This Vintage Chica

waiting and reflection

I have felt a bit more quiet lately.

And rightly so.

Advent is a time of waiting, of quiet, of reflection.  It is a welcome respite for the flurry of business that I feel every time I leave the neighborhood.

I am feeling very homesick.  Maybe because we already have tickets in hand.

I've been writing quite a bit.

But not here in this space.  Not quite yet.

I've been taking a lot of pictures too.  In preparation for Tracey Clark's newest photography class, Picture the Holidays.  I never get as many photos as I would like of our house and the lights during Christmas.  So this should remedy this.

And speaking of photos, the habit project is having a two year anniversary!  Happy anniversary emily+molly!  And in celebration, they have invited anyone who has been a contributor to post photos the entire month of December.

I am coming to understand how much photography fuels me.  I would love to learn more.  And more.  And more.  I want to know more about post processing in particular.

So here is to pretty pictures.  And to reflection.  And to being quiet.

And growing paper whites.

Much love to you today friends!

On Thanksgiving and On To Christmas

We really had the most wonderful (long) Thanksgiving weekend.  S is still out of town so we were invited to spend Thanksgiving with my soul sister Ambre's family.  She sets the most simple, but lovely table ever.

Please do not miss that first photo.  Her table runner is a simple hemmed piece of muslin that runs down the center of her table.  Each guest is invited to sign it or write a thought or prayer.  We are on the runner from last year as well and it was fun to see the kids handwriting from one year to the next.

We took my Grammer's cranberry salad...of course.  And my Grandmother Hays's spinach souffle.  I am realizing more than ever, how much of a tradition some recipes are in our family.

And Zane made his first pumpkin pie!  I think it could have cooked a slight bit more in the center, but the crust was perfect!  Ssshhh, but I ate the last piece this morning for breakfast before anyone else was out of bed.  There *are* benefits to being an early riser.

Thank you dear friends for such a wonderful, relaxing day full of Nerf wars, Cowboy football, good food, great wine and much laughter.  It was a treat for us and I continue to be thankful for such a wonderful community of people that surround us.

The first day of Advent was yesterday.  We readied our candles and decorated the tree.  The rest of the trimmings will go up sometime in the next few days.  I am trying not to rush it.  The boys love decorating so much, I'd like to spread it out a few days more.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!  Happy Monday all!

Free Patterns From STC Craft

One of my most favorite publishers, STC Craft is offering a special gift for the holidays!  Head on over to their site where they have put together 14 free patterns (Yes!  Free!) that are sure to inspire you to pick up your needles or get out your glue gun and find a few hours to relax and craft.

I especially love the simple knitted bookmarks!  Those are going on my list for sure.

Visit the STC Craft blog to download the patterns and enter our Handmade Holidays giveaway.

Holiday Weekend Inspiration

Holiday Weekend Inspiration, originally uploaded by eren | thisvintagechica.

“In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”
- Albert Schweitzer

Today I am thankful for all of you who share a tiny bit of my life.

Happy Thanksgiving dear friends.

First Frost

New Pillows For Pillow Week

 

 

Erin has been hosting pillow week this week.  If you have a few minutes (ok, an hour or so) pop over because she has some great video tutorials answering lots of how to questions regarding pillows.

Pillows are such great projects.  Similar to the impact a new paint color has on a room, pillows are inexpensive and can really change how the room looks in just a short amount of time.

I've had this great blue and grey plaid for a few weeks now.  I picked it up at Joann's when I was getting the pattern for Wyatt's Halloween costume.  I didn't know what I would do with it, but when I saw Erin's pillow challenge, I knew some new living room pillows would be great in front of the fireplace.

This fabric at first looks a bit like wool, but is super soft - almost like fleece, but even cozier.  It is easy to sew with as it doesn't ravel much.  

Yesterday I made two pillow covers for the summer pillows.  I love the idea of having simple, seasonal slip-on covers for the living room pillows.  This project took me all of 20 minutes and was so gratifying...just what my creative brain needed!  I am already thinking up what to do for Christmas.  Maybe some snowflake doily embellishment?

On the plate today is to make three huge floor pillows in a coordinating plaid for lounging in front of the fireplace.

On second thought...

...these seem to be working just fine.

 

Join Erin and make some pillows this week!

---  Don't forget to share your photos on the Pillow Week photo pool.

---  Have you seen Sara's to die for l-o-v-e pillows?  They are available in her etsy shop.

---  Im in love with this fall pillow.

What's Growing In The Winter Garden

It is cold here this morning. It didn't officially freeze, but it got pretty close.  I even lit the first fire in the fireplace this morning.  Every time I light a fire by myself, I am thankful that my Dad taught me well.

With the time change we had an extra hour to snuggle in front of the fire with warm vanilla milk, which has not replaced hot cocoa.

This is the time of year, when it first starts to get cold, I just can't seem to get warm.  I take warm baths and carry around a cup of tea all day.

But out in the garden, the plants loving the cooler temperatures.

Kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, lettuces, onions, leeks and other greens all love cool mornings and sunny afternoons.

One of the best things about winter gardening is no pests!  We are usually fighting the cabbage worms, but not this season.  Those pretty full leaves are testament to the lack of garden pests.

So far we've been having lots of fresh salads, but soon we should be able to add a few more items to the dinner table.

Anyone else growing a winter garden?

On Being Thankful

 

Its that time of year again isn't it?

Time be thankful.  Really, we try to practice it all year.  Counting our blessings.  Being grateful for the small things.

We've brought out the thankfulness journal and it is sitting on the living room coffee table ready for this year's entries.

My good friend Lisa of Polka Dot Cottage (thank you for the correction Olivia!) is hosting a Month of Gratitude.  Nothing fancy, just documenting the small blessings in life.  Of course we are thankful for friends and family and our home, etc.  Lisa has asked us to focus more on the little things that can be found in our everyday lives that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Count me in!

Lisa has created a flickr group where you can submit up to 7 photos a week.

This week I am thankful for:

-friends who drop little notes in your mailbox

-morning coffee with pumpkin spice creamer

-misty mornings walking to the bus stop

-the sight of one of the boys dancing in the living room to Prince

-for sitting under a pile of warm clothes while folding

-my new boots from Target

-hot apple cider

-cilantro growing like crazy in the garden

What little things are you thankful for today?

Happy Friday all!

Its My Job to Feed the Creativity (in both of us)

If you have been reading for long, you know our thoughts on public education.  Some days I love it, some days...not so much.

Today Wyatt got off the bus in a very sad mood.  We came in the house and had our usual lunch - pb&J with apple slices and milk.

I asked him about his day and he told me that he was sad. I could already tell, but thought I might get a little more info. out of him with a full belly...boys.  

A bit more prodding revealed the source of his frown.  His kindergarden class has been studying trees.  And I guess he was supposed to be doing a drawing of the tree the class had adopted.

Apparently he wanted to cut out and glue a blue whale to the top of his tree.  The teacher asked him if he saw a whale on the top of the tree outside.  He answered no and so she asked him to take his whale off of his tree.

Now I understand what his teacher was trying to teach him.  Because I am in their class on Fridays, I know that they are working on seasons and how the trees are loosing their leaves this time of year.  Im sure he was supposed to be focusing on that aspect of the tree and not blue whales.

But part of me was sad.  Sad that the creative part of him could not be encouraged a bit more.  Surely, the tree can have red and orange leaves AND a blue whale.

And then I woke up out of my "formal school is the only place he can learn fog".  

I feel like this little guy is a completely different little fellow than he was just a few short months ago.  His imagination is expanding exponentially.  The past several weeks has started telling amazing stories with tons of detail.  He's asked for pens and markers and pencils with plain paper.  

It really is my job to pick up where school leaves off.

Not a teacher who has 30 other little people to tend to.  The teacher, who is wonderful by the way, who doesn't see how his little brain is exploding with colors and animals and stories.  Sadly, she has not been tasked with encouraging his fleeting thoughts and silly stories.  She is crazy busy just trying to teach the curriculum she has been given.

This might make her a bit sad too.  I should ask her sometime.

So he and I broke out the clay and made a little village...with a strong wind that was so strong it blew the whale right up in the tree.  And a turtle who liked to eat candy...and two volcanoes.  And trees like they have in Africa.

Today I am reminded that I am the teacher.  That if art and creativity is important to he and I then I just make time and tools to feed that amazing little brain of his.  And maybe just maybe I'll dream a little bigger story for myself as well.

I've been thinking about dreaming a bigger story for myself ever since.

Once again, you are the REAL teacher and I am the student.

The Magnifying Glass - Gifts From Nature

 

Believe it or not, it is time (if you haven't already begun) to start to think about holiday gifts.  Yikes!

We aren't making much yet.  But plans are in the works for sure.

Over at The Magnifying Glass, there is a new series called Gifts From Nature - all about using things you find in nature to make handmade gifts.  Dawn started us off with a great little post about her family making kindling bundles.  What a great (and super easy) idea...especially for kiddos!

I'm really excited about it and can't wait to see what the other contributors come up with.

Check it out and if you wish, steal the button to place on your blog.

Here is the code:

<a href="http://www.themagnifyingglass.typepad.com/weblog/gifts-from-nature.html" title="the magnifying glass christmas logo"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1354/5121064614_eb2cefaacf.jpg" width="253" height="274" alt="the magnifying glass christmas logo" /></a>

There will be new ideas and updates every week until the holidays are over, so stay tuned.

Thank you for supporting The Magnifying Glass!

P.S.  If you have a project that is made primarily from items you find in the natural world and would like it posted, please email me with the link.  We'd love to include it!

Costumes Were A Go

Halloween fun we had by all.  My least favorite holiday was rather pleasant this year.  Maybe its because I refused to make the older boys costumes this year and "gently" encouraged them to come up with something on their own.  OK, I told them they couldn't go trick or treating without a costume and I wasn't going to spend weeks making it for them...unlike last year.

With a few days to go the older boys came up with their costumes...a mad scientist and a zombie soccer player.  Perfect!

Both boys  have discovered fake blood.  8 year old boys and fake blood go together like peas and carrots.  

I did make Wyatt's dinosaur costume...complete with little gloves.  I am pretty proud of myself.  This is only the second time I've ever sewn from a pattern.  He loved it and wanted to wear it to school yesterday.  That in itself makes a mama's heart all warm.

They carved their own jack-o-lanterns too.  Can you guess what the bottom pumpkin shape is?

Oh yes...and there is more of this sticky stuff than I ever care to have in my house at one time.  Im now trying to think of what to do with it all.  In the past S has taken it to work.  What do you do with the extra Halloween candy in your house?