wip it up

Thanks for stopping in...you can share my little coffee break with me, and then I'm off to another very full day. I have so many projects that are almost completed (work in progress= WIP ) and one too many a late night tucked under my belt... caffeine has become a necessity! My family can tell how I'm feeling in the morning by what beverage I choose. Most mornings it's my favorite black tea...but when they hear the coffee beans grinding, they give me a little room until I've had my cup of "perky mama"! These oversized clothespins are for Mama Goose...did you notice that favorite shade of green, yet again? I am also making the Goose several pegboard organizing "walls"(similar to my family art corner clipboards) and a baby activity wall. I'll share these with you when they are installed. Here's a peak at some of the materials for the baby wall...local wood hand-shaped, by an artisan at our local farmer's market. I am very proud of myself for getting comfortable with a drill!
"Where are your children while you're off making things?" you might ask. Well, most things happen in the wee hours of the night...thus the coffee! I've always needed a little less sleep than most, and I do love that midnight hour when the house is quiet. We've also been really enjoying working with modeling beeswax. It's a great for all ages and portable. Beeswax isn't messy like playdough, so it can come right into the sewing room!
Leave it on a dish in the sun so that it warms up and becomes pliable, otherwise it will feel hard and be discouraging to little fingers. When it's soft, beeswax is sensual and hard to resist: twist it, roll it, and shape it. Don't forget to smell it either...yum! You can buy beeswax blocks on-line at Magic Cabin.

Sometimes when my to do list is very long, I run off in the opposite direction and make something spontaneous and purely for my own pleasure! I've been admiring all of the pincushions on the flikr pin cushions pool and wanted to try my own. I'm sure there are patterns and tutorials, but I just went for it . I used recycled fabric from my scrap basket and stuffed it with wool. Now I'm addicted! Better go finish my other projects so that I can make more pin cushions!