new house project

This week we’ve been getting outside more–trying to fight cabin fever.  It’s been really good.  One afternoon we walked to my favorite coffee shop for a drink.  It is the perfect distance away for a nice afternoon walk, and I love having the time to chat with Saya while we sip our drinks.  When I’m at home it is hard for me to be still because there is always something that needs to be done.

The time away from the house together was so precious.  We looked at a wedding magazine together, and Saya was asking about a picture of a just married couple smiling with rice raining down on them.  I told her sometimes people throw rice after a couple gets married.  Now she thinks getting married means you will be happy and cook rice together.  Yup, that’s right.

Now a big winter storm is coming.  Maybe a blizzard.  Stay warm and safe everyone.

There is a craft show coming up on Saturday, and for once I don’t feel crazy stressed out about it.  I like doing craft fairs because the other vendors are always so kind and talented.  I’m really looking forward to it.  It should be a lot of fun.  If you are in the area you should come too!

Saya has been more frustrated and whiney than usual this past week.  I think she has spent too much time inside–plus I have been really busy, so that may have something to do with it.  On Saturday we had a lot of good quality time together.  We tried this foam idea from Anne Meyer.  She promises to post more ’stuck inside’ activities on her blog, and I sure hope she does!  I made the foam by beating dish soap and a little water in a big bowl.  I let her play with all of her pots, pans, and utensils from her play kitchen.

Saya has also been really into cutting paper with her small scissors.  We made a collage together.  She cut the paper and I just stitched it onto a piece of card stock with my sewing machine.

Tomorrow I think we have to get outside no matter how cold it is.  I am such a wimp about the cold, but I will try.  Let’s get this week off to a good start!

I want to make a bunch of these little bags for our craft show next weekend, but I did the smart thing and made one prototype before I started cutting up a lot of fabric.  (I learn from experience.)  I like the way it turned out, and Saya likes it too.  She claimed it as her own about 5 seconds after I finished it.  It was fun to make too.

I got into a conversation with someone yesterdat about how hard it is to arrange furniture in our houses.  In our living room we have two doors, big windows, and a big fireplace to contend with.  I think I have tried just about every arrangement possible for our living room, and if you have been reading this blog for a while you may have noticed that the room is ever changing.  I decided to compile some living room photos from the archives.  So here they are in sequence…

I just don’t know…

We had a totally crappy weekend.  Saya and Junji got both got sick with some kind of stomach bug.  I somehow managed to escape it (although I did get thrown up on in the middle of the night.)  Whenever Saya is sick I get really worried about her and imagine the worst.  If you have kids you might relate.

Today was a little better, and we seem to have gotten over the worst of it.  I got to do some little things around the house that got neglected over the weekend like watering the plants, cleaning, putting laundry away.  That felt good.

I also promised another etsy shop update which I never got around to.  Tonight I am adding one more item–a teapot.  I hope it finds a good home and that we can raise a little more money.  (100% goes to Haiti.)

I love these quick projects that can help keep my house organized.  Being organized makes me happy.  It is so much easier to have fun and relax in a de-cluttered house.

for my earrings:

I didn’t come up with this idea on my own.  I wish I could remember where I saw it.

for our mail:

I used the great tutorial and printable labels from Bright and Blithe.

for our recipes:

We have cookbooks that need to be returned to the library and random photocopies from other borrowed cookbooks, so I thought it was time to pull everything together into one organized system.  I still need to find a box, but I am going to use these recipe cards from The Small Object Steno Pad (a favorite of mine.)  You can download them and print them from her blog.

I also want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has purchased something from our etsy shop this week.  I still want to donate more to Haiti relief, so please check out what we have left.  I will add a few more items today as well, including a tea pot and some more paper lantern cups.

Unfortunately we do not have any more children’s pottery available at this time.  We are having some trouble getting the colors to come out consistently, so Junji is going to do some more glaze + clay body testing.  Our goal is to have them available again by the beginning of March.

I picked up this granny squares blanket at an estate sale over the weekend.  I think it’s cool, but my husband pretty much hates it.  He probably wishes our house looked more like this.

Don’t forget to check out our etsy sale for Haiti emergency relief.  I listed some more children’s pottery.  There’s also a cute apron, scarf, and lots of other stuff.

This weekend we gathered together as many handmade goods as possible for our Haiti relief sale.  We are in between production cycles, so our stocks are a little low, but what we have we are selling to raise money for Haiti emergency relief.  We are donating 100 percent of our etsy shop sales.  That means that every dollar spent on the Haiti relief items will be donated directly to the American Red Cross for Haiti relief and development.  You will basically be donating to Haiti and receiving a handmade item from us.  (My dad has even donated a few things for us to sell.)

I hope we can sell everything and get the money where it needs to be as soon as possible.  Please have a look.

I knit Saya a scarf about two months ago that she tried on once and promptly rejected.  She likes this one though.  There is a nice soft gray fleece fabric against her neck, so it’s very comfortable.

I decided to make a few for my etsy shop.  They have little vintage fabric appliques and vintage ribbon.  They are easy to wear because one end of the scarf slips through the ribbon on the other end and holds it on.

(One of Saya’s friends showed up at our house the other day wearing a knit scarf like a moby wrap to carry her baby doll.  Maybe that’s what I should do with the scarf that I knit for Saya.)