dragon halloween costume made of felted wool sweaters

Happy Halloween!
Roooaaaar!

Last year, a friend helped me out at the last minute and I made Fyn a bat costume, converting a furry one-piece brown outfit. So it's been a year, and I remember so clearly how I felt unprepared for the halloween festivities.

This year, I was inspired. A stack of felted wool sweaters looked like the perfect material. There's also a pile of fleece vests, which are waiting to be made into sweater vests or jackets. So it made sense to use a vest. It's easy to take off and put on as we get in and out of the car, changing diapers, going to the bathroom, eating, etc... The wings are from another etsy artist and the spats are inspired by a friend's blueberry costume.

Is promoting a holiday that's all about candy is a good idea? How can we emphasize the festival atmosphere without it? A friend suggested "the candy fairy" who collects the candy in exchange for a little gift. That leave me wondering, what's the point? Why spend money on candy, go to strangers houses asking them for candy, and then eat this stuff which really isn't very good for our bodies? or throw it away?

Maybe I spend too much time thinking about these things, but it's one of those things that has changed now that I'm a parent!

Now, off to party!

fall farm party and cider press

violet's new (revamped) shirt

Here's a little something I finally finished for my friend's daughter...

collecting sticks for kindling

We're getting ready for winter! The leaves are all golden on the trees, and it's hard to get dry sticks because it's so rainy, but Fyn's a great helper. It's cool how the earth provides for us.

It reminds me of a song that I used to sing as a kid. A friend recently reminded me of it, and I find myself singing it more often now.

It only takes a spark
to get a fire going
and soon all those around
can warm up to it's glowing
that's how it is with God's love
once you've experienced it
you want to sing
it's fresh like spring
You want to pass it on.

Pass the love, please!

svelte handbag update

Here are the reasons my blog hasn't been updated lately... A patchwork diaper bag with changing pad and clutch for my friend Jennifer, who is an interior designer and her little guy, Mac.


It has two big zippered pockets and three more pockets on the other side, along with a hook for keys or a pacifier.

And this gorgeous tote bag, which is going to be a carry-on bag for my friend Michelle. She chose the fabrics, and gave me a kick in the pants, and here it is! It has a zipper at the top and a wide strap that goes over her shoulder or across her body.

I'm working on another one right now that is destined for Chicago... It's called a "city bag".

www.sveltehandbags.etsy.com

nature walk

October is here, and the leaves are changing color and falling to the ground. Our world is a gorgeous, glowing, golden eden. After a great weekend at the Bioneers Conference in Traverse City where we learned about nature journaling, we were anxious to get outside today!





Max came along and helped us find some cool lichen on the fallen trees. Rain drizzled a little, but neither he or Fyn seemed to notice. It's a beautiful day.

handknit legwarmers

We are loving these handknit legwarmers by Melissa at Inish Knits. Fyn loved trying them on and is looking forward to his own pair!

sunshine harvest

Our garden was slow this year, due to the cool weather and light sun. Deer ate most of the tomatoes, and we did get one cucumber. Up for next year, soil amendment.

Found a little shirt dyed orange, and decided it was just what Fyn needed, with a little sunshine added, in yellow twill and orange cross-dyed linen.

earthwork harvest gathering 2009

It was a fun weekend with all our friends, who have become a sweet little traveling community for us. Since the air was cool, I made vests for our friends, like Fyn's acorn vest. It's a fleece vest with sweaters sewn onto it. Sweater sleeves made good armwarmers too.

Fyn wore his favorite turtle pants too.

One of our favorite songs by May Erlewine continues to inspire us.
You've got to shine on...

life change realization and blog delays...

An artist meets a teacher, who is really a writer, finds love and a cozy retreat in the woods.
She flourishes in the relationship, in her new community and in nature. They are so lucky to welcome a baby boy into their family, a miracle really.

All the parents we reviewed as we prepared told us that "It changes everything". We could never have imagined what that really meant. Being in love every day is amazing. It often means that daily things get neglected for the sake of being in each moment. It's like when the guy who is juggling stacks of plates on sticks and playing a harmonica, while riding his bike on a tightrope finishes up his act. Then he goes home to take a nap. Later, there will be time to do it again.

It also changed the stage on which I'm performing this miraculous feat, and now it's a 24 hour show. There's no commute to work, co-workers, desk where I can impose my full control without threat of overstepping boundaries, name that I hear regularly, great outfit to wear or any of that. Or even when not working in the office, there were the uninterrupted blocks of time for tackling projects and making them happen. Funny thing is, now I'm changing too, and striving to do my best each day. One thing I think that will help is to tell myself every day that I have done well, and find the things that were the best and put those things into my mental scrapbook.

And now, back to the studio!

a clean new bib - it's brown!

I could have a whole basket of these in the kitchen...


This bib has turned out to be our favorite. It's brown, so stains don't show. It's made from a towel, so it's soft and absorbent. It ties in the back so it's not too easy to get off. It doubles as a wipe after the meal.


It was my friend's idea. One day Elara came over to sew, and while the little guys were taking a bath, we took turns on this project. A towel went into the wash. A bib was measured for size and length of the ties. Then Elara traced around to make a nice shape on a piece of kraft paper, and cut a bunch of them out of a towel. I used my serger to finish the edges and pulled in the threads with a large needle.

There was enough towel left to get 5-6 little square wipes, maybe 6-8", all different sizes.

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.

creative inspiration

A dear friend passed this quote along to me. I think it was from the Zen of Creativity? It spoke to my very being as I'm working out the transition from full-time artist to full-time mom.

"The signature of artists is not what they do, but in how intense their motivation is to manifest the extraordinary...doing what you do in such a way that you create an emotional field that inspires others...a need to express yourself so much that your well-being is wrapped up in this energy."

and now, Fyn the great, peforming his latest tricks!

pb&j

One of our favorites - homemade strawberry jam, homemade peanut butter and Pleasanton Brick Oven Bread!
The table is an old card table covered in woodgrain contact paper! Red gingham napkins were a wedding gift from T's family.

Tommy's p-nut butter
16 oz blanched peanuts - process in food processor
2T olive oil - add to peanuts, maybe a little more
salt
brown sugar
honey
It takes a while to process, but it will form a ball and roll around in processor. Sometimes I add extra oil when I know it needs to be spreadable, for picnicking!

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.

reusable brown bag for lunch

After seeing oilcloth versions of this classic design on both martha stewart and design*sponge , I chose a waxed canvas, and made it with the seams inside, sewing the top hem last to keep it even. The vintage button and elastic loop closure keep it closed.

recycled+revamped at Reed's Lake Art Festival 2009

It was a hot, sunny day in East Grand Rapids. Thank you to everyone who came out to say hello, and especially those who chose new bags!

Fyn and Uncle Rob helped with the very early morning set-up at 6 am!

My dad came to play with Fyn while we were setting up and tearing down. It was a great Father's Day weekend with my family!

mackinac island lilac festival adventure

Sunset at our campsite, on a little peninsula, just over the bridge.

Fyn learned the sign "boat" the day we rode the ferry!

The lilacs were just starting to bloom, and we enjoyed a picnic under the lilac grove where Tommy proposed to me five years ago!

Biking around the island on rented bikes, I was so thankful for the restrooms midway around!

Who can resist kids at a lemonade stand?