Category: crafty

Ichiro

August 7, 2010

Shep has been saving his allowance for a month to buy a stuffed Gogo named Ichiro. Ichiro has a zipper, and is reversible, so there’s another pattern on the inside. As a bonus, Ichiro comes with two regular sized Gogos. For this five-year-old, this is about as good as it gets.

Anyway, today was allowance day. He’s been counting down days for two weeks. So this morning Ichiro, having made it all the way from Europe, thanks to eBay, came into our home.

Shep had been wanting a sleeping bag for Ichiro for weeks, but I kept putting him off, telling him we should really wait until Ichiro arrives so we could get proper dimensions (because, seriously, we have dozens of strangers arriving at our house in a week and it looks a bit like a tornado blew through). But today? It was unavoidable. I stopped my whirlwind cleaning to make a a sleeping bag, with little pocket for the two regular sized Gogos.

And at quiet time, the two new friends, both in their sleeping bags, settled in for one whopper of a nap.
Letterpress: printing

June 24, 2010

It took us into the wee hours, but Tom and I finally got our posters onto the press.
Letterpress workshop

June 23, 2010

Thanks to some serious scheduling gymnastics, one amazing babysitter, and some family members kicking in some time, Tom and I are both attending a week-long letterpress workshop in town. From 9am–5pm, we will learn the ins and outs of this amazing Vandercook.
Happy Father’s Day

June 20, 2010

Have I mentioned that Tom is an amazing father? I know, I do it a lot, but it’s so very true.

To celebrate, this morning we gave him the book Geek Dad. Later, I found him thumbing through it, and a short time after he was off to the hardware store (with all three kids in tow, bless him, so I could prep for the photo workshop).

By the end of the day he had constructed a 60 foot slip-n-slide in my parents’ front lawn (they have the best incline for maximum speed). By afternoon the kids had discovered the best techniques for the fastest slide (which is with a running jump, totally naked).

By late afternoon, I gave him the option to go spend some time by himself, but instead, he decided to take the whole family to see Toy Story 3. Ellery had only been to one movie before, and was beside herself with excitement. Mid-way through the previews, I looked over to see her clutching her popcorn in one hand, her ticket stub in other, overjoyed. It was such a good movie, and particularly bittersweet to see with your own children. I recommend packing tissues.

We tucked into bed three exhausted kids who had spent the day with their father, building, slipping, sliding, and movie-watching. Very lucky kids, those three.
Clay cat

February 12, 2010

Crafted for Celeste, or so I hear. At one inch tall, it’s quite a work of art.
Shaving cream bath

February 6, 2010

Did you hear? We got a little bit of snow.

Tom and Neko have been gone for hours, plowing driveways of friends and family. Shep, Ellery, and I have been holding down the fort. We’ve made breakfast, played games, watched tv, and played Boy and His Blob. We’re running out of things to do.

At school, the kids do letter practice in shaving cream on tabletops. With these little people, I wasn’t sure I was that brave today. The mess sounded a bit overwhelming.

So I threw them both in the tub. We blew through a whole can of shaving cream, making mountains and messes.

My apologies to the environment for all the CFCs we released today, but Shep has been in the tub for well over an hour, and that, my friends, is time well spent.
We’ve set the bar too high

February 2, 2010

I think we’ve been too crafty too early in our children’s lives. Shep wants a baby blob for his blob. And Neko came home from school with Celeste’s Zhu Zhu carrier and blanket, requesting me to duplicate it.So while the kids watched their evening shows, Tom and I sewed in a frenzy. Tom produced three baby blobs. I produced a Zhu Zhu pet carrier.

And now, tucked in with their creations, we’re hunkering down to watch the premiere of Lost, with a glass of wine and no assignments.
Under the sea, again!

January 29, 2010

Revisiting an old favorite.
A Boy and His Blob

January 27, 2010

A while back I bought a game for the Wii called A Boy and His Blob. We pulled it out recently, and it turns out the kids LOVE IT. Particularly Shep, who is clearly going to be our video game junkie.

When the video game is off, Shep has been wandering around the house sighing, and wishing he had his own Blob. So while Shep and Ellery were at school, Tom and Ellery ran to the fabric store and got the makings for blobs.

By the time I got home from work, Tom had booked time with the sewing machine, and there were three blobs bouncing around our house. And three VERY happy children.

Photos by Tom
Birdhouses

January 18, 2010

The kids were home from school today, in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Because they’re so young, this is a tricky holiday to talk about. I’m not sure it’s quite time to introduce the nitty-gritty of the topic, but we should talk about the man himself, and his message that showing love, respect, and kindness to all was the best means to an end.

Early in the afternoon, Neko came wandering into the living room and said she’d noticed two birds on the leafless tree outside her window. “They need a birdhouse,” she decided.

And that seemed like a great way to begin a conversation. We talked a bit about thinking about others, and how to help make sure they get what they need. We can help give the birds shelter and protection, and in turn, they help our eco-system by controlling the insect population and disseminating seeds. When we take care of each other, the world we share is a much better place.

I happened to have these birdhouses in my stash, so each child spent the afternoon decorating their house, and as the sun began to set, we hung them one by one. Three little people, making their contribution. A small gesture of kindness, but full of spirit.