our daughter's third birthday

We celebrated our darling Daughter's third birthday over the weekend. At every birthday of her's I find myself becoming very sentimental, and for some reason this year in particular I felt more aware of how fast she is growing up.  And it made me very nostalgic.  I love her so very much and now that her brother is here and we are experiencing all the baby stuff again, she just seems so much older in comparison (obviously) but also at this age is when her impressions are really taking hold, and she is transitioning into the realm of being a little girl... I think we still have until she's 5 for her to be out of the toddler phase and into the little girl arena... and eventhough there are really super crazy hard moments with this age, it is still so sweet. One day she wont hand me her boogers, or need me in many ways, and that's natural, but well I guess I'm simply trying to convey that I am working very hard at living in the moment and being grateful for it all.

So without further ado here are just a few pictures from our weekend.

Above: on friday we were invited to go to her school for her birthday celebration where she held the globe and walked around the sun three times. We brought in pumpkin muffins and stayed through snack time.

After snack we picked up her surprise birthday balloons with the bus, aka the "Balloon Bus"

and then we surprised her with them on saturday morning the day of her party! success!

(do we look tired enough? and old? lol)

On sunday the 27th, on her actual birthday, we spent most of the day in our pjs. We had blueberry pancakes for breakfast, did a crazy toddler pedicure in the bathroom (every color was used!) then followed by a mid morning hot chocolate with mini marshmallows in mom and dad's bed where we gave her two more presents- a book and a stuffed knit kitty cat doll. Then we just lounged there and read the two new books she received. It was pretty perfect!

And I caught her having a little quiet moment at the end of the day.

Our daughter is lovely. I am so grateful to be her mom (I gage when I read this on blogs, but it's true).

I'm holding on to these moments, these special years where after struggling to finally get her to stay in her bed, all I want to do is go in there and snuggle her... it's an ironic mix of sentiments and discipline and this is why the dishes aren't always done...

So Happy birthday to our darling girl. We look forward to all the adventures and funny moments this next year has in store!

Links and Such

Hi all, I'm deep in the throws of getting ready for our daughter's third birthday this weekend, including a little party at school on Friday, it's going to be a three day event! Phew! Can't wait to share.  But I wanted to check in with at least one consistent weekly blog post. So here is this week's Links and Such post. Enjoy!

make a pumpkin diorama and other fun pumpkin DIYs
recipe: easy popcorn balls
knitted maple leaf pattern
looking like other people
love these textiles
DIY baby leg warmers (going to make these to avoid that chilly moment when the pant leg rides up)
fun lights for Christmas decorating
homesteading: 26 ways to become more self sufficient 
checkout this ballpoint pen that fits into your smartphone

David Sedaris: Now we are five
Article: Distracted Living (aka SLOW DOWN)

New Autumnal Garlands and Other Happenings at GrayDayStudio

I've listed some new gold and black options to the shop this week, perfect for a fall dinner party, Thanksgiving, you name it!

Above: my single strand "Cascading Leaves"12 ft long garland in the reversible gold and silver card stock with black circles

And my "Cascading Leaves Party Package" with a savings of $5.

And meet Confetti- a garland made in collaboration with our 3 yo daughter for her birthday party this saturday. A great use of those seconds and the moons that our daughter loves to make!

It's over 12 ft long and looks so fun draped, as seen here in my studio.

And my pom-pom garlands are gaining in popularity, it feels like I list them and then a few days later they sell, so I'm trying to rush and finish a lot of garlands that are waiting in the wings (love selling "ready to ship" work!)

Anyway, so above is Lavender Taffy . My yarn garlands are a funky and cozy way to decorate. Just add a strand of twinkle lights and you're all set! Not just for Christmas, but can be hung year round, would look darling in a daughter's room!

I'm also painting more and I'm in the process of having my artwork made into 5x7 cards, perfect in time for the Holiday season! They should start trickling into the shop sometime next week. (I'm going to see which images sell the most and then go through the process of having very nice giclee prints made... we shall see!?)

I'm also working on my Holiday/winter line that will go live in my shop on November 1st. There will be lots of white and shiny cardstock, subtle but sure to add a lovely flair to trimming the tree! Also some gift wrapping supplies...! stay tuned!

Links and Such

Well, I'm attempting to get back to a bit of normalcy on the blog... I will admit I enjoy the new found freedom and relationship I have made with my blog. My responsibilities are many at this juncture in my life and I didn't want my blog to turn into a burden or something else that left me with guilt for not being able to maintain the structure it once had before our second child was born, before the husband's sometimes 70 hr working weeks and my etsy shop demands..... But anyway, I'm excited to write when inspired instead of feeling obligated, (should make for better content) And so here is my old- Thursday traditional Links and Such post for you to enjoy!

FINALLY- Etsy has made it so you can organize and categorize your favorites! Here are mine so far ; )
101 Fashion Tips and Tricks (bookmark it! great references on how to care for things etc)
75+ home decor retail sites
how to tuck in your shirt
4 DIY hairstyles for cropped hair
raising the bar for your business
fall activity with kids: leaf alphabet 
Sewing Pattern: Milly the mermaid dress up doll
Tips for organizing kid spaces
DIY cardboard hats- great for pretend or for Halloween!
breastfeeding in real life, YUP

and lastly, fantastic Article on the inspiration that comes at nightfall and enjoying the change of the seasons

New at Gray DayStudio: Art and some VERY handmade garlands!

Well Today I sold my 400th paper garland! I never set out to sell so many garlands, but I'm glad I have!  And even though my paper garlands are very efficient for my limited time frame at this moment in my life, I still want to sell more artwork and to be recognized fort that instead.  And so I've been drawing and painting a few more pieces on brown paper. They are one of a kind, original work, which I hope to also reproduce these images onto cards to be purchased individually and as a set of 5 or more. (So Stay tuned for that!)  

Here is some of my new work!

above: Dead Bird no. 2

Dead Bird City Sidewalk no 1

Bear Skull no 1

And as far for my garlands, if I'm going to have them in my shop then I want them to be really something! And so here are two new garlands in this more unique vein.

Eclipse 

and lastly Cascading Leaves, a garland made from hand drawn leaves, that are hand cut. Looks fetching for Thanksgiving or any other autumnal event! 

Be sure to hop on over to the shop and see what else is new!

AND

one more thing!

like my GrayDayStudio facebook page then msg me on etsy for a 15% off promo code!

Prepping for our Daughter's 3rd Halloween... she wants to be an owl (for now)

So our daughter wants to be an owl for Halloween, at least for now... There were a couple of weeks there where she wanted to be a snoopy dog, not sure where she picked this up, I'm assuming school. But now she is adamant about being an owl. She also wants to wear a pink tutu from her dress up box as part of her costume. And so the other day, while over at her Grandmother's house, they made this owl mask together! Pretty cute.  So now it's up to me to tie the mask and the tutu together with some sort of other owl element.

So here's a round up of some options.

Here's a cute

DIY owl Dress

And these DIY Wings I've been wanting to make for her since she was a baby. Plus she could wear these wings for dress up for many years to come, whereas she would outgrow the dress by next year if not before. (AND If I make them in some neutral colors then her brother could wear them at some point too!)

And another Owl DIY dress

So for now, I think I've settled on the wings. I just have to make sure they will work for her school party.  I'll keep you posted!

(ps, here's a nice article about keeping Halloween magical for the little ones!)

Put the phone down

I carry my phone with me everywhere... it's a life line to the outside world, at times it has kept me sane to be able to "checkout" so to speak- from the tiresome and often isolating world of parenting.  I read blogs, catch up on news, check the ol instagram, all while nursing our 6 month old. It's a habit that grew in intensity when nursing was just so dam hard and painful at the beginning. I would wince, squeeze my eyes shut, fight back tears, breath deep and click through my phone.  

however, now that nursing is a breeze, I should really cut back on my habit formed usage. For one thing I've read how this next generation is being raised and surrounded by adults who are checked out, looking at a phone or some sort of device... and that we are raising children who will essentially suck at making eye contact with one another.  

And I've always mused to the husband how this tech/ celebrity obsessed society we find ourselves in really uses these things to escape thoughts of mortality, or of responsibility for the planet, or for one another, for human rights, woman's rights, etc. Thus the above clip by Louis CK has really resonated with me.

And so I am taking baby steps to curtail my phone usage, for my own well being and that of my children. One is, I consciously leave my phone in the other room, and I no longer live stream pictures to my instagram. I wait and do it later once the kids are asleep, or I have a free moment. (I did this on our trip to Maine. I would take pictures, maybe too many ; ) and then wait until nap time to upload them. This allowed me to be really picky and thoughtful about exactly what I posted, which I'm sure my IG followers appreciated.)

anyway, just thought I would share this video, and also hope that my general new found approach to such things will in some way explain my blog absence... ;)

And then there's this approach to texting by Cristina Vanko. ;)  Modern Day Snail Mail

I mean REALLY!!!