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Pumpkin Picking

Just in case you thought Jude was the only poor child of a blogger-mama who didn't get to go to a pumpkin patch.  

Wishing you a very Happy Halloween!

Chalkboard Pumpkins

I'm pretty sure chalkboard paint is one of my favorite inventions.  For a festive Things We Do After Nap, I gave a few pumpkins a good coat of chalkboard spray paint.  Then I gave Jude some chalk and a cloth for erasing, and let him go to town.  

He told me those are ghosts and stars.  

Wiping the designs off, and subsequently going on a bit of a cleaning spree, was possibly his favorite part.  

I didn't prime the pumpkins, so the paint scratches when you push really hard, but I love that the chalkboard allows for lots of decorating over and over.  We all know how much toddlers like the words "more" and "again."  Add a little spray bottle of water to get your chalkboard pumpkin really clean, and watch out ...

... serious Halloween fun!

I'm off to get Jude's costume together.  It is basically a big mix of things he loves to wear ... here's hoping everyone thinks it's as funny as I do.

Things We Do After Naps

Meg of Sew Liberated had an awesome idea.  She is sharing great after nap activities all week and invited everyone to share theirs as well, she's calling it Things We Do After Naps.  I am always looking for new ways to encourage creative play (and fill that hour after nap-time, before Daddy gets home).  I thought I would do a little round-up of things I've already blogged about and hopefully later this week I'll add a few new ones!

Clockwise from top left:  Pasta Beading, Homemade Playdough, Toddler Art, Simple Sorting, Deluxe Sandbox

Will you be joining in?  Have you got any ideas to share?  I am hoping to add a few more sensory art projects to our routine and I could really use some solo-play ideas (sometimes Mommy needs to fold laundry ... or pee).

Here's to a week of toddler fun!   

this moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Words (and inspiration) by Amanda Soule.

Knit One ...

Purl One ... I'm hooked (or should I say needled?).  I finally learned how to knit.  After years of resisting, saying the last thing I needed was another craft, it turns out it was exactly what I needed.  

    My mom showed me how to knit (and purl) and then we both took a class at Cast Away.  I can't say enough lovely things about this shop.  The store itself is so perfectly put together it makes Anthropologie look lazy,  just look at their feature on Design*Sponge. Even better, the owner and staff are super nice and helpful.  Cleo (the owner's daughter and knitting prodigy) taught me how to cast on and set me up with a nice simple scarf pattern. 

     After a week of sewing, knitting feels like a vacation.  I mean, you can do it in front of the TV!  My hour of show watching just got productive!  The start-stop-take-it-with-you aspect of knitting definitely rules.  Although, there are other things that will take some getting used to.  Namely, it feels like I'll be forty by the time I actually have a scarf to wear, and it's hard to make it look perfect.  Ultimately, I must admit that my heart still belongs to sewing (because I am better at it, and it produces results much more quickly), but I am very excited to add knitting to my list of crafts.  Especially because it is something I can do with (and while watching) Jude.  

    He finds the whole thing quite fascinating.  I gave him a little bit of yarn and some chopsticks.  He calls it kneeing ... 

His technique involves a lot of twirling and tossing.  

Our kneeing time gives us a chance to chat ...

... and snuggle.  I'll take all the lovings I can get.  Knit one, purl one, hug, repeat.    

Here's to finding new joy in a new way to create.

Valhalla Chic

It is officially the last day of KCWC, and I am pooped.  I had hoped to get more done, but I am so proud of this little hat, I don't really care.  It is basically a little fleece cap with some pretty awesome Viking flair.  I drafted a pattern and took lots of process pictures, which means I could probably be talked into a tutorial, after I take a nap.  For now I leave you with the highlights of this morning's photo shoot.  

A big thank you to Meg for hosting KCWC.  And you've got to see all the amazing things people have posted to the flickr group.  I am so inspired, and so tired, which means KCWC success!  

Here's to cozy little Nordic warriors.  

Twenty Minute Toddler Sweatpants

I am definitely running out of steam on KCWC, but I did muster enough energy to make Jude another pair of sweats.  

These cozy pants were once sleeves to an adult sweatshirt.  They really only take twenty minutes, and assuming you have a sweatshirt lying around, they are free.  Wait, it gets better ... there's a tutorial!  

Apologies for the shameless plug, but these really do rule.  I'm not the only one who thinks so, check out the cute ones Kimberly made.  

How is your week going?  If you joined KCWC, do you think you have the strength to push on?  I've got one more thing I must finish, and then I think I'll call it good.

Here's hoping you have a great weekend.   

Pocket Pants

I finished a pair of pocket pants from Growing Up Sew Liberated.  I had a bit of fabric left over from these pants, and this seemed like a great place to use it.  I went with mushroom pockets, and the rest is a fine wale corduroy from Joann's.  I made a few changes to the pattern.  I didn't do the itch-free seams because the cord is really soft, and I am really lazy.  I skipped the cuff, just cut the pants long, and hemmed them because I thought they would go with more...and I'm lazy.

 This little embroidery was a bit of an afterthought.  I just drew the design in disappearing ink and went to town.  I even figured out how to french knot. Now I can scratch another thing off my 30 Before Thirty.  

I decided to cut out the 2T (with 4T length because I skipped the cuff) because I heard the pattern runs large, and I'm glad I did.  

This is sans diaper, and I'm not sure if it's my sewing, but they are a little poofy in the crotch.  

But they fit really cute in the behind.  And Jude loves the pockets.

Overall, we're both pretty happy with them.

Now, if only he had a shirt that matched ... 

Happy Sewing!