The house is always so depressing after taking the christmas tree down. It just looks so sad and naked. But this year is different. We finished some spiffy new curtains right before christmas (I’ll show you later, because damn curtains are hard to photograph and really they aren’t incredibly interesting) and because I got this print right before christmas. I’ve been itching to get it up ever since it came. The print is called “Noodles Over Salzburg” and it was made by an old family friend. I think my sister has the same one (right, Katie?). Anyway, I love it. It’s ridiculous and awesome.

Thank you, everyone, for all the nice things you said about the new site. A couple of you asked who designed it and hey! it was me! My husband did all the actual making of it, while I just said, “here, put it here, or maybe here, no move it over!”

If you have any more questions you can ask them in the comment section and I can answer them there too! I know I’m late to the threaded comments party, but I finally made it. And it’s awesome. So we can reply to one another and have real discussions there.  It’s like you came over, except you have to bring your own coffee.

I’m not sure if I like this pillow or not. It’s definitely the goofiest one yet and the most labor intensive–if you can call making pompoms labor.  The first time I made pompoms I thought it was messy and ridiculous and a pain in the butt, but this time the more I made the more I enjoyed the process. If you slap the words “as meditation” after any activity it immediately becomes less annoying and oddly spiritual: pompom making as meditation, washing dishes as meditation, folding laundry as meditation, (look! my whole day is one long zen retreat).

I’ve been dreaming about all the christmas decorations I can make with pompoms (while I was mediating), so there will be more here I’m sure. If you don’t know how to make them, or forgot, there is a nice little tutorial on bella dia for making pompoms with your fingers.

And hey, look at all the awesome pillows from pillow week on flickr. I’m in love with this one.

Towards the end of fall each year we close up the porch and try to fit all the play that happens out there inside.  Mostly it’s art. We have a big armoire filled with paints and markers and paper and glue and acorns and cottons balls and whatever else could be used to make pictures or sculptures or collages. It’s lovely to have a space where the two big kids can go whenever they have a need to make something, but where the crayon eating baby cannot.

Our house is about 900 square feet, so finding room for anything can be difficult, but art is very important to my kids (and me!) so we have to carve out space every last crayon. Last year I came up with the art box. It’s a wooden wine crate I trash picked filled with art supplies that I store in our closet/office and take down whenever the kids ask.  They can work on the dining room table (conveniently covered in chalkboard cloth) away from curious baby hands. Last year one box was enough, but over the summer it seems the materials we work with has grown.

After much rearranging, the art box has become the art shelf. Everything is organized into wooden boxes and labeled with chalk.  I can take out one thing or everything and the kids can put it all away before I put it back in the closet. I’m planning to swap out things as the year goes on. Do you have any suggestions? Is there any good or unusual art material your kids are into?

On the bottom of the box some awesome kid scrawled in big letters KISS! Alive! and it makes me happy everytime I see it as I take the art box down.  And makes me want to get out my old Kiss tapes.

You get two for one today. That is, if you are not sick of looking at pillows yet. You probably think I’m crazy for making all these, but I had been thinking about making a bunch of pillows for ages. It’s amazing how much time I can waste just staring at fabric. This week was a nice kick in the pants to just decide already, they are only pillows you know.

To answer a few questions:

• yes, I’m using pillow forms.
• yes, zippers are really easy. I used this zipper tutorial, but erin has a fancy dancy video tutorial that will talk you through each step.
• yes, I’d love a cup of coffee, thank you.

The first day is always easy; it’s the second day I usually crash and burn. It’s pillow week don’t you know. Seems I need a themed week on the internet to get me to actually make something. Why is that?

Look I even put in a zipper: a nice little metal number that I got god know where. It would look really good if it wasn’t so obviously off center, but that’s what I get for not pinning or even planning.

The fabric is from a friend who very kindly shared a little of her ikea stash.  Maybe I’ll get the ornaments to match.