College Park Patch: Forget Resolutions! Make Time for Reflection

This article was originally published on the College Park Patch. 

Many people make lists of things they will change or let go of in the New Year, resolutions as they are aptly called. I like to take a moment of reflection in the beginning of the New Year with my family — a time to reflect on the year as a whole, think of the exciting places we've been, the experiences we've had, the great movies we've seen. 

This year I stumbled across this wonderful blog,Run Lucas Run, in which the author created exactly what I was looking for: a list of questions that captures who my children are right now. My plan is to do this each year, seal them in an envelope and open them a year later.

The questions are quite simple:

My name is:

My favorite food:

I love to play:

My favorite singing + dancing song:

A place I’d like to visit:

My favorite story-time book:

My favorite treat:

My best friend is:

I love the color: 

One Friday night, we sat around the dining room table after dinner and completed the questions. Both boys were living in the moment, as children tend to be. The answers to the questions typically were the things they like to do right now, books they are currently reading, etc.

To continue reading click here. 

Corner of my Home

I previously have talked about Rebecca's flickr stream in a Corner of my Home post.
I want to continue capturing my house as it is right now.  I love how Rebecca captures simple corners of her home.  I want to do more of that so my kids and I can look back and see how things change over the years. And I tend to change things pretty often.


This is a corner of my home right now.

• I adore the look of crates. Here I stacked a wine crate and a crate I picked up at a yard sale and I filled them with books. Some I've read, some are favorites and some are to-be-read.
• The pictures of the boys were taken by a friend, Ryan Benyi. This spot is right outside the bathroom and on the weeks when the boys are with their dad I love walking by numerous times a day and seeing their faces.
• The wooden baby block letters I picked up at an antique store and wrote about them here. The word "be" was my word of the year to mediate on in 2009. I still enjoy seeing it as a reminder every day.
• The wooden carving was given to me by a dear friend on a trip in Costa Rica.
• And the "nothing is a mistake" hoop sits casually on top reminding everyone who walks by to stop being so competitive and just follow your bliss.

Capture a corner of your home and create a scrapbook layout around it.  What do you love about the items in the picture? Where did it come from?  What is special to you right now?    

Fabric Mailbox

I saw this great tutorial for a fabric mailbox by Giver'sLog all over Pinterest. I had a 3 year old girl on my Christmas list who I knew would love something like this. I changed a few things while making the fabric mailbox because I didn't want to actually go out and purchase anything, I wanted to only use what I had in my fabric collection and craft supplies. (I tend to do that a lot.)
So instead of plastic canvas I used interfacing and quilt batting. I only used fabric where she used felt. I didn't have magnets so instead I used velcro. I omitted the fabric wire, I found the opening looked good without it. And to complete the flag I made a hole using my scrapbooking grommet maker and attached it with a brass paper fastener.

I cut scrapbook paper to 4x6 inches and added a sticker to the upper right corner so that it appears to be a postcard.

Keep in mind when you see tutorials online that you don't have to do it exactly as they have instructed. Sometimes you might find a short cut or by omitting something the end result is better. Allow your own creativity to flow. Be inspired by others and allow that to flow through your work.
Happy crafting!

Routine

Keep Your Heart Up!

Messages where you don't expect them.

Routine

Even the ordinary can be beautiful.

Embroidered Chandelier - Sublime Stitching

I made this embroidered chandelier piece for my sixteen year old niece. Recently she moved into her own room and I wanted to make her something to show her how mature I think she is. An "adult" type of gift.


I bought the Sublime Stitching Craft Pad two years ago and I  can't believe I am still using it!  I've made so many projects using her lively iron-on embroidery designs.
I ironed on the design on a quilter cotton, gray fabric and placed it in a wooden hoop. Once the project was complete I cut a piece of felt the same size as the hoop and hot glued it to the back. 


I love how simple it is. And it didn't take a lot of time, it would be easy to whip up a few more to have on hand and give as gifts whether it's a birthday or housewarming. Here are a few more examples of embroidered pieces in hoops and simply hung on the wall, I love the way this looks. 


And clearly the Sublime Craft Pad is worth the $15 bucks.

Knit Eternity Scarf

 (the pictures were taken by my 6 year old son, Zane)

I have two teen-aged nieces who aren't major fashionistas but they typically do know what is "in" and often have the racks at Hollister memorized. I will admit that I consulted the Hollister website before making this eternity scarf for my niece. I wouldn't dare step into the actual store because the smell of the place gives me a headache along with the low lighting and cramped aisles...clearly I've exposed my thirty-something age in this post.
I was happy to discover that I liked the color range that Hollister uses. The navy, gray, white..it's very all-American and classic. So I chose gray yarn for the scarf and stuck with a simple pattern of knit and purl stitches and an occasional double knit row to add dimension.
I'm happy with how it turned out, in fact I'm considering making myself one.

Granny Square Crochet Blanket

Now that the holidays have passed and all the handmade presents have landed in each person's hands I am able to share with you all what I made.
This Granny Square Blanket was made for my sister and her boyfriend, Bill. It seems odd to call him her boyfriend when they are in their late thirties and own a home together...I'll call him her partner. Because simply that is what he is, the term boyfriend seems high school-ish. And the term partner shouldn't just be used for same-sex relationships. Don't you agree?
This blanket was a labor of love. I'm not a stranger to large projects, and I often am making blankets for other people. I love zen knitting, casting on and knitting until I think it's finished. This blanket was nothing of the sort. I saw this post on Canadian Living (no I'm not Canadian but I like to pretend I am) and fell in love with it.
I prefer to crochet over knitting. I'm better at it and I feel more creative with a crochet hook in my hand. So I was excited to get started, choosing the colors wisely. Not to feminine yet not extremely masculine. I wanted to use nuetral colors, nothing exceptionally bold because at the time when I began this project I wasn't exactly sure what their new decor was going to be like. Little did I know I'd be swimming in granny squares, making more than I actually needed. Once I had a lot of squares made I laid them out and didn't like what I saw. It looked too busy and I was doubtful that they would like it. So instead of going with the original plan on copying this blanket I started adding stitches around each square in brown yarn and after completing four squares I knew this was how the blanket should look...bigger granny squares. I sewed each square together using a single crochet stitch, which means on the reverse side of the blanket there is a raised edge. Some people don't like it esthetically but I don't mind it. A simple border around the entire blanket that gives it a feminine touch completes the entire look.
My sister and her partner, Bill, loved it when they opened it at our holiday lunch. And I loved finishing it.
I still have a bag of already made granny squares, it pains my heart to rip them out...any ideas on what to do with them besides making another blanket?

Routine

When you see a window of opportunity...Take It!

Toilet Paper Tube Bird Feeder- Crafts for Kids

Our backyard backs right up to woods, recently we purchased a bird feeder and as a family we have been enjoying watching the birds feed on our back deck. One rainy afternoon I pulled out some toilet paper tubes from the recycling bin and decided to create a craft with the boys. Any age child can do it with assistance and you probably have everything you need in your pantry. 

With plastic knives spread peanut butter on the outside of the toilet paper tube and then roll the tube on a plate filled with bird seed. It's that simple!

My oldest son, who has sensory issues didn't enjoy the craft as much as I had hoped. He didn't like getting his fingers sticky and had a furrowed brow throughout much of the process.

My youngest son on the other hand had to be reminded numerous times to not each the craft!

Mere moments after putting the toilet paper tubes on branches in our yard, birds were all a flutter enjoying them. And finally a squirrel came along and decided to make one his own and pulled it right off the tree! The boys actually loved watching this squirrel and the amusement he provided. Try making your own toilet paper tube bird feeders this winter for the birds in your neighborhood.