The Heron's Nest

Catch Up

We have been busy on this end...not posting at all, but having quite a bit of fun and activity.....

We have emerged from the "central-aired house" and have been embracing the Fall days where we can actually get outside and not melt or be attacked by gnats in our yard.  Indeed Summer in Virginia is our payment for three other delightful seasons.  I long for the days when we do not have a mortgage and can somehow figure out a way to spend a good portion of the summer up north!  My blood is just not meant for the south in the summer.  After feeling a bit of my favorite season coming, I got to work on Living Crafts latest gnome hat pattern.  I have been determined to learn how to knit this year.  For several years I have been able to start small projects, but somehow it is finally making sense and I can at least attempt to fix my mistakes now.  the hats have been such a hit the kids are wearing them around the house.  E chose her hat colors...not my favorite but she loves it so I guess that is what it is all about anyway.

 

Hungry gnomes.

A new crown for "the shop".  An organic market has opened up in our little town.  I am delighted to see something besides a gas station, and even more thrilled to see a small business based on healthy food and local craftspeople......so, they have been kind enough to put some of my stuff on their shelves and I guess I am actually selling things now.  My Etsy shop will be up and running soon.  I am finding an enormous amount of fulfillment and creative energy just from the new prospect.  Where it will go, I am not terribly concerned or, I must admit, not terribly sure, but the process is wonderful!

 

A bowl....

Another....

A little lunch mat....

Oh the pleasure of making something useful or fanciful with your hands!

 
 

Hedgehog T-shirt

Hedgehog T-shirt, originally uploaded by The Heron's Nest.

Oh dear. I knew this freezer paper thing was catchy. I have wandered through many blogs and seen the amazing creations people have made, but I had no idea how much fun and how easy it really is to do! We are currently low on plain t-shirts in our house (not for long I am afriad), so I grabbed an old undershirt. Paul actually caught the bug and made an R2D2 t-shirt for Griffin. The boy is wearing it today, or I'd post a photo. The pride he had in knowing his daddy made his shirt was priceless!

The freezer paper thing isn't the only new obsession.  I cannot get enough hedgehogs!  We have been reading several Jan Brett books, which probably isn't helping.  They are just so cute!

Homemade Heaven

Recently I had the pleasure of substituting at G's school.  Having spent 7 years teaching primary, I wasn't too phased by the idea of preschoolers....well, boy was I a big dummy.  Four year oldssure are different form sixes.  It was a blast, despite the exhaustion that occurred after.  Apparently my son is not the only four year old who talks incessantly.   I loved being with my kids and "working" (Elly was invited for the morning and loved every minute of it).  It was fun playing the role of teacher with other kids for a while.  I was able to get to know G's classmates in a different way, and would welcome the opportunity to do it again.  On top of all of the fun, they actually paid me, which I wasn't expecting, but was very happy to receive.  I proceeded to blow the dough on this little number.

                 

I found it at www.atoygraden.com, and am very pleased with it, as are the kids.  We are keeping it in the sewing room as a special toy to pull out when needed (ahem, when mama can't get them focused on anything else and desperately wants to finish a project).

Yesterday we made this felt linguine, which was very easy and fun. 

 I found the colander at Target the other day.  They just seem to go together!   Today I attempted the bowtie pasta, which was also quite simple, once I figured out how to tack the middle.  Thanks to Kelly over at http://www.woodspritehollow.blogspot.com/ for her helpful tips! 

                                

Tonight I might attempt the pasta sauce.  We'll see.

Gnome's Garden

Gnome's Garden, originally uploaded by The Heron's Nest.

We were inspired by All Buttoned Up, and made our own little terrarium. So far everything is living, though I think our venus fly trap may not survive. My "oh so particular, not liking to get his hands dirty" son was stung by the bug I handed him to feed the plant. So much for having fun in dirt!.....I am working on another idea to get the boy dirty. I am thinking ant farm, mud pies or worm house....we'll see!

Sweetheart Goodness

Sweetheart Goodness, originally uploaded by The Heron's Nest.

We're preparing for Valentine's Day here. The morning was spent shopping for candy and finishing valentine's. I wish I could say we made some fantastic homemade cards for the little one's at preschool, but my boy just really wanted Spiderman cards, so I broke down and bought a pack. Sometimes it is the little things you remember, and maybe this will be one.
I couldn't let those sugary hearts pass my table with out some sort of educational SOMETHING. (These poor kids, I am sure there will be a day that they complain to their shrink about growing up with two teachers as parents. Anyway, for now, it seemed like the boy was having fun.)

First he counted hearts into containers marked with numbers, and had to match the number of hearts to the number on the container.

Next, we made patterns with the hearts and talked about the kind of pattern we made.  I then asked him to begin a pattern and see if I could guess it.  (Sorry about the photos, the light was really funny in the house today.)

Finally, we practiced transferring the hearts from one container to another (left to right) using our little tongs we found here. Just a couple of ideas.  Tomorrow we may sort them by color, and possibly count them, or not do anymore if we're not in the mood!

Unpainted Matryoshkas

9-20-07 016, originally uploaded by The Heron's Nest.

The ideas are limitless. I saw these on Maize Hutton's Flickr site. Amazing, huh?  Oh and Angry Chicken had some really cute ones too, but I am not able to find the picture. Way back in December we had planned to paint these, but neither Paul nor myself were able to make the time. Since then, E has had a great times just playing with them as they are. I found them here. The first shipment was still attached and we were unable to take them out. Quite annoying. I contacted the seller and she immediately sent out new ones. They are great!

Wrapping Up the Holidays...

                

It wasn't me, but can you BELIEVE this?  This was E's Christmas gift from a very special lady.  Her work is just beautiful.  As E was opening the present she just kept muttering, "Wow, wow, wow, wow!"  Sherry also included matching fabric for me to make E a dress too!

                  

Oh and that very special lady, well, she has a very special daughter who made this sweater vest for E. 

I think we are very lucky to have such thoughtful and talented friends!  Thank you Sherry and Renee!

Now that the holiday is ending, I can show a couple of other things I have made this season.

                                     

A robe for my little super hero.  Cozy and gaudy.  Doesn't everyone like that combination?

                

A soft ball for E complete with wool felt and wool batting.  Sigh.  How did I live before being introduced to this?

                                        

Mastryoshkas inspired by Little Red Caboose (Ella, the red fabric just seemed so right, I hope you don't mind!), and Sarah LondonSarah London,  but adored by little E.

                         

A little winter dress, made with the help of my new friend Miss Serger!!!!!!!!!!!  (Thank you Aunt Lois, MaryEllan and Ginny!)

                                                   

A t-shirt for Paul because he found my to do list and claimed he did not need pajamas.  He has been swooning over VW buses on Ebay lately.  Remembering his lovely green one from college days.  Midlife crisis perhaps?  I buckled and bought this lovely VW fabric beforehand.  At first I was annoyed, having already pruchased the fabric and planned the pj's, but then I realized, all the more for me! Inpiried by All Buttoned Up.

There are a few more, unfinished items of which I just couldn't finish.  I have accepted that, and have a list already for January!

               

Oh and G's gingerbread house.  I completely took the lame way out and bought the kit at Target.  God knows what is in the bread.  We only let the boy eat one of the gingerbread men.....the colors are killing me too, but the boy had fun and I think, made a lasting memory.  I am feeling a bit sick at the thought of throwing it all away.....anyone?????

And Now We Can Enjoy.....

Gumdrop Tree, originally uploaded by The Heron's Nest.

I am still not completely finished, but, what's done is done. Any other accomplishment craft wise will only be an extra this week. Here is the gumdrop tree G and my uncle managed to complete a few nights ago. We had to cut the styrofoam tree down a bit, once we realized that the four bags of gumdrops would probably not be enough to cover the tree, nor would it probably keep the attention span of the four year old. I do think the 66 year old had a bit more fun, but I won't tell anyone.

Where Have I Been???????

Ok, so...I just discovered Flickr.  I know, I know, ten steps behind the band, but oh my.  As if surfing the web and reading all of the great blogs wasn't enough, now I have Flickr to distract me?  And the groups!  Whoa!  Anything you can imagine.  Suddenly the world is feeling so much smaller to me.

I was busy last night with my latest creation.  We needed a little something for the Advent box.  After perusing several books with these little guys in them, searching, calling for them outside in the woods from a very special tree stump, and endless drawings of them, I decided it was time to invite one into our home.

                   

What did the boy exclaim as he pulled it from the box?  "Well, that isn't very interesting!"   Ugh!  I guess in four year old talk that means it is not plastic enough, shiny enough and certainly not mass marketed enough?  His honesty can be brutal sometimes!

Little Ladies

I finished this little project on our way up North.

(The T-shirt, not the cutie pie who is wearing it! )  It is my first finished embroidery/sewing project.  Once finishing this, I think I may have caught the embroidery bug.  What a satisfying project.  Portable, attainable....phew.  I was finished in the same day.  It was great!  I think I have quite a bit to learn as far as technique though, but it was great.  I found the embroidery pattern here,

a little book I ordered from Superbuzzy.   As for the boat, well, it seemed appropriate for the little fellow modeling.  The bird, from the pattern book, is a bit hard to see in the photo.  Anyway, these Japanese craft books are crazy.  I LOVE THEM!  So what that I can't read a bit of Japanese, they really are quite clear, thanks to the many pictures.  Oh, and so many amazing ideas!  Ahh, it has sent me into creative frenzy!!!!!!   So once this was completed,

I did this (more on this soon as I see this going somewhere),

and then this!

  I thought I would be lost without my sewing machine.  I did miss it a bit, but I have managed to keep myself preoccupied with some stops at new quilt shops to explore, and this lovely fabric I found at an adorable little shop in western Mass.

This is turning into something specific, but I can't tell you yet, because it is a bit of a surprise for some people who may be reading......So, back to the embroidery...hmm...I am going to really have to restrain myself from not touching every plain white onsie left in my little girl's drawers.