My 3 year old can sew her own clothes.

It's 1pm and Addie won't take a nap.

Addie, It's time for bed.

But mom, I'm awake.

No you're not. You need to go to sleep. You are so tired.

Mom, I want to be with you.

Go to bed.

But there are monsters.

Go to sleep.

Mom, can I sew a dress?

What?

Pause.

Puppy dog eyes.

OK. Let's sew a dress.

I have always been interetsed in teaching Addie to sew. I knew as soon as she learned, she would be hooked. I just didn't know the right age to start. She is 3 1/2 and needles and such aren't much for 3 year olds. But I pulled out a yarn needle, and a full length of embroidery thread, and we began to sew. And amazing! She got the hang of it!


Poke it in/Pull it out/Pinch the eye/ pull until it stops/ poke again close to where it came out.

She is a rhythm girl, and even began singing a song about the above routine.

Hum-dee-dum. Pinching the needle. toodle-oo. Poke it through.

Seriously folks...she sewed every stitch in this dress. Granted it didn't last long, but I couldn't believe it.

But she is hooked. Every day since: "Mom, can we sew today?"
And now she notices her toys, clothes, blankets, couch pillows: "Mom! Somebody sewed this for me! I can see the thread!"

Since this dress, she has made a dress for Flower and a toy cow and is working on a blanket for her baby.

I can't wait to get her an embroidery hoop. She may still be too young. But this might be just the thing to keep her away from Barbi just one more year.

Let's talk: Art for children.

Art for children's rooms. One of my favorite topics of discussion. I have such strong feelings about this (really?) and have come across a GREAT article on the REAL SIMPLE website. Holly (from Decor 8) talks about 1) the love of great nursery decor and 2) the increasing opportunities to buy inexpensive art for your kids. I was FLOORED when I saw one of my images up in her pick of 60 or so prints that she likes. I really had no idea. I was reading my first favorite children's artist blog and she mentioned this article and so I checked it out...and voila!



See that little teaparty action happening on the left there? geesh! About give me a heart attack. Real Simple is a favorite place for me, so that was extra special. Thanks Holly!

But I bring this up, because there is just a lot more out there than there used to be. When I was first pregnant I was trying to figure out what *style* I wanted to incorporate in my children's playroom and nursery. There is so much to consider when deciding! Color, theme, style, gender, baby or big kid, etc. I truly believe that you have to know your child and decorate with their personality in mind. For instance, I spent my entire pregnancy collecting fabric for Addie's crib bedding and after Addie was 6 months old, I abandoned it because it just wasn't "her".

Here are some of my favorite art prints for kids as well as some pointers to consider when purchasing art for your child:

creative thursday

1) Have your child test it. Circumstances won't always allow your children to see the art before you purchase it, but my children are my BEST testers. I print off a copy of all my new prints, and let them hold it. If I find them looking at it for a long time, or carrying it around with them, I know I have a winner. Addie has been known to sleep with a few.

binth

2) Timelessness. You will most likely redo your child's room by the time they are 8. But will the art work for 6-8 years? Will it be too babyish in 3 years? Maybe it doesn't matter to you...but it sure is something to consider.

Margot Curan

3) Does it have an easy color scheme? I am not "matchy matchy". I really don't like everything to be just perfect. But I do consider that in the next couple months, Addie will need a new bed and new bedding. Can I easily find bedding that will "go" with the decor she already has?

Belle and Boo: Lost and Found

4) What is it teaching? Not every piece of art will tell a story, or teach something. In fact, most won't. But good art will stay in your child's mind for years to come. Do you remember what was in your room in your early years? I do. I had a picture of Jesus with the children, an embroidered "one, two buckle my shoe" piece and a print of the Goose Girl. I remember falling asleep staring at these images. They are a part of my first memories as a child. I can't say that they "taught" me anything, but there was a feeling of safety and comfort in them. What kind of comfort do you want to offer your child?

You will notice that the art above is different than my own style, but that is what I love about art for kids...why do "Matchy Matchy?" Let your children imagine a reason it all goes together. As an artist and mom, these thoughts are running through my head as I continually adjust my kids' room, but also as I create the art itself.

For more ETSY artists, check out this link: 100 ETSY artists. Some really great finds! Stay tuned for more...I could chat about this subject for hours!

dollhouse.

I gain so much inspiration from other mothers who are figuring it out as they go just like me.

But today, here is some inpiration from Grandma.

She is the mother of 10 (no twins) and a do-it-yourself / make-it-yourself kinda gal. I could write a book on this woman, for the sake of writing time this morning, lets just say that with a small house, not a lot of money and a lot of kids, she leaned on her creativity day in and day out.

You all notice how the true wooden doll house has made a comeback. Well folks, this is the REAL thing.


I just have to share how awesome this house is: it was built like framed house...beams and everything...a miniature house in every way. I remember playing with it with open walls in it's "pre-finished" state. We got to imagine so much with it!

My grandmother has since added foam core walls (some rooms are still a little makeshift), carpet linoleum and even finished the roof by breaking off the leaves of pine cones, placing them carefully in rows and painting a thick coat of paint to make it look like terra cotta tile. Oh...and notice the stucco siding.
We all love looking at ingenious ideas from mom/craft/parenting blogs. But this my friends, is from grandma. And it has lasted for my own kids to enjoy.


Now Anyone want to build this for me?

Great Children's toys I wish I could make, but I can't.

These are all posted on Swiss Miss
A windy road rug, an incredible wooden house, helicopter...and my favorite...the wooden toaster.
Wooden Toys are the only way to go. The other stuff just doesn't handle as well, and my kids love the durability and the space it leaves to the imagination. here are some fun finds.



Although, this I can make. Cardboard washer and dryer. Addie and Ian like to help me, but they are too little and it gets hard to lift them up for every piece of clothing. fun idea huh?

more from the netherlands

some more inspiring rooms from scandinavia land. check out Kid's Factory
the lamps alone are worth the picture. But the colors make me feel like bold can be beautiful!

more fun non american kids stuff sites

I just love to see a kids room bursting with color, stimulating pictures and art, stations with various activities, yet the perfect place for a child to get away and be in their own world. My Kid's room is nothing like that...yet...but we are getting there.

I found a few more fun sites/design ideas. here's a peek:

Mijnes love their colors and approach to what kids love to see. Here's a crib bag and a diaper bag:





Wallframe a site from the netherlands. But it presents a great idea. Walls with magnetic paint is a great way to display and create large spaces. Here they have colored foam pieces in all sorts of shapes for kids to create their own pictures.



gewoon: i think I will try and make these. maybe with velcro hands for optimum hugging.

Pakhuis Oost what isn't there to love?

projects

While I have been here in CA, I have been trying to take advantage of my mother in law's awesome sewing machine as well as her sewing skills. Haven't done as much as I would like, but then again, she's busy, and I am enjoying the down time. But I have started making some play food for the kids. So far, I have made a cupcake, a carrot, some bread and a chocolate chip cookie (i will take pics when my camera is finally repaired). But until then, these pics have been my inspiration. When I am done making a complete sandwhich, I want to make some veggies and pasta for them to stir around in their little play pots. And of course...the sushi looks pretty fun!

I have another week here, and I hope to make some skirts and a dress for addie. It is a bit ambitious for me, since I have never made a single item of clothing before...but It can't be that hard right? I have a pattern, and some awesome heather bailey and amy butler fabric and we'll see how it goes! It is nice to have someone over my shoulder that I can ask the dumb questions to. I just hope that i can get these done in time to take advantage of the help!

More color and ideas...

Ok,

So I am working on my kids' room, and I came across a few websites.

Welterusten: I just love their colors, simplicity and modern mixed with traditional...and it's all original and very scandinavian! Oh, I wish this were a site in english, or that they had a store in the U.S. BUT, it gives me some great ideas about bedding and pillows for Addie's room someday.

here are some of my favorites:

THIS website: Another great scandinavian kids site. Great show rooms of some of the same peices above. You have to click around on all the icons to find the variety...and once you get one set of picks, hit "mere" which means more. There is great mix of whimsical and modern and traditional....All packed into one store.

Madlillies: really fun art for the child in all of us. I'm getting great ideas:


I am saving the pink for when Addie has her own room. But, things are on their way in Addie and Ian's new room. I decided to change the colors though...more of what they already are in order to save money:) But I still really like it. Here is a hint:




We are going for an elephant theme I am thinking. It's fun! I love putting Addie and Ian's personality into a room. (I am holding back a little, since Addie would need lots of pinks and reds....and I want this area to be accomodating for both). But, it's fun to get a sense of what I like and who they are and put it together.

I love them so much! They are an adventure. Already Addie managed to grab her favorite snack (mediteranean green olives) off the shelf at Target, and while trying to open them, dropped it on the ground which broke the bottle splattering green olives and vinegar all over the isle. (She actually managed to grab an olive and shove it in her mouth before I could catch her!) And Ian, while I was making lunch for my grandfather at his house, found an open bottle of Paprika and began to shake the entire bottle all over himself and all over the floor. (thank goodness it wasn't cayenne!!! It was all over his face).

Motherhood is full of color, isn't it? And so are my children. I love it!