My Finger Puppets

I don't think I've shared all the finger puppets I've made over the years. It all started several years ago when Shane was obsessed with the three little pigs. I searched around online for some cool finger puppets but couldn't find any good ones so I decided to make some myself. I was really happy with how they came out and since then I've made one or two a year.

I made Maisy for a birthday gift for a friend's daughter.

The Tomten

One day I was inspired to make one of Nick Cave. I found it interesting how a few stitches could look so much like someone.

I started a list of people I wanted to stitch and Gram Parsons was next. I knew his Nudie Suit would make it challenging but I gave it a go anyway! Are you laughing at these yet? Because I do every time I look at them!

The Dude.

And last but not least Jerry Garcia.

Jerry is my favorite. I think he came out perfect! I realized I can only make them when truly inspired and Jerry just flowed. I might make a guitar for him...we'll see.

And in case you're wondering what I'm ever going to do with these, the answer is...I have no idea! But there you have it! A few on the waiting list to be made are Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and the rest of the cast of The Big Lebowski. The cast of Twin Peaks would be awesome too. I'd make the Log Lady first.

Hope you have a great weekend :)

♥ anne

Wax Paper Pressed Flowers

Today I pressed/ironed some flowers between wax paper. I remember doing this as a kid and I was just as fascinated by the results as an adult as I remember being as a child.

Pretty cool huh?!

♥ anne

Easy Handmade Gift

Thanks to Pinterest, I've found yet another easy, adorable project- Hand Shaped Ring Dishes! Now this is a DIY for anyone, even someone who feels a bit craft challenged :)

I'm thinking they'd look good painted gold or I might have the kids paint them themselves for added specialness. I know Granny is going to love them regardless!

For complete instructions go here.

Have you made any gifts this year? Please share!

♥ anne

Halloween

We had a great Halloween filled with candy, friends and fun! I didn't take too many pictures but do have a few to share. Alex made her cape for her costume which came out SO good! It was a no sew DIY and she did an awesome job. Marianne's Tinker Bell costume was one I made back in the day for Alex. As you can see it was still a little big on her but she didn't notice.

I tried to find a photo of Alex wearing the costume but finally had to give up. I did find one from that year though when Max was Captain Hook. I was very proud of that costume! I also found a baby Max photo from his first Halloween.


Ruben and I came up with our costumes last minute. I decided to be a nerd and he decided to be my nerd sister. Once he put his wig on he resembled Fred Armisen from Portlandia so we kinda went with it :)

Earlier in the day Alex's school had their annual All Saints Day Celebration. That morning I decided Marianne HAD to dress up so I whipped up this St. Therese costume. I used a bunch of different things from our Halloween box to make it and it turned out so much better than I could have hoped it would!

Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of Max because he went to a friend's house right after school. I spent a lot of time on his costume and he was super stoked on it. He went to a comic book convention on Saturday which was the main reason he wanted to dress up. He was Delsin from Infamous (a video game).

There you have it! I hope your Halloween was just as fun!

♥ anne

Indigo Dyed Tunic

A couple weeks ago I had a dye day at my house. I had a large piece of rayon type fabric that I wanted to sew into a caftan dress after I dyed it. The fabric didn't hold the dye too well but I like the airy, cloudy look it now has. I ended up not having enough fabric for a dress so I settled on a tunic.

I'm pretty pleased with the results considering I don't sew very often. I also made the arm holes large enough that I can wear it and still nurse.

Doing any kind of  solo craft with all the kids home might be one of the most frustrating ways to spend an hour or two. Tons of complaining and all sorts of fights started the second I broke out the sewing machine. I guess it's all in the past now, thank goodness! Does anyone else have the same problem? 

♥ anne

The Perfect Pack

I recently watched Indecent Proposal on a quiet night when Ruben was working late.  I remember the first time I saw it I fell in love with Demi Moore's backpack. Well, after seeing it again I'm thinking about trying to recreate it myself. It may very well be beyond my sewing abilities but I think it's worth a try! The one below (from here) is nicely done but very expensive.

With a little searching I came across a similar one from Free People but it's smaller and sold out.

I'll keep you updated if I decide to give it a go.

♥ anne

DIY christmas wreath and other randomness

I've been admiring the beautiful bush below for the last month and thought it was just begging to be made into a wreath. So, with my scissors in hand, I headed over to it and snipped off a couple branches and made my first wreath which is now hanging in the dining room.

We made a lovely Thanksgiving dinner and enjoyed yummy food and fun conversation around the dinner table. Marianne LOVES to help with the dishes and I couldn't resist snapping a picture of her and my very patient Nana working together.

dress, sweater- thrifted // hat- c/o milla // clogs- c/o mary

You see that somewhat puzzled/WTF look on my face? That sums up how I've been feeling. My motto this last week has been, "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all" which explains why I've been so quiet. And after having quite possibly the worst day yesterday (which included car trouble, missing my parent/teacher meeting and Shane running full force into the rear corner of the AAA truck and banging up his face right after Marianne had an accident in her pants) I think I may have finally snapped out of my overwhelmed funk. So, while I'm still a lady of few words I can at least say something other than colorful four letter words.

I hope this "Merry Season" is you treating you better! And I look forward to some green lights and blue skies in the very near future for me (and you of course)  :)

♥ anne

homemade playdoh

Earlier this week I realized that Shane and Marianne had never played with playdoh. How could I have let this fun activity slip my mind? Max and Alex loved playing with it when they were little and I knew for sure that Shane and Marianne would feel the same way, so I decided to remedy the situation and looked up a recipe. We used this one and boy has it been a hit! The little ones love it and Max even joined in on the fun and made a Spongebob head. You know you've done something right when your 14 (almost 15!) year old son gets in on the action. Ruben has been sculpting as well. His best work was a brain and a little pumpkin which I unfortunately didn't get pictures of. So, if you're looking for great winter/rainy day/any day activity and you don't already have playdoh, you should definitely make some!



Excuse the messy table...that's a real life photo :) And if you notice, our patio is a construction zone. I had to move everything out because their replacing all the wood siding on the exterior of our complex. It's going to look really nice when it's done but I'm praying all my plants survive. Here's what it looks like right now. Not too inviting is it?

What are your favorite fall/winter crafts that you enjoy with your kids or on your own? I've been getting my typical crochet bug now that the weather has cooled off. I'm thinking of making these for some Christmas gifts. And since I linked to Pinterest I'd like to add how much I enjoy it. It's really cool to see a fun craft and be able to save it in such an easy way. I know a lot of people think it's a huge waste of time (which it certainly can be) but I've made so many of the things that I pinned which I would have otherwise totally forgotten about. As far as I'm concerned, it's the perfect online organizing tool.

Have a great Sunday!
♥ anne

shibori with indigo dye

This afternoon Alex and I tried out shibori dyeing and boy was it fun! It was really cool to watch the color change from bright green to blue as it oxidized. We really liked how everything came out and now I'm trying to decide what else I want to transform before I have to dump out the dye. I also want to try dyeing with black instead of the indigo.



This is a fun craft to try out if you haven't already, so give it a go!

♥ anne

TOMTEN Finger Puppet

We've been reading The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren quite a bit lately. The other night Shane pulled out the finger puppets I made about two years ago, he was having fun putting on a puppet show and I thought little Tomten would make a perfect addition to our puppet collection. So, this morning I stitched this guy up! Everyone is already enjoying him :)

If you've never heard about this wee creature you can read about him here and Milla also did a post on him which you can read here.

♥ anne

m a d e // denim triangle bag

i haven't made too many things recently but one morning several weeks ago i decided to make this simple triangle bag. the original pattern uses one whole piece of fabric but since i had a bunch of denim scraps i decided to piece them together and use that instead. here's what it looked like originally. i was unsatisfied with it so i asked for suggestions via instagram. i ended up bleaching the denim and adding tassels and a wee bit of stitching. and even though it's not my favorite creation, i have actually used it quite a bit. it is now officially my beach/pool bag. it holds a lot of crap and because of it's design it can also hold a lot of weight. here is the pattern if you're interested. it's a very versatile and very easy (even for someone like me who doesn't love sewing).  

have you made anything fun lately? please share :)

♥ anne

DIY rubber stamps

this morning i finally tried out a craft i've been wanting to do for months...carving my own rubber stamps! and guess what?! it's even more fun than i thought it would be! i tried to make my first designs as simple as possible so i can get the hang of it. hopefully after some practice and the addition of a few smaller cutters i can try out a more detailed design.


to get started i purchased the Speedball Speedy Carve Stamp Making Kit. it's very reasonably priced and great for beginners like myself. i also watched this tutorial which really inspired me!

ok, gotta go! time to make another one :D

♥anne

DIY woven coasters

DIY woven coasters tutorial by erin of One Fine Pine
 

this project was so fun! i come across so many DIY's that want to try out but never do...this one was different. right after i read the directions i immediately got started. the supplies are items you most likely already have on hand which makes for a quick, enjoyable and functional craft that's great to do with children (alex made the one on the bottom). we were in dire need of coasters and i'm glad to report that we have been using these babies daily. i plan on making more this weekend so we each have one to use. 

i also made some tasty pumpkin bread yesterday. here is the recipe i used although i did make a few adjustments. i have made several different pumpkin bread recipes over the years and am never overly pleased with the results. this one was good and i would make it again, but i'm still wanting a moister bread. if anyone has a great recipe or tips, i'd love to hear them. 

stay cool,

anne

raw almond milk

almond milk is so quick and easy to make that there is no need to buy it at the store. this is all you need-

5 cups water

1/2 cup raw almonds

dash of sea salt

1 date

1/2 vanilla bean

blend everything up in a blender and enjoy within 4 days!

i've been using almond milk instead of water in my green smoothies. it really adds a lot and makes for a much more filling breakfast. do you like almond milk? what do you use it for when cooking?

*i want to note that i have a high speed blender which really gets everything blended. if you don't have one i would suggest soaking your almonds and possibly straining the milk with cheesecloth to get out any big chunks. 

♥anne

baby hannah

yesterday we spent the afternoon with my friend rita and her new baby, hannah. she is a sweet, chunky bundle of cuteness and as you can see in the first photo, marianne was VERY interested in her. i had to physically hold her back, she was trying with all her might to get as close as possible to this new, exciting little person. and exciting it is! a new life, a new friend. yay!

yesterday i also finished the last finger puppet pig. the set is now complete and ready for action!

♥anne

DIY fringe t shirt

last week i thrifted this oversized t shirt. i thought it would be perfect for a little make over, so i cut fringe into the sleeves and cropped and fringed the bottom hem.
i can't wait to wear it!

♥anne

the three little pigs and the big bad wolf finger puppets

"big bad wolf" has been shane's favorite story for about a year now. he goes to bed every night listening to it. every time he see's a big dog, he calls it the big bad wolf. he was even quite terrified when he first saw this disney cartoon, but now it is a favorite.
i had planned to make a finger puppet theater for him for christmas, but got too overwhelmed with everything. i had also planned to make three pigs and the big bad wolf to go along with it. well, yesterday i decided to get started. i've only done one pig and the big bad wolf so far. i looked at stills from the cartoon and just made them up as i went. when i was cutting the wolf's tail i asked shane, "is this tail good?". he quickly replied, "no mommy. bigger. huge.". the tail was obviously a BIG DEAL. when i finished them he was sooo excited. and just now he said, "mommy, you made those for me? tank you!".
i will show them all when i finish. i just wanted to make sure and pictures before they start getting played with :D

i wanted to say a huge thank you to you all for the sweet comments on my sisters post! AND also tell you how much i enjoyed reading your musical memories. i was totally cracking up! thanks :D

♥anne

succulent terrarium DIY

yesterday i made two succulent terrariums. they were super easy and fun to put together! they add so much to our living room. here are the simple instructions i followed.

happy monday!
♥anne