Holidays: Advent Calendar

I love handmade things for the holidays.  I like ornaments, garland, the lights and I love handmade stockings.  Since having a little one, I have found myself wanting to decorate more.  I prefer snowflakes and stars to Santa and stuffed snowmen however, and so I am thinking about ways to bring in tradition into our way of thinking and approaching the holidays. I love the idea of counting time, so I like the basic concept of an advent calendar, I could even get into little treats, as long as they were healthy and didn't buy into the need to go out and BUY 25 things every year to put into this calendar.  We are also trying to reduce the sugar, which is no small feat this time of year.  

My solution was much more simple.  I made a calendar, and handstitched a felt star to move through the pockets to count time.  It may look a little Americana, but I think it fills the bill of a more natural approach to the holidays quite well.  It also makes for a nice little way of marking other events, like my daughter's birthday and that of my late Grandma.  I think a handstitched item to mark the Solstice would also be good, so that it can move each year to the appropriate day.

House: Red Gets a New Room

Many parents can attest to many things that they would do if it meant getting sleep, more sleep or better sleep.  For us it came down to this: Scarlett (Red) had to move from her bright naturally lit room in the front of the house to a cozy, darker and quiet room at the back of the house.  Between early summer sun rays brightly, albiet beautifully, lighting her room and waking to the sound of vehicles on the road, I was quietly cursing to myself very morning too early to mention.

Red is getting older, and much more mobile.  While some children spend a lot of time really getting into letters and using words, she is getting into and creating puzzles.  Getting out of the crib was a puzzle quickly solved by climbing, as is getting things off the counter.  Clothes?! Well there is a fun puzzle!  Wooden puzzles are quickly solved and resolved and outside is THE jam.  She taught herself how to swing at 19 months or so.  Running around in the lower field is a fantastic adventure and hikes are something to quickly get yourself dressed for.  So how do you make a room that is safe for your climber and that is fun and creates an indoor outside? A nature themed toddler room!

The Parts:
When Scarlett was still an infant I found a fun bed by P'kolino and stored it away.  This summer I had purchased some of those Ikea leaves to try to use on her swing to shade afternoon rays and never installed them. I had found a remnant of linen fabric depicting birds and flowers in a graphic cut paper style and bright orange.  I had some left over blue wall paint (it was the wrong color the first time, but it would be a great cheery sky).

The Plan:
I have a handy husband, but he detests painting, so when he went out of town for a project, I got to work!  Stitching the curtains, building the bed, painting the walls.  Yes, Red's bedtime became a highly productive time for me!  After I got it all done, I arranged the P'kolino chairs (that are also puzzles and building blocks) and quiet time activities.

The Result:

In the morning, I often wake to hear Scarlett talking to her friends and babies, reading them books and talking about outside and her best friend Chichi (not her name, but thats what Red calls her).  Her room is a very fun and brightly colored nature room.  She loves it, and she sleeps til 6:30-7AM.  I call it 100% worth it!

Ornaments: veggies

As much as I'd like to say the reason for my absence in posting is due to having too many projects to post about, I can't.  No excuses here.  But what I can say is that it's that time of year again and I'm putting some time in.  This week I filled an order for Garden Fever! in NE Portland.  I put together a dozen selected veggies.  I don't have a huge variety of veg cookie cutters so I cut each one of these sweet ornaments by hand and stitched them up for their December 1 event.  There are still plenty there, so if you feel the need, you know where to go! ;)

Eggplant, tomatoes, carrots, parsnips, cabbage and beets, oh my!  Each are hanging on a festive green cord.