End of Summer Fun

Ahhhh, the end of summer!  It is SEPTEMBER already!  So crazy.  Here's a quick update on what we filled our last weeks of summer with. 

Going to the dentist.  I hate dentists, I have horrible experiences every time I go, so I was nervous for them.  Fortunately it looks like they'll have their dad's teeth (ie, no cavities) so it went well and they got new light up toothbrushes.  They thought it was fun!

On a whim the other day I decided the kids should share a room.  I was SO SICK of picking up toys from the living room, and they won't play down in the basement because our sick cat keeps pooping on the floor down there.  So, Otis's room turned into the bedroom, and Ingrid's room turned into the play room.  So far it has been okay.  We have to time the bedtimes strategically so one falls asleep before the other goes in, but we're learning.  Tonight Ingrid went to bed first and Otis fell asleep in our room.  I'll go in and plop him in his bed later.  Whatever works...

 We also took a trip to a local petting farm last weekend.  This place is SO COOL!  Tons of pens of animals you can go in and touch and feed.  They got to milk a real cow, pet baby ducklings, feed chickens, and pet kittens.  I wanted to take all the kittens home, they were so adorable!  And bunnies, too!  I think we maybe need a bunny at some point.

 Yesterday we went to the Beer Garden.  It was a beautiful day and it just seemed like the perfect day to eat a pretzel and have a liter of beer, right?  This place is awesome, there's a playground right there, so we could sit and drink beer and let the kids play.  They have live music most afternoons.  Tons of kids were running around.  Definitely a good place to hang out on a sunny afternoon.

 And lastly, today I had my last show of the summer.  This was the last Maker Market of the season, I also had done July's.  This was definitely my favorite show!  The vibe at these things is just so mellow, I know a lot of the other vendors from other shows, so it's just hanging out and selling stuff while drinking iced coffee and sweating in the sun.  Today's show was my first on using my NEW SIGN!!  In July I sat next to a lady that does the most amazing calligraphy cards, Filthy Freehand.  I loved her style and knew I wanted to come up with a unique logo so I had her do it.  She came up with the coolest ones to choose from, but ultimately I went with this one (I love it!)

 I went right out and had a sign made, it looked so cool hanging up!!  I hope it lasts for other shows.  I'm not sure how many uses it's supposed to get...I also got this cool red suitcase from my neighbor who sells vintage on Etsy.  It worked so well to hold blankets, bibs, and my new price list.  I have a vintage paint by number and then I printed out my prices on a piece of kraft paper and used washi tape.  Love how that turned out, too! 

Kids start school on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I am excited for that!  Ingrid will be all day, Otis will be three mornings a week.  I plan on using that time well, I'm hoping I can get all my errands and sewing done in that time so I don't have to ignore Brendan at night anymore!  This summer has been super fun, but SO BUSY.  I'm ready for a new schedule.

SO Glad I'm Me, or, I LOVE My Life!

 I've been thinking of all the troubles I had when I was younger, feeling lost and like I just didn't know what to DO with myself.  Where did I want to live?  What did I want to go to school for?  What would I do with my life?  Now in my mid 30s I can honestly say I'm glad I ended up where I am.  I live in a cool neighborhood in a pretty great city, I'm married to a funny scientist, we have two amazing kids that make me happy about 99% of the time, I get to sell vintage kid's clothes and sew stuff.  I have it pretty good.

This past week has been HOT.  We got a cheap Slip'n'slide at Target and used it for hours at a time.  I even slid down it, it was fun!  The kids got a real big kick out of that, I'm glad there is no video evidence of it.

We've stuck to our no TV in the morning routine, well mostly.  Sometimes I have to take a shower and that is the easiest way to ensure I get all the shampoo out of my hair AND shave both legs.  I had cut out 4" squares from a whole bunch of my scraps to make a scrappy quilt or two.  Ingrid found the pile and has been having fun putting together her own quilt.  I cannot wait to teach this girl how to use the sewing machine!  She will be a natural I bet.

And we've been just plain silly stuck in the house with it being in the 90s.  We go out right away in the morning, try to get some play time outside.  Then it gets too hot to breathe, so we go in and cool down.  Again after naptime we try to get outside, but dang, it's been like 80% humidity the past week.  Uncomfortable.  And yes, I realize how funny that is that we midwesterners complain about how COLD it is and how much snow we have and then a few months later complain about how HOT it is and how much humidity we have.  I sometimes wonder why anyone lives here...

 This weekend we went to the cottage.  We brought friends, it was fun.  The kids all played, we went swimming in the lake, and this morning Brendan took each of the kids on a kayak ride.  The cottage got a face lift last month, doesn't it look nice?  It used to be white, I really like the creamy tan though.  And lastly, look at that picture of Brendan's dad and uncle!  Bob is the one on the right.  He looks just like what Brendan looked like at that age!  I love how there are just random old things at the cottage, you just never know what you'll find when you go searching through the drawers looking for clean sheets...

Broads with Bunnies

When I moved back to Milwaukee a couple years ago, I started a Facebook group for local moms, called Broads with Babies.  It was originally intended to be a way to get together for play dates.  Little by little it grew, and now it's at 700 some moms!  Obviously we don't all get together, but there is a good core group that is always on there, and it's nice to have a place to ask a question and get some good answers.  Don't know about you, but I usually hate online mom's groups.  People get so judgy and bitchy!  Luckily these ladies are pretty rad and no one gets too preachy.  So far it's been a good experience, and I've met a lot of new friends through there!

Anyway, yesterday I had two baskets full of stuffed bunnies I'd finished.  I thought "boy, I sure don't want to have any of these things left like I did last year.  God knows we don't need more stuffed animals in our house."  So I posted a picture on my Broads with Babies group, seeing if anyone wanted one. 

Within a few hours I had sold all of them!  And now I have a list of orders to make more!  And people had gone to my etsy shop and asked to buy bibs, too.  It was completely overwhelming! 

I am so thankful that I can sit here in my basement with lovely fabric and sew things people actually want.  I am so thankful that Otis will sit here with me and let me do this.  I am so thankful I get to buy more fabric when I want, lol!  Today is a good day, despite the 5" of snow that is supposed to fall.

The Mice in Our Garage

The other night I drove Brendan's car, which we park in our garage.  I never ever go in our garage since I never ever drive his car.  So I had no idea we had critters in the garage.  When I came home, the headlights showed me lots of little ones running and hiding.  I didn't really think too much about it, it's a garage.  Then Ingrid wanted to get the Christmas stuff out.

 

One box made it inside when we moved, but somehow one got left in the garage.  I opened it up and found a bunch of red fluff, which I couldn't figure out what it was.  It was everywhere!!  And then I saw the poo.  And then I saw the holes in the stockings.  Those little f'ers chewed through five stockings, a vintage tablecloth, and some tissue paper.  Ingrid was a bit upset she didn't have a stocking to hang up.  Luckily she knew we have time to get more.

 

Luckily she has a mom that sews stuff :) 

 

That night I set out to make some new stockings.  These are the ones I made when she was small.  These are the ones I made this week.

I like them so much I think I might make some to sell at the show I have next weekend!

 

Speaking of shows, the one I did this week was at a country club and it totally made me laugh to be there.  It was just kind of fancy and not really my style.  Oh well, I like how my table turned out and it's always good to get another show under my belt.

 Holidays are so busy, it's nice to keep doing things but I think I will like the chance to breathe after they are done!!

 

Felt Dolls

Yesterday in a burst of creativity, I finally made some felt dolls for Ingrid.  I'd seen on mamasmiles and it looked super cute.  Ingrid has the magnetic ones from Melissa and Doug, but I have so many felt scraps that she loves to play with, I thought I really should try to make some of these dolls.

They were a hit!  I drew out a shape onto cardstock paper, along with shapes for pants, shirts, and dresses, and then we used those as templates for the felt.  I made different hairstyles, bows to put in the hair, and we had random scraps that Ingrid used to add to the shirts and dresses.  It was super easy, just took some scissors and a bunch of felt.

 Of course I couldn't just have them sitting around in a ziploc bag, nor could I have Ingrid putting them on another scrap of felt.  I had to make a little carrying case, with a pocket for the clothes, right?  Of course.  So I put two pieces of cardboard in between two pieces of felt.  I'd put on a name tag on the front, then a pocket on the inside first, then I sewed everything up into a little folding book.  Portable and functional! 

 They do not look as fancy as some I've seen on Pinterest, but Ingrid loves them anyway.  She has seriously been playing with them nonstop since I made them yesterday while Otis napped!  And that, my friends, is a thumbs up in my book.

Summer

After our cold trip to Door County, we are in full on summer mode here now.  It's JUNE!  It's hot!  It's sunny!  Just like last year, Otis is sporting his collection of jonjons and rompers.  This one is from Fuzzymama, I honestly squealed when I saw it.  Otis' eyes just pop out when he wears it.  I kinda love having a blue eyed babe.

There is a park near us that we love to go to--they have a lagoon, tons of trees, a good playground, a splash pool, and an amphitheater where they play live music on Tuesday nights in the summer.  The first Chill on the Hill was last Tuesday so we took the kids.  It is so fun, even though it's right at their bedtime so they were a little squirrely.  There are food carts and tons of families hanging out on the hill, you always run into someone you know.  I was sitting there trying to avoid a meltdown from Ingrid when I saw the lovely Kristina from Kikiandjules!  It was nice to see someone I only talk to online :)

 I have gotten a TON of sewing done lately, too, which is nice.  The basement is super cold and actually not a bad place to be on a hot day.  I have a show coming up at the end of the month, and a request for more bibs for the Waxwing, so I ordered 12 yards of fabric and got to work this week. 

I also finally made things for my kids!  Sadly, they have been neglected in all of my sewing.  I bought a couple yards of green and white seersucker last year with ideas of matching outfits for the kids, but never got around to it.  I finally made some pants for Otis out of it, and boy are they cute.  They were too short so I added a band of blue to the bottoms.  Those suckers should have been easy peasy but I was in one of those funks where nothing went right.  I put the bands on wonky at first, then I put them on the wrong side.  Finally after ripping the seams a million times I got it right.  Otis likes them.  So do I!

 Today is going to be a nice sunny at home day, where we get stuff done around the house.  I am painting the dining room.  Before and after pictures will be taken.  Stay tuned!

Kids, Thrifting, Sewing, Life.

Four words that sum up my life.  Well, the word life itself sums up life, but you know what I mean...

Kids are good.  Otis is getting a buncha molars at once and has been crabby.  Like this:

Ingrid has been busy drawing again.  She just loves her drawing board!  She'll sit there and talk to herself and tell stories as she draws pictures.  The other night she drew herself and Otis holding hands.  Oh jeez, that's cute.

I have been sewing like mad to get ready for a craft show coming up the week after we close on our house.  And I started selling at this cool local shop called The Waxwing, and she already sold most of the bibs I'd given her.  I really cannot wait to have my space to sew and organize all my junk, but right now having it in the middle of the dining room can be pleasant--look at all the sun that pours in!  I had to hang this bunting up so Otis couldn't get to it while I finished the rest of the order.  It just looked so cheery and bright!

And we popped in a thrift store I never go to, because they try to only put out current stuff it seems like.  And they don't even have a baby section, they just have boys and girls stuff and they toss the baby stuff in a big bin and you have to literally dig through.  So we just looked at toys today and found this gem!  A 1979 Chutes and Ladders game!  This is totally the one I remember having as a kid.  Awesome.

And that's life.  (I do have a husband, too, I swear.  He's busy working and by the time the kids are in bed we both crash with the ipad watching Battlestar Gallactica.  You don't really want to see that picture.)





Art Vs Craft

Saturday I had my first craft show.  It was so much fun!  I had been stressed because I had no idea what it would be like, if I would be totally amateur or just fine, how much to make, how to price my stuff.  Turns out everything was fine. 

I had a great time with an old friend, we just sat and chatted, saw more old friends, sold some stuff, drank coffee, ate popcorn.  It was a wonderful day!

Brendan brought the kids to visit and Ingrid thought she was going to stay the whole day.  She was very intent on "helping" which consisted of shoving an item in someone's face and saying "you gonna buy this?"  She knows how to do it!

So now it's back to the somewhat leisurely life of an etsy shop, where I list as I please, I make a few sales here and there, and I do it on my own schedule.  It's nice not to have a deadline hanging over me, I prefer a more laid back atmosphere!  But I will definitely do this again, maybe two or three shows a year if I can find good ones.  It was so fun!

Busy Week, No Pictures.

I realize if I don't have pictures I tend not to post.  We have been doing lots this week!  Ingrid loves her school still, although I am a little tired of having to do the drive every day.  Just one year, then we can go to the neighborhood school and walk every day.  I cannot wait!

Otis is teething.  Again?  Still?  He has two bottom teeth and it looks like he's getting two more bottom teeth.  And the snot.  Oh my god, the snot.  Will it ever end, or is it just going to hang on all fall and winter?  Good thing we use cloth wipes as tissues, otherwise we'd probably be going through a forest worth of trees for kleenex.

I participated in a blog hop baby shower for Lishyloo this week!  Today was actually my day, over on my Applesauce Crafts blog.  It was great to contribute to such a fun thing with such talented women.  I felt a little out of my league, their blogs are so fancy, mine are just basic!  Check out day one here, and you'll find the schedule for the week with links to the other blogs.  Cute stuff!!

I have been trying to get tons of work done for Art Vs. Craft.  I just have no idea how much stock to bring to a craft show, how big it really is, and I feel like it's better to just way overshoot and then sell whatever's left over in the etsy shop.  But between the school run, nap schedules, crabby babies, and I don't know, sleep--it's hard to get anything done.  I got four blankets done yesterday and today, which is awesome.  I just wish I could get a babysitter one or two days to just get shit done. 

Brendan and I are leaving next week for DC!!  I am so excited to fly again, it's been like two years.  And I am way excited to be without kids for a few days.  And nights.  To be with my husband, no football on tv, no computer games being played, no distractions from actually spending time together.  Bliss. 

We went to the zoo today and I got some really cute pictures on my phone.  I can't figure out how to get them anywhere but my phone, so once I figure that out...what is the point of having a camera on your phone if you can't do anything with the pictures??  Sheesh!

Why Am I So Boring?

I want to have something interesting to say, but I feel like there isn't much going on lately.  Ingrid was sick and now Otis is, too.  Sleep has been hard to come by, and I have felt completely unmotivated.  Blah.

But I have an awesome family!

This dress is from Fuzzymama Vintage.  Is it not the cutest thing you've ever seen?  I love it!!

Sunday we went to the birthday party of a little girl I used to nanny for.  It was great to see the family again, it's been a few years.  I whipped up a fall fairy crown for the birthday girl and I love how it turned out.  I'm amazed Ingrid gave it up so quickly, she really liked it!

Okay, that's it.  Not much else.  I'll be back next time anything moderately interesting happens. 

My Weekend With Otis

This weekend Brendan took Ingrid camping with his parents.  I stayed home with Otis since he's getting another tooth and was not sleeping very well the few nights prior to them leaving.  Truth be told, I was looking forward to a weekend of relaxation, which I knew I would get with only one baby.  Who naps twice for two hours.  And goes to bed at 6:30pm. 

I got so much done this weekend!  Sewing, cutting out other things, hanging out with Otis, catching up on sleep.  It was amazing!  It was so strange how quiet our house was without Ingrid in it!  Seriously made me realize how loud and talkative she is. 

We got some homeopathic stuff for Otis' teeth, which helped.  I am still going to get an Amber necklace, I just need to see if I can find one locally.  But whatever it was I gave him seemed to work.  My  my, aren't I a great mom?  I don't even know what the hell I squeezed into his mouth--I just know it worked to calm him down!  He slept marvelously and it was wonderful to have one on one time with him.  He is so drooly and smiley and chatty and rolly and man, I'm so glad he's part of our family!

Washcloths

I made a couple sets of washcloths for the shop this week.  I love how they turned out!  It's awesome that you can take some cool fabric and put it with something really absorbent and ta-da!  It's a washcloth.  I had some terry cloth I'd found in the remnant bin at Joann and I made these robot ones.

I also made some for friends having babies.  I love friends having babies, they keep me busy!  But alas, I ran out of terry cloth and started to look through my scrap bin.  I have a ton of odd shaped pieces of minky leftover from making bibs.  I love that fabric so I never wanted to throw it away, but what to do with it?  Cut it in squares and make the softest washcloths you'll ever use.  Seriously, these are awesome, I'm making myself some!  They are sooooo soft and absorbent.  I made these for the shop:

And I have lots of new fabric I haven't done anything with yet, so methinks I will make a couple more sets this weekend!