Monday, April 30, 2012

Love Letter to Spring



Hi all, hope you had a great weekend!? We sure did! We went to the shore for a longish weekend and the fresh sea air, collecting rocks and shells, time spent on the playground, nights full of knitting... did this family some good! ; ) I'll share pictures from our weekend sometime today. Enjoy this week's Love Letter to Spring, there are some fun DIYs- like a butterfly feeder and a flower chandelier. Simply click on the *** below each image to see its source when available. Have a great start to your week!






















Thursday, April 26, 2012

Links and Such



Hey all, here's my Thursday Links and Such blog post. It's a rainy one here today, which bodes well for our garden and the new seeds I just planted yesterday for our toddler teepee! And I want to say welcome to my new blog followers! It makes my day to have a growing following! So thanks for jumping aboard!
 ; )

Recipe: Triple garlic pizza
fancy chicken coop
how to store produce without using plastic- from My Plastic Free Life
love these striped bowls

A Bunch of Cool DIYs:
DIY felt hair bows
DIY geometric party favor boxes
DIY embellished friendship bracelets 
DIY knitted stools



Wednesday, April 25, 2012

DIY: Outdoor Teepee with Branches and Flowers


I saw this idea for making a Bean teepee on pinterest, and I just knew we had to make one this year for our budding toddler! So yesterday I got to work on the teepee and wanted to share our progress up to this point. Hopefully it will inspire your own outdoor retreat.

Above: I wanted to make the structure tall enough that the husband and I could go in there with the toddler...


FIRST: Gather branches, or poles.

We had a variety of sticks and branches leftover from last year's bean structures, but I also foraged for other fallen branches in the slightly wooded area at the back of the house. I dug holes for the heavier branches (which act as the main support and structure) in order to provide a more secure foundation since they are rather heavy and robust.



The teepee sits next to our two vegetable beds and across from our daughter's future sandbox.


Today I wrapped the poles with twine, providing more avenues for the vines to grow. I also wove the twine all the way to the top (not pictured) and wrapped it around all the poles where they meet, securing them together and making the structure more stable should any wobbly toddler knock into it or a great wind blows through town.


Next up- I am going to plant Sweet pea and nasturtiums at the base of the teepee to grow and act as the walls. In the meantime, I took some vines from the inner garden, that had traveled to other undesignated beds (naughty naughty) and I replanted them beneath the teepee... so at least we have a few guys that are already on their way up while I wait for the seeds to germinate.


Our teepee will look something like the one from Intrepid Murmurings. We too will put mulch on the teepee floor and some logs and large rocks for little ones to sit on. I like their inclusion of a bird feeder and we have a busted wind chime that could use a little TLC and eventually hang from the teepee.

I'm pretty excited to see how this looks come the middle of summer when it's all wild and woodsy! It will be a great place for our daughter to hang out and have play dates with her friends.


Tuesday, April 24, 2012

What to Watch / Music Monday: that song at the end of "Girls" Overdrawn by White Sea


Have you guys been watching the HBO show, "Girls"? It's pretty funny. It has it's quirky moments for sure, lets just say it's not something I would sit down and watch with my parents! We have watched the first two episodes, and so far so good the scene with Mike Birbiglia in the second episode was hilarious! Anywho, you should check out the show. Here's the song from the credits of the second episode- Overdrawn by White Sea, I'm digging it- a fun riding in the car with the windows down- type of song!


What I've learned this week and it's only Tuesday


First, I'll admit that last week was tough on me. Our daughter was irritable, quick to being fussy and not her normal happy go lucky self, I think it's the teething... or perhaps just too much of seeing me all the time, and vice and versa. Baby-mommy cabin fever! She is so task oriented at this age (18 months) that boredom can also play a factor in her mood... So I'm brainstorming some things in that dept, will report back! The husband and I are still brainstorming ways to give me a break, and we are coming up with some fun solutions... ones that haven't been put into practice yet, but they sure look good on paper! ; ) Hello, a few days at the shore by myself! And yet I'm always amazed how in one second I can go from being completely "done" with the toddler-isms to being so happy to see her. No other person in my life has this affect on me, which explains why it is so challenging I'm sure! any who, here's my little Tuesday list of what I've learned this week.


* having a toddler is like having a foreign exchange student who only speaks "scream" (there are lots of hand gestures, body language and facial cues that attempt to fill in the language gap)

* like Sesame Street, we have a word of the day, yesterday's was "back" as in "Put that back please". Other days have been "brought to you by..." the word cucumber (cue-cumbah), River (ri-ber), Bib (bib), Hammock (hamm-iCK!) etc

* This week I've been using some tools from the book Love and Logic, when it comes to diaper changes: "Would you like to help mommy with the diaper change? Or do you need to sit here and think about it...?" I'll ask her this at least two times (with long pauses), and if she isn't making a clear decision, and still isn't participating in the diaper change I won't belabor the issue, I simply say, "Okay, you chose to sit here and think about it, see you in a bit". To which I promptly leave the room, close the door and a minute or two later come back in and she is ready for a new diaper. I've done this 3 times and now all diaper changes are smooth, and no longer a game of tag you're "IT". It's not a punishment per say, but another educational opportunity where she is learning about making choices and how some choices allow her to move on to more fun activities.

* We haven't been using a monitor at night for almost a month now... she never wakes up during the night, plus our rooms are so close I can hear her if she does. It's a nice distance to have, I sleep better, since I don't stir with every turn she makes. And in the morning she shouts, "HEY!" and we go get her up. ; )

* She's never been great with having her hair washed, especially the more aware she becomes, this goes for any water on the face. So when washing her face during bath time, we take turns, I wash her face and then she washes my face, and repeat!


Monday, April 23, 2012

A Love Letter to Spring



Hi all, here is this week's Love Letter to Spring! Sorry I missed last week's, for those that noticed! ; ) We had a rainy weekend, thus some of the rain pictures showing up in today's post. We also did a little beekeeping/ beehive maintenance, where the dog was stung on her lady bits and her face swelled up later that afternoon, so that took up most of our Sunday taking care of the pup. Glad you didn't ask, huh!? Have a great start to your week!



















Friday, April 20, 2012

Our Week in pictures....


Just some little shots from our week thanks to Instagram!

Above: the babe takes the initiative and helps Dad wash the car.


Planting the beets, spinach, and lettuce in the garden, and of course playing with the hose.


All canvas bags at GrayDayStudio will now come with two interior pockets! Making the bag a perfect summer grab and go accessory!


I repainted the chipping and rusted furniture that belonged to my sister and myself, that now lives in the baby's room... I lightly dusted the metal with a creamy spray paint, and sanded the wood free of the chipping varnish and painted it a light violet-blue.


Queen of bath time...


The view from the hammock...



Millie shouts, "Have a great weekend!"

and I agree!

xo
abs

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Shop Update: Hand Painted Silhouettes on Paper


New this week at GrayDayStudio: I'm now offering custom painted silhouette portraits!


And an example of a Child's Silhouette Portrait.

Each portrait can be customized with specific flowers, feathers, fruit, etc. Just convo me to bounce some ideas around! ; )


"You're Coming with Me!", a new toddler video


The husband taught our 17 month old the phrase "You're coming with Me!" while washing the car this week. Here's a little video of her practicing her new phrase in the bath that night.

Links and Such




Hey all, how's your week been? Mine has been super busy, hence my blog absence at the beginning of the week. I've been working on the garden, repainting some furniture for the babe's room, but mostly working on new paintings and such for GrayDayStudio! I'm pretty excited to continue rolling out my new ideas and to see my shop take off! (fingers crossed) Here are just some links from this week that I've enjoyed. have a good one...
 your friend, abs


Real food lunch ideas
I like this sweater
MAKE this super cool cord basket
If I could, I would totally get this crazy dead bird necklace for my mom
Article on "Toilet Learning Made Easy"
DIY Pallet Chicken Coop 
having a dairy cow sounds a lot like becoming a parent, kinda...
beet pancakes
Say what!? Pumpkin and Ginger bread ice-cream sandwiches!?
check out Happyolks- food blog
Make your own cooking spray, and eliminate unnecessary packaging
my favorite soap of all time , it's as close to a spa as I can get ; )
cute dress for a little one
officially my next knitting project, aptly named


And in case you missed it:
GrayDayStudio Shop Update
What I've been knitting


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

What I've been knitting...


I've been doing a little knitting of late and I thought a mini recap was in order.  It struck me the other day that I should really keep a journal or list of all the knit goods I have ever knit, as in EVER!! I can't even imagine how many that has totaled in the last 4 years of knitting! I'm oddly curious, so I'll let you know when the list is more or less completed up to this point!  ABOVE: I knit this darling little fox stole for the babe back in February. She likes it a lot but as suspected she wants to play with it more than wear it, perhaps by the fall she will be more chic about it!?


And of course Millie looks great modeling the stole! ; )


And, per her request, I knit a gray fox stole for my mom.


I finished the knit doll I spoke about a while back. And here are the two eggs and the little lamb from Easter. I'm in love with the lamb, his little profile is really cute.


And the Creme de la Creme, I knit myself the Avery Cowl neck by Quince and Co, using their osprey yarn in the color "Storm". This was a mini epic project for me, one that tested my memory for sure... "Wait what row did I just knit?" I love it and will wear it a lot I know!


Here I am on Sunday (via instagram) wearing the cowl in the morning before the day turned too freaking hot! It layers up nicely and I love how the pattern is reversible- meaning it never looks like there is a "wrong side". As for future knitting projects- I must teach myself how to knit socks. I have two fantastic toe-up sock pattern books I'm itching to try. And once I have some of the basics down, they will be a quick knit and a little go to project for late night tv/movie watching. (I assume). 

I also want to knit myself some cardigans. I know it will be more expensive than purchasing a sweater, but the lessons learned, pride of accomplishment, and most of all- the quality and craftsmanship, of having something handmade- is priceless. I'l keep you updated on future knitting projects!





Tuesday, April 17, 2012

SHOP UPDATE at GrayDayStudio


Hi all, just checking in to explain my blog absence. I am working on a big shop update this week at GrayDayStudio and this morning is the first installment!  NEW to the shop are paintings of my playful child silhouettes! All in 11x14 format, ready to frame and hand painted by yours truly. They are all incredibly affordable at $28 a pop! Collect more than one and hang them as a little playful grouping in your home or decorate a child's nursery!
Above: Whale of a Tale (canvas bag to follow!)














And stay tuned for my new and improved canvas bags. They come with longer handles and interior pockets to house phone and keys, making it the perfect light weight canvas tote this summer!

Talk soon! Now back to my chilly studio to work on some fun Custom Mother's Day Gifts!



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