Adventure is Worthwhile | Printable

We are getting excited about our upcoming adventure to Paris! We've visited before, in our kid-free days, and were able to enjoy the not so toddler-appropriate delights of the city (breathtaking art and museums, fine dining, shopping marathons). This trip, going with our toddler means there will certainly be a few time zone tantrums, and she "won't remember anything" (as a few family members have stated), but it's still important to us to sometimes vacation in places that are not total kid-zones. We love this magical city, and can't wait to explore Paris in a whole new light. More picnics in grand gardens, less Pierre Gagnaire. Crepes on park benches in place of catacombs. Quick cafe snacks, castles, kid museums, and carousels instead of long lunches and the Mona Lisa. Our daughter may not long-term remember the trip, but to us, there is still merit in letting her little growing mind be boggled by unique sights, sounds, and smells. Parenthood, reading, and vacations are the triumverate of the most worthwhile adventures to me! Here is a (free) printable project I designed in that vein, with a favorite Amelia Earhart quote. Perfect bookmarks for your bibliophile buds, a new parent, treats for your book-club members, or as favors for a book themed baby shower perhaps? 

Adventure Fern Printable Bookmarks

DIY Fungi Counting Game

The dregs of winter. Until the warmer weather routines start to return, I'm plodding along, trying new change-ups to the day where I can. This project is a fun, quick, easy DIY. It's perfect for my daughter, who lately is showing more interest in counting activities. I'm always trying to add to our collection of packable and simple activities for outings, or visits to friends homes that are kidless (and devoid of toy diversions). A big bonus- it isn't costly or hard to replace any pieces that get lost. We learned our rookie lesson quickly when we first started bringing a little bag of small fave toys out and about, and a couple treasures went missing. The iconic red spotted Amanita mushrooms always make me think of spring, conjuring images of Alice's adventures in her wonderland, forest friends emerging for woodland warm fun! And let's pretend the reason I picked a mushroom for this craft was because I sewed her a little red mushroom softie when I was expecting, or because her dad is a chef who is a fungi enthusiast. Let's definitely not think my reason was because I was too lazy to layer the kid in winter armor to trek out and buy felt, at which point I discovered I already had these colors from a past craft idea that never saw the light of day! Best of all- it's such a cheap project, around $2-$3 for the felt. Or do a free version with construction or colored cardstock if you also don't want to trek out! 

Materials

• felt sheets, 8 1/2" x 11" (1 white, 1 brown, and 3 red), * the pre-stiffened variety

• Sharpie marker

• scissors

• tacky or white glue

Instructions

Draw 10 red "cap" shapes with sharpie marker. Remember to draw them in increasing size (the smallest will need to hold 1 circle, the next 2, and so forth). Draw 10 rectangular stems, also graduating in size from small to large. Cut the stem and cap shapes out. For the spots, cut the white felt into long strips (about 1" wide) and freehand cut the circles out. You'll need 55 circles, (I cut a handful of extra circles for when some inevitably get lost). Dab a little glue to the top edge of the brown stems, affix to the back of the cap pieces, and allow them to dry. Viola, a gnome-spring-forest themed counting game, in a jif, and on a dime! Take that, Winter.

Bunnies Are Magic

After mornings of particularly shameful toddler like behavior (oftentimes on both our parts)- it's easy to let it dictate the rest of our day. Too easy it is to spend her nap time in a pool of woe-is-me, fearing an impending afternoon of similar meltdowns. I've come to realize if I give in to this, it's a sealed guarantee of more of the same. But if I recalibrate and remind myself how little this should be about me, how lucky I am to have that happy, healthy, fiery kid-nado canvas- it becomes much easier to turn my mope into hope, dread into tread. E's love of hop-hops- the name for bunnies 'round here- runs wild and deep (it's even the theme of this years birthday). She has amassed a mass of bunny toys and figurines, and those are my magic makers on the aforementioned rough days. Like more fabulous woodland Elves on the Shelf, while she naps- bunnies do funny or strange things... when she awakens and discovers whats the hap with the hop-hops, those brief milliseconds! The confused curious smile! Hands down my favorite moments of magic. Sometimes one is naughtily swimming in the bathroom sink, another time a Calico Critter bunny built and climbed a tower of blocks as high as the ceiling. Once a play-doh bunny awaited with coveted googly eyes, ready to be mashed and reinvented. Yesterday, she awoke to a wall covered in giant hop-hop paper cut outs. It was b.day party decor I just finished, and thought- lets use the extra fancy (aka $$$) washi tape she's always trying to get her mitts on, and stick these up for a Bunnies Are Magic moment. It's all secretly selfish on my part though. Before I know it, when mama's manufactured hop-hop magic is a long lost memory and she is too cool for my quirky school, at least I'll have those mental polaroids of her perplexed-enchanted-just-woke-up babyface to help get me past whatever the hurdle du jour will be. I don't give a rat's turd about Santa Claus, but oh man, when she stops believing in the mysticism of bunnies- that'll be the real twist of the dagger!

Typophile in Training

Creating the mini art collection for the dollhouse has been an extra fun part of the "decorating" process. I whipped up a miniature Font Poster for my gal's Calico Critters. I've attached a PDF printable here in case you have a need for a teeny typography poster too.. There are a few different color ways and options for both Helvetica or Futura so you can pick your favorite!

Font Poster Printable

For you, I'll fold the sea.

Our first blog post! As my kid nears 2, I admit it's been a strange path. Years of living self-employed and childless meant I was able to work, design, and dole my time primarily as I needed/wanted to (with the obvious struggles that come with that turf). Becoming a "work while watching at home" mom has been a tricky balance that I'm still trying to decode. But that hasn't meant the canvas for making and doing has been shut off- quite the contrary. It just has a different composition. Deciding it was time (both for sanity and financial reasons!) to axe custom and wedding clients from my business  (stationery goods), leaves more time for kid fun, craft messes, strange little fussy house/child projects that I love to hate. For now, this site is for me and my daughter (and you if you'd like!)- it's our little empty nook of the internet where I can lodge the crafts, the pics, this evolving adventure, the random snippets and mementos of my promise to her that she inspires me to fold the sea.