New Club Pattern

The Unique Sheep just started sending out shipments for their Art Nouveau Club. And the first shipment is a new pattern of mine!

Introducing the Edwardian Sock:


This sock was a little different than my usual designs. For one thing- I never actually touched the yarn or the sock. I didn't knit it. When Laura put out the call for submissions, I sat down with my stitch dictionaries and thought about the fashion and style of the turn of the last century. I found some stitch patterns I liked, did a sketch, and sent it off.
            When it was accepted, I sat down with the stitch patterns and a calculator and wrote the pattern. Sent it to The Unique Sheep, who sent it to a test knitter, who emailed me a lot because I messed up a lot, then the tester sent the sock to The Unique Sheep. Laura took pretty pictures- and here it is!

 Laura is a much better photographer than I am....

I don't know how to put my inspiration into words with this design- it just embodies my ideas of accessory fashion for that time period- small gauge, attention to detail, texture....  I think it turned out well. I might enjoy this kind of designing in the future!

It's all in the Details

I am at the point now if just finishing the details of my home. You know, putting the pictures on the walls, unpacking the last few boxes, all of those fun little details of organization that make a house into your own personal home.

In this case, those details are different than they have been in any other home I've lived in. Oh, there's the normal details of putting the pictures up, deciding which wall the piano will be up against; but here, I've added some special details. I'm not totally done, but I think this is the last time I will be posting what I'm doing- as the rest is pretty small stuff.

So, remember this?

 That turned into this?

 Well, now it is this:

 It was very hard to photograph, as there is no way I can get all the steps in one shot. So you got three. I hope you can see the progression a little bit. If not, just look up Psalms 121. All 8 verses are there- on 10 steps. I know, because I put them there.
First with pencil, then with a very small paintbrush.  It's not perfect- for sure the phrases are not centered, I know the lines are not straight; I have a definite drift in my writing. But still, I love how it turned out.
And that chapter just seemed so appropriate to have on the stairs leading to Joel and I's space.

Also, in my living room, there was this:

 Which is now this:

 Which I love. Somehow, it fits that space to perfection.

For whatever reason, the first thing I decided I wanted in my living room when I found out I was moving- was a tree.
A big one.
On the wall.
Where it's obvious where you first walk in the front door.


I didn't get it.

I got 5.


 And 6 birds.

And I love it. With this on one wall, the vine on the other, and a painting of my grandmother's of deer in the forest between them- I have a bit of God's creation in my home. I find it so peaceful in this room now. 

I am so pleased with how this all has come together. The kids are so pleased with their special walls, and I am thrilled with mine. For us this home really is "Narnia",  as Joel calls it.  We are so incredibly blessed beyond our wildest imaginations. 

September 2, 2012

12 years ago today was one of the best day of my life up to that point.

It was the day I married my best friend.

12 years later, he is still my best friend- and so much more. Our lives have changed, but by the grace of God, the changes have been full of immense blessings.

Our life together is busy, crazy, and absolutely wonderful. This has been an amazing 12 years. How good God is.

Nature

My kids love being outside. They love hiking and biking and picking berries and exploring.

Ian drew a picture from a memory of a hike to Multnomah Falls a while ago.  That picture is very important to him. I think it must be associated with some special memories, because it always makes him smile a certain way when he talks about it.
This is the picture he drew:

When I asked him what he wanted on his walls, this is what he gave me. I told him I wasn't sure I could do it. He said he didn't want anything else if he couldn't have that.

Well, it's not identical, but it's the best I could do:

The blue is the original color- that worked out so nicely!  He didn't want the tree trunks filled in, because he drew them so well with the markings- and I had no other dark brown to re-create it. He said he doesn't like it.  He said he REALLY likes it. :)

Happy kids make for a happy mama.

Horsing Around

Ever since we found out we were moving and might be, possibly, able to paint the house the way we wanted, my daughter has had big plans for her room. We finally got to do it.

Before: (this looks very blue. The walls are actually purple.)

Now, we only did one wall. She likes the existing purple, and her plans work best for just one wall. She is also, at this moment, using up my leftover red on 2 walls in her closet.

During:

Completed:

She seems to be a very happy girl this afternoon. :)

And I am happy, because the only paint we bought for this was a small quantity of brown. The rest of the colors are leftovers from other rooms that were painted before we moved in. I love leftovers!

Now I have to figure out how to copy Ian's picture that he wants on his wall....

Busy, Happy Days

It has been crazy! I thought it would start slowing down a bit... I was wrong.

Last week, Joel was in Canada for the annual Skatechurch trip.  The kids and I went blackberry picking and made ice cream and cobbler with the delicious perfectly ripe berries. We had friends over, went to the library, all sorts of fun things. Then I painted the little boys' room.

Cutting in: (for contrast)

After:

I love the way the curtains my mother-in-law gave me fit this room so perfectly. This room is now the same color as our "spare" room.  So nice to get to use leftover paint!  It worked out so very well, both Asher and Milo wanted a "green room, mom, a dark green room." Well, there ya go. :)

So that was last week. Then on the weekend, we got to host family!!! Lots of family! Almost all of our families!  Because my beautiful daughter was baptized on Sunday, and they all came to celebrate with us. :) It was so wonderful in so many ways. We had a most fantastic weekend.

And the highlight:

An absolutely wonderful weekend. :)

Now on to more painting, unpacking, organizing, and (drumroll, please) school preparation!

One More Room

Done!!! Well. Almost. There is one more little detail I want to do, but it is going to have to wait. It's time to move in to the whole house. :D

So, this is what I started with-
This first shot is actually the stairs AFTER the refinishing, but before I did my thing:

This is looking south at the top of the stairs- BEFORE the refinishing of the floors:

This is standing at the window in the above picture, looking north- again, before refinishing:

And this is what I have now- Stairs:

Looking down the stairs:

Looking south at the top of the stairs:  (yes, I'm excited. I've already started moving stuff up. That's my massage table in the corner close to the window. And my wonderful husband put in the A/C last night, too.)

And this is standing by the window in the above shot, looking north:

Now I get to move in!