ringing in the new year

Shhh! I'm supposed to be on a bit of a blogging break, but I had to drop in to wish you a Happy New Year! If you're looking for a fun activity to do while you count down the hours until midnight, don't forget about Cascarones! You probably have everything on hand to make these fantastic confetti eggs. Click here for their post with links to the instructions.


See you in 2009!

memories from this week

For more details please visit flickr, HERE. Hope you're having a wonderful week!

winter barn

Happy Winter! Happy slow return of the sun!

My mother's barn is snug and cozy in the snow. My family and I spend tons of time there:
cooking, creating, and having overnights. It hasn't been quite the same without my mother. She spends part of the year teaching nursery school in California, and although so much of her spirit remains while she is away, no one can cast a spell as magically as she does. We hadn't anticipated seeing her until the Summer. What a painful long stretch for all of us! Life is always filled with the unexpected, and that is especially true where my mother is concerned. So without further rambling on about the miraculous details... it smells like cookies are baking at the barn! My mother surprised us a couple of days ago with the best holiday present ever... HER! It's been nine years since I've seen my mother on Christmas, and I'm absolutely giddy!! For five days the barn has been constantly filled with heavenly smells, because she can't stop cooking for us! Old carols from the 50's are always playing, and she's been looking for fun ways to dress up little corners for the season.





Instead of getting a tree, she decorated her candelabra with lights and vintage spheres.


We helped her add little dolls from her collection, and my daughter thought it was the prettiest "tree", ever.
Upstairs, she draped large vintage lights around her drying rack and displayed this "tree" in the window.
We spent one evening taking out the decorations from my childhood and reminiscing.

My mother saved many of the ornaments that I had made, and I'll have to take some pictures for posterity sake. Please don't forget to save some for your children. I can't tell you how amazing it is to hold those little bits of history thirty some odd years later! I'll be signing off for a while to enjoy every bit I can, but don't be surprised if I pop in to share a picture or two! Hope your holidays are warm and wonderful!

simple gifts #4

This is our huge Christmas tree in our front yard. It's the tallest Blue Spruce I've ever seen! It's my favorite spot for my ornament photo shoots. I spy a wreath in the snow!

I was snowed in with the children for the second time in a week! Loved it! I won't tell you how long we stayed in our pajamas... it was snowing too hard to go outside for most of the day. What to do? Perfect opportunity to make some more gifts. We made four different versions of a wreath ornament. Three of them are perfect for older children or with an adult's guidance. The fourth wreath, my four year old taught me how to make! None of these require fancy supplies or sewing skills and we recycled. Hope you have fun, we did!

#1: felty star wreath with buttons

need:

-tiny embroidery hoop (we used ones with a 3 inch diameter)
-pinking shears
-glue
-white (or color of your choice) felt or batting
-ribbon or baker's twine
-assorted buttons

make:
see photos from #2 for any clarification
- cut out leaf shapes on the fold of your fabric. I was planning on using felted sweater scraps, but then I saw all of the natural cotton batting left-overs from my buckets... they work just like felt... maybe better as far as glue is concerned!
- attach "leaves" by sandwiching the embroidery hoop in the middle of each one and adhering with glue
- attach a slightly larger leaf to cover the hoop adjustment screw
- tie a ribbon or twine around the top
- glue buttons randomly around your wreath

#2: felty star wreath with toadstools

need:
- tiny embroidery hoop (we used ones with a 3 inch diameter)
- pinking shears
- glue
- white (or color of your choice) felt or batting
- ribbon or baker's twine
- embellishments of your choosing: our toadstools came from Small Stump


make:
- cut out leaf shapes on the fold of your fabric. I was planning on using felted sweater scraps, but then I saw all of the natural cotton batting left-overs from my buckets... they work just like felt... maybe better as far as glue is concerned!


- attach "leaves" by sandwiching the embroidery hoop in the middle of each one and adhering with glue

- attach a slightly larger leaf to cover the hoop adjustment screw
- tie a ribbon or twine around the top
- have fun getting creative with embellishments

#3: rag wreath

need:
- scissors
- scraps of fabric in rectangular strips
- yogurt lid
- jute/ribbon - natural embellishments


make:
- cut out a circle from the center of lid
- tie fabric strips all around the lid, keeping knots on the outside
- trim fabric ends to desired length
- tie jute or ribbon around the top for hanging
- embellish with notions or bits from nature

#4: "let me show you how" wreath

"That's not how you make a wreath", my four year old told her ten year old brother and me. According to her, real wreaths are green and made from "wire" and cracker boxes. It took me a second to figure it out, but I had seen several children making these at her school.

need:
- cracker box (cereal boxes work fine, but my daughter insists on only cracker boxes)
- 4 or 5 green pipe cleaners/chenille stems and one red (I found wonderful cotton pipe cleaners at AC Moore a while back)
- scissors
- pencil


make:
- cut out 2-3 inch ring from a box
- wrap green pipe cleaners around ring
- finish off with the red one and make a loop for hanging and optional bow.


Hope you have fun making and celebrating this weekend!

save handmade

Hi friends,
I had no idea I would be gone for several days, and I've missed you! I've been celebrating more birthdays, baking, making, sewing, attending recitals, and being snowed in for the second time in one week! It's all beeen magical, even if I'm a bit out of breath. I blogged in my head a bit, but barely took pictures... a rarity for me. Now that I have a moment, you'll get a double-post day. This first one is of the utmost importance to me...

The Consumer Safety Improvement Act. This new legislation will have a devastating impact on independent toy makers, as well our options for buying sustainable and handmade toys for our children. To read more click here. If you've already been following this news, but haven't known what to do... or simply felt that you were too busy with the holidays, it only takes a moment to make a difference. Really! You can ensure that we all have the opportunity to continue to create and buy handmade.

How to Get Involved -- it only takes 5 minutes of your time!

I will be putting this button up in my sidebar and encourage you to spread the word. Thank you Sarah, of Threaded Basil, for encouraging me to share this with you. Blogs have the potential to be incredibly powerful tools for change! Let's make our voices heard.

gathering pieces... gathering peace

I've been feeling like the hurried squirrels out back. They're all scrambling to get everything done for the long winter ahead. I am all too aware of the countdown to the three holidays that we celebrate (Solstice, Chanukah, and Christmas). I feel like I'm doing the same scrambling to get everything done. There is much making ahead of me and my head (and my notebook) is filled with lists. It's so easy to get overwhelmed at this time of year, but I had a little gift yesterday. The weather has been strangely warm, and I took advantage of the melting snow to go foraging for natural bits and pieces to top all of the presents I'm readying for teachers (eleven total!) As I was out collecting, I had a chance to listen to the stillness and breathe in the freshness of the crisp air. How long had it been since I had been outside... not to gather firewood, not to take out the compost, not to pull a sled... just time to be outside in the quiet. I had run outside, a bit frantic... I returned rejuvenated and relaxed. What a good reminder! If the crazy pace of this time of year is making your head spin, don't forget what a wonderful walk outside can do for your spirit. Is there a special place in nature that you can visit? How do you find some sense of calm during this time of year?


These pinecones and berries will be part of my gift wrapping... see this post. Today Bella Dia announced that she has updated her amazing list of gift tags for downloading. What a perfect resource for right now!

It's easy to find the joy in the holidays... hope you are all finding some peace, as well.

gingerbread cookies: two ways

We make gingerbread cookies every year... often more than once. Last night we rolled them out and baked them. Tomorrow we'll dress them. I iced a couple for packing in lunch boxes and sharing in this post, but the real fun is letting my children do the decorating. I have two versions to share. The classic gingerbread recipe with white icing and the sugar-free vegan recipe with raisins and dried fruit. My children love them both. The sugar free one is popular around here, because I don't put limits on how many they can eat. They love hearing me say "yes" when they ask for one more.

Classic Gingerbread Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Blend until creamy:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
Beat in:
1/2 cup molasses
In a separate bowl combine:
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour

Add dry mixture to the butter mixture alternately with 1/3 cup of water.
Blend in an electric mixer until the dough is dark and all is well incorporated.
Roll out a small portion at a time on wax paper until 1/4 inch thick. Cut out cookies with cutters and bake on an greased cookie sheet for 8 minutes. Cool and ice with a paste of 1/4 cup confectionery sugar to a few drops of water.

Sugar-Free Vegan Gingerbread

I've been making these for the last eight years. They're the perfect first cookie for a toddler, but everyone else enjoys them too! I had a special request for this recipe recently... this is for you Casey.

Follow the same recipe as above, but substitute maple syrup for sugar and vegetable oil for butter. After cutting out your cookies, but before baking, decorate with dried fruit.

We've been following along with the Crafty Crow/BellaDia Christmas Book and Activity Advent and you can find lots of fun Gingerbread Activities from day 14, here.

magic

Our weekend started early, with schools being canceled on Friday for a snow day!
I'm sharing these photos for all of you that don't have snow... especially my nieces in Hawaii! We wish you could all come over for sledding and frolicking in this winter wonderland!


Even though the world is now covered in white, we managed to have a house filled with Flower Fairies... as we celebrated my daughter's 4th birthday, yesterday. Making wands and little flower friends... eating flower fairy cakes...

Each fairy went home with a magic bag filled with:
-butterfly stickers
-glitter pens
-felt butterfly wand & flower friend
-fairy dough (homemade with glitter and lavender essential oil)
-toadstool necklaces... whipped up the night before!


I'm including our fairy dough recipe because it would make a nice gift for any little fairies you might know. You can also convert it to glittery gold treasure dough if you have a crew of pirates.

Lavender Sparkly Fairy Dough

Mix:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups salt
2 TBS. cream of tartar
Add:
3 cups water
1/3 cup oil
3 TBS. food coloring (optional)
several drops of essential oil like lavender
a generous shaking of glitter

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture forms into a ball. Remove and knead until dough is soft and has lost its stickiness. Keeps well in a sealed container for a good long time. This recipe makes enough for sharing.

The toadstool necklaces were super easy and inspired by Cathy Gaubert. I got the supplies from out local craft store and will be making more for holiday ornaments and present toppers!


I might have had just as much fun as my little fairy... who said it was "the best day EVER!"
She wore her wings deep into the night, and I loved watching her flit around the house by the lights of our tree. For a fairy sighting, click here.

green wrapping & brown tagging

You're probably already aware of the huge waste produced during the holidays. If you Google "Holiday waste", you'll find hundreds of links to tips about reducing and recycling. I wanted to share my choice for gift wrapping this year. It looks a bit familiar to yesterday's post because I'm enthralled with burlap, as you know, but I have another love: brown paper. I try to put any paper bag that comes into my life to good use. Because I primarily use cloth totes for the market, these are getting scarcer. Brown craft paper, also known as postal paper, works as a substitute with the same aesthetic appeal. I've often used it for wrapping paper, but am trying to minimize that and opted for easy cloth gift sacks instead. This year, I'm using the brown paper sparingly for gift tags and look what I've come up with... I'm so excited with this technique that I had to show you right away! I love these gift tags so much, I might even give little stacks of them as gifts, themselves!

GIFT TAGS


- Use printer paper as a template, and cut out three sheets from a paper bag or craft paper roll.
- Iron brown paper until smooth and flat (have you noticed how I use my iron as much as possible?).
- Download these totally amazing and free tags and pear paper from three generous and talented designers:

lollychop's pear print
sugar loop tags
paperseed tags


-Print onto your brown paper and cut to size. I'm not sure how I will use the pear paper, but I couldn't resist it. A little bit here and there will go a long way. I attached tags to my gifts with garden twine (jute from the hardware store) . If you've bought any of my coffee sack buckets, this whole concept will look very familiar. My product tags are created exactly this way, but without the pretty graphics.

2 MINUTE GIFT BAGS

MUSLIN
- Fold a long rectangle of muslin in half.
-Cut the top with pinking sheers and sew up the sides.
-Turn so raw edges are in the interior.
-Pop in your gift and tie with ribbon or twine.
BURLAP
-Cut two identical rectangles of burlap (from recycled coffee sacks!) following the weave.
-Sew around three sides leaving a 3/4 inch seam allowance.
-Pull out strands of the weave on each side to create a neat, but frayed edge.
-Pop in your gift and tie with ribbon or twine.

If you must use wrapping paper, consider trying recycled newspaper. You can always use the funnies, but I prefer to give newspaper wrap a unique twist. Give it a wash of diluted acrylic craft paint and let it dry before wrapping the gift.

Incorporating little bits from nature is always a beautiful and green choice.
There are so many wonderful alternatives for eco gift wrap! This is what I'll be doing for the holidays... I'd love to hear some of your ideas!

simple gifts # 3

Who doesn't enjoy new stationery? Here's a simple way to give a personalized and useful gift with very little effort, but lots of thoughtfulness.

I love using brown paper bags and /or brown craft paper.
1. Cut brown paper to the same size as standard printing paper. A paper-cutter is handy for straight lines.
2. Iron it lightly to take out any wrinkles or rolls.
3. Choose a font and your choice of names or words. Holiday "thank you" notes will be a gift that really gets used. I set up a template for four sections per page and pushed the print button.
4. Cut your note cards to size and tie a ribbon around them. Done! That was quick and don't they look ready for gifting?
Two variations would be to stamp your paper prior to printing (remember to let it dry thoroughly)

or use some clip art that is significant to the recipient.

I plan on making my own envelopes from recycled calendars... here is a great template I'll be using.
Hope you enjoy!

If you'd like to join me in a cup of tea this morning, Melissa of the wonderful Melissa Loves, is doing a little interview with me right here. Have a great day!

the holidays are almost here!

Hope you all had a great weekend! I've been sewing up a storm and will be happily pushing the list button at my shop at 2pm today. I've had so much fun being a little elf, but after today I'll be returning to my patient family. Not only are they missing me, but they're starting to wonder if I'll be making them anything for the holiday... you bet I've got an exciting and long list to cover! I am so looking forward to inviting them back into my studio and working on things together... hurray!
Above are some ornaments that I created from scraps of linen and coffee-sacks... and a little bit of stenciling. These will be available in the shop, today. I so loved making them and plan on more for friends. I'm thinking a tutorial of these will be featured in my series of Simple Gifts. I will have some non-sewing alternatives for those of you who'd rather stay away from a machine.

In Give-Away news: the winner of the elephant and bucket I made for The Crafty Crow readers was announced today... drum roll, please! Patricia, from Zen Crafting! I am sorry for any disappointed contestants, but I hope you'll all give her a big congratulations. What an amazing and miraculous world... she's one my dearest friends (not just virtual, either!) and my biggest supporter. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I read the news. She's entered every give-away I've had right here, but never been the winner. Hurray, Pat!!! I will be selling four little organic white elephants that look quite similar, but they might not go into the shop until tomorrow... I don't want to make a rushed item. Paying careful attention to each detail is my favorite part.

I've been thrilled with the responses I've gotten to the newspaper snowflake tutorial. So many of you have been out there making beautiful snowflakes! Have a creative start to your week!

a little reminder

I'm so grateful for the wonderful way my coffee sack buckets have been received. Because I create them on a small scale, I know I can't make enough for all of you. I also have heard the disappointment in how fast they go. My partial solution, besides growing more hands... is to list everything at once at a set time. Tomorrow, Monday the 8th, I will update my shop at 2pm eastern standard time (nap time around here). I hope you find something you enjoy at designs maya made. I have several different buckets in various sizes... perfect for filling with gifts for the holidays!

I also have my new organic line, which will also include two other toddler totes not pictured... their prints are drying as I type, along with several elephants like the one pictured below.


I'm almost done with half a dozen burlap/linen ornaments... similar to this one, but in various prints. So see you in the morning with a few more photos and then off to the sale at 2pm! I think I'll be going to bed very early tomorrow night... sleep is sounding soooo good!

carrying on the tradition...

Thanks for your wonderful response to my window display! All of your kindness and encouragement are totally nourishing. I am just as insecure and vulnerable as the next person. I was so immersed in creating this window, that I had lost any sense of objectivity and couldn't see it clearly. This display was so dear to my heart, that I have been a bit tender for the last few days... in a good way... but when your heart is wide open, it can be intimidating to share your work. I always have a bit of stage-fright before I push the publish post button, and I'm probably not alone.

My window display is dedicated to my 90 year old grandfather, who taught me the art of snowflake cutting. When I first started this blog, I always knew that I would be teaching you how to make beautiful snowflakes come December. My grandfather, wizard that he is, used to make hundreds of snowflakes every winter. He's known by so many for his beautiful snipped paper crystals and little tutorials to go with them. Every Christmas, he'd send a little snow to his granddaughter ( that would be me) in San Francisco, who didn't get to have a white winter. In the envelope, I'd find a model of a folded "ready to cut" snow flake with little directions on the dotted line: cut here. I'd also find a snowflake with a design ready for me to follow... just to get my creative juices flowing.


It's such a surprise every time you unfold a snowflake, but the magic of opening one that my grandfather had drawn just for my delight cannot be described in words. I've kept the tradition of making snowflakes alive in my little family. We make them every year and artfully display them in all of our windows throughout the winter. This little girl that did not have snow, now has more than she ever dreamed of each winter in upstate New York! I'm also the keeper of some the last snowflakes my grandfather cut. They are mounted on black paper and laminated. We bring them out each year to admire.



This one is my favorite. My grandfather is quite a character. Decades ago he stopped signing his name in writing (except for important documents) and would sign with a line drawing of himself. A friend gifted him with a personalized rubber stamp of his icon (the first avatar!) and he's used it for my entire life to sign all of his letters and notes to me. Here is his snowflake.


On to the tutorial... I'm sure my grandfather will be peeking in to see his snowflake legacy!

newspaper snowflake garland: a tutorial

These aren't exactly garlands, more like delicate mobiles. They gently spin and twirl at the slightest breeze. It seems to add to their magic... as if they are spiraling to the ground like real snowflakes.

Materials:


newspaper squares ( I used a 9 inch square)
sharp scissors
sewing machine and thread
tape

Make:



1. Cut out several squares from newspaper. I made a template out of card stock and cut a bunch at once.
2. Fold paper in half to make a triangle.
3. Repeat step and fold again.
4. Fold paper into thirds, being careful to have each side match up on top and within the fold.

5. Snip off excess paper, by following along the straight edge.
6. Start snipping.

Tips for lovely snowflakes:
-there are two long sides to your folded and ready to snip triangle: the folded edge and the open edge. Cutting away at one of them ( I prefer the open side, but it's fun to experiment) gives a more defined six points and not such a rounded flake.
- The more you cut away... the more "air" you put into your snowflake. This makes them lacy and delicate.
-Try drawing a design before you start cutting
Here are some examples of snowflake designs- cut and then unfolded:



back to the tutorial...

7. Unfold your design and iron out the wrinkles and folds.
8. Lay out your snow flakes in the order you want them to hang.


9. Stack them in that order (with your bottom hanging snowflake on the top) and carry them to your sewing machine.
(I'm sorry my sewing machine pictures are so challenged... a dark day and one-handed sewing make for tricky photo shoots)
10. set your machine to a basting stitch (large stitch)
11. Place a point of your snowflake under the foot. Make sure to line up the center. Begin sewing.


There will be "air" in the lacy parts with nothing for your needle to grab onto. Be ready and take your thread (coming out from behind the foot and gently pull as you sew through nothing.


Simultaneously, push your snowflake toward the needle. Let go once you've reach paper again. Does this sound tricky? A little bit, but after one or two tries, you'll be a pro!


12. Use "the gentle pulling of your thread" technique to create space of about 2 inches between each snowflake.
13. Once you reach your final flake, keep the machine running and you pulling ( be ever so gentle with your machine), until you have enough thread for hanging... several inches.



14. Because these are so light, all they need is a bit of transparent tape to adhere to a ceiling.
Give each strand some space so they don't get tangled. I'd also keep them out of high traffic areas... they're quite fragile.
So, there you have it! Please don't hesitate to ask for any clarifications. For photos of a series of strands together (a snow flurry!), please see my post about the winter window installation, here. If you give it a try, don't forget to upload your photos to the maya*made designs flickr group. It's so fun seeing everyone's beautiful work!

***************************************

I'm off to finish sewing... lots of fun stuff going into the holiday shop update on Monday. Did somebody say MONDAY?!! Hoping to have those sneak peeks at buckets, etc. some time this weekend. Do I ever sleep? Nope... but it might need to be a resolution for the new year!