I'm back with cozy slippers!

And back to our regularly scheduled programming...

So I made it through my first giveaway and multiblog event. It was fun to reach out and find interested sponsors; to collaborate with the bloggers; and I'm thrilled to have more readers (hopefully you'll visit now and then!).

I do feel slightly knocked off my groove now though so I'm going to have to make an effort to spend a little more time here again.

My class ended yesterday and I feel like I've been given the gift of some extra time. I cleaned and we can see parts of the living room we haven't seen in a while. And by now I've got a long list of gifts I want to make. I'm sure I won't get to them all but I'll have some fun.

I've shared that I've been playing with upcyling wool sweaters. I still love the idea of wool longies but I have yet to make a pair for my girls that really feel finished. But I did make a pair of slippers that I'm super happy with! I've tried them on just to make sure they work (and I will have to make a pair for myself) but they will be a gift.








Kinda funky! But fun. Easy and quick to make (important these days when my brain is still adjusting to being split in so many directions!). Comfy and warm.

I wasn't sure what to do with a really thick wool sweater I got. I was scared to felt it because I sure what would happen. That's kind of just me. Kind of a creativity buzz-kill to be like that though. So after making longies out of the sleeves, I felted the body. And it came out thick! Really thick! It sat on the back of a chair for a week before I realized it would be perfect for slipper soles! Then my husband threw the matching longies in with the rest of the wash so they felt too, but not quite as much. So they made perfect top and sides. Some matching yarn and edging from another sweater and voila! Slippers!

Just in case you want to see them again...



I haven't put them away yet because I like looking at my successful projects (a nice thing about being a SAHM, I get to look at my girls all the time! Ha ha.). Tonight I'm taking it lazy, I mean easy, for the first time in a while. But tomorrow, on to the next gift!

Froggable or not

So, upcycling.
For example - there are so many things to be made from used sweaters! I found another blogger, Resweater, who shares her creativity in this arena (along with some neat tutorials). Hats, mittens, balls, sleep sacks, pants, new sweaters for kids. Fun! Plus, she raids (not literally) secondhand stores for sweaters (wool, cashmere, etc.) and sells them online, which is great since the closest secondhand store I could find near me is so posh I found a sweater for $140.
So anyway, I began my cutting and piecing and sewing. I've made a pair of longies for each of my girls. So far, I just did it by using the sleeves from sweaters. For one I just cut and sewed. The other sweater was 'froggable' (is that a great word or what?!), so I unraveled the tops of the sleeves and then knit them together at the top. They are great for wearing over cloth diapers, just as I hoped. They do still have a bit to be desired in the fashion department so they are mostly indoor wear. Although, we did get compliments at a playdate the other day when we just left the house in whatever we were wearing (necessary sometimes in order to get out the door at all). But I've been looking at a lot of other people's longies and I'll be trying again.

I will get pictures up at some point soon. I'd love to hear from anyone who knows some good patterns or suggestions or other online resources!

Halloween & Diwali

We decided (it sounds better saying 'we' than 'I') not to get into Halloween this year. While it seems a much stranger holiday from my now grown-up perspective, we'll let that conversation slide and just leave it at - my little ones don't understand the whole dressing-up-as-something-else concept (and won't keep anything on for more than 15 minutes) and I was feeling motivated enough to put costumes together for my own satisfaction and in order to snap photos for friends and relatives (don't worry, we've taken some nice Fall leaf fun photos instead!).
We were not however holed up at home with all the lights off on Halloween night as we drove up to Maine to visit some friends for the weekend and ended up celebrating another holiday that involves lights and decorations - Diwali! This is an Indian 'festival of lights' and while the day itself has varying significance for different groups of people, for everyone celebrating, it is a day to celebrate LIGHT! More specifically, the inner light or true essence within each person. It's a lovely meaning and the celebration is very joyful with the making of sweets and brightly colored decorations and filling the house with many colorful lights.

There is a connection to my children here. My toddler has been very into our salt shaker lately, as I try to let her help more when I'm cooking. This means that either our food becomes very salty, or we find ourselves sliding around on the salt scattered across the floor. So I've been asking around for some alternative suggestions. Glitter is the obvious one but I wasn't ready for that mess yet. (The best suggestion I've received so far is sequins but we just haven't tried it yet!) And then we arrive at our friends' house to find crepe paper lanterns being made; lanterns that needed some sparkles! My daughter joined forces with another two-year old and they got sparkles everywhere (literally)! Glue stick and gold glitter and they were in heaven. The joy (and focus) on their faces was priceless.

Big thanks and lots of love to friends that know just what children like and how they can enjoy preparing for the holidays too! And Happy Diwali to all!

Scribble alphabet?!

I can't help but put on my educator hat when I watch my 22 month old daughter scribble. In the past week or so, I've been fascinated at how she seems to be more aware of the actual marks she is putting on the paper. Before it was pretty much about the movement of her arm, hand and fingers. And it was social - she asked us to draw things and shapes and use different colors. But now she comments on her own lines - little, big - and some labels - door, house, and so on. And, she consciously trying to fill a page with marks.

Did you know that there is an actual 'alphabet' of scribbles? Last Fall I taught a class on Art and Creativity in Young Children and we talked about Rhonda Kellogg's scribble alphabet. There are elements like 'dot,' 'single vertical line,' and 'imperfect circle.' After these simple marks, we start thinking about different combinations, and how the page is filled (or not). And this is just in the first few years of life!

I know it's universal but it's still fascinating to actually see it unfold!