friday family fun night

a few months ago we started a new tradition called 'friday family fun night'. it can be as simple as cooking dinner together and then playing games, going out to dinner with friends or like tonight a special event in kc. we headed to the nelson-atkins museum for a chinese new year celebration. we watched a dancing dragon performance in the main hall.

next, to the ford learning center where the boys made their own masks.

and finally a tour of the museum galleries and the new bloch building for contemporary art exhibits.

the kids love whatever we do and i love the time together after a busy week!

flower clips

there will be a small shop update today!

snow day

sand art

snow angel

3 inches

snowman 2008

hot chocolate

then we headed here for swimming, climbing, air hockey and a game or two of galaga for mom.

mama made a brand new bag

i have been wanting a new purse for awhile now and hadn't found one that i loved, so last night i stayed up too late and made this one. it's a kind of pink velvet-y material on the outside and linen on the inside. the material is fitting for winter but the pale pink color and flower pin is a reminder that spring is not too, too far off. and as an added bonus it actually fit everything in it this morning including a book, the diaper and wipes case, a checkbook with a new matching cover, wallet and burt's bees chapstick!

i think lucy may need a bag of her own soon.

here she is modeling her new appliqued shirt and first haircut. all of the whispy baby curls are gone and she looks sooo big. another reminder that time does go so fast.

today's creative blog

hope everyone had a great holiday season. we did but it was very busy, so sorry about the blogging break! i have been trying to finish up orders and working on new projects. i have had several requests for adult sizes and i am working on some fun designs. i will let you know when those are ready. one of my new years resolutions is to make more time create and grow this business. i've never been a good organizer, so we'll see how this goes. i promise to have some etsy updates soon!

last weekend (yes i'm that far behind) i was a feature on today's creative blog! thank you, thank you kim! thanks also for your kind comments, i feel like a real blogger now and am encouraged to keep creating!

the pictures above are from a new bag that i made to replace all of the plastic bags from the grocery stores, target, etc. (another resolution was to be more 'green') i have a few different sizes and versions and hopefully will be able to offer these for sale, too!

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.