my wish for you.

Summer Camping :: Tips & Suggestions

 

We're counting the days until a lakeside camping trip with our dear friends. The children have been discussing how many marshmallows will be roasted, how long they will stay in the water each day, and which songs to sing around the fire. All of this camping chatter makes me happy and also excited to watch my sleepy children's rosy cheeked faces from across the campfire.  As a little summer treat for you, I thought I'd share a few of our favorite ways to make camping fun, simple, and memorable.  

Note: While camping, the lemonade syrup needs to be kept in a cooler along with the Greek pasta salad and other perishable items. 
 
For those who live in Massachusetts, visit The Department of Conservation and Recreation to plan your next camping adventure.  For others, who live in the states, this site might help you begin your search.  

xo e

mail and other super things.

Hazel, my youngest at four years old, is becoming a writer.  Her stationary is small little pieces of lined paper with white envelopes and she is mostly writing love letters and requests.  Dear Iris.  I really miss you. I hope I come back. [Iris is her dance teacher]  and Dear Mama, Please take me to the track tomorrow. left on my pillow [I've been taking her with me to the track so I can squeeze in a morning run] and Dear Papa,  You are a worker.  I love you.  Love, Hazel.  and Dear Mr. Black, We are having a lemonade party.  You should come.  Love, Hazel [letting our wonderful 85 year old neighbor across the street know about her lemonade stand].   She stuffs her little bits of writing into envelopes and hand delivers them or insists that we mail them that day.  

This makes me think about mailboxes and mail and how I miss giving and receiving in the slow, papery, tear-it-open way. Paper and ink connection is so different than the ding of a text --  more cozy and important feeling, I think. I was remembering the notes and letters I wrote when I was fifteen-ish, and how they were filled with jokes and little drawings and quizzes.  They took so long to create -- a five pager was a sure sign of devotion.   And, how my grandmother sent handwritten notes with stacks of weekly comics to my college dorm room and apartments for years and years -- because she wanted to be sure that I had something that would make me laugh.  And, how my uncle, the veterinarian who gave me our precious Sophie cat (a rescue that was left on his doorstep), has been sending me the Cornell Veterinary Cat Watch biweekly for the past thirteen years.  Go ahead -- ask me about ear mites! I'm well read on the subject.  Actually, I don't read the newsletter anymore; I just scan the top left corner where he always writes a short, hand-written message.  And, I feel close to him.  He doesn't have email and the Cat Watch is his stationary. 

I am going to follow Hazel's lead this summer. (And, my uncle's.  And, my grandmother's.  And, my fifteen year old self's.) I'm going to write more letters and draw more pictures and send them to people I love.


****

Unrelated, here are some really, really super things that made me smile this week:

* My friend Shoham has a tumbler dedicated to the lessons she is learning from her Aunt Gerry.  This is one of the best reads I've read this year. Seriously. There is some major awesomeness going on.

* My super talented cousin, Nick of Port St. Willow, has a wonderful new album that he just released  titled "Holiday."  It has a  ambient, heartbreakingly beautiful vibe and it is really, truly lovely.

* Cindy at Skip To My Lou has a 30 day Craft Camp going on, and these Leaf Print Tees caught my eye.  I love printing with leaves, and the idea of using fabric paint and printing onto tees is so clever. 

****

Happy weekend, friends.

xox e

Garden Party Bunting

This past weekend, we had a garden party birthday celebration for my mother. She turned an important number with a five in it, and we decided we needed to infuse some celebration into a year and a half that has been, at times, bumpy.

And, so there we were with the bright sun, family and friends that we adore, plentiful food and drink, and chatter that drifted into the breeze.  The day reminded me of one of my favorite books, All in a Day.  All you have is this day, this moment, and we can find our way home whenever we wish.

In order to bring color and cheer into the day, I sewed a few paper buntings to string about the yard and porch.  It is quite simple and quick to do, and they really did make the day feel extra special.

Materials:  

brown paper bags

cardstock

paint & brushes

scissors

sewing machine (or hole punch and yarn)

Step 1 : Cut the bags open and paint the inside, blank part of the bags.  Use a few different colors.

Step 2 : Make a triangle template for tracing using the cardstock.

Step 3 : Use the template to trace triangles onto the printed part of the bag, and cut out.

Step 4 : Using your sewing machine on a straight stitch, gently sew nothing for about 6 inches.  This will give you a nice, thin cord for hanging your bunting.  

Step 5 : Feed the first triangle under the foot, and sew.  Sew nothing again for 2 or so inches (adjust spacing according to your design) and then feed the next triangle under the foot. Continue until you have the completed bunting. 

Step 6 : When you are finished sewing triangles, sew nothing again for another 6 inches.  This will be the other end of the bunting.

Note : Those of you without sewing machines can use yarn and a hole punch to string your bunting!  Don't let the sewing part stop you.

Step 7 : Make loops at both ends for hanging.

This bunting will turn any old day into a fancier day.   Sometime we need that kind of transformation, yes? 


xo e

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

ashore

I visited Martha's Vineyard last weekend with dear friends. The island, with its twisty roads, stone walls, and long stretches of sand, was charming and breathtaking, and it made me feel like I was far, far away. 

  

Little signs of autumn dotted the trails and roads.

 

The sand was golden yellow and the ocean a deep sediment blue green.          

                                                                                                                                                                    

      

Wild grape foraging and seed spitting.

Big boat sky.

Thank you to my dear friends for such a beautiful trip.

xo e

summer stay

These are some photos from our time visiting our dear friends Kel and Joe in New Hampshire.  It was one of the hottest weekends in July, which meant lots of cool dips in the lake down the road, quiet reading in front of the fan, on the spot summery white sangria, and (of course) home brew from the kegerator. 

We ate from the garden with a side of the best oatmeal bread in the entire world.  There was something so perfectly sweet about this particular summer adventure. The combination of the garden and catching up with people we love in days filled with possibility made it a true vacation. We scrapped plans to find a restaurant and picnicked with Indian food at the ocean.  I'm sure these three days will be a big part of what flashes in my mind when I think back to this long, steamy summer.

 

 b e r r y    b u c k e t s

h a n d    c a r v e d   h o m e    b r e w   t a p s    {cozies knit by Kel}

We left our friends feeling filled and nourished with all good things.

xo e

2 things.

1.  My dear friend Ariana from Crow Roosters Crow was kind enough to interview me and posted it on her beautiful blog today. If you do check it out, you'll want to peruse her lovely site.  I sometimes feel like I'd be happy to look at it all day long.

2.  The top secret location of the Creativity Workshops is not a secret anymore.  This fall, I'll be teaching four eight-week workshops at the new community space at Second Chances Consignment Shop in Amherst.  I am so deeply excited to share these workshops with my local peeps and I feel so good about being part of a space that focuses on bringing our community together. Truthfully, it feels like the most perfect blend of all of the things I love to do, and I'm so excited to witness the creative exploration that will take place.  You can check out my workshop information here and sign up by September 1st for a $10 discount on all workshops. 

xo e

gettin' crafty

Kel is wonderful. She is one of my oldest, dearest friends, and the above box of garden yarn is hers. She loves bread and perogies and sheep, and she remembers all of the random stuff - like how ten years ago, when we went to a Greg Brown concert, the guys at the table next to us laughed and laughed non-stop (even through the solemn parts). I would have forgotten that.

She is a beautiful, talented knitter and textile designer, and she manages and teaches classes at The Elegant Ewe in Concord, NH. Up until this weekend, I've been an spotty knitter - knitting a few things, forgetting, knitting again, and then forgetting again. This weekend was all about finding the right project and sticking with it (and having Kel's expert eyes and hands to help). Kel, my mom, and I spent the day shopping for yarn, eating Goberry, knitting, and eating homemade pizza, corn chowder, and oatmeal bread from Bread & Chocolate Bakery. We swapped knitting lessons for sewing lessons, which made it feel like an honest to goodness craft swap weekend.

At my mama's house.

Kel, Tom, and I drank wine and fancy drinks and talked into the night. For old times sake, we bought a bottle of slightly fizzy, candy wine (Moscatel).

Some buds, which are not blooming. (they will soon, though!)

My mama's sweater yarn.


Here I am balling yarn for my red hat. I have this thing with balls of yarn. I think they are so cute, like the way lambs are cute.

I spent the rest of the weekend writing and working on a project, which has an approaching deadline. Knitting and sipping and nibbling was a much needed bit of balanced time.

Off to pick up my kindergarten lovely. More soon.

xo e

brunchy sunday

Good friends of ours came to the house for Sunday brunch.


We ate heartily and played two rounds of Go Fish.




I almost skipped baking our favorite coffee cake, but Tom insisted. Twist my arm.


It came out rich and eggy with the perfect amount of crispy, sweet topping. We ate it warm from the oven. It got me thinking: if Sunday could transform into a single bite of food, maybe this would be it. Or, maybe apricot jam and tangy goat cheese on toast? No need to choose, I suppose.

It is raining. I think I'll make soup and be cozy today.
And, fold laundry. Forever.

Oh, and I know I mentioned it on Saturday, but I now tweet on Twitter: @redbirdcrafts. And, there is a new Twitter situation in my sidebar.

Happy Monday.
xo e

a royal birthday

Chick turned six, and she wanted to have a royal celebration where a few of her friends came dressed as queens, kings, princesses or princes (or anything royal-ish). One of her friends came dressed as a woodland messenger of sorts.

The children made crowns, listened while I read from some royal story books, and then they played a royal storytelling game.

They each chose three story starters from the basket and were challenged to draw pictures and write a story, which included all three ideas. There was some giggling and lots of quiet thinking.

Chick's three story starters were: telescope, mushroom, and a present. Her story was about a girl who lost her present, which was a golden ring. There were some twists and turns, and the ring ended up being discovered by the use of a telescope (of course!). The mushroom was magical and intertwined in there too somehow. Since working on her story, I've noticed lots of other little makeshift books and stories popping up at home.

Tom and I have been finding that we, too, like to dip our hands into the basket o' prompts. It is fun to be surprised, and we end up telling tiny dinner tales.

Happy weekend!

xo e

thank you and a flower power ring

Flower power ring.

In an earlier post, I think I mentioned that I made rings with flowers as well as with the felt and wooden hearts. I found a pack of paper flowers at the craft shop, and I sewed them on with needle and thread - just like I did with the heart rings.

Big thanks to Emily at Saltwater-Kids and the folks at Parent Map for linking to my Valentine's Day heart magnets from last year. Take a peek at Saltwater Kids clever heart shaped warm pack for scrapes and bruises. Such a sweet candy-free idea. Then, head over to Parent Map where they feature a whole bunch of bright cheery Valentine's Day projects which use repurposed materials.

More thanks to Not the Office Type for linking to my Story Stones in her post about making her own sweet love rocks.

And, even more big thanks for the kind and comforting thoughts and memories you wrote in response to the post about losing my Nanny Ruth. In the midst of my sadness, I feel so lucky to be connected to beautiful people like you. Honest! I really feel that way. Thank you, dear friends.

I think it is going to snow again. But, what's new?

Happy Friday.

xo e

our guests, the dogs.

Our friend visited for the weekend and brought his sweet pups.

This is The Little Man. He is a greyhound and he is big. And, beautiful. And, not very interested in participating in any shenanigans.

Mouse insisted on calling him The Big Man.

And this is Millie. She is a sprite. Bouncy. Pouncy. And, very sweet.


The girls spent hours petting them the right way (with the grain). And, there was a lot of sleeping in sun beams (humans too).


This is Chick's drawing of the dogs. I love how long she made The Little Man. And, Millie's coloring is just right.


xo e