well-crafted

Thrift and Resourcefulness

Will’s and Lauren’s main Christmas gifts this year were bean bag chairs, which I made. They were really fun to make and have been a huge hit around here.

They have also become, for me, an excellent reminder of my theme for change in 2012, which is generally to simplify, reduce waste and clutter, and to make or use what I already have for the things we need.

For these bean bags, I used Dana Willard’s awesome Rolie Polie pattern. The interior bags were made with some IKEA curtain panels I bought on clearance a long time ago (which I have used a lot for bags and pillow cover backs but still have lots left over). For the bag covers I used some very old faded cotton velvet drapes which which I overdyed turquoise blue and emerald green. The only things I spent money on were the zippers and the beans to fill the bags, which I found on sale locally. It felt so great to give them gifts that were thrifty and fun.

No packaging! No batteries! No assembly! Great for fighting!

 

Messes made pretty

I’ve had these old, sort of foamy/plastic-y placemets kicking around the kitchen for years. They became too gross to use for eating a very long time ago and now are meant for art projects. Just before school started, we squeezed in our traditional summer-break tie-dye session and used the backs of these as a surface for each kid to work on their shirt. While I was cleaning up, I noticed how truly gorgeous they have become. I wonder how it would look to print these photos on art paper and frame them as a grouping like small paitings.

Tiny wool ring

Lauren “doodled” this ring during an assembly at art camp this summer with a small piece of yarn. I think it’s so beautiful.

Whatnot: Feb 5th, 2011

Believe it. It is February 5th already and I am only now sharing holiday handmades with you! In fact, I am not really planning to share a whole lot of that because I have moved so beyond the holidays but posting here has not reflected that, so you will at least get photos of The Doll.

Throughout January, whenever I’ve thought about my blog, I have seen the word in my mind looking like this: BLAHG. Although I’ve continued to be busy with lots of fun projects—specifically baby sweaters for gifts, auction projects and a new dress for myself), I think the writing part of blogging has become less appealing to me, so before taking an extended leave of absence from this space I am going to try the “more images/fewer words” approach to posting—and hope that doing so will get me out of my rut.

Here is the doll I made for Lauren for Christmas. The tradition was dangerously close to peetering out in only its second year until Lauren told me two weeks before Christmas that I’d better “get busy” working on her doll. Okay then! I made it easy on myself by using the same pattern from last year: Wee Wonderfuls’ Kit, Chloe and Louise. I sort of love the idea of making her the same doll every year with different colored skin, hair, eyes and clothes. Would be cool to see after, say, ten years or so.

I also made socks for Kirk and both kids.

I was the recipient of some very lovely handmade gifts this year, which—if we are lucky—I will share sometime before summer.

We are headed to spend 10 days in Mexico soon and I am very excited about that. I am expecting to live in this skirt (which arrived today) whilst hoping to finish the above mentioned dress before departing. I am also planning to buy some stoneware and textiles while there. Yippee.

What was it I said about fewer words?

How we make it through

We had a big group of friends over for dinner and music last weekend and it was so much fun! Music Night is one of the activities that helps us get through these long and dreary Portland winters and now that another is upon us, we’d best not forget.

I was reminded of how much I love the song Long Black Veil. It really is one of the most perfect songs ever written. Lots of people have sung and recorded it but the version by Neko Case and Carolyn Mark (as The Corn Sisters) is by far my favorite. Check it out. Neko Case is so cool. I wish I could sing like her. I wish I could sing, period.

Karen’s World

I took photos of my Mom’s studio and stuff too. More here.

 

Neil’s World

A couple of weeks ago I went to visit my parents. Just me. It was awesome. I spent one day at my Dad’s studio working on a special project and took some photos while I was there. More here.

Je ne parle pas français

middle of nowhere.

La Sauvage

Itty-bitty blog!

une fleur de papier

Today I am feeling quite sorry that I can’t read French.

Why we will likely never leave

I love Oregon!

I love it for camping with good friends and for the sheer gorgeousness of it.

What do you love about where you live?

Seriously?

Oh my god, this weather is killing me! After the long, dark, cold and soggy spring we had, this just seems like a cruel joke. It’s July 2nd for crying out loud! Which is exactly what I feel like doing—especially when I read things like this, this or this. Honestly, I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

The healing properties of fresh air

Last week Lauren stayed home from school with a little fever and cough. She really needed to get extra rest but the weather was so beautiful it seemed a shame to stay inside in bed, so I let her lay down in the hammock. She brought out her pillow and our favorite blanket and she fell asleep for two hours. It was such a sweet and peaceful scene.

Hope for the future

Three neighborhood boys, ages 9 and 12 (two of them brothers), came knocking at my door this afternoon. One boy held in his arms a cardboard box containing a small variety of summer vegetables. They had grown everything themselves and were hoping to sell. I bought it all for 3 dollars. They were ecstatic, appreciative and proud. Good changes afoot, I’d say. Would you agree?