"Glee" in Real Life - My Kid's Summer Mix Tape

Kids' music is pretty terrible. I gave the Wiggles a shot one day and I didn't even make through one song. The lyrics were something like "Fruit salad, yummy yummy, fruit salad yummy!". Is that anyway to teach the beauty of the English language and the power of song?

Ben loves being sung to and we recently signed up for a music class. (Does a 7 month old need a formal music class? No. Does mom need to get out the house? Yes.) The research-based fancy-schmancy music class songs are definitely a cut above the Wiggles, and I can make it through the CD a couple of times, but there's only so much I can take.

With that being said and a summer road trip coming up, it's mix tape time. Here are my picks for a playlist that everyone can enjoy.



Paul Simon - Loves Me Like a Rock
The Beatles - Twist and Shout
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Home (does have the word "ass" in it once)
The Be Good Tanyas - The Littlest Birds
The White Stripes - We're Going to be Friends
Dave Matthews Band - So Much to Say
Collective Soul - Shine
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Three Little Birds
Cab Calloway - Hi De Ho Man (Ben has loved this since he was 3 months old)
Feist - 1,2,3,4
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry, be Happy

Please send me your suggestions!




Found this during my blog ramblings today. These kids look so happy, confident and engaged and their teacher seems really amazing. From what I can tell from watching their videos, these kids are 5th / 6th grade. Look how many boys there are! Look how they are all participating! If you search "PS22 chorus" on YouTube, you can see all of their great work covering pop songs.

Whimsy Tree

It is too hot to knit. Not even the siren song of my KSD cashmere sock yarn can entice me to pick up the sticks. I've been really inspired by all of the embroidery posted over at Feeling Stitchy, so I decided to do some of my own.

I sketched out the trunk and branches and did the leaves freehand. The fabric is some old velvet I've had in the stash forever.

It's by no means perfect, but I'm pretty pleased with my first embroidery effort in years. Perhaps there are some pillow cases or tea towels in my future.

Happy Tag Blanket

This blanket makes me happy- it was fast, easy, and fun. I used this tutorial I found on Craftzine.

My modifications: I didn't use an existing blanket, I just bought a yard of each of the fabrics. The ribbons are spaced 2 inches apart, and 2 inches from the corners. I did two rows of top-stitching. It is about 36" x 42".

The fabric is from JoAnn's. The green and white fabric is some basic nursery flannel and the dinos are just regular quilt cotton. The ribbons have been amassed over time. It was a great way to use the "scrapbooking" ribbons I got from the dollar section at Target.

Ben seems to enjoy it, which is all I can really ask for. He tested out the ribbons for it yesterday.*What if the baby gets in the ribbon drawer?*

Works in Progress

My brain is moving faster than my hands right now. Why is it so much fun to start a project, but not so much fun to finish it?

A Little Eye Candy

Last week, the Renegade Craft Fair was even more awesome than expected. It was crafty sensory overload - there are so many talented and creative people out there!
I could have easily spent multiple paychecks on all the goodies, but I ended up only getting a skein of sock yarn and a pair of earrings.

The yarn is from Kitchen Sink Dyeworks. It is the luxe merino fine cashmere blend in the colorway "Irie". I'm currently searching for the perfect sock pattern for it.

I forgot to take a picture of the earrings and I forget which vendor i bought them from. Oops.

There was a lot of inspiration to be had and my friend Tiffany got some great ideas for adorable baby onsies. They can be made in a single nap time! That's like crafting at the speed of light!

Renegade Craft Fair!

I am so excited!

Easter Baskets!

Easter dinner at my house was a success! The emergency can of icing and the M&M's salvaged the cake, my dad stepped in to make the traditional pea salad (so traditional that there's no written recipe anywhere) and there were enough solid nap times in the previous weeks for me to make little Easter baskets.

I used a tutorial I stumbled upon on one of the AlphaMom blogs via Craftzine. I can't find it again, but the process is very simple.


1. Mix equal parts clear Elmer's glue (I found it at Micheal's) and water.
2. Shred paper. I used brown paper bags and cute gift bags I got on super sale at Target.
3. Cover a bowl or something to use as the mold with plastic wrap. If you use something made out of glass, you'll have to pour a little vegetable oil down the side of the mold between the plastic wrap and the glass to get it to slip off. I forgot that cling wrap clings, and freaked out a little until I figured this trick out.
4. Dip handfuls of the shredded paper into the glue mixture and apply to the mold, like paper mache.
5. Enjoy the goopy, silly, messiness of it all.
6. Wait about 24 hours before trying to remove your nest/basket