Cape Elizabeth, Maine – It hasn’t felt much like winter around here… until TODAY! The cold weather and the date on the calendar are a double whammy that will have me up to my eyeballs in wrapping paper for most of the day. It’s day one of our unwrap-a-book-a-night-countdown-to-Christmas. To get ready, I’m wrapping up … Continue reading
Portland, Maine – It’s Fall, Y’all! Okay, no one else in Maine is saying it quite like that… but the excitement of leaf peeping, pumpkin hunting, and all things Autumn is here. I was seriously daydreaming about whether I could travel the globe to spend an entire year in Autumn – an entire year. For … Continue reading
Portland, Maine – Well let’s just chalk this up to one of the ten thousand things I swore I would never do when I had kids. But here we are. We taped our trash to the walls. And it was awesome. For someone who used to iron her guest bedroom sheets, this is huge. Some … Continue reading
Time to dig through your recycling bin. This craft is easily made with bits of tissue paper, cardboard, ribbon, paint, and glue. Grab your munchkins and you’ll have this Valentine decor ready to display in no time at all. Paint your hearts. We cut ours out of cardboard boxes. Cereal boxes will work well, too. … Continue reading
Portland, Maine – I don’t know if you’ve been following our weather lately. But like a faithful metronome, we oscillate between windchill 28 below and 46 above. Either it’s unsafe to leave the house or it’s raining so hard that huge chunks of ice floating by also make it tricky to play outside with my … Continue reading
Portland, Maine – I guess it’s a week after Christmas when I think of an old friend I’ll call Sally. Sally told me that every year, she takes everyone’s holiday cards and puts them in an album. What a respectful thing to do, especially when you consider the thought, time, and expense spent on holiday … Continue reading
It’s pumpkin time! Okay, not exactly… but back-to-school means one thing only: START your fall sewing RIGHT NOW! If you’ve been with me for a while, you know the temperatures barely need to dip to get my creative juices flowing. There are so many wonderful things to be sewn between now and the new year! … Continue reading
Mackworth Island, Falmouth, Maine – The children of Maine are working children. The girls and boys don’t work for money or food. They are an altruistic bunch and work for the joyful satisfaction of a putting a roof over the heads of Maine’s tiniest inhabitants… the Fairies. When first light appears, the fairies wake. They take … Continue reading
We are braving the cold with a science project that’s easy, fun and looks good enough to hang on the front door when you are finished! You can start with a nature walk or treasure hunt inside your own home. You’ll put your goodies into a bunt pan and fill it with cold water. We … Continue reading
My 3-year-old and I love to imagine that he is the greatest explorer that ever there was… He’s got the curiosity, energy and enough questions to spark a lifetime of adventure… and now he even looks the part! This ‘Explorer Vest’ pattern is from one of my favorite sewing books, Oliver and S: Little Things to … Continue reading
Baby Q. will be turning one this week! That milestone is all at once happy (he’s a big boy) and sad (where did my baby go?) But there is something in my closet to soften the blow for Mommy. I started sewing clothes for C right around his first birthday. So Baby Q has a … Continue reading
It can be hard to come up with ideas when it comes to sewing for boys. Here is the first Christmas outfit I made for little C. when he was closing in on his second birthday. The applique was done with a regular sewing machine. If your machine has a zig zag stitch then you … Continue reading
This pattern whips itself into a jacket in a matter of hours. It’s the Casey Jacket from Children’s Corner, inc. I’ve been carrying around this fall tree fabric for about three years! I was not sure if it should be overalls, pants or a backpack. But suddenly, while I was pregnant with sweet Baby Q, … Continue reading
This craft keeps creepy on the fun side of Halloween. All you need is two inverted paper plates, some paint, construction paper for the legs and eyes, Elmer’s glue, hole puncher and string or ribbon. Paint the wrong side of the paper plates. Cut eight strips out of construction paper and fold accordion style. Cut out … Continue reading
Here’s an easy Halloween craft! All you need is construction paper and washable paint. Meet our spooky spider – we painted the palm and four fingers and printed palm on top of palm for this arachnid. This is a great opportunity to have your preschooler figure out how many fingers must be painted to come … Continue reading
Pattern Me Mommy 