art-paper-scissors :: recycled paper owls

a little project to help make

thank-you notes more fun

:: recycled paper owls ::

over at everythingeagle.com

download & print this owl stencil template

you can find all my art-paper-scissors lessons

☼here☼

♥

:: ornament ::

many christmases ago, this hung on

grandma grace & grandpa weldon's tree

in goshen, indiana.

it is my dad's, and it is my favorite.

every year,

after the kids have finished hanging

all the other ornaments,

we ceremoniously hand this one to my dad

and he finds the perfect spot for it.

♥

:: holiday glimpses ::

it was merry.

♥

♥ me & my mom ♥

i love her.

lots.

♥

:: comfort & joy ::

:: merry christmas ::

♥

art-paper-scissors :: handmade holiday workshop, week 8

something quick and cute for christmas eve

over at everythingeagle.com

:: tea box gingerbread house ::

make a whole village

☼here☼

merry christmas eve!

♥

:: new angel ::

see the one with the star?

she's new.

from here

♥

:: little slip of paper ::

i have been quietly mourning the loss

of a precious little slip of paper,

for nearly two months.

in my exhaustive search for it,

i emptied our giant 95 gallon recycling bin

piece. by. piece.

twice.

today, as i was cleaning my office, i found it.

emily made this cherished little drawing

thirteen years ago.

she was four years old.

when she gave it to me,

she said, "i made it myself."


i carried this in my wallet for years.


i love it so much.


i love the little-orphan-annie eyes.


i love everything about it.


and now,

i love that i don't have to miss it anymore.

♥

:: present-wrapping inspiration ::

::rainbow yarn source::

::jump rope source::

::red snowflake source::

{i'm going to try this with these snowflakes}

::fabric wrapping source:: 

♥

:: marian cheers ::

today was marian & ned's last day of school.

they don't go back until wednesday, january 4th.

so, early this morning {like, 8 am},

eagle middle school had a holiday

choir~orchestra~cheer~band

performance.

they really did a great job,

and had lots of fun out there.

i was SO proud of her.

{i welled-up with tears, so proud}

go colts!

go marian!

♥


p.s.
thank you, emily, for being a good big sister 
& getting up at 6 & curling marian's hair
& watching her performance with me.

:: ned knits ::

over the weekend,

ned watched me knitting

{a gift for someone special}

and asked if i would teach him.

with my help, 

he knitted a little scarf for bunny

sweetest. thing. ever.

♥

:: she's home ::

and she brought our favorite cheese

{cypress grove chevre - humboldt fog}

{and, don't worry, mom, we're saving it for christmas}

{thanks, emmy}

♥

art-paper-scissors :: handmade holiday workshop, week 7

looking for a

last minute gift idea?

something cool & eco-friendly?

well,

grab your hat & mittens and come make a

:: no-sew tshirt scarf ::

over at everythingeagle.com

you could make one of these

in the time it takes to sing

a christmas carol.

i'll even give you a neat idea

for gift wrapping your scarf.

come check it out

☼here☼

peruse my art-paper-scissors archives

☼here☼

♥

:: ned's desk ::

right after school started this year,

our dear friend at the library,

~ miss ruby ~

{she was ned's VERY first teacher at miss ruby's storytime}

asked me if ned might like to have

her daughter's vintage school desk.

{her daughter is all grown up, now}

ned said, "yes, please!"

this was perfectly timed with ned's

very first week of first grade homework.

sweet serendipity.

the desk is a beautiful combination of

beauty and function,

hardwood and steel.

its metal parts are painted blue,

ned's very favorite color.

he LOVES this desk.

i love that it is oh-so-stylish,

holds his homework & library books,

and gives him a perfect spot to

do his math & spelling papers.

{the desk top can adjust to be flat or angled}

thank you, miss ruby!

♥

p.s.

here's a little photo of ned, age 3, at miss ruby's storytime.

here he is at age 4, going on a bear hunt.

{there's miss ruby in the center}

we were regulars.

:: date night ::

last friday night was date night

for me & my little guy.

long ago, i bought a family pass to the

idaho aquarium,

and after more than 3 years in the making,

they are finally up & running.

they officially open this friday {dec. 16},

but last friday was a members-only event.

we were in attendance

{ned is touching a baby shark in the shark nursery}

then we headed downtown for dinner

at one of our favorite places,

bittercreek alehouse.

{very fun & very packed ~ not many first graders in this crowd}

they make a huge effort to buy

locally-grown produce, and our csa

~earthly delights farm~

is one of their suppliers.

and they make amazing mac & cheese.

good times.

♥

:: christmas goodness ::

i'm finally getting ready

because he's coming to town

ned asked santa for a rubik's cube.

mrs. claus said she thought 

he was near the top of the nice list.

that should help his odds.

♥

i can't believe i'm doing this...

marian has a friend over today.

it took all i had to rent this movie for them

but, guess what?

it's good.

i have ON PURPOSE not learned

any justin bieber songs.

but i think this movie about his 

do-it-yourself rise to superstardom

has maybe won me over.

bieber fever?

not even close.

but he's really, really adorable.

this is my favorite part

{he reminds me of another irreverently goofy little boy}

♥

p.s. i should also confess that, earlier this week,

i bought some of this as a birthday gift

the tiniest size, because it's spendy.

does it surprise you that it smells really good?

or that the only places to buy it at our mall

were macy's & sephora?