The Drawing Lesson

I was in the middle of buying curriculum for the kid's coming school year when I ran across The Drawing Lesson by Mark Crilley. Having a tween who is a fan of graphic novels I figured one that teaches you how to draw would be a learning style right up her alley.

   It's an impressive book, showing drawing styles and working on things like shading, proportions, and basic drawing techniques in an interesting way. I'm going to be using this in our art lessons this fall for all the kids. The only draw back to this book is that the "teacher" in this book seems to be somewhat possessed...going from nice to mean to crazy looking throughout the book. It seems strange the way she is portrayed. I'm curious to see if the kids take notice of that. 

This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
 

Wonderland

The adult coloring book Wonderland by Amy Shen is inspired by Alice's Adventures. Considering that we are all a little mad here it was a big hit with the household when it arrived. 

Woodland scenes, a little wonky and a lot of crazy, and many of the characters from the book bring this sweet coloring book together. These books are our rainy day activities and what I enjoy most about coloring as a family is that each book is decorated by all of us so it is a sweet memento to keep. 

This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Cats in Paris

Cats in Paris: A Magical Coloring Book by Won-Sun Jang is different than my typical coloring books.

It's a coloring book of the secret world of cats as they explore the city's famous parts.

I thought there would be more of Paris, but many of the pages are simple collages. Some pages are very detailed, 

whereas others are pretty simplistic.

I ordered this one to color with the kids so am very happy with the more simple illustrations on certain pages. The kids will learn a bit of history of Paris while coloring their favorite animal - cats! 

I will enjoy the more detailed pages, especially any involving books! That cover just spoke to me - cats and books being two of my favorite things!

This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
 

Whatever is Lovely

"We live in such a busy, hectic world—but what waits for you inside this cover is a way to quiet the noise, express creativity, and spend some sweet time with God." Whatever Is Lovely; A Coloring Book for Reflection and Worship by Waterbrook Press

While I've been on the adult coloring bandwagon for a good 6 months or more, this is the first inspirational one I've picked up. I think this is my new favorite for several reasons:

*Each page is one picture (whereas my other coloring books are double sided). This makes it perfect for tearing out and framing the artwork that speaks most to you.

*The back of the page tells where the quote, poem, or Bible Verse is from and elaborates on it.

*It's encouraging. My coloring time is my mediation time. Focusing on coloring an inspirational verse or poem gives me some time to reflect on those words.

I plan to buy a frame for the new year and change out the picture once a month with a new colored page. The words will be present to see daily on my office wall and will bring some reflection and wisdom to mind.

This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Something to Wear

Something you want... Something you need... Something to wear... Something to read...

Those are the four Christmas gifts that we purchase for the kids. When it comes to the wear aspect I like to pick up something original. For the older kids original can be a challenge as fun items don't always come in larger sizes (and they may not want to wear anything a little off the wall!), so hats or cute socks fit the bill for them. 

For Amy I can go a bit wild and have fun. I've run across two new designers that I just love this year. I try to support work at home mamas. While the items will be more expensive than ones you will find in stores, they are handcrafted, made in the US, and because of their originality they often have an awesome resale value. This is not a sponsored post, I just wanted to share two favorite stores of mine! No referral links included either. ;)

The Measure has such adorable sundresses. I purchased their grab bag last month and loved the dresses I received. The styles are classic ones reminiscent of my own childhood when sundresses were a summer staple. The dress pictured below is perfect for layering for winter, where as the others I have are a light material perfect for our hot summer days.     

Nook's Design uses vintage linens, lace, and buttons by up-cycling items. You all know my love of vintage linens...so to find a business that makes dresses out of thrift store finds is amazing!!! I ran across this designer on Kidizen and purchased the dress below at a fraction of what it cost new. It fits Amy perfectly as a tunic and the material is amazingly soft!!!

I'm keeping a lookout on her shop because her items seem to go quick and I've fallen in love with several pieces that are sold out (rompers with real mink collars! dresses make from vintage quilts!). 

Support homemade if you can this holiday season!

The Time Chamber

I reviewed Daria Song's previous coloring book, The Time Garden, back in August. When I saw that she came out with another book I had to have it!

Just like the first, The Time Chamber is a magical story book combined with a coloring book.  

The story is about a tiny fairy who lives within a cuckoo clock and suddenly decides to explore the world outside.

I love the illustrations but also the story itself.

Adult coloring is so relaxing. While coloring with a friend recently two hours passed within a blink of an eye! She and I decided to incorporate coloring as a part of our book club and I'll be sure to bring this one along with me.

Coloring - it's no longer just for children!

 This book was sent to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
 

Do What You Love

Where have the days gone? I look at the calendar and can't believe that it's the 8th of October already. I think I have so many irons in the fire that my life has been a bit of a juggling act recently.

My mornings are filled with school with the kids. Week 7 and we've seemed to hit a routine that works (most days) for us. 

The kids have lots of activities that they are involved in so that is lots of go, go, going but it's something I've prayed for (more opportunities for homeschoolers in the area) so I won't complain one bit that the prayers have been answered.

My Etsy shop is up and running again. It's the custom orders that are popular this year. I'm working on some new products before the Christmas rush hits.

I've always dreamed of being the owner of a children's boutique. You all know my obsession with kid's clothes! That dream has finally come true, in a round about way! I'm working on a post about that for later this week.

That is life lately. Busy, busy, busy but loving it because it's with all things that I love.    

 

Create!

The cooler, rainy days have lead to some creative inspiration recently. Probably as a way to "fluff the nest" for the upcoming months stuck indoors due to cold and snow. Make pretty things and it won't be so difficult to be stuck indoors? One can hope.

I bought this large frame at a garage sale for $1 and intended to use it in Amy's room with her initials inside of it. But then, as I contemplated a way to keep my jewelry organized I decided instead to use it for our bedroom. 

A sheet of wire from the garage. Some S hooks and clips for hanging the jewelry. Perfection.  

It looks pretty on the bedroom wall and is quite functional. I just need to buy a few more hooks for the rest of my necklaces to be hung up. 

I'm beginning to get my Etsy shop stocked back up with goodies for the Christmas rush coming in late fall. You can follow my Facebook page to get updates of new items.

I had to start on a cuff for myself first, as the words have been tumbling around in my brain.   

A reminder at hand (literally) to truly LIVE LIFE...every single day.
 

No Quilt Left Behind

Several years ago, after falling in love with quilts, I sort of made a silent commitment of "leaving no quilt behind" when I saw one for a good price at garage sales or thrift stores.

Not just any quilt, mind you, but handmade ones. The time, talent, and love that someone bestowed upon the quilt, as well as the recipient, does not go unnoticed by me. It often befuddles me that these sweet little cotton comforts even end up in the thrift store. Who donates their Grandma's quilt, their mother's handiwork? (I guess I should thank them or else I wouldn't have such a stash myself!) 

Last week these two beauties came home with me.  

There have been times, unfortunately, where I have had to leave one behind. They were just too far gone for me to save, were much more like cutter quilts (only useful for cutting up to make smaller projects from) and I'm not at that level of expertise to bring them back to life yet. I know that someone is though, as they are always gone the next time I visit that store. The vintage fabrics call to me but the stains, holes, missing edging, etc. make me set the pathetic things back in place. I'll get there someday - where I can rescue them all and give them a loving home. ;)

For now they are on shelves waiting for a cold winter's day, plopped on the couch giving cuddles during movie time, in the car ready for a picnic. Well loved and used often.  

This & That

** spoiler alert ** I thought this was a chick-lit book, happy and carefree. Boy was I wrong! As a mother I can relate to being pulled in a million directions and finally asking yourself, "What's the important things in life?" 

 I was confused, and annoyed, with the business plan in this book. Too much lingo and jargon made some pages hard to follow along. But the actual business proposal was somewhat amusing so I'll look past that.

 But more so, I related to the health issue of a parent in this book. Because it happens...we will all probably have to say goodbye to our parents in our lifetime. Reading about Alice's father brought back memories of my own father. I stayed up until 1:30 am to finish this book and bawled through the last 1/4 of it. I think Egan wrote these feelings/emotions/issues out perfectly and made it all so believable. Because the father in this story had no voice (due to a cancer operation) I think it made it easy for me to imprint my own father into the story. Any book that can make me cry is a good book. 

 “When you're a kid, you think you're going to have this deep well of time with your parents when you grow up and you're all on equal footing. When I had kids of my own, I thought that time would come when my kids grew up and I had a little more freedom. I imagined myself as a fifty-year-old woman, strolling around the duck pond with my eighty-year-old dad. I might have looped my arm through his.
Now I knew, this was not to be.”
A Window Opens  by Elisabeth Egan

*Remember all the rainbow profile pictures in support of gay marriage on Facebook? Well, September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and I would love to see people "go gold" in support of that. And please read this article to learn more about Childhood Cancer. We need more awareness, more funding, more support!!

*I've heard people say "Why bring a child into this horrid world?"
I think, "What if that child changes the world?" 
I loved this picture on Humans of New York. This boy brightens the world around him, like so many others do in their corner of the world.

* This article makes me feel sick to my stomach, and quite confused as I don't really see the authors point. She's glad she has her daughter now but wishes she had had the chance to abort her? She didn't sign up for a child with health challenges and doesn't think other parents should have to parent a child with varying health ailments? 
Becoming a parent to ANY child means the possibility of parenting a child with issues...autism, cancer, child falls down the steps and gets brain damaged, teen gets in a car accident and is paralyzed. What would we think of a parent who walked into a hospital room after that and said "I didn't sign up for this!" and walked out forever.
 That's what parents do - love their children no matter what, take care of them no matter what. This women, holding her child in her arms, feels angry that she didn't know beforehand when she could have done something about it. This is so, so sad. What happened to our society to make some people "less than"?

*On a happier note, some blogs of family and friends that I enjoy:

~A DIY blog with fun projects Laura Ann's Home 

~A book blog for bookworms Pursuing the White Whale

~My mom and her co-author's blog Mary & Me 

~Another stay-at-home mama blog The Space Between This and That
 

A Snappy Side Table

This past spring I picked up this beverage cart at a thrift store for $10.

I had plans on painting it white and using it on the porch for potted plants. It sat in the garage waiting for some inspiration to hit.

This past weekend I moved some furniture in the living room around and realized that I was now in need of an end table. 

Inspiration finally hit.

I put hubby to work on "my project" (yeah, it pretty much was his project as he did all the work for me!). 

I wanted a shabby chic feel to it and love the color of the paint he chose and the distressing that he did.

It fits in with our shabby chic little corner (I'm not sure what's up with the lighting in this photo...I couldn't turn the lamp on or there was too much of a glare...so just roll with it. :)

I'm going to find the perfect little basket for underneath and this is where we can store books and magazines. 

The nice thing is that this little side table can easily be rolled out to the middle of the room and it's sides can be expanded to make a large table for movie night. Add a tray of drinks and a big bowl of popcorn and it will come in extra handy. 

$10 table, a $3 can of spray paint, and a little imagination goes a long way.
 

The Time Garden

When I first heard about "adult" coloring books my immediate thought was "ain't nobody got time for that!" Fast forward a few months later when I saw so many friends coloring in the coolest books and I changed my tune to "that looks fun!"

The thing is, I'm not very artistically talented. If I drew something it may rival my first graders work. Yet I love art. I wish I could draw. Coloring, to me, is the next best thing because you can take someone's drawing and bring it to life. 

The Time Garden by Daria Song is such a beautiful journey, all about a little girl who discovered one magical world after another through her father's cuckoo clock.  

The pages literally take hours to completely color. It is a form of mediation to me, like knitting may be to others. Imagine waiting in a waiting room, long car rides, stressful moments. Times when your fingers may be itching to do something...why not use it to color?

My oldest daughter got into it too...coloring and chatting alongside me. A unique bonding experience.

Watson Guptill publishes these particular coloring books and the pages are thick and the covers are sturdy. Nothing like the coloring books of our childhood!

This is a page I worked on in another coloring book, "Enchanted Forest". Coloring isn't just for kids! ;)

This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
 

A Space of Their Own

When we were at Faith's Lodge everyone was drawn to the art room. Crafts were at the ready, paint and brushes were accessible for ease of use. Having it there, right at your fingertips, makes creation flow.

So I decided when we returned home that we would have a little corner of our own and got to work creating a space that is open to the kids. As long as they clean up their mess when finished they are free to use whatever, whenever, if it's on/in this desk. 

Like moths to a flame they flocked. 

Amy got her paint on.

Joe and Amy worked with markers and stickers.

While Becca said the desk is too small for her she loves the ease of grabbing an art medium and running to her room to create.

I look forward to switching up the crafts on the table. Letting the kids explore with clay, watercolors, pencils, beads, and more.  Watching the budding artists emerge.
 

Create Porch Decor

When I bought a mirror with a pretty blue frame at a garage sale for 50 cents I had plans to put it up in the girl's room. It would match the yellow one already in there quite well.

Plans change when the mirror got broken (shhhh...don't tell Joe about the seven years of bad luck!). I decided to re-purpose it into a craft for the porch.  

After buying the letter F at Wal-Mart for $1.95 I had Ben paint it grey with paint that we already had. Then I used yellow washi tape that I already had to make stripes. We Hubby then hung them separately on the siding. A very quick (less than an hour) and inexpensive (total was about $3) project!

Instead of throwing something away, look at the item in a different way to see what it could be turned into instead. You know, when life gives you lemons...make lemonade. Or when children brake mirrors, get creative... 

Edited to add: a close up of the letter for Gill who asked in the comments. Excuse the raindrops on the letter...we had a huge thunderstorm right before I snapped the photo.

 

Wall Art

A month ago I bought two cute little quilt blocks at a garage sale. I think I paid a whole 15 cents for the both of them.

I had plans to make pillows with them. 

But my plans quickly changed with I decided to make some wall art with them instead. I just taped them to the wall and added some washi tape as stems and leaves. They bloom next to Amy's toddler bed and add lots of whimsy and color to her corner of the world. :)