Winter Sun

We're here today enjoying the winter sun from the inside. It's -20 outside... cold enough to literally take your breath away. But you'd never know it from our little patch of sunlight.

Snow Day

Hello! We had a Snow Day today. Here's a pic of what it looks like out our front door:

Goodbye again, Grass! See you in a month or so. It's been snowing sideways all day, and Jai says it's up past his knees, which means it's almost as deep as Griffin (two spaghettis high.) (can you pluralize spaghetti?) Anyway, I haven't managed to get much stuff done this week. Griffin's being really clingy and doesn't want to be left alone, even for a minute. And this is why it's so nice to have friends with years of Mom experience. Sarah told me that her kids were exactly the same right before they started to be mobile. So who knows? This time next week Griffin may be crawling all over the house. Then I'll really be in trouble!

Anyway, I think we're going to be spending the day holed up by the fire, with some snacks (that's a shot of Griffin trying pineapple for the first time. Two messy thumbs up.) Days like this I really wish we had a couch we could all snuggle up on, and watch movies. We've got the movies and the snugglers, so I guess we're more than half way there. And if we did have a big old cozy couch, I'd probably never get off of it. I'd figure out a way to put everything within reach, and hunker down with some blankets. Griffin might never learn to walk. Still, it doesn't sound all bad. Perhaps I'll comfort myself with another round of hot chocolate. Here's to you, wherever you might be on this cold and snowy night.

W.I.P. (Winter in Progress)

Hello! I just thought I'd pop in for a quick update while Griffin and Jai are busy in the kitchen. Not too much is new around here. We had a few hours of plus ten degrees outside today, so Griffin and I went for a nice long walk this morning, before the torrential downpour began. It was really nice to be outside and not feel like your nose was going to fall off. But it was just a one-day reprieve, I'm afraid.

"Winter is icumen in,

Lhude sing Goddamm,

Raineth drop and staineth slop,

And how the wind doth ramm !

Sing : Goddam."

- Ezra Pound, Ancient Music

So Griffin and I have been hanging around a lot. On the weekend we went and watched Grandpa play a game of curling in Greenwood, for the provincial championships. That was fun. On Monday, he hung out with Uncle Brandon and Auntie Jo while I taught a yoga class. Today we went for a walk. In between, we play on the floor, we read books,

we walk around and around and around the house. And I try to sneak in moments to Make, although today my twenty minutes were quickly consumed by my need to finally take some time to tidy up a little! Here's some "in progress" shots of a couple of things.

I seem to have many things "in progress" and not many things completed. I did, however, take some time to photograph some mushrooms.

And that's about it!

Griffin Grows a Tooth

Griffin woke up this morning with a tooth in his mouth! His very first tooth. I couldn't get a picture of it, but every once in a while you can see it when he smiles, and you can definitely feel it when he bites you.

Such a big boy. And here he is showing off his newest toys - two shakers made from tupperware filled with rice and corn. Cheap kitchen fun.

Boldly off in new directions...

Hello Again! I've been a busy little crafter this weekend, and thought I would share some of what I've been up to. I finally got a screen made with a couple of the drawings I've been working on, so I got on the trusty Yudu, and printed some stuff. First up, the first print in a new series marrying vintage photos with Swedish forest folklore:

This was screen-printed, and then hand-tinted. And at the same time, I printed some copies of our new logo. They sat around for a day or two, and then at 3:30 am last night (when all the best ideas come) I thought, I could make baby hats. We're always hunting around for Griffin's hat, and one hat just isn't enough. So today, I cut up some old t-shirts, sewed on our logo, and made some baby hats. What is it they say about necessity and Mothers?

Griffin was kind enough to be my baby model.

Hope you had a great weekend too!

Ode to January

Hello! So...what are we up to? January is half over already. And I found this lovely quote:

"The shortest day has passed, and whatever nastiness of weather we may look forward to in January and February, at least we notice that the days are getting longer. Minute by minute they lengthen out. It takes some weeks before we become aware of the change. It is imperceptible even as the growth of a child, as you watch it day by day, until the moment comes when with a start of delighted surprise we realize that we can stay out of doors in a twilight lasting for another quarter of a precious hour."

~Vita Sackville-West

Yes, we were just noticing the other day that the days are getting ever so slightly longer again. It's funny how the shortening of days seems to happen so much more quickly than the lengthening. But already it seems as though the evenings become more leisurely.

My knitting has gone from sporadic to regular once again. I finally finished the baby blanket that I began over a year ago. I packed it in my hospital bag, naively thinking I would get it done in the hospital while Griffin slept peacefully (!!!!!!!!!!) It stayed in that suitcase for about six months, until I finally pulled it out the other day, and finished it off. He has been loving it - snuggling it and sucking on it, playing with the holes with his fingers and even toes.

And I must say it is so gratifying when you give a home-made gift, and are able to watch someone truly, truly enjoy it. Hooray for children!

And finally, FINALLY, the "newborn" sweater I knit for Griffin before he was born mostly fits. The sleeves are a little short, maybe, but that just means they don't get in his way, right?

Also, I refined the design of my baby toys. Version 2.0 is stuffed with raw wool, and has wings and a pocket. I figured G would love the wings, since he is always so attracted to tags, and I was right.

So I have placed an order for some real wool felt, and am just awaiting it's arrival in the mail. In the meantime, I am embroidering faces like crazy.

And a few other projects are in the works as well (here's a sneak peek):

I have been trying to approach the work in a slightly more business-y (I'm sure that's not a word that any serious business person would use!) frame of mind. Which basically just means that I have been trying to think of a unifying thread to run behind everything I make, instead of just making things willy-nilly (another great business-y term!) My problem has always been that I feel like I can make Anything, and often do. It results in a lot of orphans. No more! (Or not as much!)

Same, Same, Same

Ah yes, the Life Update. Hmmm. I keep sitting down to write this, and then getting distracted into doing something else entirely. So maybe I'll just let the pictures tell it.

Some days I feel like I could just write, "Same, same, same." Though, of course, they aren't.

Fun with Fabric (what I've been up to) - the Project Update

I thought it might be about time that I do a "Projects" post, to be followed soon by an "Update" post. Project time has been in short supply around here, but I have been trying to sneak in moments here and there. Once in a while they actually add up to a finished product!

First up is a very quick, very satisfying project made entirely of Eco-felt (recycled pop bottles.)

I got this great little sketchbook for Christmas, but I never have been much of a fan of that faux alligator skin stuff they get covered with. This project couldn't be easier when done with felt (oh how I love thee!) And just for fun, I thought I'd add some reverse applique circles and a pencil holder (to keep my pencil away from Jane, otherwise known as That Pesky Cat, for whom pencils are the #1 toy of choice.)

Next up, my first attempt at Screenprinted Fabric.

It's not perfect, but I have decided that it is Quite Good For a First Try. I'd like to try it again, with the designs closer together - the distance was determined by my pressing need to Get Something Done, which meant that I couldn't wait for one pass to dry before doing a second, and instead just put them far enough apart that the screen never touched a wet spot. Sigh.

Anyway, I'll probably cut it up, and use the pieces in some of these:

These are my new favourite thing to make! I get to embroider and sew, and they come together quickly enough to satisfy my general sense of always being in a rush. They are excellent little projects for using up stolen crafty moments. Plus, I get to use up all my little offcut pieces. They are also stuffed with offcuts and remnants, so they are very firm. Griffin loves them!

They are a great size for grabbing,

nice and firm for chewing on,

and cute as all get out. I am totally excited about these little guys, and have Big Plans for making them with fabric that I printed myself. Fun! Big Fun! (It doesn't take much!)

It seems that it may be a while before I am able to be a wood person again. Shop time is almost impossible - it's not something you can quickly do while the baby is sleeping. So... I have been thinking and thinking, drawing and tinkering, to try and come up with something that I can make and sell on Etsy again. My eventual goal is to be able to earn enough to be able to stay at home with Griffin. Anyway, I think I'm getting closer to finding that thing. What do you think? I'm setting this in writing, so there's no backing out. By the end of January, I'd like to get the old Etsy store up and running again. All right. There it is in black and white for all the world to see (or at least those of you who come and visit with us in the Blogosphere.) Wish me luck!

Ode to 2009.

Goodbye, 2009. What a very good year it was.

The year Jai got his job at the Bookmobile.

The year we went from being a couple to being a family.

The year we got to meet Griffin!

Yes, 2009 saw some very big changes in our little lives. It all went so fast! It's hard to believe that a year ago, I was just starting to look pregnant. Jai hadn't started his new job yet. We couldn't believe that our friends (who already had two kids, and a third on the way) weren't able to stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year. How little we knew back then! (as opposed to now, when we are oh, so wise.) So it seems fitting somehow that 2010, which we expect to be another very big year, should begin on a quiet note. A soft hush of snowfall, rather than a big bang. It is the Universe saying, "Hush now, here is a chance to regroup, to take stock, to make ready for all that is to come." Here's to 2010.