Losing The Battle One Cheerio At A Time

This weekend is drill weekend which means Brett is gone most of the day both days. While this kind of thing used to make me crazy when sandwiched between two regular weeks of his old schedule, it's not been that bad. I'm thankful for moments of self-entertainment when my kids decide to sit on the floor next to each other and play with transformers and every time one of them brings me a book they want me to read.

That's not to say that I don't let a little extra video time happen so I can sweep the floor from every bowl of cheerios that gets dumped from Ruby's perch. No matter how few I put in her bowl, it gets knocked over and those little cheerios spread out as far as they can and hide in the corners I can't easily reach and then little feet run over them and they spread even more until I may as well just call it a cheerio rug. Thank heavens for wooden floors. And Elmo.

I did manage to get our old curtains hung in our living room and two more sets of rods screwed in last night after dinner. I've got the perfect vintage muslin sheet (shown above in yellow) for the kids' room that I'm going to make work even though I could really use another one in the same condition. I've been fretting over curtains since we moved in and have completely different sized windows to cover but it's looking hopeful!

How has your weekend been so far? Raise your hand if you needed a little extra coffee this morning...

xoxo,
Rachel

p.s. All photos using Hipstamatic on my phone.

Guest Blog: Kenziepoo's Fashion Favorites

It's Handmade for Kids month at Smile and Wave but I wanted to get a little fashion inspiration in here, too! I asked Rachelle of Kenziepoo to share a few of her favorite places to shop online. Thanks, Rachelle!

Hi, my name is Rachelle Francey. I am a blogger, mother and editor. I was inspired to start a blog called Kenziepoo, after my daughter Kenzie. I write on everything from clothes to nursery decor. I am also the editor of the online magazine for kids, La Petite. La Petite is releasing it's third issue the first of February, along with a shop. You can expect to find clothes & hair accessories for your little one in the shop. I currently live in Boise, Idaho with my husband and Kenzie.

Here are a few of my favorite things for Spring/Summer 2011. Update your child's look with some of these great designers! Luckyboysunday & Bobo Chooses have great new spring/summer collections right now. Bobo Chooses is very affordable and just too cute to pass up! You will be sure to get lots of compliments when your little one is rocking these brands!

Petitbo is a fun webshop! I came across this shop via the super talented Monika Elena. You can expect to find the brand Petitbo but also Minnetonka moccasins, vintage Converse, books from Paumes and lots of other nice things for kids!

Their collections are made in small quantities, local, and handmade. All of their garments are made with lots of heart in their atelier in Toulouse, France and all jersey fabrics are knitted in Sweden.

I had so much fun visiting!
~Rachelle

Thank you, Rachelle, for sharing some of your favorite online shops with us! Some of my favorite regular features on Rachelle's blog are the 'Turn this Room into an Outfit' and 'Things I love Monday'.If you aren't familiar with Kenziepoo or La Petite I suggest you take a look. You'll be inspired, I promise!

xoxo,
Rachel
p.s. All images courtesy of Rachelle.

Those Kids That Live At Our House

Ruby is suddenly such a spirited little thing. She knows how to ask for what she wants either using the sign language we've taught her, some sounds that have become consistent enough for me to know what she means, or lots of pointing and patting. She's very expressive.

Recently she's insisted on feeding herself. I haven't had her high chair in use for a few weeks because it's so bulky and we have a petite little section of our family room designated for the dining table. In fact, I felt like Ashley Campbell and I were living in a parallel universe on this front when I read this recent post. Instead, she's adopted this little chair to sit in and make a mess...I mean, enjoy her meals.

I got too close.

She's getting better at it, though, and every day she shows me something new about herself.

She showed me how she can use her little chair to climb onto the big chair to climb onto the table. Yes, the table. Where we eat food. And have coffee cups that tip over onto important papers and such. (Don't worry, Brett was standing just to the left of this photo.) Doesn't she look so pleased with herself.

She's always checking to make sure her belly button is still in place and wants to see everyone else's too. Watch out if you come over to my house!

Her hair is slowly but surely making an appearance in the back but I don't think I'll need to worry about barrettes any time soon.

That little boy that isn't as little as he used to be has rediscovered his love for Thomas lately and was so proud when he put this puzzle together all by himself this week. I asked him if I could take a picture while he was putting it together and he was fine with that. He came and got me when he'd finished so I could take another picture. Heart swell.

He's quite the affectionate little man and loves to bear hug his sister. They were watching Elmo the other day and I came back in from the kitchen to see he had moved from the couch onto the floor to hug her. Heart swell!

Most days these kids are happy to have each other. Sometimes S will tell me he doesn't want Ruby anymore because she does bad things like sticking her hand in the toilet and pulling banana peels out of the trash can. We remind him that it's our job to teach her how to make good choices just like we're teaching him to make good choices. Choices like always washing his hands with soap after he uses the bathroom or telling the truth when I can tell he hasn't. We all need help making good choices sometimes.

xoxo,
Rachel

Shot Through The Heart Arrow Garland Tutorial

I've been thinking of a way to incorporate something new into Ruby's side of the room that was playful and could bring in more color and texture since we are renters and can't paint. I used to have a large painting up above her crib but she was able to knock it off at our other house and I'm not willing to have it fall on her head anytime soon. I've had a few extra arrow rattles that I designed for Red Velvet Art last year floating around the toy box and it hit me yesterday to make another and string them together as a garland!

SO, here's a simple tutorial and pattern to make your own arrow plush garland (or mobile). You'll need: 13" x 13" of fabric per arrow, a cut of fabric measuring about 3" x 44" to string them together, sewing machine (optional), stuffing, a needle and thread, scissors, access to a printer, pen.

Print out the template at the bottom of this post or create your own arrow shape. I traced mine onto card stock but it's not necessary. Cut out your shape and place it on your fabric. I used a vintage gingham that was a little see through so I added some white sheeting to the back. Trace around the stencil onto your fabric and cut it out. Repeat with as many pieces as you need for your garland.

Place your fabric pieces on top of each other and pin together with right sides facing each other.

Starting from the center on one side, stitch all the way around the arrow leaving about 1/4" from the edge for the seam allowance and stopping about 2.5" from where you started. Trim your corners and make little v-shapes in the inverted corners but be sure not to get too close to your stitches. If you don't have a sewing machine you can hand-stitch your arrow closed using small stitches.

Turn right side out and stuff. Stitch closed with your needle and thread when finished. Repeat with the rest of your arrows.

The arrow I made yesterday is a little different than the originals but I've shared the template with the original design so your arrows will look more like the pink and blue ones.

Cut your long strip of fabric into three strips and braid them together leaving about 4" of loose fabric from the end. If you're using more than three arrows you'll want to make two braids.

I cut my braid into four pieces and hand-stitched the ends onto the backs of the arrows.

I then attached it to the wall high enough for Ruby not to be able to pull down with two screws. We have plaster walls so I pre-drilled holes and then added small screws that I covered with part of the braid so it wouldn't show. We've had plenty of cloud coverage this week so even with two big windows in their room, it was a little dark in this corner. Here's a little peek into how things are shaping up in there!

Here's the pattern I used if you'd like to make your own plush arrow garland. I think this would be equally adorable if they were stacked one on top of another and connected from the middle of each arrow so that they spun around as a mobile.

(Pattern and garland for non-commercial use only please.)

I'd love to see your version if you make one. It's super easy and would work well for a boy or a girl depending on the fabrics you choose.

I've got a fun giveaway coming tomorrow and it's Project ReStyle day!

xoxo,
Rachel

Handmade For Kids Roundup #1

You must check out all of the details that Stacy put into not only the doll but the fun dollhouse for her daughter's Christmas gift. Find it at Hart + Sew.

I've seen these on a few sites this week but had to share because they are the cutest sewing cards I've seen in awhile. Animal Sewing Cards via The Crafty Crow.

I'm still not the best at clothing patterns when it comes to jersey but this project is tempting me. As seen at Piccoli Piselli.

Abbey never fails to inspire me with the projects she makes with her son. Most of them seem to be space-themed which gives me the impression that...she's a great mom! See more at Aesthetic Outburst.

This handmade mat is a great way to encourage creativity in play and can be easily stored when they're ready to switch activities. More photos at One Crafty Mumma.

The ladies at Dos Family always remind me to have fun with my environment and this doily shade is another way they've done that. See how they made it at Dos Family.

And just in time for Valentine's Day, this adorable handmade heart doily how-to. See Artful Parent for details.

There are more projects out there than time to make them but I'm always excited when I see either something absolutely unique or an old idea reinvented. What kinds of projects have been inspiring you lately?

xoxo,
Rachel