apron

this is the first apron i have made and i think it turned out so cute. i can't wait to make lucy and the boys their own (this is an order for a friend). oh, how i wish i had time to make all of my neices one. perfect for helping mom and dad in the kitchen or working on art projects.

new designs

fun for the big birthday.

soft and comfy soy onepieces personalized with baby's initial and a little flower or star on the back.

this snowflake with a little mountain scene on the back went to colorado.

christmas on manor

click on photo for larger image and details!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

A fresh tree decorated with bright colored glass ornaments on the top half and lovingly and excitedly hung handmade or non-breakable ornaments at the bottom. i love that the boys hung at least three per drooping branch!

three handmade stockings and two not.

fun gift wrap i found in the dollar bin at target. i'm also using little suitcase style boxes for the kids this year. trying to be a little 'green' and then they have something to store all of their collections in after.

my favorite place in our house to change each season. i found the glitter letters for a dollar each at joanns and hung them on green velvet ribbon.

hope you are having fun decorating and celebrating the season!

a little organization might help

in the last few weeks i have forgotten a meal for a friend with a new baby, snacks for henry's class at school and two weeks in a row i have left backpacks and lunchpacks in the parking lot at school while i drove off. both times a friend with three kids herself has dropped them by my house with a little laugh, while i'm sure she thinks i've totally lost it.

so here is my attempt to be more organized. a neat planner with tear out sheets for the grocery store and to-do lists. i made a snazzy cover with a fun amy butler print and some vinyl to protect it against spills and sticky fingers and pocket space for the important notes that usually get tossed in a big basket at home and don't get seen again until, yes, i 've forgotten something. now it will all be written in here and hopefully i will remember to check it daily!

creative play

a bug house henry made from an old shoe box and filled with furniture and food for the bugs. and of course, a bug for them to drive!

"outside pie" yummy!

an art project idea from kids craft weekly.

i love that even with all of the toys these guys have it seems they get the most excited when they create their own things to play with!

handmade christmas

my goal is to make at least one handmade thing for each family member this year. henry really wanted to sew the other day, so we started with this quick and easy felt tic-tac-toe game for his cousin keegan. he helped cut the x's and o's with pinking shears and then we sewed the game lines to the square. voila! one down.

racing to three

charlie's third birthday party was this weekend and he wanted a race car party. i made the flag banner (which is now hanging in the boys room), the car birthday cake and i lucked out and found a great kit at target that had wooden cars for the kids to paint, add stickers to and then race them. i was amazed how long they all sat at the table and worked on their little creations. it was a beautiful day and they all played in the backyard until dark. of course he didn't want the day to end and passed out at the kitchen table while coloring. oh.. he is so sweet! everyone who meets him says the same thing.

today we had a 'date' to see jim cosgrove with the kansas city symphony. we have season tickets to the family series which is four concerts including the magic of christmas. it is great, they have an instrument 'petting zoo' before each show where the kids can play the different instruments. a fun way to spend a sunday afternoon!

open house - fiddly fig nov. 2-4

happy halloween a day late

one happy face jack-o-lantern, a vampire and a silly face. those were the requests for carving.

the boys had sooo much fun and would only do football poses for pictures.

sweet little cheerleader lucy, not quite sure about any of it.

clothespins

these little clothespins are so happy! i've been wanting to make some for lucy's room and here they are, some packaged for the open house in two weeks.

deanna rose farm

what a perfect fall day to spend with friends at deanna rose farm. lots of running ahead to see the next animal or to climb on another tractor, milk a cow and finally a hay ride to pumpkin hollow. i love fall at the farm with lots of fun games, a corn maze and a field for picking the perfect pumpkin. of course the boys picked the biggest one they could find and then wanted mom to carry them along with lucy, the camera, drinks, etc. lots of smiles and now, yes, three napping kids! enjoy this beautiful weekend, lots of fun stuff going on around kc!

giddy up

well it is a soggy day here. henry's field trip to deanna rose farm was canceled, so i had time to stop by harper's to pick up some new fabric including this cowboy print and dots in lots of colors. and long naps for the two little ones meant some time to sew!

nesting

fall weather is finally here! i love decorating our house for fall and thought i would share my dining room sideboard. the three tier shelf is from nell hills and i love changing it with the seasons. it is one little area where i can put some of my favorite things that the kids can't get too. i love the etched glasses, a gift from my friend amy who always noticed me drooling over them on our trips to nell hills, silver vases from anthropologie and julisko style glass vases.

peace and love

creating new designs for the open house. i love working with the different colors and styles of the soy clothing. i also have an order for letters and 'art' for a children's store in pennsylvania.

sugar

every year about this time i start nesting and the first sign is making sugar cookies. the boys enjoyed mixing and rolling out the dough and then cutting them into pumpkins, bats, ghosts and leaves. it is a long process but totally worth it! we have several friends with new babies who we will be sharing these festive treats with!

baby soy

i am so excited about a new line of baby clothing that i have to applique! it is from baby soy: style + nature's softness for eco-babies and sassy mamas! there are long sleeved onesies, kimono onesies and onepieces, kimono tees and pants. they come in fabulous color combinations. i had to take the picture of them outside because it is gorgeous here today.

love, love, love fall!

other exciting news is quince and clover will be featured at the fiddly fig for their open house november 2-4. this is the flower shop i worked at and they have a great retail area as well. the open house is lots of fun, a ton of beautiful fresh flowers and great holiday decorating ideas!

better get to sewing...

bows

what to do with all of that great ribbon? bows! lucy's hair is so long that it hangs in her eyes, so i really do have a great excuse for making all of these. and i have found that they are easily lost. not sure if i'll make some for the shop or just for fun.

what a weekend

friday morning was a trip to gymnastics for open gym time. lots to do for this energetic bunch: a huge foam pit to jump in, zip line, trampolines, slides and a rope swing.

that night it was off to shawnee mission park for a kids concert featuring local favorite

jim cosgrove and trout fishing in america. it was like a little greatful dead show for kids complete with balloon animals, glow sticks, air filled slides and bouncers and good music to boogie to with friends and grandma and grandpa!

saturday was a friends carnival birthday party. it was so cute and very creative. a ticket booth made from a refrigerator box and tons of games including a duck pond, ring toss, bean bag toss, lollipop tree, fishing and bowling. and of course popcorn, cotton candy, face painting and a neighbor boy to put on a juggling show!

that night we headed to my aunt and uncle's farm. i absolutely love it there! there is always plenty of food, lots of laughs and a big bon fire to make s'mores. it is so peaceful there. the kids love the horses, cows and the freedom of wandering around, digging in the dirt and swinging way after dark.

some of my favorite childhood memories are of times i spent there with my cousins. we would go on four wheeling adventures taking along our lunches and building forts out by the ponds. we would spend the whole day out exploring all of their land until my aunt would ring the bell to call us back in. this city girl even flung a few cow pies!

sunday was the start of children's church, then a quick stop home for lunch and off to henry's soccer game. he scored a few goals. i love his shy smile after each one, when he would look over at us to make sure we were watching.

and off again to another birthday. this time a karate party which was a great idea!

now i'm off to bed-i'm exhausted! did i mention clay was in south dakota at a golf tournament this weekend?