Introducing "Heidi", the newest member of the family. Last week, I had a total blast of inspiration after seeing a picture of a Jess Brown doll. It certainly is about time for Daneto have a doll to care for, after all she is nearly two! I made Heidi's body with muslin and used braided felt for her hair. Most importantly, Heidi has an apron to match Dane - because they are both chefs, of course!
When we are outside with the dogs, we come across many things that are "pocket worthy". Recently, Dane's taken a liking to bugs - and I have no problem with that (this coming from a shrieker when I find a roach inside the house), because it's great to have a fearless bugger around. We pick up feathers and old wasp nests, unique leafs and old snail shells. We've always stored our treasures in boxes, but we came up with a way to display our them for further learning and admiration. So, today I share with you our very simple nature board - enjoy!
Here's what you'll need:
> One frameless corkboard > A fabric of your choice large enough to cover with at least two inches extra to fold > A staple gun > Silk pins > Random natural findings
1. Cover the corkside of the board and smooth the fabric
2. Turn the board/fabric facing down
3. Staple one side, in three places while keeping the fabric smooth
4. Pull the fabric tight on the opposing side and staple the same
5. Repeat 3 and 4 on the two remaining sides
6. Fold corners tighlty and staple - pull all side tight and staple as needed.
7. Trim off any excess fabric - you can tape the raw edges down with a hardy tape
It's hard to believe we are already seeing a day of May. Saturday night, we prepared for our May celebration, as we cut many strips of muslin and dyed them with paprika and berries. By the morning, they were perfect shades of pink and orange. We tied them to our Maypole and welcomed the month with swinging arms and strands of fabric.
May for us means sea grape bushes loaded with berries and fresh cut grass never smelled sweeter. May is a slower season, that brings Papa home earlier and keeps us in the pool just a little longer. May just might be the month that sends us to our farm, if all goes as planned. As for Dane, it's a month loaded with new beginnings and hopes to see butterflies. It's all about butterflies right now!
It's impossible not be inspired by those perfectly rounded three-bite wonderfoods around this time of year. And I suspect everyone will have a few of these around the house this week, so in honor of feathery friends and their gifts, here is a compilation of great recipes and projects with eggs. On a sidenote, can I just mention how excited I am to have our own eggs soon!? Blue eggs even? Be still my heart!
Egg Salad Sandwich - 101 Cookbooks Our family go-to recipe for egg salad
Lemon Curd - David Lebovitz A delicious way to use up your extra eggs
All Natural Dog Treats - Green Eggs & Ham Your dog will love these
Silk Scarf Dyed Eggs - The Magic Onions We tried this one the other day and had great results - pictured above
Egg Shell Planters - Lilliedale We will definately try this when we start our seeds
Lace Egg Decorating - Martha Stewart Martha gets it right everytime
Share with me in the comments below - what do you make with your eggs?
I really love handmade toys. Even more, I love natural materials in the hands of my babe.I made these bean bags about two months ago, and she didn't care for them much then - but now that Dane is really interested in counting, they are a real hit. She enjoys stacking and tossing them or even just carrying as many as she can around the house. The possibilities for further creativity are wide open. You could easily sew numbers or letters to the fabric squares before assembly if you'd like. I contemplated adding a teaspoon of dried lavender to the bags as well. Wouldn't they make great Easter basket stuffers?
Items you will need:
> Scrap Fabric at least 4.5 x 4.5'' > Dried Beans (any will do, but I used white beans) > Thread for sewing
1. Cut two squares for each bag 4.5'' x 4.5''
2. Sew three sides of the squares together fronts facing (inside out) about 1/2'' in
3. Turn the fabric out so that you have your design front facing out
4. Fill the pocket with dried beans - leave enough room to sew the last opening comfortably
5.Tuck the open edges inward aprox 1/2'' and sew them together to close the bags. Be sure to reinforce the beginning and end with a few extra stitches.
