Potato Printing

We worked on this project today for a few upcoming birthday presents for Grandparents! It was so fun! Lucy and I really had a good time working on it together...

I got a kit from Lotta Jansdotter (for 50% off!!) that included these carving tools. They can be used for lino block printing too.

You just put fabric paint on the potato stamp and stamp it on...

Stamping...

This was one of the stamp ideas in the kit!

Lucy designed this stamp and I helped her carve it out.

Hanging out to dry in the 100 degree heat.


I'm planning on making more for our house and also some burp cloths for the baby!

Recent Craftiness...

Just thought I'd post some pictures of some of projects Lucy and I have been working on. Lucy has been hand sewing. Her teacher has burlap square with stitching projects at school, so I made her some for at home too. I have also had a sewing bug lately...and I also have been crocheting a bunch!

A little dress I made for Lu with an American Apparel tank top.

I bought a pattern on Etsy for this cute little dress and used some fabric that I have had sitting around forever!

Here is the full dress! I think it turned out pretty cute and better yet, Lucy actually wants to wear it all the time since it's comfy!

Crocheting! A baby hat and wash cloths. I really like crocheting...I just started crocheting again this year and I think it is so much easier than knitting and I love the way it looks.

Lucy's sewing projects!

I made a few of these sewing kits as bday presents for Lucy's friend's.

Late Post for Easter Grass...

I forgot to post these pictures at Easter... but I just saw them and thought I'd still do it.

So, we bought wheat berries in the bulk section at the market and planted them in an easter basket. The story behind it is that the wheat grass is a special treat for the Easter Bunny, so on Easter the bunny nibbles up the grass and leaves eggs and treats in the basket! I was so happy the grass grew!

First you have to soak them (overnight if I remember). Here they are starting to sprout already before we even planted them!

planting!

It grew about 3x taller before Easter!

4th of July

We spent the weekend in Georgetown at my mom and Grady's. I think it was Lucy's dream weekend... We went swimming, went on a "deer hunt" (we drive around at dusk looking for deer) and we saw 2 sets of little spotted fawns and a mama, we made peach cobbler, Lucy got to help make lemonade and have a lemonade stand at the kitchen table... but on the actual day of the 4th there was a fair at the georgetown park and there was the most awesome petting zoo! So many baby animals that we were all giddy. Lucy and I got to hold the sweeeeetest little baby goat! There was also a pony ride where Lu got to ride a running horse for the first time and I realy don't think I have ever seen her smile bigger! Then to top the day off we took Lucy to her first fireworks display! Phew, it was an action packed weekend!

Without further adieu... here are the pictures of the cute animals (and us).

Biggest smile ever seen on Lucy, right after running on a horse for the first time!

Sweet girl with cutest baby goat ever ever!!

Amy with flapping chicken!

i mean really!? so cute!!!

A girl in her element...

i loved these two little buddies... they sat on my lap for a while and we became pretty friendly.

Mike made a friend...

I feel like this in the morning sometimes...

Fireworks!

A Camping Party!

Well, I haven't been updating the blog at all...I mostly have just been posting pictures on Facebook. But Lately I have been feeling like I need to get back to my blog updates... So, I'll start off with today's main event (drum roll)... A Camping Party! This was Lucy's request for her 4th birthday. We have never actually been camping with Lucy, but she has heard about it in books. And I suppose we should try it sometime... So, it was just a very small party with 2 of her favorite neighbor buddies: Greta and Olivia, and their families. Also in attendance were my mom and stepdad, Jane and Grady(who brought a huge fruit plate) and my Auntie Deanna, who was a major help with getting ready for the the party. She is a cleaning machine and you can't take no for an answer...we may not have pulled it off without her! I think Lucy had lots of fun and loved being the birthday girl. The girls played in the sand and I read to them (in the tent!) a few of the new books that Grandma Katie and Grandpa Jim sent for Lu's birthday. Oh, and we had a pinata...a homemade kitty pinata.

Here are some pictures:

Mike and Lucy made a fake fire, since it has been dry here and we aren't supposed to have real fires right now.

S'mores cupcakes!!!

Grady with Sally... the sand box is now stocked with amazing sand toys that she got from the Hatalskis and from Julie and Brian too...it's gonna be a fun summer! The girls were making yummy sand food.

Lucy and her buddy Olivia at the "campsite"

Lucy also requested a "kitty" pinata. So we all worked on that, glueing paper over a balloon then figuring out how to make a balloon look like a kitty. I just made it the same way I did last year with strings attached to a trap door, so we didn't have to whack the kitty in the head... everyone just pulls on the count of three.

It started out like this:

Lucy, Greta and Olivia finding pinata treasures.

The Lazy Blogger!

Hi there! I have not been blogging at all lately. Maybe I've got nothing to say! ...It's summer time. Lucy and I have been having lazy days with lots of playing and kiddie pool parties outside with her BFF Greta. I started a jewelry making class last week and learned how to saw metal! It was awesome! Mike has been taking yoga once a week and learned how to play the Beatles song "blackbird" on the guitar recently. I have been going to ballet once or so a week... and Lucy starts her Creative Movement class at the Ballet Austin academy this saturday! I'll have to post pictures soon...

recent craftiness:

A LITTLE VISITOR...

This sweet little pooch was found by my neighbor running along the highway far outside Austin... He is staying with us for a few days, but Sally has already gotten pretty friendly with him!

3 YEARS OLD!

Well, This post should have been before the Easter post... what can I say... I'm behind on my blogging. I actually don't have many pictures from Lucy's b-day party, which was a pinata picnic in the back yard. Lucy really had fun... Here is a picture of the pinata I made. It was actually a group effort. Some of the neighbor kids helped me paste when they saw Lucy and I working on it out front. And Mike put on the pink tissue shingles! He is crafty!! Mike made Lucy a sandbox for her b-day and she also, among other fun stuff, got a bouncy horse from my parents! She named it Greta!

interpretive dance!!

new sand box! now part of the daily routine...

the first time Lucy ever asked to have something in her hair...other than a crown!

puzzles at school, post party!

Lu also had a school party...they have this nice ritual where the child holds a globe and they light a candle that represents the sun. And I got to tell a little story about each year of Lucy's life and then each year, after I spoke, she walks in a circle around the candle while the class sings a sweet song about how the earth goes around the sun in a year. It was really special...

then they sang the Happy Birthday song for her and she blew out the candles!

Easter Eggs Hunts...

Lucy had a fun easter and got to have 2 egg hunts! One at school and one at our neighbor's house. The Easter Bunny did visit our house to hide a basket for Lucy... Here are some pictures!

With Austen on the trampoline, post egg hunt!