Up-Cycling For My Wee One's Bottom

I think i may have mentioned this already, but we are a cloth diaper family here. I've been able to find some great dipes that work for day as well as overnight, but i'm still always looking for better. It's a bit of an addiction really. I also love all the handmade ones i see on-line (namely Etsy of course), as well as some patterns for me to make my own. But, i just don't have the time...Maybe for baby #2 (wow, i'm already there, huh?), i'll be with it enough to make my own.
I also came across some great sites to make your own cloth diaper covers.
As a vegan, i typically don't use wool myself, but as my partner isn't a vegan and nor will C be one (unless he chooses to be), i figured i could reuse some old sweaters my mom had already felted to make some great wool covers. Wool is just that much absorbent, and i love the idea of using what we have. Plus, i have been thinking more about how the vegan diet/culture isn't so organic or earth friendly as i wish it was.

But i digress...
So, after looking on-line at some great tuturiols, i made 3 wool covers for C. I have to admit, while they were pretty easy to make, and adorable, they're not perfect. I need to add elastics to the back to make them fit him better. Otherwise, they're kind of useless, right? But, they fit almost perfectly around his very bulky cloth diapered bum, except for the waist part.

In my research for finding good diaper covers, and things that are EC-friendly, i was so happy that a friend (thanks Rachel) referred to me to this find blog, Childhood Magic. So fun and a great inspiration - from home-schooling, to using wool diaper pants, and more! Check it out.

Baby on the New Blocks

I love making things for my wee one. Luckily, now that he's actually starting to interact with toys (and in fact ANYthing can be a toy these days - i love the discovery phase he's in!), i've been able to set aside time to make him some goodies. And, what fun i've had both making them and playing with them too.
I love wooden blocks, but i also love the idea of soft toys. As someone who already loves the simplicity of everyday objects as toys, I got re-inspired by great and lovely book, The Creative Family, as there is a discussion of making toys and using organic materials. I set out to make a set of 4 soft blocks. My sis went to Hawaii a while back and bought me these fabulous fabric squares - yes already cut coincidently to size - so it was easy to make them. I made some fun embellishments on them too; shapes, 1-2-3-4, and some added do-dads (cloth flower, balls).
Li'l C loves them and it's especially dreamy for me to see him reach for them. We're not shy around colours here, and it looks like he's not falling far from the tree, if you know what i mean!

Next up, some softies to help him sleep better. Hello Ms. Lovey!!!

Weekend Sewing - aka When Baby Sleeps Sewing

I have wanted the book, Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross for a while and was very happy to get it for Christmas. So, since i don't really have weekends to myself, i've had to rename my crafting time to "Moments I Can Get Away." I am still working hard on helping Li'l C fall asleep on his own and in his crib, but naps just don't happen there. Not that i'm complaining 100% - it is nice to have him so close (my lap, my arms, the carrier, our family bed), but i would love some v-time alone. Ya know? But, luckily, i get some down time at night, when i truly need it. I've rediscovered that sewing and creating in general are really the juice that keeps me going. Self-care at its best, and i feel so recharged after even a bit of time doing it.

I have too many projects both on the go and even more i want to do. I just hope i get half of them done before C doesn't need them - and yes, it's all about the babe now. A few projects for us adults, but for the most part, i'm making toys and clothes for the wee one.
But, i did promise J some pajamas for Christmas, and luckily he understood my IOU. So, i was able to try out the book and make the weekend pjs. I had to alter the sizing to fit my not-s0-wee-one, but that was pretty straight forward. And, as he's an avid biker, i got to use this fun fabric my mom gave me oodles of.
I also have been wanting to try making cloth slippers For Ever and have some patterns from Japanese craft books. So, i camped some time to myself an made these. All i need now is some stickers to put on the soles as these slippers are just that - SLIPPER-Y!! But lovely. I didn't have enough rick rack but i think they turned out fine just like this. I think my cat wants a pair next!

Oh, Anthro!

Now that we have our very own (2!) Anthropologie stores in Toronto, i am a very excited girl. My wallet and maternity leave EI cheques are another matter though. Luckily, i can't get there very much and since we have our very own stores here, i think the novelty and allure of them has worn off a bit. A bit.

For instance, i dragged J and our wee one to Anthro during Boxing Week sale-city, along with my gift card from J (he knows me so well) but got me even better presents he made for me!), and some birthday money. It was a bit chaotic there but we did not leave empty handed. Again, i never leave there disappointed aka empty-handed.
On top of some lovely things for me to wear, we bought this fantastic bathroom rug because it was on a great sale price. And since Li'l C is a Anthro baby, we bought him this cute fair traded felted birdhouse. Goes with the theme for his room, right? And, it's a great way to store his blocks. I love the wooden blocks just as much! J played with the exact set when he was a wee one too. We purposefully put them nice and low on a hook so C can get to them when he wants to.

Oh, Anthro!

Farmers Market Knits

I love all the sweet toys we have for baby C. I have to admit, i am enjoying playing with them as much as he is. Even better, i've been able to make some and have friends and family also make gifts/toys especially for Li'l C.

Case in point, these great knit and crocheted veggies. Our friend Janice crocheted the eggplant and carrot and i love them. The carrot is assumably not organic as it's pretty huge, but C loves them regardless. I knit him the strawberry following this pattern and they all have sweet little bells inside to make them rattles.

Amuse Bouche New Years

We hosted an epic dinner party for New Years. We love dinner parties and themed ones at that. So, to join in the trend of amuse bouche dishes, we thought of having an 8-course feast.

Of course, the dishes are small, so we thought eating so much would be okay. We were wrong! We each took turns preparing our dishes in the kitchen, while the conversation and drinks flowed in the dining room. Bad idea...it took a long time to make the food and the drinks were too good to sip delicately. We had some Rosemary-infused Martinis, wine, and Champagne/Cava. I, of course was on baby duty and breastfeeding, so i kept my sips to ladylike proportions!

The menu was quite extravagant and we definitely outdid ourselves. J and i contributed a Parsnip Pear Soup recipe i found online and served in small eggnog cups. I substituted coconut milk for the regular milk it calls for, making it a lovely, simply dish (and vegan too). I also am in love with balsamic vinegar reductions!
J made a fun Sloppy Joel - with the topping from Veganomicon (lentils instead of typical TVP) and Quinoa Quinoa Cornbread from Vegan Soul Kitchen. Good stuff.
We almost made it to 2010 by course 7, but alas we had to eat the best Tempeh sandwich ever after...not a bad way to start a year, in my opinion! It had homemade BBQ sauce and a lovely cole slaw mixed in it. Goodness! Luckily, it is bigger than a typical amuse bouche, as all our dishes were!

Christmas Tags

Just a quick note to check in with you all, as we're still in holiday mode here. Christmas is a week-long vacation for us, not just two days!

This year, as usual, i wanted to do something fun for gift wrapping and tags. I decided to not buy any new wrapping or bags, nor gift tags. So we used old gift bags (even ones that weren't so festive like this one above) and i looked through my stock of old holiday cards to make gift tags. I don't know why i keep all that i do, but luckily i had a lot of old cards that i could re-use. They make simple tags and are great for my wallet and Mother Earth!

I also used old fabric that i didn't want anymore. I found festively coloured ones from a trip to India i made, and also used fabric remnants from recent projects. Fun and a great way to add to the gift itself!

Happy Winter Solstice

I love tradition, and now that we have a wee one, we're starting a new tradition for our family. J and i have celebrated the Winter Solstice for years, but we wanted to do something that honours our community. So, we baked - correction, J baked as i was sick in bed - some festive loaves that we'll be giving to our neighbours today. Nothing says holiday like some baked goods - this year it's cranberry orange loaves. We got the recipe from our stand-by book, Veganomicon. Too bad i was so stuffed up that i couldn't smell the magic coming from the kitchen!

I also went with a woodlands theme for decor. Our tree has some new ornaments, made by me and bought. I made some cute acorns, loosely following this pattern as well as this one that i modified for an acorn.
I also bought C his first ornament and was so happy to have an excuse to buy/splurge on one of Tamar's work. We'll put it in his room afterward. I also bought this great crocheted pinecomb at a local craft fair, and the mushroom is from my favourite bookstore in the city.