The Kitty Pad

Exciting News & Special Announcements!

2011-11-15T07:16:00.000-05:00

I have some exciting news to share: we're moving! After 18+ months of searching for a new home, we finally found one, and are very close to sealing the deal. Hooray!! We will be closing on (and moving into) our new home in approximately 30 days, which puts us right smack in the middle of holiday season. Yikes! Since this will be such a crazy time of year to move, I've decided to do a couple of things. First off, I'm going to be having a sale:

Now through November 29th, everything in both of my shops, The Clever Kitty and The Curly Kitty, will be 30% off!

It's a win-win...you get a great deal, and I have less stuff to pack for our move. Plus, prices will automatically be marked down via Etsy on Sale, so there's no need for a coupon code to receive the discount. Super easy!

Secondly, I've decided that after the sale is over, I am going to be closing both of my Etsy shops for the remainder of the year. It was a tough decision, being that it's one of the busiest times of year for me, but I think it's for the best. I need to spend the month of December focusing on my family and moving into our new home. Once we get settled in, I will be back, and with a new and improved studio space to boot! In the meantime, if you want to read more about house stuff, I started a little blog this summer to document our journey which can be found here.

The Mermaid and Starfish

2011-11-14T07:30:00.000-05:00

with my little starfish & mermaid on halloween

I know that Halloween is long gone by now, but I just realized I never followed up on my post about making costumes for my daughters. Despite my early start, I was still finishing up last minute details the day before Halloween. Always happens, doesn't it?

Anyhow, I was pretty happy with how the mermaid costume turned out, and Little G loved it! And with her being a mermaid, I thought a starfish would be an adorable costume for Baby B. I didn't have a pattern for that one, but thought it would be pretty simple, so I just winged it. So I picked up some bubble velour, which has this nice bumpy texture...perfect for a starfish costume! Then I basically just traced one of her sleepers to get the size and overall shape right, made it look more like a star, added a pointy hood, and voila - starfish! I was going to make an opening for her hands to come out, but she didn't seem to mind them being stuck inside, so I left the sleeves closed at the ends. Which ended up working out great as they kept her hands warm, and she happily chewed on her points all night.

Team Spirit

2011-09-27T14:32:00.000-04:00

red and blue KU baby shoes in the works

Though I'm not much of a sports fan, I know that many, many people are. And those that are most likely have a team that they consider to be their team. Sports fans will watch every game, rooting for their team, dressing in their team's colors. And when they have babies, well, they dress their babies in their team's colors too.

I've had several custom orders for felted baby shoes for sports fans lately. Above is a pair for a KU fan that I'm currently working on. I've also had orders for a couple of other teams:


black and gold for Mizzou


crimson and cream for the Oklahoma Sooners

I also have an order for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the works, which should look very similar to the Mizzou ones above, as their colors are also black and gold. I've been having fun making these little felted shoes for babies of sports fans. It's kind of like a little challenge for me to get just the right colors. And they make such a nice baby shower gift for those families that are really into team sports. Go Team!

New websites!

2011-09-20T15:03:00.000-04:00

For several months now, I have been contemplating redoing my website for The Clever Kitty. I have also been contemplating trying a new host through which I could more easily create and maintain my site. So I've been playing around with Weebly, and I must say, I'm really liking it. They have lots of simple templates to choose from, and I love that you can pretty easily customize them to fit your needs and your design sense. You just need to know a little bit of CSS and/or HTML, which I have kind of picked up over the years just by fiddling around with it. Obviously I don't know enough to actually code my own site from scratch (otherwise I would!), but I can usually figure out how to tweak little things here and there.

Since Weebly looked like it was going to better fit my needs, I decided to just go for it. So my website is officially moved! Of course, it's still kind of a work in progress, but I'm excited about the change, so I wanted to go ahead and share. And I was having so much fun redoing my Clever Kitty website, I decided to make one for The Curly Kitty too. Yay!

Click on the icons below to check out my new sites, then be sure to come back and let me know what you think!

Theme Thursday: Chocolate + Plum

2011-09-08T20:43:00.000-04:00

Plum Truffle Vintage Button Brooch by Callooh Callay

Labor Day has come and gone, so I guess Fall is officially here. Well, technically not for a couple more weeks, but it always feels like Autumn after Labor Day to me. One of my favorite color combinations for Fall this year is chocolate brown and plum. So rich and decadent, and simply gorgeous together! So this week's Thursday Theme is "Chocolate Covered Plum". Enjoy!

Creative Curse

2011-09-06T11:02:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I feel as though I suffer from a Creative Curse: I have far more ideas than I have time to see them out. Sometimes I at least get a start on them, other times they go into what I like to call "the vault", where I will save them for a day when I have more time. I will have more time someday, right? Right???

Of course, part of the problem may just be that I don't manage my time as well as I could. There are often so many distractions and interruptions, not to mention all those times when I sit down to do A, and realize I have to do X,Y, & Z before I can even start A. Or that I'm missing a key supply to work on A, so I have to go to the store to pick up said supply, which leads to...you guessed it, more ideas and more distractions!

So how do I find more time to nurture my creativity?

One thing I have been trying to do is to make sure I have several places to create throughout the house, as well as portable projects that I can bring from room to room. In the living room, I have a little caddy by the corner of the sofa that holds supplies for making little things like barrettes and hair elastics. I do have a corner of another room that's my studio space with my sewing machine (which is currently collecting dust...sigh), and all my yarn and felt, but lately this has been more of a storage area than a work area. I've been keeping a sketchbook upstairs so I can sketch out ideas while my daughter is taking a bath. And I have a little bag that contains my current work in progress so I can quickly grab it and go.

Another thing I try to do is spend creative time with little g. If she wants to paint, then I'll get out my paints or sketchbook. If she wants to cut paper, I'll grab an empty shoe box to decoupage. If she wants to play with play dough...well, actually I usually just play with play dough too. It is pretty fun, after all!

All these things help, but what I wouldn't give for a day of uninterrupted creative time! Such a rarity these days. For those of you who have a busy schedule and are juggling family and work, how do you do to make time for your creativity? How do you balance everything?

Witch, Fairy, Cat, or Mermaid?

2011-09-05T16:29:00.001-04:00

So Little G and I have been talking about what she wants to be for Halloween this year. She has been having trouble deciding, so I suggested we go to Jo-Ann's to look at costume patterns. I was feeling brave this morning, so I decided to take both kids along. As we were scanning the aisles of pumpkins, ghosts, and all things Halloween, and "Let it Snow" was playing in the background...wait, what?? Can't we at least get through Halloween before we are bombarded with Christmas? Yeesh! Way too soon for that, but I digress...

Anyhow, so fortunately Baby B napped nearly the whole time, which made it much easier for Little G and me to look through the costume pattern books. And of course, on every other page she exclaimed, "I want to be that one!" After flipping through the books, we narrowed it down to a few options: witch, fairy, cat, or mermaid. In the end, she decided on the mermaid. So we picked up this pattern:

I think she's hoping that I will also be a mermaid along with her, but I'm not so sure...after all, I wouldn't make nearly as cute of a mermaid as she will!

Since Baby B was still napping, I thought it would be wise to go ahead and pick up the fabrics for the costume too. I like to involve Little G in the process as much as possible, so I let her help pick out fabrics. However, if I left it completely up to her, it would likely end up every color of the rainbow and looking more like a clown than a mermaid, so I tried to guide her a little bit, and gave her a limit of three colors. So we're going with green for the skirt/tail and fins, a sparkly cream/gold for the bodice, and a shimmery pink for the overlay and ruffles around the arms.

I'm not sure when I'll actually get started, but I'm glad to have the shopping part out of the way early. I know it's just now September, but Halloween is not really all that far off, and I don't want to be scrambling to get something together at the last minute. Hopefully since I already have the supplies, I will actually get a head start this year. We'll see how well that works out. :)

Theme Thursday: Stormy Weather

2011-08-24T22:06:00.000-04:00

Seems like we've been getting a lot of thunderstorms here in Maine lately. Depending on the severity of the storm, they can either be soothing (a gentle rain with low, rumbling thunder) or intense (pouring rain with loud crashes of thunder and splashes of lightning). Looks like the latter is in our forecast for the weekend as we have a hurricane on the way. Yikes!

So I made this treasury, inspired by our Stormy Weather:

Stay safe this weekend, everyone!

Inspiration + Hoarding Craft Supplies = New Items!

2011-08-23T10:46:00.000-04:00

When inspiration strikes and I have a new idea for a project, I often find it difficult to focus on anything else. It doesn't seem to matter how many other things are on my to-do list that should take priority over starting something new...that new idea is all I can think about! So over time I have learned to just accept that fact and allow myself to dive right into new projects, even if I have 20 other things waiting to be finished.

This weekend, I had one of those "ah-ha!" inspiration moments:

When I make my felt barrettes and hair elastics, I end up with the lots of little scraps of felt. Being the craft supply hoarder that I am, I've been hanging on to these little bits of felt thinking that surely one day I'll think of some use for them. Well, I'm happy to say that day has arrived! As I was staring at my bag full of these little scraps of felt, I finally got that idea that I had been waiting for. So, I give you the Confetti Felt Necklace:

Here's a close up so you can see the detail better:

And of course I had to make some earrings to match:

I love how these came out, and I'm already excitedly thinking about other color combinations to try. Maybe a firey orange, red and yellow for fall, or maybe more subtle earth tones, orange and black for Halloween, red and lime green or red and white for Christmas...the possibilities are endless!

A fun new item to make, and a way to use up little scraps (which means zero waste of felt!)...this is definitely a win-win. Plus it helps me justify all those other craft supplies I've been hanging on to. Given enough time, I'm sure that someday I will have an idea for how to use them up!

Back to work...

2011-08-22T06:54:00.000-04:00

So my maternity leave recently ended, and I have returned to work part time, which means that baby is now in daycare 3 days a week. Little g was so excited to have her baby sister join her. Though they aren't in the same room, they do get to see each other on occasion throughout the day. The first day baby b was there, she went around excitedly telling everyone, "My baby is here today!". Awww, such a proud big sister...so endearing! These are the little moments that melt my heart and that I will forever cherish.

While the transition from relaxing-being-at-home-with-baby days to getting-both-girls-and-myself-ready-and-out-the-door-rushing-to-work days has been a challenge, we are finally starting to get a routine down. And working part time creates a nice balance between mom-time and work-time. But it has made it difficult to squeeze in time for crafting. And of course, I have more ideas than ever right now! I guess I'll just keep jotting them down with hopes that someday I'll get to each and every one of them. It may take me 30 years, but I bet I'll do it.

Getting in the Mood for Autumn

2011-08-02T11:37:00.008-04:00

I love Autumn. And although I do enjoy Summer, I must confess that by this time of year, I've usually had enough of the hot weather and start getting in the mood for Autumn. Fortunately for me, I get a little taste of all things Fall throughout the Summer while working on Modern Handmade Child. If you're ready to take a little peek into Fall, be sure to check out our Autumn issue, which was just published this week:

I've also been working on some new Fall and Halloween inspired designs in felt hair elastics. Fun! Here's a little sneak peek at what's to come in my Etsy shop this season:

red apple felt hair elastic

acorn felt hair elastic

yellow birch leaf felt hair elastic

pumpkin felt hair elastic

ghost felt hair elastic

So be on the lookout for those soon. And if you have any other designs you'd like to see, please don't hesitate to ask...I love custom orders! :)

Happy Birthday, little g!

2011-07-25T11:25:00.008-04:00

My, my, what a summer it has been! While a bit hectic at times, it has certainly been fun. I must say, I have thoroughly been enjoying my maternity leave, and am a bit sad that it will be ending soon. Time has just been flying by.

We just celebrated little g's 4th birthday. Wow! How did she get to be 4 already?? We hosted our first birthday party with some of her friends from preschool this year, and it was so much fun! I let her help in the planning and creating things for the party, which she really enjoyed. Being summer, I suggested a flower/garden theme, and she loved the idea.

The first thing we did was make the invitations. She finger-painted flowers on the front of the cards, and used a crayon to color stems and grass. Well, some of them had grass...others were left with just a stem, because, as she said, "they were in the snow". It was interesting watching her make these invitations. I could definitely see myself in her as she was creating, wanting to make sure each one was just right.

I thought it would be fun to make some giant tissue paper flowers for the party. I was thinking we would just have them for decorations, but little g had a great idea for them: stick them in the yard to make a flower garden, and all her friends could "pick" them. What a fun idea!

I also wanted to have a couple of games for the kids to play, so I made these cute little ladybug bean bags:

They were fun and easy to make. (You can hop on over to the MHC blog today for a tutorial to make your own ladybug bean bags.) After playing a couple of games with the ladybugs and picking flowers, it was time for lunch, and of course, cake!

All in all, it was a lot of fun, and I'm sure it was the first of many more birthday parties to come. Happy Birthday, little g!

Becoming a Mother Again

2011-05-08T08:47:00.000-04:00

When I wrote the letter from the editor for the Summer issue of Modern Handmade Child, I thought I had a few more weeks of my pregnancy left. As I sat there, with an aching back and swollen feet, feeling fatigued and overwhelmed, I thought to myself, ‘I’m not sure I could do this again’.

Pregnancy can take such a toll on a woman. In some ways, second (and I’m sure subsequent) pregnancies can be easier, as you've been through it before. In other ways, they can be a lot more challenging since you already have another little one(s) to tend to. But all of the difficulties are soon forgotten when you are holding your newborn in your arms. Little did I know that I would be doing just that sooner than I had thought.

We had all of the essentials ready: car seat installed, check. Bassinet set up, check. Stocked up on diapers and wipes, check. Clothes all washed and neatly folded, check.

Physically and emotionally, I was definitely ready. But mentally, I hadn’t quite prepared for the eventuality that the baby could come at any moment. So when my water broke three weeks before the due date, I was in a bit of shock. Many thoughts went racing through my mind...'it can’t be time already’...'do we have everything readyfor baby?’...'she wasn’t supposed to come for three more weeks’. But it didn’t make one bit of difference if I was ready for her arrival or not – she was on her way.

Once I got past the initial shock, the only thing I could do was to accept the reality that I was in fact in labor, and take action. We quickly finished packing our bag for the hospital, and dropped my daughter off at a friend’s house for the night. We arrived at the hospital, and just 2 short hours later, I was holding my baby in my arms.

There is something so magical about holding your baby for the first time. It’s a feeling that is incomparable to anything else in this world, and something that cannot easily be explained to those who have not experienced it. It is especially amazing if you have had a previous birth experience where you were not able to do so, such as I had with my first (she was immediately whisked off to the NICU due to breathing issues, and I was not able to hold her until day 2). So when my second daughter was born healthy and strong, I relished in the fact that I was able to hold her. In fact, I hardly put her down the entire time we were in the hospital!

I’m finding that I’m much more at ease becoming a mother the second time around. Although I’m just a few days postpartum, I already feel like I’m settling into motherhood again, and enjoying our new family of four. I feel calm, relaxed, and confident. As I hold my sweet baby girl, I gaze into her tiny eyes, which are filled with so much curiosity and wonder, and those thoughts about not being able to do this again disolve into ‘I definitely think I could do this again’. So will there be more babies in my future? That remains to be seen. For now, I will cherish this time as a mom to two beautiful girls.

Happy Mother's Day!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

2011-04-12T12:45:00.005-04:00

Lots of changes going on around here. It's hard to believe that in just a few weeks, our little bundle of joy will be here. So exciting!! We were hoping to move to a bigger house before baby's arrival, but unfortunately that did not happen. So we've been busy moving things around, trying to make room for our new addition to the family. One plus is I got to move my workspace into a new room, which sort of forced me to reorganize everything as I set it up in the new room. It's nice to have a fresh start. Here's a peek at me (with my 32-week baby belly!) in my new workspace:

So in addition to preparing for the baby and reorganizing my workspace, I've been super busy with Modern Handmade Child. I've been working hard on the Summer issue, which should be coming out around May 1st. This will be the first issue that I've put together on my own (I previously had a co-editor, but she stepped down), so it has been a bit challenging, but exciting at the same time. So be on the lookout for that in a couple of weeks! If you want to know a bit more about what I do with MHC, you can check out my interview that I did last week.

And lastly, somewhat of a bittersweet change. About 4 1/2 years ago, I started the EtsyKids Team and have been the team leader ever since. After carefully considering everything that I am currently doing, I have decided that it is time to let this one go. It was a difficult decision to make, but I knew that I simply couldn't keep up with everything on my plate with a little one on the way. So I have officially stepped down from being the EtsyKids Team Leader. I'll still be somewhat involved with the team, but at this time I want to focus my attention to my family, MHC, and my Etsy shops. That's certainly plenty to keep me busy!

Theme Thursday: Welcoming in Spring

2011-03-10T07:57:00.002-05:00

with the Helping the Hectic Team!

I recently joined a new Etsy Team for those of us who work and/or go to school in addition to running our Etsy shops. So far, I'm loving it! It's kind of refreshing to be part of a network of individuals who are leading as crazy and hectic of a life as me. Being that we're all in the same, or similar, situations, it's a wonderful place to get support. So I thought I'd show my support to the team by curating a treasury of my teammates from Helping the Hectic:

Such a talented group of artists/crafters! Not to mention the talent of balancing their art/craft with a busy schedule! Way to go, everyone!

Wholesale order: check! New items in my shop: check!

2011-03-08T13:00:00.003-05:00

I've been busily working on a wholesale order the past couple weeks, and I'm happy to say that it is now done and on its way to Canada. Hooray! Here's a look at what I sent:

10 pink and lavender polka dot felted Easter egg rings

10 sets of hand sewn pink and yellow felt Easter egg hair elastics

10 sets of hand sewn yellow chick felt hair elastics

I love seeing big batches of items like this. Makes me feel like I really accomplished something! Here's one last pic of the hair elastics all packaged up and ready to go:

Now that the wholesale order is done, I can start adding some of these lovelies to my Etsy shop. Yay! I've already added one set of the chick hair elastics and one set of the egg hair elastics. More to come soon!

New Items for Spring and Easter!

2011-03-01T13:37:00.006-05:00

After a weekend of more snow, sleet, and rain, it's nice to finally see the sun again today. I realize that being in Maine, it's not likely to really be Spring for awhile yet...after all, we do still have several feet of snow on the ground! But to see the sun shining and hear the birds chirping really puts me in the mood for all things Spring.

So you may remember from my post last week that I had felted some Easter eggs to be made into rings. Here's a peek at how they turned out:

I've also been working on some new hair elastic designs for Spring and Easter, like this sweet little bunny and chick:

and this fun Easter egg:

Today I've been focusing on working on a wholesale order, but be on the lookout for these new designs in my Etsy shop very soon!

Drawing Stars

2011-02-28T06:36:00.001-05:00

One of the greatest things about being a parent is watching you children learn and grow. It can be especially exciting when you help them figure out how to do something on their own, even when it's something as simple as drawing stars. I recently had sort of an 'ah ha!' moment when trying to teach little g how to draw stars. She's gotten quite good at writing some letters, and it occurred to me that an 'A' is very similar to a star. So I suggested she make an 'A' with its arms sticking out, then connect one hand to the opposite foot, and the same with the other hand. Voila! Stars! :D

Freshly Felted!

2011-02-22T16:06:00.006-05:00

I've been so busy with other things lately that it seems like I haven't taken any time to focus on creating in ages. This afternoon I worked on some felting. It felt good to get back into it again (no pun intended). I had two pairs of baby shoes to felt for a custom order, so I thought I'd do a batch of flowers too. Here's a peek at a few of them:

Whenever I felt a big batch of flowers like this, I'm always eager to start making them into rings and hair accessories. But first they must dry!

Also in the batch of felting today were a couple of Easter eggs. One of my wholesale customers put in a special request for some felted Easter egg rings, so I've also been playing around with some ideas for those. Here's a sneak peek at my first attempt:

Of course, I'll have to wait for them to dry and see how they look as rings, but I think they came out pretty good for a first attempt. :)

Fun with Pipe Cleaners

2011-02-21T16:54:00.004-05:00

Due to the holiday, I spent the day at home with little g today. Whenever I have a day at home with her, I am always amazed at the entertainment value of the simplest things. For instance, pipe cleaners. We had a bunch left over from making her butterfly valentines, so today we used them to make some various things, the favorite of which was definitely caterpillars:

These caterpillars, or "callapitters" as she has been calling them, are so easy to make, and quite cute too. All we did was coil a pipe cleaner (or two for a striped effect) around a pencil, slide it off, and glue on some googly eyes. I knew that big package of assorted googly eyes I've been saving for years would come in handy some day!

Making Valentines

2011-02-07T06:50:00.002-05:00

Working at a florist, I knew that as Valentine's Day got closer, I would certainly run out of both time and energy to make Valentines, so I made sure to get a head start this year. And with a week to go until the big day, I'm happy to say that the Valentines for my daughters preschool class have been done for awhile now. It's nice to be ahead of the game for once.

We had a lot of fun making these Valentines together. It was really interesting to watch her drawing the faces on the butterflies. Each one is certainly unique, and I was impressed by the amount of detail she included. While I had been thinking just a face, she decided to draw foreheads, faces, hair, hands, feet, and bellybuttons, among other details, explaining what she was drawing the whole time. For instance, this one she named 'Mr. Orange', and she said she was writing his name:

This one has germs:

Wow, really? Germs? Hmm...maybe that's why this one has its hands in its pockets:

And meanwhile, this one just has a mouthful of blueberries:

It was great to be able to take our time with the Valentines, instead of rushing to finish them on time. Since we had more of a leisurely pace while we were making these, I decided to put together a tutorial for Modern Handmade Child. You can see the full tutorial on the MHC blog today. Enjoy!

Lots of exciting things going on!

2011-01-22T13:47:00.004-05:00

As I am sitting down to type of my first blog post since September, I'm thinking to myself, 'Wow, where did the time go?!?' I've been meaning to get back into blogging for quite some time now, but as I got busier and busier in the fall, it kept getting put on the back burner. But now the craziness of the holidays is past, and I'm starting to get settled back into my regular routine, so I thought I'd give it a go again. Plus I just have too many exciting things going on right now to not stop and take a moment to share them!

First and foremost, exciting news on the family front: I'm pregnant! Baby #2 will be arriving in late May, and we couldn't be more thrilled! It's hard to believe we're already only 4 months away from our new little bundle of joy. I can't wait!

Second, exciting news on the Modern Handmade Child front: we have freshened up our website and now have a blog! We have diligently been working behind the scenes on this project for quite some time now, so I am both excited and a bit relieved that it's finally up and running. Come by and check it out at www.modernhandmadechild.com.

And lastly, as I was looking at the calender the other day, I realized that my 5 year Etsy-versary is tomorrow. Wow!! It seems like just yesterday that I was setting up my shop, and now I'm at the 5 year mark. That's surely a milestone worth celebrating! And what better way to share my joy of 5 years of selling on Etsy than to have a sale! So, starting tomorrow, January 23rd, everything in both my shops (The Clever Kitty and The Curly Kitty) will be 25% off all week long. Hooray! Just enter the coupon code 5years at checkout. Enjoy!

Theme Thursday: Magenta + Marigold

2010-09-16T06:29:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite color combinations right now is magenta and marigold. This striking contrast of two very bold colors reminds me of a warm glowing sunset. As a flower lover, this exquisite photograph of magenta phalaenopsis orchids and orange tulips by Judy Stalus really caught my eye. You can find this and many other beautiful floral photographs in her Etsy shop.

For more magenta and marigold finds from other talented Etsians, check out my treasury below!

click on the image below to view the treasury:

Theme Thursday: Asters

2010-09-09T07:07:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I did a birth flower post, hasn't it? Let's get back to it with September's birth flower, the Aster. This classic Autumn flower got its name from the Greek word for "star", referring to the shape of the flower head. In ancient times, it was believed that the burning of aster leaves would drive away evil snakes. However, in floriography, the aster is a symbol of love, or daintiness. Here's a collection of dainty asters I know you will love!

click on the image below to view the treasury:

New color: Autumn Harvest

2010-09-07T07:12:00.000-04:00

Remember that new variegated yarn from last week? Here's how it turned out:

felted flora janes in autumn harvest

Autumn is certainly in the air up here in Maine, which I am very glad for, as it is by far my favorite season. And I thought the colors in this variegated wool were very fitting for this time of year, so I am calling this new color "Autumn Harvest". More new colors to come soon!

Inventing kisses

2010-09-06T14:33:00.000-04:00

Sometimes three-year-olds can be frustrating. Other times they can be so incredibly sweet, it just makes your heart melt.

One night before bed, little g and I were giving each other eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses. Then suddenly she proclaimed, "I'm going to give you a laga kiss!"

"What's a laga kiss?" I asked.

"It goes like this," she said, as she rubbed her little button nose against my cheek.

Awwww.....

These are the moments that I will cherish forever. ♥

Theme Thursday: Last Splash of Summer

2010-09-02T06:56:00.000-04:00

Usually this time of year in Maine it starts getting cooler, and begins to feel like fall. Not this year! This week has been one of the hottest of the summer, with temperatures in the 90's. To say that I don't particularly like the heat is an understatement - I loathe it. After all, I wouldn't live in Maine if I didn't prefer cold weather to hot. Nevertheless, there are some things about summer I do enjoy. The bright and colorful flowers blooming, the butterflies and bees, the fresh locally grown produce...these are the things I love about summer. So this week, I thought I would share some of the things I do like about the warmer months of the year, with one last splash of summer.

click on the image below to view the treasury:

New colors for Autumn!

2010-08-31T06:55:00.002-04:00

As I am stocking up my Etsy shop for fall, I will be introducing some new colors for all of my felted wool products. One of the new colors will be this great variegated purple/burgundy/rust/green, perfect for Autumn. I haven't really worked with variegated yarns much, so it's interesting to see how the colors end up once they are knit. I'm especially eager to see what these will look like felted! I'm planning to do some felting tomorrow, including a pair of these variegated mary janes, along with poppy red and chocolate brown, and also a pair of high tops in a variegated green/brown/tan. So be on the lookout for these in my Etsy shop either later this week, or early next week.

Another new color I am introducing is this:

I had a difficult time trying to come up with a name for this color, so I turned to my fans on Facebook to get some input. I got a lot of great suggestions, including persimmon, cinnabar, paprika, and pomegranate. In the end, I decided to go with cinnabar for two reasons: 1) after searching google images, cinnabar seemed the closest to the actual color, and 2) it makes me think of cinnamon, which I love! So you can now get these little cinnabar flora janes in my Etsy shop. Hooray!

Theme Thursday: Earthy

2010-08-26T06:38:00.000-04:00

I love making treasuries. So when a fellow Etsy Maine Team member, Ida of Adroit Jewelers, started organizing weekly treasury partners groups, I was happy to jump on board. Each week we make 2 or more treasuries featuring items from the other people in our group. Super fun!

Now that I'm back in the swing of creating treasuries, I thought I would bring back my Theme Thursday and share a fresh new treasury that I've made each week. Prepare to be inspired by the amazing work of many talented Etsians!

This week's theme is earthy. Enjoy!

click on the image below to view the treasury on Etsy:

It's been busy around here!

2010-08-17T13:03:00.000-04:00

I've been super busy lately working on a couple of wholesale orders. The first was for some of my felted baby shoes for a new baby boutique in Spain, Bily Bily Baby. This ended up being kind of a rush order, as she is opening this September, and wanted to have the shoes for her opening. So I ended up pulling a lot of them from my Etsy shop to get them to her in time. I'll be working on restocking in the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime, if you don't see what you're looking for, I am more than happy to take custom orders. Click below to order from my Etsy shop:

felted high top baby shoes

felted flora jane baby shoes

The next order is for a bunch of my felted flower rings and hair elastics. They will be going to Green Planet Parties in Canada. She is in the process of adding some new product lines, and will be re-launching her site soon. So I will be taking advantage of my newly acquired day to myself this week to work on rings and hair elastics. Sure will be nice to have time set aside to work on things like this...maybe I'll actually be able to start going to bed before midnight on occasion again!

Interested in placing a wholesale order? Please contact me for more info.

Seeking Balance

2010-08-16T06:13:00.013-04:00

When you become a mom, you are faced with many choices. For many, one of the most difficult is whether or not you will work outside the home. Sometimes the circumstances in your life decide this choice for you. When my daughter was born, I did not have the option of staying home with her full time; my husband was in school, and I had to return to work so we could pay our bills. Sometimes I look back and wish I could have had more time with her in those early months, but when I see how happy she is at daycare, it makes me happy. And when it comes time to start kindergarten, I am confident she will have no trouble adjusting, and will be excited to go.

Being happy in life is all about finding balance. Doubly so when you are a mom. Things have been very hectic this summer, and I'm realizing that my balancing act needs some work. Between my full-time job and being a mom, not to mention my entrepreneurial adventures, it has been increasingly difficult to squeeze everything in. My stress levels have been rising, and I don't want to be that mom that is always stressed out and overwhelmed. There's a saying - if mom's not happy, no one's happy - and it is so true! I know that the days when I'm feeling particularly stressed are the days when my daughter is also cranky. Negativity breeds negativity. So what can I do to remedy this situation?

My biggest obstacle in life right now is time. And while I would love to quit my full time job and have my daughter go to preschool/daycare part time (so I could both have more time with her and time to focus on Modern Handmade Child and The Clever Kitty), that's simply not an option right now. However, working full time and trying to keep up with these things while caring for my daughter in the evenings and weekends isn't really working either. I know that trying to squeeze everything in it takes away from the quality of time I have with her. And that makes me sad. So for me, for the time being, I've decided that the best thing I can do for myself and my family is to spend one day a week at home (by myself!) to work on my stuff, so that when I do have time with my daughter in the evenings and on the weekends, I can have quality time with her, as I won't be trying to cram all this other stuff in too.

We can try all we want to be that supermom, but when it comes down to it, all we can really do is do the best we can with what we have at any given time. And what's best for one mom may not be the best for another mom. Each mom is unique, and we all must decide for ourselves what is best for us and our children. Sometimes, because of certain circumstances in our lives, the choice we'd most like to make simply isn't possible. In which case we are forced to choose the next best thing. But you know what? Sometimes what we think is the next best thing, actually turns out to be the best thing. ♥

Rediscovering a Medium

2010-06-08T05:43:00.061-04:00

As you've likely noticed, I've been taking a bit of a break from my Etsy shops. It was a tough decision for me to temporarily close them, but I'm glad I did, as it has given me a chance to focus on creating, and not worry about all of the other tasks associated with running a shop. So what have I been creating? Paintings! I hadn't painted in years, but suddenly felt inspired to take it back up again. Fortunately I still had some acrylic paints and brushes packed away, and after a quick trip to the craft store to get some canvases, I was ready to dive in. Also fortunately, my daughter loves to paint too, so we have been spending quite a bit of time every day painting together, which has been wonderful. Here's a little glimpse at some of the paintings I have been working on:

I have been thoroughly enjoying painting again, and can't for the life of me figure out why I ever stopped! I haven't yet decided for sure when I will reopen my Etsy shops, but I will keep you posted. In the meantime, I'm planning to keep painting, and hopefully give silk painting a try again soon too!

Developing Drawing Skills

2010-06-07T06:29:00.008-04:00

Being an artist myself, I find it so exciting to watch my daughter's drawing skills develop. Over the past year, her drawings have evolved from just scribbles, to somewhat identifiable shapes, to quite detailed depictions of people and objects in her life. For example, this portrait she recently drew of my husband:

While he does have more than two hairs on his head, I was pretty impressed with the fact that she included eyebrows and even his goatee! Overall, I thought that was a pretty spectacular drawing until she drew this:

When I asked her what she had drawn, she replied, "A stroller with toes and hands and hair."

Hello blog!

2010-05-29T16:09:00.001-04:00

Dear blog,

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm still here and I haven't forgotten you. I know I haven't been around much this spring, and please believe me when I say it's not because I didn't want to be. I've just had a lot going on, and haven't had time to update you as frequently as I would like. Hopefully that will change this summer.

Sincerely,
Me

PS: Please say hi to my readers for me. :)

New MHC issue + EtsyKids Summer Shopping Guide + a day job = chaos!

2010-05-04T05:40:00.002-04:00

As I'm sitting down to type my first blog post in over a month, I'm realizing that the past month has been kind of a blur. But I thought it important to come post again for a couple of reasons. First, I've spent many a late night working on the summer issue of Modern Handmade Child, and I'm thrilled to announce that after a few technical glitches on Saturday, we published on Sunday! It's filled with lots of fun activities, fashion trends for summer, some easy recipes for cool treats, and much, much more. I'm also super excited to say that my husband contributed a song for this issue, so be sure to check that out - you can download it for free on our website and find the lyrics are on page 73 of the magazine:

Now that the summer issue is all wrapped up, it's time to get busy on the Summer Shopping Guide on the EtsyKids website. I'm hoping to get all of the great new summer stuff up by the end of next week, so stay tuned for that.

Things are also starting to pick up at the florist (there's usually a bit of a lull after Valentine's Day). This week and next are two of the busiest weeks of the year with Mother's Day, proms, and the start of the wedding season. Which brings me to the other reason for this post. I will be putting my Etsy shops in vacation mode for the next two weeks, until hopefully the chaos of my day job and finishing up the EtsyKids shopping guide dies down. I plan to reopen sometime the week of May 17th, and hope to list some new stuff shortly after.

Bye-bye hair!

2010-03-29T05:29:00.003-04:00

I'm not usually one to keep my hair long, as I often find it a bother to deal with. Plus having a toddler who likes to yank on it all the time is, well, just plain annoying. So growing my hair out has been a challenge, and I have been eagerly awaiting the day when it would finally be long enough to cut and donate. Well, I'm excited to say that the day finally arrived!

I was planning to make an appointment for a haircut here in Portland, but hadn't had a chance to yet. So when I was recently visiting family in Kansas City, my mom booked me for a haircut with the stylist I used to go to when I lived there. Perfect!

Since I was planning such a drastic change, I thought it would be a good idea to have my daughter come along to see it. She kept entertained by taking some pictures:

Now on to the cut! This is me before:

Here we go....

Chop, chop!

Ta Da!

My hair is now 10" shorter, and feels about 10 pounds lighter too!
Now I just have to mail it off to donate it. Hooray!

A big thanks to Joe at Lulu's for a fabulous cut! You rock, Joe!! :D

Whew!

2010-03-23T05:42:00.002-04:00

What a whirlwind month this has been! I keep waiting for my life to calm down, and it only seems to be getting more and more hectic. I've been super busy with a couple of side projects, and haven't had much time to devote to my crafting or my blogging the past few weeks. The first was a special mini-issue of Modern Handmade Child celebrating motherhood:

I love this issue, and I'm sure you will too. Be sure to see my article on page 21 about the Etsy Baby Shower.

The other big thing I've been working on is EtsyKids. When I recently returned to work at the florist shop full time, it quickly became increasingly difficult to keep up with everything that I have been doing. The EtsyKids Team has grown so much over the years, and I feel like it's time to get organized, and get lots of help from our amazingly talented team members. So we did a team survey, and I have been sifting through hundreds of thoughtful responses from our members. It's a super important task, and also an incredibly time-consuming one. But the end result (finding a bunch of enthusiastic people to help out with various team related tasks) will definitely be worth it. I guess it's like they sometimes say, things will get worse before they get better. Or in this situation, busier before they get calmer. But when that day finally comes, I will appreciate it even more.

I'm not blogging, I'm just typing text on a screen

2010-03-08T05:36:00.001-05:00

Recently little g has become the queen of euphemisms. It all started when she threw something she wasn't supposed to, and I told her not to throw it. Her reply? "I didn't throw it, I just passed it." From there we moved on to, "I'm not hitting, I'm just patting" and "I'm not biting it, I'm just holding it with my teeth." I know laughing at this behavior will only encourage it, so I do my best to hold back the giggles when she says these things. But today I just couldn't keep from bursting into laughter with the newest euphemism. I was laying on the sofa when she climbed up and sat on my belly and started bouncing. When I told her not to bounce on me, she said, "I'm not bouncing, I'm just sitting up and down."

Florist Friday: Blogging and Facebooking

2010-03-05T05:12:00.002-05:00

At the florist shop where I work, we have decided to expand our online presence. I think this is a great step for us to take, and am very excited about helping out with it. So now in addition to arranging flowers, I now get to blog about them, and post about them on our new page on facebook. How fun is that? So if you've been enjoying my "Florist Friday" posts, be sure to follow our new blog and become a fan of our page on facebook!

Primroses - new design for spring!

2010-03-02T05:39:00.060-05:00

I'm not sure what happened to February. I know it's a short month, but really! I think perhaps I crammed to much into it, because I feel like the entire month was a big chaotic blur. So March is my month to get back on track. One thing I need to do to get back on track is make good on my promise to myself to set aside time each week for creating.

So this week I started working on some new designs that I had in mind for my hand sewn felt flower hair clips. I have a long list of flowers I've been wanting to design, as well as several pages of sketches. So now it's time to fine-tune the designs, make the patterns, and try them out. At the top of my list were primroses. I love primroses...with their vibrant colors, they are such a cheerful sign of spring. And who couldn't use more cheer in their life? So here's a little cheer for you:

I'm quite pleased with how they turned out, and have already made a few, which I will be listing in my Etsy shop very soon!

It's often the simplest things...

2010-03-01T05:39:00.001-05:00

...that bring the most joy to children. After countless hours spent making dolls swing on imaginary swings with my daughter, I decided it was time to bring this activity into reality. After all, if she was this happy with imaginary swings for her dolls, just think how happy she would be to have an actual swing to put them in!

I know that there are doll swings out there, as I have seen them in stores, but rather than go out and spend who knows how much money on a doll swing for a child that already has plentiful toys, I took a look around the house and thought about what we already have that I could use to make one. And when I explained to little g what I was doing, she exclaimed, "Oh! You're making me a swing?!?" in her sweet little voice.

I knew at that moment I had to find a way to make this work. My first idea was to take a doll stroller that she has, and some how attach it to a tension bar in a doorway. I knew we had some old tension rods in the basement, which I thought would be perfect. When the first one I found wasn't quite long enough to fit in our doorway, I looked around to see where else I could put it. I found the perfect spot for it, but it wasn't big enough for the stroller. Hmmm...could I make a swing out of something else for her teensy little dolls?

Of course! All you really need for a swing is something for the doll to sit in and string to attach it to the bar. So I fashioned a couple of swings out of the top of crayon box and a tea box that were headed for the recycling bin anyway. All I did was tie a string around each end of the boxes, then secure the string and cover the boxes with some pretty blue duct tape I had on hand. I tied the other ends of the strings to the tension rod and secured with some more tape. Voila! Two new doll swings, much to the delight of my daughter.

Still determined to turn the doll stroller into a swing, I went back to the basement to search for a longer tension rod. I found one, brought it up and measured it against the doorway. Perfect! Now all I needed was a way to hook the stroller to rod. Aha! Ribbon! I cut two lengths of ribbon, folded over one end on each, and stitched it down to create a loop for the rod to slide through. Then on the other end, I sewed on some velcro so that the ribbon could wrap around the handle of the stroller and attach. Now "Smaller Baby" can have a swing too. And Pingu and Evan and Bobo, and all her other friends.

Sometimes it pays to think outside the box, and use things in a new way. These swings have already provided hours of entertainment, and the best part is, they were completely free!

Theme Thursday: Exquisite Iris

2010-02-24T22:26:00.001-05:00

February is almost over, but there's still time to celebrate the birth flower for this month, the Iris. People have valued the Iris throughout history, with appearances in art as far back as ancient Egyptian times. With its showy flowers in a wide variety of colors, it's certainly fitting that "Iris" is the Greek word for "rainbow". The blues and purples are the most popular, and rightfully so with their striking color. In floriography, the Iris is said to mean faith, hope, wisdom, and valor. Here are some modern day interpretations of this exquisite flower:

A Pansy Purple Iris - Original Oil Painting on Wood by Maria Burd

Iris No. 1 by Art Photos Diana

Purple Popcicle Iris Watercolor by CheyAnne Sexton

Iris Luxury Hand Painted Silk Crepe Scarf by Morgan Silk

Purple Irises fine art reproduction by Leslie Macon

Pink Iris Dichroic Glass Pendant by My Fused Glass

I just snagged a treasury featuring these irises and more! Click here to view it. Expires Saturday at 2:00pm!

Free business couseling for small businesses in Maine

2010-02-23T07:24:00.000-05:00

I first learned of the Maine Women's Business Center at an Etsy Maine Team meeting last fall. One of my fellow members, Laurie Spugnardi, was telling us about the WBC, and how she had been meeting once a month with one of their business counselors, Gretchen Henn, to work on growing her business. At the time, I thought, "Aha! This is exactly what I need". Then the holidays happened, and I got busy, but it has always been in the back of my mind. I finally took the time to contact the WBC, and set up a meeting.

Yesterday, I had my first meeting with Gretchen Henn, and I can see already that this is going to be very helpful. If you are in Maine, and have a small business, I highly recommend taking advantage of this free service. Yep, it's free! In this day and age of the cost of everything skyrocketing, getting a service like this for free is simply unheard of. And there's no limit on how many times you can meet with your business counselor, either. I've already set up another meeting with her in March, and am very much looking forward to it!

Growing, changing, and learning

2010-02-22T04:40:00.051-05:00

Any mom to a 2 1/2 year old knows that it can be a difficult age. Toddlers in this stage are constantly flip-flopping between wanting to gain independence and clinging to you for dear life. Case in point: my daughter. She's going through this phase where she likes to pretend to be a baby. She will be saying "I'm a tiny little baby" and wanting me to rock her. Then not but two minutes later, she will be adamantly demanding "No! Do it by myself!" as I'm trying to help her with something. It's a continual struggle, and takes heaps of patience to wade through.

But each day she gains more independence, and now that she's started preschool, I can see already that she will be growing, changing, and learning new things at a rapid pace. Just this week she has learned to count to 10 on her fingers, and she seems to have picked up a new word: idea. Now everything is "Oh! I have an idea!" and "That would be a good idea!". Such a little grown-up! And adjusting to preschool was nothing to her...when I picked her up at the end of that first day, her teacher said it was like she had been there all along. Thank goodness I have such an adaptable child! Certainly makes it easier on mom. :)

Florist Friday: Wedding show pics, part 3

2010-02-19T04:39:00.083-05:00

The wedding show pics continue this week with orchids! Orchids are among my favorite flowers for weddings. Two of the most popular types of orchids we use are Dendrobiums and Cymbidiums. Dendrobiums most commonly come in shades of whites, pinks, purples, and greens, and Cymbidiums in whites, pinks, greens, and yellows.

Dendrobiums are perfect for cascading style bouquets, with their linear shape and delicate blossoms. This bouquet features three shades of Dendrobiums - deep purple, white, and a variegated purple and white. The orchids are paired with classic white mini calla lilies and loops of variegated lily grass, creating a simple yet elegant look.

A boutonniere of a single white mini calla lily wrapped in variegated lily grass makes a perfect companion to the bouquet:

Cymbidium orchids come in both large and mini varieties. The larger ones make a fantastic focal point to more stylized bouquets. This crescent bouquet features three large Cymbidium blossoms in vibrant lime green with a touch of deep red in the centers. The orchids rest against a contrasting bed of black magic roses and green hypericum berries. Forming the arch of the crescent are exquisite green/burgundy Anthuriums on the left, and burgundy calla lilies on the right.

The smaller Cymbidiums are great for boutonnieres. In this boutonniere, a single green mini Cymbidium is coupled with a deep red rose bud and accented with green hypericum berries and plumosa fern. The stems are then wrapped with a rose petal and gold wire.

Theme Thursday: EtsyKids Spring Shopping Guide Picks

2010-02-18T04:37:00.088-05:00

Wow, what a busy week! I finally feel like I had a chance to catch my breath (and catch up on my sleep!), so now I'm ready toget back into the swing of things. One of the things that has been keeping me extra busy the past couple of weeks is the Spring Shopping Guide for the EtsyKids website. I'm happy to say that I finished it up this week, and in the process, found some great new spring items for kids! Here's a few of my personal favorites from our Spring Shopping Guide:

Pure Wool Beanie with Vintage Button Embellishment by Sheeps Clothing

Pink Flowers with Butterflies Nursery Wall Art by Baby Chick Designs

Apples and Pears Oh My Chenille Bib by Little Butterbeans

Olivia the Pig Twirl Skirt by Noah and Lilah

Boy's Best Friend Creativity Wallet by Ducks in a Row Boutique

Dainty Blooms Headband by Zuzu Girl Handmade

Crochet Octopus Plushy by Meg's Couture

Toddler Overall in Red Apple Dot by Overall Baby

Aqua Flower Minky Blanket by Booger and Tash

Taking a break

2010-02-09T04:41:00.014-05:00

This week is complete chaos - not only Valentine's Day is one of the busiest times of the year for florists, but I'm also trying to finish up the Spring Edition of the A to Z Shopping Guide for the EtsyKids website, as well as get my daughter ready to start preschool next week. Yikes! So needless to say, I won't be blogging much this week.

See you next week! :)

Florist Friday: Wedding show pics, part 2

2010-02-05T04:38:00.089-05:00

Time for more wedding show pics! The vibrant colors of the bouquets in last week's post were hot, hot, hot! This week we'll cool down with some soothing shades of blues and purples.

Looking for that "something blue" for your spring wedding? This bouquet would be perfect! In this hand-tied bouquet, white peonies and tulips are nestled into a bed of blue hydrangea, and are accented with elegant pearl and rhinestone pins. The entire bouquet is collared with sprays of pearls dangling down, and it is wrapped with pale blue satin and silver wire accents.

A nice coordinating boutonniere for this bouquet would be a single white rose tucked into a chic little silver holder with accents of the same pearl sprays that were used around the bouquet.

If blue is not your cup of tea, then perhaps this fresh combination of purple and green will be more to your liking. This bouquet features a cluster of purple anemones surrounded by Picasso calla lilies, which are then surrounded by mini green hydrangeas. This picture doesn't quite do the Picasso calla lilies justice...in person they are very striking. The stems are wrapped with purple satin ribbon, which is held in place by lavender pearl pins with green hypericum berries.

Matching boutonniere of a single Picasso calla lily, accented with green hypericum berries and a galax leaf, and wrapped with purple satin ribbon.

Up next week: cascading orchids and calla lilies, and a funky crescent bouquet!

Theme Thursday: Crocus

2010-02-04T07:52:00.000-05:00

It seems that around this time every year I start to get spring fever. As my eagerness for the fresh blossoms and bright colors of spring grows, I keep peering at my snow covered garden in hopes of catching a glimpse of new buds poking their way through. Crocus are the first thing to pop up in my garden, and are a delightful first sign of spring. I hope I see them soon! Until I can enjoy the real deal, at least I can sit back in my warm cozy house and enjoy looking at these beautiful crocus inspired items:

Harbinger of Spring Print by Artful Magpie

Crocus Flower Fairy by blumenkind

Crocus Business Card Holder Case by Suteki da ne

Crocus Necklace by Something Blue

Hocus Crocus Frit Blend by Frit N Chips

Spring Softly Print by Maleah Matthews

Lots of new stuff going on around here

2010-02-02T04:04:00.004-05:00

So as I had mentioned last week, I've opened a new shop on Etsy, The Curly Kitty. I haven't had much time to start listing my jewelry there yet, as I've been busy with another project (we'll get to that in minute), but I did get everything set up and listed one brooch. I've been working on my photos, and have taken a few, but I want to try out a couple of other things with them as well. I went outside this afternoon to collect some more props for them...you can find lots of interesting things right in your own backyard! Next I just need to set aside time when the lighting is good to take some more shots, and I can list to my hearts content.

So, new shop, new listing...and you may have also noticed a slighlty new look to my blog! I decided to updated the color to fresher springier green. I think it looks quite nice, and am enjoying the change.

Now on to that other project I've been busy with...Modern Handmade Child. We just finished up the spring issue, and I must say, I'm quite proud of it! It's full of wonderfully cheery and springy things, as well as some great ideas for Valentine's Day, and lots of great recipes. So grab a cup of tea, sit back, and enjoy flipping through our spring issue:

We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this issue, and welcome your feedback. Drop us a line anytime at editor@modernhandmadechild.com.

First Faces

2010-02-01T10:06:00.002-05:00

My daughter's drawing skills have taken a huge leap forward in the past couple of weeks. We've gone from indecipherable scribbles (although she could always tell me what she had painted) to completely recognizable faces and even writing a few letters. I will absolutely cherish these first little faces for many years to come.

It's amazing to me how much expression these faces hold. It will be fun to watch her drawing and painting skills grow and change over the coming months, and to look back at these first faces a year from now. I wonder what her drawings will look like then? Only time will tell. :)

Florist Friday: Wedding show pics, part 1

2010-01-29T04:32:00.003-05:00

It's picture time! As I had mentioned in this post, we did a big wedding show a couple of weeks ago. I've got lots of pictures to share, which I will be doing over the next couple of weeks. This week I'm going to start with the most vibrant, colorful bouquets and boutonnieres that I made, so get ready for some eye-popping color!

Spring/Summer

Gerber daisy are quite possibly the most cheerful flower. With their wide array of colors, from soft pastels to super hot pinks and oranges, and their simple yet fun shape, they just seem so happy. And what more joyous occasion than a wedding!

This bouquet of hot pink and orange mini gerber daisies is accented with green hypericum berries for an extra punch of color. This is a really fun bouquet, complete with lime green swirled wire in the centers of the orange gerbers, as well as wrapped around the stems. And of course, there's a matching boutonniere:

Fall

And for those fall weddings, the firey shades of red, orange and yellow are so warm and rich. It's no wonder that autumn is such a popular time of the year for weddings!

This autumn bouquet features golden sunflowers, bright red gerber daisies and roses, circus roses, and orange ranunculus. The dried chinese lanterns and lotus pods give it a touch of natural earthiness. The stems are encased in magnolia leaves, with their soft, velvety back sides exposed, and the gold wire adds a touch of shine.

The coordinating boutonniere features a single miniature sunflower, paired with an orange ranunculus bud. The two are accented with a dried magnolia leaf, then wrapped in a galax leaf and gold wire.

That's all for this week! Be sure to come by next week for a more soothing palate of blues, greens, and purples.

Theme Thursday: Sharing the Love

2010-01-28T21:51:00.001-05:00

As we are wrapping up the spring issue of Modern Handmade Child, I thought I'd take a moment to give a little shout out to some of the gals that have contributed to the issue. We come from different parts of the world and different backgrounds, but the one thing we all have in common is our love of the handmade lifestyle. These talented ladies have been generous to share this love by writing articles for the mag, so for this week's theme, I wanted give back and share the love with you. It's all about the love, baby!

Heart Breaker Bloomers by Rae Gun

Red Handkerchief Bolster Pillows by Studio Rouge

Pretty Girl Clips by Flirty Bird

Baby's 1st Prima Tutu by Tutu Cute and Moore

Sweetheart Toppers by Mary Had a Little Party

Frieda Felt Flower Hair Clip by Linda Dearie

Thanks, ladies!!

Shop Talk Tuesday: and now a surprise for you!

2010-01-26T14:51:00.003-05:00

I've done it. I've been contemplating doing it for awhile now. It's something I've thought long and hard about, weighing the pros and cons, and recently decided to just go for it. What have I done, you ask? I've opened a second Etsy shop, and will be moving all of my swirled wire jewelry there in the coming weeks. I wanted a name that was similar to the name of my main Etsy shop, The Clever Kitty, but with a twist (pun intended). So I present, The Curly Kitty:

Before I move all of the swirled wire brooches, rings, and earrings over into the new shop, I've decided to work on my product photography a bit. Now that they will be in a separate shop, I feel like I have more flexibility in the look of the photos, as I'm not trying to make them fit in with all of my colorful and fun felt stuff. Here's a couple of sneak peeks at the new look:

Be on the lookout for these and more in the new shop soon!

Little surprises of Motherhood

2010-01-25T17:36:00.001-05:00

Being a mom, your life is often full of surprises. Sometimes they're good, sometimes they're not so good, and sometimes they're...well, just plain odd. For instance, when opening a kitchen cabinet to retrieve a pan for cooking dinner, you don't expect to find this:

Baby dolls in the cabinet? Hmm...certainly didn't expect that one! :D

Florist Friday: A dozen roses, half a dozen ways

2010-01-22T07:32:00.000-05:00

Being a florist, it's hard not to think about roses this time of year. We know all to well that Valentine's Day will be here soon, and we will be creating many, many arrangements of one dozen roses. But Valentine roses need not be red, and they need not be arranged in the traditional way. With so many amazingly beautiful varieties of roses available today, and so many different ways you can arrange them, there are plenty of options for those who want to send roses, but don't want to be stuck with the same old same old. So today I'm going to show you half a dozen ways to give a dozen roses, which is really just the tip of the ice berg. Your options are truly only as limited as your imagination.
Sweet Unique is a medium head pink rose with a lighter pink on the outside and a brighter pink on the inside. Here one dozen Sweet Unique roses are arranged in a topiary, complete with polka dot grosgrain bows. Sweet and unique!

Milva is a large, ruffled petal orange rose. Its combination of vibrant color and subtle tones of orange, peach, and a touch of pink make it one of the most stunning roses. Here one dozen Milva roses are tucked down into a large square vase, and sprouting up out of the top along side pussy willows. A perfect hint of spring!

Gelato is a new variety we've discovered at the shop. It was love at first sight! A warm peachy-pink accented with a splatter stripe of cream in it, this rose simply couldn't be any prettier. Here one dozen Gelato roses are nestled into a a bed of plumosa ferns, accented with white birch branches. Delicious!

Circus is one of the most vibrant roses I have seen. With its bright yellow petals tipped in in a lively orange, it really packs a punch of color! Here one dozen Circus roses are arranged in a low dish, accented with gold wire and feathers. Fanciful and fun!

Black Magic is a luxurious deep red rose. Photographs of this rose never quite do it justice. You really have to see it in person to appreciate the velvety texture and the rich dark red of the petals. Here one dozen Black Magic roses are arranged in an upward spiral, which is echoed with silver aluminum wire. Gypsophila (Babies Breath) is nestled in the center, and a handcrafted wire and rhinestone heart dangles from the top. Simply elegant!

Of course, you can always just do the traditional dozen red roses in vase:

But wouldn't you rather give or receive something a little more interesting? I know I would!

Theme Thursday: Snow, Sweet Snow

2010-01-21T07:30:00.002-05:00

We've been getting a lot of snow up here in Maine, and when I look out the window, everything I see is covered in white. It really is quite beautiful. There's something about a fresh layer of snow that makes everything seem so calm and peaceful. Here's some sweet snowy items from my fellow Crafting in Color Teammates:

Polar Bear in a Winter Wonderland by Dina Fragola

Snow Day Adjustable Ring by Polka Dot Pancake

White Blossom Necklace by Embellish Yourself

Little Owl on a Branch Necklace by Glamasaurus

Let it Snow Vial Necklace by Crafty Chick 101

Celebrating 4 years on Etsy

2010-01-19T07:10:00.000-05:00

This Friday marks my four year anniversary of having a shop on Etsy, or as we Etsians like to say, my four year "Etsyversary". When I joined Etsy in 2006, I immediately fell in love with both the marketplace and the community. Although I haven't yet had thousands of sales like some other Etsy shop owners, I still consider my time on Etsy as a success. Etsy has inspired me and given me hope that one day I too will be able to fulfill my entrepreneurial dreams. I've learned a lot about myself, grown considerably since I discovered Etsy 4 years ago, and have made a lot of great friends along the way.

I've taken on a lot of side projects over the years, such as the EtsyKids Team and Modern Handmade Child, and I definitely want to continue those. But I also want to start focusing on my shop more again. Last year things got a little crazy, and I was not able to spend as much time creating new products and updating my Etsy shop as I would have liked. So this year, I'm going to make it more of a priority. I have a whole slew of ideas for projects just waiting to get made, and I can't wait to get started!

In order to make my shop a higher priority again, I'm going set aside a certain time each week that I will focus solely on creating. That means in that segment of time, I will not touch the computer, as it's far too easy to get distracted. I'm also going to start blogging more about what I'm working on, which will hopefully keep me motivated to really be working on something fabulous! So be on the look out for my new "Shop Talk Tuesday" posts. (My past "Toddler Tuesday" posts will be switching to "Mom Mondays"...after all, she won't be a toddler much longer!)

Snow!

2010-01-18T20:47:00.000-05:00

The snow has arrived. We got a foot of it today, and little g was so excited to go out and play in it. After it stopped snowing, that is. She never wants to go outside when it's actually snowing, because she doesn't like the snow hitting her face. Such are the idiosyncrasies of a toddler.

After a good while of outdoor play, I told her it was time to go back inside. And of course her reply was "No, 2 more minutes!", which has been one of her favorite things to say for awhile now. So I give her 2 more minutes, then I tell her that "her 2 minutes is up", to which she now replies "No, 2 minutes is down!" I have to conceal my chuckles at her reply, while also wondering how anyone ever learns the English language. After all, that would seem a perfectly logical response!

Theme Thursday: Hearts of Maine

2010-01-14T07:29:00.000-05:00

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, hearts are popping up everywhere! From soft wool hearts, to dainty metal hearts, and everything in between, there's surely a handmade heart out there for everyone! Here's some of my favorite hearts from the Etsy Maine Team:

Tiny Needle Felted Wool Hearts by Moon Dog Farm

Valentine's Day Vintage Style Wall Decor No. 2 by P's and Q's

Hammered Heart Earrings by Loving Anvil

Labor of Love Vessel by Kreatus

Brooch with Vintage Button and Heart by Quench Metal Works

Click here to see more beautiful hearts from the Etsy Maine Team!

Growing Up

2010-01-12T19:46:00.000-05:00

Since my husband and I recently both had a few days off in a row, I decided to take some time to finally finish editing home videos and creating photo slide shows to make a dvd of my daughter's entire first year. It has been a lot of fun to look back on her early days, and makes me realize how grown up she is already. It seems that nearly everyday now she is reaching new milestones. It's hard to believe that only a year ago she was just learning to talk and communicate. Now she's telling us stories, talking about her day, and even attempting to boss us around!

While all these changes are very exciting, they can be overwhelming at times too. I think we've reached an age where she really finds in more enjoyable to go to daycare than to stay home with me. She definitely benefits not just from the activities at daycare, but also the social time with her friends too. It can be challenging to balance her needs with mine, and to squeeze everything into a day. Especially on a day like today, when I have a lot on my to do list, and she decides she does not need to nap. And it's often too cold these days to play outside for very long, so it's difficult for her to burn off all that extra energy she has. (I can only imagine how much I could do if I had half of the energy of a 2 year old!) Ah, the struggles of motherhood. Here's to hoping for a short winter!

Florist Friday: recovering from the holidays

2010-01-08T07:31:00.000-05:00

Working at a florist can get a little crazy at certain times of the year. December is always a busy time for us, making holiday centerpieces, decorating for parties, and delivering poinsettias. Then January is usually pretty quiet and calm, which can be kind of a downer after the holidays, but it does at least give us a chance to rest up before the Valentine's Day rush hits. And it gives my dry, cracked, pitch-covered, holly-scraped hands a chance to heal just in time to be scraped up by all those rose thorns. Maybe this year we'll get lucky and get roses with very few thorns. We shall see.

In any case, this year we have 3 wedding shows to do in January/early February, so that should keep us busy. I love doing wedding shows, as they give me a chance to really be creative. Our first one is this weekend, so I should have some pics to share soon!

Theme Thursday: Carnations

2010-01-06T22:47:00.001-05:00

January is here, and it's time to showcase the birth flower for this month, the Carnation. Carnations have been cultivated for over 2,000 years, and have a history rich in symbolism and mythology. Each color has a different meaning, red being admiration, white being innocence, and yellow being rejection, to name a few. Pink carnations are perhaps the most significant in that it is believed that they first sprouted up where the Virgin Mary had shed tears as Jesus carried his cross, and they are hold the meaning "I will never forget you" as well as a mother's unending love.

Carnation Organic Flower Ring by Royal Princess

Red and Pink Carnation Toddler Dress by De-De and Delores

Pink Carnation Baby Headband by Pois Doux

Hot Pink Carnations by Dumaop Shop

Flowers are Blooming Headband by Clementine's

Sweetness and Light Fine Art Print by Alice B. Gardens

PS: I know it's not quite Thursday yet, but I just snagged a treasury to featuring these carnations and more! Click here to view it. Expires Friday at 11:00am!

365 Declutter Challenge

2010-01-04T07:32:00.000-05:00

As part of my New Year's resolution to simplify, I'm going to buckle down and focus on decluttering my home. Anyone who has seen my house knows that we have a lot of stuff. And now that we have a child, the stuff seems to be rapidly multiplying! The thought of trying to sort through all of the stuff in our house is pretty overwhelming. So I've decided to tackle it one day at a time, one piece of clutter at a time.

I had been thinking about starting a 365 Declutter Challenge for awhile, the idea being that each day you get rid of at least one piece of clutter. So that's at least 365 things that would be leaving my home over the course of a year. Yay! A couple weeks ago, I thought 'why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?', and started a 365 Declutter group on facebook, where each week I've been posting a different area of the home to work on decluttering. So if you want to declutter your home, feel free to come join us. If we stick with this for an entire year, doing a little bit each day, just think how nice our homes will be for the holidays next year!

Eager for the new year

2009-12-28T00:18:00.000-05:00

As this year draws to a close, I'm looking back and reflecting on all that I've done, but also looking ahead at all that I want to do. I've always been an idea person. I've never had difficulty coming up with ideas. In fact, I have a whole "vault" of ideas that are waiting for their moment to shine. Now that the holiday craziness is over, I'm really looking forward to peering into the vault, and deciding which ideas to focus on in the new year.

I've been living a very full life (perhaps at times a bit too full), and in the coming year I hope to really set some solid priorities, and focus on only the things that are most important to me. Which is difficult for me, as I am usually the type to want to do it all. But I realize that if I keep adding more and more to my plate, at some point the plate will shatter, no longer being able to hold the weight of everything I've put on it, and cause everything to come crashing down. What a mess that would be!

So my resolution for the new year is to simplify my life. Declutter. Focus. Live simply. I'm feeling very upbeat and positive about the year to come, and am very much looking forward to it.

Happy New Year!

Theme Thursday: Midnight Carnival

2009-12-03T07:03:00.000-05:00

Etsy has this really fun thing called Treasury, where you can curate a shopping gallery of items from Etsy sellers. It can be tricky to snag an opening to create a Treasury, as there is a very short time frame when they open up, so you have to be at the right place at the right time. I love making Treasuries, and often will drop whatever I'm working on if there's a chance that I can grab one. Fortunately I was in the right place at the right time this week! I had a lot of fun creating this Midnight Carnival collection, and thought I'd share it here for my Theme Thursday post. Here's a screen shot of it:

You can also view it on Etsy here. Enjoy!

Has it really been...

2009-12-02T21:24:00.001-05:00

a month since I last blogged? My, oh my, where did November go? Oh wait...now I remember: I published the winter issue of Modern Handmade Child, worked extra at the florist shop in preparation for our holiday open house and Thanksgiving, made new items for my Etsy shop (including 4 new hand sewn flower designs), finished up and launched the new EtsyKids website, and traveled for Thanksgiving, not to mention the every day craziness of being a mom to a 2 1/2 year old. No wonder November flew by! But I think I'm finally caught up with everything that got set to the side while I was in the midst of November chaos, and hope to get back on track with blogging too.

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-03T10:59:00.000-05:00

This fall has been very hectic. I've stretched myself just about as far as I can, which means that often things don't get done until the last minute, because, well, I simply don't have time to get started on them early. I've known for quite some time now that I wanted to make my daughter a penguin costume for Halloween, as she has been obsessed with penguins since discovering Pingu. So when did I start this little project? Late last Tuesday night. When did I finish? Early Friday morning before work, so that she could wear it at daycare, as they were planning to do a costume parade with the kids. When I dropped her off with her costume in her bag, I thought, "Gosh, I hope this fits, because I never even tried it on her!"

Fortunately, it did fit her perfectly. And she got to wear it again for her first time trick-or-treating, which was loads of fun! She was a bit tentative at first, going out in the dark to walk around the block. But after the first couple of houses, she got the hang of it. She said "trick or treat" and "Happy Halloween" to everyone. In fact, she's still saying it. She has been talking about it all weekend, and even reenacting the trick-or-treating with her dolls. So cute!

EtsyKids: Santa's Sleigh Ride Team Holiday Sale

2009-11-03T00:29:00.000-05:00

Graphic by Twinkle Star Art

This holiday season, join the EtsyKids Team for a ride in Santa's Sleigh! Starting November 1st through Christmas Eve, participating shops will be sharing the holiday cheer with a shop sale of their choice. Santa will be traveling to each shop to take advantage of these great savings and you can come along and perhaps snag a deal of your own! To help Santa, and so he doesn't get lost, we'll be tracking his journey with a new blog post at each regional stop and highlighting the stores he's visiting.

This week, he's starting his journey in Canada. And those Canucks know how to craft. See for yourself...

Each of my one-of-a-kind hair accessories and finger puppets is 100% handmade. That means hand-cut (no craft punches or die cutters), hand-stitched (no glue), and designed by me.

I'm offering 1 free hair clip (5.00 value) with the purchase of any three clips Let's Shop!

Simple and stylish designs for everyday living.

I'm offering Buy 1 item take 10% off your order, buy 2 items take 15%, buy 3 or more and take 20% off your order (prior to shipping) Let's Shop!

Here you will find quilts, crayon bags, crayon rolls, tea wallets, coasters and eco friendly cloth napkins. Let me help you find the perfect gift!

I'm offering 10% off your total order (prior to shipping) Let's Shop!

Stay tuned, Santa will be visiting a new region on Thursday!

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reposted from: EtsyKids: Santa's Sleigh Ride Team Holiday Sale

It's here! Hooray!!

2009-11-01T14:03:00.001-05:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More winter

The winter issue of Modern Handmade Child has arrived! I am so thrilled with this issue! It's filled to the brim with fantastic articles, crafts, and ideas for the winter and holiday season. So take a peek...I'm sure you'll love it!

Theme Thursday: Modern Handmade Child Staff

2009-10-28T23:35:00.001-04:00

The past couple of weeks have been crazy busy for me, as we've been finishing up the next issue of Modern Handmade Child. This week, I thought I'd give a little shout out to a few of the talented ladies who are working with me on the mag:

Gretchen and I are the co-founders and editors of Modern Handmade Child. She's a very talented illustrator and designer, and her shop is filled with the most adorable artwork, like this print:

Oh Happy Day Print by Chichiboulie

Kristi is a writer for the dwell section, and her shop is full of all things cute and girly, such as this sweet little headband:

Dainty Blooms Headband by Zuzu Girl

Kim is a writer for the play section. She has a background in early education, and makes these wonderful little flipboards:

Educational Flipboard Games Set by Tootsie Bear

Rozzi does sewing tutorials for the magazine, and in her shop you will find sweet little outfits for your little sweet peas, like this darling bowling shirt:

Buster Bee Bowling Shirt by Rozzi's Sweet Peas

Nicole is a writer for the taste section. She makes boo boo cubes, paper party goods, and these fun redesigned crayons:

Lil Scribblers™ by Lil Boo & Co.

The newest addition to our team is Marissa, who will be writing for our 'wear' section. Her shop is full of super cute clothing for babies and toddlers, like these diaper covers:

Garden Lover Ruffle Diaper Cover by Rae Gun

Painting

2009-10-20T11:40:00.000-04:00

Little g loves to paint. And when she paints, boy, does she ever paint!

she paints the table...

she paints her chin...

she paints her hands...

Thank goodness for washable paints!

Customer Appreciation Pic - look at this cutie pie!

2009-10-19T15:23:00.000-04:00

Ashley recently bought some of my felted flower hair elastics for her daughter, and sent me this pic. Isn't she the cutest?? I couldn't resist sharing the photo here. It's so fun to see my items being enjoyed by their recipients. :)

Theme Thursday: Halloween, Part 2

2009-10-15T07:46:00.000-04:00

Been a busy week, so this Thursday's theme is from my post on the Crafting in Color Blog:

If you don't fancy the traditional orange and black color combination for Halloween, perhaps something a little more vampire-esque would suit your taste. Bold reds against deliciously deep blacks make for a striking combination that's sure to quench your thirst for color.

Trick or Treat Candy Necklace from Dina Fragola

Temptress Sugar Scrub from BL Soaps

Team Edward Necklace from Misty Aurora

Gothic Inspired Felted Wool Handbag from Maddy and Me

Mourning Glory Baroque Cameo Necklace from Zombuki

Sparkly Kitty Giant Heart Resin Pendant from divokc

Shades of Fire Bangle Bracelet from Crafty Chick 101

My little pumpkin's growing up!

2009-10-13T14:09:00.000-04:00

This weekend my husband and I took little g to Pumpkin Land. Although she's still a bit young for some of the activities there, she was very excited to see the pumpkins, and play on the slide and swing. Looking at her standing next to my husband by the "How Tall This Fall?" board makes me realize just how much she has grown. At almost three feet tall, she's getting pretty close to half of his height (6'4"). It's hard to believe that not long ago she was still a tiny little baby. I'm pretty sure one day she will be taller than me...I guess then I really will be her "little momma"!

Flower Friday: A study of color, line, and texture

2009-10-09T05:06:00.000-04:00

I love when we get a breather from the usual chaos of working at a flower shop, and I can take the time to create an arrangement that's more of an art piece than a bouquet. It's fun to get a chance to experiment, and try something completely different from the usual dozen roses or pick me up bouquet.

This piece is really a study of color, line, and texture. It all started with the sunflowers...we had a couple of sunflowers that were missing a few petals, so I plucked the rest of the petals out, which leaves you with a wonderful color combination of soft green and dark chocolate brown. I had seen sunflowers used this way at a floral design show before, and was amazed at how beautiful they looked without their petals. To compliment the centers of the sunflowers, I chose a rich brown container, which unfortunately you can't really see in these pictures. I really wanted to stretch the limits of the small container I had picked out, so I opted for these incredible Japanese Fantail Pussy Willow branches that had been sitting around the shop. These are one of my favorite branches to use, because they create such beautiful lines. In order to really highlight the lines, I kept everything else in the arrangement low and close to the container. And remembering a bit of what I had learned from my class over the summer, I made sure to pay careful attention to how the lines looked from every angle.

I chose a Fatsia leaf to cover the base of the arrangement, and folded a couple fingers of it back to reveal the soft green underside which is a perfect match to the edges of the sunflowers. And lastly, I filled in with some beautiful golden Celosia, green Hanging Amaranthus, and some sort of dried pod (not sure what exactly it is), which made for an interesting combination of textures.

Overall, I was very happy with how this piece came out. And I'm looking forward to the next little breather, so that I can experiment more with floral design as art. :)

Theme Thursday: Halloween cuties

2009-10-08T06:43:00.000-04:00

Halloween is such a fun holiday...when else can you dress up like a chicken and not have people look at you like you're crazy? Ok, so maybe you will still get some strange looks, even on Halloween, if you dress up like a chicken. But your kids certainly won't get any strange looks wearing these Halloween cuties!

Cheeky Cheshire Cat Tee from The Trendy Tot

Child's Pumpkin Hat from Oh Baby dotcom

Bony Tot Set from Small Threads

Pirate Girl Tunic and Bloomers from Rae Gun

Boo Fifi Tutu Panty Diaper Cover from Sherbet Baby

Friday Flower: Circus Rose

2009-10-02T21:58:00.000-04:00

With it's bright yellow petals tipped in the most vibrant orange, Circus is an eye-poppingly beautiful rose. Just look at that color! Wowza!! It looks completely fabulous on its own, but it also looks gorgeous with other autumn flowers as in this bouquet:

Hand-tied bouquet of Circus Roses, Flame Calla Lilies, Red Mikado Spray Roses, Viking Poms, Hypericum Berries, and Seeded Eucalyptus

Such beautiful colors for this time of year...I love Autumn weddings. :)

Theme Thursday: Calendula

2009-10-01T07:30:00.000-04:00

October is here, and what better way to celebrate than by showcasing the birth flower, Calendula. With it's vibrant yellowy-orange, Calendula is the perfect flower for October.

Petals - 5x7 Fine Art Photograph by Two Dog Gardens

Pampering Floral Bath Tea from The Pig And The Peacock

Calendula, a flower fairy from Camp Cactus

Natural Calendula, an Herbal Vegan Body Soap from Daisycakes Soap

Orange Calendula officinalis Seed, All Natural, Wisconsin Grown, 1 oz. from beck online

Calendula Vest from trnka

1/2 Pound Dried Calendula Petals from Layla

It's the little things

2009-09-29T07:39:00.000-04:00

My daughter's new favorite word is little. She always talks about her little doll, or her little cup, or her little toothbrush...you get the idea. Then the other day when we were getting ready to go down stairs, she took my hand and with her sweet little voice she said, "Come on little momma". I just about died from the cuteness of it. If anyone else called me "little momma", I'm not sure I'd be too pleased, but coming from her, it was just the sweetest thing. Soon enough she'll be all grown up and the days of her darling toddler vocabulary will be long gone. So for now, I will gladly keep the title of little momma, and will savor every silly little thing she says.

Friday Flower: Zinnia

2009-09-24T22:47:00.000-04:00

Now that we are well into September, the Zinnia crops from our local growers are nearing their end. Farewell to the vibrant Zinnias of summer...I will miss you.

Theme Thursday: Autumn in Maine

2009-09-24T06:27:00.000-04:00

Tuesday marked the first day of Autumn, which has always been my favorite season. The crisp air, the rich warm colors...what's not to love? And since I moved to Maine, I love it even more! There's no better place to be in the Autumn than in New England. And nobody knows it more than Maine artisans. Check out these beautiful Autumn inspired items from my fellow members of the Etsy Maine Team:

Carnelian and Brass Bracelet -- Rolling in Autumn from Folk Art Tree Fandangle

Little Wool House No. 1 from Harvest Textiles

October - Beaded Glass Necklace from Faerie Glass

Dulce de Leche Handmade Encaustic Wax Paint set of 3 from Jamie Ribisi

Set of 5 Wee Needle Felted Pumpkins from Moon Dog Farm

Not your typical 2 year old's dinner request

2009-09-22T18:26:00.000-04:00

As I was preparing dinner tonight, I asked little g if she wanted peas or broccoli. Her reply? "I want both of 'ems". Really? In disbelief, got them both out, showed them to her and asked again. Same reply. Both peas and broccoli? What child is this? I thought 2 year olds were supposed to demand nothing but goldfish crackers for a week straight. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I thank my lucky stars that my daughter likes vegetables and will happily eat a bowl full of peas and a bowl full of broccoli for dinner. Now whether or not it will stay that way remains to be seen. But until she decides she wants "neither of 'ems", I'll keep serving her "both of 'ems".

Friday Flower: Felt?

2009-09-18T06:23:00.000-04:00

My usual Friday featured flower post is going to be a little different today. I'm having a BOGO sale on all of my hair accessories this weekend, and I just found out that my hand sewn felt poppy hair clip is going to be featured in Etsy's Weekend Deals article today. Yippee!!

I'm super duper excited about this, as it is really great exposure. It's been a rough couple of weeks around here with the daycare crisis and all, so it was really nice to get some good news! So be on the lookout for the article on Etsy today, or go sign up to receive the Etsy Finds email, and get it right in your inbox! Now here's a little sampling of goodies that will be on sale in my Etsy shop all weekend long:

Theme Thursday: But No Elephants!

2009-09-17T07:19:00.000-04:00

One book that I have fond memories of reading as a child is "But No Elephants" by Jerry Smath. It's a delightful little tale of a lady, Grandma Tildy, who lives alone in a house. Each day, a pet salesman comes to her door, offering a different pet for sale, and each day her response is the same: "Very well, but no elephants." Until the last day, when the pet man offers an elephant. At first Grandma Tildy refuses to take the elephant, but eventually she takes him in.

When I saw a copy of this book at a local Goodwill, I had to snatch it up! And now it's one of my daughter's favorite books as well. She especially likes the part where the elephant gets stuck in the door. So today's theme is inspired by the animals that are featured in this story:

Yellow Canary Bird Bath Ring from Crea Shines

"I'm Canadien, eh" Knit Beaver Pattern from Pog Knits

Little Pet Turtle Playset from Wish with Me

Red-headed Woodpecker from Sandra Healy

Organic Cotton Fleece Plush Elephant from Wood Pond Designs

When life throws you a curve ball, swing.

2009-09-15T07:18:00.000-04:00

Two and a half years ago, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I knew I would be returning to work and would need child care for my soon to be born baby. I knew I had to start looking early, as many child care providers had waiting lists of 6 months or more. So my husband and I began our quest. We spent a great deal of time researching different child care options. We visited and talked to many child care providers, discussed between us our options and what would be the best possible place for our precious bundle to go when I returned to work.

We found a wonderful daycare that was the perfect blend of center care and home based care. It had the benefits of a larger center, but was in a home, so it wasn't too big, and had a nice warm feel to it. The care givers were all happy, friendly, and loving to the kids, who got to play outside everyday, and did lots of creative projects inside. We knew this would be a good place for our daughter to go.

Of course, when she started, it was a difficult transition for me. But as time went on, I adjusted, and began to see the benefits of her getting exposed to other kids and gaining social experience. She was always happy when I picked her up, and I knew that she was being well taken care of.

And then it happened. A working mother's nightmare. On the Friday afternoon before Labor Day, I went to our daycare to pick up my daughter, and her care giver handed me a note. Judging by the look on her face, I knew this couldn't be good news. I nervously opened the note, which was informing me that the daycare would be closing. In 2 weeks. My first reaction was shock, which was immediately followed by panic. I gave my daughter a big hug, took her by the hand, and walked solemnly to the car. Being the weekend, there was very little I could do start looking for new child care, so I tried to put it out of my mind as much as possible. But the "what if's" kept coming back. "What if we can't find any openings anywhere?" "What if the only places that have openings are not to our liking?" "What if she doesn't transition well to a new environment?" "What if..."

On Tuesday morning, I immediately started calling around, searching for a suitable place for her to go. The first place I got a hold of had openings, so we went to visit it. This was a large daycare center, with many rooms which were completely closed off from each other, and it was lacking that warmth that her old daycare had. There wasn't anything particularly bad about the place, but something just didn't feel right to me. Of course, maybe it was because my daughter clung to my leg the whole time we were there, and didn't let go until we left.

I called several more places, leaving messages, and waiting for them to return my call. What seemed like an eternity later (but was actually later that same day), I finally got a call back from another place. I set up a time to go visit the next afternoon. This one was also a larger center, but when we got there, I instantly loved it. It was bright and warm, very well organized, and my daughter seemed very much at ease there. She even played with the kids a little bit while I talked to the director! In fact, the only problem I could see with this daycare was the fact that they didn't have openings on all of the days I work. But we knew if we didn't snatch up the opening they did have, it would be gone in a matter of hours.

I feel relieved that we found something on such short notice, and I'm actually kind of excited for her to start at the new place. I hope the transition won't be too difficult for her. I think experiencing a change like this may actually be good for her. Hopefully it will help her learn to adapt to new situations, which is a very useful skill to have in life.

Growing, growing, growing...

2009-09-14T13:03:00.000-04:00

I haven't had a haircut in quite some time. I think maybe my last one was sometime this spring, but in all honesty, I really can't remember. It's one of those things that I kept meaning to do, but never got around to. Then it was getting so long that I figured I may as well keep growing it out, so that when I do finally get it cut, I can donate it to Locks of Love. Locks of Love is a wonderful non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children that suffer from long-term medical hair loss. In order for them to be able to use the hair, it must be 10 inches from tip to tip.

I typically prefer to keep my hair short, so it can be a challenge to get it to 10 inches before I chop it off. But I figure if I made it through the summer without cutting it, I can make it a month or two more. And as you can see in the picture, I'm getting close! And yes, I really am planning to go that short! I'm thinking maybe a super short angled bob a la Louise Brooks, but we'll see.

Friday Flower: Milva Rose

2009-09-11T22:12:00.000-04:00

A little late with today's post, but better late than never, right?? For this Friday's featured flower, I thought I would share one of my favorite varieties of roses: Milva. This rose is absolutely gorgeous! Milva is a stunning combination of vibrant color with subtle tones, with a deeper orange center fading out to a lighter edge with just a tinge of pink. Perfect for an autumn wedding!

Bouquet of Milva Roses, red Hypericum berries, and Aspidistra leaves.

Theme Thursday: A little nutty

2009-09-10T06:19:00.000-04:00

There are several oak trees in my neighborhood, and now when my daughter and I go for walks, she always stops to pick up the acorns (the real ones, not the ones I mentioned in this previous blog post). Fall is my favorite season, so I am always happy to see the return of these delightful little first signs of autumn.

Felted Wool Covered Acorn Bowl from Maddy and Me

Out on a Limb - The Last Acorn Necklace from Block Party Press

Autumn Leaves are Falling Mobile from Molly Anne Make

Old Oak Hand-embroidered Brooch from Pippin Designs

Eco-friendly Squirrel Coin Purse from Bird Versus Bird

Six Felted Acorns - Lemon & Lime from Fairy Folk

Mispronunciations at their best and worst

2009-09-08T06:56:00.000-04:00

Young children, as they are learning to communicate, often mispronounce words. Sometimes their errors are simply adorable, and sometimes they are a source of great embarrassment for their parents.

Mispronunciations at their best:
Some mispronunciations are just so darn cute, that you almost hate to correct them. One of my daughter's is "acorns". She has a little bit of eczema, and often gets an itchy rash behind her knees, so we will often put a little cort-aid on them to relieve the itchiness. Now when she starts getting itchy, she asks for "acorns" on her knees.

And at their worst:
Sometimes kids will unknowingly mispronounce a word in a way that is not so nice, like when little g was having trouble with her R's (imagine "fork" and "shirt" without the R's...eep!). She has finally mastered the letter R, but now is struggling with some others. In the morning when I ask her what kind of cereal she wants, she proudly announces, "I want Porn Quakes."

What funny mispronunciations do your kids have?

New look in my Etsy shop

2009-09-07T13:13:00.000-04:00

Etsy shop owners recently got a new tool called 'Rearrange Your Shop', which enables us to move items around in our shops, much like you would do in a brick & mortar shop. I'm really excited about this feature, as it enables me to give my shop a more cohesive look, and also highlight certain items by bringing them to the front page. Kind of like changing the window display!

Since the default view is now 'Custom', which won't necessarily show you the most recent additions to my shop, I have added a section called 'New This Week' where I will list any new items I have added each week. And of course, you still have the option to sort by most recently listed or price.

So come by my shop and check out the new look! My 20% off of your entire purchase weekend deal is still going on today, so why not pick up a little something while you're there? Let me know how you like the new look in the comments here, and I will also give you free shipping. What a deal!

Friday Flower: Orchid

2009-09-04T06:37:00.000-04:00

Exotic. Elegant. Enchanting.

People have been fascinated by the beauty of orchids for thousands of years. Orchidaceae, the family of orchids, is the largest family of flowering plants with nearly 25,000 individual species. The majority of orchid plants today are hybrids of Cymbidium, Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis, and Cattleya. In cut flowers, you will most commonly find Cymbidiums (both large and mini) and Dendrobiums.

At the florist shop where I work, this weekend we have a wedding entirely in orchids. The different varieties of orchids in shades of magenta, pink, and white are a stunning combination. Here's some shots of the bouquets and boutonnieres:

Bride's Bouquet of white Cymbidiums, pink Phalaenopsis, and magenta Dendbrobiums.

Bridesmaid's Bouquet of pink Phalaenopsis and magenta Dendbrobiums.

Boutonnieres of white and magenta Dendbrobiums.

Wrist corsages of white and magenta Dendbrobiums.

Theme Thursday: Apple Picking!

2009-09-03T09:38:00.000-04:00

September is here, and that means so is apple-picking season! If you can't make it out to an apple orchard today, why not "pick" some of these delicious apples?

Red Polka Dot Apple Hairclips from Tizzalicious

"He was different" open edition print from Nicky Bee Shop

Medium zipper pouch - Pomme red from Simbiosis by Julie

Apple Adjustable Wrist Pincushion from Bird Watching

And of course, with all of those apples, you simply must have apple pie!

Adorable Apple Pie Ring from Misty Aurora

Pingu!

2009-09-01T06:09:00.000-04:00

I have always been a lover of claymation. It's an art form that never ceases to amaze me, as I cannot even begin to imagine how much work goes into it. My husband recently discovered Pingu, and little g has been absolutely delighted with this lovable little penguin and his family. Fortunately I have also been delighted! It's so nice when our little ones take a liking to watching something that we don't mind watching ourselves, isn't it?

If you'd like to watch some clips of Pingu, there are loads of them on youtube. Among our favorites are Pingu's Pancakes, Pingu Boogaloo, and Pinga has Hiccups. But as with anything you allow your children to watch, you should always watch it without them first. While most of these Pingu clips are wonderful, there's one called Pingu Dreams that has a somewhat creepy walrus that might be frightening to some. So always preview!

I hope you will enjoy watching Pingu (or "Mingu" as my daughter sweetly mispronounces it) as much as we have.

Getting back in the swing of things

2009-08-30T22:09:00.000-04:00

Those who know me well know that I have a lot on my plate right now. I'm one of those people who loves to have a million things going on all at once...it keeps life interesting. But when you have a lot of different things you do, inevitably, something gets left aside for awhile. It seems that blogging is one of those things which, though I enjoy doing, unless I put it on the schedule, I never get around to it. So I've decided that I would really like to make more time for it, and in order to do this, I need to schedule it in.

I recently received an email from the Crafting in Color team leader, who was looking for volunteers to help out with their blog. They are planning a weekly schedule of posts, for instance, every Monday is Mulit-color Monday. I will be doing Thursdays, which will be Team Theme Thursday. I get to pick a new theme each week, then feature items from Crafting in Color team members that fit that theme. Fun!

This got me thinking, why don't I do a weekly schedule for my own blog too? I don't want to overwhelm myself by setting up a strict regiment of daily posts, but I thought it might be nice to have some themes set up for a couple of days a week to get the blogging flowing again. So here's what I'm going to start with:

Toddler Tuesdays
Theme Thursdays
Flower Fridays

Setting a schedule is the easy part...sticking to it is where the challenge often lies. So I'll start there, and hopefully this will get me back in the swing of things!

Learning about life through floral design

2009-08-17T19:33:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned early this year, I won a scholarship to take a floral design class at teleflora headquarters. The class I decided to take was Creative Edge: East/West Fusion with Hitomi Gilliam. I just returned from the trip last week, and the class was completely amazing! I am thrilled that I got this opportunity to gain experience and grow. I expected to learn a lot about floral design, but this class went far beyond learning a few new techniques - it was learning a new thought process.

There were many things that Hitomi said during the course which at the time were in relation to floral design, but they could easily be applied to virtually anything in life. For instance, she was talking about how sometimes the materials you have may not be exactly what you need to achieve a particular design, but rather than giving up on the design completely, you should try to think of a way to make the materials you have work for the design:

"Nature gives you a lot, but sometimes it doesn't give you the right stuff."

How true is that? I'm sure we all have some little thing that we wish nature would have done differently for us. But instead of being down about not having "the right stuff" and giving up, isn't it better to take what you have, and make it work for you? Don't worry about what you don't have, and make the most of what you do have. So simple, yet so brilliant.

Another time, she was talking about how sometimes you keep trying and trying to make a design work, and it's just not going right:

"If something's not going right, perhaps you're doing it wrong."

It's so easy to to just give up, or to put the blame on someone else (or something else) when things aren't going the way you wish they would. But instead of taking either of these routes, perhaps it's better to take a step back and see what you can do differently to change the way things are going.

Not only was Hitomi full of such tidbits of wisdom, but she is also very clever, and gave many helpful technical tips. The class was truly inspiring! Now I'll leave you with some photos of the lush array of flowers we got to work with:

Premiere issue of mhc out now!

2009-08-05T22:33:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited to announce that the premiere issue of modern handmade child has arrived! It's jam packed full of the latest handmade fashions and decor, as well as crafty tutorials and fun activities you can do with your kids. So take a peek...I'm sure you will love it!

Open publication - Free publishing - More kids

Now I think I'll go do one more happy dance, then go get some much needed rest.

Wondering why I haven't blogged in awhile?

2009-07-19T13:32:00.001-04:00

Because I've been working like mad on this:

Open publication - Free publishing - More kids

Be sure to check for our first issue in August! Yippee!!

Secret peek at the back of a felt mandala

2009-06-22T11:27:00.000-04:00

I've been working on some new felt mandalas recently, and it occurred to me that the back is often quite interesting too, but since the finished product is backed with a second piece of felt, no one else ever gets to see it. So I thought I'd share my latest mandala in progress, and show a little secret peek at what's on the other side.

So here's the latest felt mandala I'm working on, which was inspired by a sunny blue sky day, which has been a rarity this June in Maine:

And here's a secret little peek at what the back of these look like:

Enjoy!