Portrait Project

July 27, 2014 by Summer

30/52

eloise: we saw the hot air balloons for the second year. Last year you were curled up close to me in the wrap. This year you were exploring them right along with us. What a day and night we had. We saw a few balloons in the morning and then decided to come back at night (past your bedtime) to see all the balloons lit up in the night sky. It was both exciting and exhilarating for you. And you did amazingly well up so late. A very special night for both you and your Mama and Daddy.

-joining Jodi for the 52 project!

Around Here

July 24, 2014 by Summer

I’ve been working on lots of custom orders these past weeks. It’s such a neat feeling of making these sales, packaging them up and shipping them out. I’m learning a lot about the small business. I’m learning a lot about how to finish my art, printing art and packaging art. And I’m hoping that people out there are happy with my creations. I struggle with that aspect of it. It’s one thing to give a handmade gift but another to sell a handmade gift. I put my heart and soul into these little creative things I make and I’m hoping people will love them.

A little glimpse of my craft room. Finished projects being wrapped up and other projects just being started.

I’m working on some blogger swap gifts as well. I enjoyed this one so much, I had to do it again!
I got inspired one morning after finding this perfect little shelf for Ellie’s table and while Ellie napped, I went to work on watercolor summer time banner. Each letter of SUMMER represented by something Ellie has been interested in this summer (S-sunshine, U-ukulele, M-mushroom, M-moon, E-ear of corn, R-rainbow). I’ve caught her pointing out each letter and talking about what she sees numerous times in the past couple days. I think she likes it.

And getting ready for Ellie’s party with little wooden creatures for center pieces of course and some inspiration from a beautiful notecard Ellie picked out at our local art gallery.

Lots of crafting around here… what are you up to?

Summer Things

July 11, 2014 by Summer

New wall art hung up.
Invites have gone out and preparations for a second birthday are in full swing! (This photo book from Ellie’s first birthday came in the mail this week- look how tiny she was!!).
Inside Play.
Outside Play. (that tunnel was a $3. find at the flea market this week)!
Finishing up a few more custom orders.
Daily walks with baby dolls.

The beautiful, warm (but not too hot) weather we’re having down here by the beach. So far, the summer has been delightful.
How’s your summer going? Books you’ve been reading? Trips planned or taken? I’d love to hear all about it!

Weekending!

June 30, 2014 by Summer

Birthday parties galore this weekend! Swimming lessons with Daddy at the community pool. Lots of friends, old and new. And a great evening dinner and walk with the grandparents.

How was your weekend?

*I’ll be in and out of this space depending on how my oral surgery goes on wednesday. Wish me luck!
Also, I have a peg doll tutorial <eek!> and a giveaway happening over on this fantastic blog. Check it out!

– Weekending with Pumpkin Sunrise.

A Birthday Busy Book

June 11, 2014 by Summer

Okay, this post is going to be long, just to warn you…. I am nearly finished with Ellie’s Birthday Busy/Quiet book. I finished it way ahead of schedule (Ellie’s birthday isn’t till August), but I’m just so thrilled with how the whole thing came out, I have to share it with you early.
I’ve always wanted to make Ellie her own quiet book. (Some people refer to them as quiet books, some people call them busy books. I couldn’t fit “quiet” on the cover, so I went with busy book. Here is a more detailed description of what a busy book is, in case you had no idea what I am talking about. So, I had planned to make Ellie a busy book for her first Christmas but of course through all the nursing and the general new mothering happening (plus the 3 trips we took cross-country in her first year), making anything was pretty much out of the question. About six months ago, I felt like I was getting enough time after she went down for bed to start working on a busy book. I had been planning in my head for a while and I wanted the book to reflect Ellie’s likes as well as be something she could keep always and enjoy throughout her toddler-hood too.

It took me almost 5 months to make. I followed no template. Everything was completely hand-sewn and free form. Here it is in all its glory… I present “Ellie’s Busy Book” ! (Can you tell I’m a little excited?!)

Most of the fabric I used, were ones that were already in my stash. It was neat using bits and pieces from other projects. Many of them I had used to make other children softie animals.

Page One is a personal chalkboard. Ellie loves drawing with chalk outside and is just starting to enjoy coloring. I found some chalkboard fabric and made a little felt E in the top corner and a little pocket to hold the chalk in the bottom corner. It was one of the easier pages, but I love the soft purples to start out with.

Page 2 and 3 are the Farmers Market pages. We have visited the farmers market so many weekends with Ellie since she was born. It’s a place Jeff and I love. It was only natural for me to start with building some type of farmers market page. I created a large basket (kind of like the ones we carry to the market every weekend), so that Ellie can fill the basket with fruit and veggies she finds in the bins. I thought I’d make it a little educational as well by adding numbers to the bins corresponding with

how many bits of produce are in each bin.

Page 4 and 5 are the Banjo pages. As many of you who read this blog regularly know, the banjo is common talk around here. Daddy plays it every night and Ellie has always loved dancing to his music. We even got Ellie her very own stuffed banjo for Christmas this past year. I thought a banjo page would be fun for her. She will be able to strum the banjo strings on page 5 and page 4 is a photo of her dancing to Daddy playing some tunes (she’s also holding the Daddy banjo peg doll I made for Jeff’s birthday this year too).

Page 6 and 7 are the Kite pages. Ellie’s love of kites started when we put on the Mary Poppins song “Let’s Go Fly A Kite” many months ago. She wanted to hear the song over and over again. Then we bought her a little kite (and one for Daddy too) and we fly those kites pretty regularly around the park and the beach. It’s one of her favorite things to do. Page 6 is Ellie and Mama flying her kite for the first time on the beach near our home. Page 7 is a removable kite with ribbon tassels as well as removable shapes on the kite. Each are attached with snaps to encourage some fine motor work as well as exploring shapes and puzzles.

Page eight and nine are the train pages. This was the most complicated of all the pages. Hand-sewing each piece of track down was a bit tedious, but it did come out pretty cute. Ellie is in a big train phase these days. We watch the train every Wednesday, she’s just started to really play with her wooden train set we found at the swap meet and Gramma and Grandpa have taken her on a train ride at the local mall several times too. She can’t get enough trains.

She will be able to open the caboose there to find little felt Wizard of Oz people (I was a very big fan of WofO for many years and my mom got me a Wizard of Oz apron, that I wear regularly while cooking or painting. Ellie loves to point out each character. I thought having her own little set of characters would tickle her.

For the next two trains, I made little windows for Ellie to open and close. Inside are two of the three pigs (another story we tell often and enjoy).

The sock monkey train conductor comes off of his post as well. He’s attached by a snap for easy removal.

The last page is an Ellie fabric doll page. Kind of like her own personal paper doll kit. I printed out a photo of her on fabric paper, fashioned a “fabric doll” and made several different articles of clothing. In these photos I haven’t quite finished it yet, but Ellie will be able to attach the clothes to the “Ellie doll” with velcro. And everything fits into the little pocket closet.

I’m still working on putting together a few more outfits, but for the most part, it’s finished.

On the inside flap before you close the book, I placed a fabric photo of Jeff and Ellie and I (taken by this incredible photographer). A little inscription for the birthday girl.

It was such a joy putting this book together for Ellie. I would sneak downstairs every night and whittle away at it while she slept. She’s never been a great sleeper so some nights I’d only get a few stitches in before she was calling for me again. But, I got it done. It feels so good to have completed something like this. Something she will hopefully love and cherish.

A Summer Play Mat

June 9, 2014 by Summer

I’ve been sewing like crazy these past couple months. I have like 4 projects going all at the same time. The other day, Jeff came over to me and said, “how many projects are you doing?! You are dancing all over the place with needle thread, paint and sanding tools!” And it’s very true. Any time my busy child is sleeping, I go straight to work on a project. This week I was working hard to make Ellie a summer time play mat. I love the idea of a nature table (it was my pride and joy when I was a preschool teacher), but I also love the idea of having the nature we find, mingle with the toys we have out. And providing that seasonal aspect, the colors that summer time brings, the images summertime procures; I wanted to create something special for summertime play.

I went about creating a beachy feel, with the different colors of an ocean blue as the centerpiece. I created rocks with luxurious wool felt, hoping to give a tide pool effect.

I made stepping-stones and a grassy area and then backed the whole thing with a funky and bright vintage tablecloth. And with a little help from Gerda Mueller’s Summer, I had a delightful back drop to bring it all together.
Add some great mermaid figures and some handmade peg people as well as some local beach wood and you’ve got yourself a summer play scape! Ellie loved it and as you can tell by all the photos and my blubbering, I kind of love it myself. In fact, I was going to present all of this to her on the solstice but I just couldn’t wait that long! This is California after all, and it’s felt like summer for quite a while already.

I even whipped up a little starfish with some batik scraps I had left over. It adds some summer color to the tide pools don’t you think?

I love making these types of things for Ellie and now for other people’s children as well. I was a very imaginative child and loved creating special play spaces for my toys. I hope these play mats are simple enough to leave the play experiences up to the children but inspiring enough to expand and support imaginative play. I know it brings a smile to my face, every time I see Ellie playing at her table with the things I have made her. It is a joy to watch her play.

*I do have another summer time play mat complete with fabric tree stumps to enjoy in the shop. It has the same vintage backing but its a whole lot greener than this one. Perfect for a woodsy summer playscape. Check it out here.

Collecting

June 4, 2014 by Summer

I’ve always been wary of bringing nature home. I feel so conflicted with wanting a piece of the nature to remind me of the beauty and serenity but also wanting to respectfully leave it where it belongs. As a child, I remember bringing home those special rocks I found and displaying them along a banister right by our front door. It was always a bit magical seeing all of those rocks and shells and feathers and twigs, displayed just so. As an adult, after reading about the fine art of wabi sabi and the happiness common natural items in the home, can bring to ones soul, I decided to start bringing little bits of nature back home with me from walks. And sure enough, seeing a smooth rock or some beach glass or a fallen branch inside the home makes me smile every time I see it.

When Ellie and I visit the beach, we usually pick things up, check them out and leave them in the sand. But every now and then we’ll head to the beach and I let Ellie take a few things with her when we go. For some reason, she was very interested in finding rocks and shells in the sand yesterday. She had her nature bag with her and we left with a hearty helping of beach rocks and driftwood. I’m sure some of this driftwood will end up back on the beach (we’re only a few minutes away to bring it back ), but for now, it’s a whole table of treasures for a little girl and her Mama to explore and enjoy.

A Little Birthday Recap

June 2, 2014 by Summer

Jeff turned 33 (a whole month older than me), a few days ago. We celebrated with dinner out to Pho, his favorite kind of food, and an evening rife with banjo playing and fun with the family. Grandma and Grandpa came over to help us sing Happy Birthday and eat cake and ice cream. I think he was very happy with his special day. Ellie painted some tissue paper that we wrapped Jeff’s gifts in (mostly banjo related things and a few jars of his favorite jam) and I made him his very own banjo-playing peg doll, which Ellie took to quickly and then made her own (she even napped with Banjo Daddy Peg Doll that day). Happy Birthday to my wonderful, dear husband. I am so glad I get to spend my life with you!

The Knothole Tree

May 22, 2014 by Summer

I’ve been pretty busy lately in the creating department. After making Ellie a seasonal spring time play mat, I realized I could be making them for every season and could possibly make them for other people too. I’ve always wanted to open an etsy shop. And since I’ve started painting and doing more crafting, I’ve been working hard to get my own little shop, up and running. It would be so nice to be able to keep making things for Ellie and others and the bit of money I would get by selling online would help make that possible. So, here I go. I opened my very own etsy shop.

It’s called The KNOTHOLE TREE.

I loved the idea of The Knothole and Boo Radley’s gifts to the children in To Kill A Mockingbird. Ellie’s middle name is Harper, after Harper Lee. I thought it was a perfect little name for a whimsical little shop.

I just finished three play mats. A spring inspired one and two “Frozen-inspired” mats (because like everyone else in the world, we’ve been bitten by the Frozen bug and I thought some open-ended play mats with hand painted peg people might just be a fun idea).
Here is the spring mat.
It’s completely hand-sewn and I try to use up-cycled fabrics as well as new cotton and wool felt. This one has batting in the middle and then completed with an up-cycled wool sweater. It was so fun to make. And nice to know I was giving the old sweater a new life.

And here is one of the Frozen-inspired mats I made (that definitely could double as a winter seasonal mat or even a polar play mat.

It’s also completely hand-sewn and is backed with an up-cycled chenille blanket. I love those up-cycled fabrics. The dolls were hand painted by me and have been so much fun to make.

I’m still figuring out the whole peg doll process, but it has been a joy to play around with these little guys and Ellie is having so much fun picking out which ones she wants as part of her collection.

Here is another Frozen inspired mat with more batik cotton.

The “Frozen-inspired” mats won’t go in the store until next week because I’m still working on finishing up the peg dolls for them. But, my store with also have some softie dolls and animals as well as some of my paintings. I’m nervous about putting myself out there like that but I really enjoy making these wonderful things! Check out my store, if you would like! And stay tuned next week for a giveaway from me to celebrate those 500 posts as well as the opening of my store!

A 500th Post Giveaway!!

May 15, 2014 by Summer

I’m coming up on my 500th post for my blog this week! I can’t believe I’ve stuck with this blog writing thing for over three years now!!! It’s been so wonderful to have a place to document the lovely days, the struggles and the wonder in the every day. I started out in this space to document things that made me happy, things that inspired me and projects I was working on. It’s evolved into the story of my family and the story of me as a wife, mother and woman. Writing this blog every week has even brought me to meet many incredible people online and (even in person). I have become a part of an amazing community of bloggers around the world and I am so glad I put myself out there three years ago to create SummerPlaysHouse. So in celebration, I have put together a few giveaways this week and in the next coming weeks, from myself and a few people close to me.

This first giveaway is from a wonderful Etsy store called Marci’sGarden. Marci (who just happens to be one of my favorite people and my cousin) makes the most lovely of things for babies and adults alike. Fabric balls for children, crocheted goods, reusable bags for groceries (We have 5 of hers and use them daily!), reusable sandwich bags and so much more… You can check out her store here.

For my first ever giveaway, she has generously donated a set of fabric balls and a set of crocheted wash clothes.

These fabric balls come in all different colors and are three different sizes. They are soft and squishy and perfect for little hands to hold, grasp and throw. Ellie has a set of them and she brings them out daily. They make incredibly lovely shower gifts or birthday gifts for a little one.

With the fabric balls, we’ll also be giving away a set of 3, beautifully hand crocheted

wash cloths. Ellie has a set of these as well and we use them every night during bath time. The shape makes them so much fun to wash with and the yarn is super snuggly and soft against her skin. They are so sweet and lovely!

So please go check out Marci’s wonderful store with all of her handmade goodness!!! (She’s having a sale in her store as we speak)!
And if you would like to win one of these lovely sets of fabric balls and wash cloths, all you have to do is leave me a comment!!! I will be picking names out of a hat, old school, and let you know who the winner is, next week! Good Luck!! ****GIVEAWAY CLOSED**** The winner is STACIA!!