safety first

as colden grows, we've been moving our things higher and higher. at this point, little is unreachable, although he hasn't begun moving furniture to climb up and access higher shelves.

but, he has gotten the hang of the doorknobs. at first it was difficult to keep him out of the garage (and all its wonders and terrors), but now he is pretty content to 'leave it closed right now'. and i have to say that it's quite sweet when he hears the dogs whining to come in and lets them in. he closes the door behind them too. sometimes i even ask him to go take care of them! how great is that?

so we thought we might be able to get away without purchasing those plastic door handle covers that prevent children from opening doors while still allowing adult access. then, the other morning, marc woke up and colden was out of the bedroom. (i was still sleeping). with all the christmas lights, cole's fondness for electrical outlets and candles, the occasional stray pin, well. i guess this was a wake up call (ha!). marc proposed the idea long ago for a crocheted cover, and well, it was just easy as pie.

we may not need it for long, or we may need more, but either way it is not going in the landfill ever, beautiful to look at and touch, and didn't cost a dime. hooray!

seasons round exchange - light!

presenting: our nature table (aka mantle) with sweet gifts from my partner, andrea. the theme for this winter's seasons round exchange was 'light', and andrea really nailed it. even with my waldorf-y background, i never thought of santa lucia! isn't she adorable? she's standing amongst little nature bits and a crystal in front of a small paper mache bowl (with golden flecks) - all made and sent by andrea from maine. i especially love the birch bark.

plus, an adorable tree that has been a fun plaything for the little guy, and earned compliments from guests. it's weighted on the bottom with beans, i think, to keep it upright. one of the stipulations of the seasons round exchange is using all natural materials for all of your items. bravo!

andrea also sent a gorgeous card, a beeswax star candle, and a copy of the latest issue of her zine, GEMINI (not pictured). you can see her post on the exchange for more pictures or to get more details on it all!

so, here's what i sent, getting ready to go. i nestled everything in fresh greens from mt. hood ntl. forest, where we cut our tree this year ($5 permit from the ranger station - so fun, but so so cold!). i sent a crystal window hanging (blogged). the six-sided version was a lot harder than anticipated, so i had marc's help with engineering and nailing! i just strung a simple star of david with blue mohair, but i think many different lacings and weavings could be made! this project will continue to evolve in our household! i also sent a little mistletoe (a symbol of life & light in the dark winter months), and a handmade beeswax candle. had help on that too - made by my booth partners at the sunnyside environmental craft fair, song garden school.

my favorite offering was this little lantern-bearing gnome, knitted up in light bright icy colors and felted. i shared this pattern in my insanely long sock summit post; it's another design by marie mayhew. i needle-felted his eyes and nose, and used a little thread to tack down his beard (which covers his cute pointy shoes!).

i also sent a big bunch of wool roving - it's all over our seasonal display (and tree too), masquerading as snow. we had the tiniest sprinkling on christmas eve morning, but no white christmas here in portland. lucky for us, we always have an abundance of wool! more seasons round photos and nature table inspiration here and here!

more cards - and a seasons round spoiler

i've been very busy working on lots of little things, so here are a few more. before i post them, a head's up that my second project here will certainly be included in my seasons round exchange package. so to my partner andrea, if you're hoping to be surprised, read no further!

first then, here's a mess of cards i made up. the yellow ones are just stamped with an eraser and pad (i think i got the idea in a martha stewart magazine long ago), and then i tried a little toddler handprint on the white - cute even in its smear. the christmas card is on it's way to a little boy celebrating an early christmas. i heard about it through a friend on facebook. his wish was to receive lots of cards, and that seems easy enough, so send yours along!

we're still having camera issues here. it seems that we may have gotten some sand in there because there's a fun grainy-grinding noise when it tries to focus. not that my picture of the next could do it justice anyway. it's a cross between a dreamcatcher and a prism and a snowflake, at least in my mind. i lashed the sticks together then wove a little yarn design in the middle from which to hang crystals. these capture all those little bits of light through the window and throw rainbows on the wall. when the sun comes out on our front window, we celebrate 'rainbow time'! and watch the colors dance!

there will be more crystal light catchers to come, for sure! perhaps with more intricate weavings, or even a six-sided stick lashing (for more snowflake-like effect). i was blessed with lots of sewing room time this past weekend, and i actually completed a project from weekend sewing! plus some more recycled sweater goodies to show off - even a little for my shop! coming soon...

knittn' kitten finds

so, i finally made it out to knittn' kitten (no, i hadn't been - i know! i know!), and since i've heard that they are in need of customers, well, i went ahead and splurged a bit. i think you can see all the price tags and figure out that my splurge was still quite the bargain! i don't know what i will do with the yarn yet (except maybe go back for more), but i have something in mind for that suede cord. yep, mouse tails! maybe i ought to knit a cat with the yarn. you know, just so the kitten receives due respect.

my owl is almost done, i just need to finish the beak and eyes. that's what i had in mind for the buttons. even though they're recycled, i'm not sure i want plastic on my owl. i definitely don't want it going in you-know-who's mouth. so maybe the buttons will go on to something else...

as for the ribbon, well, it was too gorgeous to pass up! i don't know how i made it out of the vintage linens room without even a handkerchief! once i find my swap partner out, i'll definitely have to return!