Buzzmills

An Olympic Sized 10th Birthday...

Over the weekend we had our first party in our new house!  

An Olympic themed 10th birthday!

Every year, the kids get to pick their birthday themes...and this year, with all of the Winter Olympics excitement in our house, it seemed only natural to have an Olympic themed party!

Seeing that this was the big 1-0, I really wanted Violet to have a hand in all of the planning and such...We planned the food, the favors, the games and crafts together.  And, she helped to make some of the goodie bag items and treats as well.  It was fun to have her help and I think it made the party all the more special to her!

She and I made Olympic themed bracelets and tucked those into the goodie bags...

Along with some candies, hockey stick pencils, and flags...

The decorations were mostly international flags, along with a few balloons and white tigers...

For the food we kept it pretty simple with Korean chicken barbecue (a nod to the host country), Olympic colored fruits, and chips and veggie "torches"...

Violet and I made sugar cookies and with royal icing, and then drew one Olympic rings with edible markers for a treat...

And for the birthday cake...a marble cake decorated to look like the Pyeongchang Olympic mascot, Soohorang...

I'm not a master cake maker by any means!  But he turned out kind of cute, and really all that mattered was that Violet liked him which she did!

We played games, like "snow boarding"

Olympic ring toss,

"Speed Skating"

and archery...

We crafted our own Olympic torches...

And, at the end...there was a medal ceremony...

in which everyone was awarded their very own Olympic medal.  Violet and I made the medals using polymer clay, and paint...we were pretty thrilled with the way they turned out!

And while everyone else got "Happy Birthday" crowns to wear...the birthday girl donned a handmade crown of laurels for the occasion...

I think the birthday girl was pretty happy about how everything turned out!  I know that everyone had a great time with lots of laughs and giggles (including mom and dad!) and it was so fun getting to know some new friends and know that this transition that we've made is moving along pretty well! 

2017, A Year in Review...

Every year I think...eh, maybe I won't put together a year in review post...and then...I do.

The cons...it takes a long time to go through an entire year of making.  It takes a long time to sort through the blog posts and photos.  It takes a long time to put it all together.

The pros...it's all laid out there before you in one neat little package of a blog post.  You are reminded of all the things you actually did create over the course of 365 days.  And, while throughout the year you drew inspiration from so many others, your year in review inspires YOU!  

But, more than all of that...it's a year in review...a review of my makes from the past year, yes, but also of moments in time.  So much of what I make, whether it be sewn or otherwise, becomes a memory.  Makes are memories, makes are birthdays, holidays, vacations, special moments...Handmade is so much a part of our family life that these "year in review" posts remind me of all of that!

And, that, that, I think, is why I make the time each year to walk down memory lane...

January

DIY neck gaiters, nutcracker pajamas and dolls, dopp kit, winter woolies/long johns, King and Queen, faux fur vest and plaid skirt, cat hat DIY, sock monkey, tiny pocket tee and susanne cardi, clear plastic drawstring bag tutorital, birthday doll, poolside tote and teacher gifts

February

birthday nightgown, rowan tee and wild and free loungers, phinney ridge cardi, esme top, laure dress and fishtail kimono, marlene and miss marlene tops.

March

Corduroy dog, french terry hudsons, Secret Valentine Exchange, Toaster Sweater, Elsa tote, Zadie dress, Farrow Dress, kitty pillow, Valentine hearts pins and holiday shirts

April

Coffee and Thread blog tour, polymer clay bud vases, polymer clay egg cups, bunny pillows

and then...speaking of walking down memory lane...

the blog got left behind...It's funny how I didn't really think of it much from April through September.  There were a few (thousand) other things on my mind and more important...

We moved from Maryland to New Jersey, as with any move it was a crazy, emotional, whirlwind time.  And my fabric and sewing machines were tucked away in boxes for months...

And then in September I jumped right back in!

September

Klein dress, Bess top, Sway dress, Feliz Dress, Anniversary ties, Panda Rowan tee and Noa pants

October

Chambray Geranium, baby gifts, Apple Rushbrook dress, Halloween pajamas, Batty raglans

November

Plaid skirt, witch, cat treat bucket, cat costume, family halloween costumes

December

Urban Jungle doll, Yasmeen Maxi, Advent Calendar

And then, ALL those things that never did (and never will...) make it to the blog...

Because, let's face it Instagram is amazing and fun...and loads easier than blogging all of the time!  Ha, ha, ha!  Anywho...if you missed any of those fun creative things above, be sure to find me on Instagram, because, you know there's a whole other world of creativity over there!

And...one more thing...this year Rachael, Imagine Gnats, asked me to be a part of the already amazing team of contributors at the Imagine Gnats blog, which I could not be happier about!  It's an amazing group of talented woman and she's got such a beautiful shop...what could be better?

While many are looking ahead and putting together their #makenine collages or other "sewing in 2018" plans...here I am, taking a look back.

I've not really ever been one to make plans ahead of time.  Not in life, not in sewing.  I'm a procrastinator and a "let's see how things go" kind of gal (and I'm TOTALLY NOT at the same time!)

So, instead, I'll look back and move forward at the same time.  See what projects inspire me, see what memories there are to be made...and enjoy looking back on those that have already been made!

Happy 2018!

 

Polymer Egg Cups...

Rainy, chilly days are really the perfect kind of days for family crafting aren't they?  With so many other family activities, sports, etc. in our lives nowadays we don't do it quite as often as we used to, but we still really enjoy it!

After we'd had our fill of bud vases, but not our fill of polymer clay crafting...we began to experiment a little.  Polymer clay is such a fun material to work with, soft and easily moldable for even small hands.  It's kind of like "grown-up" play-doh!  Grown up because you can bake it and keep it!  It's funny, I never quite enjoyed playing with play-doh, but polymer clay...I could twist and pull and mold and make with it for hours!  In fact, I/we did! 

It's really quite calming and a bit addictive too.

Being that we had just recently pulled out our Easter eggs and decorations the kids and I found ourselves inspired to make some eggs cups.  

Violet, began with a sweet little bunny egg cup...

Which turned out so well!

The single down turned ear was inspired, I think, by our bunny pillows.

And, the cutest part?

That little tail gets me! 

While she was toiling away on her sweet little Easter Bunny...I, began forming flower petal after flower petal...

To make a couple flower egg cup holders.

Henry thinks they look a bit like water lilies...

And, as I was making my flowers, he sat across the table observing my water lily making...and made his own!

We forget sometimes, or more to the point I forget sometimes, how enjoyable it can be to sit down and create quietly with the kids.  So often I find myself getting them set up to make something and then move on to whatever other thing I was working on, but, as it turns out, even bigger kids like to make alongside their grownups...

Afterward, both Violet and Henry, kept telling me, as they beamed with pride, how much fun they had.  Fun, because they were happy with what they made, but also fun because I was there making too...

It really was the perfect way to spend a rainy weekend morning...together and creating!

ps.  Want more polymer clay inspiration?  Or maybe more specifically Easter polymer inspiration?  

Or perhaps, some other fun Eastery things to do or create?

Enjoy!

Spring Bud Vases...

Last month I planned a trip to our local paint your own pottery studio with Violet's Brownie Troop to paint bowls for Empty Bowls Baltimore so that they could earn their "potter" badge.  We all had a ton of fun and the girls did an amazing job on their bowls, but it was hard for them (and me!) knowing that their bowls were going to be donated and not taken home with them to their homes.  

I promised that, at our next meeting, I'd have a "pottery" project that they could actually take home with them.  

Seeing that our meeting was being held on the first day of Spring I thought we'd make bud vases!

I brought along polymer clay, mostly white with a few select colors as well for adding bits of a color pop.  We used toothpicks, and bamboo skewers and dowels for smoothing and forming...

Everyone had a blast carefully crafting their own unique vases.  Once they were all made, I dashed back home (we only live 5 min. down the street from their meeting place) and baked them as they took care of some of Girl Scout agenda items...When I came back I surprised them by tucking a little flower into each of their vases...

They were all so excited and pleased with their vases!  It was a super simple project to do and...who doesn't love a little touch of fresh flowers around the house?

Of course, I should say, that these vases were made at home after the meeting together as a family, because...as soon as Henry got wind of what our project had been he too wanted to make some of his own!  I was happy to oblige and, as it turned out, it was the perfect rainy Sunday morning family project!

 

Turning Nine...in Style...

It's been a whirlwind of celebrations, as February tends to be, around here...

Between my birthday at the beginning of the month, Valentine's Day in the middle and Violet's near the end of the month it feels like non stop celebrations during this short month.  I've yet to get to share my birthday makes or any Valentine's makes, though I have shared much of them on on Instagram...

But today, since it's still fresh in my head...and since it's Kids Clothes Week this week...I thought I'd share Violet's requested birthday outfit...

It was a whirlwind of celebrating over the weekend, first family and then friends the next day...

I had hoped to get her birthday dress completed in time for her birthday party, but, alas...there was not enough time...

I did manage to pull together a sweet little gathering for her and her friends though...

Violet wanted a story telling (for our fairies, of course) party...There was book making to record the stories...

Fairy house making, while telling stories...

And fanciful, fairy-like cupcakes...

Oh, and also, somehow a miracle of Spring-like temperatures in February...and as it turned out her school picture dress turned out to be the perfect dress for the day!

But, post party there was also the business of the birthday dress...one that I knew Violet was very much looking forward too, so I spent the day Monday sewing and sewing... And then, of course, the warmer temperatures were taking a momentary leave of absence...and so I needed to sew some more to make a little cardigan as well...

The last minute cardigan is the Fishtail Kimono from Chalk and Notch made from some amazing and soft ombre sweater knit from Joann.  This sweater was a lightning fast make and oh so cozy and satisfying!

Not to mention that the color matches perfectly with this amazing floral from Soft Cactus (forest treasures)...

While she truly loves her new cardigan, and to be honest, it was something she'd been asking for for quite some time...The dress is what she was really after!

The Laure qipao dress from Straightgrain.  So grown up and sophisticated.   

"Fancy but not too Fancy" as Violet proclaimed! 

Perfect for a girl like her!

This one of those dresses that, as I sewed, I wished it was mine!  From the beautiful fabric to the piping and the qipao neckline...it's just so lovely!  

At the last minute I found this "button" leftover from Henry's Christmas "blazer" from last year...and it was the perfect addition!

She truly couldn't have been happier with her birthday ensemble! 

While I didn't make it in time for the party...it was finished and ready to go off to school on her actual birthday...

Which seems like pretty perfect timing to me! 

And then after school...we had some fun taking pictures!  

 

 Happy 9, Violet of mine!