Enjoying the City

This week has been Field Trip Week- Krebs Style! Since we got our Boonshoft pass we have gone to the zoo three times, the Science Museum twice, and the Natural History Museum once- all in the last week and a half!!! =)
I absolutely adore a new friend that I made at the Lakewood Library, we have been hanging out a lot and I feel like I am back at college with my sorority sisters. She is down to earth, has great kids, and I feel like we have soooo much in common!
Here are some pics from our latest escapades:

Winner!!!!!

Thank you to everyone who entered my February giveaway!!! What nice comments and crafty tips! The winner is:

Pfeiffer Photos said...

I'd like a tote for school stuff! My project book fave right now is anything in the Pottery Barn library of home decor ideas/how-tos.

My name is Tina Pfeiffer
email: pfeiffer_photos@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Congratulations on winning a custom made tote (I love Pottery Barn as well!) I will email you and we will get going with making you a fabulous new tote! To everyone else, be sure to check back at the end of March for another great giveaway. =) Happy Crafting!!

DIY Japanese Style Book

Love love love this!!! Everyone knows that handmade gifts are the best and this tutorial for a handmade Japanese bound book is for sure a crowd pleaser!!! Little Bird Secrets has a wealth of tutorials, recipes, and just cool stuff. If anyone has a go at making a book please share, I can't wait to try it myself.

New Home Found!!

Well after weeks of searching and tons of houses and apartments inspected I am proud to announce that we found our new home!!

Even though our house has been on the market for only about 2.5 weeks, we have had three showings and are having more this week. Anyone who has kids knows that trying to keep the house spotless and such is really really hard. And speaking from house hunting experience, I would much rather see an empty house than a house that is filled with someone else's stuff. So we decided that it would be best to move before the house sells.

Our new home is a lovely townhouse in a historic part of town. All the houses are huge, have tons of original woodwork, inlaid cabinet work, and best of all, a third floor that has a large play space and a separate office space. There isn't a dishwasher, but I am sure that I will be ok, most of the homes that try to keep with the historic nature don't upgrade to dishwashers.


So now we have some painting to do... lots of painting.... and I am stumped this time around. I bought Gabby some special green and blue apple fabric for curtains so a green or blue for her room. AJ will be a purple or pink, but I have no clue for the bathroom or our bedroom. (shown below) Any color schemes you love??? We are going to leave the kitchen the avocado since it will go with all my strawberry stuff, but I am all set to paint everywhere else!

*GIVEAWAY* in honor of my new friend!

I quickly discovered that a week without a sewing machine is not a fun thing... boring..... I read reviews of different of machines, in good sewing books, blogs, anything to point me in the right direction when getting a new sewing machine. Being a novice of course I looked at what the big box stores had, but nothing really impressed me. So I went to the locally owned sewing shop around the corner from my house....and fell in love!

The saleslady was uber nice and showed me a couple different models, but the one that caught my eye was the Janome Magnolia 7330. What a beautiful machine indeed!! It is high quality without being flashy, has lots of features without being overpowering, and most important- it has flowers on it! =) I call her Daisy!

So in honor of my new sewing machine I will be giving away something by yours truly! The winner will have his or her choice of one out of three different items- all custom created, everything from size to color!

*Tote bag:Fully lined, pockets inside and out, heavy cotton for durability, ring for keys to be hooked to. (Project Design by Lotta Jansdotter)

*Yoga Mat Tote: Wide strap for comfortable carrying, pocket for keys and cell phone, ribbon closure. (Project Design by Lotta Jansdotter)

*Decorative bed or Couch Pillow: Custom applique with pocket perfect for a book and reading glasses! (This is my own design, sorry no pics of the ones I have made yet!!) Just know it is very cool if you are an avid reader with books all over the place. Stuffed with Eco-fil it is uber soft and cozy.

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

So here is what you have to do to win:

1. Tell me what you would like to win and why, do you have a favorite project book?

2. Leave your name and email

3. Giveaway runs from today until Weds night at midnight

4. Only comment once

Interesting...

Looking through past posts I had a startling revelation. I have written so little about one of my biggest loves, one of my most enduring loves- dance.

Of course I share thoughts about my kids, and I can't really write too much about the hubby because of what he does. I talk about my crafting, love of Etsy, and all manners of things. But for some reason I keep dance to myself. All I know is that if it wasn't for dance, I wouldn't be here. It may sound dramatic but it is true.

Dance has been my safety net when life went wrong over and over again, a place where I could go inside myself where I forgot how hungry I was, how tired, how sad or confused. Just me, music, movement. Nothing else exists when I dance. Now that I am a dance teacher I am trying to show my students how much fun moving can be. I don't care about pointed toes, pretty arms, or even rhythm. Just listen to the music, move your body, and have fun I tell all the little ones that come to me every Sat. morning. Who know? Maybe dance will save one of them?

“When you perform you are out of yourself-larger and more potent, more
beautiful. You are for minutes heroic. This is power. This is glory on earth.
And it is yours nightly.” ~Agnes De Mille

R.I.P. My New Friend

Dear Friend,
Ok, so maybe that is a bit dramatic. But I am sad. I realize that you are a machine, and machines do not last forever. And you were sitting in a closet neglected for year's before I got up the courage to use you to make beautiful things for my family and friends. And I know that you were pretty old when you came to us after years of service....but I am still upset that you will not be working with me anymore.
So what do I do with you now? I was in the middle of a new project, about to finish a beautiful new tote bag, complete with strawberries and pretty prink stripes...and then you just stopped. I know that you have been touchy lately, once in awhile you had to have some encouragement to get going. I knew that it wasn't going to be too long before you needed a permenant vacation.
I guess I can donate you to someone who would know how to fix you, someone who will love your simplicity and hardiness. But I will miss it as well. I have looked at the other models, newer versions of you. Did you know that some of them have computer chips and will do over 50 different stitches? (I am cool with a straight and zig zag!)
Well, now I am going to pack you back up, find a good home for you, and plan my next projects while I look for a new partner to help me create the pretty things in my head. Thank you, dear ancient Singer Sewing Machine, for teaching me to sew and helping me find a new craft that I love, you will be missed!

New Products in Store!

I have been veering away from my usual business designs and am dipping my toe into children's art, specifically art that teaches things like letters, numbers, foreign languages. Since I am still really into the vector animal shapes that are popping up in my print and gives I kept going with it. Here are my new items- Animal Cracker Counting Poster and Animals Cracker Name Poster!

These are the two name posters I did for my girls- what do you think??

Giveaway Weds!

I love giveaways, I love winning them, donating things for them, and just the fun of seeing what other people do to promote their shops. A great giveaway that is going on from now until next Weds is at one of my favorite reads (and her blog banner is so tastefully designed *wink wink*) is at J.Leigh Designz. She is giving away one of her fabulous paper bag albumns, perfect for the creative mommy who just doesn't have time or energy to make a scrapbook albumn of her own. I had Jen make one for AJ's first birthday and it is soooooo pretty!

Also this is my 196th post, so in 4 more postings look for another great giveaway by yours truly to celebrate 200 postings!!!

What a Great Day!!

I am having a great day! It is perfect outside, a balmy 57 degrees (my ideal temp), the kids are all being really good, and I met a wonderful new friend with kids who got along with my crew like "peas and carrots"!

Today, my new friend and I took all the kids to the Rocky River Nature Center, another wonderful aspect of the Cleveland Metropark System. This was a new place for me and the kids and while it did not have a ton of animals (of course the few that it did have were snakes... of course!) there was a lot to keep the kids occupied for well over an hour. I loved how the building seemed nesteled in the woods and had lots of little nooks and cranies for the kids to see.

I am super excited because my friend also told me a little secret that I have to share with all my Cleveland readers out there- the Boonshoft Pass. Everyone here knows that Mondays are free at the Cleveland Zoo for county residents, but I personally would much rather buy a membership so I can go anytime I want and won't have to fight the crowds. But.... the membership alone is close to $80-90 for the year. And we love going to the Museum of History, but it is so pricey that we only go once a year or so. Now, thanks to hearing about this pass we will be able to go to the zoo, the Science museum, and the History museum and so many more...UNLIMITED for a year for only $69!!! Nuts huh??? Seriously- go check it out now!! (Then call me and we will go places!)

Hmmmm.... what else? Oh we had our first house showing yesterday... who knew that keeping a house "show ready" would be so challenging with 4 kids around and the animals? Since this is going sort of fast we are looking around at diffent houses all over a little more seriously. Fun fun fun!!

Surf's Up Sunday- Feeling Crafty?

Here are some great sources for fabric and also some more links to cool projects to try, fun and easy projects that don't require a lot of skill, just some imagination!

Monaluna, Metro Market Fabric Set in Blue and Green, 5 Half Yards
FabricSupplies on Etsy is one store that I am quickly becoming addicted to for fabrics. Whether you like girly fabric, really modern fabric like the half yard set shown here, or just something new and fresh, this store has it all. Prices are really reasonable as is shipping. How can anyone resist this cute kitchy set of chickens, fruit, and beaters??

It seems like everyone is doing freezer paper stenciling these days and here is a great tutorial to explain how it is done in a foolproof way!

Whimsical is a great word to describe a lot of my designs, especially when I think of AJ's room since she is more girly than Gabby. Isn't this little "wee girl" perfect for a shadowbox or on a lampbase in a little girl's room? Go here to see how she was made!

Speaking of whimsy, isn't this designer collection from FabricWorm, also on Etsy, fabulous? This is another great supplier whose fabric sellection is beautiful and affordable. I have heard nothing but good about them and can't wait to see what fabric arrives for summer!

One of the best birthday presents that I got this year was Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter. This book is simple,trendy, and so beautiful, allowing me to learn new techniques and make some pretty cool things for my house. From pillowcases to these really neat placemats with chopstick pockets, this book is a must for anyone who likes simple designs in their home! (I even made the yoga mat tote and some cute tote bags!!!) If you don't want to buy the book (although I highly reccomend it!) there are some free patterns from it here!

Ni Hao Kai-lan!

I don't know how many of you reading this have small children but if you are like us and encourage your kids to learn about other cultures and languages then there is a tv show that you have try out- Ni Hao Kai-lan on Noggin!

Having taken two semesters of Chinese in college and of course being a student of Buddhism I am drawn to everything about the Eastern cultures. Noggin, which is a branch of Nick Jr, just premiered this new show and I am hooked. This is what the website says about the show:

Ni Hao, Kai-lan is the next generation of preschool television programming
that introduces the psychology of biculturalism. If Dora and Diego popularized
bilingualism, Kai-lan will weave together being bilingual and bicultural. Ni
Hao, Kai-lan reinforces the idea that being bicultural and bilingual is being
American. The show will familiarize the viewing audience with elements of
Chinese and Chinese American cultures to promote multicultural understanding in
the next generation and goes beyond featuring "culture" as only ethnic food and
festivals. Instead, it celebrates growing up in an intergenerational family,
having friends from diverse backgrounds, and "habits of the heart" that are
Chinese American.

One of the best things about the show is that it stresses being calm and content, not jumping around crazy and shouting to get things done like the plots in Dora. The songs are pretty cute as well!! Definitely another show that I won't mind watching with the girls!

A New Idol

I envy photographers, especially ones who get to work with kids. If I had the money and lived in the Bay Area I would so have this photographer take our family photos. I can imagine the kinds of photos that Jason would come up with for my pair of troublemakers!!!

Print and Give- Valentine's Day

Here is a cute print and give for the kids- Valentine's Day Bookmarks!

Just print this out, have the kids cut the bookmarks out, cut out some cardstock to glue them to, punch the holes, stick some string through and voila! Cute V-day bookmarks for everyone!!!

The Land of Nod

Welcome to The Land of Nod!
There are so many things here that I would love for any space my girls are in,
come take a peek, you will be hooked too!