:: a happy nest ::

pumpkin peppers.

Thea and I spotted these fun branches of peppers at the farmer's market, and we couldn't resist bringing a few home.

I'm not sure what the technical name is, but as soon as Thea saw them, she exclaimed, "baby pumpkins, mama!" So we'll just call them pumpkin peppers.

It's starting to feel a little festive around here - how fun! Now I just need to finish Thea's Halloween costume...wish me luck!

grateful monday.

a little boquet, picked by my sweet girl

Feeling grateful...

For an afternoon nap, thanks to my sweet husband (and waking up to a clean kitchen and a happy tot!).

For pretty button earrings.

For an evening of wine and coversation shared with a group of super-lovely women.

For our neighborhood and good neighbors.

For really good books.

For sunny afternoon picnics.

For wonderfully inspiring creative gatherings.

What are you feeling grateful for today?

 

autumn garland.

On Friday, Thea didn't take her nap, and we were both tired and stuck in the house because of an afternoon rain. After lots of tracing and coloring, I remembered that we had brought a few leaves inside from our morning trip to the playground. I thought it might be fun to try some leaf rubbings.

First, we selected a few warm autum colors and took the papers off the crayons (which proved to be much more difficult than I had anticipated!).

Then we placed the leaves under our paper and started coloring.

Once we had filled up a few large pages with leaves, I roughly cut around the edges of the leaves.

Then, I punched a small hold in the top of each leaf...

and strung the leaves on a length of red and white baker's twine, tying a small knot so that the leaves would stay in place.

And there you have it!

I ended up with quite a long strand, so I cut it in two, and hung one along our mantle...

and one in front of one of the windows in our living room.

What are some of your favorite autumn crafts?

the greta skirt.

Not too long ago, some very dear friends gifted Thea with a very sweet doll. Just after she named her doll "Greta," she declared that she wanted a skirt just like the one her new doll was wearing.

So, what else could I do?

To my delight, I already had all of these colors in my stash. Since the original doll's skirt only had green, brown, and orange, I added in a few other colors to brighten it up.

The skirt was really quite easy to make. My friend Casey recently  made her daughter something similar, so I went by some loose guidance she had offered. I created a template for the color panel, and cut a few from each color fabric. This was all straight stitching (and a good bit of serging, which could easily be subsituted with zigzag stitching or another concealed seam). The most complicated part was threading the elastic through the waistband.

I must say, this is my favorite of my creations so far. And Thea was just beside herself when I showed it to her.

sofa jumping - extra blurry as it was taken with my iPhone

I am getting ready to work on another one of these - a gift for a very special little girl - and I was thinking of making a tutorial.

I've never created a detailed tutorial with photos, so I'm not sure if this is a crazy idea.

Thoughts?

grateful monday.

Feeling grateful...

For days spent together as a family.

For naps (and for how much I can get done when Thea actually sleeps!).

For my mother.

For itty bitty acorn caps.

For our favorite little coffee shop.

For warm autumn days and cool nights.

For late season raspberries.

For happy pots of mums.

What are you feeling grateful for today?

after the rain.

Yesterday evening, after the rain stopped and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, Thea and I headed out for a little walk. She brought her stroller and her baby, and of course, she wore her red rain boots (she put these on this morning as soon as she realized it was raining - right over her pajamas!).

We walked for a bit, and then decided to stop and splash in the puddles.

I am so grateful to experience these endless moments of wonder with her each day.

Lately, I've caught myself feeling intense sadness, as these moments come and then pass. I find myself wanting to hold on tightly to each one, even as the next moments arrive bringing their own beauty and joy.

But right now, my heart is happy, and whispering, just be right here, right now.

rainy morning.

through the screen door

I just love the mood the hipstamatic captured on this raining morning. Here is a little glimpse into a few corners of our home.

sweet flowers for fall

my jewelry dish

kitchen shelf

mantle with more happy flowers

a nice cup of hot tea

Now it's off to the studio to listen to the rain drops while I sort fabric. I hope you have a lovely Thursday!

pink.

I found mums on sale at our local market, and I couldn't resist bringing home a big pot of these pretty pink ones. Thea insists on picking a flower every time she goes in or out of the house, and she selected this blue vase to put them in. There's something extra special about flowers plucked with those sweet little hands.

evening play.

We're so lucky to live across the street from an elementary school with a lovely playground.

We make almost daily trips so that Thea can run, romp, climb, swing, and slide.

For now, we are enjoying as much time outside as possible - before we're deep into autumn and the darkness moves our evening play inside. And I just can't get enough of this evening light (or of the Mission Hipstapack for iPhone - thanks to Stacy for getting me hooked.)

grateful monday.

Thea in the hammock, at our family home on the Rappahannock River

Feeling grateful for...

A really fun morning/early afternoon at the Richmond Folk Festival on Sunday.

For a clean car.

For how happy swinging makes my wee girl.

For pumpkins.

For wonderful time spent with my brother and his family - and lots of snuggles with my sweet niece.

For my love finally getting our sweet (sick) girl back to sleep after a long night.

For brunch with our neighbors, and for the big hugs their oldest daughter gives Thea.

For honeycrisp apples!

What are you feeling grateful for today?