"2 people call this a favorite"

In the "working world" (I mean the "working outside the home" world), we have collaborations, feedback from coworkers and reviews from supervisors to validate our efforts. There are also the fruits of our labors--tangible products, such as a successfully funded grant or a product introduced in the marketplace--to spur us on.

Of course, all of these projects and accomplishments pale in comparison to the literal "fruits of our labor", who grow and change under our care. Nevertheless, many stay at home parents find themselves missing the collegial atmosphere of the workplace and feeling unvalidated, and on some days, just downright unappreciated.

I am grateful for the other mothers--now good friends--in our playgroup who, to a great extent, fill this void. Still, these days I find myself especially gratified by a positive word or comment. Crafting has given me a chance to exercise a part of my brain that's been dormant for many years. When I finally learn a new skill and complete a project it feels nice to know that it's pleasing to someone's eyes besides my own! I recently discovered Flickr, an online "community" where people post their pictures and projects. Here, I've found the work of a lot of other crafting novices and have enjoyed their response to my endeavors. These pillows have been "starred" by two flickr members as "favorites".


This project was inspired by Colorful Stitchery. Kristin Nicholas has such kind voice as an author. Some craft books bring about in me a jaw-clenching anxiety to achieve perfection. Kristin reminds me of how my mom might encourage me to approach a project--for fun!--and her aesthetic is bright, cheerful, and abundantly creative. I've also discovered her blog , which further feeds my fantasy (admittedly much-idealized) of living and working on my own farm. I can just picture our little terrier mix rounding up the sheep...

All this being said, one of my favorite compliments remains: "You are such a good mom." Thanks to all of you who take the time to share that one with me!

What's this blog about?

We planted the seeds for these sunflowers together and now they are taller than she is!

Becoming a mother awakened in me a drive to be creative. Having worked outside the home for many years, it has taken--is still taking--me some time to find meaning and fulfillment in domestic life. But recently I found myself sharing with someone--somewhat bashfully--that I actually enjoy being a "homemaker". In trying to create warm, safe, vibrant, educational, healthy, joyful, verdant surroundings for my daughter, I've come to appreciate the domestic arts--cooking, sewing, gardening, reading, singing, teaching, learning,playing.

After almost two years with my little person, I can see that being a good mother is a lot about being creative and being open to creativity. I have another blog for friends and family that celebrates the magic of my daughter's growth and development. This blog--even if it just becomes a sort of online journal for me--gives me a place to explore what some of these life changes have meant for me and a public forum to share, and hopefully hear others' observations of, some of the beautiful things about being a mother and homemaker.

Thank you for visiting! I hope you'll leave comments to share your own experiences, too.

Meet Steve

Steve sunbathes

Steve officially "arrived" last night when I affixed his tail and stitched up the hole for his stuffing. (I tried to make that procedure as painless as possible, but I may have heard some grumbles from him when I temporarily used his belly as a pin cushion during a sewing break.) Steve is the first soft toy I've created. It was a harrowing journey (sandwiching in all those limbs was a challenge!), but I am pleased with the result and am excited about creating some Friends-of-Steve with my fabric stash.

Steve's pattern--and his name--come from Denyse Schmidt Quilts, which provides a nice introduction to quilting through some fairly simple small projects. Someday, (maybe when Noodle enters preschool!) I will attempt one of the 10 stunning quilt projects also included in the book. I like the vibrant colors and "wonky-on-purpose" look of her designs.

Noodlebug has taken a shine to Steve, so, unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to replace his pretty vintage button eyes with felt circles for safety. The buttons came from a recent trip to an antique store in Santa Rosa's Railroad Square:

Gems from the garden

So glad to be back on line with a brand new computer! I have much to share but the hour is late. However, I just had to post these gems from the garden.

When I saw these photos of our morning glories, the first word that came to mind was "celestial".

Speaking of celestial (sort of), our cosmos are blooming, too. Several new projects and thrift store finds to be posted soon!

More greens and golds

Apples

Several varieties of pears growing on a grafted tree

The pumpkins are finally taking off

Garden Greens and Golds

I love the yellow/green hue of this time in the growing season. There have been plenty of "mistakes to learn from" during our first full year of gardening in zone 14. The deer, slugs (who seem to love everything deer-resistant), gophers (one of whom has lately been slowly tugging an eggplant seedling underground) and quail (who mined every single little seed I put in the ground in March) have already taught us plenty of lessons. By May, I'd given up on direct sowing and planted six tomato plant seedlings, hoping that the local wildlife would leave a few fruits for us to enjoy. These roma-like tomatoes were labeled at a local plant sale as Italian Gold. We're not sure if they will be yellow or red, but there are plenty on the plant promising a decent harvest. Also prolific are our Cherokee Purples. I've always wanted to grow this heirloom variety and can't wait for the first one to ripen!

These are our merlot grapes, planted by the previous home owner.

Here are the first yellow squash from a packet of seeds we bought for 10 cents at the local Dollar Tree.

Backpack from "Simple Sewing" by Lotta Jansdotter

A Christmas gift from my mom, this book was what inspired me to rev up my new sewing machine and try out some projects, even if I could only muster an hour or two here and there during Noodle's nap time. Finished this project this afternoon. I'm a little embarrassed that I used the exact same embroidery on the pocket as the project that's pictured in the book, but I really love Jansdotter's style and knew that I'd be most satisfied with the end result if I could mimic that little running-stitched swirl!


I found that there was a small error and one omission in the instructions. One was related to the measurement for separating pockets (easy to figure out). The omission was a little trickier. The directions did not specify when and how to finish off the edges of the casing for the straps. A more experienced sewer would have figured out where and when to do this, but I ended up having to hand sew. I am a terrible hand-sewer, so this made me a little grumpy. Otherwise, I was very pleased with the project--especially because the fabric was a 97 cent remnant.

Other reviews of this book mention that it's a bit short on details. Nevertheless, it's very rich in inspiration. The place mats and the polka dot tote bag in the slide show above are both projects from this book as well.