Category Archives: A Little of Everything

a fresh start

first steps

I’ve been really quiet in this space all through the holidays.  Christmas came and went.  New Year’s came and went.  And even though it hasn’t been recorded here yet, there was a lot of making and playing and singing and sledding; lots of attempted steps, wobbly steps, exhilirating steps, confident steps; and lots of just being.

Now it’s time for a fresh start.

If you haven’t noticed, my website is all fresh and new!  I’ll have rotating links to various cool things over there to the left along with my (hopefully growing) list of project how-tos and patterns.  Cool, huh?

I’m also changing my name.  Well, the name of my website stuff.  “Seedpod Books and Art” was coined many, many years ago when I got the idea to make and sell handmade books online.  I wanted just seedpod.com, but some guy “owns” it and wants a ridiculous amount of money for it, so I had to come up with something to tack onto the end of that seedpod.  Since I was planning on selling books and art, that’s what my name became.  That was before blogs or etsy or any of that stuff (2001 I think).  Eventually I discovered craft blogs, became totally addicted ( my first regular reads were Jessica’s old Very Mom blog, Wee Wonderfuls, and Loobylu) and morphed my lonely little website into a blog.  Now it just doesn’t feel like the whole “Books and Art” thing fits anymore.  It really hasn’t for a long time, but the mean guy still wants thousands of dollars for just plain seedpod.com.   We thought seedpodcraft.com was workable– so that’s it.

In the time I’ve been writing here I’ve gone from 2 kids to 5.  I’ve lived in New Mexico, Ohio, and Colorado with some short stops in between.  I’ve bound books, made paper, spun yarn, painted, sewn, designed toys, printed, made silver jewelry…  This has been the place to store my treasures.  I’m happy to have it.

So, here’s to a new year and a fresh start.  Let’s hope I can go at it with all the joy and enthusiasm he does:

brining in the new year!

introducing the “Sweet Pod”

I am a baby wearer.  With each baby it has become more and more necessary, but this baby– he practically lives on me.  For little babies I love wrap style carriers like this pretty one my friends in Ohio gave me, and this buttery soft one I made using a tutorial by Jessica (of course).  Now that Hunter is way too heavy for those, I love my Ergo baby carrier, but getting baby on and off my back is a bit precarious in parking lots and rocky hiking trails.  I’ve been dreaming of getting the Beco Butterfly II with its cute fabric and internal panel to make swinging a babe onto your back a cinch, but just couldn’t justify spending the money.  So, a couple of orders of buckles and webbing from Seattle Fabrics later, I did the next best thing– I made one!

Introducing the “Sweet Pod” :

(drum roll please)

the

I made it with the same Joel Dewberry fabric as my diaper bag  , some army green twill, and lined it with a pillowcase we had because it was just the color I was looking for.  The sleeping hood tucks into a hidden pocket with an invisible zipper.  See?

invisible sleeping hood pocket 1invisible sleeping hood pocket 2invisible sleeping hood pocket 3

Having an internal panel does make getting him on my back much easier with the added bonus of making the carrier more adjustable than my Ergo.   The whole thing has been taken apart and put back together several times.  At first my waist belt foam was too squishy, then the body was too short, but now?  Now it seems just right.

sweet pod

Hunter seems to think so too.

introducing the

I’m working on putting together the pattern because, well, I think the world of crafty-babywearing-mamas needs it.   I mean, I would have bought one if it already existed.  I’m thinking I’ll make it a downloadable PDF and sell it from my Etsy shop.  What do you think?

I’ve got another one on the cutting table.

another one in the works

 

a little decorating

Sorry again for the absence.  I know I need to quit apologizing and just get to work.

Do you want to see what I made?  Isn’t that what this blog is all about?  Well, look–

family wall

After nearly a year in this house I’m finally getting some favorite photos up on the walls!  The silhouettes were something I’ve wanted to do forever.  After seeing the ones my friend Jodi made and how quick and easy they were to make, I set out to make a set of my own.  In just one afternoon Barry spray painted my wooden ovals white, we snapped a quick side view of each of the kids, I printed them out using Pages (our desktop publishing program) making sure all their heads fit nicely in a 5 x 7 rectangle, set those printouts on some dark grayish-brown-nearly-black cardstock, traced around their sweet heads with an exacto knife, then Mod-Podged those little heads onto the white wooden ovals.  Whew!  Just about as instant gratification as a craft project can get.

silohuettes

I love how they turned out– especially the hair on my boys.  I just can’t get over Hunter’s fluff.  I just want to freeze time.

super fluff on the move

He certainly doesn’t.  This guy is on the move and in a hurry.  I’m constantly finding him in the corner of the laundry room or wedged under the piano bench.  But I have just one request of that hair that can’t lay flat and those squishy rolls–

Please don’t go away– ever.  Okay?

as July flies by…

July has been a crazy busy month.  Here’s a random listy update:

In Summer Mom-School news we’re going to go with option 3, so we’ll discuss Leadership Education August 1st and then tack on another day in September.

The 4th of July was wonderfully fun and laid back.  We just hung around the neighborhood, ate food, and set off our own fireworks.

Logan made a cake

happy birthday dear America!

Logie made a happy birthday America cake.  Dad added the sparkler.

Our trip has been full of visits with best friends

visiting best friends

visiting best friends

and cousins.

running cousins

Hunter and I were Barry’s cheering section at a mountain bike race at Brundage ski resort in McCall, Idaho.

the spectators

feelin' good!

He won his age category.  I sure married a super cool guy.

at the top

I sure love these mountains.  I guess it’s in my blood, but no matter where I’ve been or how long I’ve been away, the rocks and trees and rivers and lakes of Idaho just feel like home.  There’s no where that can compare.