penny carnival

A party hat tutorial and treasure hunting

First of all, thank you thank you thank you to Ohdeedoh for featuring my little blog this week. I got all sweaty and panicky when I saw the interview go up, hoping like the dickens I didn't say anything stupid. So far no one has pointed out any major blunders--and if you see any, keep it to yourself, will ya? I love the way Alex from the Ohdeedoh team put the photos together. Makes me feel like this is a real blog or something.

Anyhow, welcome, welcome to those of you who are visiting Penny Carnival for the first time. Make yourselves at home.

Now for a new, old tutorial.

I'd made fabric-covered party hats for Bo's rainbow birthday two years ago and written up a quick tutorial then, but my directions were kind of lame and not illustrated with photos.

So, here you go, a new and shiny tutorial for making party hats over on my Kids' Parties site to replace the old one.

Those hats are for my dad's 70th birthday, which we'll be celebrating next weekend. The fabric (purchased at Jo-Ann's) reminded me of the neckties he used to wear to work in the '80s.

I keep forgetting to mention that last weekend, the girls and I attended the Funky Junk Antique Show, one of several wonderful vintage-goods sales in the Spokane area. You can see a few shots of the event here. It felt like the kickoff to our treasure-hunting season, and what better way to get the scavenging rolling than with this beauty:

Do you like how, out of habit, I'm treating it like a laptop there?

I am old enough to remember typing up homework on a typewriter. I'm pretty sure ours was electric, though. I remember having to use the eraser tape a lot, to correct all my goofs. 

This baby is fully operational. And for this price, how could I have walked away?

 

This was the view out my living room window tonight as I tested out the typewriter:

Happy weekend. 
   

Update: I swear that within the last few days someone either e-mailed me or left a comment looking for something from the blog's archives but now I can't find that message. I can't for the life of me remember who it was or what they were looking for. If that was you, please either leave a comment or send another e-mail. I'm happy to help.

Of duffel bags and baby slings

I think the last time I owned a duffel (duffle? I think you can swing both ways), it had my high school's logo across it.

Some people are bag people. They own dozens. Purses, too. I'm not that gal. I kind of stick with one thing for a few years and then toss it once it's shredded to bits.

With two young kids, you'd think I'd have a better bag system, but I've never gotten my act together on that front. One time we went to visit my parents and we showed up with, like, eight reusable grocery sacks (you know the kind) full of different crap in the back of the car. One for Bo's clean clothes, one for her dirty clothes. One for Megan's shoes. One for toys and books. My mom gave me that, "How is it possible that you are my child?" look. 

But when I saw the duffels that Spokane Etsy seller/seamstress Cherie Killilea was selling, I vowed to become a bag lady. (The kind that uses real bags, efficient bags, beautiful bags ... not grocery sacks.)

Yes, her prices are steep, but after having given birth to one last night, I think she should charge double. 

That's right. I made this baby all by myself.

That's because Cherie also sells THE PATTERNS. She's a genius. Her directions were crystal clear. It took me about half a day to make, but I could probably do it more quickly next time. I'm so in love with this bag, though, there might not be a next time (don't want it to think I'm cheating on it).

Both fabrics are from Amy Butler's new Love line ("water bouquet" in midnight for the main body of the bag and "sunspots" in turquoise). 

 

Speaking of Spokane talent (and babies), you have to take a look at these baby slings made by a woman here named Sarita Morgan.

(Found via Bloom Spokane and aNeMoNe Handmade Paper Flowers and photo courtesy of Bloom Spokane. You can buy them through aNeMoNe.)  

Get out of town, huh? I'm so impressed. I'm more about book slings than baby slings these days, but her beautiful work has me wishing I had a baby to strap onto my chest. Or (a much wiser and less exhausting idea) how about some gorgeous applique work on a book sling? 

There's an idea. 

Wish I had her skillz to pull it off.

Update: We're in Seattle this weekend, so I couldn't resist putting up a couple shots of the duffel bag in action.

  

Playful Parenting ... and clever, green party decorations

I was just reading my last post (about the Story Starters game we've been playing) and noticed I fell into "that thing" again.

At the end there, I mention how doing the story prompts might just buy you a few minutes to get your dishes done ... or your nails filed ... or whatever. And that's true.

But I catch myself sometimes falling into that exasperated parent voice, like, I could tackle the world if it weren't for these pesky little kids who keep wanting me to feed them and wipe their noses.

Don't get me wrong--parenting can be exasperating and I laugh out loud reading witty blogs like Motherhood in NYC and listening to my friends tell hilarious stories about mishaps at the grocery store.

But I tend to have a lot more success with my kids when I'm just plain silly instead of dwelling on the overwhelming moments in our day. Silliness has kind of always been my schtick. I just forget it sometimes. Especially when I'm tired. 

I just started reading the book Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen, and he's confirming some things I already felt deep down, as well as opening my eyes to how important it is to play with your kids. Seriously important. Like, if you want them to grow up to be kind, healthy, and balanced, get down on the rug and play with them, for Pete's sake. 

I remember playfulness coming up when I was a teacher. For the first several months of my first year, I was drowning. I was 22 years old, overwhelmed and shorter than half my students. They were eighth graders, and a lot of them gave a rat's butt about wanting to be at school.

I attended a conference that winter that changed everything. I can't remember who the speaker was, but he basically told us to loosen up and have fun with the students. At the very least, you'll have more energy for yourself at the end of the day.

I started stressing less and letting the silly side of me show. I remember one kid not getting any work done one day, so I put a box of Kleenex on his desk and tucked in his pencil so it could take a nap.

"It must need some rest," I remember saying, sympathetically.

The speaker at that conference also advised us to casually point two fingers while talking to a student who was being particularly difficult. The index finger was for the kid. The middle finger was the teacher's little secret to sanity, he said, holding up his and giving us all the bird.

So back to the Story Starters post ... What I failed to mention is that the first time the girls played it, we did it together. Wholeheartedly. I was a princess, a ballerina, a pig on the farm oinking on the floor alongside them. I'm not sure the girls would have been able to take over the game like they have, if I hadn't modeled it with them.

And thanks to Cohen's book, I've been barking fewer orders at my kids lately. Instead of harping on Bo (our dilly dallier) to get dressed in the morning, for example, I have her stuffed animals place bets on how long it will take her to get ready. 

I'm only about a third of the way into Playful Parenting, but I can tell it's going to rank up there as one of the most important books on parenting I've read. 

On an entirely different note, check out these handmade party decorations that hung at an event I attended last weekend. 

The celebration was in honor of the first anniversary of a group here called The Shrinking Violets Society. It's a group of (mostly) women who meet once a month for breakfast, they host craft nights, have a book club, do community service, etc. The name "shrinking violets" is tongue in cheek, because they're anything but. They care about our city, each other and the earth. 

I'm technically a member, but I'm ashamed to say I've never been to an event (besides the birthday bash, but I really just popped in to take photos for a story I wrote about them). Maybe I'd be involved if I didn't have those pesky little kids running around ... just kidding.

Those Violets sure made some cute party decorations, huh?

Look: these tissue paper pompoms are made from old sewing patterns.

You could make some yourself following my tissue paper flower tutorial.  

String the pompoms together with some circles and triangles cut from junk mail and you have an earth-friendly garland you can use again and again.

Happy birthday, Violets.

  

A neat fundraiser for Haiti ... Tuesday(!)

Oh, goodness. I meant to say this three days ago. There's still time, though ...

My friend Stacey, the witty and talented woman behind Is There Any Mommy Out There, is hosting a fundraiser tomorrow (Tuesday--so probably "today" unless you're an insomniac like me) to benefit the orphanage in Haiti where her daughter Saige spent the first year of her life.

It's going to be a great way for kids to help kids, since the theme (hArt for Haiti) revolves around children selling their own art to raise money for the orphanage. 

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kids Sports. You can read more about it here. 

If you're in Spokane, go, go, go! What a great way to teach our kids compassion and a great way to help children--children who already were in such need!--who are suffering because of the earthquake. Thanks. Best of luck with it, Stacey!

More coming soon, including two Valentine's dresses I sewed tonight for my sweet peas. Here are three words to whet your appetite: ruffled heart pocket. Squeal!!!

Sweet and simple children's clothes

I have such an itch to be sewing these days. I'd like to lock myself away in my craft room and whip out a spring wardrobe for the girls. And maybe for myself, too, but that hasn't gone so well in the past.

No one is inspiring me more than a Spokane children's clothing maker I came across recently named Chris Mark.

Check out some of her adorable designs:

I just wrote a mini article about Chris over on Dwell Well. You can buy her designs in her Etsy shop, Team Littles.

Crafting hope, MLK Day and a new fabric fairy

OK, so I was a wee bit overzealous thinking my book sling was going to save the world. Keep in mind that last post was written with tears streaming down my face. I think I was also feeling a little cocky because I'd re-opened my Etsy shop last week and made three sales within a day. Since three sales is about all I can handle, I promptly put my shop back on vacation.

So no takers on the book sling, but I'm sure you've all seen what's been happening in the (wonderful, generous, big-hearted) handmade community: Craft Hope.

 

I learned about Craft Hope's effort for Haiti roughly five minutes after my last post. Um, yeah. It's a much more brilliant and efficient way that crafters can help the earthquake victims. Folks are donating handmade items that are being sold in a special shop on Etsy. They've raised almost $10,000 now! So I'm going to get in line over there (apparently it's quite a long line) and offer a book sling to them. 

By the way, Craft Hope isn't just around because of Haiti. They regularly post ways that people can use their crafty skills to help others in need--sock monkeys for kids in a preschool burn camp, dresses for children in a Brazilian orphanage, etc.

One kind and generous (not to mention witty as heck) crafter who is donating to Craft Hope is Ari Rooney, of Buttercuppity. I wrote about Ari on Dwell Well a couple months ago. 

The fabric gods must be smiling down on Spokane because Ari and her husband Michael just opened an adorable fabric shop in our downtown (also called Buttercuppity). She carries all the good stuff and her prices are quite nice, too. (She sells online, too, by the way.) The space is darling. There's free parking. She's planning a kids' and a dads' play area. Life is good.

Here are some pictures from their opening party last Friday.

 

That's Ari in the middle:

 

Since the girls came just shy of destroying the store, I let them each choose a fabric for me to make twirly skirts. Coming soon.

Speaking of the girls, check out their finished Martin Luther King mural:

We marched in Spokane's MLK celebration yesterday, a tradition we've kept up since Bo was just six months old. 

The girls were very proud to carry the sign ... until their arms got tired and they made me do it. And that, of course, was right when the photojournalist from the local newspaper decided to snap a picture. So there I was on the cover of the region section this morning carrying a big ol' sign that, by that time, was starting to fall apart because of the wind. I am awesome.

Again, the talented Kathy Barbro of Art Projects for Kids is the genius behind that paint-by-number mural. And she has other designs for sale on her site.

Other than that, we're just trying to get outside more and enjoy this unseasonably warm (as in upper 30s and 40s) winter we're having. My sister-in-law and a friend invited me for a run the other day. Thankfully they didn't tell me we'd be going six miles until it was over. I never would have agreed to go. But I did. And it felt great.

I'm also making attempts to feed the family real food more often, especially after the 6 p.m. consumption of a York peppermint patty caused Magpie to stay up until 3 a.m. the other night. Um, what were we thinking? The kid weighs 30 pounds. That probably contained her annual allotment of sugar.

Take care.

  
 

12 Days of Crafting, Days 7 and 8: candle crown and countdown blocks

I just posted Day 8's craft for my 12 Days of Crafting project over at Dwell Well.

Today, we made a Santa Lucia crown from felt:

 

 You can see the tutorial, more photos and an explanation of what in the world a Santa Lucia crown is right here.

Day 7 was a project from my sister-in-law, Kim: countdown to Christmas blocks.

Cute, huh?

Four more crafts to go.

We are knee deep in Christmas here. Party for J's side of the family was last night. Great fun. His family is very musical, so at one point we were all sitting around the piano singing Christmas songs (and then Beatles songs and then Elton John songs). It was beautiful.

 

Today we went to Spokane's annual Gingerbread House Build-Off, one of my favorite events of the year. Money raised goes to a program that helps women in need get on their feet, get some job skills, etc. Local pastry chefs and architects team up to design a gingerbread house to fit the year's theme. Here were a couple of the works in progress:

Meanwhile, kids can buy a gingerbread (graham cracker, actually) kit made by the women in the program, have a seat at a table and decorate their own little houses.

I hope you're enjoying the holidays, too.

Christmas craft tutorial No. 1 of 12, and surviving the grocery store

My house looks like a Christmas explosion right now. There are baking ingredients dusted all over the kitchen floor, "cherry wink" cookies covering every inch of countertop, glitter-covered crafts on one end of the dining room table and handmade greeting cards on the other. Oh, and millions of little bitty pieces of red yarn under the table because when a 2 year old decides she can entertain herself for 30 minutes by cutting cheap yarn, you don't complain.

Thank you, thank you for all the great feedback on the Santa dilemma. After giving it a lot of thought and talking with Bo's teacher, we decided we're just not going to emphasize the big guy this year. We're not going to sit her down and tell her the truth; we're just going to focus on other holiday traditions more, like the Nutcracker and singing Christmas carols and building gingerbread houses and making cookies and crafts (hence, the mess). I'll put more of my thoughts on that issue in the comments section of my previous post when I get a minute.

Speaking of the Nutcracker, Seattle magazine had a darling idea in its December issue: Throw a Nutcracker-themed party for kids before or after attending the show. Pink tulle tablecloth. Cupcakes that look like toy soldiers. Invitations that look like theater tickets. Squeal! More details on my Kids' Parties site.

And if you're heading over to the Kids' Parties site anyway, here are a few other things I've been working on over there:

-Food to serve at a kids' Christmas party (that one is a work in progress--I plan to add many more pictures and recipes in the coming weeks)

-Theme ideas for a kids' Christmas party

-And this one wasn't my idea, but I love it so: an Advent calendar of books. Every day, a new Christmas themed book to open and read together. Brilliant idea courtesy of Babyccino.

On my other blog (seriously. how did I end up with so many blogs? my computer is like a rabbit), today marks the start of my 12 Days of Crafting. Between now and Dec. 17, you'll see a new tutorial every day for something holiday related. I started with these twig stars today--easy, cheap, earthy:

You can use them as tree ornaments or string them together like garland or make a super big one to hang on your door.

Much more on the 12-Days-of-Crafting front coming soon.

Let's see ... what else? Our first three holiday cards have arrived from the Kids' Craft Weekly card swap. Bo looooves opening these.

Yesterday, we had breakfast at Chaps, one of our favorite Spokane breakfast joints. Hee haw! The Christmas decorations were darling:



(Yes, I took a picture of the bathroom.)
 



Best children's play area ever. Vintage toy kitchen appliances. Pink cowboy hats. Tin tea set. Love it. Love it. Love it. Thanks, Celeste (owner). You're brilliant.

Lastly, a quick tip courtesy of a friend of mine from high school (thank you, Facebook). After swearing that I would never again take my wild-animal children to the grocery store, Rachel suggested I have the kids make their own grocery lists before we go and use them once we get there. The girls cut pictures from the Wednesday newspaper ads (all based on what I actually needed), and glued them to paper. I made dotted letters spelling out the products for Bo to trace.

And, yes, that's turkey food. We didn't host Thanksgiving this year and we're missing the leftovers.

We headed to the grocery store this morning and the lists worked like a charm, as long as you don't mind your kids lying on the floor in the middle of the aisles so they can cross off what they've just put in the cart. 

 Sorry for the crappy cell phone photo blur. 

Thank you, Rachel!  

I better clean up this mess before this guy comes home. Hope all is well, bloggy friends.