it’s been crazy

Wow, this has been a nutty few days. Tons and tons of sewing – more sewing in a shorter amount of time than ever, perhaps.  Exciting stuff happening with all that. 

And it has been "camp Mommy" here. So far we've been to the zoo, Walden Pond, paint-your-own-pottery (actually going to paint-you-own-pottery seems to have proven for good to Roxanne that "sometimes dreams do come true!"), the aquarium, and the swan boats.  Plus lots of playground time, and home time and "crafting around" making projects together ("crafting around" is Roxanne's term for making stuff with mommy). Oh, and swimming lessons, too.

I got the kids white canvas covered magazine holders at the Container Store yesterday and we are going to spend some time drawing on them and decorating them today with the goal of having one in each child's room to hold all their library books at the end of the day.  We have this perpetual problem of having library books get mixed in with our own books and then not returning everything on time.  I'm really hoping they'll buy into this and it will save us on some library fines.

And this beautiful book came out. 

I have a pattern in here for a circus elephant

and another for a patchwork horse. 

I can't tell you how lovely this book, and the original Softies, is.  Great photographs, meticulously edited, just fun to hold. This book is published by Penguin Putnam Australia.  I'm not sure how people can get a copy other places, but if you know please leave a comment so we'll know.

Okay, the results of some of the sewing marathon. Five drab birds

and three blue birds. 

Yes, those feathers are teeny tiny hands.

All of these will be mailed to Three Graces Gallery in Portsmouth, NH, tomorrow for the opening of the Teeny Tiny Art Show next Friday, September 5. I will be there and I hope you'll come say hello. I am hoping to spend some time over at Nahcotta for the Enormous Tiny Art Show, too. 

I recently got this amazing book, The Art of Manipulating Fabric by Colette Wolff. I remember reading about it somewhere, maybe on Joybucket?  Seriously, I love books like this. I've mentioned here before that I cannot take a class at this time in my life.  I have to be home with my girls and that remains my biggest priority.  So when I find a book that is like a class, I go crazy.  Designing the Doll and all of Susanna Oroyan's books were like this for me.  I have only just begun savoring the pages of this one and thinking about how to experiment with all of these new techniques.  I'm so excited.

School slowly phases in next week for Roxanne, and even more slowly for Stella the week after next.  Most importantly, Wellesley College starts classes this week so my amazing babysitters are returning!  Ahhh.