[more fun with scissors...]

So I mentioned that I was hooked on this paper cutting thing right? Well after our Halloween snowstorm of paper pumpkin snowflakes. the scissors just kept on wanting to cut. Anything they could get their shears on...so many ideas...no paper was safe.

No Halloween is complete without a little black cat mask right? So one had to be made.


And we couldn't just stop there. So a little fox was born for little A. He loved it...and promptly ripped it. But fun was had so Mr. Fox's short life was not in vain.

In fact I like him so much that I might just have to make him again...and only let him run free under more constant supervision.

Hmm...so I wonder what is next for the old scissors?...I have a feeling we aren't done with them yet over here...

[Jon's super stellar...]

The other afternoon while unpacking I came across our Halloween decorations and couldn't resist getting into the spooky spirit right away. So I called little A and Jon over to start the festive adorning. While setting up trick-or-treaters and pumpkin treat bowls with little A I see Jon across the room with some paper and scissors, cutting out what looks to be a snowflake. No sooner does he see my quizzical look when, voila, he unfolds this super stellar pumpkin. Yeah, I was wowed. And hooked. So he showed me his methods and I went to town.

The best part, it's easy. And brilliant. And fun. (And something kids can join in on!)

Step 1: Grab any old sheet of paper, rectangle, square...mix it up
Step 2: Fold it in half
Step 3: and then fold it in half again
Step 4: Now make sure the fold is on your left hand side
Step 5: Cut scallops on right hand side ending with the stem at the top
Step 6: Open up the fold once and then cut off the bottom stem
Step 7: Cut out a mouth
Step 8: Then a nose
Step 9: Use an x-acto to cut out the eyes
Step 10: Now unfold and enjoy your new creation!

Once you start, the possibilities are endless. And you might go a little crazy...

cutting out new creations for the rest of the night...


Happy cutting!

[sniffles, sleepless nights and...]

Thank you all for you kind wishes for our little move across town. We are slowly unpacking everything and trying to settle in a bit. It's been a crazy week of preschool starting for little A, sniffles that are keeping baby O up (for far too many hours of the night) and a whole lot of sorting and arranging (and then rearranging) going on around here.

I'm happy to have the dining area slowly come together. This room was what sold me on the apartment (along with the cute little kitchen). It's been my respite for when all the boxes, sorting and finding a place for that one random thing that doesn't seem to belong anymore, starts to get to me. And I've enjoyed using the left over lemony tea party candy as bribery for little A's help (or an incentive to stop pestering his brother, to be more to the point.)

Hopefully I'll be getting my act together here soon so that I can start fun holiday projects and keep the posts rolling. Right now I better catch some Z's before baby O wakes for the first round of midnight tossing and turning.

[packing? or a....]

So, yeah...we are moving....tomorrow. And you would think packing would have been my main priority this past weekend. Well, my good sport of a husband no doubt wishes it were. But when you are moving into an apartment, and only have a backyard for one more weekend, sometimes an end-of-the-summer tea party just has to take precedence over packing. And in my opinion...it was entirely worth it.



We enjoyed a wonderful time of sipping delicious herbal teas in dainty cups and consuming delectable edibles such as Swedish meatballs, cucumber sandwiches on rye bread, deviled eggs, rosemary lemon sandwich cookies (these are to die for, truly), devils food trifle, magnolia cupcakes and lots of lemony candies.

It was my first time hosting a tea party of my own and I do believe I'm quite addicted. In fact I think I'm rather hooked on parties in general. They seem to encompass all things I love: design, decor, fashion, art, craft, food, and great company. And speaking of great company, I had a wonderful time with all the fabulously talented ladies that joined me for tea. Thanks so much for humoring me! It was great fancy fun.




If your interested in anything in the above pics, I'll try to break it down for you here:

Table cloths: Ikea fabric
Fabric banners: I made these from vintage fabrics (an easy and quick sew)
Tea pots and cups: from various antique/vintage vendors on ebay and etsy
Yellow and black silhouette china: from a local antique store
Yellow and white striped dress: I made this from umbrella awning fabric (it was the only kind I could find!) using this Butterick See & Sew B5339 pattern

[easy peezy]

If you haven't noticed, I like making things. Simple things. Easy things. I admire those that can spend hours on a just the right stitch, or those that do things over and over again just to get it right. I'm trying to work up to that...but let's be honest, I'm so not there. That is why I love little bit projects like these super easy pennant tea party invites. I made these by simply cutting decorative tape into triangles and a then sewing a stitch across the top.

Add a little hand written note, and voila! you are done.


Now that is my kind of afternoon project.

Done, and done.

[It's a jolly holiday...]

Little girls have dresses. Little boys have vintage (or at least that's how it plays out in my mind). I love having little boys but I can't deny wishing for dresses and dollies every now and then. Well, after dressing up my little dandies in the most adorable vintage attire, found at heart and sew, my throat swelled up and I got all mushy and mommy like. Jon thought the boys were adorable too and proceeded to tell Little A how handsome he was. Little A quickly retorted "NO! I"m not handsome! I'm like Mary Poppins!" The little guy had a point. He did indeed look just like Bert on Mary Poppins.

So of course we needed to have a little photo shoot and Spidey came along for the fun.

It's fitting that Little A brought Mary Poppins up because I've been crazy about the wardrobe and nursery styling of Jane and Michael Banks for as long as I can remember. I have a secret dream of living in a brown stone in London similar to that of the Banks or the Darlings (and one day flying off with an umbrella to Neverland). (I also want to live in a modern industrial renovated barn...so I'm a bit bipolar when it comes to dreaming).

I did forget that vintage runs a lot smaller than sizes today so I think the boys will grow out of these very quickly...but I'm enjoying them while they fit (barely).

[Come take a look at a few of my...]

Catch me over at decor8 today and see a few of my favorite nook/spots/things in my home.

Thanks Holly for inviting me to be a part of such a wonderful and inspiring series!

[bringing up boys, and...]

So here I am, having a lovely Saturday afternoon painting some dainty little tea party plates.

Jon gets home. Little A: "Dad! Mom made you a plate!". No sooner do I turn around when I see this mischievousness going on.


I see pennants. Apparently my boys see something entirely different. Something along the lines of scary, sharp teeth...

Guess I'll have to do a customized set just for my little monsters.


*addendum: Jon drew the face and put it together initially. When I went to photograph the before and after Little A refused to let me take the eyes and nose off and kept putting them back on...so I caught him in the act. And yes, that is a chocolate smear on his arm.

**If you are wanting to make your own custom plates, I used black Ceramcoat paint (instructions on bottle). The plates I found at a local thrift store (they only had two).

[a kind of, sort of, tutorial of sorts...]

So I thought it might be nice to get you all that travel desk tutorial I promised you before the summer was over. Maybe you can squeeze in some sewing time right before your last road trip of the summer. This might seem pretty extensive but I promise that it's easier than it looks! My sewing skills/vocabulary/etc. are still novice so I apologize if some of the steps don't make sense. Hopefully the pictures will help.

1. Start with a board (any size you like). I used masonite but if you are intending to use this in the car it might be a better idea to go with a thick cardboard of sorts, or something softer than masonite, for safety reasons.
2. Measure the fabric so that when folded there is just enough room on the top and bottom of the board for seam allowance. Leave as much room on the sides as you like for folding over pockets.
3. Make loops for pocket closures (you can use bias tape or ribbon if you like) and sew them on the inside of the folded fabric.
4. You'll laugh but I can't remember what 4 is for. I say just ignore it.
5. Sew around fabric leaving opening for turning.
6. Turn fabric inside out.
7. Baste or mark area where board will be. Sew handle on to whichever side you want the top to be (you can also do this earlier like the loops in step three). I just realized that my drawing has the handles in different spots but I'm too lazy to fix it. Just play around and put it where you want it.
8&9. Sew on pockets (turning and sewing edges under ahead of time). I used large coat size zippers and sewed them straight onto the pocket fabric. You can also add a pencil pocket to the side.
10. Sew on pocket for board leaving opening for board to slide in and out.


11. Hand embroider initial to lower right corner (or wherever you like).
12. Fold up pockets and sew shut.
13. Sew buttons on for loops to close.
14. Sew pillow pocket. You can make this as deep or as shallow as you like. Sew sides at an angle.
15. Turn inside out.

16. Sew pillow pocket onto desk leaving opening for stuffing. Stuff pillow. Sew closed.
17. Insert board. You are done now ready to use your new desk!


*I also keep coloring and activity books under the board for storage. You can also add a metal sheet on top of the board for magnetic activities. Another variation would be to sew plastic on top to make it easy to wipe clean if used for eating. This is something I might do later.

I hope this was helpful. If you have any specific questions along the way I'll do my best to help you out. Happy sewing and last minute traveling!

**Oh and a big thanks to Ohdeedoh and Cafe Mom (and any other kind bloggers) for posting about Little A's desk!

[my new little obsession]

Move over permanent marker, I now have a new, legit fabric doodle buddy. In the past I've been know to draw on sheets with permanent marker (for little A's first birthday I drew characters on sheets for the children to color in with chalk. It worked really well. When I washed the sheets the chalk came off but the marker stayed, ready for another afternoon of playful coloring). As great as this was, it was time to step it up. That's when I found these babies. Score. My head is spinning with options, ideas, and patterns.

I'm not sure what I'll do with this little pattern I'm creating (a table cloth? if I have the stamina...) but what I do know is that I'll have plenty of directed doodle time while on hold. Kenny G, bring it on, because I'm pulling up a chair and staying for a while.

(Oh and if you are wondering about the random yellow N, well little A's wooden alphabet was encroaching on my photo shoot so, being the visually obsessed mother that I am, I insisted that he choose letters that color coordinated. Makes perfect sense, right?)

[sew your own vintage swim suit]

I'm not sure my sewing skills are up for the challenge of this Burda Style vintage swim pattern but I might give it a go anyhow. Is this not the cutest suit ever?

[Vintage Americana part II]

My talented little sister managed to squeeze in some digital processing between morning sickness, birthdays and the usual busy mom schedule so that I could show you all the rest of these photos she took of our little family. Thanks LJ!









***for those of you who asked-I used the Project Runway Simplicity pattern 2725 for my dress and added the ruffle myself (very easy to do btw).

[blueberry muffins and...]

On Monday we celebrated Jon's birthday. We started the day off with blueberry spice muffins, bacon and eggs and then proceeded on to gifts. Little A was very excited about this. I asked him what he wanted to give daddy and he said, "A big box! and then we can say Happy Birthday!"

So a big red box it was - complete with finger print cards from the littles (littla A turned his into a monster).

I made Jon a custom Shakespeare poster cataloging the Shakespeare roles Jon has played as well as a few famous Shakespeare quotes. After a wonderful morning we drove up the coast and found ourselves in Santa Barbara. What a marvelous day it was. Thanks Jon for having a birthday and for sharing it with us!

*Oh and thanks for all the hair advice. You guys are awesome!