three wheels turning

Independence

2009-07-10T08:00:00.003-04:00

We spent our July 4th at Fort McHenry, an important battlefield during the War of 1812 and the birthplace of our National Anthem. One of the highlights of our day was the unfurling of a replica of the flag that was Francis Scott Key's inspiration for writing what would become the Star Spangled Banner.

When the flag was laid out, the crowd joined in a chorus of the anthem. If you are someone who cries at parades (no mocking), you would have shed tears along with me. It was a beautiful and purely patriotic moment.

After a short round of applause a lone, deep voice emerged from the crowd. Quietly and confused, we listened.

And celebrated independence.

Yeah, I really cried after that one.

Happy belated Fourth of July, my friends.

Father's Day DIY | Gifts for dad

2009-06-15T10:04:00.000-04:00

Here's a gift we created a few years ago for Father's Day that's still a favorite. I shared it around the holidays but thought it would be worth mentioning again. It's easy, inexpensive and the results are so incredibly sweet.

Materials:
Poster paper (one sheet for each letter)
Kids (number varies)
Scissors
Camera
Wide picture frame

Instructions:
Cut out letters using a full-sized sheet of poster paper and hand them off to the kids.
Take as many shots as you can (vertical works best) and stop only when you've got a bunch of photos for each letter (or someone cries and tries to eat the paper).

Find your favorites and pop them into a frame. I printed them out as 4x6 inch photos and put them into a long Ribba frame from Ikea.

I don't have a photograph of the final framed product because it's at Brian's office but here's a small, digital version:

I promise....it was as much fun as it looks.

beautiful gadgety techiness

2009-06-03T15:05:00.000-04:00

Have you noticed the new iGoogle showcase? You can set up your home page to look like Martha's, Anna Sui's (love that clock), Queen Rania's or Betsey Johnson's. I'm in love with Betsey's prints (they change throughout the day) so I used her color theme and added a bunch of gadgets I hadn't been using but should have (like Twitter and ToDo). I feel like I gave myself makeover just in time for summer!

take your customer to work day

2009-05-28T12:25:00.003-04:00

Since I work out of my house and it's usually pretty crazy here, I thought I'd share some photos instead of inviting you all over for Take Your Customer to Work Day (which is really my loss because I'd love to have every one of you over for coffee).

I dream of having an amazing studio like this one or that one but I don't. Really. With the exception of the desk, which I bought years ago for my husband from a local woodworker, the furniture is what I like to call "re-purposed late-century Ikea" aka the furniture that was in my living room when I first graduated from college.

Even though I'd love to have my own studio space, my little corner of our busy downstairs family room is perfect. It allows me to keep an eye on the kids and encourages me to stop for play breaks.

Keep in mind, there are lots of reasons that I didn't give you a wide shot of the room. Like this:

And this:

Thank goodness for early bedtimes, portable laptops, and cozy corners upstairs like this:

Thanks for coming with me to work today!

there's just something about that (big) bird

2009-05-26T20:59:00.001-04:00

Growing up, I felt such a connection with the characters on Sesame Street. Maybe it's because I remember my own childhood trip to the store for "a loaf of bread, a container of milk and a stick of butter" (I'll save that story for another day) or because the front stoop at 123 looked a lot like my own in Ridgewood.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street and I've spent ~~the past four hours~~ some time on You Tube watching my favorites. What are yours?

national stationery show

2009-05-17T23:48:00.001-04:00

The National Stationery Show started today and I'm ridiculously jealous that I'm not there (either exhibiting or just walking the show like I did last year with my dear friend Jen) so I'll just keep stalking Twitter, Flickr and drooling over the amazing coverage over at Crow and Canary and Oh So Beautiful Paper.

Some pics to satisfy your paper cravings:

Good luck to all of my paper friends!

the greatest gift(s) i could imagine

2009-05-10T05:00:00.001-04:00

Thing 1 and Thing 2

Happy Mother's Day to every woman with a child in her heart.

Show some love and

2009-05-07T23:48:00.000-04:00

Happy teacher appreciation week!

fried love

2009-05-05T14:40:00.002-04:00

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I'm going to attempt to make sopapillas tonight (using a recipe from Emeril). While in New Mexico a few years ago, I fell in love with these fluffy pillows of fried dough. We ordered them at every restaurant from Albuquerque to the Colorado border.

I might as well include some photos from Flickr because if they're good, they'll be eaten before the camera comes out. If they're bad, well...is fried dough ever really bad?

from chowdownphoenix's photostream

from angelknight's photostream

mhaithaca's photostream

typographica's favorites

2009-04-30T13:18:00.003-04:00

If you missed typographica's release of their top typefaces of 2008, get ready to swoon. Thank goodness there's no place in the budget for new fonts.

Some of my own favorites from the list...

Calgary by Ale Paul

Arlt by Alejandro Lo Celso

Memoir by Stephen Rapp

And my personal favorite, Compendium by Ale Paul

Did they choose any fonts that you love?

Upcycling for Earth Day | Etsy roundup

2009-04-22T11:15:00.002-04:00

Happy Earth Day! Some of my favorite upcycled items for children on Etsy:

Birthday Tunic Dress by Courtney Courtney

(Hey! I recognize that beautiful girl in that fabulous photo! Pascale rocks.)

The Original Recycled Shirt Skirt by Lillipops Designs

(using repurposed men's dress shirts)

Giant Personalized Wool Ball by Handmade Pretties

(using 100% recycled wool scraps)

Mighty Mouse T-Shirt by Little Overcoat

(using recycled tees)

Mjou Doll by acajou

(created from sewing workroom scraps)

Journal by Nico Papergoods

(handsewn journal covered with recycled children's clothes)

restored

2009-04-13T20:48:00.003-04:00

baking with OCD | cinnamon scones

2009-04-08T15:52:00.001-04:00

I'm not a baker. Baking is not conducive to my impulsive-compulsive self so I much prefer to cook. I understand the science of cooking and enjoy the ability to alter the flavors of a meal right up until it's plated. But over the past few days I've been a baking fool.

There's a grocery store near our house that sells these incredibly amazing cinnamon scones. I'm not usually a lover of scones but these little triangles of cinnamon-y pleasure have done me in. They're moist, dense, and full of sweetness (almost like a soft cookie). I doubt my British grandmother would approve, but they are my idea of baked perfection.

Unfortunately I can no longer afford to feed my addiction. At $4 for a package of four (and two packages to feed our family for breakfast) I am determined to make them myself.

Since Monday I've been trying out recipe after recipe (which were both delicious) but still haven't quite hit it right. I've added ingredients and modified measurements but each attempt yields scones that are either too cake-like or dry. Today's recipe (a hodge-podge of ingredients) was definitely the best so far (and the only one my four-year-old baking companion/taste-tester approved of) but it wasn't quite right.

So far my recipe (mostly...I'm not good at writing things down) looks like this:

2 cups of flour
1T of baking powder
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 1/4 c of liquid-y dairy items (sour cream, milk, cream...don't mock me)
2t cinnamon
5T chilled butter
No eggs (they made them even more cake-like but I'm willing to reconsider)
I'll need to add cinnamon chips to the final product but haven't added them just yet.
And I bake at 425 for 12 minutes.

If you happen to have any recommendations to make these scones less like well...scones, please post (my cupboard and my family will thank you).

DIY on Indie Fixx

2009-04-03T10:45:00.002-04:00

I was super flattered when Jen over at Indie Fixx invited me to join her as a guest blogger today. I created a tutorial for some lovely little spring nests using all recycled materials. It's a perfect, kid-friendly spring craft, and you can get most of what you need on an outdoor stroll. Head on over!

Easter dresses | Etsy roundup

2009-04-02T23:48:00.006-04:00

Some dresses I'm loving for Easter (if I can only convince you-know-who to wear one):

Cotton candy polka bow by Rocker Baby

Alice in Wonderland dress by Bella Blue Boutique

Bailey dress by Pink Bunny

Sunshine and Steel dress by Whole Grain Baby

Ode and Sonnet knot dress by Pretty Me

things i love | my guys

2009-04-02T00:16:00.003-04:00

Number 14

and his handsome new t-ball coach.

lessons in photography | my own little three ring circus

2009-03-30T23:22:00.001-04:00

We had a fantastic time at the circus last week. We were invited to a small reception before the show and had the chance to meet and greet some of the performers. Both kids were lukewarm on the clowns at first, but the juggling eventually won them over and we even convinced Jane to give one of the clowns a high-five.

I brought along my camera in hopes of getting some nice shots of the kids with the performers. As long as I have enough space to tote it, I prefer to use my trusty SLR when I'm taking pictures at night (or anytime I don't have enough natural light) because I can use a mounted flash. I can point the flash towards an object (usually the ceiling) and bounce light back onto my subject without creating harsh shadows. It usually works like a charm.

But my first shot came out really dark like this:

I checked the batteries and repositioned the flash to point more towards my funny circus trio. Then I got this:

Neither photo would have been a real keeper but I was puzzled about why the flash bounce method wasn't working.

And then I looked up.

That darn black ceiling stole all my light!

Photographer friends...what do you do to brighten a room with a black ceiling? I have one of these (which I love) but feel a bit self-consious about using in public :)

Things I love

2009-03-26T23:19:00.000-04:00

Small, crafting, toddler-sized hands.

And little girls who love Spiderman.

What I'm Reading | Brain, Child

2009-03-23T22:41:00.005-04:00

The latest issue of Brain, Child arrived today and I'm positively giddy. It is my favorite parenting magazine because it's smart, snarky, and refreshingly independent. Some highlights (so far)...

Endgame: If your kids aren't the best, should they even bother? (by Hilary Meyerson)
Talking Smack: What to say to the offspring about your lost years. (by Johanna Bailey) and
Curse Like a Sailor: Potty mouth doesn't even begin to describe it. (by Joan Marcus)

It drives me crazy that Brain, Child is only published quarterly and I crave much more. Any other thinking mama-type magazines that you'd recommend? Or do I just need to wait until the summer issue to get my next fix?

weekend recap

2009-03-23T00:56:00.003-04:00

I spent a night away from my children for the very first time this weekend. I enjoyed an incredibly quiet (and uniquely solo) car trip to Manhattan to visit with my college friends. The night was filled with wonderful memories and inspiring stories from women I am so fortunate to have reconnected with.

And while I enjoyed every moment of my big kids-free weekend away from home, the only thing I could think of from the moment I woke up this morning, was returning home to this:

And tonight I am feeling refreshed, restored, and remarkably blessed.

custom party decorations

2009-03-18T00:03:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I completed a fun project for an Etsy customer of mine. She asked me to create shower decorations to coordinate with the plaid pram stationery from my shop.

I designed a banner with the baby's name. The letters were printed on thick cardstock and held together with chocolate brown ribbon.

Then I created some cupcake toppers. I printed a custom message on the front and the plaid pattern on the back. I used 80 lb cardstock (not too thick, not too thin), and cut out the circles using a 2" hole punch.

I struggled with finding the best way to adhere the two pieces to each other and the toothpick. I ended up using my Xyron (sticker-making) machine. There was a good deal of glue left around the edges (the downside of using the Xyron) so it took a while with each piece and my adhesive eraser to get rid of the sticky edges.

I was really happy with the way they turned out but I'm not sure that I'll be listing them in my shop. Maybe I'm just slow (or too much of a perfectionist) but the toppers took way too long to assemble. Besides, glue and I don't really get along.

I would consider listing banners in my Etsy shop though... no adhesives required. I'll keep you posted ;)

brown digits

2009-03-17T14:40:00.001-04:00

It was just too quiet and I should have known better.

But damn it, I was enjoying the silence. Sitting at my computer, working on my link list and staring at the clouds with the soft sounds of Pablo and Uniqua babysitting my children in the background.

She came in so quietly, I could hardly hear her chanting.

"Mommy. Hands. Mommy. Hands. Mommy. Hands."

I recognized the color immediately. The smell took a moment longer. She ran towards me.

I grasped her arms and looked down at her hands. Every single finger was covered in dark brown poo.

Except her left thumb. Oh Jane.

happy st. patrick's day

2009-03-17T09:24:00.000-04:00

The Corrs, Chieftains, and an ending that left my four-year-old in stiches.

Off to work on the brisket...Happy St. Paddy's Day!

cha-cha-cha-changes

2009-03-16T00:54:00.000-04:00

I'm in the midst of a little blog alteration. I had hoped to have it finished by the end of the weekend but it's past midnight and I need some sleep. I still need to tweak a few things and add items to the sidebar but I'm happy with the way it's progressing.

If you have any thoughts or notice that something seems a bit wacky, please let me know. In the meantime, enjoy a little Bowie...

shop local | pink kiss ceramics

2009-03-11T01:41:00.001-04:00

I found Pink Kiss Ceramics via the Shop Local feature on Etsy. Shop owner/elementary school art teacher Shawna Pincus (get it? so clever) is a member of the Charm City Craft Mafia and a wickedly talented potter. Have I ever mentioned my potter-envy?

Some of my favorites...

Little Dippers in the Round

Damask Cookie Plate

Salt and Pepper Set for One

Birch Leaf Spoon Rest