:: a happy nest ::

good words.

the artwork above was created by my dear friend Suzanne. her work is breathtaking. you can see more of it on her blog or in her etsy shop.

Today is my wee girl's last day of preschool. As we prepare to settle into our summer rhythm, I've been reflecting on the thoughts I shared here. I've found comfort and wisdom in the the words of a few other mamas. I thought I'd share a few links to what I've been reading:

chuck your to-do list by Meg at Sew Liberated.

how to miss a childhood by Rachel at Hands Free Mama.

on stay-at-home-mom and positivity by Megan at Me and Wee

finding JOY by Erin Ellenberger March

one of my favorite poems Song for a Fifth Child - by Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

this amazing video by Julia Warr

and I've been re-reading Momma Zen and Hand Wash Cold by Karen Maezen Miller

But I'd love to know: are there words that inspire you and help you find your center? Please do share!

Happy Wednesday, friends!

grateful monday.

feeling grateful...

for the nourishing rain.

for quiet time sewing with my girl - it was our first project sewn together on the sewing machine.

for fancy tea on the front porch with dear mama friends.

for the most amazing chiropractor ever, who extended her day to provide care after I was in a minor car accident.

for the one tiny corner of my kitchen where I have finished deep cleaning.

for excellent thrift score finds.

for people who take the time to post tutorials on blogs and you tube. 

for a night out with my mister, and for restaurants that serve yummy gluten free food (bacon wrapped dates, oh my!).

what are you feeling grateful for today?

 

stitching together.

One of my favorite things to do - especially at the end of the day - is to busy my hands with an embroidery project. There is something magical about the slow(er) pace of hand sewing: feeling the fabric and thread in my hands, the work of the needle, and seeing the project slowly come to life. 

Since I'm often with a project in hand - Thea has been asking me to teach her to sew. We have fiddled a bit with stitching before, but she seemed to become frustrated that her projects didn't look very much like mine. With mixed results, we tried free stitching, as well as me tracing a shape for her to work on. 

Yet she was determined that she wanted to sew something for her grandmothers' mothers' day presents. The projects turned out beautifully (our gift for her Omie is pictured above) - so I thought I'd share a bit about how we did it.

To start, you'll need some basic materials: fabric; a marker, pencil, or something to create your pattern; and a template to trace (if, like me, freehand drawing is not a strength).

You'll also need an embroidery hoop (I find plastic ones to be sturdier & easier for little hands to work with) and large child-safe needles (the ones pictured are plastic). And of course, thread (not pictured). We usually use regular cotton embroidery thread, all six strands. I find that using a length no more than 18 inches is easiest: it helps prevent thread tangling and wear - and is easier for small hands to pull stitches tight.

Burlap is one of my favorite fabrics for stitching with my wee girl - it's thick weave nicely accomodates the large needles we use, and I do like the look of it. I was lucky to score a huge amount of burlap at the thrift store for just a few dollars - and it has lasted me for several years.

Use your marker to create your pattern using dotted lines. The dots serve as stitch guides. Using dotted lines finally allowed my sweet girl (4 years) to create the pattern she wanted. 

I used a thick mark-b-gone pen, which made for large, visible dots that also bled through to the back of the fabric. 

This was helpful so that my girl could turn the hoop over and see where to make her next stitch.

The ink from this marker fades away when sprayed with water, leaving only your pretty stitches. I do love these pens, but I have had mixed results with burlap.

I have found that on burlap, the ink does not disappear, but instead migrates to the edges of the fabric. With that said, I will still use it for projects with my girl, but I will be sure to factor that into my cutting of the fabric

Be sure to start with a large enough piece of fabric, stitch, and then spray. Once the fabric has dried and the ink migration is complete, you can cut out any additional pattern (I traced a circle using a regular pencil).

To create the template for the word "love" in the middle of the heart, I printed out the words in a size and font that I like. I then positioned it where I wanted it on the back of the fabric, using tape to secure. Then I taped the fabric to a window and traced the letters.

The photo above is the finished gift for her Mema. Thea helped picked the fabric, thread colors, and buttons, and, after she had stitched the hearts (all by herself!) I stitched the remaining elements together.

She is so proud of her work! And I am so proud of her.

grateful.

feeling grateful...

for music that speaks the song in my heart.

for my sweet little girl.

for a mother's day surrounded by loved ones.

for a silly afternoon of wigs and dressup.

for sharing a love of making with my mother-in-law.

that, through loving my own wee one, I can the depth of my mother's love and sacrifice continues to reveal itself.

for long overdue visits with dear friends.

for old friends moving into the neigborhood.

for the sweet scent of flowers filling the air.

what are you feeling grateful for today?

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥ 

just a little reminder about the kindness changes everything giveaway that ends this friday. 

be well, friends.

kindness changes everything : a giveaway

I have mentioned before how I continue to be amazed by the incredible people with whom I am lucky to share a hometown. There is so much inspiration, innovation, creativity, and kindness - so much goodness - right here in Richmond, Virginia. 

Two of these amazing souls are Patience Salgado (who was recently featured in O magazine for her kindness work) and Suzanne Vinson. I could go on and on about each of them, but if you take a moment to visit their own sites, their words, images, and creativity - their spirits - will speak for themselves.

Today, I want to tell you about a project they've been working on, and offer up a bit of goodness straight from their hearts, minds, and hands.

Patience often speaks of how the words "kindness changes everything" guide her through her days. She has initiated and actualized countless acts of kindness - both big and small - that have touched almost everyone I know.

Recently, Patience and Suzanne collaborated to create the beautiful stickers you see above. Their purpose, of course, is to spread goodness and beauty wherever they might land - with the gentle & lovely reminder of the power of kindness.

(see Suzanne's post on the project here and Patience's post here).

They offered these stickers for sale with all proceeds going to fill the SoulSisters Kindness Jar for future kindness missions (to date, Patience has funded all of these missions from her own pocket & through donations of time and resources from other good-hearted people).

All of the stickers sold out almost immediately, but I was lucky enough to get my hands on a few of the very last bundles.

I just love the idea of these stickers making their way out into the world. So, I'm offering three bundles of these stickers (each pack contains five stickers). 

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post with your name & a way for me to contact you and tell me a way that kindness has touched your life. 

I'll leave the comments open until next Friday, May 18, 2012 at 9 pm EST.

Happy Friday! 

tending.

In this early spring {did we really even have a winter?}, I've been even more amazed than usual by nature's simple miracles: seeds rising from the soil - flower buds bursting open - baby birds emerging from tiny beautiful blue eggs enjoying ripe berries straight from the tree - the sweet smell of honeysuckle filling the air. There is wonder all around us, in every moment, if only we can slow down to observe. And this year, it all feels full of so much promise. 

But in the midst of all of this growth and awe, I'm feeling even more aware of the fragility of it all, and of how little control we really have - over anything. There is only this moment after all. That too is wonder inspiring, in its own way.

During one of my morning lazy strolls through the garden, hot cup of tea in hand, I paused to take in the enormous growth and beauty of the two hydrangeas just outside my studio window. They are quite happy in their home, and have really flourished in the past year or two. They were planted five years ago; originally we planted four - one for each of our losses. While it was a novice gardening mistake - there simply was not room for four of these plants to thrive in the space - it saddened me quite a bit to know that only two had made it. Yet, in the next moment, I realized that all is well. What remains is alive and thriving. We carry on with what we do have and we make our way with that. The two remaining plants offer so much beauty and joy. It is what is here now, and it is enough.

This spring has been full with these moments of profound awareness of the life cycle we exist within & the soul work of reconciling it for myself: once again reexamining what - for me - makes for a meaningful life. Perhaps because of this acute awareness, I've been feeling generally overwhelmed with things and busyness that seem to fill up life - while my soul craves slowness, intimate connections, and the work of my hands. 

To find clarity and my own truth, I've been slowing down: embracing necessary self-care, reading, breaking up earth to make room for new growth, planting seeds, watering, deadheading the flowers, enjoying quiety moments at the cutting table, and stitching, stitching, stitching at the end of the day.

This work of tending is healing, connecting me to the here and now, nourishing my spirit. It helps remind me that I want to nurture and be intentional in my connections and relationships with those I love, how these bonds must be tended too. To me, connection with my fellow humankind seems to be the most meaningful part of life: loving, supporting, witnessing those around us.

Yet, I really struggle with how to connect in this electronic age. At times, I feel like I'll be swallowed up by all of the things that require my attention: text messages, phone calls, email, facebook, instagram, flickr, message boards, blogs, and on and on. There are so many opportunities for connection, {and so many peole I want to connect with} - yet it isn't possible - at least for me - to engage in all of them in a meaningful way. Right now, I'm working on figuring it out for myself.

So, do tell me {please}: How do you slow things down for soul work in the midst of a busy, full life? How do you find balance and prioritize what will fill your precious time? How do you nurture your connections with loved ones in this electronic age?

grateful monday.

feeling grateful...

for my grandfather's hugs.

for the magic of collecting treasures from the sea.

for the dozens of peony blooms in our garden.

for a surge of creative ideas.

for my husband's sense of humor.

for gluten free biscuits.

for a few precious hours with one of my dearest soul-sister-friends.

for kind, loving, thoughtful, creative, inspiring friends who love with their whole hearts.

for good neighbors that have become our treasured friends. 

for my new wide angle iPhone lens.

what are you feeling grateful for?

rainbow party.

To celebrate Thea's fourth birthday, we had a small party for a few of her friends. We started with the idea to invite four friends - one for each year of her life - but in the end, six of her friends celebrated with us. It was a lovely little low-key party.

{On a side note, am I the only mama who has birthday party anxiety? I neraly worried myself sick with the stress of how big of a party to have and the possibility of hurt feelings. In the end, I am making peace with our decision: that what is best for the birthday girl, for our budget, and for our stress level must be the right thing.}

We went with a rainbow theme, which was so much fun to work with. And the bonus of being a craft supply addict is that I didn't have to spend much at all to pull the party together. 

For the food, we put together platters of rainbow colored fruits and vegetables - strawberries, mandarin oranges, mango, kiwi, blueberries, and grapes - and for the veggies - tomatoes, carrots, yellow peppers, cucumbers, brocolli, and red cabbage. I couldn't come up with a blue vegetable that was kid friendly!

For decorations, I made easy tissue paper pom poms ala Martha Stewart, and scattered some flowers punched from rainbow cardstock onto the food table. 

Since I try to avoid food coloring in our diets, I went back and forth about the cupcakes. But in the end, I decided that these were too fun to pass up. There are a ton of different recipes and tutorials, but basically, I just divided the batter into 6 different bowls, tinted it with food coloring, and layered it into cupcake papers, being careful not to swirl up the colors. 

I think the girls liked them. :)

I did the same proces of layering the colored batter for Thea's cake. She asked me to make a rainbow rose bunting, so that's just what I did. I served the cake on a DIY cake platter made from a ramekin attached to a dinner plate with epoxy. So easy - and budget friendly. 

In advance of the party, I put together three crafts to keep their little hands busy.

They beaded necklaces with rainbow colored wooden beads,

made paper rainbows from precut strips of rainbow-colored paper (original idea found here), 

and made sunshiney rainbows from painted paper plates, clothespins, and rainbow colored ribbon (original idea found here).

Of course, a rainbow party calls for a rainbow dress.

I found this sweet little dress at Old Navy and added some pretty lace to the bottom hem,

as well as a happy little yellow flower.

I also made her a felt crown, embellished with a rainbow and hearts.

It was my intention to sew a rainbow t-shirt for each of the girls in attendance, but I only managed to finish one.

All in all, it was a colorful, fun day.

Just like our birthday girl.

grateful monday.

feeling grateful...

for our first peonies from the garden (my mother & {step}father gave us the gift of 10 gorgeous peony plants as a wedding gift, and they give us such joy each spring.)

for an open calendar this week - reserved for self-care, rest, crafty catch-up, and connection with loved ones.  

for our pediatrician (I think I've said it a thousand times before, but I continue to be grateful for her unique practice model and the standard of care that she provides our family. you can read more about it here - shared by another mother in her practice). 

for my brother and his two best friends finishing a 30.1 mountain hike (or run, for one of them) in health and safety - to raise money for the CFF and awareness of cystic fibrosis. I am so proud. 

that we figured this out: long-acting antihistamines turn my child into a beast - and that she is back to herself after discontinuing the medicine.

for strawberry season.

for sprouting seeds.

for food fresh from the earth.

for hot tea.

that my mister is only out one night this week.

what are you feeling grateful for today?

four.

Four years ago today was possibly the most joyful - and the most terrifying - day of my life.

How has it been four years?

For years of joy, wonder, learning, and love. 

Happy birthday, baby. I'm so grateful to know you. I'm so proud to be your mama. 

I love you more than the moon,

more than the stars,

more than the fireflies lighting up jars.