Serenity NOW.

I keep that as my half-joking mantra these days!  Sometimes it helps, lol.  Things have been going okay here but still kind of crazy.  Ingrid has been a little better about school because we've been drawing smiley faces on our hands and she can look down and see it during the day.  Today we forgot and she kind of lost it at the door of school and cried.  Which is when I scream SERENITY NOW!

Otis is loving school and has no issues with it.  I only have to yell serenity now with him when he is throwing his massive tantrums, which could be about anything.  Seriously, this morning it was about waffles.  First he wanted waffles, but when he got them out of the freezer he freaked out that they had a bite taken out of them.  Um, no they don't.  Cue the screaming.  He was convinced they had a bite taken out of them!  I opened a new box and he was mad I opened them.  I asked him to take out the ones he wanted, he said no.  I went to get them myself and he screamed he wanted to.  I handed him the box and he just threw it on the floor.  SERENITY NOW! 

But life is good.  I have Gallery Night on Friday, we have a sitter, so we'll get to hang out in a bar and I'll sell baby goods while drinking beer.  God bless Milwaukee!!  I'm busy getting ready for the holiday season, I have two shows coming up.  Urban Garage Sale is in November, Hover Craft is in December.  So exciting!

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.

Maker Market

Today was another craft show.  I was looking forward to this one, as it was outside and in the parking lot of a coffee shop, which meant good coffee only steps away!  I love my neighborhood so much, and today's event just made me so happy.  A friend started this show, the first Sunday of every month May-September.  I was supposed to do June but after having impromptu throat surgery, I had to pass on that one.  So today was the day.

My first ever show I had NO CLUE what I was doing, but now that I've done a few every year, I'm really getting the hang of it.  I know what to bring, I know what usually sells well, I know how much to make, and yet still always make way too much!  Getting the tables set up is pretty fun, I'm always perusing Pinterest for ideas. 

 This show I had two smaller tables, which I covered with vintage table cloths (one was a kid's sheet) and I used my wire baskets I have for shows, along with Otis' toy drum, and my Irmi giraffe.  He's been holding clothes in Otis' room, but guess what fits on him pretty well?  BIBS!  I love how it turned out. 

I also used my tent to hang clothesline and I hung up some tag blankets and bibs on the side.  Last but not least, my trusty vintage sheet bunting I stole from Ingrid's bedroom way long ago.  It has since been taken over for hanging at my shows. 

 

I did pretty well today.  My goal was to make enough money to buy this pair of clogs.  My god, red and cute and Swedish, I just died when I saw them.  But money doesn't grow on trees and we need a new floor in our kitchen so I couldn't just buy them straight up.  Well, I could, but I'd feel guilty later...Now I don't have to!

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.

Giveaway!

Hey guys!  There is an Applesauce Crafts giveaway over on my pal Becky's blog Preparing for Peanut.  A three pack of bibs AND a stuffed owl could be yours!  Check it out here!

Local News

Usually I stay away from local news, where you hear nothing but stories of gunshots, house fires, corrupt policemen, etc.  BUT!  Yesterday one of the local morning programs was at The Waxwing, where I sell my stuff!  I was not part of the interview but the guy behind Plushzilla was, and his stuff is right next to mine, so you could sort of see my bibs in the background.  I am so proud to be a part of that little shop, they are really doing well and it has helped me get my goods out there and make some money.  I was just really excited to see local news focus more on a positive in the community for once!

Check it out here!

Hot Street Fairs

Yesterday was really really hot.  I spent it outside in the sun, at a craft show.  It was fun but sweaty!  Luckily I had an EZup from my inlaws, it came in SO handy.  And I felt like a pro, since most of the other booths also had theirs.  Three shows I've done and now I feel like I really "get" how to do them!  Next stop, get a Square reader so I can use my iPad to take credit cards, won't that be fancy?

My helper had to leave me to go let out her wee little dog who can't be left alone for more than a few hours, so I was stuck by myself.  Brendan was a doll and packed me a picnic, bought me beer, watched my table so I could go to the bathroom.  What a guy, huh?  It was super helpful.  The kids enjoyed themselves, as there were bands playing and lots of people milling about.  Ingrid really likes to hand me a bag when someone buys something, so she sat and helped me for awhile.  They stayed for one of our favorite bands to play--Milwaukee's own Promise Ring was the special secret guest, I was so excited!  They're always fun to see, even though it was a little surreal to be holding a kid while dancing to the music...Brendan and I looked at each other and just said "damn, we're old!"

Otis fell asleep for awhile, even amidst all the noise.  That kid was tired, he's been getting up before 5am lately.  What the f**k?  Not cool, dude.

He's lucky he's so cute, amiright?

Today we recovered by being super lazy, eating Kringle and watching TV.  We played outside for awhile, went to the wading pool, and then the kids were in bed promptly at 6:30pm.  Sigh...time to relax finally!



Happy

Life is so good around here, I just feel so lucky to be where we are right now.  For years it seems like Brendan and I were in limbo, never knowing what the years ahead would bring us.  Not that we know now, but we have a better idea.  He has a job he loves, we are in Milwaukee for the long haul, we have our two munchkins that make us happy (even when they wake us up at 5am, li'l bastards!) 

We went to the bank yesterday to see about home loans.  It went so well, we have good credit and can most likely get a loan with an affordable down payment.  That was scaring me, we heard all these horror stories of needing 20% down and that is just not feasible for us right now!  But luckily we found out we are sitting pretty and once we get a couple more thousand saved up we'll be golden.  There is a huge possibility we can be in our own home this summer like we wanted!!!  I am so geeked.

Both etsy shops are going well.  At first I thought maybe it would get overwhelming but I think I've found a good balance.  Toadstool Vintage goes pretty easily--we go thrifting and then wash and iron all the clothes.  Take pictures of the items, then edit, then list as I get time.  A couple things here and there, until our laundry basket of vintage goodies is listed and hung up.  Then we go thrifting again!

Applesauce Crafts is also doing well.  I have a sale going on if anyone needs a baby shower gift!  Use code NEWFABRIC20 to get 20% off all items in the shop (including sale items!)  I have a stack of new fabric that is sitting there waiting to get sewn up into fun stuff, I need to empty the shop to make way for new things!  I applied for a craft show in May, it's at the botanical gardens and seems like a pretty fun one.  I'm hoping to get into it so I can get another show under my belt!

I know I say it all the time, but it is so amazing how far we've come in the past year!!  Otis was so tiny and we were moving to another state, into a duplex we'd only seen four pictures of online.  Brendan was starting a new job.  And now here we are, Otis is walking and we're house hunting and thinking about schools and where we'll be in ten years, and actually kind of knowing we'll still be here.  Sigh...I'm so happy!

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!

Little Helper

Ingrid helped feed Otis his dinner last night.  It was a messy adventure.

Otis did not seem to mind the mess.

And in other news, Ingrid being in school during one of Otis' naps is amazing.  Yesterday I put on Mad Men (streaming through Netflix, yay!) and sewed up some of these little owls.  I haven't made any in a long time but I thought they would be a good fall thing to put in the shop.  I love the light blue and orange one, I may have to keep him for Otis' room...

Busy Weekend

Saturday was our block party.  I love that we live on a block where most of the neighbors know each other and they would go to so much trouble to set up a block party like this!  The neighborhood firefighters came with a huge ladder truck and handed out sticker badges, plastic fireman hats, and bracelets to all the kids.

They were supposed to have a bike decorating contest but I never did see that happen.  The kids had fun riding bikes in the street anyway.

One of the neighbors plays the guitar, so he set up and Ingrid another little girl danced their hearts out.

There was food, beer, chatting, getting to know the neighbors, and of course everyone commented on what a cute and mellow baby Otis is.  He's a hit wherever he goes.

Yesterday was, in my opinion, the best day EVER.  Brendan took the kids to Irish Fest for the whole day!  I was alone at home for hours and hours!  I cut out 24 bibs and have finished them all except for the Velcro.  It was so awesome to get so much done!  The reason I had 24 bibs cut out was for Art Vs. Craft, which I realized I haven't said anything about yet!  (I started an Applesauce Crafts blog so I posted there.)  It's my first craft show and I'm super excited about it!  It's the weekend after Thanksgiving and there are tons of people hungry for DIY gifts for Christmas!

Anyway, at Irish Fest, Brendan entered Otis in the Red Hair Contest.  Sadly, he did not win, but how funny!  Brendan used to get entered in the Freckle Contest when he was a kid! 

So Much Going on!

Well, folks, today marks the start of Ingrid's formal education.  After much debating whether or not to send her to preschool, we found a great starter program for the summer.  It's a Montessori program run out of a teacher's house, very small "class" size (I think there were three kids today) and flexible hours.  So we signed up for two mornings a week and today is her first day.

We got a backpack and lunch bag for her, which was so so exciting for Ingrid!  She has been wearing the backpack around since we got it yesterday.  She bounded out of bed asking when she was going to school.  From 6am to 8am, she kept asking "Is it time yet?" 

When we got there, she ran right over to the materials and one of the teachers started working with her.  I had to say good bye to her four times before she finally called out bye over her shoulder!  I think she's ready for school, but I guess we'll see how she did when I pick her up this afternoon.  I found a public Montessori school with spots open in K3, so if she does well at this class, we'll be sending her off to real school in the fall.  Gulp.

Meanwhile, Otis and I have been hanging out.  He is napping right now, I'm about to watch the DVRed 16 and Pregnant and fold laundry, and I already had a chance to list more washcloths in the shop! 

One last thing:  We got this ridiculous clown onesie in the mail yesterday.  I got it from Hart and Sew and it is the most adorable thing in the world.  It just fits Otis, though, and it's still only 60degrees, so I had to put him in it and take pictures now, since he may not get a chance to show off his chicken legs in it for real before it doesn't fit anymore.  Where is our summer?  It was here for awhile, now it's MIA. 

 

Oh my god, I'm dying at how freakin' cute he is! 

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! 

New Toys for the Shop!

I love it when I think I have absolutely no time to get anything done, but at the end of the day I realize I actually did quite a bit.  That's how today went.  It definitely is easier to accomplish things when you start your day at 5:30 AM, thank you very much, Ingrid. 

I had three giraffes I'd made awhile ago, my post-Easter stuffed animal for the shop.  Somehow I never got around to sewing the little hole shut.  Stupid things like that always keep me from finishing something!  But today I found ten minutes to close both guys up and managed to take pictures and post them on Etsy.  Hurray!

So here they are:

Cute, huh?  Ingrid thought so, she kept trying to steal them from me!  I also finished up a sensory toy.  I made a couple of these for friends and had been thinking about making them for the shop but, because I have two kids and move a lot, I never got around to it.  But alas, one got done today!

I love that Alexander Henry fabric! 

I hope to get more finished soon, but Friday we leave for our camping trip.  Ha!  I am both excited and terrified by that idea.  When we took Ingrid before, it was awful.  I asked Brendan about twenty times if this campsite was level.  It is.  Phew.

Cute Pictures, and a Giveaway!

Damn, she's good.

Also thought I'd mention that there's an Applesauce Crafts giveaway going on over at Modern Kiddo!  You can win a bib, burp cloth set, and bunny just in time for Easter!  You have until next Friday I think, so go make your comments and get your chance to win some cute stuff!

Helping Mama

Ingrid's been a good little helper lately.  I really do feel lucky she likes to play by me while I sew, it makes it easy to get stuff done.  Now that Otis is here, he's really the one that hinders my sewing (thanks a lot, buddy!)  With Ingrid I can just pull out the box of scraps or show her my new pin cushion and she can find ways to keep herself busy.

Yesterday I finished up some things for the shop and had to take pictures.  They weren't turning out right just laying on a table, so Ingrid helped.  She's such a good model!

Our friend Tia came to take pictures of Otis on Sunday.  I really cannot wait to see them!!!  She's amazing.  Her daughter is a couple years older than Ingrid so she brought three bags of hand me downs for Ingrid.  It was like Christmas up in here.  Of course Ingrid had to try on everything, including a nightgown with pj pants, a bikini, and this getup.  Yesterday was a full day of changing into new clothes.  How easy it is to please a young one...

Today we are going to play play play.  I feel like I've been really neglectful of Ingrid lately and just having her do stuff near me instead of actually engaging with her.  But today the shop is stocked, laundry is done, groceries have been bought, and after my computer time this morning it's all her.  And Otis.  But he's easy enough usually!  If time does allow, and Ingrid is up for it, we got new wool felt in the mail and I want to cut out a couple pairs of those new baby shoes.  But only if my little dearie wants to.  It's her day today. 

Wraps, Bunnies, Cupcakes, and Other Things To Keep Us Busy.

This weekend was pretty busy and fun.  First of all, I got a Moby and am loving it.  Otis wasn't sure at first, I think his legs hanging out bothered him, since the Ergo covers them up.  But he's into it now and I love to wear him in it.

My view when wearing Otis.  How could you not want to wear your baby??

After seeing her little brother in it and hearing stories of her being held in one, Ingrid just had to see if Mama could still hold her in the wrap.  Do you know that I could?  That thing is amazing!

I also made more bunnies.  Easter is coming up, guys!  Do you really want to put sugary sweets in your kids' baskets when you could have a one of a kind wonky bunny instead?  Just look how many different kinds to choose from!

Haha, okay, enough advertising!

Hmm, what else kept us busy this weekend?  Ingrid used  her desk to color and the sun was coming in from behind her.  She just looked so peaceful talking to herself and coloring.  Those moments are what balances all the screaming and whining.

And cupcakes.  Cupcakes in a rainbow.  I finally tried this and they turned out super cute!  And were much easier to make than I'd thought.  For those who haven't seen these, it's easy!  Make a white cake batter, split the batter up six ways and dye the batter with food coloring in the colors of the rainbow.  The dollop each color in each cupcake cup and they come out looking like this!  So awesome. 

We also got a new rug this weekend for our living room.  Little by little our apartment is turning into home.  Things are hung up on the walls, we have curtains, it's great.  We've been here almost a month and I'm feeling pretty settled.  Whew!