Making Valentines

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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: