Mama Squirrel

Collective Upcycle Holiday '12

Although Collective Upcycle's Holiday '12 pop-up shop does not officially open until next week (check out the opening party on Tuesday the 27th) you can get a sneak peek of what will be available during Cleveland's Winterfest TODAY!  Celebrate Small Business Saturday by purchasing items handmade from upcycled materials by local crafters!

The Milk Belly Princess and I took some Fuzzy Wigs, pins and hair clips down to this season's location in the Colonial Arcade (also known as the Colonial Marketplace) at 530 Euclid Avenue. Here is Miss Princess with our basket full of Fuzzy Wigs:

All of the loveys in the basket are made with the sleeves of cashmere sweaters and are very soft and cuddly.  I'm not sure if all of the dolls this season will be made this way, but I'll see what I can do.

Although Princess was excited to drive out to CU with me and took great pleasure in selecting her own dancing horse ornament made by the amazing Kris Barnes, her attention span was short.  I wanted to walk around the store,take pictures and read the artists' stories on their hang tags and business cards, but she wanted to get home and hang her horse on the tree.

The opening party for this season's pop-up shop is Tuesday November 27th from 6-8 PM.  You can read detailed information about dates, hours and parking for Collective Upcycle here.  I will be at Tuesday's party and plan to take more pictures.  For now, I'll leave you with a couple I managed to take on my way out the door.

These vinyl collage trees really caught my eye.  Volunteering at Zerolandfill, I saw LOTS of vinyl wallcovering. and I love how the artist grouped similar colors together.  I also appreciate how these trees are for sale, but double as seasonal decor in the shop.  

This little pin made me smile.  I admire anyone who can take small, discrete findings and transform them into something so endearing.

Sirna's Farm Fall Festival

 A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine shared this article on Facebook.  As soon as a saw the giant corn box, I knew if we only made it to one fall festival this year, this would be it.  Since this is the peak weekend for fall foliage in these parts, the 45 minute drive out to the farm melted away as we admired the brilliant reds, oranges and yellows that lit up the forests along the highway.  

For seven dollars (three for me and two for each of the littles) we were able to play to our hearts' content.  We started our adventure by checking out the animals.  While Little Tiger was enamored with the humming alpaca, I could tell that The Milk Belly Princess was freaked out so we moved on to a hay ride.  Both girls marveled over the giant muddy tractor tires and squealed with glee as we rode around the farm.  A hay ride is a highlight of any fall festival.  How could anyone ever top that? Our hay ride was almost over when I saw it: 

This contraption just might get my vote for coolest form of transportation EVER.  Six 55 gallon drums were repurposed into seats (with little benches and safety belts) and connected to form this sweet little train.  Here's a close up of the girls getting ready to take their ride.  Notice Little Tiger's look of joy and how The Milk Belly Princess'  brow is furrowed with apprehension:

I truly wish I was in a position to give whoever invented this an award for innovation in repurposing. This train was constructed so as it moved forward each car gently bounced up and down.  It was interesting enough for older kids, but safe enough for little ones.  (The Milk Belly Princess' brow was smooth when she was returned to me at the end of the ride.)

Next, it was time for the corn box.  Once inside, Little Tiger eagerly reported that she was standing knee deep in feed corn and her feet were still not touching the ground.  While The Milk Belly Princess was happy to dig with the wide array of shovels available, Little Tiger made several corn angels.

The girls had so much fun in the corn box I wasn't sure I would be able to drag them out, but they wanted to try the corn maze.  Here they are as we were just getting started.  The Milk Belly Princess was concerned I was too far behind.

Today was the last day for Sirna's Fall Festival, but if you're looking for some unique fall fun you should definitely check it out next October.

Treasured

My hunter/gatherer roots are never far from the surface.  Or maybe I'm descended from pirates and all of this can be traced back to a centuries-old desire for buried treasure.  There has to be something more than the simple practicality of saving money that causes me to get childishly excited any time I have an opportunity to mine for gems on the secondary market.  The night before Zerolandfill or an estate or rummage sale my eager anticipation mirrors that of  preschoolers quequing up at the starting line of an Easter egg hunt.

I'm not proud  to admit it, but over the past week I've visited my church more than I did this entire summer.  It started with Sorting Sunday when the entire congregation stayed after the 10:30 service to help  move all of the donations for our annual Trash and Treasure Sale from the large mult-purpose room to the various places where they would be sold.  

Although I tried to play it cool, I was excited to open each new box of  donations to see what was inside.  The fact that most of it was pretty ordinary made the exceptions all the more thrilling.  I didn't think much of the blue and white striped copy paper box as I approached it.  Upon closer inspection, I saw "Dollhouse + Furniture" printed on it in faint blue ballpoint pen.  When I opened the lid, I tried not to squeal with glee.   Check it out:

Not a doll house, but a fashion boutique, four small shoppers and an assortment of tops, skirts, hats, wigs--even a cape.  I looked everywhere, but was unable to find a single clue about the name, manufacturer or date of this toy.  The name "Madeline" was written on the bottom of two of the doll's in blue ink, so I'm guessing that was who owned at least half of the set.  Maybe the other two dolls belonged to a sister? 

I knew Little Tiger and The Milk Belly Princess would love this toy.  It was still there when I arrived at church to price sale items on Monday, so I scooped it up.  I thought about saving it for Christmas, but The Milk Belly Princess saw me gathering all of the pieces and it was over. We brought the play set home and were in the midst of giving the dolls and their clothes a bath on our front stoop when Little Tiger arrived home on the school bus.  She was happy to join us.

Since we brought the dolls and their boutique home on Monday it has usurped everything else as the favorite toy in our house.  Several times during the early afternoons, I've stopped what I was doing to listen to The Milk Belly Princess croon to the dolls, making them talk and sing to each other.  I tried to sneak up on her and get some candid shots, but she was on to me.  For as much as she loves imaginary play, she hates it when she thinks anyone is watching or listening.  So this was the best I could do:   

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Stick Doll Fun

Anyone who is a regular on Pinterest knows that pinning a project idea and actually seeing it through to completion are two very different things.  I currently have 720 pins and the number of Pinterest-inspired projects I've completed is...significantly less than that.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a pin that led me to a tutorial for how to make Miss Lolly Dolly at Teawagontales and I knew I had to do this with my girls.  All you need are craft sticks, colored pens and washi tape.  Jane has a fantastic tutorial on her blog, so I won't get into that here, but I did want to share our dolls with you.  The background play scape is courtesy of The Milk Belly Princess.  I'm not sure about the species of the little animal in the lower right hand corner of the paper, but its sweetness is making my teeth hurt.

Here are the dolls made by me:

These were created by Little Tiger:

One of the best parts of this craft is that the dolls are endlessly customizable.  Both Little Tiger and The Mister made their own miniature copies of The Milk Belly Princess dressed in doll versions of the outfit she was wearing that day.

Speaking of the Milk Belly Princess, here's her doll collection:

Let's take a closer look at my favorite.  Look at that big, friendly smile:

I hope there was something this week that made you this happy.

 

The Night I Ate Crow For Dinner

We were sitting on the patio at an area restaurant. We  just ordered our food and both girls were working on activity books.  Shortly after the beverages arrived, The Milk Belly Princess spilled some lemonade on her dress.  She was concerned, but I told her not to worry about it; it was only a few drops, it was a hot day and the sun would dry it quickly.  

The Mister and I were busy watching a small group of younger patrons smoking just  on the other side of the patio fence.  While the patio itself was non-smoking, that rule did not apply to the restaurant's parking lot and half a dozen twentysomethings were lighting up fifteen feet away from us.  

I glared at them and thought evil thoughts.  Are they going to do that the whole time we're here?  Who do they think they are?  How dare they  ruin my family dinner with their disgusting habit? 

"Stupid.  They're stupid."  I muttered as The Mister and I both shook our heads in disgust.

I say  this as an ex-smoker, someone who started in high school out of boredom and endured several seasons of  smelly clothing, lessened energy and subpar health before I forced myself to stop.  If, when my daughters get a little older and go through the "Did-you-ever-smoke-or-drink-or-do-drugs-or-run-away-from-home-and-join-a-traveling-circus-as-The-Bearded-Lady-because-we-know-how-often-you-get-your-eyebrows-done-and-your-lip-waxed-and-you-could-definitely-pull-it-off  Phase" I will answer the smoking portion of that question in the affirmative...and admit that it was stupid.

All of a sudden The Milk Belly Princess was screaming like I've never heard her scream before.  Her chair was rocking from side to side as she  kicked her legs, flapped her arms and shreiked.  As I leapt up to see what was wrong, I saw a bee fly out from under her dress.  She'd been stung.

Neither of my daughters have ever been stung by bees.  In addition to being in pain, I think  part of her reaction was out of fear.  One minute she was working through mazes enjoying some lemonade and the next she was being stabbed in the thigh.  What was happening?

I ran into the restaurant and asked the bartender for a bag of ice.  As I passed a couple dining on the patio I shouted, "She's been stung by a bee!  She's a good girl!  She's been stung!"

Did you see what I did there?  How I judged and wrote off a whole group of people based on one superficial trait and then, not five minutes later freaked out at the thought of anyone thinking my daughter was "bad" for screaming?  The irony of the juxtaposition of my snap judgement of the smokers with the fear of me and my child being judged harshly by others is not lost on me.  ...but thank you for noticing.

The staff at the restaurant was very attentive.  Within a minute we had a giant bag full of ice.  As The Mister and I examined The Milk Belly Princess' rapidly swelling knee, one of the young men who'd been smoking by the fence approached us.  

"Is it a bee sting?"  he asked.  

When I said it was  he said, "Garlic, I swear to God, rub a clove of garlic on the sting.  It works." and then he walked away.

Our server brought us a clove of garlic from the kitchen.  The Mister put it on The Milk Belly Princess' knee  and it worked like magic.  Almost immediatelty she stopped crying and the swelling started to go down.  

Someone I'd written off not ten minutes earlier as stupid saved the day with his knowledge of how to treat bee stings.  He helped my little girl in a way that never would have occurred to me.

The food arrived.  I usually love this particular restaurant's Buffalo Chicken Salad, but on that particular night it tasted a lot like crow.  

Afterword:  Since the garlic worked like a charm, The Milk Belly Princess was her usual, playful self by the time we arrived at home.  Little Tiger wanted to do something nice for her little sister so she offered to give her a "makeover."   Here she is about two hours post-sting showing off her new "pin curls" courtesy of Little Tiger:

 

Keepin' it Cool

This week I've been teaching an amazing group of kids in my Basic Hand Sewing class at BAYarts.  On Monday we made pillows. Tuesday we started stuffed bears and monkeys and finished them today.  Some students were even able to complete a sunglasses case today so they left for home with TWO completed projects.  

 This time around some of the kids got really creative with their stuffed animals and decided to make clothes for their new friends.  Yeah, right about now I'm kicking myself that I didn't take pictures.  I meant to, but we were all so absorbed in our work that time melted away in the summer heat.  When one of my assistants told me it was 11:30 (time to leave) I thought she was kidding...until I looked up from working with a child and saw parents waiting patiently at the door.  Oops.

Afternoons have been spent trying to keep cool.  Our friends Carson, Emily and their daughter, The Amazing Miss E are visiting us from out of town and  Little Tiger and the Milk Belly Princess are thrilled to have a live-in friend for the week.  Carson took these pics of Little Tiger and Miss E in the water and The Milk Belly Princess sporting the stylish sun shade that Grandma bought for her:

 

 

Whatever you're doing, I hope you're having fun and keeping cool!

 

 

Grandma Audrey

Friday July 6th was significant to me because it was the 100th anniversary of my Grandma Audrey's birth.  Grandma Audrey was what a literature professor might euphemistically  describe as a "round" and "dynamic" character with her share of faults, but I loved her anyway.  

Unlike my other grandmother who made it four months into year 101 before she died, Grandma Audrey has been gone for awhile now.  Little Tiger and The Milk Belly Princess never met her.  When I was a child, most people didn't know their great-grandparents, but today it seems more and more do and I'm sorry my girls didn't get to know their Great-Grandma Audrey.  Despite giving the adults in her life a run for their money, Grandma Audrey was always wonderful to small children.  

To Little Tiger and The Milk Belly Princess, Grandma Audrey is the stuff of folklore.  She has been a life-long inhabitant of Heaven--a place where they've never been but has  been described as very nice--not unlike Florida.  Even though they never had the pleasure of playing on the beach with Grandma Audrey or making Christmas crafts with her like I did, I wanted to do something with my daughters to commemorate her birthday.  So we had a tea party.  Yesterday Grammy Susan picked us up and took us out for afternoon tea.  This was the first time Little Tiger and The Milk Belly Princess ever had afternoon tea at a restaurant and they were excited.  Here is Little Tiger with her tea + two sugar cubes:

 This tea was a multi-course affair.  For the children, this meant a main course consisting of their choice of peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese sandwiches served with a fruit cup and in the shapes of a heart and butterfly.

For dessert, they enjoyed strawberry ice cream, a brownie, a red velvet cupcake and a chocolate dipped maraschino cherry.  Little Tiger was really excited about all of the different desserts.

We enjoyed our tea here, but I've also heard good things about the child-friendly tea parties available here and would love to hear about other places that might be fun for a post-lunch time adventure.  Any suggestions?

Oodles of (Used) Noodles

Collective Upcycle's summer pop-up is officialy closed.  After closing time on Sunday, The Milk Belly Princess and I stopped at the shop to pick up the unsold Fuzzy Wigs.  Robin Neorr of The T Shirt Diaries was there with her daughter so the little girls played together while Robin and I helped clean up.  

Everything in Collective Upcycle is made from repurposed materials, including the decor.  This season that meant a lot of colorful paper chains made from paint samples and red pool noodles.  Pool noodle slices were strung together to make garlands that festooned the ceiling and walls.  Hundreds of red pool noodles were glued and stacked together to create a giant wall that divided the show room from the storage space in the back.  This wall was especially helpful during last week's clothes swap.

The noodles were previously used in some sort of exhibition and Collective Upcycle acquired them afterwards to decorate the summer shop.  After the shop closed, no one really knew what to do with them so they were being offered to anyone who could give them a good home.

When Robin asked her little girl if she wanted to take some home to make a small table and chair, she gave me a brilliant idea.  We've never had a children's pinic table in our backyard and these noodles, in appropriately-sized clusters, would fit the bill.  They're sturdy, waterproof and free!  I eagerly selected a big noodle cluster for a table and four smaller clusters as the chairs. The girls enjoyed breakfast with them yesterday morning.

Then, at the request of Little Tiger and The Milk Belly Princess, they were temporarily moved indoors so some guests could enjoy an evening tea party.

Although My Friend Mandy and Bitty Baby would have you think otherwise with their unsteady posture, I assure you only water was served at this gathering.

Milk Belly Montessori

In this post   I wrote about my mixed feelings regarding Little Tiger graduating from kindergarten and leaving the wonderful Montessori where she's spent the past four years.  I've never been very good when good things come to an end, but what will keep my sadness at bay is the fact that The Milk Belly Princess still has another two years at this school and she, like her sister, has been blessed with a phenomenal teacher.   

The Milk Belly Princess is her best self around Miss Sara, someone who is a perfect blend of stern and silly.  

I'm amazed not only at what The Milk Belly Princess has accomplished this year, but what she as been exposed to and developed an interest in.  She loves yoga after learning several poses from Miss Sara.  I took this picture of Miss Sara leading the class in "Downward Dog" when I visited for the Milk Belly Princess' birthday celebration.

Miss Sara reads Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie books with special voices for Elephant and Piggie and they are EXACTLY the way those characters would sound.  The Milk Belly Princess received "Happy Pig Day" in her Easter basket.  When I asked her if she wanted me to do special character voices she said no and I was relieved.  There was no way I could do them as spot on as her teacher.

 Miss Sara is very artistic and takes on projects that I could not imagine doing with 20 small children AT THE SAME TIME.   As a class, they've been reading Mo Willems' books, so one day everyone brought in a plain white T shirt and they made some wearable art paying homage to kiddie lit's most famous pigeon.   Note:  This picture was taken within minutes of The Milk Belly Princess finishing a blue lollipop.  She does not normally have blue lips and teeth.  

The Milk Belly Princess wanted me to know that she "made the pigeon angry by giving him mad eyes."  Indeed, somehow that extra little swoop of blue paint made him go from mild-mannered to irate.  

Miss Sara's enthusiasm and book choices not only interest the Milk Belly Princess; they've made her want to learn to read.  Neither The Mister nor I remember how old we were when we learned to read, but we were definitely older than four.  Patient is not an adjective I would normally use to describe my youngest daughter, but the process she goes through when she is reading something new is a reflection of the beautiful, patient teaching she receives from Miss Sara at school and from Grammy during their afternoons together.  She sounds out each letter, blends the letters into one word and tweaks the pronunciation until she arrives at something that makes sense.  

I'm going to end this post with The Milk Belly Princess reading one of her favorite books aloud to The Mister.  If you do go on to watch this video I feel compelled to warn you that the banter following the story, although we find it funny, is probably only interesting to The Mister and I...and that she dressed herself. 

Flowers

Here is the arrangement currently decorating my kitchen table:

In the words of The Milk Belly Princess:  "I thought our kitchen table was kind of boring without flowers, so I picked you some flowers."

I know there's a point when you have to learn to tell the difference between flowers and weeds, but I hope she doesn't need to do that for a long, long time.