Ms. Ellaneous crafts a life

Sneak Peek

Between Lacrosse finals, haircuts, and shopping for camp,  I managed to reclaim some yarn from a poncho gone wrong.

I love this yarn.  I use it for the potholders I can't get enough of. (For some reason I can't find my cut and paste button anymore. Seriously?  I have a picture of some, somewhere in March, if you're interested) Anyway, they don't make this yarn anymore so I unravelled and unravelled.  It took a lot longer than I thought, but now I have a supply for potholders.

I've also been working on a 40th Birthday gift for SS.  It's finally finished and ready to be sent.  Here's a sneak peek, just in case she's checking the blog.

It was so fun to make.  I'll post a picture after this weekend.  I'm also trying to get some other gifts ready to go out with that package too, but it involves mold making, and that stuff stresses me out.  I've tried twice and something always goes wrong.  Try, try again.

Here I go again

There has been a lot going on around here.  I have finally pulled out of my "no crafting" slump and have begun making again.  I'm mostly trying to get the kids through the last days of school and lacrosse season.  After school ends I have four days to get everyone ready and packed off to camp!

It's a never ending cycle of laundry and end of the year projects. Here's A3's end of the year science project on Giant Squid.  She did all the work herself, I swear, I just tied some knots.

In the midst of all this activity I am trying to organize and think about selling some of my wares.  This is proving to be quite a challenge, given the family schedule this spring.  I have read about so many ways to market, and frankly, I'm intimidated by almost all of the ideas.  I guess I'll be baby stepping my way through.  More on that later.

I have had time for some painting.  Slowly working on this series and a super secret 40th birthday present for SS.

Unexcused Absence

I've been gone, from this space, not from life.  As a matter of fact I've been buried by constant driving, constant washing of uniforms, packing snacks, cleaning toilets, hard transitions, and an inability to actually make myself work on anything besides the aforementioned.  It feels like I'm coming up for air though, as the school year and lacrosse season wind down.  So I hope to get back to this space because I have missed it. 

For anyone still reading, thanks!  I'll be back soon.  Have a great long weekend. 

Landscaping and a Birthday

I've been trying to write this post since Sunday, but you know Lax, Lax, Lax, blah, blah, blah.

Sunday was A2's 12th birthday!  We really didn't have a big celebration, just family, some presents and cake.  We gave him two Lacrosse goals so we can finally set up our field, and some sundry items.  He had a cold so he spent most of the day lounging.  It's hard being twelve.

We also did some low cost landscaping in the front of the house.  Every time spring comes I start lamenting that it looks like we just moved into the house.  We have no flowers, no trees, and a lack of shrubbery.  It's not really in our budget to do a whole lot right now so we decided to just work on one corner.  So in A2's honor we planted a crab-apple tree. 

We also planted two lilac bushes and some perennials.  I'm not really sure what they are, because even though I would like to be the person that adores digging in the dirt, knows about plants and spends time taking care of them, I can't quite muster the energy.  I save it all for complaining about why we don't have plants and shrubs.  That's just how I roll.

The best part is our free trellis made from a birch tree that fell over in a storm earlier this year.  We (G and kids) are going to plant climby plants.  I think its going to look good, and if it doesn't, I'll do something new next year.

Now onto some craft fair details...

Worker Bee

Amid the Lacrosse practices, colds, and general lack of schedule for spring break, I have been working hard.

Knitting...

Sculpting...

and painting.

I am set to do my very first, very low key "craft" fair in early May.  I am nervous.  I'm trying to find the right packaging, tablecloth, and accoutrement to go with my products.  Oh yeah, and actually make products.  I know I'm missing things.  It will probably become painfully obvious exactly what I'm missing once I'm there.  I'm trying not to get too bent out of shape about the whole thing but it is definitely pushing me outside my comfort zone.  I'm also still trying to get something up on my Etsy shop, but so far, nothing.  Can you tell I'm a little manic?  Breathe, breathe.  The saving grace is, it's fun, you know, between the panic attacks. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

When things go from manageable to...

I can't even find the words.  It's Lacrosse season again and now we have two players! G is working like crazy, my parents are moving, Grandma N is here, and I'm STILL trying to open an Etsy shop.  I am aware, personally, of people who juggle multiple kids, multiple sports, running a household, and having friends, with what looks like relative ease and joy.  I haven't seemed to figure out how to do that.  I feel like I'm running on fast forward all of a sudden.  I can never find my camera, I forget to post, I forget to wash shorts and jerseys, we ran out of eggs and I have to look at our chalkboard to figure where I'm supposed to be.  I'm hoping that this is just a temporary period of adjustment.  I'm sure everyone around me does too! 

What I really wanted to do was give a huge shout out to all those parents out there who manage to feed their kids, get them where they are supposed to be and still have time for a smile.  It's alot harder than it looks.  Cheers to you!

Happy Easter!

We are off to a Easter brunch at Not that W's after a little egg and basket hunt this morning.  I hope everyone has a lovely Easter!

The Green Man

This weekend was chock full of projects and laundry.  I have been working on my "little" business with renewed gusto, and I still haven't quite figured out how to really get going.  This is certainly proving to be quite a process.  I can't wait to share!

All of this working and organizing and not quite wanting to share just yet, has made blogging a little sporadic.  I'm hoping that will change soon.  I'm also hoping to do some spring giveaways.

What I can share is a project A1 did yesterday for extra credit in English.

It's the green man.  I don't know much about the green man and frankly haven't looked it up.  I have a vague memory of the green man showing up at a Spring Waldorf fair when the children were very young.  I don't quite remember what it was all about, I was chasing one of my very fast runners.  I digress. 

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Art (with a capital A) and cherry blossoms

G and I had a little weekend adventure, the last hoorah before my parents move, in Washington D.C.  We visited our usual spots, our favorites from when we lived there, but this time we also did something new.  We lived in the D.C. area for six years and we never went to see the cherry blossoms around the tidal basin and rarely went to the art museums.  We decided we were going this time.  We visited the Hirshorn, with its sculpture outside, and wonderful central fountain.

Inside the Gallery there was an amazing exhibit of Louise Bourgeois's work.  It took up a whole floor, and that was just some of her work.  I'm always intrigued by female artists, especially when they are mothers.  Louise has three sons!  I just kept thinking,"How did she get all of this work done?"  I have a hard enough time working in time for my art (with a little a).  She works in all sorts of mediums and both big and small.  Of course after seeing her work, I needed the whole story.  To the museum shop!

After seeing her exhibit, my mind was so full of ideas and images we had to go outside for a pretzel.  I guess that is one of the advantages to living near a city with great museums, you can go, see an exhibit and not feel like you have to pack it all in.

After the Hirshorn we walked to the tidal basin to see the Cherry Blossoms.  It was drizzly and they were not at their peak but stunning nonetheless. 

G loves this one.  Cherry Blossoms make everything pretty!

Basket for B

Lately, I have been working on very few creative things around here.  Awhile ago I knit up some baskets but I haven't finished any of them until today, during a visit from L and her two youngest.  This is a basket for baby B, who loves to carry things around, and then hide them!  I hope she finds it useful. 

I have been working on other things, Quick-books, trying to figure out how to go to a craft fair, and how to find time for Morning pages.  All of these things seem to be stumping me at the moment.

The signs of spring have retreated and it feels like we are stuck in perpetual gray.  I can't even imagine that there will ever be green again, but I know there will be.  Changes are lurking just under the surface, things are happening, you just can't see it yet.  I'm trying to be patient.  Unfortunately, patience has never been one of my strong suits.