Paper Pie

Happy Birthday Rylie!

I've blogged about these cakelovers before...
Our little Ryles turned two years old on Saturday. How can this be? Already? I know every parent gasps at how quickly these little ones grow, but it truly is remarkable. It seems like not long ago we were staring with awe at a fresh baby face, wondering how on earth we would ever be able to give her all that she needs. But with love, tons of grace, and more humility than I thought we were capable of, we are beginning to maybe, just maybe, find our way. Nowadays, every time we turn around, she is stringing sentences together and exhibiting her personality. New words, new experiments, new ideas - her's truly is a world of discovery. She ventures outward and comes back in several times a day. Times of independence tempered with moments of closeness. She is growing changing and becoming, every moment, just as she should be. My heart is so glad and grateful to be witnessing such miracle of miracles.
And today she is still humming Happy Birthday to herself with half deflated balloons trailing her every step. Happy birthday, sweet girl.

Busy Day

Not only did we visit the Los Angeles Zoo today, but we also hosted the inaugural session of our Toddler Art Group! More on that later . . . it's time for bed.

Jenny Smith,Teddy Bear Artist

Back at the beginning of June, Mandy and I attended Patchwork, an indie art & craft fair that was just around the corner from my house. I remember lots and lots of steampunk, letterpress and jewelry. I picked up a bike bell for Ryan for Father's Day and I loved the super fun jewelry at Pollyanna Cowgirl. But it was Jenny Smith, a teddy bear artist, that stopped me right in my tracks. Who knew there was a plush niche known as teddy bear artistry? I had no idea, but I am so glad that I discovered Jenny and her amazing work. Her dedication to her craft is inspiring. She does more plush than teddy bears these days, and her animals caught my attention from a mile away.
And imagine my delight when I realized that she had used my Domestic Bliss on some of her guys and gals. I introduced myself to her and told her that I designed some of the fabrics she was using. She proceeded to tell me that she used some of my fabrics on a giant (30 inches!) stuffed lion that will be used as a prop in a forthcoming movie starring Robert DeNiro. The lion will appear in DeNiro's character's childhood bedroom and my fabric was a great fit because it is supposed to look like it is from the 60s. Jenny sent me these photos:

Isn't he as creative as he is adorable? I love him! I can't wait to watch the movie. It really is a magical moment when you see something that you've made put into action, especially on something so cool as Jenny's plush! I read on her blog that she will be at Renegade this weekend and I am pretty sure that I am going to hustle right down there and bring home one of those stuffies. They are way too wonderful to pass up a second longer.

While Dreaming . . .

. . . it is important to lay your head on something pretty and these embroidered pillowcases really fit the bill. I started them in a mad dash before last year's trip to the lake so that I could have a project to work on while sitting on the dock. I had grand plans of finishing them there, I brought both cases with me with outlines ready to go. That was a two-legged trip to see family in Michigan and Pennsylvania and included a 3 hour drive to Chicago to jump on a plane to Philadelphia and then a 3 hour car trip into the country on the other end. I thought surely with all of that driving time, airplane time, and summertime relaxing that I would have these babies done long before it was time to come home. However, that is not the way it happened. My baby turned one year old on that trip and kept me extra busy. It's funny how  consistently overambitious I am. Shoot for the stars, right?

Fast forward almost a year and I got these lovelies back out and worked on them every spare second I had until they were finished. Though, I did not get them done at the lake vacation, I did bring them on this trip and made lots of progress at night while Rylie was dreaming. I should mention that the pattern is from Alicia Paulson's lovely book. Embroidery is not an instant gratification pursuit. It is slow and quiet. There were many a time that I just wanted the pillowcases to be done already especially during the french knot marathons. But I kept at it, poking myself here and there. Now, when I see them on my bed, I am filled with pride and an unnatural amount of love for pillowcases. And, I'm not the only one.

And Finally, A Baby Blanket

Can I still knit a baby blanket for Rylie even though she is no longer a baby and has just jumped out of the bathtub, running to me all on her own as I write this? Hmmm... well, since baby blankets serve primarily as heirlooms and their functional aspects are rather void here in Southern California, I think I will go ahead with it and reminisce about when my girl was a tiny one. Way back when I was pregnant, I bought a bunch of yarn to crochet a baby blanket. Nevermind that I do not know how to crochet, that was just a pesky detail. Lo and beold my first attempts at crochet looked something like this. I put that yarn away so fast, there was no way I had the clarity of mind to learn to crochet at 9 months pregnant. Now and again, Ihave busted into the stash for other baby projects, here, here and here. But I have never gotten the gumption to jump into an entire blanket. I mentally filed this post away and thought it would be an easy blanket to knit, though it would take a while. This past weekend I did just that and began knitting away. The knitting is easy, the kind you can do while waiting for oatmeal to cook or at really long stoplights (no joke.) Here are the other colors I am going to mix in. Just one big thick chunky stripe after another, I quite like that the blanket is at once bold, simple and feminine. Linking up for Ginny's Yarn Along from last week. I have breezed through The Four Agreements after picking it up at the library on Friday. It's been around a little while, I think it was written in the late 90s, but I have never read it until now. I'm not sure why it has never come to my attention before. It is clear, concise and powerful. Sometimes I feel like I really just need things spelled out for me in regards to positive habits, and that is exactly how this book is written. A super fast and profound read.

A Sweater For Pink Baby

Hmmm... I read once that you shouldn't apologize for your absence from your blog - your readers are just glad that you showed up! So without apologizing, I will say that summertime is awfully active around here, as is my soon to be 2 year old. Really? Rylie is going to be two this Saturday! I want to be in this space more often and I am going to make a real commitment to that goal. Ever since Rylie was born I have been trying to figure out exactly what I want this place to be. Most of all I want it to be a record, a document of our days and our creative pursuits. So here's to new resolutions and new habits! Our friends went to Paris last fall and brought Rylie back this super sweet doll. She can even go in the bathtub though we have yet to bring her in there. Rylie calls her "Pink Baby," quite fitting don't you think? I made her a few diapers which are nothing more than a simple cut from felt and a couple of velcro closures on each side. Rylie loved this and is always insisting that Pink Baby needs a diaper change. I saw a simple pattern in this library book for a halter sweater for a stuffed animal and modified it a bit to fit Pink Baby. I just knew that Rylie would get a kick out of seeing her in different clothes. Admittedly, my knitted embroidery needs some work but it was fun nonetheless and Rylie says "haut, haut" and points to her chest. I should mention that I have recently begun meeting weekly with a few fellow mama knitters and it is such fun to have a little knitting circle of sorts while the kids play. We are going to start setting up art projects for the kids, too - I can't wait. We are likeminded parents and really have a desire to make creativity a priority in our everyday lives.


I've got quite a bit to catch up on here and I also need the sort of daily vacation that this wonderful outlet of blogging provides. Rylie is getting big and is a full blown toddler. With all of that miraculous physical growth (and lots of new hair) comes all kinds of emotional and cognitive growth as well. Not to mention lots of chaotic fun and some big challenges too. I need a spot to write all of this down.