Snowy Christmas

We have had a couple of snowstorms this past week. We were even snowed in at my parent's house in Maine last weekend. We did take some time to go outside and enjoy the snowy backyard as a family. My husband pulled the little guy on his sled in the back yard and then I posed with him for a picture. It was very cute when the little guy tried to catch snowflakes on his tongue. It looks like it may be a while before we make it back out to Wiffle Fenway to play ball! For now, we hit wiffle balls in the driveway. The little guy does not seem pleased that his backyard is covered with snow!

Wordless Wednesdays

O Christmas Tree

Having grown up in Maine, picking out a Christmas tree has always been quite the traditional family event. My father and mother own many acres of woods. Each year, we would bundle up and go out into the woods as a family. We would sing carols tromping through the snow and see who could pick out the best tree -my father mother, older sister, twin sister and I. Someone would always suggest a tree that was 25 feet tall. My father would reply, "I'm not going to cut a cord of wood for a Christmas tree." It always seemed like the best trees were always the furthest from our starting point. I still went to Maine to pick out a tree with my parents and sisters for many years after having left home.

As time has gone by, now I have my own family. My husband, the little guy and I now find our own Christmas tree. We only own an acre of land at our home in NH. The last few years, we have traveled to the next town over to a nice gentleman's home. He could be Santa Claus. He plants trees in his backyard just for Christmas. The little guy loved walking through the wondrous field of trees. The ride there was beautiful after the ice storm. Everything in sight glistened in the sun. I will always fondly remember my childhood traditions with my family growing up; but I enjoy starting new ones with my own family.

The little guy watched intently as his daddy cut down the tree.

Always a smile on his face when we are outside!

What are your family traditions?

Ice Storm In New England

After the freezing rain stopped this morning, I went out and snapped a few photos in our back yard. We were very fortunate, we only lost power for about an hour. My twin sister a couple of towns over hasn't had power since last night, along with about 300,000 other Granite Staters. She was told that she wouldn't be back on the grid for 3 days to 3 weeks! Thankfully they have a generator!

My Poor Holly Bushes

My flower garden

The grass

First Snowfall

Last weekend was our first real snowfall here in Central NH. We took the little guy out back to play wiffle ball in the snow. It is a lot tougher to find white wiffle balls in the snow than on the grass.It was about dusk, but the little guy had just gotten up from his nap and LOVES to be outside! We were lucky enough to get some more snow this weekend - here's hoping for a white Christmas!

FAM Made Holiday Gift Guide 2008

Ready to start your holiday shopping for the whole Family? Buy handmade this year. Stop by the FAM Made Holiday Gift Guide to find gifts for everyone in the whole family and even some handmade ornaments for the tree. Each item is carefully crafted by a Fabulous Artistic Mom of Etsy. Just click on the badge below!


Copy the text in the box below to link the FAM Made Holiday Gift Guide to your blog!

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Squashed Snow Globe Tree Ornament

Santa was clumsy one night and stepped on this snow globe. All the water leaked out and the globe turned into a disc! Disc measures approximately 3 inches across. Decorate your tree with this festive Snowflake. This ornament is available for sale at my Etsy shop. Click HERE for the link.

12 Days of Christmas Ornament Set

Our little guy is 18 months old and on the move and checking out everything. I know that this year when we put up our Christmas tree, some of the fragile family ornaments passed down from generation to generation will not make it on the tree. Instead, I will be adding non-breakable fabric ornaments to our tree. This is a set of 12 ornaments celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas. I will also be making a few for my etsy shop as well. They also would make great favors for a holiday party If you would like to visit my shop, click HERE. Each set of ornaments will arrive in a starry drawstring bag.

Hike! Felted Football

Felted Football by Klymshyn Design

My son is a boy after his father's heart. My husband loves sports of almost any kind. He has never liked watching figure skating. Maybe that is because there isn't a ball or puck involved. My little guy loves balls and he likes to throw them too. We let him play with my husband's leather football, but he wanted to teethe on the end. So, unfortunately, we had to put that one away in the closet for another year or two. Then I found this adorable felted football made by Kelly of KlymshynDesign. This is the perfect little football for our little guy who isn't quite ready for a leather football yet. I let him help me open the package and he grabbed the football and ran off shouting, "ootball, ootball!!" He loves his new football. He and his "da da" love playing catch.
Klymshyn Design has more for sale if your would like to get your little one a felted football too! She also has a gorgeous selection of knit handmade clothing and accessories available in her Etsy Shop. Click HERE to visit her shop and HERE to visit her blog.

Halloween Night

Last year, the babe was only 6 months old. We dressed him up as a golfer. This year, he is 18 months and we dressed him up as Mickey Mouse. The little guy and his father both like golf. Last night, they were both playing with golf clubs in the yard. When it was time to trick-or-treat, the little guy brought his golf club to the neighbor's house. When we got home, the little guy had his first Hershey miniature. There was chocolate everywhere and a big smile on his face. I think that he likes chocolate. My treat was eating roasted pumpkin seeds. The little guy liked those too!

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe & Pumpkins for Charity

There is a church on our street that sells pumpkins every year. They donate the proceeds to a charity. This year, they are donating their proceeds to help feed the hungry. My husband, the little guy and I walked down to get a pumpkin. We left the stroller at home for the very first time. One of us held the little guy's hand as we walked down the sidewalk. He was quite content to stay on the sidewalk and did not even try to make a dash for the road.

We let our little guy help pick out a pumpkin. We also bought a miniature pumpkin just for him. I can't wait until we carve our jack-o-lantern and toast pumpkin seeds next week for Halloween.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2) Spread 2-3 Tablespoons of oil on a cookie sheet.
3) Remove pumpkin goo from seeds
4) Place pumpkin seeds on cookie sheet in a single layer
5) Sprinkle with Salt (Or sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon)
6) Cook in oven for 45 minutes. Flip pumpkin seeds with a spatula between trick-or-treaters, or at 5-10 minute intervals, until seeds are done. Seeds should be light, crisp, and golden brown in color when finished. The cooking time may vary depending on how many seeds you roast and the size of the seeds.

Enjoy!

Rag Rug - Two Colors Done

I have started crocheting a room size rag rug. I've got 2 colors done so far. I started with chain stitching 40, single crocheting the sides, and adding some extra single crochets around the corners. I go through a ball of "fabric yarn" pretty quickly. I have a whole bunch more ready to crochet in - over 15 more colors to go! See my previous post, Getting Started, to see a link for how to make your own fabric yarn. Check back in a few weeks for another progress update!
I haven't measured it with a yardstick yet, but I would estimate it to be 2.5 feet long so far.

Fabulous Fall Treasury

Fall is my favorite time of year. Below is a peek at a Treasury I made on Etsy featuring Fabulous Artist Moms of Etsy. Click HERE to be linked to the treasury. This link will work until Saturday night at 8:26 pm EST.

Apple Picking

We took the little guy apple picking last year. We went to Apple Hill Farm. Last year,the little guy sat in the baby backpack that my husband wore. This year, he ran around with an apple in each hand. There are some foods that taste 100 times better freshly picked and apples are one of them. We bought a huge bag of Galas and picked a bunch of Fujis. I plan to make apple crisp later this week. I might make this Apple Maple Cake instead ... we'll see. With a fridge full of apples, fall has definitely arrived.

A Walk in the Woods - Dave's Cabin

This weekend we went to Maine to visit my parents. My mom's sisters came over to visit while we were there, and we went for a walk in the woods. Our destination was the log cabin my father is building across the street from his home. It is a short hike through the woods and is situated upon a high river bank. My dad has been retired for over 10 years now. I always tell people that he is the busiest retired man that I know. He loves to be outside - whether it is fishing on a lake, cutting lumber from the wood lot that was his father's or building a log cabin as a playhouse for him and his five grandsons (no granddaughters yet). I had not been out to the cabin before. He has done a great job with it so far. He still needs to add windows, stairs and a door, but it is coming along nicely. I know that this family cabin will be the place where fond memories of "Dave" will be made. By the way, "Dave" is what the grandchildren call my father. They love to go to Grammy and Dave's house! I can't wait until my little guy is a bit older and can enjoy an afternoon fishing by the river and playing cribbage in the cabin. My little guy is leading the way in the picture below.

Fire Prevention Week October 5-11, 2008

It's Fire Prevention Week. Every year our city holds a Fire Safety Event for families at the beginning of Fire Prevention Week. This was the first year that I have attended. They have fire trucks for the kids to sit in, ambulances, demonstrations for how to use a fire extinguisher to put out a fire, and every little one's favorite, using a real fire hose to knock out the fire in the pretend house. (shown in the picture above) The Red Cross was also there handing out information about fire safety in the home. Here is a link to their site with some safety tips for your home. The police department was there as well. They gave out plastic red fire hat to the little ones. My little guy usually hates wearing hats, but he wore his red fire hat most of the time we were there. He also got a fireman's badge sticker which you can see in the photo below. We went to play on the playground after checking out the big trucks. On our way back to the car they started passing out red balloons, so the little guy got a balloon too. It was a fun and educational event.

LJ Design & Photo

I have always loved Gerber Daisies. However, I did not seem to inherit my mother's green thumb. My mom can bring back a plant that you may have thought was dead! When I saw these beautiful Red Gerber Daisy Photos in LJ Design & Photo's Etsy Shop, I knew that these photos were a must have for me. I love the red flowers on the red walls in our home. I will be taking one of these photos to my classroom so that I can enjoy the beautiful flowers all winter long.

Lorissa of LJ Design & Photo has many different themed photographic series in her shop, such as her motherhood series, Route 66, the Mohave Desert,Ghost towns and Night and much more! She recently started making cards and gift tags as well. When you have a moment to spare and would like to view some amazing photography, stop by LJ's shop. You will not be disappointed! To learn more about Lorissa's photography, visit her blog, Photography, Art, & Motherhood, or website, http://ljphotodesign.com.

Fleece Tie Pillow Tutorial

Curious George Pillow

Materials
You will need:
*Sharp pair of fabric scissors
*2 pieces of fleece 18"x18"
*Pins
*2 pieces of muslin(or any cotton fabric) 13"x13"
*Stuffing (Polyfill fiber or Scrap Batting)
*Thread

Making the Pillow (or just buy a 12"x12" pillow form at the store)
1) Cut the fabric 13"x13" and pin together.
2) Starting about 3 inches from a corner, start sewing all the way around the fabric square. Stop when you are about 5 inches from where you began. Turn the pillow right inside out.
3) Stuff your pillow to desired plumpness.
4) Turn under the raw edge, pin and top-stitch to complete.


Making the Pillow Case
1) Cut the fleece to the dimensions given above.
2) Place the fleece wrong sides together and pin.
3) Cut a 3-inch square out of each corner.

4) Then, through both layers, cut 1 "x3" fringe, to tie, all the way around the pillow.
5) Tie front to back for each tie, leaving some open on the last side. Once you have made the pillow, insert the pillow in the case and close the last few ties. You are done!

The Curious George Pillow above is available to purchase in my Etsy Shop.

Harvesting Herbs

Every year I plant herbs in my flower garden with the good intention of drying them to use year round. This is the 6th summer we have been at our house, and I finally remembered to cut some herbs to dry. I cut oregano, parsley, sage, and basil.


I could not find the jute cord to wrap them in, so I used strips of fabric from my scraps stash. They are quite pretty. The sage looks like a Christmas decoration with the red fabric.
The dill I had planted was past its prime, but it did have a surprise for me. There was a monarch caterpillar sunning himself on the plant. You can get a glimpse of him in the picture below. I hope that I remember to see if chooses my garden as his home for making a chrysalis.

Smiles Around the World Memory Matching Game

Smile Around the World - Memory Matching Game - 1st of a 3 Set Series

Sometimes I see a fabric that I just have to get my hands on. When I first saw this fabric, Smiles Around the World, I instantly loved it! I love all of the different children from all over the world with the cutest smiles. There are 21 different children within the design. I have decided to make three different sets of memory matching games with the 21 different children. Each set will include 7 different pairs of children with 14 game pieces total. The image above is the first of three games in the Smiles Around the World Set. You get to choose which color bag you would prefer, pink or blue, as shown below. Visit my Etsy Shop for details if you would like to purchase a set for a child in your life. And yes, I do ship internationally.

Trains Matching Memory Game - Educational for Children

Remember playing memory as a child? This fun game is educational as it builds deductive reasoning and logic forming skills. There are 14 quilted game pieces, 2 of each picture, and a fun cream colored Train Drawstring Bag. Rules for the game are included, but are not shown in photos. Visit my Etsy shop to see more memory games available .

Red Speckled Baseball Leather Shoes for the Little Guy

Today I finished my first pair of leather shoes for the little guy. He loves baseball, basketball, football, beach balls and practically anything that resembles a ball. I had some plain white leather that I stitched onto the red speckled leather to decorate the shoes with baseballs. I used a heavy duty thread and leather machine sewing needles. I ended up breaking all three needles in the pack and hand stitched the last pieces together. I actually found that it was much easier to hand stitch the leather than to sew it on the machine. (I had special leather needles for hand sewing too.) I added 1/4 inch to the design I used for the toddler slippers. I haven't had a chance to try them on the little guy yet - he is napping now. One tip I would like to share - when machine sewing leather, hand crank the wheel to go in reverse when starting out and also hand crank if you have areas that you are going through more than 2 layers. I would like to experiment with different threads and the leather to see what combination I prefer. I know that the heavy duty thread will hold well, but it was not the easiest to work with due to its thickness.

I love the piece of speckled red leather I found at Martin's House of Cloth. I also found several other great pieces - silver, peachy pink and a white splattered with blue and yellow. I am excited to try new projects with this new material. I'll post my latest creations here for you to check out!

Toddler Slippers for My Little Guy!

So my little guy's feet are getting bigger and he is now cruising all over the place. It is time for some new shoes. Usually I have just bought him Robeez in the past. This fall we bought him so soft soled sneakers at Stride Rite. Instead of buying more Robeez, I decided to buy some leather at a local fabric shop and make him some leather shoes myself. Since leather is a bit more expensive than cotton, I decided to make him a pair of flannel slippers first. He loves cars and trucks, so I thought that he would enjoy this fabric. The shoes are lined with striped flannel fabric that I had leftover from a quilt I just finished for one of my nephews. I fused all fabric to the liner and then sewed them together. I used no-slip fabric, like the kind on the bottom of sleepers, for the tread. I found this at JoAnn Fabrics. You have to ask for it at the cutting table. I think that they turned out cute for my first attempt at making shoes. They fit him perfectly. I think that I will add 1/4 inch to the design for the leather shoes so that there is a little room to grow. I hope to make the leather shoes soon - I found some very cute leather fabrics!