Top Three. by Berkley Illustrations.

I may add Winnie Cooper as a close runner up,

but this is pretty much perfect.

I love you, Berkley Illustrations.

Find their Top Three print here.

Christmas Past. circa 1980 something.

Sorry, little bro.  I solemnly swear never to decorate you again.

the winner...

Hooray!!  I emailed, ya, Buggsby.

Thank you to everyone who entered, and pinned, and facebooked!!

this is it.

When you think your kids are watching a movie, but somewhere in the middle of dvd saturation they all become red carpet guests into DreamLand. {Except for the one upstairs who opted out of movie time}. Conan calls me in to see our kids, fast asleep. 

This is when you want to stare at them in the dark for a really long time.
because when you squint you see them differently.  Eternally.  As companions, gifted to me, here to teach me.  Somehow, as they sleep, their purpose is clear and powerful.  

This is when it's clear:
I need to learn.  I need to watch.  listen.
quiet.  still and humbled.

I grab my camera and we turn on the light to take a picture - because a picture lasts.
My patience and memory doesn't.

We carry them to bed.  

We carry on.

I forget, and I get busy, and I get frustrated.

Thank goodness for that moment when you randomly decide to browse iphoto because you just want to do something that takes no energy and no prisoners.  And you find the picture. And you want to stare for a really long time.

this is it.

This is what they teach me when they're asleep.

to watch.
and remember.

still.  quiet.
humbled.

grateful.

Merry Christmas in the shop.

I have just listed a whooey of stuff in that etsy shop.
And it's all marked down pretty good with free shipping!  hooray!!

This calls for a giveaway. -THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED-

Leave a comment with what you'd get from the shop if you had an extra free $30 laying around, and if your name is chosen {randomly} that's what you'll get....anything you want up to $30!
Including a custom order.  That means, let's say, if you really really want 4 Paper Cut Heart Quotes that say "I'm awesome" to hand out to your friends and family this holiday but all the heart quotes are sold out, it doesn't matter because you have that big red heart up there that says  anything you want.

And you will be awesome. for real.

Mention it on facebook and get another entry.
Pin something from the shop on Pinterest and get another entry.
Just leave extra comments telling me you did.
And please give me a way to get a hold of you in case you win.  Or else that would stink.

Giveaway closes 11:59pm Sunday, December 11th
winner will be announced Monday morning, December 12th.

Yippee!

I've been making.

 

My sister in law, Lori, and I are participating in the Candy Cottage Holiday Market this coming Monday at Rocky Hill Elementary School. So I've been buried in MAKING STUFF!!

 

Hooray! It's been a while. Here are some of the things I will be selling: 

 

The paper cuttings will be available for custom orders (your own quote around 5-6 words on the 5x7 hearts) at the Market. I will have 4 of the Grinch Christmas quote cuttings for sale there, but the rest will be done at home and delivered by December 16th.  (Frames not included.) (I can take 30 orders, so if I don't get that many at the market I'll let you guys order some in that shop I've ignored.)

 

I've got a bunch of bags and aprons, too.  And some rice bags (to warm your toes) and some table runners and some cute little girl flannel skirts.  I'll post some pictures of those this weekend. 

The market is from 4-8pm at Rocky Hill Elementary School on Monday, November 28th - if you live in Knoxville and you wanna come.

And if you see something on my blog that you don't see at the market, just ask while you're there and we'll see what we can do.  Depending on how many orders I've gotten.  I want to spend my December drinking sparkling apple cider and eating bon bons by the tree in my $6 Old Navy jammies and fuzzy slippers while listening to Bing Crosby croon the season away.  so I'm limiting special orders.  You understand.

Cassy's Puny Party.

I am interrupting this blog drought to share with you yet another awesome party by my amazing sister Cassy.  May I introduce, the Puny Party... 

My nephew turned one, so of course she had the perfect party planned, complete with tiny door and 18 tiny 3 layer cakes.  Yes, I said 18.

You have to go here to see all the amazing details.  

And her KungFu party. 

And the Tangled party.

I love her.

Oh, and here is just a quick picture of her Justice League costumes this year, THAT SHE MADE!!

Tea

I got an email a while ago asking if I was interested in some clothes from
Tea Collection.

Uh...yes please and Thankyou.

I can't tell you how much I love these clothes. They're affordable (clearance section) and they are such good quality!  Much softer than our typical Target purchases.  My new very favorite place for children's clothing.  I feel like a fashion goob for not knowing anything about them before. 

But here is what I love most about our Tea clothes:

These are Joey's French Terry Cargo shorts (they have pants, too) for $14.50.  He wore them every day until it got cold, and now they wait on the stairs for him to get home and change into his "most awesome shorts called tea", as they have been rightfully dubbed.

Usually Joey's "bottoms" only last a month or so until we have holes in the bum and the knees (due to the obvious ninja lifestyle he leads), but these babies are going strong!!  

And they've kept their color and softness after being washed 50 ga-million times.
Seriously.  ga-million.  

We love them.  We need more.
And we need to convince Joey to start standing on his feet. maybe.

Joey: Andale Taxi Tee, French Terry Cargo Short

Andy: Goril Graphic Tee

Jake: Tigre Graphic Tee, French Terry Cargo Short

Kacie: Ancho Chile Stripe Dress, Skinny Stripe Leggings

"Where the whooey are my hair bands?"

 

"What the?  Why are these...murmur murmur...
stuck around the...murmur murmur..."

"Wha huh?...."

Apparently there's a secret Barbie Underground.

Super Mario Bros. Hat Tutorial

So, just in case you didn't have anything to do this weekend, I finally have a Mario Hat Tutorial for you.  

Because I'm assuming you are all last minute Halloween-ers, too, like me.  You guys have 3 whole days left to make costume magic!  

So I'm really not that late in posting this, really.  

Since everyone else in the world procrastinates just like me.  I know it.

Here you go:

This is not an exact science.  

Wonkiness is okay.  Mario is wonky.

The top piece is a circle with a 9 3/4" diameter. 

I "egg" shaped the top to make it stand up more.Mario style.

The measurements on that middle piece are kind of hard to read.  

Here they are:

Top: 4"

On the right: 1 1/2" and 1 3/4"

Bottom:  1/2" and 2 1/4"

I doubled my felt over because I had a lot of hats to make,

so I cut for 2 hats at a time. If you're making 1 hat, just use one layer of felt.

You'll end up with this:

I pinned the bottom just so it wouldn't shift around while I was pinning the puckers. But now you need to take that bottom pin out

so you're working with just the middle of the hat.

Fold JUST the middle piece of the hat, remember it is no longer attached to the top piece!

Now pin the top and middle pieces together again, wrong sides together.They should match up well now that the puckers aren't puckers.

Okay, here is a big fat disclaimer.  

I took these pictures of the first prototype,before I figured out it was better to sew and cut the puckers, rather than leaving them puckered.  So from now on in these pictures,ignore the puckers.  

Your puckers are sewn and cut. 

no longer puckers. 

Sweet.  You're done.  Mario Hat...

Man, that feels good.  I actually for real posted something on my neglected blog.

I'm sorry, sad blog.

I'd like to say I promise to spend more time with you, but I've heard stories about empty promises.

okay.

I wrote the stories about empty promises.

I miss you.

at least now you have a cool hat to keep you warm in my absence.