The Gift of Art: from 20x200

Not to sound like a grandma, but I need more artwork like I need a hole in the head! Seriously if you've seen our place our walls are covered- and I still have more work in storage at my parent's house! Oh to one day be reunited when we have a bigger place! BUT I wouldn't have it any other way. I grew up in a house with the walls packed with photographs and paintings... thus you can NEVER have too much art!

ANYWHO- if you are looking for a gift idea this season (eh hem) check out 20x200, if you haven't already, and give the gift of affordable art! I would get myself the above print "Rose-breasted Grosbeak" by Amy Jean Porter. It would look cute in Cordelia's room one day!

Winter Sweater Weather

I love vintage sweaters! They are so sturdy and well made.  Thus I was inspired to curate an etsy treasury of some of my favorites! Check it out "Sweater Weather".

I heart this romper...

 Check out MySweetMuffin- for cute baby clothes as well as clothes for boys and girls, not to mention toys and gear!

I heart this Cherry Organic Romper! Although it looks like apples to me...

One of my new favorite things...

Comfort 9 Mini Art feeling- patchwork blanket, ceramic sculpture by ArtMind.  

So darling. The perfect winter gift.

The whole gang.

I bought this on ETSY and Luv it!

The other day- in my "Blossoming Newborn's class" a little newborn had a "blow out" and her mom put her soiled clothes into a zippered  fabric pouch. I had a little ah hah moment and realized this is something my diaper bag needs! So naturally I took to Etsy and found Petunia's-  a lovely shop that offers baby blankets, stuffed animals, but most importantly- "icky bags"! I bought the Petite bag as seen above and in no time flat it was in my mail box! Such a great fabric and lined with a water resistant fabric to keep everything contained. It seals shut with a zipper and has a handy snap handle too. I'm sure to be back for a larger version in the future!

Nuts- an etsy treasury!

My Nuts for Love hat has been featured in this Etsy Treasury "The Squirrels think you're Nuts!"

Don't forget- use code PINECONE and receive 10% off your knit order at Urban Knitfits!!! Offer expires Monday night EST.

Save 15% at Grayday Home Shop

Use coupon code "nutmeg" and save 15% off your purchase of vintage and handmade items at GRAYDAY! Happy shopping!

A Bountiful Centerpiece

I whipped up a little center piece for Thanksgiving yesterday... I used what I had around the apartment and thought I would share the result! First forgive the wrinkled vintage table cloth- a girl with a one month old can only do so much! At the center of it all is my  ISIS Ceramics Desk Brick- a wedding present from my family and I filled it with flowers from my mother in law. 

Then I took the three remaining pumpkins that survived October and nestled them in among two deer antlers and a chewing gum chain my mother made when she was 12. (click on images to view them larger)

Then I took apart my Russian nesting dolls and placed them amongst the scene. The colors- red, purple, green, and yellow just came together with the flowers, the paper chain, and the dolls!

We decided to eat in our living room- a little more festive than the kitchen, not to mention not as HOT!

Thankfully the baby timed her long nap so I could eat my turkey dinner!

I also used paper luggage tags for the place cards (see bottom right hand corner of photo)

And my grandfather holding his great granddaughter! 

I hope you all had a lovely holiday!

Rethink Thanksgiving

We are celebrating Thanksgiving this year at our apartment in Portland, Maine. Since Our baby is one month old, my parents decided to come to us this year! They brought with them my grandfather and sister and we are already deep in the throws of stuffing and cran relish! There is a lot to be grateful for this year. And this week I read a great article about Thanksgiving on NPR and flipped through a slide show of how to green your Thanksgiving thanks to Huffingtonpost! I thought I would share these links with my blog readers.  

America Excessive Thanksgiving- the Pilgrims would be horrified, article via NPR. VERY GOOD, do read!

Green Thanksgiving via the Huffingtonpost green section...

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

10% off Knit Goods with "pinecone"

Use coupon code "pinecone" and receive 10%off your purchase at Urban Knitfits!

Ends Monday at midnight est.

she's 1 month old

Our Little Miss is already 1 month old, hard to believe! 

(I'm counting Wednesdays at the moment- not the 27th to the 27th...)

So far motherhood actually feels like glorified full time baby sitting and breast feeding- only it's not someone else's kid you can roll your eyes at, it's yours.  ; )  (which honestly, is the best part of the gig!) And I don't officially feel  like a "mom" yet in its full sense of the word... I think more of those "mom moments" will start to feel full time once she is a little older and more interaction and dependence - other than food, come into play. And that's fine by me! I've enjoyed the nice subtle transition into this new role and I love the cuddle moments, how she looks to me to be comforted and rocked to sleep.  Overall she's a very easy baby and we love her so much. It's still so crazy that she is finally here and she is ours! This is it- this is my child, the one I have talked about one day having, and now she's here! Looking forward to future milestones!

Discoveries: DIY & Shopping links

Above: AMAZING shoes by Chie Mihara

Beautiful Calendars for 2011, by the wild unknown

Stunning ornaments, by Paloma's Nest

Luscious Leather goods, by A.B.K

Art, Home Decor- you name it! all at Z gallerie

Clothing, for her, him wedding and more, by Emersonmade

DIY- the rollie pollie bean bag PDF pattern, from MADE

10 Free tote bag Tutorials, by skip to my lou

Contemporary Sewing Patterns for Children, by Oliver+S

My New Favorite Picture

Daughter, Husband, and Dog

Knit Kicks for The BIG DAY!

My friend and fellow knitting group member Pretty Sneaky makes fantastic custom knit chucks. She recently received a request to outfit a Groom and his Groomsmen for a fall wedding!!! And now she is offering a wedding package for your BIG DAY! What a fun idea!

What to Watch: New York, PBS series

We've been watching PBS' New York series via netflix. We are currently on disc 4 of 8! I really enjoy the series and have been fascinated by New York City's history- I HAD NO IDEA! The series offers a great perspective on the city- helping to explain and understand both its global appeal and constant renewal. Plus it's the perfect time of year to hunker down and become absorbed in a series. Watch it!

A Breast feeding tank top?

I think this Spanx Tank top- would make an awesome breast feeding accessory! Made so you can wear your own bra with their sliming tops, perfect to wear underneath your normal shirts (thus no special nursing tops needed...)- and it will keep your stomach covered and sucked in while you get back in shape- GENIUS!

Shopping at Oliebollen

Now that our baby is here and her gender is no longer a mystery, it's fun to look around online at girl clothes... here are a few favorites from Oliebollen! A new Favorite website!

Above: Striped romper, $30.

Owl Leggings, $15.

Piglet baby shorts, $16.

So cute!

Serena & Lily 20% off Sale

Use Code "FRIENDS 20" at checkout to receive 20% off your purchase from now until Nov 22nd. I would get the market sling in grass as seen above. It has a beautiful marigold yellow interior too. ; ) SHOP HERE.

Bunny Calendar... cute

Screen printed and wooden Bunny calendar for 2011, by smeurer8 available on etsy.

Little Family

We took our little one out today and went on a hike. Our friend snuck in and snapped this picture of us... our first family photo where I don't look sleep deprived and I'm not in my pajamas!  It's a keeper.

Deck The Halls and Give Thanks

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and right on its heels follows Christmas and A New Year! So I flipped through etsy this weekend to gather together some inspiring finds to inspire your own holiday shopping on Etsy... here's what I found... 

Above: Vintage Turkey Planter, by babylonsisters

Thanksgiving Cone, by twoinspireyou.

Plush White Apples, by lapomme.

Christmas Car- card by eggagogo. Reminds me of The Griswolds!

Tree Family, by plytextiles.

Wool Felted Acorn Ornaments, by angeldogdesigns.

MidCentury Modern 2011 Letterpress Calendar, by pistachiopress.

Flower Garden, 2011 Letterpress calendar, by 1canoe2

My Christmas Wish List... an etsy Treasury

I made an etsy treasury of items I am in Love with... many have been a long term love affair! When you have a new baby, there are unexpected costs.... and in general spending money on oneself (even if we had any) just doesn't feel like a priority- Hello College fund! And so I made this Wish List for Santa to check out- to Pamper the New Mom= ME! Check it out HERE.

Christmas Classics at Grayday Etsy Shop

My Christmas Treasury, vintage Little Golden Book, $6.

The Night Before Christmas, Vintage Book, $6.

Cute Feather Onsie

I Love this Organic Feather Onsie by coucousalut, $22.

Urban Knitfits- Back OPEN!

I reopened Urban Knitfits this week, it's too chilly out not to have some knit goods available! Since I'm a new mom and still getting the hang of my new schedule, I am only offering ready to ship items for the time being. And NOW is the time to get some Holiday shopping done!  Shop Urban Knitfits. 

Scouts, an etsy treasury

My Vintage Boy Scouts flashlight has been featured in this scouting Treasury: "On my Honor, I will do my best." A really fun and nostalgic collection!

Sweater Knitting Patterns, a round up

I wrote last week about my desire to knit myself a sweater this fall/winter... So I set about searching Ravelry and other knitting pattern sites for something special.  Here are a few I have stashed away, including the one I think I will knit! I'll keep you posted on it's progress.

Above: The Bernhardt, by Allison Green Will. PS: you will need to be logged into your Ravelry account for the links to work. Ravelry is free to join and oh so Awesome!

Short Sleeve Cardigan- by Vogue Knitting.

The Pamelia, by Norah Gaughan

Adrift, by Carol Feller

Linden, by Veronik Avery.

This is the sweater pattern I am 90% sure I will knit... As I mentioned before I have a large amount of white eco yarn I can use, but it's still probably not enough, and honestly I am so bad with taking care of anything white that I might go back to the drawing board when it comes to choosing my color. Here is the Cascade Eco wool website- that offers great colors. The best part is it comes 478 yards a skein and the average price is $15 a skein!!! Not to mention it smells heavenly. Since I made a gray shrug sweater out of this yarn last year I might stick with a neutral and go with one of their browns. Stay tuned!

Breast Feeding, my new past time... plus helpful links

Women on the seashore, Paul Gauguin, 1899.

So tomorrow marks my first week of being a mom... and so far it's been wonderful and really lovely, hard to put into words without being too mushy...  besides all these moments of wonder- my days and nights have been consumed with breast feeding- (as I know they will continue to be).  It has been a steep learning curve for both baby and myself so I thought I would share some helpful links and some "lighter" ones as well. sorry if this is alienating for some...  : )

RESOURCES:
Breast Feeding Made Simple: Website with great "latch" video

Breast Feeding In public- taking a stand.

Kelly Mom- Breast feeding resource- good for trouble shooting, etc

Dr. Sears: Breast feeding guide.

Mothering Magazine: articles and discussions on the topic...

Mother Food: Nutrition and diet for Breast feeding moms

Nursing Mother's Companion: series of books

Low Milk Supply

And of course- Breast feeding.com


LIGHTER FARE:
Fashion for the Breast feeding mom- from Cup of Jo

Marvelous Kiddo Blog: writes a lot about breast feeding, including little art history depictions of breast feeding between mom and child

Expressiva: Nursing apparel

Modest Middles: Nursing tank top that goes with any shirt! Allowing you to adapt your normal clothes into nursing attire.

Our First Outing with our little bundle

Late this morning we took our 5 day old in her Moby wrap out for a stroll around town. It was so nice to finally get out of the house and to see all the leaves that fell over the weekend. Such a great way to Welcome in November!