Happy Valentine's Day!

These lovely paper hearts finally made their way to my sewing machine after I finished the white quilt that was starting to haunt me.

I love to use up some of the old thread my mother gave me when it comes to temporary projects such as this. The thread is so old that you can break it with a few strong tugs. So if I'm making something that Whirlwind will inevitably break, I might as well use thread that I can't use for anything else.

Whirlwind will use this darling little garland as a jungle gym for her many stuffed animals. They are particularly rambunctious toys.

Happy Valentines Day to you all. I hope you're feeling the love!

Valentine Mobile

I love sitting down and helping my daughter paint, draw, create...But I already have limited room in the house as it is, so keeping all of her creations is not always feasible. Yet somethings I can't let pass without trying to craft with first!

So when I had this mostly red finger painting sitting around for awhile I decided it wouldn't hurt to try and make another hanging mobile for Valentine's Day like we did last year. But this time I was going to smarten up and sew hearts together, no glue! It was so quick and easy, it made me love this project even more!

And just for full disclosure, this is what my kitchen really looked like when I took this photo:

I won't show you all the other nooks and crannies where I am stashing things. I need a bigger kitchen.

Mommy Monday

The "Monday" part of Mommy Mondays is slightly relative. Let's just say this all took place on a day that's more along the lines of "Sunday."

But this is how Whirlwind and I passed some time before going to church on Sunday morning. Please note the tutu dress and wings. This is standard operating procedure most days. It's that or naked. I'll take what I can get.

But Whirlwind really does enjoy her watercolor paints. She'll even repeat the mantra I've drilled into her head: Water...Paint...then Paper! I'm so OCD.

I tried to take more pictures to capture the concentrated look on her face, but shortly thereafter she said "No Mommy, put that (camera) away." I have no idea where she gets these control issues from.

Later in the afternoon we moved along to a craft more for me. I lugged my box of paper supplies from the basement to the kitchen and made a few Valentine Day cards. I can't let this craft-tastic holiday get away without making something!

Whirlwind occupied her time with using random objects as stand ins for the characters on her favorite movie. I love to listen to her in the background repeating the key and sometimes random phrases she's memorized after watching a movie upteem times. (Don't worry, the cap on the glue bottle is closed.)

But I had all this pretty paper and not enough cards to make, so I couldn't stop there. I cut out quite a few hearts and I'll be turning these into a project soon enough. Right now the pile of paper hearts are sitting on our stairs and I'm just waiting for my handsome husband to get fed up with my multiplying piles!

I also used the last of the paper to cover this hot chocolate can (courtesy of modge podge). I covered the two containers on the left earlier this year, but I don't know what to do with them yet. I wish I had finally hunkered down to try these projects before Christmas, actually made Christmas cookies, and then delivered said cookies to friends and family in these containers. Oh well. There's always next year, when I'll have two kids trying to destroy the Christmas tree.

More Adventures in Hand Sewing

Of course I couldn't stop after just one craft!

As I made the heart barrette for my daughter and then for the Seamingly Sarah shop I decided to just keep on sewing. I made some heart magnets for the upcoming Valentine's Day. I used some magnets from some broken name badges I had been saving for over a year now. Does that make me a pack rat or a frugal woman?

Then I made three new sea creatures to replace some broken ones from a set I made my daughter (also over a year ago now).

New guys.

Old guys that aren't broken.  

The old set of sea creatures can be found at Purl Bee. I'm not a fan of following directions to a T, so I made mine in different colors and eye balled the shapes. Just be forewarned: make sure the felt sea creature is big enough for the magnet! And expect the Jellyfish to break first. Their dangly legs are prone to tugging and my toddler is none too gentle!

A Few of My (Current) Favorite Things

I AM IN LOVE!

I found these beautiful, lovely, pieces of heirloom artwork and love on my local craigslist. And there's even more! But I limited myself. I do have an overflowing tub of fabric in my bedroom to deal with. But I'm not going to give any hints on how to get them yourself, I'm greedy like that.

After they soak in some oxi-clean for a few hours they'll be ready for some crafting. Of course some will find their way into products for the Seamingly Sarah shop and others would be just too heart breaking to part with. I really am in love. I can't stop touching and fondling them.

Oh Dear Lord, save me now. These blue napkins and table cloth make me squeal.

And this one, this has to be my favorite. How could I ever part with this?

And just so you know...MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all tomorrow!

Christmas Garland Complete

I was pacing around one morning before work. My daughter was lollygagging around while eating her breakfast and I had nothing to do while I waited for her to finish. Trying to apease my cranky listless self I sat down and turned these little paper discs into a garland!

I hung it up over her "little table" and then got both her and I ready to leave the house. It was quick and satisfying. Now if only I could say it kept me from losing my temper that morning.

I do think it is cute, but I'd like to try making one with more solid and vibrant colors. The details in the old Christmas cards get a little lost when they're all cut up.

Printing with Finger Paints!

Do you remember the dried flowers I found during a family walk this fall?

Well I finally made a date with them to do a little printing!

Does it count that this date was a double date with my daugther and her finger paints? I cut up some brown paper bags for her to paint on and I decided I had waited procrastinated long enough. I jumped up and cut off a few blooms from the stems and stamped away with the flowers and finger paint on my own piece of paper. I loved it. The photo above shows you the detail that came out in some of the stamping. The photos below show you the overall effect.

And then guess what I decided to do for Christmas cards this year?

I guess I just hadn't had enough yet.

And this time my handsome husband even joined in the fun. His prints came out even better than mine. I'm blaming it on the flowers I chose to print with. But we're both going to blame give credit for the blurred prints to our daughter (who was asleep at the time of this activity). Shhhhhh....don't tell anyone.

Christmas Garland

Now this is a Christmas project I have wanted to do since I first saw paper garlands.

I kept putting it off because I don't have a circle punch, but I finally sat down and took a pair of sissors to all the old Christmas cards I have been saving. My sissor dented hands are now begging for a circle punch, but at least I finished! I hope to find the time to push these little discs through the sewing machine and create my own Christmas garland.

Mommy Monday

Well this Mommy Monday content actually occured over the weekend. In accordance with my love of rainbows I found some rainbow toddler activities on Pink and Green Mama. I've wanted to do the rainbow rice activity for months now. I finally bought the rice and a plastic tub. Then several weeks later I actually got everything out and made it.

Here it is pre toddler mixing.

Here it is during.

Here is a great reminder to do this activity during warm weather so you can do it outside.

And when it was all said and done we played for maybe 5 or 10 minutes and then I couldn't stop her from trying to eat it. So we were done. Months and weeks of planning this activity and then 5 minutes of fun. Live and learn. I only wish I had done it sooner so I could have more warm days in front of me to get the rice out again for play time. But it's getting cold over here. We'll see how long the rice lasts in the tub...

Buttons

Every once in awhile I get to mix crafting and family. I'm trying to see that more as an ongoing thing, but until then I continue to grasp for things that my 2 year old daughter might find enjoyable.

One such activity is playing with the buttons! I make sure to grab a DEEP bowl (helps to keep more buttons in while she's "cooking"). And while she's not looking I steal the colorful buttons and sort.

I don't know where her obsession with rainbows comes from.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

One Last Valentine Post

I know you were just dying to know what happened to all the left over hearts I cut out for our Valentine Day cards...

Well if you must know, we hung some up and the rest we cooked!

I love finding handmade ways to entertain a toddler. It warms my heart so much more to see her play with paper hearts than anything you could ever buy in a toy store.

Lovely Bits of Inspiration

These are the things I have placed throughout my house so that I can look at them on a daily basis and be reminded of the beauty that is around me. The beauty that is within me when I take the time to create.

A Home of Handmade Love

I have fallen in love with filling my home with handmade things. What started out as trying to learn to sew and grown into a wonderful craving to surround myself and my loved ones with things I have made. As corny as it sounds, I truly do believe I made these things with love in my mind, my heart and my fingers. Love was put into each stitch, late night and mistake. And I love it all. Whether it is a blanket for my daughter's crib, a throw for the recliner or a blanket to snuggle under with my husband...I love each and every one!

Before you start thinking I knit, I do not. This lovely handmade creation was given to us by my mother. She wanted to use up all her leftover yarn and made us this blanket one Christmas. To her it was an aside present, to me it was the greatest gift I have ever received.

Birthday Bash!

Well I rested up just in time for my daughter's 2nd birthday! I can't believe my baby is two. I can't believe I've had the privilege of loving her for two whole years. Time flies here on earth and deep in my heart. Here are a few snapshots from the festivities!

Convincing the Grandparents that less is more...

A banner I made her for her first birthday. It hangs in her bedroom when it's not party time.

She is in love with rainbows so I created a few drawings for her during naptime last week. It's amazingly fun to paint with finger paint and brushes!

And of course we had cupcakes to celebrate. A cake mix with lime juice (yummy and festive) with some homemade whipped cream. It was my first time making whipped cream and it came out quite well. I was so afraid I'd whip it into butter. This shot is of my daughter's cupcake after she manhandled the whipped cream on top. She never did eat the whole thing!
I hope you and yours had an enjoyable weekend as well!

It's for the birds!

Valentine's day is around the corner and that means I get to pull out my paper and glue and get crafting! I love that there is such a warm and "hearty" event in the middle of winter to give me an excuse to craft and decorate! Now if I could just incorporate my two year old and crafting. Well, I kind of did this past weekend, but I did a lot of the "heavy lifting" (or prep work) during her nap.

All of my paper crafting supplies reside in a plastic bin in the basement. It cries out to me each time I pass it with a load of laundry, but this weekend we were reunited. I've been coveting my daughter's finger paintings and decided to use them for a Valentine Day craft.

I cut a heart from cardstock and traced it on to the back of the finger painting, then I cut, cut and cut some more.

I took some more cardstock and cut out some basic cards and then I glued, glued and glued some more. The Joy of Cooking was used to press the cards while the glue dried. Good old Joy of Cooking! I promise I use it for cooking too.

Once the cards were set I had some left over hearts and a toddler awake from her nap. I glanced at some pipe cleaners I had laying around and the birds at the bird feeder and just came up with these little diddies. I think they're cute and I promise they're not as Alfred Hitchcock scary as they look in the photo. My daughter spent the rest of the afternoon making her bird to "eat" the paper scraps I had lying around. It was a cute, fun, creative and love filled day!