saturday late afternoon we headed down to portsmouth, nh. we walked around, grabbed some espresso and ventured into galleries and stores.
then sunday we prepared for a dinner party with some fabulous friends.
now it's monday. we settle into the work week and our time away. we look forward to coming together each night, celebrating with a lovely dinner and glass of wine. then we work in the studio, creating work inspired by one another.
what did you do on sunday? xoxo
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from the prep to the clean up and everything in between...we love having company.
last night we had some dear friends over for roast chicken and potatoes (clay pots are the BEST) and brussel sprouts.
we listened to billie holiday and sipped wine and felt pretty thankful for being able to share an evening with friends.
xoxo
e
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we rang in the new year with our first official party at the new place. it was mellow and just what we were hoping for.
good friends, good food, good drinks, good music.
we followed it with an annual brunch in town, a long walk, then back home to snuggle in and read while m painted the door.
the snow is piled high outside and it officially feels like winter, although we are already itching for spring and garden plans.
now we're up in the studio. he's working on his latest painting, i'm editing photos. we'll open another bottle of champagne in a bit, sit down at the table and write our plans for the new year. we have many. hopes, dreams, goals...lots of things to manifest. we'll make a big poster of it all for above each of our work desks.
this year has been one of the hardest and one of the best in my entire life. i lost a love that was so dear to me, i lost a home, i gained a love, i gained a home. it's been a wild ride. it took me from a home i so lovingly created to a two room studio with no shower or bathtub (that's right...that galvanized tub was more than just for kicks), a make-shift kitchen with hot water that lasted only 4 minutes at a time, a hot plate and toaster oven, a mini fridge that couldn't even fit a full sized bottle of orange juice. i sold many valuable possessions, some for the money and some just because i had no room for them. i learned the difference between what is important and what really doesn't matter. and the things that are important are few. they are the ones you love. possessions mean nothing.
i found the man i will now marry and a love blossomed in that crazy little place on the river. i showed the little one that in the face of adversary, if you work hard enough and push through the things that could get you down, you can do anything. i started with nothing at the beginning of this year. no money, no home. i worked so hard. she would always say, "Mama, do you remember when this was just an office? And now look...you made it a home."
m is constantly in awe of how i could go from nothing to this. he is always telling me that what i did verged on impossible. i mean, really...how did i do this? how did i go from nothing to buying a church all by myself? but that's what 2012 has been for me. full of hard work that has paid off. in every area of my life.
i'm sad to see it go, but i'm excited for this coming year. the hard work is somewhat behind us. we've arrived. now the fun work begins.
which leads me to my newest project for the year to share with you all. more on that in a bit. we've had 30 days of beauty, a year of choice, and now i've got something else up my sleeve. stay tuned.
happy new year, my friends! xoxo
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we went for our first dip in not only a pond, but the ocean too.
it was chilly, but so wonderful. the sun on our faces, the cool water reminding us that the summer is yet to begin, and we have months of this to enjoy.
then we headed to a big BBQ at a friend's house. their first BBQ there. and it was just perfect.
oh yes, we are most certainly ready for summer.
i've been working so hard...trying to make ends meet. every second of my days are nights are taken up by some kind of work. i like to think of it as a creative challenge.
but it means there really are no rest days; no weekends. just days mixed with fun and play and work and a wee bit of sleep thrown in there too.
it's all worth it-this life we're living. we are happy and having fun and hard workers and able to enjoy all of it. that's all that really matters.
happy monday, friends. hope you're enjoying this long, lovely weekend. xoxo
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We went to a friend's potluck last night. So much fun.
I roller skated. Ate lots of food. Drank some wine. Chatted with friends. Enjoyed the sun (finally!) and sat back after a long day of work.
The little one ran around with friends in between bites of dinner, giggling and skateboarding.
It really was the perfect evening...
What are your weekend plans?!
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Happy Spring!! Just some photos from the last few days. We are enjoying our new wee space here, the wonderful light all day long, and the amazing view of the river.
We've had a stretch of amazingly warm weather...temps in the 80's, which means shorts and sandals, open windows, staying out late to ride bikes and scooter through town, skipping rocks in the river and hunting for heart rocks and sea glass. It's just been unbelievable. What a wonderful way to welcome spring!
Hope you are enjoying your week. What did you do to celebrate the return of spring?
Happy Equinox!!
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lunch with some creative peeps. it was yummy.
i sure am enjoying this view. it's just gorgeous. the sunset last night was beyond amazing.
monday i had the pleasure of shooting and modeling Luksin's spring line. it was a beautiful, sunny and warm day. thank goodness, because we had to strip down to barefeet at the beach! check out some of the photos here.
also, i had the pleasure of photographing some beautiful jewelry from the Future Pearl Co. Check out their site to see some of the photos and their gorgeous work!
it's a rainy overcast day here today. it's a nice excuse to hunker down inside with some tea and catch up on a lot of work.
i'm looking forward to doing some more creative shoots in the coming weeks!
what are you up to today?
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well, we officially broke our wee space in with our first "girl's night." the little one was so excited. we had a mellow evening with lots of yummy food, good wine, and sweet friends. i am constantly amazed by the support and kindness of our friends. i am so very grateful for them.
now we can really call this home.
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I had the pleasure of finally meeting a local artist I had met on flickr so long ago. We sat down to tea this morning in her lovely home, chatted about photography and art and travel, took some pictures, and then I got a studio tour.
Lari is so incredibly talented. I was inspired by her work and her eye, and I can't wait to meet up again. (In two weeks I'm getting a lesson! So excited!) Check out more of her work here, and see some originals for sale here!
Thanks again Lari! Can't wait for next time...
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We've been talking a lot about strengthening our social community for a year now. 2011 was the year of big bashes, lots of music and dancing, BBQs, bonfires, karaoke, and potlucks. This year, we have grand plans for simple entertaining; shifting the focus from large gatherings to intimate dinners and quiet evenings. I think we're all ready for this shift, and I'm excited to see what this year will bring.
To start, I've spent the week so far painting the new dining room. I'm almost done, which is very exciting...I've never painted for 4 days straight before. It's tough work! After the walls are finally done, the floor is next. Then the table will hopefully be finished and in the house, we'll be on the hunt for mismatched wooden chairs, although ideally I'd love folding chairs like these.
With the new dining room, we can gather with a few other couples, have a simple meal, and maybe follow that with some music making or game playing. We're so excited for this simple shift.
For the past couple of months, we've been starting this trend with various friends. Mostly to lighten the load of cooking everyday of the week...we've been spontaneously gathering at various houses to enjoy a meal prepared by everyone, with a single ingredient brought to use. It helps our budgets and we also end up having a good conversation, or delving into some kind of art project. It's always fun, and so mellow with no expectations or grand plans. I love that.
I'm looking forward to a mellow 2012, full of good food, good people, and good conversations! And I can't wait to show you all the finished dining room! I'm off to paint another coat...
xoxo
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We had a rockin' party last night. Stayed up way too late. Drank lots of wine and champagne. Danced. Sang. And had lots of fun in the photo booth...
There were close to 1,000 shots we took with the booth last night. I try to respect people's privacy, so here's a small sampling with most of the people you already know! What a great way to welcome in the year of 2012! Happy New Year!!!!
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So, Elisabeth requested last week to be a butterfly for Halloween. A monarch butterfly, to be precise. I was really happy about her choice. This seemed easy compared to previous years!
I made a cardboard cutout of the wings, covered it with felt, and decorated it monarch-style. We made antennae out of a headband and pipe cleaners, then found fancy black shoes and clothes for the rest! It was a super fun project for us both to work on.
We went around the neighborhood with one of her best buds (who was not a butterfly, but rather a fairy...) and collected some treats. Then it was back home for a pizza party and three hours of handing out candy!
It was so sweet to see these two running around the neighborhood at dusk. I swear I think I even saw them fly....
How was your Halloween?!
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I am the mama of a 5 year old. It seems so crazy that 5 years have passed since she was first born. I never realized why mothers would still call their grown children their "babies" but now I do. I look at her and still see the one year old toddling off on those little pudgy legs. She will always be my baby.
But 5...wow. 5 is BIG! She was so proud of herself too. We spent Friday celebrating with our birthday breakfast table tradition, a walk in the woods with friends and picnic by the river, and a dinner out complete with chocolate cake and the best french fries ever, then followed it all with a fantastic concert where we heard a fiddle player not only play the most amazing fiddle music ever, but also dance while doing it!
Then Saturday we had the big party. She requested a "giant potluck party" like we often have throughout the summer. Wasn't too hard to round up a bunch of friends last minute to make it all happen. But it all came together nicely. Instead of gifts, she asked for donations to bring to the animal shelter. We got a giant basket full, plus bags of food, and two big dog beds! People were so awesome! So that sparked an animal themed party, complete with "pin the tail on Pepper" (not the real Pepper...), a photo booth, face painting and animal ear making, and the best dog bone cake ever made!
It was a blast (we are all still recovering) and I think we heard the phrase "you throw the best parties!" about twenty times. But all that really matters is that my big 5 year old enjoyed herself, and that she did. See for yourself...
And the photo booth, which was hilarious and filled with way more adults than children...
A big thanks to all the sweet friends who made this night so special!! You are all the best. We love you guys. xoxo
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two mamas. three girls. a rainy afternoon. a beautiful patch. a whole lot of berries.
what have you been picking lately? happy weekend!
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I don't really know how to put this. Just thinking of what this family has been through brings tears to my eyes. Trying to bring the life of a sweet boy justice in this space just seems impossible.
A dear friend of mine lost her little boy last month. He was 8 months old. He suffered a brain injury from lack of oxygen after maneuvering himself into a position where he got stuck in bed during a nap. He was in a coma for several days, but it became clear that the lack of oxygen to his brain would mean he could never recover.
Kirsta (his mama) says, "I sang "you are my sunshine" to him at the hospital. He loved music. He would stop what he was doing and listen. He figured out how to blow into an old recorder we had.
He had already started giving us hugs and kisses."
Kirsta has to be the strongest mother I know. I have followed her journey on Facebook...from learning about Silas's accident, to hospital updates, to the celebration of Silas's life that was held in June. I can't tell you how strong Kirsta has been through it all. Her positive outlook on life and her deep faith has inspired so many people.
I am really at an utter loss of words to explain how much this affected my life. Witnessing a situation that would have left me grasping for any kind of hope, and seeing how Kirsta was able to just accept the reality in such an amazing way, made me realize just how strong and loving human beings can be.
Kirsta, her husband, and two little boys are faced with a time of grieving right now. They are struggling financially, trying to deal with the aftermath of their baby's passing. If you would like to donate anything to the family, you can do so here.
Kirsta and family...my thoughts are with you daily. Sending you lots of love and strength. xoxo.
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I've been slowly turning our backyard into more of a gathering space in anticipation of summer parties, so after building a fire pit (Sasa rocks!) on Friday, we decided to have a spontaneous 4th celebration! Spontaneous or not, Sasa said at the peak we had about 35 people show. It was awesome! So much fun!
There were sparklers, smores (I made some gluten-free graham crackers for the little one and they turned out great!), hula hooping, scootering, dancing, singing, bocce ball, roasting hot dogs and burgers over the fire, and lots of chatter and fun! Oh, and the food...it was unbelievable!
We've already been asked when the next one will be...!
Happy 4th to you! I hope your holiday is fabulous!!
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It was all too perfect and lovely.
We had a sweet little visit from my mama, BBQs with friends and family, fresh flowers inside, running through the sprinkler, back porch songs, lots of sunshine and time in the garden, cooking and baking, just born baby goats, dreaming up new ideas and plans, and had a wonderful time all being together.
and thank you all for entering the sweet giveaway over the weekend! Random.org chose #20...
what a great shop, thanks for introducing me! As for summer, my dream is simple, outside fun with lots of camping trips with the family!
Angie...send me an e-mail (ewallacephoto@gmail.com) and we'll get your cape out! Yay! Congrats!
Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Cheers!
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Before the rain we spent a day on our friend's farm exploring the greenhouse, holding baby chicks, cuddling the lambs, and running around in the spring air. It's always so sweet to witness these girls playing together. The giggles, the helping hands, watching out for one another, giving each other a chance to try, discovering the delight of having a friend to share things with. It's all so wonderful. Makes me so grateful for all my sweet friends too.
Sasa and I are settling in for a mellow night. We're enjoying a glass of wine, Ray's latest album, a salad with sheep feta and side of kale soup, and I've got some work to do later. But for now, it's a sweet moment of rest.
Good night!
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Well, I have to postpone my Monday links to tomorrow because we are headed to see Iron and Wine tonight! We are so excited...!!!
But here's a cute picture from our Pippi Longstocking party we had on Saturday night. Complete with costumes and dancing and singing "Scrubbing Day" in the kitchen! Those two are so cute!
Happy Monday!!! Stay tuned for tomorrow...I have some great links for you all!!
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It was sunny.
It was windy.
We felt the sand in our toes.
Found heart rocks and sea glass.
Uncle Max turned into a hungry beach monster and made the kids run and giggle.
We closed our eyes and pictured beach blankets and picnics and swim suits and sandcastles.
It won't be long before those are all real.
And we all can't wait.
xoxo.
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I've been MIA lately and for good reason...our "Mad Men Themed" party was this weekend and I spent most of the week prepping for it. I've been wanting to host monthly theme parties (an excuse to wear fancy dresses, I suppose) for a couple of years now, and we finally pulled one off! It was a lot of work, but it was just so much fun! So if you think you'd like to throw one too, I'll give you the 411 on how to do it...
First we started out with decorations...handmade pom poms (this tutorial was good and made us laugh), advertisements from the late 50's/early 60's , streamers, Christmas lights (maybe not so period appropriate, but nice nonetheless!), and vintage Life Magazines and books strewn around the coffee table and side tables. I also purchased vintage cocktail invitations off of Etsy and sent them with a hand stamped recipe card with a period appropriate hors d'oeuvre.
Next is one of the most crucial steps to creating an authentic "Mad Men" atmosphere...the booze. Yes, you need lots and the corresponding glasses to each fancy cocktail. We served four cocktails, all out of a vintage bartending book found here. My friend made cocktail stirrers out of wooden sticks and sparkly pom poms. And another friend was the designated bartender for the evening. Poor guy...he hardly had a chance to sit down! (Thanks Mark!!)
Next up...cigarettes! In this case, we chain smoked candy. I found a box of individual packs here. Everyone got their own pack and the rest were on coffee tables, the buffet table, and well...just about everywhere else.
We also wanted to be fabulous hosts, so we spent some time the past week hunting around for quirky books published in the late 50's. I took some old advertisements from the era and created a card for each guest. Then we wrapped them up with a pack of cigarettes. Everyone loved them!
The food was all hors d'oeuvres from recipes from the era, complete with two fondues (one cheese and one chocolate), a "jello" mold made by Sasa with agar-agar, and cocktail wieners wrapped in bacon (YUM). It was all delicious!
I had Pandora playing all night...we started out with "Sally's Tomato" station, then moved on to "Wives and Lovers", and as the party got really hoppin' we broke out "The Twist" (boy, was that fun!). For games we had Twister going, charades, and a slogan game. For the slogan game I took all the 50's and early 60's slogans from here and everyone had to pick one and try to guess which company or product the slogan was for.
And probably the most fun of the evening was this super simple photo booth I set up upstairs. Elisabeth and I made the backdrop...just a white sheet, a cardboard cut out of a city scape spray painted black with aluminum foil windows, and yellow stars above. Then I set up a camera on a tripod with my flash and we were in business. People kept disappearing upstairs throughout the night to be silly (and boy...there are hundreds of pictures to show for it) and it was just a super fun addition to the night!
By the end of the night (or maybe I should say morning?), we felt pretty authentic in our vintage clothes surrounded by all this Mad Men goodness. It really was just what we all needed in the midst of this long Maine winter.
So next party is either 80's or 70's. We're not sure yet, but I know it will be full of fun!
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We had the sweetest visit from the sweetest gals. Can you guess who??!
Yup, it's mainemomma!! Kristin is so great and I swear...those girls together were like two peas in a pod. HILARIOUS. They played for a good three hours and didn't want to stop!
Thanks Kristin! It was so much fun! xoxo.
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I love the winter Solstice. I love our yearly tradition of visiting a friend's farm for a spectacular bonfire and delicious feast. Despite the sprinkling rain (snow...where ARE you??!) and insanely mild temperatures, we still snuggled in close to the bonfire and had a marvelous night.
I brought materials for the kids to do a Solstice lantern craft. We made our own little jars of sunshine!
Happy Solstice to you all! I'll be back tomorrow with some Solstice knitting and the winner of the giveaway. xoxo.
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Lisa is one of my favorite artists out there. She is an amazingly awesome mama, super fantastic artist, a superbly stylish lady, super sweet friend, and great blogger. Her website showcases the most beautiful, meaningful jewelry you will lay eyes on. I have a few of her pieces and I am so grateful for them. My joy necklace jingles festively everytime I wear it, causing others to smile around me. My sweet mama necklace (Sasa got that one as a surprise...aw!) always receives an "awwww! that's so special!" from everyone who sees it, and makes me feel so special just to be a mama. My leaf ornament with the little one's name on it hangs in our window all year long where I can always see it. And oh my...this?! I know there are many photographers out there reading. Isn't that awesome?! The above photo is of my joy necklace, taken so long ago. I still wear it almost daily!
Lisa contacted me about doing a giveaway again here at Bluebirdbaby, and I couldn't be more thrilled. She is offering a $40 gift certificate to two lucky readers! So, in Lisa style, I want you all to leave a comment and tell us what you are most grateful for in your life right now. I will choose two random people on Friday (12.3.10) morning at 9 a.m. EST.
Thank you Lisa. You rock the handmade world. (and my jewelry collection!) Save 15% on your order with coupon code "bluebird15". Yay!
Lisa's website here to order her crazy wonderful work.
Lisa's blog to get a dose of pure happiness.
Good luck! xoxo.
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Wow...our gardens are completely out of control! Zucchinis, cucumbers, tomatoes, kale, chard...oh my! It's great and feels so good to be eating our own veggies. The basil was starting to get attacked by beetles, so we rescued it over the weekend and set to work making pesto to freeze for the winter. We ended up with ten jars...each the perfect size for a meal! It's so nice to have fresh pesto again. And yes, it's still one of my favorite foods!
The little one and I celebrated our friend's birthday today! We surprised her with a cake and presents, a homemade banner, heart rocks, and a little note on the sidewalk (she walks by our house on her way to work). The cake was deeelicious! We used the "Maple Cake" recipe from "A Waldorf Kindergarten Snack Book" and substituted a gluten-free mix for the flour. We picked fresh blackberries across the street and added them to the top. Yum! Happy Birthday Maria!!!!!
And sorry I didn't get a link list for y'all this week! I am bogged down with a lot of work (yay!) and haven't had much time for anything else these nights...so why don't you share a link that you are loving with me? Oh yes, that would be fun!
Happy Monday!!
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It all starts with some good friends, a gorgeous farm, two sweet little ones, lots of red ripe raspberries, straw hats and picnic blankets, fields of buckwheat, and ends with...
... jars of raspberry jam. Mmmmm....yummy!
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Well, some friends and I have been wanting to make hula hoops forever. We finally got the chance when two of our fabulous friends hosted a hoop making party at a lakeside cottage they had access to. It was so much fun!!! The little one swam for over two hours, went on three kayaking rides with Sasa, used a "baby hula hoop" and found out she is amazing at it, and stayed up a wee bit too late playing with all her friends. But oh, the memories. Such sweet summer kid memories. I love it!
I made my own hoop, mastered some new tricks, and can't wait for the beach class! My friends are such talented hoopers. This night was just full of magic! I wish every night could be so amazing and full of love.
Here are some glimpses of the night. The light was seriously amazing. These images are barely touched!
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Our Easter day was filled with fun! The Easter bunny was extra good to the little one this year and we're all still recovering from the massive amounts of food we've consumed. Sasa and I are looking forward to laying on the couch tonight and not moving for at least two hours.
I hope you all were blessed with a fabulous Easter too!
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We spent a day with friends dying playsilks for Easter. My friend and I had been wanting to try this with natural vegetable dye for ages and we finally got around to it.
The girls loved stirring all the silks in the colored water.
We used turmeric (yellow), beets (a dusty rose pink), purple cabbage (purple), and coffee (an earthy brown).
My favorite was the turmeric. So sunny and bright!
The little one loved the cabbage. (I wonder why??!)
They look great and I am so much happier with these natural colors than the colors produced by the Kool-Aid method.
To make your own ::
Super easy and super fun. I am so pleased with the results. These will go in the little one's Easter basket. I'm excited about the brown because we often make playscapes with our playsilks and have never had anything to resemble brown earth/dirt. The purple is so very lovely and the yellow is just so cheery. I'm planning on getting bigger sizes and making curtains for her room after dying them with beets. So lovely!
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me! I hope I explained it well enough here. Happy Friday everyone!!!
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I was cleaning up my desktop and noticed a bunch of photos I have wanted to share, but didn't really have a post to share them in. So they are odds and ends. Then I thought why not designate a whole post to odds and ends?! Tada! So here we go...
My friend has the BEST vintage wardrobe ever. We went totally 70's during a recent barbecue and I hope to continue monthly dinner parties from different eras! So much fun.
I love my two bakers. They keep this belly happy. We recently started baking two loaves of bread each week to keep the little one well fed with sandwiches and toast. Gotta love the sound of them baking in the kitchen!
The cupboards were ripped out yesterday. Oh my. This is the challenging part...not having a workable kitchen. Eeks!
Two months ago the little one and I did a little switch for a spring change (we were anticipating spring!) and moved some toys into this room. We created a little play room just for her and it really suits the flow of the house. But...
During our kitchen remodeling, the play room has become the pantry, and dining room, and counter space, and well...a makeshift kitchen. This is going to be interesting...!
Thanks so much for all your lovely links! I loved every one of them. Yay!
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At the dinner table each night we all say what our "most favoritist part of the day" was. Tonight the answers were, "I liked playing with my friends!" And, "Sasa coming home with flowers for us." And, "this moment right now!" It's a wonderful way to begin our meal and is a tradition I look forward to each night. My favorite part involved the above flowers. Sasa went out on his walk and returned with flowers for both me and the little one. Hers were naturally purple, and mine were happy colors. So sweet of him! He rocks!
The little one chose her visit with our friends as her favorite part. My mama friend is the most grounding and centering girlfriend anyone could ask for. I immediately feel more connected with myself and the world around me after spending time with her. The little one and her sweet girl spent the afternoon playing games, feeding goldfish, and having yummy snacks. It was a wonderful afternoon...one that I hope will repeat again and again over the summer. We are very lucky to have such amazing friends.
And Sasa chose dinner as his favorite part of the day. He loves when we are all together connecting. And we all connect so very well over delicious meals!
So now it's your turn! What was your favorite part of the day??
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I'm so thankful for friends. I'm thankful for being surrounded by like-minded people. People who live their lives with passion, creativity, and fun. Sasa and I (and the little one) have never had such a busy social life, full of people we love and nurturing friendships. We had the pleasure of dining with friends over the weekend. It was a night full of good music, creative conversation by creative people, and such delicious food!
I'm thankful for yummy and nourishing food. Sasa made a chicken pot pie after I told him it was my favorite thing to eat as a kid. I never thought a homemade pie could beat the comforting taste of Mrs. Budd's chicken pies that I grew up loving, but I should have known...Sasa always makes things better than I remember them ever being. It was a keeper recipe for sure and he's going to share it all with you soon!
I'm so very thankful for the little one, her joy in life, her amazing energy, and her love of anything and everything that involves being social! She was a cat all night. She scared my friend's cat away with her enthusiastic greeting, but that didn't matter...she just became the cat instead. She even dedicated a few Rolling Stones' songs as "tail chasing songs." She is a delight, and she sure does love life! Such a pleasure to witness!
What are you thankful for today? I always love reading what you share!
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Well, we hosted another wine and cheese tasting. It was so much fun. I'm avoiding wine and dairy (and coffee...oh my) because of an insanely long lasting migraine I've had, but I was able to tolerate a few sips of the whites. Wine, cheese, and friends. Nothing beats that. We chatted and laughed until the wee hours of the morning. So much fun.
And now...for my beautiful finds!
Friday mornings :: a slow start, reading and cuddling in bed, tea on the stove, pancakes on the table covered in homemade blueberry sauce and garnished with a paper white (the little one's idea). Yum.
Her style :: Seriously...she rocks. She gets the layer thing from her mama, of course. But the triple layer of stripes?! Completely her own doing. She looked gorgeous today. This is her "party outfit" apparently. She wanted to where it for our dinner party tonight. You should have seen it with the pink wooden clogs she was wearing earlier...!
Leave me some beauty links!! I'd love to see what you all are finding! Happy Weekend!
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I showed a sneak peak yesterday of this corner. It's been a corner of many things in the past year, but I think we're getting closer to something that might last. I had visions of antique wooden boxes stacked in every which way halfway up the wall, but it's not yard sale season, so that idea may have to wait. Enter an old confectionery box from Portland, an antique (but very awesomely painted) tool cupboard recently thrifted, stacked thrifted tins, artwork by all sorts, and a new paper banner the little one and I made today out of origami paper. I love it so far. It's a corner I think will stay for a while. I later added old wooden spools of thread. Yay for new corners!
And mail...what can I say about lovely mail? The little one and I were having a slow morning due to rather early waking. We trekked through town in below zero weather (okay...at least it felt like it with the wind chill!) and came home to a lovely package awaiting us. A vintage book for her, tea cups for us both, vintage fabric, two lovely prints....oh my! Were we spoiled! Thanks Julia...you ROCK! You totally made our day.
And oh, I can't forget this lovely, amazingly crafted snow queen and her baby. This was sent all the way from Europe. The little one has been playing with this non-stop and adores the baby so very much. Gosh, I have the best readers! Thank you all so much for everything!!
I hope you enjoy your weekend! We're looking forward to relaxing, nature walks, hosting a dinner, and just having fun!
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What can I say about last night? Dear friends, good food, mini chefs, so much fun and laughter my face still hurts, a smile on the little one's face that was so full of joy, staying up a wee bit past bedtime, hearing the little one say, "I had so much fun tonight mama," and feeling so fortunate for the friends we have. Gosh, we're lucky!
What was your favorite part of the weekend?
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Well, the wine tasting was a hit. I swear, I've never sipped so many kinds of wine in one night in my entire life, and I really wish to never again. Ten kinds of wine is much too much for one palette to handle! But it was a night filled with good wine, good people, 8 year aged cheddar (seriously...what could be better?!), and followed by some relaxing on the couch with my love before bed. It was a perfect evening!
I hope you all are well. The little one returns tomorrow morning and I just can't wait!!
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Just some goodies that friends (and you lovely readers!) have sent my way. Thanks so very, very much. Mail makes me so very happy. And the little one too! She's received some sweet treats as well!
And look at what arrived on my doorstep a few weeks ago. It arrived in the middle of one of the days the little one was away and I missed her so. This sweet little leaf ornament was sent by Lisa, of Lisa Leonard Designs. Elisabeth's name is engraved on it. She rocks. Her jewelry rocks. And her sweet little family rocks too! Thank you so very much Lisa. You really made my day!
I love my friends!
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Our day kinda looked like this ::
The morning started with seeing what the sleepy fairies brought the little one. Sasa went to work super early for our town's yearly "Early Bird Sale" which meant whoever could wake up and go shopping in your pajamas at 6 a.m. got quite a deal. The little one and I were semi-early birds, but we still had to get through our morning routine before we left. Sasa? He was up at 4:30 today! Poor guy!
We had a visit from one of our favorite friends who joined us for painting day. We introduced purple today (guess who requested that?!) and painted quite a few pictures. We had applesauce bubbling away on the stove and all sat down for a nice snack after. The little one loves to "turn" the sauce in the mouli mill.
We were headed to the big city tonight for a special family dinner at my mother's house. The little one got nice and clean before we left and ended up spending an hour and a half in the tub! Just long enough for me to read through my new camera manual and figure out that silly video recording feature. I had no idea it would be so much fun!! Maybe you'll be seeing videos soon...
And we enjoyed a lovely evening at Baba's. Now we're home, ready for bed, and off I head to work tomorrow bright and early.
I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!
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What can I say about today? It was amazing, wonderful, magical, and just sweet (and I took too many pictures!!). The little one will turn three years old on Wednesday, and since I will not see her until Wednesday night, we decided to honor her today instead. We started the day with a breakfast celebration, complete with her new birthday outfit, crown, a small gift, and her three year birthday ring. Sasa made a terrific breakfast, and Baba (my mother) was there to celebrate too.
The outfit fabrics were chosen by the little one and we worked on it together over the last three weeks. The shirt is an Oliver + S pattern, slightly modified. I was surprised she picked out these colors, but she was very excited about the Little Red Riding Hood fabric and somehow we made it all work. The best part was she was excited to wear it today!
The theme for our small celebration were fairies. Fairy houses, fairy tea, fairy dolls and books, and fairy snacks. We set up the little table in the yard with pumpkins and bags I had made for the children with fairy dolls inside. The little one helped me make each fairy doll: gluing on their hats, felting the wool, and picking a fairy name for each one. She also told me the colors her friends like the best, and we made bags and fairies to suit each child's favorites.
The little one received many loving gifts including a basket filled with embroidery goodies perfect for little hands, a hand-painted tea cup, a necklace made by a special friend, and so much more. Really, it could not have been a more magical party!
After tea, we set off to make our fairy houses around the yard. Sasa had collected many perfect fairy house building materials on a recent kayaking trip and we had a wagon full of things to choose from. The kids made beautiful houses and I think the fairies who live in our yard will be so excited!
Elisabeth has recently learned how to take pictures using my camera (gulp!) and she is quite good indeed. In the next week I will be setting up a flickr account for her and you can view all her photos there. Really, they are very good!! The above are just a sample...
Then it was cake, which was a gluten-free chocolate cake the little one requested with "stripes and polka-dots" on it. Sasa made up the recipe and it was absolutely delicious. The little one has been talking about this birthday cake for months now, and it was so special to finally see her with it. She had a "ginormous" piece and loved every bit of it.
And last but not least, her special present. Sasa's Pop has been working on it for a while now, and his mother has been busy furnishing it. The dollhouse was a big hit (with all the kids!!) and I'm sure you will see many more pictures of it in the future!
Sasa and I are completely wiped after a day full of fun, fairies, celebrating, and friends. It was so very magical and amazing. I'm glad we will have this memory for ever and always. Happy Birthday, my sweet little one. You bring so much magic to my life! I love you. xoxo
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We've been enjoying lots of beach days lately. This was a fun day last week that was spent with friends, good food, lots of laughs, cold Maine ocean water (which didn't keep any of us from swimming!), sand castles, and beach mermaids. Follow that with the yummiest ice cream you could imagine and, well...that's one good day.
We're off to the big city for a wedding, dinner with one super cool chic (more on that later), and a sleepover at Baba's! Yay for weekends!
We hope you enjoy yours as well!
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:: Weekend blooming, yard work, and chores ::
:: Weekend bowling, dinner with friends, arcade games, and pool ::
Now I'm off to finish some sewing projects. I hope your weekend was full of joy and laughter!
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Last summer I came across a talented artist whose jewelry I fell in love with. Have you ever seen Lisa Leonard's designs? I was browsing through her site and came across the above necklace with the quote, "find joy in the unexpected" and thought no necklace could be more perfect.
It arrived in the prettiest little box. The little one was so excited to open it and see what was inside. Lisa is very wonderful to work with and so sweet. Her blog is quite inspiring as well and I love seeing pictures of her delightful family. I love the dreamy quality to her photographs.
The best part about it? The necklace kind of makes this sweet little jingle sound when I walk. It's kind of like how I would imagine "joy" sounding like. The little one often requests to wear it as well and had it on for a full day before I persuaded her to take it off for bed. And I love having the reminder that joy is everywhere...even where we least expect it!
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My friend (and coworker) is building a house and invited the little one and I over to see the progress. Her parents live on a big farm with beautiful gardens, apple trees, four pigs, two horses, and chickens just down the road. So we spent some time at the farm exploring. I was sent home with a stalk of brussel sprouts, kale, and beets. Not to mention our weekly trade of duck eggs for garlic and potatoes. I think I'll have a happy belly all winter long!
The little one especially loved discovering the toys inside that were tucked away in a corner. I've noticed a huge difference in her play since she started preschool in September. She is more engaged and happily plays away for long stretches of time. I've also noticed that the less toys there are, the more she plays. I'm thinking about going through a lot of ours and dwindling them down to a few. Most just sit in the baskets or on the shelves unused. Blocks, her new ukulele, her wooden farm family, and her cars are the most played with. Everything else just seems to go unnoticed! Has anyone else found that having less toys encourages more play?
And we have been regularly putting on performances for anyone who will listen of this song. This is the very song I sang the other month with the guitarist at a local barn gig. The little one insists I play the ukulele while she bangs away on her mini piano. So far she's received some very enthusiastic clapping for her talents. Maybe she'll join me on stage next time!
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First off, I must admit that I just stumbled across Picnik.com. Am I the only one who didn't know about this fabulous program? I've never had Photoshop, so being able to add some special effects to my photos is beyond exciting. So you'll have to bare with me while I go a little overboard with the 70's photo look. Perhaps I'm way behind the times here, but I've been seeing it all over flickr and loving it. So now I'll have my fun. Although Typepad cuts the right side off, so you'll have to click on the photos to see the full version.
We made the trip to a local alpaca farm this morning. The kids had fun watching all the alpacas, which after being shaved looked like rather large poodles. The little one enjoyed her first "juice box" and finally got the hang of it after watching the other kids. We also met up with her best bud, who the little one was so pleased to see. Now we're just trying to escape the humidity...
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Late last fall, I stumbled upon a beautiful skirt on flickr made by Jimin of Smallville. I was immediately drawn to her classic designs and marveled over the quality of her items. The first outfit I ever made was last summer and my sewing skills madly needed help. I really didn't even know how to get better. I kept trudging along, hoping with time the stitches would look neater, the patterns more professional (I made my own because I was too intimidated of others), and somehow I would figure out that darn serger. When I found Jimin's clothing, a sense of professional quality emanated from each photograph and it was clear that a lot of time, love, and careful attention to detail went into each and every piece she created.
Jimin and I soon struck up a friendship online and she was always willing to answer my questions on sizing, garment construction, and pattern making. I valued her advice and she inspired me to really improve my sewing; something I really needed for the direction I wanted to head. So thanks to her, over the winter I got busy and my sewing grew by leaps and bounds. I studied the way store bought clothing was put together, cut up cheap shirts and pants to study the shape of the separate pieces to get ideas for my own patterns. I bought some patterns to take apart and saw how the shape of each piece changed as the sizing got larger. I traced the rise of a favorite pair of the little one's pants and used that as a guideline for making my own. I went through yards of muslin, sheets of paper for writing patterns, a basket full of scraps for mastering the serger, and read all I could on constructing your own clothing. And I honestly wouldn't have done the majority of this without being inspired and supported by Jimin.
So when her spring line came out, I knew immediately that one of her beautiful purple shirts had to find a home here. It came in a lovely package, complete with some fun "extras" and was worn by the little one right away. It fits perfectly. The craftsmanship is amazing and the details were all so obviously lovingly created. Elisabeth loves her new special "purple shirt" but I think I love it more. Thanks Jimin, for all your help and inspiration.
You can find her Etsy shop here!
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Our neighbors just returned from their yearly trip to Cambodia to do some amazing work with the foundation they started. I hope to interview them soon about their work for a future post. They truly are a very inspirational couple and we've been so lucky to have them as friends and neighbors. I decided to put aside my work in the green room for some baking while the little one was napping. I used my favorite gluten, sugar, soy, dairy, egg-free chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's amazing and always produces delicious results.
Can you read that recipe above? I hope so. I'm much too lazy to type it out. Basically you mix all the wet ingredients separately from the dry. Combine and stir well. DO NOT taste the batter. It is absolutely revolting and you will never believe the cookies will actually be edible. I use this mix which I think provides good results. I also use agave nectar or honey in place of sugar. Bake at 325 degrees F for 15 minutes or so.
They look like real chocolate chip cookies, don't they?! They taste a lot like the real ones too.
So when the little one awoke, we packed up the cookies and a card I made (using a photo of Fred's lovely woodpile) in her favorite basket, grabbed a cookie for the road and bundled up.
We took a lovely walk down the road to drop off the "welcome home" basket. The little one insisted on her bike and not the stroller or carrier. Thank goodness it has a handle for me to push it. We had a great visit with Fred and Kitty and heard some fabulous stories about their trip. And to top it off, they loved the cookies and didn't have a clue they were gluten-free until I told them.
Stay tuned tomorrow for the winner of the Bluebird Bag giveaway!
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I think one of the most amusing things about having a little one is the imitating that goes on. She watches us ever so carefully, during times when we think her attention is elsewhere, and then surprises us by doing the exact thing we were doing minutes ago. Yesterday I turned around from my pancake making activities to find her reading the paper. Her face, the pose, everything about this just made me want to laugh and cry in the same moment.
She has this imitation down to a "T." Complete with reading out loud and turning the pages. She points to pictures and reads the captions underneath. She puts the paper down and sighs, picking up her mug of water, and then goes right back to reading. Obviously the pancake making activities were put to a halt and I ran to get the camera. Oh, these are the moments I hope to never forget.
Due to the carbon monoxide fiasco, we had the pleasure of getting to know a lovely neighbor. While at her house with the little one we not only discovered she collects buttons, but that she also adores thrifting. She graciously gave me a bag of vintage buttons (and another bag made its way home yesterday) and we made a date to go thrifting at two of our favorite local spots.
So on Tuesday we headed out for a little thrifting fun. I finally (after months of searching) found a chenille bedspread in absolutely perfect condition. The price tag couldn't have been better either. It's all washed and ready to go on the bed. I'm anxiously awaiting our next trip already...
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