anniversary 3

Time flies, but in the best way.

new project: christmas stocking

I haven't sewn in about fifteen years, but I finally jumped in. After spending some time checking out already-made Christmas stockings for our plus one, I decided that I was not going to spend $50 on a beautiful one. Or $25 on a "cheap" one. It's a sock, friends. Not even a pair of socks. One sock.

As you may have noticed, I can't bear to spend more than ten dollars on a stocking. This is why I once squealed with delight and purchased two stockings online from Crate & Barrel for $5.95, failing to read the dimensions beforehand that clearly stated they were only three inches long.

Yet, a good Christmas stocking simply cannot be made out of that thin polyester "felt," either. This kind of price versus quality quandary is what always, inevitably, leads me down the path paved by Gloria Gaynor in 1975. (Do it yourself.)

I borrowed my mom's old sewing machine, a Holiday Crafting magazine from my aunt, spent $2.62 on a couple yards of fabric and about five dollars on embroidery miscellanea. (I love how cheap these materials are, unlike paint and brushes.)

Embroidering probably took me five hours, since I had no idea what I was doing, and I made a ton of mistakes because I didn't use an invisible pen to draw my design. But it was fun and relaxing. It's like drawing with thread, and if you know me, you know that I like any kind of "drawing" - especially with alternative materials.

I couldn't find (or recognize) the pattern referenced in the crafting magazine, so I just traced around a Christmas stocking I bought at Target a couple years ago. It worked fine. The actual sewing was interesting, because I can barely stand to practice anything before I start right in. It turned out that I couldn't really sew along a curve. But that was okay, because thread isn't like paint. I ripped a bunch of stitches out and kept trying, with an imperfect but much more pleasing result.

I made many other mistakes, but overall this was a simple beginner project. It was also very satisfying and totally festive. I recommend making one of these with an eggnogg latte by your side, listening to Nat King Cole Christmas. Because that may or may not have been what I did.

itty-bitty things I'm thinking about

A month ago, our astute ultrasound technician discovered that our little nugget already has hair. As in, long hair that was actually visible on the sonogram. I was startled, since I've always assumed I would make little bald babies like myself. I guess the news took a while to sink in, because another month has passed and it finally occurred to me that I might actually be able to utilize those tiny things known as baby hair clips. (!)

I just took a cursory look at some on Etsy, and I have to tell you - they've come a long way, although you can still buy the ones we wore as kids, if you're inclined toward nostalgia... and plastic. Personally, I am loving that today's babies are bedecked in natural materials in an array of lovely colors. Here are some of my favorites:

Crocheted floral hair clip by tumbleweedkids
This has me dreaming about learning to crochet. I'll add it to my list of things to learn over maternity leave.

Embroidered wool felt poppy clip, also by tumbleweedkids
I am astounded by how pretty this is.

Wooden birdie and felt butterfly clips by paperdoll accessories

 
Miniature grosgrain ribbon bow clips by sophie's boutique

And last but not least, I think my favorite is this little felt bear clip by May Crimson:

pretty broken things

It slipped my mind that my brother was in a second band until a few months ago. I was at a show for HBIM, when I had the pleasure of meeting a whole bunch of incredibly nice people from Pretty Broken Things, and I put two and two together.

After the show, I wandered over to the band facebook page. The music is as lovely as the people. Spare yet sweeping, lush yet raw, crisp, lucid and a little haunting - that's the only way I can describe "Our Story." You can have a listen and even download it for free here.

If you're visual like me, you might also be interested in pretty photos of the group rehearsing over at Amber Zbitnoff's blog.

Photo belongs to the band facebook page.

highlight: knittybutton, or baby's first toy

Not very long ago I asked Knittybutton, a.k.a Ali, to knit a bunny for the baby. It is her very first toy. It needed to be special.

I couldn't be more pleased! I can't even tell you how cute this thing is. So, I have to show you instead.

It's a little gray bunny with a pink hoody. The hoody is removable! It's perfect. It's adorable. I would have never thought of it on my own. That's the beauty of dealing with someone creative. "Is a gray bunny too plain?" "Well, how about I make a pink hoody for it, just in case?"

I might have to ask Knittybutton make a hoody for the baby, too.

Wouldn't that be too much?

**Yes, that is a sliver of a bottle of whiskey in the first photo. Age appropriate comforts sitting next to each other? Just kidding.

inspiration: clare newberry

Lately, I have taken to collecting Clare Newberry books. The first, Mittens, I discovered by chance at Tacoma Book Center while sorting through used books over a lunch break. While the story itself is terrific, I (of course) was absolutely smitten with the illustrations. I guess it wasn't just because, as a little girl, I was smitten with kittens. The New York Times also praised the book, calling Mittens' 1936 ink drawings "the very best cat pictures that have ever been made." High praise for something so humble as cats.

I went back to the Book Center some time later with a friend and discovered Barkis, which won the Caldecott Honor in 1938. The charcoal, pencil and watercolor wash illustrations are so breathtaking.

I love coming across the old and wonderful by chance. Both of these books were published when a loaf of bread cost eight cents, our country was lingering between wars, and the depression was still underway. Come to think of it, things don't feel much different to me now, except for the part about bread, and the fact that the vast majority of children's book art isn't what it used to be.

While the art may truly suit the text, I have found that so many of today's children's book illustrations are ugly, gestural, angular, loud, and otherwise unlovely - really, unloved, if that's not too far a stretch - and they don't ask for more than a quick flip through. What I love about Clare Newberry's illustrations is the obvious time, talent, and pure joy of seeing poured into them. Although Newberry's pictures are simple, they tell so much, evidencing hours of practice and of studying the minute details until the characters came alive.

While I don't think that realism is the best and only style, I do believe that Newberry's commitment to realism continues to say so much about persistence, and about truly seeing. I don't know that today's children have enough opportunities to absorb that message in such a captivating and disarming way.

So, when I see old books as lovely as these, I have to snatch them up, intend to read them to my children often, and hope that the visual messages sink in just as much as the stories.

Highlight: Elly Mackay

So, several months ago I posted on Facebook about how much I love Elly Mackay's artwork, and my friend ever so generously bought me two of her pieces to hang in the baby's room! I recently had the art professionally framed, which was the first time I've ever professionally framed anything by myself. In college, my mom used to "rescue" my artwork that was littered all over my apartment under threat of being thrown away. She'd frame my stuff to save it from certain death (Thanks, Mom). Anyway, framing these was a little intimidating, but I am so happy with the finished product!

Elly Mackay is a totally inspiring artist. She paints these storybookish figures and sets them in a diorama, adding real water and playing with different lighting to get just the right effect before she photographs the scenes. I think the results are thoughtful, beautiful, and even a little melancholy. I am so excited for our kid to grow up looking at these.