sisters

As a little girl, I loved to play "mommy" with my dolls, and I nurtured every stuffed animal as if they were my own baby. All I ever wanted was a sibling to play with, but I grew up as an only child... until I turned nine. My dreams came true thirty years ago today when my beautiful and brilliant little sister was born.
The big age gap meant that I did get to play the "mommy" to her for most of her childhood...but that has all changed. I'm so blessed to have her as my best friend and dear confidante. I couldn't adore her more...and now she has given me the gift of her two daughters...amazing, stong, and sensitive sisters.


Today, we are peers...sisters and mothers together, and I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. The relationships between girls... and women tend to be complex and deep. We find sisterhood in our dearest friendships.... but finding true friendship with your sister...that is one of the most precious gifts of all. If only she lived closer, my life would be complete. Happy Birthday my sweet little sister...I celebrate you every day!

picnik fun

Last night I had a date with a very exciting photo editing site called picnik.
Thanks to my blogging friend over at Bricolagelife and her picnik post, my interest was peaked and I reserved an hour for previewing it. It changed my life...well that might be a bit extreme...it changed how I look at my relationship with my photos and my blog...which seems to be a big part of my life these days. Sharing beautiful pictures of what I'm up to is almost as important to me as what I'm making...they go hand in hand.

I'm an amateur photographer, and not very technically savvy so any help I can get I'll take. My new banner project was motivated by my inability to type text the way I wanted to on a photo.


Pretty pathetic, I know, but good things came out of the challenge: I do like my newspaper bunting banner...sounds like you do too! But now I have some options for future banners and anything else that troubles me. For instance, good lighting is essential for a nice picture. I prefer outdoors and in the morning or late afternoon for all of my photo shoots. This is a bit limiting and will get to be more of a bother when the snow begins to fall. Picnik will allow me to enhance the shots that might not be just right...sharpness...better exposure, etc...

I'm still a purest , and you will continue to see my images straight up with maybe a crop here are there...but every once in a while you might see something wild and crazy and you'll know I was having fun late into the night. The banners I've included today are some very simple things I worked on directly from my Flikr photostream (they're linked together). The possibilities are vast...it's fun and FREE...go check it out! Hope you have a great weekend...I have some wonderful posts I'm excited about for next week, see you then!

life is but a dream

If only this could be my reality! Well it was...I remember the lazy days of summers long ago. My grandmother would let me set up the dyna (a feather bed from a trip to Iceland in the 50's) in the hammock under the maple tree. I'd curl up with a wonderful book and an ice-cream milkshake... hours would gently roll by, as I floated away to whatever magical place I was reading about.
I don't seem to have the luxury of 5 minutes, let alone hours, these days...but if I did, this is where I'd be. Sipping iced mineral water and reading all my craft books...or planning my fall knitting, maybe catching up on the latest Martha (I've had it for weeks and have only done a quick glance). Whether your reading time is limited, or you have plenty on your hands, check out the new virtual book club...for CRAFT BOOKS! Seems like a great way to preview future purchases or motivation to dive into the ones you already own.


Well...I'm off to clear my books away from the hammock "scene",so that I can invite my almost 10 year old down for some afternoon reading. It's his turn for a lazy summer. Recreating some of our favorite early memories with our children is one of the greatest pleasures of parenting.

We've got more company coming, so I'm whipping up some presents....photos to come. I'm also working on future tutorials inspired by your interest. Thanks for checking in!

who...me?

As you can see, I'm shaking things up a bit. I hadn't changed my banner since early summer, so I'm trying this one on for size...not sure yet...what do you think? The bunting is made from recycled newspaper with a wash of color like these. Another reason for change is font consistency...I had been (lower case) maya*made up until June, and I could never figure out how to keep it that way with my current blog template. So I'm going back to my original lower-case look, regardless of whether this test banner stays or goes.
For quite a while, my To Do list has included organizing and tidying up this little blog, but a flurry of attention to maya*made has made me rush for the cleaning supplies. I feel like a bunch of lovely unexpected guests have have been popping in, and I'd better sweep up fast! Without Technorati, as my search friend, I might not have known you all were peeking in. I've been trying to incorporate some of the fantastic blogging tips from Meet Me At Mikes. So thanks for all of the generous links to your sites, and a big welcome to the many new friends joining in...and what would I do without you, my crew of faithful readers (you know who you are!) that keep me creating and inspired. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the great feedback you've all been giving me. If this felt like an acceptance speech, you weren't mistaken..it kind of was...I was totally honored to receive a blog award from Julie earlier this month and from Fancy-Pants-design this week.


The rules for receiving this award are:

1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

So please check out these wonderful folks if you don't already know them:
1. Smoothpebble
2. ZukZuk
3. kiddio
4. one pretty thing
5. Zencrafting
6. Mainemomma
7 .Bridgman Pottery
and just for good measure I added one more...
8. Tantehilde

And lastly, there seems to be enough interest in my refashioned/upcycled T-shirt...so I'll be working on a tutorial for you. Have a beautiful day!

mystery box unveiled

I'd like to give another big thanks to everyone who participated in my first give-away! Christine, of the winning number, let me know that her box just arrived in the mail...so I am free to share the contents with you. I included a couple of little things that were designed by me and something vintage. Here's what she received:


1. A nature collecting bucket with a removable handle... you know how much I encourage collecting sticks and stones! Of course, it can also just organize little things.


2. A pin cushion with leftover fabric from this project.


3. A hand-painted stone doll inspired by the print that just won Christine a prize here.


4. One of my favorite vintage aprons...probably made by a local farmer's wife in the 40's/50's.



I love making things to give...so you can count on more give-aways of the hand-made variety coming up soon!

something from (almost nothing)

Happy Monday! Hope you had a great weekend. My little sister and her beautiful daughters went home to Hawaii, and all weekend we walked around our home and yard listening to the echoes from their wonderful visit! I channeled my "missing them" energy into making a little something for myself.

I'm rarely the recipient of my own creations, so this was especially fun. Now, I enjoy shopping for a new outfit as much as anyone, but the creative challenge of making something from nothing is too hard to resist. I went foraging in our closets for inspiration. I chose one of my husbands XL T-shirts (with a little chocolate stain in the middle) and an old linen skirt I've had from the early 90's and gave them a make-over ...

Here's what I did: chopped that T down to my size and created four panels for the front and two in the back. I love how jersey lends itself to raw edges...no fraying...so I left the edges as is and exposed the seams ( for an inside-out look) for the panels. Next, a little lettuce edging around the bottom. Here's a shot of the back.

This created a flattering and nicely shaped top. Using Goldie, my dress form muse, was key to getting a perfect fit. The original logo was still visible on the shoulder. Hmmm....what to do? I cut five circles from the original sleeve and attached them as a permanent brooch...with a little felted ball in the center. Done!

For the skirt...sorry no before pictures, I was so enthusiastic about hacking away at it, that I forgot about my trusty camera. This was a simple a-line skirt that went down to my ankles. I never wore it any more because of the length, but who could part with lovely natural colored linen? Cutting it to a more modern length was thrilling. Do you have any skirts or dresses that are too long? You can go cut them...right now...really! I used a very tight zig-zag stitch to finish the bottom/hem...essentially the lettuce edging technique, but without the stretch. I was happy, but it needed something more. Ever since I did the freezer paper prints on the travel bags, I had been fantasizing about white floral on linen. Now was my opportunity to make this skirt totally original. Hello my name is Maya, and I am a freezer paper addict.

I love my new "old" clothes and I'll be wearing them to dinner tonight! I always love hearing what you're up to...what's something you've made from nothing?

FAN tastic barn

The dog days of summer are here. Stuffy apartments, hot houses, even an old barn need cooling down. When my mother converted her barn, she made sure to install additional windows, not just for added natural light, but strategically placed for lovely cross-breezes when summer arrives. She also knew she'd be needing some fans for air cirlculation. The first fan to move in went over the stairwell. Hot air rises and the last thing my mother wanted was a studio too uncomfortable to work in. I can't tell you how long we debated which fan to install, but we are both happy with the Altus from The Modern Fan Co.


You might remember fan # 2 from previous posts. I found it through a local antique dealer last winter... it had the barn written all over it. I knew nothing about it, except that it was in working order. Well, this fan turned out to be quite a mid-century collectible with many repros available from the original company, click here for more details. I love how powerfully it blasts air...but I'd never call it kid-friendly (unlike the re-makes for today)...how did children of the 50's hold onto their sweet fingers with fans like this around? We keep it unplugged when kids are at the barn!

Fan #3 is another lovely, vintage find that works perfectly, looks beautiful, and keeps the kitchen delightfully cool.

..an original Robins and Myers.

Fan#4 is an old General Electric, used for display only. We love its simplicity and style. I don't think I need to tell you why we'd never plug it in! A little antique puppet from India reminds us not to put our hands too close!


Fan #5 was my mother's most recent purchase. She needed a safe way to cool off her visiting grandchildren.
She was inspired by Remodelista's feature on fans earlier this summer, and thought it would be an affordable and good fit. Click here for details.

Hope you're all staying cool!

road trip gear

Last week my mother, sister, and I drove with the four kids to our family reunion. The thought of nine hours with a 10, 9, 7 and 3 year old in one vehicle was all the inspiration I needed to get creative. I made each child their own travel kit and we all were happier for it. I constructed everything the day before we left...in the midst of packing. There were moments when I thought I was insane, but these were all super fast whip ups with impressive results... each child felt like it was their birthday and the drive was peaceful...most of the time. Here's what I made:

1. Printed (freezer-paper style) a symbol, significant to each child, on inexpensive organic bags from our co-op, which were filled with snacks, crayons, pens, books etc.

2. Covered cheap drawing pads with heavy-weight craft paper and a little Mod-Podge (to make them fancy).

3. Quick and easy sleep-masks...the surprise hit of the whole weekend, let alone the car ride!
Not only did the sleep masks make napping easier, they made listening to story tapes or ipods that much more relaxing. During the busy weekend, I'd often find a grown-up taking a breather in some comfy spot...with a mask!


So how did I crank out four masks in no time? The key was pinking shears and fleece.

Materials for one mask:
-9x5 in. rectangle of fleece
-9x5 in. " " of more fleece or flannel( I used scraps from the pillow case dresses and
they felt like silk).
-10 in. strip of elastic
-pinking shears

Make:
-I used a pattern created with newspaper. I did a little adjusting to get just the right size...but this is extremely flexible...any basic shape resembling the mask will do.
-Cut out two identical fabric shapes with pinking shears and pin together .
-Sandwich the elastic between both pieces of fabric on either end. Sew it up. I double stitched over the elastic to give it strength.

That's it! If you've got any travel plans with children coming up, I highly recommend them.

*note: In the van photo above we are not driving. Safety belts should always be worn safely across chest in a moving vehicle.

little chairs

I wanted to share some recent thrifty finds and let you see my growing collection of children's chairs. These busy summer days haven't left much time for garage sales, but one surprised me as I was driving by, and I screeched to a halt. These two little vintage school chairs had to come home with me. I also discovered some brown retro (maybe from the 70's) contact paper and my favorite new treasure box: a perfect wooden apple.

I have a weakness for chairs...adult or child...modern or vintage...I just can't seem to say no. This morning I lined up all my mini chairs (the majority are nursery school chairs from the 40's) in the front yard...I have TEN!


That doesn't even include the two I made for the Design*Sponge contest...TWELVE!
Guess I'm all set for our next party...musical chairs anyone?
What are some of your collections?

and the winner is...

And the mystery box winner is.... Christine of Lavender and Limes! Congratulations! Please e-mail me your mailing info so I can ship it out. How did I pick Christine? I had all of these lovely images of my 3 year old picking a number out of a vintage hat...but the reality is that I needed something easy and efficient....we're all in reunion recuperation mode. I used this random number generator that I had seen on Zakka Life. Phew...that was simple. Once I get word that Christine has received her package, I'll share pics of the contents with all of you. Speaking of all of you...WOW! Thanks so much for your amazing comments. I was totally overwhelmed and delighted with your lovely wishes. I picked this bouquet for you, dear readers...friends, and will definitely plan another give-away in the future.

summer dreams: tutorial for a pillow case dress

I really wanted to sew something special for my nieces...something to help them remember their summer with us. It had to be easy and quick, because each day was packed with adventures. I made these vintage pillow case summer dresses in one evening after everyone was tucked in. The girls were thrilled and I knew the perfect location for the photo shoot! Just down the road is a huge meadow filled with Queen Ann's lace. It was totally ethereal at sunset...the girls felt like fairies in their own field of flowers.


Materials for one dress (fits 6-10 year old):
-vintage pillow case (cases with detailing or lace on the open side lend interest to hemline)
-matching thread
-seam ripper
-twill tape or grosgrain ribbon


Instructions:
1. Cut neckline: pillow case's opening becomes dress bottom.... cut along the closed seam at top, to open for neckline.
2. Cut armholes: lay pillow case flat and mark measurement with a pencil for a diagonal cut. First mark 2 inches from side seam towards the neckline on both sides. Next mark 3 inches from top of side seam down each side. Use a ruler to connect your marks on both sides and cut out triangles.
3. Fold over armhole's raw edge 2x. Pin. Sew.
4. Fold over neckline 2x (creating a channel wide enough for ribbon). Pin and sew.



5. Feed ribbon through front and back neckline and adjust to fit on child. Sew ends of ribbon together, cut excess and pull into the channel (no ribbon ends visible). Gather.
6. Depending on the style of pillow case and size of child, you may want to add slits on the bottom sides, as I did.
These are very simple summer shifts. Light and breezy. Let me know if you give it a try or if you have any questions.