baby shower invites

I made these baby shower invitations for my friend who is due to have a baby girl in 3 weeks!

I love how they turned out with some of my favorite scraps of fabric and vintage buttons. I saw the idea online, but only had one, poor photo to follow, so I took my own pictures to share the idea and show off :)

1. print invites leaving 3-4" space for baby buggy

2. cut oval/baby buggy shapes from scrap fabric

3. glue fabric in place with glue stick

4. machine stitch legs (follow example in photo)

5. hot glue matching buttons for wheels

Leavenworth

We went to Leavenworth again! This time, we camped with 3 other families for Memorial Day.

We camped, climbed, hiked, and feasted together.

Each family took turns making a meal; we had chili and biscuits, bacon chocolate chip pancakes, fish tacos, and fruit and yogurt parfaits. It was great to get to know our new friends better.

Elliott was facing away from the camera - but here is a close up:

I found 5 morels right in our campsite!

Elliott's first morel:

I love this sun bonnet on him!

German dancer pants!

I just stitched up some summer shorts for my little boy (he is growing up so fast).

I used this German dancers fabric I had been saving for probably 15 years...making progress on my fabric hoard. After making a pair, I remembered that our big Blackwelder Family Reunion this summer is going to have a German theme (the family name originates from the Black Forest Region on Germany). At first, I thought of making shorts for all the little babies at the reunion, but then I realized we may find a better use for the fabric...

Iceland + Paris

Yes, that is right, I am going to Iceland and Paris in 1 month!

I just bought the tickets!!! Yippeee!

Candice has been planning a 5 week trip in Europe and she invited me to join for the first week. Thanks to a little gift from Briana, I was able to get the tickets on such late notice. Sisterfest on Iceland for the Summer Solstice! Woot! Bri, we are thinking of it as your 30th birthday bash.

So, what about Elliott....? He will be at home bonding with Adam and my mom while he thinks of his dear mother and her sweet, sweet milk.

Our latest brainstorm of ideas:

rent a car and drive to the West Fjords for a night

soak in as many hot springs as possible

hold as many Icelandic lambs as possible

drown ourselves in licorice candy, licorice dipped ice cream cones, skyr (yogurt), cheese, and smoked meat

catch up with friends from my visit in 2005

enjoy Reykjavik nightlife while the sun never sets!

Then...

say hello to Paris

eat crepes and waffles in the park

walk around Montmartre

order croque monsieurs at cafes

dine in a fancy restaurant

that is all :)

A Pair of Ducks

It was our 3rd Anniversary on May 8th! So we got a pair of ducks, to commemorate.

They still don't have names, but we have a boy and girl "White and Fawn Indian Runner." I love this breed - they stand very tall and have tiny wings.

I am working on a combo duck and chicken coop for these ducks and our future chickens.

Urban Homestead!

Garden Bed

I am so excited about this garden bed I built for $2**.

This is NOT quality workmanship, but it is functional. Both these beds and the chicken coop I'm working on have been satisfying, utilitarian projects.

After building and painting the garden bed, I lined the inside with old coffee bags (available at garden stores). I followed the advice of my friend, Micah, on how to layer straw, alfalfa, manure, and compost for the soil.

The bags are beautiful and even had a few hidden unroasted coffee beans inside.

Elliott became enamored with the hammer and nails, so I let him play with the smaller indoor use hammer while I used the larger one.

homestead boy:

**Well, the frame was $2 (50 cents for each corner post) and a lot of the growing material was free (leftovers from my friend), but I did spend $11 on steer manure and compost. I even painted it with nearly free paint! The wood I used for the side walls were free scraps I picked up from BMC in Issaquah while getting our ducks.

eggs

Look at these pretty chicken eggs!

It is my sister, Briana's, birthday today. She would have been 30, which is a big milestone, so Candice and I like to think we would have gone on a fun trip with her. It would have been fun - wish we could be together and at least eat cake to celebrate!

Wood pile

About 6 weeks ago, Adam dumped 16,000 pounds of alder wood on our parking area. Since then, he has dutifully chopped wood 2 or 3 nights / week...and there is still a sizeable pile left!

He set up a pallet foundation on which to stack the wood to keep our epic, Armageddon wood pile dry.

Should be done soon :)