Things my friends do

Life has been fortunate for me. Not only do I have a terrific family but I have been blessed to know some amazing people who not only accept my flaws & oddities, they are talented & inspiring. Today I want to share some of them! So, in no particular order I proceed.

Well, I'll start with Drew. He is an artist & although Home Theater design isn't exactly what he had in mind when he got his BFA in sculpture, it's an outlet for creativity of sorts...it pays the bills & he enjoys it--you can't ask for more than that in a job. But, he's a hobbyist in his down time & recently he started making candles. I love them & many others do as well--it's most exciting to ship of his adorable creations to folks near & wide. Take a Peek (there are also a few in the "sale" section--don't miss them).

Next I will talk about Hoot Baby children's clothing which is out of this world fantastic. Thanks to Drew's candles & a couple odds & ends vintage trimmings I was able to get my hands on a dress & tunic for Naomi & Leviah. I can't WAIT to dress them up & spend a day taking adorable pics, but in the mean time here's a pic of the quick try-on. Hoot Baby is expanding with Trunk Shows--which I can't wait to host--& a product line that only makes a mama question one thing, where can I find my size?!

Have I recently mentioned Savta's Dolls? There are posts dedicated to Lebo, but I have to point out that these waldorf style babes just keep getting cuter! Now there's Lebo, Ella & Leviah's snuggle baby that we'll name when she's able. They're amazing & I can't wait to see what more my Mother In Law comes up with in the future...true doll-making talent. She doesn't have a shop on Etsy yet, but she's getting there & right now she's filling orders for anyone who sees a doll & HAS to have one--pretty much every other Grandma she knows!

Now for the music that makes a background for our daily routine...we love finding artists of all varieties that are semi-obscure, but recently we were given the first Album from our Friend Solomon Lopez--a fellow 'Hebrew'--who has been gifted with a natural talent for song writing & performing. We have been listening for 5 days straight...it's meaningful & uplifting. Preview (make sure to listen to minute 5:12 for one of our favorite tracks!). It's available for download online through iTunes & others.

This list could go on & on. From friends who blog, to those who knit, & on to those who are just downright great moms that remind me to put that endeavor first. Thank you friends.

Quilt Square Give Away

Alright. We've got 'em to give & so we are.

All you have to do is one--or all--of the following (& then post a comment of what you've done, so we know):

1. Purchase something from Gremlina.com
2. Post a link to your favorite Gremlina item on Facebook, Twitter, an online forum or on your blog.
3. Comment here about your favorite item from Gremlina's shop.
4. Comment with a unique idea for using these squares.
5. Become a fan on Facebook & make a comment on the Facebook fan page.

Contest is open until 12 am December 14th. The winners will be chosen randomly from all entries on the 15th. 1st place gets first choice, & so on with the other 2 names drawn. Make sure you provide a way for us to contact you should you win!

what would YOU do with these vintage treasures?

Something's missing!

quilt square pillow

quilt squares on the mantle--in embroidery hoops.

Anyone else thinking a giveaway is in order? Perhaps a random square for you?

First, looking back I should have included at least 1 picture for the last post. To make up for it I'm adding a new & exciting development: Naomi lost her first tooth! It began wiggling yesterday after her consumption of a 2 pound apple. My first thought at her complaint of a "shaky" tooth was, 'oh dear, we really need to make sure you brush more regularly!'.

A few seconds later it dawned on me that she's hit that stage of her development.

I had this sudden pit in my stomach as my mind reeled with thoughts like (but not limited to, never limited to), 'had we prepared her for this? did she understand that losing teeth was normal? was she scared that she was never going to get adult teeth?--oh shoot! what ELSE should I start preparing her for? is it time now to start talking about things we don't talk about?' oh my.

Gone are the days for milestones of cruising, walking, talking & climbing.

Those are being filled her sister--Leviah's just getting teeth & now she's losing them.

I feel like one of those moms on TV now. They always have kids doing big-kid things & she has officially become a big kid (in my opinion). Whew, little kid days sure do go quick...

Anyway, onto the documentation:

a pair of good things

I want to share just a couple good things. It might end up being more than a pair; maybe a couple of pairs & then some ;)

1. I've been telling folks about the miracle of amber. I don't know why, or how it works but I bought this Amber Teething Necklace for Leviah--which makes her look oober cool--at Palumba which has many many things I want to purchase. I really think their prices are some of the best around.

2. Drew's Stick candles--he's been playing with these for weeks & has just started adding color. Wait for that big reveal! You can look at them on the shop, but here's my personal favorite.

3. & something crafty I'm currently into myself: Quilt Squares--vintage of course. I love them. I've stumbled across them several times at yard sales & I can't resist. I have enough to make approximately 6 quilts--where will I find the time?

4. 1 more thing on my crafty to-do list--make a braided rug. We have these sheets we got for a wedding present (which makes them 7 years old). Well, we've worn right through them but I can't throw them away. & Inspired by a couple of books: Handmade Home (which I don't own, but merely peruse during frequent visits to Barnes & Noble) & The Prairie Girls Guide to Life I'm going for it; let the stripping & braiding begin!

5. Thanksgiving is one good thing I can't forget to mention. I love it with a capital L. Can't wait to dive into turkey, trimmings & dessert. Not to mention some old-fashioned family hoot-i-nanny.

terrarium ta-dah

So, finally we put together our terrariums. I never really caught you all up on October, but we had 3 birthdays. Naomi's 5, I'm, & Leviah's 1. Whew. Naomi had a probably-over-the-top party with a bouncer, cotton candy, tie-dying, & playsilks. We were camping for both her & my celebrations, & for Leviah we had friends & family come over for some cupcakes & balloons.

I got chocolate chip pancakes & really cute boots from my mom AND Drew got me something I've wanted for years--a terrarium. I tried to do one years ago, but with few resources had a difficult time & no success. BUT, with age comes wisdom & with trends comes more information. That & my mom gave me a really old terrarium book after my first attempt failed. Between that & a handy nature-craft kids book we put together some really adorable scenes yesterday. For those of you who MIGHT be interested in a similar project I'm going to put together a very basic how-to:

A. LOCATE: Find an appropriate container (we used a pickle jar that formerly had "bunches & bunches" of pickles that I bought months ago specifically for terrarium use, & of course my dedicated beauty--but really any type of jar will work. small jars, big jars, plastic jars, vases, bowls, glasses, cups, mugs, etc.--they don't HAVE to be sealed off).

B. EQUIP: Acquire "ground" materials; here are our layers:

1. Sand
2. Small Pebbles
3. Nylon Screening (to prevent dirt from seeping into & clogging drainage pebbles)
4. Dirt Mixture (all available at Garden Supply places)

• 2 parts Hummos (dirt from garden baked for 3 hours at 200degrees to kill buggies & seeds)
• 1 part Sand
• 2 parts Peat Moss/Sphagnum Moss

C. GATHER: Acquire Plants

• most tropical low-light varieties will work. Even mosses, mushrooms, lichens from the back yard will work.

D. ACCESSORIZE: Acquire small accents to make your terrarium fun

• miniature house, birds, people, doll house stuff
• rocks, sticks, etc.

E. ENSEMBLE: Once all the above has been accomplished--Assemble! It's pretty straight forward. Sand, rocks, screen, dirt mixture, plants, accessories...¡algo adorable! There are a few tools that can be handy for all of the above:

• scissors
• tray
• shovel
• paint brush (for cleaning inside walls, ornaments...)
• long wooden spoon for spreading & even distribution of dirt, rocks, sand.

There are boundless opportunities to make your little dome of delight personal, and it seems a great way to teach kiddos about the way our environment works cyclically. Plus, they're extremely endearing & low maintenance when it comes to watering--just my style.

Don't forget to get down.

To the Indie Market that is! Just a friendly reminder. & post market I'm sure I'll take a minute to catch you all up on the Grim goings on--much to tell. For those of you too far to make it here tomorrow, plan for Dec. 4th--no excuses.

A Fair to Remember

so, here are some pics.

& one question to ponder: what Don't they have at the fair? Seriously, it's like the greatest homeschool opportunity ever. In the future I think we'll have to take more than one day & REALLY get involved. Not to mention get Naomi into 4-H.

the Village of Yesteryear (best part of fair)

first coaster ride

Read-a-roo

don't be fooled--we didn't eat healthily. food not pictured:

1. Elephant Ear

2. Butterfly Fries

3. Fried Mac & Cheese

4. Honey Cotton Candy

cows

Holding chicks

squash & gourds

the ride home