This Vintage Chica

Simple Comforts and Bending The Rules

It has rained for the past 5 days.  And rained.  And rained.

Which was really fine with me, since we were all feeling a bit under the weather anyway.  No, we do not have the swine flu.  But we've all had noses that haven't been working, and scratchy throats.  One of us even got sent home with a fever, but I couldn't find it once he was comfy and snuggly in his bed.  Yes, we have all been teetering just on the verge of being sick. 

So, it's all been about comfort around here for several days.  Comfort food, fires in the fireplace, and making things.  We even ventured out to see Where The Wild Things Are...which we loved...more than loved.  And sick or not, I'll take any excuse I can to slow down, curl up under a quilt, make a big pot of soup, listen to good music, play with legos, bake and sew.

Which is what we've been doing.

I had convinced myself that deployments would be easier when the boys were older.  I would be able to talk them through their emotions.  They would remember him more and it would make things easier.  I was wrong.  (This is where having a blog comes in handy)  With S being away, and it being a bit more difficult than I expected, I've had to go back to my own advice.

I admit, the first time I saw the Daddy Dolls, they gave me the eebie-jeebies for some reason. I mean, I thought it was a great idea, but something just reminded me of the old ladies that have their fourteen year old cocker spaniels stuffed after their beloved friend passes on.

One night after my youngest went to bed talking about how much he missed his papa, I hopped into bed...looking forward to loosing myself in Amy Karol's new book Bend The Rules With Fabric. The first project I turned to was the Uncle Pete and Aunt Sarah dolls...a very similar concept to the daddy dolls I had seen before.  We used Amy's directions, but chose to draw our own body in camouflage with sharpie markers.

Wyatt and I made a daddy doll the next afternoon.  I am getting used to it.  Oh, what we do to comfort these little ones.  Now Daddy, or a "not quite as eerie ad I used to think" version of him, goes with us everywhere.

If you get a chance, check out Amy's book.  It has lots of other great projects we can't wait to try.

For A Good Cause

Last summer, I traveled to Nicaragua with some of the most wonderful people I have ever met...all so kind and compassionate.  When you are in siuations that expose you to such pain and poverty and then hop on a plane and fly home...well, it is difficult.  You come back with a lot of questions.  What do I do now?  how do I help?  Can I even make a difference?  Where do I begin to make a difference with such a huge problem?

For this group of team members, it all seemed to come down to one issue.  Casa Bernabe, the orphanage where we "lived" for the week is a wonderful place.  A place where children receive 3 meals a day, a loving caring staff to encourage and care for them, and the opportunity to go to school.  "Casa" is not perfect, and there is still much to be done.  But it was clear to our group that the orphanage is a light in a country full of much darkness. A safe refuge for many children.  One problem, however is that because of finances, Casa Barnabe only cares for about 60 children when the orphanage capacity is around 100.  That means that there are 40 children on the streets of Managua or in toxic homes or elsewhere that could be experiencing the safety and nurturing of "Casa".  The only roadblock is funding. 

This team just could not quite get over that fact and decided to do something about it.  They set out to raise $20,000 to bring more children off the street and into safety and opportunity. 

We attended the fundraiser this past weekend, held at a small local airport. 

It was wonderful.  It was more than wonderful.  It was inspiring to watch people put those small little whispers of "I wish I could do something" into real action.

I am so proud to call these amazing people my friends.

I have been making a quilt out of vintage sheeting and linen to offer as one of the raffle items.  But the team ended up doing a 50/50 pot split and not needing the quilt.  So now I have this quilt that was made with the specific intention of donating it to help in the effort.  I don't feel right about selling it, or even giving it away as a gift, since there was such a specific purpose in mind.  Believe me, it did enter my mind. 

My father is an auctioneer.  And I grew up to the auctioneer chant of his voice.  (happy birthday Dad)  So, it seems like a natural response to auction this little quilt off here on the blog.  I have never seen an auction done through a blog, but I think it will work.

Stay tuned next week for more.

Make Your Own Spider Web

It's no wonder spider webs and spiders are such a main icon of fall festivals and halloween decor.  They seem to be everywhere you look.  Last year we had Charlotte if you remember. And we loved watching her spin her gorgeous webs every morning.  But her offspring were not quite as intelligent as she was and the few we saw this year chose to live next door...with a new neighbor that did not appreciate their handiwork as much as we did.  Despite Wyatt trying to convince them otherwise, I am pretty sure an exterminator was called and well...we won't think about what happened next.

Instead, this summer we have had a few new spiders.  Orb weavers still, but this time they were a bit different, but equally fun to watch.  Possibly brown orb weavers.

After watching so many webs being built, we thought about making our own webs.  I was telling my friend Kari about a pre-school craft I remember where the teacher cut slits on the sides of a paper plate and the teacher let the children weave black yarn in and out of the slits and across the plate to make a web.  We didn't have any paper plates at the time, but necessity is the mother of invention.

What we did have was a few leftover boards from a shelf project and some nails.

This is what we came up with instead.

The boys have had the best time with this nail board and cotton string.  I originally made it for my 4-year old, but the older boys have enjoyed it just as much and have now designed and made their own versions.

And of course, no spider web would be complete without a spider...a black widow.

For more detailed instructions on how to make your own spider web or how to catch a real spider web on black paper, check out The Magnifying Glass later today.

**I can see these nail boards being put up for a little while and coming back out as snowflake makers in a few months.**

Ian's First Crazy Quilt

This little project as been done for a few weeks now, but I am happy to finally get a minute to share it with you.

Ian has been coveting a piece of vintage orange velour from my fabric stash for well over a year.  And finally the stars aligned perfectly allowing opportunity and resources to collide.  He knew he wanted to use the orange for sure, and chose a vintage roadster print for the opposite side.  It took him a few days to figure out what color(s) the binding would be...and honestly, I was wondering how we would tie these two very different fabrics together myself.  But Ian came down the stairs one morning exclaiming, "I've got it mom!  Blue!"  While in the sewing room finding the perfect shade of blue, we came across the brown print with the little stars.  He liked that too, so we threw in a few pieces of it as well. 

And isn't that how all the best quilts end up coming together.  An inspiration piece to start, plus a few prints that may not really coordinate perfectly, but they make us smile.  So we include them anyway.  And in the long run, it all just works.  Such is Ian's quilt.

He did almost all of the quilting on my macine.  But believe me there was much guiding and assisting.  His quilting technique brings new meaning to the words "crazy quilt".

Oh, and just so you don't get the idea that a boy who makes a quilt can not be equally tough as creative, here are a few of the outtake photos of he and is quilt.

You know...just so you don't get the wrong idea.

The Fall Garden Is In

Right now it is 5:45 a.m. and I have the back door open so Scout can run in and out...able to announce to me that she has found the trail of the bunny that has been visiting our garden in the evenings.

It is cool and crisp you can literally smell autumn.  I know many of you up North are already experiencing gorgeous Fall color.  But we here in coastal Virginia are just beginning to witness the first signs...goldenrod in bloom, acorns on the oak trees, geese again flying overhead.

The past few weekends the boys and I have been reading the garden for the winter growing season.  Last year, we had parsley, cabbage, and swiss chard that made it all winter.  The perseverance of those plants had me wondering what else would survive the winter.  With a little research, I found that the ocean, being slower to cool and warm than the air, provides some protection from the dipping temperatures that most of inland Virginia experiences.  So we along the coast can grow year round.  For you locals, Useful Gardensand their forum is a great source of information for those of us who can take advantage of this interesting geographical gardening opportunity.

So far in our little raised beds, we have...

• kale, can't wait to try this recipe for kale chips
• mixed lettuces
• broccoli
• peas
• spinach
• leeks
• onions
• brussel sprouts

From the summer garden we still have...

• a few tomatoes, but they are quickly being devoured by tobacco hornworm caterpillars
• green beans
• cucumbers
• the dill and cilantro have reseeded themselves, but not sure how big they will get before a cold snap gets them
• rosemary
• thyme
• lavender
• stevia, blooming now
• marigolds and zinnias are still blooming away
• and other herbs

From the photos above, you might almost think in was Spring again.  New life, new growth, that gorgeous pale green color.  Yes, I think I'm already in love with Fall gardening.

Make it a great Monday all.  It is good to be back.