thanks and a giveaway...

it's hard to believe but i started this blog three years ago this month. it has been a very important space for me to share my work, inpsiration, and my everyday life. i know there are so many blogs out there... it is a bit overwhelming! my blog isn't the biggest or most read by far but i do so appreciate those who visit here. my life has gone through a lot of changes the last few years... including a very big move, and choosing to homeschool the kids. because of this my little shop and blog have often been neglected. the fact that you still continue to visit me here and to buy form my shop means so much. i make work that i enjoy and though i love it i'm still surpirsed that anyone else would want to buy it! yet, over the years i have received the nicest feedback from people who have bought from me about how much my work means to them and i am always humbled by it. i wish i could give each one of you a gift of thanks but unfortunately that is not possible. so i offer my humble words of thanks to all of you, and a chance to win one my little animals. since it is spring i thought i would offer a sheep... also a sheep is fitting considering all of my work is made from wool:)

i will keep this giveaway small... it is intended for anyone who reads the blog. just leave a comment below. if you would like to share the givaway somwhere, just let me know and i'll give you an extra entry chance. unlike those big blogs out there i don't expect tons of entries... so your chances are better here! the giveaway is open to everyone. you have until sunday night (april 3rd) and i will announce the winner monday.

thanks!

nuno magazine...

i was excited to see a review copy of nuno magazine land in my in box this week, which features "eco friendly craft, sewing and crochet projects".  i hadn't seen this online magazine before, but really enjoyed this spring issue, rustle. the projects look really sweet and would work for a wide range of ages and ability. i'd like to try the repurposed card and envelope project. i always send a note when anyone buys from my shop and i love to find creative ways to do this. this projects uses the pages from a damaged vintage book and includes the templates you need to make your own. check it out, along with some of the other projects form the magaizine.

giraffe cake topper...

i thought i'd share my latest project with you. i've been wanting to make cake toppers for quite a while now, but always get sidetracked with things like moving:) i just finished up this giraffe pair and i think they came out really cute! they are all hand sewn using wool, linen, and vintage lace. it was really fun and i look forward to making more couples... hopefully a little more quickly next time!

any suggestions?

*update: i've listed these for sale in the prairie seed shop!

some more images from around the house...

well, we have another rainy spring day here. i am a little sick this week, so it is okay to be stuck home today. i thought i'd share some more photos from around the house. i have unpacked 90% of the boxes, but still have much on my to do list. including painting.... a lot of painting. i was sick of looking at the bare walls and the giant piles of pictures on the floor, so i decided to go ahead and start hanging pictures before i paint. the one above is hiding the lovely utility box that is the first thing you see when you walk in. here are some more prints in the front hall... which i plan to paint grey.

let's head upstairs... i love the stairs in our house! (see the towels hanging there? they are finally gone since i have nearly finished the upstairs bath, which i will share in a later post)...

you can see the beginning of a collection of family photos mixed with other photos of some of our favorite places, in the upstairs hall...

one of my favorite features is our double landing. the landing at the top has room for a little sitting area between the bedrooms...

windows are on our list of "major things to be done" in the next few months...

the hallway outside of my office, on the first landing...

back downstairs to the dining room/library which mostly consists of one book shelf, the pile of all the stuff left to put away, this mantle and... not much else. yet.

and going outside, this was our project this past weekend. we are working on the front yard and turned an area of grass into a large bed that will be planted with various flowers and plants (sorry you can't see it that well but it is raining)...

front stairs... another project coming up next. the original stairs are gone. my wonderful and very handy father-in-law has offered to help us tear them out and replace them with wood. the new stairs will be wider and come up to the railing, so we had to plan the bed for that. the area to the left of the rocks in the bed will eventually be a wider brick path. we have to get the approval from the historical board first. i will be excited to see these ugly things gone! we are looking forward to bringing back the beauty in the front yard, which has been neglected as the house sat empty for a year. all our neighbors keep coming over to tell us how happy they are to see it filled with a family again. we are too!

grateful friday...

i haven't done this in a while. i'm grateful, yet again, for my little mud monsters! jh told me he had so much fun in the mud that next time he was going to get in and just roll around in it until he was covered. it made me remember a day at the playground when he was a toddler. there was a huge mud puddle that all the moms had forbidden their kids to go near. after a few attempts at discouraging him, i realized what was the point? so as everyone looked on in horror, i told him to go for it. he did roll around in that puddle, and splash and jump and make a huge mess. it was glorious to watch. when he was done, i stripped him done to his diaper and plopped him in his stroller and took him home to the bath. no harm done, but a memory i won't forget!

yesterday, i was brushing my teeth with the kids before bed. i suddenly realized jh was watching me intently and copying the way i was brushing. usually i struggle to try to get them to brush their teeth properly. it becomes me nagging at them to do it right, just by joining them though, i didn't have to say a thing. they watch me all the time for clues how to do things. it is the moments when i am not trying to "teach" them that they probably learn the most. in that moment i realized how important it is for me to be the best i can... not perfect..  just a good example of someone who is trying their best. i also realized that most of the time they are better teachers than i am.

i have a rare quiet house... the kids are away at a zoo camp today. i know that are having fun and i always crave a little free time... but as soon as they are gone i miss them so!

happy friday!!

let's fly planes....

it's amazing with all the advanced technology available to entertain kids... how simply mesmerizing the paper airplane still is to them. my kids have been flying planes for the last hour. it never gets old! oh, the  endless possiblities... racing each other, hitting the ceiling, seeing who can land it in the silliest place. we have a book of paper planes, which is fun because you can compare all the different kinds and many are designed to withstand outside play.... but for an afteroon inside, a simple little glider will do.

you can see it helps it go better if you make the "airplane noise" while it's flying!

don't you want to join us?! here is the simple origami plane we made, try it for yourself!

we plan to try these paper beeswax origami boats next...

rainy day and etsy favorites...

invention artist series umbrella man, by water rose

today is another rainy day. i actually prefer the rain to just gloominess... because then you have an excuse to stay in side and curl up. here is a little rainy day inspiration from etsy...

november large image sewn print, from tastes orangey

white mushroom porcelain trinket dish, by ald designs

olive green wool blanket, from little byrd vintage

in the pines, original painting, by blair b lambert

navy blue dansk lidded stock pot, from modish vintage

low slung lounger, by flotsam furniture

hope you have a cozy day, wherever you are.

i have a new large mushroom to add to the shop... if i can find enough light to take a picture! i'm working on some other goodies this week as well.

also, i realized that this week will be the third anniversay of my blog! i can't believe it! i will have to think up somehing special to say thanks to all of you for hanging in with me... i'm think a giveaway?! more info to come.

unexpected color...

it has been so gloomy this week, but lately my husband has been bringing home flowers from the market when he does the shopping. it is really nice to have these little unexpected surprises of color when i walk through the house. 

we do have flowers blooming all over the neighborhood too, so i can't complain too much. the weather really does effect my mood though. 

peekaboo! i'm also really in need of a haircut and that too is effecting my mood;)

working...

i had a special requests for this cute pair, made once before. it has been a while since i have worked on cats. it was nice to return to them.... i even figured out an easier process for sewing them together. funny how that happens. it was good going back to sewing, and i feel i am ready to leave some of these older projects behind for a while and challenge myself to something new.

i've also added some if the little mushroom ornaments i have to the shop, because they look just as adorable hanging from a door knob or perched on a shelf as the do on a tree.

diy floor stencils...

i love this diy floor stencil project over at design sponge! you use a favorite fabric as a template... and it could be used on floors, wall, furniture or more. this is a great idea. i love the look of patterned floors but they usually seem a little too "mathematical" for me! this seems a little freer somehow. very pretty, and it has a lot of possibilities.

also, check out this lovely post from katy to catch a glimpse of our lovely spring weather! don't be jealous:)