Backyard painting

 

This picture (taken before the nor'easter/snow) made me so very happy. So I decided to paint it.  I really want to make more time for painting, a quick hour is never enough.

Our home

 I absolutely love this up stairs landing area.  Always have.  I have used it for so many things, mostly kid related (crafty zone, doll house area, kitchen area, cozy book area and grow zone for seedlings).  

I decided last month that the kids pretty much have the entire house and I wanted to claim this upper landing area to be mine (gasp!). What are the things I love? Fabric. Books.  Plants.  My blue striped pottery collection, vintage and handmades.  So I worked pretty darn hard to make this mine.  I took too many pictures and want to explain every nook and cranny...so here goes!

I made some new curtains from fabric my friend gave me (Thanks Cricket!).  

Justin and I made the bench when we lived in our old house. I gave it a fresh coat of navy.  I picked up the vintage nature embroideries for a quarter a piece at the thrift store. Plus they are thrifted vintage chairs. I have more plants I think I'll move up, but this is for now.

I collect Robinson Ransbottom blue striped pottery. It's on top of the fabric cabinet I painted with milk paint years ago. Should I admit that this is just a portion of my excessive fabric collection and excessive amount of pottery?  

I did the woven reed seat in a herringbone pattern on the vintage chair I found on the side of the road. I made the random pillows.  

I love the bold pattern.

Audra has decided it's a great place to play old fashioned.  Not so much a mama zone now, but the rule is, don't leave your junk in my space! 

Ballroom dancing is most welcome, however.

Mama made: "Muffle"

 Anna-Kate has enjoyed a thrifted 'muffle' as she calls it all winter.  It's just a dress up one, faux fur.  Now she has a mama made upcycled wool one lined in fleece.  She is definitely a fan!   She also got this new scarf, knitted by our neighbor, Nam. She was sobbing that "Everyone had a scarf made by Nam except for me!" Nam fixed her up in no time.

Here she is with her scarf, muffle, wool dress I made and flannel lined pants I made.

Here she is in another pair of flannel lined cords I made. Girl loves her mama mades! 

Reading

 We've completed two of the "My Bookhouse" series, onto the third.  Thankful my husband thought to capture a moment of my everyday.

The girls

 Not sure what they were up to here, but they certainly are making the most of the calm before the snowstorm. 

*ThisClose*

 These pups...they have thirty acres to spread out.  But nope. The go outside and are *ThisClose* the whole time.

They heard me snap the picture, I was afraid I ruined the moment.

Nope. They went right back to hanging right next to each other.

This is how they sleep. I actually woke them when I snapped this, but they are always piled on top of one another or curled up next to one another.

I was totally worried that they might not be pals. Clearly they are BFFs for life.

Mama Made: Flannel Lined Cords x4

A three part story. 

Part 1: Maine has had no snow for the last month.  It's cold out there.  Snowpants are cumbersome when it's cold but you're not in danger of getting wet. Adrian has two pairs of flannel lined carharts.  He loves to wear them on hikes.  Warm and comfortable. 

I decide to make a pair of flannel lined corduroy pants for Anna-Kate.   

She loves them, they are warm, take less time than snowpants to put on and they are easy to run around in.  (She's also wearing a hat my neighbor made, the coat I made, the dress I made, the mittens a friend of a friend made. And she made her necklace.)

Part 2: Audra says "I just love Anna-Kate's pants.  Everyone has flannel lined pants except me."

So she now has a pair of flannel lined corduroys. She loves them because she can just wear them all day and be ready to go outside to play whenever the mood strikes her.

Part 3: Both girls love their new mama made pants, only they aren't just wearing them for outside pants, they are wearing them for all the time wear. After an episode of tears when the flannel lined pants were in the wash, mama took care of that problem with two more pairs for the girls. 

Now Justin claims he wants a pair.  I think a pair for myself would be well loved as well.  I just might need a part 4 to the flannel lined pants story...