there?" I thought. So I pulled off the cover and discovered 50+ crayons and colored pencils down the vent! I'll never forget that! I can't be too upset, because you were clearly committed to your work and finding a hiding place that was perfectly sized for what you were depositing! Smart girl.

I know there is much more I'm forgetting to write. You are a pleasure to be around every day!

Kenley @ 18 months (at doctor's appointment on 12/23/11)

Height: 31 3/4"

Weight: 22 1/2"

Head: 19"

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T20:38:00.006-06:00

My daily journal and a new book, housed in a great woven newspaper basket (thanks, Wendy!)

January 1^st always feels like a fresh start, and I've been thinking about my resolutions and goals for 2012.

I have some monthly, weekly, and daily goals, and I am truly excited to stay committed to all of them.

Monthly:

* read (at least) one book per month. It doesn't sound like much, but my "books read" list in 2011 was, sadly, quite small. I should be fine for January, since I already read half of The Forest of Hands and Teeth today! If you're a fan of the Hunger Games series, I think you'll enjoy this one!

* complete (at least) one project that I have pinned on Pinterest. So much inspiration there, but it's easy to pin it and forget it!

Weekly:

* make a meal plan and keep track of which recipes our family enjoys. I'm hoping this will keep me organized, save time on daily meal decision-making and preparations, and help us to eat healthier.

* complete a weekly digital Project Life spread.

A little more about this: I started a paper Project Life in 2010, but fell behind and gave up about halfway through the year (maybe that newborn did it?). I *love* the concept and I actually love the paper version, but the main thing holding me back is how massive the albums become. If I end up continuing with Project Life every year, I can't imagine storing a dozen or more of those albums. I will probably print my book through Blurb at the of the year. I'm also hoping that keeping it digital will be faster and easier AND will help me get more comfortable with using Photoshop Elements. I still love to paper scrap, and I still intend to create 12x12" and 8 1/2x11" layouts for more specific topics and events throughout the year. Project Life is just a great way to document all the little moments that we would otherwise forget.

Daily:

* make an entry in my daily journal (pictured above). Each page has the calendar date and a space for five year's worth of entries. How cool would it be to look back at the end and see what happened on the same day across five years?!

* drink more water and exercise every day. Whether it is taking Sadie for a walk, using our neglected elliptical machine, or having a date with Jilllian Michaels, I know I need to make it a priority!

I've joined Cathy Zielske's Move More, Eat Well class for additional motivation and inspiration. Hopefully that community will help me stay on track with becoming more healthy.

If I can find time for Pinterest, reality tv, and scrapbooking, I know I can find time for exercise and novel reading, too. Priorities!

I also have some crafty projects on my list to accomplish this year (hopefully in the first half of the year!):

- sew pillows on our couch

- sew curtains for our bedroom

- Finish my quilt

- Crochet an afghan

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2012 and best wishes if you're embarking on your own resolutions and life changes!

A little more Christmas love

2011-12-29T11:52:00.003-06:00

We had such a nice Christmas Eve/Christmas day at our house. My family and Bill's parents came over and we all enjoyed relaxing and celebrating together.
Santa came! He took the carrots for the reindeer, gobbled up the chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milk, and left some special red bags for the kids and stuffed stockings for everyone.
Kenley was in heaven with her own phone, purse (vintage!) and new babies and other stuffed animals. Actually, the gift she spent the most time with was a box of Scooby Doo band-aids that she kept unpacking and repacking. Ha!
Lachlan got his wish for a "Batman set-up", and Kenley got in on the action.
We played card games, Wii, and hung out together.
We had a midday meal on the 25th before Thor and Caeli headed off to Wisconsin.
Potato head playtime with Pop Po - she must have spent an hour on the couch taking pieces in and out. Amazing.
Thor and Grandma Cleo.
Watching Uncle Zach play Mario.

The rest of the photos are here on Flickr. Hope your holiday was joyful and memorable!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T21:12:00.003-06:00

L posing by part of his homemade Angry Birds game, made by the Aschims

Kenley with her pull-along puppy from Santa

Hope you had a wonderful and very Merry Christmas! Decided to end my day by looking through today's photos and filling out a little Christmas quiz.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? hard choice...Hot chocolate!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? wraps them in fabric bags from the North Pole
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? colored this year
4. Do you hang mistletoe? not yet, maybe next year?
5. When do you put your decorations up? first week in December
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? ham balls and cheesy corn casserole
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? decorating the tree together and picking out gifts for parents and siblings
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? hmm, don't remember
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? new Christmas pjs for the kiddos
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? two trees - one with homemade and family ornaments, one with red, silver, and black decorations
11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it, and wish we had some this year!
12. Can you ice skate? no way, but I haven't had much practice.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I do remember getting a Brooke Shields Barbie when I was a little girl, then she got lost within a few days!
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Spending time with family and creating sweet traditions
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Christmas cookies and chocolate covered pretzels
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? decorating the tree and our new book reading tradition
17. What tops your tree? A star
18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving, especially when I can make the gift myself and/or the receiver is surprised and delighted!
19. Candy canes: yuck or yummy? Yummy
20. Favorite Christmas show? A Christmas Story
21. Saddest Christmas song? River by Joni Mitchell (if that counts?)
22. What is your favorite Christmas song? lots and lots of favorites - probably Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant, favorite album (this year) is Ella's Swinging Christmas

spotted this quiz here

Christmas book advent tradition

2011-12-21T14:44:00.004-06:00

photo via Instagram on my iPhone. My username is kirstenw.
I still love Hipstamatic, but the social aspect of Instagram is such fun, and it is a very user-friendly app.

I've seen this tradition popping up on several blogs I read, and we have started it this year, as well. Each day in December, we read a Christmas book together. Last January I purchased enough clearance fabric to sew 24 reuseable gift bags to use year after year for wrapping the books. Well, the fabric has not been made into anything yet, so that part of the plan will have to wait until next December. Then I planned to wrap all 24 with wrapping paper, but that only lasted the first couple weeks - now I'm just grabbing one off the stack each day.

I had a few books in my collection, and I picked up a few more with after-Christmas sales last year. I also ordered a few online recently to complete the collection. There are a few board books in the mix for Kenley, but mostly it is for Lachlan right now. We're all enjoying the festive stories.

Here's the list, in no particular order:
1. Who's Coming to our House? : Sweet, and good for baby.
2. The Little Drummer Boy : the song lyrics, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats
3. Room for a Little One : from the point of view of the animals in the stable
4. Christmas in the Manger : another nice board book for baby about the Christmas story
5. The Christmas Magic : Santa prepares for Christmas, in a more quiet, reflective way than most stories
6. Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree: a fun story about a tree that gets shared by a series of grateful creatures
7. Home for Christmas : Jan Brett's newest holiday tale, about a troll who loses his tail.
8. Gingerbread Baby: a fun retelling of the Gingerbread Boy story
9. Gingerbread Friends : the sequel to Gingerbread Baby (can you tell I love Jan Brett? The Three Snow Bears is another favorite, and the Mitten, and the Hat...)
10. It's Christmas David! : a mischevious boy waits impatiently for Christmas. Yeah, we're relating to this one this year ;)
11. The Little Fir Tree : a heartwarming, timeless story
12. Bear Stays Up For Christmas : If you aren't familiar with Bear and friends stories, check them out. Just nice stories about friendship and caring for each other.
13. Merry Christmas, a Storybook Collection : our favorite is "Merry Christmas, Stinky Face!"
14. Snowmen at Christmas : Another series that I love. Whimsical and fun to imagine.
15. The Sweet Smell of Christmas : one of Bill's childhood favorites, he suggested I order it. Scratch and Sniff!
16. The Polar Express : Classic.
17. Bear's First Christmas : another delightfully illustrated book about a bear who wakes from hibernation to celebrate Christmas
18. Olive, the other reindeer : Seriously fun and entertaining! a new favorite
19. The Grinch : Lachlan likes this one, but doesn't want to keep it in his room because "the cover is scary"
20. The Nutcracker : Another classic, more beautiful illustrations
21. Shall I Knit You a Hat? : another fun story about handmade gift-giving
22. O Little Town of Bethlehem : we received this last year, a board book with music and lights!
23. The Christmas Star : Another board book, a nice, simple retelling of Christ's birth.
24. The Night Before Christmas (we have that copy, but there are so many fun choices!) : Seems appropriate for the 24th!

We've also receive a few new books this week that will probably make it into the rotation next year:
That's Not My Reindeer - Kenley loves this one, but insists it is a "puppy"
The Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear - gotta love Brother and Sister
A Charlie Brown Christmas - with music!

If you're looking for more ideas to build your collection, check out Dana's pos t and all the comments! Plus she has good ideas for saving money on the books. I think I could double or triple our collection with all those listed! There are so many great children's books out there.

for sale at Home Ec

2011-12-21T14:40:00.002-06:00

I dropped off a baby blanket and a few tag blankets at Home Ec Workshop earlier this week, so go check them out if you're still in the market for a baby gift! There are many other lovely gifts in the shop, not to mention that a Home Ec gift certificate is a great gift for any local sewer/crafter!

December Daily

2011-12-12T20:56:00.005-06:00

I spent some time working on my December Daily album over the weekend. It works best for me to work on about a week at a time. I can't manage to work on it everyday, but if I wait too long, it feels overwhelming, and I forget the little details of our days.
I'm trying to keep it simple and repeat a few design elements (like the tags with stamped titles) to make the album more cohesive. I'm using a 4x6" mixed paper book by Elise Blaha, along with some ephemera - such as calendar pages, our Christmas card, etc. I'm also adding in 3x5" photos cropped to approx. 3 1/4" x 6" and taped back to back. I'm loving that mini alphabet stamp set (from the Michael's $1 section) and mini alphabet letters from my stash (mostly Making Memories) and the number circles I bought last year (from Living Room Floor). I'm printing 2.5" square Instagram photos at home, taking a few photos with my Instax mini, and adding in prints from my SLR as I mentioned above.
It seems like this project would feel like "one more thing" to do in a busy December, but actually I find that it keeps me focused on the festive activities and traditions that I want to focus on during the holidays. Also, I love looking back to the albums I made in 2008 and 2010 (wish I had made one in '09! darn!)
I'm finding lots of inspiration in these talented scrappers participating in December Daily -
Ali Edwards
Elise Blaha
Robyn Meierotto
Molly Irwin

You can see the rest of my pages so far in my December Daily set on Flickr.

Hope you're all having a great December so far!

Craft and Fancy 4

2011-12-02T11:31:00.002-06:00

I've been busy this week, recovering from our Thanksgiving trip to Disneyworld, taking care of sick kiddos, and getting ready for Craft and Fancy 4 at Home Ec tomorrow! It is my first time to have a table at this local mini craft fair. I'm thrilled to be included with the other talented local artists and crafters.
I'll be bringing along special handmade gifts for babies and little ones, including tag blankets, patchwork baby quilts and Tooth Fairy pillows. Check out the event's page to see some of the other treats to be had. I'm looking forward to picking up a few unique handmade gifts for my friends and family!
I hope you will stop by and say hello if you are in the Iowa City Area!
Craft and Fancy 4 at Home Ec Workshop
Saturday, December 4th, 10 am - 5 pm

Mmm, donuts

2011-11-13T21:06:00.003-06:00

We visited my family in Des Moines this weekend, and had a fun couple days! Lachlan's highlight was going with papa to pick out donuts this morning. He chose frosted with sprinkles, and claimed the 2 sprinkled donuts in the box for himself.
I put Kenley in the high chair and offered her a plain donut. Well, I didn't get a photo of her tantrum, but let's just say that she had other plans. She was not happy until she was sitting in a big chair with a sprinkled donut of her own.
Luckily, Lachlan was in a sharing mood and settled for a chocolate frosted donut as number 2.
Yep, she's already pretty good at getting her way.

Pomegranate Love

2011-11-10T21:45:00.004-06:00

Pomegranates. It seems like a fruit for a special occasion, because of the effort it takes to get the arils out. Slicing one open is like finding a treasure, and I love the vibrant red color. I remember when Mrs. Ellerhoff, my English teacher in high school, brought pomegranates in to class one day so that those of us who had never tasted one could try them.
The easiest way I have found to separate the seeds from the rest of the flesh is to work in a bowl of water, then strain off the pith. It keeps things from getting so messy, and keeps my fingers from getting dyed red.
I picked up a couple pomegranates last week because I wanted to try this recipe I saw on Made. Although my Hipstamatic photo of the cookies doesn't make them look very appetizing, I assure you that they were a success! The baked cookies were very good, but I agree with Dana that the cold cookie dough was especially delicious! Yum!

Kenley's new skills

2011-11-06T21:43:00.001-06:00

walking a video by Kirsten W on Flickr.

and just like that, we have a toddler. K @ 16 1/2 months.

Halloween 2011: Trick or Treat

2011-11-01T21:23:00.005-05:00

Our trick-or-treaters, ready for action!

my trick or treat banner via Martha Stewart at JoAnn's

We went trick or treating with our favorite neighbors - Peter & Tinkerbelle, the Tin Man & the Lion.
The big boys were SO excited and ran from house to house. It took about half as much time for us to make it through the neighborhood as it did last year!
Kenley spent the trip in the stroller, saying "hiiii" to passersby and giggling at the boys running.
Spooky alien!
We had such a fun evening and collected enough candy to last us a loooong time!

Halloween 2011: the treats

2011-10-31T22:01:00.004-05:00

Lachlan and I made ghostly treats for his preschool class snack.

We had leftover almond bark, so we made ghost pretzels in addition to the ghost cookies.

Jack-o-lantern clementines, decorated with my food-safe marker, also for preschool snack

Lachlan's Halloween lunch for preschool (he didn't eat his sandwich, but Kenley did when he brought it home!)

Lachlan's trick-or-treating haul, organized with help from his dad

Halloween 2011: the costumes

2011-10-29T15:21:00.005-05:00

my Peter Pan pair via Hipstamatic

Back in August and September, our Peter Pan book was in high rotation. Then we rented the Disney animated Peter Pan movie, and Lachlan decided that Peter Pan would be his costume for this year. Of course, his sister had to be Tinkerbell, mom would be Tigerlily, and dad would be Captain Hook. Well, Bill and I didn't get our act together for matching costumes, but we had Peter Pan and Tinkerbell ready to go several weeks ago. I would normally still be working on them until the last minute, but we were lucky to be invited to 2 costume birthday parties in the last month, so that was a good reason to be ahead of schedule.

I found a Peter Pan costume tutorial here, and used it especially to make his hat. The tunic was just one piece of green fabric, folded in half, cut to the shape, sewn along the side seams (leaving the sleeves open, of course. Then I cut an opening for his head, cut a slit down the front, folded it open and tacked the corners for a collar. I made the belt with brown cotton belt ribbon stuff (??) and a couple belt loops (both found at the fabric store). The leggings are olive green girls' leggings from Old Navy online (he would love to wear them every day if I let him, they must be comfy!). The shoes are Minnetonka moccasins. He did get called Robin Hood several times while trick or treating in Des Moines, but I'm not sure how I could have avoided that, they are just similarly dressed characters.

I couldn't tell you much about making Kenley's costume because I just made it up as I went along. I actually had to cut it back in half after I was done and add side panels, because the first version was too tight. But I think it turned out pretty cute! The wings (and both green fabrics) I found at JoAnn's. She was not a fan of the wings, but I'm glad I got a few photos, because she looks sweet in them! White tights and moccasins from Old Navy online. Her amber teething necklace (unrelated to the costume) is from Etsy, but I think the shop must not be around anymore. There are several Etsy shops that sell them, if you're interested. I do think it has helped her with recent teething pain.

Halloween 2011: Fun in DSM

2011-10-29T14:57:00.004-05:00

Last weekend the kids and I made a quick trip to Des Moines for some early Halloween fun. We started at Living History Farms on Friday night. This place holds lots of great memories for me, since I attended summer camp there each year until I was old enough to become a camp counselor. I also remember visiting at Halloween (or at least I remember going with my younger siblings). It was super fun to bring Lachlan and Kenley here. We thought we would be bundling up with puffy coats and scarves, but it turned out to be mild and perfect for trick-or-treating on Main Street.
Later (after it got too dark for photos) we went on a horse-drawn wagon ride (Kenley was entranced by the big horses), stopped for pop and popcorn (and to assess our candy collection), and listened to a storyteller in the big barn. We also enjoyed walking through a path of Halloween lights and jack-o-lanterns carved by Boy Scouts and stopping to toast marshmallows.

Saturday night, we went to Night Eyes at the Blank Park Zoo - along with many other families in Des Moines - it was crowded! I was happy to see the big crowd, because we love the zoo and popular events like this help them make improvements to the animal exhibits! It was also too dark for photos once we got there, but we did enjoy seeing the big cats lumbering around their cages as we trick-or-treated. My favorite homemade costume we saw was a boy dressed as a lego man, seriously cute and clever! Kenley rode on my back in the Ergo for prime people watching, and Lachlan did a great job with all the waiting in line we had to do. It was a fun and memorable weekend!

K at 16 months

2011-10-25T14:00:00.002-05:00

At 16 months, you:

* love to climb up and sit places - in chairs, on a step, etc.
* call goldfish crackers "fishies"
* just started saying "eat" and say it often!
* sleep from 8 ish to 6:30 ish, recently started sleeping through the night again - now that your one year molars have popped through.
* love puppies and notice them in book illustrations and when we are out and about. Your favorite puppy is our Sadie, and you're getting good at saying her name!
* still love the Fisher Price people and put them on your fingers, then make them do a little dance.

Kenley helping Wrigley with his dinner in Des Moines

* adore the baby dolls and like to have one close by at all times. Yesterday you put all four in the baby stroller and pushed them around.
* impress us with your fine motor skills. You love to move tiny things around from container to container.
* still like your paci and look for them to pop into your mouth. I've been trying (but not succeeding) to keep them for nap time and bedtime only.
* love to dance when music is playing and enjoy playing music instruments.
* get silly with your brother and "wrestle" with your dad
* love being read to and you are getting particular about hearing your favorites - and hearing them over and over again.
* love to eat any kind of fruit, and start the day with yogurt most mornings. You're interested in using a spoon by yourself - you like to place a bit of food on the spoon with your fingers, then put the bite into your mouth.
* take 3 or 4 steps at a time, but are not yet what I'd call a "toddler"
* wake up happy and ready to play every morning.

my new baby

2011-10-17T21:35:00.003-05:00

After looking online, reading review after review, and feeling overwhelmed by all the choices, I finally just went down to our local camera shop looking for advice on which digital SLR to buy. They were very helpful and I am super excited to be the owner of a Canon Rebel T3i body and a Tamron 17-50 mm lens.

Time to resurrect my high school and college photography knowledge and re-learn how to take photos in manual. I'm already having lots of fun playing around with the settings, but I am planning to take a continuing ed. class to learn all the ins and outs. I think will make time to sew a camera strap cover, too.
Here's Mr. "I don't need a nap" crashed out on the couch.
And Kenley playing with her Fisher Price people - a favorite past-time.

Harvest Preserve Field Trip

2011-10-17T10:55:00.003-05:00

Last Friday morning was a family nature outing for Lachlan's preschool class. We met at Harvest Preserve in Iowa City. It is a beautifully maintained and inspiring setting, and I didn't even realize it existed before our trip was planned. They have an excellent website, if you'd like to learn more.
It was a cool and sunny morning - one of the first days it has really felt like fall here, since our weather has been unusually mild lately. We gathered near the entrance, then set out on a hike to see the rest of the preserve.
The hilly trails led us through the forest and out into a huge meadow, where Helen and Marit played music and the kids sang and ran and played in the midst of the stone circle.
They snacked and drew and had a wonderful time just being together in this beautiful setting.
It was a treat, and a lovely field trip experience. Kenley rode along on my back in the Ergo carrier and enjoyed a nap as we hiked. I hope we be able to visit Harvest Preserve again soon and maybe make this an annual Preucil tradition!

Enjoying Nature

2011-10-14T20:36:00.002-05:00

This past Tuesday, I led my preschool class in a family outing on a nature walk through Hickory Hill park. I was afraid that the early morning rain showers would put a damper on our plans, but it ended up clearing just in time. The sun came out and we had a wonderful time walking through the park, taking in the sights, sounds and smells. We have been studying forests in our class, so the kids were anxious to see all the forest animals we have been discussing. We had to settle for just one spider, but it was still a lovely excursion.

Whenever I take my class on a field trip, we make some kind of little book as a memento of the experience. This time, I remembered a one page hot-dog book (this link explains it well), and thought that would be a good format and quick to put together. Before we left for the walk, we made a list of things we thought we might see. When we returned, we wrote a story about the experience. I typed up the list (with lines through the things we did not see) and the story. Then I printed 6 photos from our walk to fill the rest of the pages. The size of each photo was 2.5" x 4". I taped them on a 8 1/2 x 11" page that I had folded into 8 sections, then scanned and printed one for each child. The final step is to fold the page in half, then cut halfway up the fold and assemble. I did add a couple staples in the spine to keep them together. Quick, easy and fun!

the year of the moccasin

2011-10-08T16:58:00.002-05:00

It all started when Lachlan decided he is going to be Peter Pan for Halloween. I went looking on Old Navy's website for moccasins for him, but didn't find any. I did, however, find an adorable pair for Kenley. Then I went to order some for him, and couldn't resist picking up a pair for myself. Now we're all decked out in mocs for the fall.

It would have ended there, but last week I was going through boxes in the basement (in an attempt to purge some clutter and baby clothes, good luck!) and found a treasure trove of little moccasins. These were all Bill's when he was a baby/toddler. Apparently, his grandmother brought them back as souvenirs from her travels. They are so adorable, and well made. You can tell which ones were given after he started walking, because the soles are well worn. I was just tickled to find these after I had just ordered 3 brand new pairs. I guess it is true what they say about how fashion goes in cycles.

* I edited these with Pioneer Woman's free 70's PSE Action. Just for fun.
** Just realized I have 3 photo albums from Bill's childhood in my possession and that I'll probably be able to find a photo of him wearing at least one pair of these. Of to go searching...

Autumn Wreath

2011-10-07T17:14:00.003-05:00

I wanted a new wreath for our front door before Oktoberfest - especially because I (embarrassingly) still had the spring egg wreath hanging into September.

Inspired by all the lovely fall wreaths around Etsy and Pinterest, I wrapped a foam wreath with yarn, then whipped up some fabric flowers and felt leaves (a la Dana) and hot glued them to the wreath. I think it looks a little wimpy on our door, but other than that, I'm happy with how it turned out.

J's Monster Art bag

2011-10-04T20:43:00.004-05:00

I spotted this monster bag on Katie's blog and knew right away I wanted to make it for our sweet nephew for his 8th birthday. Like Katie, I added pockets for twistable colored pencils. Unlike Katie, my measuring was a little faulty and I only fit 10 of the 12 pencils in. Oh well, the other two fit inside the bag with the sketchbook I included. The beard is a little hard to see in the photo, but I used a scrap of brown corduroy that provides an interesting texture. It was a quick and fun little project, I hope he enjoys using it!

Oktoberfest '11

2011-10-03T16:08:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was our 4th annual Oktoberfest party. It has gotten a little bit bigger and more involved each year. This year Bill upgraded to some authentic lederhosen. Aren't they great? He's in the market for a hat and socks for next year.

The weather could not have been more perfect. There were a few awesome costumes, lots of brats, pretzels, beer, and live polka (and swing) music.

It was fun to hang out and catch up with coworkers, friends and family throughout the afternoon.

Kenley was a big fan of the pretzels... and the chocolate chip cookies.

Someone may have been to worn out from the festivities to finish is sandwich at dinnertime...

Oktoberfest 2011 on Flickr
Oktoberfest 2010
Oktoberfest 2009
Oktoberfest 2008

Kenley at 15 months

2011-10-01T08:38:00.002-05:00

I had not intended to continue this monthly blog post past Kenley’s first birthday, but I know that if I don’t write down the little things while I am thinking of them – very soon they will be forgotten! Here, a few days late, is a little bit about Kenley at 15 months:

Still holding strong with four teeth, although recent sleeplessness and crankiness indicates that #5 and #6 are about to arrive.

Still holding out on taking your first steps, although we are sure the big day is coming soon. You are quick at cruising and like to hold on to my fingers and practice walking.

You are enjoying your time on Tuesday/Thursday mornings (while I am at work) with your new babysitter, Anna. I am enjoying our times together on Monday, Wednesday, Friday mornings while Lachlan is at preschool.

Your bangs are growing down over your eyes, but I can’t bear to trim those golden wisps. Most days I sweep them to the side and put in one of your cute barrettes.

You are still enamored with your baby dolls and love to play with the vintage Fisher Price people for long stretches of time. You are interesting in making marks, and have taken crayon to paper and chalk to the chalkboard wall without prompting.

Some words you say (even if I am the only one who can recognize them):

Mama

Dada

Some variation on Lachlan

Baby

Sadie

Nana

Papa

Uh Oh

Bye bye (or often just, Bye!)

thank you

Oops

Go! (thanks to our evening races to the bathroom “ready, set, go”)

Bath

Moo for a cow (maybe oink and quack too?)

Bubble

Ball

Puppy

Kitty

Shoes

And you use the “more” sign many times each day, for more food or to request more of any activity that you’re enjoying.

I know that all moms feel this way, but I do feel that you are really above average in the cuteness department. I mean, those cheeks and that smile and the little blonde curls. The sweetest!

The Map

2011-09-06T16:54:00.006-05:00

This is probably in my top 10 favorite things I have ever made. It all started with this pin on Pinterest. Original map is by See Kate Sew, with a nice tutorial here. I loved the look of this fabric map and had been looking for a large art idea to hang in our great room.

I'm not posting a full tutorial or anything, but I will share my basic process:

1. find USA map outline via google
2. take map to copy center to be enlarged (I told them the final width I wanted in inches and they figured out the enlargement %)
3. buy 40" x 60" stretched canvas
4. make sure the size of the map will work for the canvas size
5. cut apart all the paper states
6. collect 50 different fabrics for the states (all from my fabric scrap stash)
7. iron fusible interfacing on the back of the fabric scraps
8. cut out each state from a different piece of interface-backed fabric.
9. iron states onto a large piece of muslin fabric (I started with California and worked my way east, puzzle-style)
10. hand-stitch around the inside edge of each state. I did this to make the fabric states more secure, add texture, and also to tie the design together with a single color of embroidery floss. It did take longer to hand-stitch than it would have to machine-stitch them, but I think it was easier. Also, it added to the rustic/folk art style I was going for.
11. iron the entire piece again, then stretch and staple (using a staple gun) the muslin around the canvas

A few things -

- The canvas was much more expensive than I anticipated, but I got it when they were running a sale at the art store, so that helped.

- On the other hand, the fabric pieces were all free, since they all came from my fabric stash left over from other projects. I love seeing them all together on the wall because they remind me of the other handmade things they are part of.

- I started hand-stitching the states while the muslin was stretched in a large embroidery hoop, but eventually left the hoop behind and just held the fabric loosely while I made the running stitches.

- The final stretched piece has some wrinkly/puckered spots that I think are due to some funky tension while I was ironing and sewing the states (see lack of hoop, above). I'm trying not to let it bother me, but I wish the background was perfectly smooth.

Here is the corner that needed a new art piece, something more substantial, before:

And the same spot (plus my newly spray painted table!), after:

So, yeah. It was a big project that took me months to complete (working in small chunks, of course). That said, I am super happy with the finished product and look forward to living with it for many years to come.

Summer mini-album 2011: done and done.

2011-09-04T20:51:00.006-05:00

Yay, another great capture of our lives right now. I enjoy the 4x6" mini-album size because I can just stick a photo in as a whole page, or have some fun with smaller photos and embellishments.
I picked up a pack of summer book add-on pages from Elise Joy (they're gone now but she has a pretty autumn book for sale).
I hadn't updated it since mid-July, so most of the pages are very simple - photos, lots of tiny letter stickers, and a few handwritten memories.
Love the combo of little daily moments and special summer adventures that are captured here.
This spread with the polka dots and Hipstamatic photos is my probably my favorite.
My post about the first half of the album has more links to my supplies, including the letterpress calendar pages.
I ended the album with photos from our trip to the Iowa State Fair. Even though we still had some hot summery days here right up until yesterday, the fair trip seemed like the end of the season for us.
In the end I had to add larger binder rings and it's a nice fat mini-album size.

Week In The Life Album - July 2011

2011-09-03T16:25:00.004-05:00

Finally finished my week in the life album! I've had the 8 1/2" x 11" photo pages for a couple weeks now, but just found time this afternoon to put it all together.
I just love this project. I used a WER Memory Keepers album and the divided page protectors for the journaling cards/small photos/daily ephemera.
I did like how Ali ended up putting her journaling directly on her photos, but for some of my photos, it worked better to have the text in the white space alongside. It is great how flexible the digital templates can be for changing up the design of a page.
I made my own journaling cards with ivory cardstock + stamped titles + embossed line details (I used a Zig Emboss Pen and Zing Powder in Teal). Each day of the week had 4 cards - Love, Overheard, Favorite, and Thankful. I also made a card for each day listing our meals, and a card featuring a square Hipstamatic photo and a stamped word to describe that photo. Each divided page protector also contains a piece of a Hambly overlay with a sticker that says the day of the week. I like being able to see through to the next page and have that design carry through the book. Another idea I took straight from Ali.
I added in some other things like receipts, print-outs of text messages and other phone screenshots, and in the photo above you can see a piece of our family room wallpaper that was torn down that day. Along with the stories from the week, these are the things I would have forgotten all about a few weeks later - I'm sure it will be fun to look back at them in the future!

I added a digital patterned paper in the background of the digital pages and took the opacity down to 30 or 40% to keep it subtle. If I could do it again I would bump the pattern up a little because it is hardly noticeable.
Ali mentioned that next time she does this project she might do it completely digitally and have it printed in book form. I definitely see the appeal in that, since I did do lots of rewriting and rearranging that could have been streamlined if it was all typed. On the other hand, I do love the little bits of life that fit into the divided page protectors. We'll see - I could actually fit at least one more week's worth of pages in this album, so maybe I'll try the same week in July in the same format next year.
On the last page I put a small photo from each day and a brief summary of the project. I'm so glad I took the time to collect all the photos and stories and then stick with it until everything was pulled together.

Sleeping Peacefully

2011-08-30T21:33:00.003-05:00

Sleeping Peacefully layout
Originally uploaded by Kirsten W

A super simple layout, but these are a couple photos I didn't want to get lost in the shuffle. Photos were taken with Hipstamatic on my iPhone, papers and stickers are from Studio Calico.

Iowa State Fair 2011

2011-08-24T10:57:00.003-05:00

This year we had to fit all of our fair fun and fair eating into one day. We made it just in time for the last day of the fair. Lachlan had a few things he was looking forward to - mini-donuts & milk, cotton candy, and a ride on the "hang glider" with mom and dad. We pretty much let him eat whatever he wanted all day (since that's what Bill and I love to do at the fair every year) so by the end of the day it had been quite a sugar fest. We all came home with full tummies and tired feet and Lachlan and Kenley got fair t-shirts for souvenirs. If you'd like to see the rest of the photos, the whole set is on Flickr.

Spraypaint Love

2011-08-23T22:08:00.002-05:00

Before

During

After

I've gone through 12 cans of spray paint in August. Working on giving a few old things new life and finishing some DIY projects that have been hanging around for awhile. I love the (relatively) instant gratification and new life a couple coats of paint can provide.

photos via my iPhone Hipstamatic app

Kenley at 14 months

2011-08-20T15:05:00.003-05:00

Favorite food: Black beans

Favorite books: The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear & Hand Hand Fingers Thumb

Favorite word: "uh oh"

Favorite activity: playing with the vintage Fisher Price people

Favorite toy: Lachlan's baby doll (he got it for his 2nd birthday, but I'd say K has adopted it now)

Favorite way to travel: modified army crawl

Untitled a video by Kirsten W on Flickr.

Quilt Inspiration

2011-08-07T15:47:00.003-05:00

I've been wanting to post about an inspiring experience I had a couple weekends ago. I took a class at Home Ec Workshop with Erik Wolfmeyer. (Make sure and check out his amazing quilt photo gallery).

Erik asked each student to bring a piece of inspiration as a jumping off point for the quilt project we would be working on over the course of two afternoons. I chose a photo that I had saved on Pinterest. I love it because it is is traditional and modern, graphic and soft, all at the same time. I also love the color combination. I thought all these things would translate into an interesting quilt project.

Erik was a great teacher because he took the time to get to know each student and help us talk through and develop our ideas. He told us about his process for bringing a quilt from inspiration to completion and showed us one of his gorgeous finished quilts (this one). He gave us several useful and practical quilting tips - including a technique for finishing binding that I can't wait to try. He also recommended a quilting "bible" which is now at the top of my craft book wish list.

I started my quilt blocks, inspired by my photo and Denyse Schmidt's quilting style. Erik encouraged me to incorporate the X motif from my inspiration piece and I also decided to stick to a similar color scheme. I'm planning to make this quilt a wall hanging. I also designed it to loosely imitate the floral idea.

Now that the class is over, I am in the process of making a few blocks here and there when I have time. Hoping that I will be able to piece the blocks together into a quilt top in the next month or so. I'm so thankful for Erik's time and that I was able to spend a weekend working on a project just for me.

6 years of blogging!

2011-08-05T14:48:00.002-05:00

I just randomly wondered exactly how long I have been blogging, so I checked my blog archives and my first post was August 5, 2005. That's right, exactly 6 years! So today is my blogiversary! Crazy!

Back then I was posting about wedding planning and mail art, fun stuff. Here's a snapshot of what it looked like in 2006. 2008 was my most prolific year, no surprise as it was the year I had my first baby. It was, and still is, a visual journal/diary that I keep primarily for me. I love being able to look back at what I was making and doing over the past 6 years. It is also fun to be able to keep in touch with family and friends who follow my blog.

So, those of you who have been following Kirsten's Creations for either a short or long time - thanks for reading!

Kenley's baby book

2011-08-05T12:01:00.004-05:00

Today we got a box in the mail that I've been looking forward to for a long time - Kenley's baby book! I decided before Kenley was born that in lieu of a traditional baby book, I would be making a digital scrapbook to record her milestones and changes over the year.

I already had my eye on a set of digital templates by Nisa Fiin, specifically designed for making a baby album. I decided to make a monthly blog post featuring my memories from the month and the monthly photo of Kenley.

Then I made an album for each month of her life in my iPhoto and started sorting through the (many) photos to put some favorites together. I started putting together the digital pages when she was about 10 months old. I've been working on it on and off for the last few months. It did take many hours to put together, mostly because I'm still learning about digital scrapbooking and how to make everything work in Photoshop Elements. I think this was actually a great project to start with, because the framework was set up by Nisa, and I just had to customize the pages the way I wanted.

I set myself a deadline to be finished with the album by August. The main reason was that I had purchased a Groupon for Blurb that was about to expire, and I wanted to use that credit for this book. After designing the pages using the templates in PSE, I saved them as JPEGs, then uploaded them as a full page photo in the Blurb book-making software (does that make sense?). I am thrilled with the quality of the book. The photo covers are so pretty and the colors and text throughout the book are consistent and clear. The binding also seems very sturdy. Definitely recommend Blurb.

The content covers photos and stories from my pregnancy, the birth story, newborn days, then a 2 page spread for each month, a few spreads about her birthday party, and a 2 page spread for both her newborn photo shoot and 1 year photo shoot with Shelley Haganman. While it doesn't have that "fill-in-the-blank" feel of a traditional baby book, it does contain so many stories of little moments and milestones that I never would have remembered otherwise. I'm sooo glad that I stuck with the monthly blog posts and followed through with making this book!

I also have an 8 1/2" x 11" scrapbook album that I add individual pages to as I complete them. As you can see, I have many pages to go before it is as full as Lachlan's baby scrapbook (birth-age 2).

All this week I've been working on my digital pages for the Week in the Life album and also putting together 2.5 x 3.5" pictures and memorabilia to put in the divided page protectors. Planning to finish the 8 1/2" x 11" digital pages this weekend and send them off to be printed on Monday.

Then I just need to make the July pages for my Hipstamatic album and update my summer mini-book with the highlights from July. Obsessed with memory-keeping much?

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!

Supply list for Kenley's book:
Splendid Fiins Life In a Nutshell 8 1/2" x 11" templates
digital papers from Jen Allyson's free kit

barrettes from aunt bethany

2011-08-03T11:11:00.003-05:00

I've been meaning to share these adorable barrettes that my sister Bethany made for Kenley.
K is pretty funny about barrettes right now. As soon as I put one in her hair, she takes it out, looks at it, and then tries to put it back on her hair by herself.
Her bangs are getting down by her eyes (even more now, since these pics were taken a couple weeks ago) so it is nice to be able to sweep them to the side with a barrette. Sometimes if I distract her right after I put one in her hair, then she'll forget about it and keep it in a long time. These are lightweight so they work well for everyday wear. Thanks, Aunt Bethany!

Week in the Life: Sunday

2011-07-31T22:26:00.003-05:00

57 photos taken today, narrowed down to 25.
We had a very nice Sunday and this is the end of my Week in the Life photo documentation.
As I've mentioned, I'm so glad I took the time to do this project because of all the fun every day moments I have captured.
Hopefully I can get the album made next week so we can enjoy looking through the memories from this week for years to come!

WITL Flickr set

Week in the Life: Saturday

2011-07-30T22:43:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning in bed. A good way to start the day. Today I took 42 photos and cut them down to 23.
Grandma and Papa are in town this weekend, so it was nice to have extra hands around the house - although that didn't help me keep my lap open at lunchtime!
Went for the bright pink on my fingers and toes today to get a little festive for my inlaws' Fiesta party.
Looking up (literally) to her brother.
One more day of Week in the Life! I've enjoyed the photo-taking element and am looking forward to putting together the album, too!

WITL on Flickr

Week in the Life: Friday

2011-07-29T21:48:00.002-05:00

This one just made me laugh - playing on the iPad in a cardboard box. Sign of the times, eh?
Today, while I wasn't looking, Lachlan threw away the PB&J sandwich I made him for dinner and insisted he was going to "make his own sandwich". And then he did, ha.
Cleo, in her statue pose. Can't believe how tiny she is. Sweet old lady.
Tonight we went to a family dinner party at Bill's aunt and uncle's house. They have a small pond stocked with fish and L has been dying to try fishing. They also have amazing gardens and I spotted a big yellow butterfly!
Today the photo total was 84, narrowed it the group down to 43.
A few more on Flickr
and lots more Project Life fun on Ali's blog:

Week in the Life: Thursday

2011-07-28T21:39:00.002-05:00

Today I took 52 photos and narrowed it down to 29.
We took a trip to the recycling center and the veterinarian's office.
It was another laid back summer day. I am going out of my way to take more photos per day than I normally would (obviously) and so I am getting photos I really love that I would never have taken otherwise.

Week in the Life: Wednesday

2011-07-27T20:44:00.002-05:00

Today I took 79 photos and narrowed the group down to 38.
We had a low key day, including a trip to the grocery store and a morning play date with L's buddy.
Lachlan tried his first s'more tonight at it was a hit.
Then we lounged on the lawn for a few minutes watching the clouds move and the birds fly by.
Been posting a few more in my Week in the Life set on Flickr.

Hundred's of people are linking up on Ali's daily posts. It's pretty inspiring!

Week in the Life: Tuesday

2011-07-26T21:29:00.006-05:00

Today I took 117 photos and edited them down to 49 to save until I start putting my album together next week.
We went to the Johnson County Fair for a bit today, it was so HOT but fun to see the animals and take a ride on the carousel.

This is a good week to do this project because we don't have much going on outside of the house. I'm trying to finish some projects that have been sitting around halfway done, and getting some corners of the house decluttered and reorganized. Just going with the flow and taking lots and lots of photos.

Week in the Life: Monday

2011-07-25T21:35:00.003-05:00

Today I started (along with many others) to participate Ali Edwards' "Week in the Life" project.
I'm looking forward to capturing a snapshot of our everyday life and our home.
Today I took 120 photos on my point and shoot, many of them duplicates of the same scene. I just edited that group down to 45.
I'll be sharing my five favorite photos at the end of each day this week, then working on putting an album together next week.

L's first preschool experience

2011-07-25T11:42:00.002-05:00

Lachlan and I finished our summer session at Preucil Preschool last week. I taught the 2 Day class, and L attended two days a week in the 5 day classroom with his teachers Tricia and Julie.
Preucil has two classrooms that are joined in the center with a communal art room. I am so thankful it worked out for L to be in the other classroom. I think it is better for him to have his own space and someone other than mom in charge. The first couple days he kept poking his head in and asking to be in my classroom. I realized that he mostly wanted to play with the toys in our room (as opposed to really missing me) so I made sure he had time to play in my classroom before school started.
As expected, he was very comfortable and happy to be at school. Also as expected, he gravitated towards the older boys in the class - a couple who are headed off to kindergarten in August and Helen's visiting son who is in elementary school - and wanted to play whatever they were playing.
He built blocks and made a painting almost every day. He also loved the half hour music class and Helen's theater class after lunch. He's been belting out songs from both every day.
I admit it did take a little more energy than I expected to be the "mom" and the "teacher" at the same time. It also stressed me out that he is still fighting potty training (especially #2) so I had to resist checking up on him every 10 minutes. At the same time, I am so lucky that I get to watch him experience all the social, cognitive, and creative firsts he will have at preschool.
He's looking so grown up, isn't he?

Summer mini-album 2011

2011-07-18T16:36:00.004-05:00

It has been too dang hot in Iowa the past few days to be outside, so I've been alternating between cleaning house and doing a little scrapbooking. I started this mini album a few weeks ago to capture our moments of summer fun. These are a few of my favorite spreads so far:

mini book base from: bananafishstudio
She's on vacation right now but you can also find a great summer mini kit from elisejoy. I always get great mini book inspiration from Elise's blog.

I'm adding in the summer pages from my letterpress calendar by ilee papergoods so that I can still enjoy them.

Adding in papers and stickers from my stash, especially the Playground line by Echo Park. Love love love.

The alphabet stamp set is from Michael's. They have a bunch of mini sets for only $1 each ($1 for the whole alphabet! I picked up... several.)

Printing most of my photos at home with my Epson Picturemate that prints 4"x6" photos and smaller.

This kind of project is fun because I can add one page at a time, or I can do like I did this weekend and do a bunch, catch-up style. Fun to add a little ephemera as well. I'm finding spots for a movie ticket (Super 8 - recommend!), a concert ticket (Huey Lewis & the News - fun but didn't live up to my high expectations) and Lachlan's first baseball game ticket (I-Cubs vs. Memphis Redbirds).

Here's a link to last summer's mini, which I still love.

Lachlan & Kenley photo shoot

2011-07-13T08:46:00.003-05:00

Last week we had another photo shoot with Shelley Haganman to capture a few more photos of Lachlan at age 3 and Kenley at age 1.
We decided to visit a nearby park for a change of scenery and it worked out great! Lachlan got to play while we were busy with Kenley and the shaded, wooded backdrop is so lovely in the photos.
I put together more of my favorites into a photo book on Snapfish. If you'd like to check it out you can see it online here.

Our 4th of July in photos

2011-07-05T15:15:00.004-05:00

making blueberry turnovers for breakfast (inspired by this book, a new favorite)

mmm, fresh blueberry turnovers. recipe

Kenley in her patriotic dress

"seriously, mom? I just want to take a nap, no more photos!"

Sadie getting cozy

hand-stitching my fabric states for the wall hanging I'm making. Gonna take awhile...

Family walk in the afternoon

L's first sparklers

We watched Charlie Brown Christmas (seemed appropriate to Lachlan?) on dvd and the fireworks in Washington, DC on Iptv.

Also, my good intentions for spending the morning of the 4th getting my garden in shape were squashed after about 15 minutes of work. I managed to clumsily step on a sharp garden tool (while barefoot) and puncture my right heel. Ouch! Not a terrible injury but I did make a trip to the doctor's office for a tetanus booster shot today. Lovely.

amid the Hollyhocks

2011-07-03T17:13:00.003-05:00

Hollyhocks are one of my favorite flowers, and I've been admiring a large field of them a few miles from our house. This morning both kids were up with the sun, so I decided to take them on an early morning photo-taking expedition. Kenley was too busy inspecting the cars driving past behind me and her little board book to look at the camera. Lachlan has been photographing things with his toy camera phone this week, so he had to get a few shots of the flowers, too. By the way, the only way I could get the shot of him smiling in the top left photo was to bribe him with the next stop on our adventure - donuts from the grocery store!

We're having a lazy Sunday here, so I've spent some time on the couch with my laptop figuring out how to use Pioneer Woman's free actions in PSE. They are pretty neat, I'm glad I figured it out! I added the "Boost" action to all these Hollyhock photos, and a few more from the morning, which are on Flickr.

Then I used PSE to make this collage of photos. I may print it out and slap it on a 12"x12" piece of cardstock for a simple scrapbook page! The font is Pea Elise Joy and the little frames are from the border lines frame brushes set by Nisa Fiin.

My Boys

2011-07-01T21:35:00.002-05:00

My Boys
Originally uploaded by Kirsten W

I love watching my boys together. It's the best.

Dare 179

a dozen layouts!

2011-06-28T21:10:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I got to spend time with some of my favorite scrapbooking buddies in Des Moines at Walnut Place Retreat Center. The center was so homey and nice. A great setting to catch up with friends and be productive. Even better - it was only 5 minutes from my parents' house, so it was easy for me to come and go when I needed to be with Lachlan and Kenley.

inspired by this page by Kinsey Wilson

On the way home I listened to this episode of the Paperclipping Roundtable featuring Stacy Julian. It definitely inspired me to get the journaling down on the layouts ASAP and put them into my albums today. If you're a scrapbooker and have never read Stacy's book Photo Freedom, I definitely recommend it. She changed the way I think about scrapbooking (along with Ali).

I have organized my layouts into four albums: 1. "Our Daily Life" 2. "Places We Go" (vacations and everyday places) 3. "Celebrations" (includes weddings, showers, holidays, etc) and 4. "Christmas Through the Years" (because I always end up scrapping lots of Christmas pages, and it's fun to have them all in one place). I also have a baby album (birth-age 2) for both Kenley and Lachlan and I've started another album for Lachlan now that he is getting older.

I love Stacy's approach because there's no "getting behind" as there would be in a yearly scrapbook. Do I feel "caught up" on my scrapbooking? No, because there are plenty of photos + stories I want to scrap. But I also feel free to scrap a brand new photo before I scrap an older page on my list (Lachlan's 2nd birthday party for example). I also love my 3 ring American Crafts binder scrapbooks because the pages are easily reordered, and I can mix 8 1/2"x 11" and 12" x 12" pages and even add sleeves of 4"x6" photos.

inspired by this page by Alexa Gill

Now that I'm doing some digital scrapbooking, I can't quite figure out where I want to fit in those pages. One option would be to print the single 12"x12" pages and slide them into my albums alongside the traditional paper pages. Another would be to make a stand-alone photo album at some point featuring all the digital pages. Does anyone out there making paper and digi scrapbook pages have some insight on this topic for me? Thanks! You can see the rest of my pages from the weekend on Flickr.

Kenley's Party: the food & decorations

2011-06-27T14:37:00.006-05:00

Kenley and her great grandmas at the birthday party

I've been wanting to share a few more details from Kenley's party. I should say, "the birthday party brought to you by Pinterest". I went back to my bookmarked ideas and chose my favorites, then made the ones I had time to accomplish. I think it is important to credit where the ideas come from, although I did put my own spin on them. (side note - have you heard about Link With Love? Very cool and important message about making sure artists and other creators get credited properly on the internet.)

I made three decorations for our kitchen/great room to create a festive atmosphere.

I saw this banner by JustAPharmGirl and knew that I wanted to do something similar to showcase a photo from each month of Kenley's life. Another inspiration was this simple banner via The Macs (wow! another awesome 1st birthday party! Wish I would have clicked through sooner to use her time capsule idea and other great party details!)

The light in our great room is not very good, so I took the banner and the vases outside to photograph them.

The vase idea came about when I saw these great bottles at the grocery store a few months ago. I started saving them to use for a decoration. I also had some chalkboard paint, and was inspired by these bottles via Ruthi Auda. I used a paintbrush to paint two coats inside the debossed glass design and then drew the designs with chalk when they dried. The cool thing is that I can erase and reuse these for any theme!

I *loved* this 50 photo decoration by Martha, so I recreated it with B&W photos (2"x3") in the shape of a 1. I printed photos from birth through the current day, then taped them to the wall with masking tape. It is still hanging up today, but I'm planning to take them down soon and put them together in a mini-scrapbook to save.

And now... the food! My grandma made and brought krumkake, a traditional Norwegian dessert. I made chocolate and sprinkle-dipped rice krispie balls (recpie here) and crunchy chocolate peanut butter bites (via Iowa Girl Eats).

I've seen the cake banner around the web in a few places, but I thought this one via Hello Lucky! was sweet & simple, so I made my own version for Kenley's cake. The little pinwheels were saved from her baby shower!

The cake was made using Sophistimom's recipe for all-natural Red Velvet cake. The color comes from beet puree instead of food coloring, and it was delicious! The beets made it moist and dense and a great color, but you could not taste them. It was chocolatey and yummy!

And the rest of the appetizers:
Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips via The Girl Who Ate Everything
Veggie Crudites
homemade jalepeno jelly with cheese and crackers (my sister's contribution)
chips and my favorite fresh salsa
some Suddenly Salad pasta salad with added chicken & tomatoes
and my favorite, the Watermelon and Goat Cheese bites via The Meaning of Pie
(I had some help on those)

Phew! I think that covers it! I know she won't remember her 1st birthday party, but I still enjoyed spending time making these special touches. Someday she can look back at the photos and see what a fun day it was.

Linking up with Motivated Monday over on Be Colorful.

Kenley at 12 months

2011-06-21T16:40:00.002-05:00

Kenley is 1! Yay! You couldn’t be a sweeter baby girl. Everyone comments on your calm and content demeanor. “Doesn’t she ever cry?” You do have your moments when you are tired or hungry, but overall you are just a happy soul.

Last week we had your first birthday party and it was lots of fun! Most of your extended family was at our house to celebrate and you loved all the attention. The same afternoon as your party you finally started to do the army crawl. You are also quite skilled at turning 360° while sitting on your bottom, and you’re getting better at balancing while pulling up and standing.

Your growls and coos have been replaced by sounds that seem more like words every day. “Dada” comes through pretty clearly, and you’ve made the Sss for our dog Sadie and “Ca” for your favorite babysitter Carissa. When you want mama, you usually just grunt at me or make a cute face that I can’t resist.

You’re a great eater and becoming more interested in what the rest of us are eating. You try little bites of all our table food, and still gobble up the fruit and vegetable purees at breakfast and dinner. Now that summer is warming up, you’ve had a couple tastes of ice cream and you are a big fan (who wouldn’t be?). I still nurse you about three times a day – early morning, midday, and before bedtime.

This month we traveled to Decorah for Aunt Bethany’s college graduation. Then we visited Grandma and Papa in Des Moines while Dada was fishing in Canada. You had your first ear infection that week, so we saw the rare “sad and grumpy” Kenley.

Last week you started waving and it is adorable! You do a funny side-to-side hand motion that looks like you are in a parade or beauty pageant. You also love patty-cake and “Kenley is SO big!” You like to play games where we pass things back and forth, and you even played fetch with Wrigley in Des Moines when we visited. Your favorite things to play with are: my car key, an old hacky sack ball, and your rhythm eggs. It is common for you to carry any of them around for hours at a time.

I have been looking over the photos from this past year and reminiscing about the fun we have had. I can’t wait to see what this next year (and all the many more ahead) will bring! Love you!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T12:18:00.003-05:00

Happy Father's Day and thank you to the great dads in my life.
You've taught me so much about love, strength, commitment, courage, kindness, generosity, and fun. Love you!

Kenley's Birthday Party

2011-06-15T10:39:00.002-05:00

This weekend we celebrated Kenley's first birthday with a family party at our house. It was wonderful to have everyone here and Kenley enjoyed being the star of the show. The timing worked out perfectly (sandwiched between her morning and afternoon nap) for a happy girl.
I love this photo of Kenley with her two great grandmas.

She was not too interested in opening presents, but luckily she had plenty of help in that department! The gift opening was fast and furious thanks to L and our two nephews.
I baked a tiny version of the birthday cake for Kenley to use as her "smash cake". She touched it for a minute or two and then went for it. Soon after she seemed upset by the sticky frosting on her hands and traded cake for a crunchy krumkake pastry made by my grandma.
This is about as good as it gets for a family photo these days. Still happy we have it!

More photos from the party are on Flickr.

A run through the sprinkler

2011-06-10T16:40:00.004-05:00

This week I picked up a sprinkler to provide Lachlan with another fun hot weather activity. I love these photos because they capture how much fun he had running and jumping through the water. It was such fun to watch him. Sometimes the simplest things really are the best.
I've been spending all my creative energy this week preparing decorations and a menu for Kenley's first birthday party on Sunday. Be back next week to share! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Check out my Flickr stream for a few fun videos of the kids.

WIP

2011-05-28T12:01:00.002-05:00

As busy I am taking care of two little kids, a house, and teaching part time - I usually have some extracurricular projects in progress. Often they are things I can do with the kids, while they are playing, or while they are sleeping. Here are a few projects I am working on in bits and pieces right now:

Kenley's first tutu! Bethany started this and I'm going to finish it up in time for our family photo shoot on Monday.

The garden... We have a great, big, full sun garden space so I do feel compelled to have a garden (especially after I abandoned it last summer). Our May has been so chilly and rainy that I haven't had a chance to plant it yet. Hoping to get to that this weekend!

Seed starting - I got around to starting a few seeds inside that won't make it out to the garden for several weeks, but judging by my current gardening tardiness, that should work out just fine.

Kenley's baby book - I'm using some PSE, digital scrapbooking templates, photos and my monthly blog write-ups about Kenley to create a baby book for her. I'm planning to print it through Blurb (snatched up a Groupon for their site a couple weeks ago - looking forward to a high quality printed product) after she turns 1. So fun to look back through the photos and put them together with the stories.

Kids' artwork display - I bought 3 11"x14" frames to display some of Lachlan's artwork. Now that I have them hanging together, I decided that I want a bigger statement/impact, so I ordered 6 more and I'm measuring out a grid of 9 frames. They are pretty inexpensive and easy to change out the artwork, so I'm hoping it can become a fun gallery space.

The map project - The artwork in our house has been pretty much the same since we hung it when we moved in 4 years ago. I've been itching to do a little bit of redecorating, and this photo on Pinterest inspired me to start a large fabric USA map to hang in a spot that needs some freshening up. I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew here (the map is 36"x56" and will have 50+ pieces to sew, of course), so I'm determined to work hard to finish it in the next couple weeks before I lose my motivation!

photos taken with the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone

B's graduation

2011-05-24T15:46:00.002-05:00

We took a quick trip to Decorah on Sunday to see my sister Bethany graduate from Luther College. It's always great to be back on campus, and it was wonderful to spend the day with family. I made this digital scrapbooking layout to document some of the fun photos. Papers & template by Robyn Meierotto.

Kenley at 11 months

2011-05-20T14:25:00.003-05:00

Eleven months old! These past couple weeks have brought a change in your looks. You are even taller and looking more like a toddler than a little baby. I notice your maturity in your new crooked smiles, your furrowed brow when you are studying someone or something, and the new ways you are playing. Right now you love to empty containers of their contents, and you love shaking and tapping the rhythm eggs. You enjoy bath time – especially when you get to share it with your big brother. Your love for Sadie and any other dogs continues - you squeal whenever she is around and keep a close eye on her whereabouts. Now that it is warming up, we’re having fun hanging out on a blanket in the grass together.

You are so flexible and can lean all the way forward and suck on your toes. You’re not crawling, but you are getting better at standing and holding on to something. Some days we can’t quite figure out whether you want to be held or left alone, because you want to be moving independently, but you get frustrated when you can’t get where you want to go. You think it is hilarious when people put funny things on top of their heads. I know your most ticklish spot, too, it’s on your back, right between your shoulder blades.

All four front teeth are in now, and we’re thankful for a break in the teething pain. Everyone is sleeping better at night. Most nights you stay in your crib all night long – 7:45 pm – 6:45 am – usually wake once to nurse in the night and then go back to sleep. You just started clapping and continue to sign “more”. I love the wide variety of sounds you make – sometimes it sounds like you are singing. You also know the word “dance” and bounce and wiggle along to the music.

We celebrated your brother’s third birthday this month. I think your favorite part of his party was getting a taste of ice cream. Yum! You had your first Easter with us in Des Moines and we also took a trip up to Mount Vernon for the “Chalk the Walk” festival. I can’t believe your first birthday is only a month away!

Pinterest love

2011-05-18T12:10:00.011-05:00

So are you on Pinterest yet? I know, it's sweeping the blog world. And do we need another place on the internet to suck our time? However - I think it is so inspiring and useful, especially for us creative types. Plus, the man who started graduated from my high school in Des Moines! Cool! They also have a new iPhone app that is excellent. If you're still on the fence - check out some of my favorite boards to follow:

memory keeping by Ali Edwards

I Once Imagined Myself... by Elizabeth

photography to inspire by Lisa Leonard

...keepin' it organized by Julie Beach

ABC Love by Erin Carney

Favorite Places and Spaces by 2 Wheatens

remember by Codi

rainy day to do's by Robyn Ricks Todorovic

color palettes by Robyn Meierotto

Hmm, well I could go on and on. and on! But that's enough to keep you busy for now.

Click here to follow me:

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T21:46:00.002-05:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. We met my in-laws at church Sunday morning, then they came back to have breakfast at our house. I made Joy the Baker's cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread. It was delicious, and fun to make. I even made brown butter for the first time. It wasn't as scary as I thought it would be and it smelled amazing! I also made this Brie and Bacon quiche. It was good, but I probably won't make that again. I like the idea of brie, but not so much the taste. ha!

Bill and Lachlan went out and picked out a balloon and a hanging plant for me. Meanwhile, Kenley napped and I got to make a scrapbook page. This is one of my favorite photos and layouts in a long time.

Later in the afternoon I went to Dick Blick (all by myself!) and spent a gift card. I picked out a new sketchbook and some supplies to start an art journal project.

We played outside on Lachlan's sidewalk chalk city, and went over to Bill's parents' for a pizza dinner.

I'm feeling too sleep-deprived (thanks, Kenley) to put together my thoughts about motherhood and what it all means. But I will say that I'm blessed to be a mother to two precious children and so lucky for the wonderful examples of mothers that I have learned from.

So many wonderful blog posts by and about mothers showed up in my reader this weekend. Here are a few of my favorites:

The Project Girl: My Very First Mother's Day

Memoirs of a Sick Addict: Happy Mother's Day

Soule Mama: On Mama's Day

Under the Sycamore: My Mother's Day gift

Dana Made It: Mother's Day

Red Bird Crafts: Mother (watch the video, it's so lovely)

Red Hot Monkeys: Sidney is one month old

Easter prep

2011-04-23T11:25:00.003-05:00

Our Easter prep has been pretty low key around here, but we did dye a few hard-boiled eggs earlier this week. Lachlan enjoyed watching the eggs change color, and we even tested a little color theory by dipping one in yellow and blue to make green!
It was also a good excuse to use our little egg slicer before we ate them, which is one of L's favorite things.
Yesterday Lachlan insisted that we make more Easter eggs, this time with red dye (vinegar + warm water + food coloring). We used some of my extra sticker letters to decorate the eggs before we dipped them.
I stitched up a little label for Kenley's Easter basket, inspired by the one I made a couple years ago for Lachlan's basket.
Oh, and the Easter Candy Bark! We made it yesterday, then this morning I cut it up into smallish pieces. I have to admit that I hardly even want to eat it, because it looks like sugar overload. Hopefully I can unload it on my family tomorrow!

Wishing you all happy Easter celebrations!

a bunch of new layouts!

2011-04-21T21:05:00.002-05:00

I was able to spend last Saturday scrapping away at the "Get Inspired" event in Des Moines (thanks to grandma and papa's excellent childcare). It was so fun to visit with the other ladies scrapping with me and I got more than a dozen pages done. Yay! These are some of my favorites:

Kenley at 10 months

2011-04-21T15:37:00.000-05:00

Another fun month with you, Kenley! We took a trip to Decorah for Aunt Bethany’s photography exhibit and you were happy to be passed around and held by all the college girls. We also spent a weekend in Des Moines and you spent lots of time with grandma while I scrapbooked and Lachlan played with papa.

You are cracking us all up with the way you hold things between your feet and play with them. Carissa reports that you hold your bottle in your feet when you drink it. Grandma says you should be in the circus!

Still no progress in the crawling department, since you barely tolerate any time on your tummy. You’re always reaching and moving, so we know you think you have places to go – it won’t be long!

After weeks of bulging right under your gums, your first top tooth popped through today! Now you have 3 teeth and we expect the other top front tooth to make an appearance soon.

You still love all kinds of fruit and vegetable purees, but you have started to eat many other solid foods this month. You gobble up yogurt, pasta, Cheerios, peanut butter toast, and one day even a leftover piece of pizza! You are also starting to sign “more” whenever we’re not feeding you as quickly as you desire!

I’m enjoying watching you become more social. You inspect everyone seriously when you first encounter them, but then you are generous with smiles and snuggles. You’ve also been “singing” when we sing to you and during music class. It is so sweet.

Kenley's new dress

2011-04-10T21:21:00.003-05:00

I sewed a dress for Kenley! It's pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Of course, I'm not showing you any detail shots or the wonky back that I will have to alter if she is actually going to wear it, but... it was a good first attempt.

This project started with Dana's great tutorial, then a fun Threadless hoodsie that was stained and getting too small.

I decided to stitch around the colored letters before I added it to the dress for an extra detail.

I used the fabric from my new Mac and Cheese shirt for the dress fabric. I've never really sewed with knit before and I have lots to learn. The yoke part around the top was very frustrating because it curled so much that I couldn't iron it properly or keep it straight. In retrospect, if I had cut the strip against the grain of the fabric instead of with, it probably would have worked better.

I made Kenley do some modeling after her nap. It is still pretty big, and needs a little tweaking, but hopefully she'll have fun toddling around in it this summer.

What's the deal, lady?

Gimmee that camera!

Ok, cheese!

She's not standing on her own yet, but I managed to prop her up well enough to take a quick picture!

Happy 2nd Birthday Sadie!

2011-04-04T16:55:00.004-05:00

You came to us about a year and a half ago, Miss Sadie, and you've been keeping us on our toes ever since. We were thinking about getting a puppy, but your special situation forced us to make a decision quicker than we planned.

I think most people would say that the puppy years are over after 2, but apparently labs have a longer puppy-hood than most breeds. Even so, I can see you maturing in the way you carry yourself and the way you interact with our family. We still have a long way to go in greeting new people *calmly* and approaching other dogs without making them feel anxious.

I'm so glad that you and Lachlan will be able to grow up together. You are gentle with both kids and watch them closely, especially when we are playing outside. Lachlan loves to feed you and take you for walks and especially to set you free from your kennel. Kenley gets so excited to see you and waves her arms like crazy - then usually cries when you leave the area.

Bill gives you a hard time, but he loves it when you slowly creep up until you are sitting up on his lap - all 50 lbs.

We love you, in spite of all the hole-digging, couch-sitting, wire-chewing and craziness you bring to the party. Good girl, Sadie.

Ha! I had forgotten all about the Story of the Frog until I went back looking for photos in my blog archives.

Sadie and the Snow

(p.s. Lachlan suggested we have a robot party for you, but I convinced him that you'd enjoy a new toy more).

So, a funny thing happened on Twitter...

2011-04-04T16:45:00.001-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I was tweeting about what was for dinner (you know, pretty much the thing that everyone makes fun of Twitter about)...
and I was swiftly tweeted back by the Twitter account of @kraftmacncheese. I checked out the link, entered my address (it seemed like a legit website)...
and I received this link from the site to retweet on my account. Then I forgot about the whole thing until...
I received this package in the mail! It had 5 boxes of Mac & Cheese (5 different varieties for our tasting pleasure), the card explaining the #MacJinx, and this hilarious tshirt. Now *that* is some quality internet marketing, if you ask me. The shirt is big enough for me, but I have every intention of reworking it so that L can wear it instead.

Lately

2011-04-01T15:09:00.006-05:00

L insisted on pushing Kenley in the stroller when we went for a walk the other day.

• Feeling a little deja vu after Lachlan had another scary episode of breathing trouble and Kenley's birthmark that ulcerated last year is having some complications again. They are both fine and both issues are under control. Also feeling thankful that they are generally healthy children and we don't face worries about their health on a daily basis.

a few more pages on Flickr

• Made an 8x8 scrapbook with photos and a few words from our spring break trip to Florida. It was a quick book to put together since I kept a simple layout for the pages and repeated it throughout the book. We (especially Lachlan) are enjoying reliving the sunny moments on the beach and family fun.

at least part of the garden will be inspired by this book

• Dreaming about Spring, just like everyone else in Iowa. I bought some seeds and plan to start some of them inside this weekend. The garden has been cleared of last year's overgrown grass and weeds and is ready to be tilled (now to find someone to do the tilling...)

Fun birthday wreath here

• Birthday party planning and started a new pinboard for kids' party inspiration on Pinterest.

• Enjoying some new-to-me blogs like Iowa Girl Eats (now I think I need a donut pan!), Katie Licht (inspiring art journals), and Lisa Leonard (jewelry designer, but I love her all around style).

• On pins and needles waiting to find out when the new iPhone will be released. Rumors are out there that the iPhone 5 won't be coming in June (like previous models), but later in the year. I'm holding out with my shattered screen until I can get the latest & greatest, so come on Apple!

• Browsing my newest craft book Big Little Felt Universe and planning some felt food making. This book is full of adorable felt ideas - and not just food - laptops, camping gear, tools, plants and more. It is quite hilarious and adorable.

Oh, and I downloaded Martha Stewart's egg decorating app. I just couldn't resist. Only $.99!

What have you been up to lately?

Kenley at 9 months

2011-03-21T14:54:00.002-05:00

Kenley, we’ve been joking that you’re going to skip crawling and go straight to walking because you have no interest in being on your tummy at all. Whatever you decide to do is fine with me, because you’re just a pleasure to be around. You are content to sit and play with your toys while we work and play around you. You also love the jumperoo and the exersaucer for standing up and playing.

One big development is that you are doing much better in the “going to sleep” department. Carissa (your babysitter) and I worked on a new routine of reading, rocking and singing and then laying you down in your crib for naptime (one in the morning, one in the afternoon). The first week or so you would fuss and cry for about 15 minutes before falling asleep but now you often just quietly fall asleep on your own. It has made a big difference in the amount you sleep at night, too, although you still wake up once or twice overnight.
I admit that I’ve been a little lazy in introducing new foods this month, but I can tell that you’re ready to branch out into more finger foods. It is fun to watch you reach out and carefully pick up a single Cheerio or other snack. You are definitely interested in eating whenever everyone else is sitting down to eat. I still breastfeed you four or five times a day (including once in the night) but you’re spacing those times out as you eat more solid foods.
When we’re out, people often comment about what a calm and serious baby you are. You really inspect the new people around you. When you are comfortable at home, we hear all sorts of sounds, including your trademark growl and recently mama and dada sounds. Today we were all in bed together and you rolled over and said “dada” straight to your dad, I’m sure of it.

We just got back from a week long spring break trip and you were a super traveler. When we went out to dinner each night, you spent most of the time playing with a spoon and/or a straw. You loved the extra attention from your nana and pop po and cousins and you were interested in feeling the sand and shells on the beach.

At the beach

2011-03-17T11:49:00.000-05:00

WIP - Hipstamatic monthly album

2011-03-06T16:44:00.004-06:00

I love my iPhone (who doesn't?) and one of my favorite apps is the Hipstamatic photo app. I capture many moments from our daily life with this app - A) because I always have my phone with me and B) because it is fun to experiment with the different films, lenses and flashes.
I am not attempting a daily Project Life album this year (like I did in 2010) because I did not get farther than the summer months in that project (although I have good intentions of still completing it, since I did take daily photos through the end of the year). I wanted to come up with a yearlong project that could document our daily lives in a similar way, but in a low-maintenance format.
I have also been learning about digital scrapbooking via a class at Jessica Sprague's website called "Up and Running with Photoshop". I've had PS Elements since last year and I'd like to be able to use it to create projects and pages. I don't have any intention of giving up my favorite paper-scrapping hobby, but I do think digital scrapbooking adds another interesting layer to my memory-keeping.
Using my new (and still quite limited) knowledge of Photoshop Elements, I used a template to create these pages about my favorite Hipstamatic photos from January and February. I plan to make a pair of digital pages at the end of each month, then at the end of the year have them printed in a 8"x8" (or 12x12?) book.

What makes this great is that I have the template and formatting saved on my laptop, so when I want to make a new page, I just have to drop in the photos and text. Easy Peasy.

Here are the supplies I used:
In Stitches Layered Template by Robyn Meierotto
graph paper from this Neutral Paper Pack (part of the supplies from my PSE class)
month stamps are from Robyn's Dated Months and Days 2011 kit
(I also downloaded her Kraft Fun Day kit, it is sooo cute, can't wait to use that!)
font is Constantina

linking up with Be Colorful's "Motivated Monday" again:

Happy Monday everyone!

Kenley at 8 months

2011-02-20T14:18:00.003-06:00

Another month already? Sure enough, you are 8 months old today. Still as cute as ever with those kissable cheeks. Your hair is getting a little bit longer, and last week your two bottom teeth popped through! They still haven’t pushed up enough to catch in a photo, but I can feel them when you decide to bite down while you’re nursing! This month you’ve gone from just starting to sit up to sitting for long periods while you play with your toys. We better not take away whatever toy you have, because it will most likely result in big-time tears!

We’re still getting started on new foods. You’ve had broccoli, squash, carrots, prunes, blueberries and “baby mum mums” this month, but your favorite is still applesauce. It is getting more difficult to spoon-feed you, because you’ve decided that you want to hold the spoon. My solution right now is to use two spoons – one for you and one for me.

You’ve been healthy this month, but you still had to stay at the hospital overnight with me while Lachlan was treated for Bronchiolitis. I’m so thankful that you just went with the flow - that made the whole experience a little less traumatic.

You are still generous with big smiles, but if someone other than mom or dad or Lachlan pick you up or talk to you, you give them a very serious inspection. We love you so much, Kenley!

all 8 months of photos on Flickr

a couple new layouts

2011-02-18T14:24:00.003-06:00

My moments for scrapbooking are few and far between these days, but I recently spent some time (while L was at his first solo playdate!) cleaning my art space, which always inspires me to find time to make something. Two things helped me complete these pages more quickly - first, the Story Matters kits provide fun and coordinating supplies. Then, I found the Get Your Sketch On blog via Cindy and scrapbooking sketches are a good way for me to jumpstart a layout.

journaling - "Now that you're sitting up with support, you've graduated to the ducky tub. You enjoy bath time, but it usually doesn't last long because when you are excited, your feet kick so much that the bathroom is covered in splashes! Kenley @ 6 1/2 months"

the photos on this page were taken with the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone. I love it and use it every day. Mulling over an idea for using those photos in some kind of photo book to document 2011...

journaling - "We had a big blizzard last week that left anywhere from 1" to several feet in our yard. After the sidewalk was shoveled, we had a giant pile by the front door, so Lachlan and I worked together to build a "snow cave". It is just the right size for a bundled up cutie pie"

and by the way the snow cave has completely melted now thanks to our "faux spring" weather this week!

the snowy day

2011-02-02T13:47:00.003-06:00

So glad we can stay warm and dry inside our home on a day like today! Hope you are cozy at home, too. Judging from my views out the window, drifts in our yard range from 1 inch to about 6 feet!

A couple new (finished!) projects

2011-01-31T12:24:00.003-06:00

I've been looking for a large piece of artwork to hang above the bookshelves in Lachlan's room for awhile now. It seemed like an alphabet print would be a good choice and there are so many adorable ones out there!
But before you give me any creative credit at all - I took this idea 100% from this great tutorial on the Studio Calico blog. Isn't it cute? Came together very quickly and easily. I just added a few buttons and stickers to the alpha cards for embellishments. I love how it turned out and Lachlan likes it too. He's really into singing the alphabet right now and can recognize all the letters pretty reliably.

And for Kenley - she's been needing a new hat to keep her cute ears warm. I wanted to crochet one for her, and when I found this owl hat pattern in Inner Hooker's Etsy shop, I knew it was the one. Her instructions were clear and it came together pretty quickly. Isn't it cute? I want to make more!

Lachlan's hospital stay

2011-01-31T11:38:00.002-06:00

Well, we've now added another (rather unpleasant) milestone to our parenting list - first time checking a child into the hospital. One week ago at this time, I had left the doctor's office with Kenley and Lachlan and we were headed to the hospital. He had a cold over the weekend and woke up in the middle of the night crying and complaining over and over that he didn't feel good. We had noticed that he was wheezing some, but I didn't realize how much trouble he was having breathing until we got to the doctor's office. The doctor said L had Bronchiolitis and wanted us to go straight to the hospital so that he could be treated and observed overnight.

At the hospital, he was treated with a nebulizer every hour and showed steady improvement through the afternoon and evening. He was also on a steriod for a few days and we definitely saw some side effects (irritability and hyperactivity, yuck!). Kenley stayed overnight with me in the hospital since she's still breastfeeding often, so it was quite the ordeal. Luckily, both kids were troopers and we only had to stay one night.

Lachlan is much better, although a week later he still has a yucky cough and we're still doing nebulizer treatments before bed and in the morning when he wakes up.

The hospital stay made me so thankful for our normally healthy children. I can't imagine having to visit the hopsital regularly or have extended stays with young kids. We are very lucky.

Kenley at 7 months

2011-01-21T14:09:00.002-06:00

7 months old! Time is flying by! We continue to be delighted by your sunny disposition and sometimes frustrated by your resistance to sleeping. Life is too interesting to sleep through, right? You nap at least 3 times a day, but it still takes much bouncing and coaxing to get you to sleep. Bedtime varies depending on how your naps went during the day. Hopefully next month will bring some more regular sleeping routines and good health, since you've also had your first cold this past week. It is so hard to see you coughing and uncomfortable, but you have been a trooper!

You light up with a big smile whenever one of your favorite people come into view, and you're just starting to be a little wary of "strangers" holding you. You are also very interested in Sadie, our Labrador. You always keep an eye on her when she's in the room, and don't seem to mind the occasional lick across the face. You practice new sounds every day - we're sure you say "hi". We're using some sign language with you: eat, more, puppy, kitty, all done, and diaper change, but you haven't used any signs yet.

You're getting more particular about what toys you want, and you're very interested in what mom and dad and Lachlan are holding. Some favorite things right now are an old tv remote, a metal spoon, and a noisy cow teether that was Aunt Bethany's when she was a baby. You need some support for sitting because you tip over as soon as you get distracted. You are very good a reaching out and grabbing whatever is within arms reach. You are also eating more solid foods. I've been making purees at home, and so far you've had applesauce (your favorite), bananas, peas, sweet potatoes, and pears.

This month held your first Christmas, and for you, it was all about the people. You got to be passed from person to person all through the holiday and all three aunties rocked you to sleep at one time or another. You were interested in the tissue paper and your new teething toys on Christmas morning.

Here's a link to the Flickr set of all 7 months of photos

Santa layout

2011-01-17T15:46:00.003-06:00

This was Lachlan's first year to really think anything about Santa, so I wanted to make sure and record some of the details. The journaling reads:

This was the first year that Lachlan understood a little bit about Santa and anticipated the sleigh pulled by reindeer making a nighttime stop at our home. He didn’t want to talk to Santa’s helpers at the mall (“that Santa not real”) but he did dictate a letter to Santa asking for “a new sketchbook, gum, and something to wear”.

On Christmas Eve, Lachlan got a special video message from Santa, what a treat! Sure enough, Christmas morning we woke to find that Mr. Claus had been down our chimney. Lachlan noticed that “Santa bit off the head!” of the gingerbread boy we left out. We also found that the reindeer had left some carrot “crumbs” outside in the snow.

Santa filled everyone’s stockings with treats, toys, and art supplies, and brought Kenley and Lachlan three gifts each. They each got “something to wear” (shoes), “something to read” (Curious George and Animal Fables), and “something to play with” (a fire station and a spinner toy).

The layout was made with the Story Matters December kit. I'm so loving that kit club. It's pretty much all I use now (besides my extensive stash) when I do get some time to scrapbook. December's kit was extra lovely.

Also, I made some reusable fabric tags to help Santa out with labeling gifts. The tag and Santa image are from Pink Trike Designs and I made them in Photoshop elements, then printed on printable fabric, and sewed them to a red fabric backing. I also added eyelets to the holes and stamped names onto each tag. Yeah, I was doing that on Christmas Eve after the kids went to bed, but now they're done and I can use them every year!

I have a chalkboard wall!

2011-01-15T20:56:00.005-06:00

I have been wanting to paint a chalkboard wall somewhere in our house for so long! I finally got the guts to do it last week and I am so happy! This wall is right off of our kitchen/dining area and is a very high traffic area. I know that a big black wall is a pretty bold statement, but I think it adds some modern flair to our house, and it is totally useable. I'm already enjoying the little bits of 2 year old artwork, and having a calendar that I can add to and change at my whim.

Here are a few of my inspiration photos:

(via HouseObsession)

(via Elsiecake)

(via ali edwards) I chickened out on using the magnetic primer, but that would be very cool.

(via ohdeeoh)

(via Martha)

(via Poppytalk)

I'm linking up to a Blog Party! Well fun! Check it out -

December Daily album

2011-01-02T20:20:00.002-06:00

First of all - Happy New Year!

I wanted to share the December Daily album (inspired by ali edwards) that I made this year. It may seem like just one more thing to add to a busy holiday season, but I really enjoyed working on it. The trick is to keep up with it and add photos and stories every day or every other day. I found that it inspired me to do something a little festive every day, especially now that Lachlan is old enough to anticipate Christmas. Of course, I fell behind around the 15th and spent the last couple days adding photos and memories from our days. I am so glad that I took the time to finish it.

I made it easier on myself by purchasing a book from Elise Blaha. The 4x6" size was very manageable and of course it helps that I have the capability to print photos at home. I added a December calendar page, a Christmas card we received and an "eat" page to the pages Elise put together. I also picked up a few numbers and tags from the living room floor etsy shop for embellishments.

There were 4 envelopes in the kit. I put L's letter to Santa (he dictated and I wrote) in one and a printout of my blog post about the advent calendar in another. In the other two I plan to put letters from me to L & K about my memories of their Christmas' this year. Must get those written this week!

Here are a few of my favorite spreads (the rest are in the Flickr set):

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T21:02:00.002-06:00

We had a great Christmas. My family came over from Des Moines on the 23rd and we had a big dinner. The next day Caeli and Thor had to head to Wisconsin, but there was plenty of time for snuggles with Kenley and playing with Lachlan before they left.

Sadie enjoyed having her buddies here fora visit, too!
We had a low key Christmas Eve - the children's service at church at 5:00, then soup for dinner at home.
Santa visited while we slept and Lachlan thought it was funny that he ate the head off the gingerbread cookie we set out. We also found carrot bites out in the snow that the reindeer left behind!

Kenley and Lachlan both enjoyed opening their gifts Christmas morning. Well, Kenley was more interested in chewing on hers, but Aunt Bethany helped her out.

A big breakfast and some Candyland playing made for a delicious Christmas morning.
Christmas night we went over to the Williamson's for another yummy dinner and more gift opening with the cousins.
Kenley enjoyed all the excitement from her Bumbo seat.

The boys finished up the night with a dance party.
More photos from our Christmas are on Flickr. Hope you had a very Merry Christmas with your loved ones, too.

Kenley at 6 months

2010-12-20T19:18:00.004-06:00

Well, like many people, I'm starting to feel some panic that Christmas is coming too quickly. I have so many things that I need/want to accomplish before the 24th, and I know I will have to let some of them go for lack of time. I'm also trying to prioritize doing fun holiday things with Lachlan and just enjoying being together as a family instead of letting the craziness get to me. So after Kenley finally fell asleep on my chest this afternoon and after eating way too much peppermint bark - I took some time to write about where our sweet little girl is at her half birthday!

It has been a fun month with you, Kenley! You've been making yourself heard with coos, screams, and giggles. It is clear that you are trying to communicate with the rest of us. The smiles come easily and you still kick your feet like crazy whenever you get excited. You want to be up and watching everything that is happening around you. You would rather be sitting in the bouncy seat or up in the Bumbo seat than playing on the floor. Of course, your favorite position is to be held! Now that you are sitting up more, your hair is coming in and getting a little poofy! Every day I kiss your chubby cheeks, admire your long eyelashes, tickle your round belly, and snuggle you as much as possible.

We're still working on finding the best way to get you to nap. You need lots of bouncing and rocking to settle into sleep, then you only nap for a short time. The pacifier helps you fall asleep, but if you're awake, you usually pull it out and inspect it. That's what you do with most toys these days - slowly turn and inspect them and/or chew on them. No teeth popping through yet, but they must be coming soon!

Your diet still consists of mostly breast milk. You nurse every 3-4 hours during the day and a couple times during the night. A couple weeks ago we tried giving you baby oatmeal (single grain with some breast milk mixed in). You did great right away and eat a bowl every night at dinnertime now. Next we tried bananas, but you have mostly been spitting those out. We're excited to start trying more fruits and veggies with you now.

We celebrated your first Thanksgiving with family in both Des Moines and Iowa City. You also got to see your first snowfall this month. You look so cute in the little fuzzy bear coat that's been handed down from your cousins to Lachlan and now to you. Looking forward to seeing what you think of Christmas in a few days!

the Advent calendar!

2010-12-10T14:04:00.005-06:00

Two years ago, I spotted this advent calendar and was inspired to create one for our family. Well, it didn't happen that year, or last Christmas, so I was determined to make it this year. Then I saw that Jill was hosting a handmade advent calendar sew along (based on the same Inchmark project) and it gave me the motivation I needed to get started! I also found lots of inspiration in the Homemade by You Flickr group (especially Katie's gorgeous ornament! And oh, her plush nativity!! Next year...).
I decided that as long as I was making one for us, I would make another for our nephews to enjoy. I set out in early November making all the little felt ornament pairs. I used wool felt (instead of the standard poly felt), which was definitely worth the extra expense since I was making something that I want to keep and use for many years. I also ended up sewing a back layer of felt on each ornament, which made them much sturdier and covered up my stitches.
I embroidered the numbers 1-24 on felt squares, then machine-stitched those squares to the white fabric base. I also sewed the tree and 24 buttons to the white fabric.
For the finishing, I cut a patterned fabric backing and sewed a little label to it that says "made with love by mama, Christmas 2010". Then I sewed the two layers back to back with a red binding around the edge.
I finally finished both calendars earlier this week, so we missed the first week of December, but we will enjoy it until Christmas and for many years to come. I hung it in our great room, right at Lachlan's level, so that he can add another ornament to the tree every morning. I'm so glad that I took the time to complete this project (even though I feel quite behind on the rest of my Christmas preparations!).

pine cone garland

2010-12-05T20:40:00.001-06:00

pine cone mosaic
Originally uploaded by Kirsten W

I've been using all my bits of free time over the last few weeks (including those when I would normally be blogging) to work on a special Christmas decoration/gift/keepsake. That project is almost finished, so I hope to share it here later this week. But until then - here is a pine cone project that Lachlan and I made around Thanksgiving time. First we went on a pine cone hunt in our yard, then we painted and glittered them and I hung some on a ribbon above our kitchen sink. The "rejects" are residing in a glass bowl on our dining room table, and they look lovely, too. It is as simple as can be, but I love how naturally festive they look hanging in our kitchen. Today we put up some other Christmas decorations - it is so much fun to pull out the boxes and rediscover all the pretties!

Kenley at 5 months

2010-11-23T14:11:00.003-06:00

It is clear that you are a social baby, little Kenley. You connect with everyone around you, smiling, cooing, and blowing bubbles. Several people have exclaimed "she's batting her eyes at me" when talking to you, so I think that makes you a flirt! You are also working on some new sounds, including a very loud, shrill scream, and a low growl. Lachlan is still the main attraction for you. When he is in the room, you are always watching him, and he gets laughs from you easily and often.

You are still rolling from back to tummy, but not really the other way yet. It's not for lack of leg strength, though. When you are in your bouncy seat or car seat, you kick them so much that you getting rockin' and rollin'! The chewing and drooling continues and I'm convinced a tooth will pop through any day now. You still sleep pretty well at night, but you are definitely a cat-napper during the day. Sometimes I feel like I spend more time walking and bouncing you to sleep than you actually sleep.

Unfortunately, you're having an issue with your birthmark right now. We've been to see a pediatric dermatologist because it started bleeding (or as they say, "ulcerated"). The doctors are not too concerned, but it sure is hard for us to see you in pain! Luckily, a few smiles and extra snuggles is all it takes to cheer you up again after it is hurting.

You had your first Halloween experience this month. Lachlan suggested that you dress as a baby mermaid, so I sewed a sparkly green tail for you, and stitched a couple felt shells to a onesie for the top. You looked adorable, and were a big hit at my preschool parade at work. Not many people got to see your costume while we were trick-or-treating, since you were all bundled up and sleeping in the stroller.

Halloween fun

2010-11-01T13:28:00.003-05:00

We had a fun Halloween weekend around these parts. Saturday we visited the Iowa City Farmer's Market for the last time this season. It became part of our weekly routine to go have breakfast and wander the market this summer. I know both Lachlan and I will miss it until next year.
After the Farmer's Market, we stopped to visit dada at work and show off Kenley and Lachlan's costumes. Lachlan wanted to be a robot and when I questioned him about the details, he said "a yellow robot, like Plex". So Plex from Yo Gabba Gabba was what we went for. I sewed the costume using black and yellow fleece, some great silver fabric, and heavy duty interfacing to hold the shape. His headpiece was just attached to a headband.

Lachlan also suggested that Kenley should be a baby mermaid. That ended up being a perfect costume to fit into our annual teacher theme at Preucil this year - characters from Peter Pan (I went as Wendy for the Friday parade). I found the perfect green scale fabric, cut it into strips, and sewed them to another piece of green fabric before making the tail with an elastic waist. For the top, I just sewed two felt shells onto a pink onesie. I did contemplate making a mermaid headband of some kind, but ran out of time and motivation for that.

We left our pumpkins uncarved until yesterday, so we worked on cleaning them out and designing and carving them in the afternoon. Lachlan was so funny, he insisted that the smallest pumpkin was his (I had pictured that one as Kenley's) and he wanted it to be "scary" and have a mustache. I had seen the carrot nose somewhere online, so we added that for some additional personality. Kenley observed the whole ordeal from her bouncy seat, which she can really get rocking hard these days.
When trick or treating time rolled around, we met up with our neighbors who have a little boy Lachlan's age and a brand new, two week old baby boy. The boys did a great job knocking on the doors, saying "trick or treat" and "happy halloween" and even "thank you"! They also brought home quite a haul of candy - our neighborhood doesn't have very many trick or treaters, so everyone is very generous with their candy.

Saturday morning

2010-10-23T12:14:00.003-05:00

Sleeping in a bit (my high school self would not have believed it if I said 8 am was sleeping in)... chilly trip to the Farmers Market... dishes, laundry... a little bit of work on Halloween costumes...turning on the heat for the first time...watching Sadie and Lachlan play together, love that they're both finally ready for that...giving my girl some extra snuggles and kisses...