indie sprout

1/26/12 - Helping

2012-01-26T21:42:00.001-05:00

1/26/12 - Helping, a photo by {elke} on Flickr.

Ady is really into helping lately. She pushes up the step stool, climbs up, and demands to help. Tonight her task was to snap green beans. I trimmed off the ends and put them in a pile. Then Ady moved the pile to another spot, picked up a green bean, snapped it in half, and put them in the colander. She had a blast and I had an occupied toddler that was helping. Win win!

1/24/12 - Potty Books

2012-01-24T22:19:00.001-05:00

1/24/12 - Potty Books, a photo by {elke} on Flickr.

Here's the pile of books next to the potty that we read to Ady. We have not done any candy or stickers or other motivators other than these books and an "atta girl". So far so good. Although she has invented a new word "Moregain" when she want's me to read the book I just finished reading again. How many times can one enjoy Everyone Poops? I'll let you know...

1/23/12 - The Write Start

2012-01-23T17:49:00.001-05:00

1/23/12 - The Write Start, a photo by {elke} on Flickr.

I'm reading this great book called The Write Start: A Guide To Nurturing Writing At Every Stage, From Scribbling To Forming Letters And Writing Stories by Jennifer Hallissy.

There are some neat tips in it about how to set up writing stations. I did a really simple station in her room with a clipboard and an assortment of crayons and pencils. There is a white board above the desk (well, it's actually a frosted glass board, same diff) and I wrote out her first name with tips on which parts come first, second, and third. The book has a beautifully illustrated alphabet chart. The thought is that if a child learns how to write efficiently from the get-go then they can write quicker and spend more time listening and less time focusing on how to write each letter. I know my two year old is not anywhere near to writing her own name, she hasn't even started drawing representational objects, but my little scribbler will have all the tools necessary to support her along the way.

I highly recommend this book!

Goodbye Fig Tree

2012-01-22T22:38:00.000-05:00

Today we finally admitted to ourselves that our fig tree is gone. It was a wonderfully huge and beautiful tree that has been deteriorating for some time now. The vines had claimed their victim. August cut it up and I hauled it off. At the base of the trunk of the tree, August pulled off a chunk that showed the inside rings. I was amazed at how many rings there were. This was an old old tree. I was also fascinated by these beautiful black scalloped "hairs" that wound through the rings. I pulled out my macro lens and shot a couple of pictures.

Goodbye fig tree. You will be missed.

A day without diapers

2012-01-22T00:41:00.001-05:00

So, we started this day going "nuclear", i.e. no diapers, to get this potty training train out of the station. She has shown lots of signs of being ready, so I figured this was a good next step. Well, she did fantastic! She had one mess outside during messy play, and one BM inside (eeeew!), but other than that it was perfect! Of course I did put her in a diaper for nap time and for bed time because I know she's not ready to conquer that just yet.So, naked butt baby enjoyed some delicious breakfast tacos with eggs, cilantro, cheese, and salsa. Yum! My brother in law gave me the best homemade salsa recipe. Nice and spicy. I love that Ady will eat just about anything, and almost drinks this salsa up even though it is on the spicy side. :)

Next, we checked on our herbs which I planted last Sunday from seed in vermiculite. Lots of them decided to sprout today! So, right now the chives, thyme, Italian basil, and sweet basil have sprouted. The oregano and the parsley are still working on it. I remember the parsley being a bit slow last year, but last year's crop is still going strong so I may not need it.

Next, we went out to do some messy play: finger painting! Ady was so cute in her little smock and no bottoms. :) For her sake, we will not show those photos (she'll thank me one of these days). She would dip her hands in the paint, put it on the paper, and then spend the next 5 minutes rinsing off her hands in the water bowl. Then she did it all again. It was way more fun splashing in the water.

Later on we made granola using the recipe on SouleMama's website here. It turned out delicious! I am so glad to have discovered the joys of cold pressed coconut oil. It is delicious! I made a veggie korma a couple of days ago that turned out delish and I'm sure the coconut oil helped that along.

After nap time we played outside a bit, went for a nice walk, watered the garden, and clipped some camellia branches from our trees. The blooms are so amazing, so I'd try to see how long they might last inside. I read a tip that adding 1 TBSP of mouthwash to a half gallon of water would preserve the flowers (an alternative to one of those packets that you get with bouquets). I'm curious to see whether it works. They are so beautiful on my counter, and they were free!

We did some yoga and other games on the Wii Fit. Ady was a champ at the yoga, but I keep getting reminded of how short her attention span is! Oh, and we danced too. That's always fun. I can't tell if she's laughing with joy or laughing at her mama for trying to dance, but I'll take it any way I can get it. Today was a really fun day!

1/20/12 - Choo choo train in front of school

2012-01-20T23:15:00.001-05:00

1/20/12 - Choo choo train in front of school, a photo by {elke} on Flickr.

Ady goes to the most wonderful school here in Tallahassee! Creative Preschool is a dream place for children! The school's philosophy focuses on imaginative play as the foundation for whole child development, and I have to say IT WORKS!!! My little one is learning and growing in such a nourishing environment. Every day when we pick her up, she needs to play on the Choo Choo Train, which resides just outside of the gates and was cut out of a fallen log by a local artist. There is this hole in the tunnel where we play peek-a-boo, and a really neat slide carved into the wood going down the mountain. This piece of artwork is a playground to all of the children here at the school. I really cannot say enough good things about the school. You can read an article about the school here.

1/19/12 - Japanese Magnolia in bloom

2012-01-20T10:55:00.001-05:00

1/19/12 - Japanese Magnolia in bloom, a photo by {elke} on Flickr.

The first little peep of spring greeted me when I came home.

Photo a day!!!

2012-01-01T14:10:00.002-05:00

Wowza! It's been a while, huh? Busy life, lots of projects, not enough time. Blah, blah, blah. Excuses excuses. :)

Well, I signed up for this fantastic Photo a Day course on Studio Calico and am super excited to get this started! I had been in a rut lately, shying away from the everyday "real" photos because they did not have the perfect lighting or the perfect background. I still took lots of photos, but only on perfect days. I vow this year to include the "real" everyday photos, and think by doing this my photography skills will improve too! Sounds like a win win.

The format on how I'm going to keep this all recorded is slightly up in the air. I keep a perpetual journal in an index file format, so am definitely going to print out pictures and put them with the day. I also created an account on shuttercal.com where I will be uploading my pictures online.

This is going to be a great year! Here's for celebrating the everyday!

Happy Mothers Day!

2011-05-08T08:25:00.002-04:00

Happy happy day! I'm waiting for little one to wake up and enjoying a few moments to myself. Later I go to one of my favorite antique malls and cross my fingers I find something wonderful...

I found this that made me smile this morning from Happy Doodle Land:

{this moment}

2011-05-06T23:34:00.002-04:00

{this moment} inspired by Amanda Blake Soule on http://www.soulemama.com/

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Made You Laugh

2011-05-06T23:20:00.002-04:00

Just discovered this website: www.grocerylists.org and found myself giggling so loud the baby woke up bewildered and grumpy. So, here you go.

For that sassy cat of yours.

Seriously, this is a Very Important Message.

Sweet hubby always adds these two items to my grocery list whenever he can sneak it on:
-buy 40's
-rent Hudson Hawk

It always makes me smile.

Make your own tree hugger doll

2010-10-25T08:47:00.004-04:00

Here is a tutorial on how to make an adorable tree doll for your little tree hugger. This took me about 1-hour to make, so this is a quick little project that is just too cute!

I found this fabulous fabric at Ikea. It has trees, about 12-inches tall, in two color combinations. I cut around two of the trees with a 1/2-inch extra left around the edges. I chose to use both color combinations to add interest. You could just draw out a simple template out of paper and cut out two out of any fabric of your choice. You could also make this out of two different fabrics, a solid for the front, and a pattered fabric for the back. Or you could even make the trunk out of one fabric and the top out of another. It's totally up to you.

Next, I made the eyes. I cut two circles from white felt, about 1.5-inches in diameter, and two circles from black felt, about 1/2-inches in diameter. I used fabric glue to temporarily attach the eyes to one side of the tree. Then I took black embroidery floss and used a blanket stitch around the black circles and the white circles.

The mouth is a simple V shape made with red embroidery floss. I first sewed several V's to create the basic shape and width, and then sewed perpendicularly around the long part to make it fuller. It also keeps little fingers from getting caught if your V is especially large.

I sewed the doll together by matching the good sides and pinning them together. I sewed, following the pattern of the tree that I could see through the back of the fabric, and securing the beginning and the end and leaving about 2-inches open on one side of the round part of the tree to allow for stuffing.

I turned the tree right side out and stuffed the tree with a mixture of poly filber fill, crinkly celephane, and one jingle bell.

To finish it off, I turned the seams to the inside of the doll and sewed very close the the edge with the machine, securing the beginning and the end. In order to make that match on the other side, I sewed at a similar location.

Viola! You have an adorable tree doll for your little tree hugger!

My favorite things October 3, 2010

2010-10-03T00:29:00.001-04:00

Here are a few of my favorite Etsy finds for October 2010. Enjoy!

My Favorite Things September 2nd

2010-09-02T21:50:00.004-04:00

Here are a few of my favorite Etsy finds for September 2010. So much cute stuff! I couldn't resist the octopus costume and little Ady is going to wear it for her first Halloween.

My Favorite Things: August 2010

2010-08-18T12:56:00.010-04:00

Here are a few of my favorite Etsy finds for August 2010. Just plain wonderful!

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T08:29:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!!

Today I answered the question: What do I love about being a mother?

I love being a mother because I have a little monkey to share joy with every day. I get to say and do things I never thought I'd ever do or say. Like, for example, saying "good girl!" when she lifts her leg and rips a fart. Or "don't put the dog's tail in your mouth". Or "don't bite my boob!" I get to smile and laugh a million times a day. I get to teach her and she get's to teach me. These are just a few of the millions and billions of things that I love about being a mother.

What do you love about being a mother?

Have a great day!!!

-elke

New Blog Feature

2010-04-30T13:29:00.004-04:00

I have added a new feature where I list all of my favorite stories that I've read to my little Ady Wren. You can see it on the sidebar. Support this blog by purchasing directly from the link!

I read to my little one daily and she just loves it. She's now 6-months old and is really starting to pay attention to books. She used to be content just to listen to me read, but now she needs to see what's going on too!

Many of my favorite books blend fabulous illustrations along with a very good story. There need to be several components that mix to make it onto my list. I'm sure as Ady gets older the list will tailor to her likes a little more.

Here she is at 6-months:

I hope everyone has had a wonderful April. May is my birthday month and my first mothers day as a mama. I have a feeling it will be a very very good month. :)

Ady's Nursery

2009-10-04T12:44:00.004-04:00

The nursery is just about as ready as it will be before Ady is born. She is due in 9 days!!! :) I just wanted to share some photos of the nursery. It really is a cool and fresh place to hang out. I can't wait until she comes and can enjoy her little modern haven.

Super Easy Wall Art Tutorial

2009-09-20T18:17:00.003-04:00

I created a wall art focal point for the nursery to go just over the crib. It was super easy to make and thought I'd share how to do this.

First, get several frames of different sizes. You could either make them all be similar around the edges, or put together a bunch of different styles and shapes. Whatever you want.

Next, find some images that work well together. The ones I used can be downloaded here:

Page 1: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2512/3849632257_5cb51ebe7d_o.jpg

Page 2: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/3850428454_5be8a16c08_o.jpg

Make sure the images look good in silhouette and are not too complicated in shape. Make sure the sizes will be completely visible once the frame has been placed around it. I found that an 8.5 x 11 inch frame had a slight border around it so that my shape had to be no bigger than 8 x 10.5 to be totally visible.

Next, print out your images on regular printer paper. Attach the printed image with a tiny bit of repositionable glue to plain white cardstock. Make sure the glue is not permanent and will not stain the cardstock. Then carefully cut around the edges to create your silhouette.

Next, cut colored cardstock to size, attach the white image with permanent adhesive to the center of the cardstock, and place it in the frame.

Finally, hang up your wall art and enjoy.

Simple and easy.

Itty Bitty Baby Dress

2009-09-19T19:12:00.002-04:00

So, I've been wanting to make a dress for my little sprout to come home from the hospital in for some time now. I found this free pattern on this website: http://madebyrae.blogspot.com and the dress looked super cute!

I have fantasies that I can sew, but have never had any formal training. The tutorial was pretty easy to follow until I got to the piping and seam binding parts. After much online research, I figured it out and here it is:

Woodland Friends Mobile Tutorial

2009-09-06T17:17:00.003-04:00

I wanted to share with you the mobile I made for my yet to be born baby girl. Her nursery theme is Woodland Friends with lots of gnomes, mushrooms, deer, and other happy forest creatures.

Here are the supplies that you will need for this project:
-8.5x11-inch standard printing paper (2 sheets)
-printer
-scissors
-chipboard (one 12 x 12 sheet should be enough)
-repositionable adhesive
-white acrylic paint, woodgrain shelf liner, book pages, wallpaper, etc. (to decorate the shapes on the mobile)
-super strong glue (I used Liquid Fusion Clear Urethane Glue)
-craft knife
-wax paper
-VersaMark watermark ink (clear ink for embossing)
-UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel)
-heating tool for embossing
-tweezers (to hold the shapes in place as you heat the UTEE)
-white wire clothes hanger
-wire cutter
-knitting needle (to wrap the wire around)
-Crop-a-dile
-fishing line

I started this project by designing the graphics. You can either use the ones that I made, or create your own, but you will need a total of seven graphics with one of them being bigger than the others. The six smaller graphics should be around 3-inches wide x 4-inches tall (depending on the specific graphic it may have slightly different dimensions as in the case with the bird on the branch in the mobile I made). The one larger graphic should be around 9-inches wide x 6-inches tall.

Here are the links to the graphics:

Page 1: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2512/3849632257_5cb51ebe7d_o.jpg

Page 2: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/3850428454_5be8a16c08_o.jpg

You should be able to print them onto 8.5 x 11-inch standard printer paper. You might need to adjust the margins to make sure none of the edges get cut off.

Once you print them out, cut out the shapes, and use them as a template to cut out the shapes on chipboard. I found that attaching them with a little repositionable adhesive made it easier to keep the image in place as you cut. If you don’t have any chipboard handy, you could use a cardboard box, or even a cereal box. You just need something that is nice and sturdy as a base for the creatures on your mobile.

Now comes the fun part! You can decorate the shapes in any way you’d like. You can use wallpaper, vintage book pages, sheet music, paint, or whatever else inspires you. I wanted something nice and simple, so I painted most of the shapes with white acrylic paint, then some of them I used a woodgrain shelf liner, and on one of the shapes I used both. I put about 3 or 4 coats of white paint on both sides of the shape to where the paint was nice and uniform in color. For the shapes that I covered in the shelf liner, I first covered one side of the shape with a thin layer of super strong quick drying glue then put the shelf liner on (being careful to make sure the grain of the wood was consistent among the shapes). After smoothing down the liner to get rid of any bubbles, I waited a couple of minutes for the glue to set then flipped the shape over and traced around the edges with my craft knife. Then I repeated this process for the other side. You can either leave the edges as they are or paint/ink them.

After you have left these to dry (I waited overnight just to make sure they are nice and “cured” before moving to the next step, but it might have been overkill) you can proceed to the (somewhat tedious) stage of enameling them.

I laid out two sheets of wax paper. One sheet will be where you sprinkle the Ultra Thick Emobssing Enamel (UTEE) to coat the piece, and the other sheet will be where you melt the UTEE with the heating tool. This keeps the UTEE crystals away from the finished pieces, which will make the whole process much easier and cleaner.

To enamel the shapes, I first placed the shape on the wax paper and covered one side with VersaMark watermark ink. I found it much easier to bring the inkpad to the shape rather than try to push the shape onto the inkpad. Then I liberally sprinkled UTEE all over the piece (POUR it on, don’t be shy, the extras just get put back into the jar) picked it up (tweezers help here) and made sure it was totally covered. You will be able to see if you missed any places with the ink, and I just carefully inked those spots and covered them with UTEE. Next you lay your shape on the other sheet of wax paper and apply your heating tool to melt the UTEE. The first layer will be really bumpy, that’s normal, this gets better with each coat. Don’t hold your heating tool too close to the shape or you risk burning the shape, especially if you used book pages or other paper items to cover your shapes. Make sure to pour the extra UTEE on the first sheet of wax paper back into the jar. Go through this step with all of the rest of the shapes. Then go back to the first shape you did and do it all over again. You will do a total of four coats of UTEE on EACH side. This will make the shapes look SOOOO awesome!!!! All of this tediousness is worth it at the end, believe me!!!

Next you need to make the mobile frame using a white wire clothes hanger. See the image below to see where to make the cuts using a wire cutter. Then use a knitting needle, pencil, or other sturdy round thin cylindrical object to wrap the ends of the wire around to curl the edges to make loops. This will be where you will tie the fishing line holding your woodland shapes. I used wire cutter to hold the end of the piece in place as I curled the wire around the knitting needle. Make sure the loops are both facing the same way and make sure your wire gets straightened out. The wire hanger I used gave me one 16-inch long segment and two 7-inch long segments.

Next comes the assembly. You are almost done!

Find a combination of two shapes that are of similar weight. You will use these two shapes as the end pieces for one of the 7-inch long segments. Do the same for the other 7-inch segment. You can see which I chose in the photos. They don’t have to be and exact weight match, it just helps with balancing the overall mobile.

Next, find the top center of balance for a shape by holding the shape between your fingers and finding the spot where the shape looks balanced. Punch a 1/8-inch hole with a Crop-a-dile. If the enamel cracks, just reheat it with the heating tool to smooth the crack out. Do this for each of the shapes.

Now tie your fishing line through the holes and up through the loop on the wire. Stagger the lengths of the line so that the pieces don’t all line up and bump into each other. Start with the two ends and then find the center of balance and tie the middle segment on. I used clear tape to wind around the wire on either end of the center segment to hold the center fishing line in place. Do this for the other 7-inch segment. Then use the same process to attach the two 7-inch segments to the 16-inch segment and attach the large swallow to the center, making sure everything is nice and balanced.

When I had it all together, I attached a length of fishing line to the top and attached it to the wall temporarily with a push pin to make any final adjustments to the balancing.

Now it is ready to hang from the ceiling. Make sure to hang the mobile high enough so baby can’t reach it, and make sure the mobile won’t fall down. This is not a mobile that baby should ever play with as there are small parts.

So there you have it. One Woodland Friends mobile that will bring you and your baby much joy and happiness. ☺

Have fun! Leave a comment to this post with a link to your completed mobile. Let me know if you have any questions!

-elke

I've been featured in the Modern Handmade Child Magazine!!!!

2009-08-09T16:37:00.002-04:00

My sweet little Garvin the Explorer Stuffed GPS Ornament has been featured in the premier issue of the Modern Handmade Child Magazine!!!!

Check out the issue (which is WAY cool!) here: http://modernhandmadechild.com/

The Nursery: A Blank Slate

2009-08-09T16:11:00.002-04:00

So here is our blank slate for the nursery.

We finally finished painting, and the color is just fantastic! It's such a yummy candy apple green that makes me instantly smile. This is where my sweet little Ady Wren is going to grow up!

Today we rented a steam cleaner and got those carpets nice and fresh. I can't wait to get everything in place, but have to wait for the carpet to dry.

We have gotten so many wonderful gifts so far and I really am excited to see this room take shape. But for now, we have a blank slate. You have to start somewhere!

I'm just not sure exactly what will come next when it comes to decorating. So many things to do, and October 13th is coming closer and closer...

Is it cool for dad and baby to match????

2009-07-18T19:45:00.003-04:00

Well, of course it is, if they are wearing this from Intl. Robot Designs by Dylan S. (dylanS.etsy.com):

and this:

August's birthday was yesterday and I got him the t-shirt with matching onesie for our little soon-to-come and he was beside himself with glee! Our little girl will go out in style in her super cool robot outfit!

:)

Welcome to Indie Sprout!

2009-07-18T18:48:00.002-04:00

Hello!

I am getting geared up to start sharing things from my little corner of the world. I am now just entering my third trimester with my very first child, and I am so excited to become a mother!

I plan on showing the transformation of the nursery for my incubating little one step-by-step. Think gnomes and toadstools an other woodland delights with a mix of modern and vintage and hand crafted goodness.

I also plan on giving tutorials and showing you all the lovingly hand crafted goodies I make for my little one: from stuffed snail dolls to cute little baby dresses made with my stash of vintage fabric.

I also want to showcase the brilliantly crafty ideas and inspiration that I find to spark your creativity!

And of course, I want to also see and share what all you do too, so expect some contests with prizes too!

A little about me:

My name is Elke.
I live in Tallahassee, Florida.
I was born and raised in Austin, Texas.
My father is a Texan through and through.
My mother is Dutch.
I speak Dutch fluently, although at an elementary school level.
I went to college in Olympia, Washington (go Evergreen!)
I met the man of my dreams (August) in Mammalogy class.
The first gift I gave August was a dead skunk, which he proceeded to skin and stuff into the most perfect museum specimen, from then on we knew it was love.
I married August in 2004 in our favorite park to go birding in by our favorite college professor.
We have adopted three lovely stubborn puppies over the years: Cooper (beagle), Audrey (basset hound), and Windom (dachshund).
My kitty, Kennis, is now 14 years old, and has been with me since college.
I found out I was pregnant in February 2009.
I am currently reading Alice in Wonderland to my baby and my husband.
My baby girl is due October 13, 2009.
Once I have my baby girl, my life will never be the same and I can't wait!

More to come soon...

-elke