A Blanket for Willow

I've been working from my stash quite a bit recently, partly because I feel like I should use what I have on hand before I buy any more, and also because after finishing my Cozy Stripe Blanket (which took a whopping 14 months to complete) I need a few quick makes, a few jolts of quick creative satisfaction.

It is really a lot of fun to look in my yarn drawers, at all the bits and bobs that are in there, and dream up some hooky projects...

My first little stash-busting project was a blanket for Claire's most-loved doll, Willow.

A simple, little v-stitch blanket with a picot edge, perfect to keep Willow "warm and super cozy".

Variegated yarn is always a little tricky, isn't it, because you never quite know if the colors will spread out evenly or end up all together in a blotchy pattern. In this case, I am quite happy with how the coloring worked out.

The absolute best part of this project though was the sweet thank-you hug that I got from Claire when I gave her the blanket; there is no better feeling in the world than a hug from my girl, feeling those little arms wrapped oh so tightly around my neck....

16/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Photographers-in-training...

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

Making Covered Hangers

When I was a young girl I made a lot of covered hangers. My sister and I would sit on the deck at my grandparents' cottage, sheltered from the hot sun by the tall trees, and make hangers. There was one summer when we spent weeks on the couch at home making hangers and listening to Shania Twain. And there was even a time when we got a 'contract' to make blue and white hangers for a couple who was in the business of making and selling t-shirts decorated with bubbly fabric paint.

I remember my Oma telling me that making hangers was a good thing because you were making something 'practical and useful'.

I remember taking the bus with my sister to Woolco, a department store long closed up, to buy 'hanger material' and being so excited when new colors were found.

I remember watching movies with my Mom and us each making a few hangers at the same time.

I remember racing my sister to see who could finish a hanger faster.

So many memories around this simple craft.

Every so often I make another hanger. I search through my stash of material, some leftover from years ago and some given to me by my Oma as she cleans out her closets, select my colors and go. No matter how much time has passed, my fingers know exactly how to move. It is like riding a bicycle: once you learn, you never forget.

And I don't forget. Instead I feel the summer breeze off the lake, see threads and fuzz covering my lap, hear "Any Man of Mine" by Shania Twain, remember the heavy bags full of fabric that we hauled home from the bus stop.

And it is wonderful and amazing to me that all these memories are wrapped up in the simple craft of braiding nylon fabric around wire hangers.

15/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Drawing and coloring, very serious business around these parts.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

Now is Now

I've been feeling quite overwhelmed this week. Sometimes life is a lot, isn't it? It is times like this when I find it even more important to think about the blessings and the happy moments in my days, to make a list of them - because writing them all down in one place is a poignant reminder, a helpful way to see the light among all the crazy and sad.

Here are the things that have brought a smile to my face, a flutter to my heart, and joy to my days this week:

• Free coffee day at the coffee shop on Monday - what a super way to start the week
• Some much needed scrapbooking time
• Claire's new smile - she lost another tooth, and there is nothing cuter than her toothless grin
• The girls' bookshelves. They each have a bookshelf in their room filled with favorite stories and treasured stuffed toys. I love to see how they arrange things and what they treasure, it is a sweet peek into their little souls for sure
• Freshly washed sheets
• Finding the perfect curtains for the dining room (finally, after five years of looking)
• Crochet, always crochet
• A well thought out meal plan. I am not always excited to cook dinner at the end of the day, but knowing what I am making really makes things much easier
• Sunshine - it has been rare this week, but oh so welcome when it has appeared
• Flannel pajamas
• Finding a pair of jeans that fit (in a smaller size than usual, hooray!)
• Cucumber-mint tea, a new favorite
• A growing pile of things to take to the thrift store
• Finishing my latest book: "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert. So good.
• Binge listening to "Magic Lessons", a podcast by Elizabeth Gilbert 
• Watching the girls at their swimming lessons
• A cafe mocha treat
• Hugs from my girls

Hope there have been lots of happy moments in your week, friends. Have a wonderful weekend.

(My focus for this year is: Now is Now. Read more about it here)

14/52

"A portrait of my girls, once a week, every week, in 2016."

Bridget was away at Girl Guide camp this weekend and Claire was "so lonely without her sister to play with". Bridget missed Claire just as much, though she had a fantastic time at camp...even experiencing a fire alarm going off in the night which forced an abrupt change in the sleeping arrangements. After a weekend apart, many sister hugs were needed, and there was some serious playing going on Sunday afternoon.

Joining in with Jodi for the 52 Week Project.

Back to Scrapbooking

After quite a long break (so long that my tool pouch was a little dusty) I've created a scrapbook layout.

I am tragically behind on my 2015 album. It is so hard to keep up with it, do you find? I have been thinking quite a bit about how I am going to document our stories moving forward. When the girls were babies and I was at home with them, I made so many layouts - the albums from those years are quite literally bursting at the seams - but now I am back at work full time and it is truly impossible for me to keep up that level of creating. I still want to scrapbook, but how much, and when? It is a bit of a struggle for sure....

One thing that does help is having my pictures and papers on hand. The paper I used on this layout is from the Anything Goes line by Echo Park. I also used the coordinating embellishment pack which makes putting a layout together so easy.

Because this was my first layout in quite some time, I turned to The Memory Nest for some inspiration. Nothing like a clean and simple sketch to get the creative juices flowing.

 

I look forward to showing you some more layouts soon as I chip away at my 2015 album; maybe it will have fewer layouts in it than there would have been in the past, but fewer layouts is better than none at all, am I right? Accepting that I can only do so much is key, I think, in keeping the joy in my scrapbooking.

I'm linking up with Make it Monday at The Memory Nest.