SouleMama

living easy

After a gorgeous weekend in Cape Cod with both old and new friends, and a bit of time at home puttering over the holiday weekend, I feel as though I've been sufficiently kicked into summertime, my favorite time of year. I brought the fans down from the attic last night; the kids pool out from the shed; fresh lilacs fill the house; and the sunblock and garden tools are permanantly in my back pocket. Ah...summertime is here. Everything feels like it's moving at a perfect slow speed, and nothing should be done without a glass of iced tea in hand. And while deadlines and committments still loom about, somehow, it all seems a bit easier and more manageable in the summer.

A few more photos from our weekend on Flickr here.

I'll be back after I wash the salt water and sand out of my babes' hair, though really, it smells so good just like it is.

some totes before i go

These bags are headed off to Edith & Edna today (the ONE downside to dropping my things off in person is that I always want to BUY something in that beautiful place!). They're straight up totes with vintage heavyweight fabric, and freezer paper stencils. (Oh, and speaking of Edith & Edna and freezer paper stencils, Brandie and I will be doing a workshop on just that on June 24th, give the shop a call for more info if you're local and interested.)

This blue fabric didn't photograph well, but I love it. It's that sort of old school tweedish upholstry material. I saved a bit to make myself one too. (I think the octopus is my favorite!).

These are sort of mini totes. You know, for when you want the casual feel of a tote, but you only have keys, wallet and phone? A simple small tote shape, lined, and with vintage trims.

We're off to Cape Cod for a weekend of visiting with friends, and playing in the sun. I'll be back to blogging on Wednesday. Have a good weekend, everyone!

happy birthday, dunk!

Dunk is four years old today, so we threw him a party. We made him a chocolate cake, because that's his favorite food. Chocolate cake and apples, that is. Dunk lives alone with no parents, but he has lots of friends. Ezra is his best friend. Dunk has a dog named Dot, who drives around in the back of Dunk's truck (yes, Dunk drives at the age of four. How else do you think he'd get around with no parents?). Dunk's favorite games are 'cars in a row' and 'goggy piano'. Dunk has orange hair.

I'm sure that Dunk won't be here forever (Calvin's friend Jo Jo Spirit stuck around through the age of three), but I'm quite glad that he's here now. I think I have as much fun listening to Ezra's stories of his adventures with Dunk, as Ezra has on the adventures himself.

Happy birthday, Dunk!

Corners of my Home

It's been a month since I posted for Corners of my Home for some reason, and it feels good to do it again. Today is a combination Thrifting Report and Corners of my Home. I scored this vintage metal high chair (or 'doll-e hi-chair' as the adorable decal says) at a yard sale this weekend for a mere One Dollar. I love it so very much. At the same yard sale, I found the vintage baby quilt hanging in the background. Yellow with pink dogs and balls of yarn, for crying out loud! Um, that would be 50 cents. Rock on.

The sweet baby doll was my mom's when she was little, and she winds up in the back and sings. Doesn't she look a little sassy? A little 'too cool for school' or something? I love her and her attitude, and the dress she's wearing (also my mom's). Her kerchief (hiding a mess of hair) is from a scrap of polka dotted silk I found this weekend while hunting with Lisa. We were at an adorable retirement home rummage sale, and thanks to her keen thrifting eye, we moved passed the room of baked goods and found a room full of all sorts of fun things (I hope she shares her great find from there too!).

More Corners of my Home on Flickr.

i need a bigger room

Before I show you the ridiculous amount of fun fabric I've accumulated over the past two weeks, I feel compelled to tell you this first: I very rarely buy *new* fabric. One, I can't bear (or afford) to pay the prices for the fabrics that I really love. And two, I much prefer the design and feel of many vintage fabrics. So almost all of my fabric is bought at yard sales, rummage sales, fabric sales and the like. I'm pretty sure that nearly 90% of my fabric purchases are made during the month of May. So there. Now that that little justification (purely for my own sanity, of course) is out of the way, here are the goods:

I can't stop myself from picking up vintage floral prints. I love them.

Stripes, checks and dots (that second one in is one of my favorites. Such great colors).

This pile of vintage plaid cottons makes me very happy. I love the feel of these soft cotton pieces. So many possibilities for clothing.

Jersey. I'm kind of loving jersey at the moment for shirts for me. And I KNOW I had something made out of that "how does your garden grow" as a child. Love it.

That orange floral print on the left is terry. 4 yards of it. I don't know quite what to do with it, but I love it a lot, and can't wait for an idea to come. The strawberry print on the far right is screaming out to be a skirt, don't you think? And the pink and green wool plaid? Definitely a dress for Lady A.

The juvenile prints. I know, the mod girl. So fun.

The home dec fabrics. Big florals. So great, and so many bags to be made.

And my favorite two pieces. I had a moment at one sale recently where I was consciously trying to look for things with different eyes...to find things I'm not normally drawn to (see vintage florals above!). And I looked down and saw these two. Love. That yellow would be such a great dress. or kitchen curtains! And the grey and pink print? It's got me really thinking about grey-pink color combinations now. Hmn..

Now...Um, where do I put all of this?!

moping about

Moping, I tell you. Moping. That's what Luka and Banjo have been doing all day. This afternoon I've seen them each sneak up like this onto "lisa's bed" waiting for her to come back and dole out some more love. I'm afraid to tell them that she's left! I'm sure that Barry and Margaret will be so so happy to see her return, and only slightly jealous that she shared a bed with Banjo AND Luka while away. I knew Lisa loved, loved animals, but seeing her be so incredibly loving and sweet with ours were some of the most touching moments of the week. It's hard to sum up our time together, but what I do know is this: It's been such a pleasure to host and know Lisa on a deeper level than before, and I'm so grateful for the week we had. Her creativity is inspiring to watch; and her love of people, and animals and kids -even of the small, sometimes-screaming variety - is heartwarming.

And thanks to you all for being excited about our amanda-lisa-mav Maine blog vacation! It was such fun to share a wee bit of our adventures here. I didn't take nearly as many pictures as one would expect when three bloggers get together, but I'm sure Lisa will be sharing a few of hers soon. Can't wait to see those...AND the Lisa/ Mav collaboration (I saw a sneak peek! It rocks!).

Like Luka and Banjo, I'm definitely feeling the let down of a much anticipated and exciting visit. But trying to reshift the focus onto the positive. So, on that tone, the one good thing about saying goodbye (besides all the wine and ice cream Lisa left behind! Thank you!), is that my sewing machine and I will be spending some time together again. Ah...happiness. I've got a list of projects I want to get working on right away, so expect crafting soon. Oh, and all those fabulous thrifting finds, too! Gotta share those! And so much blog reading and emails to catch up on. Oy...gotta get busy!

bacon, blogging, and babes

Is there a better way to start the day than with bacon? I think not. Especially when it's preceeded by a quick thrift trip, and then two fabulous people for company, and a bit of blogging at breakfast (checking out Lisa Solomon's lovely new shop, by the way). Just perfect.

I've left those two lovely ladies to work away on the printing press (and can't wait to see the result later today), while I'm back in mama zone, doing family art. We've had Ezra's teepee since his birthday almost two months ago (a grandparent gift, from Magic Cabin) and with nearly daily requests from them to paint it, finally today was the perfect day to get at it.

I value our family creating time so much, and usually it is quite idyllic and beautiful...but I sometimes forget that those beautiful idyllic moment of happily creating together can amount to a total of 20 minutes on some days. And then, I'm left with this:

Being bailed on by the kids to finish the job, and a messy cleanup.

No matter. I'll take a page from my own advice and just put it all away and try again for another day. And walk away from it remembering the 10 minutes of happy creative bliss we did share together.

a day at the beach

On vacation the end always seems to come much sooner than possible, doesn't it? How did we not get all those things done that we had planned? How are there not more hours in the day? Oh, I could surely spend so much more time with lisa and mav, doing just what we've been doing - more thrifting, more beach walks with the kids, more great local shopping, more delicious dinners out meeting up with more friends, and much more talking over wine and chocolate. Today's been a day full of some of my favorite things - a day full of time spent at the beach (in the cold, but full-of-life wind), drawing with my little ones, takeout at my favorite indian restaurant, and ending surely with talking over wine and chocolate once again.

We've got just a bit of our time together left, and I know I will fully enjoy it. Tomorrow I'll be happily watching and cheering on my two friends as they collaborate on a project that is sure to be as fabulous as each of their creative energies is (yes, I know there's something seriously wrong with that sentence structure. I'm tired. these girls are keeping me up too late.) And then the day after that, I'll be saying goodbye to a now even dearer friend than before. Someone whose openness, creative energy, and spirit has touched and inspired me greatly (not to mention her shoes. Did you know how cool her shoes are?)

friends, in orange

More to come. After thrifting!

when in maine...

first stop: the beach.

very excited

(The door sign Calvin made for Lisa, just "in case she gets lost" in our, um, 6 room house.)

By far, one of the most powerful - and surprising - things to happen for me because of blogging has been the real friendships that have sparked. I'm blessed that one of those amazing people I've met lives a mere 5 miles from me, and we can see each other whenever we want - which is often, because she's such a joy. But just hours from now, a dear friend from all the way across the continent will be making her way here so that the three of us can spend a week together. A week that I expect to be full of laughter, creating, and connecting. I'm feeling quite blessed and quite excited today. Postings might be a bit light around here for just a bit as we all get settled. But I'm sure we'll be sharing evidence of our shenanigans here very soon. Now, if we could just do something about all this rain.

At the risk of repeating what you might have already 'heard' all over the blog world, there are two more things I'm very excited about today. Craftsanity (my favorite crafting listening!) released a podcast yesterday with the wonderful and amazing Alicia of Posie Gets Cozy. Even though it was far too late in the evening when I discovered this, I had to stay up and listen to her stories and her voice, which was as engaging as her writing. There's something so lovely to me about hearing the voice that belongs with the words I read every day.

And one more exciting new thing. Claire of Loobylu and her husband just today have launched a new website Kiddley, full of projects, products, links and ideas for families. I think we all could use as much inspiration, support and new ideas as possible on the journey of parenting, and this looks to be a fabulous resource for just that! And really now, anyone that has the gumption to birth a new website just about the time she's ready to birth a new baby? Well, that's a girl after my own heart.

Bedtime Bags

Because we live in a relatively small house; because the boys share a room; because their room is full of dress up clothes (oh yes, it really is); and because every closet is full of fabric....there is a real lack of dresser space around here. And for some reason, pajamas always get last billing in the drawer space we do have, leaving them usually piled up somewhere. But, no more! Thanks to some great inspiration from my friend Betsy, here are the boys new 'bedtime bags'. Hanging on the end of the bunkbeds, they hold their pajamas, and the front pocket holds their bedtime chapter book of choice at the moment (for Calvin it's Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, and for Ez, it's Pippi Longstocking).

I've got a bag for just about everything....why not for pajamas too? Forgive the blurry not-enough-light photos--have you heard about all the rain the northeast is getting? Nutty. There's a clearer photo of the fabric I used in this post.

mama's day

(images from my Flickr Favorites).

Wishing all the mama's a very happy mother's day. May your day be full of lots of love, extra snuggles, and a little extra sleep.

Bolero for Baby

I've been talking about making myself a bolero for so long now, that I'm pretty sure they're officially 'out' now. No worries though, because one of the fabulous benefits of being a parent is that I can live out my own fantasies through my children (I'm so kidding. really.), for whom these trends last a bit longer. Hence my huge excitement when I found the Baby Bolero in One Skein. Fabulous. The pattern is sized for a newborn, so I did a tiny bit of adjusting (I don't remember what I did, if you're wondering. sorry!) in hopes that it would fit my no-longer-a-newborn baby (sniff, sniff). I used some Noro something-or-other from my stash, in Indigo Blue, I think.

As you can see, I could have done a bit more adjusting, as it's a bit wee. So I think this might be heading to an even tinier friend. Although maybe it's a perfect 'summer length'. Hmnn.


I adore the pattern detail on the back (as much as I adore that big brother foot that I couldn't bring myself to crop out of this photo). I really like this pattern, and like the others in that book that I've checked out, it was super easy to follow, and fairly quick (great for getting me back in the knitting game after the wrist problem that we're still not talking about). This would be such a fun baby gift to make. By the way, have you seen the One Skein Knitalong Blog?

Now, a very big Thank You for humoring my twice-in-one-week 'look at my adorable baby in clothes that I made her' post.

a very random ten

This list has no cohesive theme, I assure you. And if you think it's any indication of the all-over-the-place state of my mind at the moment, well, yes...yes it is.

1. This lovely vintage ribbon arrived in the mail yesterday. I love it. Looove it. I bought it just a few days ago from LesBonRibbon. Super great prices, and the shipping was soo fast. Because you know, I really need more ribbon.

2. I'm in a time crunch. A very dear friend is coming here in just one week! One week! Yay! She'll be here for a week, and then we leave on a mini-vacation in Cape Cod. And so...there's soooo much to be done in the next week. Like plant the entire garden; clean my house; and most importantly: unbury the guest futon from a serious pile of fabric. This of course, also entails a day-long trip to IKEA to organize said fabric. Oy. Tick, Tick.

3. Wung it. Now, did I really make that up? I suppose I did. Geez. Having lived in Maine my entire life I know there are lots of bizarre phrases I use that no one else understands (except the natives of course): sideboard,  cellar, apiece, wicked. I assure you that I do not have a Maine accent, or atleast not one like you hear in the movies (which is never right, by the way.). But I suppose even "wung it" I can't blame on Maine. ;)

4. Cool Coincidences. So, browsing around Etsy (which I spend way too much time doing. Have I mentioned my love for the color sampler? I'm sure I have.), I found the wonderful work of Ashley G, and had to order a print. The detail and color and creatures of her work are just so lovely, and intriguing, and I can't wait to get it up on my wall. And then I see that on the same day, Lisa received her own Ashley prints. Chances are that Lisa is the one that might have introduced me to her work, and I just forgot that. But I'd rather think it was a friendly coincidence. (note to self: don't forget frames at IKEA.)

5. Skirts. Remember that skirt tutorial I promised y'all? Um yeah, I haven't done that yet. Sorry. That also means, sadly, that I haven't made any new skirts. BUT...I have found an answer for you! Head on over to Disdressed, where she's been making an AMAZING and quite detailed tutorial on skirts. So thorough and great. (And now I feel lifted of my guilt.)

6. Do I owe you an email? Because if you've emailed me and think you should have heard from me by now, try again. Having some funky computer issues (oh no!), as well as some funky brain issues (oh no!). Thank you. ;)

7. There's a small chance that after 6 months of living and breathing and dreaming it, we may just be moving on from the Wizard of Oz. That's all I'm going to say about that, for fear of jinxing us. More to come.

8. My dear sweet round, squeezable, bald baby girl just got FOUR teeth in TWO days (bringing the total to six for those of you counting...MOM.). Don't you think that would really really hurt?

9. How is it possible that I ran out of things to say? Must go get more coffee.

10. The end.

for love of the bubblesuit

I'm in love with bubblesuits. Perfect summer baby wear, as far as I'm concerned. I used a vintage pattern for this, and some Munki Munki jersey playground fabric I've been hoarding for far too long now. I'm so glad it all worked out in the end-- it got a bit hairy for a moment when I realized that two of the pattern pieces were missing (not good when there are only four pieces to begin with), but I wung it and I think it's all good.

And really, now. Check this out. Add that bubblesuit to a bald, round 8 month old baby girl, sitting in the grass eating the flowers around her. And that leaves me pretty much heart-swelled and speechless. (More photos on Flickr, because it was too torturous to choose just one.)

Quilt Monday

Sorry for the rip-off title, Amy. I was feeling a bit nostalgic for the great and inspiring "Quilt Mondays". (And by the way, is it possible to feel nostalgic about something only a few months ago? In internet time months equal years, and so it seems like ages ago, right?)

Anyway. So there's this quilt. I picked it up thrifting a few weeks ago. It was one of those finds that stopped my breathing momentarily, and I couldn't quite breathe right again until I got out of the shop and into my car. Safe from anyone snatching it away, or any other of the other ridiculous things that I imagined might prevent this blanket from becoming mine.

It's a mix of hand and machine stitched, with quite a bit of wear and fading. Which only makes me love it more...that it was once really loved a whole lot. But the fabrics. Oh, my. Amazing. Can you see the prints? two bluebirds with 'love in bloom' written; a duck with an umbrella and 'singing in the rain' written; and then those amazing multicolored mod-looking trees and people. I have no idea how to date that fabric, but I am quite curious. 50's, perhaps? Or later? Last year? I never can tell, really.

Sadly, photographing a quilt is a wee bit challenging. Photographing a mainly white, and faded quilt is a bear. The photos today are my third attempt. But I hope you get the gist. Because it's really quite lovely, and I'm so thrilled that it's new home is with me.

A happy reunion

Last night my sewing machine and I had a very happy reunion. Painting has taken up all of my after-kids-bedtime hours, and two whole weeks have passed since she was even turned on. The horrors. Last week I found a big bunch of vintage jersey prints, which I was thrilled about, because I never can find affordable jersey that I like, and it's just so convenient for kids clothes. This mushroom print was in the pile--I'm not so huge on the mushroom thing, but I love the owls and turtles and tree stumps that make up the rest of the print. I used the same pattern as for the other shirts I made this spring (Simplicity 4589), but this time I added a bit more flare to the bottom so it wouldn't be so boxy. But I didn't account for the fact that it was jersey and would probably not be boxy anyway. So we'll just ignore the fact that this quite possibly looks like a maternity shirt, and we'll also ignore that I have the belly bulge to back that up. Ahem. Regardless of the belly thing, it's quite comfy, and light, and it's been very comfortable all day today working in the garden. Tank tops, and gardening. Oh, spring really is here. Hallelujah.

Painting, and more Painting

Hooray, hooray! The painting is complete, for now. We had grand plans to do the entire house, but I'm more than happy to stop at two rooms. More than happy. I can't tell you the joy I had in getting all that painting gear out of our living space, and moving things back into place. The late nights of painting after the kids went to bed were seriously cutting into my sleep time, let alone my sewing and crafting time. Gosh. Priorities, please! I'll share a final picture next week (I do like the colors!), once we've put some new art on the walls and moved everything back in. Ah....

And speaking of painting. I moved my old drawing table into my studio room last week, as I've been itching to play with my guache paint again (not touched much since Calvin was born). On the day I got set up for painting, I stumbled upon Every Day in May by French Toast Girl. And being one that believes in 'signs' of this sort, I knew I'd need to jump in and give it a go. I have such intimidation about painting when I think about it, but when I just do it, I love it, irregardless of the 'results'.  I love that EDIM was created with the same intention - simply painting to paint--something every day, with no worries of it being 'good' or not. This is a big personal creative challenge that I'm thrilled about. I had thought about keeping this a secret, but I'm not all that great at keeping secrets (scratch that. I'm great at keeping other people's secrets, just not my own.) So anyway...here are the first five days. I'll either post the rest on Flickr, or share them weekly here, or just hoard them up to myself. we'll see. There is a Flickr group here too.

Happy weekend, everyone!

my favorite ladies

Yesterday, Lady A and I made a grand journey (as in, "in the car with a baby for nearly five hours", kind of a journey. um, yeah.) to have lunch with my dearest, lovely Meme. Though I've tried many times, words will never express what she has meant to me in my life, nor what a joy it is to see her each and every time I do. But seeing she and my children together? That is absolute beauty to me. That perfect kind of heartwarming beauty that makes everything so unbelievably right and good.

She is 82 years old today...Happy Birthday, Meme.

Edith & Edna!

Open today! This photo was taken a few weeks ago, I know there's a lovely real sign there now). Edith & Edna, on 51 Exchange Street in Portland (Maine!). It has been such a treat to see this project take shape over the past couple of months...I couldn't be more thrilled for Brandie and Julie, who are now working their *dream* with this fabulous shop full of handmade lovelies.
This is my first experience with any kind of wholesale, but I'm pretty sure that all experiences are not as joyous as this has been. It has been a *pleasure* to make things that are received with such generosity and warmth, and it's an *honor* to be among the other artisans featured in the shop. I don't want to give away any surprises about what's inside, but it was pretty amazing to walk through the shop a week ago and to see AND touch the work of artists I've admired online for so long, and many new ones too. And all in the company of two lovely shop owners. Now that it's all up and running, I cannot wait to go shopping this week! (And I'll be sure to bring my camera along too).

I think I've posted a bit of what I was working on for the shop, but not all of it. So indulge me for a moment while I do.

Here's the jumbled lot of it before packing it up. Children's aprons, handbags, shoulderbags, and in the back- baby gift sets (blanket, bib, and fabric card). I used a mix of vintage and new for everything, and no two pieces are the same, which kept it fun for me.

The greatest thing about selling wholesale locally was that it allowed me to indulge in my ridiculous fantasy of being Eliza Doolittle walking down the street with a basket full of my things to sell (in this case, handbags instead of flowers). With a baby on the hip to boot. I'm so ridiculous. But it was sooo much fun walking on the cobblestone streets in town like this, okay?

Best of best luck to you, Edith & Edna! And congratulations to you, Brandie and Julie!

I'm in love....

...with freezer paper stencils. No, reaaaallly in love with them. After seeing all the goodness around, I have been not-so-patiently waiting for my order of fabric paint from Dharma.

Steve and I spent an entire evening together hunting for images to use as stencils, drawing a few of our own, and declaring this the 'greatest craft project ever'. So unbelievably easy, satisfying and with damn cool results. We promised we would never buy another t-shirt, but instead pick up blanks at thrift stores and do the stencils forevermore. Okay, perhaps that was a bit extreme...but really, it's that much fun. Amy pretty much summed up the process, and there is a bit more over on Craftster, including some links to find stencils (we mostly traced images from books, or drew our own).

And here's a tote I whipped up, and put Steve's hummingbird stencil on. Such fun, I tell you. And addictive too? Have you heard that? So addictive. In the time since I've taken these photos, I've already done a bunch more...perhaps I'll have to have a weekly freezer paper stencil post around here, or hey--go check out Hannah's Flickr group, Freezer Paper Stencil to see all the addicts in one place.