none of yo'....

...BEESWAX! ok just kidding. i crack myself up.

i recently ordered some modeling beeswax for the kiddos and we got to play with it today. i wasn't sure how well it would go over, but i thought it could be a fun change from play dough. once we got the hang of it (it's a lot harder to mold, and takes patience to warm it up in your hands), the kidlets sculpted some pretty creative little figures. i think kids who are a little older might get even more enjoyment out of it as they would be able to work it a little better--as it was, they ended up handing me each color they wanted to use, so that i could warm it up and help them shape it. we found that using smaller pieces (much smaller than in the photos) was much easier to manipulate, and therefore less frustrating. one thing i really like about it is that the little figurines they make can actually be played with, without getting all squished up in the process, like play dough. also, since the texture is so firm, the colors can be stuck together but don't actually mix.

for baby g.

here is a sweet little knit i have been working on for months! these cute little overalls will be going to my nephew, who should be arriving just about any time. this was my first substantial project at such a small gauge, and i have to admit i was a bit discouraged at first with how slow it seemed to go (especially compared to the sweater i have been working on, which is knit in bulky yarn!) the pattern is called pepita, and i will definitely be knitting it again as soon as i have a proper excuse to do so. :)

here is a close-up of the mix-matchy buttons i picked out. i was going for a retro peas-and-carrots look. the yarn i chose is a knitpicks sock yarn, which i got on sale and had originally planned for another project, but couldn't resist knitting the pepita, as i immediately fell in love when i saw it.

i absolutely LOVE the way they turned out.

and after figuring out these sweet little feet, i am almost inspired to knit my first pair of socks!

late night crochet.

so last night as i was waiting for karl to get home from a show, i decided to try and remember how to crochet. i came across this super sweet pattern from vallieskids, and just went for it. i have to say, i'm pretty pleased with the results, even though the yarn would not be my first choice. feel free to check it out on my ravelry page!

in that middle picture she was holding the rock up to her eye and saying, "ARRRRR, matey!!" i suppose that means my next project should be an eye patch. :)

progress.

i'm going to tell you this is what progress looks like. you'll probably say, "no, that's a sweater." and i'll say, "exactly!!" if you look closely though, you'll see that it is still on the needles, because i got that far before i realized i am a skein short of finishing. i only have about two more inches left to knit and i ran out of yarn!! apparently i need to brush up on my math skills. and then i need to put in another order to knit picks. and then i need to frame that paining hanging on the wall behind me so i can finally show it off. and hang it in a private gallery.

children's artwork inspiration.

my nephew has been coming over nearly every day this summer, and it didn't take long for me to realize that when there is no inspiration behind making art, kiddos can go pretty quickly through an entire stack of paper with nothing but a few rushed scribble marks on each one. being drained of ideas and inspiration, myself, it was hard to think of new crafts. then i realized that kiddos are still very much interested in things that many adults don't think twice about. so last week i decided that we would simply trace our hands and feet and go from there. to my surprise, the kids were pretty fascinated with this simple task, and stayed entertained long enough for me to make lunch plus some. i thought the results were cool.

i thought it was funny that my very orderly nephew took his time to make both feet as similar possible, while my abstract thinking daughter turned her feet into some sort of monster. 

and here's a look at the green "cloud" i painted in our playroom to be our "art wall".

she steals my heart!

madelynn, yelling from her bed long after lights out: "mommmmmy! daddy home?"

me (slightly irritated at a 3 year old who refused a nap earlier today and has been laying in bed thinking of new ways to keep baby brother awake for eternity): "no madelynn... go to sleep."

madelynn (in her best pouty voice): "oh man. daddy's not home. you're doing dishes. i just have to stay in bed allllllll bymyself. humph!!"

i think i even heard her arms cross on the "humph!" i didn't know weather to burst into hysterical laughter or go crawl in bed with her. the girl steals my heart, i tell ya!

welcome, week!

i'm not sure if having a spontaneous, lovely, wave-jumping, kite-flying kind of weekend makes it easier or harder to welcome the new week. but boy, did we ever have a lovely time!

:)

happy friday!

happy friday! i hope everyone enjoys the sunshine. i will be finishing up a quilt, camping in the backyard, and spending some more time at the lake.

:)

:)

i hope everyone had a safe and lovely 4th!

:)