this week*

 on monday while luca napped i cut harper's hair shorter than he has ever wore it. he is, of course, absolutely adorable and it seems to survive the day a little better than his shoulder length golden locks, especially when tucked into a bicycle helmet for an entire afternoon.

 these photos were taken immediately after the cut and i have since fixed it up a bit. like that longish chunk right the behind his ear has been trimmed shorter, for example...

 on tuesday while luca napped i sewed this reversible dress up cape for a little friend's 4th birthday (which is today! YaY!) 

and yesterday we discovered this set of vintage chairs while out thrifting and happily paid $15 (!!) for the two and brought them home. the bottom cushions were dirty but easily cleaned right up. they are perfect for my space and i have been looking for so long for something just like them. but then today i stopped into another favorite thrift store looking for a side table and ottoman and i found an amazing rocking chair. comfy, pretty, and in fantastic shape. gah, i must have it, but where am i going to put it? i am considering putting one of the new green chairs in storage so i can bring the amazing rocker home. that seems reasonable, yes? i think i will sleep on it and decide in the morning. 

happy friday, friends! i hope your weekend is off to a fantastic start! xo

vintage thrift

 today i found this ::

a vintage pattern carefully and thoughtfully cut out and ready to sew. 

at first glance i simply wanted the fabric. see the tiny acorns! LOVE! it feels a lot like linen and the background is a delicious espresso brown. but after i got it home and looked again i think i will go ahead and sew it up and see how it turns out. i believe it is the top, second from the left. and if i hate it i will cut it up and use the fabric for something else! 

 this sweet tiered dessert stand came home with me too ::

$2.99! how could i leave it behind?

i also found more (!!) vintage fabric yardage and a really funky vintage skirt. maybe after i find the perfect top, shoes (or boots) and accessories to doll it up i will come back and share photos. you all can't wait, right? that's what i thought!

happiest monday, friends!

weekending

thrifted treasures ::

i found this super fabulous vintage fabric tucked away behind some dusty, discolored stretch polyester. i paid $7. there are 5 1/2 yards of it. plenty to sew kitchen curtains, and cloth napkins, maybe even a table runner or place mats. seriously, the colors. the flowers. i am considering painting the kitchen and redecorating the whole room around this cheery print. what do you think?

this little knitting basket just had to come home with me. i certainly have plenty of works in progress to fill it. i also found a small cream pitcher for my morning coffee and miss esme fell in love with a handmade cloth doll with jointed legs and jointed arms. the arms, however, have not been sewn on yet and were just laying in the basket beside the doll. no problem for my girl, her mama sews!

i do believe this is the very best new baby gift ever. my mother and father in law visited a couple weeks ago and brought me an umbrella clothesline. my father in law also dug the hole and cemented the center pole in place for us. this was greatly appreciated because with the complete absence of spare time in our lives right now the clothesline would have sat in the garage all summer, untouched. perhaps i will sew a pretty little clothespin bag with my new thrifted fabric.

and of course we have spent a whole lot of time cuddling that sweet baby boy. he stays awake and socializes now. he grins at us and tries to tell us stories. there is always someone around to hold him. he is not lacking in hugs and kisses. he is told how much he is loved no less that a thousand times a day. i suppose it isn't all that bad to be the smallest member of a big family.

happy weekending, friends!

love, currently.

:: this belly ::
26-ish weeks. every single wiggle and kick brings a smile.

:: new mitts ::
goldenrod cestari merino + coconut buttons = happy hands indeed.

:: cute thrifted boots to wear with cute thrifted skirt ::
maternity skirt mentioned above has an elastic waistband and a button fly! how funny is that!

:: color, color everywhere ::
we have painted every day this week and have no plans to stop.

:: this weather ::
spring in january. 'nuff said!

:: new fluffy fiber ::
what will i knit? oh, the possibilities!

yours in loving life and making happy,
erika

silly ol' chicken bowl

while we were on vacation we spent a day in anaconda, montana. it is a tiny, little town very close to the resort we stayed at in fairmont. as we were driving the downtown streets my husband saw a small outdoor flea market and parked the car and let us out. then he complained and got grouchy while i browsed and thoughtfully looked at every item on and under each table. "i didn't think we would have to look at everything" he whined. my response was "ummm, helloooo, have you met me?!"

then this sweet little chicken crock caught my eye. i picked it up, looked it over and happily paid a couple dollars for it. tony rolled his eyes and told me i was silly as i carefully carried it to back the car for safe keeping while we finished our small town tour. he would have just left the chicken bowl there, all lonely on the table, and would have never thought about it again. now that is silly!

alright, i'm listening!

as tony and i were leaving the bookstore empty handed on mother's day monday i spied a book on one of the shelves and made a smart aleck-y comment about how i should probably buy it. then this afternoon while i was filling my shopping cart with fabric and books at the thrift store (see my tweet over there in the column on the left) what should i come across? that's right, the very same book! (see photo above) secrets of simplicity~ learn to live better with less. it seems the universe is speaking to me and i intend to listen. starting right now i am going to make a serious effort to clear the clutter from my life and live simply and deliberately. it all feels a little de ja vu-ish, as i have had this thrift store book = life lesson experience before.

unfortunately i did not find this life changing book before my cart was full. here are the other books i picked up today. some for me, a couple for harper and esme' (lilly's purple plastic purse in hardback! hoo-rah!), and a few teen novels for niko. and the fabric- that red and white print will be curtains. then there is a green striped wool sweater that will be felted and re purposed. and pretty linen napkins that are destined to become patchwork eye pillows for gifts. that little mouse print knit was just too cute too pass up. i have no idea what i will sew with it. maybe jammies, or undies, or diapers for my expecting girl friends. whatever i make, no doubt it will be shared right here with all of you!

simply yours,

erika

vintage

i found this sweet little sewing book while thrifting a few weeks ago. LOVE! it is full of wonderful illustrations and more vintage-y inspiration than one could ever ask for.

traveling light, anyone? oh, those outfits... fun!

i am currently working on a trade with a friend~ i am knitting little woolies for her new baby boy and in turn she shared some of her grandmother's vintage fabric with me. some denim, striped ticking, paisley, a lovely geometric print...

... and do you see her? over there on the left? be still my heart, it is the cutest holly hobbie print! approximately 2 yards! i don't know yet what i will make with my pretty *new* fabric but for the time being it is sewing mama eye candy! yum!

re-fashion

look out closet, here i come! 2 months... no problem! this is right up my alley, i am tempted to commit for life. the new term doesn't start until may but i am totally going to test drive this idea. we are going out of town this weekend, but just as soon as i get home i plan to alter, embellish, chop, crop, patch, re-vamp and re-fashion everything i can get my hands on. i have my own make believe project runway planned. make it work!

mama's got 'em covered!

yesterday was another sewing day~ this time it was pants. it all started when the girls requested jammie pants. i made this pair for esme' since there was just enough of this fabric left...

then matching pants for the two of them. all three pairs were made from thrifted bed sheets! there are a lot of fun things you can make from thrifted bed sheets, like a super simple summer skirt. and look, there is even a flickr group where you can share your thrifted sheet creations!

and to include harper in all the mama made fun i sewed him the cutest little pants. they are actually kind of capri length. daddy calls them board shorts. big brother calls them short pants. and i think i heard the term manpris used a time or two.
whatever they are called they are absoulutely adorable on our little guy. while there is nothing like having a bunch of kids standing next to my sewing machine in their undies waiting for pants, i think i'll take a break for a few days and persue some other hobbies. maybe i'll read a book, or play with my new-ish spinning wheel...

ginger blossoms, recycled shopping bag and tiny tees!

my sewing machine and i have been very busy this week. yesterday i completed this place mat, cloth napkin and pot holder set in the lovely ginger blossoms print from michael miller. it is for the bend the rules sewing swap and i will have a hard time packing it up and sending it away. but, i am sure i will get something lovely in the mail in exchange and i will be sure to share photos of my loot when it arrives. you can visit the BTRS flickr group to see more swap sets as well as other goodies created from the book.

and this little shopping tote was sewn from a beautiful thrifted print. i have just enough left for a little dress for esme' or maybe a skirt for mama. my friend jessica wrote up a very clever tutorial for these shopping bags. perhaps she can be persuaded to publish it for all to enjoy...

and i also found time to make up these cute little tees for harper and esme' for a very special local news appearance tomorrow~ i will be sure to blog about that later, but i bet you can guess from the tees that we will be talking about cloth diapering!

just what i need

my new tea cup, i found it while thrifting yesterday.

creativi.tea: noun~ having more creative ability while drinking tea

what could be better than that?

thrifted treasures!

new shoes for mama!

home decor weight fabric~ approx 2 yards
more fabric in the sweetest little print ever! i am seriously in love with this! it looks like i have about 1 yard. any suggestions on what it should become?
a twin size sheet that is going to be summer skirts for the girls and i.
a spool of pretty ribbon (29 cents!!)
a lovely pumpkin wool sweater that i plan to felt and cut up and sew a wool diaper cover out of.

and a cute new denim skirt~ it is hard to photograph an article of clothing while wearing it...