I've moved! New blog address.


My new website + blog is emilyneuburger.com.  Please visit me there!

If you have this site bookmarked in a blog reader, you'll want to switch to emilyneuburger.com.

Thanks, and see you in my new space!

xo emily

Sew-A-Heart Valentine Tutorial


I have hearts and bright colors on my mind.  Do you?
Sew and give. Thread and sit by the fire.  Bring them in the car or on the train.
Have children draw their own shapes (abstract designs are wonderful!) or draw some for them.
You do some, they do some.   You know how it goes.


This is the kind of activity where everyone participates at their own pace and speed.  

I  love how the colorful yarn is so bright against the humble cereal box. Its almost like a bit of cozy, cheer threaded through a regular, everyday moment.  


Materials:

cereal box panels
yarn
tape
scissors
pencil
1/8 inch hole punch
awl (or nail)

How To:

1. Cut cereal box panels into small squares.
2. Use your pencil to draw a simple shape onto the plain, brown side of the square.
3. Use a 1/8 inch hole punch to punch holes on the pencil line, leaving about 1/4 of an inch in between each hole.
4. Since there will be some places on the shape where the hole punch won't reach, use the awl (or a nail) to fill in the blanks.
5. Find an extra long piece of yarn (36" should be more than enough).
6. Put some tape around the end of the yarn and trim with scissors in order to have a nice pointy tip to thread the holes with.
7. Use a backstitch to sew around the perimeter of your design.  This will create an end-to-end stitch without any gaps.   Coming from the back, thread the tip of yarn through one hole and then through the one next to it, so that is now poking out the back.  Bring the tip of the yarn back through the original hole, so it is now in the front of the card.  This will create a nice, solid first stitch. Thread the tip through to the next empty hole and then back through the one prior.  Keep doing this the whole way around.
8. Once you complete your last stitch and the two ends of yarn are in the back of the card, tie them off with three, tight knots. 
Other design ideas:  flowers, birds, lips, candy, sunshine, a tree.  Pitch in with more ideas!

S P R E A D    S O M E    L O V E 

xo emily

proof!

My book proofs landed on my doorstep a few days ago.  I chanted "be cool" to myself over and over (out loud) as I tore through the envelope.  There they were: pages and pages of my words and projects in book format with incredibly beautiful photographs and amazing design and layout (thanks to incredible Storey peeps).

My heart is still fluttering.

I'm going to take a few deep breaths and I'll be back next week to share the title and cover of the book.

For now, orange and vanilla infused rooibos tea, Friday pizza, wood stove warming, and maybe a movie.

And, some promised sunshine.

I wish you all a restful weekend.

xo e

Note:  You'll notice that I did open the envelope, pause, put the contents back in, put the envelope back on the step,  and then snap a photo.  Couldn't wait!




a bag give-away


I'm popping in from my unexpected blog break to let you lovely people know about a super give-away on my friend's blog.

Go on over to Roselee's blog for a chance to win her hip, handmade bag.  It has orange and brown polka dots, people! 

I'll be back soon with some exciting news! Promise.

xo e

DIY Soap Pump (from a vintage jar)


We made soap pumps for holiday gifties!  I was inspired by this project from Country Living, which I saw pinned on the wall at the local The Clawfoot Tub.   I filled our jar with natural dish soap, and it really, really does make me a bit more  happy about washing dishes. 
We slid a little note in the jar, which suggested that our family should fill the jar with some sort of soap.  Just in case it was all a wee bit confusing.

The pumps themselves were under $4 here.   The one tricky part was that the underside of the metal lids had glass seals which had to be broken.  Tom was happy to shatter some glass, and he said it all came out cleanly and easily.  Then, he just drilled the holes and we trimmed the plastic tube part to fit into the jar.

Rest and be well this weekend.
The next few days will be slipper filled for sure!

xo e



holiday treats

Frothy chai made with our fancy new milk frother.  I still like using my hand pump one that was handed down to us last year by my Aunt.  This does make the milk hot, though, as Tom likes to remind me.  And, it is really fun to watch it happen as my friend Lea likes to remind me.

Our new kitchen table art caddy given to the children by my parents.  This was a perfect holiday gift because it gave us a new way to use our old and new art supplies.  Rather than storing all of the art supplies in one area, our new art station makes creating art a bit more portable.  The kids have been toting the caddy into the living room to draw by the fire and then back to the kitchen table to make cards and posters. A nerdy confession:  I actually really like re-organizing it at the end of the day. It reminds me of my little plastic desk organizers from when I was ten.  The one that was shaped like the letters of my name with a little drawer under the "m" for my rainbow paperclips made my heart skip a beat. 
 New paper for making collages.
A new notebook for keeping track of important things.  check!
 Pick-up sticks. 
A new succulent for me.  I also bought myself a new fern, and I promised her I would mist her each day.  She is a beauty and she'll make her debut soon.

For now, a hot shower awaits.  

xo e

 



happy


My new slippers make me forget how to walk the regular way.
I shuffle and glide and puff by like I'm on a cloud.
It is a good way to enter 2012, I think. 
A little light, a little heavy, and shuffling around my kitchen.  Glue and markers strewn about, the children in regal costumes, frothy chai drips on the counter, the thump of a guitar on the radio.
And, here we go.

Sending love and light to you all in this bright new year.

xo e