Baby Booties

Watch out, pregnant friends! You might just be getting baby booties made for you from this pattern. Or from one of these.

via ithinksewdotcomvia Martha Stewart

Crafted Scarf

This weekend, I crafted a new scarf out of some leftover bits of cloth. The fabric is all very different, but works beautifully together. Heavy brown linen, gold damask, black/white checkered broadcloth & a lightweight blue flowered cotton. It's pretty different from the kind of thing I would normally wear, but I'm loving it all the same.

I'm Sticking With You, Valentine

Inspired by these sweet valentines, I made my own version of them for all the neighborhood kiddos. I love how much texture of the wood & string add to such an otherwise simple card.

Play Kitchen

It's never enough. The paint is barely dry on our perfect, homemade sandbox, and already I'm dreaming up plans for Baby M's new play kitchen. Some time back, I saw this cool plan for a DIY Ikea-hack kitchen. But there are so many other great ideas out there. The homemade ones are by far my favorite.

Nice wood with vintage kitchen toys from Shop Worthy's photostream:

Compact & portable from from ElsieMarley's photosteam:

So much like our kitchen! From Daddytype's photostream:

Very sweet, small & fully-loaded, from -syko-'s photostream:

Studio dreams

my office
Originally uploaded by Castanet

One of my big goals this year is to carve out a little workspace/studio space that is just for me. Ultimately, I dream of this being a little space on its own with lots of windows & wonderful light, storage to keep my materials tidy & in one location, and to have a board to pin up ideas & inspirations.

With lighting like this, possibly?All images are out of my league and from YLighting

Until that day happens, I think if we move our bed & nightstands to the other wall, enough space will be opened up in the far corner to attach a small shelf to the wall for my sewing machine. I can use the bed to lay out my cutting board & fabrics. Also the light is wonderful in that room, which is an added plus. But really, all I really want is a permanent place for the sewing machine (currently kept on the top shelf of Baby M's bookcase) and a quiet place to work.

More fun with pins

White paper doilies with orange thumbtacks: brilliant.

From citipix via Fieldguided

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning found us...

Dressing our favorite dolly up in holiday duds:
Eating Swedish pancakes with lemon, powdered sugar & jam:

Crafting a few new ornaments (sparkly mushrooms!):

Resting & reading with our feet up on the coffee table (this is our view from said location):

Making Christmas Cards

It's begun!

Though I picked up a couple of boxes of beautiful letterpress cards from Vertallee Letterpress while checking out the East Austin Studio Tour last month, I couldn't afford to get enough to handle all our cards (every year, we seem to send out more! And more! And more!). So, it's handmade time again this year. I bought a stack of pretty, red stationary & am stamping them with my nifty stamp set from the Yellow Owl Workshop. Add a few tastefully restrained drops of glitter & voila! Done. Instant recession goodness.