We have a houseguest and the kids are really grumpy on this Saturday morning so here’s a quick post for you. A re-post actually. I want to share a link to my free pattern for a felt clover perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Turn it into a hair clip, lapel pin or just a little decoration for St. Paddy’s Day. It’s a quick project that you can have done for the big day!
I made this one for Sairshe last year and she sadly lost it at a St. Patrick’s Day festival. These are so quick to make that I’m pretty sure I can make two today in between combating kid grumpies and then taking the girls shopping for flower girl dresses.
Click here for the pattern!
Posted in Felted Sweaters, Holidays, Sewing, Sewing, St. Patrick's Day | No Comments »
I should start by saying that Sairshe’s birthday isn’t really for a few months yet but we celebrated her birthday in class last week. Her teacher likes to celebrate one birthday a week and there are many kids this year who happen to have spring and summer birthdays so some have been celebrating their half-birthdays in class. Sairshe initially was really reluctant to celebrate her birthday at any time other than the week of actual birthday but now that she officially turned 5 3/4 she was excited to mark the occasion with a special celebration in class.
Carys Áine and I got to stay for her birthday celebration and I think Sairshe was more excited to have her sister there than me. We brought in photos of Sairshe for each year of her life and shared memories from her childhood so far. She loved showing off her cute baby pictures and when we got to the year she was three, I had to cut her off to keep her from sharing a more-detailed-than-necessary account of here sister being born.
I brought flowers to decorate the birthday table and her teacher dressed her up as the birthday queen with a velvet robe and gold crown. Sairshe got a birthday book filled with drawings her classmates made and her teacher gifted her a beautiful needle-felted pouch necklace. Sairshe says it’s a tooth pouch and though she didn’t have it in time for her first lost tooth last week, she already has another loose one so she’ll have a tooth to put in it soon.
My favorite part was the sweet birthday song the kids sing.
Happy birthday, happy birthday, we love you
Happy birthday, happy birthday, dreams come true
When you blow out your candles, one light stays aglow
That’s the one that’s in your heart wherever you go
Later in the day they ate applesauce cake that they baked that morning. I love that Sairshe was loved and celebrated and that she was able to be the Queen of the Day even if it isn’t quite her birthday. I’m so glad that she has such a welcoming school community and a lovely teacher and classmates.
Now that I’m thinking birthdays, and have 10 weeks to plan her actual day, what are some of your favorite birthday traditions?
Tags: waldorf
Posted in Birthday, Children | 1 Comment »
A few of my favorite moments from the past week.
1. Sairshe lost her first tooth! She was so very excited. 2. Daffodils are my favorite. I step out of my house and am reminded that spring is coming. 3. I finally got a haircut! This was long overdue.
4. Bradley the dog. Love him. 5. Sairshe isn’t quite reading on her own yet but she’s getting closer and she loves looking at books on her own. 6. Lace on the sleeves of a wool sweater I found at Goodwill. This one’s a keeper.
7. Foxy Loxy went to library storytime. 8. Heather is blooming. 9. Sairshe learned to knit! She’s a natural.
For more photos, find me on instagram here.
Tags: instagram
Posted in Children, Family, pets | 1 Comment »
I work in a forest and the view from my office window is like looking out of a tree house. It sounds great, and usually is, but lately I’ve been staring at my computer all day and have hardly even glanced at my treee-house view, much less actually set foot on a trail. The work I’ve been doing has been tedious and frustrating and cup after cup of earl gray tea have only given brief moments of serenity.
What I really needed was nature. I love working with people who understand the importance of nature and who encourage walks in the woods as part of our paid workday. I said I needed more nature, less computer and everyone understood.
The crisp morning and bright sunlight, even through the cloudy skies, cleared my head and gave me space to breath. Sometimes I forget to find time for myself. I love this time of year, when the over-eager Indian Plum is the winning the race to blanket the forest in bright green.
It’s not the only one though. There are so many colors and textures waiting in the wings. New leaves are bursting forth into the clean air as winter makes its slow exit.
The licorice ferns are especially vibrant in the winter. I wish I were a little gnome or fairy who could live in this beautiful space. Waking to see the sun shine through the leaves.
There’s a whole universe within the forest. Trees that have seen decades pass by while they stand strong. Decomposing logs that are changing back into soil before our very eyes.
There is so much space to think and breath in the forest. It’s a soft place for me to land and connects me to the reason I suffer through days of office work. Soon I’ll get to spend more time with my feet in the forest and less time looking at it through a window.
I encourage you to take some time for yourself and to notice what is happening around you as plants and animals alike are anticipating spring.
Posted in Nature, Portland, Winter | 3 Comments »
I’ve had this sweater sitting around for a while. I’m not sure where it came from or why I have it because it is too small for me and it’s a wool/cotton blend so I can’t shrink it down and turn it into cute Sesame Seed Design hats. Instead of tossing it into the goodwill pile I decided to make it into a cute skirt for Sairshe. It was a really easy project and I made it extra cute by appliqueing a trillium flower onto it.
I started with a size small sweater and it turned out just perfect for my 5-and-almost-three-quarters year old.
I cut it right at the armpits to get the largest piece of fabric I could. Sairshe was really excited to help me cut, even if she only got to hold the ruler in place.
Then I turned it inside out and folded the cut edge over about an inch. I sewed the edge down with a zig-zag stitch. I made sure to sew securely over the cut edge to prevent it from unraveling later. I left a small opening to insert elastic.
I threaded 1 inch elastic through the skirt then made Sairshe try it on so I could get the perfect size. I then sewed the ends of the elastic together and sewed the opening closed. The trillium flower is made from felted sweaters and brings in Sairshe’s favorite color combination- pink and green!
It’s been cold lately but it finally feels like spring is around the corner. The flowers in our yard are staring to bloom and they even match the skirt! These are the same ones Sairshe planted with her grandma almost exactly a year ago. I can’t wait until spring colors are everywhere!
Posted in Create, Patterns & Tutorials, Sewing, Sewing, Spring, Upcycling | No Comments »
