The BIRTHDAY BOOK IS DONE!!!

At long last I am actually writing this post. I have dreamed about this for almost as many years as I have been authoring this blog. It is with great satisfaction I can finally say–and mean it–The birthday book is done! 

I have told my husband and the kids so many times "the birthday book is done" that it started to loose meaning. Draft after draft, after frustrating small-tweaks-here-and-there draft, it is really truly completely, no-more-to-do done. I invite you to to pop some champagne for me... no not really, I can do that myself, but geez luize, it is good to put this one on the shelf and say fini! 

It was a project my good friend Robin and I started back when the kids were little. We traveled through so many stages of our lives and I have lived in five houses since we started. I guess I like to move! Or it has just taken a long time and finding the place that is home takes a long time too. 

But anyway, enough about that, here are some of my favorite images from the book:

Filled to the brim with step-by-step instructions for making original gifts, favors, cakes, wrapping, decorations and games, BIRTHDAYS: HANDMADE, HOMEMADE is interwoven with stories, photographs, illustrations and anecdotes. We invite readers to pull up a chair, pour a cup of tea and spend the afternoon making and creating. Our goal is to offer inspiration on how to make a birthday handmade, homemade and your very own.

Readers will love the creative ideas that make this book so personal and tangible. Projects range from fast and easy . . . Dinosaurs in real eggshells, to more timely and in depth . . . Dining table forts. Young parents and do-it-yourself enthusiasts will find endless help onhow to prepare and execute a homemade birthday party.

At a time when it seems like families are trying to take back just a bit of their own and blogs hum with self-reliant know-how, this book is a great jumping-off point for those aiming to leave commercialism behind and bring it all back to the ones they love. 

Birthdays: Handmade, Homemade is available online. 

Hope everyone is enjoying summer!
                                   

                                              Cheers~
                                                         Marica


P.S. I have one copy to give away, so if you live in the United States and would like to enter for a chance to win, leave a comment below. I'll pick a name at random and post a winner Sunday July 23rd.

Making Stockings from Sweaters and Curly Willow Love...

Ooo, the holidays are so close. I like this part best—the before time. My house smells so wonderful right now. Between the Christmas tree and cinnamon essential oil I've been heating over a candle, it literally smells like Christmas.

I like the cold weather and the cozy feeling of preparing. I bought some curly willow cuttings that have added a burst of festivity to the room. I wonder how long they can live indoors. The lady at the floral shop where I found them said to plant them come spring, but I would love to keep a potted curly willow in my house.

Lately I've been working on making stockings from sweaters. I have only completed one, but a second is near the finish line. My goal is to make five. Imagine one stocking for each person in the family? All the same size with the same essence? Somehow, my youngest never got a stocking made for him, this year I plan to remedy that. Our first born was lucky enough to have great aunts who knitted a stocking with his name and snowman to boot. I made our daughter one, though it didn't come out how I envisioned. Each year I intend to fix this imbalance, but it's taken until now to make it happen. Oh well, that's the way things go...

Hope everyone is having fun preparing for the celebrations to come. 

 

                              Cheers ~

                                          Marica

Autumn Projects...

Something about the fall, the change of temperature, the leaves, the moister in the air. It's all so good and such a hearty invitation to sit down and get to work. Thread and needles, sewing machines and felting. I want it all, and I want a wealth of quiet mornings with mild sunlight or dripping rain and tea, and hopefully a friend to sit with. These are special days, not as easy to come by as I'd like, but I'll take what I can get.

 

                                                                 Cheers ~

                                                                               Marica

P.S. Please add links to your projects, I would love to see them!

Thoughts… creation… a doll maker… a circle back round…

Ooo, I just read a wonderful post, by a most wonderful doll maker. I love hearing from people who feel similarly about the process of making things. Too often and too easily we are "taught" how to do things. I make an immense effort to guide rather than teach artistic processes. I notice this most lately via the pie-truck. Teaching people how to cook is such a tender occupation. I don't mean they come for classes, I mean more that the folk so far who have helped out at the pie-truck are far from experienced or knowledgeable in the practice of cooking. 

Right from the beginning I was very sure I wanted, not to have them follow my recipe, for even I don't bother to do that most days, but to hone the understanding of what was happening as they put ingredients together. They do use the recipes, but more as bench markers and arrows pointing in the direction of a fabulous pie, or amazing soup. 

I notice the same thing as my kiddos grow with their drawing, or my daughter asks for help with her sewing. I am terrified of giving too much instruction, scared they will rely on rules rather than discovered notions. 

As a somewhat impatient person, I loath directions, recipes and instructions. Trial and error are my best friend. I have tried to discover why, and finally thirty-three years into this life I truly understand my determination to make several disasters before I finally find the correct path. It is because I feel like an explorer; I feel my own discovery is mine, and to top that, I understand why and how what I did worked. 

I wrote a similar post several years back, it made me smile because somehow we can never get away from ourselves. I have found bits in my teenage diaries that ring true like I am writing them for the first time today.

Thanks for reading my rant, I recommend you check out Fig & Me, she got me inspired even after my dawn to dusk day at the truck. 

                                                                   Cheers 

                                                                                      ~ Marica

January…

I love thin winter sun. I love the day we get to take the Christmas tree out of the house. I love the day we put the tree in the house too, but there is always that fresh feeling of space when the tree goes out again. I love hot tea and quiet outdoors. I love the days at home with no school. It makes me nostalgic for homeschooling, even if I love the kid's school—and I mean LOVE!

I love no planned meals and no company, I love putting the house right and trying not to think about tomorrow. I don't love trying not to think about tomorrow, but I love that tomorrow is tomorrow…

                                                  Hope Everyone is well!!!

                                                                Cheers ~

                                                                             Marica

Bombshell Beat...

Not too long ago my very, very, very dear friend Robin created an online boutique for her awesome, unique jewelry and hairpieces. She was in need of some photographs to fill out her site and asked if I wouldn't mind taking a few.  She was kind of apologetic about the favor and nervous she wouldn't show up as well on film as would be needed. Well I can't tell you how wrong she was on both fronts. The first concern I was able to reassure her was truly the opposite of reality; I was super excited to take pictures and honored to be a part of the fun. The second concern is so funny to me now, because if you look at the following pictures I think it is clear she is utterly gorgeous to capture with the click of a camera...

The sunlight was rather temperamental and splotty so she took out her parasol 

to help filter the overly contrasting rays…

It worked remarkable better with the streaming light offset by red fabric...

At one point we added a bike to the mix, it was fun but didn't help too much 

with featuring jewelry. It's too bad because I really like the feeling it created… 

I mean really, how beautiful is that bike!!

And then of course it was so neat to see her jewelry…

 Most of it I had never seen before and I was amazed at what an array of pieces she had...

Bombshell Beat… If you get a chance I recommend you check out her fun stuff!

                                              Hope everyone had a good weekend!!!

        

                                                                  ~ Marica

Nimble Fingers...

Not too long ago, one of our lovely little ladies in this group of

 sweet children reached the ripe and exciting age of seven…

In preparation for a party that all these young ones were soon to be attending, they worked 

quickly and nimbly to create a small presentable pile of gifts to show our truly deep 

appreciation for her presence in our world…

 Using needle and thread…

Paper and pen…

Hot glue and wool roving...

 Their complete focus on making something for their close companion was so very inspiring to me…

                        Now let us let December begin ~ Marica