These Are the Days

I haven't posted much lately.
Life has been full and wonderful.
We have been crafting such as these cute little matchbook notebooks that are super quick and so great to have in every corner of my life.


Yes and a new funky holder for all those little odds and ends.

Clay has been big around here lately.

I wish we had a kiln.

Who can resist those tootsies.

We have been bowling a sadly my 3 year old keeps beating me.

I guess I should stop looking at my shoes.

Crock potting extraordinaire.

Although February is RAW month at our house.

I am already missing those pita chips.

The weather has been wonderfully wet and warm.

Makes for great outdoor winter adventure.

Our new chore set up.

Pick 2 and do.

Seems to be going strong this time.

even though they always trade them with each other and scrounge for the coveted Food Prep one.

Paper mache for our great pyramids for our Egypt month.

Some fun times decorating and eating messy cakes.

Making the healthy stuff like K's squash and kale bean soup.

And emanadas.

The kids have been growing up so fast and the school year has gone by crazy quick.

So many thing to write about but not enough time.

We are looking forward to the garden and the spring.

Maybe some sun.

Old Valentines

In school I used to love getting Valentines, just as much as I loved giving them.
For about the week before I used to sit in my room and patiently write them all out but I would keep my most special one to give to my "valentine".


I look at the ones that are for sale now days and I feel sad that they are so plain and lack any individuality.
We try to make ours by hand every year but inevitably my girls see and then want the store bought Hannah Montana or such.

But some of the ones that they used to make definitely were humorous.
Some were really distasteful and some just plain wacky.
I always get a chuckle and thought I would pass along a few I have found around the net lately.

And this one for subtlety....

I am a Copy Cat

I thought that this bib necklace was really neat.
Neater still is that I knew that I could replicate it and make it way better, well in my mind anyways.
So I tried and these are my versions.


My photography makes these look dull, nowhere near as cool as they look in person.

I love the soft grey as the beads sparkle so nicely.

Thank you to my beautiful model.

This is the one I made with her in mind and I hope she'll enjoy it.

If you know anyone who may like one let me know.

They are so fun to make and look great with a simple white t-shirt and jeans or all dressed up for the red carpet.

Messanger Bag For Esprit

I had an excuse to sew up another bag yesterday and I just love how it turned out.
I had a fun time with this applique as my machine does a great job and leaves me basking in the glory.
I know it cancels out tradition but I keep telling myself that one day I will learn the real tried and true hand stitched applique methods.
Until then I will keep practicing on my sewing machine and having fun.


She loved her bag.

Stole

K loves to dress up and look regal.
She loves being feminine, beyond her years for sure.
She adores fashions of many styles and cultures but drools over Victorian.

I had a nice red velvet dress that our neighbour gave us to recycle.
I used as a liner in this stole with a black velveteen outer.
I found this great closure and it finished the look off perfectly.
K is smittened with this and wears it daily.

Glamour Pooch

Molly our lovely Dane is always mistaken for a boy because of her size.
Poor thing.
We always saw how much she is a lover not a thinker, but she is such a darling.
This week I had to make her a another new coat.
When I went to look for fabric I came across this designer fabric that had been coated in vinyl.
What a score!
Well in my mind anyways.
I could envision it in my mind as soon as I bought the fabric and it turned out perfect.
Of course I have two young ladies who insisted that I give it some bling and I couldn't have agreed more.
It was funny out on our walk through the air park, Molly seemed to strut a bit as she pranced around showing off her new coat.
Who ever thought I would own a dog that needed her own winter/rain coat?
Funnier still is that I actually had the thought that it might be cute to make the girl matching ones as well........yup I thought it.

We Are Smiling......Lots

Saw this on Sacred Lotus, a great photography website, and thought this fit the bill.

We are super happy and wonderfully busy enjoying these rainy days.
I have been sewing up a storm and we have been crafting like little artsy tornadoes, but I haven't gotten the chance to sit down and show it all off yet.
So this is a little note to say a hello and say I hope you are all smiling in the rain too.

lots of love.

A New Year, A New Outlook

A recent thrift store find that tickles my heart.

I can vividly remember writing 1998 in my school books and thinking to myself it will be so wild to see the year 2010.
What would it be like?
What would i be like?
It seemed so far away and "futuristic".

I thought there would be floating cars and jet packs, kind of like a scene from the Back to the Future movies that I loved so much.
(I should show those to the kids one day.)

Now here we are!
The future is now.
The big double digits.

Seems incredible to think this is it, that most of those crazy ideas at the time really are not to far off.
Think of the crazy advancements in technology, medicine and such.
I remember cassettes, a room sized computer and Atari.

For so many reasons we are lucky and look forward to a bright future as we take back the past and learn from our mistakes and look to build a hopeful future for our children's children.

But what I find sad though is that in this "future", our "now", we have more to fear than ever.

That the pharmaceutical and pesticide companies have more pull in the world than governments.
That we haven't figured out how to live in co-operative harmony with the earth.
That we are destroying earth, and space even, with our "advancements" more than helping.
That we haven't found the cures to many of the most common deadliest diseases, and that we have created even more, yet we can find the cure for any pandemic in a heart beat.
That half the world is still starving and we still cannot seem to figure out how to abolish racism, intolerance's and religious wars.
That smoking is still regulated by a profiting government instead of banned.

That alcohol kills too many innocent people without an end in sight.
One thing is found wrong in a toy and millions are recalled to prevent injury (and thankfully) but drunk driver's are still given licences after a vehicular homicide sentence.
Where is the sense of justice in comparison?

That we willing, and for the most part unknowingly, allow GMO's, plastics and chemicals into our everyday consumable lives.

We are a dysfunctional at best world and I for one wish we could resort to a simpler way of life, where families are the priority and material pocesscions are not the central focus in life.

How futuristic do we need to be to get a grip?

This year I am vowing to use my good china, to wear the special dresses even in the yard if I have to, to say I love you every opportunity I get and show the people that matter how important they truly are.
We will be volunteering more and spending less.
We will be eating good food and growing love and nourishment in our beautiful gardens.
We will renovate our house and make it our home and teach the girls school and life within it's walls.
We will raise our girls in the spirit of happiness and curiosity and show them the real importance of life.
I am looking forward to withdrawing from the mainstream rat race and taking a slower approach to life in general.

Wow what a year it will be!

May your year be full of true love, inner peace and giddy happiness.