Thursday, April 22, 2010

Day and Night Pillowcase

I've been trying to use up some of the random scraps of calico I have lying about (remnants of a quilt that just wasn't meant to be...) and so whipped up this pillowcase for my three-year-old. With a moon on one side and a sun on the other, what three-year-old wouldn't be excited for bed, right?

Oh well. At least my one-year-old is excited.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Black and White

I ended up with a bulky, graffiti-covered, second-hand easel from Ikea. My original thought was that I would neatly fold it flat and lean it in the corner when not in use. The actual result was that I was either always running into it, literally, while it remained set up at all times, or it spent months hidden in the closet, unavailable as an outlet for my three year old's uncontrollable artistic urges. What better way to preserve the drawing medium without cluttering the girls' room than cutting it apart and mounting it on the walls? I also realized, post-facto, that it helped preserve the walls as well. She would have to be really trying in order to draw on the walls instead! I like the way they turned out, but if I had happened to have black paint on hand, I would have done the background and paisley design only in black and white (inverted, of course, depending on if it was the white board or chalkboard).
 She uses these constantly and I'm always thrilled by the spontaneous creations that appear on them throughout the day.
I sewed drawstring pouches for her chalk and dry erase markers to keep things more tidy.
 The surprising benefit from this project? Hours of entertainment for my one-year-old.
  Lately we've taken to calling her the Bag Lady.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Gardening pants

Thanks to a string of warm, dry days, our community gardens were plowed last week. Seeing the freshly turned soil made me itch to get my hands into it. It also inspired me to convert a pair of thrift store corduroys into some comfy gardening pants. I still haven't embraced the rebirth of the peg leg trend - flare legs are so much more flattering (and comfortable)! Inserted panels in the legs and a series of sprouting plants along the hem made for a pair perfect for digging in the dirt.