:: 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!

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.

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?

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.

barn bash.

This weekend, we ventured to the Starlight Meadow, just outside Burlington, NC. We went to attend the inaugural Barn Bash, benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

My sister-in-law and a couple of her lifelong friends organized the event in honor of her daughter - my niece - Caroline, who has cystic fibrosis (click on the link in Caroline's name to read about the day to day management of cysitic fibrosis - though Caroline now has a vest to administer her chest physical therapy). 

It is so important for the CFF to receive donations because the CFF receives no federal dollars for research or development of a cure. $.90 of every dollar donated to the CFF goes to REASEARCH to develop therapies that help manage CF and hopefully will one day cure CF entirely. 

The inaugural barn bash was so much fun, I can hardly wait until next year. There were about 85 people in attendance this weekend, and we're hoping this event will grow each year. It was a good old-fashioned good time, with the added (and most important!) benefit of raising money to save my niece's life.

The setting was just perfect - a gorgeous meadow filled with buttercups, a charming barn, and a sweet little gazebo just down the hill. And the weather could not have been better. 

There was live music - bluegrass and funk,

dancing,

and great food. And cake!

There were tons of activities for the kids:

a waterballoon toss,

sack races,

and my brother (Caroline's father) had the idea to make kites and flags from sticks we found and fabric strips I had brought for the kids to use to make bracelets.

The best part of the evening was seeing Thea with her cousins.

Since Caroline has cystic fibrosis, it is especially important that she not be exposed to any germs or illnesses. Unfortunately, over the past year, someone in our family has been sick every time we've had a visit scheduled.

But these three connected just like no time had passed. Thea and Caroline spent a good part of the evening hand in hand.

I hope these two have lots of tomorrows. Every moment is precious.

 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I hope your weekend was filled with a little bit of magic too.

 

fairy dust.

This weekend, one of Thea's friends turned four, and celebrated with a magical fairy party on the lawn of Maymont's mansion. The party was so sweet, and so well done. There were glittery feathers and butterflies draped in the trees, sweet tulle & flower wings for each little fairy, stories, dancing, and a search for materials so each little one could build their own fairy house.

The fairy godmother who hosted the party was a lovely Englishwoman with a soft voice. She used a wooden flute to capture the attention of the little fairies and to transition them from activity to activity. I wish I had gotten a photo of that!

It was a perfect afternoon, quite cool, but with warm sunshine.

The great trees themselves are magical: they are old & massive with great draping branches. I feel so grateful that we have such a picturesque park to explore and enjoy, right here in our hometown. (I've shared other photos of our time at this park here & on my Instagram feed). 

For the birthday girl, Thea and I made her a small fairy garden. I may have had more fun making this than Thea! I handpainted the fairies & mushrooms, and we collected various other plants and treasures to complete the garden.

What a lovely afternoon! Thank you, Freemans, for inviting us to be a part of it.

quiet.

I didn't intend to be so quiet for so long. It started with a failed hard drive. Once I got over the shock of that (all was lost!), I realized how much I had been in need of some quiet space. Even after my laptop was repaired and made its way back to me, I found myself resisting the pull of the screen. I haven't read blogs in months and I'm ridiculously behind on emails (though that isn't unusual). I have continued to take and share photos through Instagram, though that pace has slowed too.

Instead, I've been reading, sewing, clearning, digging, planting, dreaming, grieving, and trying to be more conscious in connecting with those around me. 

There's a shifting happening inside of me, and I'm trying to make space for that - and to be present and open to the spectrum of emotions coming along with those changes. 

In the coming weeks, I'm hoping to ease myself back into this space.

In the meantime, tell me - what you are enjoying most about this early spring?

first dance.

Last week, Thea had her very first dance class.

{mama bird in her nest with all of her baby birds}

For months, she's been asking to take a class, and she was just beside herself with joy. And to tell the truth, I was just as excited as she was. I just about melted when I saw her all dressed for class. 

{flying around the nest}

The class is a perfect fit for her - very fun and playful - and the teacher is absolutely wonderful.

Thea had a hard time separating from me, so I was lucky to be able to spend part of the class in the studio. Next week, I'll be in the waiting room with the other moms and dads. I am so grateful to have been able to capture these sweet moments.

I just can't ge over her little feet in these shoes. Sigh.

The perfect ending to this special day was to come out of class and find her dad waiting for her - with a yellow rose and orange balloon {her favorite colors} in hand.

Oh, this girl. I love her so.

photo friday: a week in photos.

Happy weekend to you!

merry making.

We've been busy little elves preparing our home for the holidays. I always forget how much I love crafting decorations for the season. It really seems to get me in the holiday spirit.

My most favorite creation so far is our winter snowflake wreath, which hangs on the front door. Ours was inspired by Annalea's - once I saw hers, I had to make one of my own.

I love the combination of colorful yarn, vintage lace, happy jingle bells, and my mother's doileys. I didn't have one quite large enough to span the entire center of the wreath, so, to fill the space, I ended up knotting it together with another piece of vintage lace.

I also made one to hang on my studio wall.

Thea and John collected some greenery from the yard to decorate our window boxes. I made these bows from red and white ribbon, and I love the cheer they bring to the front of the house.

And the snowglobes! I've seen these mason jar snow globes lots of places around the web, and, since Thea has been begging for a snowglobe of her own, I knew we had to make a few. They're so simple! And lovely too.

We also made several of these felt snowmen (made from felt beads and felt scraps), and we thought a few would be fun in the snowglobes.

This mama and baby deer is Thea's favorite one.

We have all of the snowglobes clustered on our mantle.

And speaking of the mantle, I strung a colorful garland of felt balls to brighten things up. I'm really loving decorating with lots of bright colors this year.

And tonight, I finished new stockings for me and my mister. Photos of those to come soon!

And now I'm off for a bit of rest so that I can {try to} keep up with my girl tomorrow.