Kid-made Father's Day T-Shirts

Fabric crayons! Brilliant! I found some, unopened, at a Goodwill and we decided to try them out for a special Father's Day surprise. I helped Big B and little b by outlining a tree and two apples on plain white paper, and they got to work.

When their creations were complete, I placed them face down on our new plain white T's, covered them with paper (and placed paper between the layers of the shirt to avoid color transfer), and pressed each design for about three minutes. We were all so happy with the bright results! I like this method infinitely better than the old iron-on transfer paper.

So this morning, fresh coffee in hand, the boys put on their shirts and presented their hero with his gift, saying together: "The apples don't fall far from the tree!" Nope. They don't. And I'm so glad.

Happy Father's Day!

Summer Beach Quilt, Part One

I am so happy that summer is here I could kiss the sky. It seems my habitual Goodwill thrifting anticipated my giddiness. For many cooler months, each trip to my favorite Goodwill yielded at least one or two vintage pillowcases or sheets. I had been making aprons with them for a little while, but this stack seemed to be growing into something...more.

Enter: Beach Season. Wednesday was the first official Beach Day for our sweet village of friends. We've been coming to this oasis as a tribe now for six summers, sharing wisdom and picnics and watching our growing babes discover this sweet spot anew each June.

Just look at them--they are all so big now. The girls lead the rescue missions and collect their creatures in buckets...

...while the boys, a la Lord of the Flies, climb their mountain of twisting sea grape branches and beach boulders.

And the mamas watch, talk, feed, nourish, occasionally knit, support, learn, and breathe.

To pay homage to this season of our lives, I rather easily decided to transform that stack of vintage linens into a summer beach quilt. This satisfies so many of my summer goals: carving out more time for creativity as a release, making beauty for our family, having a productive home, and spending as much time outside as possible. Using this square as inspiration, I am well on my way.

These colors just sing summer, don't they?

Handmade Feather Ornaments

Every year, Big B and little b make Christmas ornaments for their aunts, grandparents and teachers. This year, they are both old enough to be careful with glass, and I bought several clear glass balls for them to adorn, not knowing yet which method we'd choose. We'd experimented with the paint and glitter swirly method, but they just didn't turn out the way we'd hoped. Then, Papa and I went to the grand opening party for a fabulous new home accessories boutique in town, and saw these adorable beauties:

I remembered the masks I had scored at Goodwill before Halloween, and the bounty of peacock feathers collected at the ranch, and our ornament making afternoon took shape.

I just love these. They are each so different, so simple, yet so elegant, and Big B and little b created them almost entirely by themselves. We will revisit this concept next year, I'm sure!

Check out these adorable feather ornaments by Mama Bird at Natural Nester!

Birds of a Feather

A few weeks before Halloween, I was making a regular stop at my favorite Goodwill when I happened upon nine absolutely gorgeous feather masks for a dollar apiece. I couldn't resist. For several days before the 31st, Big B and little b took turns wearing each, as well as a number of other accessories, and "scaring" each other throughout the house. It was a treat to have two tricksters who really felt the magic of the masquerade this year!

For complete photo documentation of our Halloween bash, please visit Noni's photo album.

Book Love

In the last two days I have acquired four coveted books that have been on my wish-list for some time, and I can't wait to dig in. All of them (only one purchased new) make me smile just looking at their tempting covers.

1 : Radical Homemakers, Shannon Hayes

How can I resist a book that comes so highly recommended by my dear friend and domestic muse Rose--not to mention one that has a preface entitled "Tomato Canning Feminists!"

2 : The Joy of Cooking, Rombauer, Becker and Becker

How I have not previously owned this book I have no idea. This should be a permanent fixture in any kitchen, right along side a Cuisinart and a music source.

3 : The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, Judy Rodgers

I have coveted this collection since I learned of my college friend and his darling wife working at the renowned San Francisco restaurant of the same name. We will dine there one day!

4 : Glorious Patchwork, Kaffe Fassett

Kaffe Fassett's work makes me dizzy, in a good way. The man has no fear. His bold color and print combinations and sharp, meticulous quilt patterns have me reeling.

The dog days of summer have many of us inside, gleaning inspiration from good books, sending us inward to continue our journeys. Happy reading!

Goodwill Score: Kismet

This morning was just one of those mornings. And I mean that in the best possible way. Tomorrow begins a ten day Spring Break for Big B, so today feels very much like a Friday. Little b and I decided to get our usual Friday chores done today, and that included picking up Papa's drycleaning, which--oh, darn--happens to be adjacent to the very best Goodwill in all the land.

I haven't been shopping at Goodwill since before the holidays, and was amazed at how beautifully the shelves have restocked in those three short months. I scored two adorable pillowcases to add to my growing stack, ready to be converted to aprons:
...this simple vintage box o' party games, complete with pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey:
...a bright and cheerful piece of fabric with a bold linear print, perfect for the tablecloth I've been dreaming of making for spring:
...a gallon ziploc bag full of miniature baskets, just in time for a sweet Easter project:...and call it fate, call it serendipity, call it kismet, but when I woke up this morning, I was internally scheduling my day, and visualized setting out large wooden beads and pipe cleaners as an after-school activity for the boys. On my way out of Goodwill, I found a gallon ziploc bag full of large wooden beads and pipe cleaners. I love days like this.