Fall Thx

I felt like inviting fall in with a new banner and some gratitude, inspired by this.
Dear: Mystery Nut and Smooth White Stone
Thanks for being so beautiful and calm. You were gathered quickly and treated with quite dramatic care by a boy suddenly interested in gathering missions. You look so serene on my windowsill and sometimes catch my eye and I feel calmer as a result.

Dear: Boy into Books
Thanks for already loving books and insisting we read books. Fall is a great time to read books. I'm looking forward to moving beyond truck books but I can wait.

Dear: Pumpkins
Thanks for being so versatile. You are food and art and a great family time activity and spooky mystery all wrapped into one. How often does that happen?

Dear: Nostalgic Trike
Thanks for landing on my lawn and staying there for a 2 week period. I just left you there and eventually your family came and took you home. You are not only perfectly nostalgic but also symbolic of how safe and trusting this neighborhood is. That is a great feeling.

Birthdays are Fun

I have the impression that I'm a difficult person to buy gifts for. I don't usually have a straight answer regarding 'what I want' but I love gifts that are fun, creative, and beautiful...usually in the opposite order. While I LOVE gift-hunting for things or experiences that fit that description most of my loved ones groan. My husband is one of the exceptions, he is superb at it. After hemming and haa-ing about getting an ice cream maker he surprised me with this ice pop maker. I'd never even heard about it before but it is fantastic. You keep it in the freezer and then make up your own ice pop mixture so that it only takes 7 minutes to freeze the ice pops. So much fun for kids!

And, not only that...it's a great way to use up nearly *done* fruit or other things that might be wasted. The ice pop above is made from *ready to toss* watermelon mixed with sugar and lime..THAT'S IT! No other, icky ingredients. I'm not a huge popsicle person, they are usually too sweet for me but this changes my attitude. I feel like I can experiment and make them a little healthier. I'm also thinking that I can make seasonal ice pop, maybe I'm crazy but I'm thinking something peppermint for the holidays! Right?! You hear me, I think.

He also accompanied the maker with this recipe book.
It includes this sangria recipe (perfect for a summer barbeque!) and...one for cappuccino, which was the second kind we made using some coffee left in the french press after breakfast.
I'm not saying run out and get one...it is a space-taker in the freezer and it is another unnecessary item in the whole consumerism wheel BUT I will say if it would be something you use that I've tried it and tested it and we like it. There are some issues with freezing yogurt, which is too bad because I have dreams of making yogurt and fruit ice pops and every mixture HAS TO have sugar in the recipe...something to do with the chemistry of freezing it properly. So, those are the caveats. Will keep you updated on any future ice pop adventures!

Beet Lip Balm..Fail

In every aspect of my tinkering undertaking, I try to remind myself that failure is just as important as success. Without it, I wouldn't be learning anything new and just cranking out the same old thing, right? And, tigerlily isn't some kind of handmade factory. It's my place for trying, failing, sometimes succeeding, and sharing it with other people on the same journey. Got to remember that A LOT these days. Got an idea from a friend to try making beet lip balm. I set aside beet juice created when the beets cooked. I knew that water and oil wouldn't mix but thought that the shea butter and cocoa butter in the lip balm would serve as a medium that might solidify it all together.
I was wrong. The beet juice sank to the bottom and fractured into chunks for some reason. I'm going to have to try this again. Any ideas on how to make it work? All I can think of is stirring it a bit while it is cooling?
Also, thanks to an idea from Mama-Pan, I'm adding my homemade face cleaner, face moisturizer, solid perfume, lip balm, bug balm, and deodorant to the Tigerlily Market.

Sneak Peek

I've been pretty quiet lately but I have been working on stuff. This is just a sneak peek of some things to come.

Boutique Shopping with a Needle and Thread

I can hardly contain my enthusiasm for this most recent arrival in the post! A whimsical and fun crayon roll from Beth. (And, thanks Beth for the extra surprises and for being so FAST.) It is the first item exchanged in the barter and it is really lovely. I'm so excited to give this to my oldest on his upcoming birthday. He isn't much of a drawer, actually, but I know he will love putting the correct colored crayon into its slot and then asking me to draw some trucks. That is how we roll.

meep, meep.

And, just to prove I'm holding up my end of things, a sneak peak into my bib factory operation. Both of my barterers wanted bibs so I'm cranking them out, I swear.

blushing...

While I was away in the tropical paradise that is San Diego (so amazing!) Carrie from the lovely and what-seems-nearly-constantly-updated site, Apartment Theraphy/OhDeehDoh, notified me that she wanted to post about these old kitchen magnets I made back in the day. I'm terribly flattered and love seeing the crafting fun spread around.

Some have asked about the magnets. I actually cut up some flat magnets we had around, like the magnet that the electrician gives us EVERY TIME with his phone number (he is actually required to give it every time which is ridiculous). That way I'm using up something old and useless rather than buying something new. I also laminate the magnets along with the picture, so they are safe around little people and don't fall off, which as we all know would be the very first thing a small child would choose to eat. Because...yum, yum...so much better than the kale mixed with tomato that mama makes.

My Barter Exchange Items

Here are my items on the block for the barter exchange:

This lovely and handy bag with the japanese-esque fabric and orange lining (inside is a little pocket, too!)

These farmer's market bags (broccili or beet) though the handles will be a little different than what is pictured.

A children's art smock (for age 2-3.5), which you can specify a different fabric or basic applique from the one pictured. In fact, I'm out of this fabric so definitely a different fabric.
A half-apron, with or without the pocket and ruffle, etc. In all kinds of fabrics, I will send some options on that.
And, a set of four (or a few more or less) baby bibs in assorted fabrics:

The Barter Marketplace

So, I've been hemming and haa-ing about this whole barter idea for a while and a little nudge nudge from a fellow blogger prompted me to finally dive in. I love the idea of getting a little crafty alternative economy going. And, I thought it might work like this.

1) If you are interested, post what you are interested in making for others (or just tell me with a photo or two of the item)
2) Everyone can view what others are interested in making and strike up barter bargains with eachother (or work through me, though it will definitely be faster to go through eachother). Really think about what you have made and what it is worth in a barter exchange. 'Cause I think one could resent it if they worked on hard on something and then it wasn't exchanged in kind, ya know?
3) I will add links to all of it on my sidebar so you can reference all the option at any time
4) Then we make what the other wants, ship it off and wait for our barter item in return.
5) If you don't really know what you want to make, look at what others are offering and decide what it is worth in exchange or ask someone what they might like of the things that you make.

So, let's say you make great children's apron, for example, or adorable little baby hats, or crayon rolls, or whatever else but you would love a cute little bag....it's a barter!

I do want to add a few things, a project like this could be overwhelming so don't be afraid to limit your barters and don't be offended if someone says no to your barter offer. (Unless, of course,I end up doing this alone.) Also, every item will have a few errors and a little extra *love* worked into it. This is great! It's handmade!

I already know what I want. My next post will be options for my barter items. I'm so excited (yes, again). Now, please do join in or I will really feel like I am talking to myself. And, don't be afraid to join. Beginner sewers, knitters, crafters are definitely welcome...I am speaking to you, Grossman.

End of the week of shapes--my choice..the curly q!

Happy Friday and thanks to ten finger workshop for the week of shapes. Today is my choice, I have a deep love of the curly q...going back all the way to middle school. (In many ways I'm still a middle school girl at heart). This particular curly q is on the bottom of a cabinet that was made in China and is decorated with red and a weathered gold detail, my husband and I are both very fond of it even though as a cabinet it is not very practical or useful.

I'm already hunting around looking at lines and shadow and awaiting Lily's instructions for what comes next. Have to send you all off into the weekend with a nonsense song that has been on my mind lately. Enjoy!

week of shapes--organic seedling

This little sprig holds atop itself the candle my husband and I lit on our wedding day. Funny how this exploration of shapes has drawn my eye to all the mementos we have picked up over the years that define our life as a couple and then a family. Things I don't otherwise really slow down to notice.

week of shapes--squares/rectangles

Day Three in the week of shapes from Ten Finger Workshop. Love these teeny, tiny squares on the back of a door, made for hanging ties we think.
I suppose there are people that would tell me how I could polish this and make it shine but truth is, I like it weathered like this.

Week of shapes--circles

ok, finding shapes around my house is more fun that I thought it would be. I'm appreciating bits and pieces around the house a whole lot right now.

week of shapes--triangles

Another day of shapes. these are our triangles. a radiator.

A chair back. We got this at a yard sale and painted it and recovered the seat. I love it.

week of shapes--stars

I'm joining ten finger workshop in her exploration of shapes in the home. Starting with stars, why not?
This is from a birthday garland I created when my oldest son turned 1, a picture for every month of his first year of life. This is him (and us) at 2 months...he is now a fantastically amazing 2.5 year old but at this time he was a colicky newborn and we were sleepy, overwhelmed new parents. This picture was a rare moment of calm in the midst of all that chaos. The garland hangs in his room now. Thanks Lil. Your week of shapes has already made me take the second glance it sometimes takes to be flooded with memories, the easy ones and the hard ones.

The Barter System

...is my new favorite way of doing business. Ok, not really business but crafting. If a friend ask if I will make them something rather than the usual "no you don't have to pay me. I'm happy to do it, you are my friend" rant. I say "Sure. As long as you make me something." I do say it doesn't have to be sewn, it can be anything: cookies, paper art, a mixed cd, it doesn't matter. Just spend a little time thinking of me and creating something. Spread this love that is the handmade.

I have found, so far, that the reaction is usually a mix of feeling a little intimidated and a little excited. The mind starts racing with project ideas and I can see it in their eyes, they have that crafting moment we all love when you just want to get started RIGHT NOW! Even if all you want to get started on is the shopping part. My deadline is always the same...whenever, it doesn't matter. I have a few of these little barters out there. And, recently one came home to roost. This wonderful handmade bag from my wonderful mama friend in Portland. She got it from Handmade Home and while she says she finds sewing daunting, it is impeccable. It has been used to tote groceries--real ones and my son's imaginary ones, bring books back from the library, and shlep bottles to daycare and back. It's a useful new friend. And, look at how lovely it drapes. Bring it on barter!

A Thing

I have to come to terms with the fact that I just have a thing for table runners. Despite this debacle I'm back at it, making another one. I do like this one alot more, however. And, it's construction is happening the way I prefer it to happen. No real plan, no pattern. Just starting with one portion, then setting it down, mulling it over, and starting with the next.
The green linen bits are vintage from beautiful living on etsy. They are 4 X 6 inches and have little whispers of queen anne's lace peeking in on them...a stem here, a flower there. I should say they were my true inspiration for this. I bought them on a whim and it was pondering what to do with them. I threw in the bits and pieces of luscious natural linen I have and then I ran across this free pdf on Sew Mama Sew for embroidery of a Queen Anne's Lace, it was great timing. But the image didn't quite fit right and wasn't long enough and that is when I realized...embroidery is little more than stitching up an image in embroidery floss. It doesn't have to be a prescribed image. So, I drew my own with inspiration from SMS. That wasn't the hard part. The actual embroidery is trickier (for me, as a beginner). So, I'm stitching and stitching now.
But, it's a happy stitching. I feel like I've been following other people's patterns and designs alot this summer and I kind of missed just going with my own idea, even if it ends up imperfect. And, the stitching seems a great way to greet autumn. I should probably learn to appreciate summer more but I'm always truly happy to see August pack it up and to feel chilly winds start to blow. Happy September.

Speaking of changes, in a distant way at least, I'm a little tired of my usual crafty blogs. I mostly check Angry Chicken, Soulemama, and Sew Mama Sew's blog and I love them all dearly but are there others that people check on a regular basis that you really like? Send them my way if you get a minute, I'm in need of other blog voices right now.

I should add that I also obsessively check at the end of this row, capers and olives, and ten finger workshop but they already know that!

Little Discoveries

These little discoveries are making me happy today:

The Sunflower Project, get some sunflower seed, plant them (you know next season), grow them and then track the activity of bees around it a little bit every once in a while, report it to this group of researchers trying to understand what is happening with the crazy virus all the bees have.  Projects like this just satisfy the little field researcher in me.

The Small Object's Recipe Review post-it notes, these are just crazy great.  Little post-it notes that you stick into your cookbooks with all your cooking notes so you don't forget next time you go to make it.  Done in the adorable Small Object way, or course.  I'm also dying to get a candle holder and I think the mustache magnet is brilliant. Her 'steno pad' site is fantastic, by the way, and has great do-it-yourself holiday ideas and strengthens my resolve to go 'hand (or artist) made' this holiday.

BuggaBugs felt food: this is the kind of felt food I want to stock in my son's little kitchen.  I did sign up for her newsletter and got the free instructions for making a strawberry and had to make three immediately because they are so fun and easy. 

Elsita's little ride, does it get any better than this for a boy's imagination? I think not. And, her blog is full of imaginative paper cuts, ceramics, and flower people as well as literally alive with imagination and heart.  

This Beach Cruiser Pillowcase is just pure fun.

I have always loved children's literature and especially love the art in children's stories from Ezra Jack Keats to Maurice Sendak.  This etsy shop has a small selection of books: The Art and Book Shop.  But, one of my books on the art of children's literature highlighted this, The Hole Book, and I'm in love with this cover.  So cute.  Apparently, the hole goes straight through the book and fits with the story on each page, including shooting a rabbit.  For this reason, the book isn't so popular anymore. We don't really kill rabbits as much these days I guess.

And, sigh, Saffron Craig.  Saffron is an Australian fabric designer with elegant but whimsical fabrics that make me want to try my hand at winning the lottery so I can spend my days making things with her gorgeous designs. 

The last thing making me happy, and this is making me really happy, my Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule of Soulemama arrived!  I browsed it first, then studied it a bit more carefully, and finally pulled out the post-it notes (the pretty ones) to mark projects for the future. 

And, with all of these good things swimming around in my head, I'm about at tired as little Adelaide right now.  Off to bed for me.

Public Service Announcements (including a giveaway)!!

Four things that everyone should know:
1) My amazing and talented friend Erin Jane of ErinJane Designs is giving away an amazing piece of her handmade jewelry. So head on over and enter her giveaway, it is open until August 5th.

2) Another dear friend of mine has started a blog about her summer at home with her daughters, Stay at Home Summer. Check it out, she is a fantastic writer and mother with great thoughts and even better articulation of those thoughts about motherhood.

3) I'm a sucker for a grab bag, always have been. Oh, the fun of a surprise. As a child, our local toy store always had them for a dollar. I love the joy of those cheap plastic toys and little parachute men all because of the surprise. So, I was delighted to see that Reprodepot.com, already an amazing fabric site is offering scrapbags of their fabric when you order over $50 worth of material. I'm unfortunately on a fabric diet because I've been overindulging lately (and this is very hard for me already!) so I'm not going to be able to pick up this one but thought I ought to pass it on.

4) There is a great organic movement going on within the fabric world. The designer behind Cicada Dreams is starting a line called Cloud 9 Fabrics and Daisy Janie, who has a great blog and etsy shop. I should add they are not only organic but also gorgeous fabrics and great for the sewing done for little people. If you happen to be fabric shopping, it can't hurt to support a good growing thing.

A Heart Swoons in a Crafternoon

My most lovely and amazing friends, of the famed fake sorority The Gammas, through an unbelievable feat of technology (skype and cell phones, etc.), took the quilt kits I had sent them and held one simultaneous Crafternoon. It spanned from San Diego to various points in Oregon all the way to Wisconsin! I have to confess I had no hand in organizing this event and its occurence truly makes my heart swoon.

Now this is, no doubt, a beautifully creative group of women---creative with witty, whipping words, with boundary-leaping intelligence to tie you in knots, with universe-wide ideas that leave you spinning and so much more. They write books, television shows, heal the planet, change minds, write music, and read like there is no tomorrow. But, they don't really sew. So, it was with tears in my eyes that I heard of THREE (Yes, THREE!) sewing machines that were dusted off and USED. Why did this incredible event take place? Well, for the babies of course. All this effort will mean lots and lots of quilt squares that will become baby quilts for four new(ish) babies joining the world. Little bundles of warmth and love for the littlest bundles.

This little crafter was one of the first recipients of a quilt herself, and here she is old enough to explore the world of buttons. I have to admit that when I focused on making the quilt kits, I was a bit nervous. Ooh, will they like this fabric? Is this enough to complete a quilt square? I don't want them to have to go the fabric store, that is so annoying. Do I have enough variety? And on an on. In the end, it seems everyone liked their fabric and found inspiration within their packages and with all the things they already had at home. I've even received some completed squares already!

Ever since we started making these quilt squares I've been so impressed with how eagerly everyone jumps in! I mean I would be frozen stiff if one of them said, "Hey, write a book/song/play/legal brief/video game/children's story and send it to me in three weeks." No way.

So, thanks Gammas. You make a crafty Mama happy.

In other tigerlily news, Emily over at The Handmade Experiment include me(!) in her Must See Monday feature this week. I know, how nice. Do check out her blog, she is on a quest to handmake all her gifts this year and is amassing great tips and projects as she goes.

Giveaway Winner

Drumroll please...well, we laughed so hard we almost peed our own pants but in the end my husband made the call. And, he picked A Little of a Lot who wrote:

When she was about 3 the only thing i could get her to eat w/ no problem was chicken nuggets, finally in frustration I read her the book "Berenstein Bears and Too much junk food" It mentions Papa bear getting plump, and she asked what plump meant so I told her it was a polite way of saying Papa Bear was getting fat.Later that afternoon we were in the post office, there was a very large lady in front of us finishing up and had a can of soda in her hands, Victoria went straight over to her, tapped her can, looked straight up at her and said "You've been eating too much junk food." OMG, I have never been so embarrased. (A Little of a Lot, I will be in touch by email.)

He thought it was not only hilarious but also the perfect example of a parent trying to do everything right and it still goes haywire. Thanks to everyone for both entertaining us and also for visiting the site! I had no idea how difficult my husband's job would be to pick from so many great entries. It felt like a big group hug for our parenting adventures. I know that I personally will forever think of Bob the Builder as Bob the Dildo.

Mothers (and fathers, too!) we do great things...teaching about manners, explaining private parts, nurturing babies and managing complicated emotions. And, we do it all with a sense of humor so when the whole thing falls apart on us, we can still find it in ourselves to stop and get a good laugh. And that is not meant to exclude all lovers of little people. Sometimes it is the warm smile of a stranger that reminds you "aw, that was pretty cute, I should just laugh it off." Thanks to everyone.