advent: part one

I know I'm one day late to the party, but I finally finished my little advent calendar last night, just in the nick of time. Nothing like a deadline to get me moving.

When I was little, we had a similar advent calendar. Made of felt, with snaps.. I think. I've combed through the attic at my parent's house on several occasions looking for it, but no luck. So I had to improvise and make my own. 

I love felt, especially the good stuff. I hope this calendar will be used for quite some time, pulled out year after year, so I didn't mind taking the time to stitch it by hand. (It also gave me a good excuse to watch a little TV and still feel productive.) Bee and C have been watching me make it, and are thrilled it is finally December at last! 

The pockets were stitched using the number template I made for the Purl Bee (and Page's advent calendar is so bright and lovely). The buttons on the tree are a mixed bunch, all from a big bag of antique buttons I splurged on at Quilt Market. Here are the ornaments for week 1, more to come!

nyc #6

One last book for kids about New York City, and only because this one is perfect for Thanksgiving. Milly and the Macy's Parade by Shana Corey and illustrated by Brett Helquist (of Lemony Snicket fame).

"It was 1924, Milly's first year in America, and all over New York City people were hustling and bustling about getting ready for the holidays." Milly's dad works at Macy's and Milly loves to visit every day after school.

Her dad and his fellow workers miss the holiday traditions of their old countries... "Big brass instruments and caroling from house to house". Milly hates to see them so sad.

She comes up with a wonderful idea, a parade, with singing and strolling in the streets. "And that's how Milly and Mr. Macy started a new holiday tradition. It looked a little like the old country, and a little like America, and a little like something entirely new."

We'll be watching it in the morning... Happy Thanksgiving!

color story #4

Christmas was a big deal when I was working at MSLO. December was the most popular issue of the year, and we would fret over each and every last detail. A new color palette was chosen each time, and the traditional Christmas colors were given a bit of a tweak. Not your standard berry red and holly green... some years pink would sneak in, some years blue, some times a bit of silver.

I have high hopes of making a few things for my little family this year, so I've been playing around with my own color story. Bright spring greens, orange reds, and even a bit of pink. I will be so pleased if I can finish the stockings, as it's the first year we've actually had a mantle to hang them on.

I purchased all the fabrics you see here from the lovely selection at purlsoho.com. 

i want candy

There is way too much candy around here this week. When I was little, my brothers and sisters and I used to come home from our marathon of trick or treating, dump out our pillowcases and organize our candy stash. One row for peanut butter cups, one row for now and laters, etc. And then we'd trade like crazy for our favorites.

My dad hated the idea of all that candy in the house, so the day after halloween he would buy our candy from us. We'd weigh it on the bathroom scale and get paid $1 a pound, or something like that. So this year, we bought the candy off Bee and C. They got to pick 10 of their favorites, and we got the rest. They're happy and we are too. 

super kids

Once upon a time when we were living in Brooklyn, I made up a story for my kids about two superheroes: Super C and Super Bee. We were probably riding the train or something and I needed to entertain them for a minute. The Adventures of Super C and Super Bee have continued since that day.. The stories always take place somewhere in New York, and have involved saving someone from the top of the Statue of Liberty, or helping a stranded seal at the Central Park Zoo, or a runaway bumper car down at Coney Island. These super crusaders have powers of course: Super C can run lightning fast, and Super Bee can fly faster than a jet plane. (There is sometimes a Super Tate, who was C's best buddy in Brooklyn, and he is super strong).

So when I started talking about Halloween this year, the kids decided collectively that they wanted to be Super C and Super Bee. (But what about our family costume tradition, I cried? How about Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, and daddy can be the woodcutter? No, they cried. We want super powers!! We want capes!!) 

I finished up the capes before I left for Houston. Thanks go to my talented friend Katie who had given C a fantastic cape for his birthday last year, which I used as a template... I'm sure it saved me hours of headaches. I love that the capes will get played with all year, not just tossed aside after a few hours of trick or treating. 

While I was away, my husband sewed the shirts and pants so the kids could attend a weekend Halloween party. He even used zippers and bias trim with piping (things I never would have attempted). Did I mention my husband has skills with a sewing machine? (it was one of the things I discovered early in our courtship that made me think, hmmm.. maybe I could love this guy. That, and his subscription to Dwell magazine.) Thank you JR for not sending the kids out in just their skivvies and a cape.

how to light a jack-o-lantern

Lighting a jack-o-lantern can be tricky business. It's easy to burn yourself as you try to hold a match to the tiny tealight you've placed inside your pumpkin. 

I picked up this tip during my time at Martha Stewart. Instead of reaching your hand into the pumpkin with a lit match, light a piece of spaghetti instead. It will burn very slowly, and serves as the perfect tool to light your candle without burning yourself in the process. I realize you can also use glow sticks or touch lights in your pumpkins instead of candles, and not worry about burning your fingers at all, but that's cheating in my book. Half the fun of a jack-o-lantern is seeing it flicker and glow by candlelight. We lit ours tonight and they look beautiful out on the porch. Happy Halloween!

hedwig the owl

C's owl costume was inspired by the baby bird costume story from Martha Stewart Baby a few years back (created by Katie Hatch, who is a sewing genius). You can find the directions for the wings here. I added some rows of felt feathers glued onto a onesie to make it feel a bit more owl-y. The whole costume can be done in a few hours, and you don't even have to turn on your sewing machine.