dreaming of spring

Aaaaahhh.  Today the sun is bright, the air is brisk and I'm dreaming of Spring.  OK, well Summer actually but I'm trying to be realistic here.  All of the dreamy images above are courtesy of DWR.   I invite you to join me on my sunshiny journey today.  Close your eyes.  Feel the warmth.  Listen to the sounds of the birds chirping, the children playing and the bottle opening.  It won't be long now...

Share

my new love affair... with melmac

images courtesy of jess james jake on Etsy

image courtesy of by the way side on Etsy

image courtesy of ismoyo on Etsy

image courtesy of retro active treasures on Etsy

I became interested in vintage Melmac for several reasons.  One, I have two small kids (with lots of friends) and I'm just not ready to serve their food on grown up plates.  However, I was beyond ready to say goodbye to the kid's stuff.  I've also been looking for something to brighten up the dark corner shelves in the kitchen.  They were screaming loudly at me for color.  It doesn't hurt that the price tag is super affordable as well.  And because I'm buying them used I am saving them from landfill and not contributing to further production of icky plastic.  It's a win, win, win, win!  

I admittedly haven't done tons of research on the product but I've found that there were enumerable factories producing the fashionable tableware in the 50's and 60's.  When shopping for vintage Melmac, I decided not to concern myself too much with the factory of origin but focused on one cup and bowl style and have limited myself to five colors; pink, aqua, avocado, orange & yellow.  The table looks fabulous when I randomly assort the platters, bowls, plates and cups.  

Someday I'll post a picture of that quickly morphing corner in our kitchen but until then I've got my eye out for some more great finds.  Oh, did I mention that I bought this while writing this post.  Yup.  Addict.

Share

waving my magic wand

Friday, as I was leaving putt-putt golf with my two happy kids I quickly checked my email on my phone.  There was one from an Etsy Administrator.  Hmmm?  That's a first.  Much to my surprise it was a note telling me that Etsy had been working closely on some marketing projects with parenting.com and that one of my listings had been picked up for a mid-march birthday slide show.  Imagine my surprise.  My white flower wand, pictured large above, is the item they picked. 

I read the email to my 6 1/2 year old son and 3 1/2 year old daughter... cause that's all I could do at that point and my son grabbed me and said, "MOM!  You're FAMOUS!!!"  (This is only hours after he asked me how much I got for the sale of two wands earlier in the day.  When I excitedly replied $26.00!!! he looked at me dead seriously and said, "That's it?"  If only he knew that I still need to back my costs out of that number.)

Anyway, I'm super excited.  Even if I don't sell any wands or gain any more exposure to the shop at least my kids think I'm famous!

I've been busy making more wands and getting back into the dance ring business (the item that *started it all*).  I'm selling them as single rings now instead of in pairs and I've added a jump ring to give the ribbon streamers more movement.  I've also improved the design to make them more colorful and slightly less expensive.  Zuzu LOVES them.  Your thoughts?

 

 

Share

tea collection

 

Dear Tea Collection,

Please stop making such super cute clothes.  You might get me in trouble.  Or you might just have to hire me for the discount.

Love,

Kristi

Share

winter wonderland

 

It's *ski week* in our town this week so the schools are closed and kids are bouncing off the unpadded walls.  Don't be surprised if that keeps me away from the shop and blog just a tad this week.  My apologies in advance.  In the meantime, please enjoy some of these lovely winter wonders...

1.fingerless mittens 2.kids ski cap 3.neck rag 4.montreal fine art 5.silver clutch 6.man warmers 7.dog hat 8.wool bangles 9.leg warmers

Share

pop deluxe

This little cutie is called a "taterpot" because of it's potato shaped pot and funny little legs. They grow one of three tasty herbs – oregano, basil or mint - but I like them just because they make me smile.

So do you think my little one might actually eat if I bought these?  Kinda throws the *don't play with your food* thing right down the disposal though...

A rubber band works just as well but seriously, there is just no comparing the cuteness factor.

This is sold out.  But I couldn't resist. Plus, I'm in the mood for tea.

This modern recycled cardboard astro rocket looks like a super fun craft project.  It ships flat packed with detailed assembly instructions.  Leave them as is or gather up the art supplies and go crazy.  I'm thinking glittery goodness.

All products (minus tea for two of course) available on line at pop deluxe. 

Share

mini me modern kids furniture

Oh no they didn't.  Oh yes. They did.  But exactly why didn't they when I was furnishing THIS house? The pint size "Bertoia" chairs might just keep me up at night they're so damn cute.  Just be sure to read the fine print before purchasing what you might surmise to be a downsized original reproduction.  Somehow the use of these iconic designs (and defining them as such in the copy) without licensing just doesn't sit right with me.  But they're still so damn cute...

We respectfully appreciate the masterpiece of the original designs and wish to clarify that our kids chairs are in no way affiliated with the original designers or licensed manufacturers.

 

Share

DIY terrariums

That's it.  I want a terrarium.  Or two.  Or six. 
The above images are all courtesy of Lori Marie at Pretty Little Things.
She did a lovely *terrarium madness* tutorial on her blog back in August with fabulously complete step by step instructions.  I love when she refers to the completed terrarium as "your very own portable world of enchantment".  Darling. 

I'll start my hunting and gathering of supplies tomorrow and will be sure to post the finished product(s) soon. 

Lori also recommended checking out Flickr for some additional ideas.  Which, of course, I did.  Here are a few of my favorites...

"teacup" by godzilla

 

"Mimi+Charlie's Homemade Tiny tiny lands" by mimip

Share

DIY dinner plates

I stumbled on this fabulous DIY tutorial on Bloesem last night. It is courtesy of 101woonideeen, a lovely website/blog from the Netherlands.  I'm not up on my Dutch these days (although my maiden name might lead you to believe otherwise) but Bloesem has the DIY steps all laid out for you in plain English. Take a peek. They are super easy and especially lovely.

Share

hearts for haiti

Hearts for Haiti is an Etsy collective of donated items from hundreds of Etsy shops to raise money to rebuild Haiti. 100% of the proceeds from this shop (minus Etsy fees and Paypal fees) go directly to DoctorsWithoutBorders in bi-monthly increments. The shop has permission to use the DoctorsWithoutBorders name and a separate bank account and Paypal account have been opened to maintain the integrity of this shop.

Items have been donated from many individual shops; each shop has included their particulars (country, shipping time) in each listing. All items include seller-donated free shipping (most worldwide, see individual listing) because the need is SO great, they  all want you to buy and help support Etsians helping Haiti.

If you would like to donate an item to HeartsForHaiti.etsy.com, please send an email to etsyforhaiti@gmail.com for a copy of the donation guidelines.

You can follow along with Hearts for Haiti's progress on Facebook as well.

The above items are all for sale today thanks to these fine Etsy shops...
1. kikibirdcrafts 2.dearange 3.crochetRUs 4.pocketcarnival 5.reluctantdamsel 6.inspiredbythesea 7.magnoliasurprise 8.fisheye 9.zuzugirl

Share

every picture tells a story...

 

 

I love how Yvette Inufio's photographs make me feel.  Calm.  Delicate.  Beautiful.  I just want to jump into her photographs and live there.  And that, my friends, is not easy to achieve.

You can find a wide array of her work where I did, in her exceptional Flickr account. Not only does she generously share her stunning photos there, but each photo is accompanied by an inspiring and complimentary quote.  Just watch out, you can spend hours there it's so darn pretty!

If you'd like to purchase Yvette's work for your own home you can do so in her equally lovely Etsy shop.

Share

art appreciation

 

The Moma is definitely not just for art anymore. Easy to overlook, but full of great gifts.  Become a member, go appreciate some art and save a few bucks on your gift tab.  Loving these quirky finds for myself...and a few others...

1.diana mini camera 2.subway token cufflinks 3.fruit loop bowl 4.sparrow clips 5.margrethe prep bowls 6.paper masking tape 7.elephant bookend 8.chemex coffeemaker 9.scribbles drawing & coloring book


Share

be mine

No really.  I'd like these things to be mine.  All of them.  And not just because Valentines Day is coming up.  Really just because they are super cute.  And all available via these fine Etsy shops...

1. handmade buttons by Tessa Ann 2. stacking heart rings by Lilyja 3. felted wool bowl by The Fuzzy Monkey 4. ruffled up pillow by Miss Mosh

Share

bluebird vintage

This is one of those blog posts that I hesitate to write. Not because I'm not absolutely in love with the product I'm sharing. Quite the contrary. I'm actually rather terrified that you all will go and buy up all the good stuff before I get a chance. Really, it's that good. The shop is called Bluebird Vintage and the talented stylist behind these fab photos is James Kicinski.  So go...enjoy the goods, but hands off my favorites, ok?

oooh, and thanks must go to Lori Marie for the introduction!

Share

spring is here!

Well, the season may not have official arrived yet but the Spring edition of Modern Handmade Child is here at least!  It's fun...and it's FREE.  Click on over and take a peek.  And don't forget to checkout my handmade valentine spread beginning on page 22 as well as my dear friend Lisa's yummy spring recipes beginning on page 48.  Happy reading!

Share