Enchanted Mama

Her Project::

Her project on Ecuador required a creative handwork piece.  

This is what she chose.  

Love it.  

 

 

Hidden Messages::

We have a bit of construction going on at our house right now.  The old storeroom chocked full of stuff has now been emptied and is undergoing a transformation.  Walls are appearing and insulation soon to be applied.  A doorway and soon another room for one of our children.  

It's been quite an adventure already as construction invariably can be.

 

The other night we had a lot of fun though.  Our children were allowed to draw on the walls....oh my.  They were able to use crayon and write messages and this mama and the big daddy just smiled.  Can you imagine?  

So our children were all about the giggles and laughter while we covered every square inch of the walls with hidden messages.  Messages tucked into the walls that will bring forth the love in which they were drawn or written.

 

I remember doing this with my mom and three brothers in the new kitchen.  Things like great meals made here.  Love in the kitchen.  You know, important things.  

The intention being the biggest and most crucial element.

My love really is to see what each person decides is important.  I love that this is his.

 

 

And, his.

And, hers.

 

And, his.

It's made me wonder why is it that we don't draw on walls more often?  It's such a lot of fun!  

Except for that pesky "its-so-permanent" thing.  Oh well.  

 

My little Artist::

 

Oh, how I love thee.  

 

note to self...remember his little blue fingers and the total concentration he has until we hear the out breath and, "It's done."  He loves creating with watercolor, there's something magical about it, something calming.  Please remember this, for his sake.   

 

 

Handmade Holiday 2011::

Our Handmade Holiday, which we began in earnest last year, was quite lovely.    

We drew names for one another so we could focus on creating a gift for each member of the family.  Last year this is where it started and this was along the way here and here and this is where it ended here and here.  

When I asked my children this year how they had wanted the holidays to be they enthusiastically said, "We want to draw names like last year and have a special date with you and Daddy."  

So that is what we did.

Our Holiday was full of secret projects, closed doors with signs that read, "Elves working...DO NOT OPEN!!!" and whispers about "how to" without telling who someone had drawn.  

There were loud noises coming from the garage as well as sewing machines whirring in the back round.  My knitting needles click clacking furiously in the end.  

Full and fun.  

 

The Big Daddy drew my name this year.  Lucky me.  

I love to have candles on the dining room table for all the seasons.  Big tall drippy candles and short fat handmade candles in a variety of holders.  Though I love all candles these holders may still be my favorite.    

What I don't love is "chipping off" wax from every surface.  The wax that gets stuck on the table, plates, and goodness knows the tablecloth.  So my request in October, I started early, was a slab of wood with feet to put in the middle of the table that would allow for the rolling, dripping wax.  Something that would make chipping the wax off optional.  

Do you know what?  The Big Daddy created this fantastic gift.  He even listened when I said, "I would love to have bark on it as well".  I have a fondness for bark on pretty much anything.  So he did it.  

The love that he put into this project is what makes me smile and the fact that this is so much better than I could have even imagined.  

 

One thing for sure is I felt like the luckiest mama on the block when I opened this.  We have used it every night since.  And I suspect, will continue to for years to come!  

 

My oldest girl took to the sewing machine for her brother.  She made a book cover for the guy who loves to carry around books at this point.  A pencil case to hold well pencils and various treasures.  He was quite proud of his presents.  There was even a bookmark tucked inside.  How simple.   

I loved seeing my girl do this project completely on her own.  All she wanted was the velcro for the pouch and she was off and running without any help from me.  Even I was surprised on Christmas morning to see what she had created.   

Oh, also in her spare time she decided to make gifts for ALL of us, ahem.  

There were hand-knit washcloths.  Stitch markers for this knitter.  And an assortment of other treasures she whipped up.  No wonder she had all those bags of things squirreled away in her room.

She has big plans this girl of mine.  Big plans and a big heart.   

 

My oldest boy, my woodworker, thought of this idea for his littlest sister.  

A wooden stacking ring from some of the candle holders he had in his workshop.  With a little help from the Big Daddy they spent a few days on this creation.  

Sounds of saws and sanders emanating from the garage.  We knew they were out there but had no idea what creation was being made.  

That is what I find so fun.  As the children get older there is less involvement and more surprise and wonder at what their little creative selves come up with.  

Once he cut the pieces he rubbed them all down with beeswax.  So, not only do they look so cool with the rings from the inside of the wood but they smell delicious. 

 

My girl loves it.  

She's taken to carrying it around the house with her for things to stack at a moments notice.  

 

My four year old LOVES to watercolor.  So for his gift that seemed a natural choice.  Plus, he drew his big sister who LOVES to write letters.  It seemed for this year to be the perfect match.  

He set right to work and created a unique set of cards and postcards.  What I enjoyed most was sitting with him after he had spent a few days painting and asking him to tell me about the paintings. 

He knew, of course, what every one of them was.  An angel on horseback.  A fire breathing dragon.  A swan.  A dragon's tail.  A smiling Turtle.  A woodpecker.  A person pushing a wheelbarrow.  And, the one that made me laugh the most was, A vacuum.  

I believe I had as much fun labeling them as he did painting.  They were bundled up with bakers twine and tucked in a bag to await Christmas morning.  

His excitement in giving this gift to his sister was the most beautiful part about it.  

 

The creative aftermath...

 

The next gift was for my sweet four year old from his littlest sister.  Who, no matter how much I pondered, I realized was a bit young to make anything herself.  So with some help from this mama we created a bag for her brother.  

He loves elephants after seeing them at the zoo last year.  He is even referred to, in our house, as the "elephant washer".  We being the elephants and him doing the washing.  When I found this fabric I knew it had to be used.  

He had been wanting a bag of his own to carry more books and toys around like his older brother and sister.

I also tucked a hand-sewn fish inside, as he loves to grill things up in the play kitchen, that I found at the local handmade holiday market.  Think rainbow trout with ribbons along the sides.  

He has since been seen loading the bag to capacity.  Which makes me glad I did the extra strong seams!  

 

The final gift was for the Big Daddy.  

I drew his name this year and of course I had to knit something.  Something Big.  Something scary and thrilling all at the same time.  Unfortunately, the light has been non-existent and with a few sick children we have yet to do a photo shoot but its on its way.  Hopefully this week.  

I hope your holidays were all that you wished them to be and that the New Year is off to a great start.

I myself feel a bit behind the ball already.  But, I'm hopeful that all the lingering pieces of 2011 can be finalized and let go so that we can focus on the Beautiful Year of 2012.     

I'll be checking in here more often I promise.  It's just been well, full.  You know?  

 

Let's chat soon, 

Kellen

 

So She did..::

"She Believed She Could So She Did".

My girlie had her first handmade market debut two weekends ago.  The annual holiday fair at school.  She's been determined to do this for over a year.  Absolutely set on pursuing this dream.  

It happened a few summers ago when we sat side by side in front of my mother's Elna sewing machine teaching her the basics and letting her press the pedal and send the machine whirling through the fabric she had chosen.

Freedom.  

The smile on her face and the learning she did in that first summer were immeasurable.  I, the teacher, wanted her to know the basics, the stitches, the way the machine worked.  How to thread the machine and how to finish it off when done.  She bore this beautifully, in fact she seemed to absorb everything I had to teach her about sewing on a machine.  

Then, she was on her own.  My fabric stash at her fingertips.  Yet another opportunity for me to let go.  To appreciate the thoughts running through my head. "Oh, I was going to use that fabric" or "That one is supposed to be a...." or "No.  That I'm saving for..".  To hear those thoughts and struggle to breathe and say, "Yes, you may use whatever you wish".  

To recognize the girl in me that loved when my own mother had said those same words to me.  To be less concerned about what all the fabric WAS going to be and more interested in what the fabric COULD BE now.  

 

She started slow, tentative.  Reluctant to push the machine very fast more comfortable to amble along stitch by stitch.  Today?  Well, that girl can fly is all I'm saying.  

So with the Winter Faire approaching she and another friend spent days together side by side sewing for their stand.  One sewing bracelets.  One sewing bags.  Both happy to be doing something on their own yet willing to ask questions when they were stuck.  

For me it was delightful. Freeing. Beautiful.  My girl sailing through the fabric stash, ever respectful and helping me breathe and let go...breathe and let go.  

My child as my teacher, again.  

 

And so she did.  She made 86 bracelets to be exact.  There may have been a few days at the end that required some reinforcements.  A late night "ribbon stitcher" along with the big daddy as head "button guy". 

There were looks across the room at one another with this daughter of ours, head down, sewing in the middle.  Smiles were passed and looks of awe.  Her tenacity.  Her drive to create something and follow through.

Her label---completely her design and idea.  Of course, this enchanted mama deemed it just the right name for her.   

 

Then, the big weekend happened.  She rose to the occasion.  She smiled.  She answered questions.  She stood on her feet for hours at a time experiencing "retail".  A challenge at best.  

The weekend flew by and then she packed up her bracelets.  Tired but excited about her first foray into the handmade world.  

She sold quite a few.  She still has some left.  She wants to do it again.    

I know as her mama that more than anything it was a success. She set the goal, pursued the goal and learned a few things in the process.  As much as I would have loved to tell her all about "my retail experience" I tried to let her learn in her own way. Knowing it's better that way.  

 

So I learn to let go of the very children I want to protect and hold so tight.  Recognizing that every time I do they are able to fly more freely.  

I believe that in the end I will have learned more from my children than I ever could have taught them myself.

For now I will smile at my own bracelet, that was made "just for me", from my girlie and love her even more than I did yesterday.  

 

 

Forts::

I have fond memories of building forts with my three brothers.  

Sheets and blankets stretched across tables and chairs.  Secret hide-outs formed under desks and between beds.  Treasures collected, we would spend hours in our own forts with flashlights, lunch and lots of whispering.  Whispering because of course they were secret and if you couldn't see someone then you must certainly be invisible right?  

Outdoor forts were created in the shapes of tree houses and secret spaces under big bushes. In muddy  holes with wood roofs and behind brick fences.   

We lived in a house half an hour out of town which made this kind of play necessary.  For we had to entertain ourselves and find inspiration within our space.  

I believe this is why I love nature and creativity so much.  How a simple tree can become a castle.  A space under a bed an underwater cave.  This list goes on and on.

 

Perhaps the most gratifying part is to see your own children participating in that kind of play.  

This summer there was a beach, not really a swimming beach, that we affectionately referred to as the "exploring beach".  Driftwood lined the sand.  Seaweed washed ashore.  Marine life in its prime scuttled here and there.  It provided hours of entertainment.  

This was one of the many forts created while we were there.  All three of the older children working together hauling armloads of driftwood they had collected.   The big daddy and I talking, listening, and watching.

 

This beach holds a special place in my heart as it reminds me of those many, many hours spent with my own brothers.  And, the new memories of my own children finding their way.  

Imagination is such as amazing thing.  Given a chance it can create such beauty.  

Don't you think?  

 

 

At Summer's End::

  

This day officially marks the end of our Summer vacation.  

As you read this my children are already in school.  They are meeting up with friends.  Participating in the Rose ceremony.  And, remembering the beauty of school and the adventures to be had.  

They are sad to see summer go but then aren't we all a bit melancholic as one season ends.  Especially one that is to be enjoyed so fully?  

The task as a parent has been to honor this sadness mixed with excitement.  To remember the memories and then turn them ever-so-slightly to see the new memories to be made in an entirely new season.  

A time when the air becomes cooler each morning as we ride bikes to school.  The season when leaves change in ever dramatic shades day by day.  The season of soups, sweaters and festivals.  It's a good season too, my favorite in fact, and I look forward to sharing this yet again with them.  

And really, the bracelets alone should be memory enough to show for a summer well done don't you think?

 

Happy Wednesday to you all.  

 

 

 

Simple::

This simple, yet totally brilliant solution has changed our lives, or at least our thread stash.  

It's one of those things that you wonder, "why didn't I think of this sooner".    

I know this idea is out there.  In fact, I happened to see it on Pinterest yesterday.  

Though I suspect that this lovely lady, whom I discovered it from, was one of the first.  She just seems innovative enough to come up with this all on her own.  

As "friendship bracelet love" is still going strong around these parts we needed this simple solution to what had become quite a problem.  

 

Anyone who has worked at all with embroidery floss knows that its favorite thing to do other than look beautiful is to tie itself into teeny-tiny knots and become a mass of colorful frustration. 

So here's what you need:

---One pile of floss that no one can pull a single solitary thread from because they are knotted so incredibly and would require a magnifying glass and a good, or rather, great light to untangle.  

---Clothespins.  As many as you have the floss and patience for.  Hopefully, most of you would do this before you have said "mess of floss" and it would be a much calmer experience.  

We live on the edge here most of the time and wanted our floss to be good and knotted before I found this solution.  

---Time to wind them up or un-knot them as the case may be.  

That is all.  

 

You end up with this.  

Isn't it cute?  

I love these so much that I'm now wondering what else I can wrap around clothespins.  There has to be something...suggestions? 

 

Hope your Wednesday is treating you well and not tying you into little intricate knots.

If so, try a clothespin you never know what might happen.  

 

 

 

Another one::

A few days ago I had the privilege to teach a friend how to knit.  Yes, my love for knitting and waxing rhapsodic about it forever finally wore on her and she decided to pick up a pair of needles.  You can imagine my excitement.  right?

Another knitter in the world...well, I'm all for that.

 

We started simple.  A scarf.  Knit. Knit. Knit.  She learned to cast-on and she was off and running.  With only a few dropped stitches she already appears to be a pro in the making.  

Yesterday with my guidance/bad influence, she found some LOVELY yarn and is now knitting in the round.  Yes, taking to it like a duck to water I tell you.  

Plus I badgered her, I mean, helped her see the need for real ingredients in your yarn.  You know wool, cotton, anything that actually comes from nature and not a plastic bottle.  Yes, I may have pushed my will onto her but hey, isn't that the prerogative of the person teaching?  

 Insane amounts of influence?!??

 

Another great result was that it inspired my other two knitters in the house to pick up some needles and start to knit.  

A small knitting crew we were, clicking away on the couch enjoying the company and using our hands for something creative.  

 

We did have this little one helping as well.

Anytime someone left their knitting unattended she was sure to take care of it for them.  Oh yes, did she take care of it.  

All in all we had a beautiful time.  

The best part is that somewhere in the world there's another knitter clicking away on her new needles and feeling the pull of her new yarn.  Starting, what I hope to be, a life-long love or at least something for now.  

She's heading on a long plane trip soon and she said she would "definitely have to take her knitting with her".

Music to my ears.

 

  

Friendship Bracelets::

 

Yes, we are part of the friendship bracelet craziness.  The crazy that has swept the hearts and minds of many children this summer.  

Granted, I have to say that I'm part of this only because it wasn't too long ago that I had these same bracelets pinned to my jeans.  Working away at any spare moment.  Loads of colored embroidery floss lying everywhere.

The intricate knots tied in stripes, diamonds and herringbone style and then friends donning this love.  

It was about the love.   

 

My boys chose their own colors.  

My seven year old wanted red, white and blue.  

My three year old said, "Definitely Rainbow, oh and pink too".  I love that.  

My twelve year old girl chose surprisingly non-mermaid colors for hers.  There might have even been orange.  orange?

My one year old well, I kinda chose for her, it seemed only right.   

 

There were quite a few tangled threads.  Many inches re-done and even one that made it through the wash before it was even finished.  

At one point there was a frustrated mama who thought maybe it was too much running between bracelets needing desperate help.  

In the end I have children who love their new summer project.  Children who have already started their next bracelets and are discussing the ones after that and the ones after that...

It's all good.  

 

So if you see us walking around, bracelets pinned to our shorts you will just know that we are creating.

You will know we are a part of the "crazy" that has hit our nation.  

Really who can make too many friendship bracelets when everyone who receives one loves them?  

 

Here's to crafting with children.  

Turning frustration and fiddly thread into fun with a beautiful outcome.  

 

Hope your Wednesday brings you some well needed joy, rainbow or not.