Sarah's Sewing Party

Sarah asked if we could celebrate her birthday "out" this year. And so, for the first time, we had a birthday party away from the house. We went to Bull City Craft, a new arts/craft store in Durham, and made felt monsters. It was nice not to have to think about what needed to be done beforehand, and instead, just show up. (Almost just show up - I couldn't help but play with the monster idea. Monster plates, monster napkins, and monster goody bags made me happy.)

When I chose the monsters, I was really excited about the idea and thought the kids would love it. The owner suggested against the craft, noting that our group might be too young for sewing. But I made it clear that we were a proficient bunch. (Hindsight -I had a few of Sarah's friends in mind, whom I knew could sew. I had blinders on for the rest of them.) I felt confident about my choice until the date grew closer, as I realized that even Sarah has limited patience with most sewing activities we've tried at home.

So - we showed up and we sewed. For an hour and twenty minutes - an hour longer than I've ever been able to get Sarah to focus on sewing. Parents who stayed for the party helped a lot, and despite my concerns about how the process might evolve, everyone was more than patient.

In the end, I think it worked out. Everyone was really happy with their monsters, and I think they were proud of what they had accomplished. (Or they were just really happy to be done with them. Not sure on that one.) Either way, I thought the monsters (and the kids and parents who made them) were great.

terrariums

At garden camp this summer, we made terrariums. I liked them so much that we made more. We've had fun watching all the stuff grow - we've found mushrooms in Sarah's rainforest and new little "trees" in Eric's dinosaur world.

Outer Space

We had some fun with Bendaroos last weekend. Sarah made Earth, the sun, Saturn, and an asteroid. Eric asked me to make him a spaceship and an alien, and he added a satellite, a comet, and some space rocks. We decided to use space-inspired paper for the background - thank goodness for my failed attempt at making children's name plaques! We have LOTS of paper to choose from whenever a craft idea strikes. :)

Eric was the one who came up with this idea, and I was happy to see Sarah follow his lead. She seems to be willing to do that more often, and it's good for all of us.

One last thing - the Bendaroos glowed in the dark, so Sarah and Eric kept running into the bathroom and shutting the door, oohing and aahing over their creations. So much fun!

Sarah's Houses

Recently, Sarah has spent a lot of time making houses - like these. I love how she gets really intent on one thing. It reminds me of me. Brian likes to call it "being obsessed". I like to call it "being focused". In Sarah's case, I think I'll call it "being creative"!

potato stamping

If they keep it up, the next present you receive could be wrapped in potato-stamped love!!

Handmade Playroom

So I'm finally getting around to posting pictures from the playroom re-do. All of of the decorations, and much of the furniture, are handmade, or painted, or altered. There are also many old things, with lots of collective memory attached. It's my new favorite (old) room in the house.

My dad made the dollhouse, and Sarah and I painted it. The furniture was made by my grandparents' neighbor in Iowa. My sister and I played with it for many years, and I'm grateful that it has been passed down to my kids.

The rag rug comes from my dad's grandma (I think.) I'll have to check on that.

Brian made the bookshelf and the small table next to it, which we all painted. The banner was made by me, the mirror was painted by Sarah and me, and the dress up hook was made by Brian and painted by the rest of the family. The dress up chest comes from my mom, and was made when they moved over to England (when she was three.)

The pillows and blanket on the sofa were made by my dad's mom. I covered the corkboards in fun fabric and they hold artwork by Sarah and Eric.

I think Penny approves, too.

A Woodworking Project

Brian decided to create a table for the kids with some scrap wood. They watched him work and helped when they could, with Sarah hammering and Eric stacking legs. Sarah chose the paint colors and did a great job of painting, while Eric did his best to stay focused and on task, which was very helpful indeed. I'm very impressed with the table and inspired by the patience shown throughout the project. What a team!!

The kids used it the other day when we had lunch upstairs - it was their drink table. Eric has only jumped from it twice and appears to be showing restraint and respect for the table he helped create.