Tutus for Two

The best kind of present is one you don't have to share. A second tutu and wand for a cousin turning four. Made with scraps of the Ikea fabric, that I can't seem to get enough of, and tulle from Jack B. on Fabric Row. The wands are the Ikea fabric and wool felt.

Check out Small Fry today for some really lovely Pixie Bonnet pictures.

Magic

I don't have a 9 year old, and in my experience their interests vary considerably. When my visiting niece saw an Isaiah Zagar mosaic (maybe you remember our Christmas Card) on a dumpy little wall in our neighborhood she was hooked. A few hours of walking in circles in his Magic Garden didn't cure her addiction. We examined every nook and cranny, and read every word. Who knew something I have been walking past for years would be such a hit. There were disappointingly few kids there during our visit. If your family is headed to PHL this summer, add it to your must see list. The price is so reasonable ($2 for school age kids) you can't lose.

I'm afraid if I don't produce some tile for my niece to shatter and a wall for her to mosaic, she'll consider her trip a sorry waste of time.

Big Girl Pillow

There's nothing like a big ol' pile of what you should be doing, to make you do what you've been procrastinating. I've been putting off a bobbled pillow for L's new big girl bed. A few less desirable things on the to-do list, made the pillow seem like an easy project.

Its probably better not to see how the sausage is made. I get the geometry of such things, am fairly happy with the end result (hidden zipper), but wouldn't presume to win a blue ribbon for impeccable craft at the 4-H round-up. I'm satisfied that I can cross it off the to-do list.

I bought the fabric, and a few other really cute prints, at Ikea (seriously!) a few months ago. The ball fringe is from my mother-in-law's archive of mid-20th century sewing scraps. Really, it could be 50+ years old. When a little bitty seamstress passes in her small town, she seems to be the one who inherits their stash. Lucky her...lucky me - I benefit from the stash, without being responsible for the storage.

Five

We have been celebrating 5 for so long, J is in danger of turning 6 before we're finished, and 7 before I post about it. If you were involved in any of our many celebrations, thank you. We're so blessed to have such awesome family and friends, willing to let us totally monopolize their weekends.

How about my mom's solar system cake? That little space shuttle kills me. She made a Yoda cake a few years ago, which may be the best she's ever decorated. This one is giving it a run for its money. The whole thing is exactly what J asked for. If I'd known we'd still be space crazy a year later, I would have held a few tricks back last year.

I made a  less than awesome birthday t-shirt (which seems to have become a tradition, L has already given the specs for her's) but haven't been motivated enough to photograph it. Maybe I'll add it later.

Fair Trade Knits

If you read my other blog (you know, the one I actually update once in a while), you know that my sister is in Peru. The organization she works for supports a fair trade knitting group. Check out the video. Every girl wishes she had this kind of camaraderie when knitting.

The lady standing in the doorway knitting with the baby on her back is my favorite.

You can purchase the sweet little tiger shown in the video here.

Rainy Day

The first rainy day in weeks. I knit, J builds. I do most of my knitting at night, but the holidays have me knitting every spare second that the kids are occupied. These blocks haven't lost their appeal.

Luckily, he is tearing down more than I am tearing out.