Biking in a blue star shirt!

recycled tree swing

Last summer, we made a trade with a friend. A groovy shirt for a handmade wood swing to hang in the big maple tree in our front yard. It was something I had wanted for a while. Little f loves it and swings on it daily. He has now taken to doing tricks on it, standing up, moving to one rope, hanging off the back and more. Luckily, he has his father's agility!

It is made from an old piece of barnwood, shaped to be large enough for an adult and fairly thick. The rope is still rigged in there, until we get up into the tree to fasten in properly. Then we can hook up the bottom and tie it properly. But it works for now and we love it!

our new handpainted screen door

The story begins a few years ago at an art fair in Frankfort. We met a wonderful woman named Cathy Newstead who had a door like this in her booth. I love it the minute I saw it. While I knew it was out of my price range, I boldly approached and asked if she might be interested in a trade. In return, I offered anything from my booth or my sewing skills for some custom project. She chose both.

Now the interesting thing about trades is this: they always come at just the right time. When Cathy had the door finished, she called to say she had an opportunity to sell it. I was happy to wait for the next one. It took a  bit of time and patience. Once the door arrived here at our house, we realized there were some construction issues with our current door frame. You might be able to tell the door is propped in place here. The door frame needed replacing as it had rotted on the bottom and would not hold a hinge!

So we headed off to Odom with some old doorknobs and other reusable building supplies that I cleaned out of the shed. The door frame we found was just the right size and painted white already! Not only that, but we left with some credit for our next project. Very cool.

We decided to have some friends over for a bonfire that weekend. In another conversation about trading some blackberries from our patch in the backyard, the door project came up. The next day, our friend arrived and helped to install it. It turned out so much better than we ever imagined, with a great story too!

Thank you so much Cathy and John! We love our new door and are very satisfied when we hear that summery sound of a screen door snapping closed. It has transformed the appearance of our home, and we hope it will impart peace both inside and out.

a cottage project - revamped boat seats

Our time at the cottage was so wonderful! When our cousins from Kalamazoo arrived, they brought a boat along. Here's what it looked like after we finished our project. Before this, it was in pretty bad shape, including some moss growing on the foam on the front cushions, but after washing it up a bit we tackled it with a staple gun, a scissor and some new fabric.

Lisa and I will always remember the summer we did this project! Maybe a little on the down and dirty side, but it was fun to let loose and not have to be ultra precise for a change. We enjoyed being on the lake doing something creative, and it ended up looking pretty good, even if I do say so myself!

Here's what it looked like before we started and in progress...

Ah, ready for relaxing on the lake! We all piled in and went for several boat rides. One of the highlights for little f was when we ran out of gas. As he began to panic, an older gentleman walked out onto his dock and hopped in his pontoon boat. He drove out to us and asked where we wanted to go. We tossed him a line and he tied it to his boat. Little f could see the propeller and wake up close, so it was quite exciting for him. And we were all so thankful for that gentleman.

"Why that gentleman help us?" little f asked. That's just what you do when you are on the lake. We all help each other, because we might need someone to help us another time. What a cool way to teach him about paying it forward.

camping in recycled+revamped style

Earlier this summer I went to a women's retreat and camped in our van. It's a 1988 Ford van and it has been decked out with curtains and pockets.  There's a bed in the back and it's just perfect for us right now. Of course, I wore my tunic and hoodie b/c they are so comfy. And for those mornings when my hair is crazy - the hat I made at the recycled hat workshop! What am I holding? The last bit of last year's strawberry jam. Since then I've made a whole new batch.

Where is your favorite place to camp?

{this moment) boating on glen lake

{this moment}

an extraordinary moment that I want to savor and remember

inspired by Amanda Blake Soule at soulemama

Hope you have a wonderful summer weekend! Enjoy the water if you can!

summer swimming in glen lake

Here's what we have been doing. See Sleeping Bear Dunes in the background? We enjoyed a lovely week at the cottage and plan to go back soon with more extended family. We swam even though it was a bit chilly - does that ever stop you when you're little? I remember swimming until our teeth chattered behind our blue lips and someone made us come up on the dock.

I'm so happy little f can go fishing with uncles and cousins, sitting for meals at the picnic table with everyone and play with everyone. We are so very lucky!

This also means a lot less computer time for me, so I'll post when I can... keep sewing and recycling!

glen lake getaway

It was a wonderful escape from the ordinary. We could see Sleeping Bear Dunes in the distance, and enjoyed several sunsets. All the best things were part of our summer vacation - swimming, fishing, boating, reading, eating outside, laughing, yoga, bonfires and family.

Fairy houses made by Uncle Don, who we met last year. He was the oldest living Luebke, and little f was the youngest. These are his handiwork and stand in his memory at our cottage garden.
"The fairies go up the steps and goblins live up here."

We love this place, and the simplicity it holds in it's beauty.

Where do you summer?

summertime studio update...

We have been swimming at the beach with visiting family and are now heading out to the cottage for a couple weeks, so I'll be on vacation!

Here's a little peek at what's been going on my studio, to hold you over until I get back!

Sequins are everywhere this season, it seems. I love how they are becoming more of an everyday thing. This shirt is currently back in my studio for another revamp. I cut off the cowl and cut the neckline more like a tank top and am trying to decide if the stripe should become a racerback, a skinny cowl around the new larger neckline, or just a binding. Any suggestions?

A fun challenge using men's shirts. This one is linen, but it was a medium, and ended up being a little tight, so it's also on my stack to revise...

Another men's shirt challenge. It looks best with a wide belt, up high. I did add some pockets, so I'll try to get a pic of that to show you.

A fun t-shirt tunic, made from the top of a pink dress. The rest of the dress is the bottom of another summer dress with pockets. I'll work that getting that pic too...

embellishing... there was a hole elsewhere on the shirt, so I covered it with a little cashmere heart.

Another long sleeve shirt in progress. I added a cowl neck and am working on pics for my etsy site to sell this one!

{this moment} at the river

Inspired by Amanda Blake Soule at soulemama:

One fabulous moment that I want to savor and remember... 

have a great weekend! I'll be on vacation next week...

{this moment}

inspired by Amanda Blake Soule at soulemama:

One moment from the week that I want to savor.

dog days of summer

Aah, summer is here! We went to our favorite beach in elberta, which is dog-friendly! F brought his snacks in a drawstring bag made from vintage fabric. His sun hat used to be T's shirt. It was a Ben Sherman shirt that T bought in the first week we were dating. T's brother and friend went shopping with us and helped him pick out some new clothes, and he spend hours in the fitting room. Amazing. Good memories, in the past and in the making!

What are you doing this summer?

{this moment)

Inspired by Amanda Blake Soule at soulemama

One photo, without words, of a lovely moment from the week to enjoy and savor.

raspberries by the river

My little boy loves raspberries as much as I do! Good thing that patch in our front yard has been growing almost exponentially for the last couple of years! Now I just hope he leaves some for me...

His shirt is one of my revamped projects, covering up something cutesy with a little wool tree and cardinal.

{this moment}

Inspired by Amanda Blake Soule at soulemama
 

One photo, without words, of a lovely moment from the week to enjoy and savor.

{this moment}

a wonderful wordless tradition inspired by soulemama:

One image of a lovely moment to remember from our week.

raspberry river walk

Summer brings such wonderful gifts, like these juicy snacks, right there on the riverbank as we walk along. Fyn wasn't too sure about the first one, a few days ago, but today, he ate every single one I could pick. After those two handfuls, he still wanted more. We looked and looked, but there were no more to be found.


Usually there are more, but gypsy moth caterpillars ate a lot of the plants this spring. Speaking of caterpillars, we saw this cute little guy today. Luckily, he did not seem the least bit interested in our sweet treasure.

Jones' ice cream in Baldwin!

Ah, summertime! On our drives home from Grand Rapids, we love to stop at Jones' ice cream in Baldwin for some homemade ice cream. Recently, we discovered that both Fyn and I are lactose-intolerant, and will be watching Tommy eat the ice cream from now on, but this moment was worth celebrating.
Fyn's pants are made from my favorite Joel Dewberry faux bois wood grain fabric. I made the pattern from another pair of pants, adding a 3" cuff lining on the inside, so he could wear them longer. Good thing too, b/c when I tried to order more (as I wanted a pair in every size!) it was discontinued! So sad!

summertime at the lake

Remember when everything was new? The first time in the lake, on the boat and the dock - so enchanting. I fell in love my first time, and again as Fyn experienced each of them this summer.