Friday, April 11, 2014

for the love of spring


above is the incredible swap gift that maiko received! we were all so impressed with the handy work of this young man... welding a bike chain into a snake... what a creative idea!! he also included a picture he drew of his home, and wrote a note. maiko hung the picture and note by his bed and swears he will keep the snake forever. thank you so much luke tyler and family! (oops, luke is the one we are sending a package too... we received this package from tyler and family)

below is the finished kitty bag. layla also made a beaded bracelet to go with it. we mailed it earlier in the week. maiko's is almost finished. we are late. i am going to comment on his mom's blog and let her know that we are running behind but that it will go out monday!



finding these monkeys with eggs in their laps brought a smile to my face... i know it was my little monkey loving ollie that placed them this way.


our remodel is coming along quite quickly... the sheet rock is up now... and the mudding started today. it should be ready for painting early next week.



my bee and me had a mother daughter day and finally went in to the (somewhat new) local craft shop. oh. my. goodness. it is fabulous. we each got a couple of treats there. layla chose stickers, and i got some gorgeous stencils and that adorable minty blue-green pom pom hem stuff. won't it look great with that drapey polka dot fabric. actually, the photos really don't do the combo justice. i keep thinking maybe a cute scarf...



riding weather... these four have been enjoying some time for adventuring together in the forest on the trails they blazed.





while i stay home with this little lady and enjoy some peace, quiet, and sunshine.





i've been trying to capture some of the beauty around here lately...










everything is glowing with green... and there are flowers blooming everywhere. tiny little white daisies all over in the grass, apple blossoms, tulips, blue bells, lilacs... and the way the birds are singing little songs of happiness all day everyday. you can't help but feel the joy and buzz of spring when it's all around you like this. and right now... the lilacs next to my front porch are blooming... it won't last that long... but every time i walk up to my front door... i can smell their sweet fragrance... sigh... love this farm.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

over the weekend...







we received our first swap gift! it was for little ollie. it traveled from california where is was created by a little girl named ellie and her mama, summer. ellie collected stones and shells close to her home, and painted ollie a picture. summer sewed a sweet little "spring sprite" for her.... i love the little bee detail on the side. ollie has been carrying it around everywhere with her, and we hung the picture in her room, and put the little nature treasures in her special box. she loved everything... we all did! thank you summer and ellie! if you would like to check out summer's blog... she is here: http://summerplayshouse.com/

layla worked hard on her gift over the weekend... it is actually finished now... soon i will post pictures of the finished project. we made progress on maiko's gift this weekend also (once again... pics soon). eislee and ollie's gifts are mailed out, and layla's will be mailed out tomorrow! 
when i was nagging layla to finish her project over the weekend she told me "mom, i just don't know if i'm going to be as in to sewing as you are." i just had to smile. 

i also carved a few new stamps. the mushroom and the snail are from geninne's book (which you can find a link to in my sidebar), and the "handmade" one... i was just kind of messing around... but i like it. the snail is a gift. one of the kids swap partners is the daughter of a blogger i have been following for awhile, so i thought i'd throw in something for her mama from me.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

progress...



there was a leak discovered and fixed and now the damage repair has begun. it is a much bigger project than any of us anticipated... but it still feels good just getting started... it has been a weight on our shoulders for too long.


i signed the kids up for a craft swap just like the one i was in... only there is four of them to help with packages to send out... oy! but, we will receive four as well... and they are very excited about that! 


layla is making steady progress with her kitty bag... she also plans to make a bracelet and either a necklace or hairclip to go with it. just love how serious she looks in that cutting picture. she is doing such a good job. i am so proud of her.






eislee has also been working hard... we all made a bunch of flower fairies together (her little friend likes fairies) and she will pick out her favorites to send. she also made a beaded necklace, and will make some homemade playdough with me to send.




ollie is testing out some of the flower fairies...




of course i am doing the making for ollie, but she is supervising. if her friend was a girl she would have beaded a necklace... but he is a boy... a boy who likes pirates (among other things)... so we made him a felt pirate hat and eyepatch, and we are going to make him some homemade playdough too.



eislee is modeling the pirate accessories and the proper pirate facial expression to go with them.

we haven't even started on maiko's project... but i plan to make huge progress over the weekend... we know what he is making... so that will help!

eislee and ollie's packages should be ready to send out tomorrow... layla's will be ready monday... and hopefully maiko's will be ready monday too!

and then we (or i.. ahem) plan to take a break from swapping for a bit.

in case your wondering why i haven't shared my "swap package"... i didn't actually receive one... but just as i told my children... there are so so many real life situations that can come up and make this whole swap thing seem quite small and unimportant... and i completely understand that. i had so much fun just making the package i sent and seeing how much it was enjoyed... not to mention all the new "friends" i have met in blogland... i think that was the best part!