Merry Christmas!

Sequins & Sofas: Grandma Glam

I am fortunate to have acquired a few pieces of jewelry from my Nana and Grandma- both now passed but never forgotten:)

The first from my Nana:

This was a ring that my Papa got for her with all the birthstones of her 5 wonderful and perfect children. I had always admired it as a child and about a year after she passed away, my Aunt asked me if I wanted to have it. You see, Nana and I shared the very same birthday. So to have a 'birthday' ring from her felt quite special...I cherish it.

The second was from my Grandma:

The story goes that Grandma had lost her original emgagement ring while rockin and rollin at her Saturday night Keg Club gathering...she and her friend Audrey searched high and low for it all the night thru (even took the kitchen sink apart) with no success. So Grandma went down to the local jeweler that very next week and picked out a new set for herself- petite and lovely. My mama passed it along to me a few years ago....and I am honored to be its new caretaker.

It's fun to think of my Nana and Grandma wearing these sparkly pieces of beauty...I feel honored to wear them and to keep the memories of Nana and Grandma close to my heart.

Toddler Talk: Find It!

My Tods think anything 'Peek-a-boo' related is super hilarious (as I am sure yours do too.)

So why not add some peek-a-boo opportunities into their play space for them to discover.

I made what I am calling the 'Animal Peek-a-boo Wall' on the back of one of our toy shelves.

First, I found some photos of different animals (I later plan to switch out the photos with a different theme to keep things interesting) and contact papered them up on the back of the shelf, spaced apart evenly. Then I sewed up some rectangles of fabric, leaving a little sewn loop at the top for a wooden dowel to slide through. With about an inch of dowel sticking out of each side, I then used those ends as anchors for duct taping to the shelf. (You see, I had made a similar wall a few months back and simply duct taped the top of a piece of cut fabric to the shelf...it lasted about a week before those little rascals yanked the fabric from the tape).

The key is engineering and reinforcement...I wanted them to be able to tug on the fabric and explore as they desired without tearing the whole thing apart. So far so good!

It's been a big hit, especially for the younger ones. They keep coming back to see if that bunny or elephant is still under there....and they also get a little practice with fine motor & memory development.

Crafty Corner: Knock, Knock...It's Christmas!

It's true..now that Turkey Day has passed, it is completely acceptable (and necessary) to prepare for the Christmas season. What better place than my very own front door (ok, so I only actually have one door since I am an apartment dweller...but it somehow sounds more festive to describe it in this way. That's what Martha would do. Agreed?)

Back up a few months. I was doing some Duluth shopping with Auntie LaLa and I saw this:

Cute, right? I thought so too...until I saw it was $60.00!!!!!!

Sheesh. That's just crazy. But not as crazy as the crafting that's about to go down...boom:

A big metal ring from the craft store. $2.

A pile of fabric scraps. Free. (Fine, not exactly, I realize that I did indeed pay $ at one point for said scraps, but I already had them lying around...so....free.)

Cut a bazillion strips.

Tied some knots...many knots. Tied knots until the circle was complete.

Also, take note of my festive Christmas candy cane jammie pants...the proper attire for such a crafting event should never be overlooked.

Cost: Under $5. My door feels happy and ready to wish a Merry Christmas to all who pass through!

The Red Door Christmas Store

Some lovely ladies that I know are hard at work organizing the most AMAZING store for the holiday season to come!

It will be a magical place to purchase a variety of gifts- all hand crafted by talented ladies (18 of them, I hear) from the Metro Area. Browse, shop, mingle, enjoy some snacks and soak up some Christmas cheer!

Here are the details:
*Friday Dec. 6 & Saturday Dec. 7
*10am to 6pm
*3121 16th Ave. S, Minneapolis

Trust me...you do not want to miss this.

Here's a little sneak peek at some items you will find:

So...WOW! Right? See you there...

The Red Door Christmas Store

Sequins & Sofas: Timeless Beauty

I want to share with you an amazing talent of a woman named Bertha Eleanor Murphy (she was known by most as Bunny). A close family friend from Duluth, I remember as a child her visits to Nana and Papa's house and seeing her at various family functions. From my memory, she was a kind and quiet person, always asked us kids what was going on in our lives and she smelled good (kids memories, right). I honestly didn't know much more about her life at the time other than she lived down the street and she was a sweet lady.

This fall, Bunny passed away and I then learned about her amazing gift. She was an artist. She captured the essence of a sophisticated woman through her drawings....drawings that were purchased by companies who wanted to sell their merchandise. Her hand drawn masterpieces were sent to the printers to be duplicated for the local papers...enticing the ladies of the era to daydream about owning a new fur coat or trying a new lotion sure to preserve the skin of their youth.

I wish I had known as a child about her passion for art and fashion, it would have been such fun to show her my 'drawings' and learn about her experience. In my mind, I was for sure going to be a famous fashion designer someday, really famous:

Ok, maybe not. Either way, I am so thankful that I did learn about her life's work in time...and last month I was lucky enough to be given a few of her original sketches! They are beautiful, just beautiful. And I am honored to have the opportunity to display them for the world to see:

Thank you Bunny for sharing your gift. You were a true talent and a lovely lady.

Toddler Talk: Imagine!

My kiddos are just coming to an age where dramatic play is much more, well, dramatic. They are using their amazing little minds to expand their play from simple exploration to more involved storylines....sometimes I even hear them voicing multiple characters (plastic animals, baby dolls and the like) in conversation with one another.

Currently we have a puppet theater in the classroom and it is a hoot and a half! A majority think it is most hilarious when the puppets 'eat' their hands or spit out things the kids try to feed them. I can see their little minds turning...battling the concepts of pretend and reality all in one play experience!

There are a few kiddos, however, that want nothing to do with the puppet community...it kind of freaks them out- they just can't figure out how that crazy thing is moving and talking to them. Since it is sometimes hard at first for a toddler to realize that the hand inside the puppet is doing all the work, it helps to give away the secret a few times (i.e. taking my hand out and showing them it's ok)! And ya know what else helps:

'Huh...what is that crazy thing?' you may ask. Well, let me show you:

Ha ha ha he he ho ha ha! Isn't this the funniest little guy you have ever seen?? I saw these at Creative Kidstuff a few months ago and had to give them a try. The kids love 'em (and frankly so do I) and the skeptical types seem to have less of a problem chatting with such a friend and giving it a try themselves. Thanks Creative Kidstuff for bridging the gap between pretend and reality...and for less than $1.00!

Crafty Corner: Elephantastic!

My friend 'A' just had a brand new baby boy! (Woo Hoo) She is so in love with her new little prince I am sure...also, she is in love with elephants. Lots of elephants:)

Ding, Ding, Ding....I heard the bell of opportunity ringing and had to try my hand at another stuffed animal creation (see 1st stuffed animal attempt here). So, off I went:

The plan:

The supplies:

The process:

So far so good. Next I had to fashion a tail:

Ok...a little confession. I was totally feeling awesome about myself at this point and marveling at the creation unfolding before me when I pinned the tail....and sewed it into place:

Yeah, that seems about right. Secured to the reverse, it will be SO amazing when I flip it inside out I am sure...

Oh drat! What I failed to work out in my brain was that in order for this plan to be a success, the tail should have been placed in BETWEEN the two pieces of reversed fabric....not on the outside of just one side. Duh! Rookie mistake.

No worries, a few minutes of problem solving and a little careful seam ripping/resewing and I was back on track. And just a little encouragement to you rookie crafters out there...it's ok to make mistakes! Have fun, experiment with different media and just create....even those fancy master crafters you read about on Pinterest have had some not so perfect prototypes before showing the world their favorite works. Back to Mr. Elephant:

Time to stuff and embellish:

Sheesh...it was a long (but fun) afternoon to get this little guy ready for his new home, but here he is:

Welcome to the world little baby boy! I hope this new stuffed friend will establish in your heart a love for all things elephant....just like your beautiful mama!