Griffin's Thank You Notes

I try to be good at writing thank you notes, but sometimes, my good intentions are derailed by my forgetfulness - like straight up forgetting (terrible) or finding an addressed envelope in my purse weeks later (more than once, sadly!) or where did I put those stamps? or did I write that person already? Not great. 

But when it comes to Griffin's thank you notes, I try even harder. Christmas Eve with my family was such a rush of present-opening amongst the 8 young kids, that it was nearly impossible for gratitude to sink in. So, the thank you note writing for us seems all the more important for times like that. And even at 2 years old, Griffin knows that we're writing our thank you notes. Okay, so the only thing he knows is that he's sitting down & drawing circles and Mommy's talking to him & writing something. But, so far, it's been a time when we're able to pause & talk about the people we're writing to & what gifts we're thanking them for. Even if he only gets it for these short moments, I'm pretty determined to make this a habit for him. Of course for now, Mommy will still need to find the stamps & actually get the envelope out of her purse and into the mailbox :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I was excited to flip the Quilt Calendar to January and see the white & silver, which feel very fresh and light after looking at the big pink cover for so long. 

This is the month we're due to welcome our second child - so white & silver seem fitting, as well, for marking this new addition. More on the prep for this new addition to come... 

Our Christmas Card: A Peek

A little peek here of our Christmas card. Does this wreath look familiar? After seeing Amy Merrick's gorgeous wreath creations & signing up for her class, I decided to draw a wreath based on my favorite creation of hers: the Birds Nest Wreath, and use it on our Christmas card this year. It's letterpressed in neon orange ink, which I think offers a nice color surprise, while still feeling festive.

See more of Amy's beautiful work here.

Wreath-Making Class with Amy Merrick

This weekend, my great friend was back in town (hooray!) & asked if I wanted to go to a wreath-making class by Amy Merrick. I've been dying for a crafternoon (baby nesting + holidays = "dying for a crafternoon"), so I jumped at the chance. Amy makes exquisite flower arrangements & her wreaths are beautiful & perfectly wild. (See & purchase here.) She gave us a little tutorial to start, putting together greens like magic & making it look effortless. For me, it was not. I went hard out of the gates & bulked up on greens, then gradually thinned out as I went around, creating a little dieted-looking wreath on one side. But I love it! And it was so much fun getting to work with materials I never work with, hanging out with a good friend & happy people. And I now have a beautiful (and beautiful-smelling thanks to the eucalyptus) wreath hanging on our wall (above).  

Big thanks to Amy for letting us into her gorgeous studio to play with greens all afternoon! 

See more of Amy's work here.

The Simple & Powerful Gift of Scent

When Griffin was born, my older sister (and mother of four) flew over from London to visit us & as a gift, gave me hand soap. I thought it was a strange thing, at first. But when I started washing my hands 80 times a day (preventing germs before holding & cleaning off various baby secretions after holding) I realized that the beautiful smell of that hand soap was like a mini trip to the spa. Ok, VERY mini; maybe even a grand overstatement. But it was a welcome change of smell - one that I came to look forward to during those first blurry few weeks. (Older sisters always know!) A few months ago, I picked up this copper soap dispenser ($30) at Terrain. After being sold out this fall, they are now back in stock. Fill with your favorite smelling liquid soap & give to anyone in need of (or who would appreciate) a nice refreshing pick-me-up.

Our Advent Calendar Sliding Door

Tada! Our advent calendar sliding door! 

After seeing a cute & seemingly simple DIY advent calendar on the blog A Merry Mishap, I was inspired to do something similar with our new blank canvas sliding door. I painted some trees on the door in a very pale blue-gray color, picked up some clothes pins at the hardware store, some kiddo party bags at the party supply store & painted the numbers on the bags. I filled the bags with little treasures - crayons, markers, a silly straw, stickers, chapstick (remember I told you he's obsessed?) & attached the pins with heavy duty sticky tack. I eye-balled the placement (I'm too lazy for the level & ruler) so some are a little off. Adds to the charm.

And best of all, Griffin loves it! "Six!" he yelled this morning. "I want to open six!" Bag #6 had stickers in it, which he promptly peeled off & stuck on chairs, himself & Daddy. Fun for all! 

It's Advent Calendar Time!

Growing up, we had a little wooden tree sitting on our kitchen table with a little sleigh next to it that held 24 ornaments. Each day, we'd put a little ornament on one of the pegs on the tree. We all loved the ritual of it. Which one should I pick today? the little drum? or the toy soldier? Maybe the angel? And of course, it was a good lesson in taking turns:)

Over the weekend, our good friend and oh-I-can-just-whip-that-up-in-the-shop, Mat of Bellboy New York made us a temporary sliding door for our apartment - that is of course perfect & not the slab of scrap wood I said would do. We want to separate the kitchen/living area from the bedrooms (the hopefully sleeping baby is almost here!) but we can't make up our minds about what it should look like - all wood? should it have windows? or metal? maybe all cement? Too many options when you've got handy friends! So, Mat made us a temporary all-white door that I'm going to paint (thinking a tree pattern) & add little bags like the ones above from a Merry Mishap to create a big advent calendar for Griffin. Stickers one day, chapstick (his new obsession) the next, followed by a few markers - his mind will be blown. After Dec 25, my hope is to continue painting over it & make it a rotating canvas in our home until we finally get around to the real door - which I think may take a while!

Stay tuned for some door advent calendar pics!

[Photo courtesy of A Merry Mishap]