Crafted by Friends « mama urchin

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Baptize!

Published January 19, 2009 Crafted by Friends , Gifts , In the Mailbox 23 Comments

My nephew Bobby was baptized yesterday. My brother was in charge of getting the cake for the luncheon they had after church and I guess he wasn’t sure what the bakery should write on the top. So, there in bright blue royal icing it simply said Baptize! All I can say is that we warned my sister-in-law before she married him. Back in my marriage, I asked Papa to make a rattle for us to give Bobby back in December but he forgot, I forgot, and then he went to Vegas for over a week. Bleh. So, Saturday afternoon while I took Katie to ballet — and got some gorgeous cashmere fabric for $15 a yard, yippee! — he sat Tristan in front of the playroom TV and went to his lathe to make this:

Can I tell you how wonderful it is to have a crafty husband? I know some of you already know. Seriously, if you’re single it’s something worth looking for in a prospective spouse. The wood is holly — light and tightly grained — and simply finished with butcher block oil to be totally safe for a baby mouth. He also chose holly because the wood is from a holly tree that grew at the house where my brother, sister, and I grew up. Papa might not be too sentimental but he knows the rest of us are. Congratulations on your baptism, Bobby. Hmmm, someone should have put that on a cake.

Right Now

Published January 5, 2009 Crafted by Friends , Fiber Crafts , Gifts , In the Mailbox , Knitting 9 Comments
Tags: januarysweater

I often wonder if the soundtrack of the urchins’ childhood will be the shrill beep of the smoke detector. That thing goes off an awful lot in our house. I also wonder if the tract home kitchen designer responsible for it’s placement has ever cooked anything. Oh, well. 2009? Can you believe it? I love the new year. A clean slate, a new start, and all that. I also really like the quiet stillness of January. A fire in the fireplace in the late afternoon while we wait for Papa to return from work.

Yesterday I dumped my yarn stash on the floor to see what I have. I’m planning to knit through Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitter’s Almanac this year and first up is an aran sweater. A bag of red tweedy wool ought to be good for that and who knows, maybe I’ll even keep the sweater for myself in the end. I have lots more ideas and plans zipping around in my mind but for now, I’m going to stick with just this.

Thanks to Some of Santa’s Elves

Published December 31, 2008 Crafted by Friends , In the Mailbox 9 Comments

We’re a lucky lazy bunch over here. Papa is off of work on plant shutdown even though there hasn’t been a plant in years and we’re all enjoying our Christmas goodies. Santa must read your blogs because you all certainly helped with the gift selections this year.

First we had two beautiful backpacks made by Melissa:

I’m not sure how she got them done with all those babies but I remember from when Tristan was an infant, sometimes you just have to get something finished — it can be anything, really — and I’m guessing these backpacks might have been one of those things. Santa added a few books to them before leaving them under the tree. Katie got more Bob books for her collection and Tristan got My Friends and Sparkle and Spin as recommended by Martha.

Then there was this:

The ornament was made by Melissa — she has a few left — and is gorgeous. Santa also found a matryoshka necklace in MoonstruckMo’s etsy shop. The charm is hinged to reveal a small matryoshka inside. At the bottom of that package Santa gave Katie a real, live matryoshka. She has three of them now so a real, live collection has started. Papa’s been commissioned to put up a shelf.

My sister gave Katie a flower press and a few golden guides — trees, weeds, and wildflowers — as recommended by Stef. The guides are really good and inexpensive as well. Stef indirectly inspired another gift too. Tristan got an explorer pack. He is very into the idea of exploring and Santa went with the idea and gave him a kid-sized camelbak with a compass, thermometer, head lamp, whistle, and binoculars. I’ll have to get a photo of him wearing it because it is just unbearably cute. The other night he had Stefan and I pretending we were pumas so he could watch us through his binoculars.

So Santa did well this year even if (s)he was a little harried at the last minute. Thanks to all those elves who helped out, you sure made the urchins’ Christmas.

Flight of the Tooth Fairy

Published November 6, 2008 Crafted by Friends , Homemaking , In the Corners , In the Mailbox 10 Comments

It’s actually been almost a month since Katie came to me and said Mama, something happened to my tooth. The dentist told us last Spring that her bottom two teeth were loose but we hadn’t noticed any looseness until just the day before it came out. She was trying to open a lid with her teeth — not something we encourage, for sure — and out it came. Luckily, I was prepared with this:

A fairy portal by the absolutely wonderful Kim — seriously I cannot tell you how great she is. We did not want our fairy portals — you know I had to get one for Tristan too for when the time comes — to be mounted next to the baseboard like Kim’s regular doors. Instead we wanted to mount them higher on the wall — away from little hands. Fairies fly, right? So that is why Kim made us a circular door. Katie was thrilled when she discovered it in the morning. We told her she must be pretty special to have the tooth fairy build a door into her room. Now she’s just trying to figure out how to get the next tooth out.

It’s Happened

Published August 11, 2008 Crafted by Friends , Gifts , In the Mailbox 13 Comments

I’m admitting defeat. The urchins are driving me crazy and I cannot wait for them to go back to school. Cannot wait. I know that sounds terrible but hey, it’s the truth. Luckily my mother-in-law is arriving on Thursday for a visit. Now we all need to just make it until then.

Yesterday I did get a quick break to have coffee without my darling children. The best part was that I had coffee with Melissa who was in the area visiting some of her college friends. I totally lost track of time just chatting it up with her. So fun! And she was the sweetest and brought me this little vase, perfect for holding a single bloom. Like the kind your kids pick when they are trying to get back on your good side.

Thorpedo

Published July 31, 2008 Crafted by Friends , Fiber Crafts , In the Mailbox , Knitting 12 Comments
Tags: thorpehat

Do you remember Ian Thorpe, aka the Thorpedo, the Australian swimmer? Don’t ask anyone in this house about football, basketball, or baseball but if you need a fact about swimming, cycling, or triathlon we’re your source. Anyway, any time I see a thorpe hat I think of the thorpedo. And there have been plenty of these hats around to see. I’ve intended to make one for Tristan using leftovers from his Christmas sweater since last winter and what better time to make a wool hat than the middle of July?

My crazy love for Rowan reminded me about the hat and I was pleased to find that the yarn matched Tristan’s coat — by UNIFORM Studio — for this winter perfectly. It’s a little big but that means it should fit for a while, unlike his last hat. This pattern was so fun and quick that I will surely make more of them, now I just need to figure out who still needs a hat.

My Friends are Crafty

Published June 3, 2008 Crafted by Friends , In the Mailbox 10 Comments

Do you know how much I love having crafty friends? I love it a lot. A LOT. I overheard a conversation this weekend where my Aunt was asking Katie if I made her pants and she replied No, Mommy’s friend Ms. Sandi did. And I can’t tell you how many times at the wedding we were told that Tristan looked adorable Why thank you, my friend Martha made his pants and tie.

Someone says, I love Katie’s hair like that. Thanks, my friend Sally made the barrettes. And Alicia made that doll she’s playing with.

Isn’t Tristan cute in that outfit? Yeah, my friend Denise is responsible for that. These little conversations fill me with so much joy. I love being surrounded by things from you guys too. That box from Melissa, the soft sculptures from Abby, Stephanie, and Ping.

Yesterday my new berry bowl arrived from Melissa and we put it to good use this morning for breakfast. And after berry season has ended I think I’ll set it out with some of the stuffed variety. You like those you say, my friend Anina them.

Wedding Weekend

Published June 2, 2008 Crafted by Friends , In the Mailbox , Through The Lens 11 Comments

Sweet Slumber

Published May 20, 2008 Crafted by Friends , Gifts , In the Mailbox 8 Comments

For Katie’s birthday my parents ordered her a sleeping bag and since her birthday party was mermaid themed they ordered an ariel sleeping bag. She’s been wanting her own sleeping bag for a while. Anyway, the shipment didn’t come in time for Katie’s birthday so my mom explained to her that it would come soon. She was very excited about it and a few weeks later my mom stopped by with the gift. Now, I am not one to disparage products on my blog but the thing was a piece of junk. The seams were coming apart in at least three places and the fabric was very low quality. It wasn’t a normal-sized sleeping bag either and as Katie excitedly got into it her feet stuck out the bottom — since it also did not have a zipper but the top just folds over the child.

Well, my mom and I decided that it wasn’t going to work, as much as Katie loved it. I told my mom that I had originally planned to make her one. So my mom decided that’s what she would do. Well, to make this long story shorter, after much hunting my mom found Ariel fleece and flannel at a Super Joann‘s — we’re not normally fans of the polar fleece but it is good for sleeping bags. She measured a sleeping bag she had and made a sandwich of the two fabrics. Then she sewed channels and stuffed each with poly-fil. She sewed up the top, folded the whole thing in half and installed a sleeping bag zipper — expensive but worth it according to my mom. To say Katie loves it is an understatement.

Almost Famous

Published April 10, 2008 Crafted by Friends , Fiber Crafts , In the Mailbox , Inspiring , Knitting 15 Comments

I finally got to the bookstore this week and got a hold of a copy of Larissa‘s new book Knitalong. Longtime readers of my blog may remember that I knit some hats and my first socks ever as part of two knitalongs Larissa hosted to prepare for the book. Then she asked that I send the holly hat to be included in photos for the book. So I was hoping that there was at least a photo of it in there — for no other reason than to brag to my mom and mother-in-law. Well, now you have to hear me brag too because it looks like I have two photos in the book as well as two mentions. Hee hee, I’m almost famous. Okay, not really. But I have to say it’s a great book with that meathead pattern I get asked about so much as well as a bunch of other awesome stuff. So get your hands on a copy.