lovely dresses

These handmade dresses are some of the most lovely I have seen. They are made in New York and are available here. Now, could some one out there please make one for me?

Read about D E S I G N on CRC here!

and..

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

p.s. Did blogger erase any of your posts today? I am re-posting this one because it seems to have magically disappeared. Hmmm...

lovely blankets

Maybe this post is a bit out of season for us here in New England, but I think a good cozy blanket is always good to have around. Don't you? These beautiful blankets are made from 100% Australian, biodynamic, merino wool. From Denmark. Make sure to see them all HERE.


Hope this finds you all well!

little paint chip books.

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Even though our little house is made out of lovely birch wood I am always so drawn to the array of paint chip colors at our hardware store.  I love sifting through all of the names, "Sunbaked Orange, Apricot Seashell, Summer Dragonfly".  Recently, I found some that were just the perfect size for making lots of little books for my son to drawn in and for me to keep notes in. 

I punched some small holes along two paint chip samples and through some plain paper(this is a nice project for using up scrap paper that has been used only on one side!) and then did a simple blanket stitch with embroidery thread to connect the layers.

I think this would be a nice project for an older child as it involves cutting, hole punching and a bit of sewing. It is also a nice way to create something that can be used for writing in or drawing in later on. So, punch, cut, sew and doodle away!

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wool. button. ribbon

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Oh, I love being snowbound on Sundays! We have spent our day listening to good tunes, cooking good food and playing by the fire.  We have no where to be but here, together in our little home. Anyway, I thought I would share the craft I made for my sweet little nephew for Christmas.  Wool balls with a button and ribbon.  I learned to wet felt while in graduate school training to be a Waldorf kindergarten teacher.  It is such a lovely thing to do!  What better craft than one that involves wool, warm water and clean, soapy bubbles! It is a wonderful way to spend some time indoors when the days are short and cold and equally as nice on hot, sunny days out amongst the grass, sun and dandelions.  I love too that one must be so patient while felting, you really can't rush the process.  You just have to sit back and relax and help the wool along.  

Over the course of a few days (it is handy that you can just leave the felt wet from one day to the next as you work, picking up where you left off and taking as long as you need) I wet felted the balls and once they were completely dry I added on a button with some long ribbon.  I thought they would make a nice toy for a little one to roll, to pull on or chew to boot! 

The possibilities with wool are so endless. How amazing that it can be used to make something as large as a house or something as small and soft as a newborns first slippers.  I made the ones above a few years ago for a friends first child.

You can find lots of wonderful felting books and felting supplies here! Enjoy!

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Last week, my Mom gifted my little son with his first pair of scissors. He had been eyeing ours with curiosity for quite awhile and was so happy when he finally received his new tool. They were blue with those nicely, rounded points, and, seeing them brought back many memories.  Among them, the smell of glue, sticky peanut butter and the sweaty brows of little children from hours at play.  

So, yesterday, after he woke from his nap, we built a fire in our little, blue stove and set to work!  I gathered some paper of different colors that I had, and also some that my son had drawn on awhile back.  He watched closely as I cut the paper in long, thin strips.  When I was finished, I held up one piece at a time and, using two hands, he snipped each one in half. Finally, I curled each piece of paper into a circle, one into the next and secured each end with a small piece of tape.

In the end, we were left with a lovely paper garland...like the ones we all used to make, I am sure!  This one, however, felt a bit more special than ones I had made before.  I loved that we made something together, that my son had the chance to learn from watching me and then to partake all on his own.  I loved that we were able to reuse some paper that had been strewn about the house and make something new and bright out of it. And really, what better craft is there than one that involves paper, scissors and tape!  

We hung the finished garland from some little saplings outside our home and they looked so cheery in the woods.  With all of the fall-colored leaves down, it was nice to bring a bit of color back into the forest... at least for a short while.

p.s. I think this could make for a nice project for anyone.  The paper could be cut into fine, delicate strips and newspaper or highly patterned paper could be used. It is such a simple project but the result has such a comforting, old-fashioned feel to it!

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