Despite a recent purchase of this book, it was a home day yesterday and i think most Vancouverites will agree. Little A was home with a cough - nothing to keep him in bed but enough to keep him close. We’ve been into various projects and once the wee one was down for a nap we pulled out a much loved Christmas gift - a box of tools and supplies to make his own stamps including the lino blocks, carving tools, brayers and inks. We’ve both been busy playing and carving! It’s rather meditative and addictive. Some are our original designs and others are ideas from various online inspirations - so sorry not to have remembered where to credit the awesome houses - it’s one of both of our faves. hello and thank you cards are the first things that we’ve actually made with our growing collection of handmade stamps. We have plans to decorate our own wrapping paper, make more stickers and to try some out with fabric paints on linen but after that we’re sort of stumped on the uses of stamps. Suggestions are most welcome here! Oh and we need to know how to mount the lino stamps onto wood blocks! a hot glue gun does not work.
Geninne’s stamp carving tutorial from a few years ago was what first got me thinking about this project for Little A. She shows how fun and easy it is. (side note - her watercolor videos make me want to try painting too).
i took advantage of Spoonflower’s 2 for 1 sale awhile back and it was worth the wait for it’s arrival. i’m happy with every single one of my design picks. i do wish that i had ordered them all to be printed on the cotton linen blend as it’s much nicer for the prints i ordered, a good weight and a slightly larger cut than the regular quilting cotton which seems a bit thin to me. i found that the colors all faded slightly with the first wash even though i washed in cold so i may need to choose patterns which won’t require extensive washing ie. no diaper bum pants for Little M if i can resist - he’d look pretty sweet with a bird bum. any other Spoonflower opinions out there? i daydream some of my own designs but i’m really not savvy with computers or even very patient to learn. anyhow i like daydreaming. now what to make with all of these?
x.
those were the linens and the rest are all cotton (wish they were all linen);
i’ve been loving Samantha’s “Mildred knew he would remember..” for ages now - this and her foxes which i regret not ordering;
somethings springy;
and a couple for next autumn;
i think before i cut into any of these though, i had best finish the line up of flat front cords for my older boy who has been patiently waiting his turn and wearing his seersuckers all the way into Winter! First up “copter cords” (Little M has a pair to match). i decided to go ahead and add the reinforced knee patch straight off since the knees are the first to wear on all his pairs. it’s so much easier to do it before sewing the fronts and backs together than trying to patch them once they’ve been worn out. man he’s growing tall. it’s getting trickier to “whip up” a pair of pants for him as i rarely purchase more than 1 yard of any fabric and he’s well over the 1 yard measurement now;
blue is the favorite color all around here these days….blue crayons, blue marbles, blueberries and blue clothes. these are the same flat front pattern as the copter cords but i remembered to add a treasure pocket in back;
i ran out of navy thread - fortunately! or i might not have used red around the knee patches. x.
there’s still some light grey to cut into along with some denims but we’ll see how things go. the stacks of fabrics in my idea piles are towering and i have much to do. as usual i work on several items at a time and so i will have some extras available in the shop at some point.
I sat for a moment Saturday night intending to write a quick post sharing our bliss ball ingredients but then i got to thinking what this means in our home to have a double batch of bliss balls whipped up and that is, to have at the ready a healthy snack packed full of nutritious goodness that i know my boy will eat while he is away at school. That there was the key note to my stalling thoughts - school. It is the last weekend before back to grade 1. I’m excited for Little A to return to his learning and playing routine with his teachers and friends and yet not so excited to re-establish the rhythm that will get him to his pick up point on time. My stomach churns anticipating the resistance to getting up, to letting go of that extra 1.5 hours that we have all been naturally sleeping in despite keeping the same early bed time. The sleeping in has been good. My anxiety peaks anticipating the battles that may wake the neighborhood despite efforts made the night before to have snacks packed, clothes laid out, breakfast grains soaking…i shudder to think of the nasty glares i’ll get when i remind him to brush his teeth before we go, not to mention the # of times i will be called a “mean stupey dumb dumb” and his brother “little baby min minnow”. Oh 7! The repetition of this name calling drives me bonkers and then i get sucked into the stalling game and it can get soooo wrong…until finally Little M and i are waving him off. Rattled for the next short while i wonder how ever to make this flow a little more easily? When i consider how much effort, how many arguments and all the while toting the younger one alongside and against his own rhythm, i wonder why the heck we aren’t just homeschooling. Oh but i’m not patient or energetic enough for that. I better just go to bed now and hope that the prospect of bliss balls for snack will set the tone for the whole morning.
Bliss Balls don’t require much measuring - it’s all approximate.
1st into the blender; 1/2c sunflower seeds (you could mix with pumpkin seeds for sure), some sticky dried fruits chopped (i used apricots and papaya this time and other times i have used raisins, currants, dates, figs). blend them up as well as you can.
Next add 2c oats, 3/4c unsweetened coconut, 1/4c flax meal, 1/4c hemp seeds and blend just a little.
Then add the sticky stuff; 1-2 tbsp coconut oil, 2tbsp or more of almond butter (or other nut/seed butter), 1-2 ripe mashed bananas. blend it all up until it’s sticky to roll into balls.
Roll the balls up first, then roll them through a topping of choice. We used coconut for some and chocolate for others. We considered bee pollen as we always do but knew we’d eat more chocolate as we always do too. finely chopped hazelnut or pistachio might be yummy.
The snowy owls are resting at Boundary Bay. We spotted nearly 30 or more in small groups along the dyke. The clouds were heavy with icy rain. We retreated. The owls stayed.
“respect the owls space. do not harass. keep your distance. do not chase.”
it looks like my boys are sweetly going along, however, the older is looking for any opportunity to bowl the younger one over! sheesh!
see there - heron on the left, snow owl on the right and waaaaay out there by the water - someone with a tripod and giant lens no doubt looking for a greater shot.
Snowy owl facts; They live on the arctic tundra feeding mostly on lemmings. Every 4-6 years when lemming numbers plummet the snowies migrate south. Males are all white. Females and juveniles have more brown markings. Even their feet have feathers. They fly silently. They are nocturnal and diurnal.
That’s what i’m doing for 30 days. After watching Matt Cutts TedTalk awhile back i entertained my own little 30 day challenges beginning this new year. i prefer the idea to focus on adding something fun, healthy and positive rather than making an effort to eliminate (ie. chocolate, tv) from my life. i won’t be climbing Kilimanjaro but i will be doing more sun salutations! While many of the ideas are not necessarily new i feel excited for my 30 day challenges as a means of cultivating mindfulness, setting intentions and following through - especially with friends on board with more fun challenge ideas! Yay!
30 days = 1 month give or take some days.
i was going to begin January with those sun salutations but after a trip down my stairs, i have a banged up foot in need of more time to heal. i came across a friend’s little video just in time to inspire a little more greens into my diet (i really like her idea of blending in the fruit greens and skins - seems wholesome). The other day the little one and i picked some kale and mint from the yard, added some parsley, carrot tops, avocado and a splash of apple juice and you know, it was so refreshing! As Little M says, mmmmmmm, as he pours the contents of my cup into his. Join in if you like and share your favorite green drink combos.
At bedtime the night before, we scrambled to get ‘you know who’s’ gingerman cookie ready. I didn’t realize it was our tradition and was sort of hoping that the peppermint bark and hazelnut crunch (minus the coffee) i indulged in making was enough holiday sweet amongst many others gifted to get us through. I found myself both committed and uncommitted to the project. The feeling of Christmas has been very slow to infiltrate this year….i don’t know if it’s the lack of snow or what but i’m certain i’m not the only one feeling this way. Somehow the quirky gingermen did help with the mood of things around here.
7 years old and stumbling over his feet to the tree in the dark hours of morning, squealing in delight from 1 surprise to the next…it’s worth all the midnight elf work in the weeks prior;
19 mos and indifferent to most of it. His stocking remained plump for most of the day despite his older brother’s impatient urgings. In the end i’m tucking a few things away until May;
The days have been simple with good food, an abundance of mandarins and sweets, drop in visits, games, reading, knitting and projects…i’ve been mostly home bound with a banged up foot (never mind the silly story as i’m on the mend), the boys have been out in the hood some but mostly we’re all tucked in and low key here. It’s Christmas all over again at Auntie’s place tomorrow though…
Our first solo Winter Studio Sale was a lesson in events for sure… it was awesome setting up in our own (graciously borrowed) space with ample natural light and in our time without a vendor’s fee and it was a great way to really spread out and see our hand mades (we always have so much more than we think we have). it was also really nice to be away from the little ones for awhile and to just have tea and truffles in a cozy space. Some lessons learned; it would be really beneficial not to misplace or lose all of the advertising posters - my fault completely! i got 3 up and then where the heck did that giant envelope go? i’m baffled. We could do a lot better in promoting the event further in advance, especially at such a busy time as the week before Christmas when there are copious events about the city. Did i just say the week before Christmas?! It really doesn’t feel like it to me yet but i have a feeling things are going to get kicked up a notch and in a bit of a scramble this next week. Anyhow, in spite of the trickling flow of customers it was well worth our efforts and great to see friends. Thank you again to those who came out to support and encourage us. xo.
The shop is closed now and for the holiday, however, should there be something you fancy that is not urgently required in time for Christmas i will be happy to set up a listing for you or connect you with Anna.
