little birds handmade

the owl and the pussycat

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
              In a beautiful pea green boat...
(Edward Lear)

This little set is my donation to the Kim Family Benefit Art + Craft Auction. I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while (Mia is a big fan of this poem), and it seemed a good time to finally realize it. Bidding begins January 3rd (next Wednesday); so please spread the word!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I had a great time with family and was able to pull almost all my handmade gifts together in time. I am really looking forward to the new year. I'm going to give myself a fresh start by taking a blog sabbatical. Little birds will be quiet for the next month or two while I take some time away to explore. I did this last year, and it was really re-energizing. I highly recommend it.

I'll be back a few more times in the next week to remind everyone about the auction and to share a new project (see, I won't be disappearing entirely from the web).

Wishing you happy and safe New Year's celebrations!

signing off for a bit

Folks, I am seriously overwhelmed, and my family really needs me to chill out and enjoy their company. I'm going to take a little blogging break. I'll be back after Christmas or maybe next year.

At last count, I have nearly 100 blog and shop related emails to which I need to respond (um, yeah. I said 100). There are bloggers who manage this type of correspondence very well. I am not one of them.  I am going to really try to get back to some of you, but it may take me a while. I encourage people to read my about page to learn more about me and my camera (a very common question). While I do enjoy posting tutorials and the occasional pattern, it is simply not possible for me to do this for everything I make. I try my best to give as much information about how I construct things in my posts as time allows. I very rarely use patterns. When I use a pattern, book or online instructions, I will always let you know where I found it. Almost all my fabric is vintage, secondhand or gifted to me. I have purchased fabric online once in my life. I purchase my woolens and 100% linen at my local fabric store  (Mill Ends). I am unable to take any special orders. Hope this helps and that everyone understands. Emails are always welcome, but I do appreciate your patience as I try to respond!

Please do continue to check out the Kim Family Art + Craft Auction site as I am adding new things every day.

Happy Holidays to you all! Enjoy it!

getting there

I'm crossing a few things off my list, but I have a ways to go...I'm rushing a bit so I can enjoy a few days of 100% relaxation once my sister gets here. Really looking forward to it!

I have begun to add a preview of the auction items over at the Kim Family Benefit site, so take a look. I will continue to add items throughout the next week. Amazing stuff! Thank you again to all the contributing artists.

seventh heaven

happy seventh birthday to my girl! you are my sunshine.

breakfast in bed :: presents and play :: dressing up :: nutcracker ballet :: more presents :: out for sushi :: ice cream cake from ben & jerry's :: a good day, i think.

done :: undone

Please check out our new site for the Kim family benefit auction. There are so many amazing artists participating. Save your Christmas pennies! We'll be posting a preview of the auction items in the next few weeks.

I decided today that the only way I'd be able to manage and complete all the projects and responsibilities I have going on was to clean out and reorganize my work space. It has led to a bit of rearranging throughout the entire house (as tends to happen in small houses). It's all good, but feels a bit nuts to be moving furniture when there's so many pressing things that remain undone. I am uncovering a lot stuff I had forgotten about, both good and bad (checks, bills, fabric, gifts, special orders...).

Thanks for all the family well wishes. My mom is doing well, I think, and  Miles is much improved today. Improved enough to start getting in the way, if you know what I mean. It's good to be back to normal. Have a great weekend!

a small world

Look! My presents are finished, wrapped, and under the tree!

Well, not really, but I did get the doll house presents wrapped and a tree skirt made. The presents are Legos wrapped in magazine clippings. This is the extent of the work that I've done on the doll house, and, while I have a few other bitty things planned, it will have to be presented as a work in progress on Sunday.  I'm looking forward to a year of tiny crafting.

Look at this treasure Mia can hang in her house. An itty-bitty cuckoo clock! It came all the way from France via Eireann. Isn't it great?

We've had a lot of bumps in the holiday road this week. Miles is still quite sick, and I had to take my mom to the emergency room last night (She's okay!! She has cellulitis which can happen easily to someone like her who has had surgery for breast cancer. She's a real trooper.) I'm letting some things go and simplifying others. It will all get done.

I have the auction site for the Kim family just about ready to go. We'll launch the site tomorrow and reveal the list of participating artists. The auction will begin January 3rd with an opportunity to bid for the five following days.

See you tomorrow!

rescheduled

 Another gift. These oven mitts are really easy and fun to make. I just make mine up as I go along, but I know that Denyse Schmidt's book has an oven mitt pattern if you'd like to give it a go.

I have a guest post over at Kiddley in honor of Santa Lucia Day. Mia was up really early today with her crown on, ready to serve everybody breakfast. Unfortunately, I was up really late with Miles whose fever was so high that he was hallucinating (frightening!...he's much better today, thank goodness), and I didn't have it in me to get up and make saffron buns.  We decided to reschedule Santa Lucia for the solstice. Someone's ready...

getting a few things done

Thanks for your continued interest in the auction for the Kims. I believe we have all the donations that we can handle, but you can contact my sister at lisacongdondesign{at}yahoo{dot}com if you have questions about donations. Thank you!

I, like so many of you, am falling a bit behind in my holiday plans and reevaluating what I might be able to accomplish. Mia's seventh birthday is this weekend and thank goodness she graciously agreed to postpone her party until January; it was a bit more than I could handle at this time (and don't we all need a little fun in January?) We will, however, be celebrating by attending a performance of the Nutcracker as we have every year since she was four (this year we'll be joined by Miles and Grandma).

We've had a plague of fevers/general misery among the small people around here which isn't helping my productivity, but we've managed to get a few things done.

 

Mia designed and embroidered this ornament from her sick bed and has plans to make a few more. I concentrated on finishing Christmas gifts for my little nieces.

Simple little stuffeds. The bunny is for a baby and has jingle bells inside. The cat is for a toddler and lives in a wool tote with matching floral lining.

All the pretty 30's reproduction florals in these projects came to me from the generous Eliza Gran who makes charming and classic clothing for women and children. Thanks Eliza! You really had me inspired this week.

giving

Our plans for the auction to benefit the Kim family are coming along well. In the next few days we'll launch the auction site, announce the start date, and share the list of amazing artists participating. Stay tuned.

On the subject of giving, this is the time of year that our family makes a lot of decisions about charitable giving - both for the holidays and for the year to come. I wanted to share some resources with you that we've come across lately:

• Charity Navigator (evaluates charities based on their "financial health")
• Just Give (helps connect you with a charity that interests you)
• Global Giving (another way to connect with charities)
• Alternative Gifts International (give a gift to someone in need in the name of someone you love)
• Willamette Week's Give! Guide (for my local friends)

Happy Sunday!

a new day

A new day that I will approach with renewed gratitude. I will laugh at my silly children. I will rest my head on my husband's shoulder. I will celebrate new opportunities. I will make things. I will remember.