We are headed to the beach tomorrow: the real beach, the ocean beach, the hawaiian beach. I was planning on making this rope bracelet for the trip, but then I spotted this broomstick lace cuff on pintrest and changed my plans.  Kirsty made a nice little tutorial for this beautiful cuff. Mine is pretty sloppy (late night crocheting) and made out of string, but hers looks lovely in a warm gray yarn.

The blog will go on while I’m gone!  I’ve got some stellar guest bloggers lined up for you and I can’t wait for you to meet them all. They will be writting little bits about winter, because I do love winter and will miss it. The wisconsin winter will still be here when I get back, but it probably won’t recognize me with a tan.

This romper was under a huuuuge pile of fabric until last week when I finally tidied up my studio (I wasn’t joking when I told Rachel I hide failed projects in the corner). I started this for kids clothes week challenge last spring–yes it has been that long since I cleaned the studio, shut up–but after I sewed it together I realized it too huge to even finish. When I found it I felt like another person made it. I mean, a romper with snaps and ribbed cuffs made out of a very thin knit fabric, really? I wouldn’t even think about making something like this now. But maybe I should–my sewing skills seem to be regressing instead of progressing.

When I made the pattern, I traced a lovely jumper Mary Jo gave me when this little one was born. He wore that thing until it was embarrassingly small.  I wanted to make a bigger one, so I just made the pattern bigger. But as I know absolutely nothing about pattern drafting I made it bigger in all directions.  While babies do grow, they do not grow in all directions at once.  So it was too big then, but now that it’s sort of the right size it’s too big in some places and weird in all the others.

It’s handmade in that insulting way some people say handmade, but we are going somewhere very hot and very muddy soon, so it will at least get worn. And for next time (because I will sew some clothes again) I will just make all the patterns taller. The wider part I’ll leave for me.

breakfast: strawberries picked by my kids this summer, warmed with some brown sugar and poured over hot oatmeal. It was like summer and winter all rolled into one.

lunch: cloud sandwiches. A friend brought over some beautiful challah he baked, so we made cloud sandwiches–no cutter required.

p.s. I updated the short list (of links) on the right–take a peek.

I’ve been meaning to post this week, but there is a little baby who has decided otherwise. No more naps in the morning for him. Damn. I knew this day was coming, but still, damn. Well now the picture of the box up there looks a little foreboding–like I’m going to ship the baby off somewhere because he won’t nap.  Don’t worry he’s right here. I’ve built a few castles and had multiple picnics on the rugs with the stinker as I try to write these few sentences.

The case is some treasure trash picked by my fantabulous friend who gave it to me (thank you, lil!).  I can’t imagine why she didn’t want it, but I didn’t ask. It is a little gnarly on the inside and not in a good way, but it is so rock and roll I can’t even handle it. It will have a decidedly un-rock and roll new life though–as the dress up box. I’m going to line it with some fabric and put it under my daughter’s bed.  We rearranged the kids room a while back and the big dress up suitcase just didn’t fit any more and we’ve been without ridiculous outfits for too long. Maybe I’ll even put the mirrors back up.

I’m having a little obsession with himmeli lately. Yeah, I didn’t know what they were either. I only found out what they were after I made one. Well sort of made one. Remember my geometric straw ornament? A himmeli is made out of those basic shapes, but some are big, some are small and it is strung together as a mobile.  I fell in love with them after I saw this picture:

The photo comes from the home of Momo Suzuki a Japanese designer who has more style in her little finger…

These are various himmeli from around flickr (click on the photo for sources). The red one is made from coffee stirrers! Elizabeth Abernathy has a tutorial for making them out of handmade paper straws.  There is an amazing thrifted traditional straw one on puhti. Himmeli are so perfectly airy and light–just right for the new year, though mine might not get done until the next new year.

If you’d like to know more about things I like (and hate) you can head over to Smile and Wave. Rachel so kindly asked me to do an interview for her Handmade for Kids month. And who says no to an interview? Be warned though, I am verbose.