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Showing posts with label crafting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crafting. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Gnome-ville!

Tonight is a short late night post. It has been a busy holiday weekend for us with a sad teething baby. But thankfully today was Craig;s day off and I got to get the house back in order. The best part- besides having him home- was getting some crafting time in. 


This weekend I have made six gnomes. Two felt peg and four wood burned ones. I am very pleased with them all and so will my gnome obsessed daughter! Tomorrow I will post more on them and a tutorial. Until enjoy the night and morning! 










Daily Verse: (A poem I read to Deirdre tonight at bed) 

By Rowena Bennett

Down in the grasses
Where the grasshoppers hop
And the katydids quarrel
And the flutter-moths flop --

Down in the grasses
Where the beetle goes "plop"
An old withered fairy
Keeps a second-hand shop.

She sells lost thimbles
For Fairy milk pails
And burnt-out matches
For fence posts and rails.

She sells stray marbles
To bowl on the green,
And bright scattered beads
For the crown of the queen.

Oh, Don't feel badly
Over things that you lose
Like spin tops or whistles
Or dolls buckled shoes;

They may be things that
Fairy folk can use:

For down in the grasses
Where the grasshoppers hop
A withered old fairy
Keeps a second-hand shop.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

A Homemade Easter!

Dressed Up!


Yes I know, its about a month and a half late! I have a good excuse though. We recently got a new computer (yay) but all my Easter photos we on the old one, thus the delay. It is not much fun to blog about homemade Easter baskets if -well- you have no pictures of them, right? 


OK so here are the finished results! 


Jonas' (Left) and Deirdre's (Right)


Deirdre's up close

Jonas' Up Close

So happy! 

Very Excited- He knew exactly what to do! 

Bunny

Sharing the wealth


Ah so yes. Many hours of love were put into making these baskets. They both were old and ugly thrifted wicker baskets that needed a lot of TLC. I sanded and painted them yellow with a shimmer finish. Then I made matching peach and green Peter Rabbit basket liners. I stole the idea from the new pottery barn liners, which were a ridiculous $25 each, and made my own version! All together the baskets and liner cost me $15. Yes thats right $15. For the paint, fabric, baskets, and all! 

As for the contents the only things that I bought outright new were the chocolates, modeling wax, and crayons. So they are not 100% homemade, but I am sorry, I can't do that just yet and nor do I want to. I love Lindt chocolates and I am not interested in making crayons or wax. So there ;)


The books are all used that I got in a thrift store for 50 cents each. They were in brand new condition. I think my best finds were all three of the "Pat the Bunny" series books as well as two vintage Beatrix Potter hardback books. I know right, perfect for Easter time?

Now for my pride and joy, the knitted animals! For Easter I knitted 2 bunnies, 1 lamb, a chicken & chick, a duck & duckling, and a goose. I also sewed 2 tomatoes and two strawberries   It took me a few days to a week per animal to finish. I used The "Knitted Animals" book by Anne-Dorthe Grigaff. She is an awesome writer. Her instructions were clear and easy. As a beginner I really appreciated that. I also learned the rest of my basics from her gradually by using all the different patterns. Truly a must-have for knitting play animals for kids. 

So at any rate I feel it was a huge success and personal victory for me. I set out to have a handmade Easter, and I did it. My children watched me knitting all those weeks before and were so intrigued and excited. It warmed my heart to hear my daughter asking to learn to knit and requesting em to make her more "babies". All the oohs and ahhhs from her as they came alive on my needles were very encouraging! 

After the easter basket opening was all done she remarked, "Mommy, I love it when you knit things for us. They're soo "pree-cious"! 

Ah so that my friends if why I felt/feel it is important to have homemade holiday and gifts- when one can do it. They come from the heart and instill a sense of appreciation of effort as well as dissuasion of consumerism. A win-win in my book! 

Daily Verse: (Today it is a favorite quote!)
“The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.”-Pablo Cascals